ふるさとのなつかしい民謡 Furusato no natsukashii minyoh (1970,jazz rock,Japan ,omnibus)
Killer little known private press with all original songs written by lead singer/guitarist Bob Wamnes. Great driving hard rock/blues rock/classic rock with some good fuzz guitar and rough vocals thoughout. Sort of a garage/bar band feel. Recorded in Florida. Sounds more early to mid 70's. Label - Sun Song 7783 - Florida private press rock LP. Interesting stuff, ranges from straight-up hardrock to a couple laid-back numbers to the prog / jazzrock style "New York, New York". Somewhat lo-fi recording (done on a Teac 3340S, according to the back cover) - http://www.popsike.com/
Jun Fukamachi "Alien Majyu Kyo" (1985,prog fusion,Japan)
"We're not trying to start a revolution
Continuing on with Natdamperen, this from 1976 carries on with the long drawn out jazz jam sessions a la From, here in particular the band is performing live, you can hear a bit of applause and the sound is far from perfect compared to the previous studio recording (even taking into account some warps on the first record and scratches on this rip). It's all instrumental, and very little of the simple kebnekajse folk-jazz appears, except in a reprise of the song pa gaden from the first album and the last song, by Nordenhof (who is the pianist). All tracks are written by saxophonist Ole Kuhl, except where I've indicated others, and the live concert took place at the Peoples House in Arhus on June 3 and Aug. 6, 1976. Note that their last album, Visions, went on to more accessible and listener-friendly fuzak, with tighter songs and simpler melodies.
dolmen with a face, with the band name written in sci-fi font, what a crazy drawing! This time by Teddy Sorensen.
I got this record in honour of all the wonderful library sites that share April Orchestra and all the other musicians and composers who made this particular genre. Michel Magne is well known in progressive circles of course as creator of albums La Terre and L'eau. I presume it's the same person as here. Mostly he was involved in film scores, I noticed he is credited with "Barbarella" which is one movie I think everyone should see as a taste of the craziness of sixties culture and film.
Yasuo Inada & Bemi Family "Kankaku Shikou"(Japan,prog,1974)
Think Kebnekajse hybridized with Swedish Ibis or German From and you've got the idea here. Half the instrumental tracks are rocked scandinavian folk songs and half are drawn-out jazzy jams, mostly in the key of A. 
Unfortunately the crosspollination procedure is not quite seamless since the tracks simply alternate, with the folk songs being tracks 1, 3, 6, and 8, and the jams being 2, 4, 5, and 7. Not much info that I can find about this band, who went on to produce two more albums. Let's hope the next double-lp turns up soon ;-).
Happy New Year to everyone out there in the blogosphere, and I promise we will be exploring tons of interesting stuff in the next little while, unearthing lost audiological treasures from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, mining this thick vein of apparently inexhaustible ultra-precious musical metals... with no end in sight, it looks like there is still more to discover for sure.
and Georg Lawall Live, without really letting up at all the progressive spirit (similar to Alcatraz). This last album takes us out to 1980, when the world had pretty much given up on progressive music, but here nestled in Deutschland we still see the eagerness to fuse together every strand of human audiological experimentation: folk, classical, jazz, and blazing-fast virtuoso playing. The one element missing is the electric guitar. I cannot believe how sustained the compositions are and how unfair it is that Georg Lawall's work is lost to posterity and I hope the artists see it the way I do -- to share this immense priceless treasure from the past with as many people as possible.
"Ptolomy Psycon - Loose Capacitor (EP). 1971 private. (catalog number HAT 1306 A).
Um dos discos mais raros do rock progressivo português, prensagem privada de 300 cópias. 
Produção: Tempo e Modo e D. C. Rios 
This album features Yugoslav musicians who created a band in Switzerland where they recorded three albums. Their first magnificent mahavishnu-hard rip-roaring fusion is an unforgettable supersonic smash through the ears, full of majestic and satanic guitar riffs and thundering basslines all momentumed to phenomenal crashlandings, not a single boring slow throwaway in sight. Their second from a year later which is featured here is not quite as good and energetic though it without doubt stands comparison, using the same high-energy and modal style chords (cf. McCoy Tyner in late sixties, with Miles Davis). Unfortunately both master Shige and myself obtained copies by an odd cosmic coincidence or alignment of the z-list stars and as a result we are spoiled here with two versions of rippery hereby enclosed beneath the fold, again I defer to master Shige for the musical quality of his equipment and care of his time.
a very chromatic and angular riff on guitar then abruptly descends to the minor second tone below, for some arpeggiated chords. Great modulation there. Unfortunately we are then 'treated' to about 8 minutes of virtuoso soloistic noodling.
An absolutely brilliant long-lost classic private pressing from the US, composer Paul Nash's first record, and inevitably his best work. Mostly Mingus-style cool west-coast jazz with outstanding ensemble playing and serious classical overtones and harmonies. In a few self-written paragraphs on the back cover Paul Nash dedicates the album to Charlie Mingus himself (who sadly was to die a month later of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). He mentions he usually begins his composition with solo guitar and singing, oddly enough.
I believe "Lentera " is one of the best prog singers' albums that ever released all over the world.
very nice and obscure psychedelic folk record featuring Ronaldo Garcia issued on a private label at 1982. Musically similar to the early works of artists like Lula Cortes, Ze Ramalho, Alceu Valenca.. while most of the songs on the album stands for its good portuguesse sung lyrics, there are some musically rich ones as Janaína, Pra um Moleque.. as far as we know Ronaldo is preparing a new album years after
Continuing on with the Orexis completion, we have their first album from 1977, entirely composed by the amazing Georg Lawall, who plays not just guitars but percussion and sitar. Back of the vinyl describes his musical formation, he was in Total Music Association (free jazz I believe) which produced the LP Walpurgisnacht, then formed the Georg Lawall Trio before Orexis. He was educated in the Munich conservatory and played concert guitar as soloist (not surprisingly given his virtuosity). The other members are Erik Erker, bass, and Gert Kilian on percussions. Erik plays I think cello with a bow in the track 'Tombstone' -- as usual giving it a plaintive funereal sound especially when playing in a very light way on the highest notes. Erik played music by Bartok, Webern and Stravinsky, as well as with Albert Mangelsdorff the great german jazz musician, and other jazz combos in Frankfurt. The percussionist played with the "Ensemble for new music" in Stuttgart as well as multiple jazz groups.
Reflection (1979), which to me is the big masterpiece of Georg Lawall. I can't help but mention the incredible photo cover, in which the mirror shows a lovely blonde topless german girl (Lawall is holding a small mirror inside the wall-mounted mirror). Again Lawall is responsible for all compositions except Bassart, by Wolfgang Lauer the bassist on this record. Trilok Gurtu plays tablas and percussions, along with Gert Kilian. Dieter Bihlmeier plays flutes and Bruckdorfer oboe on the second side, called the Catalan Suite. Side one is the Reflection Suite.
From the LA DISCOGRAPHIE DU ROCK FRANÇAIS book :
seventies, the compositions are remarkably crafty and energetic, sound could be better. A dreamy and at times harsh atmosphere pervades. The title means the road of forgetfulness.
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With Jean-Michel Jarre , comrade of the Lycée Michelet in Vanves , Francois Wertheimer begins music professionally. At the age of 19, he wrote and staged the musical . He released his first album in 1970 before going on tour opening for Johnny Hallyday . Alongside his music career (two more albums followed, the 45 towers, and numerous musical performances: Troupe John Lackland , Popéracosmic (1967) , Gomina , Magic Story , "The Flying Opera "...), he multiplies activities: mime , comedy , circus , music for ballet , directed short films for the ORTF , the development of numbers magic with Dominique Webb , creating a line of ready-to-wear , towards a recording studio , record production, or writing a novel , or City Barjo * Chronicles of a new barbarism . In 1973 , he wrote also to Barbara , where he was the lover, all the texts of his album The Wolf , whose song Marienbad .
Therefore, it leaves its dormant career singer to concentrate on his business , now specializing in the production of stereoscopic films . In addition to the development of a new technique of virtual reality, the "Ectoplasmovision," he continues his production work, writing, composition , and of arrangements of music, including the films of Agnes Varda . For the record, François Wertheimer also holds roles in two films of the latter: One sings, the other not , and The Gleaners and Glaneuse (films which he also participated in the music ). He is currently working on a new form of entertainment all virtual. His long experience relief images make it one of the most popular stereographers the moment.
