Triumvirat Sparticus Deluxe

As a teenager in the 1970's, this was absolutely one of my favorite LP records (remember those?). I practically wore out the groove in the vinyl playing it so often. I've been waiting for the CD release of Spartacus ever since. Now that it's here, I have finally gotten another long-awaited fix of Spartacus. To my pleasant surprise, the audio quality of the CD remastering is quite good. Kudo's to EMI for doing it right.

The album concept is excellent. The lyrics are appropriate for the theme. (A gladiator/slave revolt is a gory matter, so this ain't no namby-pamby New Age disc.) And the musicianship is fabulous. On the LP, Juergen Fritz's keyboard work was always spectacular, and the incredible groove of Helmut Koellen's bass line on "March To The Eternal City" was instantly addictive to anyone who'd heard it. (This was THE bass demonstration song back in the '70's.) But on the CD, Hans Bathelt's drumming is what really stands out to me now. It's far more intricate and exiciting than that of most other rock and roll drummers, then or now.

Of course, Triumvirat still bears an inescapable resemblance to Emerson, Lake & Palmer ... but that's not a bad thing at all. Anyone who considers themselves to be a fan of progressive music, and actually listens to this album, should admit to one fact: These cats were awesome players on their respective instruments. Check out the extended soloing in the live bonus tracks, if you need further convincing. The musicianship Triumvirat's members display on Spartacus is on a par with almost anything ELP ever recorded: Tight, fiery, inventive, expressive and eminently listenable... everything a prog-fan should want.

So, if you've never heard this album, or, if you have and dismissed it, PLEASE, give it a whirl/re-whirl, in both cases, with an open mind.

If you do so, IMHO, I think you will find a work that not only stands on its own, but one that is whole-heartedly, start-to-finish, just downright, doggone enjoyable.

1. Capital of Power - Triumvirat, Fritz, Jurgen
2. School of Instant Pain: Proclamation/The Gladiator's Song/Roman Enter - Triumvirat, Bathelt, Hans
3. The Walls of Doom - Triumvirat, Fritz, Jurgen
4. The Deadly Dream of Freedom - Triumvirat, Bathelt, Hans
5. The Hazy Shades of Dawn - Triumvirat, Fritz, Jurgen
6. Burning Sword of Capua - Triumvirat, Fritz, Jurgen
7. The Sweetest Sound of Liberty - Triumvirat, Bathelt, Hans
8. March to the Eternal City: Dusty Road/Italian Improvisation/First ... - Triumvirat, Bathelt, Hans
9. Spartacus: The Superior Force of Rome/A Broken Dream/The Finale - Triumvirat, Bathelt, Hans
bonus
The Capital Of Power (Live)
The Deadly Dream Of Freedom (Live)
The March To The Eternal City (Live)
Late Again
Take A Break Today

triuspart

Stomu Yamashta's Go Live

2008 reissue of this album from the master percussionist who studied Jazz drumming at Berklee School of Jazz. In the 1970's he recorded a string of innovative albums for Island records which utilized the talents of such leading musicians as Hugh Hopper, Maurice Pert, Steve Winwood, Michael Shrieve and Klaus Schulze, fusing his percussion talents with Jazz, Electronic and Classical music to create an ambient form of music all of his own. His music has been used by the Royal Ballet. The album Go, released in April 1976, was a fine achievement and Yamashta assembled a band featuring collaborators Steve Winwood, Michael Shrieve, Klaus Schulze and Al Di Meola to deliver a series of stunning concerts. The Parisian concert was captured by Island Records and was released as Go! Live From Paris in 1977. Esoteric.

1. Space Song
2. Carnival
3. Windspin
4. Ghostmachine
5. Surfspin
6. Time Is Here
7. Winner/Loser
8. Solitude
9. Nature
10. Air Voice
11. Crossing the Line
12. Man of Leo
13. Stellar
14. Space Requiem

styugolive

Ed Alleyne-Johnson Purple Electric Violin Concerto

I first heard of Ed Alleyne Johnson when he worked with Justin Sullivan and New Model Army on their 1989 "Thunder and Consolation" album (a brilliantalbum, btw,. I didn't realize it was him at the time, but check out the song "Vagabonds" from that album, and you'll see Ed Alleyne Johnson meshing very well in a rock setting.

A very fine piece of work, specially when you realize that this album was recorded in only one take.In my opinion some backing tracks would benefit the whole opus, like some soft drumming or perhaps other additional voices, but it's just a matter of personal taste. Anyway I like this CD a lot and I think is really worth of a listening for several uncommon reasons: it's a true solo performance, essentially live. Wow.

Be warned that this would generally be classified as a 'classical' album, but it truly lifts that genre to a new level (no cliche intended).

He has since put out a sequel "Electric Violin Concerto 2" which is available online at New Model Army's website (google it), and I highly recommend that one as well.

WARNING: Do NOT get any of his other CDs. They feature his wife singing on bad, bad rock-type songs. The songs are mediocre at best, and her voice... well hopefully any kids will get the dad's talent.

This is an amazing display of artistry, and well worth the listen.

1. Oxford Suite Part 1 2. Oxford Suite Part 2 3. Oxford Suite Part 3 4. Oxford Suite Part 4 5. Inner City Music Part 1 6. Inner City Music Part 2 7. Inner City Music Part 3 8. Inner City Music Part 4 9. Improvisation 10. Concrete Eden

eajonpurp

Ekseption ST

In their eight year existence, Ekseption came as close as any group from the European continent ever did to stealing the thunder of early classical-rock outfits such as the Nice and rivaling the early work of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. In Holland they charted singles based on classical compositions and released successful concept albums, and were -- along with Focus -- the top progressive rock band in the Dutch-speaking world.This is their first album - someone other than Yes and ELP in the classical prog rock area. Decent.

Link fixed - solly'boutdat.

01 - The 5th 02 - Dharma For One 03 - Little X Plus 04 - Sabre Dance
05 - Air 06 - Brutal Fire Dance 07 - Rhapsody In Blue 08 - This Here
09 - Dance Macabre Opus 10 - Canvas

ekseptional

Sky 2

Remastered reissue of the 1980 sophomore album from the session musician supergroup who were groundbreaking pioneers of classical/rock fusion. Sky 2 was a landmark album for the group and their most commercially successful, reaching number one in the album charts and selling more than a million copies. John Williams (acoustic guitars), Kevin Peek (electric guitars), Tristan Fry (drums), Francis Monkman (Keyboards), and Herbie Flowers (bass).
Contains many classics such as Toccata (originally written by J. S. Bach for organ), Gavotte And Variations (Originally written by Rameau, french composer), Andante (Written By Vivaldi), and Sky wrote the rest of the songs. If your tastes span the range between early Deep Purple and Baroque organ, give this one a listen, not as bombsatic as ELP.

1. Hotta 2. Dance of the Little Fairies 3. Sahara 4. Fifo/Adagio/Scherzo/Watching the Aeroplanes [Medley] 5. Tuba Smarties 6. Ballet Volta 7. Gavotte and Variations 8. Andante 9. Tristan's Magic Garden 10. Cielo 11. Vivaldi 12. Scipio (Parts I and II) 13. Toccata Listen 14. Vivaldi 15. Scipio 16. Part I and Part II Tocatta

s2222222

Astra - The Weirding

The Weirding was recorded in a garage, and sounds like it. But if you are into 70's Prog rock, this should add to the aura. Astra's freshman attempt is mesmerizing in a nostalgic sort of way for those of us who were alive in the 70's and loved the progressive music of the day with it's melloton induced head spins. We saw no reason for it to disappear. It's nostalgic, only because it did disappear... for the most part. With a new generation, perhaps it's back, and here to stay, for a whole new generation to enjoy without having to have glimpses of the past. Astra's "The Weirding" is a bold attempt to slice into that not so musical mayhem that is Brittney Spears and 50 cent. An attempt to bring real music to the fore and perhaps musicianship to our ears.

To say this album is retro sounding would be a vast understatement. This album could have come out about 1974 and would have fit right in. The band's sound reminds me of the more pscyh oriented stuff from early Black Sabbath mixed with "Echoes" era Pink Floyd. The band is not all that far removed from modern day stoner rock bands such as The Sword either. The 8 tracks here are rather long and plodding, but to my ears they pretty much all work. I like the whole thing, but the tracks "Rising Of The Black Sun", "The Weirding", "Broken Glass", "The Dawning Of Ophiuchus", and "Beyond To Slight The Maze" are my favorites. The one drawback of the album is the actual recording itself. The production is pedestrian at best, sounding like it was recorded in a very lo-fi situation. This muddy mix again makes the album sound retro, but with proper modern production I think this thing could have sounded a heck of a lot better and would have been more effective. Sound problems aside, I think this is one of the best albums of the year and I highly recommend it.

1. The Rising Of The Black Sun 2. The Weirding 3. Silent Sleep 4. The River Under 5. Ouroboros 6. Broken Glass 7. The Dawning Of Orphiucus 8. Beyond To Slight The Maze

atw

Acid Space Psychedelic Comp

A 3-CD box set,that many would probably consider to be a cheezy compilation with second rate songs that would cost next to nil to release. And they're right,to a degree.'In Search...', has many tunes that aren't half bad some that are outright decent. On Dressed To Kill Records, are mostly 60's and early 70's groups playing what could be called psychedelic music, although some are just heavy blues songs. Many of the songs are live, so the sound quality is very lo-fi which adds to the appeal.
Some of the tracks that I liked are Gong-"Pot Head Pixies",13th Floor Elevators-"Kingdom Of Heaven", Amon Duul&Robert Calvert-"Urban Indian",Hawkwind-"Welcome To The Future" and "Silver Machine", and Daevid Allen-"Opium For The People". A few that I didn't think at ALL belonged here are Fleetwood Mac-"Got To Move",Chicago-"25 Or 6 To 4” – even if it is a rare live track. I think that the live tracks are really rare gems that any progressive rock junkie would go nuts over. They chose artists that represent a good portion of the vast array of bands that were experimenting with progressive rock themes. The live performances though aren't soundboard recordings - they do a very good job of representing the live sounds of acid rock. The Pink Fairies “Midnight Rambler” is live and a knockout – much slower and grungier that the Stones version. I enjoy this compilation warts and all, and would recommend to anyone looking for a good collection of non studio hard to find tracks.

1. Zu Zu Man - Dr. John, 2. Stoned Innocent Frankenstein - Daevid Allen 3. Pot Head Pixies - Gong 4. Kingdom of Heaven - 13th Floor Elevators 5. Zombies (Ghost Dance) - Magma 6. Master of the Universe - Hawkwind 7. Dust My Broom - Canned Heat 8. Journey (A Real Elegant Gypsy) - Jan Akkerman 9. I Was Robbed Last Night - Electric Flag 10. Got to Move - Fleetwood Mac Welcome to the Future - Hawkwind 12. Hippy Gumbo - Marc Bolan

aspd1

D2

1. 25 or 6 to 4 - Chicago 2. Hey Joe - Tim Rose 3. Midnight Rambler - The Pink Fairies 4. Fantasy Satisfier - Spooky Tooth 5. Ride and the View - Man 6. Two in One Goes - Jimi Hendrix 7. Vampire [Extract] - Arthur Brown 8. Paperplane Flyer - The Lemon Drops 9. Lovin' Up a Storm - Jimmy Page Sonic Attack - Hawkwind 11. Jonestown 12. Heart Full of Soul - The Yardbirds 13. Urban Indian - Robert Calvert

aspd2

D3


Disc: 3
1. Smashed Blocked - John's Children 2. With a Little Help from My Friends - Santana 3. Like Inobe God - Can 4. No Time to Live - Johnny Winter 5. Hard Rain's Gonna Fall - The Crazy World of Arthur Brown 6. Painting a Picture - Alice Cooper 7. Red House - Jimi Hendrix 8. Little Red Rooster - The Misunderstood 9. Shape of Things - The Yardbirds 10. Express Man - The Groundhogs 11. Out of the Pink Jam - The Pink Fairies 12. Opium for the People - Gong 13. Silver Machine – Hawkwind

aspd3

Ashra - Correlations

Ashra was the second phase of the spacy Krautrock outfit Ash Ra Tempel, where founder (and, sometimes, sole member) Manuel Göttsching refocused the project's direction and began to concentrate more heavily on electronics. Especially with the revolving-door membership, Göttsching had always been the focal point of Ash Ra Tempel, making their mind-bending psychedelic jams into showcases for his cosmic guitar work. At the outset of the Ashra era, Göttsching was literally a one-man band, backing his guitar explorations with synths and sequencers that made his music sound cleaner and more pleasantly meditative. Ash Ra Tempel's status as a going concern was in doubt by the end of 1973, having fallen into a Göttsching-plus-guest-star pattern; Göttsching released a solo album under his own name in 1974, Inventions for Electric Guitar, where his interest in electronic music began to crystallize. Less a regrouping than a renaming, Ashra's inaugural release was 1976's New Age of Earth, one of Göttsching's finest efforts under any name. The 1977 follow-up, Blackouts, was also entirely solo. For 1979's Correlations, Ashra became a full-fledged band for the first time, with guitarist Lutz Ulbrich and drummer Harald Grosskopf officially joining the lineup. However, after 1980's Belle Alliance, the group went on hiatus.

Tracks "Ice Train" and "Club Cannibal" are quite rock-oriented with his continued reliance on an assortment of synthesizers. Correlations is a much more driving propulsive work tied closer to proto-synth pop than the space music of past Ashra classics and has outstanding guitar work. Always listenable. One of BEST covers of all time – don’tcha think?

1. Ice Train 2. Club Cannibal 3. Oasis 4. Bamboo Sands 5. Morgana Da Capo 6. Pas De Trois 7. Phantasus

asco

Phil Manzanera - Quiet Sun

Quiet Sun was Phil Manzanera's pre-Roxy Music endeavor. (Few people realize that he was originally Roxy Music's sound person. He joined Roxy Music when their original guitarist--David O'List, formerly of the Nice--was not working out.). Quiet Sun came perilously close to gaining their own record contract in 1971, but their complexity and radical style did not gel with the appetites of the record execs they auditioned for. They broke up in 1972, and when Manzanera had money and studio time, they reformed.

The Soft Machine influence is obvious, but in execution Quiet Sun created something completely different. Phil Manzanera simply sears on guitar here, leading a Canterbury-style jazz-rock band with all the edge of "Red"-era King Crimson, AND the Latin passion of Santana. The production and mastering on this are amazingly hot, so the highs do tizzle a bit at times, still - the compositions are interesting and diverse, and the performance is brimming with spontaneity and band chemistry.

It is a shame that the album was a one-shot deal--they apparently have other material from the sessions--as the playing and intensity are awe-inspiring. You'll never look at Phil Manzanera the same way again; I guarantee it.

As a fan of the edgier sorts of progrock, this qualifies as one of my prize possessions. This OOP beauty is a magical album, too bad they didn't do another--but it's doubtful they could have topped THIS sizzling slab of raw beauty. Do yourself a favor and get it.

1. Sol Caliente 2. Trumpets With Motherhood 3. Bargain Classics
4. R.F.D. 5. Mummy Was an Asteroid, Daddy Was a Small Non-Stick Kitchen Utensil
6. Trot 7. Rongwrong

sunny

Phil Manzanera - Diamondhead

This is really a wonderful album, one of the not-so-well-known gems of the '70s Roxy Music-related canon. Despite not being a singer, guitarist Phil Manzanera put together a surprisingly coherent, witty collection of (mostly) vocal rock. Backed by the Roxy Music rhythm section (including the great drummer Paul Thompson) with plenty of help from Eno, Eddie Jobson, and Andy Mackay, this is the closest thing extant to a Roxy album sans Bryan Ferry. And that's actually not a bad thing.

Manzanera's guitar and compositional skills come to the fore here, but he rarely showboats as a lead guitarist, as one might expect in a solo album by a "guitar hero." As with Roxy, he's more interested in creating textures with his guitar, and he does it in many different styles: hard rock, funk, jazz, and more.

Still, it's primarily an album of songs. Even the instrumentals are more about composition and mood than chops, including the exceptional title track and the complex and riveting "East of Echo." The vocal tracks are highlighted by two cool Brian Eno songs: "Big Day" and the bizarre and rocking "Miss Shapiro." Robert Wyatt pitches in with the sung-in-Spanish but still catchy "Frontera." The usually horrid (as a singer) John Wetton even turns in a credible performance on the funky "Same Time Next Week." Few albums featuring multiple, unrelated vocalists come off as consistently listenable or coherent as this one.

Get it for "Diamondhead" alone. You will not be disappointed.

1. Frontera 2. Diamond Head 3. Big Day 4. The Flex 5. Same Time Next Week
6. Miss Shapiro 7. East Of Echo 8. Lagrima

philly

Hawkwind - Complete '79

Very worthwhile 2-CD release of the band's UK tour recorded sometime in November,1979. Starts off "Shot Down In The Night" and "Motorway City", neither have ever been my favorite, but I liked these live versions. Perhaps because of the 'new' life synth-wiz Tim Blake(ex-Gong member)provides. Also good to hear are "Spirit Of The Age","Urban Guerilla","Lighthouse" and "PXR 5" again. I've completely forgot about "World Of Tiers" as I haven't heard it in awhile now. I really enjoyed th Tim Blake pieces, "New Jerusalem" and “Lighthouse” – which are more lively than the versions on Blakes own solo release. Satellite" is short, but one of the better cuts of the entire show. Of course,there are a few Hawkwind staples present,like "Brainstorm"(shouldn't be played without Nik Turner),"Master Of The Universe" and a superb performance of "Silver Machine".The encore number,a great aural assault of "Levitation" . Plenty of swirling synth/keyboard action really seems to make this gig pull together.

Most fans say that the commercial release- 'Live 79' is a better document of their performance of that time period – it certainly is recorded better. This, though, is what a full show would be like, not edited performances. This was recorded while the Hawks were out of contract, having left Charisma, and they self-recorded these shows and hawked(!) the tapes around until Bronze picked them up release. Yea, the sound is muddy in places and the bass is damped – I can live with that, this is as real as it gets. Line-up:Dave Brock,drummer Simon King(he left after this tour),Tim Blake,Harvey Bainbridge and original HW guitarist Huw Lloyd Langton. A must-have for all true Hawkfans.

Shot Down In The Night 2. Motorway City 3. Spirit Of The Age 4. Urban Guerilla 5. Who's Gonna Win The War 6. World Of Tiers 7. New Jerusalem 8. Light House 9. Brainstorm 10. Satellite 11. Pxr 5 12. Masters Of The Universe 13. Silver Machine 14. Levitation

hawks

shows

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