Outer Music Diary

The Trip – Time of Change. 1973. Japanese mini-LP. 12=12. I’ve been singing the praises of this album for what seems a lifetime. Beautiful mini-LP enhances the experience. Years ago for Gnosis I wrote: “Even with Morgan’s influences, The Trip were finally able to surpass the influence to create a truly beautiful work. The side-long opener “Rhapsodia” is a stunner. A truly romantic whimsical progressive rock piece with brilliant keyboard work (especially piano) and great vocals, and the rhythms are more energetic this go ’round. The four shorter tracks on side two are very similar with the focus on piano, and are sure to maintain that smile attained on the opener. Special mention goes to “De Sensibus,” a more experimental rock composition for keyboards and percussion. What a positive album, one to make your day a happier one. Easily their finest hour!”.

  

Banco del Mutuo Succorso – Io Sono Nato Libero. 1973. Japanese mini-LP. 14=14. You know a song is powerful, when after 17 years of listening to it, goose bumps still appear. “Song For a Political Prisoner”, the album’s opener, is 14 minutes of everything that is right with progressive rock. A powerful statement of composition, melody and voice. The rest of the album isn’t too shabby either, but lives in the shadow of the monstrous opener. Probably will rest at a 14 for the remainder of a lifetime.

  

Premiata Forneria Marconi – Storia di un Minuto. 1972. Japanese mini-LP. 12=12. Each time I hear PFM’s debut, I expect it to be “the listen” – the one that takes it into the rarified air of the 13+ category. But it never happens and it didn’t here either. Of course it’s a great album, as evidenced by its consistent 12 rating. Perhaps “Storia di un Minuto” is the root of most things Italian prog rock, and it was left to others to flesh it out (including PFM themselves on the followup). Whatever the case, the understated beauty remains, with an occasional rave up. Rich and beautiful. A must own.

 

Tommy Broman – Efter Midnatt. 1976. LP. D: 10. Out of nowhere comes this crate digger special. Dealers scream Santana, and that comparison alone proves they (dealers) just need to go away. But what we do have here is 9 strong instrumental compositions with Broman providing electric leads (wonderfully affected with wah, fuzz, phasing, etc..), Bjorn J:Son Lindh on flute, and others on electric piano, congas, and whatever else was gathering dust at the studio. The 70s Swedish ensemble Lotus came to mind, however Broman probably caters more to a label exec’s mind of what an instrumental album should sound like, as opposed to the brilliant melody writing of said group. Hey, nice score for someone who’s looking for something new in the instrumental rock space. Another candidate for a CD reissue.

Egba – Jungle-Jam. 1976. LP. D: 10. They don’t play drums like this anymore! And that’s a shame, because this guy propels what could’ve been a garden variety US sounding jazz fusion album. But this being Sweden and all, we have that unique flavor that comes from not seeing the sun 4 months of the year. And pale white guys emulating the occasional ghetto funk piece is always good for a laugh anyway. 7 piece group lets it all hang out on these 10 energetic compositions. Wah-wah and flute groovers too! For my dead president, better than the more recognized Swedish group Kornet. Naturally no CD exists as is typical for the more jazz influenced bands of the progressive era. Somewhere between Return to Forever and an instrumental Mandrill.

Miklagard – s/t. 1979. LP. D: 11. This was one of those LPs that was around for $10 when most similar albums were going for at least $50. I’m not sure why I hesitated to pick it up then, but it’s still only double the original price, and fortunately this wasn’t a “lost opportunity”! Pretty much bread and butter keyboard trio prog rock, with nice leads (some fat analog, some thin cheesy), and the always pleasant sound of Swedish vocals. Easy recommendation for fans of the Swedish prog genre. I’m a bit surprised there still isn’t a CD reissue, as I bet a master’s tape clean recording will bump this another point for most.

Contact – Utmarker. 1971. LP. D: 6. I s’ppose if Contact existed today, they’d get a one album contract on Northside. Then again, maybe not, as Contact is folk rock, but not really in a traditional way. All tracks are in Swedish, which is about the only thing I can say positive about it. Normally I don’t go below a 7 for a professional recording such as this, but “Utmarker” is so far and away from anything that I’d listen to, that I wouldn’t be giving a fair subjective opinion. I can’t point to anything that was exciting – just run of the mill folk to folk rock. Sorry, but this just does nothing for me.

Midnight Sun – Midnight Dream. 1974. LP. D: 9. When I heard Midnight Sun’s debut for the first time last year (as a bonus album to the precursor group The Rainbow Band), I was pleasantly surprised to discover the “Danish Led Zeppelin”. That album was a raucous version of the hippie-ish Rainbow Band.  So with that in mind, I started looking for their other 2 albums. “Midnight Dream” is their 3^rd and last and finds the band going back to their grass roots. Like many bands from Denmark, they have a penchant for “rural rock” a convenient euphemism for avoiding the term “country”. As a result, many of the songs here are fairly ordinary, but then out of nowhere they’ll throw in a proggy break with winds, organ or guitar taking a lead line, over an energetic rhythm section. Overall, better than the too-close-to-the-barn-for-comfort sophomore release by Culpepper’s Orchard for example. The kind of album that has potential for growth if the melodies kick in over time. Otherwise, could see an exit on the next great LP purge.

 

Fuzzy Duck, FUZZY DUCK (England 1971) D: 10. Unfortunately, I have the Akarma jewel case reissue (2001). I suspect that this is an EROC mastering job: it’s so heavily compressed and so damn loud that it’s actually distorted. “SHRED” is the term used among audiophiles for the technique of making a CD sound as loud as possible, to the detriment of quality. What happens here is offensive, possibly, even beyond SHRED: the goal is to make it sound loud, as if you were hearing it at great, disorienting volume, even at low volume. Of course, this robs the music of clarity, tone, basically any nuance whatsoever. What happened to leaving the listener to play it loud if they want? I normally don’t get this annoyed about sound issues, but this work is atrocious, bordering on unlistenable. Low resolution MP3s sound better. Beware Akarma and Repertoire reissues - when they blow it, they really blow it.

Mandrake Memorial; MANDRAKE MEMORIAL (USA, 1968), MEDIUM (1969), PUZZLE (1970). I’ve got digital transfers from LP of these albums - they were reissued on Collectors Choice not many years ago but they go for too much in the usual places. My opinion goes against the Gnosis wisdom on this group’s output. I find the first album to be the best: naive electric harpsichord pop that veers often into Doors-like shadow. The third album, PUZZLE, is experimental: orchestral, moody, maudlin… and kind of boring. Seems like more effect than substance. And the second, MEDIUM, strikes a balance between the two. I love the quality of the singer’s voice: he has a croon that sounds more 80s England than 60s USA.

Saint Steven, OVER THE HILLS/THE BASTICH (USA, 1969). This is the new Eclectic Records remaster - so refreshing to enjoy a quality reissue after the Fuzzy Duck fiasco. Above-average quality acid rock artifact with some good writing, fuzz guitar solos, and ambitious juxtaposition of field recordings against (and often overpowering) the songs. Bruce Lee Gallanter at Downtown Music Gallery went bananas over this reissue, and I took a chance on it based on his recommendation.  He’s responsible, after all, for playing for me The David’s ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER LIFETIME, which became my favorite obscure late 60s American psych/garage record.

Escapade - Inner Translucence

I think I reviewed this a long time ago for Exposé, in fact I’m not sure I’d have ended up with it any other way. Escapade do one thing really well, they play in a somewhat fragile space rock style, a more low key vibe than I generally expect from bands who improvise over riffs. It gives them a somewhat cloudy and ethereal vibe that seems to work for them as much as against them in that I really dig the vibes but don’t come out of the experience feeling I came away with much.

Kluster - Schwarz (Konrad Schnitzler - Eruption)

I guess we can call this the most Konnish of the Kluster albums, it certainly sounds more like an early Kon album than Kluster, but then again I’m probably thinking that due to the lack of narration or something. What’s you’ve got is dark, early industrial music, like the pounding tribal vibe of Atem without any of the cosmic tendencies, like Amon Duul the first rather than the second. It’s kind of neat in a way but not very listenable, almost claustrophonic and alien.

Mahogany Brain - With/When

Different country, more experimental and eclectic vibe, but generally a similar industrial feel at times, Mahogany Brain are difficult to think of in terms more complimentary then “poorman’s Faust.” I’m generally not very interesting in all the banging around and noisemaking here and have decided to cut it loose. I think I gave it a 7.

Ravjunk - Uppersala Stadshottel Brinner

A lot of this sounds like a band with a certain vocabularly creating music in an entirely different idiom, which is usually interesting and at worst Ravjunk are definitely interesting. I like the idea of the riff and jam approach, it’s just that when Ravjunk start vamping on a riff they kinda stay focused around it to the detriment of development or movement. It’s as if I like what they do but not what they do with it.

Grateful Dead - Dick’s Picks 10  Winterland, San Francisco, CA 12/29/77

A very enjoyable early Dicks Picks that I’ve largely neglected. It’s easy for a lot of latter 1977 shows to kinda swim together in my head as many of them are about the same (10-11ish) quality and very similar setlists. There was only so many ways they could retool their newest original material without longer setlists.

Amon Duul II - Wolf City

My 11 listen was unsurprisingly flukish, so I shaved a point. I’m actually enjoying “side 2″ a lot more than “side 1,” some of the Renate-led shorts are more indicative of where the band was going rather than their origins. Then again, I’ve got to be in a certain mood for post-Lemmings/(pregnancy?) Renate. There’s drony stuff on side 2 (Deutsch Nepal?) that is about everything I want, so I’m playing the law of averages here.

Gato Barbieri - The Third World

Barbieri, even during this early “classic” phase always leaves me with the need to hear Pharoah. The styles are similar but Barbieri seems more style than substance and there are few markers here to balance out his really intense tone. It leaves me with the impression that this is a fairly samey album. On the other hand its’ probably a touch early for him.