Emma Myldenberger – Tour de Trance. 1979. I’m decidedly not the foremost folk rock fan that you will find. Generally it’s too based in tradition for me to hear it for anything other than what it is – folk music. But occasionally a band will break convention, and add a unique twist that really does make it progressive. Ougenweide, Emma Myldenberger ain’t. But nor is EM like Emtidi, Broselmaschine or Hoelderlin either. No, this is gather round the rathskeller music - if the establishment was there in 1342. Haunting, tribal, primal and downright groovy, I like the way “Tour de Trance†keeps driving the beat with hand percussion while the acoustic guitar strums non-stop in the same way that the palm muters do in today’s metal culture. The only other comparison I can make is the 16 minute ‘Groove Inside’ track from Parzival’s “Legend†album. Except this goes pretty much through the whole album. I’ve had this on LP since the early 90s and it’s great to now have the new Garden of Delights reissue, which is as usual, absolutely essential. With photos, histories, great sound and bonus tracks (catching the group in a more typical bar setting), it’s another winner from GoD.
Sicher – s/t. 1981. There was a major boom in private progressive albums from Switzerland in the late 70s and early 80s. Not sure why that’s the case, but here’s another one. Featuring two flute players, and possessing a strong affinity for classical music, Sicher put out a better than average progressive album when compared to many of their peers. Some semblance to Eloiteron. Well worth seeking out for a listen or two.