Round Robin Monopoly – Alpha (1974 USA). There are a lot of funky soul albums from the early 70s, and most were geared towards the radio hit machine. But bands like Mandrill and Funkadelic burned another trail, where musicianship and composition also mattered, while still kicking major boo-tay. Round Robin Monopoly are one such band. They still had their eye on the charts for a couple of songs, but mostly “Alpha” is in the red zone. These kind of groovers can be infectious, so I may move this one up eventually.

Skogie – There’s a String Attached To Everything We Do (1974 USA). Minneapolis based group who put out only one album. Overall a spotty affair, with Zappa complex and humor bits, rock, funk, etc.. Some great guitar and Moog leads. Typical US private press that was hoping to secure an album deal by throwing a variety of styles against the wall, hoping it would stick. Worth a listen anyway.

Eddie Sears Conspiracy – Year of the Dragon (1976 USA). Absolutely has to go down as one of the worst albums I’ve ever heard. I would think only the most arcane of avant garde obscurists would find some value in this piece of mindless noise. It really doesn’t look like it was meant for release in any case. The front cover is uneven and unfinished. The music is poorly recorded, as if someone brought in a Radio Shack cassette recorder. The music is just pure improve – in the spirit of a bunch of 5th graders playing with their parent’s instruments. This somehow has become a collectable piece and is outrageously compared to Soft Machine’s “Three”. Soft Machine members would jump off the London Tower if they heard that.