Abraxis - s/t (1976 Belgium). Formed by members from the band Cos, this album is a cross between flute jazz, Canterbury inspired fusion and 70s funk. Somewhere between Chris Hinze, Cos, Cortex and Herbie Hancock is where you’ll find the sound of Abraxis. Flute drives the melody and solo lines, but there’s plenty of introspective piano sections as well. Which play nicely against some of the ferocious electric guitar. A nice discovery on the always surprising IBC label (Nuit Calline a la Villa Mon Reve, Solis Lacus). No CD exists.
Placebo - Ball of Eyes (1971 Belgium).
Placebo - s/t (1973 Belgium)
Placebo - 1974 (1974 Belgium). Marc Moulin’s three Placebo albums are the “Holy Grail” for the rare groove crowd, a sector of music fans who love that unique 70s style of cool. The beat and the mood of the sound are key. For an album from the 1971 jazz scene, “Ball of Eyes” is remarkably focused, without any experimentation or free jazz moments which were still in vogue during that time. Not edgy like same era Miles Davis, Wolfgang Dauner or even other rare Euro groovers like the Sunbirds. In fact when I first heard it, I was certain it was from 1975 or later. The horn charts are all very well done and they do catch that certain 70s spy groove. It’s all a bit too laid back for me to get hugely excited over, but it’s wide appeal is undeniable. The 1973 self-titled album continues in the same vein as “Ball of Eyes”, though it’s definitely more funky and head boppin’ than the debut. And the real ear grabber is the superb Moog soloing by Moulin. Strangely, the album finishes in a completely different direction. The next to last track is more towards straight jazz and the closer has more in common with Electronik Musik, than anything one would associate with Placebo. I thought the sophomore effort surpassed the debut, and from what I could tell, many considered it their best. But my vote goes to the 3rd and last album titled “1974″. Here the grooves go deeper, the solos more intense, and the ideas are, to a greater degree, unique. I had almost listed Placebo as a Tier 1 group on the strength of the self-titled album. With “1974″, I must. In all, a two CD, three album comprehensive reissue would be ideal. Currently all that is available is a one CD compilation, which isn’t enough.