Master Cylinder - Elsewhere (1980 USA). Not much is known about this Ft. Worth based jazz rock group (even though they’re from my neck of the woods, their album wasn’t exactly a staple of local jazz or rock radio). On the usually soulless Inner City label, Master Cylinder was anything but that. Their album has a strong melodic sense, and it seems the group must’ve been informed by the Canterbury groups like early Soft Machine or National Health, as well as the DC based Happy the Man. While ostensibly a jazz album, it’s these rock elements that bring Master Cylinder to the next level. A very good album that time has forgot and an album that truly deserves a quality CD reissue.

(The Moose Loose and Abacus reviews are extensions of previous OMD entries, each with an additional album added.)

Moose Loose - Elgen Er Løs (1974 Norway).
Moose Loose - Transition (1976 Norway). Debut “Elgen Er Løs” is a powerful fusion album, that mixes in funky clavinet lines with some ferocious electric guitar leads, playing in an almost psychedelic style. Latter half of the album drifts towards more standard jazz / jazz rock before closing with an acoustic guitar, piano piece. Followup album, “Transition”, is a good fusion work filled with the new addition of violin combined with the guitar leads of the prior album (more subdued here though). Reminds quite a bit of same era Jean-Luc Ponty mixed with Terje Rypdal’s more aggressive works. Neither are on CD as of today.

Abacus - s/t (1971 Germany).
Abacus - Everything You Need (1972 Germany). On the debut, you can find parallels to another quirky German band: Nine Days Wonder. Like NDW’s debut, this album is radically progressive, covering anywhere from Frank Zappa’s more complex works to any number of UK outfits. The vocalist is from England, and he writes much of the material, so this album doesn’t sound Krautrock at all. Would be nice to see a legit CD of “Abacus”! Prior to this listen, I’d only heard the band’s last 1970s work “Midway” (1973) and a pretty horrendous work it is. Recently I picked up their 2nd effort “Everything You Need”, which is quite a drop off from the great first album. All of Side 1 is rural/country rock and is downright terrible. But all is not lost, as the second side is one long suite. Though based again on a rural rock theme, there are plenty of quirky progressive rock moves, that recall the first album. The dramatic difference between the first and second albums reminded me, again, of Nine Days Wonder.