Gentle Giant - Octopus (1972)

This album reminds me to the early period when I first knew a kind of music which was later be called as progressive music. I still remember that I got this album about the same period I was listening to PINK FLOYD “The Dark ..”, JETHRO TUL “Minstrel In The Gallery”, “Thick As a Brick”, YES “Tales ..” “Relayer” “Fragile” dated bak in 70s. Each band has their own identity… and most importantly almost all of them are enjoyable. “Octopus” was probably the only exception as I sensed at that time that their music was harder to digest and had diverse beats and tempos. This albums was the first that I knew about GENTLE GIANT.

This album then generated my attention when parts of “A Cry for Everyone” were (intentionally?) used by our local band GOD BLESS in their song called “SETAN TERTAWA” (The Laughing Ghosts). At that time I loved SETAN TERTAWA very much but when I found a kind of plagiarism (?), my appreciation to GB had lowered a little bit. But my appreciation to “Octopus” had increased as I thought that this album must be powerful. Indeed, it is.

“The Advent Of Panurge” is a track with varieties of melodies, full of energy, and diverse singing styles. All instruments seem like being played in different directions, heavily influenced by jazz improvisations, but at the end it results in an excellent harmony. The piano is explored in a unique way. “Raconteur Troubadour” is a ballad song performed unconventionally by the band. The violins / cellos are used intensively in this track and they guide the overall music composition. It has great violin solo at interlude and excellent vibraphone / piano. “A Cry For Everyone” is an energetic song with excellent melody, stunning vocal. This track I consider as a legendary track. (When our local classic rock FM radio station aired a GENTLE GIANT special in its program, this song was used as a tagline for the program). This track is very enjoyable. It has interesting interlude, organ solo, lead guitar fills. The part that GOD BLESS used in SETAN TERTAWA is located exactly at minute 2:30 – 3:00 of this track. It’s a dynamic part.

“Knots” is a repertoire with an acapella vocal style at intro part; it has an avant-garde component in its composition where it can be seen on how vibraphone / percussion are played. The music flow is “discrete” or at least it’s not as continuous like other tracks. “The Boys In The Band” is relatively a complex composition with great organ style; violin is used to accentuate the melody. The music suddenly shifts to slower tempo with a controlled melody using a soft keyboard sound and come back again to complex one.

“Dog's Life” is an explorative composition (violin and cello) that you should enjoy seriously as this is not the kind of music you listen to at background. “Think Of Me With Kindness” is a composition that is more easy listening than previous track. It’s a nice mellow track with good melody. “River” is a melodic and fascinating track with a double lead guitar at intro, followed by excellent vocal with organ at background. The lead guitar solo at the interlude is really stunning. It’s a brilliant decision by the band that this track is positioned to conclude the album.

To conclude, this album is a masterpiece as it has strong songwriting, great composition, musicianship and overall performance. The production quality is excellent. It’s a classic and… it’s HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Gatot Widayanto, Indonesia. - Review by Gatot (Gatot Widayanto)



Track Listings

1. The Advent Of Panurge (4:45)
2. Raconteur Troubadour (4:03)
3. A Cry For Everyone (4:06)
4. Knots (4:11)
5. The Boys In The Band (4:34)
6. Dog's Life (3:13)
7. Think Of Me With Kindness (3:31)
8. River (5:52)

Total Time: 34:15
Line-up/Musicians

- Gary Green / guitars, percussion
- Kerry Minnear / all keyboards, vibraphone, percussion, cello, Moog, lead and backing vocals
- Derek Shulman / lead vocals, alto saxophone
- Philip Shulman / saxophones, trumpet, mellophone, lead and backing vocals
- Raymond Shulman / bass violin, guitar, percussion, vocals
- John Weathers / drums, percussion, xylophone

Many thanks to Martin Rushant for laugh coinspin and variable speed oscillator, and Mike Viccars, Moog operator.
Releases information

LP Vertigo 6360080 (1972)
CD Legacy Recordings 32022 (1990)


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Camel - The Snow Goose (1975)

The story of "The Snow Goose" inspired not one but two progressive rock classics: this and (later) Anthony PHILLIPS’ "The Geese And The Ghost". To paraphrase Charlotte, that must be some goose. CAMELl’s inspiration led them down a different path than PHILLIPS, choosing a rockier road with islands of calm (literally, if you recall KING CRIMSON’s album of the same name), built from the foundation of "Mirage"’s more sublime passages (when Latimer’s flute and Bardens’ keyboards take the lead) and yet suggestive of mid ‘70s PINK FLOYD when Andy L. plugs his electric back in and lets loose.

Picking out individual tracks is not what this album is all about; "The Snow Goose" consists as one wonderful entity, captivating from beginning to end. However, this is perhaps CAMEL’s most uncommercial venture, even as it aspires to greater heights than any of their records before or since. If you found yourself entranced by the instrumental passages of “Nimrodel” and “Lady Fantasy", then by all means take a ride of "The Snow Goose". But that baffling contingent who find in I Can See You House From Here a summit of some sort might be content to leave Goose’s high-minded aerie to more adventurous climbers. If you’re intent on finding representative passages to sample (at the buffered buffet table of thirty-second morsels available on some commercial sites), touching your musical tongue to “The Great Marsh", “Rhayader", “The Snow Goose” or “Friendship” will give a good indication of the album’s merits. The concept of CAMELin a bucolic mood may not please everyone, and they’re welcome to skip along to "Moonmadness", but anyone who believes prog music can be achingly pretty will find on here un paradis trouvé (a paradise found). - Review by daveconn (Dave Connolly)



Track Listings

1. The Great Marsh (2:02)
2. Rhayader (3:01)
3. Rhayader Goes To Town (5:20)
4. Sanctuary (1:05)
5. Fritha (1:19)
6. The Snow Goose (3:12)
7. Friendship (1:44)
8. Migration (2:01)
9. Rhayader Alone (1:50)
10. Flight Of The Snow Goose (2:40)
11. Preparation (3:58)
12. Dunkirk (5:19)
13. Epitaph (2:07)
14. Fritha Alone (1:40)
15. La Princesse Perdue (4:44)
16. The Great Marsh (1:20)

Total Time: 43:22

Bonus tracks on Decca remaster (2002):
17. Flight of The Snow Goose (single edit) (2:05)
18. Rhayader (single edit) (3:09)
19. Flight Of The Snow Goose (alternate single edit) (2:49)
20. Rhayader Goes To Town (Live 10-30-1974) (5:07)
21. The Snow Goose / Freefall (Live 10-30-1974) (11:01)
Line-up/Musicians

- Andy Ward / drums, percussion, vibes
- Doug Ferguson / bass, duffle coat
- Peter Bardens / organ, Minimoog, acoustic & electric pianos, pipe organ, ARP Odyssey
- Andy Latimer / electric, acoustic & slide guitars, flute, vocals
Releases information

LP Decca 800 080-2 - UK (1975)
CD Decca 882930 (2002 remaster)


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Wow!! I never start my review with wow. But apparently this group remains to be discovered by a lot of people, and that includes me. Talk about unearthing a gem here… Out of nowhere comes from the underworld this strange band that knows what drama is. As a matter of fact, some of their music can even be called operatic having not only a string section but also a moody wind section as well: jazzy feel on those very Spanish Conquistador dramatic themes. Yes, the music is often grandiose (sometimes bordering on the cheesy) and being somehow what Days Of Future Past should’ve been. Does this sound intriguing? Ya betcha!! These guys are drawing musical circles around you and they are twiddling with your unstabled brains with their incredible musical meanders and those orgasmic Mellotrons washes. For their second album, leader Browning opted for another horn section, and inside the quartet baritone singer Hoban stepped in to take the keyboards.

I am generally not an opera fan (and certainly do not like the “high culture” snobbery always present at those events), but here I will not only make an exception, we are in for a real rock opera, much more than the great Townsend threw at us into his trips and anguishes (go back to sleep, Rick!!). This music is really classical music fused with rock and might just be on the best example of fusion ever (even if I repeat the word cheesy). But the rock parts are hovering between early Crimson with a great (and much more than that) rhythm section, jazzy Spanish horn section drawing of Rodriguez-type of Aranjuez Concerto. Just flabbergasting if you let yourself taken by the waves of the music. The four tracks (two short and two epics) are gut-wrenching, fascinating, orgasmic, grandiose hair-raising (hear the Farewell of Dancer, the first epic) and yet flow so easily together to form one gigantic track. So much that the heavily rhythmic jazz rock of City Night Life simply does not shock, but actually perfectly and lovingly out-of-place, just like it was meant to be. Too bad for an excellent drum solo that lasted a minute too long, though. The title track starts on a slow operatic style but the crescendo is breathtakingly implacably progressive. Stupendous flutes with the whole orchestra pushing the oboe and other winds (the trombone gets some superb underlines), the whole thing resonates a bit like those unique and crazy Finns of Haikara (their first album really) due to the same Crimson influences but also Magma’s works on choral works and interplay with rock. Stupendous, incredibly flawlessly played and written, this is nearing perfection although on the duration, not throughout the whole album, but close enough to be a masterpiece.

Just some 35 minutes-long, this album is easily the best thing to have come from down under, crushing any other pretenders by far, even (especially ;-) Sebastian Hardie. A second reissue saw the light of day in 06 (along with the never re-issued debut The Armada) with a 13-min+ bonus Browning-penned instrumental track Eagle Odyssey, which is not of the same era, recorded purposely for this album’s bonus and entirely symphonic (no group or rock instruments). However it fits the album so well, that you don’t even notice any difference and most listeners discovering the album now, will most likely integrate it in the album’s oeuvre as if it had been there from the start. Sibelius and Strauss come to mind, when listening to this piece.

I’m not exactly sure how I should take the fact that this group was never being exposed (not even sure there are that many collectors who know of the group) and that they are finally getting exposition some 30 years later. This was obviously not a cheap record to make back then, so it is hard to understand how this group was never promoted properly. I just can’t believe there are still some incredible albums that are finally getting a bit of attention some 30 years later (but this is also what keeps this old geezer up to his progressive obsessions ;-). Because music like this is only waiting for progheads to love it. One of my shocks this year!!! - Review by Sean Trane (Hugues Chantraine)



Track Listings

1. Rebecca
2. Dancer
.. a) Straicase
.. b) The big time
.. c) Spin
.. d) Theatre
.. e) Farewell
3. Caption for the city night life
4. Fantasy of horses
.. a) Early light
.. b) Frolic
.. c) Trappers
.. d) Captives
.. e) Frolic
.. f) Escape
.. g) Cliff edge
Line-up/Musicians

- Julian Browning / guitar, keyboards
- Ferg McKinnon / bass
- Graeme Carter / drums, percussion
- Keith Hoban / vocals, organ
- Frank Graham / trumpet
- Martin West / saxophone, clarinet
- Ian Relf / trombone
- Tricia Shevenan / flute
- Chris Stock / oboe
- Karin McGechie / violin
- Stephen Daunt / violin
- Nya Murray / violin
- Rowan Thomas / alto
- Sara Glenie / violoncello
Releases information

LP Clear Light of Jupiter CLOJ



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Akritas - Akritas (1973)

This is kind of a strange album from a band that quietly released it and then disappeared. There aren’t too many Greek progressive bands, and the few I know of are mostly metal, which makes this an even more unusual band.

I know very little about the band, but the album consists largely of very short tracks (most of them around two or three minutes), some instrumental, with lots of rather disjointed keyboards and sporadic but pretty animated electric guitar. The vocals are Greek, or at least I assume they are, and at times the timbre and timing remind me a little of Bad Company or very early Moody Blues. The guitar work is mostly a kind of picking/strumming style, with occasional short blasts of an almost psychedelic nature. The drum and bass work is pretty muffled (pretty poor production), and not all that complex.

For the most part the tracks seem like unfinished samplers of riffs the band starts to develop, but then loses interest in. Some of the rhythms have a little bit of a Mediterranean feel to them with slow irregular patterns and slightly disjointed arrangements, particularly the instrumental “Ta Paidia” and the piano dominated “Tpagodyi”. "Ta Paidia" also has some decent syncopated drums that stand out a bit. Others like “Epietpofh” are heavy on organ, while still others feature acoustic guitar and ethereal keyboards (“To Oneipo”, “Gennheh”). There isn’t really any dominant style here – like I said, this album has more of the feel of a sampler of tunes rather than fully- developed works.

I’d like to know more about these guys, but none of them ever surfaced again as Akritas or in any other band that I’m aware of, and the liner notes on the reissued (but apparently not remastered) CD is in Greek so it offers few clues.

This is an interesting piece to own if you come across it, and I’ve seen it in used record stores on a couple occasions so the CD must not be as rare as the vinyl version probably is. Nothing special, but worth a few spins if you come across it. About 2.6 stars, so I’ll round to three and call it good. - Review by ClemofNazareth (Bob Moore)



Track Listings

1. Eieboleie (2:04)
2. Gennheh (2:18)
3. Ta Paidia (3:21)
4. Mnhmh (1:44)
5. Epietpofh (2:50)
6. Agaph (2:35)
7. Ego (1:49)
8. Tpagodyi (0:58)
9. To Panhgypi (3:49)
10. To Qayma (2:34)
11. To Oneipo (4:55)
12. Kai Idoy Ippoe Xlwpoe (1:02)
13. Kataktheh & Zeta Zwpzeta (3:06)

Total Time: 33:15
Line-up/Musicians

- Giorgios Tsoupakhy / drums
- Stauzos Logazidhos / vocals, guitar, bass
- Aphe Tasoulos / keyboards

Guest musicians:
- Dimis Papachristou / guitar
- John Papadopoulos / organs
Releases information

1973 - Polygram records, 521 197-2 (1 lp)
recorded Athens 1973


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We open up with the speaking clock: At the first stroke it will be three o'clock precisely... And then we hit the opening chords of The Day The Earth Caught Fire, a five-minute opus that fairly powers along, a hard-edged mix of powerhouse vocals and strong fluid guitar, breaking for a middle section that fairly stomps along to a resounding climax. What an absolutely brilliant number - my God, I only wish I'd seen them perform this live! From there it's straight into It's Only The End Of The World, with a wonderful grinding hook and chorus, topped off at the fadeout by some magnificent vocals that hold notes longer than Carlos Santana. Other standouts - Up In The Eighties, featuring a fantastically heavy mix for a real ribcage-rattling thumper, and the closing anthem Ambition, which does flag in places but somehow manages to hold itself together and wins you over through its sheer energy and drive. City Boy were sadly under-rated and put out some great numbers on several oddly-mixed albums, veering from alarmingly naff choppy-poppy-pappy chart-hit attempts to amazingly-crafted concept stuff like this album. A real classic - if you want an introduction to this band, this is the album to start you off! - Review by georgej.robinson


Track Listings

1. Day the Earth Caught Fire (5:26)
2. It's Only The End Of The World (4:04)
3. Interrupted Melody (5:30)
4. Modern Love Affair (3:31)
5. New York Times (5:11)
6. Up In The Eighties (4:14)
7. Machines (5:04)
8. Ambition (12:38)

Total Time: 45:38
Line-up/Musicians

- Steve Broughton / guitar, backing vocals
- Chris Dunn / bass, acoustic guitar
- Lol Mason / lead vocals
- Mike Slamer / acoustic & electric guitars
- Max Thomas / keyboards
- Roy Ward / drums, backing vocals

Guest musicians:
- Tim Friese Greene / synthesizers
- Derek King / percussion
- Robert John Mutt Lange / bass
- Huey Lewis / harmonica
- Kentall Tubbs / bass, percusion
Releases information

LP Vertigo 6360 173
LP Vertigo 9102 036
CD Bear Tracks BTCD 97 9419 AH (1997)


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I don’t know exactly for what reason that I spin the CD of this album that I got it 1999 (I used to put date of purchase in my CD jewel). I never pay enough attention for the band as at that time I think I was so amazed with Citizen Cain and Sinkadus that I purchased also around the same period. Having listened to more than 5 times, I think it’s fair now for me to review this album. Overall, this album is excellent. The band has a bright future with the kind of music they play. Their music is relatively complex and heavily influenced by GENESIS, MARILLION, IQ and ELP. I would say that this is when GENESIS meets ELP. On top of that, they have great musicianship especially keyboard and guitar, and songwriting.

The opening track “Angels and Rage” surprised me with the kind of keyboard melody and nuance similar to GENESIS’s “Cul-De-Sac” of “Duke” album. It appears at intro part. But when the music enters its body, it’s totally different kind of composition. This opening track is really uplifting with stunning keyboard and guitar. The kind of vocal voice of the band is similar to CAST. The second track “Corridors” is opened by keyboard style that reminds me to Keith Emerson play in ELP. Again, this is an excellent track. The keyboard style is really stunning. In some parts of the song, guitar fills are sometime similar to S HACKETT style. This is a kind of track that I enjoy very much.

The intro part of “Western Desert” reminds me to IQ “Nomzamo”; not in the melody but in the musical nuances. This track has dynamic drumming and stunning guitar in the style of STEVE HACKETT. If you don’t know the band, you may guess that this song is played by STEVE HACKET. This song has a relatively long (approx. 4 minutes) instrumental piece at the beginning of the track with great guitar and keyboard sound. Again, you may find KEITH EMERSON style of keyboard especially in a kind of sound like “boiling water” sound (you know what I mean). The solo keyboard by Mark Robertson in the middle of the track is wonderful. It is accompanied by Alec Fuhrman on guitars. Great composition.

“Image” is a short instrumental track with acoustic guitar and piano played with classical music touch. “Then You Were Gone” is not as complex as previous tracks. It has a nice light guitar riff that accentuates the song. I like the interlude part with great lead guitar and keyboard. The album is concluded excellently with “Valley Of The Shadow”, another great track. If you want to identify the heavy influence of ELP, it is in this track. I really enjoy the keyboard / organ / piano style here. If you enjoy ELP or TRIUMVIRAT, you may enjoy this album. Wonderful!

Overall, this is an excellent album with strong songwriting, great and skillful musicians. The only thing that this group should improve is probably on the production quality. If this album was produced with better sonic quality of the CD, I am sure it will be perfect! This album is definitely recommended! Gatot Widayanto, Indonesia. - Review by Gatot (Gatot Widayanto)



Track Listings

1. Angels And Rage (10:23)
2. Corridors (11:56)
3. Western Desert (17:08)
4. Image (1:25)
5. Then You Were Gone (8:25)
6. Valley Of The Shadow (15:52)

Total Time: 64:29
Line-up/Musicians

- Mark Robertson / synthesizers, Hammond organ, grand piano, vocals
- Jeff Brockman / drums
- Alec Fuhrman/ guitars, vocals
- Bret Douglas / lead vocals
- Jamie Browne / bass
Releases information

CD Magna Carta MA-9012-2


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Pell Mell - Rhapsody (1975)

Few countries took the idea of “classical rock” more seriously than Germany in the 1970s, as anyone will tell you who was exposed at the time to the music of WALLENSTEIN, TRIUMVIRAT, or this all but forgotten outfit. PELL MELL was one of many groups following in the well-trod footsteps of Keith Emerson, updating the classics in a modern rock format, in this case the work of Rachmaninoff and Franz Liszt (both duly credited: these guys weren’t grave robbers).

Unlike ELP however, the instrumentation was more traditional (for the ‘70s, at any rate), with a big ensemble sound divided between the sextet of musicians. Keyboards were dominant, of course: the grand piano, crunchy Hammond organ, lush string synths (no Mellotrons here) and ubiquitous clavinet were shared between three featured keyboard players, one of them also doubling on flutes and violin. Guitars are less evident, and are mostly in the classical/acoustic vein, although there’s some funky electric stuff happening on the final tracks.

The highlight of this 1975 album is the 16-minute title track, a retooling of Liszt’s popular "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2", with interpolated material written by the band and, like a lot of Continental Prog acts, sung in what sounds like phonetic English. There’s certainly a lot of variety here: a quiet acoustic ballad with recorder accompaniment (recalling the "Stairway to Heaven" intro), a burning organ solo in a honky-tonk blues mood, and lots of playful violin, straight from a gypsy café in post- war Vienna.

The finale is a hoot: a Loony Tune Saturday morning cartoon soundtrack with everything but Daffy and Bugs, including a brief nod to the local Bavarian beer hall. So why is it called "Can Can"? There’s no relation to the familiar Offenbach Folies Bergere thing, memorably covered a few years later by (of course) the crafty Krautrockers of CAN.

The original compositions that round out the rest of the disc are a little less fun and therefore less immediately attractive, but still show a flair for romantic melodies and memorable hooks.

It’s not surprising that the band fell into obscurity: they were very much a product of their age, and need to be heard as such. Less forgiving listeners might dismiss the album as a time-capsule of mid ‘70s clichés, but in retrospect there’s a genuine innocence to such lofty middle-brow ambitions toward the rarified strata of high art. Look at the cover, with its cheesy proscenium arch framing laughably amateur pencil- sketch portraits of each band member. You can’t find such disarming naiveté in today’s corporate controlled, mass-produced entertainment industry.

The music is still worth a listen too, and not only for nostalgia value. It’s a very minor slice of unjustly forgotten pop culture, but my guess is that the album might even surprise a few jaded Progheads who think they’ve heard it all. - Review by Neu!mann (Michael Neumann)



Track Listings

1. Rhapsody – Frost of an alien darkness (9:24)
2. Rhapsody – Wanderer (2:31)
3. Rhapsody - Can Can (3:38)
4. Prelude (3:18)
5. Desert in your mind (6:18)
6. The riot (6:06)
7. Paris the past (8:10)

Total Time: 39:25
Line-up/Musicians

- Gotz Draeger / bass
- Cherry Hochdorfer / keyboards
- Bruno Kniesmeijer / percussion, drums
- Ralph Lipmann / guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Thomas Schmitt / flute, violin, guitar (electric), keyboards, vocals
- Rudolph Schon / percussion, vocals
Releases information

LP Venus 761PMAB (1976) / CD Spalax 97689 (1998)


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As it was evident with the previous and uninspired album Lady, Jane was clearly running out of ideas as a "prog'n roll" act and decided to shake themselves awake by turning into a more progressive unit. Such a move, however courageous it might be , is not only risky but fairly common as this was a sort-of-fad that a few band did in those days in Continental Europe (I am thinking of Birth Control, but many more).

I said risky , because one band does simply not become progressive on command and therefore may lose their credibility and show their limits. Jane certainly fell in that category IMHO, because they simply did not have enough inspiration for it. I want for first proof of this , this very weak concept of the four elements punctuated by wind , running water, fire noise to invoke those elements . Apart from a weak outside artwork sleeve and a slightly better inside gatefold drawing, everything transpire lack of inspiration. Even their good musical skills seem to be ampered by the restraint of more complicated song structure and genral lack of enthusiasm (IMHO but onr should have no problem seeing my point - they just seem to go through the motion).

By all means , do not let my incisive remarks let you think that the excellent Jane musicianship is AWOL, this is still a worthy Jane album , just not one of my fave. I would recommend prospective progheads who would rather not investigate their early hard-prog carreer to start with this one and then Heaven & Hell.

Track Listings

1. Fire, water, earth & air
2. Fire (you give me some sweet lovin')
3. Water (keep on rollin') (16:57)
4. Earth (Angel) (5:20)
5. Air (let the sunshine in) &
6. The end (10:53)

Total Time: 33:10
Line-up/Musicians

- Klaus Hess / Les Paul De Luxe, Gibson Firebird guitars, lead vocals
- Martin Hesse / Gibson Thunderbird bass, backing vocals
- Werner Nadolny / organ, strings, Moog synth, piano
- Peter Panka / Ludwig drums, vocals

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Jane - Jane III (1974)

Jane III is an often maligned release due its simplistic, bluesy nature and lack of keyboard wizardry, but persistence and an open mind shows this to be a psychey, guitar oriented album with an essence of spaciness throughout. Opening with the lengthy 'Comin' Again', a two chord wonder built on 'leslied' guitar, Klaus Hess' trademark solo guitaring, and a plodding rhythm section making it somewhat heavy, but this monster of a song is very addictive and seems to hold the attention over its near 9 and a half minutes duration (as long as one is not waiting to hear a riff in 11/8...). In many cases, the mix on the vocals is quite spacey, probably because they are echoed and kind of 'behind' the music. Bassist Charlie Maucher handles most of the vox with a slight rawness but they barely have an accent, drummer Peter Panka sings lead on one track ('Way To Paradise') and has a strong accent - in both cases, this does not pose as a problem at all. 'Mother You Don't Know' is a bluesy tune with slight 'cosmic' touches, 'I Need You' is a very catchy tune (re-titled 'Rest of my Life' on the classic live 'At Home' dbl LP) and will have you singing the chorus in a flash - quite an achievement for a German underground band. 'Way To Paradise' is a pleasant ballad, and the only song to have some piano playing.

Side 2 starts with 'Early In the Morning', a solid rocker full of searing guitaring with excellent left/right speaker panning (no doubt courtesy of the late, GREAT Conny Plank), and those spacey vox, 'Jane Session' is an excellent instrumental jam that 'cooks', but I feel it's a bit short, 'Rock 'n' Roll Star' is similar to EITM with it's dense guitar-heavy approach, 'King of Thule' is a very brief (0.40) dual guitar theme which is cool, and 'Baby, What You're Doin'' is a simple pub-rocking blues tune and weakest thing on the album. Nothing complex, but a straight-up, solid Germanic rock offering (i.e. their least progressive release) and quite enjoyable from time to time. 3 stars.



Track Listings

1. Comin' again (9:40)
2. Mother, you don't know (5:52)
3. I need you (4:50)
4. Way to paradise (3:25)
5. Early in the morning (5:20)
6. Jane-session (4:20)
7. Rock'n'roll star (4:47)
8. King of thule (0:40)
9. Baby, what you're doin' (3:05)

Total Time: 42:00
Line-up/Musicians

- Klauss Hess / acoustic & electric guitars
- Wolfgang Krantz / electric guitar, piano (4)
- Charly Maucher / bass, vocals
- Peter Panka / drums, percussion, vocals (4)


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