Prosper - Broken Door (Garden of Delights) 1975

Biography Prosper was born in Bottrop, a town situated in the northwestern part of the german Ruhrgebiet which is dominated by an eponymous coal mine. The band's story began 1973 as Prosper I with heavy line-up changes. Jürgen Pluta (keys) was a co-founder but soon went to Wallenstein to play the bass. Evert Brettschneider (guitar) and Matthias Geisen (bass) were early members to form a constant line-up and to reduce the name to Prosper. They were later followed by Friedhelm Misiejuk (drums, percussion), Fritz A. Frey (guitar, vocals) und Ernst Müller (keys). This five musicians finally produced the self-released, very professional and diversified debut 'Broken Door' from 1975. Prosper's sound is a typical mix of different styles. Jazz rock respectively Fusion are having a dominant role but there are also psychedelic parts to point out. Composed with a versatile structure the eight songs contain many instrumental parts interspersed with e-piano, mellotron, moog or nice twin guitar work. Brettschneider, also known as a member of the band Contact Trio, often provides the jazzy attitude inspired by John McLaughlin or Gary Boyle. Unfortunately the current line-up didn't manage to record other releases afterwards. Some member changes occured and Prosper became less important until 1979 when the band tried to make a new start. Only bass player Geisen remained and he gathered some other musicians to record new material. Finally in 2006 some songs of this rehearsals were digged out and released as a vinyl named 'Second Running - The Basement Tapes' with music similar to Doldinger's Passport. More other songs are in a waiting position and therefore Prosper's story might not be closed yet. progarchives

Tracklist

01.Beginning 7:19

02.Burning in the Sun 2:04

03.Broken Door 3:24

04.Dance of an Angel 6:56

05.Your Country 5:40

06.Birds of Passage 4:56

07.Master's inspiration 1:32

08.Where the Sun touches the Water 7:54

Line-up

Evert Brettschneider - Electric & Acoustic Guitars

Fritz Fey - Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Vocals

Ernst Müller - Fender Rhodes, Mellotron, Mini-Moog, electronics

Matthias Geisen - Bass

Friedhelm Misiejuk - Drums, Percussion

Minnesoda/Copperhead - 1970's (Minnesoda Music Digipack) 1970

Biography Minnesoda did an obscure but fairly interesting self-titled jazz-rock album for Capitol in 1972, produced by Bob Johnston (famous for his work with Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, Simon & Garfunkel, and numerous others). The record was in limited respects like the first recordings of Chicago and, more distantly, Blood, Sweat & Tears in its jazz-rock-with-vocals format. Minnesoda, however, had a substantially greater funk flavor, and a speedier, more aggressive edge to their material, though they didn't have the pop-friendly melodies of the more renowned bands. Half of Minnesoda's eight members were on horns, with tenor saxophonist Dave Gustafson playing flute as well, adding to the rock band-as-big-band feel.

A couple of the musicians in Minnesoda had performed with name acts prior to the album. Trombonist Don Lehnhoff had played with Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. Much more unexpectedly, trumpeter Eddie Shaw had in the 1960s been the bassist for the Monks, the 1960s band of ex-GIs who recorded an album of ludicrously minimalist, furious pre-punk in Germany in the mid-1960s a record that was unknown by 1972, but which by the 1990s had an avid cult following.

Minnesoda were at first called Copperhead, but without the band's knowledge, they were renamed Minnesoda (in a nod to their Minnesota origins) for the Capitol album. (They were no relation to another band called Copperhead, including ex-Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist John Cipollina, that also recorded in the early 1970s.) Johnston recorded a second album with the band that went a little further into jazz, and further away from any rough similarities with Chicago, although they were still present. But Johnston was unable to get the album released, and Minnesoda remained their only issued LP. allmusic.com

Tracklist
01.City Streets 3:58
02.Electric Lady 3:13
03.Open Letter 2:56
04.Ever So Sunshine 3:15
05.Blue Before I'm Cold 3:39
06.Children Of The Spaces 3:40
07.Speak Your Piece 3:17
08.Dancing In Rhyme 3:04
09.Orange Lady 4:45
10.Rainbows Alt Take 6:41
11.Waiting Line 2:55

Line-up
John Elms - vocals
Charles Dahle - guitar
Wayne Cafarella - bass
Dave Gustafson - tenor saxophone
Don Lehnhoff - trombone
Ed Shaw - trumpet
Rick Warneke - tenor saxophone
Bob Anderson - drums

Paice Ashton Lord - Malice In Wonderland (2001 Purple Records Special Edition) 1976

Biography The Deep Purple spin-off project Paice Ashton Lord were formed by ex-Deep Purplers Ian Paice (drums) and Jon Lord (organ) with Tony Ashton, who had been in the Remo Four during the British Invasion era and then in Ashton, Gardner & Dyke (famous for "Resurrection Shuffle"). When they got together in mid-1976, Deep Purple had just broken up; for the sole Paice Ashton Lord album, the sound was filled out by guitarist Bernie Marsden and bassist Paul Martinez. That LP, Malice in Wonderland, was not nearly as heavy as Deep Purple had been, though it still owed much to mainstream British hard rock. However, there was a fair amount of jazz influence in the arrangements (which sometimes included brass) and some soul ingredients to the songwriting. All of this didn't add up to anything more than an average mid-'70s rock album, the kind you could have heard as filler on numerous AOR-oriented FM stations at the time. You didn't, though, since the album didn't sell much, and Paice Ashton Lord disbanded, although they did start work on a second LP. Eight songs from the unreleased second album appeared on the CD reissue of Malice in Wonderland on Purple Records in 2001. Review by Richie Unterberger

Tracklist

01.Ghost Story 5:46

02.Remember The Good Times 5:47

03.Arabella (Oh Tell Me) 4:07

04.Silas & Jerome 3:25

05.Dance With Me Baby 3:22

06.On The Road Again, Again 4:00

07.Sneaky Private Lee 6:08

08.I`m Gonna Stop Drinking 5:10

09.Malice In Wonderland 6:06

Bonus Tracks

10.Steamroller Blues (Another Story 2001) 4:52

11.Nasty Clarinet (2001) 4:30

12.Black & White (2001) 4:14

13.Moonburn (2001) 3:21

14.Dance Coming (2001) 4:57

15.Goodbye Hello LA (2001) 3:55

16.Untitled (2001) 3:16

17.Ballad Of Mr. Giver (2001) 5:53

Line-up

Ian Paice - drums, percussion

Tony Ashton - vocals, keyboards

Jon Lord - keyboards, synthesizer

Paul Martinez - bass

Bernie Marsden - guitar, backing vocals

Isaiah - Isaiah (2014 Digatone Records 2CD Digipack) 1975

Biography Isaiah's only album 1975 features a mix of jazz, blues and progressive rock elements. Lead by the charismatic voice of flautist and guitarist Gert Raabe, the band counts as one of Austria's most versatile bands of the 1970's, often likened to Jethro Tull, YES and ELP. Digatone restored their demos for the previously unreleased second album which were declined by the label at the time for being too weird. The band disbanded 1977. Original copies of the album very rarely come up for sale these days and when they do command a price of several hundred €uros. For the first time available: 2xLP + 2xCD Deluxe Reissue incl. their rare original album, a LP full of unreleased songs, liner notes & enhanced bonus material. Heavy gatefold package with glued in and removable CD.

CD1 The Original Album 1975
01.Jericho 5:10
02.Summer Farewell 5:11
03.Leave It All Behind 5:28
04.Afterwards 7:42
05.Prophet 8:39

CD2 Unreleased Demos 1973 - 1977
01.Playing The Circle Game 2:43
02.Nightmare 4:35
03.Same To You 4:46
04.No Reason 4:46
05.The Fighter 4:21
06.Long Way 10:35
07.Hero 11:15
08.Sunset 3:43

Line-up
Gerd Raabe - lead vocals, flute, acoustic guitar
Michael Bornhorst - tenor sax, clarinet
Hans Gasser - bass guitar
Walter Reschauer - drums, percussion
Edu Weber - lead guitar, 12-string guitar, backing vocals
Hubertus K. Nolte - piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards, backing vocals

Energy - Energy (2012 O-Music Remaster) 1974

Biography : For some reason the Swedish prog/hard rock/jazz fusion group ENERGY's lone 1974 self-titled LP has never been reissued, making it quite rare and often pricey. However, for those who possess a copy of this obscure album with its flaming cover art, it's a hard album not to love. ENERGY without a doubt came from the world of guitar driven jazz fusion, although guitarist Amadeo Nicoletto's tasteful, yet powerful, jazzy, neo-classical leads lend an air of power to ENERGY's sound, making it of interest to fans of 70's prog as well as jazz. This album has been included in several books pertaining to heavy metal such as Martin Popoff's "Golmine Heavy Metal Record Price Guide", however, ENERGY is not quite heavy enough (in terms of guitar riffs) to fit into the proto-metal category. Certainly, fans of highly electric 70's guitar work will find much to enjoy on this LP, although the mood of this LP is one of varying dynamics, ranging from mellow, reflective jazz to edgy hard fusion. These guys could really play! All the members of ENERGY were obviously superior musicians, however I believe that it was the band's unique sound and reluctance to land smoothly into the jazz fusion or prog genres which may have played a role in why this great LP has seemingly slipped through the cracks over the past 40 years. So before you drop $100 on a copy of this LP you may want to check out the samples posted on youtube just to be sure ENERGY fits your expectations. For me, I love this LP with all my heart and dream of a CD reissue of this lost classic, preferably with bonus material!!!! 

Tracklist

01.Subtle Forces 5:00

02.Metamorphosis - Impression 7:37

03.Up to Seven 5:27

04.Porta Marina 10:24

05.John 6:29

Line-up

Alvaro Is - piano, electric piano, organ

Amedeo Nicoletti - guitar

Björn Inge - drums

Bosse Norlén - bass

Luis Agudo - percussion

Kandahar - Long Live The Sliced Ham (2009 Remastered) 1974

Biography : Coming from Belgium's fourth city, Ghent, Kandahar chose its name after the third city of Afghanistan, sign of keyboardist & leader Karel Bogard's love of Eastern philosophies, flavours and etc.The quintet, a standard prog quartet plus a wind player, played a pleasant humorous jazz-rock that could be easily related to Canterbury's best moments with the invariable songwriting team of guitarist De Visscher and Bogard reminiscent of Caravan meeting Hatfield. Coming in an orange and pink speed-related futuristic artworks, and humorously titled LLTSH was recorded in November 74 and the group invited many guests to make this album quite a pleasant debut. Starting on the smooth-gliding instrumental Down At Finckle's, Kandahar has three frontmen to showcase and here Jacky Eddin that gets the early call but De Vusscher's guitar takes a solid revenge just after. The lengthy Eye Of Glass is a striking difference to its fore runner, the group constantly changing tempo and moods, where it was absolutely not the case previously. Here, the hero is bassist Cleays, but Bogard,s songwriting is the key among his keyboards. Influence-wise, Supersister or Hatfield are not far away here. Again an ever-changing tempoed track, Outside Of Reality is a rare sung track where Eddin gets help from guests to boast a very brassy attack. Surviving Boogie is the obvious hit on the album (it was a single twice), but it's clearly the weakest track, developing a fast reedy blues with relatively weak vocals (this is not a strong point of Kandahar, but it's generally not too catastrophic.. Just weak) and gain strong brass section.

The flipside starts on the weird and fast Walkin Piles, but it's mostly the dissonant saxes and flutes in the background of demented percussion passages that draw the attention of the listener. Too bad the beat stays too rigid in its Magma-itude, though. This could've been much better exploited with a better production. Another instrumental beauty is Hobbit, the gentler track on this album, filled with smooth keyboards. The following Fancy Model has a difficult intro, but once the track is settled, it turns into an infernal inferno filled with spiralling swirls of flames filled with fire, and Eddin's blowing buddies are back to let us know that Kandahar was a force to be reckoned with, especially when they all shut up to let drummer Delaruye shows his chops with Cleays, before reprising. Very enthralling and Canterbury- esque. The closing When She Flies Away is not the album's strongest track, and it has a déjà-vu feeling, especially when the vocals kick in, we get to think of Hendrix's Hey Joe. True the group's weaker vocals might be an embarrassment (to some), but the rest of their music is nearly spotless and certainly the best thing they've done artistically. Their vinyl albums have become rare and expensive and no official Cd reissue. had happened since Sony surprised us with a cheap reissue. progarchives.com

Tracklist
01.Down at the Finckle's 4:28
02.Eyes of Glass 5:37
03.Outside of Reality 8:05
04.Survivin' Boogie 3:20
05.The Walkin' Piles 4:18
06.The Hobbit 3:10
07.The Fancy Model 5:40
08.When She Flies Away 8:41

Line-up
Jeff De Visscher - lead & acoustic guitar, sitar, vocals
Karel Bogard - piano, clavinet, Davoli & A.R.P."2701" synthezisers, gongs & bells, vocals
Jean Pierre Claeys - bass
Etienne Delaruye - drums, glochenspiel, tympani, cello, vibes, piano, syntheziser, strings, clavinet, marimba, vocals

Alternative Link

Tetragon - Agape (Garden of Delights) 1973

German act Tetragon was a short-lived outfit that was formed following Ralph Schmieding's departure from the trio Trikolon. The remaining members Hendrik Schapper (organ, trumpet) and Rolf Rettberg (bass) hooked up with Jürgen Jaehner (guitars) and Achim Luhrmann (drums); and decided that a new band name was a better option than the continued use of their former moniker. The band set up a primitive recording facility in an old farm, and had to record live the tracks that were featured on their sole album "Nature", which was released in 1971. Soon after Tetragon folded, but the strength of their album has seen to it that it has been rereleased several times over the years. progarchives.com

 

Tracklist:
01.Stage Fright Train 6:53
02.Agape 13:27
03.Hurry On Down 6:49
04.A German Western 10:35
05.Freedom Jazz Dance 9:44
06.For Example 16:40

Tetragon:
Norbert Wolf - Bass
Joachim Luhrmann - Drums
Jürgen Jaehner - Guitar
Hendrik Schaper - Keyboards

Made In Sweden - Snakes In A Hole (Digipack Edition) 1969

Originally a trio, Made in Sweden was founded by guitarist George Wadenius, bassist Bo Haggstrom and drummer Tommy Borgudd. This first incarnation of the band released 3 studio albums and a live album, and won Grammis for Best Band in 1969 and 1970. The trio would split up later on and over time the original members would join a band called Solar Plexus. Their reformation in the mid 70's made them something of a supergroup with musicians from Finland joining the band; namely Pekka Pohjola from Wigwam and drummer Vesa Aaltonen from Tasavallan Presintti. This new line-up featured only Wadenius from the original trio, and other additions to the band were Wlodek Gulgowki on keyboards and singer Tommy Korberg who was also involved with Solar Plexus. This second incarnation would release one more album in 1976. progarchives.com

Tracklist:
01.Snakes In A Hole
02.Lay Lady Lay
03.Discotheque People
04.Give Me Whisky
05.Kristallen Den grymma
06.Little Cloud
07.Big Cloud
Bonus Track:
08.Roundabout (Live)
09.Ramses the 3rd (Live)
10.Worlds of Mushroom Gardens

Made in Sweden:
Georg Wadenius - guitar, piano, vocal
Bo Haggstrom - bass
Tommy Borgudd - drums
Sven Asmussen - violins

Morpheus - Rabenteuer (Garden Of Delights) 1976

This instrumental Krautrock group from the Westfalia region of Germany only lasted about two years and managed to self-release one very obscure record in the mid-'70s. Morpheus' short history begins in 1971 with the formation of the jazz group Opossum. This six-member group eventually split up when two of the musicians wanted to veer further into free jazz, whereas the other four guitarist Gerold Adler, bassist Peter "Rabe" (Raven) Blömeke, saxophonist Heinrich Holtgreve, and drummer Alfred Franke wanted to add more rock elements to their sound. After Blömeke did a brief stint with the much better-known Krautrock band Mythos, the four got together near the beginning of 1975 to form Morpheus. Whereas Opossum's music was completely improvised with tracks that went on forever and were somewhat unfocused, the new quartet concentrated more on syncopated rhythms, as well as the concept of using echo to create sound shapes to be put into the tracks. Though still very jazzy and improvised, Morpheus had a lot more rock and compositional elements in their music, similar to other fusion groups like Kraan, Munju, Out of Focus, and others. In March of 1976 they recorded an album, and self-released it soon after, pressing 500 copies under the title Rabenteuer, which combines the German words for "raven" and "adventure." The record was well liked by those who heard it and soon became a rare collector's item, even though it was mastered slightly slow so that the sound was a semi-tone too low, a problem that was eventually rectified with the Garden of Delights CD reissue. When Franke left the group in late 1976 or very early 1977, the band continued with a new drummer. However, three months later saxophonist Holtgreve moved to a different region in Germany, and the others decided to call it quits. Holtgreve eventually joined a bluegrass band, while Adler later formed a fusion band, imaginatively named the Gerold Adler Fusion Band, and also taught guitar, while the other two drifted out of music for other careers. Morpheus' sole album was reissued by Garden of Delights in 1998 with a 20-minute bonus track taken from the same sessions as the original LP. Though they are a footnote in German rock history, their record is worth seeking out for those who like the jazzier side of Krautrock. allmusic.com

Tracklist:
01.Rabenteuer - 9:55
02.Brandung - 5:00
03.Breitmaulfrosch - 5:15
04.Oktober’74 - 2:16
05.Tanz der Morphine - 3:10
06.Abflug - 15:00
07.Morpheus Jam - 20:00

Morpheus:
Gerold Adler - guitar
Peter Blomeke - bass, flute
Heinrich Holtgreve - saxophone
Alfred Franke - drums

Opossum - Bear's Banquet (Garden Of Delights) 1974

Another cool lost gem from Garden of Delights. The roots of Morpheus were undocumented until this CD release. Originating circa Spring 1971 from the town of Warburg (about 70 miles east of Dortmund) Opossum existed until early 1975, transforming into Morpheus. Documenting a studio rehearsal session from 1974, it sounds more 1969, but is still fresh and vibrant fusion, of the type that I love! A very clean, but live studio quality, gives the music great presence. Four of the five tracks are penned by band leader Gerold Adler. The opening Eddie Marshall number The Sun And Moon Have Come Together is given a distinct Krauty feel, as a relaxed Zappa/Mothers cum Xhol jazzy mood, with really nice electric-sax work. Vaguely Colosseum in a free-floaty mode, I could compare Opossum to Annexus Quam, Munju and Embryo with some nice lazy Latino and bluesy diversions. Excellent stuff through and through! krautrock.de

Tracklist:
01.The Sun and Moon Have Come Together 11.14
02.Mittelstreifen 10.15
03.Amina 6.34
04.Opossum Novum 4.04
05.Bear's Banquet 15.30

Opossum:
Heinrich Holtgreve - Alto Saxophone, Clarinet
Karl-Heinz Cornelius - Bass
Alfred Franke - Drums
Peter Blömeke - Drums, Flute, Synthesizer
Gerold Adler - Guitar
Robert Binnewies - Keyboards, Harmonica

Sun - S.U.N. (Garden of Delights) 1980

Sun from Hettenleidelheim near Eisenberg in the Palatinate were founded under the name of Punished Sun in 1969 and shortened their name to Sun in 1974. They played progressive rock with slight Zappa and jazz influences. In 1980, Sun released their first own LP which contained exclusively self- written tracks, in an edition of 1000 copies. The brimful CD at hand contains this complete LP, drawn from the master tapes, and as bonus tracks the two Proton tracks “Leisure” and “To Celia”, two as yet unreleased pieces from rehearsals as well as two later studio recordings, also unreleased as yet.

Tracklist:
01.Ohne Titte 5:54
02.The Jester 6:17
03.Seeing Similaun 6:45
04.On Holiday 5:17
05.Und ewig heulen die Gitarren 4:50
06.Neulich in Spanien 4:52
07.Women's Lib. Blues 6:32

Bonus tracks:
08.Leisure 10:43
09.To Celia 8:25
10.Communication Breakdown 6:35
11.Slave Of Heaven 5:42
12.Black Sheep Of The Family 4:06
13.Morning Dream 4:11

Sun:
Rudi Herrmann - drums
Bruno Mäder - sax, lyricon, vocals
Harry Müller - guitar, vocals
Gunter Hübner - guitar
Thomas Heldmann - bass, vocals
Reinhard Stephan - electric piano, organ

Jean-Luc Ponty - King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (Blue Note) 1969

Not just an album of interpretations, King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa was an active collaboration; Frank Zappa arranged all of the selections, played guitar on one, and contributed a new, nearly 20-minute orchestral composition for the occasion. Made in the wake of Ponty's appearance on Zappa's jazz-rock masterpiece Hot Rats, these 1969 recordings were significant developments in both musicians' careers. In terms of jazz-rock fusion, Zappa was one of the few musicians from the rock side of the equation who captured the complexity -- not just the feel -- of jazz, and this project was an indicator of his growing credibility as a composer. For Ponty's part, King Kong marked the first time he had recorded as a leader in a fusion-oriented milieu (though Zappa's brand of experimentalism didn't really foreshadow Ponty's own subsequent work). Of the repertoire, three of the six pieces had previously been recorded by the Mothers of Invention, and "Twenty Small Cigars" soon would be. Ponty writes a Zappa-esque theme on his lone original "How Would You Like to Have a Head Like That," where Zappa contributes a nasty guitar solo. The centerpiece, though, is obviously "Music for Electric Violin and Low Budget Orchestra," a new multi-sectioned composition that draws as much from modern classical music as jazz or rock. It's a showcase for Zappa's love of blurring genres and Ponty's versatility in handling everything from lovely, simple melodies to creepy dissonance, standard jazz improvisation to avant-garde, nearly free group passages. In the end, Zappa's personality comes through a little more clearly (his compositional style pretty much ensures it), but King Kong firmly established Ponty as a risk-taker and a strikingly original new voice for jazz violin. allmusic.com

Tracklist:
01.King Kong 4:54
02.Idiot Bastard Son 4:00
03.Twenty Small Cigars 5:35
04.How Would You Like to Have a Head Like That 7:14
05.Music for Electric Violin and Low Budget Orchestra 19:20
06.America Drinks and Goes Home 2:39

Musicians:
Jean-Luc Ponty - Violin, Baritone Violin, Electric Violin
Buell Neidlinger - Bass
Milton Thomas - Viola
Art Tripp - Drums
Ian Underwood - Conductor, Sax Tenor
Ernie Watts - Sax Alto, Sax Tenor
Vincent DeRosa - French Horn, Descant
Harold Bemko - Cello
Donald Christlieb - Bassoon
Gene Cipriano - Horn English, Oboe
Gene Estes - Percussion, Vibraphone
Frank Zappa - Arranger, Performer, Composer, Conductor
John Guerin - Drums
George Duke - Piano, Piano Electric

Back Door - Back Door 1973

Released by the band on the Blakey label in 1972 and then re-released by Warner in 1973, this instrumental album is impressive from start to finish, and a veritable catalog of bass guitar technique. Aspery's funky sax and flute work leaves the bottom end completely open to the bass guitar, and Hodgkinson's use of strummed chords is ably backed by his bandmates on the squalling opener "Vienna Breakdown." The mel-low fon-kay bass solo, "Lieutenant Loose," makes effective use of ringing open strings, while "Slivadiv" is a fret-hammering delight. If you're a bassist, be forewarned: listening to this album is a deeply humbling experience. allmusic.com

01.Vienna Breakdown - 2:19
02.Plantagenet - 1:38
03.Leiutenant Loose - 2:38
04.Askin' the Way - 2:57
05.Turning Point - 2:12
06.Slivadiv - 3:45
07.Jive Grind - 2:48
08.Human Bed - 2:25
09.Catcote - 1:55
10.Waltz for a Wollum - 2:20
11.Folksong - 3:03
12.Back Door - 2:48

Back Door :
Colin Hodgkinson - bass, vocals
Ron Aspery - keyboards, sax
Tony Hicks - drums
Later : Adrian Tilbrook - drums  

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