Issue #34 Extra!: Archives & Reissues

Blodwyn Pig — Ahead Rings Out
Box of Frogs — Box of Frogs / Strange Land
Canned Heat and John Lee Hooker — Hooker ‘n Heat
Canned Heat — Historical Figures and Ancient Heads / The New Age
Carmen — Fandangos In Space / Dancing On a Cold Wind
Coronarias Dans — Visitor
Dragonwyck — Dragonwyck
Joy Of Cooking — Joy Of Cooking
Joy Of Cooking — Closer To The Ground
Joy Of Cooking — Castles
Lambert & Nuttycombe — At Home
Light — The Story of Moses
The Moody Blues — The Magnificent Moodies
Bruce Palmer — The Cycle Is Complete
Pure Food & Drug Act — Pure Food & Drug Act
Rosebud — Rosebud
Sparks — Sparks
Sparks — A Woofer In Tweeter’s Clothing
Talking Heads — 77
Talking Heads — More Songs about Buildings and Food
Talking Heads — Fear of Music
Talking Heads — Remain in Light
Talking Heads — Speaking in Tongues
Tomorrow — My White Bicycle
vidnaObmana — The River of Appearance

Tomorrow — My White Bicycle

(EMI 7243 498819 21, 1968/1999, CD)

Tomorrow’s eponymous and only release is a solid example of ’60s psychedelia featuring a precociously talented young guitarist named Steve Howe. It probably would have fared better commercially if not for the fact that, like The Nice’s debut, it arrived six months too late. It included a bonafide hit (“My White Bicycle”) with the rest of the album ranging from proto-prog (“Now Your Time Has Come”) to whimsical ditties like “Three Jolly Little Dwarves.” Howe shines throughout, though it was singer Keith West who was singled out for stardom by the Men Upstairs. This spelled doom for the band, though West never did achieve lasting success as a solo act. For those wondering what happened afterwards, some of the 12 bonus tracks tell the tale. These include the debut single b-side, “Claremount Lake,” along with early versions of album tracks. But where the rubber hits the road for serious fans are three rare (and very forgettable) songs from bassist Junior Wood and drummer Twink’s post-Tomorrow project, The Aquarian Age, plus four Keith West tunes from late 1968 that represent a failed final grab at success, despite a stellar backup ensemble of Steve Howe, Ron Wood and Aynsley Dunbar. Highlights include “She” which contains the seeds of ideas that would surface in Howe’s ’90s solo work, plus “The Visit” which points the way to Howe s next project, Bodast. The Tomorrow material alone is required listening for serious Steve Howe fans, though the copious bonus rarities makes this one hard to resist. — Paul Hightower

The Moody Blues — The Magnificent Moodies

(Repertoire REP 5077, 1965/2006, CD)

In December ’64 The Moody Blues first hit the U.K. charts with a cover of U.S. soul singer Bessie Banks’ “Go Now,” with its expansive harmonies sounding a bit like a British take on the Righteous Brothers’ sound — the single scraped the bottom of the U.S. top 10 in January ‘65. With a certified hit behind them, the band continued releasing singles using the same basic formula (covers of U.S. R&B hits) but were unable to reproduce their earlier success. By late-summer ’65 the LP at hand was released in its mono version, 12 songs, selling modestly in the U.K. In the states, an LP titled Go Now was released, with a slightly different track listing. Both LPs featured a handful of tracks co-written by keyboardist Mike Pinder and guitarist/singer Denny Laine, a songwriting team that would become more important as they moved beyond covers and concentrated on original material; this is where things begin to get interesting, as the Pinder/Laine material recorded in the post-LP era (all included here among the 14 bonus tracks) is far more sophisticated and engaging than most anything on the LP. The band continued to record new songs up through August ’66, when Laine and bassist Clint Warwick decided to abandon ship; Decca kept releasing this material as singles right up through early ’67, even after Justin Hayward and John Lodge had joined up. This is good stuff, but don’t expect Seventh Sojourn... this is clearly the music of an earlier era. — Peter Thelen

Joy Of Cooking — Joy Of Cooking

(Acadia, ACA 8050, 1971/2003, CD)

Joy Of Cooking — Closer To The Ground

(Acadia, ACA 8071, 1971/2004, CD)

Joy Of Cooking — Castles

(Acadia, ACA 8085, 1972/2005, CD)

Those looking for a ‘good ole time’ need look no further — funky West Coast psychedelia flavored country-rock to be found here. Equally rooted in the blues, this stuff is steeped in the tradition of that kozmic mama herself: Janis Joplin. Difference being that Terry Garthwaite can actually sing these songs the way they are supposed to be done, with feeling and no excessive histrionics. It is also telling that Toni Brown is a multi-instrumentalist, carrying more than her own weight as she bears the brunt of compositional duties, sharing the rest with Terry. Their fare is served up with hefty dollops of melodicism and syncopation. Surely able to warm up plenty of crowds from their stomping grounds of Berkeley, California — it is easy to picture them opening for many of the biggest acts of the time. Their heyday was from 1967 to 1972, and these reissues cover the span of their output on Capitol Records in those last two years. A progression in sound becomes evident as the debut long-player runs its course, even though a stretch of ballads does little to maintain the high level of interplay and musicianship evident on the fuller tracks. As is to be expected, lyrics tend towards the syrupy and emotional, exhibiting the rote plaintive hippie-guilt pathos, or both; extra cheese anyone? Closing out with with an honest homage about saving the earth for the children, “their house,” probably had little effect on laying with throw pillows and puffing fat ones.

The two subsequent albums push the recipe further along as well as pepper their tunes with extended instrumental sections. Twang folk-rock this is not, boogie is more like it — consider it along the lines of the Stone Poneys, only more solid, even. You can add a dash of your own mouth-styles with ‘chikka-chikka’ sounds, if you like, that would not be out of place. Now, one would think that chunky bass lines and groovy piano tinkling would be mutually exclusive in this scenario. Unabashedly, there is a true fusion later apparent in melding two disparate genres: country and funk. I can’t say they overcame me with this melange, but they surely did effectively bring it forth. Unfortunately, the latter half of the second album deteriorates sharply to plinky songs of the forlorn variety. At this point there is full-on honky-tonk with a clash of 12-bar going on, straight up Linda Rondstadt without any horses in sight, bongos on the last track can’t even bring this one back to its heights. Their last album follows suit. If this sounds like your style and you need a healthy dose of balladry in your diet, these will surely satisfy that hankering for grits and cornbread. Otherwise, adventurous listeners need only pick up the first and proceed with caution. Good stuff, well played, just not everyone’s chaw. Stylistics aside, the chosen material is expertly executed with dual female vocals in tow most of the way. — Cesar Montesano

Availability: Jade Hubertz — barbarousrelics@sbcglobal.net

Canned Heat and John Lee Hooker — Hooker ‘n Heat

(BGO BGOCD694, 1971/2005, 2CD)

Canned Heat — Historical Figures and Ancient Heads / The New Age

(BGO BGOCD672, 1972/73/2005, CD)

If you don’t dig the blues and you don’t boogie, skip this review. Canned Heat’s stock in trade was merging classic blues with rock, and in the late 1960s nobody did it better, due in part to the band’s founders Bob “the bear” Hite and Al “blind owl” Wilson’s deep love and respect of classic blues. The band’s first three albums Canned Heat, Boogie With Canned Heat and Livin’ The Blues, from ’67 and ‘68 are nothing short of exceptional. After the band’s fourth studio LP Hallelujah in ’69, guitarist Henry “sunflower” Vestine left the band, replaced by Harvey Mandel in time for their appearance at Woodstock in ‘69. But in May 1970 it was Vestine, not Mandel that was present at the sessions with vintage bluesman John Lee Hooker — one of Canned Heat’s primary influences, that produced the Hooker n’ Heat album, released a year later. Disc one starts with half a dozen tracks of solo Hooker accompanying himself on electric guitar, later to be joined first by Al Wilson on harmonica and guitar for a few tracks, then one by one the remaining members of the band join in as the sound transitions from pure blues to the revved-up blues-rock style on “Boogie Chillin’ No.2” that closes disc two. All the compositions throughout are Hooker originals, including several of his better known songs. An oft-forgotten gem in the Canned Heat catalog, it was one of Hooker’s best selling releases. Sadly, Wilson would not live to see the album’s release.

In the post-Wilson era, personnel changes were the order of the day in Canned Heat, yet the band weathered the changes well and remained vital. Historical Figures and Ancient Heads remains on solid ground through the efforts of Hite, Vestine (who had by this time returned to the fold), drummer Adolfo “Fito” De La Parra, and several newer members, as well as guests like Little Richard and others. Wilson’s harmonica and odd guitar tunings are surely missed, and the band was trying to do some experimentation outside their blues-rock forte, which resulted in a couple throwaway cuts, but overall this is still a respectable effort. 1973’s The New Age continues with more lineup changes, but the core of Hite, Vestine and De La Parra remain, and overall this is another solid effort, with a more diverse sound — new rhythm guitarist James Shane is sharing vocals with Bob Hite, whose brother Richard has now stepped in on bass and rhythm guitar, and the band now has its first full-time keyboardist in Ed Beyer. Highlights include “Lookin’ For My Rainbow” where Shane shares the vocal spot with the Clara Ward singers, and a cover of the Leiber/Stoller classic “Framed,” made famous by The Coasters (and later by Cheech and Chong). This would be Canned Heat’s final major label release, although the band soldiered on through the ’70s and ’80s, and continue right up through the present (with more lineup changes and tragedies), now touring as a four-piece led by De La Parra. — Peter Thelen

Availability: Jade Hubertz — barbarousrelics@sbcglobal.net

Pure Food & Drug Act — Pure Food & Drug Act

(Acadia, ACA 8033, 1972/2002 CD)

Their extended version of “Eleanor Rigby” sounds uncannily like “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” with a splash of “Papa Was A Rolling Stone.” Preferring jam over marmalade is totally up to you, it’s all finger lickin’ good. Present day and these cats would be toasting their bread and wandering around the states with Blues Traveller. The hippies of yesterday are the present and future day trustfundafarians — this is what they listened to then and still do now. Maybe I’m jaded because Phish broke up, or that Jerry died, and that the Allman Brothers just don’t get ‘round much anymore. This disc sounds like a professionally recorded live set from a decent show. Lo and behold, it mostly is just that: a document of a time and place where the illicit smoke was thick enough to make this group sound super, in your stupor. There is great sound quality and a fair bit of energy, it just lacks originality. They play well together here, but there are so many soundboard recordings that will blow this out of your deck. Granted, it’s a good change of pace for people that normally did not play as a combo, at least not for long. In prog they call it wanking, here it is labeled “getting down.” In any case, not bad, not great. If you dig Harvey Mandel, Sugarcane Harris, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and the Allman Brothers, hop on down to yer local corner store and grab one. “Tell ‘em Cooter sent ya!” — Cesar Montesano

Blodwyn Pig — Ahead Rings Out

(EMI 357685 2, 1969/2006, CD)

Perhaps one day this classic by the Jethro Tull offshoot led by original guitarist Mick Abrahams will get a proper reissue, but until then this latest remastered version from EMI will have to do (and it’s far better than the earlier booklet-less picture disc version that BGO put out about 15 years ago). Starting with a blues-rock style not far removed from much of This Was, the four-piece which included woodwind player Jack Lancaster, as well as the hot shot rhythm section of Andy Pyle (b) and Ron Berg (d) brought that sound far closer to the jazz axis than Tull was ever willing to go, especially evident on opener “It’s Only Love” and the brilliant “The Modern Alchemist.” Abrahams is a commanding vocalist, perfectly suited to the material presented, which includes all songs from the British and U.S. releases of the LP, “Sweet Caroline” (b-side of the “Dear Jill” single), a-and b-sides of two additional singles, and a lost track from the second album sessions. So what’s wrong? “Ain’t Ya Comin’ Home” is a completely different recording than the one on the LP (which incidentally, Black Sabbath nicked for “Fairies Wear Boots” a year or so later). The main track order is neither the U.S. or British version of the LP (though the booklet claims it’s the latter!), with “Backwash” being relegated to the bonus track section. And they used that horrendous magenta background U.K. artwork instead of the clearly superior U.S. “target” cover. Extensive liner notes by Abrahams. — Peter Thelen

Talking Heads — Talking Heads: 77

(Rhino R2 76449, 1977/2006, CD)

Talking Heads — More Songs about Buildings and Food

(Rhino R2 76450, 1978/2006, CD)

Talking Heads — Fear of Music

(Rhino R2 76451, 1979/2006, CD)

Talking Heads — Remain in Light

(Rhino R2 76452, 1980/2006, CD)

Talking Heads — Speaking in Tongues

(Rhino R2 76453, 1983/2006, CD)

Now that CBGB’s has finally closed its doors in New York City, it’s a good time to explore the reissued back catalogue of one of the few valid early inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As part of the ongoing marketing trend supporting legacy artists comes the Talking Heads reissues from Rhino records (of which five are reviewed here). The overhaul effort was supervised by Jerry Harrison and it consists of the band’s entire catalogue on dual discs: one side CD and the other DVD with video footage and new 5.1 surround sound mix. Each original recording has been padded with a number of rare singles, outtakes and unfinished tracks plus rare live and video performances, making them a collector’s treasure trove. Talking Heads: 77 was the band’s first outing, originally on Sire records, and showcased the quartet’s straightforward lyrical delivery with a concise rhythm section and sparse arrangements — one of the main reasons the recording has aged well. One rare outtake video for the country rock-ish “I Feel It In My Heart” is included in both audio and video form featuring Chris Frantz on vibes. The handheld video footage of “Pulled Up” and “Warning Sign” from a gig at UC Berkeley is also pretty sweet too.

More Songs about Buildings and Food was their breakthrough effort, driven by the band’s well-received cover of the Al Green/M. Hodges song “Take Me to the River” and their partnership with newly found producer/collaborator Brian Eno. Again it’s the video extras that are the real must see-and-hear, with an incendiary “Found a Job” from a ‘78 gig where Jerry Harrison takes the outro guitar lead. Best pieces include “Artists Only” and “Stay Hungry” (which is also is included as a bonus track from the 77 album sessions). The country and western incarnation of “Thank You For Sending Me An Angel” also demonstrates David Byrne’s great wit and the band’s penchant for alternate arrangements.

Fear of Music remains the band’s high point in crafted alternative pop, where experimentalism, songwriting and high production value all come together. From the opening strains of “I Zimbra” featuring Robert Fripp on additional electric guitar, it was clear that a big change was looming around the corner for the band’s sound. Signature songs include “Life During Wartime,” which is included in bonus track form as well with a radically different introduction. The outtake “Dancing for Money” is also of note due to the intricate rhythmic structure and work-in-progress lyrics from Byrne. Videos for “I Zimbra” and “Cities” feature the first incarnation of the expanded lineup, including a pre-King Crimson Adrian Belew, Nona Hendryx and Steve Scales.

Remain in Light signaled the big right turn in the quartet’s career. It is arguably the band’s finest complex studio recording, co-produced and performed with Eno as an evolution of Afro-funk and dance ideas meshed with world music and sound collages. Although “Once in a Lifetime” is one of the band’s most well known singles from the record, the LP tracks sported multi-layered instrumentation that covered uncharted musical territory. This made the band and its expanded live incarnation the hot ticket to see at the time, documented by the bonus video of “Crosseyed And Painless.” Adrian Belew’s ace guitar playing is evident on the tortured lead on “The Great Curve” and the fatal ode to terrorism, “Listening Wind.” Four revealing bonus outtakes are included which feature scalloped guitar and a blistering rhythm track (“Fela’s Riff”) to the riotous “Double Groove,” with amusing intertwining vocal parts.

Speaking in Tongues was the highest level of marketplace acceptance the band would achieve (except for the live album for the tour), emphasizing refined dance and funk elements. The infectious single “Burning down the House,” propelled in the U.S. by wide MTV exposure, placed the band at the forefront of moneymaking tours for 1983 (I saw them in Houston that year). The disc contains some stellar performances, including L. Shankar’s two spacey violin solos on “Making Flippy Floppy” and the New Orleans funk stomp of “Swamp.” “Two Note Swivel” is one of two bonus tracks showing another work in progress — a set of tricky riffs and rock solid rhythms. If you are a longtime fan you owe it to yourself to own at least two of these complete recordings. — Jeff Melton

Sparks — Sparks

(Wounded Bird WOU2048, 1971/2006, CD)

Sparks — A Woofer In Tweeter’s Clothing

(Wounded Bird WOU110, 1972/2006, CD)

Most probably know Sparks from their later work, but these two are where it all began for this LA based five-piece led by brothers Ron and Russel Mael (keyboards and vocals, respectively). On these earliest records, the band was rounded out by another set of brothers, Earle and Jim Mankey (guitar and bass) and drummer Harley Feinstein. The band had been together a couple years and their witty tongue-in-cheek lyrics and quirky yet highly melodic musical approach quickly caught the ear of Todd Rundgren, who produced their first album. Both of these sport a definite ‘British’ sound, meaning that they don’t sound like something an American band would typically come up with, which may explain why in the ’70s they found greater success across the pond than at home. What’s particularly interesting is that as one listens to the debut album, and even more so on the second, one hears what seems to be the influence of 10cc circa Sheet Music, or traces of early Queen, yet neither of those bands would release their first albums for at least another year; could Sparks have been a defining influence on the sound of those bands? The debut encompasses a slightly more raw and new-wavey edge on many of the cuts, while Woofer ratchets up the hook-laden artsiness, falsetto vocals and overall off-center quirkiness, although there is no mistaking these are both by the same band. While Sparks’ best efforts were still to come in the form of their next two albums (Kimono My House and Propaganda), the strength of the material on these first two albums make them just too good to ignore. Both are recommended. — Peter Thelen

Coronarias Dans — Visitor

(Steeple Chase SCCD-31032, 1976/1996, CD)

Every corner of the world, so it would seem, has a closet chock full of musical gems waiting to be discovered. From a corner of Denmark’s junk room, this wonderful little jewel comes to delight curious ears. Coronarias Dans is probably mostly known (if at all) as a footnote in the history of more well-known bands: keyboard player Kenneth Knudsen and guitarist Claus Bøhling were both in Secret Oyster, and while bassist Peter Friis Nielsen and drummer Ole Streenberg don’t have anything as notable on their resumés, they’ve both worked with a variety of American and European jazz names. Visitor was the band’s second (and last) album, the first having been Breathe in 1971. It’s a fine example of adventurous electric jazz, much along the lines of Miles Davis, early Weather Report, Tony Williams’ Lifetime, Isotope, and so on. Knudsen heavily favors electric piano, often with wah-wah and other effects, and only uses acoustic piano sparingly. Bøhling plays with a wild edge on his electric guitar, more early John McLaughlin than slick fusion, and also breaks out the effects devices to keep things interesting. Nielsen is an outstanding bassist of the fairly busy variety, playing chords, harmonics, and so on; Streenberg mixes freedom and drive in an appealing balance. While there’s a lot of improvisation going on, there are some tightly arranged passages as well, so they avoid the dangers awaiting on both sides of that fence, never stumbling into chaos or succumbing to overbearing displays of technical prowess. — Jon Davis

[www.waysidemusic.com]

Carmen — Fandangos In Space / Dancing On a Cold Wind

(Angel Air SJPCD229, 1973/74/2006, 2CD)

It’s about time that these albums received a proper re-release after the butcher job the German Line label did with them in the late ’80s (large parts of tracks missing, track indexes in the wrong places, and sound quality uniformly wretched... sheesh!). The band got their start in Los Angeles where guitarist David Allen, his sister Angela (keyboards, vocals, flamenco dance) and Spanish expatriate Roberto Amaral (vocals, vibraphone, flamenco dance and choreography) formed the band along with British-born bassist John Glascock. The whole concept behind the band was to merge all their talents (flamenco dance and music) into a progressive rock band. They utilized a special miked stage in their performances to amplify the footwork of Roberto and Angela; it was something new and different that hadn’t been done before, but in Los Angeles they were met mostly with indifference, so the entire band moved to England in hopes of finding a more receptive audience there. Within months they signed a record deal with Tony Visconti producing, and found an ally in David Bowie, who got them a spot on the late-night concert TV show “Midnight Special.” Fandangos In Space and Dancing On a Cold Wind were released in late ’73 and early ’74 respectively (the latter a U.K.-only release), and certainly lived up to the promise of their initial concept. The music ranges from classical flamenco guitar to manic hard rock, often delivered in lengthy multi-sectional suites; synthesizers and mellotron and blistering electric guitar solos abound, with vocals freely jumping back and forth between Spanish and English in a harmonized style, with percussion delivered via footwork and castanets. Their music is rousing and restless, always changing, evolving and surprising the listener at every turn. The second album differs from the first in that it contains a side-long suite “Remembrances” (here indexed as separate tracks). Two previously unreleased studio tracks are added to the second disc as a bonus. Carmen were true originals; it’s good to have proper reissues of these available finally. — Peter Thelen

[www.waysidemusic.com]

Rosebud — Rosebud

(Collector’s Choice CCM 432, 1971/2004, CD)

Ten songs give almost as many stylistic snapshots. The sound of a love-in, with a keyboard, in Latin America; no trace of Carlos anywhere. A moody testament with sultry vocals grazing across California skies. Thirteen hippies piled in a Volkswagen bus, wheels just barely touching the ground as they feel it start to come on. Wispy Wisconsin sing-along bedtime story based on flower-power dreams of sunshine, beautiful strangers, children, every summer. The delicate poetics rumble around a savory love song tinkling down like gentle rain. Seemingly obligatory with a name like rosebud, one tune exudes a precarious balance between country and folk-rock. Oddly enough, a summer carol sounds pretty much the same as the yuletide season version, replacing snow and stockings with sun and misty winds. Slide guitar does not always have to mean honky-tonk, and yet, it does here for the strum and drang portion of the proceedings. Devolving into Joy Of Cooking territory, also well done, just not my particular taste of wheatstraw — where’s that spittoon? Decent follow-up for Judy Henske and Jerry Yester, it sits finely next to its precursor. If that lit your fire, then you are all set. Barring that, stick with “Farewell Aldebaran.” — Cesar Montesano

Bruce Palmer — The Cycle Is Complete

(Collectors’ Choice CCM-375, 1971/2003, CD)

Bruce Palmer is part of one of rock’s most famous stories. He and Neil Young, fresh out of the Mynah Birds, drove a hearse to Los Angeles looking for Stephen Stills to found Buffalo Springfield. Palmer didn’t last long in that band, having legal issues involving marijuana, but managed to land a deal to record an album for MGM. He teamed up with former Mynah Bird Rick Matthews (later known as the super-freaky Rick James), several members of Kaleidoscope, Ed Roth on organ, and conga player Danny Ray (going by the name “Big Black”). The musicians jammed freely around Palmer’s loose compositions, and consensus is that Kaleidoscope pianist Jeff Kaplan assisted greatly in assembling the ramblings into something resembling coherence. Apparently, the musicians did not all play at once, but worked in layers overdubbing improvised parts onto what had already been done. The end result is very free sounding, though it has nice lazy grooves informed by many cultures, mostly consisting of bass and acoustic guitars with percussion, while the other players (and occasional vocalizing) come and go. Kaleidoscope violinist Chester Crill and flute/oboe player Richard Aplan are particularly effective in setting this music apart from anything else. It’s somewhat akin to a jam that Traffic might have done, especially when the organ joins in. One track features some incredibly spooky mellotron with a pulsing groove backing. It’s great music for when you’re not in a hurry to get somewhere, and a precursor to much of World Music. — Jon Davis

Availability: Jade Hubertz — barbarousrelics@sbcglobal.net

Lambert & Nuttycombe — At Home

(Universal Japan UICY-9580, 1970/2005, CD)

Been waiting a long long time for this gem to arrive on CD. Craig Nuttycombe and the late Denis Lambert got their start as a folk duo in the Los Angeles area after years of playing in a number of different bands. After signing with A&M and a move to Sausalito (just north of San Francisco), they recorded this very special and intimate folk album of original material (save a cover of Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles”), which received some FM airplay at the time, helping the duo garner a limited but dedicated following. The instrumentation is simple: two acoustic guitars and two singers harmonizing; the sound is soft, warm and heartfelt, as if they are singing and playing their guitars by the fireplace in your living room on a cool winter night while you pass the pipe around. There is no pretension of musical virtuosity at work here, the stark arrangements for two acoustic guitars have one purpose only, which is to support the two as they harmonize and deliver their songcraft, and to that end the effort succeeds immeasurably. Think of Nick Drake’s acoustic work, pre-psychedelic Donovan or perhaps Duncan Browne’s earliest work for the general tone, though an additional dimension is added due to the harmonies, the end result being nothing short of magical. Until some stateside label releases this, it’s only available as a pricey Japanese import, but still worth every penny. — Peter Thelen

Dragonwyck — Dragonwyck

(World in Sound WIS-1023, 1968/70/2004, CD)

In case you’re wondering, Dragonwyck is the title of a 1944 historical romance by Anya Seton, made into a movie starring Gene Tierney and Vincent Price. This Dragonwyck, on the other hand, was a psych band from Cleveland. Before taking on their eventual name, they called themselves Sunrise and recorded five songs in 1968 shortly after forming. Those tracks are included here as a bonus to the first Dragonwyck album, which dates from 1970 and includes refined versions of three of the Sunrise tunes. To a certain extent it shows that the musicians were quite young at the time, but from the start they show promise, operating in a realm of dark psychedelia with fuzz guitar and prominent keyboards. Skip ahead to 1970 and you get a step up in virtually all respects: the recording quality is better, the playing is better, and they’ve refined their compositions. Only singer Bill Pettijohn and guitarist Tom Brehm remain from Sunrise, though they tend to define the sound, so there is continuity. Keyboards are expanded to include harpsichord in addition to organ. While I wouldn’t exactly call this music proto-progressive, it’s certainly headed in that direction. Unfortunately, the band never managed to find a sympathetic label to release their music, and only 85 LPs were pressed at the time. Apparently the master tape was found, from which this reissue is taken. The band stuck at it until the mid ’70s, recording two more albums’ worth of material (also on World in Sound’s slate). — Jon Davis

[www.worldinsound.com]

Box of Frogs — Box of Frogs / Strange Land

(Acadia ACA 8100, 1984/86/2006, CD)

The Box of Frogs project reunited 3/5 of the original Yardbirds: bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja, and drummer Jim McCarty. They took as their model The Traveling Willburys, whereby the core trio would invite guests to record with them depending on what they felt the song called for. Both albums feature John Fiddler of Medicine Head on lead vocals, with additional guests taking turns at the microphone for Strange Land, notably Graham Parker, Ian Dury, and Roger Chapman. Naturally the lead guitar role was what everyone was most interested in. On the first album Jeff Beck makes several notable appearances, though Rory Gallagher is actually a more prominent contributor. The follow-up album stretched things out even further with lead guitar turns taken by Jimmy Page and Steve Hackett. In retrospect none of the songs on either album has aged very well, and most are merely competent examples of mid ’80s pop-rock. The better ones, like “Back Where I Started” attempt to conjure up the Yardbirds’ brand of English rave-up blues rock, though too often they lean on boom-bash drumming and pedestrian pop arrangements. Kudos to Acadia for making both albums (plus the bonus track “Nine Lives”) available on one CD, but clearly no effort has been made to upgrade the vinyl mixes. You can’t fault these guys for trying to cash in on their reputations, and perhaps they’ll try it again without feeling the need to pander to the pop marketplace. — Paul Hightower

Light — The Story of Moses

(Estrella Rockera, 42129, 1972/2006, CD)

This album sprouts directly from the treasure trove of Dutch prog rock, although it took a Spanish label to finally release it on CD. The music is inspired by the great classic composer Bach, but in contrast with bands like Ekseption (for example) they don’t copy a famous piece of work but instead create their own compositions. Light not only plays classical, they do rock. A whole bunch of instruments are being used besides an impressive array of keyboards, acoustic guitar, bass, sax, flute and drums that make up their complex sound. Extensive improvisation on guitar and organ in “The Blackberry Bushes” kicks this band into action. They can also do a totally unexpected switch from classical to jazz. Nothing spectacular, but more a thoroughly well made and played, very enjoyable lyrical prog rock. The master tape must have been lost or the Spanish couldn’t get their hands on it, because this is a transfer from a good sounding LP. A welcome re-release. — Roel Steverink

vidnaObmana — The River of Appearance

(Projekt 185, 1996/2006, 2CD)

In 1996 vidnaObmana recorded River of Appearance, which was a high point of his early compositional style. Employing samples, loops, electronics, and sparse piano phrases, vidnaObmana crafted melancholic mixtures of drifting sound washes, possibly tone poems in the literal sense, though after a bit the songs do tend to blend into one another and you begin to lose interest. The second disc of this tenth anniversary reissue does not contain bonus material as we have come to expect. Instead, the second disc is a complete re-creation of the original music by Oregon’s Dreams in Exile using traditional instruments. The result is quite interesting and enjoyable. Since acoustic instruments were used, they breathed new life and vitality into the music. In fact, I find the second disc to be better than the original. This is an interesting reissue and worth the price just for the bonus disc. — Henry Schneider

[www.vidnaobmana.be]
[www.projekt.com]