Exposé Online » Reviews of releases for 1981

Items found : 55

Anyone's Daughter - First Five Reissued

Anyone's Daughter was one of a group of late 70s German symphonic bands who brought forth a highly melodic rock, colorful and saturated with emotion. Their vocal harmonies were strong, and...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1993-10-01)

Pink Floyd - Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live

At long last, a legitimate live release of Pink Floyd’s The Wall is available! The band played this magnum opus in full a mere 29 times, in only four cities. Even bootlegs of it are...

 » Read more
(Posted by Jim Chokey 2002-04-01)

Dün - Eros

Zeuhl alert! One of the best, yet little known zeuhl gems has re-surfaced thanks to the specialty label Soleil Atreides, the same folks who recently gave us Archaia. Dün is rather more in the...

 » Read more
(Posted by Dean Suzuki 2000-05-01)

Synergy - Electronic Realizations, Sequencer, Cords, Games & Audion

Synergy is, of course the name of the ongoing electronic music project of keyboardist / engineer / producer Larry Fast, also known for his work with Peter Gabriel, Nektar, and numerous other bands...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1999-01-01)

Synergy - Computer Experiments Vol. 1 & The Jupiter Menace

Here are two more re-releases from electronic composer Larry Fast’s extensive Synergy legacy (see Expose #16 for reviews of the first five Synergy albums). Computer Experiments Volume...

 » Read more
(Posted by Rob Walker 1999-04-01)

Trettioåriga Kriget - War Memories

I really don't know how fair it is for me to review this. After all, being an album comprised of previously unreleased tracks, it's obviously intended for established fans of the band. I...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike Ohman 1995-03-01)

The Muffins - <185>

This newly re-released version of <185> is an excellent document of the final recordings by this talented Washington, DC quartet. First, a little history: Fred Frith produced the...

 » Read more
(Posted by Steve Robey 1997-02-01)

Sweet Madness - Made in Spokane 1978-1981, Volume 2

In my review of Made in Spokane I mentioned the unlikeliness of its mere...

 » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-05-29)

Requiem - For a World After

American expat and electronic composer George Speckert worked as a music teacher in Hannover, Germany in the 70s. He wrote and produced music in his spare time, inspired by Tangerine Dream, Klaus...

 » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2017-07-06)

Cluster - 1971 - 1981

Bureau B has released a massive boxed set containing the full versions of Cluster’s official albums released between 1971 and 1981: Cluster 71, Cluster II,...

 » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2017-07-02)

Rolf Trostel - Inselmusik, Two Faces & Der Prophet

Rolf Trostel was a second generation member of the Berlin School of electronic music. In the late 70s and early 80s, Rolf worked as a distributor of the PPG Wave Computer 360 A, which provided him...

 » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2017-05-14)

Sven Grünberg - Hingus

Estonian soundtrack composer Sven Grünberg began his career while still a music student in 1974 by founding the progressive rock band Mess. After the band broke up he started exploring the...

 » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2017-05-10)

Cluster - Kollektion 6 - 1971-1981 Compiled by John McEntire

Bureau B continues their Kollektion series with this compilation of eleven Cluster compositions curated by John McEntire. John McEntire is a drummer, percussionist, recording engineer, producer,...

 » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2017-05-03)

Frágil - Avenida Larco

Peru’s entry into the symphonic rock genre came in 1981, when Frágil (named for some obscure British prog album) made their recorded debut, now reissued by Rock Symphony....

 » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2000-10-01)

Volkor (Lockwood) - Jazz Rock / Debbi (AKA Volkor)

This Musea CD is a reissue of both Didier and Francis Lockwood’s first releases: Jazz Rock and Debbi. Due to the loss of the master tapes, Musea had to resort to recording...

 » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2017-02-02)

Magma - Retrospektïw I & II

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the formation of Magma, without a doubt one of the most innovative and progressive bands of all time. Their music combined very intense and spiritual...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-10-01)

Magma - Retrospektïw I & II

The second album culled from the 1980 reunion concerts is a double, and features breathtaking performances of two of Magma's epic live pieces. The first official release of "Theusz...

 » Read more
(Posted by Rob Walker 1995-11-01)

Barış Manço / Kurtalan Ekspres - Sözüm Meclisten Dışarı

Back in the late 70s/early 80s was the heyday of big hair and flashy clothes for musicians. By today’s standards they now look pretty silly and sometimes downright creepy. Case in point is...

 » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2016-07-17)

However - Sudden Dusk

The reissue of However's classic Canterbury inspired first album is one this writer has been anticipating for many years. The band at this point was a four-piece, featuring Peter Prince...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

Jane Siberry - Jane Siberry

Many fans of art-rock will be familiar with Jane Siberry’s work on a series of excellent albums from the mid-80s to the mid-90s, starting with No Borders Here and going through...

 » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2016-08-02)

Kräldjursanstalten - Voodoo Boogie / Nu Är Det Allvar!!

Have the Excedrin bottle handy for this one. Actually it's not that bad, and in fact starts to reveal itself after a few listens as being pretty innovative and unique. But the shouted punky...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1997-02-01)

Living Life - Mysterious Dream

Italian rock from '79 to the mid 80s was very different from the classic 70s period ('72 to '78.) Gone for the most part were the symphonic song structures, heavy romanticism and rich...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1997-02-01)

Stern-Combo Meissen - Weisses Gold & Reise zum Mittelpunkt des Menschen

Stern Meissen (originally Stern-Combo Meissen) are universally acclaimed as East Germany's greatest progressive rock band. Not wishing to wait for Amiga to reissue their albums, the band took...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike Ohman 1997-02-01)

Univers Zéro - Ceux du Dehors

McLatchey's Top Tier #28

I have to admit that Heresie is also very very close, but I'll save it for the next round. Anyway Belgians Univers Zéro are...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2014-11-15)

Pulsar - Bienvenue au Conseil d'Administration

Coming off the success of their first three albums, and facing the rise of the punk esthetic with its corresponding decline in the popularity of complex music, Pulsar began to work within the...

 » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2002-04-01)

Klaus Schulze - Revisited Records Reissues, Part 1

Revisited Records continues its reissue of the Klaus Schulze back catalog with another 12 CDs. I haven’t quite figured out their rationale, but they are releasing 12 a year covering the...

 » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2008-01-01)

Janick Top STS - Système Solaire

Janick is back... The monstrous and legendary bassist of the 1973, 1974 and 1976 Magma issues his first solo effort, after years of session-work with variety singers and composing film scores. His...

 » Read more
(Posted by Steve Robey 1999-01-01)

Débile Menthol - Emile à la Campagne

This two-disc set collects both of Swiss band Debile Menthol's early-80s studio LPs (1981's Emile au Jardin Patrologique and Battre Campagne from '84) into a single...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-03-01)

Lito Vitale - Sobre Miedos, Creencias y Supersticiones

After MIA, Lito Vitale launched his solo career with Sobre Miedos, Creencias y Supersticiones, an ambitious album of powerful symphonic rock. Here, Lito plays just about everything: piano,...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1996-03-01)

Dada - Dada & Castle Wall

From the ashes of Charisma, the duo of Mutsuhiko Izumi and Kenji Konishi – both on guitars and synthesizers – released two albums during its existence. Their 1978 debut, entitled...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike Ohman 1996-03-01)

Patrick Gauthier - Bébé Godzilla

I've wished for a CD reissue of this — Patrick Gauthier's all instrumental post-Weidorje album — for many long years. Finally on December 24th I found it in a record store by...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-03-01)

Magma - Retrospektïw III

In June of 1980, various Magma alumni gathered in Paris for a series of reunion concerts. The two Retrospektïw albums that resulted present some of the best performances from those...

 » Read more
(Posted by Rob Walker 1995-11-01)

Magma - Concert - Bobino 1981

The latest release on Vander's AKT label is a two CD set featuring live material from 1981. The band at this point was fairly versatile, with multi-keyboards and horns joining the multi-vocal,...

 » Read more
(Posted by Rob Walker 1995-11-01)

Dragonfly - Dragonfly

Not to be confused with the American early-70s band of the same name, this is the long awaited reissue of the Swiss keyboard masterpiece, with a full 23 minutes of superb bonus material added....

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-11-01)

Babe Ruth - Greatest Hits

First, a bit of a history lesson. British band Babe Ruth debuted in 1972, sporting an incendiary hard rock sound ignited by the forceful voice of Janita "Jennie" Haan and jamming...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike Ohman 1996-03-01)

Michael Stearns - Planetary Unfolding

McLatchey's Second Tier

If Morning Jewel was about the slow album-side rise from silence to peak, Planetary Unfolding worked a similar magic with smaller...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2016-02-18)

Various Artists - Psychedelic Underground 11 - 15

Beginning with its first year of operations, Garden of Delights has released a yearly limited edition Psychedelic Underground sampler containing the best track from each of their 9...

 » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2011-06-01)

Kultivator - Barndomens Stigar

This obscure Swedish progressive quintet originally released Barndomens Stigar on the small, but very excellent Bauta label in 1981 and it has since become a highly coveted and very expensive...  » Read more
(Posted by Dean Suzuki 1996-03-01)

Scaramouche - Scaramouche

Here is another one of those total obscurities that Musea has a knack for unearthing, others in recent memory being Flyte, Ivory, and Tibet — one-shots that came and went before most ever knew they...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-03-01)

Deutsche Wertarbeit - Deutsche Wertarbeit

Deutsch Wertarbeit is a forgotten jewel of German electronic music. Released in 1981, Deutsch Wertarbeit was the working pseudonym for a one-off project by Dorothea Raukes, the keyboard/synth...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-18)

Arkus - 1914

I'm not sure how many times I've had to listen to this to review. It seems like I forget about it after every time I listen to it. Arkus is a Dutch symphonic group and this album is from the early...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-08-01)

Ange - 1995 Musea Reissues

These seven titles by the legendary Ange represent part of Musea's big score from absorbing the Baillemont label late last year. Although most of these have been released on CD before — not once,...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-11-01)

Aqua - Aqua

Aqua were a German band who had some success in the 80s as a mainstream hard rock band. What is little known is that they began as a progressive rock band, but unfortunately never released any...

 » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2011-06-01)

Sweet Madness - Made in Spokane 1978-1981

At the end of the 70s, as the importance, popularity, and artistic viability of ambitious progressive rock waned and stripped-down punk and electronic styles started capturing interest and commercial...  » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-02-25)

Todd Rundgren - Hermit of Mink Hollow + Healing + The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect

By the end of the 1970s Todd Rungren had done it all, honing his guitar and compositional chops with The Nazz in the late 1960s, ultimately leaving that band to move on to production work for other...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-12-29)

Kerrs Pink - Mellom Oss

Kerrs Pink is a Norwegian progressive band that fuses progressive rock and Scandinavian folklore just as Grieg married symphonic music and Nordic folk songs. The music also pays homage to bands like...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1993-12-31)

Noetra - Neuf Songes

Even though the title of this CD reissue is Neuf Songes (Nine Musings), there are thirteen. Noetra recorded these thirteen thought provoking “musings,” one to ten minutes in length,...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1993-12-31)

Luiz Pérez - En el Ombligo de la Luna

I would imagine that when this album was first released back in 1981, people referred to it as "timeless." It starts out with a wooden flute and a wide array of shakers and other percussion, and in...  » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-12-10)

Serge Bringolf / Strave - Vision

While there was only a year between Bringolf's first double LP Strave, and its follow up, the single LP Vision, the lineup changes were extensive – in fact only singer Mano Kuhn, a...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)

Tangerine Dream - Bootmoon Live Series

1977 was the year that Edgar Froese, Chris Franke and Peter Baumann conquered North America and Canada with a massive twenty-plus city tour (and on select dates performing with Laserium). The April...

 » Read more
(Posted by Jeff Melton 2005-09-01)

Tangerine Dream - Bootmoon Live Series

1977 was the year that Edgar Froese, Chris Franke and Peter Baumann conquered North America and Canada with a massive twenty-plus city tour (and on select dates performing with Laserium). The April...

 » Read more
(Posted by Jeff Melton 2005-09-01)

Noetra - Neuf Songes

This is fabulous, very intricate and occasionally dark, somewhat Canterburyish kind of stuff. The pieces are mellow and rolling as well as intense and energetic, the writing is excellent,...  » Read more
(Posted by Rob Walker 1994-02-01)

Dün - Eros

This lost French classic from '81 has much to recommend. A six-piece from Nantes in western France, they featured keyboards, guitars, bass, drums, tuned percussion and flute, and their sound combined...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)

Luiz Perez - En el Ombligo de la Luna

One of the earliest examples of "Prehispanic Fusion," a style combining the pre-colonial music of Mexico with modern electronics and progressive rock, channeling the spirit of ancient cultures. The...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)

Eider Stellaire - I

1981 was the year that Magma released their Retrospective albums, two live LPs (one a double-set) recorded at L'Olympia in Paris, recapping some of the band's best work to date, collecting...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)