Freedom to Music
Archive for March, 2009
Incredible Hog – Volume 1 (1973) (@256)
10 Mar 2009
(Info from sleeve)
Like so many early 70s bands, the three-piece London-based group Incredible Hog were a by product of the 60s British Blues Boom. In an attempt to mix melodic pop with heavy rock and intelligent, meaningful lyrics; Incredible Hog was formed in early 1972, the name actually being a play on the then highly popular ‘Incredible Hulk’ comic book series.
Getting any kind of gigs at the time was not easy, so in an effort to solve the problem the band set up their own club, The Pig Sty, which was based initially in Ilford and then in Forest Gate, East London. By booking adverts in the then prestigious Melody Maker, the band’s name started to get known though they still failed to attract the attention of a record company. A determined Ken Gordon then marched into the offices of Dart Records and refused to leave until someone had listened to his band’s demo tape. After waiting all day, and having been threatened with ejection by the police, he managed to get the tape heard and within two weeks, Incredible Hog were signed by the label!
Dart teamed the band with producer Roger Watson who’d previously worked with comedy-rock outfit Scaffold. This unlikely pairing led to many bust ups in the studio over musical direction, with the band wanting to go one way and Watson the other. However, this clash of styles added to the excitement and originality so evident on this sole album and when it was released in mid-73, it received a lot of critical acclaim, didn’t generate acceptance from the general public. Nonetheless, the band toured to promote the album and even started recording a follow-up, before a mixture of record company apathy and lack of commercial success led to the band folding late in 1973.
Line-up:
- Ken Gordon / guitar, harmonica, vocals
- Jim Holmes / bass
- Terry Awin / drums
Track List:
01. Lame – 3:12
02. Wreck My Soul – 5:41
03. Execution – 3:09
04. Tadpole – 3:31
05. Another Time – 4:13
06. Warning – 3:10
07. Walk The Road – 3:19
08. There’s A Man – 3:47
09. To The Sea – 3:35
10. Losing Myself – 3:44
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Il Paese Dei Balocchi – Il Paese Dei Balocchi (1972) (@256)
09 Mar 2009
(Review from progarchives.com)
One of the many criminally overlooked bands by Italian progressive enthusiasts, Il Paese Dei Balocchi is rarely mentioned when people speak of Italian proggers like Orme, Banco, and Osanna. And yet they left us with one of the most delicately beautiful and esoteric titles from the classic period.
Formed in Rome in 1971, they convened with producer Adriano Fabi and recorded this gem in only two weeks. Orchestral director Claudio Gizzi played a crucial role in the string arrangements, carefully rewritten and adapted to the rock sections of the band.
This is not a typical Italian symphonic album beyond the fact that it is unpredictable and interesting, rather it takes some of the basics of Italian symphonic progressive and blends them with both classical music and space-rock influences, from the chimes of a nursery to the deep gothic pillars of a church organ. The result is like the soundtrack of a daydream with a rolling palette of one little vision after another.
The album displays awesome keyboard driven progressive creating the most interesting melodies and warm atmospheres. It is however, their use of the full orchestra that truly seperates it apart for so many others.
The band played several of the large Italian festivals and TV appearances in 1972 and 1973 before splitting up.
Line-up:
- Fabio Fabiani / guitars
- Sanaro Laudadio / Lead vocals, drums
- Marcello Martorelli / bass
- Armando Paone / vocals, organ
Track List:
01. Il Trionfo dell’egoismo, della Violenza, della Presunzione e dell’Indifferenza – 2:34
02. Impotenza dell’Umilta e della Rassegnazione – 4:10
03. Canzone della Speranza – 3:56
04. Evasione – 7:43
05. Risveglio e Visione del Paese dei Balocchi – 4:41
06. Ingresso e Incontro con i Baloccanti – 2:00
07. Canzone della Verita – 0:45
08. Narcisismo della Perfezione – 1:02
09. Vanita dell’Intuizione Fantastica – 6:57
10. Ritorno alla Condizione Umana – 4:17
11. Fantasia e Poesia (Bonus) – 3:33
12. Amore per Gioco (Bonus) – 2:44
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Jenghiz Khan – Well Cut (1971) (@256)
08 Mar 2009
(Review from progarchives.com)
This Belgian band was formed in 1970 and produced a single album.
Their music is the usual hard rock that one can expect from the era with an amateur trait, but also some undeniable progressive tendencies. Sometimes similar to Uriah Heep and May Blitz, maybe also to early Deep Purple and Iron Butterfly.
Line-up:
- Tim Brean / keyboards, vocals, composer
- Big Frisma / guitars, vocals, 2nd composer
- Chris Tick / drums, vocals
- Pierre Rapsat / bass, lead vocals, lyrics
Track List:
01. Pain – 7:38
02. CampusA – 1:16
03. The Moderate – 4:07
04. CampusB – 1:32
05. The Lighter – 5:06
06. Hard Working Man – 4:40
07. Mad Lover – 3:05
08. Trip To Paradise – 10:00
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L'uovo Di Colombo – L'uovo Di Colombo (1973) (@256)
05 Mar 2009
(Review from alexgitlin.com, vintageprog.com, progarchives.com)
L’Uovo Di Colombo was another extremely unlucky group. Various music magazines of the era did them no favours, and EMI, their label, didn’t promote the band – not bothering with any advertising whatsoever. The group was invited to participate in the third avant-garde festival of Naples but, unfortunately, they didn’t get to play there. In spite of this, they managed to record a beautiful album in 1973, where ‘pure’ and symphonic rock go hand in hand perfectly, without any undue influences from foreign prototypes, apart from just slight hints of Keith Emerson.
This selftitled album features the voice of Toni Gionta (his real surname was Tartarini and he was later the singer with Cherry Five) backed by a keyboard/bass/drums trio in perfect Le Orme style with occasional use of acoustic and electric guitar. The solid rhythm section and competent keyboard playing give the album a very high quality and the eight tracks are all perfectly enjoyable.
The music on the album is often quite energetic, but there’s some variation here too. “Io” has some jazz-influences, and “Visione Della Morte” has a more symphonic sound to it than the rest of the album. The organ sound and playing is awesome — check out fantastic tracks like “L’Indecisione”, “Vox Dei” and the instrumental “Turba”.
This album appeals to any fan of organ-based progressive rock.
Line-up:
- Toni Gionta / vocals
- Enzo Volpini / keyboards, acoustic guitar, vocals
- Elio Volpini / bass, guitar, vocals
- Ruggero Stefani / drums, percussion, vocals
Track List:
01. L’indecisione (Vedi “I King”) – 4:55
02. Io – 3:32
03. Anja (Coscienza E Vanita) – 4:37
04. Vox Dei – 4:57
05. Turba – 4:09
06. Consiglio – 4:48
07. Visione Della Morte – 6:42
08. Scherzo – 0:22
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Jud's Gallery – SWF Sessions (1972-74) (@256)
04 Mar 2009
(Review from progarchives.com)
Jud’s Gallery was located in Offenburg, a town in the southwest of Germany. The band was founded in 1971 by mastermind/composer Jurgen ‘Judy’ Winter and Peter Oehler. They never had an official release during their existence in the 70s.
Due to the pioneering work of the radio station SWF Baden-Baden with the intention to present talented German bands, some good-condition treasures were digged out recently. This is another nearly unknown enjoyable release with a melange of styles like many kraut bands of the 70s managed. Jud’s Gallery’s music is unique in its variety and entirety, but – no wonder – not without noticable influences from several other bands.
‘SWF Sessions’ is a split album including songs recorded at the radio station studio U1 in the same way as Coupla Prog did – without overdubs and any other reworking. Split because it features two different line-ups of the band, the constants being Jurgen Winter and Peter Oehler.
The first session offers a blend of heavy blues and folk with Gremminger’s violin. It starts with the blues based Inspiration, Jethro Tull inspired and the guitar style remembers much at Martin Barre – a promising opener. “Danger of Shoot (early version)” sounds completely different in the vein of the band String Driven Thing with violin and piano. “Follow Me” is an excellent song rising with every minute to a heavy rock tune forced by Oehler’s compelling guitar work and piano accompaniment. Nice male/female vocal harmonies are dominating the acoustic ballad “Friends” and “Catch the Fly” is composed and played very dramatically but also delivered with a floating jamming part in the second half.
After a festival gig the band was invited to the SWF radio station in 1974 once more. The line-up had changed in the meanwhile. This second session delivers more jazz rock and some psychedelic with Clem Winterhalter’s (mainly decent) Hammond organ. “Reaching” stands for the new stylistical orientation two years later. Starting as simple rock and sounding disappointing first but then suddenly it all developes to an impressing haunting jazz rock part. “Danger of Shoot (later version)” is matured compared to the early version – compelling heavy rock. “Nordach” looks like to be the all-time band favourite – and it’s true – fantastic jazz rock with jam character and psychedelic additions by guitar and hammond embedded in a blues theme, a definite jewel.
After these positive experiences Jud’s Gallery had contact with a record label with the intent to produce an album. But the project finally failed and the group disbanded.
Line-up:
- Jurgen ‘Judy’ Winter / vocals, bass. acoustic guitar
- Peter Oehler / guitar, piano, vocals
- Hannes Gremminger / violin, piano (1-5)
- Herbert Brandmeyer / drums (1-5)
- Elly Lapp / backing vocals (4)
- Clem Winterhalter / organ (6-9)
- Sibi Siebert / drums (6-9)
Track List:
01. Inspiration – 4:35
02. Danger of Shoot (early version) – 4:45
03. Follow Me – 11:13
04. Friends – 5:12
05. Catch The Fly – 8:00
06. Reaching – 5:58
07. Danger Of Shoot (later version) – 8:05
08. Nordrach – 11:57
09. White Woman – 4:07
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