Sakalli
Freedom to Music
Agitation Free – Fragments (Live 1974) (@256)
27 May 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
Recorded live in 1974, here the band plays in a psyche jam style with excellent guitar, as usual. The music can be described as a cross of Pink Floyd and Grateful Dead for the acid guitar sound. But there’s also a more jazzy direction in “Fragments”, thanks to keyboards. “Fragments” has been also compared to Santana, mainly because of percussions.
The summit is reached with the piece “We Are Men” which begins with excellent drum and aerial keyboard layers, contributing to this floating, almost jazz rock feel, but the psychedelic guitar parts and the space rock developments reminds that it’s top psyche prog jam style.
Line-up:
- GustI Lutjens / guitar
- Lutz Ulbrich / guitar
- Michael Gunther / bass
- Michael Hoenig / keyboards
- Burghard Rausch / drums
Track List:
01. Someone’s Secret – 17:11
02. Mickey’s Laugh – 9:56
03. We Are Men – 10:17
04. Mediterranean Flight – 3:58
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Agitation Free – Last (Live 1974) (@256)
26 May 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
This live album is very different but somewhat the logical follower of “Second” but reversely so. Here the electronics predominate the electric and acoustic music. It was recorded partly live in 1974 and partly in spring 1973 from a radio broadcast and parts from a successful French tour the next year with yet another guitarist.
The first side is made up of two tracks and they don’t make for an easy adaptation of Agitation Free’s evolution since their second album. Gone is the warm pastoral sound of “Second” or the torrid cosmic feel of Malesch. We are left with a glacial music, sometimes not very well recorded The flipside is filled by a sidelong comp “Looping IV”, which is relatively eventless. as this is mostly electronic layers and sounds evolving and leading to some delightful music that AF had gotten us used to in their first two.
This is a definite tougher listen. You’ll find that it never gets fully tamed, but in time, you should warm up to it.
Line-up:
- Michael Hoenig / synthesizer, keyboards
- Dietmar Burmeister / drums
- Michel Gunther / bass
- Gustl Lutjens / vocals
- Burghard Rausch / drums, keyboards, vocals
- Jorg Schwenke / guitar
- Lutz Ulbrich / guitar, keyboards
Track List:
01. Soundpool – 5:54
02. Laila II – 16:58
03. Looping IV – 22:41
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Agitation Free – Second (1974) (@256)
25 May 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
In some ways, “Second” is the logical successor to Malesch with its twin guitar “attack”; these two are so mellow that it seems a shame to call them an attack. But the name “attack” is now apt for the drumming since the group enlisted a second drummer, thus giving an exacting edge that only the Allman Brothers Band had before. Losing the second drummer just prior to recording their aptly-titled Second, AF retained all of the inertia and the album has a fantastic ABB fluidness wherever necessary. Graced with a drought, than rain season artwork, this second album lost all ethnic touches of Malesch, one passage excepted, proof that their debut’s rep was indeed overdone.
Starting on the First Communications, you can hear the Floydian cosmic/psych influences of Malesh will also be relatively absent as well. Dialogue & Random is an electronic free jazz improve leading into the two-part Leila, which is strongly reminiscent of the ABB’s Elizabeth Reed and fades into Silence Of The Morning sunrise with electronic birds chirping along to tranquil electric guitars gliding along the organ mist layers. Superb music. The birds lead you to a slow Quiet Walk into a cosmic dark hole (Tangerine Dream’s Zeit is not far away here) if it wasn’t for an electric Indian-laced guitar (the only real ethnic moment of this album), before stretching itself out maybe a tad too long. The closing Haunted Island is the only sung track of the album, filtered, almost recitative over a superb mellotron, and once over, the two guitars take over and soar in the sky for a grandiose finale.
Although AF’s second album holds some fairly different influences, trading in the Arabian and cosmic /psych Floyd ambiance, for a more pastoral west coast sound, both albums can be regarded as AF’s crowning achievements, although neither reaches perfection.
Line-up:
- Stefan Diez / guitar
- Micheal Gunter / bass
- Micheal Hoenjo / synth, keyboards
- Burghard Rausch / drums, assorted percussions, voice, Mellotron
- Lutz Ulbrich / guitar, 12 string guitar, Bouzouki
Track List:
01. First Communication – 8:10
02. Dialogue & Random – 1:51
03. Laila, Part 1 – 1:41
04. Laila, Part 2 – 6:47
05. In The Silence Of The Morning Sunrise – 6:33
06. A Quiet Walk: a) Listening b) Two – Not Of The Same Kind – 9:15
07. Haunted Island – 7:11
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Agitation Free – Malesch (1974) (@256)
24 May 2010
(Review from progreviews.com, progarchives.com)
A classic of the German space genre, Agitation Free’s music is a combination of progressive rock and new instrumental music, with touches of Jazz and passages dedicated to an experimentation near to ambient. Their originality is due to the blend electronic and repetitive musics with a lot of ethnic elements.
Malesch, the band’s debut, was recorded after a trip to Egypt. The Middle Eastern influence brought back from this sojourn courses through the veins of the music, with live banter and incidental music recorded in Cairo serving as a link between tracks.
The album contains seven tracks running more or less continuously based in improvisational rock, with the individual tracks serving to divide the music by mood conjured. Like a lot of jamming, parts of tracks begin with the band finding its feet before everyone is on the same page, at which point the results are captivating and hypnotic.
Agitation Free is not as noisy as many of their peers, and sound almost like e-music at times (it is of note that Michael Hoenig later wrote some of the best Berlin school electronic music). There is a definite Middle Eastern sound aimed for, which is somewhat superficially achieved but leads to some nice harmonic variety all the same. Apart from closing track “Rücksturz”, with its stunning riff, no individual cut here blows me away. It is the aggregate of all the cuts which results in a half hour of excellent, involving mood music.
Line-up:
- Peter Michael Hamel / keyboards
- Michael Hoenig / synthesizer, keyboards
- Michel Gunter / bass
- Uli Pop / bongos
- Burghard Rausch / drums, keyboards, vocals
- Jorg Schwenke / guitar
- Lutz Ulbrich / guitar, keyboards
Track List:
01. You Play For Us Today – 6:15
02. Sahara City – 7:51
03. Ala Tul – 4:57
04. Pulse – 4:51
05. Khan El Khalili – 5:34
06. Malesch – 8:24
07. Rucksturz – 2:11
Link in comments.
Going away for a few days
19 May 2010
I’m out for the rest of the week, travelling to wonderful places.
See you on Monday.
Heaven and Hell – Devil You Know (2009) (@256)
18 May 2010
(Review from allmusic, blabbermouth.net, wikipedia)
After the band’s successful 2007 world tour, “Heaven & Hell” entered the studio to record the album “Devil You Know”.
This is a heavier album than any of its three predecessors with the same line-up (Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, Dehumanizer); whether it’s due to the bandmembers’ advancing age or the influence of anxieties felt throughout the world outside the studio.
The first songs of the album that make up the bulk of its running time, are like slow-motion avalanches, Iommi’s riffs and Appice’s drumming punishing the listener like medieval monks scourging unbelievers. Dio’s lyrics, too, seem to embody an almost Old Testament world-view, positing a universe of darkness, fire, and despair. His voice is as powerful as ever, but he’s no longer offering self-esteem lessons the way he once did; he seems consumed by fear and doubt. This gives The Devil You Know a feeling of genuine doom that leaves little opportunity for the catharsis provided by classic heavy metal.
It’s not until “Eating the Cannibals”, that the band revs into high gear the way it did on “Neon Knights” and “Turn Up the Night” 20-plus years ago.
Dio still sounds amazing, writing in a lower register these days but possessed of a grandeur and gravity that’s just awe-inspiring. He’s always been a consummate professional, able to give the dodgiest material a patina of class and grace, and when he’s working with Iommi and Geezer Butler, he’s clearly inspired to kick things up a notch. And speaking of Butler, the band’s oft-underrated secret weapon is all over “The Devil You Know”, his bass high up in the mix, with a larger-than-life tone and plenty of sly accents and fills burbling under the obsidian sheen of Iommi’s riffing.
Due to the death of Ronnie James Dio, this would be the band’s only studio album.
Line-up:
- Ronnie James Dio / vocals
- Tony Iommi / guitar
- Geezer Butler / bass guitar
- Vinny Appice / drums
Track List:
01. Atom & Evil – 5:13
02. Fear – 4:46
03. Bible Black – 6:26
04. Double The Pain – 5:23
05. Rock And Roll Angel – 6:02
06. The Turn Of The Screw – 5:00
07. Eating The Cannibals – 3:35
08. Follow The Tears – 6:09
09. Neverwhere – 4:32
10. Breaking Into Heaven – 6:53
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Ronnie James Dio died yesterday :(
17 May 2010
This is heart-breaking news for me.
Ronnie James Dio is, and probably always be my favorite singer. Whether it be with Rainbow, Black Sabbath or with his own band as Dio; even with the early Elf.
I was finally going to see him live with Black Sabbath at the end of June. Actually he was the primary reason I was even going to the festival.
I am at a loss of words.
Fade away, fade away… :(
Demon Fuzz – Afreaka (1970) (@256)
17 May 2010
(Review from headfullofsnow.com)
Five tracks pitch Demon Fuzz somewhere between progressive rock and psychedelic soul-laced jazz excursions, with a threadwork of world music, tribal beats and the ever-trusty wah-wah pedal weaving its spell somewhere beneath.
The opening instrumental of ‘Past, Present and Future’ begins in purest progressive rock style with the meandering showmanship of a grinding bass, prior to some sultry horns kicking in and the song taking on a psychedelic jazz /soul feel that wouldn’t sound out a place on the backing track to a 70s blaxploitation flick. It continues to blend styles for just shy of ten minutes, and amazingly, for a song that is both instrumental and of a jazz-influence, doesn’t get boring.
The first of three vocal tracks, ‘Disillusioned’, keeps the jazz infusion ball rolling, through the faster paced ‘Another Country’, and leading to the eight minute long ’Hymn to Mother Earth’, a gently drifting paean to the ecosphere that bursts with dramatic interludes and is underscored by the prog rock weapons of choice, the organ (sounds like a Hammond) and flute.
The three bonus tracks, features Demon Fuzz’s rendition of the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins classic ‘I Put a Spell On You’ – albeit in a markedly different arrangement from the original – the social commentary of ‘Message to Mankind’ and the more traditional jazz/world sound of ‘Fuzz Oriental Blues’.
Track List:
01. Past, Present And Future – 9:55
02. Disillusioned – 4:59
03. Another Country – 8:33
04. Hymn To Mother Earth – 8:12
05. Mercy (Variation No. One) – 9:40
06. I Put A Spell On You (Bonus) – 3:55
07. Message To Mankind (Bonus) – 3:54
08. Fuzz Oriental Blues (Bonus) – 6:45
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I Santoni – Noi (1972) (@256)
16 May 2010
(Review from itailanprog.com, sleeve)
I Santoni were formed in Florence in the second half of the 60s. The group’s sound is based on the Hammond organ played by Bruno Mosti, accompanied by the flutes and saxes of Bettazzi and Gorini.
Their only studio album, released in 1972, is strongly influenced by a sixties sound. It combines progressive rock & jazz arrangements against Mediterranean folk themes.
The LP gave the group the chance to play all over Italy and later in France and Switzerland, until their break-up in 1974.
Line-up :
- Bruno Mosti / vocals, keyboards
- Franco Bettazzi / sax, flute
- Giorgio Gorini / sax, flute, vocals
- Giovanni Rondelli / bass, acoustic guitar
- Fabrizio Prussi / drums, vocals
Track List:
01. Quelli Come Noi – 3:16
02. Ma CI Sara – 4:47
03. Forse Un Sogno – 3:50
04. Continuare Dimenticando – 3:04
05. La Terra Del Sole – 3:16
06. Che Farei – 4:10
07. L’uomo Sbagliato – 4:32
08. Verita – 5:33
09. Ancora Niente – 4:02
Link in comments.
Eloy – Visionary (2009) (@256)
15 May 2010
(Review from seaoftranquility.com)
A decade after “Ocean 2: The Answer”, Eloy graces us with new music. With the arrival of “Visionary”, Frank Bornemann and crew once again bring some of their unmistakable sounds to the progressive rock legions on the 40th anniversary of the band.
Bornemann has brought back members from classic Eloy line-ups of the past. It’s all very ‘Eloy’ sounding, as the band seem to be trying to channel their classic period on albums. The Pink Floyd-ish space rock elements are here, complete with lots of keyboard noodling, tasty guitar work, and Bornemann’s trademark vocal style.
“Age of Insanity” is a fine piece that covers all these bases, a real throwback to the glory years of the band circa the mid 70′s, featuring plenty of ripping synth & guitar solos. You’ll love the melodic flute on the fetching “The Secret”, and the dreamy epic “Mystery (The Secret, Part 2)” is a moody, symphonic number chock full of synth washes that will just take you away on a intergalactic journey.
There’s enough here to bring back memories of the glory days of yesteryear, and for that, “Visionary” is quite enjoyable, and a welcome return for one of the most beloved progressive bands of all time.
Line-up:
- Frank Bornemann / lead and backing vocals, acoustic & electric guitars
- Klaus-Peter Matziol / bass
- Michael Gerlach / keyboards
- Bodo Schopf / drums, percussion
- Hannes Folberth / additional keyboards (2, 3, 4 & 6)
with
- Anke Renner / vocals (2, 4, 5 & 6)
- Tina Lux / vocals (2, 4 & 6)
- Volker Kuinke / renaissance flute (1 & 2)
- Christoph Littmann / keyboards, orchestra sounds (5)
- Stephan Emig / additional percussion (4 & 6)
Track List:
01. The Refuge – 4:54
02. The Secret – 7:44
03. Age Of Insanity – 7:55
04. The Challenge (Time To Turn, Part2) – 6:43
05. Summernight Symphony – 4:27
06. Mystery (The Secret, Part 2) – 9:01
07. Thoughts – 1:22
Link in comments.
Corpus – Creation A Child (1971) (@256)
14 May 2010
Corpus was an American rock blues combo hailing from Corpus Christi, a little town in Texas.
Privately pressed at the time, their only album offers a great dose of bar-rockers and some inspired idle ballads. The songs boast a soft and smooth guitar work, great vocals and a laid-back rhythm section. There are vocal harmonies and ringing guitar work coupled with some heavy riffs.
Line-up:
- Willam Grate / lead guitar, back vocals
- Richard Deleon / rhythm guitar, lead vocals
- James Castillo / bass
- Frudy Lianes / drums
with
- Gilbert Pena / lyrics
Track List:
01. Cruising – 3:49
02. Joy – 6:18
03. Marriage – 3:35
04. Creation A Child – 6:52
05. Just A Man – 3:15
06. We Can Make It, Luv – 2:28
07. Not Mine – 3:28
08. Where Is She – 3:34
09. Mythical Dream – 4:55
Link in comments.
Eric Woolfson – Alan Parsons Project That Never Was (2009) (@256)
13 May 2010
(Review from allmusic, amazon)
Eric Woolfson sang lead on the softest, smoothest hits Alan Parsons Project had in the band’s career.
Digging up his vaults, Woolfson found a batch of unfinished songs that he decided to complete for this album, rounding out the record with some songs that he would have submitted if the band had indeed recorded more albums.
As expected, Woolfson follows the silken road he paved with those soft rock hits: this is Alan Parsons Project as if Woolfson were in charge, emphasizing melody. The result is a combination of art rock songs such as “Golden Key” and “Immortal” with more pop songs such as “Nothing Can Change My Mind” and “I Can See Round Corners”.
This is sweet, soft rock, the kind of which that has been unheard since Woolfson sung on those Alan Parsons Project hits more than two decades ago.
Alas, this was Woolfson’s final album before he died of cancer in December of that year.
Track List:
01. Golden Key – 4:12
02. Nothing Can Change My Mind – 4:00
03. Rumour Goin – 4:39
04. Any Other Day – 3:08
05. I Can See Round Corners – 5:16
06. Steal Your Heart Away – 3:20
07. Along The Road Together – 3:22
08. Somewhere In The Audience – 4:36
09. Train To Wuxi – 4:19
10. Immortal – 6:02
Link in comments.
Ainigma – Diluvium (1973) (@256)
12 May 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
Ainigma of Germany only released one album which is a mysterious, dark stoner rock effort. It is pure krautrock, totally explosive in terms of emotions, obviously rocking and lovely psychedelic.
“Prejudice” starts with dreamlike introspective organ atmospheres then rapidly catch the essence of a jam session, with abundant improvised Hammond organs, heavy guitars. “All Things Are Fading” is a moody, depressive but furiously rocking with damaged riffs and sad guitar solos. The closer title track, “Diluvium” is a standard heavy rock epic with melancholic guitar breaks, touching melodies, dynamic, captivating organ melodies.
Line-up:
- Willy Kluter / organ, lead vocals
- Wolfgang Netzer / guitar, bass, backing vocals
- Michael Kluter / drums
Track List:
01. Prejudice – 5:32
02. You Must Run – 7:30
03. All Things Are Fading – 5:12
04. Diluvium – 17:51
Link in comments.
El Ritual – El Ritual (1971) (@256)
11 May 2010
(Review from progressive.homestead.com)
El Ritual is a Mexican band featuring well crafted progressive/psych bluesy rock with nice organ, some Tull like flute here and there, nice guitars, with softer and harder rock/prog/bluesrock passages, sometimes with rather hard rock vocals, and a few times Uriah Heep-kind of vocal harmonies, with lyrics in English.
The fourth track, “Satanas” is more experimental, theatrical track mixed with bluesy rock, and a long drum solo, a song about being the devil. “Muerto E Ido” has a slight Canterbury touch.
Line-up:
- Gonzalo Chalo Hernandez / bass
- Alberto Lalo Barcelo / drums
- Frankie Barreno / lead vocals, guitars, flute
- Martín Mayo / keyboards
Track List:
01. Satanas – 3:13
02. Peregrinacion Satanica – 3:09
03. Groupie – 4:24
04. Muerto E Ido – 8:01
05. Easy Woman – 4:17
06. La Tierra De Que Te Hable – 6:34
07. Bajo El Sol Y Frente A Dios – 3:54
08. Conspiracion – 4:21
09. Tabu – 2:54
Link in comments.
Embryo – Live 2001 Vol. 1 (@256)
11 May 2010
(Info from embryo.de)
This is a live album consisting of recordings from 2001, in the same vein as its predecessor Live 2000.
The Far East is represented by one of the most important pipa (Chinese flute) players: Mu Sat Xizhi sits on his knee on the worn violin sounds, also plays plenty of other instruments from the Middle Kingdom as the large mouth organ Cheng black bamboo, which could come from a science fiction movie, as strange flutes and shawm. On the track “Sommerhopp”, we can hear his voice on what can be called a Chinese rap.
On four tracks we hear “European exotic” sounds. On one hand we have the musical ambassador of Bulgaria in Germany, Stefan Daskalos the gadulka, violin player. On the other, we hear Efgeni Atanasov, bringing a significant gypsy sound from the Black Sea. Stefan’s style is dreamy melancholy. Efgeni, only 20 years old, embodies his wildness riddled with magic tricks.
Also for the first time with Embryo on an album is the guitarist Atze Wehmeier, the founding member of Missus Beastly. He has taught generations of string players, including the bassist Jens Pollheide who appears with his bizarre flute improvisations here.
Worth mentioning is that there are four percussionists on the album, Embryo alternates between them on each piece.
Just two days after the shock of September 11, Embryo was in concert where Afghan and US musicians were present. “No War” is the clear message, Afghanistan being one of the most beautiful countries Embryo has experienced.
Line-up:
- Christian Buchard / drums (8-9-13-14), percussion (1-10), vibes (4-6-11-12), santour (2-3-7), vocals (5)
- Stefan Daskalos / gadulka (1-10)
- Karsten Hochapfel / guitar (2 to 4-13-14), cello (1-5-11)
- Chris Karrer / oud (6)
- Xizhi Nie / erhu (2-12), scheng (4), vocals (5-13), flute (8-14)
- Jens Pollheide / flute (1-5-10), bass (2 to 4-7-13-14)
- Didak R. / percussion (3-6-7)
- Dieter Serfas / drums (2), talking drum (9), percussion (3-7-13-14)
- Lothar Stahl / percussion (1), drums (3-5-7), marimba (10)
- Atze Wehmeier: guitar (3-5-7-13)
- Michael Wehmeyer / keyboards (2-4-14), percussion (6)
- Max Weissenfeldt / percussion (1), drums (10-11)
with
- Renee Ahmend / guitar (9)
- Fredi Alberti / cello (1-10)
- Efgeni Atanasof / violin (3-7)
- Parvis Ayan / tabla (11)
- Chuck Henderson / soprano saxophone (11)
- Gotz Liekfeld / trumpet (11)
- Nick McCarthy / bass (11)
- Jamal Mohammand / harmonium (11)
- Mu Sa / pipa (12)
Track List:
01. Darmstadta – 4:34
02. Berlin 17 – 2:36
03. Sinti – 2:54
04. Scheng – 3:02
05. Sommerhopp – 2:29
06. Cafe des Artes – 12:29
07. Schamania – 10:56
08. Pentai – 2:27
09. Yorubagroove – 2:24
10. Gadulka – 7:10
11. No war (Krieg nein Danke!) – 1:43
12. Konfuzius – 6:07
13. Festivalmoments – 3:28
14. Schleusenkrug – 3:38
Link in comments.
