Men Of Lake - Out Of Water

Top keyboard dominated progress rock from this underrated current italian band.

 All tracks are excellently composed played and come across as a mix of Pink Floyd , King Crimson and some Canterbury school too. They also remind me a lot of Frances 'Halloween'.

 Excellent even though because of the language barier the vocals are hard to understand!

Songs / Tracks Listing
1. Vipers (In the bottom of the well)
2. The Day We Met
3. The Dark Little Figure
4. The Prodigal Father
5. Dedicated To Saul Frances Levine And John
6. Strange Sleep
7. The Perception Of The Wind
8. The Ballad Of The Lake

Line-up / Musicians
- Maurizio Poli / keyboard
- Marco Gadolti / bass guitar
- Claudio Oberti / drums
- Mauro Borgogno / lead guita

Most underrated Prog Rock bands MEN OF LAKE (1)

Julian Jay Savarin - Waiters On The Dance (1971)

A little known gem from Julian Jay Savarin aka Julians Treatment.

Recorded two years after the excellent ' A Time Before This' this is another fine album with excelent female vocals from one Jo Meek which recalls a little of say Annie Haslam.

A tad dated maybe but this is terrific progressive and slightly psychedelic rock with some harder edged guitar work and great hammond organ.

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Child Of The Night 1 & 2 (8:36)
2. Stranger (2:21)
3. The Death Of Alda (5:29)
4. Dance Of The Golden Flamingoes (8:55)
5. Cycles (4:23)
6. Soldiers Of Time (2:59)

Total Time : 31:23

Line-up / Musicians

- Lady Jo Meek / vocals
- Julian Jay Savarin / story, arrangements, keyboards
- John Dover / bass
- Nigel "Zed" Jenkins / guitar
- Roger Odell / drums

Julian Jay Savarin - 04 - Dance of the Golden Flamingoes

Peter Frohmader - Eismeer (2003)

Unfortunately this latest album from Frohmader is a far cry from his more atmospheric  earlier works. The lengthy title track Eismeer is meandering cyclical piano and a multitude of sampled sounds with a spoken poem in parts, which all somehow just doesn't seem to work, and just doesnt seem to go anywhere. There are a few brief flashes though here and there which impress, so all is not lost..........but nearly!

To sum up not very recommended to fans of Frohmaders earlier works. Eismeer is to be honest not very memorable and just seems to lack the inventive spark and cohesiveness usually associated with this artist and is far too oversampled for my taste and I miss that bass!!!

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Eismeer
2. Funèbre
3 Orchestral Crossover

Line-up / Musicians

- Peter Frohmader / all instruments

Go to folder - FileFactory.com

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Kraan - Wintrup (1972)

Definitely one of these krautrockers best albums, and for me a favourite of there's with stronger, tighter and more impressive songs than there debut.

Wintrup is full of memorable riffs, great jams and  powerfull jazzy krautrock psychedelia.

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Silver Wings (4:11) 

2. Mind Quake (7:40) 

3. Backs (6:40) 

4. Gut und richtig (7:33) 

5. Wintrup (5:21) 

6. Jack Steam (5:52) 

...Bonus track on EMI release: 

7. Fat Mr. Rich (5:43) (demo 1971, previous title: Jack Steam) 

Total Time: 43:00

Line-up / Musicians

- Jan Fride / drums 

- Helmut Hattler / bass 

- Johannes Pappert / Alto saxophone 

- Peter Wolbrandt / guitar, vocals

Kraan - 01 - Silverwings

Kraan - 05 - Wintrup

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Yochk'o Seffer - Ghigoul (1978)

Classic and indispensable album for all Magma / Zeuhl fans.

This is usually regarded as 'Seffers' best album and i wouldn't disagree there.

Ghilgoul sports great sax work and lots of inventive jazz experimental fusion from one time Zao /  Magma member Yochk'o Seffer.

There's  some fine ethereal and strange vocal chants on some of the tracks. Check out the title track 'Ghilgoul' which is fantasticaly out of this world with superb vocals , strings and sax. Like a cross between early Art Zoyd and Magma.

Songs / Tracks Listing
1. Dag (6:32)
2. Sifra (13:17)
3. Dailn (2:51)
4. Larma (2:53)
5. Ghilgoul (16:54)


Line-up / Musicians
Yochk'o Seffer / saxophones, piano
Dominique Bertrand / bass
François Laizeau / drums (tracks 1-5)
Margand String Quartet
Michael Nick / violin (tracks 6-8)
Laurent Cokelaere / electric bass (tracks 6-8)

Art Zoyd - Phase IV (1982)

For me one of Art Zoyds best and strongest albums which marked the end of there more chamber classical RIO sound with real instruments.

 A good deal miimalistic with lots of repetition this album is  expertly and hypnoticaly integrated with its canvas of rich instrumentation. 

 Highlights as ever are the Thierry Zaboitzeff pieces ( especially the opening track ) with his excellent bass guitar work.

Songs / Tracks Listing 

1. État D'Urgence (14:38)

2. Naufrage (6:41)

3. Dernière Danse (4:33)

4. Deux Préludes (2:05)

5. La Musique D'Erich Faes (Collective Improvisation) (0:14)

6. Et Avec Votre Esprit (5:14)

7. Ballade (4:03)

8. Chemins De Lumière (15:09)

9. Du Sang Sur La Neige (4:16)

10. Vue D'Un Manège (4:08)

11. La Nuit (13:00)

12. Les Larmes De Christina (3:44)

Line-up / Musicians

- Gérard Hourbette / violin, keyboards, saxophone, viola 

- Didier Pietton / percussion, saxophone, sax (Alto), sax (Tenor) 

- Jean Pierre Soarez / percussion, trumpet, cornet 

- Thierry Willems / piano, piano (electric), piano (Grand) 

- Thierry Zaboitzeff / bass, guitar, cello, guitar (bass), vocals, voices, tapes

Art Zoyd - Dernière Danse

Art Zoyd - Naufrage

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Arsenal - Created With There Own Hands (1982)

Led by very talented saxophonist 'Alexey Kozlov' Arsenal are one of the pioneers of jazz rock in the soviet union. Most of there albums are very varied  with elements of Mahavishnu Orchestra, Passport, Chicago and on occasion delve into the more experimental realms of King Crimson. 

'Arsenal' are a fantastic band who's recordings are unfortunately quite obscure and hard to get hold of......... 'Created' is one of there best with more of a Mahavishnu Orchestra type sound especially on the 'Dedicated to' track.

Songs / Tracks Listing

Side 1 

1. Тайна / Mystery (7:50) 

2. Посвящение Махавишну / Dedication to Mahavishnu (9:08) 

Side 2 

3. Свет на пути / Lignt on the Way (6:30) 

4. Сюита в фа миноре / Suite in F Minor (10.00)

Line-up / Musicians Tracks 1 - 3:

- A. Kozlov / polyphonic synthesizer

- V. Rozenberg / electric guitar, sitar

- V. Zinchuk / acoustic guitar

- V. Gorsky / piano, synthesizer, Fender-piano

- A. Kulikov / bass guitar

- V. Brusilovsky / drums (1 - 3)

Track 4:

- A. Kozlov / alto-saxophone

- S. Grigoriev / tenor-saxophone

- D. Mamokhin / trumpet

- V. Rozenberg / electric guitar

- G. Slavin / piano, synthesizer

- G. Agachev / polyphonic synthesizer

- V. Lezov / bass guitar

- V. Sigal / drums

- V. Demin / percussion

Zip Tang - Luminiferous Ether (2007)

Very talented band from the states who's music is more in the jazz/rock fusion mould, but also has more progressive qualities akin to Zappa and King Crimson and even touches of zeuhl here and there. There's top notch musicianship throughout with also some vocals.

The lengthy reworking of 'Tarkus' is particularly outstanding.

 A fine debut album and certainly a band to look out for!!

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Tower Of Tuna (5:39)
2. Missed The Beginning (5:16)
3. Nothing Here (6:11)
4. Doctor Plush (9:59)
5. Like We Did Before (5:03)
6. Beta (5:48)
7. Searching For Treasure (4:25)
8. With A Twist (3:47)
9. Tarkus (Emerson, Lake & Palmer) (18:11)

Line-up / Musicians

- Perry Merritt / guitar, vocals
- Rick Wolfe / bass, vocals
- Marcus Padgett / keyboards, saxophone, vocals
- Fred Faller / drums

ZIP TANG - Tarkus (Eruption) Guitar & Sax

Zip Tang - "Tower Of Tuna" at House Of Blues, Chicago

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