Reviews
Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention: Freak Out! (1966)
Since Frank Zappa went through so many different musical phases with so many different bands, and he was quite outspoken on just about any subject given, not everyone took too kindly to his music (that is, both rock critics and rock fans). But you gotta give credit, he was quite prolific and eclectic. His musical […] Continue reading
Genesis: Trespass (1970)
In 1969 Genesis released From Genesis to Revelation. Although opinions differ, I thought that album was crap, sounding like psychedelic Muzak to me. Of course, the band could be forgiven, since the guys in the band just graduated from Charterhouse Public School (a public school, for those living in America, is the English equivalent of […] Continue reading
The Wicker Man (1973)
The Wicker Man was a movie I took a chance on. I never saw it before. I just saw a review on a Pagan-oriented web site (which doesn’t seem to exist any more) that reviewed books and movies with Pagan and Wiccan themes. Unsurprisingly, many of the films reviewed there only received luke warm to […] Continue reading
Jethro Tull: Songs From the Wood (1977)
Aqualung and Thick as a Brick might be Tull’s best known and most popular albums, but there’s another one of theirs worth trying, and that’s 1977’s Songs From the Wood. Released one year after the disasterous Too Old to Rock ‘n Roll: Too Young to Die, this album is a vast improvement over that one. […] Continue reading
Julian’s Treatment: A Time Before This (1970)
Julian’s Treatment is yet another forgotten and obscure gem of progressive and psychedelic rock. Not very often does a sci-fi author involve himself with music. Michael Moorcock’s involvement with Hawkwind is one of the best examples. And Julian Jay Savarin is another author who involved himself in music, with this band Julian’s Treatment. Savarin played […] Continue reading
It’s a Beautiful Day: Choice Quality Stuff (1971)
I was in utter shock when I first heard this album. I was expecting more of the same, soft sounds of their previous offering, Marrying Maiden. Instead, it turns out to be their most rocking album ever! It’s as if they wanted to create a bunch of songs not unlike “Wasted Union Blues” off their […] Continue reading
Aphrodite’s Child: 666 (1972)
Aphrodite’s Child was a rock band from Greece who came to France in 1968 during the Paris student riots and couldn’t return back to Greece. By far the best known member of Aphrodite’s Child is none other than Vangelis, the same guy who later became a big name in electronic music with albums like L’Apocalypse […] Continue reading
Le Orme: Felona e Sorona (1973)
The very first Le Orme album I’ve ever heard was Ad Gloriam (1969). It was basically a psychedelic album you expect from that time period, with a West Coast feel, but all sung in Italian. My next purchase was Felona e Sorona, which was their fifth album, and I was in utter shock of how […] Continue reading
McChurch Soundroom: Delusion (1971)
Looking for another obscurity? Then give McChurch Soundroom a try. Delusion, released in 1971, was their one and only album. Though a German band, you could swear they were British. Instead of following the Krautrock scene like Can, Amon Düül II, Ash Ra Tempel, Neu, Faust, etc., or even the German style of progressive rock […] Continue reading
It’s a Beautiful Day: Marrying Maiden (1970)
It’s a Beautiful Day was a Bay Area psychedelic band that gave us White Bird, which is on their self-entitled 1969 debut. Marrying Maiden is their second album, in which the band witnessed only a minor lineup change: Linda LaFlamme (who apparently broke up with David LaFlamme around this time) left, replaced by a new […] Continue reading