Reviews
Eloy: Inside (1973)
1973 is regarded by many as the first real Eloy album. In 1971, they released their self-entitled debut on Philips, which was basically a hard rock album, with political overtones. The band was lead by Erich Schriever, and Frank Bornemann was basically doing extra guitar duty. But with Schriever gone, as well as original drummer […] Continue reading
Radio Massacre International: Emissaries (2005)
Britain’s Radio Massacre International (RMI) has got to be the greatest electronic music discovery I’ve made since buying all the ’70s classics from the likes of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. I felt electronic music really went through a dry spell by the 1980s, so much of it devolved into New Age that it got […] Continue reading
Traffic: John Barleycorn Must Die (1970)
We all know that by 1969, Traffic broke up. The album Last Exit was released by the record company basically consisting of leftovers, and non-album singles. Steve Winwood, of course teaming up with Eric Clapton (ex-Cream, John Mayall and Yardbirds, later of Derek & the Dominoes, and of course a hugely successful solo career), Ric […] Continue reading
Canarios: Ciclos (1975)
Canarios (often called Los Canarios) was a rock band from Spain that managed to release some albums in the late ’60s and early ’70s during the Franco years. Around 1972, leader Teddy Bautista put a brief end of the band to do military service. After military service, he resurrected the band, with such a drastic […] Continue reading
Jerry Goodman & Jan Hammer: Like Children (1974)
Apparently the Mahavishnu Orchestra wasn’t exactly the most forgiving of bands out there and apparently John McLaughlin alienated some of his bandmates feeling he was a bit too dominating. Out of this mess comes violinist Jerry Goodman teaming up with Jan Hammer to record an album together in 1974. Here Goodman plays more than just […] Continue reading
Peter Hammill: The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage (1974)
What happened to Van der Graaf Generator between the release of Pawn Hearts (1971) and Godbluff (1975)? Well, simple, Peter Hammill recorded some solo albums with help from his former bandmates, giving the other guys something to do. The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage is Hammill’s third solo album, the second after VdGG’s hiatus […] Continue reading
Strawbs: Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios (1970)
In 1969 and 1970 the Strawbs released their first two albums, Strawbs and Dragonfly with guitarist/vocalist Dave Cousins, guitarist Tony Hooper and double bassist Ron Chesterman. Dragonfly also got help from a cellist named Claire Deniz. Those albums are pretty much firmly in the folk-rock vein, and neither of those albums have been easy to […] Continue reading
Ginhouse out of the strong North
Scotland the brave with tartan warriors like Beggars Opera and Cirkus had prolifically scaled awesome musical heights during the Prog revolution. Sadly one band from Newcastle is often forgotten in the seventies shuffle namely the three- piece Ginhouse (name from St Andrews pub). Ginhouse played a mighty set at the Newcastle Polytechnic Ellison Building in […] Continue reading
Peter Hammill: In Camera (1974)
In 1974 you sure didn’t have to wait long for Peter Hammill to dish us another solo album. He first gave us The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage, which is essentially a Van der Graaf Generator album because Hugh Banton, Guy Evans, and David Jackson all appeared on that album. Several months later comes […] Continue reading
Strawbs: From the Witchwood (1971)
Buy This CD! In 1971, Strawbs released their fourth album, From the Witchwood. It was only their second album to have an American release (their self-entitled 1969 debut and 1970’s Dragonfly, were originally released only in the UK, and never received an American release, so as you might guess, those are their hardest to acquire […] Continue reading