Aunt Mary was/is a prog rock band formed in Fredrikstad, Østfold in Norway in the early 70's. Signed a contract with Polydor in Denmark to release Aunt Mary in 1970. The group gradually moved towards progressive rock with the records Loaded in 1972 and Janus in 73. The group was disestablished in 1973 but has been reunited for several concerts since 1978.
Years active:1970–1973, several reunions since 1978
One of the early and by many considered to be one of Norways definitely best prog bands. Their music is a mix of heavy hard-rocking tunes, combined with clear influences from the symphonic genre. The more symphonic sound however didn't appeared until their third, and last studio album, "Janus", a great concept-album. The album "Loaded" saw the arrival of (keyboardist) Bengt Jenssen, who brought in some classically balanced organ to counterbalance the others. Musicians: Jan Groth - Vocals, keyboards, guitar Bjørn Kristiansen - Guitar, vocals Svein Gundersen -Bass, piano, vocals Ketil Stensvik - Drums, vocals Bengt Jenssen - Keyboards Eirikur Hauksson - Bass Per Ivar Fure - Flute, sax, vocals Ivan Lauritzen - Drums
Fuchsia was a British progressive folk rock band formed in 1970. Named after "Fuchsia Groan" they released one album before disbanding. Their self titled album was featured as one of Mojo's Forgotten Classics. Their style was similar to their contemporaries Jade and Comus. The band was formed by Tony Durant (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lead vocals), while a student at Exeter University, and comprised Michael Day (bass guitar), Michael Gregory (drums, percussion). The trio was soon augmented by Janet Rogers (violin, backing vocals), Madeleine Bland (cello, piano, harmonium, backing vocals) and Vanessa Hall-Smith (violin, backing vocals) so that Durant could explore his musical ideas. Produced by David Hitchcock the album was recorded at Sound Techniques Studios by Vic Gamm. It was released by Pegasus (PEG 8) in the UK and Kingdom (KV 6002) in France. A single advertisement in the Melody Maker and their manager's failure to arrange an often promised tour resulted in minimal sales and the demise of the band. Durant went to work in Australia with Dave Warner and later learned of the popularity of the album amongst collectors and the unlicensed re-pressings. Using his original master tapes he digitally remastered the album at Sound Practices Studios in Sydney which was released on CD.
In 2013 came the release of the CD album From Psychedelia to a Distant Place (Sound Practices 001) under the name Fuchsia II featuring a new band assembled by Durant in Australia and comprising Durant himself (guitars and vocals), Lloyd Gyi (drums, percussion), Emily Duffill (cello), Tracy Wan (violin), Lidia Bara (violin) and Jo Bara (cello), with Suzy Toomey (accordion) and Isabel Durant (backing vocals). The album gained favourable reviews in the British music press. The album contained mostly new material, although the track The Rainbow Song included a re-working of Shoes and Ships from the first album recorded forty-two years previously.
2013 also saw the release of the single The Band, a song which was written for a second album that was never recorded before Fuchsia disbanded in the 70's. In the 2013 release, The Band is performed by Swedish band Me and My Kites (named after a song on the Fuchsia debut album) with Durant on vocals.
Tony Durant - acoustic & electric guitars, vocals Michael Day - bass Michael Gregory - drums, percussion Janet Rogers - violin, backing vocals Madeleine Bland - cello, piano, harmonium, backing vocals Vanessa Hall-Smith - violin, backing vocals Recorded At Sound Techniques, London.
Quella Vecchia Locanda ("That old inn") or QVL were an Italian band from Monteverde, classified as Italian progressive rock, symphonic rock or chamber music. The band released two studio albums, in 1972 and 1974. Both their studio albums have received favourable reviews. Years active: 1970-1974 QVL plays a complex music with a lot of instrumental combinations, beautiful melodies and a very high sophistication, reminiscent of the style of King Crimson. The band's singer (and flautist) was Giorgio Giorgi. According to an interview with Don V. Lax, the violin player on the first album, "I would find some Bach or Brahms or Corelli and weave it into the music so we were making a classical-rock fusion." As for live performances, "playing at Villa Pamphili for 150,000 people was the most memorable, but we also played for other huge outdoor concerts, on television, and at clubs in Rome and on the coast." Don Lax went on to play violin for artists such as Camper van Beethoven and briefly collaborating with Tim Tompkins of The Moody Blues. Members: Giorgio Giorgi Raimondo Maria Cocco Massimo Roselli Romualdo Coletta
Discography: Albums: Quella vecchia locanda (1972) Il tempo della gioia (1974) Live album: Live (1993, recorded 1971?) Singles: "Villa Doria Pamphili" (1974)
Kyrie Eleison was an Austrian symphonic rock band, formed in 1973 and lasted until 1979 when they disbanded, by Gerald Krampl (keyboards) together with two school friends, Karl Novotny (drums) and Felix Rausch (guitar). The music is symphonic, progressive rock at its finest, with Mellotrons and keyboard leads, and moods ranging from quiet piano passages to walls of sound. They blended the symphonic mastery of Genesis with the thematic aspects of Van Der Graaf Generator. Played on all bigger festivals in Austria together with groups like Van Der Graaf, Amon Düül, Eela Craig, Collosseum etc. Toured several times through the country with their concept of a "Symphonic Rock Theater" à la Genesis, and self-released a highly acclaimed LP: "The Fountain Beyond The Sunrise", which nearly brought the international breakthrough. But onlasting personnel troubles and the impossibility to produce a second LP led in the end to the split of the group in 1979.
Following musicians played (chronologically) in the band:
Gerald Krampl - keyboards, synthesizers, Mellotron, backing vocals Wolfgang Wessely - vocals Michael Schubert - lead vocals, percussion Felix Rausch - guitar Manfred Drapela - acoustic & electric guitars, backing vocals Gerhard Eder - guitar Gerhard Frank - bass Norbert Morin - bass, bass pedals, acoustic guitar Karl Novotny - drums, percussion, backing vocals Otto Singer - drums The Fountain Beyond The Sunrise (1976): http://youtu.be/6W3B0M4t6Qw
Discography: - The Blind Windows Suite (1975) - Fountain Beyond The Sunrise (1976) - The Complete Recordings 1974-1978 (2002)
Not much is known about Ardo Dombec except that they were an early 70’s German prog band who released an album with a heavy, bluesy, and slightly jazzy feel, ending up barely sounding German at all. Often compared to Colosseum, their music features a lot of saxophone, often matched by electric guitar and flute. Their arrangements are upbeat and bright, yet the lyrics are rather dark and cynical in contrast. The band consisted of Helmut Hachmann on sax and flute, Harald Gleu on guitar and vocals, Wolfgang Spillner on drums and vocals, and Michael Ufer on bass. Their only cd, entitled simply “Ardo Dombec” (1971), collects just about everything the band has ever recorded. At times, their jazzy material flirts with pop and at other times, it sounds downright baroque. The band obviously enjoys strange and complex rhythms, Soft Machine style. Although they seem to favour vocal tracks (which aren’t exactly their forte), it is in the instrumental sections that they truly shine. Technically speaking, the musicianship is fairly good but the compositions may lack a little inspiration and excitement. Not an essential album by any means but certainly worth a listen, if only for Hachmann’s heavy sax grooves. Ardo Dombec 1971: http://youtu.be/4BdHWYjpX04
Biography Randy Pie was a german band that played a mix of Rock, Jazz and Soul. Founded 1973, partly by musicians that played in the band Rattles before. Members: Dicky Tarrach - Drums Bernd Wippich - Guitar, Lead Vocals Manfred Thiers - Bass Jochen Petersen - Sax, Flute, Guitar, Vocals Werner Becker - Keyboard Jean-Jacques Kravetz - Keyboard, Sax Discography: - Highway Driver - England, England - Fast Forward Randy Pie - Randy Pie 1973: http://youtu.be/M8bVpPh3Bm4
This is a documentary on the band produced for Vh1 Classic in support of the first Archive box set. Upscaled and slightly edited for cohesiveness. Narrated by Ray Wilson. Part 1: 1967 - 1975 http://youtu.be/ft7gE1k2ic0
Biography: Jud's Gallery is located in Offenburg, a town in the southwest of Germany. The band was founded in 1971 by mastermind/composer Jürgen ‘Judy’ Winter (vocals, bass, acoustic guitar) and Peter Oehler (guitar, piano). They never had a release during their existence in the 70s. As well as some other bands like Coupla Prog for example they joined recording sessions though at the radio station SWF Baden-Baden. The result was forgotten in the archives for a long time and first released by the german Longhair Music label, digitally remastered from the original tape. The first line-up saw the additional musicians Hannes Gremminger (violin, piano), Herbert Brandmeyer (drums) and Elly Lapp (vocals). In July 1972 the five members went to the SWF studio to record the first self composed songs which were realized in one day without any overdubs or other reworking - Heavy Blues Rock and Folk affected by Gremmingers violin playing with time and spirit enough for some improvisations. JUD’S GALLERY afterwards went on tour all over in germany with Golden Earring, Steamhammer, Pretty Things, Beggar’s Opera and Alexis Korner. After a festival gig the band was invited to the SWF radio station once more. The line-up had changed in the meanwhile. With the new members Clem Winterhalter (organ) and Sibi Siebert (drums) they managed to record new songs in march 1974. Now with a more Jazz Rock and Psychedelic orientation including the long track ‘Nordach’. After this positive experiences JUD’S GALLERY connected with Achim Reichel’s label ‘GORILLA MUSIC’ with the intent to produce an album. But this project finally failed because of economical and private reasons. Jürgen Winter and Peter Oehler went different ways after the disbanding but continued making music. The album ‘SWF Sessions Vol.1’ was released in 2000 consisting of 9 songs from both radio session recordings. Winter is also carrying a longtime lawsuit against Gary Moore because he accuses him plagiarism. At the beginning of 2007 the band had a little renaissance with nearly the same line-up as 1974 and surprised with one live performance at the Reithalle in Offenburg. Jud's Gallery - SWF- Sessions Volume 1-1972,1974: http://youtu.be/hHAVcq6jF6w
Biography: Atmosphera, not to be confused with a Brazilian art-rock band with the same name, is an Israeli progressive rock band from the late 70's. They recorded two long, epic pieces for an album with English lyrics (Shakespeare & Lord Tennyson), but the album was too far-out for the small Israeli music industry, so the master tapes were archived and the album was never issued on vinyl. 25 years later, a small collectors' label, MIO records, gathered all the tapes, videos and information on the lost band, and issued the album on CD, with bonus tracks and a videoclip. Atmosphera's style is "mainstream prog" - heavily influenced by Yes's symphonic style. The music is melodic, classical and well-arranged. Their drummer is influenced by Bruford's style, the bassist emulates Squire's sound, the keyboardist uses some of Wakeman's tricks, and even their soloist sounds very much like Jon Anderson. Yes fans will find delight in this highly-capable group of musicians, who offer virtuousic abilites and solid compositional skills. Atmosphera's sole album is essentially a love letter to Yes. Like Druid, Atmosphera produce new compositions following the pattern set by The Yes Album and Fragile, and perform in a manner directly inspired by their heroes. The double album boasts three major highlights: "Lady of Shalott", "Cuckoo - Alternate Version" (new remix with added Mellotron and digital effects), and the avant-garde "Catharsis" by a different, later line-up called ISTOPY. Members: Efrayim Barak - vocals Moti Fonseka - guitars Alon Nadel - bass Yuval Rivlin - keyboards Ami Lipner - drums
Biography: Purple Overdose were founded in Athens, Greece in 1987 by lead guitarist and vocalist Costas Constantinou. The band seeks to recreate the psychedelic atmosphere of the mid 1960's while blending hard rock, jazz, oriental and even some folklore into their music. The lyrics in English written by Constantinou, can be described as poetic and somewhat sentimental, and draw inspiration from the flower power movement of the 1960's. They embrace ideals of nature and freedom of spirit. The band has released 9 albums: 5 studio albums, 3 live albums and a compilation album. The first album Exit 4 was released in 1988 and received critical acclaim. The arrangements on this debut album are slightly simpler than on later albums, incorporating elements of hard rock with psychedelia. The second album, Indigo (1990) marks a move towards more complex compositions. The next album to follow is the same-titled Purple Overdose introducing the flute (Vasilis Kapanikis) and elements of jazz, and a further move towards more progressive compositions. In the same vein is their forth album, Solemn Visions (1996) which experiments in places with a curious mixture of blues and oriental influences. The fifth studio album, Reborn, released in 1999, is arguably the pinnacle of their career. This album features longer spacier compositions, and again a variety of styles, showing the band at full maturity. Of the live releases of particular note is The Salmon's Trip whose title is taken from the track Reborn, a track which describes the life cycle of the salmon fish. There is also a composition album, Painting The Air which consists of tracks from the earlier years, as well as three previously unreleased compositions. Purple Overdose have created the sound reminiscent of the 1960's while managing to produce modern, unique compositions to great effect, experimenting with a wide variety of sounds and styles. They are similar in style to The Smell Of Incense. Flower power lives on! Musicians: Costas Constantinou / Lead guitar, cymbal, effects, vocals Christophoros Triantophilopoulos / Drums, percussion Andreas Andriopoulos / Bass guitar Vasilis Kapanikis / Keyboards, organ, mellotron, flute S.&T. recorders Stavros Eleftheriou / Congas, jug, assorted percussion Other contributors: Stelios Drisis, Aris Christou, Aris Kontoangelos, Tolis Labouris, Mihalis Vasiliou, Giorgios Papageorgiadis, Giorgos Nikas, and Makis Mpellos
