Ardo Dombec (prog.rock, blues, jazzy / Germany)

Biography:


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

Source: http://www.last.fm/music/Ardo+Dombec/+wiki

Randy Pie (krautrock, prog. rock, jazz, soul / Germany)

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

More info (german only): http://www.germanrock.de/r/randy_pie/index.htm

Genesis - Archive 1967 - 1992 (documentary)

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

Part 2: 1976 - 1992  http://youtu.be/0n_BZbcyw7o

Jud's Gallery (Krautrock / Germany)

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

Atmosphera (Symphonic prog. rock / Israel )

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

Atmosphera - Lady of Shalott (1977) full album: http://youtu.be/w3Re9RElbgY

Source: http://www.progarchives.com

Purple Overdose (psychedelic, rock, jazz, folk / Greece)

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


Reborn (album): http://youtu.be/dSktYsohKEc

Great Greek Acid Psychedelic Rock: http://youtu.be/s5oHli3-Mhw 

Source: http://www.progarchives.com

Genesis - A History (documentary, 1990)

This 1990 documentary tells the story of Genesis from Charterhouse in the late sixties to the then present times at Knebworth festival in 1990. 


Features interviews with:

Tony Banks
Phil Collins
Peter Gabriel
Steve Hackett
Jonathan King
Anthony Phillips
Michael Rutherford


Genesis: A History (1990) Full Documentary: https://youtu.be/teht3U5Gx4k

(The Band, the solo projects, and the story so far up until 1990

***MANY edits needed to avoid Youtube copyright block!! So some silences and blurs)

Source: YouTube

DOM (krautrock, psych space rock, acid folk / Germany)

Biography:

Dom is a quartet formed by a multi-national musical collective (with members from Germany, Poland and Hungary). Their unique album called "Edge of Time" was released in a relative discretion in 1970. The music reaches the listener into a space, acoustic "trip" dominated by guitars and percussions. Introspect electric organs parts, bass "drones", simplistic "weird" electronic effects are added to the mix in order to deliver an unforgettable psychedelic "voyage". The concept of the album is based upon a bad "trip", its consequences on mind and perception of time.

Compare to early Pink Floyd, Brave New World, Kalacakra, Tangerine Dream, Brainticket (Celestial Ocean), Emtidi (Saat), Popol Vuh, Between, Ash Ra Tempel, Cluster, the quieter and more downtempo moments in Agitation Free and Amon Duul II etc and generally to the genres of krautrock, progressive electronic, psychedelic/space rock, and acid folk.


Line-up:

László v. Baksay: Bass, Lyrics By, Vocals 
Rainer Puzalowski: Guitar, Vocals, Flute  
Hans Georg Stopka : Organ, Guitar, Vocals 
Gábor v. Baksay: Percussion, Vocals, Flute


Edge of Time (full album, 1970): http://youtu.be/JTZoUByYg7U

Tracks: 
1 Introitus (8:45) 
2 Silence (8:53) 
3 Edge Of Time (9:06) 
4 Dream (9:37) 

Five Day Rain (psych, prog / UK)

Five Day Rain is a British late 60' psych/prog band. They played typical for late 60' rock with lots of organ & guitar. Their self-titled album recorded in 1969 is a prime example of early prog. 


The band formed in late '68 as Iron Prophet, a heavy trio comprising Rick Sharpe, Clive Shepherd and Dick Hawkes. They changed their name to Five Day Rain in early 1970, with the arrival of Graham Maitland and the beginning of the recordings presented here. The usual disagreement between musicians, management and producers led the album to be shelved (only a few acetates were pressed) and the band to split. 
Rick Sharpe, Shepherd and Maitland formed the short-lived Studd Pump before taking separate ways, with Sharpe joining glam rockers Streak and Maitland resurfacing with Glencoe. 
Five Day Rain was issued for the first time on CD a dozen years ago, with a nice JOHN HURFORD artwork made for International Times magazine, but without both musicians and illustrator permit. This new issue, made with the essential contribution of Rick Sharpe, uses the original running order and is enriched by a few bonus tracks: a Bob Dylan cover (Too Much Of Nothing) and four tracks recorded at the time but left off the purposed LP. These, which have been completed by Rick Sharpe with a few overdubs in November 2005, are the only recorded proof of the original heavier Iron Prophet sound.

Line-up:

Graham Maitland (keyboards) 
Rick Sharp (guitars)
Clive Burges (bass)
Kim (drums) 
Sharon Tandy (vocals)

Five Day Rain (Self-titled, 1970, Full Album): https://youtu.be/O4usPObaWjQ :

Rough Cut Marmalade: https://youtu.be/d4eUBPZGJ18 :

My Solid Ground (psych krautrock, space rock, hard rock / Germany)

This group has long been one of the more obscure Krautrock bands, even though their single eponymous album from 1971 has become legendary, even though much of the record is fairly conventional hard-rock.

Bernhard Rendel, only 14 years old at the time, started My Solid Ground in 1968 in Russelsheim, near Frankfurt, Germany. Prior to this, his mother encouraged his interest in music and guitar, and she continued to support him even as his music became louder and harder. The group began to practice at the home of Rendel's parents, and his family also helped arranged live performances. With their musical talent and an elaborate lightshow, the band soon became a popular in the region around Frankfurt. In 1968 the members were Bernhard Rendel (guitar), Teddy (vocals), Manfred Fischer (bass) and Willy Waid (drums).



By 1970 after a few lineup changes, the group gelled with Kalrheinz Dorfler on bass, Andreas Wurching on drums, and Ingo Werner on organ. In late October of that year they recorded the track 'Flash' the Morfelden Studio in Frankfurt, and used it to win second place in an amateur competition hosted by Sudwestfunk (SWF) Radio.

In February and April of 1971, they recorded their self-titled album, which was released by the Bacillus label later that year. In June of 1971 My Solid Ground entered the studios of SWF in Baden-Baden for a live radio broadcast. Because of legal issues they could not play any of the pieces from the LP, so they debuted entirely new material. Though the group now had nationwide success, they were frequently losing members. By 1972 the band consisted of Rendel with a totally new lineup. That year they moved to Frankfurt where they lasted until 1974, when Rendel dropped My Solid Ground to pursue academics. He has since become a lecturer on music at Muinz University, as well as producer and composer. When Long Hair Records decided to release the SWF session on CD in 2001, Rendel was encouraged to go back into the studio to record some solo an LPs-worth of additional tracks, a 2001 version of My Solid Ground, and these were added to the CD.

My Solid Ground (Full Album): http://youtu.be/LneduxXyt9I:

The opening track on their self-titled LP certainly lives up to the album's reputation: a 13-minute epic of dark, heavy space rock with crunching guitars and acid riffs, distorted vocals, lots of long droning keyboards - imagine a mix of early Floyd ("One of These Days") and  Thirsty Moon. However, the rest of the album (or most of it) is fairly mainstream, being made up of rather conventional hard rock. A recent re-release CD version includes some excellent bonus tracks, among which is a 24-minute psychedelic Krautrock tour de force featuring incredible guitar soloing. Recommended to fans of early Pink Floyd.


Personnel:

- Karl-Heinrich Dorfler - bass
- Bernhard Rendel - vocals, guitar
- Ingo Werner - organ, piano, Mellotron
- Andreas Wursching - drums

Widsith (folk, psych / USA)

Widsith is a rootsy pair from Hicksville on Long Island, NY – Bob Teer, song writer, on lead vocals and guitars, and Ed McCafferty on vocals, electric, acoustic, bottleneck and steel guitars, plus a bit of bass! They recorded one and only LP album "Maker Of Song" (This is a private press released in 1972 by the Alithia label (Alithia 9101)) .The duo seem to do a bit of overdubbing in the studio – expanding out their sound with a mix of guitars, some rhythms, and other elements – but there’s still a pretty stripped down sound overall, as if you’re catching Teer and McCafferty trading lines back and forth on the stage. 

Other musicians featured on the album "Maker of Song":  Mark Jacobson: Flute, Dennis Garcia: Bass and vocals, Tony Pacheco: Congas and percussion, Harry Barber: Keyboards, Ian Bennet: Tenor Sax and Bobby Colomby of “Blood, Sweat and Tears” fame: Drums.







Singer In The Marketplace  (1972): http://youtu.be/tRkRSCo-Q7A

Lou Reed - Rock and Roll Heart (documentary)

Rock and Roll Heart traces Lou Reed's career from the formation of the Velvet Underground to rock icon to his more recent artistic endeavors. Includes lots of rare and vintage footage along with interviews with David Bowie, John Cale, Patti Smith, Thurston Moore, David Byrne, Jim Carroll, Maureen Tucker, Suzanne Vega, Dave Stewart and Philip Glass. An excellent documentary (and the only one) about this hugely influential and uncompromising American artist. Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders for American Masters and screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998.

http://youtu.be/TjPuF-CYuic

Rainbow Ffolly (psych pop, psych garage / UK)

Rainbow Ffolly were an English psychedelic pop band who released only one LP, Sallies Fforth, in 1968. Their only single, "Drive My Car", failed to garner much success on the charts, and they disbanded shortly thereafter.

Jonathan Dunsterville and his brother Richard Dunsterville of Farnham Common were inclined toward music and performing at an early age, and during the early '60s, formed a band called the Force Four, specializing in Everly Brothers-style harmony material. Jon was at college when he met Stewart Osborn, a drummer, who in turn knew a bassist named Roger Newell. Out of this a new group, the Rainbow Ffolly, was formed; they had a light, fun touch, very much in the spirit of early 1967; a close, cohesive sound in which all four members sang, with Jon Dunsterville serving as songwriter. 


By early 1967, they acquired a manager, John Sparrowhawk, and decided to try for a recording contract. They booked time at the Jackson Recording Studio, owned by Malcolm and John Jackson, the sons of disc jockey Jack Jackson, and put a demo tape together.
Their first five songs were so accomplished that they were persuaded by the Jackson brothers to come up with seven more songs, all ostensibly for a full-length demo reel. 

Jon Dunsterville and his wife Jane came up with the most ornate cover art (and some of the cleverest of the decade) that they could in keeping with the "rainbow" in the band's name, and Sallies Fforth (as it was christened) was released. It turned out not only not to be bad, but pretty good, although the group wished, long after its release, that they'd been allowed to go back in and complete some tracks. The guitar parts were what bothered them the most, on tracks like "Come on Go," where they never did the overdubs that they'd intended.


The group played concerts in support of the record and even did a tour of Germany, making their first overseas appearance at the Star Club in Hamburg in a month-long engagement. the Rainbow Ffolly also performed at the Playboy Club in London, which was then a new recreational institution and always attracted a lot of attention. The group took chances, and some of them paid off, at least musically. They were able to bridge the gap between the lighter weight but elegant harmony groups, such as the Bystanders and the Montanas, and what have since come to be called the freakbeat bands (the Troggs, etc.), with their more heavyweight sounds. In a sense, they were like the Beatles in that respect, although based on Sallies Fforth, they didn't have as easy a time generating the heavier instrumental sound needed to compete with the hard-rocking psychedelic outfits of the era.


Members:

John Dunsterville
Richard Dunsterville
Roger Newell

Stewart Osborn


Sun Sing: http://youtu.be/XwK0G-L_HSQ

Discography:

Sallies Fforth - 1967

Krokodil (psych rock, krautrock / Switzerland) (including the album: The Psychedelic Tapes)

Krokodil (German for "Crocodile") were constantly promoted by the labels they signed to as a Krautrock band, yet though they had the spirit of Krautrock in their veins, the truth was that they were Swiss! Naturally, Liberty tried to present them as the Krautrock answer to The Groundhogs. Well, Krokodil did have blues origins, they really knew how to rock-it and had a flair for the experimental, so they did have the same sort of attitude as The Groundhogs. But, all that aside, Krokodil were innovators in their own right, not at all copyist, except for maybe their John Mayall type roots. Like most Swiss bands, Krokodil were an unlikely combo, mostly of German-Swiss extraction, with one Englishman: Terry Stevens. Early on, the quoted "Swiss Bob Dylan" Hardy Hepp seemed to be in control, his softer folk and blues mix, and Mojo Weideli's harmonica, gave them a more down-to-earth sound.

After Hardy's departure for a solo career, Krokodil really blossomed with the extraordinary “An Invisible World Revealed”, an album that took on all sorts of ethnic and fusion elements, becoming like a hybrid of Amon Düül II, Man and Third Ear Band, all mixed into that unique Krokodil style. Ethnic elements had figured in earlier Krokodil recordings, but not so much as here, where the sitar, tablas and flute are heavily featured. Krokodil had become the finest of Swiss Krautrock bands.

A change of label, to Bacillus, their next album “Getting Up For The Morning” offered a similar blending of rock, blues and ethnic styles, though in a more condensed and song-based concoction. The double album “Sweat & Swim”, though it had a couple of duff tracks, also contained some of their best, not least so the 17 minute cosmic-ethnic trip "Linger" recalling the masterworks of “An Invisible World Revealed”.



Personnel:

Hardy Hepp (violin, piano, vocals)
Düde Dürst (drums, percussion, vocals)
Walty Anselmo (sitar, lead guitar, vocals)
Terry Stevens (bass, guitar, vocals)

Mojo Weideli (harmonica, flute, percussion)


An Invisible World Revealed 1971 (full Album): https://youtu.be/v0Z0NJENwwY

Discography:

Albums:

Krokodil  (1969)
Swamp (1970)
An Invisible World Revealed (1971)
Getting Up For The Morning (1972)
Sweat & Swim (1973)
Krokodil (1977 re-recordings?)




=============================================================

1970-1972 were the psychedelic years of the Krokodil from Switzerland. During this early period the band recorded a lot of magical songs both live and in the studio which are now after more than thirty years released for the first time.

Long trippy space rock with a West Coast/Kraut Rock edge, feature fluid acid guitar work, flute and effects. The CD includes a great version of "Pharoah Sanders "The Creator Has a Mater Plan" plus other gems.

01 (00:00) The Creator Has A Master Plan (1970) 
02 (09:26) Stehaufmädchen Part 1 (1970) 
03 (10:36) Marzipan (Live) (1972)
04 (18:43) Stehaufmädchen Part 2 (1970) 
05 (19:50) You're Still A Part Of Me (Live) (1972) 
06 (25:40) Stehaufmädchen Part 3 (1970) 
07 (26:50) Odyssey In Om (Live) (1972) 
08 (57:24) Raga (1971)

Line Up:

Bass, Electric Guitar, Percussion, Vocals  - Terry Stevens (2)
Drums, Congas, Vocals - Düde Dürst
Electric Guitar, Sitar, Bass, Vocals - Walty Anselmo
Harmonica [Mouthharp], Flute, Percussion, Vocals - Mojo Weideli
Violin, Organ [Farfisa], Recorder, Vocals - Hardy Hepp (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6)


Remastered: Pirmin Weder (2013)

The Psychedelic Tapes 1970 - 1972: https://youtu.be/dG5cevo6tTc

The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (The Who, The Doors, The Moody Blues, Miles Davis, Jethro Tull, ELP, Joni Mitchell)

The Who: https://youtu.be/YMS47w8hAZ8 :

The Moody Blues: https://youtu.be/vRuMgs4b1qk :

The Doors: https://youtu.be/51SAvWieaNc :

Miles Davis: https://youtu.be/hMYVvjoXf4o :

Jethro Tull : https://youtu.be/_ETdorb55Zg :

Emerson, Lake & Palmer: https://youtu.be/l0GO-oYejEk :

Joni Mitchell: https://youtu.be/9PFZelPcW70 :

More info: Blog November 25, 2012