Bachdenkel - Lemmings (1968-70/73 uk, fantastic progressive rock, 2007 Ork extra tracks issue)

Bachdenkel started out life as the U NO Who.  This late 60s group had been active on the Birmingham scene for some time and played psychedelic pop.  They recorded a handful of respectable tracks which were pitched to the Beatles’ Apple label but no deal ever materialized.  The U NO Who would go on to become Bachdenkel at the end of the decade.  Bachdenkel’s lineup looked something like this:  Colin Swinburne on vocals, guitar, piano, organ and harpsichord, Peter Kimberley on vocals, bass and piano, Brian Smith on drums, and Karel Beer on Organ.

Bachdenkel would relocate to France and record the great Lemmings album in 1970.  Although the LP was completed by the summer of 1970, Phillips didn’t release Lemmings until 1973 - released throughout Europe but not in the UK.  This really sealed this unique British group’s fate – unfairly so because they were very talented.  I believe a UK reissue/rerelease appeared in the late 70s (maybe 1978) but by that time Bachdenkel had ceased to exist.    The group released another solid progressive album titled Stalingrad (1975) and toured Europe in 1976 before breaking up.

And as for the Lemmings LP? It’s one of the best 70s progressive rock albums out there.  The musicians here keep their egos in check and know when to end a song, unlike Yes or ELP.  To me this is a much better (and more interesting) album than anything Yes or ELP would ever release.  The ringing guitars dominate Bachdenkel’s sound but there are tasteful keyboards as well.  Some people have linked Bachdenkel’s sound to Caravan, Abbey Road era Beatles, and King Crimson.  

These are all valid comparisons – think of Bachdenkel as a missing link between the Beatles and the mighty Crimso, progressive guitar pop with a slight psychedelic hangover.  “An Appointment With The Master”, the LP’s most popular song, is a lost classic that might be what the Beatles would have sounded like had they lasted into the progressive rock era.  Crashing drums and superb psychedelic guitar work give this cut a fresh edge.  “Translation” and “Equals” are also outstanding dark mood pieces that sound completely modern by today’s standards – this LP has not dated one bit.  

All of Lemmings 7 tracks are excellent, whether it be the 11 minute epic “The Settlement Song” or the shorter, tuneful tracks like “Long Time Living” – every works beautifully.  So…interesting arrangements that take chances (unique twists and turns), a dark aura, rock solid songwriting, Caravan-like vocals, and great musicianship unify this very special musical statement.  Any fan of classic rock needs to own this essential masterpiece.

Rising-storm

Karel Beer's solo album

Tracks
1. Translation (Swinburne, Beer) - 4:17
2. Equals (Kimberley, Beer) - 1:51
3. An Appointment With The Master (Kimberley, Beer) - 5:15
4. The Settlement Song (Swinburne, Kimberley, Smith, Beer) - 11:26  
5. Long Time Living (Swinburne, Kimberley, Beer) - 2:17
6. Strangerstill (Swinburne, Kimberley, Smith, Beer) - 6:51
7. Come All Ye Faceless (Swinburne, Kimberley, Smith, Beer) - 9:06
8. The Slightest Distance (Swinburne, Kimberley, Beer) - 6:09
9. Donna (Kimberley, Beer) - 4:15
10.A Thousand Pages Before (Swinburne, Beer) - 6:35
11.Through The Eyes Of A Child (Kimberley, Swinburne, Beer) - 4:01
12.An (Other) Appointment With The Master (Kimberley, Beer) - 3:42
13.Strange People (Kimberley, Beer) - 3:20

Bachdenkel 
*Colin Swinburne - Guitar, Organ, Piano, Vocals
*Peter Kimberley - Bass, Piano, Vocals
*Brian Smith - Drums
*Karel Beer - Organ

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Soho Orange - Soho Orange (1971 uk, heavy rumbling psych rock)

The music you're about to hear is rough, fresh and sometimes strange. The power of the Picts once more . Soho Orange (Glasgow natives) did the tracks you hear on this record in 1971.The mists of time cover the knowledge about the guys who called themselves Soho Orange. 

Jim told us, their earlier name was Ad Lib Nevertheless, here they are-and be careful: This music might kill your amplifier ! A short, psychedelic intro - then the instruments explode into ‘King Of The Road’, an interesting song with changing speed. Hard guitar and merciless drumfire torture your ears, the tormenting cymbals shake your mind. This song gives you everything - except mercy!! Wonder how many drumheads were knocked to pieces in one session. 

Hard, driving sound and unique vocal-duos, that's what 'Mississippi Tales' has to offer. The song changes into ‘The Wish – Tears’ some kind of anti-war-song. • Hare and more grows a haunting feeling. Ghostly, desperate vocals grip your mind. The drums join to get to a harder end. ‘Freedom Callin’ is another anti-war-song which contains unique, crazy vocal - duos. The song has a slower start but then gets into a faster guitar-solo. A little solo by the drums and some kind of Coke-bottle give the prelude to the ecstatic end. 

If you're using headphones, take care of your tympanums or you might perhaps neither hear ‘Freedom Callin’ nor something else anymore. Softer guitars and gentle vocals start ‘Dream Queen’ and the song flows psychedelic for a while. When the singer has found his Queen, guitars, bass and drums make  hard attack. ‘Nightmare’ is a very hard track which rocks the membranes out of your loud - speakers (no compensation !!!).Good vocals and maximum power. This is a massacre for your ears and maybe for the rest of your body, too, if your neighbor is able to find his axe or chainsaw ;there*s a guitar-solo in the middle of the song which remembers me to Chopin's "Deadmarch" - so watch your sound – intensity, it may be an Omen !  Now we're getting near the end (a hard one of course).

The last track  is called ‘Seven Faces’ (I've had my visions before).Maybe the most changing and strangest song contained herein. Also the first song of this .group which Jim played to us. A song worth to awake your  interest. Vocals, underlined with effective echoes conclude the  song and the album, too. I 've been listening to Soho Orange nearly for 20 times and I loved it more and more with every hearing. 

Tracks
1. King of the Road - 5:46
2. Mississippi Tales / The Wish - Tears - 10:22
3. Freedom Callin - 5:40
4. Dream Queen - 5:28
5. Nightmare - 6:00
6. Seven Faces - 6:14

Members Unknown.

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The Magicians - An Invitation to Cry...The Best of the Magicians (1965-67 us, fabulous jangly folk-rock to grunge roots 'n' roll raves, Sundazed issue)

Both sides of their four 1965-1967 singles on Columbia, plus five previously unissued tracks from the same period. The possibility of an album's worth of Magicians' material has long intrigued collectors of '60s music, most of whom are only familiar with their "An Invitation to Cry" single from Nuggets. 

At times it's Lovin' Spoonful-like folk-rock (they cover two songs from the debut album by minor Greenwich Village folk-rocker David Blue); sometimes it's Young Rascals-ish soul-rock, with a poppier bent; sometimes it's journeyman blues-rock (covers of "Back Door Man" and "Who Do You Love"); sometimes it's fair period 1966 pop/rock. 

The Gordon-Bonner songwriting collaboration had not yet been cemented; in fact, there are only two Gordon-Bonner compositions here, although on some of the other tracks, one or the other wrote with other partners. In retrospect, it's unfortunate that the Magicians didn't hold together longer, until the Gordon-Bonner team had matured, but fate plays its own cards. 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. An Invitation to Cry (Alan Gordon, James Woods) - 2:55
2. Rain Don't Fall on Me No More (arr. J. Townley, B. Wylde, A. Polhemus) - 2:25
3. About My Love (David Blue) - 2:04
4. I'll Tell the World About You (A. Gordon, A. Jacobs) - 2:52
5. Lady Fingers (Garry Bonner, Alan Gordon) - 2:45
6. Angel on the Corner (A. Jacobs) - 2:18
7. I'd Like to Know (David Blue) - 2:34
8. Back Door Man (Chuck Berry, Chester Burnett, Willie Dixon) - 2:16
9. That's What Love Is Made Of (Warren Moore, Smokey Robinson, Robert Rogers) - 2:38
10.Double Good Feeling (G. Bonner, Alan Gordon) - 1:58
11.I Won't Be Here Tomorrow (G. Bonner, A. Jacobs) - 2:32
12.You're So Fine (Lance Finnie, Willie Schofield, Bob West) - 2:35
13.Who Do You Love (Ellas McDaniel) - 3:54

The Magicians
*Garry Bonner - Bass
*Alan Gordon - Drums
*Allan "Jake" Jacobs - Guitar
*John Townley - Guitar
Additional Personnel
*Rod Bristow - Vocals

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Sperrmüll - Sperrmüll (1973 germany, intriguing hard rock with some prog and psych moves, 2005 digi pack edition)

Sperrmüll is a German rock band founded in Aachen in the early 70s.
In 1971, Harald Kaiser and Reinhold Breuer decided to form a trio. His name sperrmüll. Then one day, Helmut Krieg arrives with his guitar and arrangements and the group is started. From that time, the group became a quartet with the involvement of Peter Schneider to play keyboards. The group's name is somewhat obscure because "Sperrmüll" is a German expression that means garbage in bulk.

They recorded one album for the label Brain in a very limited edition in 1972, in a manner also quite anonymous Dieter Dierks studio in Stommeln produced by a Chazadu surely a pseudonym.A test similar to the very successful early Deep Purple in Nosferatu and even Rufus Zuphall, This album has long been a precious rarity vinyl

Sperrmüll offers a burly album called simply "Sperrmüll" songs are in English and not overloaded instrumentally speaking, but the group actually plenty to offer. Mainly Heavy Rock, but with many additions musiqu progressive, guitar as well as the organ.

The original LP consists of 6 songs, then later be digitally added two songs ("You Have To Leave" and "To Be Satisfied").The set is however complex and dynamic improvisations in between some vagueness (many Hammond organs and guitars Heavy catchy) arrangements and folk epic flute.

The opening track is a pop folk entitled "Me And My Girlfriend" controlled first by mandolin and piano, lead, little by little, through the organ and synthesizer to an end much more Heavy Blues. "No Freak Out", Prog majestically, is the song of the group's most famous because it is found on most long compilations of Krautrock for several years. A good choice because it is a good mix of psychedelic ingredients in a style close to Pink Floyd combined with a monotonous rhythm. "Rising Up" is a bit more spacy sometimes reminiscent of Deep Purple, Eloy or even Grobschnitt.

The Hard Rock "Right Now", an epic nine minutes begins some unusual way, because only bursts of guitar and drums hell are dueling for a moment. After several minutes, the song turns into a calmer perfectly structured piece with a jazzy piano and a powerful bass, and finally ending in Hard Rock again. Perhaps the best part, because of these innovations varied.

The last two tracks "Land Of The Rocking Sun" and "Pat Casey" are not really important, because they are typically Rock songs, while the second has a more pronounced rhythm style Boogie Woogie.

by Adamus67

Tracks
1. Me An My Girlfriend - 5:05
2. No Freak Out - 6:43
3. Rising Up - 6:32
4. Right Now - 9:09
5. Land Of The Rocking Sun - 4:30
6. Pat Casey - 3:20

Sperrmull
*Helmut Krieg - Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals
*Harald Kaiser - Bass, Vocals
*Reinhold Breuer - Drums, Percussion
*Peter Schneider - Organ, Electric Piano, Synthesizer

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Classical M - Bad Guys The Complete Collection (1967-70 france, delirious provocative psych rock, 2005 release)

Classical M could have made a great album if given the chance. As it is, the songs contained on this disc make for a stunning collection, with the band’s psychedelic flourishes, outrageous melodies, and fantastic attention to production detail evident throughout. 

This profoundly original music was made in three short years (1967-1970): twenty-four delirious and provocative songs that establish Classical M as perhaps the best, and certainly the most intriguing French band of all time. 

Their offbeat sense of rhythm and harmony, the complex intertwining of voices, and perhaps more than anything, their unusual practice of trying to play all sorts of instruments—be they electronic or traditional—these elements make the music of this odd French trio unique and very special. 

by Vincent Tornatore

Tracks
1. Love, Love Is There - 2:42
2. Gog Demagog (Pipo, G. Maruani, A. Maruani) - 2:53
3. Bad Guy - 4:02
4. The Way I Do Love You - 2:50
5. Such a Lovely Voice - 5:49
6. Once in a While (Demo Version) (G. Maruani, A. Maruani, H. Bratter) - 2:35
7. Music of the Rain (A.K.A. Mélodie de La Pluie) - 3:08
8. Decomplexion (Classical M) - 9:03
9. Ugly Room - 1:51
10.Ever Be My Friend? - 2:29
11.Paris Est une Ville d'Alcooliques - 4:39
12.J'Ai Décidé - 3:02
13.Le Romancier Tchèque - 3:10
14.J'Entends Les Étoiles (G. Maruani, A. Maruani, H. Bratter) - 4:06
15.Sisyphe - 2:06
16.C'est La Guerre (G. Maruani, A. Maruani, H. Bratter) - 2:16
17.Pauvre Cobaye (A.K.A. Cow-Boy) (G. Maruani, H. Bratter) - 1:40
18.Une Rivière Qui S'Égare (G. Maruani, H. Bratter) - 2:43
19.Un Jour de Chance (Demo Version) - 2:29
20.Love You One Another (G. Maruani, A. Maruani, H. Bratter) - 3:11
21.Marouanabab (Classical M) - 3:15
22.Love, Love Is There (Live) - 3:34
23.Le Métro (Live) - 2:17
24.Pop Club Session (Live) - 3:17
All songs by Guy Maruani and Andre Maruani except where indicated.

Classical M
*Guy Maruani - Lead Vocals, Flute, Harmonica, Percussion
*Andre Maruani - 12 string Guitar, Oud, Violin, Keyboards, Vocals
*Henri Bratter - Lead Guitar, Percussion

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Cochise - Cochise (1970 uk, fine country folk rock with BJ Cole, Rick Wills pre-Foreigner and Mick Grabham from Procol Harum, Kissing Spell edition)

There was a lot of talent involved in the making of Cochise's debut album. Guitarist Mick Grabham went on to play in Procol Harum; bassist Rick Wills would later join Foreigner; B.J. Cole would be an in-demand pedal steel player on many sessions over the next few decades; drummer Willie Wilson would play with Pink Floyd; Dick Taylor, who'd just left the Pretty Things, produced; and Storm Thorgerson of Hipgnosis (famous for working on Pink Floyd LP covers) designed a striking and, for the period, daring cover of a woman's unadorned breasts. 

The credits on a resume don't always guarantee an outstanding album, however, and Cochise is one of those '60s-turning-into-'70s records that treads an uneasy line between eclectic diversity and a lack of direction. It's so-so period 1970 British rock, distinguished just slightly by a more country-ish flavor than the norm, courtesy of Cole's pedal steel. It's not country-rock, however, and some of the songs in fact owe little or nothing to the form. 

Numbers like "Painted Lady" and "Moment and the End" are tense, meandering hard rock tunes; the latter cut, in fact (as well as sections of some others, like "Velvet Mountain") sounds kind of like late-'60s/early-'70s Guess Who LP filler. There's a wistful rural feel to parts of the material that suggests some promise, but that mood's shattered by an unnecessary, pedestrian heavy rock cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "59th Street Bridge Song." 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Velvet Mountain (Mick Grabham) - 3:26
2. China (Grabham)-3:55
3. Trafalgar Day (B. J. Cole) - 5:08
4. Moment And The End (Cole) - 5:58
5. Watch This Space (Stewart Brown) - 3:56
6. 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) (Paul Simon) - 3:39
7. Past Loves (Brown) - 3:38
8. Painted Lady (Grabham) - 7:03
9. Black Is The Colour (Traditional) - 0:56

Cochise
*Stewart Brown - Guitar, Vocals
*B.J. Cole - Dobro, Guitar, Pedal Steel, Cello, Steel Guitar
*Mick Grabham - Organ, Guitar, Piano, Keyboards, Vocals
*Rick Wills - Bass, Vocals
*John Sly Wilson - Percussion, Drums, Vocals

1970-72  Cochise – Velvet Mountain An Anthology (2013 remaster)

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Crazy Mabel - Crazy Mabel (1971 uk, stunning blues rock with progressive mood)

British sextet released in 1971 their sole album (a live recording) only in Germany and Netherlands. A heavy psych blues rock with jazz and progressive touch, from excellent musicians like Mike Connell on guitar, Allan Spriggs on vocals and Geoff Leigh (form Henry Cow fame) on saxes and flute.

Tracks
1. Intro Talking - Crazy Mabel - 3:20
2. Keep On Rolling - 3:40
3. Driving Song - 3:58
4. Beat Goes On - 6:40
5. Rag And Bone Man - 4:55
6. It´s Alright Ma - 4:51
7. You´ve Never Had It - 4:39
8. Sleepy Feeling - 4:27
9. Tea Time - 3:57
10.Splitting - 4:48

Crazy Mabel
*Mick Connell - Lead Guitar
*Jim Sullivan - Bass
*Les Cirkle - Drums
*Alan Spriggs - Vocals
*Geoff Leigh - Saxophone, Flute
*Bryn Collinson - Tenor Saxophone
with
*Tom Parker - Piano

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Harlem River Drive - Harlem River Drive (1971 us, awesome latin jazz funky psych)

The reason this record is "legendary" is because it marks the first recorded performances, in 1970, of Eddie and Charlie Palmieri as bandleaders. The reason it should be a near mythical recording (it has never been available in the U.S. on CD, and was long out of print on LP before CDs made the scene), is for its musical quality and innovation. 

The Palmieris formed a band of themselves, a couple of Latinos that included Andy Gonzales, jazz-funk great -- even then -- Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, and some white guys and taught them how to play a music that was equal parts Cuban mambo, American soul via Stax/Volt, blues, Funkadelic-style rock, pop-jazz, and harmonic and instrumental arrangements every bit as sophisticated as Burt Bacharach's or Henry Mancini's or even Stan Kenton's. 

One can hear in "Harlem River Drive (Theme)" and "Idle Hands" a sound akin to War's on World Is a Ghetto. Guess where War got it? "If (We Had Peace)" was even a model for Lee Oskar's "City, Country, City." And as much as War modeled their later sound on this one record, as great as they were, they never reached this peak artistically. But there's so much here: the amazing vocals (Jimmy Noonan was in this band), the multi-dimensional percussion section, the tight, brass-heavy horn section, and the spaced-out guitar and keyboard work (give a listen to "Broken Home") where vocal lines trade with a soprano saxophone and a guitar as snaky keyboards create their own mystical effect. 

One can bet that Chick Corea heard in Eddie's piano playing a stylistic possibility for Return to Forever's Light As a Feather and Romantic Warrior albums. The band seems endless, as if there are dozens of musicians playing seamlessly together live -- dig the percussion styling of Manny Oquendo on the cowbell and conga and the choral work of Marilyn Hirscher and Allan Taylor behind Noonan. Harlem River Drive is a classic because after 30-plus years, it still sounds as if listeners are the ones catching up to it. It's worth every dime you pay for it, so special order it today. 

by Thom Jurek

Tracks
1. Harlem River Drive (Theme Song) (C. Clash, E. Palmieri) - 4:11
2. If (We Had Peace Today) (J. Norman, Al Taylor) - 3:02
3. Idle Hands (M. Hirscher, B. Bianco) - 8:29
4. Broken Home (C. Clash, E. Palmieri, C. Palmieri) - 10:37
5. Seeds of Life (C. Clash, E. Palmieri) - 5:09

Musicians
*Randy Brecker  - Trumpet
*Burt Collins  - Trumpet
*Ronnie Cuber  - Brass Arrangement, Saxophones
*Cornell Dupree  - Guitar
*Reggie Ferguson  - Drums
*Bruce Fowler  - Trombone
*Andy González  - Bass
*Gerald Jemmott  - Bass
*Bob Mann  - Guitar
*Nicky Marrero  - Drums, Timbales
*Dick Meza  - Tenor  Sax
*Jimmy Norman  -   Vocals
*Manny Oquendo  - Congas, Cowbell, Timbales
*Eddie Palmieri  - Piano
*Charlie Palmieri  - Organ
*Eladio Perez  - Congas
*Dean Robert Pratt  - Drums
*Bernard "Pretty" Purdie  - Drums
*Barry Rogers  - Trombone
*Allan Taylor  - Choir, Chorus
*Marilyn Hirscher  - Choir, Chorus
*Victor Venegas  - Bass

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Human Beinz - Live In Japan (1968 us, great garage 'n' beat, extra studio tracks issue)

Youngstown, OH's the Human Beinz were one-hit wonders in the United States, their cover of the Isley Brothers' "Nobody But Me" being their only major chart success, but they fared better in Japan, where they topped the charts with their versions of "Hold on Baby" and "Turn on Your Love Light." the Human Beinz had already broken up when "Hold on Baby" became a sensation in Japan in the spring of 1969, but they were persuaded to reunite to play a string of shows in the Land of the Rising Sun, and to the surprise of the group one of their shows at Tokyo's Shibuya Public Hall was recorded and released as a live album in Japan. 

While their hit singles were blue-eyed R'n'B workouts, on their albums the Human Beinz revealed they were clearly more interested in hard rock and the occasional psychedelic freakout, and they try to have it both ways on Human Beinz in Japan; all three hits are here, but the bandmembers attack them with significantly more force than they did in the studio, and they take the opportunity to run through some of their more idiosyncratic material, such as the tough rockin' "I've Got to Keep on Pushin'," the eccentric "My Animal," the concisely titled "Boogie," and some strong versions of tunes by Jimi Hendrix ("Foxy Lady"), Buffalo Springfield ("Mr. Soul"), and the Rolling Stones ("I'm All Right"). 

John "Dick" Belley and Ting Markulin's guitars offer a lot more bark on-stage than they did in the studio, Markulin is a passionate vocalist, and Mel Pachuta and Mike Tatman make for a fine, propulsive rhythm section. In Japan may have been something of an afterthought for the Human Beinz, but it offers proof they were a better live band than most short-lived acts of the era, and it certainly deserves a hearing in the group's homeland. 

by Mark Deming

Tracks
1. Hold On Baby - 2:30
2. Foxy Lady - 4:24
3. This Lonely Town - 2:25
4. My Animal - 2:34
5. Turn On Your Love Light - 3:33
6. Two Of A Kind - 3:02
7. Mr.Soul - 2:14
8. Boogie - 2:45
9. I've Got To Keep On Pushin' - 2:48
10.Dance On Through - 2:58
11.I'm All Right - 5:48
12.Nobody But Me - 3:36
13.The Piper - 2:07
14.My Generation - 4:49
15.Gloria - 2:25
16.Times Are Changing - 2:02
17.Nobody But Me (Different Version) - 2:14
18.Evil Hearted You - 2:11
19.Little Girl Of Mine - 2:15
20.I've Got To Keep Pushin - 2:39
Bonus tracks 13-20, studio outtakes not including on their previous releases.

The Human Beinz
*John "Dick" Belley - Guitar, Vocals
*Ting Markulin - Guitar, Vocals
*Mel Pachuta - Bass, Vocals
*Mike Tatman - Drums

1968  The Human Beinz - Nobody But Me / Evolutions 

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The Hook - Will Grab You (1968 us, hard’n’heavy treasure unearthed)

Formed in 1968 by onetime members of LA’s Leaves, The Hook were one of the first power trios to start working similar blues-based territory mapped out by Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Well connected to the Vox amplifier company, they were, by all accounts, loud and gutsy on the West Coast ballroom circuit – though such power doesn’t always translate well on this, their first album.

The group’s driving force was undoubtedly guitarist Bobby Arlin, whose attacking playing utilised many of the new studio effects that had become available, with the rhythm section giving him a frame to climb around. The band weren’t averse to the odd quiet moment either, as with Everything’s Groovy and the somewhat incongruous addition of a glockenspiel on You Know I Do.

by Kingsley Abbott

This is actually their first album released 1968, Lizard label by mistake credit it as 1970 release.

Tracks
1. Homes - 3:50
2. Lookin' For You - 3:00
3. You Know I Do - 2:30
4. Turn Your Head - 3:17
5. Son Of Fantasy - 2:30
6. Dr. B & His Friends - 3:52
7. Plug Your Head In - 2:50
8. Everything's Groovy - 1:47
9. Garbage Man - 2:15
10.Dimples (J.L. Hooker) - 2:51
All tracks by Bobby Arlin and Buddy Sklar except where noted

The Hook
*Buddy Sklar - Bass
*Craig Boyd - Drums
*Bobby Arlin - Guitar

1968  Hooked

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