ISKANDER

Musically, _Iskander_ sounds quite similar to Godbluff-era Van Der Graaf Generator before the fact, since it came out in 1973. Especially the jammy parts. No lyrics or vocals like Peter Hammill, mind you...but musically similar. Charlie Mariano as guest on sax. sounds quite similar to Elton Dean of Soft Machine fame, and it was rumoured at one time that it was Mr. Dean himself. When I heard this album, I could tell right away that it was not (no slight to Charlie Mariano, though). He does a great job on sax. As an aside, check out Charlie Mariano's work on Eberhard Weber's LPs Yellow Fields and Silent Feet(both on ECM)...escpecially if you like Soft Machine.

If you like mid-period Soft Machine and mid-period Van Der Graaf Generator, check this out. Worth mentioning is that Supersister gives _Iskander_ its own stamp. The last great Supersister LP from the '70s.