Trotsky wrote: You rascal ... you make us want every album in turn ... and I only have Comus and The Trees!

I do believe it is the point of such a thread

Wait 'till you see what's coming up next

Be ready with the wallet

A small meander through folk rock/prog

Not trying to make the top 100 of any kind, but my musical adventures throughout the last 30 months (since I joined the PA) have lead me to many prog folk groups that where on my list of things to discover (since I had discovered Comus and before that Spirogyra some 15 years ago), but I finally got around to them recently and I am sure ProgArchives is partly responsible for it. This first post will be limited to groups that are present in the Archives and of a European-Cultured stock.

 Although Comus’s first album (in 71) has now become a classic of the genre, they are still not known to their just value. Among collabs, Comus is hardly a secret anymore and if they do not get a unanimity among us, it is mostly of their eerie and acid sound; Not only are the twin-lead vocals highly treble-range, but the violin and the songwriting as well as sometimes macabre lyrics, make their First Utterance album a really uncanny discourse on pagan lifestyles. Not quite as flawless as Jethro Tull’s Thick As A Brick, but it has the same sort of class. Should not be listened without the small Ep that came out at the same time called Diana. Tracks like Drip Drip and lugubrious gatefold artwork are quite unsettling, but the music grabs the progheads at his lower instincts.

A recent discovery of mine, Jan Dukes De Grey is not a person, but a trio of extremely insane young man that have written just two albums (it seems that this is frequent that most of the groups I mention here only released two albums) and if the first one is a fine Hippy-folk album, nothing was to warn us that Mice And Rats In The Loft  (if this title is not about madness) would be so fantastic and enthralling and flabbergastingly superb. Only three tracks and the sidelong track Sun Symphonia is the apex of Folk-influenced prog rock. Just as lyrically insane as Comus or Tea & Symphony, this is a MUST if you are into bizarre folk.

Another two-album group, Tea And Symphony was released on the famous Harvest label and is certainly one of the most adventurous-sounding album ever released by them. Another fully justified title about insanity:  Asylum For The Musically Insane (in 69). This album is recorded with the help of bluesy-prog Bakerloo, but it is an unmistakably acid-folk prog masterpiece. Their ever-elusive second album (Jo Sago- never released on Cd) deals with Beat Poetry and is quite adventurous also. Rather short to mid-size tracks on this album, but do not let that fool you: they are incredibly dense in music >> Psychedelics galore. Terror in My Soul and Winter are awesome and fascinating tracks.

 Spirogyra (not to be confused with the latin jazz rock outfit) is maybe my first discovery in acid-prog-folk as I discovered that this Canterbury band was a force to be reckoned with. Twin vocals (future Hatflield’s The Northettes Barbara Gaskin and main man Martin Crockerham), plenty of interplay, and strong songwriting are what makes this debut album a real gem. St Radiguns is the name of the church they were recording in, and it definitely sounds unique. The Duke Of Beaufoot is a stupendous track reminding you of Traffic’s John Barleycorn

Although uncredited Bill Bruford would have drummed for this band but the announced drummer is Fairport Convention’s Dave Mattacks on all three albums. Their last album, Bells, Boots And Shamble is maybe the most progressive with multi-movement suites. A pure marvel in prog folk, one should get a load of Furthest Point and Western World. Bassist Borrel’s son has actually paid the Archives a visit

Another two-albums folk-prog group, The Trees is a bit better known to progheads, although they were completely ignored at the time of release. Based on the same type of line-up than The Pentangle, the Trees is much rockier and much less jazz, but remain a must for the proghead. Their debut album (in the Garden Of Jane Delawney) was almost as good as

this On The Shore, but not as even. The twin guitars are working a bit like Jansch and Renbourn do especially with Celia Humphrys’s superb vocals. More traditional and certainly less insane then the previous suggestion on this list, yet another gem waiting for you. Streets Of Derry and Soldier Three are superb tracks that every progheads must know, but the rest of the album is a pure joy also.

 This UFO comes from an insane character Ramases (he and his wife walked around dressed as Pharaoh) who recorded just two album plus two early single, but their debut album has the particularity of having the full 10 CC line-up before it recorded an album. And believe me, this baby might be one of their better one. Full of naiveté, this album is hardly flawless, but makes up in inventive poppyness , what it lacks in heavy duty prog qualities. Full of catchy songs like Life Child, Balloon or The Only One, Joe , this album is certainly not outdone in craziness and its stupendous fold-out artwork (Vertigo swirl release), makes Space Hymn a delicious treat for you and your partner.

Onto the Continent now, Ripaille made only one album (bits of the second album were brilliant and are included as bonus tracks), but what a stunner it is. La Vieille Que l’On Brula is a brutally insane story about burning so-called witches and sorcery, the album is fascinating from beginning to end even if the lyrics are in French >> a plus as they are formidable. Somewhere in between Gentle Giant and Ange, this highly theatrical/lyrical music might just be the best folk album from France.

Moving onwards to Spain and its Basque province, Haizea’s debut album was a fairly straightforward folk rock album (sounding like Fairport Convention), but nothing was to prepare us for their stupendous (and sadly last) album Hontz Guaia. This stunning (but unfortunately short) album is taking you from psychadelia to pastoral ambiances to mystical heights, a pure prog haven. The sidelong title track is simply amazing in its ever-changing structure including Gregorian chants. Run for it!!!

From Germany, Parzival comes close, with their second album BaRock, to matching Gryphon or ELO’s superb debut album. Drawing heavily (like Ripaille does too) from pre-classical music, they are one of the best example of what Germany could bring. The band can only be compared to Ougenweide or Holderlin’s Traum except that Parzival sings in English. The album is an impressive demonstration in almost-medieval-like music. Thought and Black Train are incredible tracks.

Named after a poet, Hoelderlin (or Hölderlin) ‘s debut album is certainly an awesome statement and the peaceful and pastoral ambiance is incredibly joyful, positively beautiful and intensely relaxing. Released on the rare and legendary label Pilz, this album develops a superb progressive Folk Rock with a hippy ideal but does it ever bring good vibes, man!!! The gatefold artwork is a fitting image of the music if you look carefully enough. Hölderlin’s Traum is a pure gem from beginning to end. Requiem and the finale Traum are outstanding and superb for getting cosy with the partner.

Later albums are still folk prog in gradually less so as albums go on. 

Last but not least, we jump across the pond and then across the whole of Canada, to its West Coast where a duo will produce one of the most superb albums ever-recorded. Ptarmigan’s self-titled album is pure joy from beginning to end with its dreamy pastoral music and mystic chants >> you could almost believe to be on a second-phase Popol Vuh album, except that the influences are Amerindians rather than Indian. Loaded with delicious flute, most tracks are divided in section and The Island and Hymn To The Ocean are stupendous tracks .

On a second post, I will add more albums , but these are my Coup De Coeur