JULY 15, 1972

Very mysterious and curious for me - always wonder where they should go toward on stage. Fusion with audience? Or mergence into the space?

In the first track Takehisa's keen and sharp-edged violin solo and warm harmonica sounds with Tokio's utterly messy jazzy drumming might strike the audience under the ground deeply. Very interesting each of their instrumental shots should go on his own way but the space should be so far from the word "loose" or "sloppy". Over 25 minutes will rush away over our brain - be immersed absolutely. And the second track is certainly shouts from the inferno...electronic earthquake can shake and break us into pieces. Such a sticky and persistent attack is surely their shout of mind, I always feel. Painful sounds. The last twisted and twittered violin missile attacks can make us more and more nauseously comfortable like cannabis. If you listen to the track on takin' a drive, you must get carsick...anesthetic carsick. And at last, you have to die out by an iron board beaten strongly and loudly!

Yes they are, as the band name says, travellers in the musical space. Indeed each member had quite different character, position and opinion for music from the others, but could push his musical style toward the others and all are well-melted and matured. Amazingly, Takehisa's violin solo navigated the band itself across the sea named "the stage" and NO other member followed the navigator - each should play as he liked LOL. However, they were wondrous harmonized completely together! Basically on stage they always tried to go for free-formed but well-balanced music and space. It's exactly beyond expression that they could construct and concentrate "three song world(s)" strictly in spite of simple but scattered and confused stuffs in the beginning.

Please enjoy the "space" travel, a Japanese pride! Anaesthetically recommended by DamoXt7942.

On my journey through Japanese Prog waters (with guidance of few kind Jap fellow-Prog- sters), I realized that this is something I will have to pass through. I like challenges and so I've tried to do this as honestly as possible.

Results are sporadic, unsure. On one hand, I feel that this isn't the kind of music I normally listen to. But as I said, this is quite common, because the more Prog I listen, the more adventurous (and open-minded) I feel. So not usual stuff, but there are certain elements that cannot be overlooked. So I'm fair (or at least trying to be), so you, dear reader, try to be fair too and don't think instantly that I want to drown this album because it sounds weird and non-conformistic. I certainly tried few times to be as open as possible.

Bunch of weird sounds and noises with a lot of empty (quiet) passages at worst, brave new finding of path through uncommon sound structures, improvization and electronic experimentation at best. This is journey. I'm unsure about album origins (I could have asked, of course).

But certainly better (for me) than Tangerine Dream's Alpha Centauri. Why comparing these two bands ? Because they have a lot in common. Except through Taj-Mahal's music is guidance in form of (ahem) harmonica. Sounds quite interesting and original, I never heard anything like that before, that's for sure. Through first track there are various sounds produced, some of them resembling horse galloping, some undefinable machine shakings, some army drums rattling etc. In this matter, "July 15" works. Or there was wind noise few times.

In originality factor, they would get very high grades, very good ones. However, as album that is intended for listening, this is worse. And sadly, I value this element too. Album that demands listeners attention (full attention) and so I'm giving it. Actually, I won't say that it's unmelodic or dissonant at all, nothing too big. It's weird and impact it made on me is big enough to make me think about this album for the rest of night. Yes, night is good time to listen this music.

Also, I'm not Psych lover by heart (only by curiosity and need to explore more music, various albums, genres, style etc), so I won't like it as Keishiro-san. So I hope this won't offend anybody. This:

3(+), however not bad rating. Actually I like it quite a lot, but I feel that I'm not the right person to evaluate this album.

Like all Taj Mahal Travellers albums, this is a superb recording. Particularly if you're into 'Kluster'. With dark creepy happenings from the outset, It reminds me very much of Cosi Fanni Tutti's Coronet horn from 'Throbbing Gristle' on the album 'Heathen Earth'

I could name many bands from the 80's who must surely have taken this album as an inspiration for their own sound. In particular 'Zoviet France', 'Coil' 'Lustmord' and early 'Current 93'.

The 'Taj Mahal Travellers' decided mainly to perform their music outdoors, often on beaches and hilltops, creating spontaneously improvised drones, delayed and reverbed violin wailings and a large number of highly unusual instruments. Very unorthodox even today, using all sorts of strange gadgets, devices and electronic filters. If you're at the extreme end of prog - this could be right up your alley.

Timeless and creepy.

"Let's build ourselves a pyramid out of air!"

And together the 7 dwarves put their heads together and conjured up an idea on how to construct monumentally colossal and intricate architecture through sound. Working together like small bees, they managed to create an unparalleled string of albums by releasing musical pheromones in the air, seducing and enticing their fellow compatriots to take part in whatever honey-dripping invisible triangular cathedral of the day. And like all bees, the fruit of the labour - the meaning of it all - was to be(e) and fly and build and buzz along with the hive...

Throwing all reviewing manners out the window is probably the best way to go about writing about an album like this anyway...... Imagine a busy beehive trying to perform Tangerine Dream's Zeit inside a huge castle of reverberating iron. That's Taj Mahal Travellers for you! Or maybe a floating sand dune elliptically crashing into an electric signal....on repeat and in different octaves.

The 7 dwarves never go for the easy way out, or maybe they do because it's the only way they can work together? I honestly don't know, but it sure is a thrilling thing to witness. The music is free - completely improvised, as all their other records are. Slow drones that edge their way forth like a bare bellied Sleepy squishing on his stomach through jello and fine sand. Unreal wind instruments like wailing trumpets that sound so frail and longing, you could swear you were listening to a mother elephant mourning the passing of Dumbo and his little mouse friend. A bass tuba that raaaaaws on like a deep pulsating wall of blackness - foxtrotting through the night with the ominous and, at the same time, gentle electronics that have a way of sneaking up on you like shadows from a moving car - the city ninjas.

Over and under this fabulous structure, you get the violin sorcery. Yet another thing that moves in mysterious ways as the good Bono says, only here it moves entirely differently than what you'd expect such a nostalgic and classic instrument to do. It slithers, writhes, drones - creates elliptic circles of sound that never really sound like a violin. It's everything but actually, and come to think of it, the violin itself is probably the best advocate for all the dwarves playing. It deceives you....tricks you into thinking that it's something else. A wonderful kind of betrayal that flusters your senses and makes belief out of everything around it. All of this music is a sweet deceptive veil dropped softly and poignantly on your ears.

Take this out among the stars and watch the universe zoom in on you. Watch them dwarves build pyramid upon pyramid....drifting and floating on the cool winter night. They sparkle and shimmer in the moonlight and make you feel as if you're witnessing things you can't and at some future time will have immense difficulty in explaining to folks who don't believe in the magic power of music that builds structures out of air and can grab you by the throat and heart and soul all at once.