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

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 second salvo of prog folk related album that you probably not see anytime soon in the Archives although these albums are much worth the proghead's attention

Tim Buckley - Happy/Sad and Lorca

Started out as a folk troubadour, to progressively slip into a folk fusion-jazz, with an amazing creativity and staying relatively free of commercial restraint from his label. Many Buckley specialist will prefer Starsailor or Goodbye And Hello as the two albums to listen to in priority, but for progheads, these two albums are clearly more of an interest, especially because of the incredibly fusion of jazz and folk all mixed under Tim’s amazing vocal prowess, Larry Beckett’s texts and the charming formation including CC Carter’s congas and Lee Underwood’s electric guitars. As mentioned in the top of this post, these two albums have not many in common with my first selection and barely fit the definition of prog folk, but the fusion elements of jazz into Buckley’s strong folky roots is quite impressive and a must for progheads to hear: strange feelin’ and Gypsy Woman being the best track on Happy Sad while the even more densely experimental (dare I say obtusely experimental?) Lorca album boasts its superb title track and Driftin’. A real experience

 

John Martyn – Outside In and Solid Air

Just as Buckley above (and we could say these two were each other’s answer’s on each side of the Atlantic) Martyn was also a pure folkie exploring folk rock and then drifting in ac more progressive fusion of jazz, blues while keeping a folk background. Another “Pete Frame Rock Family Tree” coincidence is that stand-up bass giant, the ex-Pentangle Danny Thompson played on most of Martyn’s classic records, but also gigged with Buckley while he was touring the old world. And Thompson’s playing is an integral part of these two album’s extraordinarily successful sounds. Laced with Martyn’s unique echoplex guitar techniques, and his just-as-amazing voices doing some of the finest scats (Buckley excelled in those too), Thompson’ bass playing is awesome , making both albums the top of Martyn’s career. Many very intimate moments, and the folk troubadour roots are never far away. Flabbergasting at times and a pure extasy the rest of the time.

 

Van Morrison – Astral Weeks

After leaving Them, Van The Man started doing more soul-influenced tracks (Brown-Eyed Girls) but he struck gold with his debut album (debatable since another solo soul record had been recorded the year before) where Van mixes his soulf influences with his Irish roots to give an outstanding result: Astral Weeks. Almost 40 years later, Van Morrisson has never been able to come as close to perfection as this album (the 71 St Dominic’s Preview is a distant second to this chef d’oeuvre), and for that matter of fact, no one comes as close to such a soulful voice than he does here. Again an album that should not be taken as a pure folk album, one must really listen to Van’s most melancholic voice on Sweet Madam George or the impressive brass arrangements on Young Lovers Do. Most tracks are fairly long and quickly settle in a spellbinding groove, while incredible vocal outbreaks and inventive musicianship make this 68 album completely groundbreaking. A pure delight and a must hear for every progheads. Garanteed goosebumps.

 

 

 

Tir Na Nog – A Tear And A Smile

This Irish duo’s (later a trio) second album is a logical development of the debut with their folk-troubadour, but here, they go for a rockier sound, obviously aiming at a wider audience by breaking free of clichés, but this record (and the next one Strong in The Sun) is never groundbreaking but stays very pleasant folk rock with enough rock attitude to make it at least prog-related. Outstanding tracks include the superb So Freely, Lady Ocean, Something Happened and the blistering When I come down. Just to give you the rockier tracks

 

 

 

 

happy listenings