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VanderGraafKommandöh 
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 Posted: August 23 2006 at 22:21 |
My recommendation:  Astrid Pröll - Astrid Pröll Now available is their self-titled debut album and personally I feel it's my favourite album of the year so far. The band hail from Puerto Rico and play a mix of styles, all definitely progressive and blend them all together to make a wonderful sonic soundscape. Think of Robert Fripp playing on Third, with Gary Windo playing saxophone, but with a post-rock feel and you have the awesome track "Laboratorio Grotowsky". Also expect some ambient soundscapes, that remind me of post-rock, as well as psychedelic space rock, on tracks such as "Obígenes del Movimiento" and "Resistencia". And then there is the avant-garde feel to the whole album, which incorporates some nice samples and incidental sounds, as well as some gorgeous synth. The lineup (some instruments I don't know, as the liner notes are in Spanish): Georgie Castro-Ramirez: guitars, alto sax Agustín "Chito" Criollo: bajo, guitar, synth, vox Andrés Lugo: guitarra preparada, synth Fernando Rosado: drums, percussion Guests Raúl Gaúd: teclados on "Orígenes del Movimiento" and "Disidente" Ariel Hernández: ruido on "88MHz" Bebo Rivera: Fender Rhodes on "Laboratorio Grotowsky" Milton Barreto: tenor sax on "Laboratorio Grotowsky" Tracks 1. Pröll 1 2. Catástrofe 3. Perro Negro 4. Disidente 5. Orígenes del Movimiento 6. Resistencia 7. 88MHz 8. Pröll 2 9. Torso 10. Laboratorio Grotowsky You can hear four tracks from this album on their MySpace site: www.myspace.com/astridproll so check them out! Finally, the album can be purchased for $12 (using PayPal) from www.noisexrecords.comChamberry maybe able to offer further information.
Edited by Geck0 - August 31 2006 at 00:49
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Eetu Pellonpaa
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Posted: August 24 2006 at 06:51 |
If you like PROCOL HARUM's "In Held Twas In I" epic from their " Shine On Brightly" album, try listening WIGWAM's "Henry's" epic from their first studio album " Hard N' Horny", it's a bit similar epic concisting from several short songs, filling up whole LP side, it's quite good in my opinion and it's released one year after the album mentioned first, probably influenced by it. The first 400 copies of that WIGWAM's albums had freehand drawn covers, and the reissues have this kind of jacket:
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King of Loss
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Posted: August 25 2006 at 11:13 |
The new Dream theater dvd and cd, BUY IT OR DIE! 
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VanderGraafKommandöh
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Posted: August 25 2006 at 11:24 |
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I think I'd rather die, if it's all the same, thanks!
Astrid Proll!
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chamberry
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Posted: August 25 2006 at 16:00 |
I don't think that there's much to add since you decribed it nicely and I still haven't heard it...  , But just to add some more info of the band I'll post their biography. Formed
in summer 2004 by 4 veterans of the local experimental music
scene:Astrid Proll adds up to the new local avant-garde musical
movement with a challenging and broad sound. The innevitable conclusion
of more than 15 years of musical career. Agustin "Chito" Criollo on
Bass guitar, Synths and Vocals; Georgie Castro-Ramirez on Guitars and
Alto Sax; Andres Lugo on Synths, Prepared Guitars and Percussion and
Fernando Rosado on Drums and Percussion compose this already infamous
quartet of Experiemental Prog-Psyche Rock band. It is intended that
Astrid Pröll's musical proposal, at times chaotic at times apocalyptic,
mirrors the social and political reality that surrounds it. Their debut
CD, released on the local indie label Noisex Records, depicts the
cornerstone of all future AP's recordings blending some of the most
visible influences of tha band together in a "Hallucinating Journey of
Epic Proportions through Frenetic Rythms and Blissfull Noise..." This
is only the beginning of a new cicle for these not-so-new performers
from the local scene. An innevitable evolution towards a musical
territory much more faithful to their music's reality. The developing
of a work space that will be able to integrate the artist and his
endevour. Be that as it may, we will always know it as Astrid Pröll.
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Epitath
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Posted: August 25 2006 at 19:24 |
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I dont actually thing its defined as prog, but theres an south african band called juluka which plays Folk-rock, but being african it has some amazing rhythms and the like, and all in all i think it does sound "proggy". I cant really explain what its likeso hear for yourselves, if you ever see a Juluka album, buy it! its worth it!
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VanderGraafKommandöh
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Posted: August 27 2006 at 00:32 |
 chamberry wrote:
I don't think that there's much to add since you decribed it nicely and I still haven't heard it..., But just to add some more info of the band I'll post their biography.
Formed
in summer 2004 by 4 veterans of the local experimental music
scene:Astrid Proll adds up to the new local avant-garde musical
movement with a challenging and broad sound. The innevitable conclusion
of more than 15 years of musical career. Agustin "Chito" Criollo on
Bass guitar, Synths and Vocals; Georgie Castro-Ramirez on Guitars and
Alto Sax; Andres Lugo on Synths, Prepared Guitars and Percussion and
Fernando Rosado on Drums and Percussion compose this already infamous
quartet of Experiemental Prog-Psyche Rock band. It is intended that
Astrid Pröll's musical proposal, at times chaotic at times apocalyptic,
mirrors the social and political reality that surrounds it. Their debut
CD, released on the local indie label Noisex Records, depicts the
cornerstone of all future AP's recordings blending some of the most
visible influences of tha band together in a "Hallucinating Journey of
Epic Proportions through Frenetic Rythms and Blissfull Noise..." This
is only the beginning of a new cicle for these not-so-new performers
from the local scene. An innevitable evolution towards a musical
territory much more faithful to their music's reality. The developing
of a work space that will be able to integrate the artist and his
endevour. Be that as it may, we will always know it as Astrid Pröll.
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I have been talking with Agustín today and he's a very nice guy! You have to get yourself a copy of this Chamberry! I also learnt that I am currently (or was at the time of writing) the only person who has mail ordered this album, which also means I am the only person in the UK to have heard it as well (and probably that applies for the US as well). I feel kind of pleased and privileged about that. Hopefully if I hype it enough, I can add some more UK people to the list! I insist on you getting a copy though. When you do also, please try and review it, as the band need reviews for their press pack! I'll be writing mine very soon.
Edited by Geck0 - August 27 2006 at 00:32
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chamberry
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Posted: August 27 2006 at 12:41 |
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Hopefully we'll encourage people at PA to get the album too. I'll do the same with my friends in Puerto Rico too, but it's hard since there aren't many adventorous music listeners where I live. I'll also write a review when I get a hold of the album. From their songs at Myspace they sound promising and I wan't them to keep up with the good work.
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Bryan
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Posted: August 28 2006 at 01:05 |
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Though they aren't prog, I have to bring up a band I've discovered in my membership with the post-rock experts team. Shogun Kunitoki are from Finland, and play a hypnotic style of minimalistic electronica (?) created entirely with computers. Their sound is extremely reminiscent of something modern classical composer Steve Reich might do, basing itself entirely around repetition and hypnotic techniques. Despite this general approach, the music manages to create a very full sound and an almost upbeat feeling. It's perfect background music while doing something else, but the slow progressions and lush sound textures make it equally stimulating to focus on. Their debut album was just released this year, and is entirely worth checking out for anybody with an interest in any sort of ambient or otherwise repetitive instrumental music.
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tucker
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Posted: August 28 2006 at 06:00 |
from my brother's archive ... Santana : caravanserai, Oneness ..and from mine... Journey : in the beginning Wolverine : Still , cold light of monday. Bye 
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Cynic
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Posted: August 28 2006 at 07:37 |
Im sure you all know of them, but if you haven't listened to any Kayo Dot, I'd reccomend it. Its classified as Psychedelic/Experiemental, but its some pretty good stuff.
Formerly Maudlin of the Well.
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lucas
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Posted: August 28 2006 at 18:10 |
Epitath wrote:
I dont actually thing its defined as prog, but theres an south african band called juluka which plays Folk-rock, but being african it has some amazing rhythms and the like, and all in all i think it does sound "proggy". I cant really explain what its likeso hear for yourselves, if you ever see a Juluka album, buy it! its worth it! |
Is that the same band Johnny Clegg used to play with ?
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"Magma was the very first gothic rock band" (Didier Lockwood)
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avestin
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Posted: August 29 2006 at 22:47 |
Andrew has mentioned this band before, and I want to resurrect it again.
The band I mean is Group 1850 from The Netherlands.
I have two albums by them:
Agemo's Trip To Mother Earth (1968)
Polyandri (1974)
There are two more:
Paradise Now (1969)
Group 1850 Live (recorded 1969, released 1975)
They have the 60's rock sound in their earlier material and then you get a very nice psychedelic sound, trippy organ sound with the vocals overhead and an overall spacey atmosphere.
Here are some links:
This is taken from one of the links above:
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Agemo's Trip To Mother Earth
(1968)
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Tracks:
- Steel sings (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [3:02]
- Little fly (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [4:17]
- I put my hands on your shoulder (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [13:36]
- You did it too hard (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [2:10]
- A point in this life (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [5:03]
- Refound (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [3:02]
- Reborn (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [3:31]
CD Bonus tracks (Pseudonym release):
- Misty night (1966)
- Look around (1971)
- I want more (Fingertips) (P. Sjardin) [2:04] (1967)
- I know (La Pensé) (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [3:12] (1967)
- Mother no-head (H. van Hemert, P. Sjardin) [3:25] (1967)
- Ever ever green (P. Sjardin, H. van Hemert) [3:17] (1967)
- Zero (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [3:29] (1968)
- Frozen mind (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [3:40] (1968)
- We love life (Like we love you) (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [4:29] (1968)
- Fire [2:31] (1971)
- Have you ever heard [3:36] (1971)
- 1000 years before [2:38]
- Dream of the future [2:33]
CD Bonus tracks (Rotation release):
- I know (La Pensé) (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [3:12] (1967)
- I want more (Fingertips) (P. Sjardin) [2:04] (1967)
- Mother no-head (H. van Hemert, P. Sjardin) [3:25] (1967)
- Ever ever green (P. Sjardin, H. van Hemert) [3:17] (1967)
- Zero (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [3:29] (1968)
- Frozen mind (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [3:40] (1968)
- We love life (Like we love you) (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [4:29] (1968)
- Mother no-head (H. van Hemert, P. Sjardin) (French version) [3:40] (1967)
- Mother no-head (H. van Hemert, P. Sjardin) (Instrumental) [3:38] (1967)
Musicians:
- Beer Klaasse: Drums
- Peter Sjardin: Keyboards, vocals, flute
- Daniël van Bergen: Guitar
- Ruud van Buren: Bass guitar
Guest
Hans Wesseling: Spoken word
Hans van Hemert: Vocals (on [10, 15])
Information:
Produced by Hans van Hemert
LP Philips PY 844083 (1968)
LP Pseudonym VP99-003 (1997)
CD Pseudonym CDP-1047-DD (1997)
CD Rotation 064 452-2 (2002)
Notes:
References to the track Mother No-head can be heard in the Supersister song The groupies of the band, which was released as the b-side of a single in 1971. See also here
Reviews:
Clearly a parallel group to Pink Floyd, Agemo's Trip to Mother Earth is taken from the same cloth as Saucerful of Secrets. In retrospect, though, Group 1850's work is more creative which one may expect from a Continental band without any commercial restraints. Sure, there are some pure psych moments to be had - but just hearing the title track should put anyone in awe who can hear this is an historical perspective. There just flat out wasn't anything like this in 1968. The fuzz guitar, the trippy voices, the acid induced phased effects, and the drumming (oh - the drumming). It's a bona fide masterpiece in the field of psychedelic progressive music.
(Tom Hayes, 2001, Gnosis)
Group 1850 is a Dutch band playing 60s psychedelica with elements of West Coast acid rock and early Pink Floyd. Some parts are a bit dated, especially the central "trippy" and/or hilarious part in the 10 minute plus "Ï Put My Hand on Your Shoulder". Lots of "Mother Earth" worshipping and "we should be all together" declamation in Dutch and terribly accented English and German! Nevertheless, this is quite an excellent album in the style mentioned above.
(Sjef Oellers, 2001, Gnosis)
If you buy just one late 60s psychedelic album, this would be a great start. I had a tape of it in the early 90's, and when I heard the CD came out with tons of bonus tracks, I was in heaven. It's worth the import price! Great melodies, strong guitar work, and experimentation that works! If you like Pink Floyd, Psychedelic Music, or just good late 60s music, then this is the S@#T. You may also want to check out Bent Wind, Aguaturbia, Music Emporium, Morgen, Tomorrow, etc.
One of the greatest psychedelic albums ever released. I don't say that lightly, as I own around 1000 U.S. and import psychedelic releases from the late 60s and this one is in my top 20.
(Michael Soucy, Amazon)
Group 1850 formed in The Hague in 1964 as The Klits, but chose their new name in January 1965 when Hugo Gordijn became their manager. They signed a deal with Phonogram and soon they were ready for their first album and "Agemo's Trip" was the result. It just happens to be massively psychedelic, even though not very widely known. The original sleeve notes tell of a trip of a mythical being whose spiritual father sends him on a search for enlightenment. He goes to a place (Earth) where people follow organised religion without knowing why. He enlightens the people of the world and leads them to the place (and state of mind) that he came from.
It was released in 1968, sank without a trace, and gradually became an expensive collector's item.
There are echoes of Chocolate Watchband and Misunderstood on the opener (Steel Sings), which climaxes in a stunning Airplane-like guitar solo. 'Little Fly' compounds the influences even further, sounding a bit Canterburyish in places. 'I Put My Hand On Your Shoulder' is a 13-minute epic with tremendously heavy phasing, and insistent voices talking alternately in Dutch and English. The totally surreal vocals and the drum phasing getting deeper and deeper make the track extremely freaky, but there's a reassuring quality in the midst of all the psychedelic mayhem. This track really is a psychedelic classic that make "Agemo's Trip" a must for any collection of psychedelia.
'You Did It Too Hard,' is a bit of an oddity with spaced-out hippy improvised spoken bits at the end. The album continues in similar insane style on 'A Point In This Life' with harpsichord and sliding distorted guitar. Things calm down for 'Refound" and "Reborn" the final two tracks on the original album, with gentle flutes and female vocals asking us to "look inside and find the inner light", not to mention sitar-like guitar solos and twittering birds.
There are a dozen bonus tracks on the CD reissue, mostly singles. 'Misty Night,' their first single has a tremendous garagey feel, and on 'Mother No-Head' incredibly, there is an overdriven guitar playing 'Frere Jacques' Unexpected to say the least, but it really works! From the value-for-money standpoint, it's a good idea to include these songs; whether it works artistically to include them with the concept album is doubtful.
(Doctor Dark, Pooterland)
Agemo's Trip to Mother Earth was one of the most ambitious psychedelic albums to emerge from continental Europe in the late '60s. The LP's nominal concept was, like many early such endeavors, obscure, involving something like the journey of Agemo from a paradise-like planet to the more chaotic imperfection of Earth. Musically, the record owes a lot to late-'60s British psychedelia (particularly of the Pink Floyd school), with hints of the onset of progressive rock in its less-conventional passages. Although plenty of melodic shifts, celestial organ, wiggling distorted guitar, harmony vocals, Gregorian chant-like singing, Mothers of Invention-like horns, beatific respites (on "Reborn"), and general freakiness entertainingly convey the exploration of new psychic territory, it ultimately lacks the lyrical and musical cogency of, say, late-'60s Pink Floyd. At times the bold weirdness gets self-indulgent, throwing in phased drum soloing, solemnly intoned spoken female romantic exclamations, and multilingual murmuring. The album was reissued, in its original sequence and its entirety, as part of the Group 1850 CD compilation 1967-1968.
(Richie Unterberger, Allmusic)
Legit 1997 CD reissue of the fabulous Dutch pysch masterpiece from 1968, the group's first album, originally issued by Philips in Europe only. They would follow it up with an equally good 2nd album Paradise Now in 1969, but further live albums and the disappointing Polyandri from 1975 were more marginal. The original LP sleeve for Agemo's Trip featured a 3-D design and this CD miraculously replicates that effect (3D glasses included with each CD). The CD also adds 13 bonus tracks, mostly early singles tracks (rendering a prior bootleg singles CD comp rather redundant), plus a couple of previously unreleased tracks. Agemo's Trip is in simple terms, one of the monster concept album artifacts of the psychedelic era. Beautifully dated in terms of sound & vision, it features fragile flute/piano/organ-built folk-like tracks that extrapolate into explosive guitar psych revolutions. The ghost of Jorma Kaukonen seems prominent in the lead guitar sections and a certain Airplane/Floyd approximation seems to be the goal. A tremendous value all round.
(Forced exposure)
Exact reissue of one of the greatest psychedelic albums that has ever come out of Europe. Mystical, spaced out, music by this cosmic Dutch band, filled with many diverse psychedelic effects and fantastic songs. Melody and improvisation perfectly combined. Certainly one of the greatest psychedelic albums that has ever come out of Europe. Mystical, spaced out, cosmic '60's Dutch psych filled with many diverse psychedelic effects and fantastic songs with an early Pink Floyd feel. Melody and improvisation perfectly combined. English vocals. A must!
(Freak Emporium) |
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Paradise Now
(1969)
Paradise Now
(1978)
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Tracks:
- Paradise now (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [5:22]
- Friday I'm free (D. Duba, P. Sjardin) [2:54]
- Hunger (D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [4:54]
- Circle (D. Duba, P. Sjardin) [1:08]
- Lonelyness (D. Duba, D. van Bergen, P. Sjardin) [2:16]
- Martin en Peter (M. van Duinhoven, P. Sjardin) [1:55]
- ?! (D. Duba, P. Sjardin) [7:03]
- Purple sky (D. Duba, P. Sjardin) [10:53]
Musicians:
- Peter Sjardin: Organ, vocals, flute
- Dave Duba: Guitar
- Dolf Geldof: Bass Guitar
- Martin van Duinhoven: Drums
- Daniël van Bergen: Guitar
Information:
LP Diskofoon VD 7063 (1969)
LP Killroy Favoriet KFA 13058 KL (1978)
CD Free 9105016-2 (1991)
Notes:
The Free CD release wasn't taken from the master tapes, but is a copy from a long playing record. Although the sound quality is rather good, you still can hear some unevenness. The Killroy album is a re-release with a different cover.
Reviews:
Paradise Now is possibly even better. Now they've managed to lose the trendy psychedelic trappings for a truly creative work. There is a more pervasive ethnic element this time around with wind instruments and hand percussion. It's amazing how timeless this music is 30+ years later. Just brilliant.
(Tom Hayes, 2001, Gnosis)
The group plays it spacier and lighter on their second album, with plenty of soaring guitars and keyboards and more diffuse compositions. The attractiveness of the ethereal sound almost obscures the fact that the songwriting lacks grist and cohesion.
(Richie Unterberger, Allmusic)
At first, Paradise Now, by the Dutch band Group 1850, had me quite impressed with how well they managed to evoke the sound of the 1960s -- until I realized that the album was recorded in 1969! For some reason I'd initially thought they were a contemporary act. Regardless, I like this album. It's the first one I've gotten in a while that's made me want to play it on repeat, not so much because any particular moment is especially addictive but simply because I very much enjoy the overall feel of it -- relaxed and loose, but not meandering, and recorded in a way that's pleasing to me. Considering that they get a fair number of Pink Floyd comparisons, that probably shouldn't come as a surprise -- though, then again, I've found that comparisons to Pink Floyd are almost always bullsh*t. Actually, though, when I listen to this disc, I find myself thinking of Jimi Hendrix (or even Black Sabbath) more than Pink Floyd. In the album's last track, a 11-minute jam called "Purple Sky", there's a moment, about 4:25 in, where the lead vocals sound uncannily like Hendrix -- if I didn't know better (and I don't) I'd have said it was Jimi himself. The track sounds a hell of a lot like "Voodoo Chile" as it is, given that it's in D minor and 6/8 and basically has the same chord changes and the same feel...actually, listening to it now, at times it borders on being a full-fledged ripoff of "Voodoo Chile", not that I have any objection to that.
Another thing: it's a really well-sequenced album. At 8 tracks and 36 minutes it may seem like it'd be hard to screw it up, but it'd also be tough to improve on it. The short little songs are placed just about perfectly, so that they break up any possibility of monotony without breaking up the flow of the album. "Purple Sky" is the album's longest track, and putting it at the end is just right, but it doesn't bog things down by being there, either.
You know, this is a damned good record! I don't know why I like this album so much, but something about it is really sitting well with me. It's a bit like a cross between Electric Ladyland, Pangaea, and some Dutch ancestor of the American Analog Set. It seems like it'd be the perfect disc for hanging out late at night with a few friends and a bottle of wine -- you can give it your full attention and find it completely rewarding, but it's also recorded and structured in a way so that it ought to be easy to have a conversation while it's playing, while still being able to feel it in the background. Given how good this disc is, I'm surprised that I've never heard of it before -- I just blundered upon it randomly, and thought I'd give it a try. (Actually, I snagged it nearly two months ago and only gave it my first listen within the past day or two.) Lately it seems like whenever I check out '60s stuff I haven't heard -- whether by bands I've never heard at all (Chocolate Watchband, 13th Floor Elevators), or by bands from whom I've only heard one or two songs (Small Faces, Zombies, Count Five) -- I end up disappointed, bored, or otherwise less than engaged: they're just not the kind of music I'm looking for. (I don't need to see their identification -- they can go about their business.) So it's nice for a change to dig up an album that has a lot of the qualities that I value most both in 1960s music in general, and in the albums I love from that time.
(Eyes That Can See in the Dark)
The 1969 second album by Group 1850, a Dutch heavy psychedelic group featuring (in addition to the usual bass, drums, and guitars) some freaky flute and droning organ, plus effects-laden vocals in accented English. Spaced-out-there in the Floyd realms for sure. Their first album, 1968's "Agemo's Trip To Mother Earth" is considered a sixties psych concept album classic, and this ain't too shabby either. Songs like "Purple Sky" and "Hunger" are quite stoned-sounding, and probably sound even better if you are.
(Aquarius records)
Raving, drooling psychedelia of the best and trippiest with haunting songs dripping from lysergic tongues of flame. One of the best psychedelic albums of any time (it's from 1969) and place (Holland) finally available again on CD, and it's about time, too. Eerie, long instrumental passages of hypnotic organ, and biting fuzzed out lead guitar, with touches of Hendrix blues and early Floyd spaciness.
(Eclipse records)
Phew ! What a mind blast ! The second album by Group 1850 and, although the first was pretty hard to beat, we reckon this is easily the best one. Grade "A" trippy dutch acid psych with wah wah guitars panning all over the place, hallucinatory keyboards, dreamy percussion and fried lyrics. "Thursday I am Friday and Friday I am freeeeee" Includes the classic title track as well as "Purple Sky" and other skunk classics....You need this....believe us....
(Freak Emporium) |
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Live
(1974)
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Tracks:
- Paradise now (D. Duba, P. Sjardin) [2:04]
- Years in every day (D. Duba, P. Sjardin) [5:23]
- Between 18 and 50 part VII (D. Duba, P. Sjardin) [15:11]
- Purple sky (D. Duba, P. Sjardin) [4:59]
- Noyas congas (N. Noya, P. v. Wageningen, P. Sjardin) [5:08]
- Verandering (P. Sjardin) [15:51]
Musicians:
- Peter Sjardin: Organiser, vocals, sound effects
- Dave Duba: Guitar, vocals
- Dolf Geldof: Bass guitar
- Paul van Wageningen: Drums
Guests:
Ko Sprang: Saxophone (on [2])
Neppy Noya: Percussion (on [4] and [5])
Information:
Recorded live in 1969. Tracks [1] and [2] recorded at Tivoli, Utrecht. Tracks [3] and [4] recorded at Tin Pan Alley, Emmen. Track [5] unknown and track [6] recorded at Slijkeinde, Den Haag.
Verandering means Change.
The organiser is a sort of synthesizer built by Sjardin.
LP Orange OP1 (1974)
CD Progressive line PL500 (2001)
Reviews:
This is spacerock at it's best. They sound a lot more aggressive and heavy than on their studio albums. When you are looking at comparison, it reminds a lot like Hawkwind's Space Ritual (1973).
The album opens with the title track of their second album, Paradise now. A short track to set the tone. Next is the track Years in every day, which would later appear on the album Polyandri. A heavy rocker with some great guitarplay by Duba and some spacey organ and sax solos. The next track is also a new track. This is probably their best space-rocker. It is a long track with a pounding rhythm and again great organiser and guitar solos. The conga playing of Noya gives the track at times an ethnic atmosphere. Half way the track Sjardin sings just like Jimi Hendrix. If you are into space rock this is absolutely the best track of the album. It is followed by another tune from the Paradise now album, Purple sky. It sounds less bluesy than on the studio album and more spacey, great performance indeed. It is followed by the improvised Noyas congas. This one sounds a bit like Camel's God of light. The album ends with the track Verandering. This is a solo performance by Sjardin on his home made Organiser. It is an SF, psychedelic spacey soundscape where he demonstrates all the possibilities of this strange instrument.
All in all this is a great album and a great performance by Groep 1850. Anyone who like some good space rock should buy this album.
(Dutch Progressive Rock of the Seventies)
Now we are talking ! Here at long last is the CD reissue of this rare album that collects together live performances by the mind bending dutch psych band at the peak of their career in the late '60's. Long drug fuelled tracks with a 15 minute version of "Verandering" and great versions of "Years In Every Day" "Purple Sky" and "Paradise Now" Spliff up Now.....
(Freak Emporium) |
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Polyandri
(1975)
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Tracks:
- Jojo (P. Sjardin) [1:34]
- Between eighty and fifty: part 1850 (P. Sjardin) [2:57]
- Flower garden (P. Sjardin) [0:32]
- Thousand years before (P. Sjardin) [4:35]
- Starfighter (P. Sjardin) [2:29]
- Silver earring (P. Sjardin) [4:10]
- Patience (P. Sjardin) [2:48]
- USSR gossip (P. Sjardin) [5:03]
- Cages (P. Sjardin) [5:23]
- Avant les pericles (P. Sjardin) [6:19]
- Pumping up the rubber trees (P. Sjardin) [3:11]
Musicians:
- Barry Hay: Flute (on [6])
- Hans Dulfer: Saxophone
- Marc Boon: Guitar
- Neppy Noya: Percussion
- Paul van Wageningen: Drums
- Peter Sjardin: Organiser, piano, vocals, flute
- Frank van de Kloot: Guitar
- Dave Duba: Guitar
- Leo Benninck: Guitar
- Dolf Geldof: Bass guitar
- Martin van Duinhoven: Drums and percussion
- Maarten Lucas Troost: Piano and voice
Information:
Produced by Peter Sjardin
Barry Hay is the vocalist of the Golden Earring.
Frank van de Kloot played guitar in Drama.
LP Rubber RR 1851 (1975)
CD Twilight Tone TT013 (1997)
Reviews:
One would expect that after 5 years, a band would have changed directions radically. Especially in an era when musical trends changed with the seasons. Perhaps a fusion album? Hard rock maybe? Pop? But not Group 1850. Still going after it with their unique brand of psychedelic progressive music. In fact, Polyandri is more refined and varied - being a primarily instrumental album. This album features an array of sounds from complex prog rock compositions to simple bluesy workouts onto trippy psych organ based excursions similar to their first 2 LP's. Wonderfully out of touch for 1974!
(Tom Hayes, 2001, Gnosis)
In 1974 Group 1850 finally recorded another album. A few tunes had already been worked out during live show, such Between eighty and fifty, which can be heard on the album Live. And also the track Thousand years before sounds familiar, since it is a reworking of Years in every day. A track that was also released on the album Live, recorded in 1969. So it is no surprise this sounds lovely out of date. This album contains some great, mainly instrumental space rock. Most tracks segue into each other.
(Dutch Progressive Rock of the Seventies) |
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Live On Tour
(1976)
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Tracks:
- Aperitive [7:23]
- Hoes D‘œvre [7:19]
- Main dish [8:13]
- Side dish [24:05]
- Dessert [6:21]
Musicians:
- Peter Sjardin: Organisor
- Hessel de Vries: Fender piano, synthesizer
- Neppy Noya: Congas
- Arthur Ebeling: Guitar
- Paul van Wageningen: Drums
Information:
This album was released in 1976, but was recorded earlier. The sleeve doesn't give any information when and where it was recorded, but it was probably in 1973.
LP Rubber RR 1852 (1976)
CD Progressive Line PL501 (2001)
Reviews:
This is another great live album by Groep 1850. Unfortunately the album doesn't give any information on where or when it was recorded. The music is still heavy spacerock, but there are some changes when compared to the album Live (1974). During this performance they don't have a bass guitarist so the bass parts come from a synthesizer, this gives the overall sound an even more science fiction like sound. Also van Wageningen and Ebeling are more jazz musicians, so the sound is also more jazzy. But is is unmistakingly the spacey Groep 1850 sound.
The album opens with Aperitive, which is a synthesizer only track. It develops in the second track which reminds me of an Ozric Tentacles tune. The third track is probably their most jazzy, especially in the middle part. The fourth track starts with a lot of percussion but then becomes an old fashioned space rock piece, including some inspiring guitar and organiser solos. The album ends with another percussive jazzy track.
(Dutch Progressive Rock of the Seventies)
Live album from 1973 when the band went in a jazzy space rock direction. If you like the Ozrics and a mug of mushie tea then this is definitely an album for you. Long synth, percussion and guitar tracks, - one at over 24 minutes long - filled with Jamming, tripped out n' stoned freak music from the good old days.
(Freak Emporium) |
Musicians
Groep 1850 (1966-1968)
Livin' Blues (1968)
Boots (1968-1969)
Q65 (1970-1974, 1980)
Finch (1974-1976)
Contributions:
 Musicians Union Band: Musicians Union Band (1971)
The Klits (1964-1966)
Groep 1850 (1966-1975)
Sjardin's Terrible Surprise (1979-1981)
 Live 1 (1982)
Groep 1850 (1966-1968, 1969)
Boots (1968)
Groep 1850 (1966-1968)
Boots (1968-1969)
Livin' Blues (1969-1972)
 Wang dang doodle (1970)
 Bamboozle (1972)
Long Tall Ernie & The Shakers (1974-?)
Burning Sun (?)
Groep 1850 (1968-1969)
Contributions
 Hans Dulfer & Ritmo Naturel: Candy Clouds (1971)
Burning Sun (?)
Groep 1850 (1968-1969, 1975)
Groep 1850 (1968, 1975)
Sail-Jola (1971-1972)
Wally Tax & Bamboule (1972)
Lazy Bones (1989-1991)
Trio Ab Baars (?-now)
Contributions
- Hans Dulfer & Ritmo Naturel: Candy clouds (1971)
- Musicians Union Band: Musicians Union Band (1971)
- Winanda del Sur: Double eclipse (1991)
- Saskia Laroo: Jazzkia (1999)
 Paul van Wageningen ( Drums)
Groep 1850 (1968-1969, 1975)
Ahora Mazda (1971)
Wally Tax & Bamboule (1972)
Beehive (1972-1974)
Contributions
 Hans Dulfer & Ritmo Naturel: Morning after the third (1970)
 Kaz Lux: Monk? (1974)
 Frank van der Kloot: Fontessa (1976)
 Frank van der Kloot: Fontessa (1976)
Groep 1850 (1969, 1975)
Wally Tax & George Cash (1973)
Beehive (1973-1974)
Massada (1975-1976)
Vitesse (1978)
 Out in the country (1978)
Suara Maluka Band (1980)
Contributions
- Jackpot: Everybody happy with jackpot (1974)
- Kaz Lux: Monk? (1974)
 Golden Earring: Contraband (1976)
- Maggie MacNeal: Fools together (1977)
 Jan Akkerman: Jan Akkerman (1977)
 Eef Albers: Blue capricorn (1977)
 Jan Akkerman & Kaz Lux: Eli (1977)
 Jan Akkerman: Live in Montreux (1978)
- Plant: Lifelong guarantee (1979)
 Jan Akkerman: 3 (1980)
- Rosa King & Upside Down: So far to go (1980)
 Harry Sacksioni: Het dubbelleven van Holle Vijnaman (1980)
 Batida: Batida (1984)
 Chris Beckers: Wild kingdom (1993)
- Julya Lo'ko: Colour me forever (1995)
- ANNA: Morning after (2001)
 Hessel de Vries (keyboards vocals)
Met & Zonder (1968)
Pocomania (1968)
Angelflight Railways (1970)
George Cash (1970)
September (1971)
Wally Tax & Bamboule (1972)
Wally Tax & George Cash (1973)
Groep 1850 (1975)
Massada (1976)
Footswitch (1977)
Contributions
- Ronald Snijders: Natural sources (1977)
 Floor van Zutphen: First floor (1979)
- Latul: Latul (1981)
- René Engel: Despite Opposition (1995)
 Arthur Ebeling ( Guitar)
Sail (1973-1975)
Rosa King (1975)
Groep 1850 (1975)
Stampij (1976-?)
Capsones (1981-1983)
 Bah (1982)
Big Shot and his Rocking Guns (1983)
Jump!Dickie Jump! (1984-1986)
 Jump!Dickie Jump! (1986)
 Goin' out (1987)
Solo (1988 - now)
 Simple man (1993)
 Piggydog (1995)
 A rainy night in Paris (1999)
 Dreams (2000)
Groep 1850 emerged from the renowned Dutch group Klits (short for 'clitoris') from The Hague. The line-up in 1965 consisted of: Peter Sjardin (vocals), Trevor Dirksen (guitar), Caspar Kiebert (drums), Chris Zieck (bass) & Jacques de Jong (guitar). On 1st January, 1966, the group renamed itself into Groep 1850. Their progressive music immediately revealed that the group was far ahead of its time!
In 1966, the line-up changed to: Peter Sjardin (vocals, flute, organ), Ruud van Buuren (bass, in 1969 to Livin' Blues), Daniel van Bergen (guitar & piano), Beer Klaasse (drums, ex-Kick & Defenders; in 1969 to Q65) & Rob de Rijke (bass, flute; ex-Subterraneans). In September 1967 they played at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, opening for the Mothers of Invention. The LP "Agemo's Trip To Mother Earth" was the first Dutch concept LP featuring works of poet Hans Wesseling (1968).
In 1968, the group disbanded for almost a year and then chose Amsterdam as the home base for their reunion. The new line-up consisted of: Peter and Daniel (who'd played with the Boots in the meantime) and some new members: Dave Duba (g, ex-Burning Sun), Dolf Geldof (bass, ex-Burning Sun) and jazz drummer Martin van Duynhoven (a.o. ex-Hans Dulfer). From 1971 onwards, Groep 1850 worked on and off.
In 1974 Groep 1850 disbanded once again, after working on the "Orange Upstairs" project. Two years later, a live LP was released by the ever-active Peter, with cooperation of Hessel de Vries, Neppy Noya, Arthur Ebeling (guitar) & Paul van Wageningen (drums).
After a call for autographs through the "Basta" magazine in 1979, the LP "Paradise Now" (earlier released by V&D) was re-released. Soon thereafter, Peter formed a new group: S.T.S. (Sjardin's Terrible Surprise). Line-up: Ella Elbersen (v, to Herman Brood), Robbie Smit (v, to Herman Brood), Axel Westerduin (b, ex-Stock, replaced in 1980 Kees van Vooren, who went to Just Like Eddie), Mike Willis (g, ex-Eyes, replaced in 1980 Wouter Planteijdt, ex-Door Mekaar, to Herman Brood) and Wilfred Versnellens (dr). In 1981, the group name was changed into S.I.X. (Sjardin's Invisible X-factor). In 1982 an LP by Sjardin's Terrible Surprise was "posthumously" released. GROEP 1850
1966 Look around/Misty night Yep 1013
1967 I know (La pensee)/I want more Philips JF 333835
Mother nohead/Ever ever green Philips JF 333901
1968 Zero 1850/Frozen mind Philips JF 333973
We love life/Little fly Philips JF 334646
LP Agemo's trip to mother earth Philips PY 844083
1969 Pipeline/ ?
LP Paradise now Diskofoon VD 7063
1970 Don't let it be/Sun is coming Action 2102004
Sun is coming/We change from day to day Intertone
1971 Fire/Have you ever heard Polydor 2050111
1973 LP 1850 live [opnamen 1969] Orange OP 1
1974 Orange Upstairs, first experience Universe
1975 Mother nohead/Fire Philips 6012500
LP Polyandri Rubber RR 1851
1976 LP Live on tour Rubber RR 1852
1979 LP Paradise now [re] Killroy KFA 13058 KL
S.T.S.
1982 LP Live 1 Black Hole VR 22037
In 1974, Groep 1850 performed under the name of Orange Upstairs ("Oranje boven") and released an album in the following line-up: Peter Sjardin (v, o), Martin van Duynhoven (d), Dave Duba (g), Hans Dulfer (sax) and Ed Neumeister (b). 1974 LP First experience Universe
Dutch ChartsGROEP 1850
30-12-67 SINGLE 24 5 MOTHER NOHEAD
Submitted by: Adri Verhoef ([email protected])
Groep 1850 was formed in The Hague, in November 1964, by Peter Sjardin. He was, in turn, discovered by Hugo Gordijn when he was playing with a band called The Klits in the basement of a bowling alley in Scheveningen. Says Gordijn: "The Klits played funny and different kind of music, very good in a comical sort of way."
When The Klits decided to work with Hugo as their manager, the band's name was changed to Groep 1850. Their first gig in March 1966 at the Scheveningen Casino impressed the crowd, the band's name immediately became known on the underground scene. Sjardin copies members of bands such as The Move and The Who by mutilating his keyboard on stage. Their music of that period is best described as avant-garde rock with psychedelic influences, and a comparison with The Mothers of Invention would definitely be in order.
Paul Acket released the first single on his Yep label, entitled, "Misty Night"; it sounded not unlike Q65 and the Pretty Things. Radio Caroline gave the song lots of airplay, hence the band garnered even more attention in Holland. As a result, Hans van Hemert offered the band a contract. At the end of 1967, "Mother No-Head" was released; it became a hit song. A little detail: Van Hemert did the vocal part on this one!
This success landed the band their first tour of Germany. Sjardin remained the only member of the band to stay until the breakup in 1975. At a certain moment, something happened that caused the collapse of the band. Jaques Senf, Freddie Haayen, Beer Klaasse, Ruud van Buuren and Dean van Bergen were invited to join other bands. Beer went on to Q65 and Ruud joined Long Tall Ernie and the Shakers. Martin van Duynhoven (drums) Dave Duba (guitar), Dolf Geldof (bass) joined Groep 1850 in their stead, while Dean van Bergen came back.
The band embarked on a heavy touring schedule; once a month they played at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Groep 1850 supported groups like The Kinks, The Troggs, The Rolling Stones, The Mothers of Invention and Pink Floyd. Hugo was very much impressed by Zappa. Frank was very gentle, not as weird as people might have thought he was. In England, Groep 1850 played at the Speakeasy club, promoted by the Apple organisation of The Beatles. A drug bust organised by the police at that event unfortunately banned the band from playing in the UK.
What are the original members doing now?
Peter Sjardin lives in a basement somewhere in Amsterdam. Beer Klaasse is a successful manger at The National Printing company. Dean van Bergen lives quietly with his dogs at Loosduinen. Martin van Duynhoven is still an active drummer in the music business.
During their existence, Groep 1850 was always an underground band. Therefore, expect to pay a lot of money for their original singles and LPs nowadays.
However, if you're looking just for their music, there's no need to pay that much anymore: in late 1997, Pseudonym has released the band's first album on CD. Not only that, but the said CD also contains 13 previously unavailable (on CD) bonus tracks including their entire collection of singles, originally released between 1966 and 1971, plus two previously unreleased tracks.
Taken from "Agemo's Trip To Mother Earth" CD, Pseudonym CDP 1047 DD
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VanderGraafKommandöh
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Posted: August 30 2006 at 22:20 |
Assaf, that's the longest post I've ever seen! 
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eugene
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Posted: August 31 2006 at 12:50 |
Geck0 wrote:
Assaf, that's the longest post I've ever seen!
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Sure it is. 
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carefulwiththataxe
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Andrea Cortese
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Posted: August 31 2006 at 13:44 |
eugene wrote:
Geck0 wrote:
Assaf, that's the longest post I've ever seen!
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Sure it is. |
Congratulations, Assaf!! That's impressive, I surrender!!!
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avestin
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Posted: August 31 2006 at 15:29 |
There is no need to congratulate me, most of is copy and paste from the source pages. I always feel the need to bring as much info as possible here so that you can read all of the info without having to leave this site, and even thread and get as much knowledge as possible about the discussed band.
Now for something I recently discovered. Let me (again) copy and paste my post from the RIO thread:
I recently bought cd's from ReR USA and they send you two sampler cd's filled with tracks from various avant-garde artists.
I am very pleased with this since it lets me sample many artists which I have not heard yet and some I have never heard before.
Many tracks herer I liked a lot, but I want to mention one group in particular who plays a frantic melange of free jazz and has the rio sound that you may find in other bands of the genre particularly those that Chris Cutler was involved in, since, well, he is in this band as well...
The group is called Ec Nudes.
Now here is what Chris says about this group in his site:
THE (ec) NUDES
I had been in touch with Amy for along time before we met. She was working for the Musak corporation then and Recommended distributed her first LP.
1992 found me touring with Wadi Gysi and Hans Reichel - shortly after they had both toured with Amy- and a little later, while Wadi and I were doing a series of duo performances, the two of us began discussing the idea of a more organised group playing written rather than improvised music. Amy's was the first name to came up. So we called her and that was the beginning of The (ec) Nudes. I wrote a number of texts, which I sent both parties, then we met, rehearsed, toured and made our first CD, The Vanishing Point, in a single sweep. The Nudes was a straight-ahead band project: basic composition by individuals, collective arrangements and plenty of space for extemporisation. We recorded in France and Switzerland (with Bill Gilonis engineering). But, once we had the songs to tape, I had a strong intimation that mixing would be problematical. Although I had never relinquished hands-on participation in mixing before, on this occasion I suggested we hand the whole project to new ears in order to give the material its best shot. I had known Bob Drake for many years, both as an engineer and a musician (Thinking Plague, Hail). And I had worked with him too, in the touring version of Hail. So, I suggested he mix the CD alone. The group sent the masters to LA; Bob sent a coherent album back. And, for future tours, since Amy was somewhat over-demanded - being bassist, saxophonist, accordionist and singer - we invited Bob to join us. This quartet toured all over Europe and visited Brasil, but never recorded. Fitting schedules together was becoming increasingly difficult, and in light of various other internal complications, I decided in 1994 to leave. Amy and Wadi continued as The Pale Nudes, taking on a new bass-player and drummer. WHAT'S IN A NAME-
THE NUDES because I thought it would be funny, look great on posters and be nice to live with. But at the last moment it had to become the (ec) NUDES (which is funnier, luckily) since it turned out that there was already a folk group in New York called The Nudes, and we didn't want to tread on their toes (them being nude and all). ON RECORD:THE VANISHING POINT (1994) ReR N1CD
And here is what allmusic says:
vanishing point - album reviews |
| This collaboration between avant-garde everyman Chris Cutler, ex-Tone Dogs vocalist Amy Denio, and experimental guitar player Wadi Gysi produced only this one album, but what an album. Denio leads the album with her wild three-octave-range vocals and dexterous accordion and sax playing, while Cutler and Gysi alternately construct tight, intimate spaces for the sound or wide panoramas. There's also a sense of humor at work; "Opening" and "Qu'est Que Tu Fais?" recreate the atmosphere of a stadium rock concert for the intro and outro of the kind of music that would never receive such an ovation. "Crystal Palace," while again demonstrating Cutler's politically insightful lyrics, plays a rollicking good tune. The highlight, for musicality and Denio's voice, could be "O Pastor," a cover of a song by Madredeus, a dynamic rush of up-tempo music over which Denio's voice hovers like some apparition. A rich and rewarding album. ~ Ted Mills, All Music Guide |
Here is a little info about Amy Denio who is a member of this group as well as a composer and a multi-instrumentalist (sax and accordion).
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amy Denio (b. June 9, 1961) is a Seattle (USA)-based multi-instrumental avant-garde jazz musician and composer. She is probably best known as an accordionist and saxophone-player. Among her current musical involvements are Kultur Shock (drawing heavily on Balkan music) and the all-female The Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet. She has also collaborated repeatedly with the Pat Graney Dance Company.
Her first recordings were in the early 1980s with the Entropics. Since then, she has performed with (among others) Francisco Lopez, Danny Barnes, the Tone Dogs, the aforementioned Billy Tiptons, Pale Nudes, Blowhole, the Danubians, Chris Cutler, Guy Klucevsek, Pauline Oliveros, Relâche, Curlew, Matt Cameron, Hoppy Kamiyama, Derek Bailey, and the Shaking Ray Levis.
During the 1980s, Denio had a day job at Muzak.
A link to her site:
Enjoy
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mukster
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Posted: September 01 2006 at 01:29 |
lucas wrote:
Epitath wrote:
I dont actually thing its defined as prog, but theres an south african band called juluka which plays Folk-rock, but being african it has some amazing rhythms and the like, and all in all i think it does sound "proggy". I cant really explain what its likeso hear for yourselves, if you ever see a Juluka album, buy it! its worth it! |
Is that the same band Johnny Clegg used to play with ? |
Yes it is. Juluka morphed into Savuka, with the sound becoming a little more mainstream.
I would not really call this prog at all, but great music nevertheless. Try and find "African Litany" or "Universal Men" and give them a spin.
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"Johnny calls the chemist, but the chemist doesn't come"
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avestin
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Posted: September 01 2006 at 11:07 |
Two bans to mention, one is already listed in PA and the other not yet.
Their bio from their PA page:
SKELETON CREW biographySkeleton Crew came into being more or less by accident. In 1982 Fred Frith and Tom Cora planned to work together in a quartet, but in a bizarre coincidence the other two members both suffered from collapsed lungs within a couple of weeks of each other. Frith and Cora elected to go ahead and work as a duo, playing all the instruments themselves. Skeleton Crew became, in effect, two one man bands playing simultaneously - Frith on guitar, 6 string bass, violin, piano, keyboard and vocals; Cora on c...Skeleton Crew came into being more or less by accident. In 1982 Fred Frith and Tom Cora planned to work together in a quartet, but in a bizarre coincidence the other two members both suffered from collapsed lungs within a couple of weeks of each other. Frith and Cora elected to go ahead and work as a duo, playing all the instruments themselves. Skeleton Crew became, in effect, two one man bands playing simultaneously - Frith on guitar, 6 string bass, violin, piano, keyboard and vocals; Cora on cello, bass, keyboard and vocals; and both played different parts of a drum kit, using pedals and home made contraptions so as to play different instruments simultaneously. This initial line up also used tapes in the way that more contemporary acts would use sampling - voices from TV and radio, clips of adverts and similar found sounds were incorporated into their music. They toured extensively, and for a while Dave Newhouse of the Muffins joined on sax and drums. In 1984 Zeena Parkins of News From Babel became a permanent third member, playing organ, harp, accordion, drums and singing. In 1986 the band split, shortly after completing their second studio album. Fred Frith said of the original duo "It's all just on the edge of breaking down all the time, which is a quality that I've always liked. I don't like things to be too easy." and of their decision to split "We actually started to sound like a normal rock and roll band so it seemed kind of pointless to go on at that point."
Skeleton Crew released two studio albums, both recorded at Sunrise Studio in Switzerland. The first, Country of the Blinds, was released in 1984 and was by the original duo of Frith and Cora. There's an engagingly ramshackle quality to this album, with the two members seeming to switch between instruments just in the nick of time. This, coupled with their use of found sounds, gives the music a kind of punky energy. There's no disguising their very high standard of musicianship, though, and there are moments of beautiful instrumental interplay. Learn to Talk (1986) was recorded as a trio with Zeena Parkins and has a more polished sound, and as a trio they abandoned the use of tapes. There were also several cassette only live recordings issued during their career. The two studio albums were reissued on a single CD (with some tracks omitted) in 1990. In 2005 a double CD was issued containing the original studio albums in their entirety, plus selected live recordings. Frith and Cora reunited briefly in 1995 for Etymology, a CD of sound samples. Tom Cora died in 1998, and the recent CD reissue is dedicated to him.
In the 1980s Skeleton Crew's DIY approach was a welcome relief from the increasing blandness of most mainstream music in the 1980s, while their extremely well developed musical skills helped then to transcend the possible limitations of their stripped down line up. While they are definitely part of the RIO/Avant prog genre and their music involves impropvisation, the focus on relatively short, song based material makes them relatively accessible.
Dates, facts and quotes taken from Wikipedia.
Why this artist must be listed in www.progarchives.com :
Skeleton Crew featured members of several seminal RIO bands (Curlew, Henry Cow, Art Bears, News From Babel and The Muffins) and were one of the most important RIO acts of the 1980s.
Discography:
Country of the Blinds (1984)
Learn to Talk (1986)
Country of the Blinds/Learn to Talk (single CD reissue)(1991)
Country of the Blinds/Learn to Talk (double CD reissue)(2005)More links:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeleton_Crew_(80s_band) The second band is The Flying Luttenbachers.Go here to read about them and listen to several songs:http://nowave.pair.com/luttenbachers/new_contents.htmlhttp://www.myspace.com/theflyingluttenbachershttp://www.southern.net/southern/band/FLYLU/http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=tfl-iadhttp://www.epitonic.com/index.jsp?refer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.epitonic.com%2Fartists%2Ftheflyingluttenbachers.htmlHere is something to get an initial idea about them (copied from their website):
Badaboom Gramophone#3/
"The Bands Not In The Trouser Press Guide Guide", 1998
The Flying Luttenbachers have quite an impressive history for a band whose lineup seems to be constantly in flux. The one constant in the Luttenbacher equation is drummer Weasel Walter, who formed the band in the Fall of 1991 while he was a student of Hal Russell's in Chicago. Walter had been a fan of Russell (leader of the explosive NRG ensemble, a must-listen for those who enjoy good music) since high school, and was thrilled at the chance to play with someone he admired so much. Walter's friend Chad Organ (tenor sax) started playing with them as well, and in December of '91, they formalized things by naming their trio the Flying Luttenbachers.
On Febrary 6, 1992, the initial lineup of Walter, Russell, and Organ made their first and last public appearance, a live show on college radio station WNUR. Live at WNUR - 2/6/92 is similar to some of Russell's NRG Ensemble work, but a bit more frenzied and loosely constructed. This album shows the Luttenbachers at their closest to pure jazz; it is fast and furious, upbeat and funny. The unifying theme to the Luttenbachers sound is already evident: short bursts of noise strung together with energetic abandon, yet somehow evincing an aura of control and overall melody.
After this performance the group kept practicing, but Russell was losing interest as Walter was presenting more structured material. Russell quit the band a few weeks before they were due to record their first seven-inch for Quinnah in June of '92. Not willing to give up a chance to record, Walter recruited Ken Vandermark (sax and clarinets; now famous for his work in NRG, DKV, and the Vandermark 5), whom he had met playing in Anthony Braxton's Orchestra. This seven-inch was called 546 Seconds of Noise, and was shortly thereafter followed by another seven-inch called 1389 Seconds of Noise.
Toward the end of 1993, the Luttenbachers recorded their first proper LP (now also available on CD), Constructive Destruction. Walter, Organ, and Vandermark are joined here by Dylan Posa on electric guitar and Jeb Bishop on bass and trombone. The music here embraces a more punk rock/No Wave aesthetic than was evident on Live at WNUR. Think Scissor Girls and God is My Co-Pilot with more extended and structured improvisations. Vandermark captures the spirit of Hal Russell but shows more range, inserting beautiful threads of melody along with squawks and honks. Posa's guitar is prominent and a prime factor in making this more of a rock outfit than in the past.
Destroy All Music features the same lineup as Constructive Destruction, but with Vandermark taking guest credits on about half the songs. The album sounds very similar to Constructive Destruction, possibly a bit less structured. The No Wave influence is very apparent. This album doesn't quite measure up to previous of future efforts, if only because it doesn't display the huge leaps of progress which other albums do. Nevertheless, it is a worthwhile addition to the catalog.
Revenge of the Flying Luttenbachers, recorded and released in 1996 on Skin Graft, is certainly a turning point for the band. Here, our heroes make the transition from "punk jazz" to "metal jazz". The change in sound is most noticably due to the change in lineup and instrumentation - no horns! For this album, Walter's former bandmates are gone and he is joined by Chuck Falzone on guitar and Bill Pisarri on bass, violin, clarinet, etc. Walter himself still sticks mostly with drums, but does play saxophone as well on a few tracks. The drum/guitar/bass combination lends the band the texture and feel of a traditional rock band, but the basic structure of the Luttenbachers songs are far from it. There are still the quick bursts of noisy energy and improvisation, but these are joined by extended guitar riffs and more balls-out cock-rock than has been evident in the past. In fact, at many points in this record, the band sounds very similar to a Black Metal or Death Metal band. This metal is well-tempered by the sensibilities of the avant-garde jazz artist, though, and is all the better for it.
1998's Gods of Chaos album is quite appropriately titled. The lineup (finally) remains the same as the last album, but the overall sound is markedly different. This may be due to Walter's time working with Lake Of Dracula and on the Marlon Magas seven-inch. Where Revenge was incredibly tight and clean-sounding, Gods sounds more loose and sprawling. Gods features more loosely associated songs, with dense noise bleeding into extended soundscapes and compositions informed by minimalism. This was hinted at on Revenge, but is more fully developed here. There are moments which display the depth of the Dead C and the creativity of the Boredoms, while still staying entrenched in the Luttebachers ethos of loud jazz.
As a final note, the Luttenbachers must be seen live to be fully appreciated. Their live shows are transcendent and to listen to the records is to only get a part of the overall experience. It's not just that they put on a great show, it's that something is lost when the music is recorded. There is so much going on in their music, and so much depends on the spirit and energy of the moment of spontaneous improvisation, that trying to capture it through mere technology is insufficient.
--Jeff Stern
Edited by avestin - September 01 2006 at 11:09
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avestin
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Posted: September 01 2006 at 11:34 |
Want another one?
Listen to this Israeli band that has struggled for over 7 years to release their first album through Musea. They are called Parva (C)Hama which means Hot Fur.
They describe themselves like this:
Hot Fur is a musical emsemble founded in 1998 by the guitarist and composer Lior Frenkel. The group plays a mixture of Rock, Jazz and Classical.
You can hear the demo version of their album here:
(just click save target as over the numbers you see there)
Go to myspace to listen to some live tracks:
And this is their official site:
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/PAlogo_v2.gif "Progarchives.com Homepage")
Beer Klaasse ( Drums) 
Peter Sjardin ( Keyboards, vocals, flute) 
Daniël van Bergen ( Guitar) 
Ruud van Buren ( Bass guitar) 
Dave Duba ( Guitar) 
Dolf Geldof ( Bass Guitar) 
Martin van Duinhoven ( Drums) 
Neppy Noya ( Percussion) 
