The Bob Bath Band, Traces of Illusion from 1984 USA

Kind of like a library fusion album with different thoughts, good ones and sometimes excellent ones, but perhaps failing to come together as a whole, I was reminded of this one after posting Aurora Borealis-- not that they are similar,  but because it was also featured on Tom's Cd reissue.

This is all instrumental electric guitar music with a distinct twinlike resemblance to the early Glenn Phillips albums, Lost at Sea, and Swim in the Wind.  If anyone hasn't heard those two, make every effort to do so soon, they are really worth listening to.  At one time long ago they were posted on the mutant sounds blog as can be archaeologically seen there still.  A tragic demise in the blogosphere that was.  But it remains as a powerful resource encyclopaedia for progressive music of the past, I only wish song samples had been added, as we do here, so that you could still get a taste of the posts now that links have been deleted everywhere.

The first Bob Bath track, Sunrise, authentically introduces you to the style:





A track called Wheel is quite well composed, esp. as library music:





Incidentally the record review blurb on the bottom of the back is interesting to read, with its hesitating attempts to classify this style.  That obsession they had back then with slotting music into its proper category-- the inevitable apologies when it didn't adhere to its type-- and the penalty for those poor artists who tried to break free into more creative amalgams-- how limiting it all appears to us now!

Enjoy this lost gem.