Level F - A Stitch in Time (recorded 1975-1980) [no download]

Without a doubt the best classic progressive rock I've heard in some years, surpassing even the Zopp from last post, this is easily available here on bandcamp and I urge everyone to download it.  It was never released back in the day (composed in the late 70s).  Sounds like anything from the past among the best we've ever heard, such as instrumental ELP, late-stage King Crimson, the exceptional Romanian band Ex Q, on these pages, I brought to light the very similar Radio Piece III, or, moving to the French zeuhl dept., the amazing Xalph record.

We're talking the real deal here, including bizarre chord changes, dissonances galore, tritones and minor seconds, strange instrumentation, strange melodies, etc., all the hallmarks of this utterly unique genre.  From their page:

A Stitch in Time is a set of recordings by Level F, a Prog Rock band that was active between 1975 and 1980 in Oxford. The line up was

Malcolm Levitt - guitar
Phil Bastow - keyboards
Simon Thorpe - bass
Mark Pilkington - drums

The recordings were made by Simon's cousin, Chris Thorpe, in a home studio at the top of his parents house - Whitegates, Sparken Hill, Worksop, UK. We think it was in the spring of 1979.

The album also includes three other bonus tracks that were recorded earlier at the Oxford University Recording Society's premises in North Oxford - probably in 1976. At that point, the band's keyboard player was Marc Sheffner who was replaced by Phil Bastow in 1977.
credits
released April 1, 1989

Malcolm Levitt - guitar
Phil Bastow - keyboards (tracks 1-13)
Simon Thorpe - bass
Mark Pilkington - drums
Marc Sheffner - keyboards (tracks 14-16)

Samples
Codifier, a near-perfect musical track for me, starts with a beautiful dissonant electric piano arpeggio atop of which a reverb-laden fuzzy electric guitar plays an angry melody, a third through, the tempo changes, the music accelerates, then, typical of our favourite prog, two-thirds through another complete change in direction with a very Canterbury-like, Mike Ratledge-like, more jazzy organ / synth soloing passage:





The following track called Caroline shows a phenomenal skill at original songwriting, and melodically is not only one of the best songs I've heard in a more library genre, but stands as a simply beautiful track on its own odd-chord-change terms:






What's more amazing still is that almost every one of the 16 tracks is very strong and original.
Not only a remarkable set of classic prog, but a wonderful discovery seemingly unadvertised and unknown even among those who collect this style.  Deserves to be well-known without a doubt.  Thank you to everyone who helps bring this music to the attention of humanity.