Hug's Neon Dream, from 1975, by request

 

The only album from this band named after Mike Hugg who wrote two phenomenal SSW albums just prior to this. I've loved those 2 (Somewhere from 1972, and Stress and Strain from 1973) deeply forever for their warmth and passion and the inventive songwriting he brought to the table. Note that he also played with Manfred Mann for a brief period.

On this record there is more energy and funk and less of the delicacy, electric guitars being front and centre (John Knightsbridge being the highly competent guitarist), but it's still quite strong in terms of composition (all by Mike). Title track (not necessarily the best one this time):

It closes out with the part-of-the-times 10 minute long opus, Star Traveler-- like I always say, we were promised back then, when I was a child, a beautiful future with space travel in our lifetimes... hardly could have known we wouldn't even make it back to the moon in more than 52 years... and, I might add, humans probably will never step foot on it again the way things are turning out.

Another great Japanese guitarist, Katsutoshi Morizono (from Guitar Workshop) 1978 to 1981

 

Turns out we encountered him before with Guitar Workshops. Particularly with the latter I should have been more diligent with pursuing all the fusionary artists to their original discographies. I thought I posted Prism, the Japanese fusion band, but it seems I didn't.

From discogs:

Japanese jazz guitarist.

Born February 18th, 1954.

In Groups: Bird's Eye View, Kazumi Watanabe With Friends, Prism (9), 四人囃子, 森園勝敏スーパーグループ, Tetsu & The Good Times Roll Band

In the late 70s he made some really nice fusion stuff which is similar to the previously posted guitarist Akiyama. From the first album with the delightful French surreal lithograph drawing of a someone smoking a pipe and paddling unicycle-style through the water, there is a cover version of the inimitable and so memorable composition by James Vincent called Space Traveller (posted here).  Here's Dark Side of the Fish:

Shockingly from the 1980 album Escape, the hard hitting instrumental Bathyscaphe:

Nicu Alifantis from 1979, 1984

From discogs:

Romanian musician, actor and poet of Greek-Macedonian origin, born 31st May 1954 in Brăila.

Founded Fundația Nicu Alifantis in 1999.

Sites: alifantis.ro 

This is lovely ssw stuff with some nice prog touches, mostly in the acoustic guitar folky vein as basis.

The second track gives you an idea:

The next album from 1984 of course lost the progressive touches but is still quite firmly rooted in the 70s ssw tradition, thankfully. Sonet, from that one:

[US] Chameleon - Rising, from1973 to 1978 [limited time only with flacs]

 

A wonderful rerelease of material from the 1970s in the hard prog vein, like Magik Dayze, ultimately not quite as good (but then how many are as good as them?), still hugely enjoyable.  These guys hailed from Houston, Texas. Of course the only release from them. I love that they have enormous energy on these mostly vocal tracks, but also they have lots of keyboards and hammond all over the place giving it that classic early 70s hard prog sound. There are times, here and there, where they might be caught copying such classic American bands as Kansas and there are even touches of Cathedral 'Stained Glass Stories' in there. More likely it's Yes-influence that I'm hearing.

Mirkwood Forest:

And I love the tritonal riff on the guitars on Saturate:

Crossing's Air Balloon from Germany, 1983

 

Contemporary jazz instrumental tracks with loads of improvising by this one-off German group that included Florian Poser on vibes and marimbas, whose stuff was posted earlier of course here recently, and in other places remotely. The title track as sample: