Eko Roosevelt in Kilimandjaro my Home from 1976

 

Eko:

Cameroonian musician, pianist and singer (born in Kribi in 1946), studied in Dakar, then Paris, where he released a number of LPs & singles (1975 to 1982), before returning to Kribi.

Ba Bahani sounds like something off the 1970s pop charts, except for the wonderful African lyrics and casually out of sync style of singing:

You should listen all the way to the end when it slows down and gently ends with the wonderful Rhodes complementing the vocalizing.  

By the way I listened to the previous album from 1975 and wasn't too impressed by it compared to this one, which is a bit more developed and varied.  And the next one after this is called Funky Disco Music (1979), so I didn't stray so far.  

But I enjoyed this a lot.

J.O.B. Orquestra's 1978 Open the Doors to Your Faith

 

Complete change in direction now, with mid-1970s funk /soul from this one-off album / group. 

So it's similar to anything from Motown from that period, but lacking the disco moves, thankfully, think The Jackson 5, The Stylistics, or even Marvin Gaye.

This is a creation masterminded by Jorge Barreiro. (Don't know anything about him in particular.)

Without a doubt the 'hit song' from this LP is the one called Only Faith and Hope:

Wow if only we had faith and hope today. Try convincing the 'C'est les Tenebres' French students for example.  Try convincing the Brazilians, half of whom just voted to destroy the Amazon forest and our collective human future.  Try convincing anyone anywhere in the world today who thinks electing authoritarians is going to lead to better lives for everyone plus prudent management of our children's future.  There's this thing called 'history' that tells us what happens in those countries.

Note the track called I believe in thee, which not only sounds like Marvin Gaye but uses the modulated into minor key bridge trick he employed so masterfully for What's Goin' On, and Mercy, Mercy:

It's not progressive, but I love this kind of soulful songwriting, having grown up with it of course.

Care of the Cow's Dogs' Ears are Stupid from 1983, cassette

 

I posted their wonderful, wonderful 1981 album (I still don't know your style) long ago here (10 years ago!), now this, the follow-up from 1983, is finally available.  Since we're further into the 1980s we wouldn't expect too much crazy RIO prog and indeed we don't get a lot of it at all, despite the fact the band name references progmasters Henry Cow.

A track called Cemetery is quite representative:

There are not a lot of songs that really remain memorable after first listen unfortunately, not like the 1981 one.  Some reggae, some straight up songs, a lot of silliness of course.  Needed for completeness though.

Back to Nirgal Vallis with El Orfebre from 1991

 

I was searching for this one since way back when, here, when the first album from this group was posted.  The discogs info is on this page.  This second album is cassette only, so god bless the ripper from the bottom of my heart. Style is classic Mexican acoustic symphonic prog, so it will appeal to many many folks.

First track, called Entre las Cinco y las Seis:

It's quite surprising that this came out in the late year of 1991, it sounds very much a part of the late seventies sound.  Another nice track called Crisis starts with a muted-string bass riff, then builds up really nicely with modulations and the gradual addition of other instruments to an electric finale:

Altogether, this album is a bit more new agey, laidback, less energetic, and folk-derived than the recently posted album Tirelli's Profeta, but relatively similar, especially when compared to the next few posts coming this week which will be all over the map.

For those ever curious like me, the word orfebre means goldsmith.

Catching up with Mezzoforte (with unreleased material)

 

Recall I posted their first couple of LPs here.  This one fits with those as it includes earlier material that was unreleased.  It's databased here, and I should've added it to the earlier post before giving up on this band.  But better late than never, as we say.

Note the following:

This compilation was released after Mezzoforte gained popularity in UK and Europe with the track 'Garden Party' from the album Surprise Surprise (relased in 1982).

Tracks were taken from previous albums, Í hakanum (or Octopus) and Þvílíkt og annað eins.

Tracks 'Eftirsjá / Octopus', 'Með mátulega hóflegri bjartsýni / Modestly Optimistic', and 'Greiðið Afnotagjöldin / Pay Your License' were omitted.

Check out in particular the nice, almost Finnforest sound of a composition called Sweet Nothings:

I'll take a break again until Monday with a lot more beautiful lost music...  Believe it or not, a lot more great stuff to hear.