Requested Herbolzheimer albums (1979 ST and 1981 Bandfire), lossless temp link

Extensive discography here. Most of these albums have at most 1 or 2 tracks worth listening to, and are stuffed with cover versions of sometimes ridiculous tunes, sometimes decent ones.  The album called Bandfire is roughly half covers for ex., with some tracks written by Herbolzheimer. Sadly it was difficult for me to extract a sample worth hearing from that one, never a good experience.  On the other hand, the H. composition Feet Back Brother which appeared on other albums prior, from the 1979 ST live, is nice:

Some familiar names appear in these bands, eg Bo Stief and the miraculous guitarist Eef Albers.

Anyways, very smooth fusion by this large band. It's a hard slog, perhaps pointless, if you want to go through the whole discography to find some exceptional pieces, somewhat fruitless, or perhaps a bit: fruitbit-- as opposed to fruitful.

Deus Ex Machina, Cinque, temporary link only

 

This band is like the recent times' version of the classic Italian band Aera which it really feels like a perfect continuation of. There are very harsh dissonances, even harsher singing, all in latin of course, and really bizarre chords and melodies.  Sometimes it's successful but sometimes not.  It's hard to really enjoy the vocals.

Oddly enough the title doesn't represent the number of the albums, this is likely the 7th release. If you heard their previous ones, it's pretty much indistinguishable in my opinion.

Unusually for a prog band, they have their own wikipedia and allmusic pages.

Tie Break in 1991 with Gin Gi Lob

 Just as crazy as the original one with nutty songs and odd riffs. What a shock they continued in this oddball manner into the first year of Grunge when Nirvana and Pearl Jam completely changed popular music. Thank god for uncompromising artists.

The surprisingly jazzy Ostatni Joint:

Panga lop ka:

Tie Break follows up with the 1990 Cassette Duch

 

The music albeit experimental has gotten a bit more laidback and ambient in places. Crazy vocalizing still appears here and there. Some tracks feature / are spoiled by some insane (take away the s?) ethnic styled chanting. Nonetheless I reassure you this is worth hearing.

Title track:

Tie Break, 1989

 

The band achieves a remarkably complex progressive fusion sound on top of harder rock with all the electric instruments active and in the forefront. This is the first one from 1989. I appreciate that it's very much rock based, but combined with the oddest sounds, melodies, riffs, somewhat like what the early 80s Germanic progressive rockers were doing along the lines of say Kjol. Really a nice find, and again, out of the blue. And out of the ballpark too.

Zamulony (Dull) :

Walking in Space, Japan 1971

The band made one album back then in 1971, databased and documented here.

Sadly quite a few cover versions, even some Beatles songs (Lucy in the Sky, Day Tripper). 

Best track, Sophisticated Us:

Setting aside the Beatles-derived title, Wake up Sunshine demonstrates clearly the early Chicago/BST/horn rock influence:

Tomasz Stanko: Balladyna, Music 81, Lady Go

 

From discogs:

Tomasz Stańko (born July 11, 1942 in Rzeszów; died July 29, 2018 in Warsaw) was a Polish trumpeter, composer and improviser, associated with free jazz and avant-garde music.

In the early days (seventies) he did a lot of free jazz / improvised which of course holds no interest to me at all, apologies to those who do enjoy this. Later there is more composed music, very much jazz based, but occasionally with wonderful chamber compostion.

From Balladyna (1976), The First Song:

Title track of Lady Go:

The first Heavy Metal Sextet, 1983

Admittedly this one is better (less jazzy, more fusiony) than the previously posted one from 1984 which came out the next year. Consider the opening track alone:

There's a bunch of really odd and dissonant riffs in there, and unfortunately and oddly enough the atrociously overplayed standard My Funny Valentine by Rodgers and Hart makes an unexpected and altogether party-crashing appearance too.  But on the whole well worth the hearing and listening to.

Please enjoy this and many thanks to my contacts and friends who find these lost gems I would otherwise have never heard.

Information again here.

Trierweiler and Beier, Two Decades (1983)

 

Information for this release here. You can see their other album is quite similar.

Basically it's an interesting mix of trombone (Trierweiler) and various keyboards (Chris Beier) with differential sounds but usually quite laidback and ambient with both of the two contributing compositions. There are vibes, synthesizers playing havoc in the background, digital keys, muted trombone improvs.  Usually the actual composition, such as it is, achieves an atonal or at least dramatically complex sound with dissonant and shifty chords, as on Dark Lady: though I understand not many have a taste for this style, you can learn to enjoy the result.  There is one track that reuses some jazz cliches and tropes but luckily it's minimal.  In terms of past posts, it's most like the Apocalypse Twilight of van't Hof from long ago in feel, and equally spacey:

Definitely worth the price of admission here ($20 for used LP) and several listens to boot.

Back to Monica Tornell with 1977's Bush Lady, by request

 

I guess this album which came after the hirsute Don't Give a Damn one from 1975, continues in the vein of harder, rawer, more rocky songs with none of the folk that appeared earlier and that in fact reappeared in the next 1978 album posted already earlier.  Of note this one was produced by Northern fusion musician (actually, North Carolina born) Stephen Frankevich (or sometimes Franckevich) who plays percussion, trumpets, and writes some material, both songs and lyrics.  (The next one used Jason Lindh as producer which gave it a folkier aspect of course.)

For us Stephen Frankevich is notable for the fact he played on Soffgruppen and Sundance, both wonderful one-off Scandinavian fusion albums. I posted the former here recently and the latter can be done if requested. It's also a wonderful slice of smooth and breezy fusion, with female vocals to grace it.

On this record there are quite a few cover versions and odds and ends, there is a string quartet interlude from Frankevich  which makes it somewhat regrettable that he didn't do more arranging duties though it also stands out as completely out of character on an otherwise basic rock album. 

However his composition called Snowcold Day is perhaps the best track:

It also gives you a sense of how grating her rock singing style can be when she attempts to be rough and loud like Janis Joplin--sorry to those who are fans.

Another good track, by the same songwriter, though the harmony vocals near the end are somewhat clunky in arrangement, Say Yes:

It's an album that could have been much better had it matured a bit more or maybe, had it been in the hands of a stellar producer, because it does have potential. At any rate I would say it's the best album from her by a long shot, being not so enamored of her early folkier days.

Eberson in 1977's Blow Out [Flac limited time only]

That soundtrack-like or movie poster back cover is really something, isn't it?

I guess this album really belongs with the other Moose Loose ones, it's pretty much a continuation of the same wonderful fusionary style. Here you can see the same people reappearing for sure with the inimitable team of Hakon Graf on keys and Eberson on guitars. It's so intense they sound like an orchestra.

Alive Again

Electric Bird

Moose Loose 1976, Transition, FLAC [limited time only]

The follow up was just as good as its predecessor.  Unfortunately bandmates went in different directions subsequently, cf. Thowsen, Hakon Graf, Eberson, still producing wonderful fusion, but not the collective accomplishment from these two masterpieces.  Cf. White:

Moose Loose 1974, Elgen er Los, FLAC [limited time only]

 

Brilliant, beyond brilliant masterpiece of Scandinavian fusion, and by that geographical adjective we mean interesting and complex ideas, creative thoughts, some dark parts, some bright and illuminated sections, a torrid mix of furious rhythm section and electric guitars and electric pianos, something for everyone who loves music, all in a high-energy high-octane musical rocketship.  My favourite track has always been the Flytende oye:

A 100 percent gold or rather, a trillion percent gold.

Moose Loose Live in 1973 [limited time only]

 

Mentioned with regards to Wadenius back here and of course Thowsen too just before.  I love this band with all my heart, featuring some of the finest mixed fusion in the typical Scandinavian style (with darkness, light, and intensity, midnight sun and aurora noons) such as Finnforest, Secret Oyster, Kornet, etc.

As a result I was surprised to encounter this recent release of a live set from 1973. It's not quite as good as the later studio albums, which came out shortly thereafter, that is in 1974, 1976. Recall the band comprised keyboardist Hakon Graf, the Pal Thowsen I recently posted on percussion, and Eberson on guitar, a wonderful magical combination it seems. For the first album as well as this live one though keyboards were played by a guy called Brynjulf Blix. Notably, he was in the other brilliant band called Vanessa I long ago posted and featured here.

First track (inappropriately) called Moose Loose:

Purple: