64 Spoons: Landing on a Rat Column, from the late 1970s [FLAC limited time only]

It's hard to believe such brilliant, original, completely professionally played music was never released or even enjoyed back in the day.  It's inventive, funny, interesting, always full of new ideas, and never ceases to amaze me to this day.  Note that these tracks were put together in 1992 but written and performed back in the late 1970s, as noted on the database page:

All tracks arranged and produced between 1978 and 1980.

Tracks 2 to 7, 16 were recorded at Guildford University, Yamco, Portland and Air Studios.

Track 8 was recorded at Brittania Row Studios.

Tracks 9 to 13 were recorded at Berry Street Studios.

Tracks 2 to 7, 16 were mixed at Air Studios.

The live tracks were recorded in venues in Barnet, Chartham and Watford.

Track 1 was recorded on a Revox in Lyndon's house in 1979.

The rest was re-mixed at Turbot Sound Studios on 20.9.91.

Pretty much any track could be randomly picked out as a volunteer to demonstrate the strength of the compositions and creativity and you'd be blown away, assuming you never heard this collection before.  Note that lead vocalist and guitarist, Jakko Jakszyk, went on replace Adrian Belew in King Crimson after 2013.  Which makes sense.  There is a lot of British humor or rather humour in here too.  An intro to one song goes like this: "This next song, isn't jazz-rock, because we don't play jazz-rock at all. It isn't jazz-rock, and it isn't a song, and also we're not going to do it. So next we're going to play a jazz-rock number called..."

I love that the track called Weird Granny has a jumpy Police / 1980s pop influence but employs utterly nonsensical chords to express the strange melody and lyrics, reminding me of the my old favourite and brilliant German band Zauberfinger:

On Aggressive Traveling note the really original and composed middle instrumental passage, mixing dynamic fusion and lovely electric guitar solowork:

Note the distinct Gentle Giantish vibe to the track curiously titled The Do's And Dont's Of Path Laying:

And the arrangement, with the (digital) horns and synths is really stunning. Not to mention the way the musicians handle the odd time signatures.  It's so rare to encounter an album on which every single track is worth hearing and savouring and ultimately remembering.