The ultra-requested Various – Central Illinois Rocks - FM 104 WDBR from 1983

 

For some reason this record sells in the hundreds of dollars but comes up regularly for sale.  I think it was requested in the past but so long ago I don't remember by whom.  When I had a bit of extra money I splurged and now you can enjoy it thanks to that lucky money.  It reminds me a little, at least in some passages, of my old favourite Ambush with the US late style hard rock, though by side b there are some soul songs, which are equally competent overall.  

The best track I think without a doubt is the proto-hair metal or G 'n' R Everlasting Love by a band called Idol Rumors which sadly didn't record anything, so far as the database can be relied on, and here it is:

Note the wonderful tritonal opening riff which sadly leads into an E riff.  To their credit these guys move out of that super-simplistic key and develop the song into alternations of G and B flat.  What a thrill it must have been for these youngsters to hammer out that hard-assed song, presumably on fender strats.

Record information here.

Art Carey and Magnum Force perform a lovely late-soul track:

Enjoy this nice slice of 40 years ago rock.

Read the liner notes on the back which serve to explain a little the situation with this LP which start like this:

Now in its third year, the Miller High Life Rock to Riches Talent Search offers a new avenue on the road to success in the music business.  Already the careers of the Jon Butcher Axis, John Bongiovi, Twisted Sister, and 1981's National Winners, the Stompers, have exploded since participation in the Search for the Superstars of the 80s.  And the excitement is just beginning for 1982's National Winner 'Artist'.

From Boston to LA more than 40,000 bands have entered the contest, searching for the break that will land them the grand prize of 25000$ in Rickenbacker music equip. and most importantly a national recording contract with a major record label etc...

I guess this LP belongs to a lengthy series, anyone know anything about it in totality?

Back to the NTSU with lab '80

Great cover art!  Just unbelievable design there, the ideas they came up with back in the day...

Information here.  The music still stands strong at this time, already on the cusp of the 80s flood of nutty dance music, the death of fusion and the resurgence of acoustic jazz.

Note the subtle intricacy, the classical education, and the interesting changes throughout the very interesting chart called Winds of Boreas, a composition by woodwinds, etc. player Mario Cruz:

I'm more than a little puzzled there isn't more to discover in this gentleman's discography.  From side b, Tear Drops, by Mike Smith:

Airto Moreira + Gil-Evans + WDR Big Band in Misa Espiritual / Brazilian Mass from 1983

With the involvement of Gil Evans this looked quite promising, but it's by no means the progressive fusion-chamber masterpiece that Jobim plus Ogerman's Urubu LP was (which I've listened to a million times since I first heard it back last summer, his 1981 LP Terra Brasilis was also a masterpiece). Here, there are way too many parts you just have to skip through, particularly the ones that can only be described as noise. What a mass that must have been, a mess in some places... or something like that.  Here it is:

NTSU's One O'Clock Lab Band in 2018, The Rhythm of the Road

 

Quite surprisingly these guys held up all the way into the recent years. To my utter surprise.

The remarkable composition called Birds of a Feather:

Chilean Melissa Aldana's Visions For Frida Kahlo

 

I was pretty shocked when one of my contacts sent me this composition, clearly written out as a symphonic work, for the old NTSU big band we know and love so well from past posts. Hopefully this search function works though it brings up a lot of other stuff.  Many thanks to him for ripping this off youtube, which is the only place you can find the full work.  You can hear it here, and it's worth watching through to the end without too much fast forward action though some of that will prove necessary for those like me who are bored by the overlong and overdemocratic solos.

Here is the version which is called Visions on one of her albums, which is rather pared down and doesn't have all the movements of the bb version:

It was very eye-opening to realize the progressive big band tradition (from the 60s and 70s) is still alive out there, in small pockets presumably mostly university-related, and I'm sure it would be news to the rest of earth too.