Ragnarok - Fjarilar i magen 1979

Ragnarok's (from Sweden) second album is an interesting mix of the dreaminess of their first album with decidedly more prog-rock elements. I'm not sure about the "folk" prog label though. I think it works very well and is as impressive as their highly regarded debut. The music alternates between the softer beautiful moments like their first album and these rocking melodic moments and does not sound dated at all. Tracks change, build, evolve always to pleasing new places. Playing is top notch and sound is great. Here's a quick summary of the songs:

The short intro Adrenalin begins nothing like their debut, it is a BIG rock sound with chunky guitar. Track two Forsta begins with lovely solo piano and slowly builds with great bass and guitar atmospheres. There is definite playfulness and gorgeous melody. The third track Osten goes back to being quiet and spacey not unlike a mellower Oldfield moment and towards the end sounds a little like an instrumental interlude from The Wall. Next is Var Glad starting again very soft before the band kicks in with luscious guitar leads and some sax, very rocking! Then comes the 8 minute Blamolnfolket starting soft and moody again, floating through acoustic guitar, flute, and bass. Then a distant sax is layered atop. Around the five minute mark enters drums and ominous guitar before the flute comes back to close the song peacefully. Nice track! Next is Brushanespel which features echoed loop guitar with some bongo percussion. The album closes with the longest song Vattenytor at 8.5 minutes. This track summarizes other parts of the album before closing with a minute or two of running water, an interesting way to end.

Everything is very thoughtfully arranged and ambitious. This is a true lost instrumental gem and given that we're talking 1980 here this is all the more impressive. The cover art may be unfortunately silly but the music is truly wonderful. A wide range of moods from colorful to dramatic to playful to brooding. Luscious. Not to be missed. 4.5 stars and I want to round up but am trying to restrain my enthusiasm!!! Very hard in this case.
Review by Finnforest
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator progarchives.com


Studio Album, released in 1980
Ragnarok - 1979 - Fjarilar i magen (Japan,2011, Arcangelo, ARC-3034)
 Tracks Listing:

1. Adrenalin (1:38)
2. Första ön (6:18)
3. Östen är röd (5:30)
4. Var glad var dag! (4:02)
5. Blåmolnfolket (8:18)
6. Brushanespel (2:15)
7. Vattenytor (8:30)

Line-up:

- Peter Bryngelsson / guitars
- Peder Nabo / piano, flute, pecussion
- Dan Söderqvist / guitar
- Thomas Wiegert / drums, percussion
- Kjell Karlgren / sax
 

>Ragnarok - 1979 - Fjarilar i magen (Japan 2011, Arcangelo, ARC-3034)<

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Midwinter - The Waters Of Sweet Sorrow (1973)

Studio Album, released in 1993


 This album is a chance oddity offered by Paul Corrick and Ken Saul who would later form the only slightly more modern Stone Angel. The other dynamic here is the almost angelic and medieval-sounding Jill Child. As the story goes Corrick and Saul recruited Child to lend a voice for a local show, which later turned into a couple years of sporadic live appearances before Child left to pursue an education.

Too bad, because this is a charming bit of old Anglo-inspired folk music that would have yielded the group a modest career had they chosen to hang on. There’s no drums here and very little rhythm to speak of; instead, the trio employ mandolin, recorder, Jews harp, dulcimer, acoustic guitars and a banjo for an altogether timeless sound that should appeal to just about any fan of folk music. There’s an electric bass for some reason, but otherwise these songs would have been more at-home a hundred years or more prior to the seventies.

Amon Duul UK - Fool Moon 1989

biography
The British Amon Düül were formed in 1981 in Great Britain by guitar player John Weinzierl (Penguin) and bass player Dave Anderson, who both had been members of Amon Düül 2. They published a few albums during the 80s; sadly most of them with very little information about who played on them; only "Die Lösung" gives some detailed information on the cover. From the information on "Die Lösung" one can see that the line-up was very interesting, at least on this record; besides Weinzierl and Anderson it features Robert Calvert of Hawkwind as singer (he was also responsible for the lyrics), Julie Wareing on vocals, Guy Evans of VdGG on drums and Ed Wynne and Joie Hinton of the Ozric Tentacles on guitar and synths. Their records were of varying quality; I recommend "Die Lösung", which should be something every prog-fan should like, and "Hawk Meets Penguin" for those who are not afraid of free-form improvisation in the style of the early Krautrock.

Jukka Tolonen - 1977 - A Passenger To Paramaribo [RE-POST by request]

Jukka Tolonen is one of Finland's best known Prog musicians. His solo works are generally instrumental, but this release finds Bill Carson sing on the closing track. Surprisingly, it comes off quite well as a laid back winding down after a generally high intensity "tour the force" of the preceding tracks. This release is perhaps more dynamic and less subtle than Tolonen's previous two albums, but still strongly in the Jazz-Rock vein, this time coupled with some unmistakable Funk. Nothing really wrong with that and the funky approach seem to dominate Tolonen's future releases for the corresponding time period.A versatile artist who in 2004 eventually arrives at dedicating a whole album to John Coltrane with a title "Cool Train" (yet to be added to his rather incomplete discography on PA).

Audience - 1971 - The House On The Hill [RE-POST]

4 stars
 I never thought that two people would get a jump on this great band before I did . This is a all-too-forgotten group that recorde on thr Charima label along Genesis and VDGG. Although very different , Wreth's vocals can remind me of Gnidrolog and Hamill's incredible voice. The sax can remind you of David Jackson , but is there more connection to VDGG? I think not as this an eclectic band that can irk you for those very reasons afore-mentioned , but also please you for those exact reasons also challenging your ears . This is the album one should start with and work backwards. I can't be sure of this but on the back cover , it looks as though , it is Hugh Hopper of Soft Machine being dragged out of the house. As for the numbers on here my fellow reviewers mentioened all those fantastic numbers and they are rght on the spot. Jump on this and its predecessor. Well worth the hunt (From Progarchives.com)


Studio Album, released in 1971

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Jackdaw (7:28)
2. You're Not Smiling (5:12)
3. I Had a Dream (4:17)
4. Raviole (3:38)
5. Nancy (4:14)
6. Eye to Eye (2:30)
7. I Put a Spell on You (4:08)
8. The House on the Hill (7:27)
9. Indian Summer (3:16)

Total Time: 42:10

Line-up / Musicians

- Howard Werth / guitar, guitar (electric), vocals
- Tony Connor / percussion, drums, vocals (background), vibraphone
- Gus Dudgeon / percussion
- Keith Gemmell / clarinet, flute, saxophone
- Trevor Williams / bass, guitar (bass), keyboards, vocals

Releases information

LP Charisma CAS 1032 (1971)
LP Charisma CHC4 (1983)
CD Virgin CASCD 1032 (1991)

 =>Audience - 1971 - The House On The Hill  CD Virgin CASCD 1032 (1991)  <=

Or buy => here

Audience - 1972 - Lunch [RE-POST]

The band's sound is driven by Werth's strong voice (somewhat reminiscent of CCR's John Fogerty) and acoustic guitar -- there are no electric guitars or synths -- and the tenor sax of Bobby Keys. Drums, bass, piano, vibes, marimba, trumpet, trombone, flute and accordion fill out the mix, and impart a joyful atmosphere to the proceedings.
Taste is a highly individual thing, but I can't understand why my fellow reviewer Hugues Chantraine has given this terrific disc such a poor rating. For the record, LUNCH is not a concept album, but simply a fun CD, and not one to take too seriously. This is perfect music for friends, good times and cold beer! I enjoy every song here, but some are particular standouts: The opener "Stand by the Door" is about as close as this album gets to "Progressive Rock," and gets under your skin (in a good way!) from the first listen, with its plaintive lyrics, infectious chorus, and superb harmony vocals. This magnificent song should have been a hit!

Audience - 1970 - Friends,friends,friend [RE-POST]

AUDIENCE was a London-based group that recorded their first album in 69 and had their eponymous debut pulled from the stores a few months after its release, which makes the album a major collectible (Cd versions were also hard to come by until a recent reissue). They got signed by Tony Stratton-Smith of the Charisma label ( GENESIS , VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR, THE NICE and a few others) but although not a purely progressive group , they bore a lot of characteristics of the masters. Among which , a profound (and somewhat derangesome) singer whose voice reminds you a bit of PETER HAMMILL, a great wind players able to switch to from flutes to saxes and oboe and a bassist (who wrote the acknowledgement written above ) that doubled on KBs but those remain discreet.

The Electric Prunes - Release of an Oath - 1968

Editorial Reviews
Much of the same team that made the notorious Mass in F Minor album were around for this 1968 album, though none of them were in the original band! But it's who was in the studio for this one that's important: producer/arranger David Axelrod, engineer Dave Hassinger and most notably guitarist Howard Roberts, who lets loose with some absolutely insane guitar solos. Mass in F Minor took as its text a Catholic Mass; this one adapts the Kol Nidre, the sacred Jewish prayer recited on the eve of Yom Kippur - the `60s didn't get too much more far-out than this!
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