Psych /
Sunbirds
**Picture Disc** Jazz Rock ensemble from Munich led by German drummer Klaus Weiss and Austrian pianist Fritz Pauer and found in 1971. When Pauer presented Weiss some new songs, the two of them gathered Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine, Dutch flutist Ferdinand Povel and American drummer Jimmy Woode (R.I.P.) and formed Sunbirds. The recordings of their debut took place at the Union Studios in Munich on 24th August 1971. Weiss had good connections with various labels and the album was eventually…
Essen 1970
Stunning quality, rare live performance recordings of krautrock pioneers Guru Guru, from one of their earliest ever live concerts on Sunday October the 25th 1970. Three long slabs of prime classic psychedelic prog, two from the ‘UFO’ album and one off ‘Hinten’, show the band at their apex, defining a sound that had never been heard before. Sourced from tapes recorded directly from the sound desk at the show, the recording quality is phenomenal for something of this vintage era. The original line…
Circus
Circus were a shining example of the creative explosion at the heart of the early days of Progressive Rock. A tight knit jazz-rock band that crafted high quality musical workouts, Circus mixed the heavier aspects of late 60s rock with the nuances of jazz modulations, folk, pop and even forays into psychedelia. Circus decided to focus less on the sound of the pop psych scene and joined the ranks of the more experimental progressive bands emerging during the 60s such as Soft Machine, Caravan, Colo…
Aphorisms Insane
The only album by Austrian trio Cultural Noise is a an electronic marvel. Band members were Gerhard Lisy, Walter Heinisch and Karl Kronfeld, and instruments used included an ARP Sequencer, an ARP 2600, a VCS 3, an EMS Digital Sequencer, a Mellotron M400, a Micro Moog, a Roland Studiosystem 700, a Roland Analogue Sequenzer and an electric guitar. With these weapons and a strong influence from the Berlin school Cultural Noise created a rich electronic tapestry which expanded through the two piece…
Africa Roja
The story of Klamm started in Martorell, 30km near Barcelona, in 1976. Teenagers Josep Saus "Toto", Antonio K. Puertas and Leo Mariño got together under the influence of bands like Can and King Crimson. The original line up consisted of guitar, bass guitar and drums, and they were barely 16 years old when they began. From there, they evolved and also went though different personnel changes, added new influences, had experimental progressive jazz-rock periods, were touched by the works of bands l…
Out
White Heaven's debut album Out is one of the greatest psychedelic rock albums ever recorded. First released in 1991 by Tokyo's P.S.F. Records and pressed in an edition of 500 copies the original LP has become a holy grail in underground circles, with only a scant few copies ever making it outside of Japan. Built on the chemistry between You Ishihara's lysergic lyricism and the blistering leads of one of Japan's undisputed guitar gods Michio Kurihara, Out is an absolute classic. It is one of the …
The Velvet Underground and Nico
The Velvet Underground and Nico has influenced the sound of more bands than any other album. And remarkably, it still sounds as fresh and challenging today as it did upon its release in 1967. In this book, Joe Harvard covers everything from Lou Reed's lyrical genius to John Cale's groundbreaking instrumentation, and from the creative input of Andy Warhol to the fine details of the recording process. With input from co-producer Norman Dolph and Velvets fan Jonathan Richman, Harvard documents the …
Tape Archive Essence 1973-1978
LP version. During the legendary Forst years, Roedelius had a private workspace with a Farfisa organ, a Revox-A77 tape machine, an echo device and a synthesizer which he borrowed from the Cluster studio next door now and again. Here he experimented, practiced, allowed his imagination to flow, at any hour of the day or night, whenever he was not in the studio with Dieter Moebius and/or Michael Rother at work on new Cluster or Harmonia material. Roedelius always let the tape run, in order to analy…
Selbstportrait Wahre Liebe
LP version. The first part of Hans-Joachim Roedelius's Selbstportrait (Self-Portrait) series was originally released under the title Sanfte Musik on Sky Records in 1979. Now, some forty years later, a new instalment has arrived in the form of an album entitled Wahre Liebe. One of the initiators of the Berlin Zodiak Free Arts Lab in 1967, Roedelius went on to co-found Kluster/Cluster and Harmonia, unleashing a new and free form of music which, with the benefit of hindsight, can be considered a mi…
Inventions For Electric Guitar
Originally released in 1975. Remastered by Manuel Göttsching. Recorded July-August 1974, Inventions for Electric Guitar is Manuel Göttsching's first solo album, however it was released with the subtitle Ash Ra Temple VI technically making it the sixth and final album under the Ash Ra Temple name. Written and performed entirely by Göttsching on electric guitar, with a four-track TEAC A3340, Revox A77 for echoes, wah-wah pedal, volume pedal, Schaller Rotosound, and Hawaiian steel bar.
A seminal mi…
Aurora
Souffle Continu Records present a reissue Le Théâtre du Chêne Noir's Aurora, originally released in 1971. In 1972, Steve Lacy recorded Solo, one of the gems in his discography, in the Théâtre du Chêne Noir in Avignon. The previous year (which was also the year in which Aurora appeared), the eponymous group of actors led by Gérard Gelas, took up residence in what was a 12th century chapel. The Théâtre du Chêne Noir is therefore not just the name of a space open to all kinds of artistic audacity, …
W.W.W.
Burnin Red Ivanhoe in their most fertile phase of existing from 1969 till 1972, were one of Danish finest groups from this period. Their innovative and powerful mixture of Psychedelic and Progressive Rock along with mild experimental or Jazz influences gained some international recognition in Germany, UK and the U.S.. Comparisons might be drawn to Traffic, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd and Colosseum (Dag Erik Asbjornsen).W.W.W. from 1971 was the band's third album with an unchanged line-up. It was the…
Burnin Red Ivanhoe
Burnin Red Ivanhoe in their most fertile phase of existing from 1969 till 1972, were one of Danish finest groups from this period. Their innovative and powerful mixture of Psychedelic and Progressive Rock along with mild experimental or Jazz influences gained some international recognition in Germany, UK and the U.S.. Comparisons might be drawn to Traffic, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd and Colosseum (Dag Erik Asbjornsen).Their eponymous second album from 1970 was recorded in London with famous DJ John…
Weiss Der Teufel...
Weiss der Teufel (1971), the first Rufus Zuphall album has gradually gained legendary status. All tracks were recorded live in the studio, resulting in a raw and unpolished sound. The side-long title track developed into a very twisted and frenetic flute solo! Some people regard this track as one of the finest moments of German rock. Weiss der Teufel is a great album, typifying the raw-edged, largely instrumental early progressive rock. Here it comes with original album sleeve cover art and inse…
Thoughts
Originally released in 1971 on famous German Pilz Label, Thoughts was the second and last album of a band which is often regarded as one of the most legendary krautrock bands. While 1st album Revelation was full of inventions and surprises within long tracks with extensive guitar workout, swirling organ and lots of improvisations, Thoughts showed a different style to the debut. With two different lead vocalist (Jürgen Schäfer and Werner Vogt) Virus' music was now more song oriented, more hard-ro…
The Ultimate Collection
**CD collection in gatefold sleeve LP-cover size** "This set contains all previously released Improved Sound Limited 5 CDs (eponymous double album, Catch a Singing Bird On the Road, Rathbone Hotel, Road Trax, The Final Foreword) and one bonus CD entitled Bell Cantos, Ezra Pound Revisited with music the band recorded in 1969 for Bavarian Radio with heavy fuzz guitar, moog synthesizer, music of that time, a little bit experimental but constantly melodic (no white noise). This is the ultimate colle…
Dreams - Expanded Edition
The long awaited reissue of this rare eastern and psychedelic jazz LP by the famous Hungarian guitarist Gabor Szabo, originally released in 1968. This extended edition comes with 2 bonus tracks: the radio versions of "Fire Dance" and "Ferris Wheel" released as 7" single in 1969. Comes with long, exclusively written liner notes by the famous researcher and biographer Douglas Payne. Remastered by Martin Bowes at Cage Studios (UK).
McGear
Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the vinyl re-release of McGear by Mike McGear. Originally released in 1974, McGear was the second solo album by Mike McGear (younger brother of Paul McCartney) and was a more “serious” record than his work with the Liverpool satirical trio Scaffold, or his work with Roger McGough on the McGough & McGear album. Recorded at Strawberry studios in Stockport, (the musical home of the band 10cc), the album was produced by Paul McCartney (who also played on th…
Zühn Wöhl Ünsaï - Live 1974
"This really makes for an excellent companion record with their live BBC 1974 - Londres album. The London sessions were recorded about a month after this Radio Bremen recording from Germany and feature the exact same lineup. Nice thing too is that only one track is featured on both albums, that being Theusz Hamtaahk. The lineup here features Vander on drums, Top on bass, Blasquiz on vocals, Olmos on guitar and Graillier and Bikialo on keyboards. Sort of a stripped down line-up I suppose with Ste…
An Asylum For the Musically Insane
This quirky Birmingham-based trio's debut-album was originally released in September 1969. Spanning psych, folk, blues and pop, with a range of trippy effects, it was produced by the great Gus Dudgeon (David Bowie, Elton John) and is one of the best-loved British underground recordings of its time. Now Tea & Symphony's An Asylum For the Musically Insane makes its long-overdue return to vinyl here, together with an insert containing notes and rare images.
"This amazing thing about the Archives is…