The only album by the French band Dün, self-released in 1981: an instrumental suite inspired by Frank Herbert's Dune, with flute, vibraphone and fast unison lines in the orbit of Magma and Zeuhl, plus five bonus tracks.
Rarities and archival treasures spanning the entire Brand X trajectory - from their earliest unreleased sessions to the final contractual obligation album - plus one of the most unjustly obscure progressive rock albums of the late 70s. A goldmine for admirers of Percy Jones, John Goodsall, and the whole Canterbury-adjacent fusion scene.
Brand X needs no introduction to fusion aficionados. Formed in 1974 by Collins, fretless bass virtuoso Percy Jones, keyboardist Robin Lumley and guitarist John G…
One of the most singular and influential groups to emerge from the European avant-garde, finally given the definitive treatment. This box gathers the complete studio works of Slapp Happy - the German/British/American trio whose blend of naïve pop, chanson, bossa nova and experimental textures created a template for intelligent art-pop that resonates to this day.
Formed almost as a joke in Hamburg 1972, when British experimental composer Anthony Moore - frustrated by Polydor's rejection of his av…
The complete and essential discography of one of the most uncompromising and intellectually rigorous bands to emerge from the Canterbury scene - finally available again in pristine Japanese mini-LP sleeve editions with remasters on high-quality SHM-CD!
Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson formed Henry Cow while students at Cambridge University in 1968, and what followed was a decade of radical, politically charged, absolutely brilliant music that drew equally from free improvisation, contemporary class…
A Bi Kyo Ran concert recorded at the Bourbon House in Osaka on 22 March 1983 by the trio of Kunio Suma, Masahide Shiratori and Masaaki Nagasawa: four long pieces including the suite Ran and the sixteen-minute Double.
Gryphon's third album, from 1974: four long instrumental movements named after the moves of a chess game, joining crumhorn, bassoon and recorders to electric keyboards and rock drums. Toured in support of Yes.
Gryphon's second album from 1974, built around the 19-minute title piece by Richard Harvey, which grew out of the band's music for Peter Hall's National Theatre staging of The Tempest. Early music meets prog.
The 1973 debut of Gryphon, the London quartet that played medieval and Renaissance dances, folk songs and originals on crumhorns, recorders, bassoon, harpsichord and guitars. A key early music folk rock record.
There are albums that defy categorization, records that exist in a space entirely their own. Comus' 1971 debut is one such work - an album that, over fifty years later, still sounds like nothing else ever recorded. Formed in Beckenham in the late 1960s, Comus emerged from the same South London arts scene that nurtured a young David Bowie - indeed, they performed at his legendary Beckenham Free Festival in August 1969. But while their contemporaries in the British folk revival looked back to trad…
Female singer-songwriter released in 1971 on the Dandelion label, run by progressive DJ John Peel, Second album by Bridget St John. Backed by John Martin (g), Rick Sanders (g,vln) and other artists active in the folk world, and with chamber music arrangements by Ron Gysin, known for his orchestral arrangement of Pink Floyd's “Atom Heart Mother”, this album is a masterpiece of shaded, magical singing and English fantasy beauty. Paper-jacketed, SHM-CD with commentary and bilingual lyrics. Includes…
Third album by Guru Guru, pioneers of the krautrock scene, released in 1972. The last album of the band's heyday with the original three members Mani Neumeier, Uli Trepte and Ax Genrich. The band moved to a more organised style of playing, which, combined with the humour of the covers, gave the impression of being a bit of a letdown, but the content was excellent, and the album is a masterpiece of well-crafted songs with a lot of attention to detail. The aggression has receded, but the psychedel…
CD sized paper sleeve album replica, with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese. The album was recorded at the Catoca studio in Rome in a week, under the name of Etna, and contains some absolute pearls of Jazz Rock, with completely personal and absolutely Mediterranean flavors and musicality. The album is a perfect blend of rock, jazz, funky, free, played with great technique and vituosity, with many references to Bitches Brew era Miles Davis and early-70s Soft Machine
In this album y…
CD deluxe, gatefold mini LP replica with obi & Japanese insert. Pianist-composer Joachim Kühn has been a force on the international jazz scene for half a century. Trained as a classical pianist, Kühn migrated to jazz, playing fusion with Alphonse Mouzon, free jazz with Ornette Coleman, and modern jazz in his iconic group with bassist JF Jenny-Clarke and drummer Daniel Humair. Here he teams up with acclaimed German electric guitarist Toto Blanke, the eclectic Afro-American bassist John Lee, and L…
CD deluxe, gatefold mini LP replica with obi & Japanese insert. Fantastic work from avant saxophonist Hans Koller – rare material that stands with the best Free Sound albums he released for MPS in the 70s! By this point in his career, Koller was really exploding with talent – a sax player who first begun in the postwar years with modes that were more California modern, but expanded and changed throughout the 60s – to the point where Hans was one of the most open-minded, freely-creative musicians…
The only album by the Florentine band Campo di Marte, released by United Artists in 1973: a seven-part suite where heavy electric guitar meets flute, French horn and Mellotron, a lesser known high point of Italian prog.
The 1974 debut by Biglietto per l'Inferno from Lecco, issued by Trident: dark, hard-hitting Italian prog with two keyboard players, flute and the theatrical voice of Claudio Canali, among the most sought-after records of the genre.
If there were a hall of fame for underground weirdo freak bands, Second Hand would be among the first nominees. Their second album, released on April 1st 1971 through Vic Keary's Mushroom Records, is no joke - it's one of the most unhinged, inventive and genuinely strange records to emerge from the British progressive underground.
Second Hand began life as The Next Collection in South London in 1965, with teenage school-friends Ken Elliott (keyboards, mellotron, harmonica) and Kieran O'Connor (d…
The only album by the Milan group Maxophone, released by Produttori Associati in 1975: Italian symphonic prog where rock band, horns, harp and strings meet jazz and classical writing, with the two songs of the later single as bonus.
Tranquillity and lyricism. Italian Celeste expresses a fantastic sound world with well-chosen arrangements. The carefully woven compositions, reminiscent of an exquisite textile, symbolise the “quiet” sound of Italy. This timeless masterpiece has been remastered in 2024 for the first time in 14 years and is now available in an encore pressing! Paper jacket, SHM-CD, 1 bonus track.
This album features a session in 1976 between Manuel Goetting (died 2022), who had a huge influence on the subsequent ambient music scene, and Michael Hönig, formerly of Agitation Free. The duo's 48-minute euphoric yet radical sonic universe of electronics and Manuel's guitar is the missing link between Gettings' two masterpieces, “New Age of Earth” and “E2-E4”. The latest remastering by Michael Hennig himself! The Japanese edition is released in paper jacket and SHM-CD!
The only album by hard rock band Twenty Sixty Six and Zen, released in Germany in 1972 as a mixed Anglo-German band. The original is an extremely rare and classic record, which has been sold at a high price amongst enthusiasts. The wild vocals and keyboards form a heavy and thick dynamism, and there are many progressive elements such as the introduction of the mellotron. This long-awaited encore pressing of this long-unavailable masterpiece is now available in paper jacket and SHM-CD / remastere…
Released in 1973. This is their 5th album, following their 4th album "Rage", and features Jimmy Jackson on keyboards, who also played in Amon Dur II, and Mal Waldron, who at that time was active in many German rock bands. This album is a masterpiece that deserves to be called their best work in the context of progressive jazz rock, and can be said to be the perfection of the "ethnic jazz rock" that they aimed for in their early days. This is a masterpiece in paper jacket, SHM-CD, and the latest …
The second album by Pork Pie, the European jazz-rock group of Jasper van't Hof, Charlie Mariano and Philip Catherine, recorded in Brussels in 1975 and released by MPS in 1976, with John Marshall on drums and Bo Stief on bass.
CD gatefold mini LP replica with obi & Japanese insert. The third and last album from Wolfgang Dauner's Et Cetera, for the very first time available on double CD / an incredible live studio album captured in 1973 by Et Cetera, a band fronted by Wolfgang Dauner, one of the foremost pianists in contemporary and experimental jazz in Germany. The quintet took their 1970 ECM masterpiece "Output" to the next level, infusing it with vibrant Indian/eastern and trancey elements that elevate the experienc…
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* Legendary Italian dark sympho band Semiramis disappeared from the scene in 1973, leaving only one album. Named after an ancient Babylonian queen who is said to have created hanging gardens, and to have been a lover and cruel and inhumane, their sound can be described as dark symphonic. This long out-of-print album was, oddly enough, reunited and released a new album this …
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 reissue* Legendary Italian dark sympho band Semiramis disappeared from the scene in 1973, leaving only one album. Named after an ancient Babylonian queen who is said to have created hanging gardens, and to have been a lover and cruel and inhumane, their sound can be described as dark symphonic. This long out-of-print album was, oddly enough, reunited and released a new album thi…
Packaged in a mini LP sleeve with obi, 4-page & 12-page booklets of lyrics and Japanese liner notes and anti-static CD sleeve in a resealable clear plastic sleeve.. Tokyo playwright, director and artist J.A. Caesar sprang to prominence in the early '70s largely through his work with Shuji Terayama's Tenjo Sajiki Theatre, specializing in vaguely sinister music reminiscent of a Hammer House Of Horrors soundtrack. 1973's Kokkyou Junreika release, often considered Caesar's finest work, was culled fr…
Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and three inserts/booklet. This mighty soundtrack for Shuji Terayama's nihilistic movie of the same name contains all the elements necessary to reach J.A. Caesar's intended pleasure-centers. Here, turmoil, mind-numbing repetition, abject misery and grisly partriarchs abound, and all orchestrated by Caesar's damaged proto-metal and choral-led psychedelic sound. Mind-infesting in the truest sense, this soundtrack played in th…
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 repress* The cover, with a young girl standing by a pond, tells the story. This debut album, released in 1971, was recorded with superb production, with lyrics describing the mind of a naïve girl and Catherine Howe's simple, plaintive voice. The album is one of the most expensive female folk albums of all time, along with Vashti Bunyan's LP, and is now being released for the fir…
The 1998 reunion album by Slapp Happy, the trio of Peter Blegvad, Anthony Moore and Dagmar Krause, their first in 23 years: concise art-pop songs layered in the studio by the three of them, with two live bonus tracks.
Comes in mini LP replica with obi & Japanese insert. Acnalbasac Noom -- meant to be the German-English-American avant-pop group Slapp Happy's second album -- was originally recorded in 1973 but did not see release originally until 1980. Recorded with legendary German art-rock group Faust accompanying the Slapp Happy core of Anthony Moore on keyboards, Peter Blegvad on guitar, and Dagmar Krause on vocals, and with Faust's brilliant producer Uwe Nettelbeck at the helm, Acnalbasac Noom was initiall…
Comes in mini LP replica with obi and insert with lyrics & insert of notes mostly in Japanese. In 1972, the left-wing intellectual film critic Uwe Nettelbeck suggested to Anthony Moore that he should write some (relatively speaking) straight songs. He took up the challenge, inviting his old school friend Peter Blegvad over to Hamburg to form the band Slapp Happy. They were joined for a session in Wümme by the young singer Dagmar Krause and Faust as their rhythm section; the recording became the …
Acnalbasac Noom -- meant to be the German-English-American avant-pop group Slapp Happy's second album -- was originally recorded in 1973 but did not see release originally until 1980. Recorded with legendary German art-rock group Faust accompanying the Slapp Happy core of Anthony Moore on keyboards, Peter Blegvad on guitar, and Dagmar Krause on vocals, and with Faust's brilliant producer Uwe Nettelbeck at the helm, Acnalbasac Noom was initially rejected by the group's label Polydor as not being …
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 repress* The differences between the Art Bears and the rest of the band in terms of musical direction became apparent and the band decided to split up. This was the last album produced by the band. It consists of compositions by Tim Hodgkinson and Lindsay Cooper, who did not go on to join the Art Bears, and is an all-instrumental, highly complex performance of completely constru…
*Limited edition SHM-CD, comes in gatefold mini lp replica with obi & Japanese insert...2024 repress* This live album is a collection of performances from Henry Cow's heyday, collected from several concerts and released live. Listening to it, one can clearly hear the precision of their songs and the skill with which they perform them. The album has a lot to offer Canterbury fans, including a performance with Robert Wyatt, and the addition of songs by Wyatt and Matching Mole. Long-awaited encore …
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 repress* This album was recorded at about the same time as Desperate Straights, the album that combined with Slap Happy and was recorded under a joint name. With the addition of Dubmar, there are more vocal numbers and the ensemble is as brilliant as on the previous album. The album is a good blend of the interest in improvisation shown on the previous album. Long-awaited encore…
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 repress* Second release from 1974. The three tracks on the analogue A-side are all meticulously arranged, even the improvisation-style passages, and show that the sound of early Henry Cow had reached its peak. The B-side is an improvisation-driven piece that hints at the possibilities of Cow's later work. Long-awaited encore pressing in paper jacket, 7 bonus tracks, remastered i…
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese* Solo album released in 1976 by multi-instrumentalist Teddy Rasley, son of Jack Rasley, who manipulated creative instruments made from metal parts, and who also played on Magma's early works. With Janik Top on bass and Andre Ceccarelli on drums, the rest is Teddy's own playing. A naive, magical and imaginative instrumental work on the themes of space and mystery, the album is consider…
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 repress* Henry Cow is not only a key group on the Canterbury scene, but later organised Rock In Opposition and is a key figure in avant-rock worldwide. This album is a compilation of previously unreleased live performances at all five venues from their 1972 Glastonbury festival to their 1977 show in Bilbao, Spain. Special Japanese paper-jacket and SHM-CD release!