Now 1979

Joe's Garage was originally released in 1979 in two separate parts; Act I came first, followed by a two-record set containing Acts II & III. Joe's Garage is generally regarded as one of Zappa's finest post-'60s conceptual works, a sprawling, satirical rock opera about a totalitarian future in which music is outlawed to control the population. The narrative is long, winding, and occasionally loses focus; it was improvised in a weekend, some of it around previously existing songs, but Zappa manages to make most of it hang together. Acts II & III give off much the same feel, as Zappa relies heavily on what he termed "xenochrony" - previously recorded guitar solos transferred onto new, rhythmically different backing tracks to produce random musical coincidences…

Obscure material by Stanley Turrentine - recorded in 1967, but not issued until 1979, and then only briefly! This album is a very pleasant and stylish gathering of some top musicians, featuring among them Donald Byrd, Pepper Adams, McCoy Tyner, Joe Farrell and Ron Carter. The tunes are arranged by Duke Pearson and recorded superbly by Rudy Van Gelder.
The album's got Stan working strongly in the Joyride style of his previous Blue Note hit - with larger arrangements from Duke Pearson, in a groove that sets Turrentine's tenor up with plenty of soulful rhythms! Pearson brings a nice sense of lyricism to the session, even a hint of bossa at times - and the sharp-edged Turrentine tone is a welcome one throughout - setting sparks and illuminating corners of the music with a deeply personal feel.

Pancake from Winnenden near Stuttgart in Suabia emerged from their psychedelic predecessor Nyrvana Pancake in 1974 and now played progressive rock with clear symphonic tendencies. With changing members they released three LPs with self-written tracks, namely "Roxy Elephant" from 1975, "Out Of The Ashes" from 1977, and "No Illusions" from 1979.
Pancake's debut, "Roxy Elephant" is a good representative of the German rock sound of the mid 1970s. So it's not really Krautrock per se, but it definitely has a progressive mindset, with plenty of good ideas. There are no keyboards, and the songs are driven by dual guitars. From a compositional perspective, mid 70s Jane and Birth Control would probably be a good guidepost here…

This two-LP set from 1979 restored solos that were edited out of the two albums Mingus Ah Um and Mingus Dynasty, and includes some newly issued material from those dates…

.With Breakfast in America, Supertramp had a genuine blockbuster hit, topping the charts for four weeks in the U.S. and selling millions of copies worldwide; by the 1990s, the album had sold over 18 million units across the world…

Low Budget doesn't have a narrative like Preservation or Soap Opera, but Ray Davies cleverly designed the album as a sly satire of the recession and oil crisis that gripped America in the late '70s - thereby satisfying his need to be a wry social commentator while giving American audiences a hook to identify with. It was a clever move that worked; not only did Low Budget become their highest-charting American album (not counting the 1966 Greatest Hits compilation), but it was also a fine set of arena rock, one of the better mainstream hard rock albums of its time. And it certainly was of its time - so much so that many of the concerns and production techniques have dated quite a bit in the decades since its initial release. Nevertheless, that gives the album a certain charm, since it now plays like a time capsule, a snapshot of what hard rock sounded like at the close of the '70s…

Symphonic Pictures (1976). Esoteric Recordings are pleased to launch their new Reactive imprint, dedicated to reissues of classic German rock, in April 2010 with the first ever UK CD release of the stunning "Symphonic Pictures" by Schicke, Führs & Fröhling. Drummer Eduard Schicke, Keyboard player Gerd Führs and guitarist and bassist Heinz Fröhling were a uniquely gifted trio who blended ambient synthesiser music and space rock with jazz rock to create a style all of their own. "Symphonic Pictures"was their debut album, originally released on the Brain label in 1976. A classic of the genre, this expanded CD reissue has been newly re-mastered and also includes a bonus CD of a rare live performance by the band recorded in 1975. This Reactive reissue includes liner notes by Heinz Fröhling.