While German Prog/Art rockers Jane may be a familiar name outside of the Prog arena, Harlis were a tremendously talented offshoot of the band who recorded two albums that didn’t conform to the Prog Rock rulebook, but didn’t stray to far from it either. Led by former Jane member Charly Maucher, Harlis were a bit looser than their contemporaries, which added a raw edge to their sound. While the band features excellent musicians, Harlis’ sound is more about the band as a whole as opposed to the skills of the individuals. Adding a bit more Blues and British and American Rock influences into the mix may have turned away some Prog fans, but in doing so, their sound has a timeless quality to it…
This five disc, U.K.-only box set includes a remarkably solid quintet of full albums from Randy Newman, including his eponymous 1968 debut, 1970's 12 Songs, 1972's Sail Away, 1973's Good Old Boys, and 1977's Little Criminals, the latter of which featured the novelty hit "Short People."
An anomaly among early-'70s singer/songwriters, Randy Newman may have been slightly influenced by Bob Dylan, but his music owed more to New Orleans R&B and traditional pop than folk. Newman developed an idiosyncratic style that alternated between sweeping, cinematic pop and rolling R&B, which were tied together by his nasty sense of humor. Where his peers concentrated on confessional songwriting, Newman drew characters, creating a world filled with misfits, outcasts, charlatans, and con men…
Anthony Phillips was one of the original founding members of Genesis featuring Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, and Michael Rutherford. Following "Trespass", Genesis' second album, Phillips left (purportedly due to stage fright) and was replaced by Steve Hackett. Nothing was heard again from Anthony until 1977, when he favored us with his first solo, "The Geese and the Ghost". Much of this recording sounds like a lost Genesis album, understandable since Phil Collins does a lot of the singing, and Michael Rutherford is present on guitar, bass, and keyboards, and also shares composer credits with him on major parts of this album…
Three classic albums: The World Starts Tonight (1977), Natural Force (1978) and Goodbye to the Island (1981).
Recognized for her distinctly raspy voice and soulful pop repertoire, Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler had her first worldwide hit in 1978 with "It's a Heartache" from her second album, Natural Force. Characteristic of her work in the '70s, it blended elements of country, rock, and pop.
Founded in Toronto, Canada in 1976 - Disbanded in 1989 - Reformed in 1994-1996, 2006 and again since 2011.
This trio came from Toronto around the end of the 70's but got slightly over-shadowed by the profusion of bands exploding all over the album charts, with Rush, Triumph, Saga, Max Webster etc.. It is no wonder some could not get their share of sunlight, among which Goddo, Moxy, Zon, Santers and most certainly FM. Their first LP full of a weird sort of hard rock with strange studio tampering alerted most potential fans that this was a very particular band with their lead violinist Nash The Slash playing as a mummy and Martin Deller at the drum seat as well as Cameron Hawkins on bass…
Klaatu gained international attention by remaining hidden for two albums, the first of which was rumoured to be a hidden Beatles reunion album. Their first album 3:47 EST ("Klaatu")indeed was superb enough to qualify as a Beatles album, with some very skilful songwriting, excellent production and splendid execution. One could fault their inspiration, since they are definitely Beatles-esque, but they manage this better than any other group ever had or has since this album. By the time their stunning follow-up album Hope was released, it was clear they were not the Beatles, but nevertheless the songwriting, execution and inspiration remained flawless.
Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of a newly remastered and expanded edition of the classic album "Perilous Journey” by Gordon Giltrap. For over forty years Gordon has enjoyed the well-deserved reputation as one of Britain’s greatest guitar players. He made his first recordings in the 1960s as folk artist, but by 1976 he had crossed into the Progressive Rock genre and signed to the newly formed Electric Records imprint.
His second album for Electric was arguably his most famous. Released in 1977, "Perilous Journey” was the second part of the trilogy of releases that began with the “Visionary” album in 1976. The album charted and was included in The Sunday Times 20 Best Albums of 1977…