Shamanic Medium of Tsugaru (2001)

Born Caroline Catharina Müller in the Netherlands, she moved with her family to Germany in the late '70s. In 1980, she became a member of the girl quartet Optimal, who issued two singles…

The Presidente is a joint project Pim Koopman and Okkie Huysdens. Wilhelmus Frederikus (Pim) Koopman was the drummer and percussionist of the Dutch progressive rock band, Kayak. As a musician, writer, producer and arranger, Koopman was also involved in two other bands: Diesel and The President. The President was a collaboration with Okkie Huysdens. Okkie Huysdens - Dutch singer, keyboardist, songwriter, recording engineer and producer. Active in several bands since the late 1960s, Huysdens was subsequently a member of Himalaya (1970-1971), Heart (1973-1975) and Limousine (1975-1976). He also joined Rainbow Train from 1975 until 1979. During the early 1980s he worked on the Stars On 45 project and was a member of The President (1983-1985).

The first of a duo of "two-fer" collections of Manfred Mann's earliest work from 1964 and 1965 oddly combines their first and third American albums onto a single disc. Although there aren't any extras added onto these straight 2001 reissues (except for replications of the original cheesy notes), the crisply remastered sound is in pristine stereo. As a cross between the jazzy style of the Zombies, the ragged R&B of Them, and the recycled American blues of the Pretty Things and Yardbirds, Manfred Mann hit a lot of diverse bases. Covering songs from Burt Bacharach, Muddy Waters, Goffin, King, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Bo Diddley, Joe South, and even early Bob Dylan, the band cut a wide musical swath.

Few things can be as mindlessly entertaining as a bad bar band. Filled with their own sense of importance with a heaping helping of silly songwriting, it can make for a full night's entertainment. But what could make it more entertaining? Why not have the band be fronted by a young King Diamond, the infamous Satanist metal singer who may be best known for pioneering the black metal genre with Mercyful Fate. This recording is basically a rehearsal of his first band, Black Rose…