Surprieze 1973

Group from Bergen (province of North Holland). Active in the period from 1972 to 1974. The initiators of the group were brothers and Gustaaf Onno Verburg. Having signed a contract with Ariola Records, in 1972, they released their first single, "Blue Sofa / Orphan Girl". The following year, they released their self-titled album. All songs, except one, were written Gustaaf Verburg and Ide Min. After its publication it turned out that the group has composed one of the best albums of the Dutch-style progressive folk. The musical palette were used beautiful instrumental passages of acoustic guitar, violin, flute and piano. And doubtless ornament of the album was a strong and expressive vocals Maarten Min. Unfortunately, the mess in the future began to change trains. After releasing a few more singles, Mayfly disappeared from the musical horizon.

Guitarist Mike Bloomfield, blues master John Hammond, and the timeless New Orleans funk of Dr. John blend well on this one-time-only outing.
The album’s most interesting aspects derive from the mix of Chicago- and New Orleans-styles - Dr. John’s presence sort of forces some funky, Orleans-ian piano rhythm&blues into the affair, adding a heavily syncopated base to the more conventional blues patterns.

"We're the only band around that's playing rooted American music," Better Days vocalist and former folkie Geoff Muldaur told an interviewer when this album was first released in 1973, and with perhaps just a handful of exceptions he was right. The band's mix of various styles of blues, from rural (Robert Johnson), to cosmopolitan (Percy Mayfield), along with hints of New Orleans R&B, boogie woogie, and early rock and country, was tremendously out of step with the pop trends of its time.
These days, of course, there are many bands doing more or less the same thing (although rarely as well), but the fact that these guys couldn't have cared less about appearing trendy is one of the reasons why Better Days sounds timeless…

Originally released in 1973, "We May Be Cattle But We've All Got Names" is the groundbreaking solo debut from Michael de Albuquerque, a member of ELO at the time. This definitive reissue has been newly remastered by Prof. Stoned and features insightful liner notes by George de Albuquerque, rare photos, and session notes from the artist himself. Featuring the fiery fretwork of Patto guitarist Ollie Halsall and an all-star cast of legendary session players including Frank Ricotti, BJ Cole, and Gerry Conway, this album is a fusion masterpiece that transcends genres. From the intricate arrangements to the soaring melodies and explosive solos, de Albuquerque's virtuosity is on full display. Galactic Ramble states: "It's always surprising, and the more it sinks in, the better it is."

The Bill Evans Trio's 1973 concert in Tokyo was his first recording for Fantasy and it produced yet another Grammy-nomination for the presentation. With bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell, this LP mixes offbeat songs with overlooked gems, familiar standards, and surprisingly, only one Evans composition, the demanding "T.T.T.T. (Twelve Tone Tune Two)." Bobbie Gentry's "Mornin' Glory" was an unusual choice to open the performance and seems a bit conservative for Evans. The adrenaline picks up considerably with his midtempo waltzing take of Jerome Kern's "Up with the Lark" and a driving "My Romance." Evans also revisits the twisting Scott LaFaro tune "Gloria's Step," which showcases both Gomez and Morell. The closer, "On Green Dolphin Street," is given a slight bossa nova flavor and isn't nearly as aggressive as most of the pianist's live recordings of this popular standard…

Emboldened by the popularity of Inner Mounting Flame among rock audiences, the first Mahavishnu Orchestra set out to further define and refine its blistering jazz-rock direction in its second – and, no thanks to internal feuding, last – studio album. Although it has much of the screaming rock energy and sometimes exaggerated competitive frenzy of its predecessor, Birds of Fire is audibly more varied in texture, even more tightly organized, and thankfully more musical in content.

Recorded at the same time (July 1972) at the same studio (Bavaria Studios, Munich) as Amon Düül II`s well known and of their best efforts 'Wolf City', Utopia was a common project by Amon Düül II producer and musician Olaf Kübler (saxophone, moog) and Düül bass player Lothar Meid. Using the synergy of the parallel sessions with the Wolf City recordings, Olaf Kübler appreciated Düüls singer Renate Knaup-Krötenschwanz as singer of 2 of the album tracks and Düül heads Weinzierl and Karrer on guitar and violin. There is also a different version of Deutsch-Nepal on the album. As Olaf Kübler reminds Deutsch-Nepal was originally planned to record only for the Utopia album. Musically Utopia has a lot in common with the Düül records 'Wolf City' and 'Viva la Trance' and slightly early Passport and Embryo influences…