Fossilium Catalogus ii Plantae 69

By 1976, Amon Düül II had transitioned from a highly experimental unit to an almost traditional pop-rock act, with lyrics sung in English and a decidedly (and unexpectedly) rockist approach to songwriting. New members Stefan Zauner (keys) and Klaus Ebert (guitar and bass) contributed the majority of the songs, adding to the stark newness of the sound. While this album has its share of exciting moments, it is not a typical Amon Duul album, and will probably be best enjoyed by completists.

{RYM}Here we have everything, from fast pomping passages to more mellow parts, the sound and manner of composing here is more refined then on their debute, the musicianship is tight, great ideas and top notch pieces. The interplay between guitar and organ (keyboards) and drums I must say is absolutly killer and inventive. There are some passages that truly shine no less, like on opening Put it this way, what to say really , impressive playing from each msucian, Gary Moore in duel with master Don Airey, somemthing not to be missed by any prog/jazz rock lover.

This ambitious video and musical project was co-ordinated by Tom Galley (brother of former Whitesnake guitarist Mel Galley) - the albums are concept affairs, centred on the theme of supernatural phenomena. However, utilizing an impressive list of guest musicians has not always guaranteed a good result, and Phenomena went some way towards proving this truism. With Neil Murray (bass), Cozy Powell (drums), Mel Galley (guitar) and Glenn Hughes (vocals) among the initial line-up, great things were evidently expected for Phenomena. However, the songs were often overtly complex and lacked a central melody line. Dream Runner, released two years later, suffered from similar problems, but the music was less of a disappointment.

Several years after the original art rock supergroup Colosseum disbanded, drummer Jon Hiseman formed Colosseum II, a more jazz fusion-oriented outfit featuring guitarist Gary Moore (Thin Lizzy) and keyboardist Don Airey. Their eclectic debut, Strange New Flesh, shows some impressive chops from all involved, with an emphasis on Moore's soulful guitar leads. Vocalist Mike Starr, while not an immensely engaging singer, does a nice job keeping up with Hiseman and bass player Neil Murray. Highlights include the technically showy but blissfully irreverent ode to Pink Floyd, "Dark Side of the Moog," a nice version of Joni Mitchell's "Down to You," and the funky "Gemini and Leo."

The second album by Amon Düül II, 1970's Yeti, is their first masterpiece, one of the defining early albums of Krautrock. A double album on vinyl, Yeti consists of a set of structured songs and a second disc of improvisations. It's testament to the group's fluidity and improvisational grace that the two albums don't actually sound that different from each other, and that the improvisational disc may actually be even better than the composed disc. The first disc opens with "Soap Shop Rock," a 12-minute suite that recalls King Crimson's early work in the way it switches easily between lyrical, contemplative passages and a more violent, charging sound, and continues through a series of six more songs in the two- to six-minute range, from the ominous, threatening "Archangels Thunderbird" (featuring a great doomy vocal by mono-named female singer Renate) to the delicate, almost folky acoustic tune "Cerberus"…

Electric Light Orchestra Part II was formed in 1988 by drummer Bev Bevan, a founding member of the original ELO, the successful progressive pop group led by frontman Jeff Lynne from 1971 into the mid-1980s. After Lynne officially dissolved the band, Bevan assembled a new line-up including vocalist Neil Lockwood, keyboardist Eric Troyer and bassist Pete Haycock to tour under the Electric Light Orchestra banner; Lynne soon filed suit against the group, the resulting settlement appending the "Part II" tag to any new albums or live performances. One Night is a live album recorded and released by ELO Part II. The concert was recorded on 18-19 March 1995 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, Australia while the band was on tour. It was called One Night since ELO Part II was in Australia only for one night. The album's official release was UK, 1996 2 CD and US, May 20, 1997 1 CD. This album contains a lot of ELO's greatest hits performed live. This release are taken from the same 1995 show.