Tetragon, successor of Trikolon, were founded in Osnabrück (Lower Saxony) in the spring of 1971. They released their first and only LP, "Nature", in that very year. The band did not conform to any predetermined musical style: they played whatever they pleased, as long as it included groovy Hammond organ and very trippy, flanged wah-wah guitar, in various taut jamming modes that favored jazz/rock fusion à la Miles Davis with a small dose of classical music (adapting a Bach fugue along the way). The result is a bouquet of lush instrumentals, with elements of Egg or the Nice, and quite a bit of T2 to boot.
At the end of 1971, Tetragon recorded in a Hamburg studio five long tracks in their well-proven style for their second LP, the release of which, however, failed…
Canadian electronic pioneers Legion Of Green Men need no introduction to the global electronic music scene. Since 1992 they have had releases on Plus 8 / Virgin (Canada), Swim (UK), Interchill (Canada), Waveform (USA), Liquid Sound Design (UK), Digital Structures (Sweden), Electronic Soundscapes (Greece), and their own label Post Contemporary. After a five year extended sabbatical, Legion Of Green Men have returned with a new CD, Baqontraq. Eagerly awaited by fans and colleagues, this 8 song album sees a darker, edgier side to LOGM. After a devastating hard drive crash in late 2005, much of what was to be the next album was lost in cyber Hell, and only a small handful of recordings were salvaged…
Since the early 2000s, Ott has produced, mixed and recorded music released on Twisted Records, including various collaborations with founder Simon Posford.
Skylon (2008). After 5 years of hiding in the west-country since his last album, musical oddity Ott gives Twisted Records his second solo offering under the name 'Skylon'. You can expect unique modern electro-acoustic dubs with generous spatterings of indigenous sounds from around the world ladled into the mix. But that's not all, there are a few tracks straying beautifully into different genres whilst maintaining the laid back but up beat dub vibe that we know and love. Add that to the usual mind-blowing production, arrangement, song writing skills and jaw-dropping effects combos and you've got a sonic feast emanating from your speakers…
Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf (1973). This is the solo debut of Uriah Heep's resident keyboardist and top songwriter, but it isn't the heavy metal epic one might expect. In fact, Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf uses electric guitar sparingly and instead goes for a moody soundscape built on acoustic guitar and piano. Songs like "Black Hearted Lady" and "The Last Time" even evoke a bit of a country and western feel, thanks to their use of mellow-sounding slide guitar. This subtle sonic style puts Hensley's songwriting in the spotlight and that is a good thing because each of the songs is well-crafted and tuneful: a subtle combination of acoustic guitar and synthesizer brings out the haunting, delicately crafted melody of "From Time To Time" and "Black Hearted Lady" effectively evokes its mood of heartbreak with a descending acoustic guitar riff…
This super deluxe edition boasts an abundance of material. Disc one features a 2016 remaster (by Andrew Walter at Abbey Road) approved by Charlie Burchill and the second disc gathers 12-inch remixes and instrumentals of the singles, a few of which enjoy their CD debut. Various edits and B-sides can be found on the third CD in the set while disc four features previously unreleased BBC John Peel and Kid Jensen radio sessions, recorded in February and August 1982. All ten tracks on disc five are previously unreleased; made up of alternative mixes and demos.
One of Scotland's finest exports, Simple Minds deliver a strong synth-reared release on New Gold Dream. This album harks the darker side of the band's musicianship, and such material alludes to their forthcoming pop-stadium sound which hurled them into rock mainstream during the latter part of the '80s…
Kit Watkins has played keyboards for Happy The Man, Tone Ghost Either, and between 1979-1982 was a member of Camel (recording on I Can See Your House From Here as well as On the Road 1981 and On The Road 1982). He has also perfomred on recordings by Forrest Fang, The Blind Messenger, Richard Sinclair, Paul Adams and Djam Karet.
A very adventurous band, this Italian Avant/Folk ensemble never got much attention during their fairly short formation during the early 80's, therefore information on this band is hard to find. Their music is very pleasant yet challenging, with also some notable classical and ethnic influences incorporated in their overall sound. The vocals plays a significant role in their music as well, with almost Zeuhl-ish male and female vocal stylistics that flows systematically well with the music. They released one studio album and one EP in 1981 and 1982 with their best release being the self-titled studio album wich represents everything musically decribed in this bio at its best, a truly admiring release and an essential of it's genre. Ensemble Havadià disbanded shortly after these releases, but they are both reissued on CD.
The fact that Billy Branch's backing band for this live date from 1982 is called the SOBs gives listeners hope that this will be a nasty, biting concert. For the most part, that's incorrect, since this wasn't a performance that reached a rolling boil - it was one that kept to a low simmer. Nearly all of the songs are taken at slow tempos, and the band lays back greatly; even when they get a little bit of steam, as on "Eyesight to the Blind," they're relaxed. This isn't a bad thing, and the group - including not just Branch, but Lurrie Bell, Eli Murray, J.W. Williams, and Carey Bell, all held in place by drummer Mose Rutues - works well together, creating some nice off-hand moments in nearly every track.