Xhol Caravan ‎– Electrip

Xhol Caravan ‎– Electrip

Release date:1969

Genre: Krautrock

The history of "Xhol" is not that well documented. Though we do know that they originated in the mid-1960's as "Soul Caravan", changing name in late-1968 to "Xhol Caravan" after playing at the Essener Songtage. This new name heralded a more progressive blend of new ideas, and the developing their sound with a big conceptual opus now documented on disc 1 of the 'Motherfuckers Live' set.
Still finding their feet, and moving on "Xhol Caravan" debuted with a single in the vein of 'Shades Of Deep Purple', still soul-edged but much more progressive. Though, it never hinted at all at the album that was to follow a few months later.
In 1969, on the little known Hansa label, "Electrip" was released to an unsuspecting public."Electrip" was one hell of a remarkable album, especially for the 1960's, an electric saxophone and organ fronted fusion (kind of classic "Uncle Meat" jamming Zappa territory) with a great deal of invention and energy, hinting at later records by 'Nosferatu', 'Faust', et al.
The album starting with a toilet flush, blasts away with "Electric Fun Fair". "Pop Games" and "All Green" continue along this path with the same optimistic melodies and insouciant demeanor. On the 17 minute "Raise Up High", the instrumental sections are very similar to the previous side, but here they added some wild English vocals to the mix giving the song a rough hard rock feel to it.
The album is full of surprises and unlikely diversions, dazzling studio trickery and humour amongst its features. Remarkable throughout!
Whether they existed much beyond this, we don't know. We do know that the band name led to some confusion, and the name was shortened to just "Xhol".

1. Electric Fun Fair
2. Pop Games
3. All Green
4. Raise Up High
5. Walla Mashalla

• Tim Belbe - Tenor Saxophone
• Hansi Fischer - Flute, Soprano/Alto Saxophones
• Öcki Brevern - Organ, Electric Piano, Tuba
• Klaus Briest - Bass
• Peter Meisel - Toilet Flush
• Skip Van Wyck - Drums

Yatha Sidhra ‎– A Meditation Mass

Yatha Sidhra ‎– A Meditation Mass

Release date:1974

Genre: Krautrock

The Fichter brothers from Freiburg (South East Germany) had been playing in various groups together since the mid-1960's. Their first professional band was the rock and soul combo 'Lea Gamble' which they formed with two American ex-service men.
Later they formed 'Brontosaurus', together with French bassist Jean-Michel Boivert and flautist Peter Elbracht.
Apparently at this time they sounded like a hard-rock twist on 'Jethro Tull'.
In early 1973 'Brontosaurus' began to work on a new ambitious opus, a suite called "A Meditation Mass". In concert, they caught the attention of Achim Reichel, who managed to get a contract for them via his Gorilla Music for an LP release on Brain. There was one concession, the name 'Brontosaurus' no longer fitted the type of music they were making, so a new mystical name was chosen: "Yatha Sidhra".
"A Meditation Mass" is actually one of the most magical albums ever made, a single cosmic suite, self-contained and an island unto itself. Aptly, it would be my "Desert Island Disc", and I've often quoted it as my favourite all-time album, due to its uniqueness, that it has never dated, and is so charged. Few albums hold that same enigmatic quality. It starts from silence, at first faintly bubbling and scuttling, gaining focus oh-so enigmatically, a musical form gradually develops amidst a wash of psychedelic echo/reverb effects, out of which a semi-sung unfocused song develops, leaving us like a half grasped thought as the music becomes dynamic, gaining fire, and if that weren't enough it goes from brilliant diversion to theme change, to extraordinary crescendo, with many more surprises on the way, eventually returning to silence. A superb blending of ethnic, Kosmische and pure Krautrock. Flutes, guitars and electronics are the basis of the music, backed up by a rock/jazz rhythm section, all perfectly balanced. A mystical Eastern step on from the realms of Kollektiv or instrumental Thirsty Moon, "A Meditation Mass" remains one of the most enigmatic and timeless albums ever made.
It's a shame really that "Yatha Sidhra" only made the one album, though later the Fichter brothers did form a new band named 'Dreamworld'.

1. Part 1
2. Part 2
3. Part 3
4. Part 4

• Rolf Fichter - Moog, Flute, Vibes, Electric Piano, Guitar, Vocals
• Klaus Fichter - Drums, Percussion
• Matthias Nicolai - Guitar, Bass
• Peter Elbracht - Flute

Zyma ‎– Thoughts

Zyma ‎– Thoughts

Release date:1978

Genre: Progressive Rock

"Zyma" is an obscure German band from the 70's. The band formed in 1972 from the Heidelberg/Mannheim region starting as a hard-rock band, and then moving on with the addition of a keyboard player, and then further instrumentalists.
Their original drummer Karl-Heinz Weiler later played with 'Nine Days Wonder' under the guise of "Hyzantius". The line-up seemed to be constantly changing, with musicians moving to and fro, but with four musicians (Brandl, Ferber, Hornung and Kübler) being constant on all their recordings.
Captured just as the band had gelled the two 1974 tracks, on the Kerston Records "Proton 1" double album, see a development on 1960's American Soul/Blues/Heavy styles rooted in 'Vanilla Fudge' and/or 'Chicago' possibly as previously frequented by other German acts like 'Frumpy' or 'Tomorrow's Gift'.
I guess there would have been many changes of direction over the next few years, as when they next appeared on the scene they'd changed style considerably.
Their debut album "Thoughts" starts sounding very British Jazz, almost a Teutonic answer to 'Nucleus'' 'Labyrinth', changing as it goes on, with a liberal dose of Darryl Way's Wolf thrown in, then moving on to very different musics like Wallenstein and Hoelderlin. The lengthy tracks are complex, full of instrumental breaks, solos, etc., but with odd 'Steeleye Span' folksy strong vocals.
The 12:33 minutes jam "Businessman" is an example of a nice 'Magma'-like Rhodes groove over which female vocals and synths lay down parts, occasionally changing its rhythmic structure for the bluesy chorus. The album released in 1978.

1. Thoughts
2. Businessman
3. One Way Street
4. We Got Time
5. Wasting Time

• Dorle Ferber - Violin, Flute, Vocals, Percussion
• Günther Hornung - Pianos, Moog, Cembalo
• Meinrad Hirt - Clavinet, String Ensemble, Flute, Backing Vocals, Violin
• Bodo Brandl - Bass
• Udo Kübler - Drums, Vocals, Bells, Vibraphone, Marimba, Congas

Live In Japan

"Live In Japan" is a tribute to Rock Artists that they recorded live albums in Japan and released in 70's. We know that some artists are out of "Live In Japan" but soon we will be back with them.

Cat Stevens ‎– Saturnight (Live In Tokyo)

Cat Stevens ‎– Saturnight (Live In Tokyo)

Release date:8 November 1974

Genre: Rock

"Saturnight" is the first live album by Cat Stevens, released only in Japan, to support UNICEF.
The album recorded June 22, 1974 at the Sunplaza Hall, Nakano, Tokyo, Japan.

1. Wild World
2. Oh Very Young
3. Sitting
4. Where Do The Children Play
5. Lady D'Arbanville
6. Another Saturday Night
7. Hard Headed Woman
8. Peace Train
9. Father And Son
10. King Of Trees
11. A Bad Penny
12. Bitterblue

• Cat Stevens – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Synthesizers, Percussion
• Alun Davies – Guitars, Backing Vocals
• Jean Roussel – Keyboards
• Bruce Lynch – Bass Guitar
• Gerry Conway – Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
• Larry Steele – Guitars, Percussion, Backing Vocals
• Jim Cregan – Electric Guitar
• Anna Peacock – Backing Vocals
• Suzanne Lynch – Backing Vocals

Chicago - Live In Japan (Japanese Edition)

Chicago - Live In Japan (Japanese Edition)

Release date:1972

Genre: Rock

"Live In Japan" recorded live at Osaka Festival Hall on June 10th, 11th & 14th 1972 on the band's tour in support of "Chicago V" album.
Originally, the album was released as a two-LP set, and only in Japan.
What makes this superior to the "Carnegie Hall" album? The sound, for one - the horns sound much better, the vocals aren't muffled, and it's easier to hear the bass.
There are fewer long guitar solos or flute improvs, as the band pretty much sticks to the recorded versions of the songs (probably because the songs are so well arranged in the first place).
And, it includes live versions of four "Chicago V" songs, the hits "Saturday In The Park" and "Dialogue" along with two of my favorite album cuts, "A Hit By Varese" (which includes one of trombonist James Pankow's goofiest solos) and "State Of The Union."
They also play "A Song For Richard And His Friends" with an overly-long Terry Kath "space" section, and an early version of "Mississippi Delta City Blues" which isn't all that different from the one that would be recorded on "Chicago XI".
Deadheads will recognize this practice of premiering a song live long before it was recorded.

Disc One

1. Dialogue (Part I & II)
2. A Hit By Varèse
3. Lowdown (Japanese Version)
4. State Of The Union
5. Saturday In The Park
6. Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon
1.Make Me Smile 2. So Much to Say, So Much to Give 3. Anxiety's Moment 4. West Virginia Fantasies 5. Colour My World 6. To Be Free 7. Now More Than Ever
7. Beginnings
8. Mississippi Delta City Blues

Disc Two

1. A Song For Richard And His Friends
2. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (Free Form Intro)
3. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
4. Questions 67 & 68 (Japanese Version)
5. 25 Or 6 To 4
6. I'm A Man
7. Free

• Robert Lamm - Keyboards, Vocals
• Terry Kath - Guitar, Vocals
• Peter Cetera - Bass, Vocals
• Danny Seraphine - Antique Bells, Congas, Drums
• Lee Loughnane - Trumpet, Background Vocals, Percussion
• Walter Parazaider - Woodwinds, Percussion
• James Pankow - Trombone, Percussion