ARCADIUM were a late 60's psychedelic band fronted by songwriter, 12-string guitarist and lead vocalist Miguel Sergides. Arcadium's 'Breathe Awhile' is one of the few albums that truly deserve the 'lost classic' tag bestowed upon so many underachieving progressive-and-psychedelic rock releases from the 1960's and 1970's. Now a highly-prized collectors item - both on CD and even more so on vinyl - 'Breathe Awhile' is a genuinely innovative mixture of lysergic psych-rock, skilful prog and intricate, bluesy Vanilla Fudge-style hard rock that resonates with a wonderfully tripped-out intensity that reminds one of the scarred cerebral landscapes of a particularly memorable bad-trip. Led by the enigmatic multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and composer Miguel Sergides, Arcadium unleashed 'Breathe Awhile' upon an unsuspecting world in 1969. Evidently, the music-buying public weren't quite ready for Sergide's brand of uncompromising acid-rock, even in the era of LSD and Timothy Leary, and the album proved a commercial failure that consigned the group to the decade-straddling netherworld of rock obscurity. And it's a real shame. 'Breathe Awhile' is a bravura creation, a highly-conceptual collection of songs exploring pathos, shame and adultery with utter conviction, displaying Sergide's penchant for darkly-wrought lyrical poetry and an intense, almost hallucinatory musical style quite unlike any other group of the time. Most of the tracks on offer feature a fast, bruising pace with screeching guitars, wailing lyrics, quicksilver drumming and discordant keyboards, creating a hysterical yet utterly-controlled brew of scorched epics. 'Woman Of A Thousand Years', 'Change Me' and 'It Takes A Woman' are particularly impressive, though the rest of the album is also highly recommended. Trying to find a comparison is difficult, as Arcadium sport a highly-refined sound that is completely their own, but elements of Iron Butterfly, Rare Bird, 21st century San Francisco psych-rockers Wooden Shjips and King Crimson are apparent. Thoroughly exhilarating, 'Breath Awhile' is a a brutal tour-de-force of an album that should please those in love with the freakier side of psychedelic madness. Line-up / Musicians Graham Best/bass,vocals Allan Ellwood/organ,vocals John Albert Parker/drums Robert Ellwood/guitar,vocals Miguel Sergides/guitar,vocals Discography(Album) Breathe Awhile 1969
1.I'm on my way 2.Poor lady 3.Walk on the bad side 4.Woman of a thousand years 5.Change me 6.It takes a woman 7.Birth, life and death
A sweet psychedelic set, but one with very mysterious origins — originally recorded as a sound library session, by a group that was really the better-known Nuova Idea! The album’s definitely got a vibe that fits its sound library roots -all instrumental, with a bit less bravado than most psyche albums of this type - almost more of a focus on the rhythms, which stretch out strongly amidst the Hammond and guitar solos on the set. The whole thing’s still pretty rockish, but also has a deeper sensitivity to the overall sound too - a quality that’s partly due to production efforts of Giampiero Reverberi. Line-up / Musicians Marco Zoccheddu/guitar,vocals Claudio Ghiglino/guitar,vocals Giorgio Usai/keyboards Enrico Casagni/bass,flute,vocals Paolo Siani/drums,vocals Discography(Album) Psycheground 1971
In 1971, around the frontman Kosuke ICHIHARA (sax, flute), LOVE LIVE LIFE were formed as a free-form rock project. Each member was one of the most famous and talented Japanese rock- or jazz-session musicians in those days - Toshiaki YOKOTA (flute, sax), Kimio MIZUTANI (guitar), Takao FUJII (guitar), Hiro YANAGIDA (piano, Hammond organ), Chito KAWACHI (drums), Naomi KAWAHARA (percussion), and Masaoki TERAKAWA (bass). They had a strong ambition to produce an intensively improvised rock album like of the British jazz rock scene, and for this purpose they needed a strong, and simultaneously flexible vocalist. Very luckily they could recruit Akira FUSE, one of the most famous Japanese pop-ballad singers, as 'PLUS ONE'. LOVE LIVE LIFE + ONE's one and only album 'Love Will Make A Better You' (1971) has eclectic flavor with psychedelic, avantgarde, jazz and rock essences, that can be appreciated much all over the world. Album is a perfect exemplar of the Japanese psych super-session scene. The most successful album by impresario Ikuzo Orita (responsible for Foodbrain and Shiniki Chen), the disc paired a nimble crew of improve freaks (like guitarist Kimio Mizutani) with mainstream pop star Akira Fuse and his band, along with a songbook by saxophonist Kei Ichihara. The resultant album is rich in Sly Stone-influenced funk and wild guitar solos from Mizutani and Takao Naoi. Though Fuse wasn't the only mainstream star to dabble in the avant-garde -- normally he covered the Carpenters and other lite American fare -- his star presence insured that the album never flew too far into self-indulgence. The disc's second side, in fact, contains four of the more superbly arranged tunes in the Japanese psych canon, containing sweet choruses, pumping post-McCartney bass, shredding guitar, and exhilarating breaks (especially the horns on the disc-closing "Facts About It All"). In under four and a half minutes, the album's title track is simultaneously hook-filled and sonically overwhelming, both freewheeling and utterly controlled. The nine-minute "Shadows of the Mind" is an ESL mini-epic rendered as orchestral free jazz that bursts into machine gun John Barry-isms. Even Mizutani and Naoi's guitar-offs are fit perfectly into the bigger tapestry (which, in turn, dissolves into strings before phase-shifting back into the verse). The focus is especially present on the disc's requisite 17-minute jam, the side one-filling "The Question Mark," which builds patiently from fuzz miasma to a shrieking pulse without ever showing its hand. Line-up / Musicians Kosuke Ichihara/sax,flute Toshiaki Yokota/flute,sax Kimio Mizutani/guitar Takao Fujii/guitar Hiro Yanagida/piano,organ Chito Kawachi/drums Naomi Kawahara/percussion Masaoki Terakawa/bass Akira Fuse/vocals Discography(Album)
Love Will Make A Better You 1971
1.The Question Mark 2.Runnin' Free 3.Love Will Make A Better You 4.Shadows Of The Mind 5.Facts About It All
This album offers a pleasant instrumental musical voyage to the world of classical psychedelic progressive rock elements. Neat walls of raw organs, guitars, bass and furiously rolling drums summon forth a pleasant realm of acid rock where one can relax by escaping troubles of logical reasons. Violin fits marvelously as a supporting solo instrument to the sound context, strengthening the sound perfectly. Fast grooves are counterbalanced with quieter sequences and short pieces building up from guitar chord progressions and flute interludes. In the middle of the record jazzy lounging for fuzzy guitar in a relaxed hippie glade follows, allowing to be enrichened with dialogues for violin and keyboards. In the later part of the album are discovered very beautiful classic music melodic tunes, first with flute and harpsichord madrigal, then followed with a piece for violin accompanied with organs and bass guitar. Hollow calls indicate return to more atavistic levels of surreal rock poetry, leading to strongly riffed heavy acid jazzy groove. Funky and vital turns twist a delightful trip in progressive rock styled treatments of jazz standards, giving associations of early German art rock bands sound. After a traditional chamber quickie, the album closes to a melancholic tune with beautifully weeping violin and subtle support from the group. Line-up / Musicians Hiro Yanagida/organ,harpsichord Kimio Mizutani/guitars Hiro Tsunoda/drums Hiroki Tamaki/violin Keiju Ishikawa/bass Nozomi Nakatani/flute Discography(Album)
Milk Time 1970
1.Love St. 2.Running Shirts Long 3.When She Didn't Agree 4.Happy, Sorry 5.Yum 6.Love T 7.Fish Sea Milk 8.Fingers Of A Red Typewriter 9.Milk Time 10.Me And Milk Tea And Others
Som Imaginário (Imaginary Music) is a Brazilian band from the 70s. They joined together to support Milton Nascimento in his first record and shows. Their style comes from jazz, classic and rock until popular Brazilian music and bossa nova, with strong Beatles influence. They recorded three albums in the 70s and an album live with Milton Nascimento in 1974 releasing them in a boxset in 1997, but it was limited edition. Famous people were Imaginary Music: Naná Vasconcelos, Robertinho Silva, José Rodrix, Toninho Horta, Wagner Tiso, Tavito and Marco Antônio Araújo. This last person recorded four very progressive albums later, but unfortunately died in 1986. The first and second Som Imaginário albums follow the psychedelic line with Beatles and pop influences. José Rodrix left the band, and Wagner Tiso (ex W-Boys jazz band) leaded the band for the new album. The third album "A Matança do Porco" (The slaughter of the pig) is an all instrumental album (with voices but no lyrics), following the fusion and symphonic direction. Some people prefer their first phase, others the third album. Line-up / Musicians Wagner Tiso/keyboards Luis Alves/bass Robertinho Silva/drums Tavito/violin Fredryko/guitar Ze Rodrix/keyboards,vocals,flute Laudir de Oliveira/percussion Nana Vasconcelos/percussion Discography(Album)
One of the more unique and melodic bands to arise from Japan’s famous experimental rock scene, Angel’in Heavy Syrup (named after the canned fruit) specializes in a drawn-out, retro psychedelic style. The all-female quartet formed in Osaka in 1990, produced by Jojo Hiroshige, a heavyweight amongst Japan’s noise rockers. Despite “guitar terrorism” being music critics’ favorite phrase to describe him, Angel’in Heavy Syrup’s sound shares very little in common with that of their producer’s. The band draws heavily on progressive and psychedelic rock while working in a number of jazz influences as well. The jazz and psychedelic roots especially point to influences by Soft Machine and Gong. Most Angel’in Heavy Syrup songs are epic and meandering, often layering sheets of guitar noise over entire songs - perhaps the heavy syrup coating the angelic melody. The band’s vocal sections give way to stretched-out instrumentals with plenty of complicated lines from both guitarists and sometimes accented with liberal helpings of improvisation. Nakao and Toda often act as the other’s complement; while one forges ahead with the melody, the other plays contrasting parts ranging from improve to noise freakouts. Vocal sections feature bassist Itakura, whose soft, airy tones recall British female-fronted dream pop and shoegaze bands from the 1980s and 90s. For listeners more familiar with such groups, a comparison to Lush is not far off the mark. Takahara completes the quartet on both drums and flute, and while her presence on percussion is not commanding, her poly-rhythmic flourishes set her style apart while tacking on an extra touch of jazz. Line-up / Musicians Mineko Itakura/voices,bass Mine Nakao/guitar,voices Fusao Toda/guitar Tomoko Takakura/drums,percussion,flute Discography(Album) Angel'in Heavy Syrup IV 1999
1.First Love 2.A Series Of Water Mind/Rubens And The Cathedral 3.Voyage 4.Adios In Those Days 5.Space Conquest 6.Fate
Acid Mothers Temple is a completely freak out Japanese neo-hippie tribe led by the guitarist Malato Kawabata (partially known for previous works published at the end of the 1970s). The band were formed in 1996 under the name Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O (Underground Freak Out). They started their career playing perpetual psychedelic jams very closed to Amon Duul II and Gong at their most gorgeous spacey rock moments. Since 1997 until now AMT have been one of the most prolific rock bands in term of CDs production. Their catalogue contains more than twenty albums (including different collaborations, with Kinski, David Aellen.) in less than ten years. Each album contains its special dose of "acid" musical fantasies, including lot of fuzzy guitars, "stoned" vocals, droning synthscapes and some futurist Eastern raga sounds. Unfortunately with a such big profusion in musical creation the quality is not obvious all the time. Some releases turn to parodies, pathetic imitations of old, primitive spacey rock bands. Nevertheless a few albums are really great and seriously beautiful; the psychedelic and electric bluesy "Pataphysical Freak Out Mu", the transcendent and sometimes almost jazzy 41st Century splendid Man. The tulmutuous soundtrack "Wild gals a go-go", the semi acoustic / world "La Novia" and "Univers Zen Ou De Zero A Zero" contain classic moments. The band have known several declinations under almost non distinct projects as Acid Mothers Temple & the Cosmic Inferno. Line-up / Musicians Cotton Casino/vocals,synthesiser Tsuyama Atsushi/guitar,vocal Koizumi Hajime/drums Higashi Hiroshi/synthesiser,guitar Yoshida Fumio/hardy-gardy Suhara Keizo/bass Johan Wellens/freak power Magic Aûm Gigi/voice Siwaporn/voice Audrey Ginestet/voice Siwaporn/voice Kawabata Makoto/guitars Discography(Album) Pataphisical Freak Out MU!! 1999
1.Cosmic Audrey/Acid Takion 2.White Summer Of Love/Third Eye Of The Whole World 3.Golden Bat Blues Dead/Mr. Hardy Guidey Man/Magic Aûm LSD/Astrological Overdrive 4.Right About Rainbow I/Your My Only Super Sunshine /Right About Rainbow II 5.Blue Velvet Blues
Dashiell Hedayatt is a weird cult figure from France that was more known as a poet and a general counter culture activist. His first album released under the MELMOTH pseudo was called "La Devanture Des Ivresses" and was long recitals of texts accompanied with music. He actually won a prize for that album and received critical acclaim. A second album was produced under his real name and he called it "Obsolete". This album over the years became a real cult object because of the general freakiness, the presence of the almost complete GONG (many GonGheads consider this album the best they did), and the participation of beat poet and general activist of the counter culture Willam Burroughs going along reciting on of his text. Gong will then return to their career (taking a huge step up as they will do the famous RGI Trilogy and the Camembert thing) and Dashiell Hedayatt will sink into oblivion. Line-up / Musicians Dashiell Hedayat/vocal,guitar,keyboards Daevid Allen/guitar Didier Malherbe/saxophone,flute Christian Tritsch/bass,guitar Pip Pyle/drums,guitar Gilli Smythe/vocal Discography(Album) Obsolete 1971
1.Eh, Mushroom, Will You Mush My Room? a.Chrysler b.Fille de L'Ombre c.Long Song for Zelda 2.Cielo Drive
PEOPLE were formed during a short term in 1971 as an (nearly) occasional 'shooting star' project to produce a novel psychedelic rock by blending their rock sounds and Buddhist Shomyo (sutra). All the members were renowned and talented Japanese session musicians - Kimio MIZUTANI (guitars, sitar), Yusuke HOGUCHI (keyboards, voices), Hideaki TAKEBE (bass), Kiyoshi TANAKA (drums, percussion), and Rally SUNAGA (gong, percussion). Calling Naoki TACHIKAWA as a producer and a director, they released a solemn and mysterious psych rock album 'Ceremony ~ Buddha Meet Rock' (1971), which was much appreciated by worldwide psychedelic rock fans. In a very real sense, Ceremony: Buddha Meet Rock is a knockoff album, a producer's attempt to cash in on a trend. But it's also an undisputed classic of the Japanese psychedelic underground. Given that a major locus for the said underground was the tumultuous, never-staged Japanese production of the musical Hair, maybe this shouldn't be that surprising. Credited to "People," the disc was organized by Hideki Sakamoto, Teichiku Records' A&R director, in an attempt to create a fresh version of what Polydor chief Ikuzo Orita had done on his so-called super-session LPs under band names like Foodbrain and Love Live Life + One. Creating a vague concept for the LP -- Buddhism! -- Sakamoto enlisted Orita's house guitarist, Kimio Mizutani, arranger Yusuke Hoguchi, and poet Naoki Tachikawa. For a super-session LP, though, and especially one featuring Mizutani, there is precious little shredding. Instead, the album focuses on gentle, droning jams. On "Prayer, Pt. 1," Mizutani's acoustic fingerpicking propels wordless harmonies, sounding more like freak folk than freak-out -- at least until "Prayer, Pt. 2," though, when Mizutani kicks out the jams while women moan orgasmically. For the disc's epilogue, Sakamoto semi-accidentally became arguably the first of many producers to sample jazz-funk arranger David Axelrod, though more out of necessity than invention. Reportedly, the project went over budget, and was completed by adding bird sounds and a few fresh layers of jams to Axelrod's 1968 recording "Holy Thursday." Line-up / Musicians Kimio Mizutani/guitar,sitar Hideaki Takebe/bass Kiyoshi Tanaka/drums,percussion Yuusuke Hoguchi/organ,piano,vocals Rarry Sunaga/percussion Akemi Tomura/vocals Goro Inoue/vocals Kyo Shibata/vocals Maiya Sugihara/vocals Discography Ceremony : Buddha Meet Rock 1971
1.Prologue 2.Shomyo - Part 1 3.Gatha 4.Flower Strewing 5.Shomyo - Part 2 6.Prayer - Part 1 7.Prayer - Part 2 8.Epilogue
FOOD BRAIN was named by Shinki Chen - a charismatic Japanese guitarist - and is known as a novel rock project by Polydor Japan (according to rumor the project was originally to be named Brain Food - but Shinki made a mistake). Ikuzo Orita, a director of Polydor, had pictured some projects of Japanese progressive rock in his mind. To realize one of them, he persuaded Shinki to be the front man, and gathered some renowned Japanese musicians - Hiro Tsunoda (drums & percussion), Hiro Yanagida (keyboard & organ), Masayoshi Kabe (bass) - around him. As this was in the early 70's and the dawn of Japanese rock, a topic that can't be overlooked is the DRUG culture...The group with these four talented men - some serious session musicians and others junkie travelers - might be lacking in unity but they had no problem in dropping a breaking-Japanese-pop-dream bomb. Their only one piece Bansan was the sunrise of Japanese psychedelic rock and paved way for the younger generation. Sadly their remarkable flexibility and technique couldn't prevent the project from breaking up after the short blooming period, in spite of Ikuzo's dream. Line-up / Musicians Hiro Tsunoda/drums,percussion Hiro Yanagida/keyboard,organ Masayoshi Kabe/bass Shinki Che guitar Michihiro Kimura/clarinet Discography Bansan (Social Gathering) 1970
1.That Will Do 2.Naked Mountain 3.Waltz For M.P.B. 4.Live Juice Vending Machine 5.The Conflict Of The Hippo And The Pig 6.Clock 7.One-Sided Love 8.The Hole In A Sausage 9.Dedicated To Bach
This early 70's psychedelic Japanese quartet were more or less the precursors of The FAR EAST FAMILY BAND, guitarist/vocalist Fumio Miyashita being the only link between the two. Miyashita would later join other musicians on FEFB which included among their ranks Masanori Takahashi, better known as "Kitaro". Under the name FAR OUT, they released one album in 1973.Although « Nihonjin » is definitely a spacey album, the keyboards are only prominent on the opening notes and the synths are used sparingly throughout, for the occasional sound effect. The psychedelic atmosphere comes mostly from the guitars, electric sitar and drums, resulting in a sound somewhat reminiscent of PINK FLOYD's "A Saucerful of Secrets". The original LP, replete with weird sound effects, consisted of two epic tracks clocking in at 18 and 20 minutes respectively. The 7 bonus tracks of the CD edition are actually taken from The FAR EAST FAMILY BAND's first album "The Cave Down to the Earth" and feature some Japanese vocals that turn out in English on "The Cave" album. Line-up / Musicians Fumio Miyashita/vocal,guitar,harmonica,moog Eiichi Sayu/guitar,organ, chorus Kei Ishikawa/vocal,bass,sitar Manami Arai/drums Discography Nihonjin 1973
1.Too Many People 2.Nihonjin 3.Birds Flying To The Cave 4.Saying To The Land 5.Moving, Looking, Trying, Jumping 6.Wa Wa 7.The Cave Down To The Earth 8.Four Minds 9.Transmigration
Regarded by many as the first Japanese progressive rock group, the Far East Family Band featured the keyboardist and future new age composer, Kitaro. A keyboard-dominated space rock band, the Far East Family Band played extended compositions that brought comparisons to Tangerine Dream and early Pink Floyd. The group's first album was released under the band name of Far Out. After changing their name, the band released The Cave Down to Earth in 1975. Their first European release, Nipponjin -- Join Our Mental Phase Sound (1975), featured re-recorded versions of material from the previous record and the album attributed to Far Out. The group's next record, Parallel Worlds (1976), was profoundly influenced by Klaus Schulze who Kitaro met on a trip through Europe. With the first track over 30 minutes long, the album bears similarities to Krautrock legends Ash Ra Tempel. Tenkujin (1977) followed and was the band's first and only American release. By this point, the band consisted of Miyashta (vocals, synths, guitars, bamboo flute), Hirohito Fukushima (guitar, vocals, koto), and Yujin Harada (drums, percussion). It would be the band's last record. Line-up / Musicians Fumio Miyashita/guitar,keyboards,vocals Hirohito Fukushima/guitar Masanori Takahashi/keyboards Akira Ito/keyboards Akira Fukakusa/bass Shizuo Takasaki/drums Discography(Album) Parallel World 1976
1.Metempsychosis 2.Entering / Times 3.Kokoro 4.Parallel World
This band of Japanese exiles released just one album, which first appeared in 1972 and makes its long-overdue CD debut here. A melodic set featuring Japanese instruments such as the shakuhachi, koto and taisho-goto alongside the traditional trappings of Western rock and roll, it's a hugely enjoyable collection that will appeal to all fans of Easterntinged psychedelia. Line-up / Musicians Fumio Adachi/drums Noboru Asahi/bass Gen Morita/multi-instrumentalist Ruese Seto/vocals, guitar Ted Yoshikawa/multi-instrumentalist Discography East 1972
1.Beautiful Morning 2.Me 3.Geese On the Road 4.She 5.Lumberer Moses 6.Deaf Eyed Julie 7.Black Hearted Woman 8.Call Back the Wind 9.Jar 10.Everywhere 11.Shin Sorllan
The starting line-up of this unique Japanese progrock band is: Tsutomu Izumi (keyboards, Moog synthesizer, vocals), Hisashi Mizutani (guitar, vocals), Toshkazu Taki (bass, vocals), Kazuo Okamoto (drums & percussion) and Misao on violin. They made a series of albums in the Seventies with every time another sound: the debut album "An Old Castle of Transylvania" ('73) sounds like early FLOYD/VANILLA FUDGE, the third album "Black Hole" (75) is more in the vein of complex KING CRIMSON (nerve-racking FRIPPERIAN play), the second LP "The journey.." sound rather weird and freaky and their fourth entitled "Metal Reflection" is, as the title suggests, pure hardrock/metal.The long title track of their debut album "An old Castle of Transylvania" (around 20 minutes) is a mindblowing blend of psychedelia and progrock with great build ups and eruptions, very moving! It contains sumptuous keyboardplay (Hammond and Mellotron) and biting guitar. The interplay between guitar and organ is like "Set the controls for the heart of the sun" from PINK FLOYD. The other songs are also loaded with Hammond and Mellotron, a real 'keyboard nirvana'. Line-up / Musicians Tsutomu Izumi/keyboards,Mellotron,synthesizers,vocals Hirashi Mizutani/guitars,vocals Kazuo Okamoto/drums,percussion Toshikazu Taki/bass,vocals Misao/violin Discography(Album) An Old Castle of Transylvania 1973
1.Soundtrack 1984 2.Maybe 3.Soft focus 4.Fantastic mirror 5.Poltergeist 6.An old castle of Transylvania: a.) Forest of the death b.) The cursed c.) Darkness of the world d.) An old castle of Transylvania
Almendra was one of the most important rock and roll groups from Buenos Aires, Argentina in the late 1960s.Led by guitarist and lyricist Luis Alberto Spinetta, Almendra released between 1968 and 1971 a few singles and two albums that revolutionized the sound of Argentine rock for the remainder of the 20th century and almost single-handedly changed the way local rock music was perceived by critics and audiences. Almendra’s extraordinary debut album was released on November 29, 1969. It included an insert with lyrics and technical information. The black & white back cover pictured the group live at the Pinap Festival. By the end of 1969 the record company released a new single featuring "Tema de Pototo" and "Final". The latter was originally scheduled to end their debut album, but could not make it due to time length limitations. The group wanted "Gabinetes espaciales" to be the a-side of this single but RCA wished to promote "Pototo" instead. "Gabinetes..." was eventually included on the compilation LP Mis conjuntos preferidos (RCA Vik 3836).In early 1970 another single was released with two songs from the album. Meanwhile, Spinetta was working on a highly ambitious -though not original at that time- project: a rock opera about mankind’s inner search. But while they were working on this new album the group split. Widely compared to The Beatles by their local contemporaries, Almendra did not survive the 1960s and the making of the difficult second album, though all individual members went on to form the backbone of Argentine rock in the 1970s. Line-up / Musicians Luis Alberto Spinetta/guitar,vocals Edelmiro Molinari/guitar,vocals Emilio Del Güercio/bass,vocals,flute Rodolfo García/drums,vocals) Discography(Album) Almendra 1969
1.Muchacha (Ojos de papel) 2.Color humano 3.Figuración 4.Ana no duerme 5.Fermin 6.Plegaria para un niño dormido 7.A estos hombres tristes 8.Que el viento borro tus manos 9.Laura va
Alain Markusfeld is very unique French guitarist/multi-instrumentalist. His albums blend multi- layered acoustic guitars with fiery leads, piano, ethereal female voices, throbbing bass and percussion. His guitar style could be described as early Larry Coryell (acoustic) meets Randy California (electric) with a strong middle-eastern influence. Le Desert Noir is a heavier guitar album which features drums on almost every track, overall very hendrix influenced. With Platock, there is more maturity in his sound, combining delicate acoustic guitars and more piano to his trademark sound, with less reliance on drums. Contemporus attempts to continue in the same vein, but fails to reach the same energy level, except possibly on the sidelong "Contemporus" suite. Start with Platock, which most will agree is his best. First two releases are very rare. Line-up / Musicians Jean-Claude Michaud/bass Jean Schultheis/drums,vibraphone,organ,piano Bernard Duplaix/flute,saxophone Denis Lable/guitar Alain Markusfeld/guitar Rolling/guitar Tommy Brown/drums Discography(Album) Le Monde En Étages 1970
1.Musique fatidique pour nuages fatigués 2.Dans la glue moyenâgeuse 3.Dors ! Madère 4.La terre se dévore ! (partie 1) 5.La terre se dévore ! (partie 2) 6.Les têtes molles 7.Actualités spatio-régionales
