heavylione's Last.fm Journal

Blue Phantom (ENG)

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 19:53:36 +0000

Following many successful tours of Europe with his orchestra and an impressive series of recordings with Fonit Cetra, then Italy's preeminent record company, in the 60s Armando Sciascia formed Vedette Records, his own independent record group based in Milan, wich grew into an important classical, pop, jazz and ethnic repertory on various labels (Ars Nova, Vedette, Replica, Albatros, Zodiaco) which were soon distributed world-wide. Each of these labels reflected Sciascia's distinguished work, not only as a performer, producer and entrepreneur, but also of his musical instinct for quality talent - often young artists who were precursors of the most successful Italian pop music of that era and beyond.
Not less interesting than this all-star production were Sciascia's own musical activities. Born in Italy of musicians, he began his strictly classical music studies at age five and graduated from the Gioacchino Rossini Conservatory of Pesaro where he majored in violin, composition and conducting. Yet despite his prodigious concert performances as violinist, his compositions for films and the theatre, as well as conductor - including a stint with the Rai (TV) Orchestra - he also had the extraordinary ability to move through various musical idioms and had as much success as a cross-over musician as he did as purist and as talent scout for a new generation of musicians who were to raise the curtain on the "rocking" 60s and 70s.
In fact, Vedette Records became the first home for, among others, the Equipe 84, the Pooh, Inti-Illimani, Gian Pieretti, Roby Crispiano, Lelio Luttazzi, and later included Giorgio Gaber and the Italian distributor for the entire Elektra USA label, including Jim Morrison and The Doors.
Vedette's recording studios also served as experimental music labs not only for electronic music, but where some of Italy's finest jazz and studio musicians often gathered for jam sessions or live recordings, with such names as Valdambrini, Valente, G. Basso, Farina, De Piscopo, Pezzotta, Schiano etc. In fact, it was from one of these spontaneous musical conversations that Blue Phantom emerged as one of the first successful so-called "psychedelic heavy rock" recordings in Italy with both songs and arrangements by Sciascia.
What with today's plethora of electronic gadgets, distortion of sound is by now common practice, but in the 60s, especially when one considers that Moog was still an experiment, and digital still a long way off, Blue Phantom's sound was not only revolutionary, it was almost a blaspemy! The titles of this collection, however, clearly indicate the group knew what they were saying, and correctly guessed there were lots of fans out there who understood and loved what they heard!

[from the booklet of the CD Distortions, written by Armando Sciascia, translated by Eugenio Crippa]

Blue Phantom (Ita)

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:55:23 +0000

A seguito di molti tour di successo in tutta Europa con la sua orchestra, ed una notevole serie di pubblicazioni su etichetta Fonit Cetra - ai tempi la più grande casa discografica italiana - Armando Sciascia negli anni '60 fondò la Vedette Records, una società discografica indipendente con sede a Milano il cui repertorio spaziava tra musica classica, pop, jazz ed etnica, e si divideva tra varie etichette (Ars Nova, Vedette, Replica, Albatros, Zodiaco) distribuite in tutto il mondo. Ciascuna di esse rifletteva l'abilità di Sciascia non solo come musicista, produttore ed uomo d'affari, ma anche il suo fiuto per nuovi talenti musicali: si trattava spesso di giovani artisti, precursori del pop italiano di maggior successo dell'epoca e dei successivi anni.
Non meno interessanti erano le sue personali attività musicali. Figlio di musicisti italiani, cominciò a studiare musica classica a soli cinque anni, e si diplomò presso il conservatorio Gioacchino Rossini di Pesaro, specializzandosi in violino, composizione e direzione d'orchestra. Oltre alle sue impressionanti performance concertistiche come violinista, alle sue composizioni per film e teatro ed al suo lavoro di direttore dell'orchestra della RAI, aveva l'innata capacità di muoversi attraverso vari generi musicali: questo fu il principale motivo del suo successo, così come la sua attività di talent scout, alla ricerca di nuove generazioni di musicisti che avrebbero dovuto risvegliare il panorama rock degli anni '60 e '70.
Infatti, la Vedette Records fu l'etichetta di Equipe 84, Pooh, Inti-Illimani, Gian Pierretti, Roby Crispiano, Lelio Luttazzi e, più tardi, Giorgio Gaber. fu inoltre distributore italiano per la statunitense Elektra, label di Jim Morrison e dei suoi The Doors.
Gli studi di registrazione della Vedette furono fucina di sperimentazioni in campo elettronico, nonché luogo frequentato da alcuni dei migliori jazzisti e musicisti italiani, che vi si incontravano per improvvisare insieme o registrare dei live album; ricordiamo tra questi Valdambrini, Valente, G. Basso, Farina, De Piscopo, Pezzotta, Schiano ed altri.
Fu da una di queste spontanee conversazioni musicali che nacquero i Blue Phantom, autori del primo disco di successo nel cosiddetto ambito dell'"heavy rock psichedelico" in Italia. Autore di canzoni ed arrangiamenti fu lo stesso Sciascia.
Oggi è del tutto comune avere suoni distorti in un disco, ma non lo era affatto negli anni 60, quando il Moog rappresentava ancora uno strano esperimento ed il digitale era ancora lontano anni luce dalla diffusione odierna. il Sound dei Blue Phantom non fu solo rivoluzionario, ma per certi versi sacrilego! I titoli di questo album, in ogni caso, mostrano come la band era conscia di quanto stesse facendo, ed avesse capito che là fuori in molti capivano ed apprezzavano ciò che ascoltavano.

[Scritto da Armando Sciascia sul libretto del CD Distortions]

Curved Air

Tue, 7 Jun 2011 20:09:27 +0000

Curved Air é un gruppo progressive rock pionieristico britannico formato nel 1970 da musicisti provenienti da background artistici alquanto differenti, sonorità classiche, folk ed elettroniche, che risultarono in una mistura di progressive rock, folk rock e fusion con influenze classiche. Assieme a High Tide, It's a Beautiful Day e East of Eden, Curved Air furono una delle prime band dopo i Velvet Underground e It's a Beautiful Day ad ospitare un violino.

Curved Air (ENG)

Fri, 3 Jun 2011 14:08:25 +0000

Curved Air are a pioneering british progressive rock group formed in 1970 by musicians who came from quite different artistic backgrounds, classic, folk, and electronic sound, which resulted in a mixture of progressive rock, folk rock, and fusion with classical elements. Along with High Tide, It's a Beautiful Day and East of Eden, Curved Air were one of the first bands after The Velvet Underground and It's a Beautiful Day to feature a violin. Considered (according to AllMusic) "one of the most dramatically accomplished of all the bands lumped into Britain's late-'60s prog explosion", Curved Air released eight studio albums (the first three became the UK Top 20 hits) and had a hit single with "Back Street Luv" (1971) which reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart.

Band history

The group evolved out of the band Sisyphus which was formed by Darryl Way (who studied violin at Dartington College and the Royal College of Music) and Francis Monkman, a member of Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (in his spare time with friends Florian Pilkington-Miksa and Rob Martin playing Purple Haze covers at parties). Way and Monkman met in a music store, discovered they had a lot in common and in 1969 invited pianist Nick Simon who, along with drummer Florian Pilkington-Miksa, completed the line-up of Sisyphus. "Darryl and Nick were very much into Spirit. One could cite them as a formative influence for Curved Air", Monkman later remembered. According to him, "with Sisyphus the material was mostly, if not all, original" and it was a very fertile period when much of the early Curved Air songs were written, among them "Young Mother" (about Jackie Kennedy) and "Screw". In 1969, having added long-time friend bassist Robert Martin to the line-up, the band changed the name to Curved Air after the piece A Rainbow in Curved Air by contemporary composer Terry Riley. The idea belonged to Monkman who, having played in the first London performance of In C, was a great fan of Riley and "... had a kind of 'musical vision' of a high-energy rock sound going into a Terry-like tape-loop improvisation".
By this time Sonja Kristina, who debuted on a stage at the Swan Folk Club in Romford at the age of thirteen (and even had some TV experience in the children's show Song and Story) was an aspiring folk musician, already writing her own songs, playing at clubs such as the Troubadour and the Marquee (as Sonja) and studying at the New College of Speech and Drama. In 1968 Sonja auditioned for and won the part of "Crissy" in the London stage production of the rock musical Hair. She appeared on the original cast album singing the song "Frank Mills" which was also released as a single. The show was being produced by Galt McDermott, who also had another play, "Who the Murderer Was," at the Mercury Theatre in Notting Hill Gate. The quartet was to provide accompaniment for "Who the Murderer Was", even to become a "house band" for the show. Of the circumstances which led to Sonja Kristina becoming a Curved Air member Francis Monkman remembered:

Late fall 1969, a girl I knew at the academy said that Galt McDermott (who had written the music for Hair was doing a sequel and was looking for a pit band. Of course the play, Who the Murderer Was? was nothing like Hair, but there were some nice things in it - the final playout I can still remember, it was a good chance to use fuzz (I use the word loosely) guitar on an arranged melody (that was quite new then, Robin Trower was probably the first, with Procol). There was a recording made of the music, at Lansdowne Studios. George Martin obviously figured Rob and Florian weren't "pros" and got session players. The legendary Phil Seaman was on drums (Ginger Baker's teacher). He was carried down the stairs, into the studio, onto his drum stool, played immaculately, and was carried out again, never seen anything quite like it. I was allowed in on 2nd guitar.

Mark Hanau, an aspiring band manager at the time, had seen the show and decided he wanted to manage Curved Air. He had also seen Sonja perform and instantly formed this idea that her vocals were the only ingredient that had been missing in the quartet. On January 1, 1970, the singer received an official invitation to become a member of Curved Air. She listened (while sitting on a theatre stairs) through the cassette with the band's music which Hanau gave her and was much impressed. The Kristina-Monkman songwriting tandem took off immediately, him providing musical ideas, her writing lyrics. The band's new sound immediately came together, and the five-piece Curved Air was born, Sonja Kristina being both the band's expressive, haunting voice and it's sex symbol. Besides, she knew the London undergrounds scene well, being a "barefoot hippie student... absorbed into the arty political counterculture of 1967 London" and friends with the likes of Social Deviants, Hawkwind and Pink Fairies. Despite having come from the folk scene, she (in her own words) "didn't relate to folk bands, strangely enough", citing Janis Joplin, The Doors, Rolling Stones and Traffic as her early favourites.
The five-piece launched a well-received U.K. tour, supporting Black Sabbath at one point. "Funnily enough, we all got on very well with Black Sabbath, me especially with Ozzy for we were both working class lads who enjoyed a pint", Way later remembered. In summer 1970 Curved Air signed with Warner Bros., becoming the first British band on the company's roster. The band received a much-publicized advance of Ј100.000 and their debut album Airconditioning was released in November to enormous hype, a substantial number were issued as picture discs - indeed it was one of the first and has later become one of the prog rock movement's "most prized artifacts". The Warners' promotional campaign made rather a negative impression on the music press, some even saw the combination of "violin and synthesizer with quasi-classical material" and "a sexy female vocalist" for an extra ingredient as just a neat "packaging" ploy. Nevertheless, "divided neatly between ambitious hard rockers and deeply classically influenced pieces", the album reached number 8 in the UK Albums Chart. In retrospect it is regareded as "flawless", and "monumental"piece of "savage innovation", one of the "finest classical rock fusions of the age". Even though an accompanying single, "It Happened Today," failed to chart, Curved Air (according to AllMusic) "entered 1971 on the very edge of superstardom".
With Ian Eyre replacing bassist Martin, the band released "Back Street Luv" which reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart to become not just the band's most successful single to date but also (according to critic Dave Thompson) "one of the crucial singles of the early 1970s". The Second Album peaked at #11 which was regarded a disappointment for a group that "in 1971... were pioneers in every sense of the word". A non-LP follow-up single, "Sarah's Concern," went by unnoticed.
The band played three U.S. tours and were received more than favourably, one of the most memorable gig having been in Oklahoma City, where they supported Johnny Winter. "I loved working with Johnny & Edgar Winter. They were lovely people. Country Joe and I got on well", Sonja Kristina later remembered. Francis Monkman felt Curved Air were about to "break" the States at the moment when on their first big Boston gig the Chrysalis promoters (in his words) pulled the group off stage "just before 'Vivaldi'", fearing, as he thought, that they "were about to upstage Tull, who were on next". All in all, he conceded the band probably just hadn't it in them to "stick around long enough". By the end of 1972 Monkman was a self-admitted "nervous wreck" and his colleagues too were on the verge of physical and mental breakdown. In the course of constant touring drummer Pilkington-Miksa has actually become ill and for several months Barry De Souza (Lou Reed, Jeff Beck, Kate Bush), whom band members knew from studio work (and whose style of playing was more jazzy) was sitting in for him. It was De Souza who played with Curved Air at the 1971 Beat Club German T.V performance of "Back Street Luv", the televised version of which became well known. In late 1971 the band joined The Faces, Soft Machine, Marc Bolan, David Bedford to do a Christmas radio show for the BBC. "Whoever did the Curved Air Live at the BBC CD probably has access to those tapes", Sonja later commented.
By the time of the third album release serious musical differences within the band emerged. According to Sonja Kristina's Cherry Red interview (2007), "Francis was fascinated with overtones and natural harmonies. His other obsession was jamming, real 'out there' cosmic rock jamming. And that was not Darryl's thing at all. He likes things to be precise. He's very disciplined perfectionist, wants things to be as exquisite and precise as possible. Francis is a complete opposite, he wants to play things that come from cosmos". As Monkman explained,

Basically Darryl and I respect each others' work, but we don't really see eye-to-eye on most things. And we never really got the co-writing thing together. I wanted to get my first 'epic' together, so it looks like a split forming at the time of the Second Album. In fact, the centre was never really solid after Rob left. I regret to say that we asked him to, is the truth. <...> The transition from "hanging out and getting it together" to "working band" is so stressful that I guess none of us were ready for it.

While working in the studio the band was in a dire condition. "I remember the moment when Clifford Davis, our manager after Mark Hanau, spelled out what we were going to have to do just to get somewhere near even. We felt burned out", Monkman later said. He had to wear earplugs to go on the tube and went to a naturopath three times a week. The album's concept was based on the Lewis Carroll poem of the same title, which, Monkman later admitted, was an accurate picture of the band's predicament" ("Even the 'ghoulish party sounds' on "Once a Ghost" come across more like a 'ghoulish cocktail party!'"). Phantasmagoria was recorded with a new bassist and guitarist Mike Wedgwood who replaced Eyre. The album, later regarded by some as their masterpiece, "the culmination of all that Curved Air promised over the course of its predecessors; the yardstick by which all rock/classical hybrids should be measured" came out in April 1972 and reached only #20 in the U.K. Curved Air split up, victims of (according to AllMusic) "inter-band disputes that had already seen the two sides of Phantasmagoria pointedly divided between Kristina/Way's rock-tinged instincts and Monkman's more portentous contributions". Way formed Wolf, Pilkington-Miksa joined Kiki Dee's band, Monkman moved into session work and was later to play, among others, with John Williams in a group called Sky.
Having retained the band name, Sonja Kristina and Wedgwood formed a new lineup with Jim Russell (drums), Kirby Gregory (guitar), and Eddie Jobson (violin, synths). "Well, Eddie was with a band called Fat Grapple who had been supporting us on tour. He could play both violin and keyboards, you know. So, when we realized that the band was going their separate ways, Mike and I asked Eddie to join and do a sort of representation of both Francis's and Darryl's roles. And then we auditioned for a guitarist and drummer and found Kirby and Jim that way, if memory serves", Sonja remembered of her intentions of the time she later commented:

What I wanted to do with the band at the time was get more of a rock edge to it, and Kirby's guitar playing really excited me - he was just really wild. And Jim was the same way, a very solid rock drummer. Mike and I really wanted to continue, and it was our manager Clifford Davis who said we would do a better business continuing to call the band Curved Air. So we kept the name and followed along the same pattern as before, as a writer's band. Everybody in the new band contributed material except for Jim Russell, who really wasn't a writer. Before it had mainly been Darryl and Francis, but I had managed to get some of my compositions in.

The band released Air Cut which failed to chart. The new group’s second album, Lovechild, was shelved and in summer 1973 Curved Air broke up. Jobson replaced Eno in Roxy Music; Wedgwood joined Caravan. Lovechild (1973), when it was finally released in 1990, looked very much like a random collection group of solo compositions. Sonja Kristina insisted it wasn't a proper album at all, rather a case of "total piracy". "Those were demo tapes I made for Warner Brothers, who had suddenly realized that I was the only original member — that it wasn't really Curved Air as it had been before. So Clifford Davis presented the tapes to Warners who decided for various reasons that they weren't going to continue with the contract. And that meant Curved Air had to come to an end at that stage", she explained in the 1999 interview.

1974-1976. 1984-1990 reunions

In 1974 Chrysalis sued the band. "We had broken their contract on the advice of Clifford Davis, who said we could prove that they had not been acting in our best interests, but by then he was no longer our manager!" Monkman explained. Finding themselves unable to fight the case, Curved Air were suddenly approached by "the Copelands waiting with a touring and recording 'package' designed to get them out of trouble". In order to discharge an enormous unpaid VAT bill, in autumn 1974 the band's original members (Kristina, Way, Monkman, Pilkington-Miksa) reunited, invited bassist Phil Kohn and held a one-off British tour, resulting in a Curved Air – Live. "I'm glad we made it, it's not too bad. But, good as it is, the live album doesn't really match my memories of the best of the early days. Late 1970, just as we were really beginning to take off, that's when I remember the best gigs. Though it's fair to say, we never let anyone down, I'm sure of that. We just couldn't keep doing it without becoming stale. So I left again", Monkman said years later.
Curved Air resurfaced again in 1975, this time only Kristina and Way of the initial line-up remaining. While in the previous line-up she was the dominant figure ("I was now the band leader with Mike Wedgwood's support, whereas previously Darryl and Francis had both shared that role), post-Aircut Curved Air "became Darryl's band again", she later admitted. With guitarist Mick Jacques, bassist John G. Perry, keyboardist Pete woods and drummer Stewart Copeland they released Midnight Wire and Airborne (with "Desiree" an uncharted single), none of which had any success. Writer Norma Tager (Kristina’s good friend from her hippie days, whom she described as truly "cosmic" person) was credited as co-author on several of the "Midnight Wire" songs, including the title track. In 1976 Perry was replaced by Greenslade's Tony Reeves. After one final unsuccessful single, a cover version of "Baby Please Don't Go" Way, having become disenchanted with the direction of the band, departed for Alex Richman from the Butts Band to step in. This line- up lasted several months and split in early 1977. Copeland joined The Police, Reeves re-formed Greenslade, and Kristina (now Copeland’ wife) finally launched her long-delayed solo career.
In 1984 "Renegade" was released as a single. "It was actually a solo thing of . He had written a bunch of songs which he ran past me. I really like the "Renegade" song. We did that and "As Long as There's a Spark" but I think only "Renegade" and "We're Only Human" were on the single", Sonja later remebered. In fact, the couple recorded some more stuff, including "Walk on By" and "O Fortuna", which they couldn't release officially, having been unable to get permission from the Carl Orff estate. in 1988 Curved Air went on a short tour. In 1990 the original Kristina, Way, Monkman and Pilkington-Miksa quartet gave a one-off concert at the London's Town & Country, supported by Noden's Ictus. The performance, recorded by Francis Monkman (and featuring one new song, "20 Years On") was captured on the Alive, 1990 album, released in 2000.

2008 -

In early 2008, the band regrouped. On 4 May 2008, in a message to the Curved Air Yahoo Group, Kristina advised that the new line-up would be herself, Darryl Way (violin), Florian Pilkington-Miksa (drums), Andy Christie (guitar) and Chris Harris (bass). Francis Monkman, who was originally pictured with Kristina, Way and Pilkington-Miksa for the re-union, left the project. "Unfortunately, he didn't have the same vision as the rest of us as to how should be approached and wasn't prepared to compromise, so our ways had to part", commented Way. "Francis was in at the beginning but had extremely different ideas from Darryl about how he wanted this new Curved Air to prepare and develop. Eventually, he withdrew. We continued with Darryl at the helm as our musical director and producer", confirmed Sonia Kristina. The new line-up played in Southern England, Italy and Malta in 2008.
In 2008 a compilation CD/box set Reborn was released: 14 re-recorded Curved Air tracks with two new songs ("Coming Home" and "The Fury") and two oldies, "Melinda" and "Elfin Boy" re-worked and produced by Marvin Ayres. As Way explained, the band had two reasons for this: they were never satisfied with the way those track were originally recorded and they wanted to have the product that they owned and were in control of. "Reborn was our way of preparing for the live work", Sonja Kristina added. On Friday, June 13, Curved Airperformed at the Isle Of Wight Festival to a generally positive response.
For the 2009 dates in Japan on January 16 and 17 at Club Citta, Kawasaki, the guitarist was Kit Morgan who replaced Christie. On 9 August 2009, Eddie Jobson stood in for Darryl Way at a one-off gig in Chislehurst. For their dates in October 2009, Way was indisposed, and Paul Sax (violin) and Robert Norton (keyboards) stood in for him. "Robert Norton is exceptional - as is Paul Sax, a master violinist -one of the first entrants to the Yehudi Menuhin school - a passionate and brave performer very well qualified to step into Darryl's light. All the band are brilliant players and inspiring people. Chris Harris is literally our root on bass and Kit Morgan the fire on guitar. Great chemistry and communication", Sonja Kristina commented. This line-up - Kristina, Pilkington-Miksa, Harris, Morgan, Sax and Norton - continues to gig as Curved Air. The band is expected to play at the London High Voltage Festival 2011 (July 23–24), alongside Judas Priest, Jethro Tull, Dream Theater, Thin Lizzy, Queensrÿche, Caravan among others.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curved_Air

Psiglo (ENG)

Sun, 29 May 2011 16:21:54 +0000

Hailing from Uruguay, PSIGLO were formed in 1968 by Luis Cesio, Jorge García Banegas, César Rechac, Julio Dallier and Carmelo Albano. Jorge proposed the name "PSIGLO" by joining the word "siglo"(century) with the first letter of psychedelic, because he said they were hanging around in the psychedelic era.

With an above average production level, their albums were indisputably strong, supported by the Vincent Crane/Jon Lord style of Hammond organ and the decisive Deep Purple guitar style. In 1973, with Ruben Melogno on the vocal duties, Gonzalo Farrugia on the drums, Luis Cesio on the guitar, César Rechac on the bass and Jorge García on the keyboards, PSIGLO managed to release their debut, "Ideación", and achieve the first 'gold' status ever in Uruguay rock history. Then they started enjoying a sort of "stardom", though it wouldn't last long, since the lyrics started to have more of a political slant against the state of affairs in Uruguay - which delayed the release of their second and last album, "Psiglo II", issued in 1981.

"Psiglo II" showed a more mature band, showing their most progressive efforts, with switch line-up changes as César Rechac moving to guitars and Gustavo Mamut Muñoz replacing Cesar on bass. "Psiglo II", however, was not as successful as "Ideación" had been. Moreover, the musicians had already chosen to leave the country following the military coup of June 1973. Gonzalo Farrugia would later join Argentine Prog band Crucis, Jorge García Banegas would join Asfalto from Spain, and Hermes Calabria would join Baron Rojo, also from Spain.

PSIGLO are one of the most important bands in the history of south american rock, and an interesting example of early heavy prog.

Cacho (Pablo) - January 2009

[http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4253]

Some good 60/70s bands @ Youtube (In Progress)

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:11:51 +0000

Sir Lord Baltimore

Kingdom Come
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Van Der Graaf Generator

Undercover Man
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Wishbone Ash

Warrior
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Pink Floyd

Atom Heart Mother
If
Summer '68
Fat Old Sun
Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast
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Blue Cheer

Rock Me Baby
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Led Zeppelin

Whole Lotta Love
Rock and Roll
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Jacula

U.F.D.E.M.
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Jimi Hendrix

All Along The Watchtower
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Budgie

Breadfan
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High Tide

Death Warmed Up
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Rush

Working Man
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Uriah Heep

Look At Yourself
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Stormy Six

Stalingrado
La fabbrica
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Leaf Hound

growers of mushrooms
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Arzachel

Queen St. Gang
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The Beatles

Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
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Captain Beyond

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Atomic Rooster

A Spoonful of Bromide Helps the Pulse Rate Go Down
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13th Floor Elevators

You're Gonna Miss Me
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Aphrodite's Child

The Four Horsemen
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Blue Öyster Cult

Don't Fear The Reaper
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The Blues Magoos

(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet
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The Chocolate Watch Band

I Ain't No Miracle Worker
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Flower Travellin' Band

Satori Part II
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Grateful Dead

Casey Jones
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Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope
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King Crimson

Epitaph
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Hawkwind

Silver Machine
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Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Promenade
The Gnome
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Can

Paperhouse
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Amon Düül II

Between the Eyes
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Aksak Maboul

Milano per caso
Fausto Coppi arrive !
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Camel

Lady Fantasy
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Invisible

El Anillo del Capitán Beto
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Sui Generis

Canción para mi Muerte
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The Trip

Caronte
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MC5

Kick Out The Jams
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Guru Guru

Oximoron
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Aguaturbia

Erotica
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Black Sabbath

Paranoid
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Birth Control

Gamma Ray
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Pax

Firefly
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Pan & Regaliz

Dead Of Love
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Truth and Janey

Ain't No Tellin'
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Damnation of Adam Blessing

Cookbook
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Black Spirit

OLD TIMES
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Lucifer's Friend

Mary's Breakdown
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Os Mutantes

Meu Refrigerador Não Funciona
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The Koala

She's A Lady
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Second Hand

Death May Be Your Santa Claus
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Kraan

Sarahs Ritt durch den Schwarzwald
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Bang

Lions, Christians
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Night Sun

Got a Bone of My Own
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D.R. Hooker

Free
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Finchley Boys

Outcast
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Freedom´s Children

That Did It
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Granicus

You're In America
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George Brigman

I Feel Alright
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Josefus

Dead Man
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Clark Hutchinson

Free to Be Stoned
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mr. albert show

Electronic Baby
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Roky Erickson

Two Headed Dog
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Bead Game

Wax Circus
Punchin' Judy
Mora
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Blackwater Park

Rock Song
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Krokodil

Marzipan
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Renaissance

Carpet Of The Sun
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Foghat

Slow Ride
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Iron Butterfly

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
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Pentagram

Forever My Queen
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Taste

Gambling Blues
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Trapeze

Jury
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May Blitz

Smoking the Day Away
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Fuzzy Duck

Mrs. Prout
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Mendelbaum

Days Gone Bye
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Crazy Mabel

Rag And Bone Man
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Joseph

Cold Biscuits and Fish Heads
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Karthago

Apáink útján
_____________________________________________________________

East of Eden

Jig-a-Jig
_____________________________________________________________

Khan

Mixed Up Man Of The Mountains
_____________________________________________________________

Murphy Blend

First loss
_____________________________________________________________

Black Widow

In Ancient Days
_____________________________________________________________

Coloured Balls

Human Being
_____________________________________________________________

White Lightning

(Under the Screaming Double) Eagle
_____________________________________________________________

Cactus

The Groover
_____________________________________________________________

UFO

Doctor Doctor
_____________________________________________________________

Morly Grey

Peace Officer
_____________________________________________________________

Jethro Tull

Cross-Eyed Mary
_____________________________________________________________

Désirée

Sister Of Sea
_____________________________________________________________

Piel De Pueblo

Sexo Galáctico
_____________________________________________________________

Morgen

Beggin' Your Pardon (Miss Joan)
_____________________________________________________________

Toad

Pig's Walk
_____________________________________________________________

Pete Brown & Piblokto!

Golden Country Kingdom
_____________________________________________________________

Silberbart

Head Tear of the Drunken Sun
_____________________________________________________________

Simon Stokes

Which Way
_____________________________________________________________

Fresh Blueberry Pancake

Hassles
_____________________________________________________________

Rory Gallagher

A Million Miles Away
_____________________________________________________________

Them

Baby Please Don't Go
_____________________________________________________________

The Kinks

You Really Got Me
_____________________________________________________________

Tasavallan Presidentti

Last Quarters
_____________________________________________________________

Icecross

Solution
_____________________________________________________________

Skin Alley

Marsha
_____________________________________________________________

Epitaph

Visions
_____________________________________________________________

Gentle Giant

Octopus Medley
_____________________________________________________________

Primevil

Leavin'
_____________________________________________________________

Mountain

Mississippi Queen
_____________________________________________________________

Quicksilver Messenger Service

All I Ever Wanted To Do
_____________________________________________________________

Human Instinct

Black Sally
_____________________________________________________________

Phafner

Uncle Jerry
_____________________________________________________________

Sam Gopal

Escalator
_____________________________________________________________

Saturnalia

Princess and the Peasant Boy
_____________________________________________________________

The Sacred Mushroom

Mean Old World
_____________________________________________________________

Jade Warrior

Psychiatric Sergeant
_____________________________________________________________

Steppenwolf

Born To Be Wild
_____________________________________________________________

Mint Tattoo

Moanin'
_____________________________________________________________

Leigh Stephens

I Grow Higher
_____________________________________________________________

Randy Holden

Guitar Song
_____________________________________________________________

Silver Metre

Compromising Situation
_____________________________________________________________

Blues Creation

Atomic Bombs Away
_____________________________________________________________

Speed, Glue & Shinki

Stoned Out Of My Mind
_____________________________________________________________

Vanilla Fudge

I Need Love
_____________________________________________________________

Ashkan

Darkness
_____________________________________________________________

Bolder Damn

Dead Meat
_____________________________________________________________

Tucky Buzzard

Fast Bluesy Woman
_____________________________________________________________

Zior

Evolution
_____________________________________________________________

The Flock

Introduction
Clown
_____________________________________________________________

Humble Pie

I Don't Need No Doctor
_____________________________________________________________

The Troggs

Wild Thing
_____________________________________________________________

Arthur Brown

Fire
_____________________________________________________________

Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come

Spirit of Joy
_____________________________________________________________

Nazareth

Hair Of The Dog
_____________________________________________________________

Spooky Tooth

Spooky Tooth
_____________________________________________________________

Judas Priest

Rocka Rolla
_____________________________________________________________

La Fachada de Piedra

Suzie Q
_____________________________________________________________

Biglietto per l'Inferno

Confessione
_____________________________________________________________

Fuchsia

Just Anyone
_____________________________________________________________

Clear Blue Sky

My Heaven
_____________________________________________________________

Il Rovescio Della Medaglia

Sodoma E Gomorra
_____________________________________________________________

Laghonia

Billy Morsa
_____________________________________________________________

Luis Alberto Spinetta

El anillo del capitan Beto
_____________________________________________________________

Traffic Sound

Meshkalina
_____________________________________________________________

Traffic

Dear Mr. Fantasy
_____________________________________________________________

We All Together

Lo Mas Grande Que Existe Es El Amor
_____________________________________________________________

Kissing Spell

Cerraron Sus Ojos
_____________________________________________________________

Los Vidrios Quebrados

En Tu Mirada
_____________________________________________________________

Som Imaginário

Feira moderna
_____________________________________________________________

Ladies W.C.

People
_____________________________________________________________

Módulo 1000

Animalia
_____________________________________________________________

Dug Dug's

Let's Make it Now
_____________________________________________________________

The (St. Thomas) Pepper Smelter

People
_____________________________________________________________

McCully Workshop Inc.

Why Can't It Rain
_____________________________________________________________

Otis Waygood

Fever
_____________________________________________________________

Abstract Truth

Coming Home Babe
____________________________________________________________

Freedom's Children

Eclipse
____________________________________________________________

Suck

Season Of The Witch
____________________________________________________________

Psiglo (Ita)

Mon, 4 Jan 2010 21:00:47 +0000

PSIGLO é stato un gruppo di rock progressivo uruguayano. A dispetto del fatto che abbia avuto una breve esistenza, è considerato uno dei gruppi più importanti della storia del rock sudamericano, e rientra nei 20 gruppi più importanti della storia del hard rock progressivo, insieme a Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple e King Crimson tra gli altri.
Quattro amici, César Rechac al basso, Luis Cesio alla chitarra, Jorge García Banegas alle tastiere, Gonzalo Farrugia alla batteria in sostituzione di Carmelo Albano, e Ruben Melogno, il promettente cantante de Ovni 87, saranno coloro che formeranno PSIGLO in un bar del quartiere La Figurita.
Nel luglio 1972 esce il loro primo singolo, registrato per la Sondor in un formato poco commerciale, Gente sin camino supera i sei minuti di durata in un epoca in cui la lunghezza massima per un brano che doveva essere passato in radio era tre minuti. Tuttavia En un lugar un niño viene diffuso ovunque.
Tappezzano la calle 18 de julio con cartelli che dicono "Coloro che non han comprato il primo album degli PSIGLO sono buoni per lo psichiatra" e le vendite sono eccellenti. Il 13 agosto 1972 realizzano un concerto al Teatro Solís. Il commento di Melogno:
“Al primo concerto al Solís stavo malissimo. Uscii ad attaccare manifesti e presi l'influenza. Non si fraintenda il mio senso di solidarietà uruguaiano, ma se tu sei il cantante di un gruppo che darà un concerto al Solís non puoi uscire un paio di giorni prima, in pieno inverno, di notte, ad appendere manifesti per la 18 de julio.”
Nel dicembre dello stesso anno viene pubblicato il secondo singolo, che supera le vendite del precedente ed arriva a diventare disco d' oro.
Il 10 gennaio del 1973 si organizza un importante ballo nel club Atenas nel locale della U.J.C. e verso la fine Gonzalo Farrugia alza un quadro con la foto di Lenin e l' entusiasmo dei giovani esplode. Il 24 febbraio sono invitati a partecipare al Festival de la Solidaridad Chile-Vietnam nel Estadio Centenario, assieme a Alfredo Zitarrosa, Víctor Heredia, Vera Sienra, Sindykato, Quilapayún, Dean Reed e Camerata.
Partecipano inoltre come ospiti alle sessioni di registrazione di altri artisti come Jesús Figueroa (ex cantante degli Opus Alfa), e al secondo LP di León Gieco.
La organizzazione del "Seminario de Música Latinoamericana" acconsente ad invitarli alla manifestazione che si è svolta ai piedi del Cerro dl Toro di Piriápolis nel dicembre '72.
La copertina di questo LP, con l' emblematico cervello, fu creata dal pittore, scenografo per Canal 5 e cantante della band, Ruben Melogno .
Tra gennaio e marzo del 1973 completano la registrazione del primo LP, Intitolato "Ideación". Lo stesso fu lanciato nel luglio di quell' anno e contò della partecipazione del quartetto di archi del S.O.D.R.E. nella canzone Catalina e di Nelson Pito Varela (sax) e Eduardo Giovonazzo (tromba) in es inútil. Il fotografo Jorge Gómez fu incaricato di disegnare la copertina, però quando il lavoro era pressoché finito, improvvisamente si decise di sostituirlo con il cervello disegnato da Ruben Melogno, che alla fine diventò il logo del gruppo.
Il 12 agosto 1973 si realizza il secondo concerto, nello stesso luogo ed esattamente un anno dopo il primo. Lì venne loro consegnato il Disco d'Oro. Questo spettacolo viene trasmesso il sabato 18 su Canal 12. Si chiamò "Telesuceso del Psiglo".
Nonostante tutto, nel 1973 allestiscono una sala prove in una casa in affitto, dove Gonzalo Farrugia dà lezioni di batteria, e suonano dappertutto (7 o 8 performances per fine settimana).

Psiglo II

Il loro secondo LP, conosciuto popolarmente come Psiglo II, fu registrato nel luglio 1974, però fu censurato dalla dittatura militare, e fu pubblicato nel 1981 senza la canzone "Héroe de papel".
Quel pezzo apparve anni più tardi nell' edizione in CD che conteneva i due LP del gruppo.

Riunioni

Nel 1993, in un evento che riunì 6000 persone alla stazione centrale dei treni AFE a Montevidéo tornano in scena per la gioia delle generazioni che avevano alimentato il mito della band, ricevendo l' approvazione di un pubblico di ogni età.
Nel 1999 tornano a riunirsi per un tributo a Ruben Castillo alla "Factoria".

Psiglo (ESP)

Sun, 3 Jan 2010 18:05:29 +0000

PSIGLO fue un grupo de rock progresivo uruguayo. A pesar de su corta existencia, es considerado uno de los grupos mas importantes de la historia del rock sudamericano y se cuenta entre los 20 mas importantes de la historia del "hard rock progresivo" junto a Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple y King Crimson entre otros.
Cuatro amigos, César Rechac en bajo, Luis Cesio en guitarra, Jorge García Banegas en teclados, Gonzalo Farrugia en batería en sustitución de Carmelo Albano y Ruben Melogno, el prometedor cantante de Ovni 87, serían los que labrarían PSIGLO en una servilletita de un bar del barrio La Figurita.
En julio de 1972 lanzan su primer single, grabado en Sondor y con un formato poco comercial, Gente sin camino supera los seis minutos de duración en una época que la duración máxima para un tema que la radio difundiera era tres minutos. Sin embargo En un lugar un niño logra la difusión masiva.
Ellos tapizan la calle 18 de julio con carteles que dicen "Los que aún no han comprado el Primer simple de PSIGLO están para el Psiquiatra" y las ventas son excelentes. El 13 de agosto de 1972 realizan un concierto en el Teatro Solís. Sobre esto comenta Melogno:
“En el primer concierto en el Solís yo estaba como el culo. Salí a pegar afiches con los plomos y me agarré flor de gripe. Ese sentido uruguayo de solidaridad mal entendida, si tu eres el cantante de un grupo que dará un concierto en el Solís no puedes salir un par de días antes, en pleno invierno, de noche, a pegar carteles por 18 de julio.”
En diciembre del mismo año se edita el segundo single, este supera las ventas del anterior y llega a ser disco de oro.
El 10 de enero de 1973 se organiza un importante baile en el club Atenas en el local de la U.J.C. y al finalizar Gonzalo Farrugia levanta un cuadro con una foto de Lenin, con lo que el entusiasmo de los jóvenes se exacerba. El 24 de febrero son invitados a participar en el Festival de la Solidaridad Chile-Vietnam en el Estadio Centenario, junto con Alfredo Zitarrosa, Víctor Heredia, Vera Sienra, Sindykato, Quilapayún, Dean Reed y Camerata.
También participar como invitados en las sesiones de grabación de otros artistas como Jesús Figueroa (ex cantante de Opus Alfa), y en el segundo disco larga duración de León Gieco.
La organización del "Seminario de Música Latinoamericana" les da su reconocimiento al invitarlos al evento que se realizó en la falda del Cerro del Toro de Piriápolis en diciembre de 1972
La tapa de este LP, con el emblemático cerebro fue creada por el artista plástico, escenógrafo de Canal 5 y cantante de la banda, Ruben Melogno.
Entre enero y marzo de 1973 completan la grabación del primer larga duración, titulado "Ideación". El mismo fue lanzado en julio de ese año y contó con el acompañamiento del cuarteto de cuerdas del S.O.D.R.E. en el tema Catalina y de Nelson Pito Varela (saxo) y Eduardo Giovonazzo (trompeta) en es inútil. El fotógrafo Jorge Gómez fue el encargado del diseño de la tapa, pero cuando el trabajo estuvo terminado, de forma imprevista se sustituyó por el cerebro que Ruben Melogno había dibujado y que finalmente se convirtió en logo del grupo.
El 12 de agosto de 1973 se realiza el segundo concierto, en el mismo lugar y exactamente un año después del primero. Allí se les hace entrega del disco de oro. Este recital es transmitido el sábado 18 por canal 12 en forma de especial de la banda "Telesuceso del Psiglo" se llamó
Todavía en 1973 en una casa alquilada por ellos montan una oficina, Gonzalo Farrugia da clases de batería y tocaban en todos lados (siete u ocho bailes por fin de semana).

Psiglo II

Su segundo L.P., conocido popularmente como Psiglo II fue grabado en julio de 1974, pero censurado por la dictadura cívico-militar se editó recién en 1981 y sin el tema "Héroe de papel". Ese tema apareció años más tarde en la edición en CD que contenía los dos LPs del grupo. Para este disco contaron con el acompañamiento musical del "Cuarteto de Alvaro Armesto" con flauta traversa en el tema "El Juglar Y Yo" y con saxo en la canción "Gil 1038".

Reuniones

En 1993 en un evento que congregó a 6000 personas en la Estación Central de Trenes de AFE en Montevideo demostraron su convocatoria y la aceptación de un público multigeneracional, vuelven a escena para alegría de generaciones que se habían alimentado del mito de la banda.
En 1999 vuelven a reunirse en un evento homenaje a Ruben Castillo en La Factoría.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psiglo

Ursa Major (Ita)

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 12:25:10 +0000

Ursa Major è stata una hard rock band statunitense che ha prodotto un album da collezione e può essere conosciuta sia per i suoi componenti che per la sua musica.
L' unico album del gruppo, Ursa Major, uscì nel 1972. Due singoli vennero pubblicati dalla produzione: Liberty and Justice e Let The Music Play, entrambi nel 1972.
Mentre il progetto Ursa Major nacque e finì in un periodo relativamente breve, Dick Wagner, leader della band, cantante e chitarrista, avrebbe lavorato in seguito con Lou Reed e Alice Cooper, contribuendo a scrivere alcuni dei pezzi rock migliori di tutti i tempi.
Wagner aveva anche lavorato con altre bands prima di unirsi al batterista Ricky Mangone e al bassista Greg Arama, che aveva suonato precedentemente negli Amboy Dukes, la rude band capeggiata dall' oltraggioso chitarrista Ted Nugent.
Il loro manager Dennis Arfa riuscì ad attirare l' attenzione della major RCA Records che scritturò la band per l' uscita del loro album di debutto nel 1972, prodotto dal leggendario Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Kiss).
A metà degli anni '60 Wagner era stato in una band di Detroit chiamata The Frost. I loro primi 2 singoli per la Columbia Records, "Bad Girl" e "Little Girl", furono attribuiti a Rick Wagner and the Frosts. Nel 1969, come The Frost, furono scritturati dalla Vanguard Records, un' etichetta discografica che in precedenza si era occupata di artisti blues e folk come Joan Baez. Scrissero tre album, Frost Music, Rock and Roll Music e Through the Eyes of Love, nel '69 e nel'70. Nel 1978 l' etichetta distribuì "Early Frost".
Nel 1973, dopo aver lasciato gli Ursa Major, Wagner fu contattato dall' amico chitarrista Steve Hunter per suonare per Lou Reed. Wagner può essere ascoltato sia su Rock 'n' Roll Animal che su Sally Can't Dance.
Dopo aver lasciato il gruppo di Lou Reed, Wagner cominciò quella che sarebbe stata la fase di maggior successo della sua carriera, suonando la chitarra e scrivendo canzoni con Alice Cooper. Si unì a Cooper nel 1975 e scrissero insieme la title track dell' album che avrebbe avuto maggiori vendite, Welcome to My Nightmare. Il singolo della canzone rientrò nella Top 50 del periodo. Wagner e Cooper suonavano insieme quando ottennero enorme successo con Only Women Bleed, che per poco non entrò nella Top 10 nella primavera del '75. Scrissero anche Department Of Youth e I Never Cry, che presero il disco d'oro nell' estate del 1976.
Wagner, che fu raggiunto alla chitarra dal suo vecchio amico Steve Hunter, lavorò con Cooper per la maggior parte del resto degli anni '70, collaborando su hits come You and Me e How You Gonna See Me Now allo stesso modo di altri pezzi di grande successo. Ebbe anche una collaborazione in studio con Mark Farner dei Grand Funk Railroad in una delle sue avventure da solista.
Nei tardi anni '80, Wagner collaborò con Bob Ezrin, che produsse molti dei dischi di maggior successo di Alice Cooper, supervisionando l' album di debutto della band del momento a New York, The Throbs. Il progetto, The Language of Thieves and Vagabonds, uscito per Geffen Records, ottenne qualche buona recensione, ma la band non era in grado di suonare con la stessa potenza dal vivo e ben presto si sciolse.
Mentre Wagner può da un lato essere visto come un buon esempio del talentuoso sideman che aiuta altri musicisti a costruire le loro carriere, dall' altro è stato anche un ottimo leader, come il suo lavoro con gli Ursa Major dimostra.
[Dal booklet del CD Ursa Major scritto da Mark Marymont]

Ursa Major (Eng)

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:29:24 +0000

Ursa Major was a hard-rocking band that released one collectible album and may have been as well-known for its players as the music they made.
The group's one and only album Ursa Major was issued in 1972. Two singles were pulled from the release: Liberty and Justice and Let The Music Play, both in 1972.
While Ursa Major came and went in a relatively short period, the band's leader, singer and guitarist, Dick Wagner, would on to work with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper, helping write some of the shock rocker's biggest hits.
Wagner also had worked with other bands before joining with drummer Ricky Mangon and bassist Greg Arama, who had earlier been in the Amboy Dukes, the raucos Detroit band fronted by outrageous guitarist Ted Nugent.
Their manager Dennis Arfa managed to attract the attention of major label RCA Records who signed the band for the release of their self-titled debut album in 1972, produced by legendary producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Kiss).
In the mid-'60s, Wagner had been in a Detroit band called The Frost. Their first two singles on Columbia Record's date division, Bad Girl and Little Girl, were credited to Rick Wagner and the Frosts. In 1969, as The Frost, they signed to Vanguard Records, a label previously noted for blues and folk acts like Joan Baez. They cut three albums, Frost Music, Rock and Roll Music and Through the Eyes of Love, in '69 and '70. In 1978 the label issued "Early Frost".
In 1973, after leaving Ursa Major, Wagner was teamed up with fellow guitarist Steve Hunter to back Lou Reed. Wagner can be heard on both Rock 'n' Roll Animal and Sally Can't Dance.
After moving on from Reed's group, Wagner began what would be the most successful phase of his career, playing guitar for and writing songs with Alice Cooper. Wagner joined Cooper in 1975 and they co-wrote the title track for his best-selling album Welcome to My Nightmare. A single of the song was a Top 50 success. Wagner and Cooper would team up for the hugely successful Only Women Bleed, which just missed the Top 10 in the spring of '75. They also wrote Department Of Youth and I Never Cry, which went gold in the summer of 1976.
Wagner, who was joined on guitar by his old Reed pal Steve Hunter, worked with Cooper through most of the rest of the '70s, collaborating on hits like You and Me and How You Gonna See Me Now as well as other popular album tracks. He also used his experience in the studio to work with Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad on some of his solo ventures.
In the late '80s, Wagner teamed with Bob Ezrin, who produced many of Alice Cooper's most successful records, overseeing the debut album of the much-touted New York City band, The Throbs. The project, The Language of Thieves and Vagabonds, issued by Geffen Records, got some good reviews but the band was unable to deliver the same power in their live performances and soon broke up.
While Wagner may be a good example of the talented sideman who helps other performers build their careers, he was also a strong leader, as his work with Ursa Major demonstrates.
[From the booklet of the CD Ursa Major written by Mark Marymont]