heavylione's Last.fm Journal

Osanna (ENG)

Sat, 7 Apr 2012 16:44:33 +0000

Osanna are an Italian psychedelic rock/progressive rock band.
The group originated in the Vomero neighborhood of Naples with the union of Lino Vairetti (voice), Danilo Rustici (guitar), Massimo Guarino (drums), Lello Brandi (bass), from the first line-up of the band Città Frontale, and Elio D'anna (flute and sax), former member of the Showmen. Osanna were among the first bands in the world to present themselves theatrically in their shows, featuring costumes and made-up faces.
After the debut album L'uomo, they released the soundtrack for the film Milano Calibro 9. In 1972 they toured in Italy alongside Genesis. Their following album Palepoli (1972) is regarded as one of the finest hours of the Italian progressive rock movement, characterized by a wild composition fantasy which mixes Neapolitan and Mediterranean sounds with modern progressive rock elements, such as the extensive use of electric guitar and mellotron.
In 1974, despite strife amongst band members, they released Landscape Of Life, which included participation from future rock and pop producer Corrado Rustici, brother of Danilo. The band disbanded but reformed in 1977 without D'Anna, who was replaced by keyboardist Fabrizio D'Angelo, while the bass role was taken up by Enzo Petrone. With this line-up they released Suddance in 1978, only to disband again in 1979.
The Osanna reformed in 1999, releasing the LP Taka Boom the following year, including old successes and some new songs. Their next production was Prog Family, under the name of Osanna/Jackson, featuring notable figures of progressive rock history, such as Van der Graaf Generator's saxophonist David Jackson (as per name), King Crimson's David Cross, Balletto di Bronzo's Gianni Leone and others.

Osanna (Ita)

Sat, 7 Apr 2012 16:34:21 +0000

Gli Osanna sono un gruppo rock progressivo italiano, formato a Napoli agli inizi degli anni settanta per iniziativa del gruppo Città Frontale e del fiatista Elio D'anna. Il gruppo è stato tra le prime band rock a proporre concerti dal vivo con trucco e costumi di scena. Le loro esibizioni erano sostenute anche da coreografie create attraverso la teatralità della tradizione mediterranea con richiami alla Commedia dell'arte.
Alla fine del 1970 i componenti della prima formazione del gruppo Città Frontale, già Volti Di Pietra, Lino Vairetti (voce), Danilo Rustici (chitarra solista), Massimo Guarino (batteria) e Lello Brandi (basso) incontrano il talentuoso flautista e sassofonista Elio D'anna, proveniente dagli Showmen di James Senese. Il gruppo deve rimpiazzare Gianni Leone in procinto di entrare nel Balletto di Bronzo.
Il gruppo comincia subito un'intensa attività concertistica, esordendo nel 1971 al Festival Pop di Caracalla, e successivamente partecipando al Festival di Musica d'Avanguardia e di Nuove Tendenze di Viareggio dove impressionano critica e pubblico per l'impatto della loro dimensione live. Il gruppo, appoggiato dal manager Pino Tuccimei, firma un contratto con la casa discografica di stato ed esordisce con l'album L'uomo, che riscuote una buona accoglienza vincendo il "Premio della Critica Discografica Italiana". Il disco è un concept album molto ricercato anche sotto l'aspetto grafico, con una copertina apribile in tre parti a formare un poster a forma di punto esclamativo. I risvolti interni ospitano le note introduttive a cura di due celebri firme, quali Renzo Arbore e Fabrizio Zampa. L'album è valido sotto l'aspetto musicale con influenze del tipo dei Jethro Tull e dei Led Zeppelin, con i potenti fraseggi di Rustici e le chiose a metà strada tra il folk e il jazz di D'Anna, ma soffre di qualche calo di tensione nonostante la grintosa performance vocale di Vairetti. I testi sono interessanti nella loro essenzialità. Alcuni brani vengono inseriti nella colonna sonora del film Grazie signor P.
L'anno successivo l'incontro con la musica da film è più diretto. Il maestro Luis Enriquez Bacalov coinvolge il gruppo nell'esecuzione della colonna sonora composta per il film Milano calibro 9, un poliziottesco noir di cassetta. L'album si intitola Preludio Tema Variazioni Canzona, e si inquadra nel filone delle contaminazioni tra orchestra classica e musica rock, che era stato appena avviato dallo stesso Bacalov con il Concerto Grosso per i New Trolls. L'esperimento non bissa il successo dei New Trolls, anche se le variazioni composte dagli Osanna hanno qualche spunto interessante. Il 1972 resta soprattutto un anno di intensa attività concertistica, nella quale la band propone l'originale aspetto scenico, con le lunghe vesti colorate, i visi dipinti e le coreografie. Il gruppo suona alla Controcanzonissima organizzata da Ciao 2001 al Piper, al Festival Pop di Villa Pamphili, e al 2º Festival di Musica d'Avanguardia e di Nuove Tendenze al Foro Italico. Infine un tour italiano li vede protagonisti al fianco dei Genesis, gruppo internazionale con un live-act altrettanto teatrale.
L'intensa attività dal vivo prosegue anche nel 1973. In estate il gruppo organizza a Napoli il raduno chiamato Be-In a cui partecipa il meglio della scena progressive italiana. L'evento si rivela un successo musicale e di pubblico, ma anche un grosso crack economico per le finanze della band. In quell'anno viene dato alle stampe l'album Palepoli, che è ritenuto uno degli episodi più riusciti del progressive italiano. Il disco è un concept costituito da tre lunghe composizioni, che si sviluppano attorno al contrasto tra tradizione e modernità, tra la spinta ad innovare a cui si contrappone il recupero della tradizione popolare. La musica infatti è un impasto sonoro di registri musicali antichi e moderni, dall'improvvisazione free jazz, al recupero del folk partenopeo, passando per riff hard rock e partiture di derivazione blues. Palepoli, che vuol dire città antica, viene contrapposta idealmente alla Neapoli moderna, fredda e distaccata chiusa nel suo egoismo metropolitano. Al disco segue un tour teatrale omonimo scritto con Tony Newiller, sulla storia della cultura popolare napoletana, messo in scena dal gruppo con la partecipazione di una compagnia di artisti, mimi e danzatori.
Nel 1974 esce il quarto album Landscape Of Life. Il gruppo è minato da dissidi interni, acuiti durante la lavorazione del disco. Il disco viene concluso in maniera travagliata con la partecipazione di Corrado Rustici, fratello di Danilo, ex Cervello. Il disco ha una pregevole copertina, opera grafica del batterista Guarino, ma il risultato musicale complessivo non è all'altezza dei precedenti. Dopo la sua pubblicazione il gruppo si scioglie per ricostituirsi nel 1977 senza Elio D'anna, sostituito dal tastierista Fabrizio D'Angelo, e con Enzo Petrone al basso. Con questa formazione gli Osanna realizzano Suddance che publicano nel 1978 per la CBS, disco che nonostante l'apprezzamento della critica non riscuote il successo sperato, per poi scogliersi definitivamente all'inizio dell'anno successivo.
Dopo un lungo oblio, una nuova edizione della band napoletana torna attiva nel 1999 dando vita al ritorno del Neapolis Rock Festival ed incidendo il disco Taka Boom nel 2000. L'album contiene vecchi successi riarrangiati con tecnologie digitali ed alcuni brani inediti.
Ad aprile 2008, con una formazione completamente rinnovata, gli Osanna entrano in studio per una nuova fatica discografica. Lino Vairetti, coadiuvato dal figlio Irvin Luca (voci e programmazione tastiere), Fabrizio Fedele (chitarre), Sasà Priore (piano e tastiere), Nello D'Anna (basso) e Gennaro Barba (percussioni) incidono il CD dal titolo Prog Family a nome Osanna/Jackson. Il disco è uno spunto per reincidere i classici del repertorio ma con una nuova lettura in chiave, e soprattutto con un nugolo di prestigiosissimi ospiti tra cui, appunto, David Jackson, storico sax dei Van der Graaf Generator (da qui il titolo del CD). Tra gli altri ospiti troviamo Gianni Leone (Balletto di Bronzo), TM Stevens (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, etc.), David Cross (ex King Crimson), Solis String Quartet e altri nomi del panorama prog/rock internazionale a testimonianza dell'enorme stima che lo storico gruppo napoletano tuttora suscita nell'ambiente.

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osanna_(gruppo_musicale)

Biglietto per l'Inferno (ENG)

Wed, 4 Apr 2012 22:10:01 +0000

Biglietto per l'Inferno (literally ticket to hell) is an italian progressive rock band whose album Biglietto per l'Inferno, in spite of the limited success it scored in the 1970s, is today considered a cornerstone of the genre.
Biglietto per l'Inferno's members were from Lecco, Lombardy, coming from the bands Mako Sharks and Gee. The year 1972 marked the band's first concerts. In 1974 the band released their eponymous LP, a mixture of hard rock and progressive sounds. The most prominent instruments in the record were Marco Mainetti's guitar and Giuseppe Cossa's keyboards. CLAUDIO CANALI,the lead singer, also played flute. The lyrics Canali wrote for the song "Confessione" were about a murder: despite the band's name, meaning "Ticket to Hell", the lyrics have no references to hell or demonic themes - (except the quote "What do you say, brother - you have murdered? (...) I cannot save you from the eternal fire, you only have a ticket to hell"). The other songs feature lyrics dealing with social and psychological themes.
The second album Il Tempo Della Semina ("The Seed-time") was recorded in 1974-1975 (production by Eugenio Finardi), but was not issued until 1992. Biglietto per l'Inferno split up in 1975. Some of its members continued their careers in the music industry: Giuseppe Banfi recorded four electronic music albums in 1977-1988 under the name Baffo Banfi, while Fausto Branchini issued several pop music singles. Mauro Gnecchi joined a jazz band and worked for Racconti della Tenda Rossa by Franco Mussida. Mainetti earned a Ph.D. in physics and Canali retired to live as a monk in a monastery located in the mountains near Lucca, Tuscany.
A 30th anniversary box set was released in 2004 containing remastered versions of both official albums, a third CD with a live recording from 1974 in Lugano, and a DVD including various material.
In 2007 Pilly, Mauro Gnecchi e Baffo with Fra Claudio (Canali) blessing, restart the band. The new project is characterized by a folk music texture and by the ".folk" suffix that has been added to the end of the bands name. As although a folk element could be heard in the earlier incarnation the new Biglietto is a much expanded band with a more diverse range of acoustic instruments being used than before. As well as the obligatory flute which was always a key element of the bands sound we also have Accordion, Bagpipes, Ocarina, Mandolin, Violin, acoustic guitar, stand up bass, fife and recorder. The most noticeable difference to fans of the band will undoubtedly be Canali's replacement, female vocalist Mariolina Sala. The rest of the new members all fill their rolls with admirable aplomb with guitarist Franco Giaffreda playing with a more modern metal style, the jazzist Enrico Fagnoni at bass and double bass and three pure folk musicians: Carlo Redi, Raineri Fumagalli and Renata Tommasella The band published in 2010 a new album Tra l'assurdo e la ragione and starts a live tour.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biglietto_per_l%27Inferno

Biglietto per l'Inferno (Ita)

Wed, 4 Apr 2012 21:47:51 +0000

Biglietto per l'Inferno è un gruppo di rock progressivo italiano degli anni ‘70, originario della zona di Lecco.
Il gruppo, formatosi a Lecco nel 1972, incise il suo album d'esordio omonimo nel 1974. L'album è classificabile come rock progressivo sinfonico-romantico (sullo stile di Genesis, King Crimson e Emerson, Lake & Palmer) con toni oscuri e venature hard rock. I testi possono spesso essere interpretati come provocatori nei confronti della moralità religiosa, come nel caso di Ansia o Confessione. Gli arrangiamenti sono dominati dalle doppie tastiere di Giuseppe Banfi e Giuseppe Cossa, e dal flauto di CLAUDIO CANALI (che era anche il cantante del gruppo). Pur avendo ottenuto grande apprezzamento della critica, Biglietto per l'Inferno non fu un successo dal punto di vista commerciale.
Nel 1975 il gruppo iniziò a lavorare al secondo album, con la produzione di Eugenio Finardi. Venne pubblicato un singolo, ma il successivo fallimento della casa discografica del gruppo, la Trident, impedì la pubblicazione dell'album; il gruppo si sciolse poco dopo. Il tastierista Banfi intraprese una carriera solista di discreto successo. Il batterista Gnecchi collaborò a diversi progetti musicali, incluso l'album solista di Franco Mussida (PFM) Racconti della Tenda Rossa. Curiosamente, il cantante Canali (i cui testi erano spesso polemici nei confronti del clero, al punto di guadagnargli il nomignolo di "voce del Diavolo") prese i voti come frate eremita il 15 settembre 1994, scelta di vita che porta avanti tutt'ora. Fausto Branchini è rientrato sulla scena nel 1989 in veste di cantautore incidendo diversi dischi fra i quali c'è da segnalare "Il nevare" live.Ha collaborato anche,come paroliere, con Umberto Balsamo.Ha inoltre pubblicato, diventando così scrittore dal 1998, un romanzo da collocare fra filosofia e mistero oltre a diverse opere di narrativa e saggistica.
L'album "mancato" nel 1975 fu recuperato nel 1992 dalla Mellow Records, un'etichetta specializzata nel revival del genere progressive, e pubblicato su CD. Nel 2004 è stato pubblicato da BTF un cofanetto che comprende i primi due album e un CD live extra. Il live è stato anche ripubblicato da solo nel 2005, sempre da BTF, con il titolo Live 1974.
Nel 2007 tre componenti del gruppo originario Pilly, Mauro Gnecchi e Baffo con la benedizione di Fra Claudio (Canali) danno vita ad una nuova fase del biglietto con il nuovo nome "Biglietto per l'Inferno.Folk", che sfocia nella pubblicazione di un nuovo CD. Il nuovo progetto presenta una rilettura del repertorio storico del Biglietto in chiave folk, utilizzando strumenti della tradizione accanto alle sonorità rock. Fausto Branchini decide di non partecipare al progetto per continuare il suo percorso di solista, che sfocia nella rappresentazione teatrale dell'opera Prog"La botola del silenzio" fra musica e mistero e per la realizzazione fonda il gruppo Fausto Branchini-Biglietto per l'inferno sempre dedicandosi all'attività di scrittore. Anche Marco Mainetti non ha condiviso il progetto e come lo stesso Branchini è stato ufficialmente ringraziato nell'allegato cartaceo del CD per non aver risparmiato critiche e consigli comunque sempre puntuali e ben accetti dai componenti del "Biglietto per l'Inferno.Folk". Baffo Banfi decide di non partecipare alle esibizioni live mantenendo il ruolo di Produttore e Segretario del Biglietto per l'Inferno.Folk. Ai musicisti originari si affianca un gruppo di ottimi musicisti da tempo attivi nel tessuto geografico del Biglietto che portano in dote un interessante bagaglio di esperienze al progetto: Enrico Fagnoni ai bassi, Renata Tomasella e Ranieri Fumagalli ai fiati e Mariolina Sala che interpreta al femminile il ruolo di CLAUDIO CANALI. Lo stesso Canali, con lo pseudonimo di Frate Isaia, compare sia come voce recitante sia come flautista, anche nel CD Tra l'assurdo e la ragione il cui titolo è il nome di un brano inedito.
A Gennaio 2011 Tra l'assurdo e la ragione è stato pubblicato da ams su LP 180g a tiratura limitata.

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biglietto_per_l%27inferno

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.
_____________________________________________________________

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
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East of Eden

Jig-a-Jig
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Khan

Mixed Up Man Of The Mountains
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Murphy Blend

First loss
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Black Widow

In Ancient Days
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Coloured Balls

Human Being
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White Lightning

(Under the Screaming Double) Eagle
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Cactus

The Groover
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UFO

Doctor Doctor
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Morly Grey

Peace Officer
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Jethro Tull

Cross-Eyed Mary
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Désirée

Sister Of Sea
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Piel de Pueblo

Sexo Galáctico
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Morgen

Beggin' Your Pardon (Miss Joan)
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Toad

Pig's Walk
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Pete Brown & Piblokto!

Golden Country Kingdom
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Silberbart

Head Tear of the Drunken Sun
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Simon Stokes

Which Way
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Fresh Blueberry Pancake

Hassles
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Rory Gallagher

A Million Miles Away
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Them

Baby Please Don't Go
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The Kinks

You Really Got Me
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Tasavallan Presidentti

Last Quarters
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Icecross

Solution
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Skin Alley

Marsha
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Epitaph

Visions
_____________________________________________________________

Gentle Giant

Octopus Medley
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Primevil

Leavin'
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Mountain

Mississippi Queen
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Quicksilver Messenger Service

All I Ever Wanted To Do
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Human Instinct

Black Sally
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Phafner

Uncle Jerry
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Sam Gopal

Escalator
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Saturnalia

Princess and the Peasant Boy
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The Sacred Mushroom

Mean Old World
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Jade Warrior

Psychiatric Sergeant
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Steppenwolf

Born to Be Wild
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Mint Tattoo

Moanin'
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Leigh Stephens

I Grow Higher
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Randy Holden

Guitar Song
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Silver Metre

Compromising Situation
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Blues Creation

Atomic Bombs Away
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Speed, Glue & Shinki

Stoned Out Of My Mind
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Vanilla Fudge

I Need Love
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Ashkan

Darkness
_____________________________________________________________

Bolder Damn

Dead Meat
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Tucky Buzzard

Fast Bluesy Woman
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Zior

Evolution
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The Flock

Introduction
Clown
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Humble Pie

I Don't Need No Doctor
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The Troggs

Wild Thing
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Arthur Brown

Fire
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Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come

Spirit of Joy
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Nazareth

Hair of the Dog
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Spooky Tooth

Spooky Tooth
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Judas Priest

Rocka Rolla
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La Fachada de Piedra

Suzie Q
_____________________________________________________________

Biglietto per l'Inferno

Confessione
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Fuchsia

Just Anyone
_____________________________________________________________

Clear Blue Sky

My Heaven
_____________________________________________________________

Il Rovescio Della Medaglia

Sodoma E Gomorra
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Laghonia

Billy Morsa
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Luis Alberto Spinetta

El anillo del capitan Beto
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Traffic Sound

Meshkalina
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Traffic

Dear Mr. Fantasy
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We All Together

Lo Mas Grande Que Existe Es El Amor
_____________________________________________________________

Kissing Spell

Cerraron Sus Ojos
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Los Vidrios Quebrados

En Tu Mirada
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Som Imaginário

Feira moderna
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Ladies W.C.

People
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Módulo 1000

Animalia
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Dug Dug's

Let's Make it Now
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The (St. Thomas) Pepper Smelter

People
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McCully Workshop Inc.

Why Can't It Rain
_____________________________________________________________

Otis Waygood

Fever
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Abstract Truth

Coming Home Babe
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Freedom's Children

Eclipse
____________________________________________________________

Suck

Season Of The Witch
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