Welcome to the first regularly updated CD review section I've done in ages, outside of the Scottish and selected English (& Australian) independent music scenes.
This section, however, is devoted to bands who are signed to labels, and outside of the Scottish music scene.
Basically, the thinking behind this bit, although inevitably it's my own humble opinion, is that if someone's produced a CD that is so stonkingly good in its field that no fan of that style of music should be able to live without it, then it's reviewed here - all styles, all artists - all thing considered - but only the best included. Now, read on......

AGITATION FREE – Live 1974 (At The Cliffs Of River Rhine)- Remaster + Bonus Track CD
What makes this such a superb instrumental live album is that the playing cannot be defined – it's not rock, jazz, experimental, heavy, spacey, ambient, intense, dense, raging, overly technical, flashy or self-indulgent. What is can be said to be, with all certainty, is a band of five musicians playing guitars-driven instrumental music that is emotive, structured, purposeful, full of depth, melodic, unafraid to wander into the cosmos for a spell before wandering back to earth with delicacy and dexterity. As seventies instrumental Krautrock goes, it is unique in that it works as much for its feel and dynamics as its sheer strength and passion of playing and tightness of band interaction.
All of this is embodied in the opening thirteen minute track which starts from quiet beginnings and turns into this melting pot of twin electric guitar heat, as the leads rise up, entwine, soar out individually and climb out of sight, supported by a solid, driving rhythm section and textural electronic depth, on a piece that is truly immense, every time you play it. The eight minute “First Communication”, again starts from humble beginnings as lilting emotive bass glides above shuffling drums and crashing cymbals, as an equally gorgeous lead guitar rings out on a soaring melodic lead, gradually embellished by a slightly lower pitched second lead guitar and organ flow underneath it all, the bass as much a melodic lead as the guitars. Gradually they coalesce into the main riff and melodic structure of the track, a bit like a cross between Soft Machine's “Joy Of A Toy” and Wishbone Ash's “Phoenix” taking off towards a red hot guitars-driven finale, the whole thing simply wonderful to hear, easy to listen to and yet substantial, full of feeling and, again, something of which you'll never tire of hearing. Via a one minute electronic linking track, the band segues effortlessly into the ten minute “Laila”, originally from the second album, and here given a performance which easily eclipses even that version. The guitars go straight into the main melodic theme of the track as the band become more intense and work together to provide a surging sea of melody, rhythm, high-flying lead guitars, upfront bass and magically emotive instrumental music. The track never loses sight of its strength but does settle down into a more sedate manner at times, this dynamic working so well, as the bass maintains the rhythmic pulse and the drums and splashing cymbals provide the foundations, while the eloquent twin guitar leads continue to mesmerise and amaze throughout. The live music from this '74 concert ends with five minutes of “In The Silence Of The Morning Sunrise”, still strong but as gorgeous as the title suggests, again, firmly melodic, the combination of slowly soaring guitars and river of organ above resonant, flowing rhythmic undercurrents, a thing of beauty and enjoyment, overall, a thoroughly addictive set of instrumental music that is simply magical. There's also a bonus track in the form of the near nine minute “Big Fuzz”, a previously unreleased live track from early 1972, and, even though two years earlier, entirely in keeping with the feel, sound, structure, pace and flavour of everything that's gone before, as the guitars continue to work their magic and the band flies heavenbound above shuffling, driving drums and throbbing bass. With a superb remaster job bringing out the sound to its utmost best, this is one of the best examples of seventies instrumental Krautrock ever released.

IAN BODDY – SLIDE CD
What now separates UK electronic musician Ian Boddy from most other musicians in his field, is the way he manages to make the seemingly disparate into something completely riveting and cohesive, and the accessible into something highly original and creative, yet still absolutely riveting, all of which he's managed to do on this seriously strong new studio album.
Take the opener for starters – seven minutes where bell-like tones ring out sombrely over twittering electronics and spacey undercurrents, all very dark and moody, until this sinewy, high pitched synth lead emerges and creates an almost glissando guitar-like effect that adds to the almost Crimson-esque subtlety of the electro-percussive cosmic undercurrent, as it all slowly weaves itself around your head. Them out of nowhere, this sudden splurge of fuzz electronics bursts into being, only to disappear almost as suddenly, to leave the far distant, almost train-like spaciousness, as warm tones shimmer and drift in a fine cosmic industrial manner. All this is just 7 minutes and, in typical Boddy fashion, making something without any seeming structure, sound tightly knit and totally enjoyable. Then, with a slowly rising synth texture, the near six minutes of “Lost & Found” spurt into life with some fine, strong galloping electro-percussive rhythmic undercurrents as a river of synth leads flows effortlessly over the myriad shuffling beats and crashing rhythms, bass synths pounding away as the canvas then suddenly drops to what sounds like a distant mix of electric piano and phased banjo, a glorious effect that lasts for just a few cosmic seconds, before the track returns to its rhythmic path, as melodies weave in and out of the lurching sea of rhythm, all sounding highly original and yet utterly captivating. The title track, a shade under seven minutes, exhibits a sequencer-like rhythm boinging away merrily amid electro-percussive clattering, electro-percussive rhythmic drive and a ghost of a melody line in the form of a lone synth that slides and glides above a backdrop where warm sounding space synth bliss also rears its head from time to time as the rhythms temporarily drop out, only for them to return to allow the piece to climb and drive in almost slo-motion fashion, but with a solid rhythmic undercurrent that keeps it flowing, provides the necessary bite and really comes across as a strongly rhythmic track where melody is kept succinct to superb effect, the combination of the ever changing, ever shifting layers, rising in intensity to provide a near adrenaline rush of epic proportions, allied to a more menacingly cosmic mood that balances things out immaculately. “Tourmaline”, at near eight minutes, the longest track on the album, starts a bit like Edgar Froese's “Aqua” only with musical merit attached to it, before this fast paced driving sequencer line rattles around the musical spectrum, with everything from bass, percussive and cyclical synth rhythms being added. Then the main rhythm emerges with choir-like synths, solid, chunky synth rhythms, and finally a soaring synth melody line, all combining to provide THE most sensational track that Boddy's produced in many a year, the sheer magical mix of melody, rhythm, texture and a refusal to stay in one place as the track progresses, yet to arrange and play something with a serious creative flow that is truly magical, makes Boddy simply stand out as one of the greats of synth music today, if this track is anything to go by – it's creative, familiar, riveting and quite stunning, commercial without being saccharine, original without sacrificing listenability. The four minute “A Moment of Gliss”, is just that – only on synths and with slowly unfolding slow-motion rhythm as the cosmic galaxy of electronics shimmer, sparkles, soars, washes upon your mental shoreline and completes the “Aqua” picture with the sound of phasing that, far from cliched, is absolutely sublime. The near eight minutes of “Yesterday's Memories” starts with rhythms, initially deep bass, then subtle sparks of high register synths, until a driving flow of eletro-percussive and further shimmering synth rhythms, all combine to provide a gloriously expansive sea of rhythm that covers the musical spectrum from low to high and it's the rhythms that are the initial mainstay of the piece, the perfect marriage of open-ended chill-out beats and starkly commercial synth, with an appeal to both sides of the fence. Gradually, melodies come and go, some soaring high above the rhythmic river, others sounding almost guitar-esque, but all high-flying and positively blissful above the solid flow of the spacious sea of rhythm and beats, once more making for an absolutely glorious sounding slice of deep intensity and high-end gorgeousness, the rhythms never staying in one place, always driving forward and always sounding absolutely spellbinding. “Mechamystical” is five and a half minutes long and kind of industrialises what came before it, in the rhythmic sense, but then balances this by adding a whole raft of melody lines from a more mid-range pitch of multi-synths as the whole lot gathers strength and just drives forward. “Troubador” rides along on rhythm, very much a mix of ambient techno and Berlin, as this stomping sea of rhythmic power is given a more ambient makeover as the high-flying synth melody line counterpoints the deep, swirling, cyclical sea of rhythms, from sequencer heaven to electro-percussive bliss, and overall, just a sensational track, with so much atmosphere for such a directly rhythm-dominated track. Finally, we come to six and a half minutes of “The Possibility of Existence” which ends the album on a most welcome sea of warm cosmic symphonic bliss, as the rhythms are absent and you are left to chill out in style as the album draws to a supremely atmospheric finish.
Overall, a winner – it's the sort of album you can enjoy time after time while still feeling you're listening to something that's just a bit off the beaten track, and while it's not got the tried and trusted commercial apeal of something like The Glimmer Room's latest – which is hardly Boddy's intention, it has to be said – it's got every bit the appeal.

DISSOLVED IN – Proudly Dressed CD-EP
The enthusiasm of youth with something to say results, on this occasion, in a band who can rock out, who do rock out, but instead of providing a barrage of assault to your skull, they prefer to deliver a kind of Disney—ised American-flavoured brew of emo-rock, a kind of snarling answer to Blink 182, only with most of the rough edges smoothed out to provide five tracks of flowing anthems that are totally accessible, yet somehow almost totally sanitised at the same time. The guitars light up, the rhythms rock 'n' rage while the vocals are delivered with a mix of angst, yearning, and studied anger, always upfront, always emotive and the stuff of teenage dreams and nightmares. Despite its obvious readiness to rock, it's somehow so sugary, it's positively tooth-rotting, the sort of thing that the kids at rock camp would croon over long into the campfire-lit night. Safe, American and flying the flag – quite how they're from Berkshire now comes as a complete mystery.

DORP - London Out There CD Single
Sometimes you just can't explain what makes a track the sort of thing you want to play again and again, other than the fact that you just love it – and that applies to this gem of a track. From a bunch of South African rockers, comes this belting anthem of a track that's got this massive sea of rhythm driving it forward as solid drumming provides the foundations of the piece, while a swirling synth lead – yes, synth, or at least it sounds like a synth – provides the musical hook, while over all of this thunder, a really observational snarl of a lyric, complete with surprisingly memorable hook, is delivered with force and purpose by the lead vocalist who sounds more like a raging version of the guy out of Aussie rockers Midnight Oil (obscure comparison, number one!!). But, with its focus, surge of power, sense of immediacy and almost edgy intensity, this is a track you'll just want to play and play without once knowing why you love it so much. The single is completed by a track called “Extreme” which is not quite as commercial, altogether more huge and epic sounding and delivers the goods with the strength of a juggernaut, sounding as much like a cross between Midnight Oil, David Bowie and Guns 'n' Roses as anything else you could point a finger at; and by a remix of the title track that, unsurprisingly for a remix, dances the whole thing up and manages to lose what gave it the appeal that you loved about the first version, so completely as to wonder who on earth sanctioned this dog's dinner of a dance mix to be on here in the first place. Still, worth it, and then some, for the title track.

DAVID FIUCZYNSKI – Kif Express CD
For those that don't know, Dave is an electric guitarist who released a rather excellent instrumental album called “Jazzpunk” some years back that had a touch of the Mahavishnus about it. Well, several years later, now comes another instrumental album and this is an altogether different bag.
“Shiraz” starts with this searing lead guitar figure as a solid, driving rhythm enters that's half Can, half DJ Shadow, and the guitar just burns. Then, all of a sudden, we're hurled into a fusion answer to “drum 'n' bass” for a few flurry seconds, and then it's back to the main rhythm, and that awesome guitar lead – absolute genius!! This is a track you'll just play and play and play without ever tiring of hearing as it twists and turns through its purposeful path of wickedly varied rhythmic bliss and firepower, the guitar a constant surprise as it soars and dives to magnificent degree. “Moonring Bacchanal” is altogether busier, with an ascending and descending, relatively fast-paced rhythm from the drums and bass, as the lead guitar work this time cascades in rollercoaster fashion, still marvellously restrained but then it bursts out via dissonant chords into a blast of metal riffing that, almost before you blink, then turns into a more fusion-esque sea of bending notes and multi-chords as the rhythm section get things back under control, the guitar now conveys more emotion and this fx laden undercurrent bounces along underneath before more power chords ring out, the rhythm section drives ahead and the whole thing spirals upwards in unstoppable fashion, constantly changing shape as it ascends the stratosphere. “Cumin”, meanwhile, is the first time you hear echoes of the Mahavishnu style creep in, but here the guitar tends to continue in its lone star state with spiralling notes, power chords, a sea of melodic invention and plenty of bending, twisting, wrung-out lead work to sink your teeth into, as ringing electric piano notes provide extra texture above a highly charged rhythm section that crash forward with force and energy, all totally cohesive and yet, as the album has shown so far, capable of changing shape many times along the way without once losing sight of its direction, managing to make emotion, heat, intensity, delicacy and solid jazz-rock all work within one amazing seven and a half minutes.
“Arcadia Finlandis”, just under three minutes of music that combines undulating guitar work with relaxed atmospheres and sinewy rhythms, again featuring lead guitar work that wanders up and down the scale, bending and twisting notes into shapes that you'd hardly believe could sound so melodic and yet so strange, the overall calm of the track being maintained throughout its inventive life. Nearly seven minutes of “Phoenix Rising” kicks into gear and here there's a real blast to the guitar work but without losing sight of the style and restraint that has endeared it to your heart this far. The bass wanders upfront to provide this throb of an undercurrent, while the drums lurch, lumber, crash and clatter to drive the whole thing forward. There at the heart of things stands the lead guitar, splintering out notes, chords and a searing sea of leads on a stunner of a track that manages to convey power, innovation, atmosphere and undeniably addictive listening qualities, all in one amazingly played and arranged track. The near nine minute “Almond Pear” furthers this feel, this time opening with distant rolling thunder of drums, rippling piano motifs and lilting bass work as the guitar takes on a decidedly Far Eastern hue, coming across as a languid Japanese answer to Allan Holdsworth. The, all of a sudden, there's a wicked wah wah guitar lead, as the bass fires up, the drums start to bounce and the guitar now traces this meandering pattern of notes that sound like classic Stomu Yamashta if he'd been a guitarist instead of a percussionist. Yet again, he conveys so much with so little. About half way in, the pace accelerates a bit more and the guitar drops in favour of a river of melodic sax work that only lasts a minute or so before the twangy, meandering guitar notes come bending back in a mix of flowing melody and shards of almost discordant leads, both of which now start to fly from the speakers in this hail of twisting, turning, out of control guitar splinters that seem to fire off at every angle, seemingly unnerving but making sense the more you play it. “Ek Balaam” is a four and a half minute track that opens up with delicately clattering percussion as the bass drives forward underneath and the combination is as dramatic as it is solid, with a real melodic undertow as the guitar is the epitome of restraint, barely heard yet its presence undeniably felt. The lurch of rhythm is outstanding in its feel, something that you think shouldn't work, yet does just that. As it builds, it shows how you can make every note count on a track that holds back yet is so magnificently cohesive throughout – a gem!! The first thing you notice from the near six and a half minute “Sakalahachi” is just how relaxed it all is. That the has this beautifully languid rhythm section backing him up is the backbone that slithers and slides its winding way through the piece. But, above all this, a single electric guitar plays lines that mix relaxed, adventurous and atmospheric, yet played with a real bite and an edge, for all that. Not since the early days of Metheny and Rypdal has a guitarist conveyed so much emotion with such economy of playing, and the presence of a delightfully haunting flute that weaves in and out on occasion, merely serves to emphasize the far eastern mystical properties of the track – a truly wonderful closing track.
So there you have it – an instrumental album, the likes of which few can match and which borrows from none, sounds wholly original, strangely familiar and mixes invention, innovation and mesmerising creation in equal measures to produce something immensely satisfying and remarkably long-lasting.

HAWKWIND – Spirit Of The Age – An Anthology (From Atomhenge 1976 to Earth Ritual 1984) 3CD
Up to 1975, the band Hawkwind had become the world's leading force in the genre known as “space-rock” which basically consisted of embellishing seventies heavy and psychedelic rock with all manner of synth and electronic effects and science-fiction based lyrics. But the warp engines finally burned out, the exploration of the galaxies took its toll and the spacecraft fell inexorably back to earth. But one of their number had other ideas on his mind, there were new universes to conquer right here on earth – and so the seedier side of life down on the streets, lurking in the shadows plus the hopes and dreams of burnt-out brains, all rose their collective heads as a band charted a whole new course. For three years, a certain Robert Calvert took over the reigns and created a band that would produce some of the most lyrically exciting songs of its era. Not only that but the metal foundations would be replaced by everything from world music fusion (“Kadu Flyer”) and funky driving jazz-rock (“Steppenwolf”) to attempts at pop-rock with hooks and choruses (“Kerb Crawler”), funky, driving electronic-laced instrumental work (“The Dream Of Isis”)and the odd look back to its seventies rock roots (“Back On The Street”). Decidedly back down to earth but somehow not exactly fulfilling – the band decided that they'd gone too far the other way. But then a renewed fascination with the more action-packed side of science fiction that involved humanity rather than aliens started to manifest itself in the lyrics and this was where Calvert had been heading all this time – thus was born the album “Quark, Strangeness & Charm”, the ultimate meeting of all that the writer wanted to express within the confines of an essentially space-rock band – sublime observational and storytelling compositions such as the catchy title track, the epic that is “Spirit of the Age” and the driving “Damnation Alley”, all backed by a relatively sedate rock band that preferred to chug rather than accelerate, who valued the keyboards more than the synths, who preferred their guitars to be subtle and break out on occasion rather than glow red hot – for, despite all that they stood for, it was the songs that mattered. But the band's original leader Dave Brock had not lost his desires to roam the universe and when those desires proved unfulfilled in the current band, he formed a side band in which he took control once more, called it the Sonic Assassins, went out into the concert arena and relaunched the spaceship – a track such as the soaring “Over The Top” gives testament to this, with its swirling synths and solid foundations, with Calvert still at the lyrical helm but now more far-out imagery coming into play, while “The Golden Void” revisited the final album the band had made before hanging up their space-rock boots. But even this wasn't enough – Brock went and formed another offshoot – The Hawklords – and their debut album mixed the whole lot up to quite glorious effect, first offering being the insanely catchy mix of menace and sci-fi of “Psi Power” is presented here, Calvert at his brooding best vocally, the band building up into a glorious chorus, albeit somewhat sedate by today's standards, yet still anthemic for all that, while “Freefall”, even though a ballad, hearkened back to swooping synth-laden days gone by, similarly “The Only Ones” with strummed acoustic guitars and distant mellotron, multi-tracked harmonies and arresting lead vocal. Then, in 1979, the Hawkwind machine kicked into life with an album called “PXR5” which revealed a greater sense of control from Brock so that the prospect of space exploration raised its ugly head once more, so Calvert was mixing the space imagery with his current poltical imagery (“Uncle Sam's On Mars”) and running headlong into the cosmos, the sumptuous backing from synths, bass, drums, violin and, mainly, rhythm guitars, providing the songs with a meaty foundation, all given full reign on the brooding, building “High Rise”, again songs with hooks and choruses to keep the insistent factor alive.
By the end of '79, Calvert had gone, and Brock took over once more – new visitors were about to roam the universe. “Shot Down In The Night” unleashes a wickedly rocking testament to this – warning all aliens everywhere that the space machine Hawkwind had been reinvented and firing on all cylinders as the band blasted into action with its finest composition for 4 years, the driving space-rock that signified Hawkwind to anyone who knew them, now roaring into life on a tidal wave of blistering rock guitar, swooping synths, solid driving rhythms, supercharged choruses and insistent verses, while a revisit of their old favourite “Brainstorm” let the listeners know in glowing terms that the band was back and ready to burn down the gates once more, as it roars and rolls to glorious effect. A new studio album, “Levitation” got the balance of space-rock and solid songwriting just right, Brock back on form and driving the craft with purpose and determination – synth wizard Tim Blake (ex-Gong) and ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker just two of the worthy exponents making it all sound so cohesive, while original lead guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton was drafted in as a new permamant member once more, thus completing the return to what Hawkwind had always done best – driving space-rock but compositions that sound altogether substantial, well arranged, superbly produced and played with enthusiasm and passion. As the third disc here will testify, through all manner of group changes, this renewed vision of and determinatio to play the finest space-rock in the world, never let up as far as Brock was conecerned and what you'll hear are some of the finest examples of the genre that were delivered throughout the first half of the eighties.
What you have to say about this set is that it features mostly songs – songs with extremely inventive lyrics, song with extremely well arranged backings and songs delivered by two vocalists who poured their hearts and souls into subject matter that meant something to them, managing to be singers of quality who could do this and make it work with conviction, cohesion and to maximum potential. Somewhere between rock and prog, this is a universe of tracks which, to this day, remains unique, does not sound dated and could almost be said to be timeless.

HAWKWIND – The Dream Goes On – An Anthology (From The Black Sword 1985 to Distant Horizons 1997) 3CD
With the media largely commenting what a good thing it was to have Hawkwind back as a thriving space-rock band, almost but not quite stating through clenched teeth that they'd almost missed them, the band threw themselves into doing what they do best and the final half of the eighties saw the band come up with a flowing series of studio and live albums, all with Dave Brock steering the good ship to an end point far, far away. The band still write lyrically sound songs, but now the added enthusiasm into which the science fiction writing is embraced, is embellished by the first hook-up for ten years with science fantasy and science fiction author Mike Moorcock. Combined, they proceed to unleash a space-rock concept album, “Chronicle of the Black Sword”, where classic rock, emotive ballads and tasty instrumentals stand head to head in the most natural manner imaginable. In the history of the band, so few critics ever mention the sheer standard of the songwriting, so often overlooked in the turbulence of the band's line-ups, offstage actions and portrayed imagery, but, as with many of their songs from the last few years, it's the space-rock barrier that stands in the way of the contemporary indie fan realising that, in this band, we have a glorious set of songs which stand up as above category – it's songs into which you can immerse yourself whether rocking or swaying.
Whatever, “Chronicle” showed that the band were on top of their tree as the memorable “Song Of The Swords” and the surge of “Needle Gun” amply illustrate. A tour of the concept was visually mesmerising and produced a monumental live album of the original studio tracks combined with classics from the past, and it's a true testament to the band that the uninitiated listener would not know the difference between the two as the whole thing sounds vast and direct - “Elric The Enchanter” more than stands up against something as incendiary as “Magnu”. Two years later, and with new bassist, singer and writer Alan Davey firmly implanted as a main member of the band, the band came up with perhaps the most underrated studio album they recorded in this 10 year period represented by the box set, “The Xenon Codex”. As the studio album – and a subsequent live concert broadcast on Radio One – reveals, the band were at their compositional and playing best. Davey's bass was the most cohesive thing in that department for years, his backing vocals complementing Brock's leads to perfection, while the band as a whole launched into the tracks with vigour and passion, Harvey Bainbridge's synth and Huw's lead guitar work, positively glowing as a combination, propelled by this driving hammer of a rhythm section, alternated with the rising might of the slower but no less intensely delivered compositions, as a whole new set of tracks produced one stunning album that sounds quite timeless to this day. The roar of “The War I Survived”, the surging flow of “Heads” mix with the textural instrumental beauty of “Lost Chronicles” and “Wastelands Of Sleep”.
Two years on – another new studio album, this time with new drummer Richard Chadwick in the ranks and marking the arrival of one of the longest-lived rhythm sections that the band would ever have. With Huw gone, Simon House rejoins on violin and with Harvey's keys, the album is more expansive than before, less overtly rocking and more quietly intense, but the songs stand up in their own right once again, at one end, the eloquent flow of “Wings” with new singer Brigitte Wishart adding angelic harmonies, next to the brooding stride of “Ship Of Dreams” with Brock's lead guitar work coming to the fore and an impassioned vocal to build the song to boiling point, propelled by the mid-paced muscle of the new rhythm section, while the all-out attack of “Images” at the other end show that the band can still not only rock out, but provide a song that's insanely catchy at the same time. Lost along the way in the history of Hawkwind is the fact that this band could seriously write songs with hooks that could have been top sellers by any other band. Subsequently, in what's now a band tradition, a couple of live albums highlighting tracks from the last studio albums plus a slew of older classics, simply remind you just what a powerful band this is in a live setting, although the live album “Palace Springs” did also featured some leftover studio tracks from what came before.
Two years on – another new studio album – this time “”Electric Teepee”. By now the band were reduced to the trio of Brock-Davey-Chadwick but this, if anything, focused the band's songwriting even more, so that the dominance of science fiction was now being replaced by more moral, cultural and politically aware subjects, as ever, all expressed and arranged quite superbly by a tightly knit trio. “LSD” just rocks with a huge sound towering over its song structure, the band sounding more like six than just three as this massive sound blasts out from the speakers, while “Mask Of Morning” remains another overly forgotten blast of Hawkwind-as-singles act, the song providing drive, punch, depth and a surging memorable hook that could have whipped up rock dancefloors from one end of the country to the other, and “Secret Agent” simply blasts the icing onto the already substantial cake. A year later and the band, in experimental mode, produce a largely instrumental album in the form of “It's The Business Of The Future”, showcasing the fact that they could be as eloquent and strong without lyrics as they could on songs, although the album not perhaps standing up that well by today's standards, as the best tracks on the album were the songs, of which “Letting In The Past” is another oft forgotten example of the band at their tightest, flowing best, while the skank of “The Camera That Could Lie” showed signs of the straying away from the tried and trusted formulas which would later, arguably, water the band down as much as showcase that they could do something other than what they were more known for playing and composing.
Via another live album, “The Business Trip Live”, rock's forgotten power trio flex their compositional and playing muscles with force, strength and intensity, as the mothership motor of “Right To Decide” illustrates to perfection, another hit-single-that-could-have-been, truly stunning as a slice of anthemic rock songwriting, while “The Dream Has Ended” hearkens back to the early seventies but shows that the nucleus of the song itself stands up as well over twenty years later, as it did then. Via another instrumental album, “White Zone”, the band try their hand at ambient rock, as the title track here indicates.
Two years on – another new studio album – this time with a new singer in tow, in the form of the Calvert-esque Ron Tree, who seemed to spend a lot of time, out of his (tree, that is!). That aside, he gave the band a visual and audible, sharp-as-a-needle focus that they'd been lacking for a while despite all the positives, and the new album, “Alien 4” was heralded as the best thing the band had produced in ages, for which both tracks featured here – Davey's roaring battle cry of “Sputnik Stan” and the classic Hawkwind sound of “Death Trap” - absolutely testify.
Yep, you guessed it – another live album touring the studio album, provide us with the flowing ballad of the unusually fragile beauty, for Hawkwind, of “Love In Space” next to the massive blast of space-rock might, that is their seventies anthem “Lord Of Light”.
Two years on – another new studio album – this time in the form of “Distant Horizons”, an album that long-time manager Doug Smith described to me once as “having been released too early”, by which he meant that the band could have, and in hindsight, should have, done more work on its content before it finally emerged as finished. The title track couldn't show this better, as a slice of reggae-rock comes across as pure filler – if the band were charting a new horizon, it was so in the distance as to be virtually invisible – while “Phetamine Street” is clearly meant to be another “hook-laden, hit single” type job but just goes round and round up its own black hole. A surging “Waimea Canyon Drive” almost does the same thing, but this time its repetition actually has an emotive strength to it, while its wandering into a more textural territory provides the much needed depth of which you know this band is capable of playing as the track builds into quite a forceful piece. It's left to this album's “Alchemy” to wind up a triple CD set with a studio track of roaring space-rock that, while still a bit throwaway in its initial slightly ambient approach to the vocals, ends up being a raging rocker that does the mighty name of Hawkwind, no disservice whatsoever – which is, of course, the way it's always been and the way it always should be.

MY SLEEPING KARMA – Satya CD
An instrumental quartet from Germany featuring electric guitar, keys, bass and drums. That they play the most gorgeous set of instrumentals which mix rock and chill-out, come across like a mix of a fuller sounding “Dark Star”-styled Grateful Dead mixed with eloquent Agitation Free and the more relaxed instrumental sides of early Wishbone Ash, all wrapped up in a gorgeous haze of psychedelic ambience, and never once losing sight of the fact that melody, as much as atmosphere and emotion, is the key to the success of the music, all serves as testimony to what a thoroughly amazing, accessible, passionate, beautiful, strong and stuff of long-lasting enjoyment, this whole album is from start to finish. You don't need to dissect it track by track to show it off to its best degree, you just need to say that once you start to play it, you'll play it to the end. With more of the magic of the old seventies Krautrock band Agitation Free as its most likely dominant feature, it's a truly remarkable, consistent, cohesive, melodic and brilliant album, one I'll be playing long and often for a long time to come.

SEVENDUST – Hope And Sorrow CD
American rock band with their seventh – yes, seventh!!!! - album. So, where have you been? How come you missed the previous six? What have you been missing? Heck knows!!!
I've probably reviewed some of the previous six – all of which shows what an impression they must have made!! So, what of the seventh? Well, you can't deny that this band is hot, on fire and ready to rock. Right from the off, we get a mix of solid rock that sounds at first like Lemmy fronting the Foo Fighters, before it settles into a more emo-laced sea of nu-metal. But then you realise what the game is, as “Enough” fires up and the guitars really start to surge in a sea of molten riffing. The vocals soar over driving drum work and stomach-churning bass, as a huge tidal wave of rhythm guitars also churns away. The vocals are upfront, solo and multi-tracked harmonies providing strength and depth, while the whole electrifying production lends the song an air of great rock expanse. The only problem comes when it's finished – without a real hook or chorus in sight, even though they deliver this song with all the uplift of a rock anthem, you do end up loving it and leaving it. However, and I speak from experience here, if you listen to this track – and much of the album, come to that – a few times, you'll find it really starts to sink under your skin as whatever's there which makes it something you'll want to play, really starts to kick in. Gradually they light the fires,. Gradually they rage and roar, openi9ng things out to give a huge tower of guitars and rhythms, yet a band that's unafraid to drop it all back to provide dynamics within songs that twist and turn for a more dramatic effect rather than spend the entire time trying to whip you into submission. Most of the songs have that anthemic appeal to them while at the same time being of the rocking mentality, a sort of raging nu-metal AOR for a nu-generation. Persist with this and ye shall be rewarded – an album that gives back more than you put in.

SEVERENTH – The Age Of Paranoia CD
Quite how Wales in recent times has become the factory for all things of a commercial hardcore metal nature, is still something of a mystery, but here's another, this time from North Wales, with their debut album featuring 11 tracks of killing metal that has its roots in hardcore, but gives so much more. For all the tracks on here, there's a lot of thought and crativity that's gone into the writing, so much so that, at times, the songs are of such quality that you forget you're listening to something that's practically beating you over the head with a blunt instrument. Throughout the album, the effect is blistering, the playing absolutely tight, scorching and on fire, while the vocals run the full range from evil whisper through hollering leads to high-flying choruses, hooks and harmonies. This is a band that sinks its teeth in and refuses to let go until you've fully submitted to the power and dynamics that the songs convey on a truly awesome basis. If you want your hardcore metal performed with intelligence, strength, thought and stunningly written and arranged, something you'll play and play for a long time to come, something of great quality and mind-bending power, this is a remarkably played, produced and sung debut album.

STOMU YAMASHTA'S EAST WIND – One By One CD
Or, to be accurate, “music from the film “One By One”. A soundtrack designed to accompany a film on car racing. The odd part is that it works quite fine away from the film. The album opens with a the quartet of Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine) on amazing fuzz bass, Gary Boyle (Isotope) on McLaughlin-esque guitar, Yamashta himself on rattling percussion and driving drums, with Brian Gascoigne on keys providing the Jan Hammer textures as a veritable UK answer to the vintage Mahavishnu Orchestra, makes its presence felt in just five incendiary minutes. The fact that it then changes into a slice of hippy funk-fusion with a vocal that would have graced a mid seventies Can album, kind of takes you by surprise. This sidles along for five minutes with a kind of languid soul vocal but at least a lead guitar break that gives it more than something of an edge as the track actually develops into something that's really rather decent, depending on what you're smoking, of course. Then, just as suddenly, it changes back to the original theme – for a whole 28 seconds!! Bizarre!! After this comes five and a half minutes of “Black Flame” where orchestral sounding keys mix with booming bass and eerie fx to provide an almost electronic sounding slice of darkness mixed with epic that's probably great in the film but is a bit “filmic” away from it. “Rain Race” is a short piece where the violin enters and provides another taste of Mahavishnu, this time in an altogether more flowing and less fast-paced arrangement, the only drawback being that you wish it could have gone on for longer. “Tangerine Beach” opens with some sublime Hopper fuzz bass that fades into a mass of violins and deep lilting bass as the track now succeeds in conveying a really emotive atmosphere of open-ended musical splendours, delicate percussion and rippling keys adding subtlety to the main body of the melody. “Superstar” reprises the excellent Mahavishnu qualities of the opener, only now with a decided Soft Machine feel from the rhythm section as the Goodman-like violin work weaves its spell. Even the presence of a few vocals can't destroy the mood of funk-fusion that this piece conveys so expertly. This is followed by seven and a half minutes of “Loxycycle” which is even more excellent, this time a flowing slice of jazz-rock that allows the band as a whole to show its capabilities on a track that just rolls along and builds to perfection, mixing fast-paced with fine playing from all the lead soloists, as a more individual sounding slice of fusion makes its presence felt, covering all moods and allowing all the musicians to shine on what is another outstanding track. After this, you get four tracks between a minute and just over two minutes in length that range from sublimely pastoral to melodic jazz-rock. So, overall, it's an album that's weathered well and, while undeniably seventies, still largely sounds pretty decent by today's standards.

STOMU YAMASHTA – Go – Live From Paris CD
Whereas most supergroups of the seventies could be liberally categorised – Cream: Blues; ELP: Prog; C,S & N: Folk – Stomu Yamashta's “Go” line-up could not – which is why it was a 1-off. Whereas the live versions of “Tubular Bells” and “Dark Side Of The Mon” were not allowed to stray from the strict structures of the original versions, “Go...Live From Paris”, by its very nature, almost had to! These two factors are linked and, combined, are the reasons why this live album actually eclipses the original studio album. The studio “Go” was great – lots of polish, smoothness, sheen and purity – the sounds of studio people rounding out any angles and structuring any loose edges – a combination of songs well sung, with instrumental interludes, well rehearsed. But this.....well, this is wayyyyyyy better. There's humanity in here by the truckload – the sound of musicians and singer (s) taking a template and bending it every which way but loose without altering its form and appearance. Thus, an all-star cast from Traffic, Return To Forever, Tangerine Dream, Santana plus a trio of backing cast and all spurred on by the hand of the Zappa-like leadership of master percussionist Yamashta, join forces for a concert to provide an almost organic, free-flowing, evolving beast of a performance that is truly mesmerising. From Klaus Schulze's space synth passages, sensibly to the point and atmospheric, through the incredible dual drumming and percussion of Yamashta and Santana's Mike Shrieve, to the biting guitar work of Al Dimeola, the playing on here just sizzles from start to finish, with much extended room for soloing compared with the original studio version and, for once in such context, the chance for the musicians to stretch out is a great and wonderful thing as they are reigned in by the structure of the work and not have to keep everything right on the money. So it ias, that the actual songs, now sound not only an essential part of the whole, but Winwood's delicious vocal and the emotion he puts into them, make them now sound as “natural” as the musical performance and not simply that a bunch of spacey or funky instrumentals have been built around a decent set of songs, as on the, admittedly good, original. The addition of Pat Thrall, later to team up with Glenn Hughes to rock out as a duo, on rhythm guitar plus female backing vocals and congas, gives the music an extra dimension and even more depth and strength, and it does make you wonder just what this lot could have done with a beast such as “Dark Side Of The Mon” if they'd been the least bit interested. But, I digress. This is possibly one of the finest yet most overlooked live albums of the seventies, to mix its many styles and come out winning, a combination of songs and playing that is truly excellent, positively timeless and, thanks to the msot amazing remastering job, sounds even better now than it did when it first came out.

STOMU YAMASHTA – Freedom Is Frightening CD
Now, if you take the fact that this CD is played by the master drummer and percussionist to come out of Japan in the seventies, and guys out of Soft Machine and Isotope, plus a keyboard player who later went on to play and arrange music for some of the greatest big screen blockbusters of all time, together with the drummer's wife on violin, and the fact that the result was one of the tightest, most free-flowing, most natural and enjoyable jazz-rock records to come out of the seventies UK music scene, should come as no surprise to anyone. What is surprising, is just how good it still sounds, 35 years on. From the gorgeous tranquility of piano and violin-led splendour on “Wind Words” through the duelling and sparring Gary Boyle-played guitars and Hisako's violin on “Rolling Nuns”, together with Brian Gascoigne's Ratledge-esque piano and driving drums and percussion, all held together by legendary bassist Hugh Hopper, to the initial spacey delights that evolve into the deep upfront fuzz bass, drifting organ work, driving synth work and, eventually, dramatic guitar work, with all musicians combined as the piece builds and builds, on the title track, then you have the ingredients in place for one stunning slice of instrumental fusion, the status of all involved, ensuring that this is the case. This style of melodic yet solid and intricate yet accessible sounding jazz-rock, with its emphasis on rock instrumentation, may be rooted in its era, but now remastered to sound as clear as a bell and absolutely cutting through, this is an album with no self-indulgence and simply the sound of a cohesive unit playing magnificently with nothing wasted, nothing overdone, nothing stretched out. A gem!

Continued....

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