The second and final of the 'second wave' line-up of 5uus (basically Dave Kerman, Bob Drake and Sanjay Kumar + guests). This is considered by many people to be their best period and I would probably agree.

"Second installment from monster band 5UU's, featuring rock complexity, extraordinary production (by bassist and singer Bob Drake) and high energy precision mixed with eccentric song-writing. People that work this hard are becoming an endangered species. Extraordinary."-Chris Cutler

"At this point it is pretty secure to say that A.C.T had established their own personal way to express their ideas.Their QUEEN-meet-ABBA-meet-DREAM THEATER style is fairly grounded on extremely dense and technical musicianship, which surprisingly contains numerous incredible, striking melodies. Elements of Classical Music, Heavy Metal, Rock Opera and cheesy Pop are combined with generosity and intelligence with most of the tracks being pretty short, but sometimes they are tightly connected to form...

"Without a doubt, this is one of the holy grails of the Japanese early seventies lysergic psych scene, together with Speed Glue & Shinki, Sato Masahiko & Soundbreakers and People/Ceremony.
Privately released in a tiny edition on the Oz Records label way back in 1973, the original artifact was and is till this day the only legitimate recording on vinyl to feature the Rallizes and Acid Seven, in addition to a side each from Minami Masato and the legendary Taj Mahal Travellers.
New double-CD ...

This is a collection of most of the 1984 album “Glass Tube”, which was After Dinner’s first album + some other stuff, plus 30’ of live material by this Japanese new music rock band, who predated the current huge interest in all things "Japan".
Characterized by leader Haco's vocals, this is subtly detailed, almost pastel, progressive Japanese music; they don’t sound like ANYBODY else!

“Can't say I've heard anything quite like this. Truly awesome in its presentation, it's hard not to want to...

This is another famous rarity and it happens to also be a very very nice folk/psych album.

“This is what I want from my psychedelic folk, dreamy fey hippie strumming music. It's great at that. Though, I gotta say a good half of it, is more '60s vocal pop than folky...It's real stars in your eyes niave hippie, which i love. It also really reminds me of folk rock like Lyme and Cybelle, that early Warren Zevon project.
Look if you like Fairport Convention, I'd stay away. IF you want Donovan...

“No, it's not rock, or jazz, blues or funk, or classical. It's...all of them...sort of. I first bought this album in 1976, without having heard a note or read anything about it. I mean, if Jan Akkerman composed and played on it, why would I hesitate? Right? On first listen, I didn't quite know what to make of it. It felt like had just watched some foreign film with a plot that was obviously deeper than what appeared on the surface. The performances were superb and nothing struck me as being predictable....

This is a high-quality pirate edition of two never-reissued, very obscure Krautrock rarities, with ties to Can.

"His first two LPs from 1974 and 1976 on one CD, complete and with all original jacket artwork and lyrics. Now performs as Alex...

Now this is an interesting one, as it consists of the earliest surviving recordings (1967-1969) by Daevid and musicians after he ended up in Paris when he was denied re-entry into the UK following Soft Machine's summer sojourn to France. This was previously released, about 20 years ago, on a tiny French label and has been unavailable ever since. Not for the casual fan, but fairly essential for (a) Daevid fans, (b) psychedelia collectors and (c) fans of 'stoned hippie fuckery'.

"In the weeks...

This is a solo album from the period when Daevid was living in Australia and working solo. It was designed around Daevid's guitar and voice and some taped accompaniment from guests; it's also one of the earliest Voiceprint releases...

"Geri Allen's earlier 2006 album, Zodiac Suite: Revisited, a fine effort recorded under the banner of the Mary Lou Williams Collective, celebrated the legendary pianist by rescuing one of her major works from obscurity. On Timeless Portraits and Dreams Allen widens her scope, as she is wont to do, to bridge jazz, spirituals, and classical music. She performs lyrical solo pieces and jazz classics, demonstrates the art of the trio with Miles Davis alumni Ron Carter and Jimmy Cobb, backs the exceptional...

Still a fine album, but the band was reeling from the blow of Duane Allman’s death so soon after the success of Live At The Fillmore East....

“A tribute to the dearly departed Duane, Eat a Peach rambles through two albums, running through a side of new songs, recorded post-Duane, spending a full album on live cuts from the Fillmore East sessions, then offering a round of studio tracks Duane completed before his death. On the first side, they do suggest the mellowness of the Dickey Betts-led...

"File under "Yes." When this version of the band couldn't obtain rights to the name, they put their album out under their combined names, but it's still Yes by any other name. Jon Anderson's tenor wails through spacy lyrics, Rick Wakeman constructs cathedrals of synthesized sound, Steve Howe rips high-pitched guitar leads, and Bill Bruford makes his drums sound like timpani..."-AllMusic

This is alternatives and outtakes, etc from around the time of their the first album.

“Andromeda was a psychedelic/progressive rock trio formed by singer-guitarist John Cann (also known as John Du Cann), formerly of the psychedelic garage band the Attack, Mick Hawksworth (bass, vocals), and Ian McClane (drums, vocals).
The group performed in various London venues including Middle Earth and the Marquee Club. Cann's guitar was the dominant instrument, leading listeners through classically...

"Another extraordinary release by Sardinian virtuoso Paolo Angeli, this time featuring compositions by Fred Frith and Bjork – all played solo in real time (though when you hear it, it’s hard to believe it) on his highly customised and extended, electrified, giant Sardinian folk guitar. A tour de force of technique and at the same time highly musical; and there is so much going on here at any given time that it is difficult to relate what your ears tell you to just one Frankenstein instrument. Dense...

Takumi Fukushima – violin, voice
Paolo Angeli – prepared Sardinian guitar, voice
Excellent album of duos; some a bit wild, others, very intimate and - dare I say - beautiful? Remember, Monk wrote a song called "Ugly Beauty"... After the demise of Volapük, I was wondering when I would hear Takumi again and I am happy to hear her here with Paolo who makes an excellent musical partner for her.

"This is Paulo Angeli’s fifth release, this time with ex-After Dinner, ex Volupuk violinist and....

Completely charming album that should appeal to folks who love the more acoustic-based 'avant/progressive-yet-tuneful' stylings of L'Ensemble Raye, Feliu i Joan-Albert, 3 Mice, etc. This has definite Italian as well as South American folk influences...

"After releasing many albums on his own Discus label, Martin Archer finally got a well-deserved chance to introduce his work to a slightly larger audience with Angel High Wires, released by La Cooka Ratcha. This project is a collaboration with poet...

The 3rd album from the band that I consider to be possibly the finest Italian progressive rock band of the 1970's, & certainly a band in the top tier of all early 1970's progressive bands worldwide! Area combined jazz/rock/stolen ethnic music (mostly f...

Jazz as we know it today in all it's glorious and myriad forms AS WELL AS the root of much contemporary / popular music starts HERE!

"The most important musician of the century past has had a trumpet-load of retrospectives appear since...

Dagmar Krause-vocals Chris Cutler-drums, electronics Fred Frith-guitars, keyboards, violin, etc.

This was the 3rd and final album by the successor band to Henry Cow. I'm not really sure why (short playing length? the press had gone onto other things to champion? it wasn't released stateside, unlike the first two?) but this one slipped under the radar of a lot of folks, compared to their 1st two.
It's a very bleak, but also a very solid work. And very clever and sly in its own way - who...

This album, recorded in Berlin, and originally released in 1977 on Virgin, marks the first time Manuel Gottsching used the name Ashra (as opposed to Ash Ra Tempel). This was also possibly the first time that the term "new age" was used on a record! It'...

This is their first recordings, originally released on cassette and ONLY sold at gigs in 1988/1989 + two previously unreleased tracks from the same era.
Very early ambient dub rave, and probably their furthest out / spaciest stuff. At its most ‘clubby’ it sounds like Chrome Hoof taking itself seriously ,and at its most out, it sounds like a cross between Rainbow Dome Music and Ashra.

“The mysterious ambient-dub and tribal house unit known as Astralasia fits in with other British electro...

This tiny label release documents Kevin's shows in California in 1993, 1998 and 2000. The sound ranges from decent (2 tracks) to very good (all the others) and most tracks include a full band, which is interesting to hear, as he has tended to go solo in the last decade or more.
I don't know that Kevin and the band rehearsed a ton together, but it's obvious that they know the tunes and play them with a lot of verve if somewhat loosely. Not one of his essential releases, but a surprisingly good live...

Duck Baker is a highly regarded fingerstyle guitarist who is well versed in all the traditions one would expect from a 'fingerstyle guitarist'. But he's also a knowledgeable fan of and performer of free music styles and this is his first-ever release in that idiom. This guy is a master.

"I have played free jazz for over forty years and made records for over thirty, so it might seem strange that this is my recording debut in this style. A few bits and pieces have come out here and there; tracks...

"“Transiberiana” is the first studio album with entirely brand-new songs from Italian progressive rock legend Banco del Mutuo Soccorso since 1994. Formed back in 1969 under the influence from British greats like Yes, Gentle Giant, Genesis, ELP and Jethro Tull, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso integrated jazz, folk, classical elements into their sound and created much revered classics like “Darwin!” (1972), “Lo Sono Nato Libero” (1973), which belong to the finest 70’s prog albums of all times as well as “Banco”...