It's hard to imagine a better guide to vintage European prog/psych than The Bevis Frond's Nick Saloman. Here he curates another compilation of quality obscurities from the late '60s and early '70s, this time originating primarily in Belgium, Holland, Germany, Ireland, and Britain. While not every selection is a lost classic, this collection is thoroughly entertaining.
The blues are very much an influence on these tracks, showing up in things like the staunch staccato verses of Bismarck's "Shotgun Express," on the lead in Ginger Ale's "Get Off My Life Woman" or in the swagger of the Tenderfoot Kids' "Man in Black." A couple of the songs sound eerily similar to songs by Led Zeppelin, like the "Whole Lotta Love"-aping intro to Carriage in Company's "In Your Room" or Silence's equivalent of "Communication Breakdown" called "Devil Woman." Still, there are few straight rock songs to be found. The forward-pounding "Old Songs New Songs" by Big Wheel breaks up the action with a slowed, harmony-heavy, organ-drenched chorus. CWT's "Widow Woman" has a reggae rhythm, horns, and a proto-metal riff. Even on something a little more typical, like Kingdom's "All I Need," the attacking guitar and ferocious drums are blanketed in abnormally monstrous reverb.
For many of these tracks, there's no escaping the time period in which they were created. Lyrics like those from The Tower's "In Your Life" emphasize this: "Looking back through a crystal of colors/at the good things gone by in your life." There is a similar line on Distant Jim's title track: "I taste vision/I see sound/I like trees in the ground." Although these are cringe-inducing lines with dated New Age aspirations, many of the lyrics in these songs aren't quite so bad. What makes even the blemished songs so enjoyable is that there's always some other redeeming quality, and the musicianship is of a high quality. With this many tracks, that there aren't any duds to be found is a testament to Saloman's ear for this material.
Cosmarama's pleasurable mix of the foreign and familiar makes for a heady aural concoction. It's unlikely that this compilation will recruit new fans to this type of music, but for existing fans, it's an ear-opening thrill.
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