private checchen beach

Giaromarongiu - Checchen Beach LP Amigo! [CGM 703] (1979) Piano, Fender, Organ [Hammond], Drums, Congas, Timbales, Triangle, Whistle, Güiro, Musical Box, Voice, Composer, Sound Engineer, Mixer, Design [Label] - Riccardo Marongiu; Guitar [Electric, Acoustic], Bass, Fender, Agogo, Voice, Composer - Paolo Giaro; Saxophone [Tenor, Alto, Soprano] - Roberto Vinciguerra; Vibraphone - Fabrizio Urbinati; Voice - Dona Tonini; Design [Cover] - Italo Campagnoli. Buy it here.

Richmond Road Riot rules

The Achterbahn Band's self released Richmond Road Riot LP seems to be the only record the group from Delmenhorst in northern Germany released. Now that is a damn shame, because in my little world Richmond Road Riot is a wonderful and timeless crown jewel...
But it always gives me a hard time when trying to talk/write about it. It's not easy to describe their very eclectic style of music - not really Progrock, not 100% Pop, Jazz? yes maybe..... Dammit I hate this category stuff! Maybe it's just incredibly good pop music with hints of progressive rock and easy latin á la High Llamas. And whatever it may be, it doesn't sound like "1979" to my ears. More like "sometime between 1969 and 2009".
Please get an impression and tell me what you think about it!

Cheers, Basso

Judy's first

Judy and her band have some amazing records out there. This one here is their first and my favourite. Starts with the amazing Never Was Love and more of those lovely tunes follow. The whole album has a sound similar to Lonnie Liston Smith and The Cosmic Echoes' mid seventies LPs - unfortunately these didn't have Judy Robert's lovely voice...

Planetarium Tracks

  
Spell - Time Waves

Here is another set of tracks from 1979 performed primarily on synthesizers. There is also a grand piano in the mix which works to great effect on a couple tracks. This is literally space music. The work was commissioned for the Alexander Brest Planetarium in Jacksonville, Florida. The music was composed and performed by Jack Tamul, and Joe Deihl. This was a private release on Tsunami Records and apparently it was the only release on the label.

Time Waves

Twilight Cities

This recording is a redo of Torgue's first lp. The og was released in 1976 and in 1979 Henry Torgue decided to rerecord the the whole record in a different studio with a different producer. Another album, Compartiment Fuchsia, was released in 1979, as well. That one featured a trio setting where the others were solo recordings. Depending on the response to this one I may offer you that one, as well. Torgue is playing a variety of keyboards here and as usual the jams are intoxicating.

Souvenirs

Suzi, Gorgio und der Käfer

I have been a BIG fan of Suzi Lane's Ohh La La for years and do regard this as one of the finest things Giorgio Moroder ever produced. So I was more than happy to find a version on this obscure and notoriously rare danish disco compilation "Stay For The night". After doubting Moroder's originality for a milisecond I blamed Käfer for theft and I'm very happy he did. Check the 2 versions below....

Suzi Lane / Gorgio Moroder Version




Wolfgang Käfer Version

ps. a copy of this one was available at www.growingbinrecords.com

cheers, Basso

After Machines . . .

Moving on into 1979 with Robbley and friends. A new project called Moebius with pretty much the same sounds and music esthetic. Doug Lynner is back on synthesizers, Evan Caplan is once again on the drum throne and John Stubbs is playing violin. Alex Cima has moved on to connecting with the cosmos, replaced by Steve Roach sitting in on the third synth chair. All the compositions are by Robbley and Lynner with the exception of the first track written by The Doors. This one was released on Moonwind Records in the US and later on various other labels in a few European countries.

'79 Lasry Coupe

This time we have the Patchwork release, Modern Way, which some folks consider to be Lasry's most rockin' record. There are some fairly scorching guitar shreds on the B side. In fact this one gets around quite a bit genre-wise. Jazzy, ambient, space rockers, whatever made the grade in 1979. I checked the blogosphere for this before posting and found quite a few copy-cat posts featuring a misnamed Patchwork compilation with a few tracks from Modern Way. Figured it wouldn't hurt to offer up the real deal. Not much in the way of credits on the sleeve but by this time we know Teddy is pretty much a one man band. He will definitely be covering synths, reeds and drums. Not sure about the guitar and bass. Once again this is a slightly modified rip. Stretched a bit.

in the wake of Cabinboy's sunshine

Fal Frett – Fal Frett 2
LP 3A [3A 167]  (1979)

Personnel:

Piano, Synthesizer, Vocal, Composer - Jacky Bernard
Bass, Vocal - Alex Bernard
Saxophone, Vocal, Composer - Bib Monville
Lead Vocal, Percussions - Ralph Thamar
Flute, Vocal, Composer - Robin Vautor
Percussions, Vocal - Nicol Bernard
Drums, Vocal - Jacky Alpha

Engineer, Mixer - Robert Denis
Photo - Philippe Bourgade

Buy it here or here.

You have to thank Cabinboy who shared with me this fantastic record. Thank you Cabinboy!

Cosmic Petrology

More Lasry? Of course; never too much Lasry in the Bin. Seven Stones is another RCA Victor production media outing. This time we have help from Denis Lable on electric guitar and Joël Fagerman playing a Prophet 5 synth on Amethyst, the first track on the B side of this lp. Multi-instrumentalist Lasry plays: RMI Keyboard Computer, ARP Odyssey, Micro Moog, Prophet 5, Korg Polyphonic Ensemble, Korg 3300, Fender Piano, soprano saxophone, clarinette, flutes, drums and percussion. How's that for a credits list? Lasry is a champion instrumentalist.  The record was released in 1979. Nuff said . . .

badrena

Manolo – Manolo LP A&M Records [SP 4783]  (1979)

Personnel:
Bass - Abraham Laboriel, Jaco Pastorius
Drums - Jorge Fattoruso, Manolo Badrena
Guitar - Carlos Rios
Keyboards - Hugo Fattoruso, Manolo Badrena
Percussion, Composer - Manolo Badrena
Piano - Hugo Fattoruso
Trombone, Trumpet - Gary Gazaway
Violin - Alfredo De La Fe
Vocals - Manolo Badrena, Maria Fatima, Sybil Thomas
Backing Vocals - Carmen Twillie, Gary Gazaway, Hugo Fattoruso, Jorge Fattoruso, Lani Hall, Manolo Badrena, Maria Fatima, Venette Gloud
Producer - Herb Alpert, Manolo Badrena
Engineer - Mark Smith
Engineer [Assistant] - Steve Katz.

Art Direction - Roland Young
Design - Amy Nagasawa
Photo - Michael Going

Baby Records rules

For E. & C.

Here's some high flyin' italian disco from 1979 ripped from a copy that was still sealed when I got it. Guessing from the instrumentation I expected Jazz Rock, but no no - it's Funk & Disco... Most of the tracks are really uptempo and I actually don't like uptempo disco, but the usual cheesy strings and crowds of backing girls are missing here - the sound is rather funky and I really like THAT. My #1 fave here is "Hey Lover" - a wonderful summer jam. Download instantly, put it on your ipod and get yourself some sunrays!

Or get your copy here. The prices for this gem have really gone down over the years. Cheers, Basso

sigle televisive italiane

Aquarium Sounds - Aquarium Sounds LP RCA [SP 10075] (1979) Composer, Producer, Leader - Filippo Trecca. More infos can be found here.

Plug in to This . . .

Electric Day was the first release from the band called You. It is also the only one which features a guitarist and drummer. Albin Meskes and Udo Hanten produced three more lps in the 80s as a duo. They are still performing as You at festivals. This is my favorite lp by the group; I like drums and guitar in the mix. Ulrich Weber played guitar on this lp and Lhan Gopal was the drummer. The main instrument on this and the lps to follow is the synthesizer.

Electric Day

Sequential Echos

Überfällig is Günter Schickert's second solo lp. This one was released on the Sky label in 1979. Schickert is a guitarist and uses a looping system with echo, along the same lines as Reichel, Göttsching and Bloch. Charles M. Heuer is playing drums on a few tracks, also with an echo or delay technique. Brigitta Nabucet is providing the vocals on the second track, In Der Zeit. While this lp has similarities with other recordings in the same vein, to my ears it is still uniquely Günter Schickert.

Überfällig

Sandworms vs Earworms

Zed - Visions Of Dune (1979 Initial Recordings)

As far as Discogs knows this is Bernard Szajner's first LP. It is inspired by Frank Herbert's science fiction novel "Dune" and it's a trip! Two side-long tracks that take you to Arrakis and beyond. Have a nice flight!

PS. If you like this check out Szajner's later works

PPS. MAN! Everything is up here already. This LP has already been posted on almighty Mutant Sounds. At least I added some pictures.... Seems like I have to rip Brute Reason now

Man Spricht Deutsch!

"Man spricht Deutsch" is the title of Kaarst's private press FOLK! LP from 1979. Translated: One speaks german. And that's what Kaarst do. They actually sing! Unfortunately most of the folks downloading and listening to this wonderful album won't snap the beauty of the lyrics. It's really some of the uprightest stuff I've heard by now. You can easily tell that he's been observing mankind with a pair of open eyes. Call me a wussy, but - man - those "dedicated tracks" like Ingwerfrau (Gingerwoman) and Für Lisa (For Lisa) really wetten my eyes. Kurz vor Ostern is something like a reqiuem for a lady born in 1890, having experienced two world wars, her children dying in the Panzer and 20 years of loneliness in a nursing home.... I hope the way Reinhard Firchow is singing gives you a glimpse of what I mean !?! He might not be the most talented singer in the world but he's really touching me and that's what it's about!  Perfect music to watch the clouds rush by ..... Viel Spass!

PS. This folk tends to be pretty light and jazzy

Berlin Fusion

How many of those guy are shaved? Back to the year 1979. Beardos were hip back in those days! It's not really easier to find some shaved faces in Berlin today...... Anyway - four groups, who didn't have the money to record their own LPs gathered to record just one LP together. With a bit of finacial encouragement by the Berlin's "Senator for Cultural Affairs" they had 8 studio days to record what is heard on the here featured LP.
Pretty nice stuff though. I wonder what else might pop up by these guys. I know of a Live-LP by Arakontis and a studio LP by Chameleon. By now there was nothing to be found about Changes and Margò.
Here's some Berlin Fusion

Cheers,
Basso


UPDATE: I FOUND MARGO!!!
Update2: and two LPs by Chameleon