Bananamour is ripe with Kevin Ayers' most mature and accessible compositions to date. Ayers grounded himself in a newly formed trio for his follow-up to Whatevershebringswesing. With bassist Archie Leggett and drummer Eddie Sparrow at the hub, Ayers selected guest artists for a handful of the tracks: Whole World colleague Dave Bedford ("Beware of the Dog"), Gong's new guitarist Steve Hillage ("Shouting in a Bucket Blues"), and former Soft Machine mates Robert Wyatt ("Hymn") and Mike Ratledge ("Interview"). "Interview" is easily one of the album's strongest, most original tunes, charged with a rugged, positively electrifying guitar sound courtesy of Ayers and psychedelic organ flourishes by Ratledge. And "Shouting in a Bucket Blues" is Ayers' inspired pop/blues groove…

The musician Andreas Zink received some help by Brainwork and Projekt Gamma, to release his first CD. So this might be the reason, why the melodic tunes sound like thoose two groups. Finest equippment is used to develop thees catchy tracks.

Soul singer extraordinaire E.C. Scott comes back from her 1995 debut with perhaps even a stronger album the second time at bat. Ten of the 11 tunes on here emanate from her prolific pen (the only cover is her interpretation of the Eurythmics' "Missionary Man"), and her earthy, engaging style is heard to great effect on the opener, "Steppin' Out on a Saturday Night," the bouncy shuffle "Don't Touch Me," the slow blues "Lyin' and Cheatin'" and the title track. Her time is impeccable, her phrasing straight and true, and every vocal on here is chock full of deep feeling; as a modern-day example of a soul-blues album, this one's about as good as the form gets.

How could a combo named the Insect Trust be anything other than eclectic? Hoboken Saturday Night (1970) was the second of two platters from an interesting aggregate whose core consisted of multi-instrumentalists Luke Faust (harmonica, banjo, electric piano, fiddle), Trevor Koehler (baritone sax, soprano sax, piccolo, sewer drum, flute), Robert Palmer (alto sax, clarinet, recorder), Nancy Jeffries (vocals), and Bill Barth (lead guitar, steel guitar). The rhythm section was fleshed out by a sizable and equally diverse coterie of session musicians such as jazz legend Elvin Jones (drums), Bernard "Pretty" Purdie (drums), Charles "Buddy" Nealy (drums), Donald MacDonald (drums), William Folwell (bass, trumpet), Bob Bushnell (bass), Ralph Casale (rhythm guitar), and Hugh McCracken (rhythm guitar). Collectively, they touched upon facets of the singer/songwriter, psychedelic, and folk-rock subgenres, while somehow eluding them all…

A really rare album from trumpeter Ted Curson - a unique 70s session recorded for Atlantic Records, but only ever issued overseas at the time! The date has Ted's trumpet coming into play with some of the electric touches of the 70s - not a full-on fusion record, but a really great session that updates some of his modern ideas with some of the fresher, younger elements of the underground - particularly keyboards, which are played here by Kenny Barron strongly - as he shifts effortlessly between electric and acoustic piano on the set.
Other players are quite strong too - with Robin Kenyatta on alto and soprano sax, Herb Bushler on acoustic and electric bass, and Albert Tootie Heath on drums…

Steve Schroyder's (ex Tangerine Dream) super krautrock band, featuring many guests (from Ash Ra Tempel, Agitation Free, etc.). Recorded in 1975, "Magical Mind" is a psychedelic tour de force for electric guitar tones, Moog synth textures and discreet pulses from percussions. Ethereal soundscapes and freak out kraut-improvisations.

Eylin de Winter is a collaborative erotic conception of Michael Weisser with invited IC composers and performers Curtis McLaw and his band Blue Knights, Peter Sefkow and other musicians. Also there are some printed erotic novels under this pseudonym.

Bill Nelson's 1971 solo debut (after playing in several local bands) was financed by his local record store, the Record Bar in Wakefield, England. After a copy found its way to BBC disc jockey, John Peel, he began playing tracks regularly, which helped pave the way for a real record contract (the label initially wanted him to re-record Northern Dream, but he had other ideas, which led to the formation of Be Bop Deluxe). While largely acoustic, singer-songwriter fare - at some points he sounds like an Anglicized Neil Young, in fact, filtered through Michael Chapman - and typical of its day (even down to the way Nelson looks on the back cover, with patched flares and long, stringy hair), there's also a spirit of future experimentalism lurking under the songs…

"Blood On Canvas" is the most ferocious album to date from the thrashers Darkness from Essen, Germany.
The songs are more aggressive and heavier than anything else in the Darkness discography to date. Although it is not a concept album, "Blood On Canvas" is not a mere collection of nine songs created in one period, but a multi-faceted sound painting, painted with the colors of wrath. Musically, Darkness deliver the uncompromising and fast thrash metal they have been known for since their debut album "Death Squad" (1987). However, the compositions on this album are more complex and detailed than usual, without losing any of the aggression, heaviness and authenticity. The lyrics are no longer just a description of the madness that determines the course of this world, but get to the heart of the matter in a straightforward and uncompromising manner.

A gifted vocalist whose instrument is both strong and sensual, British jazz singer Malia was born into a family of mixed African and English heritage in the small East African country of Malawi, which borders Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. Malia had limited exposure to music growing up - her neighborhood could only tune in two radio stations (one in the native language of Chewa; the other in English), and her father's record collection was dominated by the Beatles. That changed when political unrest forced her family to flee Malawi and relocate to London when Malia was 14 years old. She took great interest in the rich musical landscape that surrounded her, immersing herself in the dance-oriented new wave sounds dominating the English music scene. The music of Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday soon attracted her and transformed her worldview, as she was introduced to influential Black artists for the first time…

Nemo was a French collective formed in 1972. Their line-up included François Bréant, the keyboardist and lead vocalist, already acclaimed musician on French prog scene (often collaborating with various members of Magma); Marc Perru on guitars and vocal duties, Pascal Arroyo on bass and piano, Clement Bailly on drums, Emmanuel Lacordaire on percussion and guitar, Ronnie James on trumpet, Albert Marcoeur on saxophones and clarinets (another unique avant artist), Claude Samard on dobro, Arthur Young on trumpet and José Bartel on tumbas and gongs. The band released two albums, ''Nemo'' and ''Doin' Nuthin''' in '73 and '74 respectively. Their music will be appealing to one who like 70's funk and jazz rock, but with edgy experimentation meandering from avant overtones to classical harmonies. They disbanded in 1975.

Berlin school meets space music. Ambient pings, electro drum machines and the strange dissonance of galactic static murmurs.
The opener 'Monolith' takes us on a resonating journey through silky smooth harmonic timbres. It's as if the mood of 'Transcendence' has spilled straight into this album. 'The Edge of Infinity' again plots a course through spatial sound phasing, accompanied by background sequences which mutate into an ambient beat with the utmost ease. It's deceptively simple and totally captivating, bringing to mind a blissed out Asana - such is the ear for infectious yet understated rhythm and melody…

Tenor saxophonist Reed was retired for a brief time while he wrote the songs for this recording, and then came back to live performing and touring. His band is a bit rough and a little out of control at times, as the backing guitars are sharp and out of tune. For the most part, though, things are together. There are two cuts from unearthed older sessions featuring the late Albert Collins, some neat horn charts, and cameos from singers Maurice John Vaughn, Sammy Fender, and Arthur Irby, which work to varying degrees. Reed's songs emphasize various social ills, some optimism, and a blues-chasing attitude that always feels good. Reed's signature funky blues crops up on the title track, a travelers anthem about Mickey D's, B.K., and similar places, during which he admits that he eventually "ate a foot long dog," knowing it wasn't good for him…

The Artwoods' only album was an enjoyable mixture of club-oriented soul, R&B, and jazz with a strong organ spice, although it found them falling seriously behind their contemporaries in the British R&B scene in a crucial respect. Not one of the dozen tracks was a group original, and their vocal and interpretive ability was not so strong as to make that shortfall an irrelevance. Still, it did give them a chance to stretch into some jazzy workouts and rave-ups that probably couldn't have been contained on 45s, particularly the swinging cover of "Walk on the Wild Side" (with excellent jazz organ by Jon Lord); Allen Toussaint's "Can You Hear Me," with an arrangement reminiscent of the Spencer Davis Group; and Bobby Bland's "Don't Cry No More," one of their best R&B covers…

Recorded and released after a two-year stint in Europe, Until marks alto saxophonist Robin Kenyatta's American debut as a leader, after sideman tenures with Sonny Stitt, Bill Dixon, and Archie Shepp. For anyone (of the few) who followed the rather obscure reedman's career, this set - originally released on the Atlantic jazz subsidiary Vortex and produced by Joel Dorn - is indicative of the restless nature of Kenyatta's career on his own records: he was not only interested in, but attempted to play, the entire range of jazz. For starters, there are three different units scattered across the album. The opener, "Until," written by Barry Miles, is a tender, straight-ahead ballad that showcasesKenyatta's alto accompanied by pianist Fred Simmons, bassist Walter Booker, and drummer Horace Arnold…