Heron's self-titled debut LP was mild, drummerless British folk-rock with the rural/pastoral feel common to many early-'70s records in the style. That pastoral feel, in this particular case, might have been in part deliberate; the record was actually recorded in a field by the River Thames, and though the sound quality is very good, you can occasionally hear some birds and faint ambient outdoor noises. The music is very friendly, acoustic guitar-based stuff that, as improbable as such a blend may seem, is a little like a combination of Simon & Garfunkel with the Incredible String Band, though there aren't many of the weirder elements of the latter. You might also cite the most acoustic and folky Paul McCartney ballads of the late '60s and early '70s (à la "Blackbird") and the harmonies of Crosby, Stills and Nash as less prominent influences. Some organ, piano, and accordion add a little depth to what's essentially an acoustic folk base.

Alice is one of the first generation of groups to have done progressive rock in France, even if their sound often came close to the blues rock, they mixed in some heavy psychedelic ideas and threw in a couple pinches of prog purée in their music and achieved a very interesting album, recorded in London and released in early 70. Clearly the leader was multi-instrumentalist and singer JP Auffredo and his style on flute was reminiscent of Jethro Tull, Traffic but sometimes the Yardbirds as well.
This re-mastered version of Alice’s auspicious BYG debut provides an opportunity to reassess a band that deserves wider recognition.

Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Chris Mayfield began to play at the beginning of the Sixties in local Kent band The Moral Set, then went on to the usual plethora of bands and sessions, playing with the earliest Nirvana, John Gustafson, Gene Latter and Ian Hunter among the others. In 1968 after a few disappointing musical adventures, Chris joined Amen Corner as a roadie/driver, but his girlfriend passed some of his demos to Amen's sax player, Mike Smith, who immediately got them to various labels, EMI approved and immediately signed Chris to a recording deal.
Pete Saunders (keyboards), Steve Bradley (bass) and ex-Elastic Band Sean Jenkins (drums) soon joined and Mayfield's Mule was born. Three Parlophone singles were recorded in a few months and the band also began to work on an album at Abbey Road studios…

After satisfying all of their classical music kinks with keyboard player Jon Lord's overblown Concerto for Group and Orchestra, Deep Purple's soon to be classic Mark II version made its proper debut and established the sonic blueprint that would immortalize this lineup of the band on 1970's awesome In Rock…

Three Brazilian teenagers start a garage band. They know nothing of music theory, have no equipment (they built their own guitar pedals and used tin cans as cymbals), but lots and lots of cannabis. Though the existence of Os Mutantes is in itself unremarkable, what is mind-blowing is the top-notch quality of the music. These three teens, Rita Lee (vocals), Sergio Baptista (guitar), and Arnaldo Baptista (drums), while attempting to mimic their heroes in the states, were able to surpass them. This was due to their inability to adequately imitate (due to their geographic isolation), and the band's unfettered creativity. For these reasons, their meld of otherworldly guitar noise, crisp harmonies, and propulsive drumming found no equal among American counterparts like the 13th Floor Elevators and the Electric Prunes…

After satisfying all of their classical music kinks with keyboard player Jon Lord's overblown Concerto for Group and Orchestra, Deep Purple's soon to be classic Mark II version made its proper debut and established the sonic blueprint that would immortalize this lineup of the band on 1970's awesome In Rock…

When this two-LP set was initially released in January 1971, Canned Heat was back to its R&B roots, sporting slightly revised personnel. In the spring of the previous year, Larry "The Mole" Taylor (bass) and Harvey Mandel (guitar) simultaneously accepted invitations to join John Mayall's concurrent incarnation of the Bluesbreakers…

Produced by wunderkind producer Mark Wirtz (Tomorrow, the mythical Teenage Opera, and guy who decided not to produce Syd Barrett era Floyd), and co-written by Kris Ife who called on his old bandmates from The Quiet Five for these studio creations. Most of these pieces of psychedelic bubble gum were packed as The Matchmakers, some chipper chiclets were initially issued under monikers such as Astronaut Alan & The Planets (“Fickle Lizzie Anne,” “Cellophane Mary Jane”), and The Guards (“Fantastic Fair”). This final pack of bubble blowers were finally issued together in 1970 by Vogue Schallplatten in Germany and a few other territories shortly after.

A very rare Argentinian garage outfit with snaky fuzz guitar, wah-wah guitar and swirling farfisa organ but sung in native tongue. Some have compared it to British North American Act or New Dawn. The killer cut is the just under eight minute Viste?, which reputedly contains some stunning acid guitar work. All eleven cuts were written by Zaguri (although some were co-written) and ranged from beat to psychedelia. His real name was Alberto Garcia and he'd previously recorded a very rare single as El Cuarto Pajarito, Navidad Espcial / Un Diablito En El Cielo (Microfón 3622) with assistance from Litto Nebbia and others.

Originally released in 1970, Afreaka! was the sole album by Demon Fuzz, an Afro Rock band who made their mark by signing to Pye Records Progressive imprint Dawn. Like Osibisa this band was made up of a group of young blacks who had immigrated to London. A melding of rock, jazz and African influences, the album was a funky masterpiece. Recently re-evaluated and sampled by many DJs of a new generation.

Although a Geordie lad himself, Lee Jackson's path to fame was realised in Brighton when he joined the solid R&B outfit Gary Farr and The T-Bones alongside Keith Emerson with whom he eventually rode the progressive wave in The Nice. With Emerson's departure into ELP, Jackson summoned bass guitarist Mario Tapas and the talents of old Newcastle cohorts Tommy Sloane and Charlie Harcourt to emerge as Jackson Heights.
Combined with Jackson's reputation in The Nice and Tony Stratton-Smith's confidence, Charisma provided the platform for their first effort, King Progress in 1970. King Progress offers a less complex structure than Jackson's past exploits with Emerson with more acoustic than electric reflections throughout…