This is not Krautrock

The place: Hamburg, Germany. The band: FRUMPY. After their enormous debut All will be changed this band geared into full throttle. Their second album, simply called 2, consists of four tracks only, but what monsters they are. Often shelved under Krautrock with all the other german obscurities of the early 70ies, they were something else. Bluesrock at its finest topped with a female voice you will never forget. French Keyboard-Master Jean-Jaques Kravetz is joined here by Drummer Carsten Bohn, Bassist Karl-Heinz Schott, Guitarist Rainer Baumann and Vocalist Inga Rumpf. Best Tracks: All of them! Good Winds, How the Gypsy was born, Take care of Illusion and finally Duty. Released in 1971.

Space Rock Monument

English born TIM BLAKE was the synthesist in both Hawkwind and Gong. Later he moved to France and began to release solo-albums. This here is Blake’s New Jerusalem his second effort after the debut Crystal Machine. The multi-Instrumentalist creates a unique compromise between outlandish space music and earthbound space rock. Best Tracks: Song for a new Age, Lighthouse, Blake’s New Jerusalem. Released in 1978.

Order this hard-to-find CD directly from Tim on his website: moonweed.free.fr

Emotional Intelligence

Canadian triumvirat RUSH’s eight studio album Moving Pictures is something else. In the early days they were poorly labeled as Prog Rock, only later they became the intellectuals favourite rockband.

This Album was the first of my favourite trio of RUSH albums, later to be joined by the more keyboard oriented Grace under Pressure and Signals. This is an album I never get tired listening to, just because it contains good songs and is brilliantly performed. Best Tracks: Red Barchetta, YYZ (Intro played in Morse Code!), The Camera Eye and of course Tom Sawyer. Released in 1981.

The Definition of Heavy Metal

Probably THE definite album by JUDAS PRIEST, Unleashed in the East has it all. Over-dubbed vocals or not, the discussion about that still goes on. 

It was the first album I bought in the then-new CD-Format, long before I could afford a CD-Player. An alltime favourite of mine, so here it will have the honor to open my Blog. Best Tracks: Sinner, Victim of Changes, The Green Manalishi. Released in 1979.

If possible get the japanese edition named Priest in the East with four bonus tracks.