BRAINSTORM — Smile a While (1972-1996) Two Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Brainstorm's debut offers an odd twist on jazz-rock, throwing in bits of Canterbury and Frank Zappa, as well as the Dutch band Supersister. The record starts off with the explosive energy of the instrumental "Das Schwein Trugt," a fast piece of complex prog-jazz. "Zwick Zwick" follows, beginning at an only slightly slower pace, with some wild flutes and clarinets over a choppy rhythm, and then halfway through the guitar, bass, and organ rip into the mix to add a furious energy to the piece. Though the album is mostly instrumental, a couple tracks offer quirky song structures, the very short "Watch Time Flow By" and a couple short sections in the long title track, while "Snakeskin Tango" has someone moaning in anguish and the middle section of "Bosco Biati Weiss Alles" contains strange wordless vocal drones. Through it all, Brainstorm has crafted top-notch music that combines the manic energy and flippancy of rock with the loose fluidity and chops of jazz, with dynamic arrangements, a sense of humor, and excellent musicianship. The CD also includes five bonus tracks that are in a similar vein to the album cuts, though these can be found on the From Fashion Pink to Brainstorm disc as well. Rolf Semprebon  
Tracklist :
1     Das Schwein Trügt 4'42
Eddy Von Overheidt / Roland Schaeffer
2     Zwick Zwick 4'42
Roland Schaeffer
3     Watch Time Flow By 1'31
Eddy Von Overheidt / Roland Schaeffer
4    Bosco Biati WeiB Alles: Bosco Biati/WeiB/Alles 9'01
Joachim Koinzer / Eddy Von Overheidt / Roland Schaeffer
5     Snakeskin Tango 2'21
Rainer Bodensohn / Joachim Koinzer / Eddy Von Overheidt / Roland Schaeffer
6     Smile A While: Intro/Brainstorm/These/Antithese/Morning Tune/Smile A While 15'36
Rainer Bodensohn / Joachim Koinzer / Eddy Von Overheidt / Roland Schaeffer / Dave Sobelman
7     You Are What's Gonna Make It Last 3'32
Roland Schaeffer / Dave Sobelman
8     Don't Forget 0'29
Eddy Von Overheidt / Roland Schaeffer
9     Thesen & Antithesen 14'02
Eddy Von Overheidt / Roland Schaeffer
10     Einzug Der Elefanten 4'10
Rainer Bodensohn / Roland Schaeffer
11     You Knock Me Out 3'02
Roland Schaeffer
Credits :
Bass – Harold Wagner (pistas: 10)
Bass Guitar – Rainer Bodensohn (pistas: 1 to 8)
Bass, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – Roland Schaeffer (pistas: 1 to 8)
Drums, Percussion – Joe Koinzer
Flute [Flutes] – Rainer Bodensohn
Organ, Electric Piano, Clavinet, Lead Vocals – Eddy van Overheidt
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Roland Schaeffer 

TETRAGON — Nature (1971-1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tetragon had been a rather short-living band hailing from the north of Germany that released only one single album whose title "Nature" reflected their "green" concerns in some way. The band derived from a previous one called Trikolon formed by schoolfriends Hendrik Schapper (organ,trumpet), Rolf Rettberg (bass) and Ralph Schmieding (drums). They mainly played The Nice cover versions, but at times more in a manner closer to Dutch band Ekseption and as well some blues classics like "Spoonful" or "I'm a Man" in a Cream-like interpretation. These were mixed up with long improvisations and jazz influences of a Miles Davis type Schmieding used to be a huge fan of. They became a quite well-known (in their local area) live band and even made a record with one of their stage performances pressed in 150 copies. In 1971 Schmieding decided to leave the band and concentrate on his daily job thus the remaining two musicians were looking for substitutes. At their school they found the talented guitarist Jürgen Jaehner and the drummer Achim Luhrmann and called their quartet Tetragon logically enough. The band didn't really have a predetermined musical style; they played different styles as they pleased, favouring blues (for its emotional impact), jazz and the classics (adapting a Bach fugue along the way). This record here in review had been originally produced in a quite non-professional manner using a Revox A77 2-track tape recorder and seven microphones placed judiciously to best capture the sound of each instrument. The recording duty took place in an old farm which had been converted into a house by some friends of Luhrmann's parents. Re-recording wasn't possible and any imperfections had to be avoided in the 'live' taping conditions which inspired the band to great heights though. Schapper played organ and clavinet simultaneously, with one hand on each keyboard. Jürgen Jaehner meanwhile would switch to acoustic guitar immediately after an electric guitar solo. The line-up listed here is wrong by the way I just realized, there isn't any saxophone included. The correct one is Hendrik Schaper - Organ,clavinet,Cembalet,piano,vocals; Jürgen Jaehner - Electric and acoustic guitar; Rolf Rettberg - Bass and Joachim Luhrmann - Drums. Most of the tracks are all-instrumental, only the title song has some vocals. It's in fact very well-done early progressive rock rooted in blues with jazzy and classical leanings and there isn't any weak track at all on here. Fortunately Musea has done a CD re-issue of this forgotten gem in 1995 with the great jam-rockin' live bonus track "Doors in Between" added on. progarchives
Tracklist :
1.    Fugue    15:59
2.    Jokus    0:19
3.    Irgendwas    5:58
4.    A Short Story    13:38
5.    Nature    7:41
- BONUS TRACK -
6.    Doors In Between    14:16
Credits :
Bass – Rolf Rettberg
Drums – Joachim Luhrmann
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Jürgen Jaehner
Organ, Clavinet, Electric Piano [Cembalet], Piano, Vocals – Hendrik Schaper 

ATOLL — Musiciens - Magiciens (1974) RM | Two Version | WV + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

French progressive rock group Atoll fashioned their music around Yes' and Genesis' repertoire, employing lush tapestries of classically oriented string work to light melodies and intricate song structures. 1974's Musiciens-Magiciens is among the band's strongest releases, laying out breezy, energetic passages that use a moderate amount of keyboards and strong dosages of guitar to create busy semi-suites that hold together quite well. All the vocals are in French, but the instruments are what truly steal the show, especially in the 11-plus minutes of "Le Baladin du Temps," a concept piece which is broken up into three separate parts. The final track, entitled "Je Suis D'ailleurs," has the band creating some rather spirited musical drifts and variations through the use of animated rhythms and resilient textures, much like Ange does, another French progressive band. While Atoll's composition rarely strayed throughout their short lifespan, Musiciens-Magiciens remains one their best albums, mainly because the group was just starting out and their music and images sound fresh and inventive. The release of Musiciens-Magiciens that appears on Musea contains four live bonus tracks, with two of them repeats of the album's original cuts. Purists should be aware that the recording of the live tracks is very poor and of the lowest quality, but the original seven cuts sound quite good. Mike DeGagne
Tracklist : 
1. L'Hymne Medieval    3:13
2. Le Baladin Du Temps    (11:08)
2a L'arpège Philosophal     
2b L'incube    
2c L'arpège Philosophal    
3. Musiciens-Magiciens    3:43
4. Au-Dela Des Ecrans De Cristal    5:28
5. Le Secret Du Mage    2:56
6. Le Berger    3:48
7. Je Suis D'Ailleurs    7:58
– BONUS TRACKS –
8. Au-Dela Des Ecrans De Cristal (Live, Bonus track)
9. Fille De Neige (Live, Bonus track)
10. Je Fais Un Reve (Live, Bonus track)
11. Musiciens-Magiciens (Live, Bonus track)
Credits :
André Balzer - Lead Vocals, Drums
Chris Béya - Guitar
Michel Taillet - Keyboards, Drums
Jean-Luc Thillot - Bass
Alain Gozzo - Drums
+
- Lisa Deluxe, Stella Vander - backing vocals

PENTACLE — La clef des songes (1975-1995) APE (image+.cue), lossless

After listening to "La Clef Des Songes" a few times, I rated it as one of the best albums from the seventies French prog scene. PENTACLE were a 4-piece band influenced by bands like early KING CRIMSON, and the MOODY BLUES. Their music tends to lean on the mellow symphonic sound, where beautifully colorful themes are led by acoustic/eletric guitar and analog keyboards. Every once in a while, the band starts to explore more aggressive territory (faster tempos, time-signatures, etc), and the guitarist bursts into passionate soloing. All of the tracks feature French vocals, which add to the beauty of the music. Fans of melodic bands like CARPE DIEM are in for a treat with this little gem. Progarchives
Tracklist :
1. La Clef Des Songes
2. Naufrage
3. L'âme Du Guerrier
4. Les Pauvres
5. Complot
6. Le Raconteur
– BONUS TRACKS –
7. La Clef Des Songes (Live Bonus) 
8. Complot (Live Bonus) 
9. Le Raconteur (Live Bonus)
Musicians :
Claude Menetrier - Organ, Moog, Elka String Ensemble, Piano
Michel Roy - Drums, Backing Vocals
Gerald Reuz - Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Lead Vocals
Richard Treiber - Bass, Acoustic Guitar

NEUSCHWANSTEIN — Battlement (1979-1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In progressive rock's glory days English and Italian, even American groups, garnered international attention for their contributions to the genre. Meanwhile, continental Europe boasted a number of fine bands, a very few well known, many who labored without the world's eye, and some who did not even make their mark on the scene until the very late 70s and into the early 1980s.

Neuschwanstein was such a band, the embryonic form of the band originally making their mark in a musical competition in Saarbrucken, Germany. The band won the competition with a progressive rock adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland in 1974. That same year Neuschwanstein took on two guitarist/singers from the French band Lykorn, and with that addition, the band that would record Battlement was in place. From 1974 to 1978 the band would make a name for themselves in the Saarland region of Germany and France, opening many shows for the likes of Novalis and Lucifer's Friend. By 1978 the band booked themselves into Scorpions producer Dieter Dierks studio, one of the finest in Germany. With the help of Scorpions drummer Hermann Rarebell, who played drums for the band on the track "Loafer Jack," the band recorded the material that would be released on Battlement. It was released in 1979 and sold a respectable 6000 copies, quite an accomplishment for an unsigned band on an independent label before the heyday of the internet.

Re-released on Musea in 1992, Battlement is a beautiful, lush work, and one of the best produced and sounding independently recorded releases I have heard in some time. The musicianship displayed on Battlement is absolutely top notch and vocalist/acoustic guitarist Frederic Joos will have many listeners swearing that Peter Gabriel himself provided the lead vocals for Neuschwanstien. The band's material is all stunning and well polished, reminiscent of Genesis during the time of Trick Of The Tail and Wind And Wuthering. Their music is well conceived and very well executed, with rich and melodious keyboards and guitar, beautiful flute breaks and very, very finely delivered vocals.

Every track on this re-issue is of good quality and a couple are almost good enough to qualify as what I call could call "masterpieces." "Intruders And The Punishment" is the highpoint of the album for me, with odd meter, rippling keyboards and lyrics that will perhaps remind the listener of the ordeals of Odysseus. Another wonderful moment is the track "Battlement," an almost unsettling number that features great vocals by bassist Rainer Zimmer. The final song on Battlement, "Zartlicher Abschied" is the only holdover from the band's original 1974 adaptation of Alice In Wonderand. It is a lovely instrumental track that lifts a well known theme from Genesis, and is, by the way, the only direct appropriation from the Charterhouse legends.
Tracklist :
1. Loafer Jack (4:42)
2. Ice with Dwale (6:21)
3. Intruders and the Punishment (7:34)
4. Beyond the Bugle (7:31)
5. Battlement (7:05)
6. Midsummer day (7:42)
7. Zärtlicher Abschied (5:42)
 Line-up / Musicians
— Frederic Joos / Guitar
— Uli Limpert / Bass
— Klaus Mayer / Flute, Synthesizers
— Thomas Neuroth / Keyboards
— Hans-Peter Schwarz / Drums
— Roger Weiler / Guitar
— Reiner Zimmer / Bass, Vocal

IVORY — Sad Cypress (1979-1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

As underrated as the Neuschwanstein album is overrated. Both bands seemed to be going for the same thing, but I think Ivory were a lot more successful at it. They have a lush, dense dual-keyboard sound (the only prog band I know of led by a father-son duo of keyboardists) and a charming singer. As the band¡¯s leader was a sexagenarian ex-classical musician, some of this is awfully pompous: the title track based on a Shakespeare sonnet and ¡°In Hora Ultima¡± featuring some vocals in Latin. That aside, this is prime symphonic rock, some of the best from Germany actually. The four bonus tracks on the CD (with a mechanistic all-keyboard sound) are a little on the superfluous side, but the main album is definitely first-rate!
Basic symphonic progressive Genesis influenced band. The music is quite good but why, just why does the singer sing in English ? Especially when he pronounces the letter 'w' as a 'v'. Imagine ! This is simply awful. I just can't get over it. The only good tracks are the instrumentals and "In Hora Ultima" where the lyrics are latin ! The last two tracks are bonus and not as interesting. progarchives.com
Tracklist :
1.. At This Very Moment (3:57)
Written-By – Ulrich Sommerlatte
2. In Hora Ultima (7:12)
Vocals [Latin] – Antonio Ognissanti
Written-By – Ulrich Sommerlatte
3. Sad Cypress (8:34)
Lyrics By – William Shakespeare
Written-By – Ulrich Sommerlatte
4. Time Traveller (4:15)
Written-By – Thomas Sommerlatte
5. My Brother (13:52)
Written-By – Ulrich Sommerlatte
6. The Great Tower (9:44)
Written-By – Ulrich Sommerlatte
7. Incantation (4:42)
Lyrics By [Adapted From A Normandy Crucifix] – Ulrich Sommerlatte
Music By – Ulrich Sommerlatte
8. Construction N° 2 (2:29)
– BONUS TRACK –
9. Barbara (13:45)
Written-By – Ulrich Sommerlatte
Line-up / Musicians
- Ulrich Sommerlatte / Keyboards
- Thomas Sommerlatte / Keyboards
- Christian Mayer / Lead Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitars
- Goddie Daum / Acoustic & Electric Guitars
- Charly Stechl / Bass, Flute
- Fredrik Rittmüller / Drums
Guest Musician:
- Antonio Ognissanti / Latin Vocals