2001 release of what was the 2nd Älgarnas Trädgård album; originally recorded in 1973-1974, but never released (until this CD rescued these recordings from oblivion). Exact same lineup as witnessed on their epic debut from 1972. And what a fantastic offering…it slowly extends into meta-improvisations with distant guitars, heavily effected organs, swirling strings, plenty of space, reaching an early peak-build amidst the detritus floating through the 12-minute "Interstellar Cruise." Later, an Eastern-themed campfire freakout (sitars, tablas, Yod-chant) breaks out, then a bit of the mellow reverbed flute, later still a long vocal loop fade out over some well placed drones. One could say this record has a bit of everything.

Formed in 1972, this ethnic/kraut jazz quintet (Jochen Leuschner, Reinhard Karwatky, Gerd Bock-Ehrmann, Deiter Kramer, and Ludwig Braun) released their self titled album the same year in a relative discretion. This album made an exploration in long / space rock improvisations relied on jazz grooves and weird electro -acoustic sounds. The "ethnic", mystical elements are obvious notably due to the acoustic percussions rhythm sections. Compositions are mainly instrumental and improvised, brightly showing the technical capacities of the musicians. After several departures the band will be organised under a trio form, recording in 1973 the seminal "Time Machine". This album features astonishing manifestations of freaky fusion jazz exercises mixed with weird experimentations and mysticism. This album was recorded at Dieter Dierk's mythical studio…

Things To Come (1974). Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of a new re-mastered and expanded edition of the album Things To Come by Seventh Wave. Released in 1974 by Gull Records, Things To Come was the brainchild of musicians Ken Elliott and Kieran O'Connor (previously with the pioneering group Second Hand).
The conceptual album was recorded at Chalk Farm Studios in London and was the result of many hours of meticulous overdubbing, with Ken Elliott playing an arsenal of keyboards and utilising the latest synthesiser technology of the day (in addition to providing vocals), whilst Kieran O’Connor played a multitude of percussion.
The finished work was truly ground-breaking and in hindsight was very much ahead of its time, proving inspirational to a new generation of musicians…

After a scission of the avant-garde group "Kluster" due to the departure of Conrad Schnitzler, the two musicians Dieter Moebius and Hans Joachim Roedelius go to work in duet as "Cluster". The band's first years were clearly orientated to Krautrock and to experimental electronic music. Consequently, the production of the band started with massive, radical improvisations, constructed around electric organ works, electronic collages, guitar sound manipulations, feed back. The result is rather similar to Kluster's underground, conceptual music, very chaotic with lot of distortion and reverb. With its repetitive, hypnotic guitar patterns and embryonic electronic collages, the second album "II" can be seen as a classic in 70's German electronic underground. This high quality experimental electronic music will progressively lead the band to something far from the krautrock scene and extreme music…

“I Got To Try It One Time” is a 1974 studio album by Millie Jackson, later reissued in 2003 by Ace Records. The album captures Jackson during one of her strongest creative periods, blending Southern soul intensity with funk grooves and emotionally charged R&B songwriting. Her powerful and unmistakable voice drives the record, moving effortlessly between vulnerability, confidence, humor, and dramatic expression. The production reflects classic mid-1970s soul aesthetics, featuring warm horns, steady rhythm sections, deep bass lines, and tasteful string arrangements. Lyrically, the songs explore love, desire, betrayal, and personal independence with honesty and attitude, traits that became central to Jackson’s artistic identity. The album balances heartfelt ballads with upbeat grooves, creating a dynamic listening experience from start to finish. “I Got To Try It One Time” remains an essential release that highlights Millie Jackson’s fearless style and commanding presence in soul music.

The style of this little-known Swedish quartet from the mid-70's is hard to describe as it escapes most comparisons; the closest would be Finnforest, and perhaps Danish fusion band Secret Oyster. This is fusion at its best: energetic instrumental jazz-rock featuring dual guitars, electric piano/Hammond organ, bass and drums, and stunning musicianship all around. After the release of their second album in 1976, the band, alas, split up.
Although the tracks on their first album are rather short, each one is chock full of ideas and beautiful catchy melodies based on tight, 70ish-like jazzy grooves, all charmingly and distinctively Swedish. Their second album, "Vera O'Flera", which features a guest musician on sax, is in the same vein but much more fusion oriented.

Best known for co-founding soft rock hitmakers Bread, singer/songwriter James Griffin also won an Academy Award for co-authoring 1970's smash "For All We Know".

Queen II was a breakthrough in terms of power and ambition, but Queen's third album Sheer Heart Attack was where the band started to gel. It followed quickly on the heels of the second record - just by a matter of months; it was the second album they released in 1974 - but it feels like it had a longer incubation period, so great is the progress here. Which isn't quite to say that Sheer Heart Attack is flawless - it still has a tendency to meander, sometimes within a song itself, as when the killer opening "Brighton Rock" suddenly veers into long stretches of Brian May solo guitar - but all these detours do not distract from the overall album, they're in many ways the key to the record itself: it's the sound of Queen stretching their wings as they learn how to soar to the clouds. There's a genuine excitement in hearing all the elements to Queen's sound fall into place here, as the music grows grander and catchier without sacrificing their brutal, hard attack…

This collection of six live songs recorded by Deep Purple at the San Diego Sports Arena in 1974 includes their rock anthem "Smoke on the Water" and a five minute keyboard solo. The album was recorded at the final show of a highly successful American tour, the first to feature new members David Coverdale (Lead vocals) and Glenn Hughes (Bass, vocals) replacing Ian Gillan and Roger Glover respectively, and just 3 days after Deep Purple's legendary performance at the California Jam.

This USA duo formed in Cleveland during the early/mid 70's by Royce Gibson on drums and the multi instrumentalist Joe DiFazio on everything else. Their style is mostly the blending of Symphonic influences like Camel, ELP, etc with some Fusion and a bit of the sound of the Moody Blues and Hard Rock by moments.
Some places consider them Symphonic, others Psyche or even Jazz oriented, but the important thing is that they recorded an excellent album.

Another shrouded in mystery album from the Pyramid label, produced by Toby Robinson in Cologne circa 1974. Kosmische and Head sounds with plenty of Minimoog, analogue synths / keyboards, effects, loops, tape manipulation, treated percussions, etc., courtesy of Galactic Explorers, an electronic, minimal, ambient krautrock trio featuring Reinhard Karwatky (Dzyan). Take a trip to the inner regions of your mind, see ancient solar systems forming and listen to cosmic winds and vibrations while sine waves of pure bliss will give you total peace of mind… 24-bit domain remaster from the original tapes.

Canadian brass rock band Lighthouse were formed in Toronto 1969. Unusually, the band leader Ronn "Skip" Prokop was a drummer, he has played previously with artists such as Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana and Al Kooper before forming his first band The Paupers. Of these, the Kooper connection is probably the most significant, as the music of Lighthouse is based around a solid brass section and big arrangements, similar to those of Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago.
Prokop's ambitions were made clear from the outset when the first line up of Lighthouse had no less than 11 members. The were quickly picked up by RCA Victor, who release the bands self titled debut in 1969. Further albums followed quickly, but the punningly titled "Peacing it all together", their third release, would see the end of their relationship with RCA…

Focus had well proven their ability to write rocking instrumentals by the time of this release. Their catalog, although consisting of four albums, rarely had a dull moment between them. Hamburger Concerto is equally consistent, much of it being prime Focus material. The Akkerman-written "Birth" and "Early Birth" are examples of Focus fully flexing their muscles, featuring superb guitar work and amazing all-round musicianship, as well as sporting some superb riffs. The usual lengthy instrumentals are present also, as well as some manic vocals from the manic but genius Thijs Van Leer. Although Hamburger Concerto is not as unerring as Moving Waves or Focus III, anyone who enjoyed the previous releases would undoubtedly find great satisfaction from this album.

Los Canarios created an outstanding 73 minute work based on Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Obviously, the music is very Baroque in nature because of the original but Los Canarios's version is much heavier because of the electric instrumentation of a rock band. You may instantly think of ELP's take on Pictures at an Exhibition but Los Canarios take a more refined approach relative to ELP's bombastic and sometimes erratic interpretation. But don't be fooled: Ciclos is a heavy and dynamic work in its own right with plenty of synth and organ work as well as guitar. Ciclos is a classic of the Spanish progressive scene. If you like heavy prog dominated by synth and guitar, check this out.