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ALSO:Tonight at 7:15 pm I'll play a track from Lobate Scarp's upcoming album You Have It All.
Neither their 1968 debut Crossroads of Time nor their proggier, Quincy Jones produced follow-up In Fields of Ardath brought the commercial success Eyes of Blue so sought. Although the Welsh quintet were losing hope, their label head and manager Lou Reizener wasn't throwing in the towel yet. In his view, only a new moniker stood in the way of stardom; thus Eyes were renamed Big Sleep and set to work on their third and final album, 1971's Bluebell Wood.
Even in a time of feverish experimentation, the group had an incredibly unique hybrid sound that seamlessly stitched together pop elements, classical, R&B and blues, psychedelia and rock with incredibly tight and egalitarian arrangements. That latter was important, as every bandmember was a virtuoso, and thus each deserved the space to shine. Unusually, the group boasted two keyboardists, but forget comparisons to the likes of ELP, as Big Sleep's numbers often counterpointed lavish organ passages with R&B styled piano or electric keyboard, underpinning their numbers with a jazzy or bluesy aura. Acoustic guitars further enhanced the rich atmospheres, and usually followed the organ's lead. The electric guitars arrived well into the pieces, a further musical counterpoint that accentuated psychedelic organ passages or pulled the numbers into rock. Although there's an improvisational feel to it all, the songs are, in fact, very tightly structured, including the fiery guitar solos that wind around the keyboards. The band's pop sensibilities are evident too, especially on the catchy chorus of "Aunty James," passages within "Death of a Hope," and particularly on the clap along R&B of "When the Sun Was Out."
However, it was the epic eleven-plus-minute title track that sent prog rock fans wild, a showcase of Big Sleep's many styles and talents. Filled with the kind of dynamics that any modern emo band would die for, quiet passages give way to grand up-tempo segments, downbeat blues shift into raging psychedelia, and strings pile onto ballads before the band breaks into rock and the splendid vocals fill the air: Bluebell Wood had it all. Yet the album still failed to excite the masses. The band never even took the stage under their Big Sleep name, and folded soon after the set's release. So much talent would eventually find homes elsewhere (notably with Gentle Giant and Man), but it's no wonder the album has been long sought after by collectors. Now remastered and sporting its original artwork, everyone can venture back into this stunning Wood.
Out Of Focus is a German Krautrock rock fusion band, formed in late-1968 in Munich with Hennes Herring on keyboards (mainly the Hammond organ), Remigius Drechsler on guitars, Moran (his civil name is Hans-Georg Neumüller) on vocals and winds, Klaus Spöri on drums and Stefan Wisheu on bass.
Out of Focus took their name from a Blue Cheer track, but had also been influenced by Soft Machine and Xhol Caravan, and rapidly established a distinctive style blending rock, jazz and psychedelic overtones. The band's music was known for the socio-political commentary present in Moran Neumüller's songs. Although typically Munich styled (with Embryo and Sahara connections) they are often compared to Canterbury fusion and Scandinavian jazz-rock acts. After Out of Focus split up, bandleader Remigius Drechsler joined Embryo in the fall of 1979 for about one year before establishing his own project, Kontrast.
Not Too Late Review
Recorded in early 1974, and finally released in 1999, Not Too Late finds Out of Focus moving even further from their progressive rock roots and into progressive jazz fusion, with mostly long instrumentals, fluid rhythms, and a greater reliance on the horns. The lineup is slightly different, with the addition of an extra guitarist and saxophonist and no organ, a distinct feature on earlier records by the group. The dueling saxophones get quite complex, especially on "X," even as the rhythm section pumps out complex jazz-funk grooves similar to previous works by the band. For a bit of diversity, there is the short track "The Way I Know Her," a pastoral folk piece with acoustic guitars and flute, that perhaps reflects the musicians' move from the city of Munich to the countryside. Otherwise, from the McLaughlin-styled guitar fusion of "Y" to the crunchy rhythm workout that ends "Spanish Lines" to the wild opener "That's Very Easy," Out of Focus is in top form. Not Too Late does not venture as far into experimentation as Four Letter Monday Afternoon, and the vocal tracks, "That's Very Easy" and "The Way I Know Her," are lighter and less biting than earlier Out of Focus songs, though Neumuller's singing does flow more with the music. However, this one is still an exceptional record, full of the creative Krautrock jamming for which Out of Focus is known, and the band neither falls back on the same old sound, nor do they compromise their sound for commercial appeal.
SOUND & SHAPE – Disaster Medicine (self-released)
This Tennessee trio touches a lot of bases on their latest full length, from polyrhythmic post-punk to an aggressive chugging heaviness to romantic ballads and back again. At their core, though, singer/guitarist Ryan Caudle, bassist Pat Lawry, and drummer Ben Proctor seem most comfortable positioned just slightly left of the mainstream, playing melodic modern rock that wouldn’t leave listeners discomfited slotted between the Foo Fighters and Imagine Dragons. That’s not to sully the group’s DIY credentials, just to suggest that on the next family road trip, you and mom might both enjoy a track like “Don’t Tell Momma I’m A Sinner.”
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