Lookin' for a Smile  (1973,  34.40)  **½/T½ Natural Inclination Texas Sparrow Let Someone's Smile Get Away Long Way Home Dixie Woman Got to Be You, Got to Be Me Songbird Love, Love, Love Lookin' for a Smile Here Comes That Feelin'

Current availability:

• Not on CD

Gladstone were the duo of vocalist H.L. Voelker and vocalist/guitarist Doug Rhone, both currently residing in the 'Where Are They Now?' file. Following their eponymous debut, Lookin' for a Smile was seemingly their last stab at fame and fortune, consisting of ten tracks of largely soft rock like Dixie Woman or Texas Sparrow, with, sadly, nothing to distinguish them from hundreds of similar sub-Eagles efforts. This isn't to say that their material was awful, only that there isn't one single feature that makes them stand out from the pack. No, not even the Mellotron.

Keys man Randy Fouts played the expected piano and organ, plus ARP synth (model unknown) and Mellotron, though on one track only, with flutes on Natural Inclination, although Lynn Groom plays 'Tron strings (very nicely) on Songbird, too. I can't really say they lift the song out of the doldrums of countryish ballad territory, although it's better than its successor, the very dull Love, Love, Love. So; this doesn't go for an awful lot, despite being unavailable on CD, for the very good reason that it's entirely average in every possible respect. I found it for a couple of quid, and I'm glad I didn't pay any more; perfectly respectable, completely inoffensive, but essentially dull, with little Mellotron. Don't bother.

Glass  (US)

	No Stranger to the Skies  (2000, recorded 1973-78,  100.53)  ****/TTTT
	No Stranger to the Skies Give the Man a Hand Domino The Myopic Stream For Ursula Major and Sirus the Dog Star Broken Oars   Awakening   Realization   Fear	Childhood's Reflection   Final Realization   Acceptance Changer Home Patrice Mersault's Dream

	Illuminations  (2005,  62.57)  ****/TT
	Overture The Secret Life of Aqua J. Long   Astral Transascension   Isle of Dyslexia   Medicine Man Electronic Synaesthesia   The Hidden Room   Crossing   My Tantric Gatito	Alchemy of the Word   Eclipse   Wanderlust   Eternity   Reprise   Delirium   Falling Slightly Behind All the Time Gaia

	Live at Progman Cometh  (2007, recorded 2002-3,  66.23)  ****/TT
	Set One - Dedicated to Mike (But   We Can't Find Him)   Give the Man a Hand   Dedicated to Mike   Astral   The Border   Crossing Miles, Monk, Elton and Mom	Set Two - The Catch   The Catch   Patrice Mersault's Dream   The War Song   For Ursula Major and Sirus the Dog Star Big Sur 9-14-2000 No Stranger to the Skies

Current availability:

• All titles: Musea (France)

Mellotrons used:

• No Stranger: band's own M400
• Illuminations/Progman: band's own MkVI

You can add Northwest trio Glass to the lengthy list of US '70s progressive acts who recorded enough material for an album (or more), but were never able to release it, or who only managed one local, independently-released LP. Not only have pressing costs plummeted in the CD age, however, but there are far more labels willing to take a chance on a long-forgotten outfit, as their potential losses are nowadays within acceptable limits. Glass actually formed way back in 1970, battering their collective heads against the impregnable wall of opportunity for a decade, before finally throwing in the towel. Thankfully, they'd managed to record some pro-quality tapes in 1975, plus several other demos, finally presented to us as No Stranger to the Skies by those lovely people at Musea.

The first disc would have made a great studio album at the time, being high-quality, slightly jazzy instrumental progressive rock, with brothers Greg (keys) and Jeff (bass) Sherman complemented by two different drummers over the recordings. Actually, Jeff doubled on keys, principally Fender Rhodes, giving the band an interesting two keys/bass/drums sound at points. The albums opens with its quite excellent title track, rarely letting up the quality, although what appears to be the band's favourite, For Ursula Major And Sirus [sic] The Dog Star, doesn't, to my ears, match No Stranger To The Skies itself.

Disc 2 is subtitled 'The 'Live' Recordings', but it turns out this refers to their being played live in the studio, as against on stage, although if they hadn't told us they weren't 'proper' recordings, we wouldn't know. The musicianship on display here is formidable, especially when you consider that on one piece the brothers rehearsed just once with their new drummer before recording. Jeff plays acoustic guitar on a couple of the tracks, expanding the band's palette, but most of the time there's enough keyboards to cover any gaps in the sound, and the lack of electric guitar isn't even an issue.

Greg's Mellotron work throughout is considerable, with (as you can see) only one complete track bereft of their machine, where he uses an Elka string synth instead. Interestingly, on several tracks (notably Changer), he waits until near the end of the piece to bring the 'Tron in, making its eventual appearance more climactic than it might otherwise have been. Most of his use is strings, although flutes (Childhood's Reflection) and cellos (Home) crop up in places, too. Without playing the 100-minute album several times straight off, it's difficult to remember exactly what was played where; suffice to say, there's some great 'Tron work here, along side the more standard string parts.

Well, would'ja believe it? Following the release of No Stranger to the Skies, Glass have reformed with their original lineup, with drummer Jerry Cook, releasing Illuminations, in 2005. Would'ja also believe it? It's basically in the same vein as their '70s material, with no compromises whatsoever, not to mention guest appearances from various Canterbury alumni, including Hugh Hopper, Phil Miller and Richard Sinclair. The material leaves plenty of room for the musicians to stretch out, while managing not to forget melody while they're at it. And it's still instrumental. And Greg plays what appears to be a black MkVI Mellotron... Overture leads you to think this is going to be a classic 'Tron album, though it's actually the album's main 'Tron shot, swathed in strings, making for a killer five minutes. The detailed instrumental credits list it on two other tracks, with choirs on part one of The Secret Life Of Aqua J. Long, Astral Transascension, and strings and overdubbed flutes on the short part three of Alchemy Of The Word, Eternity.

Next up is Live at Progman Cometh, a lesser-known Seattle-based prog festival organised by drummer Jerry Cook that ran for a couple of years, with Glass playing at both. The lineup, at least for the 2002 effort, was heavily Canterbury-orientated, with several of that movement's luminaries guesting with the band on various tracks. Saxophonist Elton Dean (now sadly departed) rasps tastefully all over tracks 1-3, from 2002, with Pete Pendras on guitar on track one and some of noted US proggers Kopecky on track three. Track four is from the 2003 festival, and features Hugh Hopper on ridiculous bass, plus Richard Sinclair and a couple of other guys. The overall effect of the various guests is, thankfully, to enhance Glass' style rather than to swamp it, and to fill out the three-piece's live sound without making them sound like anything other than Glass. So; another Glass album, slightly jazzier this time round, but not to its detriment should you not be much of a jazzer, or even a Canterbury fan. Recommended.

Without doing some serious detective work involving the two studio albums, it's difficult for me to work out which sections of the two multi-part tracks are which. Suffice to say, Greg gets some 'Tron strings in at around the four-minute mark on Set One, then flutes at around eight minutes (black MkVI - you can see it in the booklet), so I'll guess at parts one and two. Nine minutes into Set Two, the strings surge up through the actually-pretty-good fake Hammond, probably in the Patrice Mersault's Dream segment, followed by a choir and bass pedal (sadly not Taurus) section, with more strings and flutes on Big Sur 9-14-2000, from the following year's festival. The disc's 'bonus track' is No Stranger To The Skies from their 2002 BajaProg appearance, with more of those strings, and yes, they took the MkVI down to Mexico, as you can see in the pics from the festival on their website.

So, er, buy these albums! You're not all going to like 'em, but most of you with a progressive bent aren't going to have any trouble with any of these records. OK, CD. The Mellotron work's excellent on No Stranger to the Skies, and fair on Illuminations and Progman, making these good all-rounders.

p.s. It's not often that American prog bands play the UK, so it was with some surprise that I learnt that Glass were to play a small venue on the outskirts of London in late 2007, with Sphere³ supporting. Result! Well, it might've been had the number of paying punters reached double figures... Shame on the rest of you. It was great to meet the band, and I'd like to say publicly that they're far nicer and more down to earth than a certain other US prog band I could name but won't. After seven tickets sold, however, I can't see them coming back any time soon... Let's hope the rest of the tour goes better.

Official site

Dana Glover  (US)

	Testimony  (2002,  58.17)  **/T
	Rain Thinking Over Almost Had it All Cherish A Reason Maybe Make it Real River of Love	Falling Into Love The Way (Radio Song) Testimony ['UK bonus tracks': Sing to Me It is You (I Have Loved)]

Current availability:

• Dreamworks

Dana Glover seems to be one of those artists who manages to be in the right place at the right time, leapfrogging their way to some sort of success ahead of many more worthy contenders. Saying that, who wouldn't, in that situation? After working with Peter Cetera (Chicago) and Robbie Robertson, she got herself onto a couple of film soundtracks, including the massively successful Shrek, recording her sole album to date, Testimony, soon after. I spent its first few tracks trying to work out who she sounded like, before I decided she's a combination of Joan Osborne (the slidey blue notes) and Alanis Morissette (the slick, mainstream blandness). Almost every track features a credit for 'programming', and her voice is just the right combination of black and white to appeal across the board; the 'soulful' singer it's acceptable for white, middle-class girls to like.

Patrick Warren does his usual thing, and sticks some Chamberlin flutes and strings onto Falling Into Love, which do nothing to rescue the song from Blandness Hell. Warren also plays on Make It Real, but I don't think it has any Chamby input, although the first of the 'UK bonus tracks', Sing To Me, has what sounds like a few flute notes at the end. Y'know, this really is mainstream drivel; there really isn't any excuse for anything this faceless, although I'm sure her label's accountancy department would take issue with me over that statement. I know perfectly well you're not going to go out and buy this, even if you see it cheap. Are you?

Official site

Glueleg  (Canada)

	Clodhopper  (1997,  42.46)  **½/T
	Pistons See Saw Man Endless Mrs. Petrie Clodhopper Stack it Let All Hear Fresh Pigs	Dragonfly Titan Ia The Country Song

Current availability:

• EMI

Mellotron used:

• Chris Dale's Chamberlin M1

Glueleg were a rather irritating funkyish indie outfit from Toronto, with a vocalist (Ruben Huizenga) who insisted on doing that semi-rapping thing that always sounds so crap when done by white indie bands. What am I saying? That always sounds so crap, period. It seems Clodhopper was their second and last album, which at least means I won't have to listen to anything else by them, which is a bonus. OK, it's not all bad, with the spoken-word stuff on Fresh Pigs being mildly amusing, but their diluted metal sound really grates after a while, and the vocals are too high in the mix throughout, which would be just about acceptable were they any good.

I've already had it confirmed that a real Chamberlin was involved in the recording (no Chamberlins were hurt during the making of this record...), but this is possibly the first time I can remember seeing a credit for 'Chamberlin M-1' (spelt correctly, note), which makes a nice change. After exceedingly minimalist string parts on the first three tracks from sax/keys man Andrew Wyse, Mrs. Petrie sees a full-on flutes intro with some nicely audible strings under the verses, with some more background strings on closer The Country Song, although I wouldn't absolutely swear that any of it except Mrs. Petrie is the real deal.

So; one for indieheads; the rest of us should avoid like the plague. One decent Chamby track, which is nowhere near enough to make it worth buying, unless it's in the 10p/¢ bin.

Goblin  (Italy)

	Suspiria  (1977,  33.28/41.32)  ****½/TTT
	Suspiria Witch Opening to the Sighs Sighs Markos Black Forest Blind Concert Death Walzer	[CD adds: Suspiria (celesta and bells) Suspiria (narration) Suspiria (intro) Markos (alternate version)]

Il Fantastico Viaggio del "Bagarozzo" Mark  (1978,  37.23)  ****/½ Mark il Bagarozzo Le Cascate di Viridiana Terra di Goblin Un Ragazzo d'Argento La Danza Opera Magnifica Notte ...... E Suono Rock

	Zombi  (1978,  32.39/51.56)  ***½/T½
	L'Alba Dei Morti Viventi Zombi Safari Torte in Faccia Ai Margini Della Follia Zaratozom La Caccia Tirassegno Oblio	Risveglio [CD adds: L'Alba Dei Morti Viventi (alternate take) Ai Margini Della Follia (alternate take) Zombi (Sexy) Ai Margini Della Follia (alternate take) Zombi (Supermarket) L'Alba Dei Morti Viventi (intro - alternate take) Zombi (the living dead's voices!)]

	The Fantastic Journey in the Best of Goblin Vol.1  (2000,  disc 2: 45.49)  ***½/T½
	Profondo Rosso Death Dies Mad Puppet Profondo Rosso (remix) Suspiria Sighs Witch Markos	Tenebre Flashing Waiting Death Tenebre (reprise) Phenomena Sleepwalking The Wind	Aquaman Snip Snap Profondo Rosso Mark il Bagarozzo Notte Opera Magnifica Le Cascate di Viridiana Un Ragazzo d'Argento

Current availability:

• All titles: Cinevox (Italy)

Mellotron used:

• All titles: band's own M400?

Goblin are a bit of an odd one; a progressive band whose main work was as soundtrack composers/performers for Italian horror maestro Dario Argento. They grew out of prog one-offs Cherry Five, first recording in 1975; Suspiria is their third album and second soundtrack, and stands up well on its own without its accompanying visuals. Claudio Simonetti's Mellotron had strings/choir/church organ tapes, and they use all the sounds to good effect, though only on three of the original album's eight tracks. According to the CD reissue sleevenotes, the original Italian release added two tracks from its predecessor, the non-soundtrack Roller (****½), but the Canadian version I have only has the eight tracks listed above.

The music is pretty much what you'd expect from a '70s horror film; dark, creepy and extremely atmospheric, with some excellent playing and a main theme to die for, played on the celeste, an instrument you'll know from the 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies' from 'The Nutcracker'. The bonus tracks on the CD make it well worth purchasing; two more versions of the title track, a short Mellotron choir-soaked instrumental, and an alternate version of Markos with even more 'Tron than the standard version.

Il Fantastico Viaggio del "Bagarozzo" Mark, or 'The fantastic journey of the beetle Mark' (!), their second non-soundtrack work, appears to be a concept album about, er, the fantastic journey of a beetle. Called Mark. No, I don't know why either, but after initial misgivings, despite its resolutely late-'70s sound, it's actually a pretty good record. Don't expect anything like its predecessors (there are vocals, for a start), but take it for what it is, which is a good, innovative progressive release, although watch for the Cinema Show cop on Opera Magnifica. Very little 'Tron, to the point where I'm not 100% sure it's there, but the strings on Le Cascate Di Viridiana sound like a Mellotron/string synth mix, and that would appear to be it.

Their second album of '78 was Zombi, also known as 'Dawn of the Dead'. Far more obviously 'soundtracky' than Suspiria, Zombi is less likely to appeal to the average progressive fan, although it's still a good album. It's hard to tell just how much Mellotron has been used here; Oblio has some very obvious strings, but there may well be some choir secreted in the mix on other tracks. The bonus 56-second version of L'Alba Dei Morti Viventi has the choirs right up in the front of the mix, so there may well be some on the proper version too. Hard to tell.

At the end of the '90s, Cinevox compiled a couple of collections of the band's work, discovering a forgotten live tape from 1979 in the process. The Fantastic Journey in the Best of Goblin Vol.1 consists of one disc of previously-heard material, with the live stuff on the second disc, starting with Aquaman. Possibly unsurprisingly, seven of the eight tracks are from their two non-soundtrack albums released up to that point, a couple from Roller and several from the recent Il Fantastico Viaggio del "Bagarozzo" Mark, leaving the older Profondo Rosso from the soundtrack of the same name. The material comes across well live, despite the slightly ropey sound quality, proving that the band weren't a mere studio creation, although it's interesting that they stuck mainly to the more 'prog' end of their repertoire.

Simonetti's 'Tron work is odd, as the choirs don't really sound very like 'Tron choirs, although you can hear that they're being keyed on Opera Magnifica. I don't believe the church organ on Profondo Rosso is 'Tron, which leaves faint choirs on Aquaman and Mark Il Bagarozzo and strings (as against string synth) on Un Ragazzo d'Argento, although nothing on Le Cascate Di Viridiana, which has 'Tron on the studio version. So, while the album's worth hearing, its 'Tron use is slightly inessential.

Original Goblin albums are deservedly sought-after by progressive fans, and Cinevox have to be applauded for finally making some of them more widely available. All their early work is pretty much essential, with Suspiria being one of the best. Zombi's less essential, but pick it up if you see the recent CD version, while Il Fantastico Viaggio... is good, though not for the 'Tron.

Official site

Robert John Godfrey  (UK)

Fall of Hyperion  (1974,  41.33)  ***½/TTT The Raven Mountains Water Song Isault The Daemon of the World   The Arrival of the Phoenix   Across the Abyss   The Daemon   The Wanderer   Ihs   Tuba Mirum

Current availability:

• Japanese CD?

You want overblown? You've got it! By 1974, Robert John Godfrey was some years out of Barclay James Harvest (not that he was ever a full member, but you know what I mean), and just about to form The Enid. He's also rumoured to've been the brains behind 1972's Don Bradsham Leather opus, but I can't confirm that one way or the other. Fall of Hyperion was a solo effort he recorded for Charisma, effectively laying out his ground rules for The Enid on a major(-ish) label budget. All the elements were already in place; all he needed was a band to realise them properly. Instead, he recorded this rather odd album which was probably never really going to appeal to the record-buying public, with its operatic vocals and drumless symphonic epics. The lyrics are, frankly, ludicrous, and although Christopher Lewis is the featured vocalist, he sounds almost exactly like Robert. Hmmm.

So, you get five tracks of slightly indigestible, vaguely operatic prog (a term Robert loathes, incidentally), with a fair bit of Mellotron, mostly strings. Nothing outstanding on the 'Tron front, but better than many. Tracks two and three actually ended up (in reversed order) on an Enid fan club LP retitled 'Hyperion', which is all that most Enid fans have heard of this hard-to-find album. I believe there was a Japanese CD issue, but I've no idea whether or not the master tapes came within several thousand miles of it or not, so you're probably better off tracking down an original, if you can find one. Good, but not great.

Official Enid site

The Gods  (UK)

	Genesis  (1968,  37.44/48.54)  ***½/TT
	Towards the Skies Candles Getting Shorter You're My Life Looking Glass Misleading Colours Radio Show Plastic Horizon Farthing Man	I Never Know Time and Eternity [CD adds: Baby's Rich Somewhere in the Street Hey Bulldog Real Love Guaranteed]

	To Samuel a Son  (1970,  43.39/47.37)  ***/TT
	To Samuel a Son Eight o'Clock in the Morning He's Growing Sticking Wings on Flies Lady Lady Penny Dear Long Time, Sad Time, Bad Time Five to Three	Autumn Yes I Cry Groozy Momma I Need Candlelight Lovely Anita [CD adds: Maria]

Current availability:

• Both titles: Repertoire (Germany)

The Gods (bet that name caused some upset in the '60s) can be seen as a precursor to Uriah Heep, although that band actually metamorphosed from the earlier Spice, and their first lineup contained only one musician even briefly associated with The Gods (bassist Paul Newton). For all that, Genesis sounds like an earlier version of Heep, largely due to Ken Hensley's already distinctive-sounding Hammond, and drummer Lee Kerslake's falsetto backing vocals, although he didn't join Heep until their fourth album. The album also features later Carmen and Jethro Tull bassist John Glascock, tragically to die of a congenital heart defect before the age of thirty. Being recorded in '68, it naturally sounds more like a late-period heavy psych album than a proto-hard rock one, although it's almost a primer for seeing how one style morphed into the other, with rockier efforts like opener Towards The Skies and You're My Life reminding the listener of first three album-Deep Purple. Hensley doubled on Mellotron on a handful of tracks, with nice upfront flutes and strings on Candles Getting Shorter and beautiful strings on I Never Know, with lesser use on You're My Life and Plastic Horizon. The Repertoire CD adds both sides of their second and third singles (no 'Tron), the first obviously being deemed too atypical of their style. Either that, or someone's lost the tapes.

Their second and last album was released in early 1970, by which time the band was no more, having essentially turned into Toe Fat. Hensley jumped ship from them soon after, joining Heep, replacing Colin Wood. To Samuel a Son seems to be a concept effort, based around the life of, er, Samuel's son. Remind you of anything? The Pretty Things' groundbreaking '68 classic SF Sorrow, maybe? While The Gods' debut sounds quite forward-looking for 1968, To Samuel a Son is curiously dated, although clearly recorded only the year after. You can see why the band fell apart and most of the members moved on to pastures new, the exception being guitarist Joe Konas, who, post-Toe Fat, retired from full-time music. On the Mellotron front, Hensley adds a few string chords to the opening title track, with some rather clunky trombone on Penny Dear, although the album's standout 'Tron track is Autumn, opening with a flute part, reiterating throughout the song, with some fairly full-on strings on the chorus. More strings and possibly brass on Yes I Cry and minor flute and string use again on Momma I Need, but that's yer lot.

So; Genesis is clearly the better of these two albums, with slightly better Mellotron work, but To Samuel a Son has its moments, not least Mellotronically. For Heep fans who want everything connected to the band (hell of a task, that), or students of the late '60s.

Golden Earring  (Netherlands)

Golden Earring  [a.k.a. Wall of Dolls]  (1970,  38.55)  ***½/T Yellow and Blue The Loner This is the Time of the Year Big Tree, Blue Sea The Wall of Dolls Back Home See See I'm Going to Send My Pigeons to the Sky As Long as the Wind Blows

Current availability:

• Polydor

Golden Earring have a long and honourable history, kicking off in the pre-beat era as The Golden Earrings. Two of their four members (guitarist George Kooymans and bassist/keyboard player Rinus Gerritsen) have been there ever since, while newcomers Barry Hay (vocals/flute) and Cesar Zuiderwijk (drums) joined in 1967 and 1970 respectively. Wonder what the Dutch is for 'new boy'? The band's chief strength has always been their ability to roll with the punches, their style shifting from album to album, never entirely either fashionable or unfashionable, always popular in their home country, with the occasional worldwide hit to keep their name current. Depending on your age, you may know them for Eight Miles High (1969), Twilight Zone (1982), or their deathless glam-rock era classic, 1973's Radar Love, but chances are you'll know them, which is more than you can say for most Dutch groups.

Their eponymous 1970 album, often known as 'Wall of Dolls' after the track of the same name and its cover design, was their sixth release, following 1969's successful Eight Miles High, featuring their side-long version of The Byrds' song. It's a bit of a mixture, best described as folky proggish bluesy hard rock (!), with the very Jethro Tull-ish Big Tree, Blue Sea, the straightforward 'good time' rock of Back Home, the folk/prog of Yellow And Blue and a credible blues in closer As Long As The Wind Blows. This could be seen as diversity or lack of focus (speaking of Dutch groups), depending on your viewpoint, but it gives the album the advantage that you're probably going to like something on it, although you'll probably dislike something as well. Best track? Always a matter for individual taste, particularly with The Earring, but the clumsily-lyric'd hard rock of I'm Going To Send My Pigeons To The Sky takes my personal vote. Anyway, as on so many of their records, Rinus Gerritsen sticks mainly with bass, adding keys where necessary, with organ on a couple of tracks and Mellotron on a couple of others, helped out by Cees Schrama. Nothing to get too excited about, sadly, with a few string chords (Hilversum's Phonogram Studios' infamous M300, maybe?) on opener Yellow And Blue and See See, barely tipping the album into one full T status.

Rumoured (though uncredited) Mellotron on their follow-up, Seven Tears, but the reason it's uncredited is that it isn't there; I suspect someone got a bit over-excited upon hearing Hays' double-tracked flute. There's also supposed to be a bit of 'Tron on 1968's Miracle Mirror, but until I get a chance to hear it, I can't confirm one way or the other. As far as Golden Earring goes, it's a decent enough album, although probably not as good as its successor, with very little Mellotron. Your choice.

Official site

Golden Smog  (US)

	Weird Tales  (1997,  54.55)  ***½/T
	To Call My Own Looking Forward to Seeing You Until You Came Along Lost Love If I Only Had a Car Jane Keys I Can't Keep From Talking	Reflections on Me Making Waves White Shell Road Please Tell My Brother Fear of Falling All The Same to Me Jennifer Save Me

Current availability:

• Rykodisc (US)

Golden Smog (named for a Flintstones character, apparently) are, essentially, a pick-up alt.country supergroup, featuring, at different times, members of The Replacements, The Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, Wilco, et al. As is the way with such bands, personnel come and go, sometimes due to outside commitments, sometimes not, but the lineup on their second album (and last before an eight-year break), Weird Tales, included The Jayhawks' Gary Louris, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and Jody Stephens of Big Star. The CD is beautifully packaged to look like a '50s pulp SF mag, complete with bad fantasy art framing the credits and adverts of the 'Charles Atlas' variety disguising the lyrics, echoing Hawkwind's Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music from two decades earlier.

The album features a mixture of country-related styles, without ever sinking into mawkish Nashvilleisms; putting the 'alt.' into 'alt.country' is akin to putting the boot into the Grand Ole Opry, I'm glad to say. Strongest tracks? Hard to say, but both If I Only Had A Car and White Shell Road stand out on initial listens. Mellotron on three tracks, with cellos on Jane from Louris, and flutes on Reflections On Me from Soul Asylum's Dan Murphy, although nothing audible on Fear Of Falling, despite Murphy's credit.

So; along with Golden Smog's debut, '96's punning Down By the Old Mainstream, Weird Tales seems to be one of alt.country's linchpin releases, although it's probably not the best place to go for any Hot Mellotron Action. Two OK 'Tron tracks, but nothing too startling.

Official site

Sergius Golowin  (Switzerland)

Lord Krishna von Goloka  (1973,  42.45)  ***½/TT Der Reigen Die Weisse Alm Die Hoch Zeit

Sergius Golowin, a Swiss-German esoteric writer, was drawn into the orbit of Cosmic Jokers mainman Rolf Ulrich Kaiser after the latter's Tarot project with Walter Wegmüller. Like Wegmüller, he released just the one album, Lord Krishna von Goloka, revered today as a classic example of the acid folk/krautrock crossover, featuring all the usual suspects; Witthüser and Westrupp, Klaus Schulze, and Jürgen Dollase from the more mainstream Wallenstein, the latter two on Mellotron, amongst other things. It's one of those records that was made under the influence of psychedelics, and should probably be listened to in the same way, so for me to review it accurately isn't really an option. From a clear-headed viewpoint, it's an intriguing mix of ethereal, reverbed acoustic guitars, keyboards and Golowin's hushed, spoken German-language lyrics; a great deal, in fact, like Tarot from the year before, right down to the nationality of its chief instigator.

It's impossible to know whether it's Schulze or Dollase on the Mellotron at any given point, but within two minutes of the album's opening shots, distant 'Tron choirs echo across the soundscapes of Der Reigen (The Roundelay), although the track doesn't feature them a great deal more. Shortest track Die Weisse Alm (The White Pasture?), on the other hand, is all plucked acoustic, Golowin's narrative and (sorry) ethereal choirs throughout its length. Side two's Die Hoch Zeit (The Wedding) adds strings to the everpresent choirs, although apart from on Die Weisse Alm, it would be fair to say that the Mellotron is one of the album's lesser components.

So; if you like krautrock, there's a good chance you know this album already. I personally found it slightly less engaging than Wegmüller's Tarot, but it's a perfectly good record of its type, and essential listening for those discovering the early '70s krautrock scene. Mellotronically speaking, it's not bad, but inessential, with so many more 'Tron-heavy releases out there.

Gomez  (UK)

	Liquid Skin  (1999,  55.35)  ***/T
	Hangover Revolutionary Kind Bring it on Blue Moon Rising Las Vegas Dealer We Haven't Turned Around Fill My Cup Rhythm & Blues Alibi	Rosalita California Devil Will Ride

Machismo  (2000,  26.50)  ***/T½ Machismo Do's and Don'ts Touchin' Up Waster The Dajon Song

	Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline  (2000,  49.42)  ***/T½
	Shitbag 9 Bring Your Lovin' Back Here Emergency Surgery Hit on the Head Flavors 78 Stone Shuffle We Haven't Turned Around   (X-Ray)	Buena Vista Shitbag Steve McCroski Wharf Me High on Liquid Skin Rosemary The Cowboy Song Getting Better

Current availability:

• All titles: Hut/Virgin

Mellotron used:

• All titles: band's own M400

Gomez hail from the environs of Southport, near Liverpool, and have the distinction of being the only successful British band of the last few decades to play authentic swamp-blues, albeit with contemporary influences. Confused? So are they, I suspect. Their career took off after winning the prestigious (it says here) Mercury Music Prize for their debut, Bring it on, in 1998, which they followed with Liquid Skin a year later. I remember being deeply irritated by them at the time, but with a few years' distance, they actually aren't at all bad. Ian Ball's vocals (assuming it is he) bring a bit of delta blues into your living room; pity it's the Mersey delta, but there you go... The rest of the band know how to play acoustic guitars, which is a plus point, and don't use nasty digital synths, which is another one.

After saying all this, the music isn't really my bag, so I'll leave picking out highlights to those more in tune with their sound. For some strange reason, they apparently actually bought a Mellotron, although you can't say they've over-used it. Rhythm & Blues Alibi is the sole use here, with a solo string part opening the track (don't get too excited; it's only three seconds long. Watcher Of The Skies it ain't), and cellos throughout the rest. The following year's Machismo EP was business as usual, it seems, with more of that futuristic swamp music. More 'Tron, too, with flutes (and overdubbed strings?) on the title track and Do's And Don'ts, although the various strings on Touchin' Up are real. Final track The Dajon Song is Gomez' first epic to date (may there be more? Who knows?) at over 13 minutes, with an almost Neil Young flavour in places; very listenable, chaps, although they resist the temptation to stick any 'Tron on it.

Later the same year, Gomez released the odds'n'sods collection (so soon?) Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline, which is actually very palatable indeed, with Bring Your Lovin' Back Here being the second of their songs to really catch my ear. Given that these are outtakes, it's a very good collection indeed, although I'm not sure why they bothered covering Getting Better, in a style similar to the original. Two 'Tron tracks: We Haven't Turned Around (X-Ray) is a full-on 'Tron-fest, no less, opening with 'Strawberry Fields'-style flutes, before switching between flutes and cellos for the rest of the song, while High On Liquid Skin has a squeaky string part, underpinned with cellos, making this their best Mellotronic effort yet.

So; do you buy these records? Not if you're after Mellotron overkill, no, or anything resembling prog, but if you're after largely acoustic blues by a current British band, you could do a lot worse. Better than I'd remembered. Oh, and although I managed to miss it, I hear they turned up on 'Later With Jools Holland' (popular UK music show for non-Brits) with their M400, to which Jools apparently bade a fond farewell on-air. Strange...

Official site

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