Today, Tomorrow, Forever - Today, Tomorrow, Forever (1979)

One of many records that I snagged out of crates that were headed for oblivion (a.k.a. the storage warehouse) at my old job. The A side is funkier, weirder, and arguably more interesting than the B side, which is still good but falls into a comparatively standard disco groove. It's not gonna change your life, but it's a super fun record, and the synth break in "Astro Boogie" alone is worth the price of admission.

Track listing:

1. It's a Groove (Keep On Dancin')

2. Astro Boogie

3. Mad House

4. Blipped (All Over Myself)

5. Taking Me Higher

6. I'm for You

7. It's Your Love

8. Get On Down

Yeah, I was at a hyperdrive party that was, uh, really jammin' back

You should also hear:

Kleeer - I Love to Dance (1979)

T-Connection - Totally Connected (1979)

Steve Kuhn - Steve Kuhn (1971)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:

Steve Kuhn Trio - Three Waves (1966)

Steve Kun - Trance (1975)

Karin Krog, Steve Kuhn, Steve Swallow, & Jon Christensen - We Could Be Flying (1975)

By request, here's pianist/keyboardist Steve Kuhn's 1971 self-titled solo outing. Simmering, lightly funky vocal-jazz fleshed out by a super solid band (Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Airto Moreira), lovely string arrangements, and understated vocals by Kuhn himself. It's played mostly straight, but Kuhn throws down the weirdo gauntlet with "Pearlie's Swine", which blazes through over four minutes of clattering instrumental jazz-funk before he comes in with lines like "Ham / How I love to eat ham / Vultures don't give a damn" and "Meat / Monkeys eat with their feet."

Track listing:

1. Pearlie's Swine

2. Silver

3. Time to Go

4. The Heat of the Moment

5. The Baby

6. Hold Out Your Hand

7. The Meaning of Love

8. Ulla

So when I'm alone

Left with only a bone

On top of the sky

Birds are wondering why

You should also hear:

Astrud Gilberto - I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do (1969)

Michel Herr, Bill Frisell, Vinton Johnson, Kermit Driscoll - Good Buddies (1978)

Bruno Spoerri - Voice of Taurus (1978)

Well, I finally graduated. There's still plenty of work on the near horizon, but for now, I'm basking in the afterglow with this piece of weirdo astrological synth dorky-ness. A mountain of synths with a single bespectacled Swiss nerd on top. Plus, a bit of live drumming and saxophone. Speaking of which, "Saxelite" is an undeniable highlight here, so stick around for that.

Track listing:

1. Hymn of Taurus (Taurus Is Calling You!)

2. Galactic Acid

3. Saucers Over Montreux

4. Hallo World

5. Meditation

6. Space Cantata

7. Cosmotoxology

8. Saxelite

9. Quiet High

Moondust will cover you

You should also hear:

Roger Powell - Cosmic Furnace (1973)

Leon Lowman - Syntheseas (1980)

Dragon - Universal Radio (1974)

After a little over a week spent either poolside or oceanside in a small Mexican tourist town, life has called me back to rainy, chilly Portland, OR, where I am currently intermittently working on a team accounting project for my capstone course. That's fun, right? Here's a great, pretty chill prog rock record that I put on late one night last week while we were sitting out on our back patio overlooking the ocean, because everyone likes old-school prog when they're drunk on vacation somewhere warm.

The tiny bit I know about this band: They were originally from New Zealand, which is where they were located when they released their first two records, this and the also-great Scented Gardens for the Blind. They then moved to Australia, where they were based from then on, and became a more straightforward pop/hard rock band.

Track listing:

1. Universal Radio

2. Going Slow

3. Patina

4. Weetbix

5. Graves

6. Avalanche

Made my entrance through the darkened door

Smoke and vapor round my head

Standing on the cliff, the bell struck four

All the clouds were black and red

If you like this, you should hear:

Jane - Fire, Water, Earth, & Air (1975)

Streetmark - Eileen (1977)

Jon Appleton & Don Cherry - Human Music (1970)

Got a request for this deeply strange collaborative work from electro-acoustic innovator Jon Appleton and free jazz legend Don Cherry. Sparse, discordant, sonically manipulated sound pieces composed of synth, trumpet, flute, hand drums, and distinctly un-musical mouth noises.

Track listing:

1. BOA

2. OBA

3. ABO

4. BAO

This is Earth Radio, and now, here's human music.

If you like this, listen to:

Tony Scott - Music for Voodoo Meditation (1972)

Hal Russell & Mars Williams - EFTSOONS (1984)

Wayne Shorter - Odyssey of Iska (1970)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:

Wayne Shorter - Super Nova (1969)

I'm a little late but: R.I.P. to one of the greatest jazz musicians to have ever lived. A brilliant piece of amorphous, simmering avant-garde jazz, Odyssey of Iska capped off a positively ridiculous 8-album run that rivals pretty much any other in music history. (Not that the albums before or after are bad by any means, but Night Music through Odyssey is, to me, just about as good as it gets.)

Track listing:

1. Wind

2. Storm

3. Calm

4. De Pois do Amor, O Vazio (After Love, Emptiness)

5. Joy

Old is magic growing

If you like this, listen to:

The Art Ensemble of Chicago - Fanfare for the Warriors (1974)

Miles Davis - Get Up with It (1974)

Tucker Zimmerman - Tucker Zimmerman (1972)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:

Tucker Zimmerman - Ten Songs (1969)

Another one from the old (and I do mean old) request pile. Second album, right on par with the first. Warm, homespun, stoned outsider folk.

Track listing:

1. Another Normal Day

2. Freeway

3. A Friend Like You

4. Left Hand of Moses

5. No Love Lost

6. She's an Easy Rider

7. Amusement Park

8. Back on the Road Again

9. Canary Island Rain

10. Keep That Fire Burning

It's just another normal day

The madman's on the town and it looks like rain

There's a movie goin' down

And all but one of us is goin' insane

You should also check out:

Andy Zwerling - Spiders in the Night (1971)

Loren Auerbach & Bert Jansch - After the Long Night (1985)

Miroslav Vitous - Purple (1970)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:

Miroslav Vitous - Infinite Search (1969)

Terje Rypdal, Miroslav Vitous, & Jack DeJohnette - S/T (1979)

Terje Rypdal, Miroslav Vitous, & Jack DeJohnette - To Be Continued (1981)

Low-key, simmering fusion helmed by bassist Miroslav Vitous. I had a truly massive buildup of spam comments that I never deleted, and lo and behold, on the other side of that pile were a grip of comments from almost 4 years ago. One of them was a request for a post on this album from July 7, 2019. Better late than never?

Track listing:

1. Purple

2. Mood

3. Water Lilie

4. Dolores

5. It Came from Knowhere

Emphatic period

Also listen to:

Jasper van t' Hoff - Eye-Ball (1974)

Karin Krog, Steve Kuhn, Steve Swallow, & Jon Christensen - We Could Be Flying (1975)

Joel Andrews - The Violet Flame (1977)

Two extended spiritual meditations for solo harp. Mr. Andrews is also a new age author and "music healer" who purports to psychically communicate with celestial beings whose wisdom he spontaneously translates into music, which is fun. Found this LP, along with another Andrews record, in a box of easy listening LPs at my old job, and probably paid around 50 cents for it. Man, I miss working at a record store.

Upon enchanted ground

Other LPs I found through similar circumstances:

Nik Pascal - Magnetic Web (1973)

William Hoskins - Galactic Fantasy - Eastern Reflections (1979)

Black Widow - Sacrifice (1970)

An underground classic of British occult prog. If you like Hammond organ, saxophone, noodle-y solos, and Satan, you've come to the right place. 

Track listing:

1. In Ancient Days

2. Way to Power

3. Come to the Sabbat

4. Conjuration

5. Seduction

6. Attack of the Demon

7. Sacrifice

Come, come, come to the Sabbat

Come to the Sabbat

Satan's there!

You should also hear:

Aum - Resurrection (1969)

Horrific Child - L'Étrange Mr Winster (1976)

Arthur Verocai - Arthur Verocai (1972)

A classic of hazy, jazzy Brazilian folk rock. If you're looking for laid-back tunes for a warm summer day, this is exactly it. However, I'd guess that a good chunk of my readers are already familiar with this little slice of heaven, considering that it really made the rounds back in the golden age of mp3 blogs and has been reissued multiple times over the past decade. I'm mostly posting this so that I can relive one of my favorite memories from my recent vacation in Mexico, which this record soundtracked: sunbathing and swimming nude while everyone else except my wife was running errands (we're not a "let's get nude together" kind of crew.) I set a timer for half an hour when they left, figuring they'd be gone at least half an hour, and I had literally JUST put my swimsuit back on when the front door opened.

Track listing:

1. Caboclo

2. Pelas Sombras

3. Sylvia

4. Presente Grego

5. Dedicado a Ela

6. Seriado

7. Na Boca do Sol

8. Velho Parente

9. O Mapa

10. Karina (Domingo no Grajaú)

You were right on time

More greatness from Brazil:

Marcos Valle - Marcos Valle (1974)

Milton Nascimento - Minas (1975)

Marion Brown - Sweet Earth Flying (1974)

Sublime, meditative free jazz by saxophonist Marion Brown. Explorative, far-out sounds that are currently making my cat Peepers extremely nervous.

Track listing:

1. Sweet Earth Flying, Part 1

2. Sweet Earth Flying, Part 3

3. Sweet Earth Flying, Part 4: Prince Willie

4. Sweet Earth Flying, Part 5

5. Eleven Light City, Part 1

6. Eleven Light City, Part 2

7. Eleven Light City, Part 3

8. Eleven Light City, Part 4

For this moment

Just a speck

If you like this, you should hear:

Sonny Sharrock - Black Woman (1969)

Bennie Maupin - The Jewel in the Lotus (1974)

Jennifer Warnes - Jennifer (1972)

Third and easily best solo album by American singer/songwriter Jennifer Warnes, whose career trajectory is weird enough to briefly summarize here. She started out in the late 60s as a folk-rocker singing slightly overwrought covers. Sometimes in the early 70s, she caught the attention of some pretty cool people: her third album (this one) was produced by John Cale, and she joined up with Leonard Cohen, playing in his band and contributing to a bunch of his records over the course of the next five decades. Her ensuing solo records, on the other hand, while moderately commercially successful, were as middle-of-the-road as it gets. In the 80s, she briefly carved out a niche for herself singing the female part on massive hit duets written for movies. First, it was the dreadful "Up Where We Belong", then it was "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", both of which went to #1. Like I said, weird career. [EDIT: Thanks to a commenter, I now know that she also sings on Arthur Russell's "That's Us/Wild Combination", literally one of the best, most beautiful songs ever recorded.]

Anyway, the album. Her best solo record by a wide margin, it consists of the kind of folky pop-rock that dominated the charts in the early 70s, but there's stylistic range beneath the surface -- over the course of three tracks, she jumps from sunny country rock to an ethereal take on Donovan's "Sand and Foam" to a  smoldering, soulful rendition of Free's "Be My Friend" without missing a beat. This can probably partially be attributed to Cale's pitch-perfect production; Warnes' pristine vocals, which are far more subtle and expressive than on her previous efforts; and great songs, which include a Cale original ("Empty Bottles") and Warnes' own take on the now-iconic "These Days". It's not gonna change your life, but it's a really nice listen.

Track listing:

1. In the Morning

2. P.F. Sloan

3. Empty Bottles

4. Sand and Foam

5. Be My Friend

6. Needle and Thread

7. Last Song

8. All My Love's Laughter

9. These Days

10. Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone)

The simple act of an oar's stroke put diamonds in the sea

Also listen to:

Christine Perfect - Christine Perfect (1974)

Dion - Born to Be with You (1974)

Eclipse - Eclipse (1976)

Quebecois prog excellence. A heady journey through majestic, Floyd-ian space rock, synth-fueled prog-funk, angelic choirs, and driving, earthy psych. And that's just the A-side.

Track listing:

1. Vision intérieure

2. Le rêve de John W.

3. T'aime (voix)

4. Le dernière fois

5. Pleine lune

6. T'aime (moog)

7. Qu'attends to de moi

8. Jusqu'au premier ciel

9. Pensée pour Barbara

10. Honey #36

The echo of a distant time

Comes willowing across the sand

If you like this, listen to:

Earth and Fire - Atlantis (1973)

Eloy - Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes (1979)

Nokemono - From the Black World (1979)

Old-school Japanese heavy metal with 70s hard rock leanings. From the Black World is the only album this band ever made, and it's a crying goddamn shame 'cause they fully delivered the goods.

Track listing:

1. Run Away

2. Terrible Night

3. 閉ざされた街

4. 失われた愛

5. Big Wednesday

6. From the Black World

7. Back Street

8. 灰に消えた過去

9. 蟻地獄

10. Run Away (Part II)

We're heading your way like dynamite

Also listen to:

Chateaux - Chained and Desperate (1983)

Blaspheme - Désire de Vampyr (1985)

Klaus Schulze - Irrlicht (1972)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:

Richard Wahnfried - Time Actor (1979)

Michael Shrieve with Kevin Shrieve & Klaus Schulze - Transfer Station Blue (1988)

Klaus Schulze - Shadowlands (2013)

RIP to Klaus Schulze, the synth GOAT. Schulze changed electronic music, and as a result, the larger musical landscape, by helping to pioneer sounds that would form the basis for not just ambient/progressive electronic music, but trance and techno. He also created some of my all-time favorite records. So to send him off, here's one of them: his very first solo album, and the first one I ever heard. A piece of pure, foreboding, cosmic drone for the ages.

Track listing:

1. Satz: Ebene

2. Satz: Gewitter (Energy Rise - Energy Collaps)

3. Satz: Exil Sils Maria

4. Dungeon [bonus]

Journey through a burning brain

Also listen to:

Tony Scott — Astral Meditation - Voyage into a Black Hole - Part 1 (1988)

Coil - Moon's Milk (In Four Phases) (2002)

Jerry Butler - The Spice of Life (1972)

Soul singer/Impressions founder Jerry Butler's unsung magnum opus. A double album of big-hearted symphonic soul that somehow has yet to be reissued or offered on streaming services. There's no big, overarching theme at work here -- obviously, love comes up a lot, but that's pretty much par for the course for a soul record -- it's just a collection of great songs that wouldn't fit on one LP.

Track listing:

-Disc One-

1. What's So Good About It (You're My Baby)

2. If I Could Remember (Not Ever Having You)

3. I Only Have Eyes for You

4. That's the Way It Is (That's the Way It Was)

5. One Night Affair

6. A Prayer

7. Get on the Case

8. So Far Away

-Disc Two-

1. I Need You

2. You Can't Always Tell

3. Stop Steppin' on My Dreams

4. Baby I'ma Want You

5. (They Long to Be) Close to You

6. Don't Rip Me Off

7. The Masquerade Is Over / Since I Fell for You

8. All Kinds of People

You know, most folks are scared of dying

So the fear brings it near

And I see them buying books to get heaven

But they fight real hard to stay right here

You should also hear:

Jerry Peters - Blueprint for Discovery (1972)

Angelo Bond - Bondage (1975)

The Mike Theodore Orchestra - High on Mad Mountain (1979)

Unrelenting, funky, immaculately crafted disco from Detroit producer and frequent Dennis Coffey collaborator Mike Theodore. Unlike so many "The (Blank) Orchestra" disco acts, The Mike Theodore Orchestra was, effectively, an actual orchestra -- on Discogs, 66 people, most of them musicians, are credited for working on High on Mad Mountain, including 7 (seven) separate percussionists. Also unlike so many would-be disco epics, these four extended tracks actually earn their sweeping scope through perfectly executed builds, deceptively intricate arrangements, weirdness, and sheer groove.

Track listing:

1. High on Mad Mountain

2. Wonder Man

3. Disco People

4. Dragons of Midnight

Backside, frontside, do your boogie

If you like this, listen to:

The Andrea True Connection - More, More, More (1976)

France Joli - France Joli (1979)

Hermann Szobel - Szobel (1976)

The one and only album by the one and only Hermann Szobel. The short version of the story goes: Szobel waltzed into a Roberta Flack recording session and blew away everyone there with his piano-playing, landed (with the help of his famous promoter uncle) a deal with Arista, recorded and released this incredible debut record, had some sort of breakdown while recording the follow-up, and disappeared. And not just from the industry: his mother filed a missing persons report on his behalf in 2002, and information about his whereabouts has remained sketchy at best since. Supposedly, he's alive and living in SF.

Aside from all of this, though, is the album itself, which is a wondrous labyrinth of avant-fusion from top to bottom. Discordant, controlled chaos that jumps effortlessly from cinematic slow-burning to frantic, panic-driven frenzies, often resembling RIO more than fusion. Szobel had some serious musical and compositional chops, and it could have been a brilliant career, but I supposed the music biz just wan't for him. At least he gave us this one gift before going off-grid.

Track listing:

1. Mr. Softee

2. The Szuite

3. Between 7 & 11

4. Transcendental Floss

5. New York City, 6 AM

When you talk to me

When you're moanin' sweet and low

Also listen to:

Masmabumi Kikuchi - Poo-Sun (1970)

Miriodor - Miriodor (1988)

Life - Life (1970)

Swedish prog/psych. This band's only record splits its time between ornate proto-soft rock and heavy, bluesy psych, plus some more experimental diversions. Such an odd, sweet record -- excellent production, too. When I first heard it, I was a young, stoned music nerd combing the internet for every piece of Blue Cheer-worship known to man, and wasn't too fond of all the gentle, symphonic stuff, but it's really grown on me over the years.

Track listing:

1. Quo Vadis (I)

2. Nobody Was There to Love Me

3. Many Years Ago

4. Experience of Love

5. She Walks Across the Room

6. Sailing in the Sunshine

7. Quo Vadis (II)

8. Living Is Loving

9. Every Man

10. Experience of Life

11. One of Us

12. Yes, I Am

13. Once upon a Time

14. Quo Vadis (III)

15. Jag Färdas

16. To the Country

17. Tro pa' va'r värld

Live my life in harmony

Soul is floating in the breeze

Listen to these, too:

Nektar - Remember the Future (1973) + Magic Is a Child (1977)

Automatic Man - Automatic Man (1976)