Rick Hayward - Rick Hayward (1971 uk folk rock)

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The Rats - First Long Player (uk 1974 great hard rock)

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Sammy - Sammy (1974 hard rock, prog)

It's doubtful many folks have ever heard the British band Sammy - I certainly hadn't which was kind of surprising given the band's impressive pedigree. Drummer Mick Underwood was apparently the band's driving force, with the line up rounded out by a collection of rock veterans including ex-Audience horn and woodwinds player Keith Gemmell, ex-Billy J. Kramer keyboardist Mick Hodgekinson, former Ginhouse guitarist Geoff Sharkey, and ex-Roy Young Band bassist Paul Simmons. Signed by Philips, the band debuted with a 1972 45 'Goo Ger Woogie' b/w 'Big Lovin' Woman' (Philips catalog number 6006 227). While the single did little commercially, it attracted enough interest and attention for Philips management to green light an album. Co-produced by Louie Austin and Deep Purple's Jon Lord, 1973's "Sammy" offered up a competent, if slightly worn set of mid-1970s hard rock. Largely penned by Sharkey and Simmons, lyrically and musically there wasn't a lot of originality going on here (kind of like the album cover) - Gemmell's sax adding occasional jazz-influenced runs to the band's blues and rock oriented sound. As lead singer Sharkey wasn't bad; his raw raspy voice sounded surprisingly good on tracks like 'Give Me More', their unlikely cover of 'I Ain't Never Loved a Woman (The Way That I Love You)', and 'Get Into a New Thing'. Imagine uriah Heep-lite with the saxes, a little more boogie and variety ('Who Do You Really Love') and you'll be in the right aural neighborhood. The band was actually far more impressive on their isolated stabs at more-pop oriented material like 'Sioux-Eyed Lady' and 'Jo Anne'. Elsewhere the album spun off a UK single in the form of 'Sioux-Eyed Lady' b/w '70 Days' (Philips catalog number 6006 249). Brainless fun, it's actually not a bad effort, especially if you approach it with the right mindset. One LP and two 45s appears to cover the band's recording legacy. By the way, the British album release featured different cover art. 
From RYM (RDTEN1)
 

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Public Foot the Roman - Public Foot the Roman (1973 prog jazz prog uk)

I probably shouldn't admit it, but the truth of the matter is I bought this album based entirely on the bizarro band name, the label (Capitol's short-lived Sovereign imprint had some interesting acts on its roster), and the interesting Hipgnosis cover (a bunch of folks standing in the middle of a Chelsea's soccer stadium looking up at what appears to be a UFO). These guys actually had an interesting background. Irish-born singer/guitarist Sean Byrne had been a member the California-based The Count Five who had a classic one-shot single with 'Psychotic Reaction'. When that band fell apart Byrne eventually returned to Ireland where in the early 1970s he ended up as a member of Public Foot the Roman along with lead guitarist Greg Knowles, drummer Jaime Lane, keyboardist Dag Small, and bassist Ward (guess he couldn't afford a last name). Produced by Derek Lawrence who handled a bunch of the Wishbone Ash catalog, 1973's oddly titled "Public Foot the Roman" was kind of an odd hybrid of AOR and progressive moves - occasionally blended together in the same song ('When You Lay It Down'). With Byrne responsible for all eight tracks on the surface that wouldn't sound particularly promising (I can see folks thinking along the lines of a second tier Genesis or Gentle Giant). The fact of the matter is that while there wasn't a great deal of originality here, the band played with considerable energy and with one of two exceptions (the country-tinged 'King for a Day'), this album was a lot of fun to hear. Byrne, Lane, and Small all handled lea vocals, though Byrne seemed to be the most prominent of the three. All of them had decent if slightly anonymous voices that managed to cover the band's entire catalog. For his part Knowles was a truly overlooked guitarist who turned in some first-rate performances on this overlooked set.. That said, the band's secret weapon (well I guess he really wasn't much of a secret) was keyboardist Small who managed to salvage virtually everything he touched. - 'Land Owner' opened the album with a fairly conventional slice of AOR. The highlight came in the form of a nice Byrne and Knowles double lead guitar solo that sounded like it had been borrowed from an early Allman Brothers track. Small kicked in some nice Supertramp-styled keyboards. rating: *** stars - In contrast to the first track, 'When You Lay It Down' found the band diving headlong into progressive rock. Mind you the results were still fairly mainstream with a recognizable and enjoyable melody and some tasty lead guitar and keyboards from Knowles and Small. The album also showcased some very nice harmony vocal work from the band. rating: **** stars - Completely unlike the rest of their catalog 'King for a Day' sounded like a cross between Commander Cody and early UK pub-rockers like Brinsley Schwartz. Once you got over the initial shock, the song kind of grew on you with Knowles turning in a simply blistering Telecaster solo. Very commercial, you could just hear progressive and rock fans scratching their heads trying to figure how someone slipped a pub-rock song on their turntables. rating: *** stars - Probably because it had the highest 'progressive' content and bowed in non-too-subtle aural homage to Yes and other English progressive bands, 'Judas Returns' (along with "Decline and Fall') was one of the two PFTR songs that folks typically acknowledge off the album. If you liked Yes at their most commercial and didn't mind some really dumb lyrics (c'mon, they were from Cambridge, so you couldn't be blamed for expecting something a bit more substantial ("men in shields control our days ..."), then you probably weren't going to have a problem with this one and to be honest, it grew on you after a couple of spins. Unfortunately, just as the Knowles - Small jam was really beginning to kick into gear the song faded out. Shame. rating: **** stars - 'Don't Bite the Hand' started side two off with some more Allman Brothers-styled twin lead guitar opening into a rollicking, fairly straightforward slice of AOR. The guitars saved the song from falling in the also-ran category. rating: *** stars - 'One (On My Mind)' was another atypical performance. With pretty melody and layered harmonies this one sounded a bit like something out of the Crosby, Stills, and Nash catalog (something Crosby might have penned). Small turned in some beautiful keyboards. rating: *** stars - The album's longest and most complex composition, 'Decline and Fall' was another Yes-influenced number that gave Small an opportunity to showcase his impressive array of keyboard talents. Twisting and turning through a series of entertaining segments, the song actually became more focused as it went along and served to showcase some really nice keyboard and guitar interplay by the members. Such jamming normally doesn;t do a great deal for me, but this was one of the exceptions. Very nice. rating: *** stars No, it isn't a lost classic, but it's far better than you would have expected judging by some of the lukewarm reviews. Shame they didn't get a second shot at it. "Public Foot the Roman" track listing: (side 1) 1.) Land Owner (Sean Byrne) - 4:38 2.) When You Lay It Down (Sean Byrne) - 5:40 3.) King for a Day (Sean Byrne) - 3:39 4.) Judas Returns (Sean Byrne) - 6:00 (side 2) 1.) Don't Bite the Hand (Sean Byrne) - 5:05 2.) One (On My Mind) (Sean Byrne) - 4:54 3.) Decline and Fall (Sean Byrne) - 8:31 From RYM (RDten1)

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Out of Darkness - Out of Darkness (1970 uk hard rock prog)

none too consistent, but very good overall, guitar driven bluesy prog hard rock, with Christian lyrics, and mixed with some softer rock. Grades - 1 A-, 3 B+'s, 2 B's, 3 B-'s, 2 C+'s, and a C. 
From RYM (tymeshifter)

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Skybird - Summer of '73 (folk/songwriter 1973 uk)

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The Freshmen - Peace on Earth (1970 uk psych rock)

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Zzebra - 74- 76 (uk funk prog)

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Strider - Misunderstood (1974 uk hard rock)

Pure hardrock with keyboards and a very good vocalist. Other stuff than their first output. 
From RYM (warpigcat)

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Complex - Complex (1970 uk psych prog)

The first reissue of this horrendously rare LP was this American, Swank label bootleg from 1991. Originally pressed in only 99 copies, to avoid the arcane British taxes on 100 or more, the original album has sold years ago for $6000! Unfortunately, that original pressing was terribly flawed, with sound fidelity that sounds like what you might expect if you buried your speakers under a mountain of dirty laundry. This boot takes that original sound, and, like most bootlegs, amplifies that poor fidelity many fold, to the point where the sound is quite literally almost undefinable. I used to be able to tweak it into partially listenable zones by cranking the treble frequencies on my equalizer way up. But this is no longer necessary due to the release of the Tenth Planet reissue, which doesn't even attempt to clean up the original sound, but goes back to the original tapes and remasters them. See my review of that issue for further details. This issue is worth keeping only because it features a replica of the original back cover, not duplicated on the TP issue. The front cover artwork is closer on the TP one than this, though. Grades - 1 A-, 2 B+'s, 3 B's, 1 C, and a C-. Notice my grades for the other reissue to compare how much the poor fidelity of this one affected them. From RYM (tymeshifter)

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Noir - We Had To Let You Have It (1971 uk prog)

This is a very difficult record to describe. To start with, it’s different than anything else I’ve heard from this period. Overall the record is heavy on the keyboards (organ, piano) and is VERY percussive in nature (no drum solos though). Plenty of good wah-wah and fuzz guitar solos as well. The 9 minute opener is dog slow with an almost gospel tinge to it (the vocals throughout have this spiritual, almost Native American feel). It picks up the pace considerably from there. Has a strong white boy R&B vibe, as if Rare Earth recorded an album for the Dawn label. Also hear slight references to Indian Summer as well. (RYM Ashratom)

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Cymbal and Clinger - Cymbal and Clinger (1972 uk rock /psych)

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The Game-S/t (1969-1970[?]uk v.good psych prog)

 

vi posto questo disco che a mio avviso è molto bello ma di più non so che dirvi visto che non ho trovato un accidenti di informazioni...quindi come al solito ogni suggerimento è apprezzato!come per i maelstrom non so se la copertina è giusta!!!comunque un buon tassello per la vostra collezione!!! Hi folks...well...i don't know if this is the right cover of the album...if anyone have some info...please post a comment!!!

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Zior - Zior ...Plus (1971 uk hard rock)

Own this for the bonus tracks. Album to be reviewed when I get to it in my vinyl. This is decent, prog flavored hard rock with a bar-band sound, and featuring some funky blues mat'l and gruffy vocals. The 8 bonus cuts included here are all good, and consitent with the stuff on the album. All 8 are taken from their second LP. My grades for these are - 3 B+'s, 3 B's, and 2 B-'s. Comes with a fold-out cover card. From RYM (tymeshifter)

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The Eleventh House - The Eleventh House - Level One ( excellent 75 jazz fusion)

What's the matter with this album by The Eleventh House? Since its not released on CD like the other two

Because there's nothing wrong with it. Infact I will say its probably their best, well it is in my and many others opinion.
It has the best selection of tunes, the tightest sound and highest energy. Its simply The Eleventh House at its peak in 1975 with their second of three very good fusion albums.

This is one of the best albums of its kind, and I can't believe its left behind.
Everywhere its "Introducing", which is a great album no doubt. But believe it or not, "Level One" are even better
From RYM (gao)

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Gulliver's Travels - Gulliver's Travels (1969 uk rock psych exp)

This album is a significant collectible, though probably not worthy of such status. It's a real hodgepodge of short snippets from the Immediate record label stable of recordings, assembled by label owner Oldham in 1968 as a sort of musical interpretation of J. Swift's famous tome. There are some lengthier tracks separated by these short, image building excerpts, some used as tape loops similar to The Dreamies album. Overall, I would probably rate the album a failure in regards to it's original intent. But there are a few interesting portions to investigate. It should be noted that the track list accompanying this entry is taken from the disc label as it appears there. However, there are six distinct bands on side 1, and eight on side 2. Also, though the album uses snippets from The Small Faces singles here and there, they also recorded some special mat'l specifically for this album. Grades - 1 A-, 1 B+, 2 C+'s, and 1 C-.
From RYM (tymeshifter)

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Axe - Live & Studio (1969-70 uk prog psych prog)

I often get asked what is my all-time favorite album, as if my opinion carries any weight. While it's very difficult to point to any one record as my all-time favorite, I can say with certainty that this is in my top three! It pushes all of the right buttons for me, literally defining heavy psych, featuring awesome female vocals and sulfuric acid guitar, all with a quasi-west coast vibe. One track just seems better than the next, right down the line, just non-stop killer music. Grades - 2 A+'s (I almost never give out A+'s), 2 A's, 2 A-'s, and a B+, consistently excellent!
From RYM (tymeshifter)

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The Exception - The Exceptional Exception (69 uk folk psych rock)

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Longdancer - If It Was So Simple (1973 uk folk rock)

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Vanity Fare - The Sun The Wind and Other Things (68 uk psych pop)

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