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...formed sometime in early 1967 andromeda are a real good example of the changing face of underground sound in the transisional years '67/'70 when psych whimsy replaced the freakbeat, heavy blues replaced psych and mixed itself in with some jazz ideas to begat the misunderstood genre prog-rock (when a cat gets down to it prog was ruined by yes and other college boy fantasies that spoke of elves and fairies in a definitely non psych manner), after prog which hung around forever it was all heads to their own discretion, punkhippy/hippypunk being the best route out from under the burden that was the seventies...getting back to the wax in question, andromedas LP was released in '69 with a nice street level power trio blast of heavy blues progging with some '67 style vocal arragements giving it a more rounded sound, bringing in the past to soften the present and make way for the future, a nomadic eye on the older times whilst heading for an uncertain tomorrow...there's a couple of semi-lengthy suites giving off the classical ideas that early prog latched onto, the popular sounding light classics that actually hark back to the beginning of the 20th century with pastorial meets metropolitan vibes, the urban scene gently eats the countryside as modern industry marches ever onward, filled early prog with an embroidery that was too fine to last, it had to be replaced by bombast on a purely hellish ELP stance (nothing intrinsically wrong with ELP bombast when restricted to the first 4 albums but then it got too stupid for its own good)...the light classic approach is the way these cats envisioned it, being able to pump up the sound with modern ampage took the light out of the classic anyway so the real way to dig prog is most assuredly with bands such as this (unless its jazz prog then another starting point must be found with jools/brian auger type R&B proggy jazzbo)...the whole vibe is one of forward motion, but a motion that is countenanced by caution, probaby caution in the fact that uncharted territory is being explored by new recruits, cadets on the maiden voyage to the next plateau where the watchword is change, further intermingling of ideas that will eventually get too complicated to stand up and prog will lumber under its own unnecessary weight, but now with andromeda we see prog with everything to live for, everything to aspire to without any pretense, without commercial leanings...cats who dig the elias hulk / czar style heavy blues splat might wish to more than dig this, it's the sophisticated elder cousin (sophisticated being in relative useage only), the cousin with examination papers marked with a pass (only just, but a graduation all the same), a mild complication of ideas all brought into line by the molding of psych learning on a substantial blues footing, a grounding from which to fly, a nest that can supply sustenance and energy for the long trip to unknown days...andromeda are most likely better than the LP shows due to studio conditions, conditions that flumox many cool combos to the point of freezeing up, but the evidence on display can only give testimony to some new creativity, a new spark from the old rock'n'roll fire, ashes refurbished with the strike of one last match, the match that relights embers of lost chords...
...this somewhat heavy handed hard rock prog disk gets off to a pretty dreary start and makes a cat want to move on quicky but the second track looks up a bit and then they find their footing...keyboard and guitar fronted copy of 'procol harum' with some looking back in the vocal dept. to the psych days...a good example of a combo not really knowing what the new prog sounds of the 70's should be and not enough talent to write a tune and stretch it out...the sort of group that would be second/third on the bill at small provincial gigs, the kind of' band that plys their wares while the audience does its own thing, like getting a drink, skinning up and generally ignoring the stage...in the pantheon of hard rocking prog they amount to really no more than 'also rans' but not very far...having said that it does not stop an original wax copy going for more bread than it should but one cats steak is another cats granola, in this case heavy is as heavy does, you either dig it or you dont...
...from the tail end of the six ohs comes this really top doomy sounding keyboard heavy, proggy hard rock with nice slices of guitar riffing and solos weaving around to make this a total treat...very much a drag that this was the only offering before it was splitsville and all concerned onto lesser, but more lucrative business...
...the wordy poetry gives this disk an othertime feel, a folky feel from an absinthe soaked, opium smoking, crushed velvet wearing wigged poet, one nestled way up on high in a lofty dusty garrett surrounded by quill pens and stacks of parchment ready to catch and keep the wordage...all this mixed with a decadent cabaret vibe that only invited guest are allowed to experience...it seems to exist only for the initiated, cats who have heard the call to dig a higher vibe...
...formed sometime in early 1967 andromeda are a real good example of the changing face of underground sound in the transisional years '67/'70 when psych whimsy replaced the freakbeat, heavy blues replaced psych and mixed itself in with some jazz ideas to begat the misunderstood genre prog-rock (when a cat gets down to it prog was ruined by yes and other college boy fantasies that spoke of elves and fairies in a definitely non psych manner), after prog which hung around forever it was all heads to their own discretion, punkhippy/hippypunk being the best route out from under the burden that was the seventies...getting back to the wax in question, andromedas LP was released in '69 with a nice street level power trio blast of heavy blues progging with some '67 style vocal arragements giving it a more rounded sound, bringing in the past to soften the present and make way for the future, a nomadic eye on the older times whilst heading for an uncertain tomorrow...there's a couple of semi-lengthy suites giving off the classical ideas that early prog latched onto, the popular sounding light classics that actually hark back to the beginning of the 20th century with pastorial meets metropolitan vibes, the urban scene gently eats the countryside as modern industry marches ever onward, filled early prog with an embroidery that was too fine to last, it had to be replaced by bombast on a purely hellish ELP stance (nothing intrinsically wrong with ELP bombast when restricted to the first 4 albums but then it got too stupid for its own good)...the light classic approach is the way these cats envisioned it, being able to pump up the sound with modern ampage took the light out of the classic anyway so the real way to dig prog is most assuredly with bands such as this (unless its jazz prog then another starting point must be found with jools/brian auger type R&B proggy jazzbo)...the whole vibe is one of forward motion, but a motion that is countenanced by caution, probaby caution in the fact that uncharted territory is being explored by new recruits, cadets on the maiden voyage to the next plateau where the watchword is change, further intermingling of ideas that will eventually get too complicated to stand up and prog will lumber under its own unnecessary weight, but now with andromeda we see prog with everything to live for, everything to aspire to without any pretense, without commercial leanings...cats who dig the elias hulk / czar style heavy blues splat might wish to more than dig this, it's the sophisticated elder cousin (sophisticated being in relative useage only), the cousin with examination papers marked with a pass (only just, but a graduation all the same), a mild complication of ideas all brought into line by the molding of psych learning on a substantial blues footing, a grounding from which to fly, a nest that can supply sustenance and energy for the long trip to unknown days...andromeda are most likely better than the LP shows due to studio conditions, conditions that flumox many cool combos to the point of freezeing up, but the evidence on display can only give testimony to some new creativity, a new spark from the old rock'n'roll fire, ashes refurbished with the strike of one last match, the match that relights embers of lost chords...
...this somewhat heavy handed hard rock prog disk gets off to a pretty dreary start and makes a cat want to move on quicky but the second track looks up a bit and then they find their footing...keyboard and guitar fronted copy of 'procol harum' with some looking back in the vocal dept. to the psych days...a good example of a combo not really knowing what the new prog sounds of the 70's should be and not enough talent to write a tune and stretch it out...the sort of group that would be second/third on the bill at small provincial gigs, the kind of' band that plys their wares while the audience does its own thing, like getting a drink, skinning up and generally ignoring the stage...in the pantheon of hard rocking prog they amount to really no more than 'also rans' but not very far...having said that it does not stop an original wax copy going for more bread than it should but one cats steak is another cats granola, in this case heavy is as heavy does, you either dig it or you dont...
...from the tail end of the six ohs comes this really top doomy sounding keyboard heavy, proggy hard rock with nice slices of guitar riffing and solos weaving around to make this a total treat...very much a drag that this was the only offering before it was splitsville and all concerned onto lesser, but more lucrative business...
...the wordy poetry gives this disk an othertime feel, a folky feel from an absinthe soaked, opium smoking, crushed velvet wearing wigged poet, one nestled way up on high in a lofty dusty garrett surrounded by quill pens and stacks of parchment ready to catch and keep the wordage...all this mixed with a decadent cabaret vibe that only invited guest are allowed to experience...it seems to exist only for the initiated, cats who have heard the call to dig a higher vibe...
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