Jimi Hendrix Experience - Radio One (1988)

(U.S 1967 - 1970)

Radio One is a posthumous psychedelic rock album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience , released in the United States in November 1988 by Rykodisc. Later released in the United Kingdom on February 1, 1989, the album features songs recorded live during a series of BBC sessions in 1967. It reached number 30 on the UK Albums Chart and number 119 on the Billboard 200. All tracks were later released on the compilation album BBC Sessions in 1998.

Radio has always been the primary medium for bringing music to people's ears. The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) has broadcast countless rock artists since the 1960s. From the 1980s onward, these recordings began to surface, either through bootlegs or official releases. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and, in the case that interests us in this blog, Jimi Hendrix, have all appeared on the BBC.

Born in Seattle, USA, and discovered by Englishman Chass Chandler, Jimi Hendrix achieved commercial success in England. Hendrix arrived in the UK in 1966. The following year, at the height of the psychedelic movement, The Jimi Hendrix Experience—that is, Jimi and his trio, consisting of Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums—played on various Radio One programs and shows, as well as a live performance at the Playhouse Theatre in London. In 1988, these recordings were compiled and released under the original title "Radio One." 

Hendrix's studio albums are generally characterized by their highly produced sound, featuring multiple layers of instruments and effects. Whether it was more guitars, acoustic or electric, keyboards, percussion, vocals, or effects like reversed tapes, all these elements contributed to the atmosphere of the albums, which is why Hendrix's music has earned the label of psychedelic rock. The tracks recorded at the radio station possess an extreme rawness, where the "power trio" concept, which had emerged shortly before with Cream (Clapton, Baker, and Bruce), was explored to its fullest potential. [extract from asturguiri.blogspot.com]

BBC Recording Sessions

Like most hungry London-based performers, The Jimi Hendrix Experience made multiple appearances on the BBC’s handful of radio shows that focused on current pop music. And like most people who went on to be world-famous, many of those performances were spread around via bootlegs until legitimate releases happened.

The first such release came courtesy of Rykodisc. Radio One presented 17 tracks, split between hits and more unique performances. As with most BBC collections, fanatics had lots to pick apart, while the more casual fan could gravitate towards markedly alternate versions of songs they knew from the albums, along with those that were, well, new. “Killin’ Floor” was constant in his setlists, and cooks here. The blues chestnut “Catfish Blues” appears in its then-first known performance (complete with a nod to “Rollin’ And Tumblin’”), as does “Hear My Train A-Comin’”, with unfortunate “party” noises, which also mar “Spanish Castle Magic”. “Driving South” was an excuse to jam, and comes from a show hosted by British blues legend Alexis Korner, who also plays slide with the band on “Hoochie Koochie [sic] Man”. Jimi even composed a “Radio One Theme” for one show.

These performances took place throughout a very busy 1967, when the band played a lot of shows and had the tightness to prove their worth. Save the occasional handclap or vocal overdub, these are live performances, and prove Jimi was able to create his own pyrotechnics without the multitracking that would soon dominate his regular studio work. Thus “Burning Of The Midnight Lamp” is a simpler trio version, without all the decorations the single/album track got. Of course, one must take the good with the bad, so while his funky arrangement of “Hound Dog” has merit, the overdubbed barking makes it one to skip. Better backing vocals are on their cover of “Day Tripper”, which does not include John Lennon, no matter what anybody tells you.

Because the BBC never saved anything, the sound quality on both is a little muddy, and the tweaking modern-day producers took to make the new set less mono doesn’t help. But as a companion to the three true Experience albums, and in balance with some of the other post-Experience recordings we’ll get to soon enough, 'Radio One' is a worthy addition to anyones Hendrix pile.

BBC Sessions - Top Of The Pops 1967

Another similar release worth a hearing is the high quality bootleg by K & S Records called 'Guitar Hero' [previously posted HERE] 

Note: Ten years later, once the “family” gained control of the masters, an expanded double-disc set more directly titled 'BBC Sessions' presented virtually everything he recorded for the station, including alternate takes from the same shows, presented in a not-quite-chronological order to cut down on repetition. [extract from everybodysdummy.blogspot.com]

This post was ripped from CD (released in Australia in 1992) and includes full album artwork for both Vinyl and CD.  I never purchased the vinyl release of Radio One, as I already owned the bootleg release (Guitar Hero) which was a high quality knock off.  Of course, I've regretted this over time, as it does leave a significant hole in my extensive Hendrix vinyl collection. Of course, the hunt still continues to find a decent copy of this '3 sided set' at a reasonable price.

Track Listing:

1-A1 Stone Free 3:26

2-A2 Radio One Theme 1:34

3-A3 Day Tripper 3:16

4-A4 Killing Floor 2:28

5-A5 Love Or Confusion 2:53

6-A6 Catfish Blues 5:29

7-B1 Drivin' South 4:49

8-B2 Wait Until Tomorrow 2:55

9-B3 Hear My Train A Comin' 4:58

10-B4 Hound Dog 2:43

11-B5 Fire 2:41

12-C1 Hoochie Koochie Man 5:29

13-C2 Purple Haze 3:04

14-C3 Spanish Castle Magic 3:08

15-C4 Hey Joe 4:02

16-C5 Foxy Lady 3:00

17-C6 Burning Of The Midnight Lamp 3:43

Personal

· Jimi Hendrix - guitar, lead vocals

· Noel Redding - bass, backing vocals on track 3

· Mitch Mitchell - drums, backing vocals

· Jimmy Leverton - backing vocals on track 11

· Trevor Burton - backing vocals on track 11

Recording details

• Tracks 1, 5, 15 and 16 recorded at 

the BBC Broadcasting House inLondon, England on February 13, 1967

• Tracks 2, 3, 8, 9 and 14 record the BBC Playhouse Theatre in London, England on December 15, 1967

• Tracks 4, 11 and 13 recorded at the BBC Broadcasting House on March 28, 1967

• Tracks 6, 7, 10 and 17 recorded at the BBC Playhouse Theatre on October 6, 1967

• Track 12 recorded at the BBC Playhouse Theatre on October 17, 1967

Radio One Link (417Mb)

Status Quo - Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon (1970)

(U.K 1962 - Present)

If ever there was a turning point in Status Quo's career it must have occurred just prior to the recording of this album with the release of "Down The Dustpipe". The change of direction the single presented as a recording was radical to say the least, especially when compared to the efforts from the two previous albums, "Spare Parts" and "Picturesque Matchstickable". 

Both of these earlier albums were 'poppy' albums with at least a flavour of psychedelia, although they did deliver some quite wonderful singles, "Pictures Of Matchstick Men" becoming not only one of the most famous but also one of the most recognisable. "Down The Dustpipe" although becoming a successful single was a million miles from these previous poppy efforts. It has to be said that in the opinion of a large number of fans the output from "Down The Dustpipe" onwards was not only more indicative of what Quo were about but was also substantially better as well.

Status Quo 1970

The "Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon" album was the follow up to the single "Dustpipe". Largely blues and boogie based it was the start of a highly successful formula that was going to bring Quo world-wide fame and riches a few years later. This formula was built on with the next (and final) PYE album "Dog Of Two Head", a hard rocking album that left record company, fans and all concerned with Quo in no doubt about the direction they had decided to take.

Track by Track

l. Spinning Wheel Blues
First track of the new album and what a change from previous efforts. Written by Francis Rossi and Bob Young this track really did set the trend for (many many) years to come!

2. Daughter
Again fairly typical of things to come. Written by Alan Lancaster the track had the plodding bass and repeated guitar riffs that were to become a (highly successful) trademark of the new Quo. The album even features a short Deep Purplesque keyboard break. Something that would not be seen after this album for a good many years.

3. Everything
Third album track and one of the few to be lifted as a single (PYE 7N 452291 B-side to the "Mean Girl" single which was released March 1973, long after Quo had departed from PYE. "Mean Girl" was released to capitalise on the newly found success Quo had gained with the Piledriver album.

4. Shy Fly

A song that was to show fairly typical boogie traits that were to make Quo so famous in years to come' The only thing untypical is the keyboard in the song.

5. (Apil) Spring, Summer and Wednesdays
A song that is fit for an album. This one really comes across as being a bit of a filler. OK in the context of the album though.

Rossi and Parfitt 1970

6. Juniors Wailing

This was definitely one of the best racks from the new Quo, if not one of the best tracks they ever recorded!

7. Lakky Lady
This track was becoming a good example of typical Quo. Not only was it an album track but it was also used as a B-side for the single (PYE 7N45253) The A side being "Gerdundala", which itself was previously released as the B-side to "My Chair" in Ictober 1970, PYE's reasoning in releasing Gurdundala as an A side in July 1973 was an obvious one, the track was featured heavily in the bands live set at the time.

8. Need Your Love
A bit of a plodder, "Need Your Love" contained some musical signatures that were to crop up often in later Quo records.

9. Lazy Poker Blues
Another great little boogie number with a piano style that was to frequent some of the songs from the band's middle period. Check out "Break The Rules" of the 'Quo' album from 1974.

10. a) Is It Really Me b) Gotta Go Home
This was the start of the long songs for Quo. "Is It Really Me" starts as plodding introduction for 2 mins 50 secs then blasts into "Gotta Go Home", a good boogie number that was going to become quite typical for Quo in later years. The major difference here from later songs was the use of the organ in the track. There are things you will hear in the song that definately re-appear in longer versions of songs from the band's live sets during the mid-seventies. Great material here for those drunken party nights. Turn it up VERY loud and enjoy.

Bonus Tracks:

11. In My Chair
This version is an alternate mix to the original single release (PYE 7N 17998), and is previously unreleased. Another non-LP track that was released the same month as the 'Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon' album. This single was also a strong indication of the change of direction the band was taking. A trackl that was sometimes p-layed live later in the seventies, it was definitely not out of place with some of their later material. The single charted on the 7th November, 1970 climbing to number 21 and completing 14 weeks in the BBC listings.

12. Gerdundula
Released originally in October 1970 on the Pye label as the B-side of "In My Chair" - in England and Germany, the original song runs to around 3 minutes 16 seconds. "Gerdundula" was re-released in July 1973 when it failed to chart. It also appears on the 1971 'Dog Of Two Head' album where it runs to 3 minutes 49 seconds, but this alternate mix from the original (previously unreleased), is the longest version running for 4 minutes 10 seconds.

13. Down The Dustpipe
The version is an alternate previously ureleased mix of the original single (PYE 7N 17907). Now we are talking Quo!  This was the song that not only returned Status Quo to the charts but it was also an indication of the radical direction that Rossi and co. wished to take. "Down The Dustpipe" had been written by an Australian, Carl Grossman [spelt Groszmann on PYE labels) who played rhythm guitar for Australian R&B band 'Steve and The Board' in the late 60's, under the alias of Carl Keats.

When the original single charted on 2nd may, 1970 it began an unbroken run of 17 weeks in the charts! It reached a peak at number 12, and although it did not achieve as high a position as some of the earlier singles it's stay in the charts was significantly longer. "Down The Dustpipe" was not incorporated on the third Status Quo album and it did not secure an album release until PYE later put together a compilation to capitalise on the sucess of Status Quo in the 70's. [See earlier  'Best Of ' Post]

14. Juniors Wailing
An alternate mix, and previously unreleased.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from the 1998 CD release and includes full album artwork for both vinyl and CD media, along with label scans for both Australian (ASTOR) and UK (PYE) releases.  

This CD release includes 4 bonus tracks (alternate mixes), including their hit single "Down The Dustpipe".

Track List:

01 Spinning Wheel Blues  3:21

02 Daughter  3:01

03 Everything  2:36

04 Shy Fly  3:49

05 (April) Spring, Summer And Wednesdays  4:12

06 Junior's Wailing  3:33

07 Lakky Lady  3:14

08 Need Your Love  4:46

09 Lazy Poker Blues  3:37

10 Is It Really Me / Gotta Go Home  9:34

Bonus Tracks

11 In My Chair (Alternate Mix)  3:34

12 Gerdundula (Alternate Mix)  4:10

13 Down The Dustpipe (Alternate Mix)  2:08

14 Junior's Wailing (Alternate Mix)  3:35

Status Quo were:
Francis Rossi - Guitar, Vocals
Rick Parfitt - Guitar, Vocals
Alan Lancaster - Bass, Vocals
John Coghlan - Drums
Roy Lynes - Keyboards
Bob Young - Harmonica

Status Quo's Greasy Link (361Mb)

REPOST: Jesse Harper - Guitar Absolution in the Shade of a Midnight Sun (1969)

(New Zealand 1967 - 1969, aka Doug Jerebine)
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During the mid sixties in New Zealand, the leading bands all included strong lead guitarists. Human Instinct had Billy TK, Ticket had Eddie Hansen, the Underdogs had Harvey Mann and the Brew had Doug Jerebine (aka Jesse Harper). Harvey Mann had learned much of his technique and style from Doug Jerebine. The Underdogs and Human Instinct were good competition for each other, both fighting for the ultimate cult following.

The 'Brew' were regarded as New Zealand’s first 'Underground' band. It was put together by Californian Bob Gillet who was a jazz musician living in New Zealand. He had decided to form his own band to play a new kind of music. His first recruit was guitarist Doug Jerebine (pictured far left in the B&W photo below) who was fond of experimenting with equipment and sounds. Doug was a guitar wizard and had previously played with the 'Embers'. They only produced one bizarre / experimental single called "Bengal Tiger" in 1967,with a distinctive eastern influenced guitar before splitting and going onto other musical endeavours.

Doug Jerebine (far left) and The Brew

When the Brew folded, Doug went to England and began writing and recording under the name Jesse Harper and made a powerful LP 'Guitar Absolution in the Shade of a Midnight Sun'.
When the Human Instinct made a brief visit to England, they met up with Jesse and he provided them with a number of his songs. In fact seven of the songs on the Human Instinct's first two albums were written by Jesse.

While in England, Jesse Harper recorded an album full of original material, and this music was finally released in 1992 by Kissing Spell. This is a limited edition of 1000 copies vinyl - acetete only MONO recording from 1969 by one of those Hendrixians from NZL - first time available in restored sound quality. A re-mastered version has also been made available by Kissing Spell in 2002 which featured extensive liner notes but replaced the cover art as shown below.
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While the tracks on this 1999 ACME release are titled differently to the Kissing Spell release of  'Guitar Absolution in the Shadow of a Midnight Sun', they are in fact the same songs. The original cover image is "The Agony In The Garden, Studio Of El Greco, 16th Century" (see left) and the music has been described as being 'Killer Acid Psych 60s Rock Guitar Fuzz Trips'.

The ten demos, which make up this album, were recorded live with a drummer and had bass, lead parts, and vocals overdubbed by Harper. It was literally a one-man project. And like the Bevis Frond, who followed a similar pathway later, the music is mainly super heavy, washed in phasing with multi-tracked guitar leads battling for attention. The Hendrix approach was very clear. It's all noisy and druggy, with the occasional mellower moment creeping in. Perfect for fans of late-'60s fuzzed-out hard rock. Yet another discovery from the ever widening crevice of obscurities from the psychedelic era.

While in England, Harper played bass with Jeff Beck, recorded an album that would become a underground classic and formed the World Band with another Kiwi Mike Donnelly on drums.
They played London, toured Holland and turned down a recording deal with EMI.
Harper quit the music scene to join the Hare Krishna movement but not before leaving a musical legacy that New Zealand's Human Instinct turned into a piece of underground history.
For more information on Doug, check out Keith Newmans excellent Doug Jerebine story.

1999 ACME Release

The first time I heard this album, I was completely blown away by two tracks - "Jug-a-Jug Song" and "Midnight Sun". Both tracks have a real Hendrix feel about them, and have been covered by Human Instinct on their classic LP 'Stoned Guitar'. In comparison, I gotta say that Harper's original take of these two tracks are far superior. Harper was renowned by his peers in the 1960’s as an “out there” guitar player with the playing ability to rival Hendrix. To read more about this interesting parody, have a look at this article from fishriderrecords

The remaining tracks are not quite so psychedelic and his playing style and vocals for me are somewhat reminiscent of Ten Years Afters' guitarist 'Alvin Lee'.

Overall, this album is a lost KIWI gem from the late 60's and is well worth the listen. The rip was taken from Vinyl in FLAC format and includes full album artwork.

New Improved RIP

Track List 
01 - Jug-a-Jug Song
02 - Blues News
03 - Other Side of Time
04 - Circles

05 - Keep Cool
06 - Midnight Sun
07 - Hole in his Hand
08 - Fall Down
09 - Ashes and Matches
10 - Love Song
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Jesse Harper Link (134Mb) New Link 12/08/2026

REPOST: Madonna - Unauthorised Live Vol 1 & 2 Torino, Italy (1987) Bootleg

(U.S  1979 - Present)
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28 years ago on September 4th, Madonna performed in Torino, Italy. The concert performed at the Communale Stadium was a monumental television event. It was broadcast live on TV in Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Austria. In Italy alone, the broadcast was watched by an estimated 14 million households. The Who's That Girl Tour ended 2 days later in Florence, Italy on September 6th.

In early summer 1987, two beautiful eyes started popping out from posters in the streets of major cities in the USA asking to the public: Who’s That Girl?
A few weeks later Madonna was on the road with her first world tour, the one that has consecrated her as the world’s leading female star of the ’80s.

Madonna surprised the world with extravagant clothes and accessories and a selection of songs from her first three albums in a heartfelt show that was broadcasted worldwide live from Torino, Italy on September 4, a show that later combined with footage from the other Italian show in Florence and bits from Tokyo, became the famous VHS tour souvenir Ciao Italia.

When Madonna closed her Who’s That Girl Tour in Italy, it became a national celebration. Tickets were immediately sold out and to prevent huge masses of people moving to Torino or Florence from other parts of the country, Rai, the Italian national tv channel contacted Madonna to broadcast her first Italian concert live on television. [extract from madonnatribe.com]
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Dressed To Express Yourself
Madonna's second tour, appropriately named the 'Who's That Girl Tour', is built around the power of costume to invoke thought and ultimately pose the question 'Who's That Girl'. Madonna used seven costumes and a variety of roles and attitudes to compliment the moods of the songs. As the sequence of personas paraded across the stage, the audience
pondered the question and quite often discovered that the answer was more complicated than it seemed..

Madonna has always tried to be thought-provoking and entertaining and the image of Madonna attired in a brazen bustier while packing a pistol gave the sell out crowds at her Who's That Girl concerts plenty to think about (see left)
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Dressed in a brazen black bustier, Madonna opened the show as the seductress. As the show progressed, she became alternately comical and thought-provoking. She poked fun at herself by dressing up in a goofy hat and glasses for a few songs, but then turned serious with 'Papa Don't Preach.' Surrounded by images of the pope, president and the White House, Madonna made it clear where she stood on the issue of a woman's right to control her own body.
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Her performance of 'Live To Tell' didn't use a costume or other props to make a statement, instead drawing its strength from a single, powerful moment at the end of the song, when she slumped to the ground. For a brief moment, the pose suggested despair, and then the singer rose slowly but nonetheless triumphantly.

Madonna sizzles on stage

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The Who's That Girl Tour was far more successful than the film of the same name. Approximately two million people on three continents paid top dollar to experience Madonna's musical extravaganza, which reportedly made as much as $500,000 per show. Madonna's challenge to herself was to make a stadium show personal. Anyone who has ever attended a concert at a stadium knows how far removed the audience feels from the performer(s) on stage. By keeping her show visually exciting, Madonna succeeded in making her performance more accessible to the people in the far reaches of the stadium.
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An actress, a singer, a song writer and a world-class entertainer, Madonna is also a caring individual who has done benefit performances for a number of causes, from famine to AIDS to rain forests. While on her Who's That Girl Tour, Madonna's Madison Square Garden performance of 13 July 1987 raised over $400,000 for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR).

Madonna's 'Who's That Girl' 1987 Tour Dates

She was the first major star to stage a large-scale fundraiser for this fatal disease, and she would continue to lend her support to fight AIDS with another benefit three years later at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, where she received the AIDS Project Commitment to Life Award. [extract from Madonna, by Marie Cahill, Bison Group, 1991. p60-68]
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This post consists of MP3 (320kps) ripped from my Australian JOKER Bootleg CD - acquired from a Garage Sale some time ago when I started to take interest in what Madonna had to offer, other than provocative 'fashion statements' !  Also included is full artwork and a selection of tour photos, sourced from Marie Cahill's book on Madonna with thanks.
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UPDATE:

Finally found the second half of this concert released by Joker Records - Vol 2, so I'm reposting this Unauthorised Bootleg for your enjoyment.  

The only criticism I have of this bootleg is that the guitar and bass seem to be quite distant at times, indicating that the engineer sitting behind the soundboard did some pretty poor mixing on the night. 
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Track Listing Vol 1

01 - Like A Virgin / Can't Help Myself
02 - Where's The Party
03 - Live To Tell
04 - Into The Groove
05 - La Isla Bonita
06 - Who's That Girl?
07 - Holiday

Track Listing Vol 2

01 - Open Your Heart

02 - Lucky Star

03 - True Blue

04 - Papa Don't Preach

05 - White Heat , Perry Mason Theme

06 - Causing A Commotion

07 - The Look Of Love

08 - Dress You Up

09 - Material Girl

Personnel:
Madonna (Vocals)
David Williams, James Harrah (Guitar)
Jai Winding, Patrick Leonard (Keyboards)
Kerry Hatch (Bass)
Jonathan Moffett (Drums)
Luis Conte (Percussion)
Debra Parson, Donna DeLory, Niki Haris (Backing Vocals)
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Madonna Unauthorised Link (208Mb) New Link 08/08/2026

First Light - First Light (1978)

(Australian 1978-1979)

In early 1978, the band Aleph fell apart. Later in the year, Ron Carpenter formed First Light, an obscure band from Northern NSW which issued a self-titled, self-financed album. Some sources report the release date as being 1979 [see havegravity.com], however according to John Sayers [at johnlsayers.com], a friend of his who knew the band, stated that 1978 was the correct release year. I'm gonna go with 1978. 

Australian band First Light's rare self-titled album is a concoction of mid-70's jazz-rock, jazz-fusion and progressive rock with prominent and proficient interplay between the sax, electric piano and the electric guitar with the occasional moog lead; one online reviewer comparing them to Aussie bands Mackenzie Theory and Crossfire. The music is predominantly instrumental with the exception of three tracks which feature female vocals - the standouts are the dreamy flute, mellotron and classical guitar driven prog of 'Zenith' (the sound on this track is quite different to the rest of jazz-oriented material on the album) and the frantic jazz-rock track 'Earthwave', which features some Linda Hoyle-esque vocals courtesy of Marian Henderson.

                                                   

The album was privately released on the M.F.S. label, which had been based out of the Music Farm Studios in Coorabell, Northern NSW. The only other album on this label is the 1977  'Just Playing' Compilation', used to promote the newly-created studios and the many artists and bands based in the Byron Bay area; this release seems to be much more difficult to track down than the First Light album, which is quite rare itself.

First Light consisted of John Gray on Guitars, Harry Freeman on pianos and keyboards, Graham Jesse on saxophones and flute, Allan Freeman on bass and most notably, Ron Carpenter (see left) on drums and mellotron, who was the main composer for Australian prog-rock band Aleph, drummed for AC/DC at one point in time and also played with Bogislav in the early 70's.

Moreover, John Gray and Harry Freeman were also in the progressive rock band Aeon, who are featured on the aforementioned 'Just Playing' compilation; although the musicianship on that song is nowhere near the standard on this album.

Allan Freeman (see right) moved on as a session player for Terry Gorka, Cascade and Kerrie Biddell  [Bass] and eventually joined the Delltones in 1984, playing on their LP's 'Tickled Pink', 'Out In The Open', 'Oasis', and 'The Sunshine Club'  [Vocals, Bass, Keyboards, Producer] 

Album Review
by Julian Ryan at progressreview.blogspot writes:

My favourite fusion album from Australia, no question. It really covers a lot of territory in one album, with Mahavishnu-style guitar arpeggios, softer jazz ballads, acoustic guitar solo, etc. I'll let the music speak for itself. First example, the stunning ballad (track A5 called Zenith), starting with a chromatic descending arpeggio on acoustic guitar, leading into a beautiful female chorus singing the lines, the chord changes, to a musician, are just astonishingly creative. As usual flute provides a delicately bucolic and transcendental experience to the whole. Again, there has never been another song with this sequence, guaranteed-- (in the stanza not intro) (major chords unless otherwise indicated) C, Dflat, Bflat, Eflat, Eflat minor, Dflat, Eflat7, Bflat, C7, Gminor7, Gmajor. An incredible sequence that works because of the wavering melody which pulls all the disparate keys and modulations together.

The ninth track (Solar Illusion) is your basic Mahavishnu guitar-fusion machine, but beautifully composed:

' First Light is a mighty fine instrumental jazz rock effort. Sunny in its approach, with some fine guitar leads, at times reaching a Santana like intensity, but falls just short (sadly). Some nice ensemble unison runs with sax, flute, electric piano, and the female voice on side 2 gives it a Northettes feel, that adds points.

I would suggest, then, that Side2 is the better of the two. Though not by a whole lot. The music is highly melodic, and isn't showoff-y in the slightest. Sits comfortably between jazz fusion and progressive rock, though I would categorize it as the former.

Back cover says: "Mellotron and special effects kindly supplied by Aleph". Solid effort. File next to Crossfire, Mackenzie Theory and Galapagos Duck. A natural choice for Aztec to re-release I think.

Martin Pruckner, the famous krautrock specialist from Germany tells us: "FIRST LIGHT from Australia is the band formed by ALEPH drummer Ron Carpenter. He also played with ACDC in 1974 and COLD CHISEL in 1978. Release date must be 1979 I guess." '

This record deserves to be bought as vinyl to be truly enjoyable--but good luck finding a copy!

This post consists of FLACs ripped from vinyl (thanks to Kinetic at Midoz Forum) and includes full album artwork for vinyl only.  Although this album has been released on CD by Paisley Press in 2022, I have yet to source the artwork for it. [If any blog followers have this release on CD, please share the artwork via the comments section]

Track List:

Side One:

A1. First Light 04:00

A2. Emerald Tide 04:04

A3. Sonidos Negros 02:55  

A4. Duologue 05:15

A5. Zenith  04:02

Side Two:

B1. Earth Wave 04:40

B2. Tropical Inequation 05:03

B3. Azure Azimuth 03:27

B4. Solar Illusion 04:48

B5. Fire In The West 02:16

Personel:

John Gray - Electric, Classical and Acoustic Guitars

Harry Freeman - Electric and Acoustic Pianos, SH 5 and Moog synthesisers, string ensemble

Graham Jesse - Soprano, Alto and Tenor Saxes, Flute

Allan Freeman - Bass Guitar, Vocals

Ron Carpenter - Drums, Mellotron, Vocals

Marion Henderson, Beth Freeman, Jeanette Freeman - Vocals

Gerald Frape - Percussion

First Light Link (254Mb)