T2 – It’ll All Work Out in Boomland – Heavy Prog (UK, 1970)

T2's original line-up's sole (officially-released) album is a collection of heavy, guitar-powered tracks with flourishes of brass tossed in at points.  Reminiscent of Cream at times, the guitar playing is often frenetic, the drumming is frequently wild, and the bass--while mixed all too quietly--is top-notch.  "In Circles" is a high-energy song that highlights guitarist Keith Cross's high-speed soloing.  "JLT" is a much calmer track to contrast with the previous one.  Mostly acoustic with some nice piano, it provides an excellent set-up for my personal favorite track on the album:  "No More White Horses".  Originally recorded by drummer/vocalist Pete Dunton's previous band, Please, as a mid-tempo, organ led song, T2 transformed it into an eight-and-a-half minute epic containing all of the band's extremes:  from high-energy soloing to acoustic verses to brass-and-piano interludes.  The final track on the album, "Morning", is one of the most coherent 20+ minute epics I've ever heard.  The song is solid and sounds like many movements of one song, as opposed to several shorter songs slammed together, as some epics are.

Track listing:
1)  In Circles (8:38)
2)  J.L.T. (5:55)
3)  No More White Horses (8:38)
4)  Morning (21:15)
Bonus Tracks
5)  Questions and Answers (5:23)
6)  CD (7:06)
7)  In Circles [Rehearsal] (9:09)

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Visokosnoe Leto – Prometheus the Imprisoned – Heavy Prog (USSR, 1978)

Visokosnoe Leto were a band active in the USSR between the years 1972 and 1979.  They existed in a period of Soviet history when rock music was illegal, so, naturally, there was no hi-def recording going then.  The sound quality sounds like a 1978 Soviet cassette (because that's what this audio comes from).  The recording was entirely amateur, which led to a slightly grainy recording without much bass.

HOWEVER,

This material on this album is of very high quality.  The music (and I cannot vouch for the lyrics, as I don't speak Russian) is reminiscent of early Kansas or Uriah Heep.  The guitar is crunchy, the organ is plentiful, and the performance is energetic.  This is, in my humblest of opinions, one of the finest pieces of prog-rock ever recorded, and I am very grateful that some of the band's recordings were saved.

(no cover available)

Track listing:
1)  Встuплене (2:03)
2)  Прометеи Часть 1 (4:34)
3)  Прометеи Часть 2 (6:21)
4)  Прометеи Часть 3 (10:23)
5)  Доверься Медлeннои Реке (4:37)
6)  Лuди Бувshе Птицу (4:36)
7)  Если Шагнuть лэ Заколдовaнного Крупа (4:15)
8)  Мне Вупало в Жизnи (2:54)
9)  Ту Не Мог Поверить (4:00)

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Gäa – Auf Der Bahn Zum Uranus – Space Rock (Germany, 1974)

A psychedelic, organ-heavy album to come out of West Germany in 1974, Gäa's debut also gives this blog its name.  (Auf Der Bahn Zum Uranus is German for "On the train to Uranus.")  This album has all the trappings of a classic space rock album:  Ethereal, reverb-heavy passages with narration; Heavy flange and distortion applied to the guitar; (what I'm going to assume are) Cosmic lyrics; Vocal harmonies; And the ability to skillfully switch between driving psychedelic rock and sparser atmospheric passages.

Track Listing:
1)  Uranus (9:38)
2)  Bossa Rustical (4:05)
3)  Tanz Mit Dem Mond (7:23)
4)  Mutter Erde (6:57)
5)  Welt Im Dunkel (6:59)
6)  Gäa (7:33)

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Welcome aboard The Train to Uranus!

Welcome to my blog, which will hopefully soon be filled with many interesting links to (possibly) new music for you.  That being said, sit back and enjoy.  (And if you do enjoy the music shared, I always appreciate feedback.)