40 Year Itch: I Hear A Symphony

                       

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    Canterbury art rockers Caravan follow-up one of their finest albums, 1973's For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night, with this live set recorded with the 39-piece New Symphonia Orchestra. Hey, it worked for Procol Harum (whose live album with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra was their top seller) and Deep Purple ( 1969's Concerto For Group and Orchestra). The Caravan offering doesn't have as many fans but I think it's a treat, especially on the longer tracks like "For Richard" from 1969's If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You. A remastered version is longer and much better recorded.

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These Italian prog rockers/ jazz fusionists sported both the softest and most melodic tunes in progressive rock and one of the fastest drummers ever on record : the perfectly named Furio Chirico.

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 Check out the track "Positivo/Negativo" and you too will be wondering why this album is out of print.

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Having broken worldwide with their novelty number "Hocus Pocus", these Dutch masters of progressive rock get serious again and produce the fan favorite Hamburger Concerto. It's a little surprising that a band with a recently inducted guitar god (in Jan Akkerman)  has recorded an album so dominated by keyboardist (Thijs Van  Leer). A grower that requires patience and appreciation.

40 Year Itch: Prog Rock in Korea and Japan

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The high artistic concepts of progressive rock infected the entire world by 1973. This month I'll take us around the world to check out what some of the most interesting bands were doing. Let's begin in South Korea where Psychedelic Rock genius Shin Joong Hyun and his band The Men released It's A Lie featuring the hypnotic 11:30 track "Beautiful Country"  which sounds like a Far Out Eastern take on what Can was doing in Germany. 

As breath-taking as It's A Lie sounds, Shin Joong Hyun's masterpiece is Now, recorded with chanteuse Kim Jung Mi. Again, be prepared. You will be blown away!

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In Japan The Far East Family Band, featuring future New Age star Kitaro, released Far Out. Each side of the album has an epic prog/space rock track with "Nihonjin" being the highlight.Think Tangerine Dream meets Black Sabbath meets Pink Floyd. Meeting the Dream's synth master Klaus Schulze sent Kitaro on that solo career that included collaborations with The Grateful Dead's Micky Hart and Yes's Jon Anderson and a Grammy win for Best New Age album in 1999.

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Kokkyou Junreika is a 1973 rock opera by J.A. Caesar (born Terahara Taka'aki) who also contributed to a lot of film soundtracks. There's something epic and creepy about this album which combines traditional Japanese folk music with trippy psychedelic guitar.

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Imagine what might have happened if Japan hadn't denied Mick Jagger a visa. Already signed to Atlantic Records,  Flower Travellin' Band had been scheduled to open for the Stones entire 1973 Japanese tour. Instead, the band, who started out covering British and US psychedelic songs, put out the part live/part studio double album Make Up and then promptly broke up. The late singer Joe Yamanaka had one of the 70's great 'fros.