Monday, October 28, 2013

Rontheo - Rontheo (Ger 1976)

Rontheo - Rontheo (Ger 1976)

Formed:    Germany

Members:  
* Ronnie di Tomaso (guitar, vocals),
* Theo Busch (violin, guitar, percussion)

Genres:    Folk Rock

Tracks:
A1.    Music       
A2.    Live!       
A3.    Lady From Heaven       
A4.    Do It Again       
A5.    By the Side of a Clear Crystal Fountain       
B1.    Zyclus       
B2.    Although It's Fine       
B3.    Clouds Everywhere       
B4.    Tomorrow Will Know

German folk rock that mainly consist of acoustic guitar, violin, and percussion. This is very "American" sounding singer/songwriter stuff with pleasant English vocals. Do NOT expect something that sounds like Brosselmachine, or like Emtidi, or like Witthueser & Westrupp, because This is not really "psychedelic", or "cosmic" at all (even though it is often passed off as progressive folk, or acid folk). With all that being said, there are plenty of very good passages with excellent violin. The strongest material is towards the end, when the music does get a little more progressive at times, with some excellent guitar, beautiful choral arrangements (played on a keyboard choir setting) and extended violin jamming. All-in-all, a pleasant listen, but one can tell why it is not quite up there with the classics of the German folk rock scene of the 70's.

NOTE: There are rumors that these guys were not German at all, but Canadians living in Germany. That would explain their good English vocals, and more American sound
 ~ by thirstymoon (RYM).
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The name of this group comes from the first components blocks: RONNIE DI TOMASO (guitar, voice) and THEO BUSCH (violin, percussions). With their friend YEDZ they recorded this good LP in Germany in 1976... it's fresh folk rock, sung in English, and as usual many sellers consider it as psychedelic folk rock (maybe to sell it at a better price), anyway this is another little jewel coming from Germany and its value is growing day by day (400 US Dollars)... the gatefold cover is also great with a beautiful fantasy design... [www.celononcelo.com/rontheoen.html] http://www.krautrock-musik...601&lang=en
 ~ by isabelbc (RYM).
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This German band brings a surprising well crafted USA or British folk rock, or German why not?.
Voice of singer Ronnie di Tomaso add lots to the general pleasant ambience created by this musicians, emotive and inspired singing.
There are beautifully arranged song like the instrumental By the Side of a Clear Crystal Fountain where violin plays a principal role.
In general this almost unknown band, which falls into the never ending genre of "obscure bands", brings a delicate folk rock, pleasant and appealing.
Bravo Mr. di Tomaso and Busch, Ron Theo, unfortunately by the year this album was recorded (1976) nobody catch their wonderful project.
 ~ by DaremoS (RYM).

 Download Link:
Rontheo - Rontheo (Ger 1976).rar
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Sunday, October 13, 2013

Emmett Finley - Emmett Finley (us 1971, Poison Ring 2241)

Emmett Finley - Emmett Finley (us 1971, Poison Ring PRR-2241)

- Released on the small Connecticut based Poison Ring label.

Members:
* Emmett Finley - Lead vocals, Acoustic & electric guitar
* Hans Peter Schulle - keyboards & supporting vocals
* Dan Zellman - Bass, supporting vocals, engineering
* Ray Monte - Percussion, supporting vocals
* Ellington Sisters - Supporting vocals

Tracklisting:
side 1
1. So Easy   (Emmett Finley) - 4:44
2. Where He Cried Last Night   (Emmett Finley) - 3:35
3. Gospel   (Emmett Finley) - 2:54
4. Paula's Song   (Emmett Finley) - 1:57

side 2
1. Saturday Morning   (Emmett Finley) - 3:09
2. Monster   (Emmett Finley) - 6:07
3. Without You Now   (Emmett Finley) - 3:07
4. Sky King   (Emmett Finley) - 3:01
5. My Friend   (Emmett Finley) - 3:04

Reviews:
This LP offers up a decent mix of acoustic singer/songwriter material ("So Easy", "Where He Cried Last Night" and the pretty ballad "Paula's Song") with an occasional nod to more rock oriented numbers ("Gospel"). While Finley turned in a couple of nice guitar licks (check out "Monster"), the set's most interesting feature is probably Finley's voice. It took a couple of spins before we could place the resemblance, but then it struck us. Finley has a kind of nasally/echo clad delivery that sounds like "Walls and Bridges" era John Lennon. Nothing monumental, but certainly worth a couple of spins and better than a lot of the higher priced rarities being hyped by so many dealers. Noted CT area producer Doc Cavalier handled this one, as with several Poison Ring releases. [SB]
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Yes, check this one out. It's a fairly obscure entry in the underground sounds arena. You'll hear this described as killer folk rock (it is) with lost, atmospheric vocals (huh?), amazing, soaring, backing vocal harmonies (they're there), with facile acoustic/electric mix (check) and overall dark, spooky vibe that'll run chills up and down your spine (nah!). I'll describe it as soft, dreamy, psych influenced folk rock. A recent analogy to a friend was: like "Imagine" era John Lennon singing vocals for Kaleidoscope (UK) with material written by Syd Barrett. This is a very subtle album, that doesn't get your full attention first time around. But after a second listen, you really pick up on all the hidden surprises. "Sat. Morning Monster" is my fave, but there are plenty of other winners on tap. The original vinyl is rare, and I'm not sure if it's been reissued on CD, but however you prefer, it's worth seeking out.
   Addendum: The more I hear this the more I like it. It just grows and grows on you. Since this is not normally the type of record I get excited about, the fact that I am excited about it means that much more. It really is a great record! Grades - 2 B+'s, 2 B's, 3 B-'s, and a C+.
 ~ tymeshifter (RYM).
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Here's a real buried treasure that has never really had much in the way of florid hype.A real deep trip that has more in common with something like D.R. Hooker, than the burgeoning proliferation of singer-songwriters from the period.Might some close attention before you sit back and shake your head in wonderment.
 ~ wonkywhy (RYM).
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A true gem!

When you find an LP like this it makes all of those countless hours of searching and listening to obscure albums worth the time and effort. This is an outstanding psych rock record with some serious depth and beautiful Billy Nicholls-like vocals. A bit of a headscratcher as to why it was overlooked all of these years when the truth of the matter is that it blows half of the records in the Acid Archives out of the water.
 ~ foreverisadream (RYM).
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Okay, we bought this one without any idea who Emmett Finley was.  Why?  Well, we recognized the Poison Ring label as a Connecticut-based outfit that released some interesting 1960s efforts including an album by Pulse. 
Since we still don't know anything about Finley, let us tell you a little about this album.  Produced by Thomas 'Doc' Cavalier, 1971's cleverly-titled "Emmett Finley" offers up a decent mix of acoustic singer/songwriter material ("So Easy", "Where He Cried Last Night" and the pretty ballad "Paula's Song") with an occasional nod to more rock oriented numbers ("Gospel").  While Finley turned in a couple of nice guitar licks (check out "Monster"), the set's most interesting feature is probably Finley's voice.  It took a couple of spins before we could place the resemblance, but then it struck us.  Finley has a kind of nasally/echo clad delivery that sounds like "Walls and Bridges" era John Lennon.  Nothing monumental, but certainly worth a couple of spins and better than a lot of the higher priced rarities being hyped by so many dealers ...
 ~ RDTEN1 (RYM).

Download Link:
Emmett Finley - Emmett Finley (us 1971, Poison Ring 2241).rar

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