Erkin Koray - Elektronik Türküler (1974)

The father of Turkish rock music, Erkin Koray is a legend by any measure. Possessing a great voice, he is also a unique and accomplished guitarist, an inventor, a leader, a true intellectual, and a rebel at all costs. He has blended classic oriental Turkish tunes and ethnic and Middle Eastern themes into his psych-driven rock and has stood the test of time, and has weathered political crises as well as military coups. Although his first records are nearly impossible to find and they are sold for impressive prices on eBay (as much as $1,000 for an LP), Koray is one of the most influential Turkish rock musicians even into the 21st century.

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EL TOPO (1970)

Although El Topo was a popular cult film directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, and although Jodorowsky is credited with writing all but one of the seven songs on this LP, this is not the same album as the El Topo soundtrack on the Apple label (all of its music was also credited to Jodorowsky). Exactly what the relationship of the Shades of Joy's album El Topo is to the film El Topo remains unsolved -- even after dedicated Internet searching. Whatever the case, however, it's a rather interesting and hard-to-categorize album of seven instrumental pieces, even if it sounds like it might have been the product of a thrown-together, studio-only band. Veering between Miles Davis-styled early jazz-rock fusion, the kind of funky stuff you might expect to hear on some '70s blaxploitation soundtracks, San Francisco acid rock-styled guitar work, and pretty, pastoral neo-classical interludes, it never quite stays in a set groove. Keyboardist Howard Wales is the most recognizable of the 15 musicians credited (none of them are Jodorowsky, by the way), and contributes some really hot organ work. Recorded in San Francisco, it seems like the order of the day might have been to gather some musicians with capable jazz and rock chops and let them work out in a looser manner than they'd been accustomed to. Unlike many such albums from that free-spirited era, though, it's actually pretty reined-in and reasonably disciplined in its instrumental cohesion. If the intention was to create a soundtrack of sorts, it's more interesting and creative than many such endeavors. - Allmusic

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DANCING IN YOUR HEAD (1973)

Following the symphonic explorations of 1972's Skies of America, Ornette Coleman became fascinated with the music of Morocco. Dancing in Your Head is the chaotic result of that experimental period with the formation of Prime Time. "Theme From a Symphony" (Variation One and Two) is a 27-minute dervish whirlwind mixed with funk. This was the first opportunity listeners had to hear the two-guitar assault of Charles Ellerbee and Bern Nix. With its infectious danceable melody, Coleman fused these musics together in a unique unpredictable way that had not previously been attempted. "Midnight Sunrise" is a field recording with Ornette playing in Morocco alongside the Master Musicians of Jajouka during a religious ceremony. Music critic Robert Palmer, the first to expose Ornette to the music and culture of Morocco, plays clarinet. Unfortunately this fascinating piece clocks in at only 4:36, with an alternative take not on the original album, at 3:50 featuring Coleman and Palmer playing in an absolute frenzy. Dancing In Your Head sustained Ornette Coleman's role of controversial innovator. - Allmusic

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THIRD (1970)

The Soft Machine plunged deeper into jazz and contemporary electronic music on this pivotal release, which incited the Village Voice to call it a milestone achievement when it was released. It's a double album of stunning music, with each side devoted to one composition -- two by Mike Ratledge, and one each by Hopper and Wyatt, with substantial help from a number of backup musicians, including Canterbury mainstays Elton Dean and Jimmy Hastings. The Ratledge songs come closest to fusion jazz, although this is fusion laced with tape loop effects and hypnotic, repetitive keyboard patterns. Hugh Hopper's "Facelift" recalls "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson, although it's more complex, with several quite dissimilar sections. The pulsing rhythms, chaotic horn and keyboard sounds, and dark drones on "Facelift" predate some of what Hopper did as a solo artist later (this song was actually culled from two live performances in 1970). Robert Wyatt draws on musical ideas from early 1967 demos done with producer Giorgio Gomelsky, on his capricious composition "Moon in June." Lyrically, it's a satirical alternative to the pretension displayed by a lot of rock writing of the era, and combined with the Softs' exotic instrumentation, it makes for quite a listen (the collection Triple Echo includes a BBC broadcast recording of this song, with different albeit equally fanciful lyrics). Not exactly rock, Third nonetheless pushed the boundaries of rock into areas previously unexplored, and it managed to do so without sounding self-indulgent. A better introduction to the group is either of the first two records, but once introduced, this is the place to go. - Allmusic

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Selda 45 rpm collection (1970 - 80)

Protest Anatolian pop/folk/psychedelic singer Selda is the leading female artist in a male-dominant world. Her intense voice and impressive skill at reinterpreting hundred-year-old Turkish folk tunes have supplied her a well-deserved fame all around the world, even though she was a bit late to be received. On the other hand, because of her political views, she was banned, imprisoned, and abandoned in the chaotic years of Turkish history.

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REFLEXÕES SOBRE A CRISE DO DESEJO (1981)

Grupo Um is back with some extra explorations into the unknown frontiers of the free-jazz. A bit more eggheaded than the previous album, "Reflexões sobre a Crise do Desejo" still manages to be remarkable since it´s part of a rare documentation of the fusion / free jazz explorations in Brazil adding some samba percussion into the mix.

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Peace. Out.