#74
MACKENZIE THEORY — BON VOYAGE
How fitting to begin another COUNTDOWN voyage with an album called Bon Voyage. How ironic saying “Hello” to another epic trek through more than six dozen albums (selected from a pool of around three hundred) with a ritual phrase of farewell. How ambivalent was your correspondent about attempting this increasingly difficult, time consuming labour of love? How could so many diverse styles of music be shoehorned into a single list, let alone one in ranked in order of importance, enjoyment, and/or interest?
In the end, it probably doesn’t matter. It’s about albums that bring pleasure fifty years on from their initial release. It’s about reminding music-loving friends of records they’ve long forgotten and introducing the adventurous to new old sounds.
This first offering ticks many of those boxes. It is an obscure release by an interesting and short-lived progressive band built around the guitar explorations of Rob Mackenzie and the electric viola of Cleis Pearce. Probably jazz-rock is a better description, as the influences of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and John Coltrane are clear. Yet there is an acid-tinged improvisational component and a sense of sun-bleached space that gives this live album a peculiarly Australian character. Recorded in May 1974 and released a couple of months later, Bon Voyage was the second and final release by Mackenzie Theory as the band broke up before the LP hit the shops.
The 2021 Aztec CD re-issue adds some quality bonus material.
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#73
KLAUS SCHULZE — BLACK DANCE
This was the first Klaus Schulze album to use synthesisers. Given his reputation as the 70s master of long-form synthesiser compositions, that might seem unlikely and indeed Black Dance is unlike the later work which brought him worldwide accolades. Yet it is an interesting record and worthy of a listen for those into the history of electronic music or what became known as Ambient music. Not that this LP is gentle or drifty… more abstract and slightly chilling (like the Dali-esque cover art).
Schulze was initially a drummer and there is a percussive element to much of this music. In the opening piece “Ways Of Changes” this comprises tablas and conga drums while the side-long “Voices Of Syn” has organ and a male vocal before pattering percussion eventually enters, giving the 22 minute piece a slightly sinister baroque air. “Some Velvet Phasing” is a perfect proto-ambient daydream.
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#72
STANLEY CLARKE — STANLEY CLARKE
The virtuoso jazz bass player was already an integral part of Return To Forever by the time this, his second solo album, was released in December 1974. The band he assembled are fabulous. Jan Hammer on keyboards, Tony Williams on drums and under-appreciated guitarist Bill Connors.
Unsurprisingly, the bass parts drive much of the music; Clarke wrote all bar one of the pieces. But his range and variety of styles are so diverse and interesting that you quickly forget this is a bass player’s record.
Highlights: The loping “Lopsy Lu” and an electric “Power” (featuring Connors).
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#71
HELDON — ELECTRONIC GUERILLA
Helmed by unique guitar stylist Richard Pinhas, Heldon were making fascinating music from the outset. This is their first LP, that includes synth drones (a bit like side two of Kraftwerk’s Autobahn), experimental guitar loops (several years before Pinhas’ friend Robert Fripp), and that signature Heldon sound that combines synthesisers and guitar to create wintery landscapes of dystopian potency.
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#70
BOB DYLAN & THE BAND — BEFORE THE FLOOD
Dylan and the Band had history, so a tour where they shared the stage was scarcely surprising at a time when neither career was exactly surging ahead. Bob Dylan is the main attraction, yet The Band are far from ‘just’ a backing band. The selection from their own rich songbook adds variety and—dare I say it—interest to a bucket full of Dylan classics. As for Bob, the master songwriter re-interprets well known songs with a sympathetic and animated group of musicians who are totally in tune with the legend. The result is a highly entertaining document and an outstanding ‘live’ album.
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1974 COUNTDOWN is off and running. Quite by accident (nudge nudge wink wink) this group gives a reasonable idea of what is to come, at least in terms of diversity. We have a highly regarded live album by a legend of popular music, an obscure Australian release, jazz-rock, prog, and electronic music.
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends.
vinylconnection.com.au 
One wonders about Rob Mackenzie’s subsequent career. Unlike Cleis Pearce who did release a post ‘Theory recording from up Nimbin way. He to my re-collection just disappeared into the vast ether as heralded by the esotericisms of his music making.
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Cleis Pearce also contributed to two rather fine acoustic albums with Cathy O’Sullivan’s Summerhaze.
Did you know that Rob Mackenzie did a stint with nostalgia rockers Sha Na Na in the 90s!?
Thanks for your comments.
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It’s good to see Mackenzie Theory kicking off the countdown. Headbanging for Introverts?
Anyway, I greatly enjoyed around half a baker’s dozen (being late one time due to reasons clouded by the times) of their inventive performances at T. F. Much Ballroom.
Was it really fifty years ago? Some of those viola expositions still soar in my head. Or is that improvisational tinnitus?
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The Band makes Dylan listenable for me. (Dylan’s voice often sounds more whine than shine to me; sorry).
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Stanley Clarke ✔️
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Thanks Bruce,
DD
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Like you—and indeed, many—I do need to be in the right mood for His Bobness. Having said that, one of his albums is slated to appear at the other end of this list. That’s Dylan, I guess. Bridging time, tastes, and troubadoring.
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I will wait for the right moment
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Really enjoy this series, Bruce. Been a highlight to read each in the last few years you’ve done these. Keep’em comin’. 🙂
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Thank you Marty. The encouragement means a lot!
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Incredible Stanley album – is that the original mid-’80s Epic CD? Wonder if it sounds better than the Sony ‘remaster’ that I have…
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It is, Matt. Sounded pretty good yesterday! 🙂
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Hooray! Great, interesting, informative, and counter-intuitive start to a fave series. Looking forward to the rest, as always!
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Thanks so much, JES. I appreciate the encouragement because, as you can tell by glancing at the calendar, I have left starting rather late. 😳
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I love how you just did this, seemingly out of nowhere. So fun! Love these annual countdowns. If ‘74 were akin to a season, I wonder if we’re in a springtime mode or more of an autumn/winter, in relation to whatever goodness spilled out of the 60s. Or whatever goodness was still to come in the 70s depending on your POV, or flare for the edgier punk stuff to come.
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Quite a nice, eclectic grouping here for sure, Bruce. Heldon! Good lord, I haven’t seen that album since…. well, 1974, probably. 😉 What I mostly remember about it was my best friend’s older brother warning us *not* to touch it because it was his. But we sneaked listens anyway. Great album, as I recall. – Marty
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Kudos to you for doing these countdowns, Bruce. I’m sure the majority of albums will be new to me.
From this initial batch, I only know “Before the Flood,” which I love. Unfortunately, I used that album to “prepare” for a Bob Dylan concert I saw in 1988 or so in Germany, naively thinking the maestro would mirror it. Of course, he didn’t and I was bitterly disappointed. Luckily, Dylan shared the bill with Roger McGuinn and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers who largely saved the night as far as I was concerned.
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Well that is a high quality bill and no mistake. The Heartbreakers always worked hard, live. Despite the Bob letdown, I’d called that Spitzenqualität!
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The Bob letdown at least in part was due to my naivete. That said, a dear friend who is a huge Dylan fan told me he had heard from other Dylan connoisseurs who attended that same show and who also weren’t impressed. I guess it really wasn’t Bob’s best night! Sadly, that was the only time I’ve seen him.
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SC for me.
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Never heard a note here. Do I win them on vinyl?
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Absolutely. Just pop in this week. They sitting on the left speaker with your name on them.
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