Vikings Invasion - Vol. 1 (Switzerland 1975)

"This is a reissue of what might be the least known of the Swiss 70's progressive albums; hard & heavy Cream influenced trio that couldn't play the clubs then because due to the loudness of the music the windows would break. 'Marshall heaven' from 1975."

"Vikings Invasion was a pre-punk German-speaking-Swiss left-wing hard rock group playing American-style blues-rock in England, sung in English. Vikings Invasion is caveman-simple rock recorded live in a what sounds like a rehearsal room. There is nothing intricate or subtle about these Swiss dudes’ cretinous playing. They played loud. They played thuddingly dumb. But they also played the blues. Vikings Invasion started out with the name Dreieinkeitsmoses, meaning Trinity Moses, taken from a Brecht play (that’s why, beyond the ‘70s long-hair zeitgeist, I assume them to have been at least modestly left-wing). In addition to Eliot, they used Brecht poetry for lyrics too. Their British record label, which signed them after they won a contest sponsored by Melody Maker in 1975, made them change their name to Vikings Invasion, ostensibly confusing Switzerland with Sweden. The LP was called “Vol. 1,” but no second volume ever appeared. The record is as unpolished a release as one can imagine a big label of the ‘70s producing. It has the feel of a demo, and this CD includes one 11-minute bonus rehearsal track, which does not have a particularly noticeable difference in fidelity from the LP itself, except for a thicker guitar tone and a pretty awesome wah guitar solo. My favorite song is “Listen to Four Guitars on Your Corner,” which you’ll be shocked to learn is one of the heaviest and least bluesy tracks. Two other highlights are the other heavy slugger “Rhapsody on a Windy Night” and “Answer for My Life,” with a title befitting a ‘90s Tokyo hardcore record. Both songs have up-tempo parts (most of the songs are rather slow), and the latter’s is over a minute of uber-simple proto-punk." (read the entire review @ shit-fi.com) (BUY IT!)

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Toad - Open Fire: Live in Basel (Switzerland 1972)

For those new to Toad, Switzerland's most celebrated hard rock band, and thoroughly confused by the eclectic music encased within Akama's Behind the Wheels, all things are made clear with the solid slab of stage sound emanating from Open Fire Live in Basel 1972. The sleeve notes are equally up-front about the source of this release: a tape bootlegged at the gig. But judging by the quality of the sound -- a tad muddy in places but surprisingly good overall -- this was presumably taken straight off the mixing board. The CD seems to pick up some way into Toad's set, as they launch into the epic, almost 15-minute "Tomorrow Blue," and R&B was where the trio's hearts were, even as the rhythm section boogied straight into hard rock and guitarist Vittorio Vergeat flickered into metal. "Blues," too, heaves its way from undiluted 12-bar blues into the power raging R&B-inflected rock that defined the likes of Cream, early Led Zeppelin, and other Brit rockers raised on the blues but determined to drag the genre into the modern age. Sometimes they squall into a bit of an ominous noisefest à la Black Sabbath, as "Thoughts" illustrates, or into virtuoso braggadocio, as on "Pig's Walk," where Vergeat attempts to out-flash Jimi Hendrix, a delusion shared by every guitarist of the day. Toad could never beat Hendrix at his own game, but they definitely show they're experienced across the two Hendrix covers that close out the set. "Red House"'s R&B roots are showcased to a shine, while "Who Knows" gets equally sumptuous treatment, and although neither is that far removed from the original, both give the bandmembers plenty of opportunity to strut their stuff. Being Swiss, Toad would never garner the success of their British counterparts, but in many ways the trio more effectively melded the blues to rock than any of that island's more favored sons. (allmusic) (BUY IT!)

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Spot (1972)

dprp.net:

"Another Swiss band I had never heard of. Different from most other re-issues on Black Rills Records, this band Spot is older and much more influenced by the blues and rock from the late Sixties. Now that's one of my favourite cups of tea... The singer plays keyboards as well, in a more accompanying role, not very upfront or soloing. Now I mentioned the singer, I must also add that he has a great blues voice. Raw, but could have used some more power. Still fits the music well.

Strange perhaps, but some of the vocal melodies remind me of the early Moody Blues. I mean the mysterious, moody, bluesy (what's in a name...) and melancholic Moody Blues. Spot are heavier, though. More blues and more rock. Other vocal lines are definitely more blues / (hard) rock, like Led Zeppelin (as in Free, but especially in Portobello). Lots of wah-wah guitar, distorted guitar - Cream and Hendrix influences. But there's also an easier side to the music, as in In My Dreams, which has a great Spirit and Doors feel to it. Or a bit of Deep Purple or Mountain in Oh What A Day.

Spot are really like the more original progressive blues bands than your ordinary Blue Cheer hard rock or something. Songs really evolve, change. Rough, bluesy, rocking. And listen to that marvellous version of Sabre Dance... You might not know the title, but the music you do... Great, driving version, menacing atmosphere.

The production is not very well. The original recordings are from 1972, and definitely not done in a great recording facility with immense budgets. But due to the kind of music, this is not a bad thing. Had this band got a better chance in the international music world, they surely would have recorded more albums. I like this kind of music very much - they refer to a lot of my favourite bands from those days. OK, I can mention a lot of bands they sound like, but it's more like bits sound like this, other bits sound like that. It's not that complete songs sound very much like this or that band. It's a great mix, a bit like Steve Morse's latest solo album, Major Impacts: an ode to all those great bands. Spot recorded their album in a time when those bands were still active, or had just stopped for one reason or another... If you like even a couple of the bands I just mentioned, you should have a listen." link in comments (buy it)

Spot - Who Are You