T-Te

TAM Half & Half’s (Japan): Shiroi Kisetsu (TAM LM7171, with inner and booklet, 1976)
Singer/Songwriter
Unusually packaged with an envelope-style sleeve, matching plain inner and eight-page booklet, this is one of the rarest Japanese private pressings. It’s equally unusual musically: somewhat folky, though definitely not folk, with a pronounced singer/songwriter feel and a progressive flavour from the sparse instrumentation (mostly just piano and synthesiser). The whole thing resembles the soundtrack to a stage show or multimedia experience, and taken alone is a quirky and mildly interesting venture. GRADE: C+.

T Kail (USA): Somewhere, Sometime (Jade BBW 8001, 1980)
Rock/Progressive
Kathy Bass (joint lead vocals, bass, keyboards, percussion)
This celebrated album updates the classic late sixties underground rock sound of bands like Big Brother & The Holding Company and Jefferson Airplane, with energetic tandem male and female vocals and lively arrangements led by guitar and synthesiser. Side one is impressive throughout, ending in the lengthy ‘Bye Bye’, but side two is patchier, reaching a nadir on the funky, soulful ‘Dance Dance’ (which isn’t actually bad, but doesn’t sit well with the rest of the LP). Overall, however, this is a fine album, whose reimagining of classic West Coast sounds for a new era somewhat reminds me of A Euphonious Wail. GRADE: C+.

T With The Maggies (Ireland): T With The Maggies (TWM Music TWMCD001, with digipak and booklet, 2010)
Folk/Rock
Triona Ní Dhomhnaill (joint lead vocals, keyboards, accordion, whistle), Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill (vocals, yardstick), Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (joint lead vocals, violin), Máire Brennan (joint lead vocals, djembe, harp)
This is something of an Irish female folk supergroup, featuring Clannad’s Máire Brennan, the prolific Triona Ní Dhomhnaill and her sister Maighread, and one Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (whose other work I haven’t encountered). The opening ‘Wedding Dress’ is rather good electric folk, suggesting a slightly different direction from Brennan’s other work, but the remainder is very sweet Celtic folk, with hits of Clannad, Enya and all the usual suspects. GRADE: C+.
See also Bothy Band, Máire Brennan, Clannad, Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill, Triona Ní Dhomhnaill, Nightnoise, Relativity, Skara Brae, Touchstone, Various ‘From Lagan To Lee’

Tacklers (UK): Hello Friend (Vortex VOX 0001, 1974?)
Folk
Alison Knight (joint lead vocals, guitar)
A dead ringer for any number of albums on Folk Heritage, this pleasant traditional folk/rock set from a Lancashire band offers good but totally unexceptional versions of ‘Lancashire Lads’, ‘Streets Of London’, ‘Banks Of The Ohio’, ‘Bread And Fishes’ et al. GRADE: C.

Tactile Gemma (Norway): Tactile Gemma (Season Of Mist SOM 046, CD, 2001)
Progressive/Avant-Garde
Monika Edvardsen (joint lead vocals), Ann-Mari Edvardsen (joint lead vocals)
Uniting the Edvardsen sisters (Monika from Atrox and Ann-Mari from Third & The Mortal) with a versatile multi-instrumentalist, this is an interesting and creative album. With mostly keyboard-based backing, the music is varied, atmospheric and often quite intense, whilst the singing is wide-ranging, though only occasionally as wild and demented as in Atrox. GRADE: B–.
See also Atrox, Third & The Mortal

Taï Phong (France/Vietnam): Return Of The Samurai (Vocation, CDR, with minisleeve, 2013)
Rock/Progressive
Sylvie Tabary (joint lead vocals), Aïna Quach (occasional vocals), Angélique Paquet (occasional vocals)
This comeback effort by a seventies prog band (as the title suggests) offers some lovely, rich symphonic textures and creates an agreeably mellow mood. However, its procession of melodic ballads and occasional mid-paced rockers is a bit short on excitement, and there’s nothing truly memorable here. Oddly, the Japanese SHM-CD (Vivid Sound VSCD4290, with gatefold minisleeve, booklet and obi, 2014) omits four of the twelve tracks, though it is much better packaged than the minimalist French issue. GRADE: C+.
Taï Phong (France/Vietnam): Live In Japan (No label TPLIJ1DVD, DVD, 2016)
Rock/Progressive
Aïna Quach (principal vocals)
There’s nothing wrong with the performances or the band’s stage presence or the lighting or the filming or the recording here; it’s simply that Taï Phong’s mixture of ballads and relaxed soft prog can be a bit soporific. Leader Khanh Mai notes, when introducing ‘When It’s The Season’, that it’s the band’s most difficult song to play: perhaps they should stretch themselves a little more, as it’s the one moment when the concert really comes alive. GRADE: C+.
Taï Phong (France/Vietnam): Live In Japan (No label TPLIJ1CD, double CD, with digipak, 2016)
Rock/Progressive
Aïna Quach (principal vocals)
The CD version of the show, which exactly duplicates the contents of the DVD, confirms my impression that Taï Phong’s music is pleasant and relaxing, with decent musicianship and some nice hooklines, but without that indefinable X-factor that grabs and holds the attention. In some ways, they remind me of mid-period Karnataka without the Celtic elements, though Taï Phong’s music is slightly more varied, and therefore less tedious over the duration of a lengthy show. The Japanese version of the release (Vivid Sound VSCD4341, with gatefold minisleeve, booklet and obi) packaged the DVD and CDs together, whilst a triple CD was also released (Vivid Sound VSCD4338/40, with gatefold minisleeve, booklet and obi) featuring a third disc with the missing tracks from the Return Of The Samurai SHM-CD. GRADE: C+.

Tainatar (Finland): Hämärän Juhlat (Taina-Kilta Productions TAINA01, CD, with gatefold minisleeve and booklet, 2008)
Rock/Progressive
Mia Sauranen (lead vocals)
This odd album fringes progressive rock, hard rock and jazz/rock without ever quite crossing over into any of them. Instead it’s atmospheric rock – varied and well-crafted, but ultimately rather vague and also rather uninteresting. GRADE: C+.

Takami (Japan): Y De Noir (LLE Tapes MM-3049, cassette, 1982)
Folk/Avant-Garde
Takami (lead vocals)
Imagine The Marble Index with electronic backing and you’re pretty close: this intriguingly weird, spacy album sees Takami’s Nico-like intonations backed only by electric guitar and synthesiser, both echoplexed to the maximum. The results are supremely trippy and perversely fascinating, despite a lack of variety across the four tracks (as ‘songs’ doesn’t quite fite the bill). GRADE: B–.

Takami (Japan): Y De Noir II (LLE Label PM1006, 1983)
Folk/Avant-Garde
Takami (lead vocals)
Once again, Takami and her multi-instrumentalist collaborator Pneuma clearly modelled themselves on Nico and John Cale, and this quiet, eerie and haunting record captures Desertshore’s atmosphere with aplomb. Always minimalist and sometimes acapella, it can be a bit ponderous but it frequently achieves remarkable fragility and icy beauty without becoming too self-consciously gothic or arty. In fact, as Nico pastiches go, this is one of the best I’ve ever heard, and without the ridiculously overlong acapella number towards the end, I would have graded it a B–. GRADE: C+.
Takami (Japan): Yume No Kirigishi (LLE Label PM-1010, 1985)
Folk/Avant-Garde
Takami (lead vocals, kalimba)
The kalimba-and-voice number that opens side two becomes a touch tedious, but otherwise this is stunning: opening with distorted electric guitar lines recalling ‘It Was A Pleasure Then’, it uses synthesisers and sitar to suitably psychedelic effect before climaxing in an effectively tripped-out cosmic jam. Those with a taste for the mantric (or simply for great psychedelic folk) will find it a rare revelation from a generally barren decade. GRADE: B–.

Talamasca (USA): Rights Of Passage (Get Dressed! Music, cassette, 1992)
Rock/Progressive
Nancy Kaye (lead vocals), Brita Rae Borough (guitar, sitar), Nissa Madsen (saxophone, recorder, backing vocals)
This mostly female band’s album bears many of the hallmarks of modern American prog, being very understated and slightly jazzy, with an emphasis on off-key notes and quirky melodic progressions. Most of it is pretty tuneless, but ‘He’s Approaching’ (with backing only from drums) and the folky ‘Polarity’ (with some nice colourings from sitar and recorder) are worth a listen. GRADE: C+.
See also Rae Borough, Box Of Crayons, Harlequin Mass, Lal Meri, Truth In Advertisement, Various ‘Beyond Rock’

Tale (Italy): Senza Frontiere (Kaliphonia KRC/008, CD, 1994)
Progressive
Liliana Bodini (lead vocals)
Tale is one Michele Tale, a multi-instrumentalist and composer, but the backing band is Zauber, who write nearly half the material. Typical of Zauber-related projects, it’s largely instrumental and quite pastoral, with some neoprogressive elements and quite a lot of flute. However, Tale’s main instrument is the guitar, so this has a slightly different sound from Zauber’s own LPs; aside from unsympathetic programmed drums here and there, it’s one of their best projects. GRADE: C+.
See also Clarion, Zauber

Tale Cue (Italy): Four Tales (No label, cassette, 1989)
Progressive
Laura Basla (lead vocals)
On the plus side, this neoprogressive band is a hint more ambitious than many and can manage the occasional good hook (as on ‘Hunt The Mouse’). On the downside, the sound quality here is rather average, some of the tempo changes are handled less than adeptly and, as already noted, the good hooks are merely occasional. GRADE: C.
Tale Cue (Italy): Voices Beyond My Curtain (Muséa FGBG 4030.AR, CD, France, 1991)
Progressive
Laura Basla (lead vocals)
Unsurprisingly, this is considerably more mature (and considerably better recorded) than their cassette, building upon the band’s strengths. But whilst the music here is dynamic and energetic and beautifully crafted, it’s also a little lacking in variety – and once again the band don’t demonstrate much flair for the killer hooks that would have made it a B–. GRADE: C+.

Taliesin (Germany): The Quest Of… (No label, cassette, 1995)
Progressive
Jennifer Holzschneider (lead vocals)
This German band’s six-song demo album shows some promise: the metal-influenced riffs are suitably crunchy, their material is a touch more ambitious than the neoprogressive norm, and there’s a fair amount of variety. But, like most demos, it’s also amateurish in parts, with some dubious notes from Jennifer Holzschneider and some clumsily handled tempo changes, so as a finished product this is both satisfying and fundamentally flawed. GRADE: C.
Taliesin (Germany): When Silence Will Be Unbearable (WMMS 087, CD, 1996)
Progressive
Jennifer Holzschneider (lead vocals)
The polish offered by a professional studio suits Taliesin, and their album proper – reprising the six numbers from their tape plus two new ones – takes them to the next level. Dynamic, majestic and mildly experimental, this is a fine album that I might have rated a B– if not for some cheesy synthesiser leads and a vaguely neoprog vibe that hangs around like the proverbial ghost at the feast. GRADE: C+.

Talisma (Canada): Quelque Part (Unicorn Digital UNCR-5051, CD, 2008)
Progressive
Florence Bélanger (lead vocals, piano)
This odd album offers ten vignettes of between two and nine minutes – nearly all excellent, most instrumental, and the bulk dissimilar to everything else on the album. There’s everything here from borderline progressive metal to soundtrack-like numbers to ethereal, typically Québecois songs fronted by Florence Bélanger, with Mellotron, modernistic synthesisers, quasi-industrial percussion and lots more thrown into the mix. As a continuous suite of music, this could have been superb. As it is, it sounds like a band throwing ideas at the wall and pursuing individual grooves for a few minutes, stopping abruptly and then trying something else. GRADE: C+.

Tamalone (Holland): New Acres (Crossroad CR 279.109, with insert, 1979)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Esther van der Hoorn (occasional vocals, flute)
Tamalone was the brainchild of singer, songwriter, guitarist, flautist and producer Cees van Aanholt, who closely modelled his composing and vocal style on Ian Anderson. Not surprisingly, New Acres bears a strong resemblance to Jethro Tull, offering melodic song-based progressive rock with folky edges and quite a bit of flute. GRADE: C+.
See also Paragon

Tamalpais Exchange (USA): Tamalpais Exchange (Atlantic SD 8263, with insert, 1970)
Folk/Rock
Susan Kay (joint lead vocals, guitar), Pamela Talus (joint lead vocals, keyboards), Penelope Anne Bodry (joint lead vocals)
The opening ‘Anthem’ is truly brilliant garage pop, with snotty massed vocals and a growling fuzz guitar riff heralding a classic LP. Sadly, the album never reaches the same heights again: it’s mostly gentle folk/rock with Christian lyrics and the vocals providing a loungy, MOR edge. That said, there are some harder rock tracks, most notably the highly effective ‘World’. Overall, it’s vastly better than most albums of its type: all the songs are originals, and the band are highly capable composers and singers. Another huge plus is the restrained arrangements, which avoid strings, horns and all the trappings that major labels usually added around this era. I’d recommend this from start to finish, but even those who don’t like the sound of it should pick up a copy while it’s cheap just to hear ‘Anthem’. GRADE: C+.

Tammy & Julio Angel (Puerto Rico): 2 à GoGo (Hit Parade HPLP-004, 1966?)
Beat
Tammy (joint lead vocals)
‘2 à GoGo’ was a musical TV programme of the mid-sixties, and the accompanying album devotes a side apiece to its two stars, Julio Angel and Tammy. Both sides are typical period beat with a lo-fi garage sound; several numbers are Spanish language interpretations of familiar pop hits. Housed in a striking pink, yellow and green striped sleeve, this is now a very rare record. GRADE: C+.

Tanakh (USA): Saunders Hollow (Camera Obscura CAM078CD, CD, Australia, 2006)
Folk/Psychedelic
Michele Poulos (lead vocals, guitar, vibraphone), Isobel Campbell (backing vocals)
Mostly offering haunting, melodic ballads, the album sometimes extends to harder psychedelic numbers, hints of soft progressive, avant-garde touches and elements of world music – all very downbeat and pretty accomplished. GRADE: C+.

Norma Tanega (USA): Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog (New Voice NVS 2001, 1966)
Folk/Rock
The title track gave Tanega a surprise hit single, but this is far from a novelty record. She’s an excellent singer and songwriter, and managed a fine album of bluesy folk/rock with restrained and well-judged band backing. For mid-sixties American folk, this is pretty much as good as it gets. GRADE: C+.
Norma Tanega (USA): I Don’t Think It Will Hurt If You Smile (RCA SF 8217, UK, 1971)
Folk/Rock
Norma Tanega (principal vocals, guitar, autoharp)
Tanega’s rare second and final album, recorded and only released in the UK, marks a step forward from her first. Blending her earlier style with more contemporary singer/songwriter sensibilities, it’s quite varied: ‘Beautiful Things’ has baroque orchestration, the sultry ‘Illusion’ has bongos for a hippie-folk feel, and ‘What More In This World Could Anyone Be Living For? (Version 2)’ features anthemic vocals and growling fuzz guitar, whilst several instrumentals are centred on harpsichord and autoharp. This is a worthwhile purchase for anyone who likes turn-of-the-seventies folk/rock. GRADE: C+.

Tangent (UK/Sweden/Hungary): The Music That Died Alone (InsideOut 6 93723 65992 3, CD, with slipcase, Germany, 2003)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive
Sam Baine (piano)
Andy Tillison and Sam Baine’s new band is much more of a group effort, with various members taking lead vocals. It’s also somewhat different musically, with a jazzier feel and more willingness to stretch out and jam, probably due to the presence of seventies veterans Roine Stolt and David Jackson. At one point they cover Hatfield & The North, but this has none of the Hatfields’ audacity, humour or sheer joy, so like Parallel Or 90 Degrees I find it enjoyable but not especially inspired. GRADE: C+.
Tangent (UK/Sweden/Hungary): The World That We Drive Through (InsideOut 6 93723 00392 4, CD, with slipcase, Germany, 2004)
Progressive
Sam Baine (keyboards, backing vocals)
Dropping the jazzy edges from their first, this sees the band moving towards a more mainstream sympho-prog sound. The music is beautifully crafted, with nice instrumental textures and dramatic climaxes in all the right places; it just lacks the brilliant hooks that would have made it truly memorable. In fact, the best thing is the trippy, impressionistic bonus track ‘Exponenzgesetz’. GRADE: C+.
Tangent (UK/Sweden/Hungary): Pyramids And Stars (Progjam 001, CD, UK, 2005)
Progressive
Sam Baine (keyboards)
On their live album, the Tangent finally stretch out and jam to their (and my) hearts’ content. Since they’re better musicians than songwriters, the decision makes perfect sense and this comfortably eclipses their studio sets (as well as a good deal of modern prog). GRADE: B–.
Tangent (UK/Sweden): A Place In The Queue (InsideOut SPV 48750 DCD, double CD, Germany, 2006)
Progressive
Sam Baine (occasional vocals, keyboards)
A Place In The Queue makes a strong case for Andy Tillison being one of the great modern lyricists – his words, by turn, are poignant, angry, funny and self-deprecating. However, the music – competent, bland sympho-prog – is merely adequate, and the best number on the first CD is the only one he didn’t compose. It also has to say something that the two Gong-like live jams that close the bonus disc significantly outclass any of the actual songs. GRADE: C+.
Tangent (UK): Going Off On One (InsideOut SPV 79510 DVD+DCD, DVD plus double CD, with digipak, booklet and slipcase, Germany, 2007)
Progressive
Sam Baine (keyboards, backing vocals)
Capturing the band performing live in a small club, their DVD isn’t visually spectacular – and despite a couple of powerful jams, neither is the music for the most part. In fact, the most interesting aspect is the 1981 footage, when Andy Tillison was leading a more intense new wave-influenced prog band. The accompanying CDs add a few bonus tracks from a different performance. GRADE: C+.

Tangent (UK/Sweden/Belgium): The Slow Rust Of Forgotten Machinery (InsideOut 88985438892, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2017)
Progressive
Marie-Eve de Gaultier (keyboards, backing vocals)
I’d never really connected the Tangent and Big Big Train before, but in both cases the lyrics are more interesting than the music (though, that said, Big Big Train’s spellbinding stories are more interesting than Andy Tillison’s political ramblings). However, the best piece by far is the instrumental ‘Doctor Livingstone (I Presume)’, suggesting that Tillison actually says more when he attempts to say less. GRADE: C+ .
See also Maschine, Parallel Or 90 Degrees

Tanger (France): La Mémoire Insoluble (Mercury 558016-2, CD, with gatefold minisleeve and booklet, 1998)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive
Chloë des Lysses (backing vocals)
This French band’s album is as eccentric lyrically as it is musically – the opening song is about French journalist, photographer and former porn film actress Chloë des Lysses (to which she contributes backing vocals) whilst a couple of others concern my homeland, the Isle of Man. Musically, their main influences appear to be Gong (including a direct lift of the bassline from ‘Fohat Digs Holes In Space’ at one point) and the Velvet Underground (most notably on the punky ‘Camille III’). For the most part, it’s varied and quite experimental jazz/rock, with odd semi-spoken vocals and very virtuosic playing, and should appeal to Canterbury and zeuhl fans. Despite being credited as a band member, des Lyssses does not appear elsewhere on the album. GRADE: B–.

Tangerine (France): De L’Autre Côté De La Foret… (Arcane 87 014, 1975)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Valéry Btesh joint lead vocals, guitar)
This is a lovely, dreamy album of folk/rock, with arrangements built around breezy harmony vocals, multiple acoustic guitars, hand percussion and flute. Some listeners may find it too resolutely gentle, even middle-of-the-road, but there’s a beautiful organic flow to all the material. Most of the numbers are self-penned, but the title track is a superb French-language version of America’s ‘Sandman’. Tangerine went on to cut a second and final album with an all-male line-up, while Valéry Btesh formed a new project named Pollen; neither was a patch on this beguiling LP. GRADE: B.
See also Valéry Btesh & Pollen

Tantalus (UK): Jubal (Headline HDL 504, CD, 2000)
Progressive
Gerlinde Hunt (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals)
This competent neoprogressive album has rich keyboard-based arrangements, a decent vocalist, some good guitar solos and a few pleasant acoustic interludes. However, as those adjectives suggest, there is nothing stellar here, nor anything with much personality – overall, this reminds me of a lot of Japanese eighties or nineties sympho-prog (though had it been Japanese, the singer would have been female). GRADE: C+.
Tantalus (UK): Lumen Et Caligo I (Headline HDL511, CD, 2002)
Progressive
Gerlinde Hunt (keyboards, recorder, backing vocals)
The opening ‘While There’s Still Time’ is superb: with its dynamic riffs and constant shifts of mood and tempo, it recalls the greats of seventies sympho-prog and suggests the band has turned over a new leaf. Sadly, the rest is nowhere near as good, though the songs are well-crafted and the folkier instrumentals (notably the recorder-led ‘Harp Dance And Dig The Sod’) contain some fine moments. Overall this is a marked step up from its predecessor, but it only contains one truly essential song. GRADE: C+.
Tantalus (UK): Lumen Et Caligo II (Force Ten Productions FTPCD 011, CD, 2004)
Progressive
Gerlinde Hunt (keyboards, percussion, recorder, backing vocals)
As the title suggests, this was recorded at the same time as Lumen Et Caligo I, with both discs originally planned as a double album. Like its counterpart, this offers enjoyable keyboard-led progressive, mixing folky and heavier rocking moments, but once again it’s all decent but rarely exceptional. GRADE: C+.

Tanzbär (West Germany): Tanzbär (Nature 0060.063, with insert, 1977)
Folk/Rock
Rosita Konradi (joint lead vocals, percussion), Marie-Rose Käshammer (joint lead vocals, percussion, flute, crumhorn, épinette des Vosges), Ursula Renner (joint lead vocals, percussion, flute, crumhorn), Martina-Maria Müller (viola, recorder)
With a very similar sound to Ougenweide, right down to the tuned percussion and crumhorns, this is a beautiful and intricate folk/rock album. It’s perhaps a touch more traditional and mediaeval than Ougenweide, with few progressive elements, but rock instrumentation is used to subtle effect and the results are quite impressive. GRADE: B–.
Tanzbär (West Germany): Missethaten (Nature 0060.182, with booklet, 1979)
Folk
Martina-Maria Müller (joint lead vocals, viola, recorder, psaltery), Marie-Rose Käshammer (occasional vocals, percussion, crumhorn, épinette des Vosges)
Their second and final album takes them slightly further from Ougenweide in style, with more varied and acoustic arrangements. It’s another fine album, but I prefer their richer and more intricate debut. GRADE: C+.

Tapestry (Canada): Down By Maple River (Polydor 2424 078, 1973)
Country/Rock
Heather Winters (occasional vocals)
Although this duo enjoyed some minor chart success, this is one of the rarer Canadian major label albums, and sells for quite good money. Most of it is country/rock with the emphasis on the country – well done, but a must to avoid if you don’t like pedal steel guitar. However, the two longest tracks, ‘Oldtimer’ and ‘He Has Changed’, are something else: eerie rural rock with a psychedelic tinge and lots of powerful lead guitar and organ respectively, resembling Neil Young. It’s a pity the whole album isn’t in the same vein. According to some discographies they made two other LPs, but I’ve never encountered proof of their existence. GRADE: C+.

Tarántula (Spain): Tarántula 2 (Chapa H-33008, 1978)
Blues/Rock/Metal/Progressive
Ana Maria González Pazos (principal vocals)
The album’s predominant style is heavy progressive blues/rock, with good musicianship and an early rather than late seventies vibe. Along the way, they take in a few softer numbers, one displaying some sixties pop influences, and a long symphonic instrumental. However, Ana Maria González Pazos’s vocals are something else: on the heavy numbers she sounds like a cross between Maggie Bell and a cartoon character. Nonetheless, this is a very solid album, though some listeners may struggle with the singing. Their self-titled debut was cut by an all-male line-up. GRADE: C+.

Tarika Blue (USA): Tarika Blue (Chiaroscuro CR 164, 1977)
Jazz
Irene Datcher (principal vocals), Dolores Smith (occasional vocals)
This is a big ticket item, but it clearly sells to an audience with very different tastes from mine. The music is jazz-fusion without being jazz/rock – rock, by its very nature, has energy and rough edges. The playing here is good without being virtuosic, the mainly instrumental material is catchy without being memorable, and the mood is mellow without being hypnotic, adding up to background music of the most anodyne kind. GRADE: C.

Tarja (Finland): What Lies Beneath (Universal Music 0602527479149, double CD, with digipak and booklet, 2010)
Metal/Progressive
Tarja Turunen (lead vocals, keyboards)
Turunen’s third solo album essentially replicates her (and Nightwish’s) familiar style, and occasionally feels a touch repetitious – especially with a bonus EP. However, few people do this sort of stuff as well as she does, and she’s in spectacular voice here. There are also a couple of minor surprises thrown in: the opening ‘Anteroom Of Death’ unexpectedly alternates rather arch baroque sections with some frenetic metal, whilst ‘Crimson Deep’ (which closes the album proper) drops most of the epic orchestrations and is simply a world-class hard rock number. But whilst this is a fine album, it does leave one wondering how long she can keep retreading the same ground. GRADE: B–.
See also Nightwish

Tarnished Morning (USA): Tarnished Morning (Deliverance LP-JX-100, 1976?)
Folk/Jazz/Rock/Avant-Garde
Kathy Mason (lead vocals)
Only one, rather battered, copy is known of this private pressing, which comes housed in a crude black-and-white sleeve. Musically, it blends disparate influences (piano-based singer/songwriter fare, free jazz, elements of psych and prog) in different combinations on one lengthy suite and a number of shorter, almost fragmentary cuts. The result is a dark, rather despairing but very creative album; I would love to know about the history of the band, but the disc appears completely unknown. GRADE: C+.

Tartar Lamb (USA): Sixty Metonymies (Ice Level Music, CD, with gatefold minisleeve and booklet, 2006)
Classical/Progressive/Avant-Garde
Mia Matsumiya (violin)
This side-project by Toby Driver and Mia Matsumiya of Kayo Dot is quite different from the parent band, offering quiet, mournful and strongly classical music led by the latter’s violin. There are a few free jazz and avant-garde references too but nothing whatever in the way of rock (let alone metal), making for an unusual and tranquil listening experience. GRADE: B–.
See also Gregor Samsa, Kayo Dot

TAT (West Germany): Count Down Rockmusical (No label 1979, 1978)
Rock/Progressive
Marlene Dittrich (occasional vocals), Ursula Lillig (occasional vocals)
This obscure album, which has no rock opera or stage musical elements at all, offers a mixture of rock and prog styles, sometimes coming close to Jethro Tull or Focus with elegant flute passages. Whilst a bit of a mixed bag, there is plenty of good music here. GRADE: C+.

Karen Taylor & Ian Shaw (UK): Friends… (Granny GRAN 001/EJR 601, 1978)
Pop/Folk/Rock
Karen Taylor (principal vocals)
The cacophony of sound effects that opens the album makes you think it might be some kind of avant-gardism, but in fact it’s a nice singer/songwriter affair, with the material alternating between lively pop/rock and acoustic folk. Whilst there’s nothing really outstanding on offer, Ian Shaw is a more than capable songsmith and guitarist, while Karen Taylor has a pleasantly sultry voice. The best number is probably the closing ‘Sing My Song’, which has a nicely anthemic chorus and some rather psychedelic organ work. Overall this is quite unusual for a seventies British private pressing, and only two or three copies appear to be known at present. GRADE: C+.

Rosemarie Taylor (Ireland): Taylormaid (Id IDLP 2009, with inner, 1977)
Singer/Songwriter
Rosemarie Taylor (lead vocals, keyboards)
Housed in a striking textured cover, this extremely rare LP consists of gentle and often quite lovely piano-based singer/songwriter music that often resembles a less precious early Catherine Howe. On a couple of cuts, a slightly spacy, Mellow Candle-like edge appears, but for the most part the disc doesn’t leave its comfort zone. GRADE: C+.
See also Great Saturday Night Swindle, Supply Demand & Curve

TCB (Canada): Open For Business (Traffic CS 2001, 1970)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive
Colleen Peterson (joint lead vocals)
Blending horn-rock and progressive elements, this is an exceptionally long album for its era, running not far short of 55 minutes. Most songs are in the five-to-seven minute range, but ‘Magic’, which dominates side two, extends to twenty-three-and-a-half. This latter track is in a very different vein to the rest of the LP, being a complex jazzy instrumental; it’s also the best number by quite some margin. Overall this is a solid set, although not enormously innovative and quite similar to many other releases of its era. Colleen Peterson later went on to a prolific career in country music. GRADE: C+.

Tea Club (USA): Rabbit (No label, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2010)
Rock/Metal/Progressive
Becky Osenenko (bass)
Typically American, this combines a heavy-riffing style with hesitant, sensitive vocals and a song-based approach; the results are solid and listenable, if somewhat generic. GRADE: C+.

Tea Club (USA): Quickly Quickly Quickly (No label, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2012)
Rock/Progressive
Becky Osenenko (keyboards)
Oddly, Becky Osenenko has moved from bass to keyboards, and the artwork is intriguing and very creative. Otherwise I can’t find much to say about this – American bands seem to love this kind of prog, but sadly I don’t. GRADE: C+.

TeddyBjörn Band (Sweden): TeddyBjörn Band (Piglet PR 2001, with booklet, 1980)
Rock/New Wave/Progressive
Anne Chaaban (occasional vocals)
This has the eclecticism typical of a Swedish polit-rock LP, but unlike most it isn’t just quirky rock with progressive edges – it’s an equal blend of lively new wave-influenced rock and prog, with several instrumentals and two cuts of ten and seven minutes. With a few folky and electronic moments thrown in, it’s varied too, and at its best offers some raw and powerful music, with excellent guitar leads from Ted Dłużewski. He would later go on to make an equally interesting LP with his wife Maria Teresa. GRADE: B–.

Teina (USA): Touched By The Sun (Perception PLP 15, 1969)
Folk/Country/Rock
Teina (lead vocals)
Before glancing at the credits, I assumed this was a singer/songwriter LP, with moods ranging from gentle country/rock to more delicate ballads. In fact, just about everything was written by Perception supremo Jimmy Curtiss, with Teina supplying the vocals only. She has a lovely, gentle voice, lifting this a cut above the norm, and the jazzy closer ‘Too Soon’ is excellent, but despite the sleevenotes’ emphasis on her Native American heritage this is pretty formulaic stuff. GRADE: C.

Béatrice Tékielski (France): Je Cherche Un Pays… (SFP SFP34004, 1971)
Folk/Rock
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals)
Tékielski’s obscure debut album is totally different to all her other LPs, being breezy hippie folk with mainly acoustic backing (principally guitar, flute and percussion). The opening ‘Un Homme A Crié’ adds fuzz guitar leads for a rather psychedelic feel and is the best thing on offer but overall this is a bit of a mixed bag (though sometimes excellent and never less than pleasant). Magma’s Teddy Lasry helps out on piano, percussion and flute. GRADE: C+.
‘Mama’ Béa Tékielski (France): La Folle (Isadora ISL 9010, double, 1977)
Progressive/Psychedelic
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals, guitar)
Tékielski’s magnum opus takes almost all its cues from Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes: the same dramatic declaimed delivery, the same spacy semi-improvised backings, the same penchant for long tracks (up to 16 minutes). Whilst this is close to being a homage, it’s a fine album in its own right and is both slightly more conventional (no home-made instruments) and slightly more varied than the typical Alpes LP, ranging from borderline funk to psychedelia to folk in its stylings. About two-thirds of the set was remixed and reissued as the single album Visages (RCA PL 37269) two years later. GRADE: B–.
‘Mama’ Béa Tékielski (France): Faudrait Rallumer La Lumière Dans Ce Foutu Compartiment (RCA PL 37126, 1977)
Progressive
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals, guitar)
This is both more concise and more stripped-down than its epic predecessor, with the backing coming from dual electric guitars, bass and percussion. Notwithstanding a spoken-word track, it’s probably the better album, with some wonderfully spacy atmospheres, and whilst it’s still in the same general area as Catherine Ribeiro the resemblance is less pronounced due to Tékielski’s more laconic style. Her resemblance to Poisongirls’ Vi Subversa is also striking, making one wonder whether Subversa had any interest in the French rock underground. GRADE: B–.
‘Mama’ Béa Tékielski (France): Pour Un Bébé-Robot (RCA PL 37203, 1978)
Progressive
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals, guitar)
Incorporating elements from black music (funk, jazz, even dub) into her unique sound, Tékielski continues to put clear blue water between herself and Catherine Ribeiro with this laid-back yet intense set of declamations. Overall, this is perhaps her most consistent album.

GRADE: B–.
Mama Béa (France): Le Chaos (RCA PL 37322, with inner, 1979)
Progressive
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals, guitar)
With the fourteen-minute title cut and five shorter tracks, this is another fine album in Tékielski’s usual style. The black music influences are toned down from its predecessor, replaced by a much spacier sound with lots of synthesisers, which works well to support her freeform vocalising. GRADE: B–.
Mama Béa (France): Pas Peur De Vous… (RCA PL 37438, with inner, 1980)
Rock/New Wave/Progressive
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals, guitar)
This transitional album focuses entirely on short compositions: several in her familiar declamatory style but also a number of straight rock songs. Both types of material display heavy influences from the new wave, particularly in the use of reggae rhythms and saxophone; overall, it’s surprising how close to Poisongirls some of this material sounds. Whilst there are some very good numbers here, it’s obvious that Tékielski was starting to make a concerted bid for the mainstream and beginning to run out of inspiration. GRADE: C+.
Mama Béa (France): Aux Alentours D’Après Minuit (RCA PL 37533, with inner, 1981)
Rock/Metal
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals)
Her distinctive vocals are the only clue that this is a Mama Béa album; musically, it’s unrecognisable from her earlier work, being straightforward hard rock with simplistic songwriting and stripped-down backing from electric guitars, bass and drums. It’s actually quite good for the style, but it’s a mystery why she suddenly opted for this change of direction. GRADE: C+.
Mama Béa (France): Où Vont Les Stars? (RCA PL 37710, with insert, 1982)
Rock
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals)
Another peculiar stylistic shift: this one ranges from blues/rock (complete with horns and harmonica) to gentle ballads (which prove that she has a lovely voice, something not always obvious from her earlier work) to elements of synth-pop, reggae, hard rock and more. Surprisingly, it’s quite good and cohesive, due to accomplished songwriting – but it’s still a baffling release in view of her track record. GRADE: C+.
Mama Béa (France): Extraits De La Bande Original Du Film ‘Édith Et Marcel’ (RCA PL 37761, France, 1983)
Chanson
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals)
If its predecessor was odd, this is the strangest and most uncharacteristic album of her career. As the title suggests, this is the soundtrack to a film about Édith Piaf, consisting entirely of chanson material (none of it self-penned). It’s very well done for the style, with some excellent singing from Tékielski, but this is not my sort of music and it’s to be welcomed that she didn’t follow her inspiration Catherine Ribeiro too far down this path. With just over twenty minutes of music, this is either a very short album or a very long EP depending upon your perspective. GRADE: C.
Mama Béa (France): La Différence (Griffe GRI 19007 2, CD, France, 1986)
Rock
Béatrice Tékielski (principal vocals)
With lots of synthesisers and digital drums, this is the album where the eighties caught up with Mama Béa. Even if it weren’t for the thin, pompous arrangements, which sound dreadfully dated today, this would be a poor LP due to the uncharacteristically low standard of songwriting. The very short running time (under half an hour) simply confirms the impression that her heart wasn’t really in it. GRADE: D.
Mama Béa Tékielski (France): Violemment La Tendresse (Encore ENC 142 C, CD, 1988)
Blues/Rock
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals, guitar)
This suffers from some of the same problems as its predecessor, but the eighties elements aren’t quite so prominent and the songwriting is considerably better. That said, Tékielski isn’t exactly Janis Joplin or Bessie Smith and I can’t see this ranking among anyone’s all-time favourites from the blues/rock genre. GRADE: C.
Mama Béa Tékielski (France): No Woman’s Land (Adami 196702, CD, 1991)
Rock
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals, guitar)
An unexpected return to form, with some excellent rock cuts and even hints of her late seventies style. Thankfully most of the eighties influences have receded and this sometimes manages a high level of energy, especially on the raw live tracks that close the disc.

GRADE: C+.
Mama Béa Tékielski (France): Du Côté De Chez Léo (Mafalda Connection 171912, CD, 1995)
Rock
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals)
This collection of Léo Ferré covers isn’t chanson stuff as I’d imagined, but mostly rock, some of it quite hard. There are also some ballads and even a foray into jazz, making for a pleasantly varied album. Generally I dislike covers LPs, but this one is well enough done that you wouldn’t realise they weren’t Tékielski’s own songs. GRADE: C+.
Mama Béa Tékielski (France): Indienne (No label 189252, CD, 1998)
Rock
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals, guitar)
Returning to her own material, Tékielski releases another solid album of bluesy mainstream rock. Listenable as this is, it’s a great shame that it has none of the sense of adventure or daring of her late seventies work. GRADE: C+.
Mama Béa Tékielski (France): Théâtre De La Ville (No label, CDR, 2006?, recorded 1987)
Rock
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals, guitar)
This live set, available directly from the artist, unfortunately catches Mama Béa just during the period when she was obsessed with synthesisers and drum machines. There are no credits, but from the onstage banter it sounds like she was accompanied by only two musicians, providing thin and tinny backing. On the plus side, she is in fine voice and this offers a good cross-section of material.

GRADE: C+.
Mama Béa Tékielski (France): En Concert (No label, DVDR, 2006?, recorded 1989)
Rock
Béatrice Tékielski (lead vocals, guitar)
Available only from the artist (at an extortionate €40), this home-made DVD features an amateurishly filmed performance at a small club in 1989. Although there are only three musicians on stage (Tékielski plus a guitarist/keyboardist and a drummer) the use of sampled backing creates quite a satisfying sound. The set list is fairly unbalanced, featuring the then-current Violemment La Tendresse in its entirety, about half the preceding La Différence and only four earlier numbers. Whilst a professionally filmed performance of Tékielski in her late seventies prime would have been far preferable, this is still better than nothing, and she’s in impassioned form throughout. There is also a selection of low-grade older footage, including some black-and-white film of a far superior seventies performance. GRADE: C+.

Tempest (USA): Tempest (Earth ER 0378, 1976)
Rock
Barbara Pennington (joint lead vocals, percussion)
This bluesy hard rock album varies significantly in terms of quality: several cuts are unremarkable barroom stuff, but the opening ‘Can’t Be Too Strong When You’re Losing’ has a great melody and both ‘We Can Flow’ and ‘We Will Always Have Our Fears’ add elements of prog to good effect. Overall, it’s well worth a listen for anyone who likes the style. The band reissued the LP three years later, with the latter version (pressed in West Germany, for some reason) having a silver rather than white front cover. Both pressings are rare and fairly expensive. GRADE: C+.
Barbara Pennington & Tempest (USA): Second Thoughts (Earth ER 0481, 1982)
Rock/Metal
Barbara Pennington
Album number two is a bit tougher, and this is a solid early eighties hard rock set with some powerful singing and guitar work. As befits her star billing, Pennington takes nearly all the lead vocals this time round. GRADE: C+.
Barbara Pennington Band (USA): One (Earth ER 0185, with inner, 1985)
Rock/New Wave
Barbara Pennington (principal vocals)
Reflecting the changing times, this has more of a new wave influence and closely resembles contemporaneous Pat Benatar with a few sub-Blondie touches. Why they dropped the Tempest name, I have no idea, as this was masterminded by Pennington and her usual writing partner, guitarist Jeff Wells, although the other musicians are different. GRADE: C–.

Tempi Dispari (Italy): Tempi Dispari (No label, download, 2020)
Progressive
Barbara Possagnolo (lead vocals)
Whilst there are definite neoprogressive tinges here, this Italian band’s debut EP offers some lovely, lush Rock Progressivo Italiano. In fact, there’s enough promise here to make one wish they’d managed more than three shortish songs totalling a fraction under 15 minutes. GRADE: C+.

Tempio Delle Clessidre (Italy): Il Tempio Delle Clessidre (Black Widow BWRCD 123-2, CD, 2010)
Progressive
Elisa Montaldo (occasional vocals, keyboards, accordion)
With a nice balance of complexity and melody, this symphonic progressive album conjures up the spirit of the early seventies Italian greats. There’s nothing really new here, or any individually outstanding songs, but this is certainly in the upper tier of modern Italian prog.

GRADE: B–.

Tempio Delle Clessidre (Italy): Alie Natura (Black Widow BWRCD 160-2, CD, 2013)
Progressive
Elisa Montaldo (occasional vocals, keyboards, ethnic instruments)
Like their first album, Alie Natura effectively updates seventies Rock Progressivo Italiano sounds for the new millennium. It all peaks on the closing 15-minute suite ‘Il Cacciatore’, making one wish they had included longer and more involved material elsewhere, but this is a confident and accomplished set from start to finish. GRADE: B–.

Tempio Delle Clessidre (Italy): Live In Seoul (Black Widow BWR 168, double DVD, with booklet, 2014)
Progressive
Elisa Montaldo (occasional vocals, keyboards)
This gargantuan set – running for nearly four hours – features a complete concert from Seoul, shorter live sets from other venues, TV clips, backstage footage and more. It demonstrates Il Tempio Delle Clessidre to be an effective live act with quite a theatrical presentation, even if they don’t demonstrate enormous stage presence. The musicianship, of course, is superb, and that’s really the point of this band. GRADE: B–.

Tempio Delle Clessidre (Italy/Sweden): Il-Lūdere (Black Widow BWRCD 201-2, CD, with slipcase, Italy, 2017)

Rock/Metal/Progressive

Elisa Montaldo (keyboards, backing vocals)

They’re now got Änglagård’s Mattias Olsson on board, but the key addition is new vocalist Francesco Ciapica – an old-school leather-lunged belter. Quite different from their earlier work, this is song-based early seventies-style hard rock – had I been played this blind, I would have sworn that it was by their countrymen Il Bacio Della Medusa: Ciapica even manages a couple of falsetto screams that put me in mind of retro-parodists the Darkness. Nonetheless, just like Bacio Delle Medusa, this is all quintessentially Italian – and it’s extremely good too. GRADE: B–.
See also Elisa Montaldo, Vly

Temple (Germany/Switzerland): Temple (Psi-Fi PSCD0006, UK, CD, 1996, recorded 1976?)
Progressive/Psychedelic
Pauline Fund (joint lead vocals, tambourine)
As with Fund’s other band Cozmic Corridors, this was supposedly a reissue of a very rare private LP on the Cologne-based Pyramid label, but since no originals have ever surfaced it most likely consists of unreleased tapes and could have been recorded at any time between the mid-seventies and the mid-nineties. The music is raw garage prog with strong psychedelic edges, led by new wave-ish guitars and plenty of Mellotron; at various times, comparisons could be drawn with early Dead Can Dance, Amon Düül II, Hawkwind or Ash Ra Tempel. Irrespective of its providence, this is an excellent example of – or possibly homage to – mid-seventies Krautrock. GRADE: B–.
See also Cozmic Corridors

Nino Tempo & April Stevens (USA): All Strung Out (White Whale WW 113 / 7113, 1966)
Pop
This veteran brother-and-sister duo had been recording since the late fifties, and are best remembered for their big hit ‘Deep Purple’. This very pleasant pop album owes a heavy debt to Phil Spector, although it occasionally reflects underground music trends too, with ‘Follow Me’ in particular having definite psychedelic undertones. GRADE: C+.

Tequila (Denmark): Out On The Highway (Metronome MLP 15 553, with insert, 1975)
Rock
Gitte Glavind (occasional vocals, percussion), Inger Jahn (occasional vocals, percussion)
Giving no hint of their origins, this is rather dumb (though catchy and well-crafted) Americanised rock, mainly serving as a vehicle for singer, songwriter and guitarist Dennis Hastings. The best cuts are the catchy hard rocker ‘Don’t Keep Me Waiting Too Long’ and the wordless ‘Chinese Samba’, which betray some minor progressive leanings. GRADE: C.
Tequila (Denmark): The New One (Scan YMLP 1508, 1976)
Funk/Jazz/Rock
Gitte Glavind (occasional vocals, percussion), Inger Jahn (occasional vocals, percussion)
The band’s somewhat different second and final album offers slick, funky rock with elements of jazz-fusion, building on the sound of ‘Chinese Samba’. Gitte Glavind and Inger Jahn take a higher profile this time around, with the former writing and arranging ‘G-Blues’, but it’s nothing really special. GRADE: C.

Terra (USA): Breathing Tree (CMS 33CMS-017, with insert, 1978)
Folk/Rock/Jazz
Katie Poppie Donley (joint lead vocals, keyboards)
Whilst this isn’t as quirky or as varied as its slightly better-known follow-up, Bruce Pukema’s offbeat approach to composing and singing still sets it apart from most similar albums. The basic style blends singer/songwriter and AOR influences, often with a soft jazzy or folky musical base, but sometimes with country or even funk edges. Overall they sound like they’re influenced by early Heart, but the opposite end of Heart from most other bands: the darker and more introspective stuff from Dreamboat Annie or Little Queen. The best cut is possibly the slightly eerie ‘Infant Breeze’, but this is a consistently good LP. GRADE: C+.
Terra (USA): Hands On The Child (CMS CMS-22, with insert, 1979)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Katie Poppie Donley (joint lead vocals, keyboards)
Their unusual second album, which comes in a black-and-white paste-on sleeve, is quite difficult to describe. In parts this is rather mainstream and it’s slick and well-produced throughout, but it’s also quite distinctive on the longer and more complex side closers ‘In Defense Of A Soul’ and ‘Days In Spain’. Another highlight is the lazy, relaxed instrumental ‘Jamaican Mass’, which suddenly explodes into a heavy acid-rock jam; elsewhere there are jazzy touches and hints of avant-prog, though the basic style once again mixes singer/songwriter and AOR elements. GRADE: C+.

Terraex (Norway/Spain/Italy): Somnia (Muséa Parallèle MP 3095, France, CD, 2010)
Progressive
Maria Toresen (lead vocals, piano, violin)
Pitched somewhere between alternative rock, progressive and avant-garde metal, this odd little album covers a lot of ground. On the heavier cuts they occupy similar territory to Anekdoten or Provenance, whilst the lighter numbers have folky or poppy edges with some new wave touches; occasionally Maria Toresen sounds like a shrill Scandinavian Joni Mitchell. Not everything works well, but this is generally interesting, with some enjoyable instrumental textures (including plenty of Mellotron), and at least half the songs are very impressive. GRADE: C+.

Terry, Dave & Wendy (USA): Time To Love (Spencer-Alquist Audio Enterprises SA-61671, 1971?)
Folk/MOR/Classical
Wendy Coatsworth (joint lead vocals)
Pressed on very thin vinyl and housed in the same ‘sundial’ cover as Christopher & Isabella (and several other big ticket private pressings), this unknown album features a three-piece folk choir performing a variety of material with piano backing. The opening ‘The Sound Of Silence’ is the best thing on offer, with side one becoming increasingly MOR thereafter and side two having a religious slant. Nonetheless, their singing style isn’t particularly formal, so this is a perfectly pleasant listen. GRADE: C.

Teru’s Symphonia (Japan): Teru’s Symphonia (1985)
Progressive
Kaori Shimomachi (joint lead vocals), Etsuko Kuroda (joint lead vocals)
Led by the talented guitarist and keyboardist Terutsugu Hirayama, Teru’s Symphonia offer pleasant but rather derivative progressive with lots of synthesisers. There are some enjoyable symphonic passages here along with some neoprog touches, and the whole thing has a distinctly Japanese and decidedly eighties feel. GRADE: C+.
Teru’s Symphonia (Japan): Egg The Universe (Crime K32Y-2134, 1988)
Progressive
Megumi Tokuhisa (principal vocals)
Album number two is typically bombastic eighties neoprog, dominated by some pompous and occasionally quite annoying keyboard fugures. Overall it’s amiable enough, but this degree of swagger would need to be matched by some pretty incendiary musicianship or some admirably bold song structures to rise above the mediocre. GRADE: C.
Teru’s Symphonia (Japan): Human Race Party (Crime 292E 2046, CD, 1989)
Progressive
Megumi Tokuhisa (principal vocals)
This is as bombastic and dated as its predecessor, but benefits from rather better songwriting. In particular, ‘Midnight Dreamer’ is highly catchy and, in an edited form, could have given the band a well-deserved hit single. On the downside, I have no idea why Megumi Tokuhisa chose to sing ‘After The Party’ in the style of a little girl. GRADE: C.
Teru’s Symphonia (Japan): Fable On The Seven Pillows (Symphonia SYCD-1, CD, with book sleeve, 1991)
Progressive
Megumi Tokuhisa (lead vocals)
Reducing the neoprog elements significantly, this is a much more complex and enjoyable album with long symphonic passages. However, like their very first work Castle Of Noi (issued as a Terutsugu Himayama solo set) the disc also rather has a rather childlike feel in parts that could annoy some listeners. This is a very elaborately packaged CD, with a complicated foldout sleeve. GRADE: C+.
Teru’s Symphonia (Japan): Clockworked Earth (Symphonia SYCD-3, CD, with novelty booklet, 1993)
Progressive
Megumi Tokuhisa (lead vocals, keyboards)
The opening ‘Dreams In The Past’ directly rips off one of the chord sequences from ‘Kashmir’, whilst most of the rest is a sort of pastiche of the band’s earlier work or neoprog styles in general. Nonetheless, this is possibly their best album, with some strong melodies and riffs, a decent level of complexity and invention, and no obvious weak points. The unusual booklet includes rotating artwork on the front cover. GRADE: C+.
Teru’s Symphonia (Japan): Do Androids Dream Of Electric Camel? (Muséa FGBG 4234.AR, CD, France, 1997)
Progressive
Megumi Tokuhisa (lead vocals)
This is another enjoyable album, maintaining the more exploratory style of their last couple of releases. This time they add some Arabic elements, as the title suggests, generally to good effect. GRADE: C+.
Teru’s Symphonia (Japan): The Gate (Muséa FGBG 4302.AR, CD, France, 1999)
Progressive
Megumi Tokuhisa (lead vocals)
Their final album is once again lively, sumptuous, undemanding sympho-prog, with some tracks maintaining the Arabian influences of the previous disc. Whilst this is nowhere near the cutting edge of innovation, it’s an enjoyable disc, like most of their work. GRADE: C+.
See also Terutsugu Hirayama, Pale Acute Moon, Megumi Tokuhisa

Tetriconia (Mexico): Eve (No label, CD, 2005)
Metal/Progressive
Arely Rodriguez (joint lead vocals)
This is epic symphonic progressive metal with female soprano, male death and choral vocals, sounding like an amalgam of Nightwish, Therion and early Theatre Of Tragedy. With well-composed material and some fine orchestral arrangements, it’s a strong and highly listenable LP, but although beautifully crafted and with some superb violin work it doesn’t bring any innovation to an already overcrowded genre. Three years earlier, the band had released another album Falling In Dark that duplicates some material with this disc, suggesting it may have been their demo. GRADE: C+.