RICHARD FALK's REVIEWS

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Oliver Wakeman (UK): Anam Cara (Spirit Of Unicorn Music SOUMCD607, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2024)
FolkRock/Progressive
Hayley Griffiths (lead vocals)
This pleasant album has lovely artwork, appealing mellow music and tastetul arrangements, with beautiful vocals from Hayley Griffiths. But as that description might suggest, the only time it really startles is in the rock break during ‘Marble Arch’. GRADE: C+.

Sue Walker (UK): The Bard And I (Snellgrove SN 79, 1972?)
Folk
Only one copy is known of this album, which comes with a crude, hand-made black-and-white paste-on sleeve. Like the Austrian Bakadi LP, side one consists of musical settings of Shakespeare’s poetry, whilst side two is wholly self-penned; both have simple acoustic guitar backing, presumably played by Walker herself. She has a lovely, pure voice, making this a charming album, if inevitably one with limited variety. As a footnote, the label states that this was a ‘copy of customers [sic] tape’, so it’s entirely possible that only one copy was ever manufactured. GRADE: C+.

Eleanor Wallace (USA): Songs Of The Middle Way (Meagher Recording Co EW-MRC, 1966)

Folk

Eleanor Wallace (principal vocals, guitar, lute)

This very rare private pressing is among the better mid-sixties coffeehouse folk releases, with a rather dark and mournful sound. Wallace’s own guitar and lute provide the only musical accompaniment, with the only other contributions unfortunately being from children with whom she duets on a couple of cuts. Those missteps aside, this is a lovely LP that should appeal to anyone enjoying Joan Baez, early Judy Collins et al. GRADE: C+.

June Wallack (Canada): June Wallack (RCA KPL-0136, with inner, 1976)
Singer/Songwriter/Progressive
June Wallack (lead vocals, keyboards, flute)
Backed by the cream of the Quebecois underground, this singer/songwriter offers a varied set: everything from folky numbers to a Billie Holliday cover to the full-blown progressive rock of the eight-minute ‘Mirage’, seven-and-a-half minute ‘Déjà C’est L’Automne’ and instrumental ‘Amalgame’. The results are consistently interesting, though this lacks the couple of killer tunes that would have elevated it to the next level. GRADE: C+.

Ger. Walshe (Ireland): Song Collection (Fiona, CDR, 2000)
Singer/Songwriter/Folk/Rock
Walshe never wrote for Loudest Whisper, but her obscure solo album features eight of her own songs. There are no musician credits, but given that this was arranged and produced by Brian O’ Reilly and recorded at his Fiona Studios it’s a fair bet that Loudest Whisper provide the backing. With Walshe’s voice as magnificent as ever, it’s a lovely collection of songs that strongly resemble her former band. On the downside, one or two tracks sound like demos rather than the finished article, but for the most part this is a thoroughly charming set. GRADE: B–.
See also Loudest Whisper

Wanderfalk (West Germany): Wanderfalk (Autogram ALLP-250, with insert, 1978)
Folk/Rock
Sabine Cermann-Hahnewinkel (principal vocals, zither), Anita Sinha (flute, backing vocals)
I’d always imagined this German outfit to be mediaeval folk, but in fact they’re electric folk/rock. This is pleasant throughout, with some complexity on the twelve-minute ‘Schondilg’, but it also has a rather low-key, parochial feel, and they never threaten the supremacy of their countrymen Ougenweide. GRADE: C+.
Wanderfalk (West Germany): Wär Ich Ein Wilder Falke (Autogram ALLP-514, with insert, 1984)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Sabine Cermann-Hahnewinkel (principal vocals)
In most regards, their second and final album is a huge step forward, with strong material, good progressive breaks and an excellent balance of electric, folk and mediaeval instrumentation. In fact, it’s in every regard a Grade B record except for one thing: the drumming. Electric kits were fashionable in the eighties, but why anyone would have used one for an electric folk album is beyond me. Every beat is completely inappropriate for the rest of the music, and this could singlehandedly render the album unlistenable for many people. GRADE: C+.

Wapassou (France): Wapassou (Prodisc Strasbourg PS 37342, 1974)
Progressive
Karin Nickerl (lead vocals, guitar)
Unlike the more rock-oriented single than preceded it, the A-side of this long-running band’s debut album does not feature a rhythm section. The opening ‘Mélopée’ is a mournful classical-styled instrumental hinting at the direction they would pursue on their next few albums, whilst the eleven-minute ‘Rien’ alternates between an eerie piano ballad and some minimalist avant-gardism and ‘Musillusion’ returns to a more classical feel, with lots of violin, clarinet and choral vocals. Drums are added for the two cuts on the flip: ‘Châtiment’ has a rather filmic mood with sweeping violin and spoken vocals, whilst everything climaxes with the fourteen-minute ‘Trip’, which lives up to its name by being a rather psychedelic instrumental hinting at Catharsis as well as early Pink Floyd. Although a slightly tentative record that pulls in a number of different directions, this is a very original and striking set that demonstrates Wapassou to be a genuinely fresh and adventurous band. GRADE: B.
Wapassou (France): Messe En Ré Mineur (Crypto ZAC 6401, 1976)
Progressive
Eurydice (principal vocals), Karin Nickerl (guitar)
The first of Wapassou’s three large-scale concept albums, Messe En Ré Mineur sees the trio (a guitarist, a keyboardist and a violinist) supported only by a guest vocalist. Consisting of a single 39-minute track, this is unsurprisingly very spacy and minimalist, with a sombre yet trippy feel and lots of avant-garde moments (though it’s overall too sedate and melodic to be classed as avant-prog). Whilst the LP may be too unusual for many ears, it’s a hugely bold and original piece of work that surprises even today. GRADE: B.
Wapassou (France): Salammbô (Crypto ZAL 6437, with insert, 1977)
Progressive
Monique Fizelson (principal vocals), Karin Nickerl (guitar)
The opening section, with its eerie Latin intonation, brings Jacula to mind, but otherwise this is very similar to its predecessor. Again consisting of a single track, Salammbô is in parts the darkest thing the band ever recorded, with other sections featuring heavily fuzzed guitar, dreamy organ and soaring violin. GRADE: B.
Wapassou (France): Ludwig – Un Roi Pour L’Éternité (Crypto ZAL 6477, 1978)
Progressive
Véronique Nickerl (lead vocals), Karin Nickerl (guitar)
The third and final chapter of the Messe… trilogy follows a slightly different (and rather odd) format, with the 34-minute ‘Ludwig’ followed by ‘Le Lac De Starnberg 1886’ and ‘L’Adieu Au Roy’, which total three-and-a-half minutes. Whilst in their familiar style, the music is somewhat brighter than on the last couple of LPs, and overall this is rather less inventive, though still with a very distinctive style. The CD reissue includes a six-minute bonus track ‘Hymne Au Nouveau Romantisme’ in a much more commercial vein. GRADE: B–.
Wapassou (France): Genuine – Le Lac D’Argent (Sterne STE 26512, 1980)
Rock/Progressive
Christine Maillard (lead vocals), Karin Nickerl (guitar, bass)
Despite the title, this certainly isn’t a ‘genuine’ Wapassou album – it sounds nothing whatever like their earlier work. Expanding to a five-piece, the band offer catchy song-based rock with proggy edges and some elegant synthesiser and violin work; overall, it sounds like a more sensual French twist on Curved Air circa Airborne. The closing twelve-minute instrumental ‘Torquemada’ is by far the best thing on offer, but overall this isn’t a bad album, although they definitely shouldn’t have used syndrums on the first two tracks; this effect has dated worse than a pair of flared white trousers. For no obvious reason, the disc is credited as Genuine on the front cover and Le Lac D’Argent on the labels. GRADE: C+.
Wapassou (France): Le Lac D’Argent – Orchestra 2001 (Oméga Studio OM 67060, 1986)
Progressive
Sylvia B (principal vocals), Karin Nickerl (bass)
Their final album (which again has two titles) in some ways unifies different strands of their earlier work. Like its predecessor, the music is melodic and mainstream, with full band arrangements and short tracks; but like the Messe trilogy it’s strongly classically influenced, with mainly wordless vocals. Overall, it’s a pleasant enough end to their career, without being a particularly adventurous or memorable record. As a footnote, each of their six albums showcased a different female singer, representing a very odd modus operandi. GRADE: C+.

Wappa Gappa (Japan): Yamataikoku (Air From Mt Fuji AIR-5001, CD, 1996)
Progressive
Tamami Yamamoto (lead vocals)
Essentially, yet another identikit Japanese neoprogressive outfit with lots of symphonic keyboards and occasional hard rock guitar flourishes. As usual for this genre, it’s nice enough, with a few interesting arrangement and production touches. GRADE: C+.
Wappa Gappa (Japan): A Myth (Air From Mt Fuji AIR-9608, CD, 1998)
Progressive
Tamami Yamamoto (lead vocals)
With a slightly harder rocking edge, their second set often takes them close to the sound of Human Race Party-era Teru’s Symphonia. It’s quite a patchy record, but there are occasional moments of excellence, such as the majestic coda to the title track. GRADE: C+.
Wappa Gappa (Japan): Gappa (Muséa FGBG 4250.AR/Intermusic IM-002, CD, France, 2004)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive
Tamami Yamamoto (lead vocals)
Whilst broadly in the same style as their first two albums, this is much jazzier and far more intense, with some really incendiary instrumental passages. A few neoprog hangovers remain, particularly in the choice of keyboard sounds, but at its best this is is impressively powerful stuff. GRADE: B–.

Wasteland Coven (USA): Ruined (No label, CDR, 2020)
Metal
Susan Mitchel (lead vocals, bass)
This band’s debut EP (three songs totalling around 23 minutes) offers great doom metal. If you want more detail, I’ll note that they resemble Windhand more than Blood Ceremony, though they have their own style too, and I’ll add that is superbly recorded as well as composed and performed. But ‘great doom metal’ pretty much covers it. GRADE: B–.

Water For A Thirsty Land (UK/Switzerland): Water For A Thirsty Land (MRA Productions MRA ST P 101, with booklet, UK, 1974)
Folk/Rock
Sylvia Haller (joint lead vocals), Alison Hutchison (joint lead vocals), Elaine Maillefer (joint lead vocals), Vreni Gautschi (piano), Deborah Kupferschmidt (violin), Marie-Christine Bouchat (flute, recorder)
This Anglo-Swiss album may have been recorded in 1974, but its roots are firmly in the coffeehouse folk movement. The opening ‘The Ordinary Man’ is excruciatingly cheerful Christian folk fare, epitomising everything wrong with the genre; the album is never as bad again, but it’s not until side one’s haunting closer ‘Hello Light’ that they manage a good song. Surprisingly, side two is pretty solid, with several more pleasant acoustic folk numbers and an effective light garage rocker in ‘The Rat Race’. GRADE: C–.

Water Garden (Japan): Himiko – Prayer In The Land Of The Rising Sun (Muséa Parallèle MP3291, CD, 2014)

Rock/Progressive

Chifumi Abe (lead vocals), Koji Atou (guitar), Megumi Yamauchi (keyboards, backing vocals)

The big surprise is that this was recorded in 2014 – it sounds as though it could have come out on Made In Japan in the late eighties or early nineties. Musically it’s comparable to Pageant, Providence, Teru’s Symphonia and countless other Japanese acts from the period, offering competent but uninspiring neoprogressive fronted by an adequate but occasionally shaky vocalist. GRADE: C.

Waterfall (USA): Comin’ Down (No label USR 9533, 1976)
Singer/Songwriter/Folk
Debbie Paine (occasional vocals, guitar)
Recorded by four friends accompanying themselves on acoustic guitars, this rare album features all-original material with a wistful hippie mood. The vibe is charming and beatific throughout, and whilst slight, the LP is good enough that the lack of other instrumental accompaniment never becomes an issue. Just 100 copies were pressed, with a sheet featuring the credits pasted onto the outside of the shrinkwrap. GRADE: C+.

Patty Waters (USA): Sings (ESP 1025, 1965)
Jazz/Avant-Garde
Patty Waters (lead vocals, piano)
On side one Waters accompanies herself on piano on seven short ballads somewhat similar to Annette Peacock (whom Waters very likely influenced). Side two is given over to a single fourteen-minute cut, ‘Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair’, on which she is backed by free jazzers The Burton Greene Trio. This is the track for which the album is remembered, as Waters wails, shrieks and screams over a minimalist improvised setting. It’s a remarkable listening experience even today, and was hugely influential on a generation of avant-garde singers. GRADE: C+.
Patty Waters (USA): Patty Waters (ESP 1055, 1966)
Jazz/Avant-Garde
Patty Waters (lead vocals)
Also known as College Tour, Waters’s second album largely takes ‘Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair’ as its blueprint. On about two-thirds of the album, Waters moans, shrieks and howls over lazily plucked double bass and occasional cymbal interjections; the remainder is listless and somnolent versions of familiar songs. Despite her legendary status, this is a pretty one-dimensional LP that can only really be recommended to die-hard fans of avant-garde jazz. GRADE: D.

GT Waties (USA): Steal The Thunder (No label GW-5683, 1986)
Rock/Metal
Ella Mobilio (joint lead vocals), Barb Hartman (occasional vocals), Sharon Jones (occasional vocals)
GT Waties was a black multi-instrumentalist of some talent, and in particular a mean rock guitarist. On this six-track mini-album, he cuts loose in no uncertain fashion, with female guest singers fronting most of the cuts. Despite the one-man-band approach (the only thing he doesn’t play is the drums), this has a substantial and polished sound, with hints of AOR but harder and heavier than anything in the eighties mainstream. For anyone who likes stripped-down, unpretentious hard rock, this is quite a treat, and the album is now rare and expensive. GRADE: C+.

Bobbie Watson (UK): Off The Leafy Pathway (Reverb Worship RW 136, CDR, 2010)
Trip-Hop/Psychedelic/Progressive
Bobbie Watson (principal vocals)
Aside from a live Comus track (‘The Herald’, recorded at the Melloboat Festival in 2008), Watson’s solo album bears little resemblance to the parent band. The remainder is in a modern trip-hop vein, with pop, psychedelic and progressive edges, with the instrumentation based around keyboards, programmed drums and samples. The songs are nicely put together, but this isn’t one of my favourite genres, and I would certainly have preferred an album with real band backing. Only 50 copies were issued, with handwritten labels and a booklet but no inlay card, sleeve or jewel box. GRADE: C+.
See also Comus

Leah Waybright (USA): Beauty Gone Wild (Innertainment, CD, with book sleeve and dustjacket, 1999)

Progressive/New Age

Leah Waybright (keyboards)

According to the sleevenotes, this beautifully packaged album ‘explores the intriguing spiritual and emotional connection between flowers and music’ and ‘features musical interpretations which awaken the drama of the wild and beautiful stories’. However, I wouldn’t describe the music here as ‘dramatic’ or ‘wild’: for the most part, it’s pretty, pastoral keyboard-based stuff midway between library music and the less gauzy end of new age and perfectly pleasant without being particularly memorable. GRADE: C+.