Artist: Snakes Alive Title Of Album: Snakes Alive Year Of Release: 1974/2020 Label: Merry Go Round Country: Australia Genre: Jazz prog brass rock Audio codec: FLAC | lossless
In 1975, there was an album that quietly faded into obscurity after pressing only 50 copies without even a cover. This album was recorded by Snakes Alive and released by them. Their self-titled album contains an exquisite combination of progressive rock and jazz rock, and its sheer quality effortlessly showcased the magnificent talent of the members. But this album was barely known to people because of its extremely small number of pressings before the availability of bootleg CDs.
Splendid organs on top of a solid rhythm part form the core of the sound, and the solos of the two wind instruments demonstrate a strong presence throughout the record. The songs are dramatic and detailed – reminiscent of King Crimson – and their ability to create a variety of musical expressions makes one incredulous of their obscurity.
The rarity of this album is such that it is now virtually impossible to figure out how many copies remain. Michael Vidale, the producer & bassist of Snakes Alive, has kept all the master-tapes in perfect condition. Thanks to him, it has been possible to reissue the album now in excellent sound quality.
Tracks:
- Dear Suzy (Alex Ditrich) - 11:23
- Abberations (Boris Peric) - 8:52
- Theme For Myra (Alex Ditrich) - 7:18
- Snakes Alive (Alex Ditrich, Jonas Sayewell) - 5:18
- Fruit Pie (Alex Ditrich, Boris Peric, Michael Vidale) - 6:27 Rare Tracks:
- Snakes Alive (Original Extended Version) (Alex Ditrich, Jonas Sayewell) - 14:13
- Charred Ducks (John Simpson, Alex Ditrich, Michael Vidale) - 10:01
Personnel: Jonas Thomas - Sax, Flute, Vocals Boris Peric - Guitars Michael Vidale - Bass Alex Ditrich - Keyboards Colin Campbell - Trumpet Peter Nykyruj - Drums