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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Sun Temple Circus

Sun Temple Circus

Review by Gary Hill

I previously reviewed the vinyl release of this. The CD features all of the songs from that set along with a couple bonus tracks. It also has a slightly different cover. Since this is essentially the same album, I'll be including that original review here, and the track reviews for the songs that were included on it. The bonus tracks will have brand new reviews.

Here is what I said about the album as a whole in that original review: I’ve never heard this act or album before. Apparently they are considered Kraut Rock. I can’t argue with that. I’d say there is a lot of psychedelia and space rock in the mix, though. It’s quite a strong album, really.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019  Volume 1. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.
Track by Track Review
Out of India
With a lot of sitar in the mix, this killer nearly six minute instrumental lands between psychedelia, prog and space rock. I suppose it fits into the “jam band” heading, but it’s almost less rock than one would think given that label. Nothing changes fast here, but there is evolution and growth.
Lighthouse
This is roughly twice as long as the opener. It comes in gradually and works forward in a rather definite space rock type way. Vocals come in after a time, and the piece continues to grow outward from there. This is more of a rocking song, but still has plenty of the psychedelic sound in the mix. It gets quite intense and driving as it works its way onward.
Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi
This is a big change. It’s much more of a pure rocker. There is a bit of a punk edge to it. Still, it reminds me in a lot of ways of Hawkwind. It’s a fun cut.
Sun Madness
The longest piece here, this is over eleven minutes of musical exploration. Of course, a big hunk of the end of it is just audience response. So, it’s probably actually shorter than or about the same length as “Lighthouse.” It’s got plenty of jam band sound, but tempered with both space rock and prog. There are even some sections that wander toward fusion. It’s a killer tune. It’s the most diverse thing here. One could argue that it’s also the most compelling.
Bonus Tracks

             

Sun Killer

Cool space brings this into being, feeling almost like a jazz take on Hawkwind. It rises up toward more rocking stuff from there. Space rock, psychedelia and more all combine on this tasty groove. I really dig the hard rocking edge of this.

Slide Out, Slide In
This seems like a cross between "Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi" and "Sun Killer." It has plenty of that space sound in place, but with a bit of a punky, reggae edge in place. I dig the guitar soloing on this quite a bit. There is almost a grounding kind of vibe to this cut in some ways. It seems more tied to Earth than sky or space like a lot of the others do.

 

 

  
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