Atlas - Atlas 1977 (Bacillus Records)

Label : Bacillus Records

Value :

What kind of cover artwork has been chosen for their debut album! LP-sleeves usually picture shapely beauties who are trifle more nice-looking than this front cover painting by E.F. Wondrusch. Opinions differ if this strange eye-catcher could be one of the reasons for weak sales of the album and a complete disorientation of the band after its original release on Bacillus Records/ Bellaphon Austria only. Another sad example for a group of musicians and producers who never received the recognition that they deserve. Sound Engineers and producers Ernie Seuberth, Rudi Sykora and Joe Ofenböck set up their machines at Gorilla Studios and used AKG equipment for the recording sessions and their timeless remix supervision.

“Atlas” – the album - opens up with “Hey Man!”, built on incredible brass sounds, dubby reverb effects combined with howling guitar riffs and the bluesy voice of Reinhard Ploil. Then a phased drum solo opens up the track “Pasteboard” ... catapulting the listener into jam heaven with stunning parts of slide trombone and fender rhodes work. The soft voice of Reinhard on “Ain`t No Sunshine” is combined with dreamy fender piano and light horns to turn the Bill Withers classic into one of the finest versions ever.
The singer also impresses listeners on the self penned ballads “Skybird, Fly” and “Let`s Not Believe”, while “Necessity” is a wicked funk track, that made this particular LP a classic among DJs and rare groove afficionados. “Play It Cool” is the most catchy blue-eyed soul song on the record and should have rotated on the radio for months, but why there were no programmers to discover, that all of the cuts on this vanished longplayer are cool? 

Taste :

Atlas - Necessity

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By Electric Looser