Isaiah - Playing The Circle Game (1977)

Isaiah were a progressive rock band from Austria, who formed in 1971 and released just the one album in 1975, which features a mix of jazz, blues and progressive rock elements. Led by the charismatic voice of flautist and guitarist Gert Raabe, the band counts as one of Austria's most versatile groups of the 1970's, often likened to Jethro Tull, Rare Bird, Yes and ELP, and original copies of their album very rarely come up for sale these days, but when they do they command a price of several hundred Euros. Although Isaiah's sound is more typical of what was coming from Germany circa 1971/72, with flute, guitar, and excellent vocals in the lead, it's a bit more commercialized, and so the Krautrock epithet which is often applied to them is not really accurate. Following the release of 'Isaiah' the band recorded a second album, taking some songs from prior to 1975 alongside newly written material, and this version of the band was far more bluesy than before, which could be why their record label rejected it as being too weird. It's not actually that bad, although there are fewer sax solos and background organ passages than before, but the musicianship is solid, if a bit too cliched and typical for the time. There are some interesting pieces on here, with traces of Isaiah's later more developed style like the long 'Playing The Circle Game', with its strong Birth Control influences, based on light flutes, great vocal parts, measured guitar playing and atmospheric keyboards and sax parts. The ten-minute 'Long Way' is a great example of their take on a slow blues piece, while the instrumental 'Sunset' has a dreamy, hypnotic approach, and the short but fiery 'Nightmare' has an intense Krautrock vibe despite the English lyrics. While the music is very much of its time, the mid-70's happens to be a particular favourite time of mine, and I'll lap up almost anything from that period, and so this sounds just fine to me as an example of that very rare thing - an Austrian progressive rock band who can hold their own against contemporary German and British bands of the same era. 

Track listing

01 The Fighter

02 Nightmare

03 Long Way

04 Same To You

05 Zu Leise

06 Hero

07 No Reason

08 Sunset

09 Playing The Circle Game