David Kubinec released Some Things Never Change in 1978, an album on A&M produced by
John Cale that brought him to the attention of
Velvet Underground fans, but had these lost tapes from
Mainhorse Airline had that kind of major distribution, perhaps history would be different.
The Geneva Tapes feature ten performances from vocalist/songwriter
Kubinec who, along with drummer
Bryson Graham, were found by a young keyboard player and future member of
the Moody Blues and
Yes,
Patrick Moraz, and his bassist/cellist friend
Jean Ristori. If it sounds like a minor supergroup, well, it is, as
Bryson Graham went on to play with
Spooky Tooth and
Gary Wright, and
Ristori became a mastering engineer of note, working with many of the bands this music reflects. The unique combination of these musical gents generated some compelling and heady sounds that turn out to be a tremendous find. Though labeled "progressive rock," the truth is that on these lost tapes from 1969/1970,
Mainhorse Airline prove a wonderfully psychedelic/progressive band with some heavy pop leanings. "What the Government Can Do for You" seems cut right out of '60s San Franciscan rock while "Blunt Needles" recalls
the Blues Magoos seeking out the heavier sounds of
the Amboy Dukes. A
Kubinec/
Moraz composition, "The Passing Years," is heavily influenced by early
Deep Purple by way of Procol Harum, but it's the colors of British psychedelia that prove the frosting which makes the mix most engaging. "Pale Sky" is a paradox in a bit of a quandary. It could be the U.K.
Kaleidoscope,
the Small Faces, or
the Electric Prunes, a delightful combination of '60s psychedelia swirling through the speakers with an adventurous
Moraz building eerie sounds that complement
Kubinec's vocals perfectly, perhaps
Eddie Pumer and
Peter Daltrey's U.K. band
Kaleidoscope influencing the music within, their Brit rock-psychedelia edge added to this experimental progressive concoction. The extensive liner notes from Louise Campbell in the 12-page booklet make for fun and informative reading, like how Dutch millionaire Sam Miesegaes helped both
Mainhorse Airline and
Supertramp get their careers in order. Meanwhile a composition like "Directions for Use" spins one, way while opening track "Overture & Beginners," dives off into another.
Pat Moraz released an album after this, Mainhorse, while
David Kubinec joined/formed Rats, the evolution worth noting. On Rats' First Long Play Record there's a shorter, three-minute version of the uplifting "Very Small Child" (this rendition clocks it at a minute-and-a-half longer), and both are worth giving the blindfold test to. Exotic and very different from "Make It the Way You Are," the material here was heading in absolutely the right direction. It's too bad they didn't continue the journey together.
John Cale and
David Kubinec should go back and re-mix the Some Things Never Change LP with these ideas in mind, especially considering the
Strawberry Alarm Clock feel of "The Daybreak of Eternity." The music on that A&M disc from 1978 went unrealized, and these great
Geneva Tapes point the way towards how that can be corrected. ~ Joe Viglione