Steve Tibbetts - Steve Tibbetts (1977) + Yr (1980)

First two albums from guitarist Steve Tibbetts, best known for his innovative, seamless fusion of Eastern and Western styles. Recorded covertly at night in a university recording studio (read the full amusing story here), his excellent self-titled first album is certainly his rawest, and is easily some of his most inspired work. You can practically hear his mind exploding with ideas. It's unmistakably Tibbetts, but many of the songs foreground electro-proggy synthesizers, giving it a more specifically 'prog' sound than anything else he's recorded. His second album, Yr, was his first to feature longtime collaborator Marc Anderson, and finds him firmly establishing a fluid, dynamic sound template that he's been exploring and expanding for the last three decades. Many fans consider it to be his best record.

Track listings:
-Steve Tibbetts-
1. Sunrise
2. The Secret
3. Desert
4. The Wonderful Day
5. Gong
6. Jungle Rhythm
7. Interlude
8. Alvin Goes to Tibet
9. How Do You Like My Buddha?
-Yr-
1. Ur
2. Sphexes
3. Ten Years
4. One Day
5. Three Primates
6. You and It
7. The Alien Lounge
8. Ten Year Dance

Burning temples