Recorded in 1976, the year punk broke in a burst of pomposity-pricking primitivism, this Brit-jazz rarity had the nerve to suggest, instead, a zeitgeist that still had room for projects of epic grandiosity. Based on poems by Jill Robin, and dedicated to Austrian 12-tone composer Alban Berg, reedsman Tony Coe's sprawling two-part opus fuses sweeping contemporary classical orchestration, harsh dissonance and operatic vocals with lush big band stylings and sophisticated electric jazz. There's more than a hint of Zappa's straight-faced dalliance with European avant-garde traditions, mixed in with a dash of prog's self-conscious striving for intellectual heft – but it's all leavened by some deeply soulful playing from an A-list of UK jazzers and some delightfully plummy recitation from the quintessentially English Norma Winstone.

Massively ambitious and gripping throughout, this behemoth somehow sank without trace. Maybe Coe should have tried wearing a bin bag and sticking a safety pin through his nose instead.

Vinyl sold for $45 at ebay.com in April 2015