For every undiscovered rock or pop gem that springs from the late '60s and early '70s, there are dozens of albums whose hype far exceeds their musical quality. Occasionally, an album will arise from this era with its musical virtue still wholly intact, but, tragically, it is impaired by a single element that could have been easily avoided had the same consideration been given to it as to the music. The sole 1972 album from Chirco, Visitation, is one such misfortune. Chirco was actually originally a studio project led by percussionist Tony Chirco and producer Michael Cuscuna rather than a proper band, but eventually the New York band Sassafras came aboard, and proved to be the project's saving grace. The musicianship in evidence on Visitation is uniformly ambitious and complex, with bassist Bruce Taylor and drummer S.H. Foote particularly impressive. They construct a swinging rhythmic underpinning that propels the music upward and forward, a match for the subtle spirituality of the lyrics. The album contains some of the hallmarks of progressive rock, especially the highly structured, conceptual songs that wear their pretensions on their sleeves, but although the usual rock instrumentation (drums, bass, guitar, keyboards) is present, Cuscuna also had the vision to variously incorporate horns and percussion, and the ubiquitous presence of electronic vibes helps Chirco create something that transcends progressive rock. The band's playing often approaches the texture and intricacy