I stand by my original comments, and it's just based on the music, I'm a
composer for what it's worth.

I don't believe these recordings are outtakes from Voice of the Eagle or
Zarthus. Voice of the Eagle has more in common musically with Song of the
Stallion or Venus in Cancer than it does with these recordings. The production
values across all of the songs are consistent, suggesting they were recorded at
the same time.

Agreed, I'm arguing a heartfelt hunch. In terms of the Wyndham Hill albums, for
me they are pretty picture postcards, framed, mounted and ready for your
enjoyment, presenting Robbie Basho as some kind of beautiful artifact in a
museum.

What I love about Robbie's work is his incredible directness, a talent that
explodes boundaries. He is not a steel-string guitar player a la Kottke, Lang
etc. He just used the steel-string guitar as part of his delivery, and to focus
on just that for Wyndham Hill is a tragedy.

I find it difficult to believe that Robbie ever felt differently from how he'd
always operated, but I do believe that he got disappointed, and started
second-guessing himself.

I like Rainbow Thunder, and it's certainly better than the Wyndham Hill albums,
but seriously I feel "Indian II" is the last great work by Robbie before stupid
record labels and second-guessing got involved.