Casa do Progressivo - Progressive House

Eiliff - Close Encounters With Their Third One

2008-11-17T06:04:00.000-08:00

Don't be deceived by the Roger Dean-like cover art on this one. German band EILIFF was like no other contemporary band playing progressive music in the early seventies. These recordings were taken from a Cologne radio show called "Nachtmusik" which was aired on Nov. 10, 1972. Everything from SOFT MACHINE to early KING CRIMSON can be heard here albeit with much more force and with tinges of Eastern European free-form jazz. The technical prowess of the individual musicians is aptly demonstrated on the highlight track "Hallimasch" which is a free for all blow out jam which features some interesting changes and great Hammond Organ and sax interaction culminating with a crazed psychedelic guitar solo from Persian born guitarist Houshang Nejadepour. Two other tracks are also adventurous interpretations of compositions taken from their album "Girlrls" while "Lilybaeum" was a track which never made it on to a studio album. Fans of bands like SOFT MACHINE, Miles Davis' Bitches Brew sessions and VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR will not be dissapointed with this excellent live performance from this esoteric and overlooked band.

Live, released in 1999

Track Listings

1. Lilybaeum (4:47)
2. Girlrls (18:47)
3. Hallimasch (15:12)
4. Journey To The Ego (7:45)

Total Time: 46:31

Line-up/Musicians

- Bill Brown / bass
- Rainer Brüninghaus / keyboards
- Herbert J. Kalveram / saxophone
- Detlev Landmann / drums
- Houschäng Nejadepour / guita, sitar

Releases information

CD Garden of Delights GOD036 (1999 Germany)
recorded in 1972 at Westdeutscher Rundfunk Cologne

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RETORNO

2008-11-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

Grandes... amantes da boa música.
estarei retornando com os posts neste blog para próxima semana...
caso tenham pedidos fiquem a vontade...

obrigado pelas visitas ate o momento... continuem a visitar que continuarei a postar...

[]'s

CesinhaBiker
Casa do Progressivo.

Caravan - For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night (1973)

2007-10-30T05:12:00.000-07:00

'For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night' saw Caravan go back to the drawing board after the tepid response to the slightly disappointing 'Waterloo Lily'; some serious line-up reshuffles were around the corner. Dave Sinclair returned to the fold to replace Steve Miller, but Richard Sinclair was in turn replaced by John G.Perry. This album also marked the first appearance on record of viola player Geoffrey Richardson who remains very popular with the fans. This meant that the sound of the band had changed again; the band sound more confident than ever before. The album's success is ultimately proved by the amount of songs here that remain true fan favourites to this day. It is rightly regarded as one of their very best efforts.

The English whimsy of earlier albums has generally been played down, but is still present to a certain extent. The most obvious example of this is on the classic track 'The Dog The Dog He's At It Again', which has some risque but fun lyrics that fit in line with the album title but also the band's earlier songs 'Waterloo Lily' and 'Golf Girl'. This being Caravan, the track has a killer melody that will stick with you for a long time after the track has finished. Another notable thing about this track is that Dave Sinclair has added synthesisers to his artillery; Caravan were seemingly one of the last of the old-wave prog acts to use synthesisers, and it's great to hear Sinclair cut loose in his solo, which is succinct and does the job admirably. The band's way with a tune continues on the beautiful 'Surprise Surprise', which has some wonderful vocals from Hastings and Perry and some fluid, melodic viola lines from Richardson.

The presence of 'Backwards', an old Soft Machine standard (that can be heard on their 'Slightly All The Time' from the classic 'Soft Machine Third'), in the epic 'A Hunting We Shall Go' again reveals they had not cut the ties with their Canterbury Scene heritage. The rest of this track, however, was one of their most musically expansive and elaborate tracks, featuring some lavish orchestrations that predicted the band's project with the New Symphonia in the following year. The band's interplay here is superb, with some gutsy guitar work from Hastings and tight, syncopation-heavy drumming from Richard Coughlan, but it's arguably Geoffrey Richardson who shines most vividly here.

As I hinted, there is a more muscular sound to the band than ever before; some tracks here are their heaviest, most rock- friendly tracks up to that point. 'Memory Lain Hugh' and 'C'thulu Thulu' in particular are notable for this, with some gutsy guitar riffs that must have been something of a surprise for those used to their gentler moments. Both tracks are excellent though; 'Memory Lain Hugh' is a stompalong rocker which segues into the uptempo 'Headloss' which is a more traditional track that again features some fine harmonies from Hastings and Perry. 'C'thulu Thulu' has a quite bleak atmosphere, with an eerie melody and lengthy instrumental section with Dave Sinclair at the top of his game. 'Be Alright/Chance Of A Lifetime' juxtapose the new, heavier Caravan with the older, folkier one, the first part being a John G.Perry-led rocker and the second being a pleasingly mellow Pye Hastings-sang track.

It's fair to say that the album was a resounding success, in terms of updating the band's sound. The album still stands up today, and was arguably the last bona fide 5 star classic album they would record, though subsequent albums have their pleasures too... - Review by salmacis (James Jeffery)

Track Listings

1. Memory Lain, Hugh / Headloss (9:14)
2. Hoedown (3:18)
3. Surprise, surprise (4:05)
4. C'thlu thlu (6:12)
5. The dog, the dog, he's at it again (5:38)
6. Be alright / Chance of a lifetime (6:35)
7. L'auberge du Sanglier / A hunting we shall go / Pengola / Backwards / A hunting we shall go (reprise) (10:05)

Total Time: 45:07

Bonus tracks on remaster (2001):
8. Memory Lain, Hugh / Headloss (9:18)
9. No! ("Be Alright") / Waffle ("Chance of a Lifetime") (5:10)
10. He Who Smelt It Dealt It ("Memory Lain, Hugh") (4:43)
11. Surprise, Surprise (3:15)
12. Derek's Long Thing (11:00)
Line-up/Musicians

- Richard Coughlan / drums, percussion, timpani
- Pye Hastings / vocals, elelectric guitar
- John G. Perry / bass, vocals, percussion
- Geoff Richardson / viola
- David Sinclair / keyboards
+ Paul Buckmaster / electric cello (7)
- Tony Coe / clarinet, tenor sax (1)
- Jimmy Hastings / flute (1)
- Rupert Hine / synthesizer (1-2-6)
- Pete King / flute, alto sax (1)
- Harry Klein / clarinet, baritone sax (1)
- Henry Lowther / trumpet(1)
- Jill Pryor / voice (5)
- Chris Pyne / trombone (1)
- Frank Ricotti / congas (2-3-5-7)
- Barry Robinson / flute, piccolo (1)
- Tom Whittle / clarinet, tenor sax (1)

Orchestra arranged by John Bell & Martyn Ford, conducted by M. Ford
Releases information

LP Deram SDLR12 (1973)
CD Polydor Records PO 1836 (1991)
CD Decca 82980 (2001 remaster)

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Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation - Doctor Dunbar's Prescription (1969)

2007-10-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation's second album was much the same as their first, offering competent late-'60s British blues, given a slightly darker cast than was usual for the style via Victor Brox's somber vocals. Like their debut, it was dominated by original material, and as on its predecessor, the compositions were rather routine blues-rock numbers, though they benefited from arrangements by highly skilled players. The best of these tracks were the ones that utilized Brox's gloomy, almost gothic organ, if only because it made them stand out more among the company of the many similar bands recording in the prime of the British blues boom. Otherwise the main fare was straightforward blues-rock that was well played, but rather average and forgettable, the most distinguished ingredient being Dunbar's hard-hitting, swinging drums. If only because it has some original songs that were better than anything on the first album ("Fugitive," "Till Your Lovin' Makes Me Blue," and "Tuesday's Blues," the last of which has some songwriting and guitar work quite similar to Peter Green's late-'60s style in those departments), it's a slightly better listen, though not up to the standards of somewhat similar groups like Fleetwood Mac and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers [Allmusic.com]

Track list;
01 Change Your Low Down Ways
02 The Fugitive
03 'Till Your Lovin' Makes Me Blue
04 Now That You've Lost Me
05 I Tried
06 Call My Woman
07 The Devil Drives
08 Low Gear Man
09 Tuesday's Blues
10 Mean Old World

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Flor De Loto - Flor De Loto (2005)

2007-10-30T04:43:00.000-07:00

Flor de Loto is a novel Peruvian instrumental act whose young blood is providing an energetic flow of creativity in South American prog scene: they already have a solid cult following in their native country. The material comprised in their eponymous debut album has been written for a 1 ½ year period before the recording sessions took place, and it’s fair to say that the sound production does justice to their overall energy on stage. Their prog style is quite punchy, mostly based on the interplaying between guitar and flute and robustly sustained by a versatile rhythm section: main influences range from “Red”-era KC to early 70s JT and hard rock with heavy touches of jazz-fusion and Peruvian folk, and added nuances of contemporary psychedelia. The opener ‘La Entrada’ kicks off with a languid atmosphere that evokes a sense of mystery before a wild interlude comes in expanding itself right up to the initial motif’s final reprise. The mixture of hard-rock oriented prog and folk that is so effectively displayed in the opening number also works quite well in ‘Ayahuaska’ and ‘El Ritual’ – in many ways you can tell that these tracks are straightforward statements of Flor de Loto’s musical ideology. Tracks 2, 5 & 6 are, IMHO, the album’s most accomplished numbers: they epitomize the band’s essential energy and comprise some of their most complex musical ideas, which gives the musicians the chance to show their skills as well as their interacting abilities more prominently than in any other parts of the album. ‘Libélula’ is an awesome showcase for the band’s penchant for dense atmospheres in a rock context, creating well-sustained contrasts between ascents and descents all the way toward the sinister coda. Meanwhile, ‘El Errante’ simultaneously combines the special majesty of baroque and the intensity of blues-rock without falling into the trappings of excessive self-indulgence, but keeping a clear focus on the basic melodic motifs. Finally, ‘El Niño y el Puerco’ finds the band exploring the realms of jazz-rock with special depth - it includes a splendidly aggressive guitar solo over a African-Peruvian fusionesque rhythm pattern… and it works beautifully! ‘Negativos de una Memoria Inexistente’ comprises two distinct passages: the first one is an explosive metal-oriented tour-de-force in which the flute surprisingly feels at home, while the second one is an ethereal Andean-based motif. 'El Ritual', which has been metioned before, has a very cosmic feel to it, melting the candid touches of folk and the oppressive moods of post-rcok and psychedlic prog in a very effective manner. ‘Flor de Loto’ is a bucolic 3- minute acoustic instrumental that shows the band’s introspective side, bringing a momentary occasion for easy relaxing. The closing track is basically a pretext for each individual member’s soloing: on the basis of a few varying motifs (including a brief reggae passage), the successive guitar, flute, bass and drum solos flow on as a kind of ultimate celebration. A nice ending for a great album: in conclusion, “Flor de Loto” is an excellent debut, and that’s why the namesake band gives us Peruvian prog-heads justified hope for the preservation of good prog music in our country. - Review by Cesar Inca (César Inca Mendoza Loyola)

Track Listings

1. La Llegada (7:20)
2. Libélula (7:22)
3. Negativos de una Memoria Inexistente (6:15)
4. Ayahuaska (4:10)
5. El Errante (9:02)
6. El Niño y el Puerco (7:36)
7. Y (1:55)
8. Ritual (6:28)
9. Flor de Loto (2:53)
10. Suculentas Frutas (9:35)

Total Time: 62:36
Line-up/Musicians

- Alonso Herrera / electric and acoustic guitars
- Alejandro Jarrin / bass
- Jorge Puccini / drums, percussion
- Johnny Perez / flute, recorder, zampoña*, midi sequencer

Additional musicians:
- Rafael Valderrama / flute, recorder
- Octavio Castillo / mandolin (4)
- Lalo Williams / synthesizer (8)
Releases information

CD Mylodon Records MyloCD029 (2005)

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King Crimson - In the Court of The Crimson King (1969)

2007-10-30T04:37:00.000-07:00

By the time I post this review there had been 75 entries that talked about this seminal album (and some people called it as the first prog rock album on earth) of legendary band: King Crimson. I am not going to raise an issue whether or not this was the first or not; as for me personally, the first prog album was Yes “Fragile”. Full stop. It does not matter if in fact the other album(s) came first. Well, .. it matters only when you try to review an album on the basis of “influence” of other bands. Let’s put aside that.

So, why should I give the 76th entry then? As a matter of statistical vote to prove that this is a masterpiece? Or, to counter review for those reviewers who have given less than 4 stars? (Ahem … I always view that people have different views based on taste and background. So I have no problem with it at all). No no no no ….Not all of that things, my friends ….My reason is simple. I’ve just read a great story about the band from its inception (embryo stage) until “The Construction of Light” album through a well- researched book by Sid Smith (got nothing to do with Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd) titled In The Court of King Crimson (Helter Skelter Publishing, 2001 – reprinted 2003). It’s a great book as it was written by a die-hard fan of the band. As Mr. Fripp put at book cover: “Sid Smith’s opinion is worthy of respect”.

Of course I won’t tell you about the book in detail because it’s 346 pages and also what would be “my view” if I take everything from the book? I don’t want to be in the circle of plagiarism. But, the book has given me a powerful nuance and reference to review any album of King Crimson. (If you notice, this is my first review about the band and I want to do it right, with the best available references).

It’s gonna be boring if I review track by track as I used to do it with other prog albums. This time I would do it at album level because you know it well track by track. Let’s do it this way …

The result of a struggling band. This album was a culmination of concerted effort by the band members from the embryonic Giles, Giles & Fripp until it was formalized under the name of KC. It’s important to notice how the band members were not aware at all that they did a great job. In the a.m. book it was mentioned that the making of “21st Century Schizoid Man” albeit it’s the first track but was recorded the last. The song was made through collective efforts by its members and they did not feel that they accomplished something great that rocked the music industry later on. Each member did not pat others for example “Hey great, we did it one”. No, not at all. They just said “OK, that’s it”. (page 59).

The Change master that inpires ….. Yeah …. We know it that this album had created major change in music industry. At that time people never thought a music with powerful riffs and “very” distorted vocal as in the opening track “21st Century …”. Even the first time I listened to this song (sometime in 1976) I thought that my cassette was in trouble. Couple months ago, our local newspaper in my country featured this album in a great details (reviewed by my colleague Tom Malik). What interesting was the prog discussion that followed after the article. It was discussed that the riffs have inspired many heavy metal bands. You may or may not agree with it.

The Music. Now, let’s talk about the music. The overall album has a strong structure offering a variety of styles: progressive rock, ballad with classical touch and avant garde- and overall album offers dark nuance. The music demonstrates catchy and memorable melodies that still valid thru the passage of time. Having listened to “Epitaph” or “I Talk To The Wind” in decades I’m still touched by their melodies. Wonderfully crafted!

If I may advise, it’s not a matter of recommendation. But, if you want to explore prog music, this album is must in your prog collection. Don’t step into prog wagon if you do not own this album yet. Keep on progging! GW, Indonesia.

Note: With an earthquake disaster happening in my country and neighborhood, “Epitaph” might be best to play as condolences for twenty three thousand brothers and sisters who have lost their lives tragically …”Confusion will be my epitaph …” ….South East Asian countries are crying now …(Jakarta, 28 Dec 04) - Review by Gatot (Gatot Widayanto)

Track Listings

1. 21st Century schizoid man Mirrors (7:20)
2. I talk to the wind (6:05)
3. Epitaph (8:47)
a) March for no reason
b) Tomorrow and tomorrow
4. Moonchild (12:11)
a) The dream
b) The illusion
5. The court of the crimson king (9:22)
a) The return of the fire witch
b) The dance of the puppets

Total Time: 43:45
Line-up/Musicians

- Robert Fripp / guitar
- Greg Lake / bass guitar, lead vocals
- Ian McDonald / reeds, woodwind, vibes, keyboards, mellotron, vocals
- Michael Giles / drums, percussion, vocals
- Peter Sinfield / words and illumination
Releases information

LP Atlantic 8245 (1969)
CD Virgin 848099 (2001)
LP EG EGLP-1
CD Plan 9/Caroline 1502
CD Caroline 1502 (1999)
CS EG EGMC-1
CD EMI 811270
CD Discipline GM UK (2005)

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UK - Danger Money (1979)

2007-10-30T04:23:00.000-07:00

Having impressed the remaining prog audience and the most open-minded musical press of the late 70s, the combined forces of symph prog and jazz rock stopped being allies and became mutually incompatible while the band was touring. It was clear then that the most unsatisfied parties - jazz purveyors Holdsworth and Bruford - had to leave, and so they did. That left Jobson and Wetton in charge of determining UK’s direction, and that trend was focused on an ELP-ish bombastic symph prog with an incorporated powerful melodic aspect - ELP-ish albeit neither cloning nor ripping off. The trio was completed with the entry of drummer Terry Bozzio, who unfortunately couldn’t afford to let his particular magic develop within the band’s artistic confines, which had already been determined by Jobson and Wetton as more restrained, in order to wash off any remains of the jazzy grandeur that the estranged alumni had provided for the band’s debut album. On the other hand, “Danger Money” turns out to be a more cohesive album, indeed, and anyway, Bozzio can still manage to dispose of some room to display his own percussive skills now and then, appropriately bringing his peculiar sense of energy to the band’s overall sound. IMHO, ‘Caesar’s Palace Blues’ and ‘Carrying No Cross’ stand out as the album’s most accomplished gems. The former is a hard rocking tour-de-force, featuring Jobson’s most explosive electric violin performance ever: the powerful rhythm anchor provided by Wetton and Bozzio proves crucial in order to sustain an appropriate articulation for the incendiary, electrifying fire that keeps itself constantly burning at white-hot level. The latter is an amazing old-fashioned prog suite that dates back from the days of the “UK” album touring. Performed now by the power trio formation, it successfully conveys a solid variation of motifs and moods with robust fluidity. Both gems are showcases for the trio’s ability to interplay masterfully. I find tracks 1-3 less impressive in comparison, but still they are great tracks. ‘The Only Thing She Needs’ is an up tempo piece that comprises some of the best drumming provided by Bozzio: the way he uses his kit as a vehicle for dialogue with Jobson’s keyboard harmonies is awesome, and so are the successive violin and organ solos performed by the latter. Meanwhile, Wetton plays his bass lines as a bridge between his two partners. ‘Rendezvous 6.02’ is a melancholy ballad that conjures images of a lonely pub before the first light of dawn: the romantic atmosphere is delivered with absolute elegance and the complex rhythm patterns are structured with a deceitful air of simplicity - actually, there's a bossa-nova vibe in it that makes it subtly complex in many passages. Oh,and those eerie synth adornments and ambiences during the interlude are simply delicious. The post-apocalytptic lyrics, which set a portrait f solitude among ghosts, adds to the music's ethereal sadness. The namesake opener is the least impressive to me: it certainly is powerful and catchy - that’s undisputed - which makes it an effective opener, but in terms of compositional creativity it turns up to be less satisfactory than the other two aforementioned numbers. Now, let’s talk about ‘Nothing to Lose’. What can I say? It’s a favourite prog guilty pleasure of mine. This prog-pop showcase contains a beautiful violin solo and a clever alternation of 3/4 and 4/4, which makes it quite dynamic; it also comprises an inventive series of keyboard orchestrations that makes the song rise above the ‘intended single’ status. But those silly lyrics and those corny backing harmonies… my God, how they ruin what could have been just a nice prog tune, taking it dangerously closer to ABBA-meets-The Wings territory, instead. What was supposed to be a celebration of self-determination ends up a trivial sing-along about whatever. All in all, my specific objections regarding this particular song (which, as I stated before, I happen to enjoy) won’t stop me from labeling “Danger Money” as an excellent album, a very valuable successor of the amazing debut. - Review by Cesar Inca (César Inca Mendoza Loyola)

Track Listings

1. Danger money (8:12)
2. Rendez-vous (5:00)
3. The only thing she needs (7:53)
4. Caesar's Palace blues (4:42)
5. Nothing to lose (3:57)
6. Carrying no cross (12:20)

Total Time: 42:02
Line-up/Musicians

- Terry Bozzio / drums, percussion
- Eddie Jobson / keyboards, electric violin
- John Wetton / lead vocals, bass

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Panna Fredda - Uno (1971)

2007-10-30T04:18:00.000-07:00

This is an Italian one-shot band that made only one album entitled "Uno". You don't need an Italian dictionary to understand that this means 'one' but to my surprise Panna Fredda showcases two faces on their album! The first and final part features swelling and moving organ play and raw guitar work, to me it sounds a bit like early Eloy (if you disagree, OK but don't disqualify me by using words like ' absurd', respect that music is subjective). It all sounds very sumptuous, mainly due to the heavy Hammond organ chords. But halfway this album Panna Fredda changes their sound to very mellow featuring acoustic guitar, sensitive vocals and medieval-like keyboards, wonderful. An unique album! - Review by Heptade (Allister Thompson)

Track Listings

1. La Paura (6:02)
2. Un Re Senza Reame (5:06)
3. Un Uomo (4:56)
4. Scacco Al Re Lot (4:32)
5. Il Vento, La Luna E Pulcini Blu (9:58)
6. Waiting (3:08)

Total Time: 33:44
Line-up/Musicians

- Angelo Giardinelli / guitar, vocals
- Giorgio Brandi / keyboards, guitar
- Filippo Carnevale / guitar, drums
- Carlo Bruno / bass

Releases information

Vinyl magic VM001

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Limbus 3 & 4 - Cosmic Music Experience (1969)

2007-10-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

This band figures among the pioneers of proto-industrial krautrock next to Kluster. Totally weird and damaged this first release includes four long experimental suites made of disturbing, chaotic, claustrophobic and really dark sounds. The musicians use a wide range of effects obtained by different electronic gadgets, distorted electric elements and collage techniques. "Oneway Trip" starts in pure experimentations to reach the top with an amazing psych-jam made in a total disorder, including an insistent repetitive motif led by the bass guitar. On the edition I've got track number 2 (called "im tempo eines") is entirely built around "samples" taken from an orchestral piece in major. A big and funny contrast compared to the previous tune. A lot of derision, invention and a radical taste for "happening", disappointing revisited classics and non common uses of instruments. Primitive and really non-conventional compositions for a nice essay in "dark waters". We can hear a rather closed musical experience in MOOLAH "Woe Ye Demons Possessed". - Review by philippe (Philippe Blache)

Track Listings

1. Oneway Trip
2. Valiha
3. Breughel's Hochzeitstanz
4. New Atlantis (Islands Near Utopia)

Line-up/Musicians

- Odysseus Artnern / various instruments
- Bernd Henninger / various instruments
- Gerd Kraus / various instruments

Various instruments: bass / guitar, vocals / flute, guitar, vocals
Releases information

LP Germanafon 941042 (1969)

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Black Widow - Return to the Sabbat (1969)

2007-10-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

This was a total surprise to me! All old versions of the songs on this one are far more better than on the "Sacrifice" album! Kay's vocals bring a strange and wonderful extra element to this music, and it's sad that they didn't continue doing material with the same line-up. I believe that the reason for this was Kay getting a child. I also found the sound from analog source pleasant, and the faint cracks of the vinyl bring a nice extra atmosphere to this release.

I think that the album covers were bit more better on the 1970 version, though there's a funny hidden element on this one (a face of a devil?!). I first thought this was a four star album, but careful listening cleared it out that this is truly an unique masterpiece, and it deserves five stars. The only album by this band you seriously need! - Review by Eetu Pellonpää

Track Listings

1. In ancient days (9:28)
2. Way to power (4:08)
3. Come to the sabbat (4:11)
4. Conjuration (5:53)
5. Seduction (4:41)
6. Attack of the demon (3:57)
7. Sacrifice (10:48)

Total Time: 43:06
Line-up/Musicians

- Jim Gannon / lead guitar, vibes, spanish guitar
- Zoot Taylor / organ, piano
- Kip Trevor / lead vocals
- Kay Garret / lead vocals
- Clive Jones / flute, saxophone, clarinet
- Bob Bond / bass guitar
- Clive Box / drums & percussion
Releases information

CD MYS CD 129 (1998)
This album was recorded in 1969. It contains the original versions of material that would be re-recorded and released as the band's debut album 'Sacrifice'.

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Cosmos Factory - An Old Castle of Transylvania (1973)

2007-10-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

Here is my review..''Soundtrack 1984'',about 3.5 minutes long,is a space-rock guitar song,with swirling keyboards.''Maybe'',about 6 minutes long,is a melodic rocker,with a blues edge to it.''Soft Focus'',a little over 3.5 minutes long,is a piano ballad,with beautiful vocals.''Fantastic Mirror'',4.5 minutes long,is a rock song,with keyboards,a'la ELP.''Poltergeist'',4.5 minutes long,is a rock song,with kind of a pop beat to it,and has a bit of violin work as well. The title track,a little over 18.5 minutes long,is broken down into 4 songs..''Forest of The Death''starts out with 2 minutes of mellotron-keyboard work,and the band starts jamming,continuing on for the next 4 minutes.Then,the song mellows down for the last 18 seconds,segueing into ''The Cursed''(4'41),which starts out with some keyboard- mellotron work,and turns into a melodic,steady paced rock song.''Darkness of the World''(2'53)segues into ''An Old Castle of Transylvania''(4'47),both of which are melodic rock songs.During the last 1'17 of an old castle of transylvania,you can hear some rain,thunder,and blowing wind sound effects.For those who like late 60's/early 70's guitar rock,with keyboards and psychadelic influences,along the lines of PINK FLOYD/DEEP PURPLE,you may like this.I got this from cd universe for US$28.50,and it was a small investment worth the price. I recommend this.the singer sings in japanese language,as well. - Review by jasonpw. (jason paul weinstock)

Track Listings

1. Soundtrack 1984
2. Maybe
3. Soft focus
4. Fantastic mirror
5. Poltergeist
6. An old castle of Transylvania:
I) Forest of the death
II) The cursed
III) Darkness of the world
IV) An old castle of Transylvania

Total Time: 40:26
Line-up/Musicians

- Tsutomu Izumi / keyboards, Mellotron, synthesizers, vocals
- Hirashi Mizutani / guitars, vocals
- Kazuo Okamoto / drums, percussion
- Toshikazu Taki / bass, vocals
+ Misao / violin (5)
Releases information

Lp. Columbia/Merry Go Round / Cd. Nippon columbia COCA 7253 (1991)

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King Crimson - VROOM VROOOM (2001)

2007-10-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

For a band which released only one studio album (Thrak) , there's an awful lot of material by the double trio available, especially if you count the ProjeKcts. This double set gives a good selection of live versions of 90s material, updated versions of older material, some improv and a cover version thrown in for good measure. King Crimson has always come alive on stage, and these 2 discs show just how powerful they can be when they're firing on all cylinders.

The two discs were recorded during concerts in Mexico City (disc 1) and New York (disc 2). Somewhat confusingly disc 1 was recorded 9 months after disc 2, which means that the band sounds slightly less polished on disc 2 if you listen to them in order. Although they were drawing on the same repertoire for these shows, only one piece (THRAK) crops up twice.

Disc 1 sees the mighty Crim beast launch a non stop, no holds barred assault on their audience, 60 minutes of the kind of high intensity few other bands can deliver. The first five selections come from Thrak, including a storming version of Dinosaur with Belew in fine voice. This is followed by a blast from the past as they give us The Talking Drum and LTIA II, with Bruford and Mastelotto almost matching the Muir/Bruford partnership for manic interplay. Neurotica is another bravura vocal from Belew, a white knuckle ride on a piledriving rhythm that constantly threatens to fall apart but somehow holds together. Two other oldies get the double trio makeover; Red, which sounds a bit messy compared to the version on Absent Lovers, and a nu-metal reworking of 21st Century Schizoid Man which works surprisingly well once you get over the initial shock.

Disc 2 is a slightly looser affair which draws mainly on Thrak and the 80s albums. The 80s material is reworked by the expanded line up to great effect, especially Elephant Talk which gives Gunn and Levin an opportunity to trade licks at lightning speed. Indiscipline shows the bands mastery of wildly fluctuating dynamics and stop/start rhythms, while the gentler songs show that the double trio was also capable of great subtlety and restraint, particularly the the closer, Walking on Air. An unexpected surprise is a cover version of the Beatles Free as a Bird, which was released at the time of these concerts. Belew does a remarkably fine job as a Lennon impersonator, and you can hear the band and audience audibly cracking smiles during this performance.

Vroom Vroom is a great Crimson live album which sits well alongside The Night Watch and Absent Lovers, although of the three it is probably the least essential. It gives a good overview of a remarkable band in full flight. - Review by Syzygy (Chris Gleeson)

Track Listings

Disc 1: 59:44
VROOOM VROOOM - Live In Mexico City

1. VROOOM VROOOM (5:01)
2. Coda: Marine 475 (2:44)
3. Dinosaur (5:05)
4. B'Boom (4:51)
5. THRAK (6:39)
6. The Talking Drum (4:03)
7. Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part II (6:13)
8. Neurotica (3:40)
9. Prism (4:24)
10. Red (7:03)
11. Improv: Biker Babes Of The Rio Grande (2:27)
12. 21st Century Schizoid Man (7:37)
Disc 2: 68:43
ON BROADWAY - Live In New York City
1. Conundrum (1:57)
2. Thela Hun Ginjeet (6:44)
3. Frame By Frame (5:12)
4. People (6:12)
5. One Time (5:52)
6. Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream (4:55)
7. Indiscipline (7:16)
8. Two Sticks (1:50)
9. Elephant Talk (5:14)
10. Three Of A Perfect Pair (4:16)
11. B'Boom (3:47)
12. THRAK (6:43)
13. Free As A Bird (3:03)
14. Walking On Air (5:35)

Total Time: 128:37
Line-up/Musicians

- Robert Fripp / guitar, soundscapes
- Adrian Belew / guitar, voice
- Trey Gunn / Warr touch guitar
- Tony Levin / basses, Stick
- Pat Mastelotto / acoustic drums, electronic drums, percussion
- Bill Bruford / acoustic drums, electronic drums, percussion
Releases information

Discipline Global Mobile DGM-0105

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Bacamarte - Depois do Fim (1983)

2007-10-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

I approached this album with skepticism after discovering it on the website www.progarchives.com. I was, when I found this album, madly in love with Genesis (still am), but didn't quite appreciate the other big name in symphonic prog, namely, Yes. And the lyrics aren't in English. So, all in all, I wasn't too thrilled with the prospect of getting this album. I felt a need to get something, though, and I settled on Bacamarte's Depois do Fim, based on several well written reviews that praised it effusely.

Well, I could not have been more wrong in my expectations. Sure the lyrics aren't in English (they're in Portugese), but I can live with that. And before you say, "well, who cares about the lyrics, anyway," I'd like you to know that I care. Deeply. I am somewhat a poet, and, as a result, I am very picky when it comes to lyrics. On progarchives.com, I have given an album three stars because of the lyrics, when the music itself earned four to four point five stars.

But anyway, on the album itself. It is very progressive, changing tempo/time signatures (I don't know enough about music to tell the difference) constantly, meaning that it is always refreshing. Ever musician is at top form here, and there are no weak tracks. The highlights here are the keyboards and the often tull-esque flute. I've never been a fan of female vocals, but here, they shine. The vocalist's voice is absolutely beautiful, and a joy to hear. And did I mention the amazingly beautiful and top notch music?

I will now discuss each song in relative detail, so if that doesn't interest you, feel free to skip to the last paragraph or two. The album opens with UFO, which opens with some soft guitar that is simple and beautiful, and gives no hint of what is to come. Other instruments start to come in, creating a beautiful soundscape, until the song picks up about a minute and a half in. The flute is amazing (though I've heard it might be recorder flute). And even then, it doesn't hit top gear until two minutes in. But when it does... Heaven. The drums are great, the keyboards/moog/whichever are lush, the guitar excellent, and whatever instruments there are there, they all come together perfectly, creating an excellent opening instrumental. It goes through several changes from this point to the end, but never loses the intensity or beauty it has had from the beginning.

Somehow, however, the album manages to get even better. If you remember me talking about tull-esque flute, here is where it really comes in. You can almost imagine Ian Anderson (my favorite flautist) playing behind the vocals here (of course, if he were on the album, he'd lend his amazing voice...). This one takes no time to build, just getting started right away with some fast guitar and excellent rock flute. The song is called Smog Alado, but it might as well be called Ode to Tull. The vocals here are top notch, the music is beautiful while almost but not quite hard rock, and it's simply pure prog, and pure heaven. This may be my favorite track on the album, but it would be hard to call any other song on the album "worse." Because worse implies badness.

Which leads to the next song, another instrumental, and another favorite of mine off this album of favorites. Miragem opens with a drum guitar collaboration in a classic buildup. The guitar is the star here, but everything is in its place, creating a joy to listen to. And, like any prog track, it does change, as, about 1: 30 in, it mellows out a bit, putting more emphasis on beauty (the flute is incredible here, as always), until, with about 1:45 left in the song, it gets back into some excellent guitar, closing the track majestically.

Passaro de Luz is my least favorite track here, a short, vocals dominated track that is beautiful, but doesn't leave a lasting impression on my mind, as the other tracks here do. It's not bad by any means, but neither is it stellar. Not one to skip in context of the album, but not one to listen to out of context, either.

Cano opens with some soft percussion, then immediately breaks out into the full track, a short one that serves as a segue (albeit a great one) into the main track on the album. About 30 seconds in, Cano picks up in intesity, and though I wouldn't see myself liking this even one year ago, it now seems spectacular to me. If you want to call this filler, it's some of the best filler you'll ever hear.

Ultimo Entardecer is the album's (mini) epic, clocking in at just over nine and a half minutes. It opens with some beautiful (and do I mean it!) keyboards, and then some beautiful (and do I mean it!) guitar, and just generally creating a beautiful track. I'm no expert, but it sounds like both electric and acoustic guitar are going, and they're going majestically. The vocals are, as always, beautiful, and the first four minutes of this track are pure gold. After this, however, the track takes a turn for the worse (without ever being bad, just less amazingly good). There is a short piano solo that just doesn't grab me, and some vocals that are beautiful, but sort of sound the same as the rest of the vocals on the album. It's softer and seems to lack intensity, until... with about 1:20 left in the song, it returns to what made the beginning so spectacular, and closes amazingly. A great track, if inconsistent.

Controversia opens with some nice drum work, with piano (or keyboards) coming in over it, and then something that I think is either moog or synthesizers, and it all comes together to create a very good short track, another "filler" track that seems too good to be filler. Not the highlight of the album, but in no way bad.

Depois Do Fim is up with Smog Alado as one of the best tracks on this amazing album. It opens with some howling winds, over which comes the main theme of the song, bombastic but not over the top, and very good as a whole. This continues for the first minute, when some deep bass comes in, and some very nice vocals. It builds, and creates a great track, and an excellent closer. What a magnificent end to a magnificent album.

Note: my version contains a bonus track, the instrumental Mirante Des Estrelas from their following album. It's not nearly as good as the main parts of Depois Do Fim, but it's not bad. It did not factor into my rating of the album.

To conclude, this is a fantastic album that everyone ought to own. And that's not something I throw about lightly. The ONLY problem here are the vocals. Yes, they are beautiful and a joy to listen to, but they all seem to sound the same on each track. BUT!, as I said, they are beautiful, and the sameness doesn't detract much from this album, and I feel able to give this album a solid four star rating. An excellent addition to any prog music collection. - Review by inpraiseoffolly

Track Listings

1. UFO (6:26)
2. Smog Alado (4:11)
3. Miragem (4:54)
4. Pássaro De Luz (2:28)
5. Caño (1:59)
6. Último Entardecer (9:29)
7. Controvérsia (1:57)
8. Depois Do Fim (6:31)
9. Mirante Das Estrelas (6:11)

Total Time: 44:03
Line-up/Musicians

- Jane Duboc / vocals
- Márcus Moura / flute, accordion
- Mario Neto / acoustic & electric guitars
- Mr. Paul / percussion
- Delto Simas / acoustic & electric basses
- Marco Verissimo / drums
- Sergio Villarim / keyboards
Releases information

CD Som-Arte Discos (1996)

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Perigeo - Abbiamo Tutti un Blues da Piangere (1973)

2007-10-28T05:33:00.000-07:00

Well, Perigeo is one of the classic and most important italian bands of this genre, along with “Area” and “Arti e Mestieri”. Often regarded as the more refined, gentle and polite of the three, they produced their best known opus in 1973. Over 44 minutes of music, unusual for the italian classic scene. Nevetheless it's difficult for me to appreciate entirely their music 'cause, as you know, despite some of the most famous records, I don't know very well this genre. All I know is that this album has its moments of grandeur but is too jazzy for my personal tastes. I feel to lose any sense of direction 'cause its “simple complexity”! That' why, even after so many listenings, I hardly manage to appreciate it in the right way. So you won't read from me the usual “lobbying” for another italian band...actually, all I can say, it's that I find more easy and exciting the music of Arti e Mestieri, their “Tilt” in particular. - Review by Andrea Cortese (Andrea Cortese)

Track Listings

1. Non c'é tempo da perdere
2. Déjà vu
3. Rituale
4. Abbiamo tutti un blues da piangere
5. Country
6. Nadir
7. Vento, pioggia e sole
Line-up/Musicians

- Bruno Biriaco / drums, percussion
- Franco D'Andrea / acoustic & electric pianos
- Claudio Fasoli / alto & soprano saxophone
- Tony Sidney / guitar
- Giovanni Tommaso / vocals, basses
Releases information

Lp. RCA Records DPSL 10609 / Cd. RCA Records ND 71934 (1989)

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The Flock - Inside Out (1975)

2007-10-28T05:12:00.000-07:00

After a brief breakup some of The Flock's members found themselves another fantastic electric violinist, Mike Zydowsky, and hit the road with a stripped down version of the band. Gone was the impressive horn section, with it the complicated arrangements, and much of the band's former jazz/rock fusion sound. Basically, they became just another rock band, but with a plugged-in fiddler.

Inside Out is a fairly lame affair by and large, but two lengthy fusionesque workouts stand out superbly. Surprisingly, they are two of the strongest compositions in the Flock’s repertoire: Metamorphosis and the very impressive disc-closer Straight Home. The vocals songs are dismissible, but these two tracks make this record worth finding.

Do not expect the former Flock propensity for complex production and chaotic interplay. However, if you enjoyed Glickenstein and company on the group's first two pressings this one may surprise you, especially if you dig Where Jerry Goodman went after he left this group. The Flock attempted to follow his flight, but it’s apparent they couldn't quite keep up. - Review by vingaton (David L Gordon)

Track Listings

1. Music for Our Friends
2. Back to You
3. Metamorphosis
4. Hang On
5. My Ok Today
6. Straight Home
Line-up/Musicians

- Jerry Smith / bass, vocals
- Fred Glickstein / guitar, vocals
- James L. Hirsen / keyboards, vocals
- Ron Karpman / drums, vocals
- Felix Pappalardi / vocals
- Mike Zydowsky / violin
Releases information

LP Mercury SRM-1-1035 (1975)

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Taï Phong - Windows (1976)

2007-10-28T05:08:00.000-07:00

This French progressive rock band has 2 Asiatic members: they give the music a unique, charming and original style. The intensely floating keyboards and the miscellaneous acoustic guitars parts of a couples of tracks remind the Gandalf's "Imaginary voyage" album. There are some excellent, melancholic, expressive and melodic electric guitar solos. This progressive record contains many delicate and ethereal bits, although at a slightly lower level if you compare to the previous album. Some bits have excellent piano parts. Like on the first album, there are still many AWESOME, androgynous & catchy backing vocals; it seems there are more acoustic guitars than on the previous album. There is also an omnipresent densely floating combination of organ and more modern keyboards, which gives an overall ambient mood to this record. The rhythm is rather slow, so the tracks are often relaxing. There are a couples of acoustic Oriental ambiences. If you like their first album, then you should like this one too. - Review by greenback

Track Listings

1. When it's the season (8:06)
2. Games (3:52)
3. St John's avenue (7:36)
4. Circle (5:22)
5. Last chance (3:40)
6. The gulf of knowledge (10:24)

Total Time: 39:00
Line-up/Musicians

- Khanh Mai / vocals, guitars
- Tai Sihn / vocals, bass, acoustic guitar, keyboards
- Jean-Jacques Goldman / vocals, guitars
- Jean Alain Gardet / keyboards
- Stephan Caussarieu / percussion, drums
Releases information

LP Warner Brothers records-FLP 56264-1976-Canada

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Parzival - Legend (1971)

2007-10-28T05:05:00.000-07:00

One of the keenest Folk Prog group to come from Germany, Parzival should appeal to most progheads especially those looking into medieval music as a main influence. In this regard, they are to be compared to countrymen Ougenweide (but Parzival sings in English), Malicorne for one side and The Pentangle, Spirogyra or The Trees for the second. Organized around a guitar-bass-drums trio (the bassist being multi- instrumentalist from KB to violin) with an added instruments ranging from the cello, flute to the oboe. Sounds tasty does it not? Ya Betcha!-)

Oddly enough the Cd starts with a bonus track, a non-album single, but a masterstroke that puts you right away in superb joyous mood and the album is in the same mould. Cellos and flute gives a rather medieval feeling to the music, but never really completely indulging in it like Gryphon would, they sound more like ELO’s first superb album also. The 8 Years Later almost instrumental is an incredibly beautiful track where they are soaring away like eagles from us poor mortals. Senseless and a few other tracks have slightly acidic-sounding vocals reminding Sopirogyra’s Martyn Cockerham or Comus’s Wooton, but without having that eerie feel to it. Empty Land is based on Bach’s Matthew’s Passion, but the previous track always had another classical influence I could never place.

Their largely acoustic sound is incredibly contagious and highly joyous (I know I already said this at the start of the review but this must be stressed again here. Their lenghty Groove Inside (you guessed it, based on an improvisation) is never less than interesting but reaches the enthralling stages too especially when they get to a raga section much like the Third Ear Band (and even reminding me of Jan Dukes De Grey’s Sun Symphonia), until it ends on a rather pointless and not-so-nice wink to The Beatles’s When I’m 64. But only on this lenghty track does the mood become …… moody ;-)

Two more short bonus tracks (on top of the opening one) are ending the album in a rougher manner than necessary, both being demos dating from 69 and largely forgettable, this album is one of the real pearls from Germany’s folk scene and the fact that it was produced by Conny Plank, certainly is no coincidence. - Review by Sean Trane (Hugues Chantraine)

Track Listings

1. One Day (3:37) (bonus track from 72 single)
2. Marshy Legend (2:20)
3. Resignation (2:53)
4. 8 Years Later (4:40)
5. Senseless No. 6 (4:54)
6. Wall Bungalow (2:40)
7. Empty Land (5:12)
8. Groove Inside (16:00)
9. Change Your Mind (2:04) (bonus track rough demo 69)
10. Sarah Girl (1:58) ) (bonus track rough demo 69)

Total Time: 46:18
Line-up/Musicians

- Lothar Siems / guitar & vocals
- Walter Quintus / violin, bass, organ & piano
- Thomas Olivier / drums, vocals & percussion
- Matthias Müller-Menckens / flute & piano
- Joachim Reichhold / cello
- Hans Jaspers / viola
Releases information

Telefunken 3984-23108-2

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Quill - Sursum Corda (1977)

2007-10-28T04:56:00.000-07:00

In the early Nineties several USA progrock labels released CD’s on a LP size so you could experience the technical progress of the CD sound and the pleasure of the size of a record. To me this was a fine but expensive initiative, especially because post from the USA tot Holland is expensive. This CD “Sursum corda” (the LP is from 1977) made by USA progrock band Quill was one of those releases, recently it has been re-released on the normal CD size. If you like the vintage keyboard sound, this trio is heaven on earth! The CD contains two movements (19 and 15 minutes) featuring warm and melodic symphonic rock. The parts sound flowing and alternating, from mellow to bombastic eruptions and from compelling to up-tempo. The music is very tasteful: powerful Hammond runs, fat Moog flights, majestic Steinway grand piano (with echoes from Gandalf), beautiful Mellotron waves and a soaring string-ensemble. The vocals have a bit melancholical undertone and fits perfect to the atmosphere on this CD. Every fan of Le Orme, Triumvirat, Hecenia or Rare Bird should give this wonderful album a chance. RECOMMENDED! - Review by erik neuteboom (erik neuteboom)

Track Listings

I. First movement: (19:58)
a) Floating
b) Interlude
c) The march of dreams
d) The march of kings
e) Storming the mountain
f) Princess of the mountain
g) Storming the mountain (part II) ~ Lift up your heart
II. Second movement: (15:32)
a) The call
b) Timedrift
c) Earthsplit
d) The black wizard
e) Counterspell
f) The white wizard
g) The hunt
h) Rising
i) The spell
j) Sumnation
k) Finale

Total Time: 35:30
Line-up/Musicians

- Keith Christian / vocals, Rickenbacker 4001 bass, nylon string guitar
- Ken DeLoria / Hammond B2 organ, Moog synths, Mellotron, Baldwin electric harpsichord, Steinert grand piano-forte, Arp string ensemble, RMI Keyboard Computer.
- Jim sides / vocals, drums, orchestral & tubular bells, tympani
Releases information

LP Cotillion SD 9017 (Issued as a pre-release only) / CD Syn-Phonic SYNCD 10 (1993)

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Van Der Graaf Generator - The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other (1970)

2007-10-26T05:46:00.001-07:00

Tony Stratton-Smith who was at that time a manager for The Nice, the Bonzo Dog Band and Van der graaf generator, formed Charisma records and signed Vdgg as his first act. Keith Ian Elis leaves while two new members, saxophonist and flutist David Jackson and bassist Nic Potter join the band. It’s the first time that Guy Evans, Peter Hammill, David Jackson and Hugh Banton form the classic line-up that defined Vdgg. Only Nic Potter is an exception (on later cds High Banton will replace him playing bass guitar on the recordings and bass pedals on live performances). In 1970, Vdgg record their second album named “The least we can do is wave to each other”.

-About the cd

The title of the cd was taken from Francis John Minton “We're all awash in a sea of blood, and the least we can do is wave to each other". What we have here is a true masterpice but also the first representative Vdgg album. The big difference from the debut album is that it has more a sense of an album rather than a colection of songs.

Peter Hammill’s lyrics are really great on this album. His performance is outstanding and his compositions are much better than Vdgg’s debut album. Hugh Banton with David Jackson’s wind instruments combine together so well to create this scary, dark, chaotic atmosphere that characterizes Vdgg. Hugh Banton, a classicaly trained organist, creates a dominant sounds with his hammond organ that are enough to drive someone crazy while David Jackson playing both alto and tenor saxophone and flute has an amazingly unique and magical sound that varies from atmospheric to mind blowing sax screams. Nic Potter though less dominant than Elis seems to do a better job with the bass parts. Last but not least, Guy Evans, a unique drummer with a very jazzy sound that shows he is not just a part of the rythmic section but also a part of the music. An amazing line-up that consists of members who are really unique and have a distinctive sound. You can’t go wrong with these guys.

The result is weird music that is new to the crowd. As Nic Potter said: “This music was entering territory that hadn’t been touched”. Even Hammill says : “The end of White Hammer is the scariest piece of music we ever played”. David Jackson adds: “White Hammer is actually about the forces of good, but the end’s pretty demonic”. “I put down a flat 5th, which they call ‘the Devil’s interval’. C to F sharp –very unfriendly noise” he continues. Needless to say that if something like that was played a few decades before they would burn you for witchery. Mabye all these created an atmosphere rather unfriendly and scary for the young at Nic Potter who left before the next album was recorded.

Dark baroque, full of foreboding, grand gestures and menance this cd managed to reach number 47 and Top 10 in England. If you are new to Vdgg you may try this one. If you like it from the beging you’re one of the few lucky people who managed to get hooked insatnly. Mostly, Vdgg need time. A true masterpiece from these amazing musicians, full of emotions. Five stars - everyone should have this cd! - Review by sularetal (Leandros)

Track Listings

1. Darkness (11/11) (7:27)
2. Refugees (6:22)
3. White Hammer (8:15)
4. Whatever Would Robert Have Said? (6:17)
5. Out Of My Book (4:07)
6. After The Flood (11:28)

Total Time: 43:56

Bonus tracks on remaster (2005):
7. Boat of millions of years (3:50)
8. Refugees (single version) (5:24)
Line-up/Musicians

- Peter Hammill / lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Hugh Banton / organ, piano, backing vocals
- Nic Potter / bass, electric guitar
- Guy Evans / drums and percussion
- David Jackson / saxes, flute, backing vocals

GUESTS:
- Gerry Salisbury / cornet "White Hammer"
- Mike Hurwitz / cellos "Refugees"
Releases information

LP Charisma CAS 1007 (1970)
CD Charisma / Virgin (EMI) (1988)
CD Charisma / Virgin (EMI) CASCDR 1007 (2005 remaster)

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Van Der Graaf Generator - H to He, Who Am the Only One (1970)

2007-10-26T05:44:00.001-07:00

1970 was a watershed year for progressive rock. That year saw the newly-born musical form -- in the shape of bands like Genesis, Yes, Jethro Tull, and Gentle Giant -- gain strength and conviction, consciously exploring and exploding the "limits" of rock, with a spirit of pure unfettered experimentation. Two pioneering bands who had been key progressive rock players from the genre's emergence each recorded their third albums late that year: King Crimson's eclectic LIZARD added overt jazz flavours to the mix, and Van Der Graaf Generator's oddly-titled H TO HE, WHO AM THE ONLY ONE (the first part of the title refers to the thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen to helium in the sun) further expanded the boundaries of progressive in the form of an oftimes dark, and sometimes disturbing masterpiece.

The two albums have more than a passing resemblance: Like LIZARD, "H TO HE" has strong jazz influences, largely expressed through the dynamic sax of David Jackson. In addition, Crimson's Robert Fripp puts in a guest appearance on the Van Der Graaf album, adding his trademark electric guitar to "The Emperor in His War Room." Furthermore, both LIZARD and "H TO HE" are prime examples of "difficult" albums that can be initially challenging, but ultimately very rewarding auditory experiences. I was a latecomer to the music of Van Der Graaf Generator, and I admit that it took several listens before this disc really began to "sink its hooks" into me. Yet I soon found that I was no longer playing the disc out of a sense of duty for reviewing purposes, but as a source of musical pleasure. I use the word "pleasure" guardedly, however, because founder and lead singer Peter Hammill's introspective lyrics are often illustrative of the axiom that "some of the best art arises from pain."

On the disquieting, almost menacing opener "Killer," Hammill sings of a monster fish born "on a black day, in a black month, at the black bottom of the sea" that, though "very lonely," kills all that draw near, then muses that "I'm really rather like you, for I've killed all the love I ever had." Death, loneliness, and the need for love are recurring themes on this brooding work. "House With no Door," aided by Hugh Banton's melancholy piano and Jackson's flute, offers an effective, sadly beautiful portrait of the artist as a tortured man, imprisoned in the cavern of his skull, whose self-made "walls" have shut out the love that he so desperately needs and craves. The aforementioned "Emperor in His War Room" deals, through gruesome imagery, with the wages of a misspent life: "Begging for your life, as the impartial knife sinks in your screaming flesh.... You must pay the price of hate, and that price is your soul." The next song, "Lost," is perhaps the album's strongest (with the final track, it also contains many of the disc's more up-tempo, heavier moments), and finds Hammill, with a voice that favourably compares to that of Gabriel in its embittered and impassioned delivery, addressing the spectre of a lost love.

Throughout the disc, Hammill's singing is very strong. Sometimes he almost whispers, sometime he nearly screams and spits out his lines, while at other moments he affects a falsetto that may well have helped shape the later vocal acrobatics of Gentle Giant. Peter Hammill is certainly no boring or undistinguished vocalist! At several junctures, his singing reminds me of Bowie's during his MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD era, and the final track, the bizarre, science-fictional "Pioneers Over C" has a theme which is reminiscent of Bowie's "Space Oddity" -- that of a lost and lonely spaceman.

As with LIZARD, I wouldn't want to listen to this CD too much; hearing Hammill's searing depictions of inner pain, self-loathing and regret can be cathartic (he's likely worse off than you!), but also disturbing. Still, H TO HE, WHO AM THE ONLY ONE, is a classic recording that is a must for Van der Graaf fans, and essential listening for all who would discover just how wildly experimental, powerful and moving progressive rock could be in its infancy! - Review by Peter (Peter Rideout)

Track Listings

1. Killer (8:07)
2. House With No Door (6:03)
3. The Emperor In His War-Room (9:04)
a) The Emperor
b) The Room
4. Lost (11:13)
a) The Dance In Sand And Sea
b) The Dance In The Frost
5. Pioneers Over C. (12:05)

Total Time: 46:32

Bonus tracks on remaster (2005):
6. Squid 1 / Squid 2 / Octopus (15:24)
7. The Emperor in his War-Room (first version) (8:50)
Line-up/Musicians

- Peter Hammill / lead vocals, acoustic guitar, piano (3)
- Hugh Banton / organs, oscillator, piano, bass (2,5), vocals
- Guy Evans / drums, tympani, percussion
- David Jackson / saxes, flute, vocals

GUESTS:
- Nic Potter / bass (1,3,4)
- Robert Fripp / electric guitar (3)
Releases information

LP Charisma CAS 1027 (distribution Germany Philips 6369 907) (1970)
LP ABC/Dunhill DS-50097 (USA) (1970)
CD Virgin (EMI) (1989)
CD Virgin (EMI) CASCDR 1027 (2005 remaster)

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Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts (1971)

2007-10-26T05:22:00.000-07:00

With the astounding Pawn Heart, VDGG has reached its peak artistically, although financially they were broke. Only three tracks made up this fourth album of theirs, but awesome, each and every one of them, they were. Again a Paul Whitehead-designed artwork, with a very controversial inner gatefold. With this album , they reach to the comparison of Thick As A Brick, Selling England, Angel’s Egg, Lark’s Tongue (or Lizard), Grey and Pink, Dark Side or Close To The Edge. A real reference!

This is the album where Peter Hammill reaches maturity mixing meaningful lyrics with superb melodies for his astounding vocal range and weird voice. I must say that once again the remastering job did miracles but on this album, Hammill’s vocals seem to have profited most from the job.

Lemmings is one of my fave VDGG track and with its && min+, it has every chance to please any proghead not allergic to that peculiar voice. Man-Erg is another superb classic and reaches a maximum in conciseness also making reference to the two previous albums by evoking Killers and Refugees. A real tour de force, but was those evocations of previous tracks not prophetic? A bit like Fripp closing off a Crimson chapter by bringing back previous members for the grande finale of Starless on Red.

From the first notes of piano of the last track of the vinyl and the first goose bumps after hearing Jackson evoking the fog horn of the lighthouse with his sax ( again evoking another earlier song? Darkness, in this case), a real fan can only be awed at the grandiose voyage that lay ahead for us – for the Hero of the story, however no trip, voyage or even promenade except on the top ledge of his building. I always shiver in delight at the beginning of the haunting melody of the second verse of Eyewitness: “I prophecy disaster, then I count the cost …. I shine but shining, dying, I know that I am lost.” - What perfection. Many more motions lay ahead , notably Banton and Jackson’s impressive rendition of what a lighthouse keeper can feel among which solitude and boredom must the cake. Only Klaatu will make an even more eerie lighthouse keeper theme in their second album: Hope

In case someone has problem getting into this great track, I can only suggest them to find the Belgian TV special where they do this track almost un-rehearsed (they had not expected that request), with Hammill having to find a lyrics sheet from the album to remind himself of the words/ it is right there on his piano. Grandiose!!!!

The first bonus track is a rather quirky BBC theme and dos stick out of the album, but not like a sore thumb. Then comes W, much more in tune with the dark forebodings of the other tracks, but still not bringing that much added value to the album. The last three bonus tracks are little more than bits and pieces, jams and improvs from baton Evans and Jackson: not really in line with the album, either.

Then will come some three years before VDGG will be re-formed , but all Generator unconditional fans can turn towards the fabulous trilogy of Hammill solo albums : Chameleons , Silent Corner and In Camera. Do make the financial effort for the mini-Lp sleeve, it is worth it! - Review by Sean Trane (Hugues Chantraine)

Track Listings

1. Lemmings (11:39)
2. Man-Erg (10:21)
3. A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers (23:04)
a) Eyewitness
b) Pictures / Lighthouse
c) Eyewitness
d) S.H.M.
e) Presence of the Night
f) Kosmos Tours
g) (Custard's) Last Stand
h) The Clot Thickens
i) Land's End
j) We Go Now

Total Time: 45:04

Bonus tracks on remaster (2005):
4. Theme One (original mix) (3:15)
5. W (first version) (5:04)
6. Angle of Incidents (4:48)
7. Ponker's Theme (1:28)
8. Diminutions (6:00)
Line-up/Musicians

- Peter Hammill / lead vocals, guitars, pianos
- Hugh Banton / organs, piano, mellotron, bass pedals, bass guitar, synthesiser, vocals
- Guy Evans / drums and percussion
- David Jackson / saxes, flute, vocals

GUEST:
- Robert Fripp / electric guitar
Releases information

LP Charisma CAS 1051 (Distribution Germany Philips 6369 915) (1971)
CD Charisma Virgin CASCD 1051 (1987)
CD Charisma Virgin/EMI CASCDR 1051 (2005 remaster)

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Blind Owl - Debut At Dusk (1988)

2007-10-26T05:20:00.001-07:00

I essentially agree with Tarcisio Moura review although I find that Saga and FM to be more descriptive of their sound (along with Asia and Rush). For an 80's American band, I find the lyrics to be incredibly mature, comtemplative and dark especially in "Give Up The Ghost" and "Digital Animal Suite". However, I disagree with the low production comment by Tarcisio. It may be that he has a bootleg because the official CD has stellar production. I recommend that those interested seek prog distributors in the US (such as M&M Music) to find the official CD release which is still available. - Review by proggirl2 (Michelle Bouffard)

Track Listings

1. Feel The Fire (5:05)
2. Give Up The Ghost (5:41)
3. The Seed Has Been Sown (6:43)
4. Hymn For 84 / The Second Coming (4:28)
5. Life On Your Own (3:55)
6. Digital Animal Suite (9:39)
i) The Animal
ii) The Technology Highway Boogie
iii) The Nightmare Of Reality
7. Moroccan Sand (8:50)

Total Time: 44:21
Line-up/Musicians

- Bruce Alger / keyboards, guitar and vocals
- Brian Emerson / drums
- Michael Amedure / guitars and backing vocals
- Kenneth Bates / bass, guitar and vocals
Releases information

RAPTOR 27596

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Caravan - Caravan (1968)

2007-10-26T05:17:00.000-07:00

Even though this is their debut, the confidence of Caravan just leaps from this record, and ranks with sensational debuts like 'In The Court Of King Crimson' rather than lukewarm ones like 'Camel' and 'From Genesis To Revelation' as unlike those two, there are no weak points to speak of, bar the production, which both of those albums also suffered from, but this one has terrific material... 'Place Of My Own' is one of the best psychedelic songs of all time in my opinion, showcasing the superb organ work from the underrated David Sinclair, and Pye Hastings' soft but effective voice to dizzying effect. It has a particularly potent organ solo, which is as good as most solos I have heard from the period. 'Ride' is another classic, and was the B side of 'Place Of My Own' when released as a single. The backing vocals are very effective, and allow one to drift away with the music on a great voyage, with more excellent keyboard work. The vocals on 'Policeman' is almost rendered inaudible by the echo, and were even worse on the record, but the CD improves it a fair bit. It's a typical Caravan song with whimsical lyrics, from what I can hear anyway, so that is another good number. 'Love Song With Flute' is one of my favourite Caravan songs, as Pye Hastings' vocal is splendidly moving as ever- and the flute work from Jimmy Hastings is amongst the best I have heard on record. The organ propels this song throughout. 'Cecil Rons' is a typically naughty ditty that fans of Caravan would expect. However, they are always great fun, and charming pop songs, and nobody could be offended by their tone. More excellent organ work, and a truly splendid finale with some nice percussion work from the ever reliable Richard Coughlan. 'Magic Man' is another gem, and has some truly divine vocals from Pye and Richard Sinclair with some more organ work that works perfectly. This is true psychedelia- and it's easy to drift off with this album to a truly utopian atmosphere, as the music is so blissful. 'Grandma's Lawn' is another jokey number, with some good work from all the band, but again, it's hard to hear the vocals in the swarm of echo in the mix... 'Where But For Caravan Would I' is an epic comparable with 'For Richard' and 'Nine Feet Underground'. It's hard to believe this was a debut- the confidence of the playing belies that fact 100%, as this is one of the great prog rock epics to me, David Sinclair being outstanding throughout, but every aspect of the piece is amazing, the vocals again being tranquil and beautiful, and a climax that is similar to 'Apocalypse In 9/8' from Genesis and just as effective, with a quite cacophonous ending of morse code guitars and drums, ending a truly magnificent song. All of these reasons show why this album gets a high rating, and though the production is dated, the songs are good enough to forgive it. Some of the songs are amongst the best Caravan, have ever done, making this one of their best records. - Review by salmacis (James Jeffery)

Track Listings

1. Place of my own (4:01)
2. Ride (3:42)
3. Policeman (2:44)
4. Love song with flute (4:10)
5. Cecil runs (4:07)
6. Magic man (4:03)
7. Grandma's lawn (3:25)
8. Where but for Caravan would I be (9:01)

Total Time: 35:13

Track list of Verve remaster (2002)
1. Place of my own (mono mix)(4:01)
2. Ride (mono mix)(3:42)
3. Policeman (mono mix)(2:44)
4. Love song with flute (mono mix)(4:10)
5. Cecil runs (mono mix)(4:07)
6. Magic man (mono mix)(4:03)
7. Grandma's lawn (mono mix)(3:25)
8. Where but for Caravan would I be (mono mix)(9:01)
9. Place of my own (stereo mix)(4:01)
10. Ride (stereo mix)(3:42)
11. Policeman (stereo mix)(2:44)
12. Love song with flute (stereo mix)(4:10)
13. Cecil runs (stereo mix)(4:07)
14. Magic man (stereo mix)(4:03)
15. Grandma's lawn (3:25)
16. Where but for Caravan would I be (stereo mix)(9:01)
17. Hello Hello (single version)(3:12)

Total time: 73:38
Line-up/Musicians

- Richard Coughlan / drums
- Pye Hastings / vocals, guitars, bass
- David Sinclair / keyboards, vocals
- Richard Sinclair / vocals, bass, acoustic guitar
+ Jimmy Hastings / flute
Releases information

LP Verve Forecast (1968)
CD HTD Records HTDCD 65 (1996)
CD Verve 8829522 (2002 remaster)

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Camel - I Can See Your House From Here (1979)

2007-10-26T05:15:00.000-07:00

The troll under the bridge would let out a loud “harumph” each time some passerby would call this CAMEL’s best album. “Philistines", he’d mutter, unaccustomed to work. Give ‘em the Spiegel gift certificate because for them the curtain is too terrible to contemplate. Until one day, while listening to this album, smoothing out a fresh piece of paper with his hand to catalog what would surely be its forthcoming shortcomings, the troll caught sight of his own reflection in the water. And the face he saw smiled back at him, wading in the pleasurable moment of “Wait", the song’s kinetic energy unleashed in giddy little wavelets.

And thus we come to our moral prematurely: that a treasure can be buried by an otherwise invisible bias. My loyalty to an old "Mirage" prevents me from crowning "I Can See Your House From Here", and common sense tells me that I should save my breath for such things until hearing "Breathless". Yet I can see where some listeners would champion this album. Andy Latimer’s guitar work is inspired, and CAMEL’s gifts have seldom been so succinctly packaged. It’s a different chapter than the original foursome’s smoke-borne flotsam, but not unlike "Rain Dances" seen on a brighter day. With three new members (plus the immovable Andys), CAMEL’s allegiance to the old Gods was negated, freeing them to pursue ALAN PARSONS PROJECT in a mix of vocals and instrumentals more suited to short attention spans.

In that context, "I Can See Your House From Here" is a triumph, prescient in some spots (“Wait” is about gambling, the theme for APP’s next album), tuneful at every turn, made approachable by a newfound sense of humor, and possessed of some lovely instrumentals (“Ice", “Eye of the Storm”). That CAMEL didn’t ride off into the sunset of commercial success after this is not a reflection on the music, but on the fact that they hadn’t built up a brand for this sort of thing. Old fans, trolls the lot of us, might cringe to see CAMEL’s strong backbone carry such a commercial load, clinging to the familiar “Hymn To Her” with a sigh of what might have been. But on this day, in this moment, I can see the wonder of it all, and it’s a wonder I didn’t see it before. - Review by daveconn (Dave Connolly)

Track Listings

1. Wait (4:50)
2. Your Love Is Stranger Than Mine (3:14)
3. Eye Of The Storm (3:42)
4. Who We Are (7:26)
5. Survival (1:04)
6. Hymn Ho Her (5:23)
7. Neon Magic (4:39)
8. Remote Romance (4:01)
9. Ice (10:10)

Total Time: 46:13
Line-up/Musicians

- Andrew Latimer / guitars, vocals, flute, autoharp
- Andy Ward / drums
- Colin Bass / bass, vocals
- Jan Schelhaas / keyboards
- Kit Watkins / keyboards
WITH:
- Mel Collins / sax
- Phil Collins / percussion
- Rupert Hine / vocals
Releases information

LP 1979 GAMA Records/ Deram/ The Decca Record Co. Ltd. London, England
CD 1990 Deram/ The Decca Record Co. Ltd. London, England/ A Gama Records Ltd. Production (820 614-2)

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Corte dei Miracoli - Corte dei Miracoli (1976)

2007-10-26T05:12:00.000-07:00

Another one-shot Italian prog album (well, at least until the 1990s, when Mellow Records released some live and archival material). Their only album released during their lifetime was released in 1976 on the Grog label (owned by Vittorio de Scalzi of NEW TROLLS). This was a band that featured two keyboardists (Riccardo Zegna, Alessio Feltri), a bassist (Gabriele Siri), a drummer (Flavio Scogna), and vocals (Graziano Zippo), but no guitar. The only guitar you hear is on the opening cut, "...E Verrà L'Uomo", which was provided by Vittorio de Scalzi himself.

This album comes to prove that the Italian prog scene still has some good music to offer in 1976. To me, I think the music sounds a bit like a cross between BANCO (similar duo keyboard format, often in a classical manner) and Le ORME (since vocalist Graziano Zippo has a rather high-pitched voice). Maybe a little ELP thrown in, particularly on "Verso Il Sole". Moog, string synths, piano, electric piano, and Hammond organ are the keyboards you hear. "Una Storia Fiabesca" does get a bit repetitive, but has grown on me. "Il Rituale Notturno" is a rather pleasant number complete with string synths. I like the electronic effects found at the end. "I Due Amanti" finds the band starting off a bit spacy, with the string synths, and electronic effects (presumably played off an EMS synth), before the music sets in. The vocals here seem to be lower-pitched and a bit off-key, making me think it was someone other than Graziano Zippo doing the vocals. I love how the music starts slowing down, simulating the sound of someone turning off their record player. Nice album to have for the Italian prog rock collector. - Review by Proghead (Ben Miler)

Track Listings

1. ...E Verrà L'Uomo (7:00)
2. Verso Il sole (6:34)
3 .Una Storia Fiabesca (6:52)
4. Il Rituale Notturno (7:12)
5. I Due Amanti (13:40)

Total Time: 41:18
Line-up/Musicians

- Alessio Feltri / keyboards
- Riccardo Zegna / keyboards
- Graziano Zippo / vocal
- Flavio Scogna / drums, percussions
- Gabliele Siri / bass

Guest musician:
- Vittorio De Scalzi / guitar
Releases information

Grog (GRL 04)

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Electric Light Orchestra - Time (1981)

2007-10-26T04:58:00.000-07:00

OK, “Time” might not be the most challenging album you’ll ever hear, but it is a masterpiece of symphonic pop, and a fine concept album. Jeff Lynne gathers together some of his strongest compositions ever, adds some delightful orchestration, and comes up with an album full of tracks which stand up well as great pop songs individually. Where "Time" really succeeds though is that the songs come together to form an album which demands to heard as a complete piece.

It may seem sacrilegious to mention “Supper’s ready” in the same breath, but the basic idea is the same, a number of individual pieces segued together with occasional recurring themes, to create a much stronger whole. The main difference here is that virtually any of the tracks would have enjoyed success as a single.

After the brief overture of "Prologue", we dive straight into the totally infectious "Twilight", and the mood for the album is set. "The way life's meant to be" has more than a hint of George Harrison about it, "Hold on tight" is a Wizzard like romp through a wall of sound, and "Here is the news" has some truly inspired satirical lyrics.

There are several slower ballad style songs, of which "Ticket to the moon" is the highlight. This pained sci-fi love song bemoans the fact that the ticket is "just one way", Lynne giving one of his most emotive performances ever. "21st Century man" paints a reflective picture of the future (now the now!), while "Another heart breaks" is primarily an instrumental piece, broken only by the repeated title.

There is a real temptation to dismiss "Time" as a pop album, and to judge it on a superficial basis. To do so is a real injustice, this is a truly superb piece of work by any standards. Lynne's attention to detail is constant throughout, indeed, it is ironic that were it not for the fact that his compositions are so commercially successful, he would undoubtedly gain far more recognition as a musical genius. - Review by Easy Livin (Bob McBeath)

Track Listings

1. Prologue (1:15)
2. Twilight (3:35)
3. Yours Truly, 2095 (3:15)
4. Ticket to the Moon (4:06)
5. The Way Life's Meant to Be (4:36)
6. Another Heart Breaks (3:46)
7. Rain is Falling (3:54)
8. From the End of the World (3:16)
9. The Lights Go Down (3:31)
10. Here is the News (3:49)
11. 21st Century Man (4:00)
12. Hold on Tight (3:05)
13. Epilogue (1:30)

Total Time: 43:38
Line-up/Musicians

- Jeff Lynne / lead vocals, backing vocals, electric & acoustic guitars, piano, synthesizers
- Richard Tandy / piano, electric piano, synthesizers, guitar
- Bev Bevan / drums, percussion
- Kelly Groucutt / bass guitar, backing vocals
Releases information

LP/CD Jet Records FZ 37371 (US) (1981)

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Far East Family Band - Nipponjin (1975)

2007-10-26T04:48:00.000-07:00

FAR EAST FAMILY BAND is one of the pioneering prog bands to emerge out of Japan. Several musicians who later made careers of themselves by releasing New Age albums in the 1980s were members of this band. They were Fumio Miya[&*!#]a, Akira Ito, and most of all, Masanori Takahashi, which most of you don't know by that name, but by the name of Kitaro. Other band members included guitarist Hirohito Fukushima, bassist Akira Fukakusa, and drummer Shizuo Takasaki. Fumio Miya[&*!#]a was previously with a band called FAR OUT (which many just simply regard as another FEFB album, even if only Fumio Miya[&*!#]a was the only person in common with both bands). Now, if you're expecting the music of FAR EAST FAMILY BAND to be more cheesy New Age, throw that thought at the window. FAR EAST FAMILY BAND is pretty much to KITARO what VANGELIS was to APHRODITE'S CHILD, that is, these bands music are much more rock oriented than the careers these keyboardists later pursued in the 1970s and '80s. "Nipponjin", with the subtitle of Join Our Mental Phase Sound is the second album from FAR EAST FAMILY BAND. Basically these songs are remakes of stuff from "The Cave - Down to the Earth" and the FAR OUT album. The album starts off with the title track, which sounds exactly like the original, but with added on synthesizers and Mellotron (and if you ever heard the FAR OUT original, you'll noticed how effective that song is without the synths and Mellotron). The music starts of with spacy electronic effects, synthesizers, and electric sitar. Mellotron is used as well, then the music kicks in to a wonderful ballad, with drug oriented lyrics. After a few minutes, the ballad is over, and kicks in to a wonderful guitar jam. After a couple minutes, the music slows down once again, with the electric sitar once again. Then the song ends with chanting in "Om", with some chanting in Japanese as well. The next song, "The Cave" is more the style of FAR EAST FAMILY BAND. Most of the music is sung in English, but the more intense passage has Fumio Miya[&*!#]a singing in Japanese. "Undiscovered Northern Land" sounds like something Klaus SCHULZE might do, with the big exception of the Mellotron and bamboo flute (SCHULZE did produce the album, but did not play on it, and the album was recorded in Japan). "Timeless" is one of the more rocking numbers on this album. "The God of Water" is simply an ambient piece, that segues in to the ballad "River of Soul". Several more pieces segue in to each other, before the final piece, "Mystery of Northern Space". First few listens, I hated this piece, but it started to grow on me. It is more dramatic than the rest, and it also has some strings. But in light of that, I'm glad to say it's nowhere as bad as that wretched "Four Minds" off The Cave: Down to the Earth. Although an excellent album, and this pretty much demonstrates what FAR EAST FAMILY BAND is about, their following album, "Parallel World" blows "Nipponjin" (and everything else they did) out of the water, still "Nipponjin" is recommended. - Review by Proghead (Ben Miler)

Track Listings

Side 1:
1. Nipponjin (16:51)
2. The Cave (8:37)

Side 2:
3. Undiscovered Northern Land (2:54)
4. Timeless (4:26)
5. The God of Water (2:06)
6. River of Soul (8:28)
7. The God of Wind (2:33)
8. Movin' Lookin' (1:39)
9. Yamato (0:48)
10. Mystery of Northern Space (5:57)

Total Time: 54:19
Line-up/Musicians

- Fumio Miyashita / guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Akira Ito / keyboards
- Masanori Takahashi (Kitaro) / keyboards, percussion
- Hirohito Fukushima / guitar, vocals
- Akira Fukakusa / bass
- Shizuo Takasaki / drums
Releases information

Lps-Vertigo-6370 850-Germany-1975

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Atmosphera - Lady Of Shalott (1977)

2007-10-24T05:23:00.000-07:00

When I discovered Atmosphera, I was happy with the opportunity to hear a progressive rock band from a different country (Israel). But after reading the comments made by the other prog fans I saw that Atmosphera is considered another Yes clone. This is not a bad thing, because every band that sounds like 70's Yes is good, but it is a lost opportunity of hearing to new kind of music because it doesn't incorporate different cultural influences. By the way, a good symphonic prog band inspired in Yes music is alone an opportunity to listen to good prog and that's why I got their music. Well, just listening to the music to know if the band is just another Yes clone or not, so lets go to the music.

The first song, the eponymous song, is a good symphonic rock song, with superb keyboard work (piano, synthesizer) influenced by Wakeman, though the keyboard lines are more like in Relayer. The drum work is very good, the bass reminds me Squire and the vocals are very good, but sound like Anderson. So this is pure Yes. But the music is pretty good, with long instrumental interludes that are very creative and skillfully played. Mainly the keyboard work is superb and there is no excess in this 16-minute song. The guitar has some Howe influences and the guitarist make some very fast solos that are not much Yes.

The next song is another 16-minute song, Cuckoo (Love's Labour Lost), that starts with a great intro, with superb guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. The sung parts are not much far from the Yes style, but the instrumental parts sound different from what Yes have done. The guitar solos are stunning and the drumming is superb. The keyboard solos are very good also, including nice piano and synthesizer. This song has many more variations than its predecessor and it is better in my opinion.

Tomorrow is another superb symphonic prog song with great instrumental introduction. The song is almost instrumental with very different parts and the progressive sound is different from the other songs, with superb guitar and keyboard melodies and solos. It is the best song of the album and it is totally fresh, without strong hooks to the sound of other bands, showing their creative potential at that time..

The last original song is Love is Waiting for a Lover, which has a different lead singer and the song is a bit different in sound than its predecessors, not being very close to Yes sound too, but for some few parts. There is an interesting synthesizer-lead instrumental interlude in the song. It remembers a little late Led Zeppelin because of the guitar and vocals.

The rest is alternative versions and but for Catharsis, that is a kind of RIO experiment of the band and pretty interesting, the other songs doesn't have much impact in the overall album.

So it is not much an Yes clone, though the sound is somewhat very Yes inspired and the music is very good, without fillers. They have excellent musicianship and good writing skills. Unfortunately they didn't have support and the band disbanded before they could do more things. Essential Symphonic Prog. - Review by akin (Fernando Raffani)

Track Listings

DISC 1 (68:20)
1. Lady of Shalott (16:24)
2. Cuckoo (Love's Labour's Lost) (16:47)
3. Tomorrow (10:47)
4. Love Is waiting for a Lover (7:58)
5. Cuckoo - Alternate Version (16:25)

DISC 2 (73:42)
1. VCD (video-cd) Track (20:47)
a) Lady of Shalott (Videoclip) (1977)
b) Me El-ma
c) MIO Catalog
2. Announcement (Shaul Grossberg, Bet Lessin) (0:36)
3. Tomorrow - Live at Beit Lessin (11:00)
4. Lady of Shalott - Live at Galei-Tzahal (12:41)
5. Catharsis (Istopy) (7:46)
6. Nightmare (Me El-Ma) (6:31)
7. Toridtagitar (Me El-Ma) (5:22)
8. The Children Dance (Me El-Ma) (8:59)

Total Time: 142:02
Line-up/Musicians

- Efrayim Barak / vocals
- Moti Fonseka /guitar
- Alon Nadel / bass
- Yuval Rivlin / keyboards
- Ami Lipner (later re-named himself to Mi El-Ma) / drums
Releases information

1977 Nana Disc / 2002 MIO Records

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Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band - Doc At The Radar Station (1980)

2007-10-24T05:21:00.000-07:00

I had just two albums with Captain Beefheart on it in the LP (vinyl) era: Zappa’s Bongo Fury, which he guested on and Doc At The Radar Station. Trout Mask Replica was the first CB CD. That one I really can’t recommend. I picked it up on the strength of it being one of his better known releases, but I just didn’t care for it even though I do have a taste for weirdness in music. I think because of that I have been hesitant to add any more of his albums to my collection.

I had no hesitation to adding Doc though. If you can call a CB album accessible, this one is more so for me than Trout. For what it’s worth Henry Kaiser covered three CB songs on his album of cover tunes, Those Who Know History Are Doomed To Repeat It, and two tracks were from Doc.

Doc has one of the funniest song titles I’ve ever heard: Making Love to a Vampire With a Monkey on My Knee. Amidst all the weirdness, there is actually a straightforward beautiful instrumental: A Carrot Is as Close as a Rabbit Gets to a Diamond. Most of this album is just plain weird though. If you don’t like strange music on occasion, you might be better off passing the Captain by. - Review by Slartibartfast (Brian S. Lindsey)

Track Listings

1. Hot Head (3:23)
2. Ashtray Heart (3:25)
3. A Carrot Is as Close as a Rabbit Gets to a Diamond (1:38)
4. Run Paint Run Run (3:40)
5. Sue Egypt (2:57)
6. Brickbats (2:40)
7. Dirty Blue Gene (3:51)
8. Best Batch Yet (5:02)
9. Telephone (1:31)
10. Flavor Bud Living (1:00)
11. Sheriff of Hong Kong (6:34)
12. Making Love to a Vampire With a Monkey on My Knee (3:11)

Total Time: 38:52
Line-up/Musicians

- Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) / vocals, harmonica, Tenor saxophone, Soprano saxophone, bass clarinet
- Eric Drew Feldman / bass guitar, synthesizer, mellotron, grand piano, electric piano
- Bruce Fowler / trombone
- John French / guitar, slide guitar, marimba, bass guitar, some drums
- Robert Williams / drums, percussion
- Jeff Moris Tepper / guitar, slide-guitar, nerve guitar

Guest:
- Gary Lucas / guitar, French horn
Releases information

LP Virgin 13148 (1980) / CD EMI 787136 (2001)

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Rufus Zuphall - Weiß der Teufel (1970)

2007-10-24T05:05:00.000-07:00

One of the legendary rare album from this band (hailing from Aachen next to Belgium and The Netherlands), this was released as a private pressing and an original pressing goes for fortunes. This high cost is probably not increasing of late as the re-formed group has made a new pressing of both the vinyl and the CD. This group is one of the German groups I have been aware early in my life as they passed to Bilzen festival in the early 70’s, and although too young to attend at the time, I managed to remember their weird name. Much later in the 70’s I was able to “score” a used copy of this album (with a different artwork than the famous toilet cover), which held cult status in my eyes, because I loved their rough and raw sound.

RZ is often unjustly compared to Jethro Tull because of the presence of a flauter (but this one is not mad does not sing and speaks perfect French), but not only is this reductive but also incorrect: sure there are similarities but RZ is much more bluesish and jazzy, have a tendency to expand instrumentally much more than Tull would. If any comparison to Tull should be made, it would be towards a much proggier version of Tull’s debut Time Was and a sort of progressive garage rock.

Two short tracks and two 7-min+ monsters make-up the first side of the album and Knight of The Third Degree is an excellent acoustic laced Gershwin-type of jazzy tune. Very happy and aerial, this music is made for good mood and loaded with positive vibes. The two shorter tracks (which came as the A and B-side of a single) are quite superb also. Freitag (Friday) could not be anything else than joyful too, and just like a Friday night on the town is raw, live, naughty and bluesy fun. Must be said that guitarist Gunter Krause’s vocals are not a highlight of RZ’s overall sound, but it is not a problem either: just apt and adequate.

The second side of the album is occupied by their “piece de résistance”, a lenghty mostly instrumental track built upon Gershwin’s (him again) Summertime theme, which was also the high point of their concerts. Unfortunately, the studio version could’ve done without the lenghty drum solo (heard worse than this particular one, but I always thought of drum solos on studio and live albums as useless), but the rest of the track is a great showcase (with some almost jam-like lengths) for the whole group’s instrumental prowess. At times, the positive vibes are making the listener exhilarating, basking in a cloudless sky of happiness.

The Cd version is now coming with six bonus live tracks from their farewell concert: the sound is just bootleg adequate (no more), and their live sound was slightly harder and bluesier and except for the odd track are not much added value. I would’ve rather seen them released as a separate album with the bonus track on their following Phallobst album.

Hardly essential to the prog rock history, RZ’s two albums are both recommended to fans of early 70’s prototype of prog rock. A good sound moment of good vibes, happiness and hippy idealism. - Review by Sean Trane (Hugues Chantraine)

Track Listings

1. Walpurgisnacht (3:00)
2. Knight Of 3rd Degree (7:32)
3. Spanferkel (2:20)
4. Freitag (7:14)
5. Weiß der Teufel (17:09)

Total Time: 37:15

CD bonus tracks Farewell! Live Aachen 1972 Part 1

6. 900 Miles
7. I Put A Spell On You
8. See See Rider
9. Avalon Suite
10. Summertime
11. Prickel Pit
Line-up/Musicians

- Klaus Gülden / flute
- Helmut Lieblang / bass
- Günter Krause / guitar
- Udo Dahmen / drums
Releases information

LP: LW 1035 RPI
CD: Long Hair Record 029

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Van Der Graaf Generator - The Aerosol Grey Machine (1969)

2007-10-24T04:59:00.000-07:00

'The Aerosol Grey Machine' was initially planned as the first Peter Hammill solo-record, but was finally released under the group name 'Van Der Graaf Generator', a device for producing high electrostatic potentials up to 15 million volt and quite a good name for such an energy loaden band. Now, VDGG owns as much to Byron, Shelley, Keats and E.A.Poe as to Chuck Berry. Peter Hammill is like Bob Dylan in the first place a poet, who composes music for his poems, supported by a great band . Hammiill has an expressive vocal range (from lamantations to cries and whispers) and on 'The Aerosol Grey Machine' one can already find the major elements of VDGG's music : Hammills expressive vocal style and poetry, Banton's classical inspired keyboard playing and Guy Evans' subtile drumming. The first five tracks (four songs) have a similar structure, the instruments enter one after the other (first the guitar, [on 'Afterwards' organ] than the bass, the piano or organ, Evans enters on drums establishes a medium tempo groove and Hammill starts singing , with small variations throughout the track. It is already typical VDGG, but the dynamic of the later records is still missing. The most interesting track of the four is 'Into a Game', the song starts the same way as the others, but in the middle there is an instrumental break starting with bass and drums joined by Banton, who delivers a nice piano solo and then Hammill joins and sings ad-libitum "into a game.." over the groove, until the track fades. 'Aerosol Grey Machine' is a funny publicity spot followed by a short instrumental 'Black Smoke Yen', where Evans establishes an interesting drum pattern joined by the bass and another piano solo by Banton. Now comes the best part: 'Aquarian' is a fantastic Prog-Pop-Song! It is the only track on the record (a part from the Bonus tracks) that follows a classical song structure with verse & chorus. [with the band joining on vocals for the chorus]. It starts with a great groove by Evans heavily phased drums and a pumping bass line joined by Hammill's vocals, a great chorus and a final organ frenzy.'Necromancer' is a nice stop and go rocker and 'Octopus' a heavy rocker with a ostinato bass line, organ washes and a nice organ solo in the second half, reminding Jon Lord. The record misses the dynamic tension of the later records, but is nevertheless a great record. - Review by Alucard (Martin Horst)

Track Listings

1. Afterwards (4:58)
2. Orthenthian St. (Part I) (2:23)
3. Orthenthian St. (Part II) (3:53)
4. Running Back (6:32)
5. Into a Game (5:56)
6. Aerosol Grey Machine (0:56)
7. Black Smoke Yen (1:18)
8. Aquarian (8:27)
9. Necromancer (3:30)
10. Octopus (7:41)
11. Giant Squid* (3:19)
12. Ferret & Featherbird** (4:34)
13. People You Were Going To*** (2:44)
14. Firebrand*** (4:08)

Total Time: 60:20
*USA Mercury LP release included
no 11 in place of no 09
** The FIE! Records CD release includes no 9 and 11 with one Extra No 12
*** The Repertoire CD misses no 11, but contains no 13 and no 14 as additional tracks these 2 songs were first published in 1968 as a single.
Line-up/Musicians

- Hugh Banton / piano, organ, backing vocals
- Keith Ellis / bass, backing vocals
- Guy Evans / drums, percussion
- Peter Hammill / lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Jeff Peach / flute

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Opus Avantra - Lord Cromwell Plays Suite For Seven Vices (1975)

2007-10-24T04:56:00.000-07:00

Whereas "Intrespezione" opened in a stark and challenging way, "Lord Cromwell..." chooses to unfold in a serenely, stately manner with a neo-classical arrangement for piano, flute and... well, timpani. This should send up a warning flag but happily the song morphs into rock and cycles through several different textures before its melodic and pleasing conclusion in a fairly EL&P or Le Orme-like way. No "sophomore album" problem for Opus Avantra, then.

This one appears to be a concept album as the song titles gel with that of the record. I'm not versed in italian so I can't tell you how lyrically deep this delves but I can confirm that each of the tracks synonymous with one of the sins sounds rather like its sinner, ie, "Avarice" sounds like the soundtrack for the life of a mercenary man with a great desire for power and "Envy" is a challenging, staggering piece that cleverly expresses inner bitterness and rage.

This one is twice as rocky as their previous endeavour and a better starting point for the more orthodox prog-heads among us. - Review by laplace (Hyphen Abuse)

Track Listings

1. Flowers on Pride (5:29)
2. Avarice (5:26)
3. Lust (3:53)
4. My Vice (1:59)
5. Ira (7:52)
6. Gluttony (3:05)
7. Envy (5:44)
8. Sloth (4:32)
9. Allemanda (3:03)

Total Time: 41:03
Line-up/Musicians

- Alfredo Tisotto / Steinway and Fender piano, Hammond, synthesizer and Pipe organ
- Luciano Travella / flute
- Renato Zanella / Fender guitar
- Enrico Professione / violin
- Pieregidio Spiller / violin
- Riccardo Perraro / cello
- Paulo Siani / percussion, drums
- Gina Bianco, Susan Worshap, Cindy Brasher, Carl Adams / vocals
- American Chorus Setaf
Releases information

Suono (SRLP 1002)

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Marsupilami - Marsupilami (1970) + Arena

2007-10-24T04:51:00.000-07:00

A personal favourite album of mine from the era, from one of the most obscure bands but also, despite making only two albums, one of the best bands too. This incredible debut is testimony to that. Marsupilami were, as far as I'm aware, a group of British ex-pats who resided in the Netherlands. They had the honour of being the first prog band on Transatlantic, and along with Gryphon, one of only two prog bands- Transatlantic was one of the best folk labels of all time, featuring the wonderful Bert Jansch, Pentangle, Mr Fox and many others- including a pre-fame Mike Oldfield in Sallyangie with his sister Sally. They have a very distinctive sound that cannot be compared to anyone else.

'Dorian Deep' sets the tone of the album- a wonderfully operatic opus with lots of dramatic vocals, much spacey organ accompaniment and lots of jazzy guitar- the band get pretty heavy too, with some furious drumming and thunderous bass playing. Terrific stuff. 'Born To Be Free' starts out with a bluesy feel, with some neat guitar flourishes and great organ accompaniment, plus ominous and bleak vocals. This track then speeds up into a very uptempo jazz rock interlude with terrific solos on guitar. 'And The Eagle Chased To The Dove To Its Ruin' was the first track I heard of the band, and sold the album to me right there; it was one of the most mindblowing musical experiences I had ever had in my life. It starts out very doomy, with some unusual chord changes on guitar and organ, with funereal vocals, which turn into some pseudo poetic rambling. The bass playing propels this track into a fast and stupendous prog masterpiece- operatic caterwauling, lovely flute playing, great organ fills and Steve Howe-esque guitar runs. It then slows down into a more tranquil part, until going into a flute tour-de-force with some of the most amazing vocals you'll ever hear, and lots of heavy guitars. This then reverts to the main theme, before coming to a sudden holt. Truly astonishing. What's it about? Lord knows- but it sounds AMAZING. 'Ab Initio Ad Finem (The Opera)' is an extremely dramatic instrumental, with lots of complex solos on guitar and organ- really great stuff. 'Facilis Descencus Averni' has some more incredible vocals and wild flute, guitar and organ playing- with some crazy evil cackles for good measure. Again- terrific stuff, and truly shows high drama at its peak.

So there- one of the most bombastic prog albums ever made, and consequently one of the better hidden treasures, being a particular favourite of mine. Deserves a place in any prog fan's collection. - Review by salmacis (James Jeffery)

Track Listings

1. Dorian Deep (7:40)
2. Born To Be Free (5:45)
3. And The Eagle Chased The Dove To Its Ruin (6:38)
4. Ab Initio Ad Finem (The Opera) (10:54)
5. Facilis Descencus Averni (9:37)
Line-up/Musicians

- Mike Fouracre / percussion
- Fred Hasson / vocals, harmonica, bongos
- Leary Hasson / organ
- Richard Hicks / bass
- Dave Laverock / acoustic and bowed guitars, vocals
- Jessica Stanley-Clarke / flute, vocals

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Semente - Semente (1999)

2007-10-24T04:45:00.000-07:00

Very good and original brazillian prog-band!!! Their first and unique album is from 1976, but recorded in 1998. I found this piece in Florianópolis/Brazil (where I live) in an old book and CD store by 4 reais (a little more than 1 dollar)!!! What a luck!!! The first song is an instrumental beautiful work. It begins with Benchimol’s flute, strong sounds and wonderful harmony. “Insanidade” (insanity) is singing by Márcia, talking about dream/reality human reflexions. “Ninfa Azul” (Blue Nymph) evidently refers to old myth with Benchimol’s voice. More than 11 minutes of rock, blues, space rock… in a word: a real progressive rock! One more female vocal: “Novas Forças” (New forces), and the final one: “Mundo Guerreiro” (Warrior world): female and male vocals, debating in a background flute, saxophone and mellotron. Very recommended to symphonic prog-rocks fans! I’m waiting for a second album… Four stars. Five goes only to classics like Genesis, Yes and Elp. By the way, Benchimol has a solo career. If you have interest, there are three songs to free download on http://www.rockprogressivo.com.br. Enjoy!!! - Review by Prog-Brazil (Flávio M. de O. Zimmermann)

Track Listings

1. Semente (6:49)
2. Insanidade (6:31)
3. Ninfa Azul (11:39)
4. Novas ForÃ§as (8:14)
5. Mundo Guerreiro (8:35)

Tptal Time: 41:48
Line-up/Musicians

- Sergio Benchimol / bass, guitar solo, violao de aco e 12 cordas, traverse flute, sax tenor, piano, mellotron, vocals
- Alexandre Kosinski / guitar solo, violao cigano
- Pedro Kosinski / baixo, piano, orgao, mellotron, moog, vocals
- Mario Carvalho / drums, vocals
- Marcia Kosinski / vocals
Releases information

Self production

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Petrus Castrus - Mestre (1973)

2007-10-24T04:40:00.000-07:00

Band with Castro brothers and Júlio Pereira (who released the albums later: Bota fora - 1975 and Fernandinho vai ao vinho - 1976). Generally, they are considered symphonic prog. However, this album is Art Rock to me. I will say why. Mestre (Lord) is a three stars album in prog terms (Good, but non-essential), because it don't have long solos nor long symphonic pieces. It's a good album with short songs speaking about the political context in Portugal. So you have to know the historic context in that time in Portugal before listen this album, specially if you don't understand portuguese language. Because the lyrics, this album was forbidden by three months by portuguese censorship comission. In fact, the lyrics are very critical and good. And about the style of songs? They are various. The first song, Mestre, begins like: "Lord, nothing new under the sun, nothing just under the skies..." This song clearly is from people from exile. They have also some rock and jazz directed songs: S.A.R.L. (3:19), Velho Avarento (1:26), Pátria amada (4:02), Macaco (1:50). These last two songs remember that old jazz with clarinete from Louis Armstrong and Scott Joplin. País Relativo (4:40), História do azul do mar (2:49), Tiahuanaco (5:53) and Mestre (5:41) are more progressive tracks, with change of styles and some guitar solos. Porque (2:13), Pasárgada (3:28), Só mais nada (0:43) are more soft with keyboards. This last one closes the album singing: "It's maybe the last day of my life..." So if you like protest songs, but with very intelligent poetry and good music, remember Mestre by Petrus Castrus. - Review by Prog-Brazil (Flávio M. de O. Zimmermann)

Track Listings

Side 1:
1. Mestre
2. Pátria amada
3. Porque
4. País Relativo
5. Macaco

Side 2:
1. S.A.R.L.
2. Pasárgada
3. Velho Avarento
4. Tiahuanaco
5. História do azul do mar
6. Só mais nada

No track or album length available
Line-up/Musicians

- Pedro Castro / Bass
- José Castro / Keyboards, Vocals
- Rui Reis / Piano, Organ
- Júlio Pereira / Guitars
- João Seixas / Drums
- José Mário / Xylophone
Releases information

LP / Sassetti. 1973

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Andy Summers, Robert Fripp - I Advance Masked (1982)

2007-10-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

It is always a rare treat when gifted artists come together for a project, and this collaboration between two of rocks' most influential guitarists fulfills that promise and creates just the right blend of rhythmic mastery with atmospheric minimalism. Robert Fripp and Andy Summers guise the music in neutral colors and subdued garb without losing intensity on 'I Advance Masked', a true partnership wherein both players contributed equally, each only adding something to a moment of music if necessary. The result is an unselfish record of constant forward movement and sonic wonders, especially for 1982.

The driving title track sets the pace and we're off on a special trip. 'In the Cloud Forest' slows things with warbles, quavers, the chimes of Summers and piercing round notes of Fripp. Though vaguely reminiscent of both 1980s King Crimson and the Police, 'I Advance Masked' is an animal all its own, never imitating or taking from the two men's other bands. 'New Marimba' pulses and 'Girl on a Swing' is a nice respite with gentle chord washes and a beautiful solo from Fripp. 'Hardy Country' refreshes the tempo and the adventures in modulation that are such a part of this session. 'The Truth of Skies' moves into darker realms, 'Painting and Dance' teases with mathematic counterpoint and 'Still Point' thrills with an urgent rhythm and great lead.

A challenging record from start to finish, it can be both carefully listened to or relegated to 'background' music and still satisfy both needs. Very pleasing and a great stater for 'texture-rock'. - Review by Atavachron (David)

Track Listings

1. I Advance Masked (5:12)
2. Under Bridges of Silence (1:42)
3. China - Yellow Leader (7:09)
4. In The Cloud Forest (2:30)
5. New Marimba (3:38)
6. Girl On A Swing (2:04)
7. Hardy Country (3:02)
8. The Truth of Skies (2:06)
9. Painting and Dance (3:25)
10. Still Point (3:07)
11. Lakeland / Aquarelle (1:43)
12. Seven On Seven (1:37)
13. Stultified (1:28)

Total Time 78:12
Line-up/Musicians

- Robert Fripp & Andy Summers / electric guitars, Roland & Moog synthesizers, various percussion
Releases information

A&M 75021 4913 2 UK 1982

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Mythos - Concrete City (1979)

2007-10-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

This evening I was visited by a friend who had put lots of interesting, often rare LP's on CD for me. Here is one surprising 'heavy progressive rock' effort by German band Mythos. Their music on this album (six tracks, running time at about 34 minutes) is a blend of harder edged guitar work and spacey/electronic sounding keyboards featuring some fascinating music (like Flamenco Bay with a dreamy climate and pleasant vintage keyboards) with some hints from Focus (flute sound in Harry chanceless), Hawkwind (raw,propulsive guitar chords and spacey synthesizers) and Jane (fiery electric guitar and strings) but in general it sounds quite unique. For me this album is an entertaining progrock experience (except the boring song Ulysses B. Smart), no more or less, rated with 2,5 stars. - Review by erik neuteboom (erik neuteboom)

Track Listings

1. Harry chanceless (5:06)
2. Concrete city (5:25)
3. Flamenco bay (5:36)
4. Neutron bomb (7:02)
5. Ulysses B. Smart (6:02)
6. Yukon (5:29)

Total Time: 34:40
Line-up/Musicians

- Sven Dohrow / guitar, Mellotron
- Stephan Kaske / vocals, flute, synths
- Ronnie Schreinzer / drums
- Eberhard P. Seidler / bass
+ Leonore Morvaya / vocals (5)
Releases information

Venus V79 MY-B 1012 LP RE on Spalax

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Frumpy - By The Way (1972)

2007-10-22T06:56:00.001-07:00

Another band that colored my childhood, Frumpy, is now included here. Well, I never considered that this would be featured here even though I really enjoyed this album. The key driving force was Inga Rumpf with the powerful vocal and stunning guitar work. Inga also the driving force that characterized the music of Atlantis. "Singing Song" was once a big hit in my country with some radios broadcasted the song on regular basis. The song has a very nice combination of blues and rock music and a touch of pop as well. The opening part which comprises acoustic guitar rhythm with vocal moves in crescendo into heavier part with stunning guitar work and Kravetz pulsating keyboards. Bass guitar plays important role as well. The title track "By The Way" is a rocker with blues touch, performede energetically by the band, with high energy. Again, Inga's unique vocal has added key musical characteristic of this album. I always treat that this is a classic rock outfit that was successful at its period. You might find this album nothing intensive about prog elements, but for sure this CD is one of my favorite classic rock albums, including Bloodrock 1,2,3 and Typstich. It's pity if Frumpy is included here while Bloodrock and Atlantis are not. Keep on proggin' ..! - Review by Gatot (Gatot Widayanto)

Track Listings

1. Goin' To The Country (3:40)
2. By The Way (8:51)
3. Singing Songs (7:02)
4. I'm Afraid Big Moon (6:25)
5. Release (8:50)
6. Keep On Going (5:25)

Total Time 39:33
Line-up/Musicians

- Inga Rumpf / vocals, guitar
- Jean-Jacques Kravetz / keyboards
- Karl Heinz Schott / bass
- Carsten Bohn / drums

Releases information

LP / Vertigo / 1972
(Remastered by Repertoire Records in 2001)

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Frumpy - Frumpy Live (1972)

2007-10-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

This is an excellent mix of blues, soul, hard rock and prog, with some "classic" brief interludes. Frumpy was a band which ended much too soon, they were talented musicians and singer Inga Rumpf had a powerful (although a bith rough) voice. This live album was a posthumous release, and Repertoire Records added two live 1970 songs to the original seven pieces. Apart from "Backwater Blues" (one of the highlights of the album), which was written by Bessie Smith, all the songs were written by band member (specially Inga Rumpf and Jean-Jacques Kravetz). Please note that guitar player Rainer Baumann played on this album (his name must be added at the line-up above - and the band's drummer was Carsten Bohn - "Bandstand" was the band he formed after Frumpy's end). All tracks on CD 1 (first five songs at the songlisting) are definitely worth a listen, making this album a good addition to any prog-rock fan's collection, although it's not essential. By the way, don't be fooled by the fact they were Germans: if you like kraut- rock, this will not be your band. - Review by M. B. Zapelini (Marcello B. Zapelini)

Track Listings

1. Keep On Going (12:06)
2. Singing Songs (8:54)
3. Backwater Blues (4:56)
4. Duty (17:35)
5. To My Mother (11:34)
6. Release (22:00)
7. Take Care Of Illusion (8:54)
8. Duty (7:33)
9. Floating (12:14)

Total Time 106:18
Line-up/Musicians

- Inga Rumpf / vocals, guitar
- Jean-Jacques Kravetz / keyboards
- Rainer Baumann / guitar
- Karl-Heinz Schott / bass
- Carsten Bohn / drums

Releases information

2LP / Vertigo / 1973
In 1971 and 1972 FRUMPY cut seven songs for their LP "Live". The bonus tracks "Duty" and "Floating" were originally released in 1970 on the compilation album "Pop & Blues Festival".
(Remastered by Repertoire Records in 2001 with two bonus tracks)

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Itoiz - Ezekiel (1980)

2007-10-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

While their debut was quite an impressive achievement for a young group, Itoiz decided to up the ante by producing a concept album, the subject (written by group outsider Joseba Alklade) of which will most likely evade almost everyone but the Basque since, they sing in the own native tongue, but forget (unlike their fellow Basque groups) to supply the translation in either French or/and Spanish. While the artwork evokes an exile, the music is certainly much more advanced delving more deeply into jazz and folk than the symphonic influences of the debut. The line is fairly different and actually extended to violin and sax players while it is plainly obvious that JC Perez remains at the driving wheel. As mentioned above, the musical feel is rather different than the symphonic debut and the excursions into the jazz-rock realm are probably the most enthralling while the folk passages are sometimes a bit cheesy, but overall the music excels and even sometimes shines brighter than the sun.

Right from the starting blocks, Itoiz is grabbing you by the hand and forcing you to jog on along the musical trip leading you into what certainly sounds like saga, not a deep-frozen Viking one, one from nation that went out to fish on new world fish banks one thousand years before Columbus discovered it. Unfortunately it is frustrating of not being able to grasp the storyline, especially given to the music factor of this disc, it has a lot of chance to be fascinating.

Listen to the dramatic Ikasgaia and its constantly evolving climates, using shamelessly every single joyful mood and transport it musically, with a superb bass escaping leading and directing the music. That flute would not even exist if the bassist’s jazzy-funky-folky groove was not carrying everything with it. And the superb female scatting voice is only one of the highlights leading into the superb acoustic guitar of Amatea and its bizarre medieval twist just contrasting to Erantzuna troubadour-declaiming lyrics. Shit, I wish I spoke Basque, just to be able to profit to the fullest to this masterpiece of folk-inspired music, and it is not the finale that will deny it.

And that’s just the second part; the first being just as worthy but the vinyl found its way one my turntable that way. I could tell you about that first side just as lyrically as I did for its flipside (are you still with me?), but rather than flogging your already-conquered curiosities, I’d rather save my words for more discoveries of the genre. But this one is really worth it. Those almost-Celtic ambiances with a slight more southern flavour is likely to enchant all kinds of west Europeans, from the Land Of The Midnight Sun to the Canary Islands.

Itoiz’s next album (the only one I have not heard), recorded two years later is reputed to be relatively similar, although slightly softer rock), but the following ones are completely un-prog (almost regressive) sounding like a second or third rate U2, even if politically, they seem more engaged by then. In the meantime, prefer this album over their debut if you enjoy a bit wider-scoped prog music. Your life WILL be better once this disc will be yours. - Review by Sean Trane (Hugues Chantraine)

Track Listings

1. Ezekielen Prophezia
2. Ezekielen Esnatzea I
3. Ezekielen Esnatzea II
4. Ezekiel
5. Ezekielen Ikasgaia
6. Ezekielen Ametza
7. Ezekielen Erantzuna
8. Ezekiel- Ia Maitasun Kantu Bat
Line-up/Musicians

- Joseba Erkiaga / flute
- Estanis Osinalde / drums
- Juan Carlos Perez / guitar and vocals
- Jose Garate / bass
- Jose Antonio Fernandez / keyboards
- Paco Chamorro / sax
- Itziar Egileor / backing vocals
Releases information

Lost Vinyl LV-004, 1980/1994, CD

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Bobby Callender - The Way (First Book of Experiences) (1971)

2007-10-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

With Walcott's Codona, no doubt the best fusion jazz project which includes massive Hindu "raga" elements. After the brilliant, psychedelic and highly original "Rainbow", the singer & lyricist Bobby Callender carries on an other conceptual, deeply religious album called "The way". The "soul", jazz rock music progressively lets the place to spiritual influences of the East, marked by choirs and orchestration. The combination of East meets West is very achieved, putting here more stress on meditative, peaceful effects than before. This musical universe is full of beauty and introspection. All the compositions are floating in a "sacred" time, punctuated by a fragile female voice and Callender's odd, mysterious recitations. A rare, unique and eternal album! An excellent following to the revolutionary "Rainbow". - Review by philippe (Philippe Blache)

Track Listings

1. Drone - Going Back - Ist and 2nd Movement (2:46)
2. Awaken John - Lord Am I Dreamnng (2:58)
3. Bhodi Tree (2:06)
4. Satori (2:28)
5. Story of Rasha and Dhara (4:27)
6. Chant: Kasha and Dhara and Love, Love, Love (0:59)
7. Shringara (2:02)
8. 3rd Movement - Satyagraha (6:37)
9. Transmigration - Travel With Me (3:43)
10. Karma Yogi (2:16)
11. 4th Movement - Ooda Rata Travel With Me (2:23)
12. Story of the Shepherd (3:49)
13. Let Thy Will Be Done (2:17)
14. Hari Om and Deva Chant Interlude (4:18)
15. Santa Grace (3:16)
16. Going Back Instrumental/Ooda Chant and Ending (4:42)

Total Time: 51:07
Line-up/Musicians

- Bobby Callender / vocals

With:
- members of OREGON
Releases information

LP Akarma Records AK129

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Quicksand - Home Is Where I Belong (1973)

2007-10-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

Quicksand were a melodic psychedelic/progressive rock band from South Wales. I am part Welsh myself, and on my first of two visits to Cardiff 5 years ago I found this album. I had heard it before and it had gone over my head, but since hearing it back then with "fresh ears" this has come to be one of my very favourite albums. I would even go as far as to say this is the best album the interesting Dawn label put out, then go even further to say they are the most unheralded treasure Wales ever produced. So what made them so intriguing? For starters, the guitar is soaring, snakey, and brilliant throughout the album and dominates the instrumental sound. The keyboards are tastefully used including some synthesizer, but mainly piano and a bit of mellotron. The music does lean heavily towards the guitar, though, both acoustic rhythm and electric lead/rhythm. Add to the guitars a professional sound and great harmony work from all four members and you have already a great album. What really pushes Quicksand into the upper echelon are 3 things: (A) Fantastic songwriting (B) Strong, yet warm lead vocals (C) Well written introspective lyrics. Each song tries something a little different, but there isn't a problem of the record being over-eclectic. For the most part, this is very melodic and could be described as a cross between The Parlour Band and Help Yourself, the latter are a Welsh band, no surprise. "Hideaway My Song" and "Sunlight Brings Shadows" begin the album on an impressive note with subtle progressive moves in a melodic psych context. Both are driving and cosmic. The rest of the album includes two medleys that go into intergalactic overdrive, and there is a lot of "space rock" on this album without any trace of that genre's penchant for self indulgence. This is a song oriented album, not a solo oriented album. Despite the late recording date it sounds much earlier and is more likely to appeal to fans of harmony rich melodic psych than full blown progressive. Like The Parlour Band, Fantasy, and Help Yourself the songs are the main focus here, but unlike Fantasy virtuoso guitar work dominates the music rather than keyboards. That makes this one a bit different. The heavily phased sections and inclinations towards drugged out late night folky progressive rock also are different. This is a favourite album of mine, and for anyone with an open mind and love for the best music of the late 60s to early 70s this is thoroughly reccommended. Also, they look way stoned on the cover! - Review by bristolstc

Track Listings

1. Hideaway My Song (3:11)
2. Sunlight Brings Shadows (4:22)
3. Empty Street Empty Heart (3:44)
4. Overcome The Pattern (8:16)
5. Time To Live (3:30)
6. Home Is Where I Belong (4:58)
7. Seasons - Alpha Omega (8:23)
8. Hiding It All (4:13)

Total Time: 40:37
9. Alpha Omega
10. Hiding It All
Line-up/Musicians

- Robert Collins, Jimmy Davies, Phil Davies & Anthony Stone play drums, guitar, bass & keyboards
Releases information

LP Dawn DNLS 3056 (1974)
Reissued on CD (Si-Wan SRMC 1030) in Korea, K2 (20 bit digital) VICP 62168

Download - pass: sakallimusic.blogspot.com

Atoll - Tertio (1977)

2007-10-22T05:27:00.000-07:00

Well a "2 stars and an half" score is righter: talking about the French scene, They were not as much good as Ange, nor so much innovative like Pulsar, but anyway a good part of their stuff was remarkable and enriched with fine Mini-moog harmonizations. A strange year it was such 1977: the issue of "Novella" by Renaissance was the consolation for the betrayed fans of Yes, hating almost the whole production in the vein of "Drama" (without forgetting the beginning of the "Era of punk"); and cause of the reasons above, every melodic pop progressive work from France, resembling a bit the "Yes sound" of the early seventies, was like gold!! ...but coming back to the present issue, of course there's a certain discontinuity within and the guitar harmonic solutions are not so innovative as well; nevertheless by considering their sense of melody I prefer this work to- for instance- the mainstream works by Asia, even though I don't get crazy for this melodic genre (Camel are much better for example!!) - Review by lor68

Track Listings

1. Paris c'est Fini (5:58)
2. Les Dieux meme... (7:35)
3. Cae Lowe (Le Duel part 1 & 2) (4:49)
4. Le cerf Volant (5:51)
5. Tunnel part 1 (5:48)
6. Tunnel part 2 (7:48)

Total Time: 37:49
Line-up/Musicians

- Jean-Luc Thillot / bass
- Alain Gozzo / drums
- Michel Taillet / keyboards, drums
- André Balzer / vocals, drums
- Christian Beya / guitar
Releases information

CD Crime-K32Y 2157-Jap-1988
CD Musea FGBG 4019.AR
CD Musea FGBG 2102 (2002) (Digital Remaster in Mini-LP-Sleeve)

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Shaa Khan - The World Will End On Friday (1977)

2007-10-22T05:23:00.000-07:00

This record has a very German sound: it is almost progressive hard rock. It consists in cold & melancholic high electric guitars notes and in a mix of vintage and some more "modern" keyboards. If it is classified as progressive rock, then it is a very basic, simple and straightforward one. The songs have a unique sound, and the compositions are not bad at all, although they are not outstanding. The very punchy bass is rather pleasant and elaborated, and the drums are surprisingly varied and elaborated, despite they are not very fast. The good lead vocals have just a slight German accent.

There is often a gentle background organ a la Nektar (A tab in the ocean), and a lightly distorted floating organ a la Focus. The straightforward electric guitars have no significant pedal effects, so that the miscellaneous lazy solos sound a bit like the ones from early Eloy (circa "Inside"). Speaking of the Eloy of the 70's, some keyboards sound a bit the same. There are some acoustic guitars parts like on the "World will end on Friday" track. The electric rhythmic guitar riffs are rather rare. The music has a few elements from Amon Duul 2, except that Amon Duul 2 are much more progressive, elaborated and varied. - Review by greenback

Track Listings

1. White Room (8:22)
2. World will end on Friday (4:47)
3. Graveyard (7:53)
4. Ocean (7:42)
5. Seasons (9:16)

Total Time: 38:00
Line-up/Musicians

- Roland Soltysiak / guitar
- Jochen Gutermuth / bass
- Horst Schlechtriemen / keyboards, backing vocals
- Walter Kaulhausen / drums, backing vocals
- Heiner Waldmann / vocals, acoustic guitar
- Klaus Grandt / vocals, percussion
Releases information

LP Sky 015 (1977)

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Abus Dangereux - Happy French Band (1983)

2007-10-22T05:19:00.000-07:00

Recorded the following year, the third AD album, Happy French Band, is pursuing the changes occurred in Bis and refining it, with the line-up again evolving: the whole rhythm section of Mourey and Gaillard leaving, replaced by Verly Benavides (respectively on drums and bass). The Latino fusion is now much dominant with Devos’s all-too-present marimba, and the group starts sounding like Spiro Gyra. Hardly a bad news if you enjoy that, but I must say that I’ve never warmed to that style. The album is not particularly inspired; Abus’s Blues is rather weak, as is Aye Schango. Easily the better track of the album Voyage Sans Etiquette is still not fascinating to say the least. Not any better than its predecessor, HFB is hardly anything essential (we are far from the mid-70’s exciting ground breaking albums), as there are literally hundreds of albums of this calibre haunting the early-80’s catalogues, most of them lacking energy. - Review by Sean Trane (Hugues Chantraine)

Track Listings

1. Happy band
2. Abus’blues
3. Aye schingao
4. Voyage sans étiquettes
Line-up/Musicians

Pierrejean Gaucher / guitars
Arnaud Devos / vibraphone, marimba, percussions
Bobby Rangell / saxophones , flûte
Guillermo Benavides / bass
François Verly / drums, percussions
Frédéric Martin / trumpet
Releases information

Recorded at Witas studio -october, 1983

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Streetmark - Nordland (1976)

2007-10-22T05:14:00.000-07:00

Streetmark is one of the lesser known german bands of the 70's.One of the reasons is that the musicians kept their day-jobs, toured mainly in their area and didn't develop a follow up like GROBSCHNITT or NOVALIS who toured heavily.STREETMARK played together since 1968 but took time to record their first record 'Nordland'.They took the time to play the songs live and work them out. 'Nordland' was recorded and produced by the well knownengineer/producer Connie Planck on the new Sky label.Side one starts with a suite ' House of 3 windows'. The first part shows influences of Ekseption and Focus especially towards the end when G.Buschmann does vocalises like T. van Leer.The second part goes more in the direction of Procol Harum, Gary Brooker being the obvious model for Buschmann.The third part is a cover of 'Eleanor Rigby' ( a minor hit for STREETMARK) and quite an interesting approach of such a classic track. STREETMARK plays the song up- tempo and agressive which works fine.'Amleth Saga' is another Procol Harum influenced track. The only weak track on side one is 'Italian concerto in rock' a pseudo baroque instrumental à la Ekseption or Wendy Carlos with cheesy synth sounds. The second side 'Nordland is more athmospherique.The first part, an instrumental reminding NOVALIS goes into a more jazzier track' Lyster Fjord'. The third part 'Ladoga' is my favourite track on the record, a beautiful melody ,the only weak point are the vocals. The second side closes with 'Reality Airport' an uptempo rocker with nice rhythm changes. On the CD edition there is a Bonus track 'Da Capo' a variation on the 'Eleanor Rigby' theme. - Review by Alucard (Martin Horst)

Track Listings

1. House of three windows: (10:55)
a) House for hire 3:15
b) Green velvet curtains 2:20
c) Eleanor Rigby 5:20
2. Amleth saga (7:10)
3. Italian concert in rock (2:30)
4. Nordland: (20:19)
a) Waves and visions 2:50
b) Lyster fjord 7:24
c) Ladoga 3:45
d) Reality airport 6:20

Total Time: 40:54
Line-up/Musicians

- Georg Buschmann / lead vocals
- Dorothea Raukes / keyboards
- Thomas Schreiber / guitars
- Hans Schweiss / drums
- Wolfgang Westphal / bass
Releases information

LP Sky Records 003
CD Sky Records 3043 (1993)

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Capricorn College - Orfeo 2000 (1972)

2007-10-22T05:10:00.000-07:00

When to the Red moon Records I saw this CD... I don't know because... I bought it immediately. Ok, for me isn't a bad CD... However is a strange album because in 1972 the RPI finally is adult... And this is an album of Proto Prog. Nevertheless I noted an use of the Synth a la Rustichelli & Bordini also if is a strange sensation. In fact "Io Più Te" is almost Beat!!! Ok, and "Adamitico Sound"? Well... Is the song more complex of the album but just because have saxes, piano and a good drums solo!!! So is very good the intro of "Particolare Amore" that remember the work of Rustichelli & Bordini... But the song is another almost Beat (also with a good sound and sweet flute). The song more Prog are: "Cenacolo '70", good emotional song and a la Rustichelli & Bordini (but, honest, is only good),"Orfeo 2000", jazzy and moderately complex in the intro but in the development RPI a la New Trolls, and "Anatomia Di Una Notte", good Rock with flute a la I Delirium. Little (because very moderately) Psychedelic song is "Flash Discorsivo" (but only for feeling) and totally POP "Corri, Corri, Corri" (that is listenned to without to do us case) and "Why", sung in English, is the worsesong of the album they cause lyrics. But, remember, very good the synths and the vocals (specially in "Cenacolo '70", that, in the media of the album, is a half masterpiece!!!).

Marginal album. Marginal band, also because aged very badly. Not "Cenacolo '70", "Anatomia Di Una Notte" and,in part, "Orfeo 2000", two good RPI Symphonic songs. For the rest also interesting music. - Review by Mandrakeroot (Andrea Salvador)

Track Listings

1. Io Più Te (3:31)
2. Adamitico Sound (5:41)
3. Particolare Amore (4:25)
4. Flash Discorsivo (1:30)
5. Cenacolo '70 (5:02)
6. Orfeo 2000 (5:00)
7. Anatomia Di Una Notte (3:28)
8. Why (3:40)
9. Corri, Corri, Corri (3:40)
10. Sei Giorni Su Sei (3:57)
Line-up/Musicians

Nino Antonino / guitar, II flure, bongos, chant
Pino Ferro / II guitar, chant
Oreste ferro / bass, chant
Adamo Biello / drum, percussion, chant
Alifranchini Guerrino / flute, tenor sax
Mario Barigazzi (Barimar) / piano, organ, harpsichord, eminent 310, tumbe, arrengement and direction
Releases information

LP: Kansas (LDM 17004) 1972
CD: Mellow (MMP 234) 1994

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HP Lovecraft - HP Lovecraft II (1968)

2007-10-20T04:56:00.000-07:00

Again relying on covers and obviously and inexplicably lacking confidence in their songwriting (although IMHO, their original tracks are more interesting then the covers they chose), this second album is the logical continuity of their debut. Apparently, with the band out on the road almost constantly and nearing exhaustion, this album was winged and partly improvised, but if that was the case, this is an incredible tour de force. They seemed to lack material, but whatever they came with is truly impressive still nowadays.

Starting with two Terry Callier tracks - the Spin, Spin, Spin with its superb strings arrangements and the moody/haunting It’s About Time where clearly they had heard the vocal prowesses of Tim Buckley - the album is reaching perfection with newboy bassist Boyan’s Blue Jack Of Diamond (and a haunting oboe) the centrepiece Electrollentando where the band is experimenting with their producer Chris Huston (ex-The Undertakers) and provides some flabbergasting ambiances - these guys were ahead of almost everybody in July 68 -.

Then comes another outstanding track with its Lovecraft-ian intro and outro At The Mountains Of The Madness, followed by the chilling Moebius Trip. By now you are just waiting for the final nails to your coffin, and there is more to come in the form of the superb and aptly-titled High Flying Bird (actually the band is not flying anymore, they are soaring) and the hugely advanced sound collage Nothing’s Boy. The finale Keeper Of The Keys is cross of Tim Buckley’s vocals mixed with Pearls Before Swine’s Tom Rapp-like arrangements on his Balakavalla album.

Outstanding and a pure marvel. Not often are words failing me to describe how I feel, but here, this record killed and buried me sixty feet under. However, soon after the release, one of the main members Dave Michaels will leave (and still to this day not regretting it) citing loss of musical direction and exhaustion - the band was touring 11 months a year - prompting, the rest of the group to implodes: a real waste. The record label was set to promote the album, but upon hearing this news, withdrew its support and the album went sadly unnoticed. - Review by Sean Trane (Hugues Chantraine)

Track Listings

1. Spin, Spin, Spin (3:26)
2. It's About Time (5:20)
3. Blue Jack of Diamonds (2:55)
4. Electrallentando (6:27)
5. At the Mountains of Madness (4:48)
6. Mobius Trip (2:46)
7. High Flying Bird (3:15)
8. Nothing's Boy (0:40)
9. Keeper of the Keys (3:06)

Total Time: 32:43
Line-up/Musicians

- George Edwards / rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass, lead vocals
- David Michaels / keyboards, clarinet, recorder, lead vocals
- Jerry McGeorge / bass, vocals
- Tony Cavallari / lead guitar, vocals
- Michael Tegza / drums, vocals
Releases information

LP Philips Phs-600-279 (1968)

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Shylock - Gialorgues (1976)

2007-10-20T04:54:00.000-07:00

Nowadays Shylock is one of the main references for bands like the fabulous Anglagard or the overrated Anekdoten: talking about the present debut album, it was regarded as a less harsh and more compact version than "Ile de Fievres" (dated 1978),their second one, but perhaps -according to the majority of the music critics in that period- it had never got the same peek of invention, which instead characterized this latter...in fact-as it was enriched with some dissonant and remarkable symphonic breaks through- "Ile de Fievres" was even more appreciated and complete than their debut album.But it never minds, the stuff inside "Gialorgues" (especially the main suite which is 13 minutes long!!), sounds like some complex and sometimes uneven music passages performed by groups in the vein of Cathedral, and it can be checked out at least!!Well honestly I often compare "Gialorgues" to"Stained Glass Stories" by Cathedral, cause of some similitudes,even though actually the US ensemble -unlike Shylock-is more Yes-oriented.It never minds, the experimental harmonic passages- performed by all these bands- are very interesting, especially by thinking also of the experimental material from Minimum Vital (another excellent band from France!!), which let my enthusiasm grow. I like pointing out that such jazz progressive genre or generally the experimental progressive bands from Europe, are able to let me forget almost the whole stuff from the US Progressive derivative bands,even though naturally my tastes can change according to my diverse mood...finally "Gialorgues" is not only for the collectors of the specific "clones" by King Crimson and - after all- it can complete your Collection of "Prog experimental stuff" in the seventies!! - Review by lor68

Track Listings

1. Le Quatrième (13:05)
2. Le Sixième (3:50)
3. Le Cinquième (18:54)
4. Pendule (3:02)
5. Sous une arche de pierre (6:26)
6. Prélude a l'éclipse (2:11)
7. La robe et le chat (1:48)
8. Pour le bal des pauvres (1:45)

Total Time 51:45
Line-up/Musicians

- André Fisichella / drums and percussion
- Frédéric l'Épée / guitars, bass
- Didier Lustig / keyboards
Releases information

Lp-Musea-FGBG 2026.AR-Fra-1989 / CD-Musea-FGBG 4105.AR-Fra-1994

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Celeste - Principe Di Un Giorno (1976)

2007-10-20T04:48:00.000-07:00

Of all the Italian symphonic prog groups, Celeste is maybe the one that relies most on ambiances, the most delicate and certainly ranks in my top five along with QVL and PDP (even if the last ones are definitely more jazzy) and is all too often overlooked by many. This multi instrumentalists quartet recorded two album in the mid-70’s with their debut being the better-known. The very white (and bland) cover (even if the inside gatefold illustration is more evocative) contrast heavily with the superb calm classically influenced music on the disc. The mood is very much romantic, pastoral and mellotron-ladden. I find that Celeste does not sound like your typical Italian prog group, but in many ways, Principe Di Un Giorno is probably the album that comes closest to Harmonium’s Si On Avait Besoin D’une Cinquième Saison.

Indeed, this album came out roughly a year after Harmonium, and most likely was heard by the Italian group, but if the influence is obvious, there is nothing shocking and one can’t call this a carbon copy or derivative. And in some ways, Celeste’s debut album betters the ambiances, and adds a little more to Harmonium soundscapes. Whether this is a more Latin feel or more classical music leanings is rather hard to determine, but this album is just as enjoyable as Harmonium’s and there is a bit of Gensis in it in the form of Seven Stones. For me to give you a preferred track is very hard, because Celeste is more even in their songwriting (and taking less chances as well), but they also do not reach the absolute peaks that their Quebec counterparts do. But in Celeste’s defense, they do not have tracks that can almost ruin the album (such as Dixie on Fifth season). Flutes, sax, spinet, xylophone, chimes, violin are among the instruments sprinkled throughout this delicious slice of wax.

An absolute gorgeous piece of music that would deserve top ratings if it had come before a certain Quebecois album, but nevertheless is highly recommended. - Review by Sean Trane (Hugues Chantraine)

Track Listings

1. Principe Di Giorno (6:12)
2. Favole Antiche (8:18)
3. Eftus (4:17)
4. Giochi Nella Notte (8:11)
5. La Grande Isola (5:04)
6. La Danza Del Fato (3:56)
7. L'imbroglio (1:06)

Total Time: 37:04
Line-up/Musicians

- Giorgio Battaglia / bass, bass pedal, vocals xylophone
- Leonardo Lagorio / acoustic & electric piano, flute, alto sax, Mellotron, Eminent, spinetta, Arp odyssey / 2600, vocals
- Ciro Perrino / percussion, flute, recorder, Mellotron, xylophone, vocals
- Mariano Schiavolini / guitar, violin

Guest:
- Aldo De Scalzi / plop
Releases information

Grog (GRL 02), 1976
Vinyl Magic (VM 039), reissue of 1976 album

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Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe - Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe (1989)

2007-10-20T04:45:00.001-07:00

It seems that the start of ABWH was an idea by Jon Anderson to record a solo album. His then wife (for whom there is a note in the C.D. booklet:"For Starting the Idea: Jennifer E. A.")suggested to Jon to bring former YES members Bruford, Howe and Wakeman to contribute, but as they went to record some demos, finally Anderson suggested the formation of this band. So, for me this album has a lot of Anderson`s influence from his solo career, with contributions by the rest of the band. For me it was interesting too to listen to an "almost YES`s album" without Chris Squire. As Squire was the only original member of YES who remained from the original line-up in all albums of the band, he was the owner of the name.So, this ABWH band couldn`t use the YES name. This album is interesting for me because it has a lot of influence of "World Music" and "New age" styles. It sounds like YES but adding new sounds like Bruford`s electronic drums, new keyboard sounds by Wakeman (and Matt Clifford, who is credited as "keyboards, orchestration"), and Howe`s guitars (with other guitars by Milton McDonald). It is also good to listen to Tony Levin in this album, as he plays stick and bass guitar, adding his influence to the main "New age/World music" sound of this album. I don`t miss Squire in this album, really. The best songs of this album for me are: "Brother of Mine" (with an "universal" 60s message in the lyrics), "Birthright" (with very good electronic percussion by Bruford), "The Meeting" (a very good religious song, full of atmospheres, with good lyrics, and very good keyboards), "Quartet" (which seems mainly a Anderson/Howe collaboration, with guitars, mandolins, keyboards and also fine percussion by Bruford), "Teakbois" (a very good latin influenced song, with marimba sounds), "Order of the Universe" (mostly a rocker), and "Let`s pretend", co-written with Vangelis, with very good guitars and backing keyboards. After 15 years of being released, I still enjoy this album very much, and for me it was good that this collaboration wasn`t released under the YES name, because it sounds "new" and a bit "different", and it was a good "experiment". As everybody knows, the "Union" album marked the end for ABWH, and this ABWH album is better than "Union", in my opinion. - Review by Guillermo (Guillermo Vázquez)

Track Listings

1. Themes (5:58)
2. Fist of Fire (3:27)
3. Brother of Mine (10:18)
4. Birthright (6:02)
5. The meeting (4:21)
6. Quartet (9:22)
7. Teakbois (7:39)
8. Order of the Universe (9:02)
9. Let's pretend (2:56)

Total Time: 59:05
Line-up/Musicians

- John Anderson / vocals
- Bill Bruford / drums
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards
- Steve Howe / guitar
- Tony Levin / bass, vocals and stick bass
- Milton McDonald / guitar (rhythm)
Releases information

BMG International

Download part 1 (ogg files) - pass: sakallimusic.blogspot.com
Download part 2 (ogg files) - pass: sakallimusic.blogspot.com

Steamhammer - Speech (1972)

2007-10-20T04:39:00.000-07:00

It 's something different . This could be a Mick Bradley's prelude . Listening to the album, you may, easily realize, that Mick Bradley should be among the 5 best Rock drummers .The song "Penumbra" was the prototype of Armageddon 's "Buzzurd"...In fac,t Armageddon just copied "Penumbra" . That was not a problem of course , because Bradley was dead and Pugh and Cennamo were Armageddon, together with Relf and Caldwell.The fact was that "Speech" came up in 1972 and Armageddon self titled album came up four years later. Too late for this kind of music , Punk was ready to change everything... The destiny was that Cennamo joined Steamhammer and after his first release with the band (Speech) , Mick Bradley died . Cenammo joined Armageddon and after their 1st and only release Keith Relf died...Tough luck. - Review by Happy Loss (Pavlos)

Track Listings

1. Penumbra
2. Telegram
3. For Against
Line-up/Musicians

- Martin Pugh / guitar, vocals
- Louis Cennamo / bass, vocals
- Mickey Bradley / drums

With:
- Garth Watt-Roy / clarinet, vocals
Releases information

CD Repertoire - REP4139
CD Akarma - AK263

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Dixie Dregs - Unsung Heroes (1981)

2007-10-20T04:35:00.000-07:00

In the early ‘80s the blight of commercialitis had severely degraded the quality of progressive music being created. There are still many gems from that era. Unsung Heroes isn’t necessarily one of them yet a fine, and imperfect album all the same. The Dregs dropped the “Dixie” from their name in an attempt to reach a broader audience. I wonder how many of you out there haven’t checked this band out because of the “Dixie”? This was the first of two albums in that direction and under “The Dregs” band name, which was what we all around here referred to them as anyway. It unfortunately didn’t work as well as they’d hoped and after the second album as “The Dregs”, everyone moved on to other projects. (The original violinist Alan Sloane moved on after Unsung Heroes. )

Cruise Control kicks off the album and is probably the worst piece on the album, not to say it’s actually a bad piece of music, it’s just that the live versions are far superior. And as the song was mostly a vehicle for improvisation, it was just sad to see it reduced to this way too short piece for the sake of trying to get some airplay. Fer shame, fer shame. The older version on the album Freefall beats this version but also pales in comparison to any live version I’ve experienced.

Divided We Stand sees them back in finer form. This is what the Dregs were all about. It’s just progressive fusion, jazzy/rocky/a little bluegrassy/complexy, well, you’ll just have to hear it to appreciate it (dancing about architecture and what not…).

I’ll Just Pick has even a stronger bluegrass flavor to it. Trust me, this is bluegrass even a die hard prog zombie pod person could like. I know, I was one when I went nutzo for the Dregs.

Day 444 is a nice slow long piece dedicated to the release of the American embassy hostages from Iran. Post Rock fans should really dig this.

Rock and Roll Park another attempt at an instrumental AOR friendly hit. But dang it, just way too progressive to be successful. We’re talking 1981 here. Ok maybe it was just the title trying to sound AOR friendly rather than the music.

Attila the Hun is hard to really classify. High energy prog? Speed prog? Complexo prog? A fun little musical ride, for sure, Mr. Morse can really play rings around every guitarist out there, seriously.

Kat Food not to be confused as a cover for Crimson’s Cat Food, this one's actually a much better song. A little funky/bluesy, I suppose. Killer complex musicianship again.

In Go for Baroque, the Dregs really did go for an excellent piece in the classical style, really not anything like the classical style pieces they did in the past, it could just about get a classical snob to appreciate prog.

Had to get the CD as a Japanese import. (I'm greatful for all the great import prog available only from Japan!) Really glad to have it back in my collection available to play after a hiatus due to the whole LP Cassette CD transitioning thing. - Review by Slartibartfast (Brian S. Lindsey)

Track Listings

1. Cruise Control (3:36)
2. Divided We Stand (4:58)
3. I'll Just Pick (3:58)
4. Day 444 (7:05)
5. Rock & Roll Park (4:36)
6. Attila The Hun (4:01)
7. Kat Food (5:00)
8. Go For Baroque (3:58)

Total Time: 37:22
This album received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Line-up/Musicians

The DREGS:
- Steve Morse / acoustic and electric guitars
- Andy West / fretted and fretless bass
- Allen Sloan / electric and acoustic 5 string violin
- Rod Morgenstein / drums and percussion
- T Lavitz / acoustic and electric piano, organ, synthesizer, clavinet, saxophone
Releases information

Arista AL 9548

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Osanna - Milano Calibro 9 (1972)

2007-10-20T04:30:00.000-07:00

Back in February 1995, I was in Eugene, Oregon at the Eugene Hilton. There was a record convention being held there. It was quite an event, because unlike record stores, I kept running in to people I never knew where I was openly able to talk music to them (because the event seemed to consist of more serious collectors, rather than college kids who, at the time, thought that music began and ended with Kurt Cobain). While there, I noticed an OSANNA album, having been already amazed with "Palepoli", I snatched this earlier release, "Milano Calibro 9". It was an American release on the Peters International label. It was released in 1973, a year after the original Italian release. I also got it for cheap (something you can't always say of Italian prog LPs, unless it was American pressings of PFM albums).

On this album, the band matured quite a bit. Where on "L'Uomo", it was a combination of hard rock, blues, jazz, folk, and prog, on this album, they were able to combine those styles in a more mature and progressive framework. And this time, it's a soundtrack to a film. But despite the trippy artwork on the album cover that might make you think "Milano Calibro 9" was an art film, it was actually apparently a mob film (for one thing, "Calibro 9" translates as "Caliber 9", so you know right it way it has to deal with a gun). The band incorporates an orchestra, conducted by Argentine-born Luis Enriquez Bacalov (who was previously responsible for NEW TROLLS' "Concerto Grosso Per 1" and later IL ROVESCIO DELLA MEDAGLIA's "Contaminazione"). The American LP has all the song titles in English (so instead of "Preludio", "Tema", several "Variazioni"s, and "Canzona", they are "Prelude", "Theme", "Variations" and "There Will Be Time").

The album starts off with "Theme", which starts off with a bizarre sounding ARP 2600 synthesizer. There is some classical piano, the orchestra, then the band kicks in to a mindblowing jam. "Tema" ("Theme") is a more mellow, and pleasant piece, dominated by piano, orchestra, and ARP 2600 synthesizer. Nice piece. Then the album goes through several pieces entitled "Varazioni" (divided by roman numerals I-VII). These movements goes through many different moods and changes, although most of them are quite short. The second movement is also called "My Mind Flies". This is one of only two cuts with vocals. The band chose to sing in English, but as you know, the English language isn't the high point of these guys. Luckily it's stuffed with lots of bizarre, atmospheric and acoustic pieces, with that great flute, and more great loud, aggressive jams. The last piece, "Canzona" is also called "There Will Be Time". This is not a particularly progressive piece. This is the album's only other vocal track, and it's a pretty straightforward pop song, as seemed to be the common occurance on many Italian prog albums.

My big complaint of the album is I wished for lengthier compositions (luckily they fixed that problem with "Palepoli"), because I like the mood of many of the pieces, just wished it lasted longer. But I guess that had to deal with the fact this is a movie soundtrack. Still a great album. - Review by Proghead (Ben Miler)

Track Listings

1. Prelude (4:10)
2. Tema (4:50)
3. Variatione 1 (2:15)
4. Variatione 2 (4:58)
5. Variatione 3 (1:38)
6. Variatione 4 (1:31)
7. Variatione 5 (2:10)
8. Variatione 6 (2:49)
9. Variatione 7 (1:28)
10. Canzona (4:54)

Total Time: 30:43
Line-up/Musicians

- Elio D'anna / flute, piccolo, tenor sax, baritone sax
- Lino Vairett / vocals, 12 string guitar, harmonica, hammond organ,synthesizer
- Danilo Rusici / guitar, 12 string guitar, pipe organ, electronics
- Lello Brandi / bass
- Massimo Guarino / drums
Releases information

Original title: "Preludio Tema Variazioni E Canzona"

LP: Fonit LPX 14 (1972)
LP: Fonit/ Pellicano PL 420 (1980) with the title "Milano Calibro 9" and the diverse cover
CD: Fonit Cetra CDP 420 (1989) cover ???
CD: Warner Fonit 82332-2 (90's) with the cover of PL 420
CD: BTF/ Vinyl Magic VMCD 092 (2004) with mini LP original cover

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Midas - Beyond the Clean Air (1988)

2007-10-20T04:25:00.000-07:00

Midas was one of the most notable Japanese bands from the prog revival era that took place in the 80s. Their style was clearly defined as a halfway between the stylish essence of vintage symphonic prog (Yes, UK, Camel) and the agile dynamics of neo- prog, with a preference for the former point of reference. It will also be fair to notice that the band's overall sound bears an exotic flavor regarding both melody and cadence, a factor that allows them to create originality across their influences. The fact that the violin assumes the leading role most of the times males the band enhance the symphonic possibilities of the keyboard input in order to let the violin solos shine whenever they emerge. In perspective, one can tell that their debut recording "Beyond the Clean Air" doen't equal the power incarnated in their third effort "Third Operation" (in my opinion, their highlight album), but all in all, it is a very strong debut, a musical work that should be undoubtedly appealing for any symphonic prog lover, especially for its melodic richness and predominant extroverted moods. 'Sham Noctulica' kicks off the album with a splendid slow intro, something like a mixture of UK's 'Danger Money' and Genesis' 'Eleventh Earl of Mar', somewhat leaning closer to the moderately sinister vibe of the former. The track's development turns into an exciting, colorful display of symphonic sounds framed under a neo-prog oriented guise: the interaction between the energetic synth solos and the elegant intrusive violin phrases are well accomodated on the solid rhythm section, before the majestic intro is reprised into the closure. This track is a solid garantee for a very good impression. Next comes 'The Slough of Despond', which fills the following quarter of an hour with an even more pompous exercise on symphonic prog melodies and ambiences, featuring a heavier presence of keyboards - Eishyo Lynn's style is evidently inspired by Wakeman and Jobson, in equal terms, particularly the playful classicism of the former and the sense of cosmic texture of the latter. The inclusion of some slight Celtic-inspired lines in some mofits helps the track to keep its uptempo vibe in a very consistent fashion. A piano-led interlude, a waltz-based progression and a Camel-meets-Pendragon motif set on complex rhythmic structures succeed each other in a well-ordained fluidity. 'Mortuary', despite its title's funeral allusions, keeps the joie-de-vivre spirit alive. Its uptempo exotic main melodic lines include a funny brief tango section: as weird as it may sound, the trick works quite well. It is the shortest track in the album, but not the simplest, since it contains enough twists to become musically demanding. The official repertoire end with the 18+ minute long title track, a real marathon that represents Midas' musical statement at its most expressive level. It begins with a melancholy introduction performed on piano, wodwind-like synth and violin, exrcising the ghosts of old Baroque muses. The first sung section bears the scheme of a prog ballad, conceived in a compromise between UK and Curved Air. When things get faster, they really get fast, creating the perfect pretext for the exhibition of bombastic solos on violin and synthesizer, while the rhythm duo keeps things catchy and dynamic. Things slow down, heading for quasi-cosmic fields, building a bridge toward a reprised old motif and its subsequent coda, which alternates the climatic and the melancholic. 'Green Forest' is a very good bonus track, which makes it more than accurate that it should be published on this CD edition of the album. Regarding ambience and mood, it is very closely related to tracks 1 and 2. The album, as a whole, works well, and despite the fact that the dominant keyboard sounds feel somewhat dated, it stands as a progressive gem to be preoperly appreciated by genuine symph prog fans - Midas is a mandatory entry in every collector's list. - Review by Cesar Inca (César Inca Mendoza Loyola)

Track Listings

1. Sham noctiluca (8:07)
2. The slough of despond (15:33)
3. Mortuary (4:46)
4. Beyond the clean air (18:45)
Bonus track on cd releases:
5. Green forest (8:54)

Total Time: 56:05
Line-up/Musicians

- Kazuo Katayama / acoustic & electro nic drums, percussion
- Eishyo Lynn / piano, synthesizers
- Katsuaki Mishima / bass
- Eigo Utoh / lead vocals, violin
Releases information

Cd. Made in Japan MHD 25015

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Barrock - L'Alchemista (1990)

2007-10-20T04:22:00.000-07:00

A pleasantly understated album with appealing symphonic structures throughout; accented but not overpowered by dual female vocalists; and quite sparse guitar accompaniment. There are definite folk leanings on the vocal tracks, but overall this just feels like a bit of a throwback album despite its recording date in the early nineties.

Barrock has been mentioned alongside Renaissance, and I can see the reasons for that, but I also wouldn’t shy away from comparisons to bands like Mostly Autumn and even Stream of Passion, particularly on the first few tracks. This would have been more convincing as a folk album were there more use of ethnic percussion, or maybe some exotic acoustic instrumentation. Or I’d be more inclined to regard it as a solid symphonic album were there layers of strings or even brass employed, but that doesn’t happen either. This is a keyboard fan’s delight, but very unsophisticated as a symphonic prog work.

“Re Artu” and the title track comprise more than half this rather short album, with the bulk of the other tracks being instrumentals steeped in keyboards. The rhythms on this album are mostly rather simple, with a resulting impression of classically-inspired mood music. Of the five instrumentals, “Regina della a luna” has the most modern feel, while the two closing tracks “Al pari degli dei” and “Tarantella” are quite mellow, one- dimensional on keyboards, and frankly rather unambitious.

One comment – the female vocalists on the title track bear a striking resemblance to the Spanish duo Azucar Moreno. Or maybe that’s just me, but I can’t shake the impression they sound just like the Salazar sisters. The instrumental parts are nowhere near that though, so no other comparisons are appropriate, and I'm probably the only one who finds this humorous.

This is a decent album, but I really can’t bring myself to find anything in it to call great, and certainly not essential. Three stars is where this belongs and worth listening to, but probably not worth going out of your way to find. - Review by ClemofNazareth (Bob Moore)

Track Listings

1. Regina Della A Luna (2:40)
2. Overture (2:05)
3. Re Artu - Suite (13:06)
4. La Gloria E La Armi (4:10)
5. L'Alchmista (7:49)
6. Al Pari Degli Dei (5:15)
7. Tarantella (3:21)

Total Time: 38:26
Line-up/Musicians

- Paola Polese / vocals
- Valter Poles / keyboards, guitar
- Giuseppe Vendramin / keyboards
- Graziella Vendramin / vocals
- Giampaolo Poles / bass, vocals
- Maurizio Poles / drums
Releases information

CD Moon Witch Records – Edison – ERC-29236 (1991)
SPRING SONG CORPORATION (Japan)

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Stereokimono - Primosfera (2003)

2007-10-20T04:16:00.000-07:00

For their sophomore release, the excellent Italian ensemble Stereokimono provided an enhancement of their musical path as stated in their debut “Ki”. This time, “Prismosfera” comprises a repertoire in which the threesome show an increase of both energy and experimental trend, which eventually leads to an awesome opus within the realms of avant-garde prog. Their self-imposed psychofonic oblique label is nothing but an energetic combination of 80s King Crimson, jazz-rock with a funky core, psychedelia with moderate electronic leanings and ethnic sensibilities that come to the fore occasionally. What can go wrong when the group stays cohesive and their sound becomes stronger? ‘Onda Beta’ is the opener that has to set the initial mood for all things to come afterwards. It kicks off with a set of oppressive, sinister synth layers and sound effects before the main motif erupts, mixing neurotic and joyful vibes. ‘Rosso di Luna’ is a bit less explosive, more oriented toward the reflective, something that is easy to notice from the evocative guitar leads and keyboard ornaments, as well as the splendid electric piano solo that emerges somewhere in the middle: yet, it’s not a languid number really, but an excuse to make the jazz element more noticeable. ‘Bahnhofstrasse’ finds the band exploring the virtues of ethnic-infused jazz fusion based on Arabic ambiences. The midi sounds emulating cello and violin create a beautiful sonic architecture sustained firmly by the ever-efficient rhythm section. Once again, the synth effects come by to provide some sort of mystic feel (to some degree, like the Ozrics or classic Gong), especially during the track’s second half, in which the tempo shifts to a faster pace. ‘Xetrov 5’ is the aggressive apex in the album, starting with a dark synth-based soundscape and then following with a very RIO-esque motif built on a challenging 5/4 tempo. Things get a bit closer to Present and other robust RIO acts. ‘L’Uomo Nuvola’ is yet another exhibition of typical psychofonic oblique rock, albeit with a sleight added touch of pop that allows the main melody be easily noticeable and get its hooks on the listener. Attention to the beautiful clarinet solo – is it a midi guitar trick? Also attention to the jolly country coda, which brings an air of easygoing relief to the band’s bizarre musical vision. ‘Salamandra’ makes things get aggressive again, with a massive display of hard-rock colors on a funky basis: it almost equals the dark approach of ‘Xetrov 5’. The last piece in the strictly musical collection is the ethnic ‘La Soffitta Volante’, which gradually keeps on growing from a mesmeric succession of acoustic guitar chords, percussive ornaments and keyboard layers all the way until the final climax, full of frenzy and mystery. The album’s last 4 minutes are occupied by a series of old prog and art-rock classic albums’ samplers: spot pieces of material from Yes, Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant, Genesis, Tangerine Dream, King Crimson, Gong, Camel, Area, ELP,… floating by among the birds in the forest. A homage to the old stuff made by one of the most amazing prog acts of the new millennium. General conclusion: "Prismosfera" is a real contemporary masterpiece. - Review by Cesar Inca (César Inca Mendoza Loyola)

Track Listings

1. Onda Beta (8:39)
2. Rosso Di Luna (8:08)
3. Bahnhofstrasse (5:40)
4. Xetrov 5 (6:02)
5. L'Uomo Nuvola (9:26)
6. Salmandra (4:33)
7. La Soffitta Volante (11:58)

Total Time: 54:26
Line-up/Musicians

- Critina Atzori / drums, percussion
- Antonio Severi / guitars, keyboards, hand percussion
- Allesandro Vittorio / bass, keyboards, keyboards, theremin on 1, didgeridoo on 2, Tibetan bells on 4
Releases information

CD Immaginifica QQ 1001

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Birth Control - Plastic People (1975)

2007-10-20T03:46:00.000-07:00

If I had to make a decision on the Desert Island list, I might select BIRTH CONTROL's "Plastic People" to join the lot!. "Plastic People" was the 6th release for this German progressive outfit and in my opinion marks a real highlight in progressive rock music. "Plastic People" offers a highly refined and professional sound, with some absolutely scrumptious musicianship. Electric and complex progressive rock which does really not sound all that underground as so many German 70's acts did. I would slot this album somewhere in the PINK FLOYD, CAMEL, NEKTAR school of progressive rock. BIRTH CONTROL are joined here by the 2 lads from HOELDERLIN ( Christoph Noppeney & Jochen von Grumbkow) who add some sweet cello and viola along the way. Songs are nice and complex and well constructed offering some nice tempo changes and departures into the land of the "Plastic People". Instrumentation is clearly a stand out here and I love the keyboard sounds throughout which do not always dominate but instead nicely compliment the rest of the instruments. For those who love nice complex drumming with great musical excursions then this will wet your palate. "Plastic People" is a very complete album and I would highly recommend this album to all progressive rock fans. - Review by loserboy (James Unger)

Track Listings

1. Plastic people (10:54)
2. Tiny flashlights (7:33)
3. My mind (6:49)
4. Rockin' rollin' roller (5:43)
5. Trial trip (6:43)
6. This song is just for you (7:28)

Total Time: 45:10
Line-up/Musicians

- Peter Föller / bass, vocals, vibes (3
- Bruno Frenzel / guitars, backing vocals
- Zeus B. Held / keyboards, backing vocals, Tenor sax (2-4), trumpet(4)
- Bernd Noske / drums, percussion, f/x, lead vocals
+ Friedmann Leinert / flute (6)
- Christoph Noppeney / viola (3-6)
- Jochen von Grumbkow / cello (3-6)
- Ulla, Hanne & Brigitte / chorus (6)
- Robby (saxophone), Otto (trombone) & Harry (trumpet), horns (6)
Releases information

Lp. CBS 80921 / Cd. Sony Music 483601 (1995) / Cd. Repertoire REP 4944-DG (2001)

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My Solid Ground - My Solid Ground (1971)

2007-10-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is a definitive Kraut rock album. The "Yellow Dirt" track is just amazing. But, this isn't for someone wanting a polished sound or heavily produced musc. It is fairly raw, but man oh man, is that Yellow Dirt amazing. How can you do so much with basically two chords?!!!

Now, the other strong track that highlight's that's only on the CD version of this - a 24 minute hard rock/space rock structure that is just like Yellow Dirt in it's authenticity and wonderful Kraut Rock feel.

If this is the kind of thing you long for, get this CD!!! - Review by tmay102436 (Thomas May)

Track Listings

1. Dirtyellow mist (13:07)
2. Flash part IV (2:19)
3. That's you (2:23)
4. The executioner (3:32)
5. Melancholie (4:19)
6. Handful of grass (2:45)
7. Devonshire Street W1 (3:29)
8. "x" (3:43)

Total Time: 35:37
...Bonus tracks on cd release:
9. "y" (1:34)
10. "z" (1:31)
11. Flash (24:42)
12. The executioner (different mix) (3:35)
13. Handful of grass (different mix) (2:42)
14. That's you (different mix) (2:21)
15. Dirty yellow mist (different mix) (7:30)

Total Time: 79:32
Line-up/Musicians

- Karl-Heinrich Dorfler / bass
- Bernhard Rendel / vocals, guitar
- Ingo Werner / organ, piano, Mellotron
- Andreas Wursching / drums
Releases information

LP Bellaphon BLPS 19071
LP Bacillus 6494 008
CD Bacillus (????)
CD Second Battle SB 035 (????)

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Capitolo 6 - Frutti Per Kagua (1972)

2007-10-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

"Frutti Per Kagua" is a previously rare and expensive album from early progressive rock masters CAPITOLO 6. If you are a collector or love prog-rock, this respected classic Italian progressive rock LP should have a place in your collection. Interestingly enough, even though the band hailed from Rome, this was is a concept album based on late stories of Native Americans.

The title track encompasses the entire first side on the album, running for 22 minutes. Their crowning glory is truly a prime slice of prog-rock heaven with beautiful flute passages interlaced with guitars and keyboards. The vocals are exceptional, even though I did not understand them; they seemed very expressive and fit well with the music.

This was yet another revelation for me in regards to the importance of Italian progressive rock. I realize I probably have said this before but it is worth reiterating, some of these bands early on were just as critical to the prog-rock genre development as British bands were. I certainly have heard enough proof of that over the last few years thanks to the superb reissues of Comet Records. This one is definitely a must have! - Review by Muzikman (Keith Hannaleck)

Track Listings

1. Frutti per Kagua (18:24)
2. Grande spirito (3:35)
3. Il tramonto di un popolo (6:00)
4. L'ultima notte (11:28)

Total Time: 40:04
Line-up/Musicians

- Riccardo Bartolotti / vocals, guitar, flute
- Antonio Favilla / keyboards
- Maurizio Romani / bass
- Lorenzo Donati / drums, vocals
Releases information

LP Ricordi It ZLST 70014 / CD Mellow Records MMP 257 (1994) / LP/CD Akarma AK 1010 / CD BMG "Speciale Rock Progressive", paper sleeve edition (2003)

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Acqua Fragile - Acqua Fragile (1973)

2007-10-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

ACQUA FRAGILE were basically known as proteges of PFM. PFM produced both their albums, and (on this album only), they recorded for Numero Uno, same label PFM recorded for. The band was known for the vocals of Bernardo Lanzetti, who is basically compared to Peter GABRIEL and Roger Chapman, which sounds about right to me. Musically they get compared to GENESIS, without good reason, listen to "Morning Comes" and you'll know what I mean. There's "Science Fiction Suite", which is an acoustic piece often compared to CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG, except, the vocals aren't as polished (given Lanzetti's harsh voice, as opposed to the mellow voices of CSNY).

Some of the other music sometimes reminds me of FAMILY, while "Three Hands Man" sounds more like the Italian prog you come to expect of the time. PFM often gets compared with, don't know why (other than the fact Lanzetti actually joined PFM when ACQUA FRAGILE disintigrated in 1975 - by which PFM was going a more fusion-oriented direction). The music of ACQUA FRAGILE isn't anywhere as meloncholy as many of PFM's best works are.

Also the original LP comes with a cover that folds in to a giant poster. A cool cover made all that much better because it folds out, and it makes owning the LP all that more worthwhile. While I find the album falls shorts of being essential, it's a nice album to have in your collection. - Review by Proghead (Ben Miler)

Track Listings

1. Morning Comes (7:22)
2. Comic Strips (3:56)
3. Science Fiction Suite (5:54)
4. Song From A Picture (4:09)
5. Education Story (4:12)
6. Going Out (2:56)
7. Three Hands Man (8:07)

Total Time: 36:36
Line-up/Musicians

- Gino Campanini / guitar, vocals
- Piero Canavera / guitar, drums, vocals
- Franz Dondi / bass
- Bernardo Lanzetti / guitar, vocals
- Maurizio Mori / keyboards, vocals
Releases information

Numero Uno (1976Bmg Ariola S.p.A)

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Pollen - Pollen (1976)

2007-10-18T05:59:00.000-07:00

The ultra prog music from the Quebec province is very keyboards oriented, featuring among others zigzagging moog solos, organ and piano: the sound is surprisingly modern for the year, avoiding to fall into deja vu outdated mix of organ & piano arrangements. The omnipresent electric guitar is very participating, contributing to produce the melodies with the help of the keyboards: that's why this album is well beyond progressive hard rock. The guitar sound is very varied & pleasant to listen. Actually, Pollen has nothing to envy from the major progressive bands of the 70's. Among the influences, let's mention Yes (especially the electric guitar sound & style), Genesis circa Foxtrot for the organ, Selling England By The Pound for the drums, and the major Italian progressive rock artists of the 70's for some moog keyboards. There are some impressive percussions of the xylophone family and some flute parts slightly reminding Genesis. Sometimes, the music takes all the available room, floating and shining with all its grandeur and colour. The percussive electric piano on "Tout l´temps" (I do not think it is a clavinet) is very pleasant and addictive: the fast & loaded keyboards are well seconded by very participating bass and drums. The best track is probably "La femme ailée", featuring discrete guitar arrangements a la Metallica's "Call Of K'Tulu". It starts slowly & beautifuly; the fast second part is absolutely progressive and captivating, containing a solemn & deranged church organ: the final last minute is just JAW-DROPPING, belonging to the best moments in the prog history, goosebumps guaranteed! - Review by greenback

Track Listings

Side 1
1. Vieux corps de vie d´ange (7:11)
2. L´étoile (6:24)
3. L´indien (4:50)

Side 2
4. Tout l´temps (3:26)
5. Vivre la mort (5:28)
6. La femme ailée (10:30)

Total Time: 37:29
Line-up/Musicians

- Jacques Tom Rivest / vocals, bass, acoustic guitar, keyboards
- Sylvain Coutu / drums, vibraphone, percussion
- Claude Lemay / keyboards, flute, vibraphone, bass, vocals
- Richard Lemoyne / electric and acoustic guitar, keyboards, bass
Releases information

LP Kébec Disc-KD 908-Can-1976
LP Kébec Disc-KD 908-Can-1976 2nd Ed.

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Babylon - Babylon (1977)

2007-10-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

The state of Florida isn't what you call a hotbed of prog rock. Usually when you think of that state's rock scene, you think of some of the southern rock bands that resided there, amongst them, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, .38 SPECIAL, BLACKFOOT, and MOLLY HATCHET. But coming out of St. Petersburgh came BABYLON. The band consisted of:

Rick Leonard: bass, voice, bass pedals / Doroccus: Lead voice, synthesizers, electric piano, Orchestron, Omni / Rodney Best: drums, percussives / J. David Boyko: guitars, muted variations thereof / G.W. Chambers: synthesizers, acoustic and electric piano, orchestron, Omni, voice

Of course the Omni refers to the ARP Omni, a combination string synth/polyphonic synth (that's basically an ARP String Ensemble with the very basic features of the Odyssey). The electric piano in this case is the RMI Electric Piano/Harpsichord, as what Tony BANKS used on "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" and Rick WAKEMAN used while with YES and on "The Six Wives of Henry the VIII".

Far from trying to sound like SKYNYRD, like many bands of the time in that region often did, they much preferred the sounds of early, GABRIEL-led GENESIS and of YES. BABYLON released their one and only album in 1978, locally on the U.S. Artists label (it also says "Mehum Music" on the label, as well, but only on side one of the LP). In 1989, a small, up and coming prog label out of California owned by Greg Walker called Syn-Phonic released two albums of live archival material, "Night over Never" and "Better Conditions" for the DEAD.

Anyway the music of BABYLON is very influenced by GENESIS, with some YES thrown in, so originality isn't on their side. Doroccus oddly sounds more like MARILLION's FISH than of Peter GABRIEL (although there's a section of "The Mote in God's Eye" where he sounds like SUPERTRAMP's Roger Hodgson), so the MARILLION comparison does often surface, although this is from 1978, five years before "Script of a Jester's Tear". And if you dread MARILLION, don't worry, as it sticks in the classic prog vein, with lots of great HACKETT-like guitars, great use of Moog and string synths, and lots of lengthy and complex passage for those diehard-in-the-wool progheads who straightforward three minute long songs won't do. That means if you fear a proto-neo-prog album, rest easy. Certainly the vocals need a little getting used to, because it's more dramatic than GABRIEL (or even FISH), and there is more that "modern" feel that isn't the most appealing to me. The album has only four lengthy cuts, so the proghead who want lengthy epics won't be disappointed. Another album this reminds me of is a little of CATHEDRAL's "Stained Glass Stories", except without the KING CRIMSON and proto-ÄNGLAGARD sound (and with more the emphasis on the GENESIS style).

And for all you UFO and alien abduction buffs who own the CD reissue wonder why the Grey alien on the cover looks exactly like the one featured on the cover of Whitley Strieber's Communion, when you know for a fact in the 1970s, the Greys were never portrayed as looking like that in the 1970s, well, here's what happened: When Syn-Phonic reissued this on CD, they wanted to update the artwork. So the alien now ended up looking like Strieber's alien, with the dark, black, slanted eyes, and the "Babylon" logo was now color, as opposed to black and white like on the old LP. The original LP (which I own) features the alien with more human looking eyes (not unlike the aliens that abducted Betty and Barney Hill in 1961). So the reissue portrays the Grey as in the 1980s and 1990s version of it, while the original portrays the Grey as the 1960s, 1970s, and probably early 1980s version of it.

Well, back on the subject of the music, basically if you don't mind the sound of a prog rock band obviously influenced by GENESIS (but not an outright clone), and you don't mind some of the "modern-ish" sounding vocals, then I can highly recommend this album. - Review by Proghead (Ben Miler)

Track Listings

1. The Mote In God's Eye (7:00)
2. Before The Fall (10:54)
3. Dreamfish (9:12)
4. Cathedral Of The Mary Ruin (7:38)

Total Time: 34:44
Line-up/Musicians

- Rick Leonard / bass, voice, bass pedals
- Doroccus / lead voice, synthesizers, electric piano, Orchestron, Omni
- Rodney Best / drums, percussives
- J. David Boyko / guitars, muted variations thereof
- G.W. Chambers / synthesizers, acoustic and electric piano, orchestron, Omni, voice
Releases information

LP Mehum Music 4641 (1978)
CD Syn-phonic (1999)

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Blocco Mentale - Poa (1973)

2007-10-18T05:26:00.000-07:00

I liked this album so much since the first time i listened to it, and it could be right now one of my favorites italian albums that i recently discovered. POA was released in 1973, when Italian prog scene was at it`s highest moments!, when progressive music was still being developed by it`s best bands named King Crimson or Genesis, when i listen to this album i can notice that those monsters bands were influential to Blocco Mentale, talking about foreign monster bands, but the main influence that it shows is PFM, being from the same country, it`s obvious that they had to follow some masters and precursors.

Here we will find a clear traditional Italian sound, and im not refering only to the vocals and language, but about the music, besides that, a brillian saxophone playing along with the exquisite druming, gives to it a touch of melodic and sensational jazz, but the most of the time and listening to the keyboards, we will find that symphonic music is what they have offered to us.

This album contains 7 great songs, as opener song we will find "Capita" which in it`s first notes we will hear the sax, reminding us a bit of VdGG and then with the guitars i clearly remember some Crimson in it`s LTiA era, but that is only a little bit, then the song turns slow and with THAT traditional Italian sound which is so beautiful to me. Also i have to tell you that Blocco Mentale doesn`t have a vocalist, but 5 vocalists, every single member of this band contributes with their vocals in some parts of the album, we can notice it since this first song.

"Aria e Miele" it`s a great short song with again a VdGG touch on it, but with the always enjoyable piano sound, i forgot to mention that the flute also plays a big role in this album, not a Thijs van Leer but Dino Finocchi made an excellent work here and i have to mention it at least. This song is very catchy and symphonic.

"Impressione" is the longest and probably the best song here, it`s beautiful it has a great soft keyboard sound, and a beautifully calmed flute sound, one thing that i love is the italian language, so it`s an extra point when the fleuntly of the vocals are present in an album, it`s so delicated an pretty, which along with acoustic guitars, gives to it nothing but beauty. The song becomes faster somewhere, again with that sax and the great drumming during, actually i think this passage it`s one of the finest moments of the album, nothing outstanding, but believe me, it`s great!

"Io e Me" has an additional instrument, the harmonica which is better used in blues than in soft songs like here, that could be something that i dislike a bit, the song is not the best really, but still good, reminding me a bit of PFM.

"La Nuova Forza" is another great song, over 7 minutes of excellent recording and the best of vocal performance could be found here. In this song when the vocals appear, my mind immediately focus on New Trolls, taking some songs of the Concerto Grosso as a valid point of comparision, but also Per un Amico`s influences are clearly shown here. The song actually it`s not that complex, but enjoyable nonetheless.

"Ritorno" follows the previous song but with a harder intro, with keyboards and drums faster, but suddenly the piano appears and takes the song for itself, about one minute it`s only for the piano, i know it`s not so much but its a pretty nice passage, then the song becomes more melodic. Maybe the electric guitar sound is not so stron in this album, but here we can find some nice solos, and finishing the song, a fusion moment! sax ,keyboards and drums making me shake my head, great!

And to finish the album, a song called "Verde" which is a short but nice song to finish an album that i have really enjoyed so much, this is kid of a happy ending, a nice soft melody with the traditional italian sound. - Review by memowakeman (Guillermo Hdez. Urdapilleta)

Track Listings

1. Capita (4:44)
2. Aria e mele (4:34)
3. Impressione (8:27)
4. Io e me (4:27)
5. La nuova forza (7:37)
6. Ritorno (5:34)
7. Verde (3:52)
Bonus on Mellow CD:
8. L`amore muore a vent`anni
9. Lei e musica

Total Time: 39:15
Line-up/Musicians

- Aldo Angeletti / solist vocals, bass
- Michele Arena / vocal, drums
- Gigi "Roso" Bianchi / vocals, guitar
- Filippo Lazzari / vocals, keyboards and harmonica
- Dino Finocchi / solist vocals, sax and flute
Releases information

LP Titania - BM 2301 - 1973
(Remastered by Vinyl Magic 2000 Records - a division of BTF srl - CD 032 - in 2000)

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Locanda Delle Fate - Forse le Lucciole Non si Amano Più (1977)

2007-10-17T08:42:00.001-07:00

This is my favorite Italian progressive rock album. 1977's "Forse Le Lucciole Non Si Amano Piu" is a beautiful masterpiece that few other albums can match. LOCANDA DELLE FATE were a 7-piece band consisting of two keyboardists, two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, and a singer. Unfortunately, they began their careers as a band just as prog was starting to die in Italy. After the album was released, the band found little to no demand for live performances and little interest for their music. So after a short tour, and a couple of failed singles, they quit. The music here is colorful in a symphonic way, and emphasizes intensely melodic interaction from the various instruments. What really impresses me about this recording is the attention that went into detail. I'm still discovering new melodies, countermelodies, and harmonies every time the CD gets played. Themes are stated, developed, go through variations, and resolved in such a majestic manner that it's tough to compare LDF to other bands. Leonardo Sasso, the singer, reminds me a bit of Ian ANDERSON. His voice is warm, and at times close to operatic. Overall, music doesn't get much better than this! - Review by Steve Hegede (Steve Hegede)

Track Listings

1. A volte un istante di quiete (6:31)
2. Forse le lucciole non si amano più (9:48)
3. Profumo di colla Bianca (8:25)
4. Cercando un nuovo confine (6:41)
5. Sogno di Estunno (4:41)
6. Non chiudere a chiave le stelle (3:34)
7. Vendesi saggezza (9:37)
8. New York (4:35)

Total Time: 53:52
Line-up/Musicians

- Giorgio Gardino / drums, vibraphone
- Luciano Boero / bass, Hammond
- Ezio Vevy / 12-string, acoustic & electric guitars, voice, flute
- Alberto Gaviglio / acoustic, electric, 12-string electric guitars, voice
- Michele Conta / pianos, Moog, clavinet, synths
- Oscar Mazzoglio / Hammond, piano, Moog, synths
- Leonardo Sasso / voice
Releases information

CD Polydor 523 688-2 Remastered in 1994 with one bonus track ("New York")

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Flaming Bess - Tanz der Götter (1979)

2007-10-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

whoa!! What an album!!! "Tanz Der Götter" is the one of the most successful symphonic prog. album from Germany. Great sound quality and musicianship! It has a dark & dreamy sound like the other great german bands that Novalis and Minotaurus. And it has very complex tracks with wonderful concept. Absolutely a masterpiece for every prog. listener. Anyway, my grade is an A ! - Review by alpinx2002

Track Listings

1. Bedrohung (9:43)
2. Kampf und Verteibung (8:22)
3. Oasis (5:27)
4. Arkana (4:56)
5. Tanz der Götter (10:10)

Total Time: 38:40
Line-up/Musicians

- Joachim Jansen / organ, E-violin, synthesizer, flute, clavinet
- Peter Wahle / vocals, gong, glöckchen, rhythmusmaschine, E-guitar
- Hans Wende / bass, guitar, clavinet, vocals

Guest musicians:
- Wolfgang Neumann / sprache
- Bruno Blättler / guitar
- Wolla Hoffmann / guitar
- Barry Peeler / acoustic guitar
- Bernd Renn / bass
- Helmut Leinhos / timbales
- Frank Kirchner / saxophone

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The Gods - Genesis (1968)

2007-10-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

The Gods are a band that have gone down in any number of 'rock family trees' for housing Greg Lake, Mick Taylor but mainly future Uriah Heep members, Ken Hensley and Lee Kerslake. Though Lake and Taylor had moved on by the time of this, their debut, it's still revered by many psych/prog collectors, commanding huge prices on the 2nd hand vinyl market.

Musically, they were very derivative of Vanilla Fudge, particularly concerning the bombastic vocal harmonies and heavy musicianship, yet brought their own flavour to proceedings. Certainly, The Gods predictably have a very English sound at times; they are often much more polite than Vanilla Fudge, particularly with the slower numbers. This has made for some very, very dated songs indeed, but also some excellent ones that still sound innovative and enjoyable today. Being a huge Uriah Heep fan, it's interesting to hear the framework of the Heep sound way back in 1968 despite critics claiming Heep had been ripping off Deep Purple, when in fact technically The Gods had been around longer peddling this sort of music (The Gods had been around at least 2 years before this album).

'Towards The Skies' has some very psychedelic lyrics that are typical of the era, but compared to most music of the era, this is streets ahead. There are some wonderful and quite intricate harmonies on this song, amongst the crunching guitar work by Joe Konas and throbbing organ from Ken Hensley. Minus the psyched out lyrics, this is more or less exactly what Uriah Heep would be doing in their earlier stages.

'Candles Getting Shorter' is a melodramatic yet very enjoyable psych/soul song, with some dripping (and early use of) mellotron to accompany the lovely harmonies and very nice melody the song has. This sounds extremely dated today, but I really like this kind of music.

'You're My Life', though, is dated yet not in a good way. It has a rather corny, 'groovy baby' outmoded-ness to my 18 year old ears. This is exactly the kind of music that always gets parodied in those 60s spoof movies, with cheesy singing and lyrics.

'Looking Glass' is for many people the point where The Gods peaked. It's an entrancing slab of proto prog that's utterly hypnotic, with a powerful falsetto vocal by Ken Hensley and some of his finest Hammond organ work yet (check his gutsy solos out that are only a shade away from 'Gypsy'), plus an innovative arrangement from the rhythm section with John Glascock on bass and Lee Kerslake on drums.

'Misleading Colours' is in much the same vein- probably the heaviest song on the album, with some Hendrix style guitar riffs and organ work dripping with menace and some excellent vocals that deal with the cliched yet enjoyable lyrics admirably. One of my favourite songs The Gods recorded, and again predicts the sounds Uriah Heep would soon be making.

'Radio Show', however, does not- thankfully. It has that 60s spoof feel again, thanks to the cheesy brass arrangement and utterly out of time (probably even then) lyrical and vocal arrangements. The only saving grace of this song is a lovely mid section that has some vocal arrangements that remind me of a long forgotten 60s UK pop band called The Fortunes ('You've Got Your Troubles' or 'Here It Comes Again' ring any bells??), but other than that, this is laughable. It's somewhat ironic that the sound of this piece is akin to Cliff Bennett, who Ken Hensley would later record with under the Toe Fat moniker....

'Plastic Horizon' has an Eastern feel, thanks to the hypnotic, mysterious melody that is delivered by both organ and vocal harmonies. It has a rather typical proto prog flavour that means it's still got one foot in the psychedelic camp, but remains enjoyable.

'Farthing Man' again is quite dated, but has a charm about it that most of The Gods' better pop tunes possess. I always find their harmonies rather lovely to listen to, as are their melodies. Of course, we are miles away from rock, let alone prog, here, but I always like this kind of antiquated psych pop.

'I Never Know' is, alongside their wonderful cover of 'Maria', probably The Gods' most progressive, and best, moment. The mellotron is all over this superb song, and the harmonies and subtle guitar work are again first class. The closest reference point this time round is The Zombies; this song sounds both like a track from 'Oddesey and Oracle' (you must hear this album, trust me!!) but also a forerunner of Heep epics like 'Paradise'; the chord progressions are quite similar, in fact.

'Love and Eternity' is all too close to the first track here though, but is quite an effective way to end the album.

All in all, this is not a masterwork, but is still an enjoyable period piece that's worth having in your collection. Heep fans will be surprised at how much The Gods had of the trademark Heep sound. - Review by salmacis (James Jeffery)

Track Listings

1. Towards The Skies (3:24)
2. Candles Getting Shorter (4:28)
3. You're My Life (3:20)
4. Looking Glass (4:18)
5. Misleading Colours (3:38)
6. Radio Show (3:12)
7. Plastic Horizon (3:26)
8. Farthing Man (3:30)
9. I Never Know ((5:41)
10. Love And Eternity (2:41)
11. Baby's Rich* (2:45)
12. Somewhere In The Street* (2:47)
13. Hey Bulldog* (3:01)
14. Real Love Guaranteed* (2:29)

Total Time: 48:40
Line-up/Musicians

- Ken Hensley/ keyboards, vocals
- Joe Konas/ guitars, vocals
- John Glascock/ bass, vocals
- Lee Kerslake/ drums, vocals
Releases information

Originally released on Columbia in 1968
Released on CD on Repertoire in 1994; WP 4418 with 4 bonus tracks (noted with * in track listing)

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England - Garden Shed (1977)

2007-10-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

ENGLAND came a little late in the UK prog scene, coming at a bad time as punk rock was on the rise. Their one and only album, "Garden Shed" (well, at least until the 1990s with "The Last of the Jubblies" which contained leftover material) was released in 1977 on Arista Records. Despite the major label it was released on (yes, the same label that gave us the dreaded BARRY MANILOW, AIR SUPPLY and BAY CITY ROLLERS, at least the label did us a favor by having the ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, CARAVAN, and HAPPY THE MAN on their roster), the original LP is hard to find. For those who don't live in the UK (me included): the cover to "Garden Shed" is a spoof of a label to a jar of Robertson's Golden Shred Marmalade! Robertson's products are apparently not available outside of the UK (I certainly never seen any Golden Shred, Silver Shred, or any other Robertson's products sold at any supermarket in my neck of the woods), so I would never have realized the Golden Shred parody to "Garden Shed" had I not found out online. The band consisted of bassist Martin Henderson, guitarist Franc Holland, keyboardist Robert Webb, and drummer Jode Leigh. Vocal duties handled by all.

This was the last recording to feature the Mark II Mellotron (this was 1977, after all, and the Mellotron most used was the small 400 model, which was introduced in 1970, but didn't get used extensively until about or after 1972). Their keyboardist Robert Webb was said to sawed his Mark II in half to make it more portable (other keyboards he used included Hammond organ, Hohner clavinet, piano, electric piano, and Minimoog).

Musically, their influences can be rather obvious: YES, GENESIS, GENTLE GIANT, SUPERTRAMP, FRUUPP, perhaps even a little QUEEN. Like on "Midnight Madness" you hear plenty of GENESIS-like passages, with Yes-like vocal harmonies. "All Alone" is a short piano-oriented ballad that often gets compared to QUEEN, but to me reminds me of a Rick Davies-penned SUPERTRAMP ballad sung by Roger HODGSON. "Three Piece Suite" (get it?) is, as you expect, a three movement suite. The first part most resembling YES, but there are some passages with high-pitched vocals that don't seem to fit in too well. "Paraffinalea" is one of the more light-hearted numbers with more of that YES and GENTLE GIANT influences. "Yellow" is an acoustic ballad dominated by Mellotron. Here the influences seem to be not so obvious. The album then ends with "Poisoned Youth", at 16 minutes. Had this album been released a few years earlier, or punk didn't take over, this would have gotten more attention. Still, a great album. - Review by Proghead (Ben Miler)

Track Listings

1. Midnight Madness (6:58)
2. All Alone (Introducing) (1:53)
3. Three Piece Suite (12:58)
4. Paraffinalea (4:12)
5. Yellow (5:24)
6. Poisoned Youth (16:17)

Total Time: 47:42
Line-up/Musicians

- Martin Henderson / bass & vocals
- Franc Holland / guitar & vocals
- Robert Webb / keyboards & vocals
- Jode Leich / percussion, bass & vocals
Releases information

47:45, RWE, 1977 / Arista Arty 153LP Remastered in 1997
Arista - BVCM-37613 - Japan Mini Sleeve Replica - 24bit K2 Remastered - 2005 w/ Bonus track - "Nanagram"
Garden Shed Music -- Special Edition 2005 w/Bonus "Three Piece Suite" (1976 Olympic Studio Recording)

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Fantasy - Paint A Picture (1973)

2007-10-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

Before reading my short review of this album, I have to admit being a bit biased. I really love this style of early English progressive rock. Although the musicians are not virtuosos, and the tracks are not terribly complex the music here is so warm, sincere, and melodic that you immediately fall for the colorful sounds coming out of your speakers. 1973's "Paint A Picture" is FANTASY's only official release (the second album, which was rejected by Polydor in the 70s, was released on CD in 1992). Some of the music on "Paint A Picture" reminds me of David BOWIE's "Space Oddity". Not that the tracks here sound like BOWIE's classic song, but the orchestration is very similar. Especially with the use of acoustic guitar, and mellotron. The band also knew when to pick up the pace in a song with an aggressive instrumental section or two, but the overall atmosphere is relaxed. This classic will appeal to fans of SPRING, EARTH AND FIRE, PENTACLE, and PFM's "Per Un Amico". - Review by Steve Hegede (Steve Hegede)

Track Listings

1. Paint A Picture (5:24)
2. Circus (6:18)
3. The Award (4:52)
4. Politely Insane (3:27)
5. Widow (2:12)
6. Icy River (5:53)
7. Thank Christ (4:06)
8. Young Man's Fortune (3:41)
9. Gnome Song (4:19)
10. Silent Mine (4:39)

Total Time: 44:41

Bonus tracks on remaster (Lake Eerie 2005) taken from Fantasy - Beyond The Beyond:

11. Beyond The Beyond (5:37)
12. Reality (2:58)
13. Alanderie (9:01)
14. Afterthought (5:51)
15. Worried Man (2:56)
16. Just A Dream (3:32)
17. Winter Rose (3:27)
Line-up/Musicians

- Paul Lawrence / 12 string guitar, vocals
- David Read / bass, vocals
- David Metcalfe / keyboards, vocals
- Peter James / lead guitar, vocals
- Jon Webster / percussion, vocals
Releases information

LP Polydor 2383 246 (1973)
CD Polydor KK ERC-29229 (1991, Japan)
CD Lake Eerie LER 43007 (2005, remaster)

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Procession - Frontiera (1972)

2007-10-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

One of the nice things about this website is that the many reviews help you discover bands you hadn’t heard before. For me, a real eye opener was the discovery of Italian prog. Since I’ve been reading reviews and been listening to the audio samples, I have become a big fan of the italian scene. Bands like Banco, PFM, Museo Rosenbach, Le Orme, to name a few have really grabbed me. And there are much more of these bands to discover.

One of those bands is Procession. I was surprised that their debut album wasn’t reviewed yet. It was released in 1972 and it contains beautiful, melodic, at times heavy, guitar driven progressive music. The songs are very dynamic with quiet acoustic guitar passages. It ranges from acoustic folky music to heavy hardrock (and anything in between). The lyrics of the songs are supposed to deal with immigration.

This being the first review of the album can’t have anything to do with the quality of the album, because it is very good. I personally add it to my list of excellent Italian symphonic prog. And now on to the next discovery… - Review by Agemo

Track Listings

1. Ancora una notte
2. Uomini e illusioni
3. Citta grande
4. Incontra
5. Anche io sono un uomo
6. Un mondo di liberta
7. Solo
8. Un'ombra chevaga
9. Solo 2
Line-up/Musicians

- Gianfranco Gaza / vocals, mouth harp
- Roby Munciguerra / guitar
- Marcello Capra / guitar
- Angelo Girardi / bass, mandolin
- Giancarlo Capello / drums, percussion
Releases information

LP Help DZSLH 55131 (1972)
CD Vinyl Magic VM 036 (1993)

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The Pretty Things - S.F.Sorrow (1968)

2007-10-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

by request - Who could ever have thought, going back to the Pretty Things' first recording session in 1965 -- which started out so disastrously that their original producer quit in frustration -- that it would come to this? The Pretty Things' early history in the studio featured the band with its amps seemingly turned up to 11, but for much of S.F. Sorrow the band is turned down to seven or four, or even two, or not amplified at all (except for Wally Allen's bass -- natch), and they're doing all kinds of folkish things here that are still bluesy enough so you never forget who they are, amid weird little digressions on percussion and chorus; harmony vocals that are spooky, trippy, strange, and delightful; sitars included in the array of stringed instruments; and an organ trying hard to sound like a Mellotron. Sometimes one gets an echo of Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn or A Saucerful of Secrets, and it all straddles the worlds of British blues and British psychedelia better than almost any record you can name. The album, for those unfamiliar, tells the story of "S.F. Sorrow," a sort of British Everyman -- think of a working-class, luckless equivalent to the Kinks' Arthur, from cradle to grave. The tale and the songs are a bit downbeat and no amount of scrutiny can disguise the fact that the rock opera S.F. Sorrow is ultimately a bit of a confusing effort -- these boys were musicians, not authors or dramatists. Although it may have helped inspire Tommy, it is, simply, not nearly as good. That said, it was first and has quite a few nifty ideas and production touches. And it does show a pathway between blues and psychedelia that the Rolling Stones, somewhere between Satanic Majesties, "We Love You," "Child of the Moon," and Beggars Banquet, missed entirely. [This CD reissue on Snapper adds four valuable songs from their 1967-1968 singles ("Defecting Grey," "Mr. Evasion," "Talkin' About the Good Times," and "Walking Through My Dreams"). This version of "Defecting Grey" is the original, long, uncut five-minute rendition, and not of trivial importance; it's superior to the shorter one used on the official single.] - by Bruce Eder & Richie Unterberger (AMG)

01. S.F. Sorrow Is Born
02. Bracelets Of Fingers
03. She Says Good Morning
04. Private Sorrow
05. Ballon Burning
06. Death
07. Baron Saturday
08. Journey
09. I See You
10. Well Of Destiny
11. Trust
12. Old Man Going
13. Loneliest Person
14. Defecting Grey [Acetate Recording]
15. Defecting Grey [Bonus]
16. Mr.Evasion [Bonus]
17. Talkin' About The Good Times [Bonus]
18. Walking Through My Dreams [Bonus]
19. She Says Good Morning [Live 1969]
20. Alexander [Live 1969]

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The Pretty Things - Parachute (1970)

2007-10-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

by request - If S.F. Sorrow is the Pretty Things' Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, and Yellow Submarine wrapped in one, then Parachute is their more succinct White Album and Abbey Road. It's not just a time line comparison. The Pretties made this fascinating LP in the same studio as the Fab Four, London's Abbey Road, with Beatles engineer Norman Smith producing. "The Good Mr. Square" replicates the three-part harmony the Beatles were so proud of on "Because." Two songs later, the group assembles a brief, interconnected three-song suite like the famous ones on side two of Abbey Road. Bassist Wally Allen's vocals on tracks such as "Sickle Clowns" have the same throaty, mad anguish that John Lennon exhibited on "Yer Blues" and "Happiness Is a Warm Gun." If S.F. Sorrow is hard rock grandeur, then Parachute is its more bitter twist, the dream dying and the witching hour upon us. Yet, if this isn't as much of a triumph, the creative neurons are still firing throughout a multi-varied, cohesive LP. Like S.F. Sorrow, it's a surprisingly palatable concept LP. This time the topic is a generation caught between the conflicting calls of (rural) peace, love, and boredom, and (urban) sophistication, sex, and squalor in a harsh world. Somehow the departure of the band's main creative force, Dick Taylor, didn't diminish the writing and inspired variety. Allen stepped up big time into the collaborator role with singer Phil May. The harmonies remain a strong point on an otherwise rock-inclined record, and the nasty edge of perfectly balanced bombast in the best songs have been a lost art ever since -- it's not hard to see why Rolling Stone rated Parachute the best LP of 1970. (There are 18 minutes of good stuff tacked on the Snapper edition, taken from singles.) - by Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover (AMG)

Tracking List:
01 Scene One 01:50
02 The Good Mr. Square 01:26
03 She Was Tall, She Was High 01:34
04 In the Square 01:54
05 The Letter 03:47
06 Rain 00:20
07 Miss Fay Regrets 03:26
08 Cries From the Midnight Circus 06:25
09 Grass 04:20
10 Sickle Clowns 06:34
11 She's a Lover 03:29
12 What's the Use 01:42
13 Parachute 03:48
14 Blue Serge Blues 03:52
15 October 26 04:53
16 Cold Stone 03:09
17 Stone-Hearted Mama 03:26
18 Summer Time 04:29
19 Circus Mind 01:59

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Pythagoras - After The Silence (1981)

2007-10-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

In the late Seventies I used to visit a record-store named "Moonlight Records" in my hometown The Hague. One day the owner drummer Bob de Jong told me that he had founded a duo with synthesizer player René de Haan and made an electronic oriented LP entitled “Journey to the vast unknown”. This album was played on a national radio- programm and within a week he had received hundreds of requests for that debut-LP! This album is the second and final effort from the duo Pythagoras, it’s far more progressive and symphonic.

1 – After the silence

1st Movement: This is a typical electronic atmosphere intro featuring soaring synthesizers, very spacey. 2nd Movement: First a bombastic eruption with lush Mellotron and organ, then soaring keyboards as an introduction to a very Gilmourian inspired, often howling and fiery guitar solo from ... guest guitarist ARJEN LUCASSEN (known as the brainchild behind AYREON). The final part contains a slow rhytm with a bombastic climate delviering pleasant drumming. 3rd Movement: On the Mighty M400 Mellotron René de Haan plays majestic choir- Mellotron waves, wonderful blended with spacey synthesizer flights and in the end some moving violin-Mellotron play.

2 – After the silence

4th Movement: PLACKBAND keyboardist Michel van Wassem plays the choir-Mellotron sound on a Novotron, impressive! 5th Movement: This part features soaring synthesizers and string-ensemble, then a bombastic eruption with choir-Mellotron and soft drum beats, in the end we hear the sound of waves and a great build-up , VIVALDI-inspired violin soli. 6th Movement: First a swinging rhythm with lush keyboards and fiery electric guitar riffs, then a dreamy climate with melancholical Mellotron and violin. 7th Movement: The atmosphere alternates from spacey with synthesizer sounds and choir-Mellotron to a slow rhythm featuring slow but very moving guitar runs with bass- pedals and choir-Mellotron, WONDERFUL!

This album sounds a bit simple and amateurish but if you like moving, 24-carat symphonic rock with lush MELLOTRON and you want to hear the early prog work of ARJEN LUCASSEN, this is an interesting, very warm album! - Review by erik neuteboom (erik neuteboom)

Track Listings

After The Silence I:
1. 1st movement ~ Introduction
2a. 2nd movement ~ Opus I: diabolus
in musica
2b. Opus II: étude for flying V
2c. Opus III: scherzo
3. 3rd movement ~ Endless hymn
After The Silence II:
4a. 4th movement ~ Opus I: turn
4b. Opus II: return
5a. 5th movement ~ Opus I: caprice
5b. Opus II: interludium
5c. Opus III: reprice
6. 6th movement ~ Scherzo reprice
7. 7th movement ~ Grand finale
Line-up/Musicians

- René de Haan / synthesizers, strings, Mellotron, church organ, choir arrangements
- Bob de Jong / drums, bass pedals, electric piano, Sony TCS 310

Guest musicians:
- Nick Blaser / violin
- Martin Knaap / bass
- Carolien Krul / flute
- Arjen Lucassen / guitar, bass pedals
- Michel van Wassem / Novotron (4a)
Releases information

LP Syntone / WEA 58.465 (1981)

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Minotaurus - Fly Away (1978)

2007-10-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

MINOTAURUS were an obscure 70’s band from Germany, who recorded 2 albums with only one ever being released "Fly Away". Inspired by the story of the Mintaurus living in King Minos' Labyrinth on Crete this 6 piece band deliver an album full of organ roaring progressive rock. This album although essentially a symphonic mindmelt does also blend in psych and space dimensions into their sound. Their overall sound is quite rich with a good chunk of mellotron and deep bass lines. Vocals (Peter Scheu) are sung in English and fit the music quite well. Instrumentally this band were amazing with inspiring and pompous keyboard leads, mellotron atmospheres , great guitar , bass and drum interplay. Overall sound carries allusions to NOVALIS, MARILLION and ELOY. - Review by loserboy (James Unger)

Track Listings

1. 7117 (6:47)
2. Your Dream (5:40)
3. Lonely Seas (4:42)
4. Highway (3:20)
5. Fly Away (13:20)
6. The Day The Earth Will Die (4:40)
7. Sunflowers (3:59)

Total Time: 41:51
Line-up/Musicians

- Michael Helsberg / guitars
- Ludger "Lucky" Hofstetter / guitars
- Ulli Poetschulat / drums
- Bernd Maciej / bass
- Peter Scheu / vocals
- Dietmar Barzen / keyboards
Releases information

CD Garden Of Delights CD 073 (2002)

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Earth And Fire - Earth And Fire (1970)

2007-10-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

I remembered back as a kid when my dad bought "To the World of the Future", thinking there'd be no way in hell in ever finding out anything more about EARTH & FIRE, one of the great Dutch prog rock bands. My dad bought "To the World of the Future" not really knowing what he was buying (he wasn't exactly the most musically informed person out there), and since none of my family ever been to Holland, he bought that album either mistaking them for EARTH, WIND & FIRE, or simply liked the '70s futuristic cover artwork. This was back in the 1980s, and so I just thought getting info on this band was worthless. There was no Internet, and running in to people who collect this sort of stuff was rather rare. I never mentioned anyone them for the obvious reason of bewilderment or mistaking them with EW&F. Just to let everyone know, by the time they released "To the World of the Future", they were starting to explore disco, but hadn't yet abandoned prog.

In the 1990s, I met someone else who owned a few EARTH & FIRE albums and ever so glad they had many more albums, and I very much treasure "Song of the Marching Children" and "Atlantis" greatly (since I originally had cassette copies of these courtesy of that guy who owned EARTH & FIRE albums, and then me acquiring the original Dutch Polydor gatefold LP copies of those albums).

This self-entitled album was their debut LP, but they already released a couple singles prior, "Seasons" b/w "Hazy Paradise" (1969) and "Ruby is the One" b/w "Mechanical Lover" (1970), both A-sides ending up on this album. So this album ended up having two songs with original drummer Cees Kalis, and the rest with new drummer Ton van der Kleij. This here is the original LP, released on Polydor/Medium with the matchbox cover, in which the cover folds open to reveal matches, and of the song contents. In 1971, this album received a UK release on the Nepentha label, which features the Roger Dean cover (that's been used on the German Repertoire CD reissue as well as the Japanese reissue). The Nepentha LP is even harder to acquire than the Polydor/Medium matchbox cover, so I went for the matchbox cover (the Nepentha LP regularly goes for $200-400). This album is less polished than the albums to follow ("Song of the Marching Children", "Atlantis"), the Mellotron hadn't even yet appeared (although I suspected a little synthesizers was used near the end of "Twilight Dreamer"), and there's more of a late '60s psych feel.

The album opens up with "Wild and Exciting", which became a hit for them in their home country. "Vivid Shady Land" features some aggressive guitar from Chris Koerts, plus male vocals, and of course female vocals of Jerney Kaagman. "Seasons" was the very first song they ever recorded, as mentioned, previously released as a single. This song wasn't written by either of the Koerts brothers or any other EARTH & FIRE members, but George Kooysman of GOLDEN EARRING (who supported EARTH & FIRE and helped sign them to Polydor, the label Golden Earring was recording for). "Love Quiver" bears more than a striking resemblance to JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, right down to the vocal harmonies, although Jerney Kaagman's voice doesn't sound much like Grace Slick (more like STEELEYE SPAN's "Maddy Prior", but with a Dutch accent, or perhaps Mariska Veres of SHOCKING BLUE). But very unlike something from the AIRPLANE, you get a lengthy organ solo (rather than an extended Jorma Kaukonen guitar solo like on the "Volunteers" album). "21st Century Show" is much like the rest of the album, but features a nice flute solo. "What's Your Name" is a laid-back acoustic piece with flute. It sounds like Jerney Kaagman isn't doing any of the vocal duties here, not even backing vocals, the vocal duties seem to be from the Koerts twins, this song gives you a clue what EARTH & FIRE might have sounded like if they didn't feature a female vocalist. It's obvious that these guys need to brush on their English, but regardless, it's a pleasant piece, especially after the aggressiveness of "Love Quiver" (which preceeded it). It's understood that "Song of the Marching Children" and "Atlantis" shows the band at their best (I can't argue with that), this debut album is still excellent with promise of more great things to come. - Review by Proghead (Ben Miler)

Track Listings

1. Wild and exciting (4:27)
2. Twilight dreamer (4:16)
3. Ruby is the one (3:26)
4. You know the way (3:46)
5. Vivid shady lady (4:11)
6. 21st century show (4:14)
7. Seasons (4:08)
8. Love quiver (7:36)
9. What's your name (3:36)

Total Time: 39:40
Bonus tracks on Repertoire release:
10. Mechanical lover
11. Hazy paradise
12. Memories
13. Invitation
14. From the end till the beginning
15. Lost forever
16. Song of the marching children
(single)
17. Thanks for the love
18. What difference does it make
19. Wild and exciting
Bonus tracks on Rotation/U release:
10. Memories
11. Invitation
12. Wild and exciting (edit)
13. Greenpark station
14. Seasons
15. Song of the marching children
(single)
16. Ebb tide
17. Storm and thunder (single)
Bonus tracks on Rotation release:
10. Hazy paradise (3:46)
11. Mechanical lover (4:12)
12. Invitation (3:50)
13. Song of the marching children (single) (4:08)
14. Storm and thunder (4:50)
15. Lost forever (2:48)
16. Memories (3:20)

Total time: 66:10
Line-up/Musicians

- Jerney Kaagman / lead vocals
- Ton van de Kleij / drums
- Chris Koerts / guitar
- Gerard Koerts / guitar, keyboards
- Hans Ziech / bass
Releases information

LP Polydor 2441 011 / CD Repertoire REP 4318-WY (1993) / CD Rotation Universal 559 090 (1999-
Under the title of "Wild and Exciting")

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Between - And The Waters Opened (1973)

2007-10-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

With albums as “In den garden pharaos” (from Popol Vuh), “Aum” ( from Deuter)… “And the water opened” has participated to the growing emergence for “world” / ethnic music in the complex universe of progressive rock. They all explain a new fascination for multi-influences and dialogues between East meets West. In those early years the sound of the band provided a fusion between “ethnic” music and krautrock experimentations. With their album “Dharana” Between will progressively turn to something more mainstream, into “new age” / traditional music legacy. “And the water opened” starts with a beautiful track made of modified electric “continuous” sound forms which express the serenity of meditation. The track carries on with a bright psychedelic dance for “tribal” percussions. “Uroboros” is more into an acoustic trip with “exotic” oboe parts and deep spiritual voices. An exploration throw a Persian / oriental theme maybe. “Syn” is a powerful, haunted “drone” which leads you to the most hidden parts of your subconscious, just hypnotic. “Devotion” is near to sacred music, really in touch with Middle East. Difficult to evaluate this approach but the piano & church organ passages are especially ethereal. “Happy Stage” is an “exotic” musical fairy tale organised around enchanting oboe / flute lines. A really strange item, an interesting discover. Rather unique in popular music. - Review by philippe (Philippe Blache)

Track Listings

1. And The Waters Opened (10:51)
2. Uroboros (5:33)
3. Syn (5:52)
4. Devotion (3:43)
5. Happy Stage (11:14)
6. Samum (5:36)

Total Time: 42:49
Line-up/Musicians

- Peter Michael Hamel / keyboards, organ, voice
- Robert Eliscu / oboe
- Roberto Detree / guitar, moto-celo, harp
- Cotch Black / congas
- Duru Omson / flute, percussion, voice
- Fabian Arkas / electronics
Releases information

Vertigo
LP Reissue Wergo Wergo SM (1981)

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Analogy - Analogy (1972)

2007-10-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

It is not for me to write a review of my own music. I'd just like to point out two things:

1. The album cover shown does not match the CD/LP portrayed here. It is the cover of a later album entitled THE SUITE, recorded in 1980 and published by Ohrwaschl Records, Munich. The correct album cover would show the band in the nude in the middle of a meadow. 2. Analogy is often portrayed as a Swiss band. Although we played a lot of gigs in Switzerland, the band was Italian as far as organisation, management and record label was concerned. Four of the five/six members were of German origin but lived and worked in Italy. The remaining members (Mauro Rattaggi and Nikola Pankaoff) were Italians to such a degree that they couldn't speak a word of German or indeed English for that matter. - Review by thurnmithoff

Track Listings

1. Dark Reflections (7:00)
2. Weeping My Reflection (4:50)
3. Indian Meditation (4:10)
4. Tin's Song (1:40)
5. Analogy (9:45)
6. The Year's At The Spring (4:35)
7. Pan-Am Flight 249 (5:15)

Total Time: 37:15

Bonus track on GOD release:
8. Milan On A Sunday Morning (6:07)

Total Time: 43:22

Line-up/Musicians

- H. J. "Mops" Nienhaus / drums
- Jutta Nienhaus / lead vocals
- Nicola Pankoff / keyboards
- Wolfgang Schoene / bass
- Martin Thurn / 12 strings acoustic & electric guitars, flute, bongos

Releases information

LP Dischi Produzioni Ventotto PRV/LP 2204 (1972 Italy)
CD Vinyl Magic VM 017 (1990 Italy)
LP Ohrwaschl VINYL 01 (1997 Germany)
CD Garden Of Delights GOD 059 (2002 Germany)

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Elonkorjuu - Harvest Time (1971)

2007-10-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

Finnish quintet Elonkorjuu are one of the many little-known bands that did heavy blues/psych with strong prog elements, drawing initially from the schools of Cream, Sabbath and Colosseum but expanding on those influences with soulful church organ and cutting guitar from leader Jukka Syrenius. There are also warm jazz undertones and an earthy quality to the production, giving this group a vintage sound you can put on like a pair of ancient but dear shoes.

'Unfeeling' is self-sorry blues rock with almost evangelical vocals and Jukka Syrenius' hot licks, not a great opener but 'Swords' continues the disillusioned weeping and picks up with a good arrangement, understated organ and a bit of flute. The surprising 'Future' absolutely rocks and even foreshadows Fripp's use of atonal guitar lines, Syrenius showing sadly underappreciated talent. 'Old Man's Dream' is strange heavy psych with great changes and a beautiful dual guitar exchange, and 'A Little Rocket Song' is a Sabbatic rocker with Zeppelin's guitar/drum dynamics. No obvious pull here for the jaded progster but many little surprises hidden just beneath the surface, and Elonkorjuu is worth investigation if you have an ear for the shadowy and mysterious world of early heavy progressive rock. - Review by Atavachron (David)

Track Listings

1. Unfeeling (3:23)
2. Swords (4:03)
3. Captain (3:41)
4. Praise to Our Basement (4:43)
5. Future (3:55)
6. Hey Hunter (3:40)
7. The Ocean Song (3:17)
8. Old Man's Dream (4:44)
9. Me and My Friend (4:01)
10. A Little Rocket Song (4:04)

Total Time 38:11

Line-up/Musicians

- Jukka Syrenius / guitar
- Veli-pekka Pessi / bass
- Pertti Hannus / drums

Releases information

EMI

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Nirvana - Local Anaesthetic (1971)

2007-10-16T06:05:00.001-07:00

For me this is the most interesting album of the four first releases by this nice little band, but I still don't see it as a really essential record. When this one is compared to the carefully constructed pop songs from their late 60's releases, "Local Anaesthetic" has much more improvisational playing in it, and there are more jazz elements to be heard here. Keyboards are mainly represented by a piano, which makes the music's tone quite pleasant to my ears. TONY DUHIG's presence can be heard in some passages which therefore sound very much like JADE WARRIOR, these elements being some African sounding drumming and wind sections. The first song (or collection of songs) is musically more compact, as the music flows continuously onward. The second side is thematically more united, but the tracks have clear pauses between them so I'm not sure it's right to claim it being a one compact song. Also I don't understand the meaning of few seconds of piano playing, where the whole album ends. There was also a one single being cut from this side, which's theme is focused in serious homesickness. Musically the album isn't still very tight or unique, though it's a fun record to listen through from time to time. I would recommend it for the serious fans of JADE WARRIOR and for those who are returning home from a long journey. - Review by Eetu Pellonpää

Track Listings

1. Modus Operandi (16:09)
2. Home (19:10)
including:
a) Salutation
b) Construction
c) Deconstruction
d) Reconstruction
e) Fanfare
Line-up/Musicians

... Not specified in 1990 released (that reprint in CD format the LP cover and artwork) but for the info in my possess:

- Patrick Campbell-Lyons

with the help of:
- Mel Collins
- Tony Duhig
- Jon Field
and others
Releases information

LP: 1971 Vertigo (6360 031)
CD: 1990 Repertoire Records (RR 4109-WP)

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more Nirvana

Nirvana - Dedicated To Markos III (1969)

Marsupilami - Arena (1971)

2007-10-15T06:09:00.001-07:00

Second album by MARSUPILAMI was an ambitious concept one about the brutality of the ancient Roman culture involving not less than eight musicians. BTW it has been produced by Peter Bardens whose band CAMEL was still waiting for their big success at that time. On ARENA the band had refined and further improved their sound by adding Mellotron, sax, electric piano, more woodwinds and percussion. But central instrument is still the Hammond played incredibly skillful by Leary Hasson covering its full potential spectre.

Apart of the involvement of more instruments the most striking difference to their debut is that the compositions on here are much less catchy and very intricate with a rather strong jazz influence at times almost towards RIO. Thus this one needs definitively a few spins to get into it. Prelude to the Arena opens the albums with a fluttery organ sound followed by narrative vocals by Fred Hasson leading to a quite heavy part with screaming, furious drumming and guitar but as well more quiet parts with e-piano, Mellotron or flute. First track is already a highlight! Second song Peace of Rome is as well a very versatile one varying between mellow, beautiful sections and more savage ones. Thereafter the very intricate epic songThe Arena is following with 13 minutes of timing and including awesome solos on Hammond and flute. Initially the track has a very oriental inspired sound developing more into a Canterbury vein. Time Shadow is the one where the sax comes into play and probably the best one with an incredibly intricate interplay between flute, sax and Hammond. It starts with psychedelic sounding spoken vocals then a dramatic intro with organ and drums which segues into a rather quiet part with flute, organ and short amazing solo on Harmonica (!) before vocals come in. This track has a very strong jazzy Canterbury touch not mainly due to the sax playing. Really an absolute highlight! The initial part of The Spring is the weirdest and oddest one of the album with a strange and disharmonic Hammond sound and a savage free jazz jamming, then it segues into a very pleasant theme on flute followed by a solo by Harmonica and the song switches more into a psychedelic folksy vein with mesmerizing vocals not unlike the band Quintessence. The final part is a reprise of the flute theme with tubular bells added on. - Review by hdfisch (Dieter Fischer)

Track Listings

1. Prelude To the Arena (5:23)
2. Peace Of Rome (7:01)
3. The Arena (12:55)
4. Time Shadows (11:16)
5. Spring (9:16)

Total Time: 43:51
Line-up/Musicians

- Mike Fouracre / drums, timpani, percussion
- Fred Hasson / lead vocals, percussion, harmonica
- Leary Hasson / piano, mellotron, tubular bells
- Richard Hicks / bass
- Dave Laverock / electric, acoustic, bowed guitars, percussion, vocals
- Jessica Stanley-Clarke / flute, vocals

Guest Musicians:
- Mandy Reidelbanch / tenor and alto sax, flute, percussion
- Bob West / vocals
- Peter Bardens / percussion

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Crucis - Los Delirios Del Mariscal (1976)

2007-10-15T06:03:00.000-07:00

Second masterpiece in Crucis’ résumé: “Los Delirios del Mariscal” finds the band exploring their jazzy trend further, in this way, allowing all musicians to expand on their own individual inputs while maintaining a robust sonic unity. The keyboard department is benefited from a major presence of synthesizer parts: for the band as a whole, this specific factor helps it to achieve a larger degree of energy in their performances (an energy that had already been awesome in their epnymous album). Actually, the album kicks off with a symphonic-oriented sung track, ‘No Me Separen de Mí’, which may give the fresh listener a wrong impression about the album’s overall direction. This pleasant existentialist song has a similar mood to “Moon Madness”-era Camel, and it mostly serves as an initial, refreshing relief before the impressive catalogue that lies ahead in the immediate horizon. The 10-minute title track is an ethereal progressive journey authored by keyboardist Kerpel. Things flow very smoothly while the band expands itself through the evocative reiterations of the recurring main motif, with Marrone providing delicately soaring leads that beautifully complement the string synth layers – he sounds a bit like Santana-meets-Akkerman. After 7 and a half minutes, there is a clever shift that leads to a new motif, a more energetic one, which sounds almost like a soundtrack for a Western movie. This motif is punctuated by Marrone’s precise harmonic soloing and Kerpel’s inventive adornments, while the rhythm duo sustains it with clever staccato and syncopation. ‘Pollo Frito’ and ‘Abismo Terrenal’ occupied the B- side of the vinyl edition, and may I add that these two tracks contain (arguably) the most inspired performances ever produced by these astonishing musicians. The former of these two has a more constructed frame, since it is based on the fluid articulation of some well-defined motifs; the improvisations never lose touch with the logic inherent to the specific musical ideas. On the other hand, ‘Abismo Terrenal’ is a fiery 12 ½ minute tour-de-force that is structurally sustained by a minimal series of main motifs – the whole extra stuff is alternately left for each individual musician to develop while stealing the momentary limelight, most of the times with the other partners following through, or, as it happens in the case of Montesano and Farrugia’s solo moments, in which they shine alone (particularly, the latter). There is a large dose of self-indulgence here, no doubt about it, but the solidness of all performances is ultimately founded on the interaction between all band members, so the pyrotechnics never falls into the void of chaos: somehow, a sense of order prevails all over this display of free expression and technical exhibitionism. The repertoire of this album is less structured than that of the debut, since as - I stated before - the band is now more determined to focus on jamming and improvisation. This sense of mutual challenge helps “Los Delirios del Mariscal” to provide an excellent testimony of what these excellent musicians could do for themselves and for each other at their prime – yet another masterpiece of Latin American 70s prog. - Review by Cesar Inca (César Inca Mendoza Loyola)

Track Listings

1. No Me Separen de Mi (6:06)
2. Los Delirios del Mariscal (10:10)
3. Pollo Frito (5:45)
4. Abismo Terrenal (12:30)

Total Time: 34:31
Line-up/Musicians

- Gustavo Montesano / bass, vocals
- Anibal Kerpel / organ, Moog, Fender Rhodes, keyboards
- Pino Marrone / guitar, vocals
- Gonzalo Farrugia / drums

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Il Baricentro - Sconcerto (1976)

2007-10-15T05:48:00.000-07:00

“Sconcerto” is, first of all, a very beautiful and tasteful album, that reveals Il Baricentro as what it is in its purest form, a proficient jazz-rock ensemble with a very strong melodic sense and with a capability to do energetic interplaying in a most colorful manner. The two keyboardists, brothers Boccuzzi, stay well away from the mutual dueling scheme; on the contrary, they use their combined keyboard inputs (mostly pianos and synthesizers, with a noticeable deal of clavinet and harpsichord, and occasionally, some room for organ, too) as portrayers of the candid melodic ideas and elegant textures that keep coming around with the sonic flow. They seem to intend to act as subtle leaders of the band, making the effective rhythm duo come to the fore with their excellent foundations, while they pull the musical strings (well, ivories to be more precise) without showing off. The way that the rhythm section provides swing and groove to all the individual pieces helps the cadence to become a most important element of enhancement for the melodies. The opening namesake track serves as the perfect Baricentro sample for the neophyte. Let me add that I find the presence of the harpsichord in this fusion-esque amalgam quite intriguing: its crystalline vibrato helps the track to preserve an aura of distinction among the groove. This was actually my first Baricentro experience, the track that made me fall in love with this band’s proposal. Further ahead, ‘Afka’ is more focused on the funky trend, while ‘Meridioni e Paralleli’ and ‘Comunque’ make a sort of compromise between jazz-fusion and funky – as usual, all well accomplished, very close to what Weather Report was doing at the time in the USA. On the softer side of things, ‘Lido Bianco’ shows the most academic side of Il Baricentro’s ideology: this track is the closest to standard symphonic prog that this band can get. In fact, this track somewhat reminds me of “Ultima Cena”-era Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. ‘Pietre di Luna’ is plainly beautiful, an evocative serenade instilled with melancholy that needs no lyrics to create emotions in the listener’s soul. ‘Della Venis’ is yet another serene track, ethereal and melodically pristine. These softer tracks are cohesively harmonized with the album’s repertoire as a whole. So, all in all, “Sconcerto” is a potential excellent addition for the collections of those who love a strong dose of jazz in their prog, or, mutatis mutandis, those jazz-fusion freaks with a progressive sensibility. - Review by Cesar Inca (César Inca Mendoza Loyola)

Track Listings

1. Sconcerto (4:58)
2. Lido Bianco (10:04)
3. Meridioni E Paralleli (6:15)
4. Afka (6:11)
5. Pietre Di Luna (4:29)
6. Della Venis (4:16)
7. Comunque... (Todo Modo) (5:27)

Total Time: 41:40
Line-up/Musicians

- Francesco Boccuzzi / keyboards, guitars, percussion
- Vanni Boccuzzi / keyboards, percussion
- Tonio Napolitano / bass, percussion
- Piero Mangini / drums, percussion
Releases information

LP 3C064-18152 / MMP210 (1976)

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Spirit - Spirit of '76 (1975)

2007-10-15T05:33:00.000-07:00

This album was an unlikely release for Randy California and Ed Cassidy, the odd jazz drummer and step-son pair who originally formed Spirit back in 1967 when Randy was only sixteen years old but was a veteran of one of Jimi Hendrix’s early lineups and already had bi-coastal experience playing in the United States. The first four Spirit albums are noted for their distinctive blend of Cassidy and keyboardist John Locke’s jazz leanings, and California’s west-coast simple but emotive free-form guitar arrangements. With all but Cassidy departing the band between 1970 and 1971, Spirit went through a period of shifting lineups that at one point lacked any of the original band members.

But fate shown on the band in the mid-seventies when a renewed interest in their early music led to a reunion between Cassidy and California, who had been living in Hawaii while have little commercial or critical success with his barely-managed solo career. The two formed a touring group in early 1975 to try and capitalize on the reissue of most of the band’s catalog, and when headliner Ten Years After canceled an appearance for a show in Florida that spring opening act Spirit grabbed the opportunity to turn the booking into a solo show, after which they used the proceeds to enter a local studio for several days and record some of the original compositions California had stocked up while secluded in Hawaii the previous few years. The sessions must have been cathartic, friendly, and even a bit spiritual for the two, since the result was hours of tracks that included unique interpretations of several rock standards, some classic American folk, and even a couple of proto-rock covers that were probably contributed by Cassidy. The two also enlisted former Zappa soundman Barry Keene to fill in the bass parts.

Cassidy recognized the quality of these recordings and the opportunity to leverage the brief resurgence in the band’s popularity and convinced his manager to peddle the tracks to Mercury. Despite some well-documented squabbles with California, the label signed the band to a four record deal and issued this two-disc set of some of the Florida session’s best tracks. The unusual artwork was provided by off-beat artist and general wack-job Burt Shonberg. Shonberg was in the midst of a ‘napkin art’ phase at the time, and had also taken to calling himself Jack Bond and pointedly refusing to produce any art that could be perceived as patriotic. A true child of the sixties. But California was a sort of patriot in the Guthrie vein and wanted a suitable image for the album he intended as a tribute to America’s bicentennial, and Shonberg was a fan of California’s and considered the guitarist to be a spiritual guru of sorts, as did many others of the music industry at that time. So eventually Shonberg produced the front and back artwork for the album that features a sort of ‘fear and loathing’ version of the American flag (really, you have to look closely). California included two short tracks dedicated to ‘Jack Bond’ on the album as a tribute to his weird little friend. Shonberg unfortunately passed away shortly after this album was released.

The music opens with a hybrid version of “America the Beautiful” and Dylan’s “The Times they are a Changing” that clearly show California’s debt to his time with Hendrix, as well as showcases his unflaggingly upbeat and nostalgic personality. One of the more unique and poignant versions of this Dylan classic that I’ve heard. “Victim of Society” shows more of California’s empathetic side, and while the mix is a bit muddy the music is surprisingly commercial-sounding for a Spirit recording. One has to wonder if California (or more likely Cassidy) had hopes of turning a few bucks even prior to the record deal that followed these sessions. Same goes for “Lady of the Lakes”, a sort of Bad Company-meets the Eagles typical mid-seventies soft rock number.

California resurrects the theremin sound from his early days with “Mauna Loa”, a Beach Boys ‘Pet Sounds’-sounding tune that pays tribute to the place Randy had been living in Hawaii. Sadly it was on a Mauna Loa beach he would perish by drowning twenty-two years later. There are backing vocals here that may be California himself, or possibly Keene – not sure, but they add flavor to the Beach Boys harmony effect. “Sunrise” offers more of the same but without the layered vocals.

Cassidy seems to have asserted himself with “Walking the Dog”, a Rufus Thomas hard-core blues tune from the Mephis Stax Records days where California abandons the mellow and largely acoustic sounds for some wailing heavy blues and Cassidy seems to come alive for the first time in the disc. Dated yes, but a lively and tight interpretation of a forgotten tune.

“Joker on the Run” is Pete Seeger-like throwback, quite folkish but with Cassidy’s jazz history showing through on percussion, while “When?” reverts back to the introspective, slow and acoustic mood that opened the album.

But the best of the first disc is saved for last, and this is the one that would cause me to pick this album up over and over even if the rest were filled with Duran Duran covers. California builds slowly and spends a bit too much time with the audio echoing, but this nine-minute, west-coast flavored and highly rhythmic electric version of Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” showcases every single thing about Spirit that have endeared them to me for so many years. California is reverent of Dylan’s words, but light-hearted and playful with the music, turning the folk lament into almost a celebration of freedom, sunny days, long hair, and a complete lack of personal obligation or responsibility. Another one of those great driving songs, and one that evokes a very strong mood of warm, lazy summer days. I really can’t say enough about this track, except – find it, listen to it, then listen to it again. Absolutely soul-cleansing!

I have to say the second disc is a bit more diluted than the first, although at times the band seems to have recaptured their sound from the late sixties with the jazzy rhythms and free-flowing guitar accompaniment. This is particularly evident on “Feeling in Time”, “Guide Me”, and even a bit on the feedback-heavy “Veruska”. “Happy” and “My Road” are more rocking numbers that are catchy and commercial, but it’s still nice to hear California’s soulful voice and cheerful guitar playing.

The Hendrix tribute continues with California’s spiritual and slow rendition of “Hey Joe”, probably the second strongest track on the album even if this is well-known as a filler for just about any musician whose album needs to add several minutes to make a complete record. Same goes with the closing “Star Spangled Banner” I suppose, but here Spirit is much more restrained than Hendrix ever was and the song comes off as almost a hippie-like anthem (which is surely exactly what Randy California intended).

Spirit fans speak of this as the ‘Unplugged’ version of Spirit, and for the most part that’s what it is even though most of the tracks include at least some electric guitar and most have electric bass. But the mood is much more relaxed and spiritual than any of the band’s early records, and much closer to what California would go on to do for the rest of his life, both with Spirit and with his solo work. I can’t give this less than four stars just because of “Like a Rolling Stone” and Randy California’s consistently engaging guitar playing. This isn’t an essential classic, but it sure is a great album and lots of fun to listen to if you dig the west coast sound, or are a Spirit or Randy California fan, or like to hear creative interpretations of cover tunes, or just enjoy smooth and upbeat guitar music. So four stars and recommended to all the people who fit that description. - Review by ClemofNazareth (Bob Moore)

Track Listings

1. America the Beautiful/The Times They Are a Changing (5:26)
2. Victim of Society (3:02)
3. Lady of the Lakes (2:54)
4. Tampa Jam, Pt. 1 (0:54)
5. Mauna Loa (2:04)
6. Do I Have? (1:58)
7. Sunrise (3:04)
8. Walking the Dog (3:10)
9. Tampa Jam, Pt. 2 (1:03)
10. Joker on the Run (3:57)
11. When? (4:27)
12. Like a Rolling Stone (8:56)
13. Once Again (3:22)
14. Feeling in Time (3:25)
15. Happy (3:16)
16. Jack Bond (1:38)
17. My Road (4:14)
18. Tampa Jam, Pt. 3 (0:49)
19. Thank You Lord (1:48)
20. Urantia (4:00)
21. Guide Me (3:49)
22. Veruska (4:00)
23. Hey Joe (6:32)
24. Jack Bond, Pt. 2 (0:44)
25. The Star Spangled Banner (3:45)

Line-up/Musicians

- Barry Keene / bass
- Randy California / vocals, guitar, bass, other instruments
- Ed Cassidy / percussion, drums

+ Benji / harpsichord, moog synthesizer

Releases information

1975 LP Mercury 804
1976 LP Mercury 818514-1
2004 CD Beat Goes On 605

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Skryvania - Skryvania (1978)

2007-10-15T05:28:00.000-07:00

There’s nothing like youthful exuberance mixed with a love for Yes/Genesis/KC.

In the magical mid 70s, a group of high school friends from the suburbs of Paris took their love of symphonic prog, abandoned their educations, named their band after a girlfriend, and really went for it. And they achieved something very nice although success was modest. They were a huge hit in the local auditoriums they played bringing hundreds to their feet cheering.

The band played a heavy symphonic rock with lots of very good wailing guitar, strong rhythm section, and good keys. Their heroes were Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, and Jimi Hendrix. They sound a little like their French counterparts Pentacle, Shylock, and Atoll but they are a young band and you can hear the sound of youth, both its good and bad aspects. But despite some clumsy moments here and there and a poor sound quality of the recording there is much to recommend. They lads practiced a lot and they can play their butts off, especially the guitarist and drummer. They can wail and their enthusiasm is so obvious. Fans of a thick saturated “wet” guitar sound will love this kid’s playing bravado, he’ll try anything and usually pull it off. He loves a fuzzy Hendrix sound too and often seems to be channeling Jimmy Page as he just rips it up. The bassist is no slouch either and you can hear him well always attempting something animated. Fans of vintage keyboard sounds will have fun too as they are prevalent. Their songs are pretty good from a compositional viewpoint as well, they keep it interesting and fresh. There are some vocals but they are somewhat minimal.

The generous bonus tracks serve up something really tasty. You’ll get to hear these guys try and pull off parts of “Ritual” and “Close to the Edge.” And yes, they do pretty good job! The Musea folks have done another fine job putting together a booklet with a very nice band history and photos. The sound is as cleaned up as possible considering this album has a reputation for awful sound quality. The sound is what I would call listenable, decent, OK, but certainly not good. I consider this album nearly essential for French prog and symphonic fans despite the sound, but if you absolutely need top notch production in your prog, you’d best pass this gem by. Humorously, the album cover is supposed to depict the band as the winged creature, driving Yes and Genesis (the rat) from their throne in order to assume their place. These guys did not have a self-esteem problem!

Skryvania is a true lost gem that is dripping with passion for symphonic rock and is a real treat. Do get a copy before it goes out of print and becomes impossible to find again. You won’t regret it. 3 1/2 stars. - Review by Finnforest (James)

Track Listings

1. Tristan & Iseult (11:03)
2. Raid (3:24)
3. Le château d'Orphée (7:25)
4. Intro (2:25)
5. Epopée (10:33)
6. Final (5:59)
...Bonus tracks on cd release:
7. Renaissance (9:05)
8. Ritual (1:17)
9. Close to the edge (0:59)
10. Hairless heart (2:14)
11. Le château d'Orphée (7:06)

Total Time: 1:30
Line-up/Musicians

- Henry-Jean Aubin / organ, synthesizers, violin
- Harold Bakobza / organ, synthesizers, violin
- Olivier Marina / guitars, vocals
- Benoît Reeves / drums, percussion
- Alain Yvorra / bass, bass pedals, vocals
Releases information

LP De Magnée DMR 001 / CD Musea FGBG 4011.AR (1990)

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Orange Peel - Orange Peel (1970)

2007-10-15T05:25:00.000-07:00

Orange Peel was one of the first Krautrock albums, standing at the edge between late 60s' psychedelia with saturated guitars, raw vocals and long organ solos, and space rock pieces in the style of the first albums by Amon Düül II, ELoy, Faust and Grobschnitt. The music played here was quite innovative for its time and could be described as "heavy organ psychedelic rock". The record contains two long epic tracks and two shorter songs, more blues-rock oriented.

The overture track, You Can't Change Them All, starts with a smooth beautiful sounding very symphonic to increase progressively on intensity and psychedelism. The song contains just a few minutes of vocals at the beginning and at the end, but the rest is instrumental. It goes faster and faster with powerful guitar and organ solos alternating accompanied by bongos. Some parts remind me a little of Santana's III. The tune has many changes and is very experimental by moments. Mindblowing ! The longest and best track of the album ! The next tracks, Faces That I Used To Know and Tobacco Road are less spacey but however pretty enjoyable with sometimes a Jimi Hendrix's feel. The disc ends with We Still Try to Change, the other masterpiece of Orange Peel. With its implacable bass introduction and its powerful ogan riff, you are immediately transported to another planet. As for the first long piece, the tune features mainly instrumental passages very spacey and experimental. Such moments announces future Krautrock sounds.

Formed during a transitionnal period, the short-lived band Orange Peel released an astonishing unique album, in par with great german progressive acts of their time. Highly recommended to krautrock and early space rock fans ! - Review by Modrigue (Nico)

Track Listings

1. You Can't Change Them All (18:15)
2. Faces That I Used To Know (3:12)
3. Tobacco Road (7:16)
4. We Still Try To Change (10:04)

Total Time: 38:47

Line-up/Musicians

- Curt Cress / drums, percussion
- Peter Bischof / percussion, vocals
- Leslie Link / guitar
- Heinrich Mohn / bass
- Ralph Wiltheiß / organ

Releases information

LP Bellaphon BLPS 19036 (1970 Germany)
LP Bacillus Records (1972 Germany)
LP Citystudio Media Production CMP 601-1 (2003 Germany)
CD Citystudio Media Production CMP 601-2 (2003 Germany)

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Talk Talk - It's My Life (1984)

2007-10-15T05:13:00.000-07:00

by request - 80's pop at its nearly best! Even though I prefer the later Talk Talk's deeply innovative artful style, I enjoy also the upbeat songs like 'It's My Life' and 'Dum Dum Girl'. They were miles ahead of Duran Duran or Human League - in fact to categorize earlier Talk Talk as mere 'synth pop' is unfair. They had a good deal of originality to start with, the sound and overall appearance just took more time to fully mature. And yes, Mark Hollis has a unique voice.

On the second album side there are some tracks that to me are a bit boring and monotonous ('Call in the Night, Boys' is better as a spacey piano version on some TT compilation, and 'Does Caroline Know?' could have remained as a perfect single b-side). But apart from the energy-surge of the hit tracks, this album's highlights are 'Renée' and 'Tomorrow Started', both sad and very atmospheric. Trumpet solo in the latter is actually quite jazzy. Also featured is the (Brand X etc) percussionist Morris Pert. This music may be more or less 'synth pop' or 'new wave ' but very well played and intelligent with many levels to be found in it. A minor classic of its era. - Review by Matti (Matti P.)

Track Listings

1. Dum Dum Girl (3:52)
2. Such a Shame (5:43)
3. Renée (6:23)
4. It's My Life (3:54)
5. Tomorrow Started (5:59)
6. The Last Time (4:24)
7. Call in the Night Boy (3:48)
8. Does Caroline Know? (4:41)
9. It's You (4:42)

Total Time: 43:16
Line-up/Musicians

- Henry Lowther / trumpet
- Ian Curnow / keyboards
- Tim Friese-Greene / keyboards
- Lee Harris / drums
- Mark Hollis / vocals
- Robbie McIntosh / guitar
- Morris Pert / percussion
- Phil Ramocon / piano
- Paul Webb / bass
Releases information

CD EMI America E2-46063 (1984) / CD EMI 56797 (1999)

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Marillion - Clutching at Straws (1987)

2007-10-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

by request - Undoubtedly, this is one the albums I enjoy listening to the most for very evidential reasons: the emotiveness of the lyrics is simply perceivable everywhere, this particular album has got that particular air of experimentation that works perfectly for me and the last but not least important reason, the songwriting by FISH. It is superb, entirely amazing.

From the very front cover of the record to the last song performed in here, you can perceive a sensation of sorrow, of darkness and that irremediable impact of confusion the album's got for you. I appreciate this album a lot because it showed me that dark, secret side FISH had been hiding away from himself and that happened to reveal in such unexpected way in "Clutching at Straws".

Most of the songs written and composed for "Clutching at Straws" are intended to be breathed and lived intensively by the listener, and the album achieves that important commitment: it drives you through your inner fears, your captivated feelings and brings out the sensitivity locked away in you. I can tell it is an extremely emotional album, and that you can figure out at the time you listen to beautiful pieces as "Sugar Mice" (my all time MARILLION favorite ballad), "Warm Wet Circles" and "That Time of the Night". The rest of the songs are amazing too, they certainly have got a threatening "GENESIS - like" essence perfectly resembled and evoked in songs like "Hotel Hobbies" and "Slainte Mhath".

To be concise at this point, I need, I urge to express that "Clutching at Straws" contains a very especial formula reinvented by Derek DICK that despite of the public response and the critics, worked out pretty well. That formula was pursued by the songwriter from Edinburgh three years later in "Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors", his first solo career album. This is the living proof of a reborn MARILLION that explored new trends and that at that time had a peculiar way to experiment inside the music business without relying on the most recurred music style to sell out their records persuasively (Pop) at the moment "Clutching at Straws" was released. Great album, it could've used some "Punch and Judy" to achieve my whole Five Stars rating, but certainly a great piece of work. Recommended for helplessly faithful MARILLION fans.

Track Listings

1. Hotel hobbies (3:35)
2. Warm wet circles (4:25)
3. That time of the night (The short straw) (6:00)
4. Going under (2:47)
5. Just for the record (3:09)
6. White Russian (6:27)
7. Incommunicado (5:16)
8. Torch song (4:04)
9. Slàinte Mhath (4:45)
10. Sugar mice (5:46)
11. The last straw (5:58)

Total Time: 52:18

Bonus Disc (1999 Release)
1. Incommunicade (alternate) (5:37)
2. Tux on (single) (5:13)
3. Going under (Extended) (2:48)
4. Beaujolais day (unreleased) (4:51)
5. Story from a thin wall (unreleased) (6:47)
6. Shadows on the barley (unreleased) (2:07)
7. Sunset hill (unreleased) (4:21)
8. Tic-tac-toe(unreleased) 2:59
9. Voice in the crowd (unreleased) (3:29)
10. Exile on Princes Street (Unreleased) (5:29)
11. White Russian (6:15)
12. Sugar mice in the rain (5:56)
13. Warm wet circles - Rock n Roll (hidden track) (2:20)
Total Time: 56:12

Total Time: 108:30
Line-up/Musicians

- Fish / vocals
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums, percussion
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses

WITH:
- John Cavanagh / Dr. Finley (8)
- Christopher Robbin Kimsey / backing vocals (7)
- Tessa Niles / backing vocals (2-11)
Releases information

CD Capitol #ST 12539 (1987)

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