| This remains one of my all time favorite recordings (I am not alone in this camp I am sure!) Full of rich textures and superb song writing, Genesis were at their creative peak. "Selling" moves from pop-like songs (I know what I like) to pure prog-like Battle Of Epping Forest. This is a very fulfilling album and musicianship is very high here with some incredible song writing. The sound reproduction is much better than previous albums as well. This is an essential recording for everyones progressive rock collection. | |||
| This album re-invents the word "Psychedelic" in so many ways. The Ozrics here are in fine form and deliver some their best work yet. Jurassic is loaded with tons of swirling acid laced guitar , mixed with hyptnotic/pulsating electronica and wicked drumming. This all instrumental album is supported by the "freaked Out" flute playing of Joie which adds great depth to the music in actuality. Songs are very well written and recording quality here is fabulous giving the listener solid speaker seperation and dynamics. Jurassic Shift will definitely hook you on the Ozrics and you will be back looking for more. | |||
| This recording would rank as one of my all time favorite progressive rock recordings. Parsons takes this recording one step beyond all of his other recordings. Unfortunately the original feeling has been slightly altered by the overdubs added on the re-mastering to CD. If you can get the original I would strongly suggest it, but the new version captures the essense of the recording. The strength of this recording is clearly rooted in what Parsons does with the themes and moods throughout. Sound effects are added which greatly enhance the impact on the listener. This album is centered around the writing of Edgar Allan Poe and each song successfully creates the dark world which Poe's prose details. Orchestra is filtered throughout, but never detracts from the raw progressive nature of the recording. Eric Woolfson get his moment to shine in the sun and delivers some of the most beautiful vocals ever recorded. | |||
| The Yes Album is another classic and contains some of Yes' most popular material. This was really the start of the classic Yes line-up and has some of the greatest pieces of work Yes ever put together. As with all of Yes' works, this contains some incredible musicianship and tasty song writing throughout. This is yet another essential recording and deserves the title as a classic. | |||
| Marsbeli Kronikak (Martian Chronlicles) is one of the greatest symphonic prog albums of all time. Solaris provide some great swirling keyboards (and lots of them), injected with some incredible flute, bass and guitar, surrounded by complex drumming . This recording moves in and out of many different moods throughout the recording taking on many different personas. This is some of the coolest space instrumental prog you will ever hear. The intro is quite psyched out and has some alien child like voices throughout providing an very uneasy feeling. After the Martian Chronicle Suite we are treated to a couple of extra tracks which seem to blend in quite well actually. This recording is essential in my books and I am sure all lovers of space symphonic prog will be drooling over this one. | |||
| This is one of the most essential prog classic to adorn any prog lovers collection. This is pure progressive magic from start to finish. Based on the life of JS Bach, RDM create a dream-like environment to tell the story from. Lyrics are in Italian and the musicianship is exceptional throughout. RDM deliver a wide contrast in moods and atmosphere here ranging from the pure and serene to loud crashing of guitars and synths. Orchestration is obviously filtered throughout and work very well for the listener making this a real gem all the way around. This is beautiful Italian tension building prog at its finest. The vocal portions are also amazing and sound great on the 'ol stereo....great speaker seperation | |||
| Here is one of those hidden treasures that all Prog fans dream of finding. Loads of great 70's Italian prog with great vocals (Italian lyrics) and superb song writing. Genfuoco deliver at times a mood and sound not unlike early Pink Floyd (Meddle -era) and PFM's (Storia Di Un Minuto). Several tracks are simply outstanding and deserve to be heard by the world. | |||
| This is another bag of gold from the vaults of Mellow records and worth its weight!. This is an organ player's nightmare and will please all prog fans who love the 'ol analog keyboard sound. Altough this recording has a very dated sound, it should in any way detract from your enjoyment of this recording. There are some superb prog moments on this recording and great musicanship. | |||
| This recent release from Le Orme has rerally caught my ear and ranks very high on my play list. It is hard to believe that a band as aged as Le Orme would be able to put out such a great progressive record in today's world. This band are obviously unaffected by the music world around them. This album is full of great progressive moments and is as mature as their classic early recordings. I find Il Fiume very smooth and easy to listen to. Their music is rich and full of beauty throughout....lyrics are in Italian like all of their material. This is one of thos recordings where after only 1 listen you will be hooked. | |||
| Superb Italian Progressive rock rooted deeply in the vein of the best 70's symphonic prog. Blocco Mentale create a very serene sonic environment which is littered with thier superb musicianship. In particular the flute, keyboard and percussion work is a stand-out This is a very well recorded album and is one of my favorites. | |||
| Great epic prog release from these lads from the US! This is 60 minutes of some of the '90's most powerful progressive work yet! Unfolded is a very dark album and Discipline create long dark passages through which we are transcended into. The lyrics are deep and deal with modern themes like relationships and power struggles. All musicianship is of the highest calibre and songs are exceptionally well constructed. The cd houses 4 nice and long songs which are allowed to develop at their own pace. This will no doubt become a prog classic in the year to come and is highly recommended. | |||
| Moving waves is an easy to like classic prog recording. This is my favorite Focus release from their repertoire. Moving Waves contains some killer prog moments with classical piano and outrageous guitar riffs. Hocus Pocus is their signature piece with the famous yodeling of Thijs Van Leer. I love the gooves these guys get into and the presence of the 'ol Mellotron and classic guitar rock gives Moving waves a high ranking on my all time favorite list. | |||
| Animals has always been my favorite of all the Floyd classics and for all the right reasons. This recording is all about simplicity from the philosophical concept to the song structures. The lyrics and the songs work on 2 different levels very effectively. I love the feel to this recording and think that Floyd were at their most creative in 1977. The intro and closing sections are brilliant and pull the whole piece together with a simple little acoustic guitar ditty. The keyboard work of Rick Wright is quite brilliant here and I love the journey everytime. | |||
| Renaissance have produced so many great albums over the years that selecting one is a difficult task. Turn Of The Cards has always been among my favorite recording by Renaissance. As usual the band are at their height of creation and Annie Haslam continues to scream her operatic head off (just kidding!). Annie adds some of her strongest vocals ever on this recording. Several of Renaissance?s pinnacle tracks are from Turn Of The Cards including Mother Russia | |||
| This is another one of my all time favorite electronic albums of all time featuring the great acid laced guitar sounds of Robert Fripp and the electronic mastery of Brian Eno. Together these gentlemen get into creating some tremendous symphonic / electronic progressive music. The record is comprised of 2 long tracks which use the entire space up by building up to a climax in each song. This is a great way to relax and the recording does not get ever too loud. Once again for those who like to listen through headphones you have come to the right place. This is classic head music and really needs to be listened to when you are in the right mood. | |||
| This is one of the all time greatest electronic albums ever produced. Froese blends what sounds like Jungle effects with heavy symphonic electronics and generates a very warm feel. Some early Tangerine Dream I find a little too synthetic and not warm enough. On Epsilon, Froese takes the listener deep into another dimension with his fine use and command of the world of the electronics. This record has been on my hit parade for many years and was one of my original electronic prog purchases when I was a younger man. If you like dimming the lights and listening to the music with your headphones on then this is a deal for you. Highly recommended. | |||
| Although the Strawbs may be better represented in the AOR category, I still love and want to make note of this album. H&H blends soft caressing vocals with some real gorgeous songs, surrounded by a solid band. The Strawbs bring elements from folk to progressive into Hero and Heroine giving this album a complete feel to it. Autumn is their epic track and remains one of my all time favorites. | |||
| The First Day brought together 2 very unlikely musicians, but the results were phenomenal. Robert Fripp and David Sylvian released this record filling it with lots of great proggy moments. Fripp adds some absolutely amazing hectic guitar parts which is contrasted with Sylvian's relaxed voice and musicanship. I find this album quite spirtual and each song is brilliantly recorded and written. | |||
| Sommerabend is nothing short of great symphonic prog with 3 nice long epic tracks. Novalis blend hypnotic song elements with clean crisp progressive passages. Lyrics are in German and are quite good fitting in well to the mood and atmospheres here. Novalis have a very traditional German underground feel to their work especially with the keyboard and guitar sounds. Sommerabend is very well recorded and offers superb stereo separation. Sound effects are used sparingly, but those present add quite a bit of depth to the music and work well. Once again this is a very complete recording and offers a nice wide range of musical variation to please most prog fans. Highly recommended | |||
| This is in my opinion Peter Hammill's shining moment in the prog spotlight (although there have been many). With such a diverse musical history it is very hard to pick my favorite, but Fool's Mate has been a household fav for some time. The songs on Fool's Mate are very well written and performed to perfection. This is a concept like story line and seems to start and end with a hyptnotic like circular song (Imperial Zeppelin). Throughout we are treated to some incredible musicianship including the worldly guitars of a young Robert Fripp. Fool's Mate also covers a wide range of emotions and moods throughout. This is a slightly more relaxed recording than others from Hammill and it makes those dark cold winter nights fly by. | |||
| Think of it this way......wrap Dream Theater in with King Crimson and add just a pinch of the Dixie Dregs and you have the Liquid Tension Experiment. Loads of great guitar (John Petrucci) with electrifying solos and strong incredible guitar riffs, Superb Bass (Tony Levin), Heavy duty keys (Jordan Rudess) and deadly and accurate drumming (Mike Portnoy). This is an all instrumental release from the Magna Carta label and is perhaps their best yet. This album offers a wide range of moods, but generally is progressive driving prog at its finest. It is far more progressive and less Metal-prog as dream Theater so don't worry..you will be amazed. The best part of the CD is the last 23 min epic track "3 Minute Warning". This is pure inprov and has not been overdubbed in any way...it is pure magic and pure prog. Hold onto your seats you are in for a wild ride. At times this recording reminds me of the louder aspects of the Ozric Tentacles in a big way. | |||
| This is considered by many to be the pinnacle Le Orme recording of all time and I must agree. Gorgeous organ/mellotron led symphonic prog with great musicianship aka Le Orme. Like so many great recordings Le Orme use sound to its fullest creating some unbelievable proggy moments with a heavy emphasis on the classic sound of piano and song structure. Like all Le Orme recordings this is far too short in length and is really a let down when it ends. The songs are very well constructed and written which do not sound dated really considering the age of the recording. Felona E Serona is a moody piece and seems to cover a wide spectrum of emotions! | |||
| Now this a real meaty album that will certainly please many fans of progressive rock. Aviolinee Utopia consists of 6 Italian musicians of the highest calibre who each bring a different dimension into the recording. Being such a suberb and clear recording enables each musician here to be distinctly heard. Aviolinee Utopia blend elements of classic prog with Jazz giving the listener something to think about. The album is very challenging, but never gets too loud or busy to lose the audience. At times I almost get an Echolyn feeling, but this is not an Echolyn off-shoot. Aviolinee Utopia get into some real proggy grooves and seem to hit a wide range of moods and emotions for the listener. Vocals are in Italian, but are superb and fit the music very well. Highly recommended | |||
| Immediately following the break-up of Supertramp, Roger released Eye Of The Storm. This recording contains some of Roger's most progressive solo work ever. From the opening moments of a baby's cry to the unmistakeable sounds of Roger's keyboards, EOTS will keep your toes tapping. Roger also slows down the pace on a few numbers bringing a very strong Supertramp theme into this album. | |||
| This is another absolutely essential Italian progressive jem from the '70's. Storia Di Un Minuto contains some of PFM's finest moments and stands alone as perhaps thier most notable release ever. This masterpiece is full of great songs and musicianship with some of the most memorable songs of the '70's. This would certainly rank up there on the scale of most popular Italian prog releases. | |||
| It is rare that I would ever consider a bootleg in my top 100 prog list, but I must make an exception here. This boot captures Genesis live exceptionally well here at their height of their career. This is a soundboard recording from the '74 show which deserves a great rating on the ol boot sound index (A- to A). Like most boots sound flaws exist,but they do not distract the listener from enjoying the whole show. Genesis get into some extended jams here and I love the narration on Back In NYC (one of my all time fav tracks). | |||
| This album has been on the tops of my pops for a few years now. Adrian Belew brings some tasty guitar pieces into the prog/jazz/pop musical unit. This album is really 1/3rd Jazz, 1/3rd Pop and 1/3rd Progressive. Rob Fetters and Adrian share the vocal leadership role and collaboratively work exceptionally well. This album is full of fun, great musicianship and superb song writing....what else could you ask for?.......Highly recommended. | |||
| Following very much in the wake of the highly successful Crimes Of The Century, Crisis represents a switch in methodology. Being such musical entrepreneurs, Supertramp approached the writing and recording of Crisis in a much different manner than Crime refusing to get into a formula for success. Both Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies co-wrote all the songs on Crisis while they also broadened out instrumentally especially noticeable in Helliwell's clarinet and Thompson's bass who are given the space to develop themes more extensively than in the past. The songs are immediately recognizeable as Supertramp, but seem to carry a much deeper feeling than previous albums. Crisis did not receive much commercial success which is something to this day I can not understand. | |||
| 3 Of the classic Crimson prog albums which are too hard to distinguish for me. All 3 albums remain a highlight in my progressive rock collecting years and a milestone in the genre. Each album contain brilliant and highly sophisticated prog music with amazing musicianship. If you are not amazed with Fripp's Frippertronics, or Levin's commanding bass lines, or Belew's talents (too many to mention) or Brufords Jazz like complex drumming then there is something wrong with your head!. At times songs border on the line of Industrial genre, but are careful to never go over the edge. Highly conceptual and highly recommended | |||
| This is one of the all time greatest progressive rock recordings and a highly influential- seminal piece of prog rock! This was the classic Crim line up which provided a 70's warm-up with this release. Moods and atmospheres range from the serene moments of Mirrors to the Loud crashing of 21st Century Schzoid Man. This is a very thorough album and remains today one of my favorites. | |||
