| After being thoroughly impressed with The Electric Castle, I had to pick up master Lucassen's next progressive rock work…..the universal migrator program has been selected. The genius of Ayreon's music rests in that of its creator Arjen Anthony Lucassen who once again adds a cast of musicians to help him fulfill his space odyssey. Lucassen himself wrote the music and played guitars, bass, synths, mellotron and hammond . Recognizable talent includes Erik Norlander (Rocket Scienetists) (keyboards and voice) , Clive Nolan (Keyboards) with Lana Lane, Neal Morse, Damian Wilson and others adding their vocals throughout. Songs are highly melodic and full of grand epic-like character with some tasty musicianship. The Dream Sequencer offers some pretty big sound dynamics and will likely challenge those old speakers you are driving. As you would expect this album is a wonderful mix of melodic and space music with some great sound bites throughout. A great album with some highly memorable melodies and captivating music. | |||
| After minor changes Delirium headed for a more symphonic edge than displayed in their debut album, but still retaining it original charm and character Once again a wide range of influences prevails on Delirium's early albums with stronger and a slight harder edge. The dominance of flute and tenor sax on this album mixes superbly with the increased fusion tension explored within. Songs are highly melodic with excellent vocals and group choir like contributions. Songs however symphonic are still quite jazzy and full of syncopation timing. Overall a scrumptious little album from early golden early 70's. | |||
| If you are looking for an album to buy to really scare your aging grandma then Gottsching and friends have a mind -bender here in Planeten Sit-In. Best described as sonic test patterns for your brain, Planeten Sit-In would rank as one of the freakiest albums in my collection. A cornucopia of sonic space colors and textures, blending in its path all the "dark nebula collages" of Klaus Schulze with the space mechanics of Dieter Dierks and Jurgen Dollase. Planeten Sit-In is the space'iest of all Jokers albums and is a great headphone experience offering an epic space travel for your mind. Highly intoxicating yet wonderfully inventive music for your mind.
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| A little while ago I was ranting and raving to some friends about a new prog band from Greece called La Tulipe Noire whose second album "Shattered Image" simply blew my socks off. Once again very rich in the Neo-Prog vein, "In The Gates Of Dreams" La Tulipe's first album pushes most of the right buttons for this music lovers with great symphonic touches and excellent guitar and bass interplay. Female vocals are handled by a different lady who goes by the name of Lena and also carries a kind voice (although not as strong IMHO as heard from Ima on Shattered Image). My only criticism on the album rests in the digital Drum work which they always sound too synthetic IMHO to me. Instrumentally Tulipe explore some nice musical territory with nice tempo changes all while maintaining their symphonic presence. Fans of IQ and Marillion will likely drool over this band's work so far…..I have!! | |||
| Happy Trails (second album) begins with an entire side dedicated to Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love," superbly recorded from the famous haunt of Fillmores East and West. This side long tune immediately blasts into some incredible 6 string driven dynamics and extraordinary interplay between the twin guitarists (Gary Duncan and John Cipollina). This would of course become one of Quicksilver's signature songs for live performance going forward. Happy Trails portrays some of the most compelling West Coast vibes you will ever hear…full out exploratory rock and roll capturing all the excitement and grandeur of those great experimental days. The live music captured on Happy Trails shows their true spontaneity that the band were never able to recapture on subsequent recordings (IMHO). On this album Quicksilver goes into it at full speed….. John Cipollina's guitar alternately harsh and sweet, clashing with Gary Duncan's rhythm, Greg Elmore's drumming simple and solid. So is this album progressive? Absolutely …. Quicksilver manage to completely redefine and re-interpret the infamous Bo Diddley rhythm pattern…..they take the 'ol "bump bubby bump bump-bump bump" beat and transform it into something that no one has even suggested before. Almost hard to imagine but there is a second side to this album too which I think is often neglected from reviews and conversations about Happy Trails, but which is also quite exquisite. "Mona" contains some lovely psychy interludes and the 13 mins "Calvary" is explosive. Album closes with Dale Evan's "Happy Trails," in a fairly quirky animated like manner and although only lasts some 45 seconds does conclude in a very simple little way.
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| Musically describing a theme of space travel and in celebration of the late 60's efforts of putting the first man on the moon, "To Our Children's Chrildren's Children" is another wonderful early album from the Mood'sters. This album delivers their patented singles-oriented concept album approach with some wonderful full orchestration and thought provoking symphonic music throughout. I also believe it was at this time when The Moody Blues moved away from Decca's progressive label Deram and replaced it with their newly launched label called Threshold Music. Having said that I still find the album full of brilliant and exploratory characteristics very much deserving of the Progressive Rock label IMHO. This album opens up with the roar of a rocket as it lifts off on route into space and really set up the concept and working of the album. Album revolves around the soft vocals of Justin Hayward and the symphonic landscapes associated with the early Moody Blues…..even some soft background sitar.
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| Neo-prog classic featuring the distinctive vocal style and poignant lyrics of Geoff Mann. Fact & Fiction paints the dark surreal avenues explored by early Genesis with traces of IQ and early Marillion while remaining highly original. The early and aggressive voice of Geoff Mann IMHO fits the music quite well and brings a real passionate aspect forward. Sound effects are used sparingly but are effectively layered in to help develop the theatics of Mann's concepts. To this day the title track Fact & Fiction remains one of my personal favourite Neo -Prog songs of all time. Instrumentation is very well done with some great keyboard and guitar interplay. I know this album has received a lot of unfair criticism over the years and all I can say is that Fact & Fiction is one of the many prized possession in my collection. | |||
| 3 member band from Sweden including Jens Unosson (The Spacious Mind) mixing eastern world music influences with some pretty tripped-out space like imagery. Tranquil almost mesmerizing in parts with a wonderful array of percussive and string interplay. Background synth landscapes paint continued sonic imagery creating some enormous sounds. Haida Deities would actually make a great sountrack with its highly sculptured landscaped sounds. Of course a full complement of world instruments are used …..drums, congas, tablas, bombo leguero, flutes, pipes, jews harp, electric piano, electirc organ, synthesizers, 12 & 6 string guitars, saz, oud, surna, violin, bass and even hurgy-gurdy. This stunning album will almost cetainly appeal to any fan of space - psych music.....Music for your young mind | |||
| Recorded live during Roger's recent tour of the U.S. Songs selected in the set include a nice cross section of output from Pink Floyd and his solo career. This superbly crafted live set includes loads of killer instrumentation…with guitars by Andy Fairweather Low, Snowy White and Doyle Bramhall II with bass and vocals by Roger Drums by Graham Bond, keyboards by Andy Wallace and Jon Carin. Roger also brought along a stunning female trio accompanists (PP Arnold, Katie Kissoon and Susannah Melvoin) . Although the whole 2 CD set is a highlight in itself…I was totally blown away by his rendition of "Set The Controls For The Heart If The Sun" and "The Bravery Of Being Out Of Range". As you would expect all the original sound effects and sound bites used give this set a real "Waters/Floyd" feel. The Dark Side Of The Moon is split into 2 sections with a number of Water's solo songs In between to end the set. After a stunning version of Comfortably Numb as an encore, Rogers ends the concert with the unreleased "Each Small Candle" a poem written by a South American torture victim to which he put to music. | |||
| This was the first Jean Luc Ponty solo album I ever owned and has remained to this day my personal individual choice of his work. On this album Jean Luc played most of the violin, synthesizer and rhythm computer parts himself. Jean Luc is helped out by Allan Holdsworth (guitars) Randy Jackson (bass) and Rayford Griffin (drums) and George Duke (synthesizer). For many of the fine listeners out there the title track was used for a revolutionary promotional video made of time lapse photography by Louis Schwartzberg which ran on most Music TV stations all over the world for several years back in the 80's. I have always loved the warm synth sounds Ponty generated on this album | |||
| Illusion were I guess what many would have considered a late 60's supergroup formed by members of Renaissance, The Yardbirds and The Strawbs (Jim McCarty, Keith Relf, Jane Relf, John Hawken and Louis Cennamo). Enchanted Caress was to be Illusion's 3rd album which unfortunately never saw the light of day until after the band split up. Musically Enchanted Caress illustrates an allusion to that of Renaissance and The Beatles…..classical but yet poppy. Vocals are shared between Jim McCarty and the beautiful voice of Jane Relf which always takes me back into a Renaissance frame of mind as I listen to this album. Excellent music . | |||
| "It's So Very Dark In Here" cries Noel McCalla to open up Mike Rutherford's shining solo album from 1980. After having heard his second and highly unmemorable album I had some discomfort in believing that SmallCreep's Day would be something so different (thanks Jeff Ferguson!). SmallCreep's Day is a concept album sounding truly like a mix of mid Genesis and that of Anthony Phillips. Songs are quite symphonic with some simply breathtaking musical and instrumental moments. Without a question the very emotive track " At The End Of The Day" remains the highlight for this music lover with its haunting chorus and symphonic landscape. Mr. Rutherford contributes all guitars, bass, bass pedals, Noel McCalla great voice, Anthony Phillips the keyboards , Morris Pert - percussion & Simon Phillips the drums. I would clearly rank this solo album in the same league as Hackett's "Spectral Mornings" or Phillips "The Geese and the Ghost".
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| Esoptron opens with what Kenso has become an underground prog icon for…complex yet controlled Guitar driven fusion prog jam sessions. In fact I would say that opening track "Kojinteki Kikyu" sounds like a progressive Led Zeppelin! Those unfamiliar with Kenso are in for quite a shock..these lads change their pitch and musical disposition faster than fast. Kenso delivers ever changing complex rhythmic patters and scrumptious virtuosic solos. Leader Yoshihisa Shimizu's guitar skills are simply killer and manages to pump out tons of ear dazzling solos very reminiscent of Robert Fripp's dual keyboards add some great character to this album hitting everything from Emerson to Mark Kelly in styles. Esoptron is a n all instrumental album of high caliber.
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| Organ and mellotron laden heavy and dark progressive rock creating a real tonal 70's soundscape. Standarte's guitar and keyboard jams draw heavy shades of Atomic Rooster, Deep Purple and Italy's Nuova Idea. Vocals are convincingly sung in English with some spoken parts which adds a real ethereal quality to the album. Without a question when these lads get sailing their music is rich, profound and highly addictive. | |||
| Santana's Live At Fillmore transports the listener back into time to those hazy, incense-soaked days of the Fillmore in San Francisco's HaightAshbury district. Santana's most significant (and progressive) contribution to rock may rest on his 2 CD set with his clear "Latinization" of the whole West Coast Rock scene. What is fascinating to hear is Carlos dragging his fingers over the strings achieving his piercing tones and long, spacious solo's. Live At Fillmores was recorded over 4 nights and actually is a wonderfully well preserved live recorded with great stereo sound reproduction. Musically this live set nicely capture the spirit of the late 60's West Coast music scene mixing world music with rock elements perfect for the hippiedom audience. Songs include some early Santana classic "Jingo" and "Soul Sacrifice", some unreleased beauties including an earth shattering concluding 30 min song "Freeway". Another one of the most captivating aspects of this album rests in the percussion which is a combo of both drums and congas. If that is not enough then we get the organ soaked passages of Gregg Rolie to offer contrast to Santana's freaked out solos. A real beauty kids… | |||
| Double album of the same great German prog from one of the most influential founders of Germany's progressive 70's rock scene. Like many of the Brain label recordings this carries a heavy underground Kraut rock aspect to it with heavy drooling organ wisps, driving electric guitar and great bass/drum interplay. This album also carries a great live feel to it with nice open concert hall sound throughout. Jane's music is always moving...melting aspects of classic and space rock into some wonderful sound definitions. I have always loved the jam portions on this live album...meaty little album...oh yes also was recorded by Conrad Plank!.
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| Without a question, Zappa is an acquired taste and Live In New York captures Zappa's live theatrical, hysterical antics and extreme guitar talents of this entertaining rock legend. Originally released on double vinyl, Ryko's double CD finally contains the missing 5 tracks to complete the concert. This classic Zappa concert was recorded over a 3 night sold out event playing to over 27,000 fans. Zappa is assisted by Eddie Jobson (Keyboards , violin), Patrick O'Hearns (Bass) , Tony Bozzio (Drums) SNL's Don Pardo (narrator) and a host of other fine musicians and their instruments (Sax, Trumpet, Clarinet , Trombone …) As you would expect this zany 2 cd set covers some pretty arcane songs with some simply scrumptious musicianship…including lots of great Zappa guitar.
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| After leaving Ash Ra Temple, Manuel Gottsching created a second incarnation with Ashra combining a much more electronic sound relying less on the sound of electric guitars. The music of Ashra is well embedded in the German electronic genre reminding me very much of the work of Klaus Schulze, Edgar Froese and Tangerine Dream. I believe that much of the sounds on this album are derived from guitars, but must certainly be filtered through synthesizers as it does sound very spacey and much less "guitary". Songs are actually quite long and quite hypnotic at times making this is a great head phone experience album. Overall a very warm and reflective album with a highly relaxed charm and great space-like atmospheres..perfect for your lava lamp. | |||
| Delirium's Dolce Acqua is a wild concaution of Jazz, Prog, World and Psychedelic influences yet always retains that Characteristically 70's Italian influence. Musically this album explores a wide range of impressions with some great flute , piano and percussive passages….lots of gentle syncopation. Vocals are deep and full of emotion. Songs are quite rhythmic and heavily centered on a the melodic aspect…even some orchestration. This album unveils many highs for this music lover with its wide spectrum of bright and bouncy colors and sounds. Although 70's sounding throughout, Dolce Acqua leans much more on the Jazz-prog arena than many of the heavy Ital-Prog albums of its era and most certainly that of their second album. One of the most remarkable aspects of this album for me lies in its sound reproduction which comes to life in the CD re-mastered version. Sonically this album offers great wide speaker separation and clear definition making the performers sound as if they are in your living room. Might be one of the best recorded albums of 1971……Captivating and then some… | |||
| Here is another great Italian gem that I would put on the same shelf as Il Balletto Di Bronzo, Area, Osanna and others…Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno blend the musical escapades of King Crimson with the early folk'ish appeal of PFM and the classic prowess of YES providing the listener with a highly original and highly detailed album for exploration. This 5 piece band blend swirling keyboards with classical and electric guitars hosted along some pretty intricate percussive elements. Overall this tasty little album combines solid vocals with flute, tenor sax, piano, hammond organ and contrabass. Songs are dark'ish and deep in color with a sharp edge to the overall tone. In many ways stylistically this album reminds me a bit of Italy's Delirium with their flute, sax and jazz like free form approach to structure. If you love the 70's Ital-prog scene then this album is in the essential category IMHO….a real killer album. | |||
| Better known for his solo work with FISH and Mike Oldfield, Mickey Simmonds's first solo record clearly accentuates his excellent song writing skills and musicanship. Mickey is credited with all music writing and instruments, with lyrics being handled by someone only described as The Prophet and singing by Martin Sunley who has a great voice with spirtual like qualities. "The Shape of rain" is generally a more relaxed album with however a few bright bursts and obviously a heavy dose of Simmonds multitude of keyboards. At times I hear Wakeman and other times Tony Banks | |||
| Ladies and gentlemen….our next stop will be the to visit the Sci Fi Party on route through the cosmos of our minds. Sci Fi Party was another chapter in the cosmic music voyage from the collaborative forces of Germany's Schulze, Gottsching, Grofkopf, Dollase and Dierks. This is progressive space like you have never heard before and for those who are familiar with the Galactic Supermarket will know just what I mean. Juxtpose Gottsching's guitar expressions with the space keyboard talents of Klaus Schulze and fellow cosmonauts and you have a recipe for space travel. Ever since I found "Galactic Supermarket" I have been addicted to the music of the Cosmic Jokers discovering their musical genius. Sci-Fi Party is a wonderful headphone experience for those late night cold winter evenings alone in your upper flat. Also the cosmic musical theme established on their first album is once again re-introduced to sustain the continuity of their cosmic musical story line. Creative and highly imaginative….. | |||
| Written by Paolo Paroni (keyboards, piano) & Roberto Sgorlon (guitars, vocals) essentially Abraham is a 2 CD classically influenced symphonic prog rock musical exploring the dawn of Christianity. Musically we are transported into a multi layered symphonic landscape of shapes & colors. Quasar are a 4 piece outfit who play a highly theatrical styled classically influenced prog rock mixing many different style and forms throughout. Instrumentation is quite solid with some tasty analog sounding keyboard work standing out throughout the album much of which is tastefully classically influenced. Vocals actually run like a real stage musical with a cast of different characters and personalities…some words are talked and others sung to the music….always sounding choreographed. Lead female singer Annalisa Malvasio has a lovely and powerful voice reaching a pseudo-operatic style. Hansi Fuchs (INES) makes a guest appearance on this album adding his distinct voice to the minx. Sound reproduction is quite awesome throughout offering some pretty big holographic sounds for your speakers to emit. | |||
| Writing a follow up to their brilliant sophmore release "The Man Who" was going to a large task, but with "The Invisible Band" they have done it and then some! The Invisible Band opens up with their most poppy tune on the album with the catchy "Sing". Complete with Banjo plucking and Porcupine Tree-like song structure, this song opens up on a rather positive note which quickly turns less so thereafter. Without a question Fran Healy is an amazing song writer who once again is credited with all the songs on this album. Songs once again cross over in sound into the Radiohead camp but as always are highly developed , spacial and melodic.
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| A wee while back I stumbled onto a great little psychy prog/rock band from Australia whose first album really held my interest with their toe tapping mind melting music. Brainstorm second release "Two" is a collection of unreleased music throughout their history with some great little psychy songs and excellent musicianship as well. When these guys get into the instrumental sections of their songs they really shine with some lovely space keyboard backdrops and clever guitar and percussive overlays. Songs are best described as a 1950's space journey with catchy little car rockin' grooves. A very original release for sure and should please all fans of space rock. | |||
