| Neu's debut album would have to go onto my desert island pick (although I think by now I am bringing a million albums with me!). …This is Space Prog at its finest. This was Neu's first album and truthfully sounds as if it could have been released last year ! Take all the soft psychy aspects of AshRa Temple and add the mid-era Floyd guitar sounds and you are not far off of what you can expect here. For those unaware of this band let me help you digest it. This 2 member band make the noise of a band of Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger left Kraftwerk to pursue their own musical endeavors. Neu's music grooves…..and really equally fuses rich analog electronics with soaring guitar aspects. Their music generally wanders about but always manages to come back to help develop and expand on their themes. Their music is warm yet very electronic without ever sounding electronic. Quite obviously after listening to this album you will hear just how influential this album has been. Let me offer up one immediate and outrageously stolen parts from this old album…….Track 4 could almost have been lifted directly off this album and put on the plastic fake new Pink Floyd album "Momentary Lapse Of Reason" ..yes a deliberate steal for sure…..the rowing of the boat…the electronic imaging and the eerie English Channel feel……..oh well..... life is all about the argument of the "taste and tasting". But seriously this album has been referenced by a vast number of musicians as one of their more influential albums. This gem has been kindly preserved in its newly re-mastered version with some nice tones and clearly defined images. Like so many other excellent German albums, this was one produced in Conny Plank's famous underground basement studios. A grand album | |||
| One listen to this album and you will simply not believe that it was recorded back in 1976! Napoli Centrale are now just being re-discovered by today's exploration of listeners into fusion-jazz. What is hard to believe is that they were doing this kind of modern sounding stuff back then. On this second album released - "Mattanzo", Napoli Centrale expanded their soundscape by adding more instrumentation and took another big step towards that fusion jazz prog perfection. Band leader James Senese (sax, vocals and woodwinds) made some lineup changes adding Giuseppe Guarnera on fender piano, Kelvin Bullen on bass and Agostino Marangolo on drums and in doing so has offered a different angle to their music. I must admit that this album took a lot longer for me to get into and deeply appreciate as did their debut album but in many ways now I do prefer this album to it. Best way I could describe their music would be to take a handful of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew (minus the trumpet) , blend in a few cups of (early 70's) Herbie Hancock and then a litre of Frank Zappa. | |||
| Another gorgeous album full in mix of both Ital-Prog romanticism and modern popular excepts. Once again "Il Mio.." draws on the symphonic side with some absolutely stunning musical moments and yet a distinctive pop music twist. Once again Battisti's treasured relationship with lyricist Mogol is preserved with some pretty emotive vocals throughout. "Il Mio .." carries throughout that meloncholy-nostalgic feeling throughout with a few upbeat breaks giving off a feeling not unlike the approach The Beatles took on some of their albums. In fact the second tune "Luci-Ah" actually sounds like something George Harrison would have recorded. When the piano/orchestral parts get going I once again hear strong allusions to the music of Italy's "La Bottega Delle arte"
| |||
| The first two recordings of Franco Battiato (band titled "Battiato") are to kill for and really do nicely draw on 70's Ital-prog scene. After Battiato worked with Italy's "Osage Tribe" he moved into recording as a solo artist. Without a question his early years were by far his most creative output and "Pollution" would be one of these classics. Definitely a highly original album from start to finish with some great instrumentation and creative song writing. As with all of his early recordings, Pollution is an audaciously psychedelic album which draws heavily in the space rock dimension with a good chunk of electronics and keyboard layers. Pollution is really a wonderful artistic concept album which devotes as much time to the concept as it does the music. Some may find the 'sound- effect' centric interludes a bit disruptive but I actually think they add a lot to the genius of this album and give it more of a concept piece feeling. Essentially "Pollution" like his first album "Fetus" contains a certain minimalist sound , fortified thru the heavy use of a VCS3 synthesizer. Franco Battiato actually played in the UK in the early 70's supporting at London's Roundhouse "Magma" and later "Ash Ra Tempel". And it was at this time that Frank Zappa, on hearing "Pollution", famously called Battiato's work 'genius'. I guess I am in good company if I was called this album a classic and a bit of genius captured on vinyl then as well. | |||
| Once again I have broken the Cardinal rule but putting a "live European" recording (Bootleg) into my all time favorite collection, but there is good reason. Let me first defend my selection by detailing the recording which captures Marillion in a way I have not heard before??early Marillion live in some cheesy little bar (The Warehouse) before they were big and famous. This is a "fair" sound quality bootleg which does not offer very dynamic sound (is probably a weak sound board transfer), but is more than tolerable and is quite enjoyable. We are treated to a very historic recording as Marillion had just signed a long term contract with EMI and were quite excited. Along the way we are treated to early versions of The Web, He Knows You Know and even She Chameleon (which is a completely different version than that recorded on Fugazi. Printed matter is unfortunately a little sketchy which is not uncommon with bootlegs and contains errors?..the biggest recognizable one is that Andy Ward is credited as the drummer (It was Mick Pointer!). What makes this CD package so amazing is the different early versions of these classic songs and seems to fit it nicely into Marillion's discography. | |||
| For those who like a their prog a little on the Bluesy side then Jumbo will be just the treat you have been needing. Jumbo delivers complex classic Bluesy prog in a very non-traditional Italian style. This release is in my opinion the best jumbo output although I love their earlier albums too.... Vietato offers great guitar work, lots of keyboards (Including a mellotron), nice and complex drumming with loads of acoustic guitar. Vocals are raw and a little harsh until you get used to them....Alvaro Fella (Jumbo) has a very rough voice not unlike Joe Cocker in many ways (I only mention this as it may turn some of you softies out there off!). Vietato moves in and out of many great mood swings and has a more progressive rock fit than their earlier work. This is one of those albums that after repeated listens get you quite warmed-up-to as you begin appreciating its brilliance. This album also carfully injects Acid sax solo which seems to work to perfection with the guitar ripping solos'.
| |||
| 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.
| |||
| Out Of Focus were a prototypical German underground 70's band whose music is rich in instrumentation and being dominated by the roaring deep analog organ sound with good doses of sax and guitar, and some flute. Many of the songs have a moderate psych/underground feel. Tracks are moderately long, with one 13+ and one 17+ minute tune. Although most of the album is instrumental, when vocals do occur they really become absorbed into the instrumentation and really don't play a significant role. Hard to exactly peg these guys down but I would offer comparisons to Deep Purple, Camel, Soft Machine and Amon Duul. An excellent album and will be fancied by fans of 70's German Krautrock.
| |||
| After recording a number of excellent early albums under the guise of Kraftwerk, Klaus Dinger and Michel Rother formed a groundbreaking offshoot art/prog/electronic band respectfully named NEU!. Together they took the sparse electronic sounds of Kraftwerk and magnified them against some pretty heavy groove rhythms and minimalist melodies…… not unlike some of today's top electronica. Neu's music is basic at its core yet manages to create the most vivid and evocative soundscapes. The final result is something that will stimulate your senses vs tranquilize them. Instrumentation is also quite creatively varied here with some pretty trippy moments. Klaus Dinger plays Bandoneon, Banjo, Drums, Electronics, Farfisa Organ, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Plattenspieler, Stimme, Vocals while co-collaborator Michael Rother contributes Bass, Electronics, Geige, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Synclavier and Zither. It appears that the early work of Neu has retained it memory with today's music scene and is still sited as an influential album on other recording artists. In many ways I guess this album really serves as an introduction (however basic and naïve) to the ambient electronica genre. Killer stuff
| |||
| Back in 1994 Steve Tibbetts during a visit to Nepal became emotionally overwhelmed with the music and atmospheres of the Tibetanian Buddhist monks. Tibbetts and his ear for creativity quickly became absorbed in and had to record an album with them. During his visit to a remote monastery he recorded their music, which really formed the shell of this recording. Tibbets took this chanting and added his elegant and restrained arrangements creating a stunning recording he has titled Chö (meaning 'cutting'). Accompanying the unique chanting and vocalizations, guitarist Steve Tibbetts and percussionist Marc Anderson created an unbelievable soundscape that ranging from serene to surreal. Each song has been carefully preserved at the core with Tibbetts and Anderson adding some lovely and subtle influences. Not sure really that I would classify this music as progressive rock , but certainly progressive just the same. Arguably this may be the most unique music you have ever heard. Tibetans really see this chanting as not simply music , but rather perceive the depth of meaning in these songs as capable of enhancing ones understanding and a way of transforming the ordinary. This remarkable yet sometimes incoherent recording is purely the music genius of Steve Tibbetts, who transformed the beauty he heard coming from the nuns of the Nagi Gompa monastery in Nepal to recording this awesome album. Drawn to the music, he approached them, and played music with them, and finally approached them with the idea of making a recording. The CD Chö is the result of their collaboration, and it is truly a remarkable thing.
| |||
| 1969 was the first we heard from Raw Material who delivered a truly great classic album full of progressive and psychedelic charm. Raw Material were a British progressive rock quintet, formed in London in the late sixties by sax player Mike Fletcher ( ex-Steam), Colin Catt ( vocals/keyboards), Dave Green (later to join Deep Feeling - on guitar), Phil Gunn on bass and guitar, and Paul Young on drums. This debut album was released originally on Evolution Records in 1970 and is equally as rare and collectible as their second album. All in all a great album, but it has been overshadowed by the more sophisticated "Time is Rare" second album for too long. In sharp contrast to their second album, this one actually plays more in the psychedelic camp than in the classic prog mold. Their only song to make the charts "Time & Illusion" also comes from this album. I love the percussion on this album with some groovy xylophone and timbral sections. Vocals are well done and sound great against the instrumentation. Overall a very much forgotten jem from the past.
| |||
| For those who have read my previous reviews will clearly remember my attraction to this surprisingly all-inspiring neo-prog band from Greece whose second album captivated my ears. With "Faded Leaves" (their 3rd album), La Tulipe Noire pick up right where they left off delivering an album not far off "Shattered Image". Faded Leaves resonates with a calm charm throughout and contains some great songs. Once again lead singer Ima is back with her emotive vocals and theatrical style. Typical of La Tulipe Noire, musically songs build as you move thru with a very tight rhythm section (drums - Nick Kassavetis and bass - Hyde) , fine atmospheric keyboard (Alix) and some great David Gilmour'ish guitar solos (S. Kontakis). Their songs are highly emotive and really give the listener that melancholy feeling. Without a question fans of Pendragon, IQ and Marillion will likely love this band. Another winning album !
| |||
| Without a question Sun Ra was one of the most interesting musical figures of the last century. He claimed to be from Saturn, and the myths he developed enhanced the music by giving the whole experience a charm all its own. Always one to challenge conventional wisdom, Sun Ra expanded what you could do with "serious" music. Sun Ra was a jazz pioneer who performed music as a way to express his extraterrestrial wisdom and in doing so created some very clever music. Once again Sun Ra's Arkestra perform with infinite magic and a wide contribution of instruments including sax, alto sax, flute oboe, trumpet, bassoon, percussion, congo drums, tympani, guitars, bass and barritone sax. Of course layered on top of that madness is the other-wordly keyboards of Sun Ra himself. Lanquidity is clearly in my opinion a landmark album and an essential album I would consider for my desert Island pick ! An extremely powerful album, Lanquidity is as hard-hitting as anything in Sun Ra's extensive catalog. At the same time, the songs are very comforting. Song like "There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You of)" and "Twin Stars of Thence" live up to their cosmic names. The music follows a more conventional structure than other Sun Ra albums and really does not fit any one category ranging from avant-garde fans to Studio 54 revivalists. If you find the HDCD re-mastered version I would highly recommend it as the sound has been so carefully enhanced and makes the experience better than ever.
| |||
| The second album from these psychedelic progsters who lived like so many too short a musical career. Actually very little is known about Raw Material and according to the musical digests that is exactly the way RCA unfortunately wants to keep it with no plans on further releasing this music on CD. What a bummer eh kids! Both of their albums have built up a reputation over the years with both LP's becoming quite collectible . For some reason these guys are commonly referred to in the same lights as Van Der Graaf but I really don't get this vibe at all. Raw Material actually draw more on Jethro Tull IMHO than Van Der Graaf with their use of keyboards and flute. Song are generally quite experimental and are more on the longer side with good vocals and varied instruments. Raw Material kind of transformed on this album becoming really more progressive than psychedelic. This is one very enjoyable album my friend and I love the tonal and rhythmic contrasts these guys offer. Their songs are quite original and their delivery is quite . , complete with its powerful progressive feel and mellow acoustic guitar and flute pieces, reminiscent of early Pink Floyd. A few of the band members went on to join Shoot in 1973.
| |||
| Wow!…Now this album is a real stonker. I have loved Porcupine Tree for a long long time now and have pretty well everything they have released but I must keep saying that these guys get better album by album. “In Absentia” is a step on the harder side with some real “crunchy” guitar and mid section work. For those who follow PT then you will know that this album features their new drummer “Gavin Harrison” who delivers some real awesome chops throughout. As you would expect this album is still full of that Porc Tree- psychy mise-en-scene but just this time around takes a more guitar centric approach. Stylistically In Absentia still embodies the mystical-psych aspects layered over crisp percussion , bass and spacey keyboard work. On “Lightbulb Sun” I really noticed the vocal harmonies and this has continued with this album with the awesome voice of Steve Wilson. In Absentia takes the harder edges of “Signify” and “Stupid Dream” and layers ontop of songs not unfamilar from the “Lightbulb Sun” era. I can only hope the world opens their ears to this masterpiece which embodies all the goodness one could ever ask for in a band ! This is really an amazing album
.
| |||
| When I first heard Spock’s Beard were working on a concept album I was to be honest a little concerned they might just not be a good fit for the concept thing ! Well now after having played it a million times I must tell you my apprehension was totally unwarranted. “Snow” is truly a powerful album full of grand themes, heavy musicianship and a very fitting story line. The 2 CD coverage of this story is quite successful really with what I am sure some will say is unnecessarily prolonged story unfolded onto 2 discs, but I must oppose this view. Although SB could have told the story on 1 Cd it gives them the space to really unleash some telling musicianship. The music as usual is rich and expressive with some great vocals by Neal Morse and Co. As with all Spock’s Beard albums, “Snow” is full of vocal harmonies and wild timing to keep your toes tapping. Sonically this album is pure magic with some incredible speaker separation and instrumental depth. The songs themselves are quite excellent with Morse being the majority contributor to this collection. Musical themes run throughout the album with both soft and loud moments. The story line is bit wild with some human aboration named SNOW and the CD’s tells us of his story and encounters…in many ways not unlike the story line of Genesis’ Lamb Lies Down or IQ’s –Subterranea.
| |||
| And so the story goes…..in 1996 Gary Brooker (Procol Harum) decided to perform two fund raising concerts for the St. Mary & All Saints Church. Carrying the title “the Gary Brooker Ensemble” Brooker added the talents of The Chameleon Arts String Quartet and Choir (Chorus) to an acoustic band with Robbie McIntosh (guitars), Dave Bronze (Bass), Michael Bywater (Church Organ) and Mark Brzezicki (Percussion). From the moment I first heard this album I was transformed with the majestic and spiritual beauty of this live recording. Lovers of Procol Harum will definitely love this album with Brooker and Co. adding into the fray a few old classic (A Salty Dog and Whiter Shade Of Pale). Essentially this live recording features the church like vocal atmospheres overlaid very cleverly with the strong and almost immediately recognizable voice of Gary Brooker. Instrumentally the band play very acoustic really sustaining the very spiritual aura of this album. A real beauty kids !.
| |||
