| Let me start off by telling you that other than their name, they really have nothing in common with Genesis. After you hear the first track you will hear exactly what I am talking about ! Get ready to be bombarded with relentless heavy riffs and deep toned instrumentation. These guys take their lessons from Dream Theatre, Kenso, Happy Family and most certainly King Crimson. The Seduction Of Madness is a very harsh album which definitely makes noise. …and lots of it. The Peter Hammill-like shrieking vocals can be a bit over the top at times for me (my only real criticism) but otherwise this is a killer album. The hectic, frenzied pace of some of the instrumentation most of which are in odd meter really draws home the Kenso and Happy Family comparisons. Usually the metal tones on the guitar and drums (lots of double bass) usually would bother me but they are played so convincingly and melted into the music so well that it becomes almost irrelevant. This album is for those days when you want some real heavy pulsating prog rock with a clever and original twist. Through all the heaviness one can find a lot of beauty in this album and will be a “love or hate” kind of album for most I suspect….put me down in the Love category on this one……..
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| Vanilla Fudge’s “The Beat Goes On” would have to rank as perhaps the most psychedelic albums in my collection. IMHO this album has been blacklisted for far too long….I think the world has really missed this one…….Without a question this album contains some of the wildest combinations of classical, pop, rock and psychedelic you will ever hear. Mark Stein’s organ work is killer on this album with some real tasty runs. The foundation of the album is based on 4 distinct phases with Phase 1 paying tribute to the Beatles, phase 2 touching Beethoven’s classic moonlight Sonata , Phase 3 a collage of historical speeches and Phase 4 a collection of shorter whimsical numbers with sitar, tabla and other worldly instruments. Although this is not an album I would listen to every day, it is a very aggressive album full of highly imaginative song writing and clever instrumentation.
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| Symphonic Slam were another talent-rich band that never got a break. This pioneering Canadian prog band featured the talents of Timo Laine who created a real specialized talent with his use of a new gizmo….the 360 systems polyphonic guitar synthesizer. Essentially ‘Slam’ deliver a rich keyboard based sophisticated poly synthetic nodes with support from John Lowery's drums and David Stone’s keyboards. Musically this album covers a lot of ground with progressive rock standing out as the clear line with Jazz, AOR, Pop , 70’s Classic Rock and Blues. A few years later after the break-up of Symphonic Slam, David Stone would join Ritchie Blackmore’s “Rainbow”. Symphonic Slam debut album contains some pretty eclectic material which reminds very at times very much of Mirage era “Camel” , FM (Canada) and with a degree of “Windchase” tossed in for good measure.
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| Capability Brown were a 6 piece British band that managed to release two albums with the second in review here. The lineup consisted of Tony Ferguson (guitar, bass), Dave Nevin (keyboards, guitar, bass), Kenny Rowe (bass, percussion), Grahame White (guitar, bass), Joe Williams (percussion) and Roger Willis (drums, keyboards). "Voice" was best known for it’s side 2 epic length track "Circumstances" which is worth the admission price alone. Capability Brown bounce between 70’s classic rock and progressive rock thoughout. Without a question side 2 and “Circumstances” is the centrepiece on this album blending Gentle Giant / The Association vocals with complex instrumentation with a wide range of moods (medieval atmospheres with recorder and harpsichord, heavy 70‘s allusions with aggressive guitar and wonderful symphonia with synths and even Mellotron). Ferguson and Nevin wrote the majority of the band’s material, the rest being covers (Rare Bird’s “Beautiful Scarlet” and “Redman,” Argent’s “Liar,” Affinity’s “I Am And So Are You” and Steely Dan’s “Midnight Cruiser”). Side 1 is less progressive but still very well done and I suspect will appeal to all lovers of 70’s progressive rock.
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| David Darling is a classically trained Celloist who in 1992 released on ECM one of the purist toned albums from within my collection. For the real deep prog masters out there you might remember Darling from his days with the Paul Winter Consort (1969 to 1978). Since he left the “Consort” he has dedicated himself to a solo performing and recording career, and to teaching music and improvisation. Darling's "Cello" features multi-layered voices of acoustic and electric cello and combines the spirit of "Adagio" classical music with the floating quality of Gregorian chant. Without a question, this album is a study in dark tones and string atmospheres….dark and yet deeply fulfilling.
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| Now here is an album you have to track down for sure ! Khan’s Space Shanty is a scrumptious album full of Steve Hillage’s vintage psychy-blues guitar playing with perhaps Dave Stewart’s best Hammond work ever ! Overall the music really covers the Canterbury prog psych genre with some wicked tones and instrumental interplay. Space Shanty is really 6 interrelated songs giving the listener a very conceptual feel throughout the album. Musically this guys hit dimensions of YES, DRUID, CARAVAN and even CAMEL. For those familiar with Hillage’s ARZACHEL will simple drool over Space Shanty and in many ways takes ARZACHEL and pulls it out of the psych into the centerbury….of course ARZACHEL is another classic as well ……..This is simply a must-have mind-blowing recording with some great expressionism..
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| One of my good pals used to carry around with him a very expensive tape recorder and bootleg the various shows we would attend. Many of these show we have jointly transferred onto CD for personal use and Toronto’s El Mocambo show stands out as one of the true great recordings from his deck. This 2 CD set recalls that very magical evening when Steve and his band took the stage performing many of his classics and featuring much material from Guitar Noir. During the set Hackett and Julian Colbeck get a chance to mesmerize the audience with their patented musical bond. Hackett’s guitar is as always riveting as he recalls his musical career during this intimate evening. Even though the Hackett box set contains a 1993 recording, I actually prefer this recording…perhaps because it was so close to home….Recording is simply tremendous and plays just like a good soundboard quality recording.
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| This 2 CD set is another very special recording from my personal vaults capturing Waters and Clapton live in full quadraphonic sound. For this concert my pal actually brought in multiple mics to really pick up the quadraphonic effects Water’s was utilizing during this show. I am including this CD set simply because it is so enjoyable to listen to. I loved Waters “Pros & Cons” album and the live show brings home all the nuances plus some great performances. Tracks include all of the Pros & Cons, Set The Controls, Money, If, Welcome To The Machine, Have A Cigar, Wish YouWere Here, Pigs, In The Flesh, Nobody Home, Hey You and Gunner's Dream. Other musicians this evening were Andy Newmark (Drums), Tim Renwick (Guitars) and Mel Collins (Sax). The final mix of this 2 CD set is awesome sounding once again like a good quality soundboard recording and even captures about 5 mins of the intermisssion movie Waters was playing. ...essential recording
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| After Canada's FM recorded their classic "Black Noise" in 1977, Nash The Slash left the band and was replaced by Ben Mink who is first featured on this 2 track classic gem from 1978. The unfortuate part of this story is that the master tape has been lost and it is unlikely this will be released on CD. This is just simply a killer album which is actually known for the wonderful percussive strokes of Martin Deller. Flowing all around the percussion is the synth and bass interplay of Cameron Hawkins and violin and mandolin of Ben Mink who get into some amazing playing. The overall music is slightly more jazzy I suppose than the later 2 classic FM albums (Surveillance and City Of Fear), but in many ways this is my favourite of them all. Direct To Disc is comprised of 2 side long instrumental tracks which seem to really be given the freedom and space to roam about and go off in some new directions. An essential album and a real highlight in the career of Canadian progressive rock. | |||
| The legend begins here with Nick Saloman’s first album in which he managed to record and perform on 100% himself within his home studio. As with all early Bevis Frond albums the focus does not stray too far off psychy-prog –driven guitar solos and eccentric song writing. I always hate to compare musicians to others but I would say his playing is somewhere in the Hillage – Hendrix school with of course his own unique flare. The songs on Miasma are quite psychy with guitar, bass, drum and synth. This is one of those albums that the more you listen to the more you become addicted to……I actually own several copies of this album and highly recommend this to all lovers of psych prog. The kind folks at Past & Present Records have also included on the re-mastered CD version 7 extra excellent unreleased songs which make this quite a little package my friends.
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| Vermod was one of albums that re-ignited the Swedish progressive rock revival. Without a question Anekdoten have been heavily influenced by early 70’s King Crimson with their tailored and yet controlled Fripp-like guitar playing (Nicklas Berg) & loads of mellotron (actually is 2 different mellotron going at some places!) Anekdoten understands the Crimsonic use of contrast, and Vemod is centered on contrasting tempos and dynamics. Guitarist Nicklas Berg turns in a gritty performance on both guitar and mellotron reminding the listener at many points of why one likes this type of music in the first place. The combination of pump organ, Mellotron, and a deeply bowed cello creates a rich dark sound of brooding intensity . Emotionally charged melodic lines and powerful rhythms abound. The percussion on this album is killer with some great deep chops and complex percussion. Filling in the mix is cellist/keyboardist Anna Sofi Dahlberg who works with the mellotrons to really bring forth some warm tones. | |||
| One of my favourite things is when you find a real musical gem and this is most certainly the case with Martigan’s Man of the moment. Boy……where did this band come from? Delicate song writing, vocal harmonies, enlightened symphonic keyboard work, inspired bass, guitar and drum melodic interplay. . Always hard to draw comparisons but I hear dimensions of IQ, Saga and The Flower Kings. This album contains some truly inspiration symphonic prog rock and has remained in my frequent play list for a while now. Neo-Prog genre fans will need to go out and buy this CD at once and can contact the band at(www.martigan.de) Highly recommended music. | |||
| So what happens when one finds and loves an album that has been talked about over the years in nothing but negative light ?…..you ignore the deaf my friends………… Many years back I picked up Quasar’s “The Loreli” which I did enjoy and really got to know Tracey Hitchings better. 10 years later I picked up “Fire In The Sky” which I really like. Okay I’ll tell you all right upfront that this album has not been well recorded or produced and carries some sound inadequacies (transferred from vinyl), but the music will overcome this slight frown. I wont spend much space contrasting “Fire In The Sky” with “The Loreli” but just say that it is really a different beast (no Hitchings, 3 different band members) . Fire in the sky dishes out some pretty lush neo-prog vibes with a sound somewhat reminiscent of IQ’s “Tales From The Lush Attic” . Pretty much a prototypical 80’s symphonic melodic prog rock sound, but there is something magical in this album. For me it is a winner but folks have to give it more of a chance then they have…….. | |||
| Banished Bridge is simply an essential recording and stands up easily to all other German prog bands of the 70’s Banished Bridge is 4 tracks of indispensable lush symphonic prog rock with deep melodies. Many of Novalis’ lyrics were based on the poetry of 16th century poet Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg ("Novalis" was his alias). The opening 17-minute title-track track is worth the admission into this one alone, with some succulent organ and synth work, Pink Floyd-like atmospheres and even sound effects. The wild thing on this album is that I don’t believe there are any guitars ! and the lack of is not troublesome. Lead singer Jürgen Wenzel sings (and speaks) in English and does so without any irritation to the listener. The 3 other tracks are also excellent with more Floyd-like atmospheres (aka Ummagumma) with a highly exploratory nature...something they kind of deviated from on their more symphonic later albums. A great album ! | |||
| This album I recently dusted off the shelf and re-listened to and realized it was missing from my list. The “Men Of Lake” are a newer Italian band who at least on this album play in the spirit of their 70’s ancestors. Vocals are sung in English and are quite well done (a bit of an accent but works well for me)with the watermark of this band being their strong Hammond driven melodies. Songs are highly symphonic and carry traces of that 70's magical romanticism that I love. Songs are very well written and performed in grand style. If you love the ol' winding organ prog then you need to hear this album. | |||
| Eloy’s first 2 albums would rank IMHO as some of the most compelling German Krautrock of all time. “Inside” was Eloy’s second release and very much continued from their debut albums 70’s classic prog rock sound. “Inside” is full of swirling Hammond organ with shifting bass, guitar and drum interplay. This album carries more of a Pink Floyd (Meddle - Echoes era) than their first album and really gets into the outer-worldly vast depths of space…especially is so on the 17 min opener “Land Of No Body” which also may be my personal favourite track of theirs. The rest of the album is nothing to sneeze at as well and really showcases the development and workings of early Eloy. Without a question on the track "Future City" one can definitely hear the Jethro Tull (aka Aqualung) influence as this track could have been directly lifted from this album. Overall this is a grand album and comes from thismusic lover highly recommended. | |||
| The first question I must ask is where did these guys come from ! Holy amazing album Batman ! BFH are a trio of epic proportions blending bass, guitar and percussion in a rich quagmire of haunting instrumental melodies. The liner notes points out the lack of synthesizers and studio trickery and what we are left with fill 56 Minutes of pure instrumental magic for your ears. Striped down to the very basic tonal core, “The Gate” shows off their instrumental prowess and song writing versatility. This album is full of a vast range of tempo and mood shifts and for me the real beauty here rests in their ability to not stay too long in any one space and remain yet very much in control and sound so tight. Hard to really peg these guys down but I would put the overall sound somewhere in the King Crimson, Tool school of prog. The 3 lads from BFH (Maurizzo Boco, Lorenzo Feliciati and Mats Hedberg) have collaborated to record a truly wonderful album very much deserving to be in your music collection. If you have trouble finding this CD you can contact them at info@edizionipagina3.com. | |||
| Early four piece British act who created a grand symphonic concept album based on the topic of god and the 10 Commandments. Centred around the organ laden swirls of Alister Benson who at times very much remind me of Deep Purple’s Jon Lord. Conceptually on this album each of the ten songs focuses on one commandment. Salamander combine orchestra with rock not unlike in many ways the Moody Blues achieved on their early albums. Lead vocalist Dave Titley sounds very similar in style to Dave Lambert of the Strawbs and the vocal harmonies work to perfection. Instrumentally Salamander are tight and crisp with guitar, bass, drums and organ augmented with orchestration throughout. | |||
| Devil Doll has to be one of the most bizarre, frightening, confronting and satisfying bands in existence. Their music is a chilly assault on your senses possessing unique tonal atmospheres and very ecletic epic songs. There is simply no way to explain in details the feelings and emotions Devil Doll’s music possesses. 'Sacrilegium' begins with a bang, soaring organs and seventies prog slowly overtaken by a demonic choir chanting some sacred rites. Then, Mr. Doctor, the high priest of Devil Doll, begins his serpentine recitation, of mysteries and tales of horror with his warbling raspy falsetto. I personally find Sacrilegium to be themost theatrical (if that is possible) of all the Devil Dill recordings and really acts out in a vaudevillian manner. Truly possessed and haunting art rock. The unusual and unpredictable music of Devil Doll is an elaborate tapestry of styles, a surreal exploration of the unknown territory that is the ‘theatre of the mind’. Intense and dramatic, the Devil Doll experience spans the broad spectrum of music and emotions. Essential music for your expanding brain. . | |||
| Now this is an “all-you-can eat-buffet” album bubbling over with progressive and psychedelia aspects. With each passing album The Bevis Frond continue to inspire me with some of today’s most progressively mainstream influenced albums. The first thing one notices about “What Did For the Dinosaurs” is the enhanced sound recording as it was recorded digitally and has the cleanest, shiniest production of any Frond project. Nick Saloman aka Mr. Bevis Frond is a seminal guitarist and the ring leader in this band who on this album carries a bit harsher style than found on past Bevis Frond efforts. I must also say positively that the album clocks in at over 77 Mins and is one great listen thru and thru with the opening and closing tracks working in parallel with the main theme introduced on the opening track. The last song on the album delivers a 13 min epic “Dustbins In The Rain” which is already one of my cat’s alltime favs! As always Nick is supported by Adrian Shaw (bass and acoustic guitar) and Andy Ward (drums, percussion). | |||
