| Recorded live in concert (Feb 16th, 2002 Germany) from the personal soundboard archives of the band, IQ’s 20 is an essential acquisition. This 2 CD package is from the “The Seventh House” tour and contains many of IQ’s great songs including a stunning opening into Awake & Nervous, a great version of The Wrong Side Of Weird and a haunting beautiful version of The Last Human Gateway. With this version of the the Last Human Gateway I now do not need IQ to rush to “re-do” the first album. As an encore they perform Subterranea which brings a wonderful evening and concert to a close. The only negative thing I can say here is that the CD is all but over too soon…..This Cd package comes as a limited edition and is packaged in a cardboard album styled CD sleeve. Packaging is minimal but the music is the key. | |||
| Former Colosseum member David Greenslade’s debut album is an essential piece of UK Prog 70’s history. The band also included Dave Lawson who earlier had played with both “The Web” and “Samurai”. As you would expect the music is highly keyboard-centric with both Greenslade (Organ, mellotron) and Lawson (piano, synths) playing keyboards. Overall sound is distinctly British styled progressive rock and fits into the Yes school of prog. Songs are well written and performed with great musicianship. Album will definitely appeal to fans of 70’s styled British prog. | |||
| For those who picked up the first Amenophis album or read my review earlier will know that their debut album is amongst my fav’s from the 80’s German prog rock era. 5 years after the release of their debut album they re-formed with a slightly larger line-up including the addition of female vocalist Elke Moehrle who has a very distinct and kind sounding voice. Instrumentally “You and I” is a highly symphonic album and in many ways carries a sound not unlike the early Asgard albums…but more symphonic and not as dark. Musically this album is keyboard centric but does still capture some excellent guitar, bass and drum interplay. Album contains both instrumental and vocalized songs which adds a nice variety to the album. Overall a fine album with some well crafted and original songs. | |||
| Without a question SIANspheric have nailed down their sound delivering yet another mind-blowing album full of slow-blooming pop atmospherics and deep cosmic ambience with their vintage lethargic but lovely blend of spacey instrumental noodling and reverbed harmonics. “The Sound of the Colour of the Sun” represents SIANspheric’s 4th album and clearly continues their musical oscillation between ethereal ambiance and fuzzy noise-pop. SIANspheric draw in elements of Porcupine Tree’s space ambience , “Mogwaic” themes and minimalistic segues. “The Sound of the Colour of the Sun” is the perfect “chill album” and has been a Sunday morning favourite in this household. Singing and talking is heard on the album but only as distant echoes and adds brilliantly when used to complement the ethereal feel that draws me so deep into their music. Brilliant……simply brilliant | |||
| By the time Autobahn was released Kraftwerk had become a foursome consisting of electronic founders Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider with the addition of Wolfgang Flür on electronic percussion and Klaus Roeder on guitar joined them. This album is clearly remembered for the 22 min epic Autobahn which is a beautiful, 22-minute landscape of synthetic momentum and a direct reference to Germany's highway system. The track featured some of Kraftwerk's finest work all surrounded in their vintage and at the time breakthrough electronic and rhythm patterns. Florian Schneider adds some lovely flute throughout and sorrowfully Kraftwerk would part with this instrument on their later albums. The band also used electronics to mimic sounds of speeding cars along the Autobahn which works quite well. The second side of the album continues Kraftwerk’s experimental themes with the 12-minute, two-part "Kometenmelodie" which features some wonderful exploratory space sounds. IMHO "Autobahn" was and still is Kraftwerk’s most defining moments and stands up today’s electronic world quite well….a time piece of classic electronic progressive 70’s rock. | |||
| Before Wigwam enter the land of the progressive they spent a few songs more in the Psychedelic vein with blues rock influences in many ways not unlike Pink Floyd. Finland’s Wigwam were an original act from the start lead by Britan’s Jim Pembroke's song writing and Jukka Gustavson's organ grinds and compositions. “Hard 'N' Horny” plays actually like 2 separate albums or in this case as 2 distinct sides. The album's first side clearly belongs to Gustavson (credited will all side one song penmanship) with his prog-blues organ drenched pieces and clever song writing drawing on genres of psych/jazz/avant art rock. In many ways I hear strong allusion to Procol Harum with perhaps more of a psych flavour. In total contrast the second half of this album rests in the hands of Jim Pembroke (again all songs credit on side 2 to Pembroke) in a sadly forgotten, side-long, conceptual psychedelic masterpiece about some middle aged fellow named Henry. How this album has not been on more prog/psych rock website I’ll never know at it is pure magic and one of my personal favourite Wigwam albums. | |||
| Unlike Genesis, when Phil Collins left Brand X the level and commitment to musical creativity and originality did not die. In fact I enjoy the post Phil Collins era Brand X as much as that with him. X-Communication features the line-up of Percy Jones, John Goodsall and Frank Katz who blend rock, jazz, funk and fusion into this masterful recording. This powerful trio get into some pretty wild musical moments with heavy instrumental workouts and complex performances. X-Communication showcases the fretless bass action of Percy Jones with the complex rhythms of Frank Katz and the agile fingerings of john Goodsall. Without a question X-Communication is a magnificent album and is highly recommended to all fans of progressive rock. | |||
| You know kids it’s nice when something comes around that is truly different isn't it? This German duo offer a wicked blend of some of the most concave music I have heard in a long time with a tablespoon of trip hop (with emphasis on the trip) ,dub, space-rock-ambience, Amon Düül-esque-Vocals, hippity hoppity beats, Porcupine Tree atmospheres all tossed in with drum and bass forming a nightmare of spaced out electronica. The talents of Electric Orange rest with Dirk Bittner (vocals, voices, guitar, slight guitar, trumpet, Darbuka) and Dirk Jan Müller (Hammond, Farfisa, Rhodes, Synths, Samples, Leslie, Tapes, Loops, Mellotron, drums, bass). This album also offers some deep tone and tempo shifts and one minute is mellow like the tripped-out "Mother's Cake" and then we are listening to a howling Krautrock tune like "Steal no egg". Cyberdelic confidently asserts a deep lyricism by Dirk Bittner and guitar arrangements on most tracks by Tunay Meyveli, plus a wider range of instruments including Synthesizer, Hammond organ and Leslie. This musical creativity is the real reasons to believe this is an album which flourishes track by track, punctuated with clear arrangements. Cyberdelic is an absolute killer album with an original blend of trance, trip hop, and pure psychedelia to create a refreshing release for the 90's. | |||
| “Manifest Destiny” continues Brand X’s exploration into the fusion of Jazz, Rock and Funk genres and IMHO may represent their overall best album yet. Nesting somewhere in the mix of King Crimson, UZEB and Mahavishnu Orchestra comes “Manifest Destiny” a killer album which offers the listener a vast array of avenues and atmospheres. This album features the standout muscular fretless bass lines of Percy Jones, combines with the aggressive percussion of Frank Katz and the diverse guitar pluckings of John Goodsall. What we are left with is a tremendous musical exploration with a tons of mood and tempo shifts, incredible instrumentation and excellent songs….not a bad minute on this album …….hate to do this again kids but I highly recommend this album to you…… | |||
| Generally, I would categorize Gentle Giant as a pretty light hearted band, with the exception of “Acquiring the Taste”. On this release, Gentle Giant turned out a much darker album, which over the years has caused room for debate. A lot of GG fans seem divided on this album… I am certainly on the pro side here as this is one of my GG top picks. According to the liner notes: “We have recorded each composition with the one thought - that it should be unique, adventurous and fascinating.” And this statement is so very true. “Acquiring The Taste”, the band's second album, plunges them even further into dark yet classic GG formations of complex structures, challenging time signatures and odd vocal and harmonic characteristics. | |||
| Kayak released a few real gems over their career with Phantom Of The Night remaining one of my personal favourites from this era. Without a question “Ruthless Queen” and “Phantom Of The Night” are 2 of my favourite songs they have ever done. Kayak play a very velvety symphonic prog-pop in the style somewhere between the MOODY BLUES, CAMEL and SUPERTRAMP. Fans of Camel will in fact recognize the presence of Tom Scherpenzel (keyboards). One of the other remarkable things of Kayak is clearly the velvet voice of Edward Reekers who has a wonderfully clear and powerful range. A great album with big symphonic boundaries to cross. | |||
| Contagion is Arena’s fifth studio outing, and represents a very powerful and evocative concept album full of IMHO Arena’s most fulfilling music yet. In the land of neo-prog is very very hard to find a tighter band than Arena and although the band at times sound over the top they do kick big time. On “Contagion” Arena have delivered an intimate album of connected songs which gives the listener a feeling of a concept album which deals with the fight against a deadly virus threatening the entire civilization. As you would expect the album is graced with the founding combo of Mick Pointer and Clive Nolan and this time all returning members Ian Salmon (bass), John Mitchell (Guitars) and vocals of Rob Sowden. This album is clearly Sowden’s spotlight with a wonderfully vast array of vocal mixes and pungent lyrics. | |||
| Bubu's Anabelas is one of the most complete prog albums to have come out of Argentina in the 1970s. Anabelas consists of three long epic compositions, and features mostly instrumental music that sounds like a cross of early King Crimson, Magma and Änglagård. Bubu was quite a large band and actually with a wide range of talent and instrumentation. Along with the traditional rock set-up (guitar, bass, and drums), the band featured a violinist, flutist, saxophonist, and pianist. Each composition is filled with intense interaction between the musicians, dozens of melodic surprises, and unexpected tempo changes. Their music is complex, energetic, and diabolical in a KING CRIMSON-ish sort of way. Very surprising is that there is no noodling and very little soling to be found here and although does offer a pretty trippy and wild musical experience, never gets too out of control or becoming un-accessible for the listener. Without a question this is an awesome recording and a necessity in anyone’s progressive rock collection. Absolutely brilliant progressive rock | |||
| So here is in lies one of progressive rock’s most arguable albums of all time…..some love it , other hate it and others don’t get it…I must tell you that I love this album and always have. IMHO this is one of Yes’ most progressive works, featuring 4 side long tracks each building on one another and setting quite a memorable mood from start to finish. What I have always loved about Topographic is that although it captures the signature Yes sound it really takes the band in a new direction and builds a wonderful and highly original soundscape for the listener to get lost in. I am sure most of you have this recording and fall in one of the camps I mentioned earlier and I would strongly suggest you pick up the re-mastered version of this album. | |||
| Fantastic debut album from this German psychedelic progmonster of an album with long instrumental workouts. This five piece Krautrock band play some pretty trippy and heavy German prog with heavy organ grinds, guitar soloing, flute layers, bass riffs and complex drumming. Vocals are sung in English and German and used sparingly really with some chanting and talking all adding to this cosmic experience. Overall sound is a cross of Hendrix and Pink Floyd. This album was aptly titled, being full of invention and surprises with in long tracks that sported extensive guitar work-cuts, swirling organ, free riffing and lots of interactive musical interplay, resulting in a powerful cosmic excursion that is largely instrumental. Opening track plays tribute to the Stones with a psychy version of Paint It Black and they also pull in an allusion to Floyd’s Saucerful Of Secrets . Album was produced by Connie Plank.. | |||
| Time And Tide was the 4th album from Greenslade which took a turn more towards a pop-prog album with shorter tracks a slightly more accessible sound. Having said that though this is still a very solid album with some great songwriting and wonderful performances. Line up is still pretty much the same with David Greenslade (keys), Dave Lawson (keys, vocals), Tony Reeves (bass) and Andrew McCulloch (Drums). The Instrumental sections and songs are killer with heavy keyboard Symphonia throughout. Atmospherically this is a much lighter album than some of the earlier releases and carries an original charm about it. | |||
| This 2 CD set captures Porcupine Tree on their 2002 “In Absentia” tour recorded and transferred from a DAT recorder and offers a very clean and very good transfer. Again this is not a poor quality bootleg but instead a great sounding recording of this rare Canadian appearance. For those who were there, you will never forget that evening and for those who missed it, at least the CD captures the occasion. Both CD’s cover the entire show including yes the encores and does not leave out any of the chatter with the audience. Unfortunately that evening the band were unable to suspend their visual arsenal of images so the band had to focus even tighter on their sound. Talking to anyone who say this show definitely would say how awesome a show that was….I was there too. | |||
| Originally broadcast by the BBC radio this CD concert was lifted direct from disc and captures Marillion at the height of their career touring “Clutching At Straws”. Sound quality is superb and is not a bootleg inferior recording in any way. The only bummer is that the cd is not the entire show from Wembley…having said that though, this is a wonderfully enjoyable recording. We are treated to Hotel Hobbies, Warm Wet Circles and That Time Of The Night, The Last Straw, Incubus and others… | |||
| Released in 1970, Wigwam's second album “Tombstone Valentine” uniquely stands on its own as not only a precursor to what was still to come but also a wonderful album bubbling over with soul searching folk/psych/prog leanings. The first few Wigwam albums are truly wonderful and generally cover a wide range of musical ground. This album is a collection is 11 tracks with a heavy focus on folk-blues-rock songs giving at times allusion to the symphonic prog the later albums would explore. Hard to exactly peg down this album but definitely hear some Procol Harum and a piece of maybe folk-era Hoelderlin. Tombstone Valentine introduced us to new Wigwam members Jukka Tolonen (guitarist) and bassist/composer Pekka Pohjola. Wigwam were lead by both Jukka Gustavson (organ, piano) and vocalist England’s Jim Pembroke'. Overall this is an excellent album that showed Wigwam in early form performing unconventional and original selection of folk/prog and clearly shows a young band searching for a chemistry that began to gel on this album. | |||
| London Underground are a trio from Italy led by the drummer/vocalist Daniele Caputo who is also known for his work with one of best modern prog bands about Standarte. Borrowing influences from The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, Kin Ping Meh, Birth Control and Atomic Rooster, the London Underground have recorded here one heck of a debut album. This short playing album is very experimental and yet it is still very enjoyable and accessible to listen to. There are some simply killer instrumental aspects on this album with heavy organ/mellotron drenched passages…everything a prog head would love. London Underground play a British styled 60's & 70's influenced pop-rock with lots of vintage keyboards such as Hammond,Organ, Moog, Clavinet and Mellotron. Vocals are mostly handled by Caputo who has a great deep voice and fits the music to perfection. Without a question this carries the same deep conviction that are present on the Standarte albums. A great album all the way thru…… | |||
| The driving force behind The Cinematic Orchestra is Jason Swinscoe who comes from the world of loops and samples and applies the latest technologies of dance production to his amorphous group of jazz musicians known as The Cinematic Orchestra. Though there has been many electronic musicians lately who have claimed jazz's heritage, most attempts at fusing sampling, improvisations and jazz are nothing more than that : attempts, music that lingers in jazzy cheesiness and cut & paste technique…and always sounding contrived. However, Jason Swinscoe and Co. might well be the ones to point out new musical directions. Under The Cinematic Orchestra moniker, Jason has set up an intricate recording technique that blends live improvisations, sampling and sequencing into a rough and evocative form of jazz breakbeat. One listen my friends and you will know why I am addicted and have included this in my web collection! The Cinematic Orchestra’s Every Day is original in its beauty, its scope, and its aspiration towards lamenting and dreaming. This is a very sad disc with its melancholic organ under-pinning, haunting plucked harp strings, lilting saxophone strokes moves the lumbering landscapes of cacophony into a gospel-like richness that is all its own. Musically this recording is somewhere between jazz and electronica without sounding like that. Everyday is a musical compendium of sounds and is definitely one of the most original things I’ve heard in a long time. | |||
| The Flower Kings have been releasing some fairly epic lengthed albums (2 CD) over the past few release (Flower Power, Stardust We Are...) with Unfold The Future adding another double CD to their repetoire. Lineup includes the usual suspects Roine Stolt - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Hasse Fröberg - Vocals, Jonas Reingold - Fender bass, fretless bass, Zoltan Csörsz - Drums and Tomas Bodin - Grand Piano, Keyboards. This is a highly innovative and carefully crafted album with a melting pot of ideas and styles. For this prog rock fan the opening track "The Truth Will Set You Free" takes the cake and makes the whole CD an essential pick up (I think the Classic Rock Society voted this track "the track of the year" also !). The big difference on this album is the addition of young Hungarian talent Zoltan Csorz' who has added a new Jazz injection into the band. The end result is still classic symphonic prog with an added twist of fusion. As you would expect the overall sound is quite polished with some superb musicianship and band interplay. | |||
| Electric Orange have done it again kids …another Psychedelic and mesmerizing Trance/Space/Kraut rock session lost somewhere in the vein of “Can”. The album was mastered by EROC of Grobschnitt. Once again E.O. are led by Dirk Bittner (vocals, voices, guitar, drums, samples, Leslie, Bass, Vocoder, Rhodes, synthesizer) and Dirk Jan Müller (Hammond, Farfisa, Rhodes, synths, samples, Leslie, tapes, Loops, Mellotron, Beatbox) with the addition of Tom Rückwald (bass) and Eric Karow (drums, Trash Percussion). Abgelaufen offers more of their classic cosmic Krautrock based themes, though this time with less of an electronic presence that we experienced on Cyberdelic. Throughout this album we are taken an a vast jam session with tripped out funky guitar, full in-yer-face Hammond vocal style sounding like Damo Suzuki (CAN) The music is very dark, and has a strong progressive chamber rock edge, but also has a spacey exploratory feel with lots of cool crazed voices. orchestral Mellotron background accompanied by pounding tribal drums, quietly swirling synths, and alternately acidic and ethereal guitar. In summary, Abgelaufen! is a strong return for Electric Orange. There's plenty to satisfy their long-time Krautrock fans, having left all traces of the dance elements behind, but also delves into progressive rock realms. And, as we discover in the interview below, both Dirk Jan Müeller and Dirk Bittner have been plenty busy with a variety of musical projects over the past few years. | |||
