| Yes even the good ol’ Rolling Stones had a deep progressive rock/psychedelic moment with the release of 'Their Satanic Majesties Request'. I know this album is generally not endured and treasured like their classic rock masterpieces of albums like ‘Sticky Fingers’ , but then again I suppose Syd Barrett Floyd is very different than Dark Side Of The Moon era top be fair………. 'Their Satanic Majesties Request' resonates with the psychedelic prowess of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (also released incidentally the same year) and has long been considered an obvious attempt by the Stones to steal the recipe from Lennon and McCartney which Is just simply not the case. IMHO this album ebbs and flows with original psychedelic grandeur and marks one of the Stones’ most original albums from their expansive discography. This album is pure magic and I am sure is meant to be a fun yet experimental record…..and that's exactly what it is. The Stones managed here to record some of their most compelling progressive arrangements, effects and structures making one really interesting listen. The ABKCO Records 24 Bit Re-Mastered Version is truly exceptional and is for sure the best sound I have heard from this album ever. | |||
| After a stunning debut album, Supersister came back with another great release with “To The Highest Bidder”. Essentially this album picks off right where “Present From Nancy” left off and unleashes another complex album of Focus and Caravan inspired music full of unusual yet very enjoyable twists and turns. Essentially this album is comprised of 3 great epic tracks with “No Tree Will Grow” representing one of Canterbury’s best numbers of all time IMHO. Musically these guys blend keyboard and flute over some melodic bass lines and intricate percussion. Vocals are well done and often reverberate with a bit of Gentle Giant’ish grandeur. No really a daft moment on this album and I would highly recommend this to all lovers of prog especially the Canterbury sub genre. | |||
| Less than a year after the release of the slightly psych album”Now-and Them” , they pulled out all the stops with “Time out! Time In for them” . This album IMHO is the best album recorded under the “Them” monikor. This is the second album that Them had released while based in the US. This album is a tour de force of acid psychedelia with heavy acid dripping guitar solos of Jim Armstrong, psychy backdrops and even tons of sitar with heavy yet soulful vocals of Ken McDowell. | |||
| Okay so I grew up listening to lots of Kansas and as a result have a strong magnetism to their music. I think though that “Song For America” is pretty much the most progressive rock’ie album they released as an end to end comparison. This album was really the defining moment for the classic Kansas sound and everything clicked on this recording. This album showcases Kansas’ knack for combinations of pop rock and progressive genres into a cohesive and original music. This album has the right mix of e-bow, guitars, bass and drum interplay. The keyboards are nice and big sounding with some fantastic Arp, Organ and Moog sequences. I think also on this recording they got their vocals and lyrics lined up and executed with strong and imaginative collective harmony. Also have always loved Dave Hope’s bass playing on this album which stands out (even though I am sure the pundits will call this noodling). | |||
| With unequivocal reference to the work of Camel, Asia Minor’s debut album is a great album of instrumental and atmospheric beauty (as is their second album). “Crossing The Line” is full of fluid and cascading music with gentle vocals and harmonies. This album is dripping in analog space keyboard vibes, flutes galore, interesting bass and guitar lines and complex drumming. This pastel prog rock album blends Turkish folk and ethnic influences with Camel-like progressive rock symphonia. I would offer that this album is a purebread crossing of the music style of France’s “Atoll” and might I add “Camel”. Again the lush and nostalgic vocals of Setrak Bakirel (Lead Vocals, Guitars and Basses) when used are quite nice and are sung mostly in English (2 tracks sung in native Turkish). | |||
| For those who may have noticed I also love fusion, especially what I call Progressive fusion and none is finer than Chick Corea’s fusion masterpiece “The Leprechaun” which while sustains Jazz sensitivities also delves into some pretty clever fusion. Kind of plays with an earmark to that of “Return To Forever” without sounding duplicative. This was also Corea’s era for exploring electronic keyboards and a deep desire for exploration into jazz and fusion genre. One of the great finds on this album is Mr. Steve Gadd (drums) who simply roars throughout this entire album and is quite a musician to discover in his own right. The re-mastered CD Verve release is a killer version with some great big bass tones and great sounding instrumentation. This is Corea at his creative finest and a great prog jazz fusion album from start to finish. | |||
| Okay so before I begin let me just say that in order to really dig this album you are going to have to stop looking for a return to “Tab In The Ocean” or “Remember The Future” otherwise you will miss it. "Evolution" is really IMHO a grand little album full of some great songs, progressive tendencies and excellent musicianship and vocalizations. This version of Nektar brings together Roye Albrighton (Lead vocals, guitars), Taff Freeman (keys, piano, mellotron) and Ron Howden (drums and percussion) with a new member Randy Dembo (bass, pedals and backing vocals). This is the first time in over twenty years that Roye, Ron and Taff have recorded new material together and the end product is solid. This is really a complete album with symphonic lustre, Gilmour'esque guitar solos, excellent song writing and a feel not unlike the more recent work of Camel. Again with the caveat that this is not 70's Nektar I would recommend this album to all lovers of music. | |||
| “Basnie” or “Fairytales” was the debut release by Collage , Poland’s answer to Marillion, Pendragon and IQ maintaining a strong yet highly interesting and competent neo prog vibe. This beautifully produced album features strong melodies and complex musical themes with excellent instrumentation (guitars and keyboards in particular). All lyrics are sung in native Polish and do so with Tomek Rozycki who unfortunately would leave Collage after this album. Actually what is amazing here is that the long standing line up that we would know as Collage (ie. Moonshine) is essentially a different band here by membership with drummer and band leader Wojtek Szadkowski and guitarist Mirel Gil maintaining the constant throughout (yet the sound is so close). The rest of the band are Przemek Zawadzki (bass guitar) and Jacek Korzeniowski (keyboards). Collage have a lot more to offer here than the hoards of clones that have given this “Neo Prog” genre a bad name. | |||
| Appropriately subtitled ‘Reel to Reel Obscurities, this CD is long lost cutting room floor edits from the various recording life of Canada’s FM. Fans of FM will definitely need to own this recording with some great versions of some classics each with new twists and variations. Highlights for me is the 14 mins demo version of Black Noise featuring Nash The Slash and Cameron Hawkins and the 9 mins rare version of King Crimson’s Starless. The CD also contains about 15 mins of hidden tracks which completely surprised me. Extra tracks include a great demo track of "Slaughter In Robot Village" from Black Noise as well as some outlandish except from an old TV Ontario show on Nash The Slash. Overall a great little collection of obscurities and fans of FM will need to track this down. | |||
| A Piedi Nudi’s “Creazione” is a pure out and out workout with their characteristic mix of 70’s sensitivities and 90’s heavy power rock. Although a bit dark and distorted at times, A Piedi Nudi never lose their melodic touch and offer some fantastic and original music. May be best described as a cross of Il Balletto di Bronzo and King Crimson. Their sound is very 70s like, quite complex (start and stop prog-like) yet very likeable. The music never really holds still for more than a minute or so for those looking for an album that breathes, this is definitely not the one!. The overall sound is comfortably heavy with the guitar and keyboard dominating throughout. The vocals are quite solid (Carlo Bighetti – Flute , vocals). The rest of the band are Nicola Gardinale (guitar), Cristian Chinaglia (keyboards), Simone Naghetti (bass) and the big surprise is Enrico Barchetta who plays the french horn. When The horn is played it adds a real interesting vibe into the mix. Overall a great but quite heavy excursion into some new territory. | |||
| In a clash of Fusion, Jazz, Latin and Rock genres, Hungarian born Gabor Szabo takes his guitar and created one of my personally most beloved guitar albums of all time. Is it really progressive or just creative fusion jazz that crosses different genres I will leave to you but on close examination find it quite progressive (in a creative sense of course). No moogs or mellotrons just crisp electric guitars, bass, congas, strings and hand percussions. In this bright Blue Thumb Records 24 bit re-mastered version we can finally hear the album the way it was intended to be heard (one of the best remastered albums I have ever heard). This album achieves some fantastic grooves and when they get going takes on a space-like (almost psychedelic-like) vibe. Sonically this might be considered more on the light side of fusion (ie. Strings and hand percussion) but is a wonderful album. A definite for lovers of guitar albums. | |||
| Machiavel were one of Holland best known symphonic progressive rock band of the 70’s who released 3 excellent albums. "Jester" was Machiavel's second album released and pretty much delivers on their patented symphonic prog pop style with excellent light complex playing. Musically this band were top notch with some killer keyboard, guitar, bass and drum interplay. Being a symphonic prog band, Jester’s focus is predominantly full of great keyboard work utilizing the moog, organ, mellotron ,Fender Rhodes and others polyphonic instruments. I always hear folks reference Machiavel in terms of parallels to Genesis but I do not really get this……more of a cross of Supertramp say and Ange. This album offers a nice varied range of themes and ideas from pop-like phrases to symphonic mountains of mashed potatoes. One thing Machiavel were able to do is certainly write memorable music and had a knack of writing prog music that would really stick in your head and you will find yourself hours later humming parts of this album (at least this does it for me!). | |||
| So I must tell you that generally speaking Christmas albums are not progressive, but no so with Tull’s seasonal album. Here you will find nothing of what you might hear in the aisles and corridors of Wal-Mart or Zellers. Anderson and Co. have written 16 new brilliant and mostly original songs of holiday lore based around the magical flute. There are a few traditional tracks from which Tull borrow from and then completely re-arrange in their classic style. Overall this is a fairly laid back side of Tull (after all it is Christams kids!), but having said that this might be your very favourite Christmas album that you can proudly play from Aunt Mary and Grandma Ethel. Line up is Ian Anderson , Martin Barre, Doane Perry (Percussion), Andrew Giddings (Keys) and Jonathan Noyce (Bass) to compliment the band. A superb Christmas album full of the holiday yore and a great album to have a few nogs with. | |||
| Even Kansas were forced to write a “Hit Song” and with this pressure “Masque” was exactly that as an album……a true disguise for a progressive rock album with on the surface some stronger pop tendencies. Recorded on the dovetails of “Song For America” and in fact in the same year, this album carries some clear similarities and in many ways is the sister album. Again this is classic era Kansas with some great vocalizations, e-bow , guitar, keyboards, bass and drum interplay. Masque contains one of Kansas greatest epic tracks “Pinnacle” which pushes all the right buttons for me. As you listen to this album you can definitely hear elements of “Leftoverture” beginning to form and of course leads nicely into this prog rock masterpiece. “Masque” is a far too oft forgotten album and IMHO is a wonderful album. | |||
| As you have likely seen I am a big fan of the more progressive side of John McLaughlin as well as that of Carlos Santana. Inspired by the music of John Coltrane, Santana and McLaughlin brought their musical and ideological devotion together for this one great album full of psychedelic acid guitar work, jazz rock fusion instincts and world music variations. The end result is a bit of a musical experimentation sounding really like a mix of early Mahavishnu Orchestra with Pink Floyd and early Santana. Assisting on this albums includes Billy Cobham (Drums), Doug Rauch (Bass), Larry Young (Organ), Jan Hammer, Mike Shrieve and Don Alias (Drums) and Armando Peraza (Congas). Of course this album is really full of great guitar (both electric and acoustic) work and the very highest musical skill. For those who may not think of this album as a progressive album should only need to listen to the opening track and their creative interpretation of Coltrane’s masterpiece to appreciate my classification (Remember not every prog album needs to fit a prototypical format and I am offering a much wider definition of what progrock should be). No debate this is a great album. | |||
| With Heavy 70’s influences and a more modern sound, Ad Infinitum have released an interesting debut album. Ad Infinitum is essentially the work of ex-Cathedral ‘s keyboardist Todd Braverman who was driven to record an album with 70’s prog rock sensitivities and accomplished this in style here. This album showcases vintage keyboard work, warm 12 string acoustic guitars and electric guitar, clean bass lines and excellent drumming. Vocals are handled by a guy named ‘Goose’ whose voice sounds quite fitting for the music and offers a nice range. Overall I would categorize this recording in similar light to US bands Big Picture and Illuvator. | |||
| Salisbury was Uriah Heep’s (Mk 1) second release and clearly redirected the band's style in a progressive rock direction. Without a question David Byron had one of the best rock voices and on this album sounds stunning. “Salisbury” covers a wide range of musical themes..from the quaint to the psychedelic….from the metal to the symphonic classic progressive rock 70’s vibe. Although the whole album is a standout for me, I suppose the centrepiece is the 17 minute epic title track which utilized to its full richness with a 26-piece orchestra and intermixed with ‘the Heep’s’ hard rock tendencies. I love Mick Box’s guitar riffs and how they are juxtaposed over Hensley’s grinding organ chunks creating a kind of dark and dirty 70’s underground rock vibe while Bryon’s voice hits heavenly heights. Uriah Heep had some wonderful vinyl moments but none better than on Salisbury and is an essential 70’s gem. | |||
| Either hated or totally loved, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia offers for this music lover an album of wondrous progressive instrumentation and highly crafted epic tales. With 3 keyboardists at hand Utopia definitely takes some cosmic twists and turns here with some lovely progressive tendencies. This album offers it all….some fantastic melodies, some wild frenzied moments, lots of cosmic symphonia all encased in 3 epic tracks. Side two is essentially a 30 min epic called “The Ikon” which to this day still represents one of my many beloved epic tracks. Without a question this album showcases the more experimental side of Todd Rundgren blending in elements of Frank Zappa with perhaps the aura of Kansas and bits of Yes for good measure. | |||
| Strange brew these guys were sipping when they recorded “Little Red Record” ...right from the opening vocalizations to the final track, we are greeted by some highly inventive instrumentation and clever song writing. For those hunting for the best work of Robert Wyatt I would have to put this in that shared category. Matching Mole played a finely crafted Canterbury’ish styled fusion prog rock which featured the talents of Dave MacRae and Bill MacCormick (Quiet Sun), Robert Wyatt , Phil Miller of Hatfield and the North and even a guest appearance by Brian Eno on synthesizer. With the album being produced by Crimson’s Robert Fripp you know we might be in for something kind of special. The end result is really a smattering of witty and often thrilling avant-fusion album bringing a slightly more gritty feel to the Canterbury scene…….really hear mixes of King Crimson , Gentle Giant, Caravan and Hatfield. For me this is a superb album and one you must snang....some deep and wonderful progressive moments. | |||
| 1980 was not only the turn of a new decade for Yes but it also started on a new note with Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman leaving the band to pursue a different direction. Enter new wave, punk and Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn of the Buggles and by most critics Yes were all but dried up. However they did the unthinkable with Drama and that is put out a very good lively album with a certain 80’s kick and yet 100% Yes all the way thru. So without going into the story of Yes (many other have documented this better than I) lets chat a bit about Drama. Horn does a great pseudo-anderson –like interpretation with Squire and Howe helping with background harmonies which for many might actually fake you really into believing Jon Anderson is actually singing. As you would expect the bass and drum interplay are clever a deep sounding with great flare. Howe’s guitar work is choice as is Downes keyboard work. The songs are very memorable with Tempus Fugit rising I suppose to the tops (Machine Messiah also for me). Overall perhaps not quite at the level of "Close To The Edge" but still a very solid album and one I think too many people discount. | |||
| One thing you can not criticize Nektar for and that is making albums that sound the same. “Sounds Like This” was the result of a 2 day live in studio recording experiment without great gobs of editing and studio trickery….they were pretty much just captured live and raw. The end result is still a very much psychedelic Nektar rock sound with a certain raw vibe throughout. The big problem with “Sounds Like This” was that it was sandwitched between “Tab In The Ocean” and “Remember The Future” and has forever been sadly greyed out by many in perspective. Let me set the record straight and tell you this is one amazing album……..I love the big extended jams that these guys get into and at times actually reminds me more of Deep Purple than Nektar. Many tracks rock out and although do not carry the concept charisma of their legendary recordings, does ignite all candles for this music lover. Roye Albrighton’s guitar work is perhaps his best on any album as he demonstrates his incredible dexterity and skill with some great solos. This might be really Nektar’s most rock oriented album but still carries lots of progressive tendencies. This album was originally released as a double vinyl album and clocks in at about 75 mins and really does not stop from start to finish. Overall a superb album. | |||
| Supersister were a Canterbury’ish 4 man act from The Hague who managed to release a few real beauties with “Present From Nancy” being one of the standout albums. Drawing on aspects of Gentle Giant and Egg this band get in to some real musical predicaments. The Line-up: on this album was Robert Jan Stips (vocals, keyboards), Ron van Eck (bass, guitar), Marco Vrolijk (drums, vocals) and Sacha van Geest (vocals, flute). Supersister's music is quite varied and complex with an original mix of progressive, jazz, rock, classical and fusion genres never really resting. Musically this is actually shares some of the musical shifts reminiscent of the work of Frank Zappa. Also at times I get an early Pink Floyd (aka Ummagumma) vibe which may rest more in their use of percussion and keyboards. Supersister blend complex drum and fuzz bass interplay with keyboards and flutes and really create a wall of fantastic music for your mind. Surprisingly this album does not really feature any dominant guitar work and yet feels so lively and fresh. Very much recommended to all lovers of Canterbury prog. | |||
| For me Rick Wakeman’s solo work is often hit or miss but certainly “Journey and Six Wives” are pure classics and Rick landed something special with the release of “Criminal Record”. Certainly the music contained on this album far exceeds the cheesie cover it is embarrassingly is adorned in. Wakeman recorded this album following his work with Yes in 1977 on “Going for the One” and really catches him in a creative stratum. Rick is joined by fellow Yes-men Chris Squire and Alan White who contribute some superb bass and drum interplay. Although this album is not as pompous as many of Wakeman’s album he still does employ a wide range of keyboards including Grand Piano, Mini-Moog, Polymoog, Hammond C3 Organ, Birotron, Mander Pipe Organ, RMI Computer Keyboard, Harpsichord, Birotron, Fender Rhodes, Hohner Clavinet, Mander Pipe Organ, RMI, Mander Pipe Organ, Organ and Church Organ. The song writing on this album is also very strong with some breathtaking melodies and interludes. This is one of those albums that once you are roped into will sweep you away ands likely stay close to your hifi for eternity. The end result is an exceptional keyboard dominated prog rock album with that unique Rick Wakeman classical feel. Must also thank my pal Ken Baird for putting me onto this album of Rick's. | |||
| I really adored The Tangent’s debut “The Music That Died Alone” and for me this album really picks off right where they left off. With heavy Flower Kings influences, “The World That We Drive Through” is a wonderful album offering some great musicianship and song writing. In contrast to their debut, this album might take a few more listens before the big pull occurs for some. Again this album has been very well recorded and will sounds pretty full on a good hifi system. Roine Stolt’s guitar playing is far too cool and this is when I like him best… when he is soloing out !. Jonas Reingold’s bass interplay and Zoltan’s drumming is tight and as always creative. Andy Tillison takes on a pretty well full lead vocal role and I will say his voice has taken some time for me to fully warm up to but now I appreciate his sharp contrast pressed against the progressive rock wall of sounds the rest of the band emit. “The World That We Drive Through” is made of up 5 longer tracks which are given lots of room to expand and breathe. Man these guys are cool. | |||
| My first encounter with the music of Jukka Tolonen was via one of my alltime favourite prog bands WIGWAM. He recorded with Wigwam on a few of the early albums before releasing this little gem in 1971. This short 5 track all instrumental album is nothing short of 32 mins of the most brilliant music your ears can hear. Tolonen's music covers quite a range with some soft interludes, psychedelic distorted acid guitars and wah wah chunks. Jukka also plays the piano with a high degree of competency and does so with great emotion. Musically Tolonen! hits jazz, prog rock, Canterbury and psychedelic. I snagged the 24 bit remastered version and the sound quality is superb. If you have just read this review then your next move has to be to order this CD ! | |||
| The “God Of Hell Fire” returns with a terrifying foreboding album full of dark progressive moods and psychedelic auras. I really had no idea that these guys were so good and so progressive. With Authur Brown on vocals, Andy Dalby on guitars, Michael "Goodge" Harris on organ, Julian Paul Brown on VCS-3 synthesizer, Desmon Fisher on bass, and Martin "Slim" Steer on drums these guys were able to create an incredible album that simple “lives”. In case anyone listens to this album for the first time I warn you that you may suffer severe brain damage. I guess you could place it somewhere in the company of a cross of good ol’ Van Der Graaf Generator with maybe hints of Atomic Rooster, Pink Floyd and hints of Vanilla Fudge. Arthur Brown was know as an artist that did the unexpected and on this album there is a track “Metal Monster” which was recorded for a portion backwards and sounds like it is skipping,,,,,this is in fact intentional and not a manufactures defect. The end result is a quirky monster prog album with some amazing warm tones and wild stuff abounding. One of Unger’s favs and a necessary album to own in your collection. But again I warn you it may blow you mind ! | |||
| As is often the case, before Canada’s “April Wine” hit their classic rock stide they release a gem of a debut album that plays more like in the genre of prog rock. This first album was the only one with the 3 Henman brothers (David and Ritchie and cousin Jim) and fellow musician with the name of Myles Goodwyn. Although this album ultimately established Myles Goodwyn as the key composer in the band (“Fast Train” was I suppose the hit off this album), it is the other 8 tracks that play in the progressive/psychedelic rock camp and make this album very worthy of mention. Without a question this is a very different sounding “April Wine” than would appear on their subsequent albums and really sounds more like a machination of early Pink Floyd , “Ian MacDonald era King Crimson” and early Chris De Burgh. Overall a surprisingly cool album with some great vibes. | |||
| “Return To Fantasy” saw Gary Thain replaced by Asia/King Crimson’s John Wetton who brought a new feel into the Heep’s sound. This album has all the heavy tones and grinds you would expect from Uriah Heep with David Byron’s powerful operatic rock voice, Mick Box’s guitar work , Ken Hensley’s keyboards and Lee Kepslake’s drumming. There is no question that this is a heavy toned concept album with dark progressive overtones. I grew up with the music of Uriah Heep and always found something magical in this band with “Return To Fantasy” ranking as one of my favs (certainly from the mid 70’s work). Once again the Castle Records Re-mastered CD version offers some pretty amazing sound quality (ie. speaker panning) for your stereo. Highly recommended. | |||
