Freedom to Music
Archive for February, 2007
Morphine – Like Swimming (1997) (@192)
28 Feb 2007
(Review from amazon.com)
Morphine’s music, which connects with listeners on a very physical level, is so simple it’s amazing no one’s done it before. Using exclusively low-register instruments, Mark Sandman’s two-string bass and baritone voice, and Dana Colley’s bass and baritone saxophones, the band’s songs actually reverberate in the chest, treating listeners to a low-impact massage. And anything that feels this good can’t be bad.
But Morphine’s blessing–that distinctive low rock sound–is also their curse. Not only do they bind themselves to an instantly recognizable sound, but they also limit themselves in their arrangements: Voice and sax can each hit only one note at a time (though Colley sometimes manages to honk two saxes at once), while the bass can manage a two-note interval at best. It’s hard being dynamic using only three or four sounds.
So where does that leave Like Swimming, Morphine’s fourth album (and first since signing on with the big boys at DreamWorks)? Pretty much where the band started, it seems–with a blessing and a curse. As with past records, Like Swimming is easy to appreciate, full of loping bass lines and slithery sax riffs that strut through jazzy rock numbers like “Wishing Well” and “Empty Box.” But while newcomers may be happy with the band’s warm swing, others will pine for the first time they heard the band’s earlier breakthrough on Cure For Pain. Only with the album closer “Swing It Low” (a title that could be a band manifesto) does Morphine hint at changes to come: With guitar, keyboards, programmed drums, and no saxophone, the song (first released as a Sandman solo project) proves it possible to capture Morphine’s noir moods in midrange as well.
Line-up:
* Dana Colley / Saxophone
* Billy Conway / Drums
* Mark Sandman / Bass, Vocals
Track List:
01. Lilah
02. Potion
03. I Know You, Pt. 3
04. Early to Bed
05. Wishing Well
06. Like Swimming
07. Murder for the Money
08. French Fries With Pepper
09. Empty Box
10. Eleven O’Clock
11. Hanging on a Curtain
12. Swing It Low
Link in comments.
Tim Dawe – Penrod (1970) (@256)
28 Feb 2007
(Reveiw from Blue Orchard Records)
The old adage “timing is everything” certainly applies in the case of Jerry Penrod. Had the singer-songwriter recorded the single Junkie John a few months earlier, Penrod, whose albums appeared under the name of his alter-ego, Tim Dawe, would surely have become a major star. However, as misfortune would have it, just as Junkie John, a catchy psychedelic rock tune, was beginning to achieve serious airplay, America’s dreaded FCC launched a crack-down on all drug-related music, thereby denying Junkie John the commercial success it was surely destined to achieve. Penrod, for his part, was philosophical “I had a great fifteen minutes while it lasted” he later opined.
Penrod, which originally appeared in 1969 on Frank Zappa’s vanity label, Straight Records along with albums by Tim Buckley, Judy Henske, Captain Beefheart and Alice Cooper, is justifiably regarded as one of the greatest psychedelic albums of all time. Stuffed full of folk-rock, varied keyboards and inspired acid guitar, the album contains what are now regarded as four self-penned masterpieces, and although Dawe/Penrod only added one further album to his canon of recorded work (Timothy And Ms Pickens With Natural Act, released on Half Moon Bay Records in 1976), he contributed a number of songs to albums by It’s A Beautiful Day, Rod Taylor, and even Iron Butterfly, of which he was an early member.
In every sense, from its idiosyncratic cover art to its incredible music, Penrod is a psychedelic classic.
Track List:
01. Scarlet Women
02. Nite Train Home
03. Nothing At All
04. Little Boy Blue
05. Junkie John
06. Sometimes Alone
07. No Exit (Cafe & Gallery)
08. I’m Comin’
09. Some Other Time
10. Didn’t We Love
Link in comments.
Birth Control – Hoodoo Man (1972) (@256)
28 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
When it comes to German progressive hard rock based on the Deep Purple formula, none were better than Birth Control, formed in 1968. The band name was a reaction against the Pope’s declaration that contraceptives were sinful.
Their third album “Hoodoo Man” was released in January 1973 and contained 6 tracks that refined their sound even more. This is a brilliant album with very confident guitar and organ riffs and interplay. It has longer numbers and an energetic hard-progressive resemble more of Atomic Rooster. Noske’s voice had improved (he became one of the best German male vocalists) and he also drummed better than ever. The cover art wasn’t as outrageous as the usual Birth Control standard: just a drawing of a very big, fat woman repressing a little wind-up man!
Line-up:
- Bruno Frenzel / guitar, vocals
- Bernd Koschmidder / bass
- Wolfgang Neuser / keyboards, vibraphone
- Bernd Noske / drums, percussion, vocals
Track List:
01. Buy! (7:10)
02. Suicide (6:16)
03. Get down to your fate (7:58)
04. Gamma ray (9:44)
05. Hoodoo man (8:25)
06. KlaustoB (2:40)
Link in comments.
Kayak – See See the Sun (1973) (@256)
27 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
An undeservedly underrated group is Kayak. Perhaps part of the reason for its relatively low profile is that it occupies a strange middle ground, with an unlikely combination of pop/rock vocal segments that owe more to Todd Rundgren than any main progressive rock group, interspersed with strong symphonic progressive rock as well. The vocals of Kayak’s first lead singer Max Werner aren’t that great, but are not a negative factor for me either while the classic line-up of Werner (vocals/mellotron), Tom Scherpenzeel (keyboards), Johan Slager (guitars), Cees van Leeuwen (bass) and Pim Koopman (drums) that cut the first two albums is highly competent, but far from flashy … even during the lengthy instrumental interludes.
To top it all, Kayak have made many line-up shifts and passed through a number of styles. While the current outfit is making strong, neo-prog tinged music, I’m one of those who thinks that this early progressive pop phase saw Kayak at its best. In fact, I don’t think it gets any better than See See The Sun.
Reason For It All ( with a healthy dose of Yes influences), the storming Mouldy Wood, the sparse, melodramatic Lovely Luna and the beautiful Beatlesque title track are probably my personal highlights, but this album has to be taken as a whole, for it is well balanced and possesses a great flow … best exemplified by the moment when the edgy rocker Hope For A Life comes right after the seduction of Lovely Luna. Kayak also prove that you don’t need length to be progressive … Mammoth goes through a number of phases in a period of less than three minutes! I really like this record, and even my least favourite track, the schmaltzy Forever Is A Lonely Thought has a very nice Scherpenzeel piano solo.
There is a light (but not lightweight) feeling about Kayak’s music that makes me think that this is one classic-era prog band that neo-prog fans will really enjoy. And even though they sound nothing like either ELO, Supertramp or the Alan Parsons Project (and indeed are emphatically more progressive) I do believe it is fans at this end of the scale who will derive the most joy from Kayak’s music. And See See The Sun, surely Kayak’s finest album, is the best place to start.
Line-up:
- Ton Scherpenzeel / piano’s Synths, organ, harpsicord, vocals, accordion
- Pim Koopman / drums, percussion, Marimba, vocals
- Johan Slager / guitars, vocals
- Max Werner / mellotrons, percussion, vocals
- Cees van Leeuwen / bass, harmonica
Track List:
01. Reason For It All (6:29)
02. Lyrics (3:42)
03. Mouldy Wood (5:16)
04. Lovely Luna (8:19)
05. Hope For A Life (6:49)
06. Ballet Of The Cripple (4:39)
07. Forever Is A Lonely Thought (5:26)
08. Mammoth (2:57)
09. See See The Sun (4:13)
10. Still Try To Write A Book (Bonus) (2:01)
11. Give It A Name (Bonus) (2:44)
Link in comments.
Joan Baez – Folksingers 'Round Harvard Square (1959) (@128-160-192)
27 Feb 2007
Sorry for the not so good quality. Better rips are welcome.
(Review from allmusic.com)
In the late ’50s, prior to signing with Vanguard, Joan Baez recorded this album in a basement, sometimes performing with Bill Wood and Ted Alevizos. It wasn’t wholly Baez’ album, as only six of the 13 tracks were Baez solo performances. On two she performed with Wood, and on one she performed with Wood and Alevizos; two of the tracks featured Wood solo, and two Alevizos solo. Baez was already handling traditional material such as “Black Is the Color,” and her voice was a little less strident than it would become when she rose to national visibility. It’s a basic recording that is primarily of historical interest, although — as those things go — it has definite value. In 1963, it was issued by Squire Records as The Best of Joan Baez, but was withdrawn after it had made the Top 50, when Baez took legal action against it.
Track List:
01. Banks Of The Ohio
02. What A Beautiful City
03. Sail Away Ladies
04. Black Is The Color
05. Lowlands
06. What You Gonna Call Your Pretty Little Baby
07. Kitty
08. So Soon In The Morning
09. Careless Love
10. Le Cheval Dans La Baignoire (Horse In The Bathtub)
11. John Henry
12. Travelin’ Shoes
13. Bold Soldier
14. Walie Walie
15. Rejected Lover
16. Astrapsen (The Sun Is Risen)
17. Lass From The Low Country
18. Don’t Weep After Me
Link in comments.
Morphine – Yes (1995) (@192)
27 Feb 2007
(Review from allmusic.com)
On their third release, 1995′s Yes, Morphine shied away from the more accessible direction they laid down on 1993′s superb Cure for Pain, going for a more challenging (but just as rewarding) direction. While the singles/videos “Honey White” and “Super Sex” did contain a pop edge (and were the album’s best), other tracks, such as “The Jury” and “Sharks” pushed the envelope by containing lyrics that sound as if they’re stream of consciousness. Like its predecessor, it’s a highly consistent album — even the lesser-known tracks are integral to the album’s overall makeup. “Scratch,” “All Your Way,” “I Had My Chance,” “Free Love,” and “Gone for Good” all sound like the observations of a broken-down man, steeped in despair. But the mood lightens up on such selections as “Radar” and the title track, plus the aforementioned singles. With nearly all alt-rock bands sounding identical and bashing angrily away at their instruments in 1995, Morphine proved to be in a league all by themselves. Yes is perhaps just a shade less spectacular than Cure for Pain, but certainly not by much.
Track List:
01. Honey White – 3:06
02. Scratch – 3:13
03. Radar – 3:28
04. Whisper – 3:28
05. Yes – 2:00
06. All Your Way – 3:04
07. Super Sex – 3:53
08. I Had a Chance – 3:05
09. The Jury – 2:07
10. Sharks – 2:22
11. Free Love – 4:14
12. Gone for Good – 2:52
Link in comments.
Whitesnake – Lovehunter (1979) (@256)
26 Feb 2007
(Review from wikipedia, amazon.co.uk)
Whitesnake was the band formed by vocalist David Coverdale after his acrimonious departure from Deep Purple. During the band’s early years, its music was primarily blues rock (although, Coverdale himself described Whitesnake’s early style as, “progressive R&B”). At this time, the band was made up of; Coverdale himself, Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody and Neil Murray. The drummer and keyboard slot changed a few times.
Intended as a vehicle for his own brand of bluesy vox-heavy rock (the first album was a set of ballads), the project quickly grew to include the gargantuan keyboards and pyrotechnic percussion of Deep Purple’s Jon Lord and Ian Paice, the sound becoming fuller, the lyrics more overtly predatory. Love Hunter, recorded before Paice’s arrival, was immediately notorious for a sleeve featuring a buxom woman sitting lasciviously astride an enormous snake. Lovehunter’s lurid cover art featuring a naked white female straddling a large snake was created by famed fantasy artist Chris Achilleos. Achilleos’ original Lovehunter artwork was stolen in the 1980s and has yet to be recovered.
The album revealed Coverdale, who was often dismissed as a mere sexist rocker, to be a master of various forms–dirty, dark-hearted rock (“Mean Business”), incorrigibly sensual R&B (“Rock’n'Roll Women”), and slow, impassioned and soulful anthems (“Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues”). Leading to 10 years of unremitting success, Love Hunter was Whitesnake’s purest offering.
Line-up:
* David Coverdale – vocals
* Micky Moody – guitars
* Bernie Marsden – guitars
* Jon Lord – keyboards
* Neil Murray – bass
* Dave Dowle – drums
Track List:
01. Long Way From Home – 4:56
02. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues – 4:24
03. Help Me Thro’ The Day – 4:39
04. Medicine Man – 3:59
05. You ‘N’ Me – 3:30
06. Mean Business – 3:48
07. Love Hunter – 5:39
08. Outlaw – 4:03
09. Rock ‘N’ Roll Women – 4:45
10. We Wish You Well – 1:34
Link in comments.
Grobschnitt – Rockpommel's Land (1977) (@256)
26 Feb 2007
(Review from vintageprog.com)
From the cover to the concept, music, arrangements and atmosphere this is a very accomplished symphonic progressive rock album, and undoubtedly Grobschnitt’s finest studio-album. A concept album about a young boy who flies away in his paper-plane and meet a giant bird who takes him to a fantasy land called Rockpommel’s Land. The album consists of four, lengthy, complex and strong tracks. The arrangements are stuffed with everything you want: mellotron, organ and lots of tasteful and very symphonic sounding synths and guitars. It’s not often I hear an album that reminds me so much about why I started to listen to progressive rock in the first place. Symphonic, majestic, great and a concept so far from reality as you can get. The music is well written and structured, and there’s no point in pointing out highlights here. For any symphonic progressive rock fan, the whole album is a highlight. The lyrics are very amusing and make the album to a world of its own. If you enjoy this style of progressive rock, then you’ll surely take a lot of trips to Rockpommel’s Land.
Line-up:
- Stefan Danielak (Wildschwein) / lead vocals, acoustic & rhythm guitars
- Joachim Ehrig (Eroc) / drums, percussion, electonic f/x
- Wolfgang Jäger (Popo) / bass
- Volker Kahrs (Mist) / keyboards, Mellotron, synthesizers
- Gerd-Otto Kühn (Lupo) / acoustic & electric guitars, vocals
Track List:
01. Ernie’s Reise (10:56)
02. Severity town (10:05)
03. Anywhere (4:13)
04. Rockpommel’s Land (20:55)
05. Tontillon (6:15)
Link in comments.
Morphine – Bootleg Detroit (1994) (@192)
26 Feb 2007
(Info from wikipedia, allmusic.com, amazon.com)
Bootleg Detroit is the only authorized release of a live recording of Morphine. Recorded by a fan during Cure for Pain tour on March 7, 1994 at St. Andrew’s Hall in Detroit, Michigan, it was edited and mixed under Mark Sandman’s supervision. He also laid out, and delivered, the low-fi artwork for the album.
While the tapes were mastered by Sandman, the original quality of the recording cannot be overcome. The drum sound echoes, and the baritone sax and bass are muddy. However, Sandman’s dry voice shines through fairly well. The total package is somewhat voyeuristic, as if Bootleg Detroit were meant to sound like putting an ear up against the outside of a theater. For those who never got the chance to see Morphine’s amazing live show, this is, sadly, as close as one can get.
Still, this is a good document of Morphine’s excellent live show and displays the energy and passion that they played with during the tour that supported their breakthrough album. On the whole the album stands as a loving tribute to an innovative band.
Line-up:
* Mark Sandman – 2 string slide bass, vocals, organ, tritar, guitar, piano
* Dana Colley – baritone sax, tenor sax, double sax, triangle
* Billy Conway – various percussion
Track List:
01. Intro
02. Come along
03. Dana Intro
04. Mary
05. Banter 1
06. Candy
07. Sheila
08. Billy Intro
09. Claire
10. My Brain
11. Banter 2
12. Head With Wings
13. Cure For Pain
14. You Speak My Language
15. Thursday
16. Banter 3
17. You Look Like Rain
18. Buena
Link in comments.
Gentle Giant – Acquiring the Taste (1971) (@256)
25 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
Despite the rather Rolling Stones-ish album cover, ‘Acquiring The Taste’ saw Gentle Giant moving beyond anything familiar and conventional. After the first album’s heavier adventures (still a progressive album, and still one of their best), ‘Acquiring The Taste’ firmly established that Gentle Giant was off on a trip of rock experimentation that wouldn’t slow down until 1978 or so.
The wide variety of instrumentation, and they way the instruments are represented (through some really inventive studio work and a nice warm recording), immediately sets this album apart from its less layered predecessor. Adding to the wide spectrum of instrumentation, the variety of vocal approaches is also pleasing. The dark melancholy of “Black Cat” and the eerie “Edge Of Twilight” offer some of the album’s more esoteric journeys. But it’s “Pantagruel’s Nativity” and especially “The House, The Street, The Room” that offer quintessential Gentle Giant. Myriad mood shifts, a variety of vocal textures, inventive arrangements, virtuoso musicians playing to the strength of the song, polyrhythms, unpredictability…all the band’s treasured hallmarks are here. And the raw, guitar-centered aspects of their first album remain intact, as heard amidst “Wreck”, “Pantagruel’s Nativity” and “Plain Truth” (seriously ballsy, edgy violin by Ray Shulman on that last one!). Every song in its place, every one fascinating.
Still early in their development, Gentle Giant were already playing very mature, intelligent music. I even find it more enjoyable than some of their key mid-’70s albums. The songs flow smoother than some of their later compositions, and Derek Shulman’s voice doesn’t sound strained, as it often would on those later (still amazing) albums.
Line-up:
- Gary Green / 6 string guitar, 12 string guitar, 12 string wah-wah guitar, donkey’s jawbone, cat calls, voice
- Kerry Minnear / electric piano, organ, mellotron, vibraphone, Moog, piano, celeste, clavichord, harpsichord, tympani, maracas, lead vocals
- Derek Shulman / alto sax, clavichord, cowbell, lead vocals
- Phil Shulman / alto & tenor sax, clarinet, trumpet, piano, claves, maracas, lead vocals
- Ray Shulman / bass, violin, viola, electric violin, Spanish guitar, tambourine, 12 string guitar, organ bass pedals, skulls, vocals
- Martin Smith / drums, tambourine, gongs, side drum
- Assisted by Paul Cosh (trumpet, organ) and Tony Visconti (recorder, bass drum, triangle)
Track List:
01. Pantagruel’s Nativity (6:50)
02. Edge Of Twilight (3:47)
03. The House, The Street, The Room (6:01)
04. Acquiring The Taste (1:36)
05. Wreck (4:36)
06. The Moon Is Down (4:45)
07. Black Cat (3:51)
08. Plain Truth (7:36)
Link in comments.
Ufo – Phenomenon (1974) (@256)
25 Feb 2007
(Review from allmusic.com, wikipedia, amazon.com)
In 1973, the band left the UK to play some dates in Germany. Their guitarist at the time, Bernie Marsden, forgot his passport and was unable to make the first gig. At the venue UFO spotted Michael playing a soundcheck with the Scorpions and managed to persuade him into playing that evening’s show. Despite a big time German-English language barrier, he joined the band full-time following those gigs.
Michael Schenker’s impact upon UFO’s career cannot be overestimated. Before the German teenager’s arrival (he was only 19 then), the British rockers’ early albums of half-baked space rock had been completely ignored everywhere but Japan. But with Schenker on board, the group’s sound would receive a well-needed attitude injection, veering toward the Anglo-hard rock style that would make them famous.
The new Schenker guitar style surrounded the whole record. “Oh My” opens the album with a jumping-hard-happy tune in the same style of other album tracks like “To Young To Know”. There are also ballads, such as “Time On My Hands”, “Crystal Light” or “Space Child”, with acoustic guitars, melodic bass and the baritone full passion of Mogg’s voice. A tribute to Willie Dixon (“Built For Comfort”) and a Schenker instrumental (“Lipstick Traces”) were also included to magnify an album that ends with “Queen Of The Deep”. Big hits, “Doctor Doctor” and “Rock Bottom” also comes from this album.
All in all, this is a very strong album. Not UFO’s best from the Schenker era, but damn good nonetheless.
Line-up:
* Phil Mogg – vocals
* Michael Schenker – guitar
* Pete Way – bass
* Andy Parker – drums
Track List:
01. Oh My
02. Crystal Light
03. Doctor Doctor
04. Space Child
05. Rock Bottom
06. Too Young To Know
07. Time On My Hands
08. Built For Comfort
09. Lipstick Traces
10. Queen Of The Deep
Link in comments.
Morphine – Good (1992) (@192)
25 Feb 2007
(Review from allmusic.com, amazon.com)
Morphine was formed in 1990 by bassist/vocalist Mark Sandman, who had previously played with the bluesy alternative rock band Treat Her Right, and Dana Colley (tenor and baritone saxophone), a former member of the local Boston group Three Colors. Sandman and Colley added drummer Jerome Dupree to complete the lineup.
With no guitars and a half a set of bass strings, Morphine managed to rock harder than most of their fret-bound competition while retaining the slippery nocturnal undercurrent that would become their signature sound. On this 1992 debut album, the Boston trio strips down the minor-key blues of frontman Mark Sandman’s former group, Treat Her Right, and adds a host of off-kilter elements. Sandman’s slide bass and narcoleptic vocals are perfectly complemented by Dana Colley’s frenetic baritone sax, which he plays like a cross between Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Van Der Graaf Generator’s David Jackson. Sandman reportedly played one-string bass for this album (he’d later expand to two), and the sound quality here is murkier than on subsequent efforts. But tracks such as the infectious “You Speak My Language” and the prophetic “Do Not Go Quietly unto Your Grave” (Sandman would die onstage in 1999) are powerful indicators of Morphine’s dark musical glories to come.
Line-up:
* Dana Colley / Saxophone, Vocals
* Billy Conway / Drums
* Jerry Deupree / Drums
* Jim Fitting / Bass, Harmonica
* Mark Sandman / Organ, Bass, Guitar, Vocals, Tritar
Track List:
01. Good
02. The Saddest Song
03. Claire
04. Have A Lucky Day
05. You Speak My Language
06. You Look Like Rain
07. Do Not Go Quietly Unto Your Grave
08. Lisa
09. The Only One
10. Test-Tube Baby/Shoot’m Down
11. The Other Side
12. I Know You (Part I)
13. I Know You (Part II)
Link in comments.
Colosseum II – Wardance (1978) (@256)
24 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
The 3rd and (sadly) final album from this remarkable ensemble came shortly after their second album, “Electric Savage”. It sounds more mature than the other two records. The rhythm-section is amazing, what a dynamic and propulsive sound. Don Airey plays lots of great solos (minimoog, fender rhodes, hammond organ) and Gary Moore delivers his best work, his guitar play is more varied and subtle than during his blues – and heavy metal days (a blistering, wah-wah drenched solo in “Star Maiden/Mysterioso/Quasar and a mind blowing guitar-overdub duet with Spanish guitar and fiery electric guitar). But the most thrilling element on this album is the interplay between Don Airey’s spectacular Minimoog flights and Gary Moore’s biting electric guitar. The crappy “Castles” (boring vocals and boring climate) is the downside of the album but the other seven instrumental tracks are splendid symphonic jazz rock!
Line-up:
- Don Airey / keyboards, synthesizers, tubular bells
- Jon Hiseman / drums, percussion, tympani, gongs
- John Mole / basses
- Gary Moore / guitars, vocals
Track List:
01. Wardance (6:09)
02. Major keys (5:18)
03. Put it this way (3:42)
04. Castles (5:50)
05. Fighting back (5:54)
06. The inquisition (5:50)
07. Star maiden / Mysterioso / Quasar (6:24)
08. Last exit (3:30)
Link in comments.
Black Oak Arkansas – Ain't Life Grand (1975) (@256)
24 Feb 2007
(Review from amazon.com)
What does a band do when in its first half dozen albums it has established itself as a populist band of rural boys who alternate between a musical love for metal and roots music, and a lyrical bent which features songs about sex, metaphysics, and Arkansas ways? Change, grow, and flourish, of course!
“Ain’t Life Grand” shows a Black Oak Arkansas with a more polished sound than any of their previous albums, and yet a sound which can satisfy both the band’s “rocker” fans and the fans of the band’s quirky, populist absurdities.
Although Black Oak Arkansas was a band from the south who sang about regional themes, rock historians tend to place Black Oak Arkansas in a different basket from the other “southern” bands such as the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker Band or Charlie Daniels Band. Black Oak Arkansas went their own way, as self-taught music populists who combined a love for regional settings and metaphysics with a love for both heavy metal and bluegrass conventions. Although Black Oak Arkansas’ early studio albums might be comparable to the softer sound of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, the band live (and on their live album) rocked with a three guitar attack as if metal were going out of style. During their early days, musicianship (excepting Tommmy Aldridge) was not considered their strong point–instead, in the pre-punk era, this was a band of kids who picked up guitars to escape rural poverty.
“Ain’t Life Grand”, however, shows that the band was not entirely immune to the influence of “southern rock”, nor to the earlier influences of the sixties artists. Moreover, “Ain’t Life Grand” shows that even the most resolutely populist band can acquire a bit of polish after spending a decade on the road 300 nights a year. The result is an entirely pleasing album.
The album opens with a surprising cover of George Harrison’s “Taxman”. Black Oak Arkansas had a love for backing harmonies, which work very well here. In “Fancy Nancy”, the band tackles one of their usual lyrical exercises in somehow retro-sensibility erotic longing, over a solid, very appealing bass-driven melody. In “Keep On”, the band deftly handles an upbeat country-pop song, and in particular Jim Dandy’s vocals have a sweetness to them which belies the usual “mouth full of crackers” image attributed to his work. The songs “Good Stuff” and “Rebel” fit more or less in the traditional “southern rock” mode, while “Back Door Man” features good production values over the band’s trademark “nasty” lyrical themes. “Love Can Be Found” is a jaunty, poppy number celebrating the variety of human expression, while “Diggin’ for Gold” is a workable but unmemorable tune. The album closes, though, with two of the most fun Black Oak Arkansas tunes. In “Crying’ Shame”, a redeeming, ringing guitar-glissandi rocker is accompanied by a winning lyric about the disadvantages of urban living, while “Let Life Be Good to You” is a peppy anthem-like upbeat celebration, the kind of unrestrained common-man bit of fun that Black Oak Arkansas could do so well.
This album is a recognizably Black Oak album, but it shows an Allman Brothers influence not often in evidence for Black Oak Arkansas. The productive values are extremely good here, giving the band a richer sound without making them sound over-produced. In past albums, the studio albums seemed to present a somewhat more rockin’ Ozark Mountain Daredevils, while the live album had shown a metal party band. This album shows both sides of the band, to good effect.
They say that the road exhausts and drains a band, but this album, the culmination of years on the road, shows that it can mature, define and polish a band, too.
“Ain’t Life Grand” is a fascinating album, of a curiously interesting band.
Line-up:
* Tommy Aldridge – Drums
* Pat Daugherty – Bass
* Jimmy Henderson – Guitar
* Stan Knight – Guitar
* James Mangrum – Vocals
* Ricky Reynolds – Guitar
Track List:
01. Taxman
02. Fancy Nancy
03. Keep On
04. Good Stuff
05. Rebel
06. Back Door Man
07. Love Can Be Found
08. Diggin’ For Gold
09. Cryin’ Shame
10. Let Life Be Good To You
Link in comments.
Jeff Wayne – Spartacus (1992) (@256)
24 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
For the follow up to “War of the Worlds”, Jeff Wayne brought together once again many of the same ingredients. Talented performers, orchestration, and a strong storyline (in this case the story of Spartacus from the epic film of the same name) all indicated that this would be another fine album.
It is then, all the more surprising that this such a disappointing album. The main problem here is in the quality of the compositions. There is a real dearth of strong melodies, and the performances themselves can be best described as average. Perhaps it was the fact that unlike “War of the Worlds”, the performers here, while highly competent, were not “stars”. It’s only speculation, but perhaps Wayne did not get the expert feedback from the performers this time which he enjoyed previously, and thus the quality control was compromised.
A quick examination of the list of performers reveals that the rock orientated musicians who dominated War of the Worlds are largely missing, to be replaced by generally lesser know performers with dance music backgrounds. Ladysmith Black Mambazo play the part of the “crowd” giving the album a significant “world music” feel. Only Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s Chris Thompson remains from the War of the Worlds guest singers. If that’s not concerning enough(!), the lead female role is sung (yes sung) and narrated by Catherine Zeta Jones! At the time, she was not nearly as well known as she is these days. To be fair, Jones is actually a pretty good singer in a stage show context, and the album does have the feel of a Lloyd-Webber/Rice musical, rather than a rock extravaganza. On the plus side, Fish (ex-Marillion) also appears, albeit briefly.
The tracks are lengthy but rather drawn out, with too little variety, and some sections become downright boring. The peculiar mixture of dance, world music, orchestration, story telling, stage show and a small amount of rock do not sit particularly well together resulting in a disjointed and unsatisfying mix.
The narration is shared by Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta Jones, and while the album tells the story well, it can become a bit tedious. It has to be said too, that while the film was undoubtedly a classic, the story has not transferred well to the audio only medium.
“Spartacus” may appeal to someone who enjoys all the diverse influences include in it. Unfortunately, for me those influences have not been put together in a coherent and enjoyable format, and when seen as a whole, the album fails to inspire. Indeed, inspiration appears to largely lacking from the project as a whole.
Line-up:
- Anthony Hopkins / Marcus Crassus (spoken part)
- Catherine Zeta Jones / Palene (spoken and sung part)
- Ladysmith Black Mambazo / The “voices of Spartacus army”
- Incantation / multi-instrumentalists
- Jimmy Helms / Isoricus the Cicilian pirate
- Fish / Crixus the Gaul Alan King & Spartacus
- Chris Thompson / Oeomanus
- Bill Fredericks & Jo Partridge / guitar
- Danny Campbell & Marwenna Haver / backing vocalists on “For All Time”
- Lorna Bannon & Carol Kenyon / Slave Girls on “Trust Me”
- Gaetan Schurrer / programming
- Steve McLaughlin / programming
- James Cassidy / keyboards
- Jeff Wayne / keyboards
- Jo Partridge / guitars and guitar synths
- David Sinclair / bass guitar, stick
- John Cann / live drums
- “The Parting of the Ways” & “Trust Me” Kick Horns / brass section
Track List:
CD1:
01. Destiny
02. Animal & Man (Part One)
03. Animal & Man (Part Two)
04. For All Time
05. Whispers
06. The Eagle & the Hawk
CD2:
01. Going Home
02. The Parting of the Ways
03. We Carry On
04. Trust Me
05. Two Souls With a Single Dream
06. The Last Battle (leading into)
07. The Eagle & the Hawk
08. The Appian Way
09. Epilogue (Part One)
10. Epilogue (Part Two)
Links in comments.
Uriah Heep – Look at Yourself (1971) (@256)
23 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
Uriah Heep is probably one of the most underrated bands in history and “Look at Yourself” is their most underrated album, it’s true that the force of nature called Lee Kerslake and one of the best bass players in history (Gary Thain) hadn’t still joined the band, but Uriah Heep was doing progressive rock with the pioneers of the genre, and incredibly they could be catalogued as progressive metal 18 years before Dream Theater was even formed. But still some progressive people refuse to take them seriously, that’s something I will never understand.
The third album from Uriah Heep sees them taking further giant steps forward. The rhythm section is still in a state of turmoil, but the nucleus of Box/Byron/Hensley have found a solid direction, and are approaching the pinnacle of their combined creativity.
The title track has become one of the band’s most enduring pieces, a solid five minute chunk of loud, infectious rock, with a wall of sound, and a breathtaking pace. The instrumental breaks are quite stunning, with Box in particular in fine form. Towards the end of the track, Bronze label-mates Osibisa add additional percussion as it increases pace before reaching a climactic conclusion. I only discovered recently, that the lead vocals on the track are performed by Ken Hensley, not David Byron, although the latter always took the lead when the song was performed live. Quite why this happened is puzzling, as the overall sound is very much as if Byron himself was singing as usual.
The album includes the epic “July Morning”, with its majestic prog sound, and superb structure. The track alternates between soft and loud passages, and includes a wonderful Hammond solo followed by Byron reaching ever higher with his piercing screams. The main instrumental theme which closes the track is basically simple, but transformed by a guest appearance from Manfred Mann on synthesiser. While Hensley would later master this instrument himself, they were still somewhat rare at the time, giving the track a very progressive feel in the early 70’s. A truly magnificent piece of music.
The rest of the tracks are all very strong, including the melodic ballad “What should be done”, and the twin guitar lead on “Tears in my eyes”. With this album, the Uriah Heep “sound” was firmly established. The tracks have great power, while strong melodies are still very much the priority.
Line-up:
- Ken Hensley / organ, piano, guitar, acoustic guitar & vocal
- Mick Box / lead guitar & acoustic guitar
- David Byron / lead vocal
- Paul Newton / bass guitar
- Ian Clarke / drums
Track List:
01. Look At Yourself (5:07)
02. I Wanna Be Free (3:59)
03. July Morning (10:36)
04. Tears In My Eyes (5:02)
05. Shadows Of Grief (8:40)
06. What Should Be Done (4:13)
07. Love Machine (3:37)
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Jane – Here We Are (1973) (@256)
23 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com, Jurriaan Hage)
Jane was a German band that played slow, hypnotizing even, progressive blues rock with nice arrangements and instrumentations. The vocals are a little accented, but anyone interested in well crafted, well played and well written early, bluesy progressive need look no further. Great melodies, great playing and after all this time still a good sound.
Jane’s second album is a logical following of their debut but songs are a tad shorter. Where most albums have a knack to end with their longest track, in their usual tradition, this second album opens with a lengthy track (Redskin) with the usual blistering keyboard lines and good guitar heroics. The singing has gotten better due to personel change. Many very correct tracks such as Dandelion, Moving, Waterfall make this an enjoyable album.
Line-up:
- Klaus Hess / lead guitar, bass
- Wolfgang Krantz / lead guitar, bass
- Werner Nadolny / organ, Mellotron
- Peter Panka / drums, vocals
Track List:
01. Redskin (8:53)
02. Out in the rain (5:38)
03. Dandelion (2:17)
04. Moving (3:53)
05. Waterfall (4:24)
06. Like a queen (2:38)
07. Here we are (5:35)
08. Daytime (single) (bonus) (3:31)
09. Hangman (bonus) (3:59)
10. Here we are (single) (bonus) (3:48)
11. Redskin (single) (bonus) (2:41)
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Colosseum II – Strange New Flesh (1976) (@256)
23 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
Gary Moore aaarrgghhh!?? No, no, not at all. The good Mr. Moore actually plays some superb fusion/jazzrock/prog guitar here!
This debut album of a newly reformed band was truly a progressive rock band to the corner! The music is a blend of jazz rock fusion in the vein of Return To Forever (“Romantic Warrior” album, especially), Gong as well as classic rock music in the vein of James Gang (“Bang”, “Straight Shooter” albums, especially) and also Trapeze – Glenn Hughes era (Medusa album, especially) or Tommy Bolin (“Teaser” album, especially) or collaboration work of Beck, Bogert and Appice, or Frumpy. But of course there are plenty of progressive elements of their own that cannot be compared with others. The vocal quality of Mike Starrs is similar to Glenn Hughes with a more jazzy style. Each track has a very unique music style.
The opening track “Dark Side of the Moog” blew me at first listening. It has a dazzling and powerful keyboard / moog works combined with stunning guitar fills. Honestly, it was this track that caused me to buy the CD in the first place.
Line-up:
- Don Airey / keyboards, synthesizers
- Jon Hiseman / drums, tympani, gongs
- Gary Moore / guitars, vocals
- Neil Murray / bass
- Mike Starrs / lead vocals
Track List:
01. Dark Side of the Moog (6:17)
02. Down to You (9:05)
03. Gemini and Leo (4:48)
04. Secret Places (3:59)
05. On second thoughts (7:30)
06. Winds (10:23)
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Atomic Rooster – Atomic Roooster (1970) (@256)
22 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown having disintegrated after their sole album and their worldwide hit Fire, Vincent Crane (responsible for the music of that album) and Carl Palmer founded Atomic Rooster with Nick Graham on bass and vocals. ‘Atomic Roooster’ (no typo, that was a deliberately awkward attempt to subvert eponymous/debut syndrome) is a very fine debut.
Atomic Rooster typify a sub genre of progressive rock – ‘heavy prog’. Some deny its existence, but there were a multitude of similar bands with (more often than not) an accent on heavy, Hammond organ workouts with lots of bludgeoning guitar riffs. This album does a great job of mixing jazzy improvisations with the psychedelia taken from the ashes of Crazyy World of Arthur Brown, and a hard rock attack. There are also glimpses of folk on Winter, and a bluesy side to BrokenWings.
Still it has its flaws, as mostly any first album is supposed to have. It shows where the band would go, and if Palmer and lead singer Nick Graham had stayed in the band, what were the possibilities. Vincent Crane is no Keith Emerson, much more like a Jon Lord (Deep Purple) in the Machine Head days, but with more drive to his sound. Quality-wise, there are mostly no filler, but no track stands out either.
Line-up:
- Vincent Crane / Hammond organ, piano, vocals
- Nick Graham / lead vocals, bass, acoustic guitar, flute
- Carl Palmer / drums, percussion
Track List:
01. Friday The Thirteenth (3:33)
02. And So To Bed (4:13)
03. Broken Wings (5:48)
04. Before Tomorrow (instrumental) (5:53)
05. Banstead (3:36)
06. S.L.Y. (4:39)
07. Winter (7:01)
08. Decline And Fall (5:50)
09. Play The Game (4:48) (Bonus)
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Jade Warrior – Jade Warrior (1971) (@256)
22 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
Jade Warrior was one of those marginal bands in the prog genre that somewhat managed to earn a well reserved respect, for becoming such an influential musical force, despite not responding totaly to the typical niches of the most “consistently” prog acts. Their debut namesake album is a bit too far from their finesse and special magic achieved during their Vrigen years, but still is a recording woth trying. Even then it was obvious that their major interest was expanding their musical vision to the sounds of the Far East, India, the Muslim folklore, Northern Africa, in the context of Anglosaxon psychodelia. The presence of electric guitars and several percussive instruments is notable, elaborating tribal ambiences and bluesy atmospheres – and yet, Field’s flute passages find their way to shine a light of their own among this paraphernalia. My favourite tracks are both suites, ‘Masai Morning’ and ‘Dragonfly Day’, which contain some somber sounds a-la early Floyd and KC, but never been overwhelming… just so subtle, that it makes you wonder if it is real or just dreamt of while you’re listening. The same feeling is provoked by the closing number. ‘The Traveler’ and ‘Slow Ride’, on the other hand, are much calmer, taking the road of introspective reflectiveness. Ths sound production is not so good, and I feel that the compositional skills of the band members are yet to be polished, despite their undisputed capability to come up with good ideas (specially, ideas about textures and ambiences).
Line-up:
- Tony Duhig / guitars
- Jon Field / percussion, flutes
- Glyn Havard / bass, vocals
Track List:
01. Traveller (2:40)
02. Prenormal Day At Brighton (2:45)
03. Masai Morning (6:44)
04. Windweaver (3:43)
05. Dragonfly Day (7:45)
06. Petunia (4:46)
07. Telephone Girl (4:54)
08. Psychiatric Sergeant (3:08)
09. Slow Ride (2:36)
10. Sundial Song (5:08)
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Fleetwood Mac – Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac (1968) (@256)
21 Feb 2007
(Review from allmusic.com)
While most bands undergo a number of changes over the course of their careers, few groups experienced such radical stylistic changes as Fleetwood Mac. Initially conceived as a hard-edged British blues combo in the late ’60s, the band gradually evolved into a polished pop/rock act over the course of a decade. Throughout all of their incarnations, the only consistent members of Fleetwood Mac were drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie — the rhythm section that provided the band with its name. Ironically, they had the least influence over the musical direction of the band.
The roots of Fleetwood Mac lie in John Mayall’s legendary British blues outfit, the Bluesbreakers. Bassist John McVie was one of the charter members of the Bluesbreakers, joining the group in 1963. In 1966 Peter Green replaced Eric Clapton, and a year later drummer Mick Fleetwood joined. Inspired by the success of Cream, the Yardbirds, and Jimi Hendrix, the trio decided to break away from Mayall in 1967. At their debut at the British Jazz and Blues Festival in August, Bob Brunning was playing bass in the group, since McVie was still under contract to Mayall. He joined the band a few weeks after their debut; by that time, slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer had joined the band. Fleetwood Mac soon signed with Blue Horizon, releasing their eponymous debut the following year.
Fleetwood Mac’s debut LP was a highlight of the late-’60s British blues boom. Green’s always inspired playing, the capable (if erratic) songwriting, and the general panache of the band as a whole placed them leagues above the overcrowded field. Elmore James is a big influence on this set, particularly on the tunes fronted by Jeremy Spencer (“Shake Your Moneymaker,” “Got to Move”). Spencer’s bluster, however, was outshone by the budding singing and songwriting skills of Green. The guitarist balanced humor and vulnerability on cuts like “Looking for Somebody” and “Long Grey Mare,” and with “If I Loved Another Woman,” he offered a glimpse of the Latin-blues fusion that he would perfect with “Black Magic Woman.” The album was an unexpected smash in the U.K., reaching number four on the British charts.
Line-up:
- Peter Green – vocals, guitar, harmonica
- Jeremy Spencer – vocals, slide guitar
- John McVie – bass (Bob Brunning played bass on “Long Grey Mare”)
- Mick Fleetwood – drums
Track List:
01. My Heart Beats Like A Hammer
02. Merry Go Round
03. Long Grey Mare
04. Hellhound On My Trail
05. Shake Your Moneymaker
06. Looking For Somebody
07. No Place To Go
08. My Baby’s Good To Me
09. I Loved Another Woman
10. Cold Black Night
11. World Keeps On Turning, The
12. Got To Move
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Ozric Tentacles – Curious Corn (1997) (@192)
21 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
Start to finish, this album whooshes you around the globe in the space of 45 minutes or so- a near-perfect blend of ethnic, psychadelic, electronica. Title track is a masterpiece in that sense – you begin in an the equivalent of an aural Morrocan marketplace… ever-levitating into a hyper-thrash warp speed cruise… end-of-journey promises a light, airy, soft landing.
Line-up:
- Ed Wynne / guitars, synths, mists
- Seaweed [Christoper Lenox-Smith] / synths, strands
- John Egan / flutes
- Rad [Conrad Prince] / drums
- Zia Geelani / bass, spongebag
Track List:
01. Spyroid (3:47)
02. Oolite Grove (5:57)
03. Afroclonk (8:06)
04. Curious Corn (10:56)
05. Oddentity (7:00)
06. Papyrus (5:32)
07. Meander (5:13)
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Pavlov's Dog – At the Sound of the Bell (1976) (@256)
21 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
At The Sound Of The Bell’s structure is different from their previous album. It contains a collection of classic symphonic tracks. This is less dependent in Hard Rock’s guitar riffs (the guitar here is mainly solo work and some acoustic like in the melancholic Standing Here With You or in Valkerie) and much more sustained in piano background. In fact, good piano arrangements are constant on the album. There is also much more blues and jazz inspiration. Lush mellotron atmospheres are reinforced by violin and viola to add a powerful atmosphere to the tracks. Very little is present in terms of technicality but the compositions are superb and reveal layers and layers of depth after repeated listening. Songs here again are very symphonic and never venture into anything aggressive or heavy. They are essential all rather romantic ballads. The entire album is very emotional due greatly to David Surkamp’s vocals. At this point many listeners will be divided as Surkamp’s distinctive voice is bound to not attract all listeners. He sounds like a higher pitched Geddy Lee, yes that is possible, but he’s a much different singer and overall better. He has great sustain and employs a large emotive range which really act as the backbone to the songs.
Line-up:
- David Surkamp / lead vocals, acoustic and veleno guitars
- David Hamilton / keyboards
- Doug Rayburn / mellotron, bass, percussion
- Mike Safron / percussion
- Rick Stockton / bass guitar
- Thomas Nickeson / acoustic guitar, harmonies
- Steve Scorfina / lead guitar
Track List:
01. She Came Shining (4:24)
02. Standing Here With You (Megan’s Song) (3:47)
03. Mersey (3:03)
04. Valkerie (5:22)
05. Try to Hang On (2:08)
06. Gold Nuggets (3:25)
07. She Breaks Like a Morning Sky (2:22)
08. Early Morning On (3:21)
09. Did You See Him Cry (5:36)
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Steamhammer – Speech (1972) (@256)
20 Feb 2007
(Review from allmusic.com)
Diverging from the typical power rock style on Speech, their fourth and final album, the band found themselves in a dilemma without their vocalist, who had left after the previous release, Mountains. This led to a radical development for the band. Instead of hiring a new singer, the rest of the group picked up the slack, and reduced the role of the vocals significantly, opting for a progressive jam style that was hugely innovative for its time. Guitarist Martin Pugh offers a crashing, furious style that mixes Jimmy Page with early Robert Fripp. When Pugh seeks passages of beauty and tranquility, he finds them with ease, but when he aims for intensity, watch out! He literally attacks the listener, pounding them with his mammoth, perfectly executed riffs. Meanwhile, bassist Louis Cennamo is so talented and innovative that he single-handedly brought the bow into rock music with his bowed bass intro to the album. Several years before Page would pick up the bow for “Kashmir,” Cennamo uses the bowed bass as means to an end, not for simple effect. Just as a normal bassist alone, masters within the genre owe their lifeblood to him. For he is able to play along with just about the toughest, most technical drumming around, that of drummer Mick Bradley, who is easily the most accomplished musician of the trio. To state that he is rock’s greatest drummer is simply not enough. His energetic approach to the drum kit helped him become one of the first and only drummers in rock history, along with King Crimson’s Michael Giles, to use polyrhythmic drumming, a style commonly used by jazz drummers. His dynamic performance on the primarily instrumental “For Against,” which blows away John Bonham’s “Moby Dick” and Ginger Baker’s “Toad” in a heartbeat. On this album, there was a rumor that the band received some secret vocal and lyrical help from Yardbirds vocalist Keith Relf. Whether or not this is true remains a mystery, but what is fact, sadly, is that not long after this album Mick Bradley succumbed to Leukemia and passed away. This marked the end of Steamhammer, but the other two members forged on, forming a band called Armageddon. Speech is one of rock’s finest and most creative hours, and one tends to wonder where Steamhammer could have gone from this point on had it not been for obscurity and sudden tragedy.
Line-up:
- Martin Pugh / guitar, vocals
- Louis Cennamo / bass, vocals
- Mickey Bradley / drums
- Garth Watt-Roy / clarinet, vocals
Track List:
01. Penumbra
02. Telegram
03. For Against
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Pavlov's Dog – Pampered Menial (1974) (@320)
20 Feb 2007
(Review from allmusic.com, progarchives.com)
The artsy hard rock group Pavlov’s Dog spanned progressive music and heavy metal in much the same way that Rush did in its early days. Also like Rush, Pavlov’s Dog had a singer, David Surkamp, whose distinctive high-pitched voice was the group’s take-it-or-leave-it factor. Outside of a small cult following, most folks chose to leave it, but over the decades Pavlov’s Dog has remained a popular find for fans of the obscure end of American arena rock.
Pavlov’s Dog formed in St. Louis in 1972 out of the ashes of a local cover band called High on a Small Hill, with Surkamp, formerly of the minor folk-rock act Touch, on vocals and guitar, joined by lead guitarist Steve Scorfina; keyboardist David Hamilton; Mellotron and flute player Doug Rayburn; bassist Rick Stockton; drummer Mike Safron; and strings specialist Siegfried Carver (born Richard Nadler), who added violin, viola, and an odd hybrid instrument called a vitar (that sounded something like Eddie Phillips’ bowed guitar in the ’60s freakbeat heroes the Creation). The combination of flute, Mellotron, violin, and Scorfina’s guitar heroics led to some comparisons to David Cross-era King Crimson, though Pavlov’s Dog had a much more straight-ahead, less twisty sound.
Growing popularity on the Midwestern club circuit led to the band’s signing to ABC-Dunhill Records in 1975 (supposedly for a then-record 650,000 dollar advance, though that might have been press-release puffery) and the recording of their debut album, Pampered Menial. History is unclear as to exactly what happened next, but somehow, Pavlov’s Dog found themselves off of ABC-Dunhill and on Columbia Records almost immediately, with the result that Pampered Menial was released twice, almost simultaneously, on two different labels with exactly the same sleeve design and track lineup.
One of those very cherished debut album, Pavlov’s debut is one of those records that almost everyone should have. Needless to say that Surkamp’s incredible voice is the main asset, but it is hardly the only one. This is an album laced with loads of keyboards of every kind, but although the main feature, they never suffocate the music even if the mellotrons are mixed-in very loud. Don’t look for long epics on this slice of vinyl, as the longest track is just above the 5 min track (actually the record is fairly short, clocking in at less than 34 min), but Surkamp’s histrionics on vocals coupled with lush mellotron waves, underlined by a cool violin and Hamilton’s organs, synths and pianos, provide all the necessary drama a proghead is searching for.
Line-up:
- David Surkamp / lead vocals, guitar
- David Hamilton / keyboards
- Doug Rayburn / mellotron, flute
- Mike Safron / percussion
- Rick Stockton / bass guitar
- Siegfried Carver / violin, vitar, viola
- Steve Scorfina / lead guitar
Track List:
01. Julia (3:10)
02. Late November (3:12)
03. Song Dance (4:59)
04. Fast Gun (3:04)
05. Natchez Trace (3:42)
06. Theme from Subway Sue (4:25)
07. Episode (4:04)
08. Preludin (1:39)
09. Of Once and Future Kings (5:27)
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Van Der Graaf Generator – Aerosol Grey Machine (1969) (@256)
20 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
The original Van Der Graaf Generator had split before they had the chance to record an album, so vocalist Peter Hammill decided to work on a solo album. But shortly after Hammill had finished writing, the band reunited and eventually the album was recorded and released as a group effort. For the other members hadn’t contributed much to the composing and David Jackson, who later turned out to be an important element in the band’s sound, was still missing, The Aerosol Grey Machine did not yet show the Generator in full force. This led a lot of people to regard the following album as the first ‘real’ group effort. I tend to agree with this, but I don’t think that The Aerosol Grey Machine isn’t recognizable as a Van der Graaf Generator album at all. Hammill’s voice, lyrics and melodies already show the darkness that would mark all future Van Der Graaf Generator albums and the atmosphere present here is slightly more that of a Van der Graaf Generator album than a Hammill solo record – then again, this is hard to tell, for Hamill’s solo work often ‘breathes’ Van Der Graaf as well… Anyway, The Aerosol Grey Machine is a solid record, but it merely hints at the fantastic stuff the band would later produce. Although clearly influenced by the spirit of the sixties, the music is not as psychedelic as you would think by looking at the cover; it is (already) in a symphonic vein.
Line-up:
- Hugh Banton / piano, organ, backing vocals
- Keith Ellis / bass, backing vocals
- Guy Evans / drums, percussion
- Peter Hammill / lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Jeff Peach / flute
Track List:
01. Afterwards (4:58)
02. Orthenthian St. (Part I+II) (3:53)
03. Running Back (6:32)
04. Into a Game (5:56)
05. Aerosol Grey Machine (0:56)
06. Black Smoke Yen (1:18)
07. Aquarian (8:27)
08. Necromancer (3:30)
09. Octopus (7:41)
10. People You Were Going To (Bonus) (2:44)
11. Firebrand (Bonus) (4:08)
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Steamhammer – Mountains (1970) (@256)
19 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com, allmusic.com)
By the time 1970 rolled around, Steamhammer recorded their “definitive” album, the critical favorite Mountains. This album gave them some minor mainstream exposure, and revealed a band who was ready to adopt the rock side of their sound much more than before. Gone is Steve Joliffe and in come more guitars. Please note also that Louis Cennamo from the first Renaissance line-up is in the fold on bass.
“Mountains” is just plain and simply one of those “full bodied brews” that the commercials always promised. This was Steamhammer’s strongest album (although the debut album is also quite amazing) and represents a great journey into a rather interesting world where progressive, blues and psychedelic genres meet. This five piece band play somewhere in the Cream, Golden Earring, Peter Green school of music. One of the interesting aspects of this album is that fact that basically half the album was recorded live yet sounds dynamically like the studio album and goes on almost undetected. Perhaps though the aspect I appreciate the most in this recording is the standout instrument interplay with some fantastic guitar solos (aka Santana) and bass guitar that just won’t stop.
Line-up:
- Martin Pugh / guitars, vocals
- Kieran White / guitars, harmonica, vocals
- Mickey Bradley / drums
- Louis Cennamo / bass, vocals
- Steve Davy / organ, bass, vocals
- Keith Nelson / banjo
Track List:
01. I Wouldn’t Have Thought (5:39)
02. Riding on the L&N – live (10:11)
03. Hold That Train (5:45)
04. Levinia (3:23)
05. Henry Lane (3:54)
06. Leader of the Ring (2:54)
07. Walking Down the Raod (3:44)
08. Mountains (5:36)
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Jefferson Airplane – Surrealistic Pillow (1967) (@256)
19 Feb 2007
(Review from allmusic.com, progarchives.com)
Jefferson Airplane was the first of the San Francisco psychedelic rock groups of the 1960s to achieve national recognition. Although the Grateful Dead ultimately proved more long-lived and popular, Jefferson Airplane defined the San Francisco sound in the 1960s, with the acid rock guitar playing of Jorma Kaukonen and the soaring twin vocals of Grace Slick and Marty Balin, scoring hit singles and looking out from the covers of national magazines. They epitomized the drug-taking hippie ethos as well as the left-wing, antiwar political movement of their time, and their history was one of controversy along with hit records. Their personal interactions mirrored those times; the group was a collective with shifting alliances, in which leaders emerged and retreated. But for all the turmoil, Jefferson Airplane was remarkably productive between 1965 and 1972. They toured regularly, being the only band to play at all the major ’60s rock festivals — Monterey, Woodstock, even Altamont — and they released seven studio albums, five of which went gold, plus two live LPs and a million-selling hits collection that chronicled their eight chart singles. Rather than formally breaking up, they mutated into other configurations, Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship, and went on to further success in the 1970s and ’80s, before reuniting for an album and tour in 1989.
First Jefferson Airplane album (but their second overall) to have the classic line-up, this album is really one of the cornerstones of psychedelic rock, the album that literally made the Haight-Ashbury scene, the album that put San Francisco on the rock map, one of those albums that equalled any album of The Beatles? influence, the album that allows all superlatives (including the launch of The Summer Of Love) without too much a feeling of exaggeration. Of course, the album might have aged a little, might seem a little tame with what came after it. But the young proghead must wonder: what if this album had not come through? Of course in terms of English psych/prog, there were albums that were definitely more adventurous, progressive, but none that really had an international impact as Surrealistic Pillow did.
Line-up:
- Marty Balin / vocals, guitars
- Grace Slick / vocals, piano, organ, recorder
- Paul Kantner / vocals, guitars
- Jorma Kaukonen / guitars, vocals
- Jack Casady / bass, rhythm guitar
- Spencer Dryden / drums, percussion
Track List:
01. She Has Funny Cars (3:13)
02. Somebody To Love (2:57)
03. My Best Friend (3:03)
04. Today (3:00)
05. Comin’ Back To Me (5:24)
06. 3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds (3:45)
07. D.C.B.A.-25 (2:40)
08. How Do You Feel (3:35)
09. Embryonic Journey (1:52)
10. White Rabbit (2:32)
11. Plastic Fantastic Lover (3:44)
Link in comments.
Focus – Moving Waves (1972) (@256)
19 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
This Netherlandish progressive masterpiece is one of the most hard rock progressive album made during that era: indeed Jan Akkerman’s incisive and razor electric guitars are omnipresent: pure hard rock solos a la Led Zeppelin, and barely less timid aggressive riffs. The drums are restless, very complex and fast. The keyboards mostly consist in organ, mellotron, piano and harmonium. The intensely yodeling of Thijs Van Leer on “Hocus Pocus” is legendary: you are going to want to sing it! “Le clochard” has a beautiful floating mellotron in the background and impressive & relaxing acoustic guitar parts that should impress Steve Hackett himself. The peaceful and rhythmic “Janis” contains mellow flute parts a la Camel. The lead vocals on “Moving Waves” remind me early King Crimson. “Focus 2″ is an outstanding very progressive track: Jan Akkerman “dances” with his melodic electric guitar: it seems that the other instruments follow his partitions, creating very structured and pleasant melodies through rhythm & air changes.
On side 2, the epic “Eruption” is a real progressive masterpiece, sometimes comparable to Jethro Tull’s “Thick as a Brick”: the same organ sounds, tons on drums, very melodic bass, straightforward hard rock electric guitars; there are some intensely floating mellotron & backing vocals parts; there is a part which was composed by the Netherlandish fusion band Solution, coming from the “Divergence” album; there is a poignant & melodic piano part, accompanied with electric guitar and flute; the drum solo is absolutely impressive, having a bit the Neil Peart’s style.
Line-up:
- Jan Akkerman / solo & acoustic guitars, bass
- Cyril Havermanns / bass, voices
- Pierre van der Linden / drums
- Thijs van Leer / organ, harmonium, mellotron, soprano + alto flute, piano, voices
Track List:
01. Hocus Pocus (6:42)
02. Le Clochard (2:01)
03. Janis (3:09)
04. Moving Waves (2:42)
05. Focus II (4:03)
06. Eruption (23:04)
a) Orfeus, Answer, Orfeus
b) Answer, Pupilla, Tommy, Pupilla
c) Answer, The Bridge
d) Euridice, Dayglow, Endless Road
e) Answer, Orfeus, Euridice
Link in comments.
Gandalf – Gandalf (1968) (@256)
18 Feb 2007
Request of dgram.
(Review from sundazed.com, allmusic.com)
With spellbinding, atmospheric songs which spin from soft dreamscapes into blistering fuzz guitar breaks, Gandalf casts a powerful spell. Led by singer/guitarist Peter Sando, the group was signed by Lovin’ Spoonful producers Charlie Koppelman & Don Rubin & conjured their sole, self-titled album for Capitol in late 1967. One of the rarest major label psychedelic releases, Gandalf (not to be confused with the heavy metal outfit with the same name) features swirls of Hammond B3 organ, caressing vibraphone runs & electric sitar on Sando’s originals as well as imaginative recastings of songs by Tim Hardin, Gary Bonner, Alan Gordon & Eden Ahbez.
Gandalf’s self-titled album has some attractive baroque-psychedelia with a spacey air, though its quality depends very much on the standard of the material. Generally they’re better the more they rely on the slightly weird and spacey production, as on “Scarlet Ribbons” and their cover of Tim Hardin’s “Hang on to a Dream.” On tracks like “You Upset the Grace of Living” there’s a nice balance of melody and quasi-classical keyboards on the cusp between pop, progressive rock and psychedelia. “Can You Travel in the Dark Alone,” one of the few originals (by Peter Sando), is nice, harmonic sunshine pop with a slightly experimental feel, along the lines of some of the better things being done by Californian cult figures like Gary Usher and Curt Boettcher at the time. Other selections are nothing special, however.
Line-up:
* Davy Bauer / Drums
* Frank Hubach / Organ, Piano, Harpsichord
* Bob Muller / Bass
* Peter Sando / Guitar
Track List:
01. Golden Earrings
02. Hang On To A Dream
03. Never Too Far
04. Scarlet Ribbons
05. You Upset The Grace Of Living
06. Can You Travel In The Dark Alone
07. Nature Boy
08. Tiffany Rings
09. Me About You
10. I Watch The Moon
Link in comments.
Joan Baez – Joan Baez (1960) (@192)
18 Feb 2007
(Review from allmusic.com, wikipedia)
Joan Baez was singer Joan Baez’ 1960 self-titled debut album. The album featured thirteen traditional folk songs, including definitive readings of “All My Trials”, “Silver Dagger”, and “Fare Thee Well”. Though Baez was reportedly offered a contract with Columbia at the time, she chose to go instead with the independent Vanguard label, hoping for increased artistic license, and her instinct seemed to have paid off. Most of the songs featured only Baez’ vocals and intricate guitar work, with a second guitar added to a handful of songs. Despite the lack of strings and horns, backup singers and catchy singles, the album went gold and raised Joan Baez to superstar status.
At the time of its release, Joan Baez’s debut album was something of a revelation. The folk music revival was beginning to gather steam, stoked on the popular side by artists such as the Kingston Trio and the Easy Riders, as well as up-and-coming ensembles such as the Highwaymen, and on the more intense and serious side by the Weavers. The female singers on the scene were mostly old-time, veteran activist types like Ronnie Gilbert and Malvina Reynolds, who was in her sixties. And then along comes this album, by a 19-year-old who looked more like the kind of coed every mother dreamt her son would come home with, displaying a voice from heaven, a soprano so pure and beguiling that the mere act of listening to her — forget what she was singing — was a pleasure. Baez’s first album, made up primarily of traditional songs (including a startling version of “House of the Rising Sun”), was beguiling enough to woo even conservative-leaning listeners. Accompanied by the Weavers’ Fred Hellerman and a pair of session singers, Baez gives a fine account of the most reserved and least confrontational aspects of the folk revival, presenting a brace of traditional songs (most notably “East Virginia” and “Mary Hamilton”) with an urgency and sincerity that makes the listener feel as though they were being sung for the first time, and opening with a song that was to become her signature piece for many years, “Silver Dagger”.
In 1983 Baez described the making of the album to Rolling Stone’s Kurt Loder:
“…It took four days. We recorded it in the ballroom of some hotel in New York, way up by the river. We could use the room every day except Tuesday, because they played Bingo there on Tuesdays. It was just me on this filthy rug. There were two microphones, one for the voice and one for the guitar. I just did my set. It was probably all I knew how to do at that point. I did ‘Mary Hamilton’ once and that was it…That’s the way we made ‘em in the old days. As long as a dog didn’t run through the room or something, you had it…”
Track List:
01. Silver Dagger
02. East Virginia
03. Fare Thee Well (10,000 Miles)
04. House of the Rising Sun
05. All My Trials
06. Wildwood Flower
07. Donna Donna
08. John Riley
09. Rake and Rambling Boy
10. Little Moses
11. Mary Hamilton
12. Henry Martin
13. El Preso Numero Nueve
Link in comments.
Steamhammer – MK II (1969) (@256)
18 Feb 2007
(Review from allmusic.com)
It was the blues that initially drove the combo on its debut long-player, Reflection (1969), likewise known as Junior’s Wailing. The new lineup adds more exploratory and intricate melodies, courtesy of the multi-instrumental talents and sonic sculpting of future Tangerine Dream member Jolliffe. While this version of the band would not remain past this album, its unique fusion would arguably peak on Mountains (1970), the follow-up to MK II (1969). There are definite shapes of things to come throughout this effort, thanks to the aggressive interaction of the new recruits. They immediately step up to the plate, providing a variety of interesting melodic and instrumental textures. These range from the full-speed gallop of Jolliffe’s “Johnny Carl Morton” or the Baroque waltz “Turn Around” — both of which are punctuated by some prominent harpsichord interjections reminiscent of other U.K. progressive groups such as Family and Blossom Toes.
Pugh’s guitar work is another of the band’s conspicuous assets, as he is able to fluidly waft between the acoustic romanticism of the diminutive “Sunset Chase” to the bluesy and tongue-in-cheek “Contemporary Chick Con Song.” The latter track includes a stretched-out instrumental jam that captures Pugh’s criminally underrated electric fretwork. Steamhammer’s various and seemingly disparate musical elements coalesce on the manic “6/8 for Amiran.” They blend the complexities inherent in the time signature with a tightly executed and churning blues — much in the same way that early Jethro Tull was able to do on sides such as “Nothing Is Easy” or “For Our Mothers.” The second side consists of a suite containing “Down Along the Grove,” “Another Travelling Tune,” and “Fran and Dee Take a Ride.” This 16-plus minute epic allows Steamhammer to improvise and stretch out. The open structure makes room for the various musical styles to be thoroughly explored with more intricacy than a majority of the three- and four-minute tunes. The double lead electric guitars, courtesy of the song’s co-authors, Pugh and White, blend well with Jolliffe’s jazzy sax and flute improvisations.
Line-up:
- Steve Jolliffe / flute, harpsichord, keyboards, saxophone (Alto), vocals, wind
- Kieran White / guitar, harmonica, Jew’s-Harp, vocals
- Mickey Bradley / percussion, conga, drums
- Steve Davy / bass, guitar (bass), vocals
- Martin Pugh / guitar, guitar (electric), vocals
Track List:
01. Supposed To Be Free (5:59)
02. Johnny Carl Morton (4:38)
03. Sunset Chase (3:02)
04. Contemporary Chick Con Song (3:49)
05. Turn Around (3:36)
06. 6/8 For Amiran (3:04)
07. Passing Through (5:17)
08. Down Along The Grove (0:47)
09. Another Travelling Tune (16:23)
10. Fran And Dee Take a Ride (2:58)
11. Junior’s Wailing (single version) (3:30)
12. Windmill (4:28)
13. Autumn Song (4:09)
14. Blues For Passing People (6:26)
Links in comments.
Minimum Vital – Envol Triangles + Les Saisons Marines (1985+1987) (@256)
17 Feb 2007
(Review from progreviews.com)
Envol Triangles, the first recording by French group Minimum Vital, was originally released on cassette. Seven years years after its original release, it was paired up with their second recording, Les Saisons Marines and released as a two-on-one CD by Musea, which is pretty much the only way you can buy it these days.
Minimum Vital is dominated by the creative force of the Payssan brothers, Thierry and Jean Luc. They play energetic instrumental music with an original, sophisticated sound, silghtly tinged with jazz. This is demonstrated by their debut album, although with not as much flair, melody or (surprisingly) energy as on later releases.
Envol Triangles is the least accessible of Minimum Vital’s albums. Listening to the opening number, “Hydromel,” is somewhat akin to looking at a precariously balanced French clock on a mantlepiece. The craftsmanship is admirable, but there is the constant feeling of unease as it seems the whole thing is about to fall apart at any minute. The melodies here are strident; while never quite dissonant, nevertheless they are hardly the epitome of tunefulness. The highlight of the album is probably the final track, “Ronde.” Again, this is not an exercise in creating sweet and tuneful melodies, but the song structure arcs into an impressively well-balanced whole, and there are a couple of really impressive musical ideas buried in there.
As is often the case with this sort of music, repeated listening is the key to evaluating the true worth of this album. There is enough of a sense of purpose here to bear out the album in the end, and a few moments of impressive musicianship to reward careful listening just enough to persevere. Perhaps the main problem with this album, though, is that it’s constructed a little too carefully, and that as a result it lacks the necesssary feeling of spontaneity and energy that Minimum Vital were to later exude.
Line-up:
- Jean-Luc Payssan / guitars, voice & percussion
- Thierry Payssan / keyboards, synths, bass pedals, tambourine
- Pascale Jakubovsky / vocals
- Eric Rebeyrol / basses, bow
- Anne Colas / flute (1 to 5)
- Antoine Fillon / drums (1 to 5)
- Christophe Godet / drums (6 to 13)
Track List:
01. Hydromel (4:49)
02. Balivernes (6:57)
03. Envol triangles (5:00)
04. Dans le doute (7:09)
05. Ronde (9:32)
06. Pour le temps présent (4:26)
07. Zappata! (4:37)
08. Lequel de nous… (2:58)
09. La tour haute (10:00)
10. Les saisons marines (4:23)
11. A bien des égards (6:38)
12. Retour au domaine (5:25)
Links in comments.
Steamhammer – Reflection (1969) (@256)
17 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com, allmusic.com)
Steamhammer formed in 1968 in the British town of Worthing. The band was made up of several blues and folk band veterans who were interested in playing something new. The band was pulled onto the road almost directly after their inception by blues legend Freddie King, who needed a backing band for his European tour.
Steamhammer’s debut is clearly entrenched into the second wave of British Blues Boom along with Ten Years After, Savoy Brown, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac and others. However, this album has enough progressive overtones to indicate that the next albums will be of more interest for the progheads. There are many fine moments on this album full of good interplay and good songwriting making this album a sort of example of progressive blues and proto-prog.
Martin Pugh’s guitar is fluid and is generously featured in short, bluesy solos. Rhythm guitarist Martin Quittenton, bassist Steve Davy and drummer Michael Rushton are discret and efficient through all this album, allowing full space to Pugh and White to shine. As session musicians Harold McNair adds some jazzy flute and future Jefferson Starship member Pete Sears plays piano. White and Quittenton wrote almost all songs, leaving space to B. B. King’s “You’ll Never Know” and Eddie Boyd’s “Twenty-Four Hours”. A brief instrumental “Water” splitted in two parts, begins and ends the proceedings.
Line-up:
- Kieran White / vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar
- Martin Pugh / lead guitar
- Martin Quittenton / guitar
- Steve Davey / bass
- Michael Rushton / drums
Track List:
01. Water, Pt. 1 (0:52)
02. Junior’s Wailing (3:18)
03. Lost You Too (3:28)
04. She Is the Fire (3:10)
05. You’ll Never Know (3:27)
06. Even the Clock (3:49)
07. Down the Highway (4:28)
08. On Your Road (2:43)
09. Twenty-Four Hours (7:28)
10. When All Your Friends Are Gone (3:49)
11. Water, Pt. 2 (1:44)
Link in comments.
Alan Parsons Project – Freudiana (1990) (@256)
16 Feb 2007
(Review from allmusic.com, amazon.com)
Back in the ’70s, engineer/producer Alan Parsons wanted to dedicate an entire album to fantasy writer Edgar Allan Poe. He hired numerous musicians and singers to help him in what would become the first album of the Alan Parsons Project. Initially meant to be a one-time experience, the “project” turned into a full-time band, and quite a successful one, with that. Some two decades later, Eric Woolfson, Parsons’ long-time companion, puts up his own project. This time, it is not about Poe but about Freud. The subsequent band and album are both named Freudiana, as is one of the tracks. And of course, the whole is produced by — who else — Alan Parsons himself. The result is a concept album which offers — to quote the liner notes: “an image of the composer seen through a Freudian mirror.”
1990′s “Freudiana” was the last album that singer/composer Eric Woolfson collaborated on with Alan Parsons. It is an Alan Parsons Project album in all but name. It features virtually the exact same revolving door of musicians & singers that have featured on previous Project albums, such as co-leaders Parsons & Woolfson, guitarist Ian Bairnson, drummer Stuart Elliot, and “Gaudi” bassist Laurie Cottle, as well as singers Graham Dye, Chris Rainbow, John Miles & Eric Woolfson himself, along with “newcomers” Leo Sayer, Kiki Dee, and 10cc’s Eric Stewart. “Freudiana” is structured like a Project album, and it’s incredible music & production sounds like a Project album.
After “Freudiana,” Woolfson parted ways with Alan Parsons to concentrate on musical theater (and “Freudiana,” in fact, was later staged as a musical in Vienna in December of 1990). While Parsons continues to make albums under his own name (minus the “Project” moniker), it can’t be denied that Woolfson’s unique singing & songwriting contributions are missed. But he couldn’t have chosen a better album to exit with — many Alan Parsons Project fans actually name “Freudiana” as their favorite “Project” album.
The lyrics go through various interpretations of Freud’s works, studying all his most famous cases (Wolfman, Ratman, Dora, Little Hans, Schreber and the Judge). Some songs (like “Little Hans”) are reminiscent of the Beatles — which shouldn’t be too surprising, considering Woolfson used to be a member of Herman’s Hermits. Others are obvious reminders of the Alan Parsons Project (most noticeably “Dora”). The rest can be progressive at times (“Funny You Should Say That,” “No One Can Love You Better Than Me”) and the whole is very creative and intelligent. Lead vocals, as on all of the Alan Parsons Project releases, are shared by a number of singers — from Woolfson himself to Kiki Dee, Eric Stewart and John Miles. The strongest performances are by Leo Sayer (“I Am a Mirror”) and the Flying Pickets (on the strange, yet incredibly powerful, “Funny You Should Say That”).
Line-up:
- Laurie Cottle / bass
- Stuart Elliott / drums and percussion
- Ian Bairnson / guitars
- Eric Woolfson / keyboards, vocals
- Richard Cottle / synthetizers and saxophones
- Alan Parsons / additional keyboards
- Andrew Powell / orchestra arrangement and conduction
- Leo Sayer, Graham Dye, The Flying Pickets, Kiki Dee, Eric Stewart, Frankie Howerd, Marti Webb, Gary Howard, Chris Rainbow, John Miles / vocals
Track List:
01. The Nirvana Principle
02. Freudiana
03. I Am A Mirror
04. Little Hans
05. Dora
06. Funny You Should Say That
07. You’re On Your Own
08. Far Away From Home
09. Let Yourself Go
10. Beyond The Pleasure Principle
11. The Ring
12. Sects Therapy
13. No One Can Love You Better Than Me
14. Don’t Let The Moment Pass
15. Upper Me
16. Freudiana
17. Destiny
18. There But For The Grace Of God
Links in comments.
Family – A Song For Me (1970) (@256)
16 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
Gone are two of the most notable members: bassist/violinist Grech who left for Blind Faith and later in Traffic and Jim King – although an original member dating back from the mid-60’s The Farinas line-up – got sacked for his role had severely been diminished. They were replaced respectively by John Weider on bass and violin and ex-Blossom Toes Poli Palmer on keys, vibes and winds. This latest addition will help Family getting an even wider spectrum and it clearly shows on this third album. A change of band managers round up the changes.
One of the things that strikes most is that this album is very acoustic as the majority of the tracks are based on the acoustic guitars of John Charles Withney (but this can be explained easily since Grech, the other song writer was gone leaving the Chapman/Withney duo alone at the writing helm), but this does not mean that the record is a laid back affair, quite on the contrary. The opening Drowned In Wine is a real scoarcher and Chapman delivers a real strong vocal performance and newcomer Palmer adds some great flutes. Love Is A Sleeper excels again in the rougher kind of tracks but this time Palmer adds some vibes to liven things up. Another highlight on the album is the superb Wheels with its great acoustic guitar/flute duo sometimes hinting at raga music. In between those three excellent tracks are stuck some shorter and less exciting mainly acoustic tracks, but pleasant anyway. Song For Sinking Lovers is a country-tinged track and my least liked on the album. Another rather surprising track is the country boogie The Cat And The Rat which is preceded by a short but great jazzy Hey, Let’s Rock with Palmer on vibes. The instrumental 93’s OK J track is another great moment on the album with Palmer vibing out the Withney guitars. The closing title track is a 9 min affair which was written on a single chord and allows for lengthy soloing and it was used as a set closer in concert. I suspect this track worked best live but here it appears a bit overlong.
Probably my fave Family album, even if some critics call it countryish (a vast over- statement if you ask me), but this is mainly due to newcomer Weider whose violin sound is definitely more Celtic-sounding than Grech.
Line-up:
- Roger Chapman / Vocals, Percussion
- John ’Charlie’ Whitney / Guitar, Banjo, Organ
- John Weider / Guitars, Violin, Dobro
- Robert Townsend / Drums, Percussion, Harp
- John ‘Poli’ Palmer / Vibes, Piano, Flute
Track List:
01. Drowned In Wine (4:10)
02. Some Poor Soul (2:44)
03. Love Is A Sleeper (4:02)
04. Stop For The Traffic-Through The Heart Of Me (2:11)
05. Wheels (4:43)
06. Songs For Sinking Lovers (4:06)
07. Hey-Let It Rock (0:59)
08. The Cat And The Rat (2:32)
09. 93’s Ok J (3:59)
10. A Song For Me (9:20)
Link in comments.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Trilogy (1972) (@256)
15 Feb 2007
Request of anonymous.
(Review from progarchives.com)
“Trilogy” is probably Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP)’s most progressive and complete album, and for me their best. Unlike all other ELP albums, every track on Trilogy reaches their highest standard.
“The endless enigma” opens the album in three parts (beware of the ELP compilation entitled “Fanfare for the common man)” which inexplicably fades the track before the third section). This is a superbly crafted trilogy which opens with soft, almost imperceptible synthesiser introducing frantic piano, before Lake’s crystal clear vocals pick out the main melody. After the piano based “Fugue”, a fanfare synth introduces the final section, which builds to a mighty crescendo. The fact that “Endless enigma” was rarely performed live is probably the only reason why it has not gained the recognition it warrants as one of ELP’s finest pieces.
“From the beginning” is a beautiful acoustic track featuring Greg Lake on vocals and guitar. While it has a simplistic structure, it is a finely crafted piece. Side one of the LP closes with a couple of lighter tracks, both with a western flavour. If you listen closely to Carl Palmer’s solo at the beginning of “The sheriff”, you can hear where he makes a mistake, mutters “Sh*t”, and starts again.
If the title track was released today, it would probably be labelled “Trance”. It’s a lengthy largely instrumental track, heavy on the synthesisers which, after a soft start, explodes into a driving wall of sound, ducking and diving through various time changes in the best prog traditions. The shorter “Living Sin” is a more straightforward Atomic Rooster type track, The fial piece, “Abadon’s Bolero”, one of ELP’s most popular tracks, particularly among non-fans. Ice skaters Torvill and Dean’s Olympic gold medal would have been even more of a formality had they used this Bolero as their music! The structure of the track is very simple, with only one brief deviation from the main theme, but the gradual build to the screaming synthesiser climax is hypnotic.
For me, “Trilogy” is ELP’s finest work, even eclipsing “Brain salad surgery”. If you want to discover ELP at their best, start here.
Line-up:
- Keith Emerson / Hammond organ C3, Steinway piano, Zoukra, Moog synthesizer IIIC, Mini Moog Model D
- Greg Lake / vocals, bass, electric & acoustic guitar
- Carl Palmer / drums, percussion
Track List:
01. The Endless Enigma (Part One) (6:42)
02. Fugue (1:57)
03. The Endless Enigma (Part Two) (2:05)
04. From The Beginning (4:17)
05. The Sheriff (3:23)
06. Hoedown (Taken from Rodeo) (3:47)
07. Trilogy (8:54)
08. Living Sin (3:14)
09. Abaddon’s Bolero (8:08)
Link in comments.
Curved Air – Phantasmagoria (1972) (@224)
15 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
The sound of Sonja Kristina’s heavily accented vocals singing “Fire in their hands/Steel in their eyes, they rise chanting “Revolution, Vive le Nation!” remains my abiding memory of Curved Air’s outstanding album Phantasmagoria. This follow-up to The Second Album, which spawned a great single Back Street Luv, contains many of Curved Air’s finest compositions and most progressive moments. I heartily recommend it.
Of course, the bloodthirsty, (ahem) majestic Marie Antoinette is one of those essential art-rock songs, with rollicking piano, chants, fuzz guitar from Francis Monkman and eerie synths from Darryl Way, and Sonja Kristina presiding over it all. The beautiful folk ballad Melinda (More Or Less) is also unforgettable. With Kristina on acoustic guitar (let’s not forget that this former folkie initially replaced Sandy Denny in The Strawbs!), Way’s violin, Monkman’s harpsichord, Mike Wedgwood’s understated bass and a notable guest flute appearance from one Annie Stewart, also succeed in transporting listeners back a couple of centuries.
As great as both songs are, neither is the album-defining classic, an honour that belongs to Monkman’s classic Over And Above. Outstanding moments abound in this song that resembles some of the work that Annie Haslam and Renaissance would craft in subsequent years. A swirling, multi-dimensional mini-epic, it’s fuelled by astounding guest performances from vibraphonists/xylophonists Crispian Steel-Perkins, Paul Cosh and Jim Watson and also features stellar contributions from Way and Monkman, both with an otherworldly synth solo and some earthier wah-wah guitar (which is largely absent on this record) to close off the piece. With symphonic dashes, jazzy runs and even the yet-to-be-sacred tubular bells, it is arguably the most progressive song Curved Air ever recorded.
The rest of the album is not quite in the same league as this masterpiece, but is generally very strong. Not Quite The Same begins with medieval brassy sounds before evolving into a bouncy folk-jazz with a melancholic chorus, and an unusual Canterbury- influenced synth solo (both Way and Monkman play synth on this one). Cheetah is an upbeat Darryl Way instrumental sees him starring on violin, with just enough unpredictable changes to keep the piece fresh. The title track is another one of those eerie, theatrical Curved Air cuts, although I don’t really like the chorus.
The one real downer is Ultra-Vivaldi, a speed up sequenced version of a song that has already been performed twice before by the group on Air Conditioning). The sequencer idea may have seemed worthwhile back in 1972, but it really stinks now. Of the three Curved Air Vivaldi pieces (Vivaldi, Vivaldi With Cannons and Ultra-Vivaldi) the original Vivaldi track is the only one I consider worth listening to. Luckily the damage is over in just 1:24! Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway? is another experiment that sounds cool but ain’t entirely convincing. The track consists of Kristina vocal tracks fed through a “PDP8/L computer and a Synthi 100 Synthesizer”, and it’s all edited to create a ghostly atmosphere. It’s not as tacky as Ultra-Vivaldi, but does go some way towards making the album feel dated.
The totally wild, unpredictable feel of the album is emphasized by the concluding track Once A Ghost, Always A Ghost, a strange brassy cabaret song that isn’t a personal favourite, but does end the album on an offbeat, yet stimulating note, thanks in part to another incredible vibraphone solo. You have to give this album and its creators marks for not resting on the laurels of the previous year’s hit single, and going on to craft a daring album despite the increasing friction that developed between the group’s two main songwriters.
Unfortunately, the band imploded after this excellent album, losing both Way and Monkman … and things were never the same. But should you ever need to convince anyone of Curved Air’s greatness, kindly direct them here. This is something else.
Line-up:
- Sonja Kristina / vocals, acoustic guitar
- Francis Monkman / guitars, keyboards, Tubular Bells, Gong, percussion
- Florian Pilkington-Miksa / drums, percussion
- Darryl Way / violin, keyboards, vocals, Tubular Bells, Mellotron on “Marie Antoinette”
- Mike Wedgwood / bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
Track List:
01. Marie Antoinette (6:20)
02. Melinda (More or Less) (3:25)
03. Not quite the Same (3:44)
04. Cheetah (3:33)
05. Ultra-Vivaldi (2:22)
06. Phantasmagoria (3:15)
07. Whose Shoulder are You Looking Over Anyway? (3:24)
08. Over and Above (8:36)
09. One a Ghost, Always a Ghost (4:25)
Link in comments.
Big Brother Ernie Joseph – Confusion (1970) (@256)
14 Feb 2007
(Info from label)
Reissue of very heavy-psych, very good album by a Californian band (commune/family) in 1970 who recorded their first album in Hollywood. At the time, their concerts were famous for their intensity and capacity to involve the audience. Bill Holmes, producer of the Strawberry Alarm Clock, decided to take on the band and, under his direction they recorded Confusion. With a scent of the classics of the time, Hendrix & Clapton.
Digitally remastered from the original master tapes, the album contains all eight of the original tracks and the original artwork. The unheavy Wake Me Up In The Morning is often considered the highlight. The album also included an interesting long version of Saint James Infirmary.
Line-up:
* Ernie Joseph / lead vocals, lead rhythm-bass guitars, harmonies
* Cory Colt / lead rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, organ, harmonies
* Ruben the Jet / bass, rhythm guitar, drums, vibes, sax, harmonies
* Stevie D / drums, mouth percussion, vocal (8b)
Track List:
01. Heart Full Of Rain
02. Wake Me Up In The Morning
03. E.S.P.
04. Heavi Load
05. We Gotta Live Together
06. L.L.A.(Lubricated Love Affair)
07. Saint James Infirmary
08. Gravis Delictum (Unforgiveable Sin)
Link in comments.
Moody Blues – Days of Future Passed (1967) (@256)
14 Feb 2007
Moody Blues – Days of Future Passed (1967) (@256)
(Review from progarchives.com)
“Days of Future Passed” really has stood up well to the test of time, due in no small part to the imaginative orchestration. This may not have been the first album to use the orchestra in this way (that is a well worn debate for the forum), but it arguably the most significant.
While “Days of Future Passed” was not the first Moody Blues release (many think it was), the band had effectively reinvented themselves since the pop orientated early work of the “Go now” era, the most significant change being the arrival of Justin Hayward. Hayward’s unique voice and guitar dexterity immediately gave the band the sound which we now associate so closely with them.
“Days of future passed” came about as a result of the Moody Blues record label Decca wishing to promote their new serious music subsidiary Deram. The idea was to demonstrate how far the recording process had come, with the introduction of such facilities as stereo and hi-fi. The band were afforded a generous amount of latitude to do their own thing, the use of the orchestra constituting a major investment and leap of faith on the part of the record company. It’s hard to see such a willingness by a record company, to take a risk of this nature, happening in today’s corporate environment.
It’s hard now to appreciate just how original this album was at the time of its release. The success of “Nights in white satin” as a single helped to boost sales significantly. Heard within the context of the album though, it makes for a superb finale. The track also contains a wonderful flute solo by the criminally under-recognised Ray Thomas, complemented by some superb bass work by John Lodge. Graham Edge adds one of his captivating soliloquies just before the final orchestral burst. As an aside, the “Cold hearted orb which rules the night” referred to by Edge is a television, the reference to it “removing the colours from our sight” reflecting the fact that the album predates the introduction of colour TV for the masses!
Justin Hayward’s vocals are excellent throughout, but especially on the atmospheric “Tuesday Afternoon”. The album is best listened to as a complete piece although tracks such as the two mentioned do sound great in isolation.
There’s little indication here of the direction the band would follow on later releases. Their instrumental prowess is largely stifled by the orchestra, but this is a superb album by any standards.
Line-up:
- Graeme Edge / drums
- Justin Hayward / guitars, vocals
- John Lodge / bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
- Michael Pinder / keyboards, vocals, mellotron
- Ray Thomas / flute, vocals
- The London Festival Orchestra: conducted by Peter Knight
Track List:
01. The Day Begins (5:49)
02. Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling (3:49)
03. Morning: Another Morning (3:40)
04. Lunch break: Peak Hour (5:16)
05. Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon) (8:48)
06. Evening: The Sun Set: Twilight Time (6:14)
07. Night: Nights in White Satin (7:38)
Link in comments.
Blackwater Park – Dirt Box (1971) (@256)
13 Feb 2007
(Review from krautrock.com, Cosmic Dreams at Play)
Hard & heavy guitar rock from Berlin with a British vocalist, ‘no-messin’ attitude and overloaded guitar. This is the band that ’70s-loving Swedish death-progressive metallers Opeth named their most recent opus after, leading us to think that it might be a weirdo prog-folk group or something — certainly not heavy-duty boogie rock, which is what it is! But, it’s pretty good. If you’re looking for cosmic krautrock sounds, look elsewhere — but if you enjoy early hardrock/proto-metal stuff like Led Zeppelin or (another German band with a British singer) Lucifer’s Friend, or dig the current champions of that sound, The Want, then check this out. Somehow one can’t help thinking maybe UFO saw this lot & decided to nick their act.
Line-up:
- Richard Routledge (vocals, guitar)
- Michael Fechner (guitar)
- Andreas Scholz (bass)
- Norbert Kagelmann (drums)
Track List:
01. Mental Block
02. Roundabout
03. One’s life
04. Indian Summer
05. Dirty face
06. Rock song
07. For No One
Link in comments.
Renaissance – King Biscuit Flower Hour Vol. 02 (1977) (@128)
13 Feb 2007
Well, this is the end of the Renaissance-related posts (at least for now). Better rips of @128, @VBR albums are more than welcome, I’ll be happy to replace the current ones. Also there are some albums still unposted (b/c I currently don’t have them) if you could send those, we can always complete the discography (studio+live albums only).
(Review from progarchives.com)
This is the second of a pair of volumes principally derived from a concert performed in October 1977 at the Royal Albert Hall, London, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Essentially, observations about technical quality apply to both volumes: the recordings are crisp and dynamic, and the orchestra is exceptionally detailed, but they are plagued by a persistant buzz throughout as well as some inevitable hiss and hum, despite being mixed and remastered in 1997. Additionally, John Tout’s piano sounds awful, and the mix, at least as regards balance between orchestra and band, is at best variable.
While Volume 2 will prove to be a less satisfactory proposition than its twin, opening track Running Hard is a very fair start though marred by an orchestra that is inaudible for a large part of the time and at others is too recessed. That apart, though, the band perform very well, almost too faithfully to the original studio version. Aside from the technical issues, this track compares well with the standard-setting Carnegie Hall set. Midas Man is played without orchestra, Dunford’s 12-string acoustic providing the main motive force backed by a variety of synths. It works well and the layered harmonies are spot on.
Mother Russia begins well, and is another good performance spoiled by an odd disappearance of the orchestra which resurfaces later on. Touching Once is even more bizarre. Even when the orchestra makes a late appearance it can barely be heard until the instrumental interlude when things get a little chaotic during the section with a sax solo. Control is just about maintained but it is a close run thing! It ends on a rousing climax though. Ashes Are Burning closes the main set with a lengthy 27 minute version, ten minutes of which contains mostly unnecessary and tedious unaccompanied solo spots, the sort of over-indulgent nonsense that everybody did in those days. The remainder sounds OK though, especially rocking out in an extended coda with Annie’s vocalese.
This volume is augmented by a couple of tracks from other sources to flesh out the running time. The first additional track presents a problem. It should be a version of Prologue recorded in July 1979 without an orchestra, but some early copies were pressed with live rendition of A Song For All Seasons instead before the fault was rectified. Inevitably, my copy has A Song For All Seasons: it’s live, it is sonically quite different to the other tracks but source is unknown, it has probably been severely overdubbed. It is OK without being special. Final track – You – is a previously unreleased studio recording from approx 1981. Again, it is OK, but marred by an overuse of synths.
Overall this volume doesn’t gel quite as well as Volume 1, due partly to the ten minutes of solo tedium that should have been left on the cutting room floor, and having two alien tracks tagged on at the end as make-weights. Otherwise it is a set of good to excellent performances spoiled by those persistant technical problems. If you can only get one, then get the first volume. Better still, get the 2CD Carnegie Hall set.
Line-up:
- Jon Camp / bass, pedals, vocals
- Micheal Dunford / acoustic guitar, vocals
- Annie Haslam / lead vocals
- Terrence Sullivan / drums, percussion
- John Tout / keyboards
with
- Harry Rabinowitz and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Track List:
01. Running Hard (10:33)
02. Midas Man (4:33)
03. Mother Russia (10:01)
04. Touching Once (Is So Hard To Keep) (10:13)
05. Ashes Are Burning (28:02)
06. Prologue (9:02)*
07. You (8:21)**
a) Part 1
b) Part 2
* Recorded live on July 28th, 1979 at the Convention Center in Ashbury Park, N.J.
** Unreleased song.
Link in comments.
Univers Zero – 1313 (1977) (@192)
12 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
What a slap in the face Univers Zero gives you in terms of an introduction to their music. I cannot think of one group that dared so much at once in their debut album as Univers Zero did at the time, bar some other RIO outfits. Mostly an acoustic band (bar the bass and some of Trigaux’s guitars), the music coming out here is a cross of Zappa (Uncle Meat), meeting Henry Cow, Bela Bartok or Charles Ives, yet it has a distinct rock flavour, but maybe not in a widely-accepted manner. Thev music is anything but light hearted, rather sombre and oppressive always flirting with dissonances, but never going over the top with them (as was frequently the case with Henry Cow). If I can be so naďve as to remind you that Univers Zero is one of the six signataires of the Rock In Opposition chart, you might just understand that Univers Zero is as much about their music as they are about aesthetics of their music. For this debut album, Univers Zero is a septet and the huge majority of instrument used are of the classical persuasion.
It is of course never easy to describe such difficult music, with either words or images, but the acoustic world that Univers Zero is presenting us is a dark, nightly, rather solemn and sinister underworld made of ambiances and angst of finding sheer horror round the street corner in London’s smog late nineteenth century. The 14-min+ Ronde is a wild opener, with the violin taking first role, while the much shorter Carabosse (after the fairy-witch) is more in the space of Berckmans’ bassoon while Daniel Denis’ amazing and inventive drumming and percussions rules the backtracks.
If the first side of the vinyl was mostly Daniel Denis’ works, the second side will be Roger Trigaux’s oeuvre. Not that good old Roger’s “songwriting” is any lighter than Daniel’s, far from it, but his music is clearly more rhythmic and repetitive. As on the previous side, the music hovers between Stravinsky and Balkanic oriented “folk-classical” music with some strong Magma influencers (Denis did play for the group and remains nowadays a friend of the Vander tribe) and represents one of the best example of chamber rock. In some ways their music can be likened to early Gryphon (the acoustic and instrumental nature of the music), but UZ is nothing medieval.
Please note that Univers Zero’s music is not easily accessible to the average Joe and therefore cannot be easily recommended to everyone. But in their genre, this group represents peak of what can be done in that kind of music. And this is only their first album of a lenghty career. Certainly a more influential band than a popular one, Univers Zero is one of the gardians of the progressive music’s integrity.
Line-up:
- Michel Berckmans / bassoon
- Daniel Denis / percussion
- Marcel Dufrane / violin
- Christian Genet / bass
- Patrick Hanappier / violin, viola, pocket cello
- Emmanuel Nicaise / harmonium, spinet
- Roger Trigaux / guitar
Track List:
01. Ronde (14:45)
02. Carabosse (3:40)
03. Docteur Petiot (7:25)
04. Malaise (7:42)
05. Complainte (3:18)
Link in comments.
Renaissance – King Biscuit Flower Hour Vol. 01 (1977) (@192)
12 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
The material on this album was recorded at The Royal Albert Hall, London, for later transmission in USA on the weekly King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show. The concert was the last of three performed in October 1977 with famous Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz. Twenty years later this album was put together, remixed from the original 24-track master tapes by Michael Dunford. There are two volumes deriving from this concert, but the bulk – and best – of it is on this first volume.
Comparisons with the earlier classic Carnegie Hall set are inevitable as four of the five tracks are common to both, but performance issues are outweighed by concerns of a more technical nature. On the positive side, it has to be said the orchestra has been recorded brilliantly, each instrument sounding clear and vibrant, the texture of the cellos especially well presented. Overall the sound is crisp, bright and detailed, presumably a result of digital mastering. But beneath the surface all is far from satisfactory: background hiss and general hum is apparent on the quietest passages, but they pale into insignificance compared to a continuous buzz emanating from one or more equipment jacks or earth loops.
The problems are exacerbated by some indifferent mixing. For example, during Can You Understand the orchestra doesn’t come in on its regular cue point but creeps up on you a few bars later, and Annie is faded up a couple of beats too late after a cue during Song Of Scheherazade. Perhaps in themselves not earth shattering [the tracks on Vol 2 are worse], but there are many such niggles that begin to add up after a while. The sound of Tout’s piano is another major flaw – it sounds false, synthetic and, well, awful. Which is not good for such an important component of the band’s sound.
Performances are, on the whole, very good. Certainly up to scratch with a few reservations. Opener Prologue is rather like those orchestral tribute albums, the entire track played as an ‘overture’ by the orchestra. While recognisable, it has been arranged, rearranged and twisted into an entirely new and exciting shape quite different from any other version. Can You Undestand, despite a spirited performance from the band, sadly sinks under a barrage of technical faults which conspire to mar what would have been an excellent rendition. Carpet Of The Sun is fine, though the dense string section seems to hold back the energy at times.
Can You Hear Me? begins with a slightly ponderous opening flourish with an overweight arrangement, but picks up nicely when Dunford’s 12 string acoustic accompanies Annie into the first verse. At times the band sounds a little soft when they should be forceful, and the central instrumental section is spoiled by some off-key bass work. Later, the song builds to an excellent crescendo, but again there is the suggestion that the orchestra is dragging slightly.
Song Of Scheherazade is good but again not faultless. The opening orchestral introductory passages sound a little uncontrolled, as do Festival Preparations, and there seems to be a vicious mixing edit cutting the orchestra from the background of Love Theme. The final Scheherazade theme is fine but disappointingly Annie fails to build tension towards her final high climax. Add in the already mentioned problems and they all add up to a frustrating experience.
That really sums up this album. In general the band and orchestra play well, as you would expect from a bunch of talented professionals, but there are simply too many technical problems to ignore. The result is clearly no match for the Carnegie Hall set which must be first choice for anyone looking for a Renaissance live album, but can still be enjoyed if you can see past the buzz.
Line-up:
- Jon Camp / bass, vocals
- Michael Dunford / acoustic guitar, vocals
- Annie Haslam / lead vocals
- Terrence Sullivan / drums, percussion
- John Tout / keyboards
with
- Harry Rabinowitz and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Track List:
01. Prologue (8:14)
02. Can you understand (11:17)
03. Carpet of the sun (3:48)
04. Can you hear me (13:58)
05. Song of Scheherazade: (25:17)
Link in comments.
Allman Brothers Band – Allman Brothers Band (1969) (@256)
11 Feb 2007
(Review from wikipedia, allmusic)
Allman Brothers Band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida on March 26, 1969. The actual Allman brothers, Duane and Gregg, had originally been in a garage band called the Escorts, then the Allman Joys and finally the Hour Glass. The Hour Glass had released two failed albums from Liberty Records. They were all released from the contract except Gregg, who Liberty thought might have some commercial potential. Duane Allman, with a stint as a session guitarist in Muscle Shoals, Alabama on Johnny Jenkins Ton-Ton Macoute album behind him (it was to be Duane’s first solo album before the ABB was formed), started jamming with Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks and Berry Oakley in Jacksonville. Duane brought in Jaimoe, a drummer he had played with before and the nucleus of the band was formed. Gregg was in Los Angeles, fulfilling the Hour Glass contract with Liberty Records. He was summoned back to Jacksonville by Duane to “fill out the band and sing.”
The Allman Brothers Band played numerous shows in the south before releasing their debut album, The Allman Brothers Band. This might be the best debut album ever delivered by an American blues band, a bold, powerful, hard-edged, soulful essay in electric blues with a native Southern ambience. Some lingering elements of the psychedelic era then drawing to a close can be found in “Dreams,” along with the template for the group’s on-stage workouts with “Whipping Post,” and a solid cover of Muddy Waters’ “Trouble No More.” There isn’t a bad song here. Critics loved it, but the blues-rock album found few listeners, attracting only a cult audience.
Line-up:
* Duane Allman: slide guitar and lead guitar
* Gregg Allman: vocals, organ
* Dickey Betts: lead guitar,
* Berry Oakley: bass guitar, backing vocals
* Butch Trucks: drums
* Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson: drums, congas
Track List:
01. Don’t Want You No More – 2:29
02. It’s Not My Cross to Bear – 4:48
03. Black Hearted Woman – 5:20
04. Trouble No More – 3:47
05. Every Hungry Woman – 4:16
06. Dreams – 7:19
07. Whipping Post – 5:19
Link in comments.
Hawkwind – Live Chronicles (1985) (@256)
11 Feb 2007
(Review from amazon.co.uk)
This album sticks two fingers up at anyone who has ever slagged Hawkwind off. Sure, they have had their moments, but this proves they can be a force to be reckoned with. Recorded on the Black Sword tour of ’85, this album follows on nicely from the studio concept album about the adventures of Elric of Melnibone, a pale hero in a fantasy world created by Michael Moorcock. Moorcock was a collaberator with Hawkwind since the early days and it’s good to see the bands admiration of the author manifesting itself in the releases they had in ’84 & ’85. Live Chronicles allows you an insight to the excitement and extravagance of their live show at this time. The pace of the album is fast and heavy but well played and well produced. Hi-lights are ‘Dragons and fables’ ‘Masters of the universe’ and ‘Magnu’ Huw Lloyd Langtons guitar playing is fantastic and unmistakable. Live albums can be hit and miss, and lets be honest although Hawkwind are a great and mysterious band, their recordings were often lacking in the studio never mind on stage. This is a pleasing exception and should be heard by not only Hawkwind fans but any sceptic who never embraced the band. This may change your mind.
Line-up:
- Dave Brock / vocals, synthesizers, guitar, keyboards
- Harvey Bainbridge / keyboards, synthesizers, vocals
- Alan Davey / bass, backing vocals
- Huw Lloyd-Langton / lead guitar, vocals
- Danny Thompson / drums
Track List:
01 – Song Of The Swords
02 – Dragons And Fables
03 – Narration
04 – The Sea King
05 – Angels Of Death
06 – Shade Gate
07 – Rocky Paths
08 – Narration
09 – The Pulsing Cavern
10 – Master Of The Universe
11 – Dreaming City
12 – Choose Your Masques
13 – Fight Sequence
14 – Needle Gun
15 – Zarozinia
16 – Lords Of Chaos
17 – The Dark Lords
18 – Moonglum
19 – Elric The Enchanter
20 – Conjuration of Magnu
21 – Magnu
22 – Dust Of Time
23 – Horn Of Fate
Links in comments.
Annie Haslam – Live Under Brazilian Skies (1998) (@128)
11 Feb 2007
(Review from progreviews.com)
This live album documents the shows that the ex-Renaissance vocalist performed in Brazil in March 1997, accompanied by one member of her band at the time, multi-instrumentalist David Biglin. The liner notes relate how the shows were organized, as is often the case with progressive music events, from a grass roots level spearheaded by three Brazilian fans. I was actually at Haslam’s performance at The Bottom Line a few months prior in June 1996 where she first met two of the fans, as I remember her mentioning them on stage; that concert was also my first introduction to the music of Renaissance.
With the economy of only two people, Annie wisely eschews tackling the longer Renaissance pieces. Instead, Under Brazilian Skies contains a very representative selection of her solo performances during that time: the shorter Renaissance chestnuts, a number of covers, and solo material. Haslam’s trademark voice is in great form, so it all comes down to what you think about the songs themselves. For myself, the short Renaissance songs are always a pleasure to listen to and well-suited to these pared-down arrangements. Also, it is touching to hear the Brazilian audience, many of whom were probably lifelong fans just getting to see Haslam for the first time ever in their lives, singing along as on “Let It Grow.” Of the covers, Mike Oldfield’s “Moonlight Shadow” sounds better in acoustic form than the dated keyboard studio version from Annie’s 1989 eponymous solo album. While not touching Yes’ original, “Turn of the Century” is decent, though “If I Loved You” (a song from Rogers & Hammerstein’s Carousel), while competently delivered, does not approach the beauty of the arrangement featured on Annie in Wonderland. As for Annie’s solo material, mostly co-written with Biglin, I wish I could support it equally with the other stuff, but these are really pretty banal pop songs that have way too much schmaltzy adult contemp to them. Yes, I acknowledge that the line drawn in the Sweet ‘n’ Low is a particularly thin and subjective one when holding Renaissance up as a standard of comparison. Still, songs like “Seashell Eyes,” “Summon the Angels,” and “After the Oceans Are Gone” manage to cross that self-defined inner threshold of sugar tolerance for me, and so I’ll pass.
Overall, though? Makes a handy disc for Renaissance and Annie fans to pull out and sing along with once in a while. Just have it cued up to the right spots. Soon after this, Haslam and Biglin parted ways, for reasons that have never really been fully explained.
Track List:
01. Carpet of the Sun — 4:08
02. I Think of You — 3:31
03. The Captive Heart — 4:39
04. Moonlight Shadow — 3:31
05. Blessing in Disguise — 3:27
06. Seashell Eyes — 4:41
07. Summon the Angels — 5:09
08. Nature Boy/If I Loved You — 4:46
09. After the Oceans Are Gone — 4:40
10. The Young Prince and Princess — 6:00
11. Let It Grow — 4:01
12. Brazilian Skies — 4:52
13. Turn of the Century — 6:37
14. Northern Lights — 4:37
15. Spare Some Love — 5:50
Link in comments.
Rush – Caress of Steel (1975) (@256)
10 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
After heavily displaying their influences throughout their first two albums, Rush decided on Caress of Steel that it was time to break away from the pack. And seemingly at the same time, Neil Peart’s lyrical genius really began to shine through for the first time. This is the first great Rush album, and I have no idea how so many people have overlooked it. As always, the band’s playing is stunning (though it would get to be even more so in following years), and their great song ideas were really starting to come through. While the group’s compositions would still get better with their next few albums, these were the first signs of their brilliance, and it blows away their first two records.
“Bastille Day” is a fantastic rocker with very meaningful and direct lyrics. The riffs are more powerful than anything they’d done up to that point, and Geddy’s vocals are at their most agressive. “I Think I’m Going Bald’ may have a catchy riff, but it’s really somewhat of an unremarkable, goofy track. This is more than made up for by the mellow “Lakeside Park”, which is extremely well performed, and really just a very enjoyable track. However, it’s after these three songs that the record gets ambitious. “The Necromancer” is their first 10+ minute song, and while it has some great moments and does a fantastic job at establishing different moods, the narraration really causes me to lose some interest in the track. Still, some of Alex Lifeson’s best early guitar work can be found on this track, and it’s well worth the time it takes to listen to it. However, it gets blown out of the water by their first sidelong track, the stunning “Fountain of Lamneth”. While it doesn’t flow seamlessly like their later epics, the band is in top form for the entire thing, and never has Geddy’s high pitched screaming worked so well. Add Neil Peart’s brilliantly descriptive lyircs to the equation, as well as the always flawless guitar work of Alex Lifeson, and you’ve got yourself a hell of a song. It doesn’t drag at any point, and it made it extremely obvious that Rush had great things ahed of them.
I’m one of the select few who actually prefers Caress of Steel to 2112. While 2112 has one stunning track and then a whole side of mediocre ones, Caress is fairly consistent, and really shows the band coming into their own in every sense.
Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / bass, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / guitars
- Neil Peart / drums, percussion
Track List:
01. Bastille Day (4:36)
02. I think I’m Going Bald (3:35)
03. Lakeside Park (4:07)
04. The Necromancer: 12:30
I) Into The Darkness (4:20)
II) Under The Shadow (4:25)
III) Return Of The Prince (3:51)
05. The Fountain Of Lamneth: 19:50
I) In The Valley (4:17)
II) Didacts And Narpets (1:00)
III) No One At The Bridge (4:15)
IV) Panacea (3:12)
V) Bacchus Plateau (3:12)
VI) The Fountain (3:48)
Link in comments.
Annie Haslam's Renaissance – Blessing in Disguise (1994) (@128
10 Feb 2007
(Review from nlightsweb.com, allmusic.com)
Singing better than she believed she had ever done before, Annie survived the breast cancer she was treated for in 1993 and then got back into business with a band called Annie Haslam’s Renaissance. She wrote poems and Tony Visconti put them to music and likens it to how Thatcher and Dunford “used to work in the old days.” Visconti also co-wrote six of the tracks.
The album resulting from the collaboration is entitled Blessing In Disguise. Released in 1994, it has fourteen songs and spans the entire range of Annie’s musical abilities including tracks with a texture reminiscent of Renaissance’s earlier work and those that go on beyond where the band left off. Both Betty Thatcher-Newsinger and Michael Dunford contributed to Blessing In Disguise in co-writing “Love Lies, Love Dies” also performed on The Other Woman by Dunford and another vocalist. Betty Thatcher-Newsinger also wrote lyrics for “The Sweetest Kiss.”
The song “Love Lies, Love Dies” uses essentially the same music as the earlier “Dreamaker” released on 1997′s Songs From Renaissance Days, making it another example of songs the artists have performed the same melody with multiple sets of lyrics. The music was used again in Michael Dunford’s Scheherazade musical with lyrics by Jude Alderson in the song “A Love So Pure.” Another pair is “Save Us All” from Still Life and “Cold Is Being” from Turn Of The Cards which both use Albinoni’s “Adagio Giazotto” as their musical foundation.
Annie Haslam’s Renaissance, began the phenomenon of “dueling Renaissances” that took place in the 1990s, Michael Dunford having started his own version of the group, and the surviving members of the original line-up also claiming the name — all astonishing for a band that seldom, if ever, charted any records in any notable way, and also unfortunate, because it diverted attention from each artist’s work.
Blessing in Disguise is one of Haslam’s most engaging and accessible records — all of it is on the arty, romantic side of pop/rock, in a similar vein to Renaissance, but it’s also distinctly different, in that the singer sacrifices some of her voice’s crystalline purity and a little bit of her range in favor of a warmer, more expressive sound.
The whole album marks a definite advancement from Haslam’s earlier work — instead of “Renaissance-lite”, it’s a solid and weighty solo achievement.
Track List:
01. Blessing In Disguise
02. Pool Of Tears
03. Love Lies, Love Dies
04. Can’t Turn The Night Off
05. In Another Life
06. Raindrops And Leaves
07. Whisper From Marseilles
08. I Light This Candle
09. What He Seeks
10. See This Through Your Eye
11. The Sweetist Kiss
12. The Children (Of Medellin)
13. A New Life
14. After The Oceans Are Gone
Link in comments.
Annie Haslam – Still Life (1985) (@256)
09 Feb 2007
(Review from amazon.com)
In 1984, singer Annie Haslam, after releasing two badly received synth-pop albums with her formerly progressive rock band Renaissance, decided, in a sense, to get back to her roots. She had Betty Thatcher, Renaissance’s primary lyricist, put words to 11 classical pieces. Some are quite well known (Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake”, Bach’s “Air on a G String”), others more obscure (Chopin’s “Opus 10, No. 33, “The Pilgrim’s Chorus, from Wagner’s “Tannhauser”). Louis Clark, who had done orchestral arrangements for ELO and Renaissance’s “A Song for All Seasons” album, did the honors again here.
The results are very unique, quite above the average pop album. Classical purists will balk for a number of reasons, one being that a muted rhythm section of bass and drums is employed to make the pieces song oriented. But Clark’s arrangements are never tacky or overwhelming, tastefully bringing out the gorgeous melodies of the pieces. He even occasionally throws a male choir into the mix.
Thatcher’s lyrics are very deep and meaningful, if tinged with a bit of sadness. One of the tracks is actually a rework from Renaissance. Thatcher’s 1974 song “Cold is Being” was based on Albinoni’s “Adagio”. Here, she provides an entirely new set of lyrics to it called “Save Us All”, almost prayerful in tone. She does, however, manage to be playful on “Skaila”, which actually refers to the harpist on the track, Skaila Kanga.
Delivering these lyrics over these arrangements is the always stunning voice of Annie Haslam. For the first time in five years, she finally got to agian sing material worthy of her talent. Her range is exploited to its best, singing the lyrics with the perfect combination of emotion, grace and power. Even long time Renaissance fans may be amazed at the skill that she employs here. There’s a 12th track not written by Thatcher which proves the point for sure. Annie performs Mozart’s “Ave Verum” in the original Latin. This shows that Annie could have made it singing opera instead of rock if she had wanted to!
It certainly isn’t rock and roll. But if you’re open minded enough to hear both classical music and stunning vocals in a new setting, then this album will well reward you. Unfortunately, the 1984 LP was released only in Britain, and the 1996 CD is out of print (the company went bankrupt). Hopefully, another company will pick it up soon — this album deserves better than obscurity.
Track List:
01. Forever Bound
02. Still Life
03. One Day
04. Ave Verum
05. Shine
06. Careless Love
07. Glitter and Dust
08. Day You Strayed
09. Save Us All
10. Skaila
11. Bitter Sweet
12. Chains and Threads
Link in comments.
Derek and the Dominos – Live At The Fillmore (1970) (@256)
09 Feb 2007
(Review from amazon.com)
This is a great, great live album. The Dominos, Eric Clapton, all-world guitarist, Jim Gordon, all-world drummer, Carl Radle, tremendously talented and experienced bassist, and Bobby Whitlock, singer and keyboardist with another world of experience, rocked the Fillmore for two days and four shows, and got captured on tape. Thank goodness.
The band lacks Duane Allman from the Layla sessions, a guitarist to equal Clapton, so the stunning and unique guitar interplay featured on that album is, sadly, missing. As far as we know, Duane appeared onstage with the Dominos twice. One appearance was not effective, drugs usually given as the reason. Another appearance was recorded by at least two sources in the audience, and is available as a bootleg entitled “Twin Flames Soul Mates”. The recordings are very muddy, still listenable, but it is very plain, again, that the two brought out the best in each other. They go at it with a vengeance, offering amazing virtuosity and musicianship for the evening. That, however, is a different band than the one on this CD.
The Dominos sans Allman is more of a smooth and polished unit, not as fiery or emotional, offering songs that get into grooves, the rhythm section backing Clapton in an amazingly smooth and seamless manner, whilst Eric wails. And I mean wails. Some fantastic soloing pours out of his guitar, blistering the audience for long minutes at a time. Jim Gordon adds a frantic drum solo that never slows to allow us to appreciate the cool rhythms, it just goes faster and faster.
Professional, poised, and having fun. The band plays songs that date to their time as Eric’s band on his first solo album, with Delaney and Bonnie, and backing George Harrison on “All Things Must Pass”. They had actually been together for awhile, and sound like it. The only non-Dominos songs on this album are “Presence of the Lord”, a Blind Faith tune, and “Crossroads”, which is an Eric Clapton concert staple dating from Cream’s “Wheels of Fire” live side. “Bottle of Red Wine” and several others are from Clapton’s first studio album, “Eric Clapton”, and Whitlock, Radle and Gordon were playing with him then.
Line-up:
* Eric Clapton – guitar, vocals
* Bobby Whitlock – keyboards, vocals
* Carl Radle – bass guitar
* Jim Gordon – drums, piano on “Layla”
Track List:
CD1
01. Got To Get Better In A Little While
02. Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?
03. Key To The Highway
04. Blues Power
05. Have You Ever Loved A Woman
06. Bottle Of Red Wine
CD2
01. Tell The Truth
02. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
03. Roll It Over
04. Presence Of The Lord
05. Little Wing
06. Let It Rain
07. Crossroads
Links in comments.
Beggar’s Opera – Pathfinder (1972) (@256)
09 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
This was the third album by this Scottish act that was recording for Vertigo. The original LP to “Pathfinder” comes with a gimmick cover that folds in to a giant poster, revealing the astronaut riding the horse is on a planet that hardly looks like Earth.
The Mellotron, as found on “Waters of Change” had all but vanished. Virginia Scott (just about the only female keyboardist I know who played Mellotron) had sat this one out, so all keyboard duties were by Alan Parker. The rest of the band at this time consisted of guitarist/vocalist Ricky Gardner, bassist Gordon Sellar, vocalist Martin Griffiths (not to be confused with Martin Griffin, the on and off again drummer for Hawkwind from the late ’70s to early ’80s who was often wrongly named Martin Griffiths), and drummer Ray Wilson (absolutely nothing to do with the Ray Wilson who replaced Phil Collins in Genesis). The music here is pretty much early ’70s song-based prog typical of the British scene of the time, dominated by the Hammond organ. You won’t be mistaking this for Gentle Giant, to say the least, so this is quite an accessible album.
There are just times you don’t want your prog to go through a million meter changes in five minutes with as little melody as possible, there’s time you want your prog to at least have some catchy and solid melodies, and this album delivers. A great example would be the opening song, “Hobo”, with lyrics referring to an aging homeless man. They also do a cover of Jimmy Webb’s “MacArthur Park” (a million versions of this song exists, don’t ask me why, the most famous being the hit version from actor Richard Harris back in 1968, and “Weird” Al Yankovic doing a parody of that song in 1993 called “Jurassic Park” in honor of the Spielberg movie that came out that year). Harpsichord dominates this piece, but there is a little Mellotron, and unfortunately the only cut on this album that uses it. There’s a couple of sinister, occult-themed songs too, with “The Witch” and “Madame Doubtfire” that could remind you of the Crazy World of Arthur Brown (without Arthur Brown’s distinct vocals) or Black Widow. The title track has vocal harmonies that remind me a bit of the Byrds, but still unmistakably progressive and ’70s, especially the use of guitar and Hammond organ. “From Shark to Haggis” is an odd piece. It starts off rather jazzy, then the band goes exploring their Scottish roots, turning it in to a Celtic folk jig (let’s not forget “Haggis” in the song title, which is a food unique to Scotland, and most commonly served during Robert Burns Day, and I wonder if the “From Shark” bit was inspired by Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife”, which was a jazzy song with lyrics referring to sharks). “Stretcher” is the album’s only instrumental cut, and unfortunately, for me, is rather unremarkable, mainly dominated by Ricky Gardiner’s guitar playing. The album closes with “Madame Doubtfire”, which, as mentioned before, has a strong occult theme, and the song really gets wild at the end with all the screaming.
It’s to my understanding that “Pathfinder” was Beggars Opera’s last fully progressive album, although they did continue on and off again releasing albums until the beginning of the 1980s. This is a nice album to have for those who enjoy early British progressive.
Line-up:
- Martin Griffiths / lead vocals
- Alan Park / keyboards
- Ricky Gardiner / lead guitar and vocals
- Gordon Sellar / acoustic guitar & bass guitar and vocal
- Ray Wilson / drums
Track List:
01. Hobo (4:40)
02. MacArthur Park (8:20)
03. The Witch (5:26)
04. Pathfinder (3:44)
05. From Shark to Haggis (6:38)
06. Stretcher (4:50)
07. Madame Doubtfire (4:15)
Link in comments.
Paice Ashton Lord – Malice in Wonderland (1976) (@256)
08 Feb 2007
(Info from purplerecords.net)
Ashton and Lord first met in 1970, and ended up writing and playing together on a number of projects over the next few years, including the “First Of The Big Bands” album released in 1974; in many ways a prototype for the PAL project. Following Purple Mk 4’s demised in March 1976, Paice Ashton Lord emerged amidst much fanfare.
Mysterious adverts in the music papers gave some hint of what was going on: “British Band Requires British Bass Player and Lead Guitarist for formation of new rock band by three established musicians.” Paul Martinez, then in Stretch, got the bass player’s job, guitarist Bernie Marsden (then with Babe Ruth) completed the band. The line-up was made official on August 21st 1976 and by September they were in the Musicland studios, Munich, recording.
By now, Howie Casey was part of the band on saxophone, having previously played with Wings, along with a brass quartet. The horns helped give the band their unique sound. The line-up was completed by two girl singers. The band stayed at an Arabella Hotel in Munich, home to the drunken American who, in trying to pronounce Alice In Wonderland, gave Jon the idea for the album title, to which Tony provided the lyrics. There was a lot more freedom within the band for Jon, with the guitar used more as a rhythm instrument. With Martin Birch (who had been producing Purple for many years) at the helm, the album took just ten days to lay down. Ian Paice feels they’d cut a good album, “PAL was trying to do something ahead of its time, the sort of thing Level 42 became, a cross between jazz and rock”.
The post-recording period saw the construction of a large stage set at Pinewood put together by the guy who had done the stages for the “Spy Who Loved Me” movie. They also announced that a film about the band was being produced. The album release was eventually put back to March 4th 1977. “One of those rare combinations of musicians which catches fire and becomes something really exciting”, wrote Beat Instrumental. A tour of selected cities across Europe was dropped leaving just the UK dates intact.
The group made their debut on the BBC TV show “Sight & Sound In Concert” on Saturday March 19th. A week later they opened their tour at the Birmingham Odeon supported by Bandit. Musically the band were at times a force to be reckoned with, turning out some ferocious r’n b flavoured rock, with a great duel keyboard style which was very adventurous. What it needed was something to build on top of this, Tony wasn’t at all happy fronting such a large band. Once the tour was over, the group returned to Germany to begin work on their second album. This was 75% completed, when sometime in early 1978 they came to a decision to fold the band. Bernie Marsden joined David Coverdale in Whitesnake. Tony Ashton returned to his role as a producer. Paice, Lord and Martinez went off to back Maggie Bell, formerly of Stone The Crows but the project didn’t last long and the following month Jon Lord also joined Whitesnake.
Paice Ashton Lord were undoubtably overambitious but the album is one that grows on the listener. Ian Paice looks back on the band without regrets. “PAL was a brave experiment! It was an experiment that cost Jon and I a fortune but I’m glad we did it”.
Track List:
01. Ghost Story
02. Remember the Good Times
03. Arabella [Oh Tell Me]
04. Silas and Jerome
05. Dance With Me Baby
06. On the Road Again, Again
07. Sneaky Private Lee
08. I’m Gonna Stop Drinking Again
09. Malice in Wonderland
10. Ghost Story (Live) (Bonus)
11. Streamroller Blues (Live) (Bonus)
12. Ballad of Mr Giver (Live) (Bonus)
Links in comments.
Annie Haslam – Annie in Wonderland (1977) (@256)
08 Feb 2007
(Review from amazon.com)
Annie’s first solo album was released in late 1977, while Renaissance was on a brief hiatus. It represented a major departure from her Renaissance work. While Renaissance’s music was progressive rock influenced by folk and classical music, “Annie in Wonderland” runs the stylistic gamut, covering a lot more musical ground. The musical direction is provided by her then-fiancee and ex-Electric Light Orchestra member Roy Wood, who produced, played almost all the instruments, sang backing vocals, and wrote some of the songs.
The tracks can be roughly divided into three groups, the first being covers of songs that Annie evidently loved as a child. These include an ethereal version of Rogers and Hammerstein’s “If I Loved You”, from the musical “Carousel”. “Nature Boy”, first made famous by Nat King Cole, is given a delightful tropical arrangement. The most unusual choice here is “Going Home”, the second movement of Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” with touching lyrics about the afterlife. This song was very popular as a spiritual in the African-American community, but this version has Annie backed powerfully by an orchestra and male choir.
Two songs were written by Renaissance bassist Jon Camp, his first solo compositions. “If I Were Made of Music” and “In My Life” are catchy, upbeat folk rockers. Not too surprisingly, these tracks sounds the most like Renaissance, previewing what would be coming up on their next two albums.
Finally, there are the three tracks by Wood. “Rockalise” has Annie scatting over a tune that starts off slow and soft and then turns into a jam. “I Never Believed in Love” is a another jaunty, cute pop song with Annie switching off vocals with Wood. Finally, the seven minute “Hunioco” is a multi-segmented track with African influences, with Annie and Roy singing a number of lyrics in an African language!
The versatility of Wood is very impressive, but, of course, Annie’s amazing five octave voice is the main reason the album works. She does, for the first time, multiple overdubs of harmonies, which would, again, influence the next couple of Renaissance albums. Renaissance fans who aren’t familiar with her solo work will really enjoy hearing Annie’s voice employed in a great variety of settings, while people who don’t like progressive rock may find these songs more accessible.
Track List:
01. Introlise/If I Were Made of Music
02. I Never Believed in Love
03. If I Loved You
04. Hunioco
05. Rockalise — To Alison
06. Nature Boy
07. Inside My Life
08. Going Home
Link in comments.
Andrew Lloyd Webber – Jesus Christ Superstar (Original Cast Recording) (1970) (@256)
07 Feb 2007
(Review from allmusic, amazon)
Jesus Christ Superstar started life as a most improbable concept album from an equally unlikely label, Decca Records, which had not, until then, been widely known for groundbreaking musical efforts. It was all devised by then 21-year-old composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and 25-year-old lyricist Tim Rice. Jesus Christ Superstar had been conceived as a stage work, but lacking the funds to get it produced, the two collaborators instead decided to use an album as the vehicle for introducing the piece, a fairly radical rock/theater hybrid about the final days in the life of Jesus as seen from the point of view of Judas. If its content seemed daring (and perhaps downright sacrilegious), the work, a “sung-through” musical echoing operatic and oratorio traditions, was structurally perfect for an album; just as remarkable as its subject matter was the fact that its musical language was full-blown rock music. There was at the time an American-spawned hit theater piece called Hair that utilized elements of rock music, but it wasn’t as unified a work as Webber and Rice’s creation, and it was less built on rock music than on pop music that referred to rock; Webber and Rice’s work presented a far sharper, bolder musical edge and pushed it much further and harder than Hair ever did.
It may not have been the first rock opera (the Who’s Tommy was released in 1969), but Jesus Christ Superstar was a legendary album. Telling the story of the last days of Christ from the point of view of Judas (Murray Head), the still-unmatched original cast also stars Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan as Jesus and Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene.
The incredibly loud orchestra of the stage performance is toned down a bit, showcasing the excellent rock songs that made this album a #1 hit in 1971. I first heard this album when I was about 4 or 5 years old, and still, even today, there’s a chill that runs down my back when Judas sings “Heaven on Their Minds” or when Jesus screams “just watch me die!” in “Gethsemane”. Not one of the endless movie soundtrack, or broadway versions can hold a candle to this interpretation. It’s the only Jesus Christ Superstar one needs to own.
Line-up:
Main Vocals :
* Murray Head – Judas Iscariot
* Ian Gillan – Jesus Christ
* Yvonne Elliman – Mary Magdalene
* Victor Brox – Caiaphas, High Priest
* Brian Keith – Annas
* John Gustafson – Simon Zealotes
* Barry Dennen – Pontius Pilate
* Paul Davis – Peter
* Mike d’Abo – King Herod
Musicians
* Bruce Rowland – drums, Percussion
* Allan Spenner – bass guitar
* Henry McCulloch -electric guitar, acoustic guitar
* Neil Hubbard – electric guitar
* Peter Robinson – piano, electric piano, Organ, positive organ
* Chris Mercer – tenor sax
Track List:
CD1
01. Overture
02. Heaven On Their Minds
03. What’s The Buzz/Strange Thing Mystifying
04. Everything’s Alright
05. This Jesus Must Die
06. Hosanna
07. Simon Zealotes/Poor Jerusalem
08. Pilate’s Dream
09. The Temple
10. Everything’s Alright
11. I Don’t Know How To Love Him
12. Damned For All Time/Blood Money
CD2
01. The Last Supper
02. Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say)
03. The Arrest
04. Peter’s Denial
05. Pilate And Christ
06. King Herod’s Song(Try It And See)
07. Judas’ Death
08. Trial Before Pilate (Including 39 Lashes)
09. Superstar
10. Crucifixion
11. John Nineteen Forty-One
Links in comments.
Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968) (@256)
07 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
One of the greatest albums of the late 60s psychedelic rock explosion, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was also among the most successful, shifting millions of copies (8 million is the last figure I read) by the end of the 60s. The influence of this album is undeniable, although having a distinctly “uncool” main man like organist Doug Ingle (as opposed to say Jim Morrison or John Lennon) has ensured that Iron Butterfly is treated with derision by a fair number of critics.
While there are five relative short songs of varying quality, this album is made or broken by the 17 minute long title track. Largely based on a single menacing blues riff, this excellent piece nonetheless contains an Eastern style “fanfare”, a massive Erik Brann wah-wah drenched guitar freak-out, delicious Gothic organ (with hints of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen thrown in for good measure), an excellent drum solo by Ron Bushy and a percussion extragavanza that draws on African rhythms … all done with some exciting use of dynamics and numerous shifts of mood. While it can be dismissed as a psych jam, I still find myself astounded by some of the playing, and it shocks me that the whole thing was done in a single take.
As for the shorter songs, one or two will seem pretty fluffy and dated, but I take delight in My Mirage (which races along thanks to some excellent keyboard work from Ingle … guaranteed to excite fans of the Doors), Termination (another timeless slab of creative psychedelic rock, with a lovely dream outro) and the urgent stomper Are You Happy which some superb free-form psych. Ingle’s unfortunate habit of populating his songs with lyrics about “holding hands and walking lands with groovy girls wearing flowers and beads” means that some of the material may just make you cringe, but I still think this album is far more alive and creative than a lot of the sterile progressive that’s produced today.
Line-up:
- Doug Ingle / vocals, keyboards
- Erik Brann / guitar
- Lee Dorman / bass
- Ron Bushy / drums
Track List:
01. Most Anything You Want (3:44)
02. Flowers And Beads (3:09)
03. My Mirage (4:55)
04. Termination (2:53)
05. Are You Happy? (4:29)
06. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (17:05)
Link in comments.
Annie Haslam – Annie Haslam (1989) (@VBR 320)
07 Feb 2007
Thanks to John for the contribution.
(Review from amazon.com)
Of course it isn’t going to be Renaissance, but that doesn’t mean that it is worthless. It isn’t fair to compare it to Renaissance because it is a solo album, and a completely different genre of music. I think people lose something when they deconstruct music so thoroughly. I don’t rely on my analytical mind with music- all I care about is if I like the sound. I also think it’s a waste of time to compare artists to their past works – the earlier works are usually the most popular because that’s the first thing people heard, but I’ve found that when I’ve heard bands’ later works first, I usually like them better.
Anyway, this is my favorite of her later albums (although I don’t think she likes it much). It has variety – the songs are of similar genre, but it’s not one of these albums where they all sound the same. It has some new wave effects and other musical interludes which are colorful. To me it’s kind of classy and just a fun album for if a person isn’t in a “I need an intense ultimate prog listening experience” kind of mood.
Track List:
01. Moonlight Shadow
02. The Angels Cry
03. When A Heart Finds Another
04. Let It Be Me
05. She’s The Light
06. Celestine
07. Further From Fantasy
08. Wishin’ On A Star
09. Wildest Dreams
10. One More Arrow
11. One Love
Link in comments.
Rex Holman – Here in the Land of Victory (1970) (@256)
06 Feb 2007
(Info from label)
U.S. psych/folk album from 1970 in the style of Tim Buckley. Probably from California. Here In The Land Of Victory is a very good folk psych album, similar to the better tracks on the Brent Titcomb LP, and sounding a lot like Tim Buckley in parts. Holman has a mid-range quavery voice, and the songs are all very fragile, floating acoustic type of songs, with sitar, tablas and other exotic instrumentation scattered liberally throughout. The production credits “Schmitt-Douglas”, and the album was recorded at Dimension Sounds, which may have been an L.A. Studio. The album cover is a very psychedelic montage featuring Holman super-imposed over scenes of down and out street people. Not as overwhelmingly gorgeous as the JK & Co cover, but similar.
Holman also wrote Bizarrek Kind covered by Vision Of Sunshine.
Track List:
01 – Here In The Land Of Victory – 3.16
02 – Pink Lemonade – 2.10
03 – Rowin’ – 2.34
04 – Today Is Almost Here – 3.09
05 – Listen To The Footsteps – 2.58
06 – Red Is The Apple – 4.20
07 – Sit And Flatter Me – 3.35
08 – Copper Kettles – 2.25
09 – Come On Down – 2.40
10 – Debbie – 2.30
11 – The Chosen One – 2.57
12 – I Can’t Read My Name – 2.27
Link in comments.
Renaissance – Other Woman (1995) (@256)
06 Feb 2007
(Review from nlightsweb.com, progarchives.com)
Michael Dunford’s musical and stage interpretation of Scheherazade resulted in a full length and widely acclaimed 1997 Showcase production. In a session recording tracks for the new musical featuring lyrics by Betty Thatcher-Newsinger, Michael Dunford met an American vocalist named Stephanie Adlington. Michael Dunford called her a few weeks after the sessions and asked her to record a new demo of “Northern Lights” and then recorded the first demos for the album that would become The Other Woman. He and Betty Thatcher-Newsinger wrote new music and lyrics during 1994 and the new album was released in the UK and Europe early in 1995.
“The other woman” isn’t a bad album, but since Stephanie Adlington is the other woman and she doesn’t sound like Annie Haslam, this doesn’t sound like a Renaissance album.
This version of Renaissance, or to give them their full title Michael Dunford’s Renaissance, bears little resemblance to the band which recorded the classic symphonic prog albums of the 70’s. Dunford himself is quoted as saying that the album turned out to be more rock than he anticipated. Consequently for their next album, “Ocean gypsy”, he reverted to acoustic versions of Renaissance “standards”.
Back to “The other woman” though. and In truth it is more pop rock than rock, let alone prog. It is perhaps unfair to compare any vocalist with the five octave talents of Annie Haslam, but this album does invite such comparisons. Apart from the apparent reference in the title to the change of singer, there are two tracks here which Haslam has also sung. “Love lies, love dies” was one of the standout tracks on her solo album “Blessing in disguise”, and “Northern lights”, probably Renaissance best know song.
It must be said that Adlington is unquestionably a fine singer. Dunford came across her at recording sessions for a musical featuring lyrics by long term Renaissance lyricist Betty Thatcher-Newsinger. Her voice is very stage show orientated, being powerful and rich, but it is not necessarily suited to rock music. “Northern lights” was the first song she recorded with Dunsford. The version here is slightly faster than the “Song for all seasons” original. Most of the tracks on “The other woman” are prosaic female vocal songs, ranging from the pure pop of Polly Brown and Pickettywitch, to the multi-tracked harmonies of Abba, and occasionally of Sonja Kristina (Curved Air). The opening “Déjŕ vu” for example is light pop with little to distinguish it, save perhaps the decent guitar break. Instrumentally the album also falls short, with too much dominance being given to the rather poor keyboard sounds which have a distinctly home made feel.
The album has a number of softer pop ballads, but even here there is a lack of originality and a sameness to them; they are pleasant enough but far from memorable.
In all, a disappointing collection of anonymous songs with nothing to set them apart in a saturated market. A Renaissance album in name only.
Line-up:
- Stephanie Adlington / lead and backing vocals
- Michael Dunford / acoustic guitar
- Phil Mulford / bass
- Dave Dowle / drums
- Stuart Bradbury / electric & classical guitars
- Andy Spillar / keyboards, programming
Track List:
01. Deja vu (4:46)
02. Love lies, love dies (5:00)
03. Don’t talk (3:55)
04. The other woman (5:20)
05. Lock in on love (4:55)
06. Northern lights (4:23)
07. So blase (4:48)
08. Quicksilver (4:28)
09. May you be blessed (1:56)
10. Somewhere west of here (6:11)
Link in comments.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Pictures at an Exhibition (1972) (@256)
05 Feb 2007
(Review from vintageprog.com)
ELP’s legendary “rape” of Mussorgsky’s beautiful “Pictures at an Exhibition” remains one of the best examples of a rock version of a classical piece. The band stays true to all the original themes, but plays them with the energy, rawness and loudness of rock. They also added some self-written pieces, like Lake’s “The Sage” and the energetic jam “Blues Variation”. The piece was one of the band’s favourites on stage, so the album was then naturally also recorded live. This is the live-album that best demonstrates what a tight and powerful unit ELP were on stage. It was also their most moog-dominated album to that point, and Emerson experiments with any sound possible on the instrument. But his organ-playing was still the main focus in the music, and especially on side 2 deliver the whole band some of their most raw and energetic playing ever. The album also featured a rather cheesy version of “Nutrocker” that was released as a single. “Pictures at an Exhibition” is probably not the best place to start with ELP, but you’ll surely enjoy it a lot when you’re into them.
Line-up:
- Keith Emerson / keyboards
- Greg Lake / vocals, bass, guitar
- Carl Palmer / drums, percussion
Track List:
01. Promenade
02. The Gnome
03. Promenade
04. The Sage
05. The Old Castle
06. Blues Variation
07. Promenade
08. The Hut Of Baba Yaga
09. The Curse Of Baba Yaga
10. The Hut Of Baba Yaga
11. The Great Gates Of Kiev. The End
12. Nutrocker
Link in comments.
Renaissance – Unplugged Live at The Academy of Music (1985) (@VBR 160-192)
05 Feb 2007
Another VBR (I don’t prefer but don’t have a better quality, if someone has a quality constant bitrate rip of it, I’d be more than happy to post it) rip Renaissance.
(Review nlightsweb.com)
Renaissance Unplugged Live at The Academy of Music, recorded live in 1985, a year before the band’s final breakup, is comprised of twelve tracks more or less from the classic period.
Unlike the live albums before it, this one features an interesting alternative lineup with only Annie Haslam and Michael Dunford from the mainstream period remaining. Raphael Rudd (keyboard, piano and harp), Charles DesCarfino (drums) and Mark Lambert (guitars) complete the group. The tracks are faithfully reproduced with “Okichi-San” from Camera Camera being the only one not heard in a live setting before this release. Interestingly, every one of the tracks chosen by the artists for this album was written by Dunford/Thatcher with the exception of “Young Prince and Princess” (from Scheherazade and other Stories which was written by Dunford/Newsinger/Tout.
This is clearly an album that many of the band’s loyal following will find a valuable addition to their collection and appropriate to whet their appetite for what is yet to come. Recording quality is quite good.
Line-up:
- Annie Haslam / lead vocals
- Michael Dunford / guitars
- Raphael Rudd / piano, harp
- Mark Lambert / guitars
- Charles Descarfino / percussion
Track List:
01. Can You Understand (6:45)
02. Carpet of the Sun (3:14)
03. Midas Man (4:12)
04. Okichi-San (5:32)
05. I Think Of You (2:47)
06. Black Flame (5:11)
07. Mother Russia (4:36)
08. Northern Lights (4:01)
09. The Young Prince and Princess (2:42)
10. Trip to the Fair (6:27)
11. The Vultures Fly High (3:40)
12. Running Hard (6:50)
Link in comments.
Zulfu Livaneli – Istanbul Konserleri (Live 1984) (@256)
04 Feb 2007
(Info from livaneli.gen.tr)
Zülfü Livaneli was born in Ilgin, Turkey in 1946. As a young man, he started a publishing company in Ankara but the political turmoil of the 1970′s that influenced all intellectuals’ lives at the time, reshaped his life too. He was accused for his political views and ideals on a number of accounts. After being held under military detention for three months during the coup of March 12th, he had to leave Turkey and move to Sweden. In Sweden, he studied music and philosophy. After Stockholm, he lived in Paris and Athens, and he returned to Turkey in 1984. Livaneli became one of the most outstanding figures in the cultural, artistic and political life of Turkey. He achieved prominent success not only as a musician but also as a writer and a film director. His compositions, books and films brought him national and international acclaim, and more than 30 international awards. Alongside his brilliant artistic career, Livaneli has been a highly influential political figure for the past thirty years.
In his accomplished musical carrier, Livaneli composed 300 songs, one rhapsody -which was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra- and one ballet. His songs reached cult proportions on a national scale and they were performed by many internationally known soloists such as Joan Baez, Maria del Mar Bonet, Udo Lindenberg, Maria Farandouri, Haris Alexiu, Kate Westbrook. He also composed 5 theatrical scores and 30 soundtracks including award winning films such as ‘The Road’ (Golden Palm Award at Cannes Film Festival; Directors: Yilmaz Güney & Serif Goren); ‘The Herd’ (Directors: Yilmaz Güney & Zeki Okten) and ‘Shirin’s Wedding’ (Director: Helma Sanders Brahms). His albums were released in Spain, USA, Sweden, Germany, Holland and France, and he gave hundreds of concerts all over the world. He produced joint albums and gave concerts with Mikis Theodorakis and Maria Farandouri, and he also worked with Manos Hacidakis, Giora Feidman, Chilean Inti Ilimani and Angel Parra. ‘Best Album of the Year’ (Greece), ‘Edison Award’ (Holland), ‘Best Album of the Year’ (Music Critics Association, Germany), Award for Best Art of Songwriting (San Remo, Italy) are some of the awards that he received.
This is an official recording of his concerts in 1984 in Istanbul. Peter Schulze, a composer and Radio Bremen Music Director says : ‘I was present at most of the concerts that Livaneli gave in 1984 at the San Theatre. I already knew these beautiful songs. They were played and performed with beauty; the stage presentation and the arrangements were impressive. But this was only part of what was going on. The warmth and enthusiasm expressed by the audience, their thirst for honesty added a new dimension, a deeper meaning to Livaneli’s songs. This was completely in harmony with the deep humility of the music. Turkey is fortunate to have such an artist. Livaneli is fortunate to have such a people. And I am fortunate to have lived through all this.’
Track List:
01. Merhaba (3:51)
02. Kardeşin Duymaz (3:40)
03. Karli Kayin Ormani (4:07)
04. Odam Kireçtir Benim (3:44)
05. Eşkiya Dünyaya Hükümdar Olmaz (5:03)
06. Çirak Araniyor (2:46)
07. Bulut mu Olsam (2:47)
08. Kiz Çocugu (4:00)
09. Leylim Ley (4:23)
10. Yigidim Aslan1m (3:19)
11. Özgürlük (3:23)
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Renaissance – BBC Sessions (1975-78) (@256)
04 Feb 2007
(Review from nlightsweb.com)
BBC Sessions is one of the finest live recordings of the classic lineup to be released. A treasure for fans and newcomers alike, the album features some of the band’s best live performances and with it’s superb mix, showcases each of the artists’ talents extremely well. A marvelous compilation of live recordings, Renaissance’s BBC Sessions will certainly psyche up enthusiasts.
Line-up:
- John Tout / keyboards, vocals
- Annie Haslam / lead and backing vocals
- Jon Camp / bass, bass pedals, cello, vocals
- Terence Sullivan / drums, percussion, vocals
- Michael Dunford / acoustic guitar, electric guitars, vocals
Track List:
CD1
01. Prologue (6:56)
02. Vultures Fly High (2:52)
03. Midas Man (3:54)
04. Day Of The Dreamer (9:53)
05. Touching Once (10:15)
06. Song Of Scheherazade (25:30)
CD2
01. Can You Hear Me (13:24)
02. Ocean Gypsy (7:29)
03. Carpet Of The Sun (3:36)
04. Mother Russia (10:18)
05. Running Hard (9:36)
06. Ashes Are Burning (18:29)
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Gong – Camembert Electrique (1971) (@320)
03 Feb 2007
(Review from allmusic.com)
This is a classic, the epitome of the band’s early Daevid Allen phase with Ph.P.’s (pothead pixies) in full, blazing glory. In its infancy, Gong was a unique progressive rock band that branched out in all directions at once while most other prog bands chose simply one path or another. Camembert Electrique is a testament to that. The band’s eclectic “electric cheese” rock is a mixture of psychedelic rock, spacy atmospherics and lyrics, and doses of jazz often presented with a pop sensibility, yet always intense. From the first cut on Camembert, you are transported to planet Gong via the voice of a “radio gnome” who drops in intermittently to remind you you’re not in Kansas anymore. Daevid Allen leads the band through several compositions musically (not lyrically) reminiscent of, and possibly influenced by, early King Crimson — a hard, raw-edged sound propelled by a strong guitar-sax-percussion combo. Drummer Pip Pyle played on only a few Gong sessions; he is a major figure here, as is saxophonist Didier Malherbe. Both are up front on the wailing progressive rocker “You Can’t Kill Me,” which also features guitarist Allen in top form. Allen’s declarative “I’ve Bin Stone Before,” the first part of an inventive three-song medley, is of particular interest; introductory church organ and avant-garde sax make this another unique Gong experience. But the real gem on Camembert is “Tropical Fish: Selene.” This jazzy composition is the most involving and intricate piece on the recording. The band moves tightly through several progressive movements and Gilli Smyth scores with her trademark “space whispering.” Camembert Electrique remains undated after almost 30 years and hovers “strong and steamin’” over most of the Gong catalog.
Line-up:
- Christian Tritsch / guitar, bass
- Didier Malherbe / sax, flute
- Gilli Smyth / vocals, space whispers
- Pip Pyle / drums
- Daevid Allen / vocals, guitars, bass
- Eddy Louiss / organ & piano
- Constantin Simonovitch / phased piano
Track List:
01. Radio Gnome Prediction (0:27)
02. You Can’t Kill Me (6:18)
03. I’ve Bin Stone Before (2:36)
04. Mister Long Shanks/O Mother/I Am Your Fantasy (5:57)
05. Dynamite/I Am Your Animal (4:32)
06. Wet Cheese Delirium (0:31)
07. Squeezing Sponges Over Policemen’s Heads (0:12)
08. Fohat Digs Holes In Space (6:22)
09. And You Tried So Hard (4:38)
10. Tropical Fish/Selene (7:36)
11. Gnome The Second (0:27)
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Renaissance – Tuscany (2001) (@224)
03 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
As the twentieth century drew to a close it seemed possible that the elements were in place for a reunion of Renaissance’s classic line-up. A reunion duly occurred but significantly without bassist Jon Camp or lyricist Betty Thatcher-Newsinger. In the event, John Tout was able to participate in only a few of the recording sessions, adding his trademark piano to the keyboard orchestra of new boy Mickey Simmonds. Annie Haslam took on the role of lyricist while Camp was replaced by Alex Caird on bass.
The result, while not exactly a return to form, is still a magnificent achievement, similar in many ways to Yes’s ‘comeback’ album Magnification. While the sound here is clearly identified with the Renaissance of the 1970s, yet it also has moved on: less complex, shorter and fewer instrumental passages, a smoother more dignified sound where the ideas no longer tumble after each other in a rush but build sustainable atmospheres and moods. Economics also play a part as flesh-and-blood orchestras are replaced by a synthetic variety consisting mostly of strings!
Considering some of the poor efforts of the early 1980s, it is a relief to find Michael Dunford has not, after all, lost the ability to write memorable well-crafted tunes that stick in the mind long after the CD has finished. And Annie has contributed some fine lyrics, addressing topics like the plight of beached dolphins [Dolphin's Prayer], using race-running as a metaphor for a need for acceptance and popularity [The Race], or an open letter to the 18thC painter/sculptor who created the lions in London’s Trafalgar Square [Dear Landseer]. Nothing earth shattering at all but something with a little more meat than the generic adult relationships of several songs.
As in their heyday, songs are written specifically to suit Annie’s voice, using her range and abilities to enhance rather than superficially impress with unnecessary theatrics. She sounds wonderful, as good as she has ever done. Musically they range from simple ballads where Annie is accompanied only by lush keyboard orchestration [Eva's Pond and Dolphin's Prayer], to more energetic songs with longer and more developed arrangements [Deer Landseer, One Thousand Roses and especially The Race]. The interest is in detail and dynamic, rather than complexity: a delicious ‘flute’ solo, a sexy trill from Annie, a Mellotron-like string-pad, a jig-like keyboard riff, or a brief section of male harmonies from Roy Wood. These are the things that make this album special.
Taken on merit, Tuscany is a very fine album indeed, clearly tracing its lineage to the great days of the 1970s, yet replacing youthful energy with a sage maturity. The emphasis is less on instrumental dexterity and more on overall quality of performance concentrating on their greatest asset – Annie’s voice. It is perhaps what you might expect them to make after all this time. Sadly, and very frustratingly, the nature of human egos mean Tuscany is likely to be the last original work from Renaissance. If so, then it stands as a fitting epitaph to a great band.
Line-up:
- Annie Haslam / lead and backing vocals
- Michael Dunford / acoustic guitars, backing vocals
- Terence Sullivan / drums, percussion
- Mickey Simmonds / keyboards, backing vocals
with
- John Tout / piano (2,4), Harpsichord (4), keyboards (8)
- Roy Wood / bass (4,5), keyboards (5), backing vocals (8), percussion (9)
- Alex Caird / bass (1,2,6,7,9,10)
Track List:
01. Lady From Tuscany (6:40)
02. Pearls Of Wisdom (4:25)
03. Eva’s Pond (3:40)
04. Dear Landseer (5:19)
05. In The Sunshine (4:25)
06. In My Life (5:26)
07. The Race (4:58)
08. Dolphins Prayer (3:19)
09. Life In Brazil (3:40)
10. One Thousand Roses (7:12)
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Jeff Wayne – War of the Worlds (1977) (@256)
02 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
Jeff Wayne is not so much the performer as such; his role here is to bring together many highly talented musicians to perform his masterpiece. To be fair, he does contribute keyboards and backing vocals. While Wayne is indeed the main composer and producer, credit is due Garry Osbourne who writes virtually all the lyrics. ‘The War of the worlds’ could perhaps be seen as a follow up to Lou Reizner’s excellent symphonic version of ‘Tommy’, with which it has more than passing similarities (although admittedly Reizner was not involved in the composition in that case).
The album is of course based on the HG Wells novel of the same name, with narration by the late Richard Burton. Burton’s distinguished voice is ideal for the music. While his interjections playing the part of a journalist tell the story perfectly, there is never any danger of this becoming a talking book. The music at times has an almost dance like beat as on the opening track (’The eve of the war’), but it is diverse with strong orchestration, and some first class instrumental work (especially from Chris Spedding on guitar). There are also moody, ambient phases (’Dead London’), and Rice/Lloyd-Webber like stage show pieces (’The spirit of man’).
The most familiar tracks will be the two that feature Justin Hayward (Moody Blues). While ‘Eve of the war’ is largely an instrumental, it opens with a brief introductory narration from Burton, before the now so familiar orchestral theme crashes in. It is almost like the theme to a documentary or newsreel, where you just know what?s coming is not going to be good news. Hayward is the first singer to appear on the album as he reminds us, ‘The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one, but still they come’.
The tracks on the album are all lengthy, each side of the double LP only holding two or three songs. Side one is completed by ‘Horsell Common and the Heat Ray’. The sound effects can be a bit too literal in this section, with what appears to be a tin can being slowly unscrewed, then the lid dropping to the ground, to simulate the Martian heat ray being unveiled. It’s all a bit too BBC sound effects department!
The track distinctions and names are largely irrelevant, as the album flows as a continuous and complete piece. There are many excellent performances throughout the album. Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy) as the manic and delusional preacher, Julie Covington as his devoted wife, and David Essex as the naive young artillery man who is going to build a whole new world from scratch, underground. The distinctive voiced Chris Thompson (Manfred Mann’s Earth Band) tells the tale of the ‘Thunder child’ warship, on which all hope for the future is resting, with his customary excellence.
Above all these however comes Justin Hayward’s performance on ‘Forever autumn’. If you have only ever heard the single version of this song, the full-length version included here will be a pleasant surprise. The lush orchestration, instrumental breaks, and narration interludes by Burton all go towards making this an absolute epic of a track. Lyrically (other than the narration), it doesn’t really add anything to the story, apart from painting a picture of the emotional devastation felt by the “journalist” with both his personal, and indeed the world’s predicament. Musically however, it is the highlight of the album, and one of the best pieces of music Hayward has contributed to (and he has been involved in many fine pieces).
Of course, there is the happy ending to the story to conclude, with a final sting in the tail added by Wayne(!).
‘War of the worlds’ is a quite stunning album, full of strong melodies, inspired song-writing, and excellent performances.
Line-up:
- Jeff Wayne / synthesizer, keyboards, voices, director, conductor, executive producer, performer, orchestration
- David Essex / vocals, performer
- Justin Hayward / vocals, performer
- Chris Spedding / guitar
- Julie Covington / vocals, performer
- Herbie Flowers / guitar (bass)
- Billy Lawrie / vocals (background)
- Phil Lynott / vocals, performer
- Chris Thompson / vocals, performer
- Richard Burton / vocals, performer
- Ray Cooper / percussion
- George Fenton / zither, taragat, santur
- Ken Freeman / synthesizer, keyboards
- Barry Morgan / drums
- Gary Osborne / vocals (background)
- Jo Partridge / guitar, vocals, performer
- Paul Vigrass / vocals (background)
- Roy Jones / percussion
- Barry Da Souza / percussion
Track List:
CD1:
01. The Eve of the War (9:06)
02. Horsell Common and the Heat Ray (11:36)
03. The Artilleryman and the Fighting Machine (10:36)
04. Forever Autumn (7:43)
05. Thunder Child (6:10)
CD2:
01. The Red Weed (5:55)
02. The Spirit of Man (11:41)
03. The Red Weed (part 2) (6:51)
04. Brave New World (12:13)
05. Dead London (8:37)
06. Epilogue (Part 1) (2:42)
07. Epilogue (Part 2) (NASA) (2:02)
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Renaissance – Songs from Renaissance Days (@192)
02 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
Songs From Renaissance Days is a collection of material that never made it onto a studio album. It was never intended as a mainstream release, and should therefore be approached as a bonus. One track – Island Of Avalon – was recorded in 1979 when John Tout and Terry Sullivan were still in the band. The remainder originated from the early 1980s when the core threesome of Annie Haslam, Michael Dunford and Jon Camp were joined by a variety of assistants.
Considering its genesis this is not a bad album at all. Many of the songs are of the standard of Camera Camera and in many cases are superior to most of Time-Line. There is good and bad though. Africa begins with clichéd African tribal sounds and rhythms before heading off onto an averagely nice song; Dreamaker is a pleasant lullaby-like ballad; Northern Lights is a new-wave version of the old hit single; No Beginning No End is very good Abba-pop; Only When I Laugh enters Diva territory with a slow ballad; The Body Machine is lively new-wave pop; Writer Wronged is a beautiful song with a sublime flute solo; Island Of Avalon jangles along spiritedly with the help of Tout and Sullivan; America is an average rendition of Paul Simon’s classic; finally, You is a true mini-mini-epic of old style Renaissance but stuffed full to the gills with wall-to-wall synths.
Clearly, the band were investigating the options at this time, though I don’t hear any punk …. ! Not a lot of Prog either really, nor much old piano-and-orchestra-and-acoustic-guitars symphonic Renaissance, but at least Annie is still here trying to make sense of it all without all the silly vocal affectations she adopted on Time-Line, and Dunford’s acoustic guitars make their presence felt occasionally amidst predominantly synth based arrangements. Overall, the kind of album that would appeal to someone who enjoys the soft-rock of Camera Camera or pop of Time-Line. Everyone else should beware.
Line-up:
- Michael Dunford / acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Annie Haslam / lead and backing vocals
- Jon Camp / bass, backing vocals
- Terry Sullivan / drums (8)
- John Tout / keyboards (8)
- Peter Gosling / keyboards
- Eddie Hardin / keyboards
- Mike Taylor / keyboards
- Rod Edwards / keyboards
- Peter Baron / drums
- Gavin Harrison / drums
- Ian Mosely / drums
- Dave Dowle / drums
- Bimbo Acock – flute
Track List:
01. Africa (4:43)
02. Dreamaker (4:59)
03. Northern lights (4:24)
04. No beginning no end (5:06)
05. Only when I laugh (4:10)
06. The body machine (4:08)
07. Writers wronged (4:00)
08. Island of Avalon (2:46)
09. America (3:59)
10. You (8:18)
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East of Eden – Mercator Projected (1969) (@256)
01 Feb 2007
(Review from vintageprog.com)
The first and supposedly best album by this Early-British progressive rock band. They had quite a style of their own, and they mixed both eastern and jazz- influences in their what otherwise would have been quite normal sounding Early British progressive rock. Mostly electric violin, flute and sax dominate the arrangements. The album is actually very varied. From the mystic beauty of “Waterways” and “Bathers” to the raw energy of “Centaur Woman” and then to the more jazzy instrumental “In the Stable of the Spinx”. There are also a lot of sound effects on the album, which makes it quite amusing. Judging from the photos of the band, they took their eastern image a little bit too far. But their music was both original and interesting, so this album should be good for anyone into early progressive rock.
Line-up:
- Dave Arbus / electric violin, flute, bagpipe, recorders, two saxophones
- Dave Dufont / percussions
- Geoff Nicholson / guitars, Vocals
- Steve York / bass guitar, Harmonica, Indian thumb piano
Track List:
01. Northern Hemisphere (5:03)
02. Isadora (4:19)
03. Waterways (7:00)
04. Centaur Woman (7:09)
05. Bathers (4:57)
06. Communion (4:02)
07. Moth (4:03)
08. In The Stable Of The Sphinx (8:20)
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Renaissance – Time Line (1983) (@160)
01 Feb 2007
(Review from amazon.com)
Without a doubt, this is the worst Renaissance studio album you could possibly get. At this time, they had degraded to an 80’s pop combo and somehow didn’t notice that most of their 80’s peers were doing the styles they were trying out much better than they were.
Yes had enormous success changing their style because they still made great music, as well as Genesis. Even Gentle Giant made a decent new-wave influenced 80’s album (Civilian) despite it being unnoticed by the general record buying public, and King Crimson at this time sounded nothing like their former selves, yet updated the style to fit with the times while sticking to their forward-thinking ideals.
Renaissance, however, did not have such luck making the transition to one of the worst periods of rock music. Any listen to their classic material would tell you why. At least Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, and Gentle Giant “rocked” within the hearts of their somewhat dissonant, complex songs. Renaissance always took a more pastoral, acoustic approach, and had orchestral accompaniment most times. To try to transition to new wave and synth-pop from their old style would have been (and was) one of the most jarring transitions you could possibly ask for.
At least Camera Camera was entertaining. At this point, they were trying to incorporate their old, “classical rock” approach with the new wave ideals, and at this point they were doing both well although the clash of styles was somewhat jarring. With “Time Line” they made the full transition, and the end result was downright ugly. The album is full of sequenced drums, cheesy basslines, and ugly 80’s synths. This goes without mentioning that sonically, as well as melodically, most of the album is disposable.
Line-up:
- Jon Camp / bass, guitar, lead & backing vocals
- Michael Dunford / acoustic & electric guitars, backing vocals
- Annie Haslam / lead & backing vocals
Track List:
01. Flight (4:06)
02. Missing persons (3:34)
03. Chagrin Boulevard (4:22)
04. Richard IX (3:38)
05. The entertainer (4:44)
06. Electric Avenue (4:55)
07. Majik (3:09)
08. Distant horizons (3:56)
09. Orient Express (3:54)
10. Autotech (5:21)
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