Archive for August, 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

During the summer of 1974, Alan Parsons met Eric Woolfson in the canteen of Abbey Road Studios. Parsons had recently engineered Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and had already produced a number of acts. During that time, Woolfson had been working as a session pianist, but he was also a songwriter and had already composed material for a concept album idea based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe.

Parsons asked Woolfson to become his manager and Woolfson managed Parsons’s career as a producer/engineer through a string of successes including Pilot, Steve Harley, Cockney Rebel, John Miles, Al Stewart, Ambrosia and The Hollies. Parsons commented at the time that he felt frustrated in having to accommodate the views of some of the artists which he felt interfered with his production.

Recalling his earlier Edgar Allan Poe material, Woolfson saw a way to combine his and Parsons’ respective talents — Parsons would produce and engineer songs written by the two. Although the true core of the Project have always been the duo of Parsons and Woolfson, only Parsons’ name was chosen for the band because of his “fame” as the top engineer at Abbey Road. Thus Alan Parsons Project was born.

As the album name implies this is a concept album about a writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809 – 1849) whom at end of his life, exactly on October 3, 1849, in mysterious circumstances he is discovered unconscious and is taken to hospital and he dies four days later. The album kicks off with a narration by Orson Welles that remarks the first track “A Dream within a Dream” (4:13) with some orchestration. The music enters with bass lines and drum work in repetitive notes followed with nice keyboard work and guitar. The music moves in crescendo with drum sound and it slowly fades out maintaining only the bass guitar to keep the beat. “The Raven” (3:57) enters beautifully with EMI vocoder voice line combined with orchestra and real Parsons’ voice. It’s a good track combining clean vocal, stunning guitar solo and orchestra.

“The Tell-tale Heart” (4:38) is a rockier track performed in an operatic singing style accompanied with a melodic arrangements of guitar, keyboard, bass guitar and drumming. At the background, the orchestra enriches the music textures especially during quiet passages. “The Cask of Amontillado” (4:33) is a song-oriented music with powerful melody that is really tasty to most ears, performed with excellent vocal and orchestration. This is my favorite APP track because I love the melody very much. The orchestration part is really good and I urge you to play it outloud with your stereo set. “(The System of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether” (4:20) brings the music into uplifting emotion with a combination of electric guitar solo, soaring keyboard sound and voice line.

The album features an instrumental epic “The Fall of the House of Usher” that comprises five parts: Prelude (7:02), Arrival (2:39) , Intermezzo (1:00), Pavane (4:36), and Fall (0:51). The epic is exploratory in nature and it contains excellent orchestration work. It finally concludes with a ballad “To One in Paradise” (4:46) using acoustic guitar and backing vocals as main rhythm section.

The album set the Alan Parsons Project on their way, and gave them instant success. After the success of their first album, “Tales of Mystery and Imagination”, Arista Records signed them for further albums.

Line-up:
- Eric Woolfson / keyboards, organ, backing vocals
- Alan Parsons / projectron & synths, recorders, backing vocals
with
- David Paton / bass, guitars, backing vocals
- Ian Bairnson / guitars
- Andrew Powell / orchestral arrangements and conduction, organ
- Francis Monkman / harpsichord, organ
- John Leach / cimbalom & kantele
- Hugo D’Alton / mandolin
- Billy Lyall / keyboards, recorders
- Christopher North / keyboards
- Stuart Tosh / percussion
- Burleigh Drummond / percussion
- David Pack / guitars
- John Miles / guitars
- Joe Puerta / bass
- Les Hurdle / bass
- Darryl Runswick / string bass
- Laurence Juber / acoustic guitars
- Kevin Peek / acoustic guitars
- Orson Welles, Leonard Whiting / narration
- Jack Harris / backing vocals
- Terry Sylvester / backing vocals
- Jane Powell / backing vocals
- Bob Howes and The English Chorale / backing choir
- Westminster City School Boys Choir / backing choir

Track List:
01. A Dream within a Dream (4:13)
02. The Raven (3:57)
03. The Tell-tale Heart (4:38)
04. The Cask of Amontillado (4:33)
05. (The System of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether (4:20)
06. The fall of the House of Usher
- Prelude (7:02)
- Arrival (2:39)
- Intermezzo (1:00)
- Pavane (4:36)
- Fall (0:51)
07. To One in Paradise (4:46)

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Alan Parsons, Alan Parsons Project, Andrew Powell, David Paton, Eric Woolfson, Francis Monkman

Peter Frampton – Frampton (1975) (@256)

27 Aug 2007

10 comments

Request of Frankie.

(Review from wikipedia, amazon, allmusic.com)

Frampton first became interested in music when he was seven-years old. He discovered his grandmother’s banjolele (a banjo-shaped ukulele) in the attic. Teaching himself to play, he became near obsessed, and upon receiving a guitar and piano, from his parents, taught himself those instruments as well.

After playing in Herd and Humble Pie, he launched a solo career. Releasing an album each year from his first solo release in 1972, this record was the one which gave Peter Frampton his first real taste of solo success.

‘Frampton’ in many ways followed the pattern of his three previous solo albums, containing largely guitar-driven, lively songs, with his characteristic lead guitar style and sound, and some short instrumentals. He poured a lot of loud, hard rock groove into this highly melodic mid-tempo rock album.

The recording was made with a mobile studio at Clearwell Castle in the Welsh borders, and has something of a ‘live’ ambience about it, reflecting the acoustic characteristics of the large castle rooms in which it was recorded. The songs are primarily based around Frampton’s lively but relaxed piano and acoustic rhythm guitar work, with attractive melodies and harmony vocals, but the overall sound is fairly simple and not heavily overdubbed. In that sense it very much resembles the hit sound of soon-to-come ‘Comes Alive’ album, but without the extra ‘urgency’ of a live performance.

In the days before it saturated the airwaves in the version from Frampton Comes Alive, “Show Me the Way” is just a nice, very pleasant love song that benefited from a mix of acoustic and electric guitar textures spun out over a great beat and some excruciatingly memorable hooks, vocal and instrumental. It is surrounded by a lot more like it, including “Baby, I Love Your Way” in its original studio form, “The Crying Clown”, “Nowhere’s Too Far (For My Baby)”.

Line-up:
* Peter Frampton – double bass, bass guitar, guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, vocals, talk box
* Bob Mayo – organ, synthesizer, electric piano, piano, fender rhodes, keyboards, guitar, vocals
* Stanley Sheldon – bass guitar, double bass, vocals
* John Siomos – drums, percussion

Track List:
01. Day’s Dawning – 3:55
02. Show Me the Way – 4:02
03. One More Time – 3:19
04. The Crying Clown – 4:03
05. Fanfare – 3:28
06. Nowhere’s Too Far (for My Baby) – 4:18
07. Nassau – 1:07
08. Baby, I Love Your Way – 4:42
09. Apple of Your Eye – 3:41
10. Penny for Your Thoughts – 1:27
11. (I’ll Give You) Money – 4:34

Link in comments.

Peter Frampton

Van Der Graaf Generator – Real Time (Live 2005) (@256)

27 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

It was a momentous day in the history of progressive rock music, a day for fans of Van der Graaf Generator who had lain dormant for 27 years to re-emerge. The fans gathered outside, waiting patiently for the doors to open. It was a day that shall never be forgotten by any one present, including the band members themselves on the 6th of May in 2005 and was their finest hour (or two). This is the recording of that opening night concert.

The fans finally entered the Royal Festival Hall in London, took their seats and waited patiently. People were nervous, fearful even, that their beloved favourite band may not be what they once were. This was the “classic” line-up, the line-up that had made some of the finest albums in their career. How would they fair in the present day? Of course, the band had recently released their new album, aptly named Present, so fans had an idea of their current musical vision — an amalgam of over 35 years of hard grind and nobody was even expecting them to reform. Even more poignant was the fact that at the age of 60, Peter Hammill had suffered a heart attack less than a year before in 2004.

The band came on stage, Peter Hammill, Hugh Banton, Guy Evans and David Jackson, to a loud and raucous cheer. A brief introduction by Hammill and then they are away… the flute of David Jackson beginning a most spirited rendition of The Undercover Man, from the album Godbluff and though this version was little removed from the album version, it still sounds exceptional and fresh. Banton with a new keyboard setup consisting of just one keyboard, Jackson using his Soundbeam and Hammill himself, now with grey hair and still very much The Thin Man, with a voice as powerful as ever. Guy Evans is still a strong and aspiring drummer behind his kit and it sounds as if the band never split up in the first place. The Undercover Man segues into Scorched Earth beautifully. These two tracks have always had a duality and they never seem to be played separately any longer. The Godbluff era has always been the strongest of their era to many fans, including myself, so it’s a very apt way to begin a concert. In Refugees Hammill does a great job of making this live version extremely poignant. A brilliant performance indeed and a firm fan favourite. With the present climate in the world (and indeed, the climate back in May 2005 was not the best), the lyrics to Every Bloody Emperor from Present hit home. Banton’s keyboard playing on this version is really enjoyable and the middle section feels like somewhat an extended jam. The band are clearly less nervous now and are revelling in it all. This is one of the stand-outs and just proves that Hammill’s writing talents have never waned. It’s also clear this is a band track, rather than a Hammill solo one, as it sounds like Van der Graaf Generator of old. Lemmings was one of the more difficult tracks to cover live and with Hammill having to tune-up his guitar (after having moved from the piano), the band play what seems to be an impromptu jam before the familiarity of Lemmings starts. Once more, they have no problems at all. The surprise cut of the evening was (In the) Black Room – which is actually a Peter Hammill solo number – written for an ill-fated Van der Graaf Generator album planned for release between Pawn Hearts and Godbluff, if they had not split-up. The track instead was recorded for Hammill’s 1973 solo album Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night, with help from the rest of the band. The fans were very appreciative of it, as can be made evident by the cheering and it is one of those “lost” Van der Graaf Generator tracks, so this live version makes up for the poorly recorded Hammill version. For me, this was also one of the major highlights of the concerts, which just goes to show that Hammill solo material (albeit designed for the band), is just as strong as the official band material. They mixed up the different band eras for this concert, which works well and created a welcome break, as fans were most likely waiting in anticipation of another classic. Nutter Alert is yet another track from their 2005 studio album Present and because of its rather catchy lyrics and great Jackson saxophone playing, surely anyone who had been falling asleep would have been woken up. This is an outstanding version, which is vehement and hard-hitting and this is how the fans like Hammill to perform. This section of the concert was one of the highlights, as what follows is one of my all time favourite tracks. Darkness 11/11. Hammill continues on with his punk-stylised singing, which gives Darkness 11/11 a more desperate and awkward sound to the original. The whole band is on fire now and this might just be one of the definitive live versions of this track. Masks is from the album World Record, which many people underrate, possibly it did not make the impact that the next track Childlike Faith in Childhood’s End – an existential masterpiece from the wonderful album Still Life – would make. In fact, this is the only number from Still Life performed that evening and tracks such as Pilgrims and La Rossa that were not included were also not missed. It just shows how strong their other pieces are. With just four songs to go, they could not have chosen four bigger crowd-pleasers. Each was outstanding, every one a winner and poignant in so many ways. The Sleepwalkers is perhaps one of the strongest and most daring pieces the band have ever performed, especially the much maligned (or loved) Cha Cha Cha section in the middle.

The “final” track of the evening felt fitting to end the show. Man-Erg from the album Pawn Hearts has one of the most distinctive piano intros (played by Hammill) of any progressive rock number and so as soon as it began, there were many loud cheers, but these soon died down to a complete silence as the crowd once more became captivated. As soon as it starts, it ends. Twelve plus minutes of pleasure, including the ubiquitous Jackson middle section.

Then the band members walk off stage.

Of course this was not the end and the crowd knew this, so the shouts and banging of feet erupted, to indicate the fans wanted an encore… and an encore they would have.

For the encore they play “Killer” and the crowd erupt once more and the final stages of the concert are put into motion. How does an ensemble like Van der Graaf Generator end a comeback concert such as this, after playing “Killer”? The wonderful decision to play “Wondering” was perfect. It was the final tune on an album that would be the last by the classic line-up until 2005, it also ended with David Jackson playing the flute in a similar fashion to how the concert had started. They had gone full circle. They had explored every facet of their career, from old, to new and back again.

It is likely that the band members themselves would believe that they could have performed better and perhaps they could have, but the whole nature of the concert was what it is all about. They more than justified their decision to reform and later tour.

Line-up:
- Peter Hammill / guitars, vocals, piano
- Guy Evans / drums
- David Jackson / saxophones, flute
- Hugh Banton / organ

Track List:
CD1
01. The Undercover Man (8:29)
02. Scorched Earth (10:05)
03. Refugees (6:01)
04. Every Bloody Emperor (7:36)
05. Lemmings (13:20)
06. (In The) Black Room (11:16)
07. Nutter Alert (6:05)
08. Darkness (7:20)
CD2
01. Masks (6:47)
02. Childlike Faith In Childhood’s End (12:34)
03. The Sleepwalkers (10:44)
04. Man-Erg (11:36)
05. Killer (9:55)
06. Wondering (7:01)

Links in comments.

David Jackson, Guy Evans, Hugh Banton, Peter Hammill, Van der Graaf Generator

Gracious – This is … Gracious! (1972) (@256)

27 Aug 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com)

Gracious had already disbanded at the time of the release of their second album. That’s a shame, cause “This is…Gracious!” remains one of the finest British symphonic progressive rock albums from the early 70′s. It surpasses even their strong debut and their sound had become tighter and more energetic. Next to Spring’s debut, this is probably also one of the most mellotron-drenched progressive rock albums.

The instrument is present in the sound all the way through, playing powerful riffs or just creating a mighty floating carpet of delightful sound in the background. The first side of the album consists of a fantastic 20+ minute suite called “Super Nova”. It starts quite experimental and atmospheric, almost sounding like something from an Amon Düül II improvisation. However, when the track really starts we’re soon taken over on British ground again with the coolest and most powerful mellotron-sound you can imagine. The suite varies from rocking progressive not too far from early mellotron-drenched King Crimson and to beautiful acoustic parts before it builds up to a wonderful finale where the mellotron and a beautiful organ-sound gives any listener with good taste goosebumps. This is simply progressive rock so good and perfect as it can get.
It’s actually supposed to be a five movement suite, but one of them had go on side two because it couldn’t all fit on the original LP.

The remaining three tracks on side 2 is in a slightly different vein. A quite unique combination of energetic 70′s rock and symphonic progressive arrangements where the mellotron is used in a very original way. Striking stuff!

Line-up:
- Alan Cowderoy / guitar, backing vocals, percussion
- Paul Davis / lead vocals, percussion
- Martin Kitcat / keyboards, mellotron, percussion, backing vocals
- Robert Lipson / drums, percussion
- Tim Wheatley / bass, backing vocals, percussion

Track List:
01. Super Nova: Arrival of the Traveller… (24:59)
02. C.B.S. (7:07)
03. Once on a Windy Day (4:03)
04. Blue Skies and Alibis (4:58)
05. Hold Me Down (5:05)

Link in comments.

Gracious

Guess Who – Share the Land (1970) (@256)

27 Aug 2007

(Review from allmusic, wikipedia)

The Guess Who started out as a local Winnipeg band of vocalist/guitarist Chad Allan and guitarist Randy Bachman in 1960. The remainder of the lineup featured bassist Jim Kale, pianist Bob Ashley, and drummer Garry Peterson. All the band members were born in Winnipeg. In 1966, Ashley was replaced by keyboardist/vocalist Burton Cummings, who became lead vocalist when Allan departed in 1966.

After a series of studio albums, lead guitarist Randy Bachman departed in 1970 (later forming Bachman-Turner Overdrive). The band brought in two guitarists, Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw. Winter became the main songwriting collaborator with Cummings.

Recorded in the immediate aftermath of Randy Bachman’s departure from the group, “Share the Land” was a better album than anyone could rightfully have expected and it was the biggest selling original album in their entire output.

The music ranges from the catchy, anthem-like title tune to proto-metal excursions, with coherent digressions into blues and country (“Comin’ Down Off the Money Bag”/”Song of the Dog”). Burton Cummings is in excellent voice on the lead vocals, and the other members provide some of the finest harmonies ever heard on a Guess Who album, on “Do You Miss Me Darlin’” and “Three More Days”. The new double lead guitar team of Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw gave the band a greater range than they’d ever had, moving freely in various rock and blues idioms, and the rhythm section was as solid as ever.

Line-up:
* Burton Cummings / Organ, Flute, Harmonica, Piano, Keyboards, Vocals
* Jim Kale / Bass
* Garry Peterson / Drums
* Greg Leskiw / Guitar
* Kurt Winter / Guitar

Track List:
01. Bus Rider
02. Do You Miss Me Darlin’?
03. Hand Me Down World
04. Moan For You Joe
05. Share the Land
06. Hang On To Your Life
07. Coming Down Off the Money Bag/Song of the Dog
08. Three More Days

Link in comments.

New Riders of the Purple Sage – Adventures Of Panama Red (1973) (@256)

26 Aug 2007

(Review from allmusic.com, epinions.com)

“The Adventures of Panama Red” established the New Riders of the Purple Sage as something more than a Jerry Garcia side project. Pedal steel ace Buddy Cage replaced Garcia and with the help of producer and multi-instrumentalist Norbert Putnam, the band crafted a smoking, hard country-rock and bluegrass hippie record.

The album includes Dead psychedelic druggie music (Kick in the Head), rock with a southern feel (It’s Alright with Me), ballads (Lonesome LA Cowboy), and bluegrassy stuff (Panama Red).

The record segues together so beautifully and the songs are so tight with nothing extra between, it feels like it’s a lot longer than the mere 29 minutes it is. The listener feels satisfied that after 12 songs it’s all been said done in a delightful way.

Line-up:
* John Dawson – Guitars and Vocals
* David Nelson – Guitars and Vocals
* Dave Torbert – Bass, Guitars and Vocals
* Buddy Cage – Pedal Steel
* Spencer Dryden – Drums and Percusssion

Track List:
01. Panama Red
02. It’s Alright With Me
03. Lonesome L.A. Cowboy
04. Important Exportin Man
05. One Too Many Stories
06. Kick in the Head
07. You Should Have Seen Me Runnin
08. Teardrops in My Eyes
09. L.A. Lady
10. Thank the Day
11. Cement, Clay and Glass

Link in comments.

New Riders of the Purple Sage

Van Der Graaf Generator – Present (2005) (@256)

26 Aug 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

Banton, Jackson and Evans all made occasional appearances on Hammill’s solo albums following the 1978 split, and the classic line-up also played occasionally together. In 1991, they played several songs at a fortieth birthday party for David Jackson’s wife. In 1996, the quartet appeared on stage during a concert by Hammill and Evans at the Union Chapel in London to perform “Lemmings”. In 2003, Banton, Jackson, and Evans joined with Hammill to perform the song “Still Life” at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Both of these latter appearances were unannounced to the audience in advance.

Following the Queen Elizabeth Hall performance, discussions between the band members led to writing and rehearsal of new material in summer 2004. A double album, Present, containing this material was released in April 2005.

“Present” is probably not the best of them all, but it’s high enough to be rewarded with greatness and kindness and to be accepted among the top forms of Van der Graaf sheer magic. Usually this would mean more or less blind euphoria, yet it’s a reality of how many, how much and how good things “Present” can offer. Compelling every single aspect that can outline an album’s characteristics, connotations or symbolic language(s!), everything resumes to the musical moment and to the emotion act and privilege.

Modern means mainly nothing new, as the taste remained as prolific as it was in the year of the departure. A miracle? Not at all, everything goes normal and even expected given the artists’ knowledge and neverfading passion. Whether it’s the climax of the classic achievements or the factor of “now and new”, it is still top class Van der Graaf music and standards. Years of silences haven’t harmed anything, except maybe the nostalgia of memory and of desire; least of all the methods, their understanding towards what’s among the finest of music and their power of illustration, in any situation, in every moment of play, in any given chance. They are ageless in front of change and context modification.

Part 1, or the casual brilliant music session, is surprisingly short as length. 35 minutes in modern times can indeed be a question. But, anyway, the music: classy, with spark of a new fresh look, with the refined sense.

Part 2, or the uncommon brilliant music session, are improvisations beyond the wildest imagination. 70 minutes this time, picturing an extended motivation of fully equipped instrumental power. A great meditation into the chimeras of charismatic accent. Ten pieces, hardly accessible but highly promising through all valences, that delight the atmosphere. Plurimotivated and multilayered. Of comfort and bliss. Of intense sound experimentation, the old-fashioned way. A grombovician perspective into clustered, archaic, methalic and droning, nonetheless expressive play. Subtleties and refined touches mean everything. Impressive state, excruciating ardor.

Giants achieve yet again what they’re best at, making us -as always- privileged.

Line-up:
- Peter Hammill / lead vocal, guitars, piano
- Guy Evans / drums, percussion
- Hugh Banton / organs, piano, mellotron, bass pedal/guitar, synthesizer
- David Jackson / saxophone

Track List:
CD1: Songs
01. Every Bloody Emperor (7:03)
02. Boleas Panic (6:50)
03. Nutter Alert (6:11)
04. Abandon Ship! (5:07)
05. In Babelsberg (5:30)
06. On the Beach (6:48)
CD2: Improvisations
01. Vulcan Meld (7:19)
02. Double Bass (6:34)
03. Slo Moves (6:24)
04. Architectural Hair (8:55)
05. Spanner (5:03)
06. Crux (5:50)
07. Manuelle (7:51)
08. ‘eavy Mate (3:51)
09. Homage to Teo (4:45)
10. The Price of Admission (8:49)

Links in comments.

David Jackson, Guy Evans, Hugh Banton, Peter Hammill, Van der Graaf Generator

Gracious – Gracious (1970) (@256)

25 Aug 2007

Request of Marcus.

(Review from sleeve, gnosis2000.net)

The band was formed in the mid-Sixties in Esher, a well-to-do spot south of London in Surrey’s stockbroker belt, by guitarist Alan Cowderoy and drummer/vocalist Paul ‘Sandy’ Davis, who were at school together. This was prior to them adopting the name under which they recorded – they were first called “Satan’s Disciples”, according to Cowderoy: “It was a Catholic school, so we thought this was the most contentious name we could come up with, and we played a couple of school concerts. It was an out and out pop group – we were just doing other people’s songs, and then gradually we started putting in our own tunes. It was all covers in the first school concert – ‘Sweets For My Sweet’, all the popular hits of the day – and we went down fantastically well. That was probably in 1964 or ’65″. Schooldays over and several personnel changes later, keyboard player Martin Kitcat joined first on piano and later, as eventual bass player Tim Wheatley recalled, a Hohner pianet, a trendy type of electric piano. Next, Davis was asked to concentrate on singing and give up drumming (few have mastered such a double act!), and Robert Lipson was invited to join from a rival Esher band. Tim Wheatley first joined the band as road manager, but when original bass player Mark Laird decided to leave Gracious, Wheatley graduated to playing bass.

By then, the group had been using the name Gracious, which was conceived by their manager, David Booth, for some time. Cowderoy recalled: “I think he dreamt up the name and sold it to a couple of guys in the band, who liked the double meaning of it – it was either an exclamation or an adjective. I hated it, and I’m embarrassed by it to this day, but it stuck, and I was outvoted by the majority – people said if I didn’t like it, I should think of something better, and I couldn’t”. It was, feels Wheatley, “quite a good name, a name with hippy connotations, although at that stage, we were still very much a pop band doing three minute pop songs”.

In 1970, Gracious released their selftitled debut. The array of styles blended into this album are dizzying, from classically structured epics, to Beatle-esque vocal harmonies, to a quick trip into a barroom boogie and on to lavish, mellotron layered pastorales. Entirely written by vocalist Paul Davis and keyboards maestro Martin Kitcat, Gracious perfected a form of symphonic rock that would not reach its more popular peak until several years after.

Side one of the original album was a highly complex suite in three titles, “Introduction”, “Heaven” and “Hell”. This is wonderfully orchestrated rock at its finest, paving the way for the Fantasy’s, Springs and Kestrels to come, but being internally much more varied and complex; lining up melodic choruses with intensely labored, rhythmically challenging structures that are a wonder to follow.

Side two opens with the gorgeous “Fugue in ‘D’ Minor”, a piece for harpsichord, two guitars and bass that paves the way for the album’s long finale “The Dream”. This is the band’s most challenging piece, a wonderful suite of psychedelic mood and dreamy symphonic air. Its juxtaposed moments where one will hear a Beatles snippet followed up a declamatory Gnidrolog-like vocalization and then a small interlude on piano before breaking into a great fuzz guitar solo are the stuff legends are made of.

In modern days where symphonic rock has become a wasteland of morbid copies and prog-by-numbers, an album like this reminds one strongly of just how inventive this style used to be.

Line-up:
- Alan Cowderoy / guitar, vocals
- Martin Kitcat / piano, Harpsichord, keyboards, piano (electric), vocals, Mellotron
- Robert Lipson / drums
- Tim Wheatley / bass
- Paul Davis / guitar, vocals

Track List:
01. Introduction
02. Heaven
03. Hell
04. Fugue in ‘D’ Minor
05. The Dream

Link in comments.

Gracious

Van Der Graaf Generator – The Box (@192)

25 Aug 2007

(Review from amazon, progarchives)

“The Box” covers the band’s years 1968 through 1978, it’s the comprehensive document of the band’s career from beginning to end. Drawing on material from various BBC sessions, studio albums, long deleted singles, live ‘bootlegs’ and Virgin Records archives. A veritable treasure chest of previously unreleased material and collector’s favorites. All tracks have been remastered by Peter Hammill.

The first CD consists of the earliest material of the band, highlights include the old BBC recordings of “People You Were Going To”, “Afterwards” (which is so raw and beautiful) and “Necromancer” (which is so very nutty). CD2 has great live material from the “Pawn Hearts” period on it, and CD3 has good re-masters with slight edits from the 1975-1976 period. CD4 has material from their 1976-1977 recordings.

This could have been a “more” essential retrospective if only… there were more outtakes… demos… jams…

Line-up:
- Guy Evans / drums, percussion, baliphones
- Hugh Banton / keyboards, drum programmes
- David Jackson / saxes, flutes, keyboards
- Peter Hammill / vocals, piano
- Chas Dickie / cello
- Keith Ellis / bass and background vocals
- Nick Potter / bass

Track List:
CD1: “Bless The Baby Born Today”
01. People You Were Going To (3:32)
02. Afterwards (4:45)
03. Necromancer (4:11)
04. Refugees (6:19)
05. Darkness (6:52)
06. After the Flood (10:59)
07. White Hammer (8:16)
08. House With No Door (6:33)
09. Killer (8:20)
10. Lost (11:09)
CD2: “The Tower Reels”
01. Theme 1 (3:01)
02. W (4:28)
03. A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers (23:06)
04. (In the) Black Room/The Tower (11:47)
05. Lemmings (16:42)
06. Man-Erg (11:09)
CD3: “One More Heaven Gained”
01. La Rossa (9:51)
02. Arrow (8:53)
03. Still Life (7:26)
04. My Room (7:29)
05. Sleepwalkers (10:26)
06. Pilgrims (7:11)
07. Childlike Faith in Childhood’s End (12:25)
08. Scorched Earth (10:13)
CD4: “Like Something Out Of Edgar Allen Poe”
01. Masks (7:00)
02. Meurglys III (16:47)
03. When She Comes (8:02)
04. Wondering (6:42)
05. The Wave (3:15)
06. Cat’s Eye/Yellow Fever (Running) (4:49)
07. Chemical World (6:14)
08. Door (3:26)
09. Sci-Finance (6:16)
10. The Sphinx in the Face (5:33)

Links in comments.

David Jackson, Guy Evans, Hugh Banton, Nic Potter, Peter Hammill, Van der Graaf Generator

Grand Funk Railroad – Closer To Home (1970) (@256)

25 Aug 2007

(Review from allmusic)

Grand Funk Railroad was formed in 1969 by Mark Farner and Don Brewer from “Terry Knight and the Pack” and Mel Schacher from “? & the Mysterians” in Michigan. Former bandmate Terry Knight soon became their manager and named the band after the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, a well-known rail line in Michigan.

The band built a devoted fan base with constant touring, a loud, simple take on the blues-rock power trio sound, and strong working-class appeal. They performed for free at the 1969 Atlanta Pop Festival, and their energetic, if not technically proficient, show led Capitol Records to sign them at once. While radio shied away from Grand Funk Railroad, the group’s strong work ethic and commitment to touring produced a series of big-selling albums over the next few years.

The band’s third album, “Closer to Home” was the record that really broke them through to a more commercially successful level. Rather than rushing headlong back into their typical hard, heavy, and overamplified approach, Grand Funk Railroad began expanding their production values. Most evident is the inclusion of strings on the album’s title track, the acoustic opening on the disc’s leadoff cut, “Sins a Good Man’s Brother”, as well as the comparatively mellow “Mean Mistreater.” But the boys had far from gone soft. The majority of Closer to Home is filled with the same straight-ahead rock & roll that had composed their previous efforts. The driving tempo of Mel Schacher’s viscous lead basslines on “Aimless Lady” and “Nothing Is the Same” adds a depth when contrasted to the soul-stirring and somewhat anthem-like “Get It Together”. The laid-back and slinky “I Don’t Have to Sing the Blues” also continues the trend of over-the-top decibel-shredding; however, instead of the excess force, Grand Funk Railroad are able to retain the often-elusive melodic element to their heavy compositions.

Line-up:
* Mark Farner, Guitar/Keyboards/Vocals
* Mel Schacher, Bass
* Don Brewer, Drums/Vocals

Track List:
01. Sin’s a Good Man’s Brother
02. Aimless Lady
03. Nothing Is the Same
04. Mean Mistreater
05. Get It Together
06. I Don’t Have to Sing the Blues
07. Hooked On Love
08. I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home)
09. Mean Mistreater (Bonus Alternate Mix)
10. In Need (Bonus Live)
11. Heartbreaker (Bonus Live)
12. Mean Mistreater (Bonus Live)

Links in comments.

Queen – The Works (1984) (@256)

25 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, rollingstone.com)

After Queen’s daring attempt at disco music with “Hot Space” they took a year off, to gather their senses, and work on solo material. After the much needed break they took a step back, and instead of their usual routine of seeking their borders maintained what they knew they could do.

Rather than move in ever-widening spirals of bombast, they’ve trimmed a lot of the excess – mainly, the fat vibrato of Brian May’s multitracked guitars and Freddie Mercury’s overdubbed tabernacle choir of vocal effects. What’s left is a lean hard-rock sound.

“Radio Ga Ga” and “I Want To Break Free” are the most known hits from this album both ranking very high on charts, and both gained an anthem-like status.

“Is This The World We Created…?” is a lovely acoustic ballad with lyrics so typical for the mid-eighties, and “Keep Passing The Open Windows” is one of the best unknown songs that Queen ever did, with relatively simple chord structure, beautiful melodies and bass & piano driven pattern that is really making driving impression.

“Machine”, starting completely electronic, when the human rock band kick in, the song takes the shape of a battle, is an ode to the computer culture.

The Works is a royal feast of hard rock without that awful metallic aftertaste of the 80s.

Line-up:
- Freddie Mercury / piano, vocals
- Brian May / guitars, vocals, keyboards
- John Deacon / bass, guitar
- Roger Taylor / drums, vocals

Track List:
01. Radio Ga Ga (5:49)
02. Tear It Up (3:28)
03. It’s a Hard Life (4:08)
04. Man on the Prowl (3:28)
05. Machines (Back to Humans) (5:10)
06. I Want to Break Free (3:20)
07. Keep Passing the Open Windows (5:21)
08. Hammer to Fall (4:28)
09. Is This the World We Created…? (2:13)

Link in comments.

Queen

Mary-Anne – Me (1970) (@256)

24 Aug 2007

(Review from allmusic)

Scottish folksinger Mary-Anne Paterson fell into a recording career somewhat by accident in the late ’60s, when she was a drama teacher who wrote songs for educational television on the side. A friend convinced her to go to London to make a demo in late 1969, though she did so primarily in hopes of raising money for a children’s art center she hoped to set up. “Me” was done in one session around the beginning of 1970, Paterson backed by some buskers from a London tube station with whom she barely rehearsed, and never saw again.

“Me” is a modest acoustic traditional-oriented album. It matches her high, clear vocals, acoustic guitars, and flute with sparse echoed production and very occasional touches of acid folk and pop, though overall the album has a haunting medieval tone. Most of the songs on the record are traditional folk tunes, though she did write a couple of them herself.

Paterson originals “Love Has Gone” and “Reverie for Roslyn” combines with the stark, slightly echoed production to create a haunting anachronistic atmosphere. It’s not an entirely traditional acoustic-guitar-and-voice production however, with touches of flute throughout the album, and an electric 12-string guitar in “The Water Is Wide”. “Black Girl” takes an especially eerie jump into near-acid folk, suddenly leaping into a near rave-up where stormily busked guitars and jazzy flutes fight it out with each other while Paterson’s ghostly vocals wail wordlessly in the background.

Track List:
01. Love Has Gone
02. Coulter`s Candy
03. The Jute Mill Song
04. The Gentleman Soldier
05. Black Girl
06. Wandering So Far
07. Come All Ye Fair And Tender Maidens
08. Candyman
09. The Water Is Wide
10. Hallowed Be Thy Name
11. Reverie For Roslyn

Link in comments.

Steve Walsh – Glossolalia (2000) (@256)

24 Aug 2007

(Review from progressiveears.com)

Glossolalia, is the culmination of many years songwriting. Walsh had been writing tunes over the years and when the Magna Carta label approached him to do a solo album, he was ready. On the label’s suggestion, they hooked him up with Trent Gardner from Magellan. Gardner took Walsh’s songs and radically rearranged them, altered the instrumentation and basically stretched the songs into a whole new dimension along with Walsh. Gardner is the not so secret ingredient that helps make this album sound very relevant, very 2000s sounding, rather than some classic rock retro-fest.

What Walsh and Gardner came up with was enough to make fans realize they surely weren’t in Kansas anymore! What the fans got was a musical wake up call of sorts. A diverse mix of styles, often in the same song, and hard-edged guitar work courtesy of Walsh’s former guitarist from the band Streets, Mike Slamer. His brand of metal-esque playing really sets this apart from what you would normally expect from a solo Kansas member album. Many of these songs are very heavy, at times bordering on thrash… nearly. But that is a welcome sound here. Normally it would reek of 80′s metaldom, but in the lush arrangements Gardner and Walsh created, it is only part of the picture. The songs are packed with unexpected tempo changes and swift left turns. Just when you think you know where the tune is leading, in many cases, it goes somewhere else. Progressive? Yes, moreso than a lot of bands that claim to be progressive in the 2000s. Though Walsh never makes that claim, it’s clear that this music is dense enough to capture the minds and hearts of many a progressive rock fan.

Line-up:
- Steve Walsh / vocals & keyboards
- Trent Gardner / keyboards & trombone
- Virgil Donati / drums
- Page Waldrop / steel & acoustic guitars
- Jim Roberts / Hammond organ
- Mike Slamer / guitar
- Billy Greer / bass

Track List:
01. Glossolalia (5:20)
02. Serious Wreckage (6:01)
03. Heart Attack (4:18)
04. Kansas (9:00)
05. Nothing (3:08)
06. Haunted Man (5:35)
07. Smackin’ The Clowns (10:05)
08. That’s What Love Is All About (5:05)
09. Mascara Tears (7:05)
10. Rebecca (5:15)

Links in comments.

Steve Walsh

Van Der Graaf Generator – Vital (Live 1978) (@320)

23 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

By the time their only live album (to-date) Vital was released, in the summer of 1978, the band had already split. It had the same line-up as on the previous year’s The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome (also credited to Van der Graaf), plus newcomer cellist Charles Dickie. Original saxophonist David Jackson re-joined the band for this recording.

The aspect of a last Van der Graaf Generator breath is saddening indeed but at least it has been done with style and with a common accent. “Vital” draws a line that means by nothing a burning out or exhaustion. The symbolic view seen is one of homage and one of lasting character. In an optimistic look, the end denotes how compact and how energic these few years, with their sole accomplishments have been. The echo is always sustained. The departure is one comfortable, nostalgic, elegant, intelligently made.

The repertoire goes towards an universal portrait of Van der Graaf Generator, accentuated though (and not just the obvious choices, but towards the attitude, the spirit and the reflection in its prime colors as well) on the nebulous part of their musical bounce, on the dark years of melody and the vigorous denigration of everything conventional (which is, naturally, transmitted on to the act: live, of brutal shock, “raw”, magnificently chaotic, didactly stressful etc.). As the brain surgery delicatessen of those times is the one here as well, being a lifting experience of a demonic ravishing eruption inside a soul of one whose pulse is exacerbated. Still there is a general stretch of vision, elongating surprisingly onto the extremity of “H To He” and including (even more surprisingly) the latest “Quiet Zone/Pleasure Dome”. Oh, and there are three Hammill flavor moments, induced more like lovely intermezzos. Out of the three, Mirror Image is fantastic. Needless to say, playing studio material isn’t a deficit, it’s a way of life and a way of live.

Vital’s pulse of an on-going music machine and of an emotional climax, within the settled stable emission and exteriorization. A royal treat within an extended session of pure unleashed force. With a great rhythm and a vibrant passion, everything can be done, expressed, reached. And it’s achieved. Tempting, sarcastic, striding with artistically methods, ongoing with freewill of atypical consensus. The elegant and mastertyped demonstration to which Vital’s energy submits the listener is enormous and rewarding. No impediments. No disruptured state. No loosened impulse. An acute insanity art second from insanely brilliant artists. At the end, not only the audience burst into thrill and euphoria, but also you shall receive the divine taste of music’s most subtle.

Line-up:
- Graham Smith / violin
- Nic Potter / bass
- Peter Hammill / vocals, guitars, keyboards
- Guy Evans / drums
- Charles Dickie / cello, keyboards
with
- David Jackson / saxes, flutes

Track List:
01. Ship Of Fools (6:44)
02. Still Life (9:43)
03. Last Frame (8:59)
04. Mirror Images (5:48)
05. Medley:
a) Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers
b) Sleepwalkers (13:47)
06. Pioneers Over C (16:59)
07. Door (5:29)
08. Urban / Killer / Urban (7:36)

Links in comments.

David Jackson, Guy Evans, Hugh Banton, Nic Potter, Peter Hammill, Van der Graaf Generator

Steve Walsh – Schemer-Dreamer (1980) (@192)

23 Aug 2007

Request of Petra, Rob and Roger.

(Review from progarchives.com)

The very existence of this album is a direct result of Steve Walsh’s desire to pave a mainstream path for himself away from his roots as the prolific keyboardist and highly regarded lead singer of Kansas. It is noteworthy that the only track that even approaches a progressive feel (“You Think You Got It Made”) is the one song where Walsh is accompanied by his (soon to be former) Kansas band mate and creative nemesis Kerry Livgren. The other song that is a bit of a departure for Walsh musically, though not lyrically, is “Wait Until Tomorrow”, where he is also accompanied by a Kansas band mate, in this case lead guitarist Rich Williams.

The lyrics are purely working class southern blues-influenced rock, so it’s not surprising that Walsh’s supporting cast included Dixie Dregs veterans Steve Morse, Allen Sloan, and Jeff Lux. It was the music Walsh was dying to make for the last two years. Several tracks on Schemer-Dreamer were likely even considered and rejected by his band Kansas when Monolith and Audio-Visions were being created (or were held back by Walsh).

Stepping outside of Kansas for the first time, Walsh leaves behind all of the art rock of his band and indulges himself in all his rock star fantasies. He winds with a big, loud, dumb arena rock record, one that sounds completely tied to its year, if not month, of release. It’s not a bad album on Walsh’s part, especially if you remove any thoughts of Kansas from the mix.

Line-up:
- Steve Walsh / drums, keyboards, vocals
- David Bryson / guitar
- Steve Morse / guitar
- Kerry Livgren / guitar
- Duane Buckler / bass
- Phil Ehart / drums
- Turner Gaugh / bass
- Tim Gehrt / drums
- Skip Lane / saxophone
- Jeff Lux / flute, guitar, vocals (background)
- Merle McLain / bass
- Allen Sloan / violin
- Cecil Welch / trumpet
- Rich Williams / guitar

Track List:
01. Schemer-Dream / That’s All Right (5:26)
02. Get Too Far (4:32)
03. So Many Nights (4:24)
04. You Think You Got It Made (4:22)
05. Every Step of the Way (8:36)
06. Just How It Feels (3:43)
07. Wait Until Tomorrow (6:02)

Link in comments.

Kerry Livgren, Steve Morse, Steve Walsh

Chicken Shack – 100 Ton Chicken (1969) (@256)

23 Aug 2007

(Info from booklet)

The amusingly entitled album “100 Ton Chicken” represents Chicken Shack’s third album. Released in late Spring 1969, it heralded a shift in the band’s recorded output brought about mainly as a result of the departure of Christine Perfect. Organist Paul Raymond (of Plastic Penny) was recruited immediately and thrown as it were, into the deep end.

The decision had been taken to get to work on a new studio album as quickly as possible. Stan Webb in particular was keen to get away from the sound associated with the first two albums. The results sounded quite different and gave Chicken Shack what they were looking for — a “heavier” sound, thus “100 Ton Chicken” title was coined.

Stan Webb took to writing new material with a slightly more commercial appeal to it. “Tears in the Wind” proved to be something of a success when one considers that many media people expected the follow-up to “I’d Rather Go Blind” to feature the dulcet tones of Christine Perfect. Webb also penned a couple of fine instrumentals of his own (in the Freddie King mould of course) and got another opportunity to make use of some Cockney rhyming slang (“Horse & Cart”). The band covered a Clarence Carter tune (“Weekend Love”); took a nod once again in the direction of the great Freddie King by covering “Look Ma I’m Crying” and cut versions of Lowell Fulsom’s “Reconsidering Baby” and Gatemouth Brown’s “Midnight Hour”. Webb even expertly handled a rendition of Davy Graham’s erstwhile instrumental “Anji”.

Line-up:
* Stan Webb – guitar, vocals
* Andy Sylvester – bass
* Dave Bidwell – drums, congas
* Paul Raymond – organ, piano

Track List:
01. Road Of Love
02. Look Ma I’m Crying
03. Evelyn
04. Reconsider Baby
05. Weekend Love
06. Midnight Hour
07. Tears In The Wind
08. Horse & Cart
09. Way It Is
10. Still Worned About My Woman
11. Anji
12. The Things You Put Me Through (Bonus)
13. Night Life (Bonus)

Link in comments.

Chicken Shack

Van Der Graaf Generator – The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome (1977) (@256)

23 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, progreviews.com, wikipedia)

For this album, original bassist Nic Potter returned to the band, having left in 1970. Violinist Graham Smith, from String Driven Thing, also joined the line-up. Saxophonist David Jackson and organist Hugh Banton had left, modifying the band’s sound considerably.

While the organ/sax interplay is missed, the bands new sound in studio is still excellent, lots of violin (Graham Smith) and piano as its foundation, driven along by Guy Evans’ ferocious drumming and Nic Potter’s (returning one last time) thick fuzzy bass lines.

The original vinyl division to two separate sides is enhanced by naming the sides as two different entities, and they even have separate pictures as for covers on the album sleeve. The Quiet Zone cover depicts a slender, blue elf-like character swinging in outer space above the earth. The Pleasure Dome cover is a picture of the musicians: a stern violinist with an Abe Lincoln beard, dressed in a black suit, and a 70s longhaired character in oversized funky sunglasses and a white suit, tossing what looks like a silver apple.

The first four songs comprise the Quiet Zone side. The instrumentation is sparse: drums, bass, piano, violin, and vocals. The music is very melodic, with steady, rolling beats, ethereal acoustic guitar, and classical violin. Add to this the melodramatic vocals of Peter Hammill. He sings quietly on these tracks, in a croon that turns from playful and sarcastic, to moody and sarcastic, to sorrowful.

The Pleasure Dome side consists of faster pieces, but the instrumentation is the same. Overall I think the combination of classical sounding violin with the acoustic, bass and drums sounds excellent. “Cat’s Eye” is my favorite song here, with the tension building vocals and staccato violin, explosive release sections, and the calmer mid-sections with the rolling violin. “The Sphinx in the Face” and “Chemical World” are less dramatic, and have a simpler “rock” sound.

It is of course the classic paradox of the progressive rock band … Van Der Graaf Generator did indeed move on and hence one finds oneself yearning for more of the “old stuff”. The times when Smith’s violin works makes this an essential detour for Van Der Graaf Generator fans.

Line-up:
- Graham Smith / violin, viola
- Nic Potter / bass
- Peter Hammill / vocals, guitars, keyboards
- Guy Evans / drums, percussion
with
- David Jackson / saxes

Track List:
01. Lizard Play (4:29)
02. The Habit of the Broken Heart (4:40)
03. The Siren Song (6:04)
04. Last Frame (6:13)
05. The Wave (3:14)
06. Cat’s Eye / Yellow Fever (Running) (5:20)
07. The Sphinx in the Face (5:58)
08. Chemical World (6:10)
09. The Sphinx Returns (1:12)
10. Door (Bonus) (3:28)
11. The Wave (Bonus Demo) (3:03)
12. Ship of Fools (Bonus Single Version) (3:43)

Link in comments.

David Jackson, Guy Evans, Hugh Banton, Nic Potter, Peter Hammill, Van der Graaf Generator

Van Der Graaf Generator – World Record (1976) (@256)

22 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

“World Record” is the third in the trilogy of 1975/1976 “come-back” Van Der Graaf Generator albums (following both “Godbluff” and “Still Life”) and the last of the classic line-up for this era.

The mood of this record is dark and melancholy. Every single song reminds of November. The dominating mood is farewell here. The forthcoming third split of Van der Graaf Generator and the forthcoming separation of Hammill from his longtime girl-friend already show up on the horizon.

The most interesting two songs are “When She Comes”, a kind of follow-up to “La Rossa” in Hammill’s personal love affair, and the over 20 minutes long “Meurglys III, The Songwriter’s Guild”, a perfect fusion between rock, blues and jazz. Hammill excels on electric lead guitar here.

The two bonus tracks bring “When She Comes” and “Masks” again – this time from the BBC Peel sessions. Deripped from even the small overdubs of the official production these tracks show the wonderful structures of the music of Van der Graaf Generator.

Line-up:
- Peter Hammill / vocals, guitars, pianos
- Hugh Banton / organs, bass pedals and guitars, mellotron, piano
- Guy Evans / drums and percussion
- David Jackson / saxes, flute

Track List:
01. When She Comes (7:58)
02. A Place to Survive (10:00)
03. Masks (6:55)
04. Meurglys III, The Songwriter’s Guild (20:47)
05. Wondering (6:33)
06. When She Comes (8:10) (Bonus Live)
07. Masks (7:24) (Bonus Live)

Links in comments.

David Jackson, Guy Evans, Hugh Banton, Peter Hammill, Van der Graaf Generator

Burhan Ocal (and The Trakya Allstars) – Kirklareli Il Siniri (2003) (@256)

22 Aug 2007

(Info from label, burhanocal.com)

Recognized worldwide as a virtuosic percussionist Burhan Ocal has made the bridging of musical cultures his central mission. A native of Kirklareli in Thrace region of Turkey, he grew up in a musical family. From his father, he learned a variety of percussion instruments, while his mother introduced him to religious vocal music. After his first contact with western music, he became interested in combining other genres and cultural traditions, such as jazz and western classical music, with his own.

Burhan Ocal’s instruments are as diverse as his music. In addition to a wide variety of percussion, such as the darbuka (a vase-shaped drum played with the fingers), kos (kettle drum), kudum and bendir, he is a highly skilled player on a number of stringed instruments, including the divan-saz, tanbur and ud. His expressive voice adds to the spectrum of musical elements at his command.

“Trakya All Stars” is a highly special project where Ocal collaborates with master musicians from Thrace region, paying tribute to the musical heritage of his birthplace. The Roman-Balkan influenced album possesses a timeless character which manages to take deep tradition to a contemporary level. It is produced by the Tunisian born French musician, sound engineer and producer Smadj, highly respected for his knowledge of oriental music and for his digital innovations.

Track List:
01. Tekirdag Karsilamasi
02. Suleyman Aga
03. Ferace
04. Karakas Mahallesi
05. Gara Guna
06. Melike
07. Ciftetelli
08. Coban
09. Gures Havasi
10. Davullarim Calar Caydan Asagi

Links in comments.

Burhan Ocal, Turkish

Kerry Livgren – One Of Several Possible Musics (1989) (@320)

22 Aug 2007

(Review from progressor.net)

Originality and innovation – these are the key words for “One of the Possible Musiks”. This album clearly shows that Kerry Livgren is not only a very talented composer and arranger, but also a really remarkable multi-instrumentalist.

Stylistically, the compositions that are presented on this all-instrumental album can be divided into four parts. Then such pieces as And I Saw, As It Were Konelrad, Colonnade Gardens, Alenna In the Sun, Tannin Dance, and A Fistful of Drachma will form the first and the largest part. Overall, the music that is featured on all five of these compositions represents a pure classic symphonic art-rock. The arrangements that are present on them consist of diverse and, often, contrasting interplay between solos and passages of traditional Rock instruments and those virtual ones that Kerry masterfully ‘elicited’ from his synthesizers. In other words, variegated interplay between solos of a real piano, real electric and bass guitars, and solos and passages of synthetic yet realistically sounding chamber and string instruments are typical for all five of the said pieces. Thanks to the active use of virtual (or synthetic, if you will) chamber instruments, such as the oboe, bassoon, flute, harp, etc, a few compositions on the album, but especially As It Were Konelrad and Colonnade Gardens (2 & 3), have a distinct medieval feel to them. On Alenna In the Sun, Tannin Dance, and A Fistful of Drachma, Kerry played such exotic instruments as the Japanese Koto and Shakahuchi, and also marimba, apart from the other instruments. So all three of the said compositions are just filled with the wonderful flavors of music of East.

In the Sides of the North, The Far Country, and Tenth of Nisan, will form the second ‘stylistic’ part of this album. The arrangements that a featured on each of these three pieces develop constantly and there aren’t repeats in them. In other words, these are the pieces of classical academic music that were performed with the use of Rock instruments and samplers of chamber and string instruments. In the Sides of the North, though, doesn’t feature the rock instruments at all. Here, the solos of oboe, accompanied by the lush passages of strings, recreate the spirit of medieval atmosphere as well. The Far Country could’ve been subtitled as “Piece For a Rock Band & Virtual Orchestra”, as the parts of Rock, chamber, and string instruments are here balanced very well. Structurally, Tenth of Nisan, with its march character, military drumming, fanfares, beats of kettle-drums, etc, reminds me of Mars – The Bringer of War by Gustav Holst. This is probably the most impressive composition on the album.

Both the remaining stylistic parts of the album are presented on Ancient Wing and Diaspora. Ancient Wing, which is the only ‘heavy’ composition on the album, features only the Rock instruments. Stylistically, it represents nothing else but a blend of classic art-rock and progressive metal. Diaspora, in its turn, is the only track on the album, on which the parts of brass instruments dominate everywhere. A blend of classic art-rock and jazz-fusion would probably be the best definition of music that is featured here. Though it doesn’t contain any of the real improvisations.

“One of the Possible Musiks” is probably one of the most original and innovative album by a solo pilot, also one of the best symphonic art-rock albums of the era.

Line-up:
- Kerry Livgren / all of several possible instruments

Track List:
01. Ancient wing (4:27)
02. And I saw,as it were… Konelrad (4:56)
03. Colonnade gardens (4:10)
04. In the sides of the north (4:26)
05. Alenna in the sun (4:23)
06. Tannin danse (3:37)
07. The far country (3:45)
08. Diaspora (3:35)
09. A fistful of Drachma (4:10)
10. Tenth of Nisan (4:46)

Link in comments.

Kerry Livgren

Van Der Graaf Generator – Time Vaults (1972-75) (@256)

21 Aug 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

After the highly successful “Pawn Hearts” album, Hammill left to pursue a solo career. Hammill’s split with the group was amicable and Banton, Jackson and Evans, among others, all contributed to his solo work at various times.

Time Vaults is a collection of out-takes and rehearsal recordings from the group’s 1972-1975 hiatus.

If you are a Van Der Graaf Generator nutcase, you will certainly consider this a must as this would sort of fit the Lost Album Syndrome and would come in between “Pawn Hearts” and “Godbluff” and will love it even with the very crapy sound of the studio tapes and sessions. All of these tracks in this collection are unfinished studio sessions from 72 till 75 but are raw, bare, rough and difficult although you can hear (here and there) hints of brilliance and great ideas. If those tapes had been finished, this would have made easily another Graafesque masterpiece album.

Line-up:
- Peter Hammill / vocals, guitars, keyboards
- Guy Evans / drums
- Hugh Banton / organ, bass pedals and guitar
- David Jackson / saxes, flutes

Track List:
01. Liquidator (5:24)
02. Rift Valley (4:40)
03. Tarzan (2:09)
04. Coil Night (4:12)
05. Time Vaults (3:33)
06. Drift (I Hope It Won’t) (2:40)
07. Roncevaux (6:55)
08. It All Went Up (4:07)
09. Faint and Forsaken (2:45)
10. Black Room (8:52)

Link in comments.

David Jackson, Guy Evans, Hugh Banton, Peter Hammill, Van der Graaf Generator

Kerry Livgren – Seeds of Change (1980) (@320)

21 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

So much of why we choose to like, or to pan, an album is dependent on the context in which we encounter it. This was never truer than with Seeds of Change.

Livgren had always shown a spiritual side in his lyrics, dating from the early days of Kansas with songs like “The Pilgrimage”, “The Pinnacle”, and “Dust in the Wind”. His search for meaning in life had led him at various times to Zen and other forms of mysticism and Eastern philosophy. Pretty much the entire Monolith album spoke to his interest in Urantia in the latter part of the 1970s. During the 1979 tour to support that album, he converted to Christianity with the guidance of touring mate Jeff Pollard of Louisiana’s Le Roux, another American band with a progressive bent, albeit a southern-tinged one.

1980 was a transitional year for Kansas and Kerry Livgren. While band mate and lead vocalist/organist Steve Walsh was off doing his own solo project Kerry Livgren was recording this one — trying to explain his conversion to Christianity and doing something on his own. Unfortunately instead of Kansas taking the year off to refresh the creative juices they went full steam ahead with Audio Visions so now we have three albums in 1980 and not enough material for each.

The idea of solo works is usually to try music and work with musicians you couldn’t do in your band and not worry so much about sales as to make a statement about yourself. Livgren pronounces himself as a Christian and as a songwriter who has many layers to him; exploring the blues, pop and symphonic music on this collection.

Line-up:
- Kerry Livgren / guitar, drums, keyboards, vocals
with
- Phil Ehart / drums
- Barriemore Barlow / drums
- Rev. Johnny Thompson / drums
- Bobby Campo / percussion, horn
- Gary Gilbert / bass guitar
- Paul Goddard / bass guitar
- Darryl Kutz / harmonica
- Robby Steinhardt / violin
- Ronnie James Dio / vocals
- Vicky Livgren / vocals
- Mylon Lefevre / vocals
- Steve Walsh / vocals
- Brad Aaron / vocals
- John Fristoe / vocals
- Joey Jelf / vocals
- Davey Moire / vocals
- David Pack / vocals
- Jeff Pollard / vocals
- Steve Venezia / vocals
- Donna Williams / vocals

Track List:
01. Just One Way – 5:45
02. Mask of the Great Deceiver – 7:34
03. How Can You Live? – 4:12
04. Whiskey Seed – 5:33
05. To Live For the King – 4:56
06. Down to the Core – 5:18
07. Ground Zero – 8:33

Links in comments.

Kerry Livgren, Ronnie James Dio

AC/DC – High Voltage (1976) (@256)

21 Aug 2007

(Review from allmusic.com)

One of the perennial complaints about AC/DC is that they’ve never changed – and if that’s true, High Voltage is the blueprint they’ve followed all their career.

Comprised of highlights from their first two Australian albums – 1975′s TNT and its ’76 follow-up, also entitled High Voltage – the album has every single one of AC/DC’s archetypes. There are songs about rock & roll, slow sleazy blues, high-voltage boogie, double entendres so obvious they qualify as single-entendres and, of course, the monster riffs of Angus Young, so big and bold they bruise the listener upon contact. It’s those riffs – so catchy, they sound lifted when they’re original, so simple they’re often wrongly dismissed as easy – that give the music its backbone, the foundation for Bon Scott to get dirty, and rockers never got quite as dirty as Bon Scott. Scott sounded as if you could catch a disease by listening to him. He sounded like the gateman at hell, somebody who never hid the notion that lurking behind the door are some bad, dangerous things, but they’re also fun, too, and he made no apologies for that.

But for as primal as High Voltage is, it’s also a lot weirder and funnier than it’s given credit for, too – those are bagpipes that solo on “It’s a Long Way To The Top (If You Want To Rock & Roll)” and “She’s Got Balls” is perversely funny dirty joke. This is music so primal that it’s enduring – it feels like it existed before AC/DC got there, and it will exist long afterward. And if AC/DC did wind up bettering this blueprint in the future, there’s no question that this original is still potent, even thrilling no matter how many times they returned to the well, or how many times this record is played.

Line-up:
* Bon Scott – lead vocals
* Angus Young – lead guitar
* Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Mark Evans – bass
* Phil Rudd – drums

Track List:
01. It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll) – 5:12
02. Rock ‘n’ Roll Singer – 5:03
03. The Jack – 5:52
04. Live Wire – 5:49
05. T.N.T. – 3:34
06. Can I Sit Next to You Girl – 4:11
07. Little Lover – 5:39
08. She’s Got Balls – 4:51
09. High Voltage – 4:14

Link in comments.

AC/DC

Van Der Graaf Generator – Pawn Hearts (1971) (@256)

20 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, vintageprog.com)

First of all, a word of caution to all those newcomers to the word of progressive who hear this album mentioned as a masterpiece, or even as essential listening – for it has nothing to share with the soothing, pastoral soundscapes of Genesis, the soaring cathedrals of sound of Yes, or the bombastic, over-the-top brilliance of Emerson, Lake & Palmer (to name but three bands).

“Pawn Hearts”, Van Der Graaf Generator’s fourth album, is a monument of dark, brooding, Gothic intensity, the ideal soundtrack to one of Edgar Allan Poe’s disturbing tales of mystery and madness. Although its three tracks undoubtedly rank among the milestones of progressive, they do not certainly make for comfortable listening. It could safely be said that, even more than Gentle Giant, Van Der Graaf Generator are an acquired taste – either you love them or you hate them. In any case, they are not a band to leave people indifferent.

The three long tracks on the album are all stuffed with the typical Hammill-sounding melodies and themes relieved by an progressive, complex and disharmonic energy of a kind that will leave you breathless. The 23-minute “A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers” features absolutely all of the above. And the arrangements are as usual characterised by the saxophone and very heavy and powerful organ of Hugh Banton together with Hammill’s distinctive voice. The two other tracks, “Lemmings” and “Man-Erg”, are both over 10-minutes long and contain enough chord-changes, great themes and ideas to keep every thinking progressive rock fan satisfied.

This edition adds 5 bonus tracks to the original 3-piece repertoire. 1) An original mix of ‘Theme One’, with a grand piano instead of the ARP synthesizer that appeared in a single A-side and the US vinyl. 2) The first version of the mid-tempo ballad ‘W’, a bit rougher than the single B-side. 3) ‘Angle of Incidents’, a bizarre free jazz instrumental featuring demented sax and drumming, plus te hsounds of breaking and scattering glass. 4) ‘Ponker’s Theme’, a delicate, catchy old-fashioned jazz number below the 1’30 duration. 5) Finally, an eerie Gothic-oriented organ solo titled ‘Diminutions’, in which Banton uses a minimalistic approach that brings him closer to the spacier stuff by Eno and keyboard centered krautrock – disturbing and mystical at one time. The last three bonus tracks complete the era of intellectually driven craziness that filled the days of Van Der Graaf Generator during the 71-72 era.

Line-up:
- Peter Hammill / lead vocals, guitars, pianos
- Hugh Banton / organs, piano, mellotron, bass pedals, bass guitar, synthesiser, vocals
- Guy Evans / drums and percussion
- David Jackson / saxes, flute, vocals
with
- Robert Fripp / electric guitar

Track List:
01. Lemmings (11:39)
02. Man-Erg (10:21)
03. A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers (23:04)
a) Eyewitness
b) Pictures / Lighthouse
c) Eyewitness
d) S.H.M.
e) Presence of the Night
f) Kosmos Tours
g) (Custard’s) Last Stand
h) The Clot Thickens
i) Land’s End
j) We Go Now
04. Theme One (Bonus Original Mix) (3:15)
05. W (Bonus First Version) (5:04)
06. Angle of Incidents (Bonus) (4:48)
07. Ponker’s Theme (Bonus) (1:28)
08. Diminutions (Bonus) (6:00)

Links in comments.

David Jackson, Guy Evans, Hugh Banton, Peter Hammill, Robert Fripp, Van der Graaf Generator

Proto-Kaw – Early Recordings From Kansas 1971-73 (@256)

20 Aug 2007

(Review from dailyvault.com)

Nine songs recorded from the bands early days. These songs were used as the bands demos as they tried to secure a recording contract. The songs were digitized and re-mastered by Kerry Livgren.

Long before “Dust In The Wind” blew across the musical horizon, there was a different Kansas. The earlier version of Kansas formed in 1971 and disbanded in 1973. They also left a recorded legacy which was never released until recently. The Kansas you know carried only a passing similarity to its predecessor. The famous version played arenas and went multi-platinum. The other played crappy bars for free beer, and played unbridled, experimental progressive rock.

Recently, the old tapes that early version Kansas recorded were remastered and released under the name Proto-Kaw. The results are a fascinating look at the early work of a composer whose later songs would become fixtures of classic rock radio. Often, these sort of releases are more of the vanity kind, and cater to the sycophantic diehard fans who can’t live without every b-side and studio fart. This is definitely not the case, as this disc easily stands on its own as a cohesive collection of original music.

In stark contract to the more mainstream work of Kansas, these recordings delve into long-form prog-rock fantasies, free-form jazz/fusion, psychedelia and epic visions that should make any fan of early ELP, Genesis or King Crimson prick up their ears. The amazing thing about this, is that very few people had ever heard these recordings, and that they went unreleased and virtually unknown for over 30 years. Amazing, because of the quality of the music. Musically, these guys are more than able to crank out some stellar progressive jams. Every man stands on his own here and supports the cohesiveness of the band. Singer Lynn Meredith has an excellent range, transitioning from a soft croon to menacing growl. Liberal use of woodwinds greatly enhances the ensemble sound, and sets this apart from a lot of other music of the genre, and of the time. John Bolton plays sax in an aggressive, some might say brutal style. His powerful chops propel the driving “Nactolos 21,” and the live track “Skont” which also features a killer Hammond organ solo by Dan Wright, that sounds like nothing heard before.

True to the genre of early progressive rock, the track titles are full of fantastic imagery in themselves. “Reunion In The Mountains of Sarne”, “Nactolos 21″, “Totus Nemesis” and “Greek Structure Sunbeam” are some examples. The songs stay mostly within expected progressive realms, but often venture into instrumental experimentation. Often compelling, often collapsing into atonal chaos, the juxtaposition of highly structured sections and totally unstructured instrumental jams ultimately add a perfect touch to music that was meant to be extremely experimental and fresh. This is an amazingly strong album, very typical of the prog-rock sensibilities of the early 70s. The influence of Emerson, Lake & Palmer and King Crimson will be apparent. What will be less apparent, unless you dabble in some of the more obscure progressive rock from that era, is the even stronger influence of some lesser known bands of the time.

Line-up:
* Kerry Livgren – Guitar, (Piano on “Nactolos 21″)
* Lynn Meredith – Vocals
* John Bolton – Electric Saxophone, Flute
* Don Montre – RMI Piano, Flute, Alto Saxophone
* Dan Wright – Hammond Organ, Ring Modulator
* Rod Mikinski – Bass
* Zeke Low – Drums on tracks 1/2/3/8/9
* Brad Schulz – Drums on tracks 4/5/6/7

Track List:
01. Hegemonium – 7:49
02. Reunion in the Mountains of Sarne – 7:47
03. Nactolos 21 – 11:38
04. Belexes – 5:11
05. Totus Nemesis – 13:54
06. Greek Structure Sunbeam – 5:42
07. Incomudro – 11:28
08. Cyclopy (live) – 5:46
09. Skont (live) – 9:39

Links in comments.

Kerry Livgren, Proto-Kaw

Bachman-Turner Overdrive – Bachman-Turner Overdrive II (1973) (@256)

19 Aug 2007

(Review from amazon)

The first Bachman-Turner Overdrive album was excellent, but tanked commercially. With this album, the band created an album that was both excellent and well-received by the public. People who hadn’t heard Bachman since his Guess Who days were beginning to rediscover the forgotten rocker – this was, in more ways than not, his comeback album. The band’s style, which fused elements of American southern-style rock, rhythm and blues, and pop rock, peaked on this album.

Two huge hits came from this album – the down-to-earth, gritty classic rock of “Let It Ride”, and the classic pop-rock anthem, “Takin’ Care Of Business” (the latter has since become the band’s biggest hit). The classic rock of the opening track, Blown, really must be heard to be appreciated. Also not to be overlooked is the Creedence Clearwater Revival-style rock of Stonegate. A minor hit for the group, the hard rocker “Welcome Home”, is one of the album’s strongest tracks. Bachman serves up some of his best riffs here. “Give It Time” and “I Don’t Have To Hide” are underrated gems that must not be overlooked. “Tramp” comes from a hobo’s point of view. Sound silly? The lyrics in this track, at times, are laughable, but surprisingly they add to its charm. And the instrumentation is what matters most, as the track demonstrates.

There’s not a single weak track here. If you like Bachman-Turner Overdrive and you only want to get one of their albums, this would be a fine choice. It’s the ideal place for any new fan to start their collection.

Line-up:
* Randy Bachman – guitar, vocals
* Robbie Bachman – percussion, drums
* Tim Bachman – guitar, vocals
* C.F. Turner – bass, vocals

Track List:
01. Blown – 4:18
02. Welcome Home – 5:29
03. Stonegates – 5:35
04. Let It Ride – 4:27
05. Give It Time – 5:44
06. Tramp – 4:02
07. I Don’t Have to Hide – 4:22
08. Takin’ Care of Business – 4:50

Link in comments.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Randy Bachman

Kansas – Device Voice Drum (2002) (@192)

19 Aug 2007

(Review from amazon)

Recorded in June 2002, “Device Voice Drum” captures a revitalized Kansas performing music mostly from the bands heyday in the 1970′s. Classics such as “Belexes”, “Song For America”, “The Wall” and “Icarus” areplayed with the same intensity and vigor as they were back in the day. The Kansas standards “Carry On Wayward Son”, “Dust In The Wind” and “Point Of Know Return” still haven’t lost their cutting edge and are still among the band’s best work.

Musically, the band sounds like they have come back to life in a big way. Singer/keyboardist Steve Walsh’s voice has changed considerably since the early years of the band. His commanding forceful tone comes across now as being more strained and roughend. He still knows how to belt these songs out though. Violinist Robby Steinhardt still soars musically and vocally and can still harmonize effortlessly. Guitarist Richard Williams and the rhythm section of Bassist Billy Greer and drummer Phil Ehart are still solid aces on their instruments.

“Device Voice Drum” is an excellent live set from this legendary band. There is only one element missing out of this enitre concert, the presence of founder and band leader Kerry Livgren. Had he been on stage with the band during this concert, this would have been beyond description. However, the five-piece Kansas line-up does a fine job of displaying Livgren’s music without him. I’m sure Kerry is proud of them.

This double-live-CD is definitely a piece of nostalgia and truly is a trip down memory lane. I can only hope that Kansas will continue their musical path in the direction they have been carrying it over the last five years.

This is classic Kansas for the 21st Century. In the words of Robby Steinhardt, this album is proof that you can “still rock when you’re 52 years old”.

Line-up:
- Steve Walsh / keyboards, vocals
- Phil Ehart / drums
- Billy Greer / bass, vocals
- Robby Steinhardt / violin, vocals
- Richard Williams / guitars

Track List:
CD1
01. Intro (0:15)
02. Belexes (6:41)
03. Icarus II (7:15)
04. Icarus (6:23)
05. Song for America (9:22)
06. Howlin’ at the Moon (1:59)
07. The Wall (5:36)
08. The Preacher (4:08)
09. Journey from Mariabronn (9:19)
10. Dust in the Wind (4:25)
11. Cheyenne Anthem (7:18)
12. Child of Innocence (4:59)
CD2
01. Miracles Out of Nowhere (6:31)
02. Point of Know Return (3:19)
03. Portriat/Pinnacle (7:44)
04. Fight Fire With Fire (3:24)
05. Play the Game Tonight (3:47)
06. Carry on Wayward Son (9:45)

Links in comments.

Kansas, Live, Steve Walsh

Rare Bird – As Your Mind Flies By (1970) (@256)

19 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, vintageprog.com)

In 1970, Rare Bird were a 4-piece band peddling a unique brand of bluesy heavy rock which, thanks to a twin keyboard attack, was brewing nicely into what might have been a major player in the Prog world had circumstances been more favourable. Both Graham Field and David Kaffinetti were multi-tasking keyboard players, but each had a speciality – Field’s was organ while Kaffinetti’s was electric piano. Their spirited interplay, combined with typically busy drumming and muscular vocal style, define “As Your Mind Flies By”. Any lack of overt virtuosity is countered by good compositions and strong arrangements.

All the 5 tracks on the album are impressivly strong. “What You Want to Know” and “I’m Thinking” are melodic, organ-driven, early 70′s progressive rock at its best. The arrangements have lots of cool, twisted and varied organ-sounds and the vocals are great. The rest of side one is made up of the short, baroque-influenced “Down on the Floor” and the great, heavy-progressive “Hammerhead”. The second side consists of the 20-minute “Flight”. This is one of those tracks that will make any fan of 70′s progressive rock cry of joy. The first part of it is quite dramatic and classical-influenced, then it goes into a great jamming part with a choir and excellent duels between the organ playing of Graham Field and the twisted el-piano of Dave Kaffinetti. The two last parts of the track are energetic and heavy with the most perfect organ-sounds you can imagine.

Line-up:
- Mark Ashron / drums, vocals
- Graham Field / organ, keyboards
- Steve Gould / lead vocals, bass guitar
- Dave Kaffinetti / electric piano, keyboards

Track List:
01. What you want to know (5:59)
02. Down on the floor (2:41)
03. Hammerhead (3:31)
04. I’m thinking (5:40)
05. Flight (19:39)

Link in comments.

Graham Field, Rare Bird

Beck, Bogert and Appice – Beck, Bogert and Appice (1972) (@256)

18 Aug 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com, allmusic)

A blues rock power trio composed of guitarist Jeff Beck (Yardbirds, Jeff Beck Group), bassist Tim Bogert (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus) and drummer Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus). The three attempted a collaboration project in 1970 but Beck suffered a head injury in a car accident that year which sidelined him for well over a year. Bogert and Appice, who previously were members of Vanilla Fudge, instead formed the group Cactus with guitarist Jim McCarty and singer Rusty Day. After several Cactus releases, the band split and Bogert and Appice were again searching for a new band. Beck, after recovering from the head injury, formed a new Jeff Beck Group and released several albums before disbanding in 1972.

With all three members out of work they decided to revive the old idea of a collaboration and started work on their eponymous debut album Beck, Bogert & Appice. The album kicks off with ‘Black Cat Moan’ which represents the blues rock style and contains excellent guitar work by Beck with his sliding techniques. ‘Lady’ and ‘Oh To Love You’ are ballads with good vocal line followed then with Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’ which was very popular during my teenage years. ‘Superstition’ became my favorite track at that time and firstly I was not aware at all that it was Stevie Wonder’s. ‘Sweet Sweet Surender’ is another ballad followed with a rocker ‘Why Should I Care’. ‘Lose My Self With You’ is an excellent song with a showcase of Beck’s wah wah.

A live album was subsequently issued in Japan only, but while working on a second studio effort, the famously mercurial Beck abruptly dissolved the trio in early 1974.

Line-up:
* Jeff Beck – guitar, vocals
* Tim Bogert – bass, vocals
* Carmine Appice – drums, vocals

Track List:
01. Black Cat Moan – 3:44
02. Lady – 5:33
03. Oh To Love You – 4:04
04. Superstition – 4:15
05. Sweet Sweet Surrender – 3:59
06. Why Should I Care About You – 3:31
07. Lose Myself With You – 3:16
08. Livin’ Alone – 4:11
09. I’m So Proud – 4:12

Link in comments.

Beck Bogert Appice, Carmine Appice, Jeff Beck, Tim Bogert

Caravan – Waterloo Lily (1972) (@256)

18 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, vintageprog.com)

Waterloo Lily is Caravan’s most overlooked release from their golden age. By 1972, keyboardist Dave Sinclair had left the band and was replaced by Steve Miller, a guy who obviously preferred el-piano instead of organ. The music on this album turned into a much more jazz-influenced direction.

The presence of wind instruments (particularly saxophone) is much stronger here than on the previous albums, reinforcing the record’s more pronounced jazzy feel. Some passages of “Nothing at All”, for instance, can remind listeners of Soft Machine rather than of Caravan’s earlier output – which is no bad thing at all, though it might be somewhat disappointing for those who had loved “If I Could Do..” or “In the Land…”. Besides the jazzier numbers, however, there are the usual (for Caravan) catchier, poppier offerings, like the excellent “Aristocracy” and the closing “The World Is Yours”; while the Miller-penned “Songs and Signs” occupies a sort of middle ground between these two kinds of tracks. The album’s second suite, Pye Hastings’ “The Love in Your Eye”, is more typically progressive than the first, complete with string arrangements and great flute playing by Jimmy Hastings. The bonus tracks included in the remastered edition are all Pye Hastings compositions, all more than competent.

Line-up:
- Richard Coughlan / drums, percussion
- Pye Hastings / vocals, guitars
- Steve Miller / keyboards
- Richard Sinclair / vocals, bass
with
- Mike Cotton / trumpet (5b)
- Lol Coxhill / soprano saxophone (1-2)
- Colin Frechter / string arrangement (5a)
- Jimmy Hastings / flute, tenor saxophone (5b)
- Phil Miller / guitar (2)
- Barry Robinson / oboe (5a)

Track List:
01. Waterloo Lily
02. Nothing at all /It’s coming soon / Nothing at all (reprise)
03. Songs and signs
04. Aristocracy
05. The love in your eye / To catch me a brother / Subsultus / Debouchement / Tilbury kecks
06. The world is yours (3:41)
07. Pye’s June Thing (Bonus)
08. Ferdinand (Bonus)
09. Looking Left, Looking Right / Pye’s Loop (Bonus)

Links in comments.

Caravan, Jimmy Hastings, Phil Miller, Richard Sinclair

Stevie Ray Vaughan – In The Beginning (Live) (1980) (@256)

17 Aug 2007

(Review from amazon, wikipedia)

A 25-year-old Vaughan, still more than three years away from the release of his first studio album, performs with his “Double Trouble” bandmates.

This visceral live recording from April 1, 1980, was broadcast on radio from the Steamboat 1874 club in Stevie Ray Vaughan’s adopted hometown, Austin, Texas. Young Stevie Ray’s performance bristles with uncorked energy: Vaughan is caught improvising on raw slide guitar, growling through Otis Rush’s “All Your Love (I Miss Loving)” and pushing his fretboard speed and vocal limits on Guitar Slim’s “They Call Me Guitar Hurricane”. Also offered are unpolished versions of tunes that became fan favourites: “Tin Pan Alley”, “Love Struck Baby” and “Tell Me”.

“Welcome my friends to the magic of radio” and so it begins with the opening announcement from the radio station host. What a gem this is. It sounds just like you are on the front row. This recording is an absolute delight as Stevie Ray Vaughan, bassist Jack Newhouse and rock steady Chris Layton on drums positively thunder through a dynamic set. Just before the start of ‘Tin Pan Alley’ you can hear someone in the crowd shout “go Stevie!”. He certainly did that night and this album is a fine testament to that.

Line-up:
* Stevie Ray Vaughan / guitar, vocals
* Jackie Newhouse / bass
* Chris Layton / drums

Track List:
01. In The Open – 5:57
02. Slide Thing – 3:18
03. They Call Me Guitar Hurricane – 3:06
04. All Your Love I Miss Loving – 6:23
05. Tin Pan Alley – 7:40
06. Love Struck Baby – 2:56
07. Tell Me – 2:48
08. Shake For Me – 4:04
09. Live Another Day – 3:49

Link in comments.

Live

Kansas – Somewhere To Elsewhere (2000) (@192)

17 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

“Somewhere to Elsewhere” sees Kansas taking a big step backwards to their glory 70s days, at least momentarily. Not only Kerry Livgren returned to the fold as the writer of all the material contained in this album and as a performer on guitars and keyboards, but also Robbie Steinhardt consolidated his comeback reassuming a very crucial role in the band’s new repertoire, and even Dave Hope took up his bassist role for a couple of tracks here – still it is Billy Greer who takes care of this particular asset in most cases, even debuting as a lead vocalist on “Look at the Time”.

The album contains all those huge Livgren epic keyboard runs with fantastic vocal harmonizations. Guitar work is also quite tasty with some intricate technical playing which sounds superb mixed along with Robby Steinhardt’s violin and viola solos.

It would be too optimistic to state that the band equals his 70s best efforts with this album, but it is a good recording that brings us back the old vintage Kansas sound that everybody thought buried forever and ever.

Line-up:
- Phil Ehart / drums
- Billy Greer / bass, lead & backing vocals
- Dave Hope / bass
- Kerry Livgren / keyboards, guitars
- Robbie Steinhardt / lead vocals, violin, viola
- Steve Walsh / lead & backing vocals
- Rich Williams / acoustic & electric guitars

Track List:
01. Icarus II (7:17)
02. When The World Was Young (5:50)
03. Grand Fun Alley (4:38)
04. The Coming Dawn (Thanatopsis) (5:44)
05. Myriad (8:55)
06. Look At The Time (5:37)
07. Disappearing Skin Tight Blues (7:02)
08. Distant Vision (8:48)
09. Byzantium (4:15)
10. Not Man Big (8:39)
11. Geodesic Dome (1:24)

Link in comments.

Kansas, Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh

Focus – Ship of Memories (1976) (@256)

17 Aug 2007

(Review from wikipedia, allmusic.com)

Ship of Memories is an instrumental album released in 1976 by Sire Records, featuring previously unreleased material from 1970, 1973, and 1975 by the Dutch progressive rock group Focus. The first four songs were originally slated to appear on a followup album to Focus III in 1973, but there were disagreements within the band about the quality of the material, and the project was shelved. In retrospect, the musicianship is uniformly high on all of the songs.

Starting off with “P’s March”, a track rooted in the style of Focus’ debut album “In and Out of Focus”, “Ship of Memories” gradually works its way through the band’s many phases to the “Mother Focus” styled “Crackers”. The album ends with the U.S. version of their signature song “Hocus Pocus” — it is vastly different from the studio recording; Akkerman’s guitar work, Van Leer’s yodeling and Pierre Van Der Linden’s drumming are all given a new lease of life.

Collectors will be well-gratified by “Ship of Memories”, while casual listeners will find enough enjoyable material to merit its listening.

Line-up:
- Bert Ruiter / bass
- David Kemper / drums
- Hans Cleuver / drums
- Jan Akkerman / guitar
- Martin Dresden / bass
- Pierre van der Linden / drums
- Thijs Van Leer / keyboards, flute, vocals

Track List:
01. P’s march
02. Can’t believe my eyes
03. Focus V
04. Out of Vesuvius
05. Glider
06. Red sky at night
07. Spoke the Lord Creator
08. Crackers
09. Ship of memories
10. Hocus Pocus (US Single Version)

Link in comments.

Focus, Pierre van der Linden, Thijs van Leer

Budgie – Squawk (1972) (@256)

16 Aug 2007

7 comments

(Review from allmusic.com)

Often thought of as a cross between Black Sabbath (due to their plodding, molten-heavy riffs) and Rush (due to their singer’s high-pitched, Geddy Lee-esque wail), the somewhat obscure Welsh band Budgie has influenced countless outfits.

Having acquired a small cult following with its first album, Budgie offered a second dose of abrasive, forceful heavy metal that, drew on influences ranging from Cream to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Budgie was a band that loved contrasts — the folk-ish qualities of “Make Me Happy” and the Beatlesque “Rolling Home Again” make hard-driving classics like “Hot as a Docker’s Armpit”, “Drugstore Woman” and “Rocking Man” seem all the more intense.

For all its strengths, Squawk didn’t turn Budgie into the well-known outfit it should have been. Budgie’s followers were a devoted bunch, but unfortunately, there weren’t nearly enough of them.

Line-up:
* Burke Shelley – Vocals, Bass
* Tony Bourge – Guitar
* Ray Phillips – Drums

Track List:
01. Whiskey River – 3:27
02. Rocking Man – 5:25
03. Rolling Home Again – 1:47
04. Make Me Happy – 2:37
05. Hot As A Docker’s Armpit – 5:53
06. Drug Store Woman – 3:14
07. Bottled – 1:57
08. Young Is A World – 8:14
09. Stranded – 6:17

Link in comments.

Budgie, Tony Bourge

Kansas – Always Never the Same (1998) (@192)

16 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, wikipedia, allmusic.com)

In 1997, Robert and Ragsdale left the band, and Robby Steinhardt returned. The following year they recorded “Always Never the Same” with the London Symphony Orchestra as a sixth band member.

The album mostly a consists of a compilation of the band’s hits with re-arrangement of their original work using orchestra with London Symphony Orchestra. The concept is similar with “The Symphonic Music of Yes” where original band members still play the music and the composition is strengthen with real orchestra. The result is an excellent alternative of Kansas music. Most of the main melody do not change much but the additional orchestration usually adds value during transition pieces or filling the gaps between breaks. The group’s three new songs — “The Sky is Falling”, “In Your Eyes”, “Need to Know” — fit well into the group’s repertoire. There is also one track by the Beatles re-arranged with orchestration “Eleanor Rigby”.

Line-up:
- Steve Walsh / vocals, keyboards
- Robby Steinhardt / vocals, violin
- Rich Williams / guitar
- Billy Greer / vocals, bass
- Phil Ehart / drums

Track List:
01. Eleanor Rigby (3:22)
02. Dust in the wind (4:01)
03. Preamble (3:25)
04. Song for America (9:17)
05. In your eyes (4:31)
06. Miracles out of nowhere (6:28)
07. Hold on (4:18)
08. The sky is falling (7:51)
09. Cheyenne anthem (7:31)
10. Prelude and introduction (4:53)
11. The wall (5:29)
12. Need to know (3:59)
13. Nobody’s home (6:01)

Link in comments.

Kansas, Steve Walsh

Yardbirds – Roger the Engineer (1966) (@256)

16 Aug 2007

(Review from rollingstone.com, allmusic.com)

Jeff Beck was the Yardbirds’ lead guitarist for less than two years, but that was enough time for him to come up with a career’s worth of mean, ungodly guitar screams. With Beck on board, the Yardbirds were an eruption of Swinging London noise, ripping all the country out of the blues for pure urban flash, sinister and slinky at the same time. The group began to explore uncharted territory, expanding their blues-rock into wild sonic permutations of psychedelia, Indian music, and avant-garde white noise.

Beck’s Yardbirds pushed the rhythm to its outer extremes, speeding up the fast ones into manic garage-band rush while slowing down for ominous garage-Gregorian psychodirges. The dynamics were intense: Check out the way “Lost Woman” starts out loud, simmers down and then bursts into a screech-freak feedback crescendo before melting down to primal rock & roll, all in just over three minutes. Behind the guitars — Beck on lead, Chris Dreja on rhythm — drummer Jim McCarty and bassist Paul Samwell-Smith raced the engine, and singer Keith Relf’s medieval fountain-of-sorrow brooding was one spooky sound.

“Over Under Sideways Down” is a spacey guitar adventure over tough frat-rock bass, the guys yelling “Hey!” on the one while Beck plays his vaguely Arabic lead riff. “He’s Always There” is a bizarre love triangle of fuzz guitar and bossa nova, while “Turn Into Earth” and “Farewell” are prescient riddles about the dark side of psychedelia.

This edition includes the 1966 single “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago” b/w “Psycho Daisies” as bonus tracks, both featuring Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.

Line-up:
- Keith Relf – lead vocals, harmonica
- Jeff Beck – lead guitar, bass, vocals
- Chris Dreja – rhythm guitar
- Paul Samwell-Smith – bass, vocals
- Jim McCarty – drums, percussion, vocals

Track List:
01. Lost Woman
02. Over, Under, Sideways, Down
03. The Nazz Are Blue
04. I Can’t Make Your Way
05. Rack My Mind
06. Farewell
07. Hot House of Omagarashid
08. Jeff’s Boogie
09. He’s Always There
10. Turn into Earth
11. What Do You Want
12. Ever Since the World Began
13. Psycho Daisies (Bonus Single)
14. Happenings Ten Years After (Bonus Single)

Link in comments.

Jeff Beck, Jim McCarty, Keith Relf, Yardbirds

Popol Vuh – In den Garten Pharaos (1971) (@256)

16 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, amazon)

Florian Fricke studied music in Munich, where he was a pupil of Rudolph Hindemith (Paul Hindemith’s brother). At the age of 25 he became acquainted with the Moog synthsizer which leads him to form his band “Popol Vuh”. This name and inspiration come from the holy book of Guatemala’s Quiche Indians.

Their second album, “In Den Garten Pharaos”, fuses ambient electronic textures with traditional, ethnic instruments, but put the stress on spiritual themes. In the grand tradition of many Krautrock greats of the era, this album consists of only two side-length cuts.

“In Den Garten Pharaos” is a stunning moogish beauty that creates an utterly hypnotic atmosphere enhanced by pseudo-african drumming which strikes us with a feeling of terror. As the seventh minute of the first track begins all evil starts to speak with one voice. Beware of lurking shadows in your “castle”. Night is the rightest time to play it loud. So switch off the light and dream of pharaos’ gardens…

“Vuh” is a huge and massive wall of organ sounds played in a passionate mood, so magnificent in tune that you cannot compare it with anything else in the world. The ground-breaking sound like a thunderous God-influenced preacher’s voice rolls over you making you feel like a little worm, totally and wholly out of help. What strikes most is a constant stream of church organs vibrating strongly for twenty minutes with no regret as if they were trying to bring down all the sinners of this world on their knees.

Line-up:
- Florian Fricke / Moog synthesizer, organ, Fender electric piano
- Betina / cymbals, production
- Frank Fiedler / Moog synthesizer, mixdown
- Holger Trülzsch / African & Turkish percussion

Track List:
01. In den Garten Pharaos (17:37)
02. Vuh (19:48)
03. Kha-White Structures 1 (Bonus) (10:16)
04. Kha-White Structures 2 (Bonus) (10:09)

Links in comments.

Kansas – Freaks of Nature (1995) (@192)

15 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, allmusic)

“Freaks of Nature” was the studio album in which the return of Kansas for the 90s began to take full shape. You can tell that the refurbished band was prepared to take back the ideals of musical cleverness in a prog context while maintaining the essential intention of sounding fresh and renewed. The influence of prog metal has been received by the band with taste and good disposition.

Although Livgren is not a band member, he is present with the song ‘Cold Gray Morning’, which is very much in the vein of the best moments of “Monolith” and “Audio-Visions” albums.

“Freaks of Nature” is an effective mixture of vintage Kansas and new musical starting points. Arrangements are well-layered and complex. Each player plays with stunning virtuosity.

Line-up:
- Steve Walsh / vocals, keyboards
- David Ragsdale / violin, guitar
- Greg Robert / keyboards, vocals
- Rich Williams / guitar
- Billy Greer / vocals, bass
- Phil Ehart / drums

Track List:
01. I can fly (5:21)
02. Desperate times (5:24)
03. Hope once again (4:33)
04. Black fathom 4 (5:53)
05. Under the knife (4:59)
06. Need (4:01)
07. Freaks of nature (4:05)
08. Cold grey morning (4:13)
09. Peaceful and warm (6:45)

Link in comments.

Kansas, Steve Walsh

Tir Na Nog – Strong in the Sun (1974) (@256)

15 Aug 2007

(Info from wikipedia)

The band’s third album “Strong in the Sun” introduced more electric instruments and drums. It was produced by Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher who also played keyboards on the album.

Of the three Tir Na Nog albums, ‘Strong In The Sun’ is the most conventional, most mainstream, although that’s not to say that Fisher had ironed out all of the band’s entertainingly whimsical rough edges. Fisher gave a bit of a more clearly-defined shape and a greater depth to their sound, neatly framing the duo’s contrasting vocal styles.

Unfortunately this high quality album didn’t reverse the duo’s sales fortunes, they disbanded and both returned to Ireland to pursue seperate solo careers.

Line-up:
* Sonny Condell – guitar (Acoustic), guitar, percussion, drums, guitar (electric), harp, vocals
* Leo O’Kelly – dulcimer, guitar (acoustic), guitar, violin, guitar (electric), vocals
with
* Matthew Fisher – keyboards
* Barry DeSouza – drums
* Nick Drake – vocals
* Ace Follington – drums
* Jeff Jones – drums
* Dave Markee – bass
* Brian Odgers – bass
* Jim Ryan – bass

Track List:
01. Free Ride
02. Whitestone Bridge
03. Teesside
04. Cinema
05. Strong in the Sun
06. The Wind Was High
07. In the Morning
08. Love Lost
09. Most Magical
10. Fall of Day

Link in comments.

Matthew Fisher, Tir Na Nog

Kansas – Live at Whiskey (1992) (@192)

15 Aug 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

Steve Morse left the band at the end of the “In Spirit of Things” tour. The band made promotional videos for a number of songs during this era, several of which received regular play on MTV. In 1990, a German promoter arranged to reunite original members of Kansas except Steinhardt for a European tour. Greer joined them, along with keyboardist Greg Robert, who had been touring with them in the Steve Morse years. At the end of the tour, Hope left again but Livgren remained on into 1991, which also saw the return of the violin but this time in the hands of David Ragsdale. Livgren left during the 1991 tour, to be replaced temporarily by Steve Morse again. After the tour, Morse left, saying that David Ragsdale could cover the extra guitar parts, leaving Rich Williams as the primary guitar player. After this turmoil, the resulting lineup recorded a live album in 1992.

The album is a snapshot of a band in the midst of the transition from world-touring headliners to the oldies circuit. The thing that stands out the most is the very high level of musicianship in the playing though. If you dubbed out the vocals you might find it tough to differentiate the instrument tracks from their studio originals, except in a few places where the guitar work might even be better than it was when those songs were first recorded. There are a few disappointments, most notably the very abbreviated version of “Magnum Opus” (only the ‘Howling at the Moon’ section), and the little bit of grandstanding at the end of “Carry on Wayward Son”, which the band had a tendency to do with that song in a lot of concerts back then.

Kerry Livgren makes an appearance for “Dust in the Wind”, and this one comes off flawlessly. The slight cracks and huskiness in Walsh’s voice give it a nostalgic sound that is rather poignant, and David Ragsdale’s violin work is impeccable above Livgren’s acoustic picking.

Line-up:
- Steve Walsh / vocals, keyboards
- David Ragsdale / violin, guitar
- Greg Robert / keyboards, vocals
- Rich Williams / guitar
- Billy Greer / vocals, bass
- Phil Ehart / drums

Track List:
01. Introduction (1:05)
02. “Howling at the moon” from Magnum Opus (1:30)
03. Paradox (4:14)
04. Point of know return (4:44)
05. Song for America (8:58)
06. The wall (6:10)
07. Hold on (4:18)
08. Dust in the wind (4:04)
09. Miracles out of nowhere (6:31)
10. Mysteries and mayhem (4:55)
11. Portrait (5:45)
12. Carry on wayward son (7:18)
13. Down the road (6:11)
14. Journey From Maranbor (12:11)

Links in comments.

Kansas, Live, Steve Walsh

Windchase – Symphinity (1977) (@256)

14 Aug 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com, progarchives.com)

Windchase was formed in the mid-seventies by Mario Millo (guitars, vocals), and Toivo Pilt (keyboards), former members of Sebastian Hardie.

The band released only the album “Symphinity”, but it’s a very solid and enjoyable work of typical 70′s symphonic progressive rock. Beautiful lyrical melodies, musical emphasis, lyrical guitars and keyboards, mix of sung and instrumental sequences, positive lyrics… Sound here is a blend of soft art & symphonic rock with agreeable pop-rock tunes, being the first seriously influenced by the likes of Yes or Camel with some Pink Floyd touches and the second much in the lines of Beatles or ELO.

The album opens with the atmospheric piano tones of “Forward We Ride” that glides into the excellent “Horsemen to Symphinity”. The sound is clearly a bit late 70′s here, but not bad at all. Toivo uses his synths in a floating and very symphonic way. The charming and cheerful “Glad to be Alive” features real strings and an irresistible chorus. The instrumental “Gypsy” has the strong melodic themes that the last Sebastian Hardie album seemed to miss sometimes, and stands actually as one of my favourites here. “No Scruples” is just as typical symphonic progressive rock as it possibly can get. Complex and grandiose with numerous Moog/guitar solos and juicy Hammond riffs. “Lamb’s Fry” opens with the sounds of a frying pan, and is essentially a long and energetic jam where Millo and Toivo duels from start to finish. The short, acoustic instrumental “Non Siamo Perfetti” combines the melody of “Rosanna” from Sebastian Hardie’s debut with one of the themes from “Windchase”. The closer “Flight Call” is slightly more lightweight than most of the album, but still quite nice and enjoyable.

Line-up:
- Mario Millo / vocals, Gibson S1, Gibson L5-S, mandolin, acoustic guitars, tubular bells
- Toivo Pilt / Hammond C3 L-111 organ, grand piano, Mini Moog, Fender Rhodes, mellotron,
Arp 2600, Solina, Omni string synth, clavinet D6, handclaps and vocals
- Doug Bligh / drums, percussion (various), backing vocals and handclaps
- Duncan McGuire / bass guitar

Track List:
01. Forward We Ride (1:39)
02. Horsemen to Symphinity (8:33)
03. Glad to be Alive (8:06)
04. Gypsy (4:47)
05. No Scruples (6:29)
06. Lamb’s Fry (9:39)
07. Non Siamo Perfetti (1:57)
08. Flight Call (4:36)
09. Horsemen to Symphinity (11:55)

Links in comments.

Manfred Mann's Earthband – Messin' (1973) (@256)

14 Aug 2007

(Review from amazon, wikipedia)

After many years of being worldwide pop stars, Manfred Mann wrote a new chapter in the evolution of his career with the new outing Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. The Earth Band’s direction was very different from that of Manfred Mann. Mann made a conscious decision to move away from the pop-oriented three-minute format of his former group. The Earth Band was, from a pop perspective, almost deliberately contrary, but combined the stylistic approach of progressive rock with Mann’s keen ear for melody.

After two fairly successful albums in the early 70′s, Mann and Co. sustained substantial album radio success with their third Earth Band platter Messin’. This third installment gave the listener an accurate feel for what the band sounded like when they played live in concert. While maintaining an ever-expanding line up of musical interpretations to their catalog of albums, the band explored new territory with Dr. John’s “Mardi Gras Day” and the classic Bob Dylan tune “Get Your Rocks Off”.

Line-up:
* Manfred Mann – synthesiser, organ
* Mick Rogers – guitar, vocals
* Colin Pattenden – bass guitar
* Chris Slade – drums

Track List:
01. Messin’ – 9:53
02. Buddah – 7:01
03. Cloudy Eyes – 5:34
04. Get Your Rocks Off – 2:49
05. Sadjoy – 5:15
06. Black And Blue – 6:44
07. Mardi Gras Day – 3:04

Link in comments.

Chris Slade

Tir Na Nog – A Tear and a Smile (1972) (@256)

14 Aug 2007

(Review from allmusic.com)

Tir Na Nog expanded their horizons on their 1972 sophomore release by adding drums (Barry DeSouza) and bass (Larry Steele), as well as some effective string arrangements. Produced by the legendary Tony Cox (Caravan, Françoise Hardy, Family), A Tear and a Smile retained all of Sonny Condell and Leo O’Kelly’s offbeat phrasing, playful melodic deviations, and pastoral balladry, while subtly turning an eye to the prospects of a little commercial appeal. The easy folk-rock of O’Kelly”s “When I Came Down” and “The Same Thing Happening” wouldn’t have sounded out of place on the country-rock-heavy airwaves of U.S. radio, and even though Condell’s lighthearted Noël Coward imitation on the bouncy “Bluebottle Stew” is like listening to a half-baked Monty Python skit, it works because — like everything on A Tear and a Smile — it’s executed so sincerely. Tir Na Nog were more than mediocre, but a few songs shy of great, and fans of Ralph McTell, the Dransfields, and Cat Stevens will find common ground and much to love here.

Line-up:
* Sonny Condell – Guitar, Percussion, Vocals, Clavinet
* Leo O’Kelly – Guitar, Violin, Vocals
with
* Larry Steele – Bass
* Barry DeSouza – Drums

Track List:
01. Come and See the Show
02. Down Day
03. When I Came Down
04. The Same Thing Happened
05. Bluebottle Stew
06. So Freely
07. Hemisphere
08. Lady Ocean
09. Goodbye My Love
10. Two White Horses

Link in comments.

Tir Na Nog

Kansas – King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents (1989) (@192)

13 Aug 2007

(Review from allmusic)

Recorded at Philadelphia’s Tower Theater on Valentine’s Day 1989, King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents captures the latter-day Steve Morse lineup of Kansas — and may even be a better way to get a representative idea of that group’s sound than their studio albums.

This show dates from the supporting tour for “In the Spirit of Things”, although lead singer Steve Walsh’s voice has begun to show signs of wear and tear. The newer songs are chosen and performed very well, and it’s interesting to hear Morse weave his own flair into the classic hits from the old days.

Line-up:
- Steve Walsh / vocals, keyboards
- Robby Steinhardt / vocals, violin
- Rich Williams / guitar
- Billy Greer / vocals, bass
- Phil Ehart / drums
- Steve Morse / guitar

Track List:
01. Magnum opus (2:12)
02. One big sky (6:11)
03. Paradox (4:11)
04. Point of know return (5:16)
05. The wall (6:04)
06. All I wanted (5:24)
07. T.O. Witcher (1:41)
08. Dust in the wind (4:27)
09. Miracles out of nowhere (6:44)
10. The preacher (4:57)
11. House on fire (12:12)
12. Carry on wayward son (6:26)

Link in comments.

Kansas, Live, Steve Morse, Steve Walsh

Kansas – In the Spirit of Things (1988) (@192)

13 Aug 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

1988 saw the release of the new lineup’s second album. It is a very loosely organized concept album telling the story of a flood hitting a drought-ridden small town during World War II, with the soldiers from the town writing home, oblivious. The album is often cited by Steve Walsh as his favorite Kansas album. Its odd mixture of hard rock, progressive rock, and ’80s pop ballads (forced on the band by MCA Records, which selected outside songwriters in an attempt to generate hit singles) failed to catch on with a mass audience.

The strongest tracks on the album are well-done with tight rhythms and solid lyrics – “Ghosts”, “House on Fire”, and the tear-jerker “Bells of Saint James” in particular. The acoustic guitar instrumental “T.O. Witcher”, written by Walsh as a tribute to an old friend, is nostalgic and appealing, but kind of out-of-place for a Kansas album. Still, it has become a concert staple for the band in recent years.

Line-up:
- Phil Ehart / drums
- Steve Walsh / lead vocals, keyboards
- Rich Williams / acoustic & electric guitars
- Steve Morse / guitar, backing vocals
- Billy Greer / bass, backing vocals

Track List:
01. Ghosts (4:18)
02. One big sky (5:17)
03. Inside of me (4:42)
04. One man, one heart (4:20)
05. House on fire (4:42)
06. Once in a lifetime (4:14)
07. Stand beside me (3:28)
08. I counted on love (3:33)
09. The preacher (4:18)
10. Rainmaker (6:44)
11. T.O. Witches (1:39)
12. Bells of Saint James (5:39)

Link in comments.

Kansas, Steve Morse, Steve Walsh

Tir na Nog – Tir Na Nog (1971) (@256)

13 Aug 2007

(Review from allmusic)

Although they only lasted five years, Tir Na Nog managed to make their brief time in existence count, and fans of ’70s folk still sing their praises warmly. Formed in Dublin in 1969, the duo of Sonny Condell and Leo O’Kelly were making the right music at the right time. Although influenced by traditional music, their compositions followed the singer/songwriter bent of the time, and the blend of two voices and two guitars did their material justice, light, airy, and thoroughly engaging, with bits of tabla and exotica.

Tir Na Nog, whose name translates from the Gaelic as “Land of Eternal Youth,” hit a Zeitgeist with their first album. The pairing of Sonny Condell and Leo O’Kelly caught the same softness as, say, Nick Drake, but more open and engaging, with just enough lilting Celtic influence to offer plenty of charm (although, it must be said, very little of the Irish tradition is evident in their music). The acoustic duo could be sweetly romantic, as on “Time Is Like a Promise” and “Our Love Will Not Decay,” but they could also offer a crowd-pleaser like the singalong “Aberdeen Angus.” “Picadilly” is especially poignant, a touching tale. Condell brings a few exotic touches to the disc, adding tabla, Moroccan drum, and jew’s harp, but that hardly turns them into a version of the Incredible String Band — their writing simply isn’t quirky enough. That’s not to imply there isn’t a strength to it; there is. They can pen a good, memorable tune with an affecting chorus, and the relatively straightforward arrangements, fleshed out by Barry Dransfield’s fiddle and Nick Harrison’s arrangements, are never overdone. Pleasant without ever being startling, this is ’70s folk-rock, with the emphasis on the folk more than the rock.

Line-up:
* Sonny Condell – guitar, percussion, jew’s-harp, tabla, vocals, moroccan drum
* Leo O’Kelly – dulcimer, guitar, violin, bass (electric), vocals, tin whistle
with
* Barry Dransfield – fiddle

Track List:
01. Time Is Like a Promise
02. Mariner Blues
03. Daisy Lady
04. Tir Na Nog
05. Aberdeen Angus
06. Looking Up
07. Boat Song
08. Our Love Will Not Decay
09. Hey Friend
10. Dance of Years
11. Live a Day
12. Piccadilly
13. Dante

Link in comments.

Tir Na Nog

Santana – Borboletta (1974) (@256)

13 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, amazon)

This album is unfortunately too often over looked, but represents yet another highlight in the group’s discography. Named on a rare blue Central American butterfly (the background shot is a close-up of its wing’s structure), this album is all too discreet for its own good.

Starting on the same birdsong and sheep herd landscapes than its inspiration (but written by jazz-rock great Airto Moreira), you just know you will be in for another superb Santana ride as right after the intro, the first few mid-eastern scales of Canto De Flores directly lead you to heaven. As usual with Santana albums, happiness radiates from every pore of the vinyl record groove and Life Is Anew and Give And Take (both sung and hyper positive) are some of the better sung jazz-rock, and the vocals do help setting its own feel as opposed to its inspiration. Another lovely highlight “One With The Sun” follows. “Aspirations” has a splendid cosmic calmness. After the great “Practice What You Preach” instrumental, one more sung tracks (Leon Patillo’s voice is quite pleasing) the excellent “Mirage”, the impressive “Here and Now” is quite a departure from what Santana had us used to and segues into the highly fusional “Flor De Canela”, before the album climaxes in the lengthy “Promise Of A Fisherman”, which is not lying in its promise to the listener: although nothing never heard before, we are dealing with one of the last truly great lengthy Santana instrumental here. The closing Airto Moreira-penned track is rather anecdotical, but does close the album in the same intriguing manner it openned.

Although it isn’t a concept album in the conventional sense, “Borboletta” has the aesthetic and thematic continuity of one. The lyrical material deals with pop-sheened themes of spiritual and personal expansion, while the album’s gorgeous jazz-spirited instrumentals make for more cerebral and challenging listening. The band seals a Brazilian fusion connection with the appearance of vocalist Flora Purim and rhythmist extraordinaire Airto Moreira, while soulman Leon Patillo and keyboardist Tom Coster make their first major appearances in the core Santana lineup.

Line-up:
- Carlos Santana / guitars, vocals
- Jose ‘Chepito’ Areas / Timbales, congas, perc
- Tom Coster / Keyboards
- Michael Shrieve / Drums
- Leon Patillo / Vocals
- David Brown / Bass
- Armando Peraza / Congas, Bongos

Track List:
01. Spring Manifestations (1:05)
02. Canto De Los Flores (3:39)
03. Life is Anew (4:22)
04. Give and Take (5:44)
05. One With the Sun (4:22)
06. Aspirations (5:10)
07. Practice What You Preach (4:31)
08. Mirage (4:43)
09. Here and Now (3:01)
10. Flor De Canela (2:09)
11. Promise of a Fisherman (8:18)
12. Borboletta (2:47)

Link in comments.

Carlos Santana

Ihtiyac Molasi – 1.5 (2004) (@256)

12 Aug 2007

(Review from ihtiyacmolasi.com, sozluk.sourtimes.org)

After a two year hiatus, the band got back together and started working on new material. In 2004, Ihtiyac Molasi released their second studio album “1,5″ in their own studio. The album contains songs composed over a decade, during 1993-2003.

“1,5″ is quite different from their debut. The band pursued a more straight rock sound. Though they disappointed earlier fans, newer fans warmingly welcomed the new sound of “1,5″.

Line-up:
* Sinan Gursoy – Bass
* Taner Sarf – Vocals, Guitar
* Tolga Cebi – Violin, Keyboard, Vocals
* Murat Gullu – Drums, percussions

Track List:
01. Bir Bucuk Tanem (3:48)
02. Her Zaman (5:16)
03. Ay (6:35)
04. Uyandim (4:59)
05. Sus (3:06)
06. Gulumse (3:34)
07. Gece (3:53)
08. Mekanlar (3:13)
09. Dumeni Birak (2:44)
10. Merak Oldum (3:55)
11. Umut (13:05)

Links in comments.

Ihtiyac Molasi, Turkish

Soft Machine – Third (1970) (@256)

12 Aug 2007

10 comments

(Review from progarchives.com)

From start to end, this album is an absolute killer. Every single second is just excellent, the listener cannot lose his attention on the music. Third is by far Soft Machine’s best album and the last one with Robert Wyatt. With four pieces of approximately 20 minutes each, mainly instrumental, the musicians push back the frontiers of space modal jazz rock far beyond.

The record opens the live song “Facelift” and its crazy sonic experimental deflagrations. A disturbing atmosphere takes place to let the energic and catchy jazzy theme suddenly explode. The ambiance changes at the middle of the track to become calmer and more mysterious. This section shows echoes of John Coltrane’s playing. “Slightly All The Time” is a soft and slow evolving piece of modal jazz. It has sometimes faster moments which will take you to the heights. The second half of the song is more tormented and spacey. Terrific ! But then comes the best side of the disc. First, the only track with vocals, “Moon In June”. Robert Wyatt’s psychedelic and soft voice is just magic and fits perfectly to the melancholic and enchanting music. Just listen and relax. The number of changes of musical directions is just amazing! The second part of the song displays an unbeatable combo of powerful jazz rock. Terrifying! “Out-Bloody-Rageous” concludes magnificiently the album by making it enter definitely into the legend. The tune starts and finishes delicately with an ethereal aquatic electronic ambiance taking the listener to the clouds during nearly 5 minutes. The rest just features top-notch and very inspired modal jazz with talented musicians at their best.

Less psychedelic, more jazz and progressive oriented than their two first releases, Third is an exemplary tour de force and a milestones in its genre. You will not see the time pass.

Line-up:
- Robert Wyatt / drums, vocals (track 3), piano (track 3), organ (track 3), bass guitar (track 3)
- Hugh Hopper / bass guitar
- Mike Ratledge / organ, piano (except track 3), electric piano (except track 3)
- Elton Dean / alto sax (except track 3), saxello (except track 3)
- Lyn Dobson / flute, soprano sax (track 1)
with
- Nick Evans / trombone (track 2)
- Jimmy Hastings / flute, bass clarinet (track 2)
- Rab Spall / electric violin (track 3)

Track List:
01. Facelift (Live) (18:54)
02. Slightly All The Time (18:14)
03. Moon In June (19:18)
04. Out-Bloody-Rageous (19:17)

Links in comments.

Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, Jimmy Hastings, Nick Evans, Robert Wyatt, Soft Machine

Kansas – Power (1986) (@320)

11 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

In 1985, the band came back together with Walsh but without Livgren, Hope, and Steinhardt. With a new bassist Billy Greer (ex-Streets), guitarist Steve Morse (ex-Dixie Dregs) they released “Power” in 1986.

For a long time after this album was released, I couldn’t put my finger on what it was that I didn’t like about it. There were quite a few things definitely missing: no multilayered arrangements with overlapping keyboard tracks and tree-hugging or spiritual lyrics; no violin (except in some limited orchestral backing); no extended-play opuses; no dog-whistle-high vocals (for the most part); and of course, no Kerry Livgren, Dave Hope, or Robbie Steinhardt. So what was really missing from this first album by the reformed Kansas was – well, Kansas. This is actually a pretty good rock album. What it’s not is a Kansas album, and doesn’t fall into the category of symphonic or progressive rock at all.

The point is, when Steve Walsh decided to rejoin Phil Ehart and Rich Williams to record an album, they were not reforming Kansas. Had this incarnation been called – anything but “Kansas”, this probably would have been a much more successful venture. All the ingredients were there – a hugely talented guitarist and composer in Steve Morse; Steve Walsh with his ambidextrous talent on keyboards; a premiere drummer in Phil Ehart; and a solid bassist and vocalist in the journeyman Billy Greer. Plus Rich Williams had really come into his own as a multifaceted guitarist in the years since Livgren had left that duty solely to him in the early 80′s. But the name of the band inevitably attracted the fans from the 70′s version of the group, and they could not help but be disappointed and feel betrayed by this new sound, and by the new faces.

Which is unfortunate, because the music here is mostly top-drawer stuff.

Line-up:
- Phil Ehart / drums
- Steve Walsh / lead vocals, keyboards
- Rich Williams / electric guitar
- Billy Greer / bass, backing vocals
- Steve Morse / electric guitar

Track List:
01. Silhouettes in disguise (4:26)
02. Power (4:25)
03. All I wanted (3:20)
04. Secret service (4:42)
05. We’re not alone anymore (4:16)
06. Musicatto (3:30)
07. Taking the view (3:06)
08. Three pretenders (3:50)
09. Tomb 19 (3:46)
10. Can’t cry anymore (4:01)

Link in comments.

Kansas, Steve Morse, Steve Walsh

Ihtiyac Molasi – Milad (1999) (@256)

11 Aug 2007

(Review from homestead.com, ihtiyacmolasi.com)

Since 1993 Tolga Cebi, Sinan Gursoy, Taner Sarf and Murat Gullu occasionally played together in a variety of activities, playing covers of rock bands (mostly Pink Floyd) in Canakkale, a seaside town of Turkey where the wind never stop to blow.

In 1995, the band moved to Istanbul and took the name “Ihtiyac Molasi”. Each of them was playing music since a while, their own improvised performances also took a great attention by the fans and soon they became one of the favorite groups of town. In 1996 & 1997 the band’s participation on two contests (namely ‘Best Rock Band of Istanbul’ and ‘Roxy Music Days’) introduced to them to a larger audiene. In 1998, they recorded the song ‘Cengi’ for a compilation album.

Following this compilation appearance, they stroke a record deal of their own. Finally in January 1999, the album, ‘Milad’ (The Nativity), was recorded. The album was released in April 1999 and contained the remakes of the improvised songs the band had been performing regularly. The sound engineer of the production is Okan Dogu, and Cevdet Erek (of Nekropsi) were guest musicians on the album.

The strongest point of the group is the ability to make a lot of evolvements and different approaches of arrangements within one song. The first two tracks for instance evolve fluently from a chamber music rock skilled instrumental music with complex rhythms towards more funky poprock rhythms and then even some poprock song with even more relaxed rhythms. This combination is renewing from a poprock point of view. The third track, “Cengi” is more Turkish folkrock with a jazzy violin. Also the following track, “Milad” is a Turkish folk melody in a proggy version, which is, like the next more chamber music rock track, “Ortamali” with very varied arrangement changes. “Shine” is an English spoken pop song, with no typical Turkish elements any more. The Turkish folk influence can be heard again in some of the other tracks, refreshing in combining it with more progressive guitar playing and rewarding rhythmic skill. The only notable downside of the album is the vocals. This would probably be an excellent album if it was instrumental.

After this album, the members of the band were in the obligation to take a break for their compulsory military service.

Line-up:
* Sinan Gursoy – Bass
* Taner Sarf – Vocals, Guitar
* Tolga Cebi – Violin, Keyboard, Vocals
* Murat Gullu – Drums, percussions

Track List:
01. Cizgi
02. Taken
03. Cengi
04. Milad
05. Ortamali
06. Shine
07. Buffalgo
08. M.O.
09. Kelek
10. Delikanli
11. Istanbul
12. So

Links in comments.

Ihtiyac Molasi, Turkish

Nektar – Remember The Future (1974) (@256)

11 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

“Remember The Future” is another superior concept piece from Nektar exhibiting yet further progression from their roots. Gone are the heavy and psychedelic Germanic riffs, intricate musicianship and complex symphonic progressive structures, to be replaced by a more song based mainstream ‘Americanized’ sound. Backed by appropriately detailed and airy production values, this album is altogether lighter in feel and tone, its songs supported by foot-tapping funky or disco grooves.

In essence, “Remember The Future” is a single continuous ‘song cycle’, divided into two parts due to the needs of vinyl LPs. The suite comprises seven distinct conjoined songs, plus a couple of short instrumental links. These songs are self-contained musical compositions which flow together in a more or less natural manner, maintaining stylistic consistency while progressing the album’s concept, rather like “Moody Blues” achieved with their early concept works.

The sound can best be described as ‘commercial’ and smooth! Organ and bass smoothly support Albrighton’s melodic guitar, which in turn provides suitable counter to his vocal. Indeed, this is a very ‘vocal’ album: songs are structured concisely, centred on his sweet vocals, often with lush harmonies playing an important role in the overall mix. Clearly, the progginess factor is somewhat diluted compared to its predecessors.

Musicianship is of a very high standard, as we might expect, but mostly understated and kept very sparse and simple without recourse to complex overdubs: a fundamental progressive rock palette of guitar/organ/bass/drums is used almost exclusively throughout. Guitar is the principal instrument, not loud and heavy, but light and floating, mostly as a rhythm support, but occasionally performing a heavier riff, or even a lead solo. The other instruments simply fall into line – even the organ rarely rises to the surface, though when it does it makes a strong impression.

The story is about the nature of life and existence as told by a kind of re-incarnating misfit (‘Bluebird’) to someone to whom his abnormalities have no meaning – a blind boy. Bluebird appears to be a Christ-like figure who has to be crucified before being reborn in the boy. The boy absorbs stories of the past and future, the meaning of life, before becoming the future with the promise of eternal life. The story ends with Bluebird imparting some sound and thought-provoking advice.

For me, there are two stand-out songs. Title song Remember The Future is, at heart, a soft poppy number, but it is accompanied by the best instrumental parts of the album, including a repeated ‘Remember The Future Theme’ which is both melodic and heavy. At the end, turn up the volume for a stunning sudden flip-over to a short but evolving riff-tastic work-out. This fades to be replaced by a psychedelic instrumental piece alive with extended wah-wah guitar thrashing over rolling bass figures. Bliss!

The other stand-out is Lonely Roads [or Path Of Light] from the second section, which replaces the predominantly pop and funk material with a blues based song straight out of a Pink Floyd songbook. Slow and sedate, with some glorious bluesy guitar fills and organ figures to the fore, it establishes a mellow mood and a stately pace, Albrighton’s emotional vocals exuding the melancholy in the lyrics. It even comes complete with an exquisite Gilmour-like guitar solo as a coda.

Nektar cannot be accused of standing still, as no two albums are alike. While this is clearly a good thing as it means they [and we] did not get stale, it also means they stray into territory some of us may wish they had left unexplored. Personally, I find Remember The Future’s simplicity and poppiness wander uncomfortably close to the line of unacceptability, taking me to places I would not normally care to travel, successfully challenging my perception of my own musical preferences. That, too, has to be a good thing!

Line-up:
- Roye Albrighton / lead vocals, guitars
- Mick Brockett / lights
- Allan “Taff” Freeman / keyboards, backing vocals
- Ron Howden / drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Derek “Mo” Moore / bass, backing vocals

Track List:
01. Remember the future (part I) 16:38
a) Images of the past
b) Wheel of time
c) Remember the future
d) Confusion/
02. Remember the future (part II) 18:55
e) Returning light
f) Questions and answers
g) Tomorrow never comes
h) Path of light
i) Recognition
j) Let it grow
03. Remember The Future (Bonus ‘Made in Germany’ Edit) 9:51
04. Lonely Roads (Bonus Radio Promo Only Single Edit) 3:50
05. Let It Grow (Bonus Radio Promo Only Single Edit) 2:19

Links in comments.

Nektar

Kansas – Drastic Measures (1983) (@192)

10 Aug 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

By 1983, Kansas had scheduled time to record their next album, but the changes in the band that had begun with Audio-Visions were more fully manifesting themselves. Robby Steinhardt failed to show up to record the album. Kerry Livgren was holding some of his best material back due to more explicit Christian content, intending to save them for his second solo album. Kansas’ next release “Drastic Measures” was written mostly by the Elefante brothers, with just three tracks from Livgren.

It seemed that the band had decided to embrace the 80′s cheesy-rock sound with a vengeance. Can you imagine a Kansas album without violin? Something like Jethro Tull without flute, Van Der Graaf Generator without saxophone or Yes without keyboards. They attempted to mask the absence of the depth of Steinhardt’s violin and voice left by employing a number of guest musicians, which may have improved the music, but also took them even further away from the familiar Kansas sound.

With the exception of the last three songs on the record, the Christian lyrical content was mostly indirect and oblique as well. Combined with a strange choice for an album cover, the new Kansas presented on Drastic Measures confused long-time fans and disappointed Christian listeners.

The tensions within the band eventually became too much. Kansas officially disbanded after giving a New Years’ Eve concert at the end of their 1983 tour.

Line-up:
* Phil Ehart – drums
* John Elefante – keyboards, vocals
* Dave Hope – bass
* Kerry Livgren – guitar, keyboard
* Rich Williams – guitar

Track List:
01. Fight Fire With Fire – 3:40
02. Everybody’s My Friend – 4:09
03. Mainstream – 6:36
04. Andi – 4:15
05. Going Through the Motions – 5:43
06. Get Rich – 3:43
07. Don’t Take Your Love Away – 3:44
08. End of the Age – 4:33
09. Incident on a Bridge – 5:37

Link in comments.

Kansas, Kerry Livgren

ZZ Top – Recycler (1990) (@256)

10 Aug 2007

(Review from rollingstone.com)

During most of the eighties, Billy Gibbons was trapped in an entertainment-industry twilight zone. ZZ Top’s guitarist, vocalist and spiritual leader was living in two worlds: the blues-drenched landscape of his musical imagination and the alternate universe of his group’s mass pop appeal – an appeal created in large part by his diabolic genius for irresistible videos. Gibbons sold the boogie like nobody since John Lee Hooker.

Recycler is a flat-out guitar extravaganza, with Gibbons – ably assisted by his longtime sidekicks, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard – unleashing the kind of nasty, ripping sounds that once made his band a formidable Lone Star cross between Cream and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

The album is a technical tour de force, but it is not a synthesizer record, as were its two most recent predecessors. The album is really constructed around the extraordinary variety of guitar textures Gibbons has literally at his fingertips. “Decision or Collision” is vintage Gibbons, a pounding rocker designed merely to provide the setting for a series of hellish guitar excursions; in terms of the composition and phrasing of his solos and the song’s burnished sheen, this is as good as Gibbons has ever sounded. More squalling guitar signals the beginning of “Give It Up,” a raucous catalog of surreal Gibbons boasts along the lines of “I trained Trigger singlehandedly”; the sonic tricks are still working overtime, too, as Gibbons coaxes a string of motorcycle sounds from his guitar. Not since “Tube Snake Boogie,” off the classic album El Loco, has Gibbons drawn the connection between sex and food as eloquently as he does on “Burger Man,” which comes complete with Hendrix-style rhythm slabs.

“Love Thing” drives off a long, hot solo to the fade-out; “Penthouse Eyes” is a funk strut structured around two magnificently arranged guitar solos; and “Tell It” sounds like a tribute to James Gangera Joe Walsh. Gibbons’s mood turns relatively serious on “2000 Blues”, a stately, straightforward slow blues. In the song, Gibbons explores the condition of his celebrity and the emptiness of corporate pop; it’s a rare introspective moment for a songwriter who is typically drawn more to playfulness and crazy fun, who rarely allows listeners a glimpse behind the mask. And despite the decision to get back to the blues-rock roots, there are a number of impressive engineering feats on Recycler, not least of which is the textured percussion layered into “Concrete and Steel”.

The song that tells the whole story, though, is “My Head’s in Mississippi”, an obvious statement of purpose from the band that has crusaded to keep the memory of blues legend Muddy Waters alive. Once again, it’s Hooker’s boogie that drives the song along. “I’m shuffling through the Texas sand, but my head’s in Mississippi”, croaks Gibbons. At this point, he really hits the fractured storytelling groove that has graced his greatest work. Before he’s through, he finds himself “stumbling through the parking lot of an invisible 7-11″, then watches a naked cowgirl float across the ceiling. “She was mumblin’ to some Howlin’ Wolf”, explains Gibbons, “about some voodoo healin’”. Then, after another great solo, Gibbons and his partners are gone, disappeared as in the videos, and the listener is left to puzzle out the words – and play the damn thing over again.

Line-up:
* Frank Beard – drums, percussion
* Billy Gibbons – guitar, vocals
* Dusty Hill – bass, keyboards, vocals

Track List:
01. Concrete and Steel – 3:45
02. Lovething – 3:20
03. Penthouse Eyes – 3:49
04. Tell It – 4:39
05. My Head’s in Mississippi – 4:25
06. Decision or Collision – 3:59
07. Give It Up – 3:24
08. 2000 Blues – 4:37
09. Burger Man – 3:18
10. Doubleback – 3:53

Link in comments.

ZZ Top

Kansas – Vinyl Confessions (1982) (@192)

09 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, wikipedia)

Vinyl Confessions was a major turning point for the band. After the conversion of both Kerry Livgren and Dave Hope to born again Christianity, and the greater focus that Livgren placed on Christianity in his lyrics. Walsh was a major contributor to Kansas as a songwriter, so the band was forced to find a new lead singer who could not only blend well with the band’s style of music, but provide new material for the upcoming album. After a long audition process, the band eventually settled on John Elefante — a voice very similar to Walsh.

Kansas’ first album with Elefante, Vinyl Confessions, released in 1982, renewed interest in the group. The album’s overtly Christian lyrics attracted an entirely new audience of evangelical Christians, who used lyrics from the record in religious tracts handed out after Kansas concerts.

Although a little less progressive as their past records, there’s still enough that should interest the listener. Elefante brought an interesting dynamic to the band and did a damn fine job replacing that legendary voice. “Chasing Shadows” is a great Kansas tune. A very intimate song with minimal instrument, but full of emotion from Elefante. “Play the Game Tonight” became the band’s third-highest charting single ever (after “Dust in the Wind” and “Carry on Wayward Son”). Dave Hope on “Windows” simply powers away on the bass.

Line-up:
- Phil Ehart / drums
- John Elefante / lead vocals, keyboards
- Dave Hope / bass
- Kerry Livgren / keyboards, guitars
- Robby Steinhardt / lead vocals, violin
- Rich Williams / acoustic & electric guitars

Track List:
01. Play the game tonight (3:24)
02. Right away (4:03)
03. Fair exchange (4:56)
04. Chasing shadows (3:17)
05. Diamonds and pearls (4:47)
06. Face it (4:15)
07. Windows (3:29)
08. Borderline (3:57)
09. Play on (3:30)
10. Crossfire (6:33)

Link in comments.

Kansas, Kerry Livgren

Pink Floyd – Meddle (1971) (@256)

09 Aug 2007

7 comments

(Review from progarchives.com)

I don’t believe that a historical understanding is necessary – and if you’ve never heard Pink Floyd before, then this is not a bad place to start at all. In fact, the icy winds will draw you in and encourage you to crank up the volume until that opening bass hits you. Simple. Powerful. Effective.

“One Of These Days” continues to build, and there is something besides the music here – something almost tangible, as the double-tracked bass rings out in each speaker, and the synth hits punctuate the ever more wildly whistling wind. Subtle percussion by means of reverse cymbals imitates and intensifies the windy feel, and then the guitar! Oh yes! The guitar! Snarling, winding, turning upside down, intensifying – the whole texture building to that famous delayed bass riff, until the song proper kicks in around 3:40 into the piece. And yet the intro never feels too long, as Pink Floyd are masters of using space. The rest of the body of music pulses along, with Gilmour’s trademark multitracked dive-bombing – and seems to end all too quickly.

“A Pillow of Winds” is the perfect light to the shade of the former, and we get sung vocals for the first time, in a very organic and pastoral mode, with acoustic and electric guitars and bottle neck decorations. There is an underlying dark tone, which suddenly moves to a major key, as if the sun has come out on the rainy meadow. They maintain the major key feel for this latter part of the song, to provide a kind of Yin-Yang balance.

From the opening chord of “Fearless”, we know we are in for something more powerful – Floyd showing here their mastery of form for the album as a whole. But the music is pulled back, to develop a kind of ebb and flow – with wafts of chanting that we can’t quite make out. The attention to detail here as everywhere else on the album is utterly masterful – the more you listen, the more you hear, as tiny details in the music make themselves apparent. Gilmour pulls some really neat tricks, and Wright puts in some superb understaded piano details to make this one of the most incredibly textured pieces on the album. The chanting is brought back – but to the fore this time, and we hear that it is the anthem of the Liverpool Football Club – “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, whose lyrics tie in nicely with the Floyds and create a slightly surreal texture.

As with a classical suite, Floyd choose a piece with a completely different feel to follow; “San Tropez” is a lazy Sunday Afternoon encapsulated – a dream of the life of the idle rich. Beautiful lounge-jazz elements – especially from Wright on the piano – and bluesy bottle neck guitar create a unique, laid-back feel which is a real treat.

First side closes with the quirky “Seamus”. Almost unprecendented and never repeated in the Floyd catalogue, this is a tempting one to skip – but, as usual, Pink Floyd give plenty to enjoy in the detail and texture with careful and laid back blues piano, bottleneck guitar and plucked guitar, with just a shade of bass. This maintains consistency with “A Pillow of the Winds”, and the dog howling just reflects Floyd’s humour.

“Echoes” is what this album is all about. From the opening ping to the closing ping, this is a 23-minute organic unfolding of events almost unprecedented in rock history, and a flawless journey of expermimentation that hints at later Floyd music. As with “One Of These Days”, Floyd grow the texture organically, the scene-painting lyrics entering around 3:00, and a newer, darker texture is hinted at around 3:40.

The song-writing abilities of Floyd are showcased to the max here, as the instruments show incredible restraint around the vocal passages, and only unleash a little at a time – feeding the listener little bit by little bit, and leading gently on through a nautical atmosphere that can be lived simply by closing the eyes. But there’s more than just song-writing abilities showcased in “Echoes” – how does one keep a piece interesting for over 20 minutes?

Around 7:00, Floyd drop us into the darker chasms that have been hinted at earlier. Waters, Gilmour and Wright maintain a groove that is utterly grin-inducing, while Gilmour sends seagulls soaring, demonic denizens of the deep diving, and creates pictures of all manner of sea-related stuff, from sunlight glinting on the waves to waving forests of seaweed, to schools of whales. These can all be heard – if you listen for them! I particularly like the icy cavernous depths of around 11:15, where the accompaniment is dropped away, and only texture remains. We float for a while in this new world, marvelling at the scenery, but the seascape changes beneath us all too soon, and we continue on our journey, once the familiar ping is heard again.

The heavy guitar and crystalline cymbals announce the imminence of another growing and intensifying passage, through dark caverns, but gradually approaching the surface – as light appears, breaking through the waters in columns – and when the vocals re-emerge, it’s like we don’t even know where the time has gone – it feels like seconds since the last verse.

Utterly magnificent. There’s not a single note to change on this album, no filler, nothing out of order – an album to revisit as often as you like and never get tired of hearing.

Line-up:
- David Gilmour / guitars, vocals
- Nick Mason / drums
- Roger Waters / bass, vocals
- Richard Wright / keyboards, vocals

Track List:
01. One of these days (5:56)
02. A pillow of winds (5:13)
03. Fearless (6:08)
04. San Tropez (3:43)
05. Seamus (2:15)
06. Echoes (23:27)

Link in comments.

David Gilmour, Pink Floyd

Gandalf – Gandalf 2 (1968-71) (@256)

09 Aug 2007

(Info from amazon)

The exotic, mindbending sounds of Gandalf have long been one of the great lost treasures of the first psychedelic era. Featuring the breathy vocals and lysergic guitar of Peter Sando, the band’s only album, a delight from start to finish, has generated a fervent demand for more of the same.

Gandalf 2 is a return trip to the band’s garden of earthly delights. A thorough search of Sando’s tape vault revealed a fabulous stash of spellbinding demos and acetates, unheard for decades!

Guitar/vox Peter Sando was adept at crafting ornate, breezy pop gems, but only a couple of them made it onto the band’s sole album, which was stuffed instead with covers. Eight of Sando’s leftovers find their way 2, among them a folk inspired solo acoustic guitar/ harmonica mood piece, the spare and graceful Smokey Topaz. An elongated demo of Golden Earrings, which led off the official album, is of historical interest, as are three tracks recorded by Sando with the Barracuda, all written by Bonner & Gordon of Happy Together fame.

Track List:
01. Bird In The Hand
02. Days Are Only Here And Gone
03. Smokey Topaz.
04. Ladyfingers
05. No Earth Can Be Won
06. Bad Dream (Demo)
07. I Won’t Cry No More
08. The Dance At St. Francis
09. Julie (The Song I Sing Is You)
10. Over This Table
11. Golden Earrings (Demo)
12. Tears Of Ages (Live)
13. Downbound Train (Live)

Link in comments.

Gandalf

Geordie – Hope You Like It (1973) (@256)

08 Aug 2007

(Review from amazon)

Geordie didn’t break any real ground musically, they were simply a loud, good-time pub band who wrote catchy and fun songs with a punchy, hard rock edge.

On their debut, Geordie’s infectious, catchy songs are pretty much all over the map; highlights include the crunchy “Give You ‘Til Monday” and “Natural Born Loser” as well as their hit singles “Can You Do It?”, “Geordie Stomp”, “Black Cat Woman”, “All Because Of You”, and the great “Don’t Do That”. Perhaps the oddest song of the lot is the goofy “Geordie’s Lost His Liggie”, where Johnson sounds as if he’d put away one pint too many and goes into a mock-Cockney/Scottish accent on the vocals.

The band kept going until 1978, reformed in 1980, after which Brian Johnson joined AC/DC following the death of their previous singer, Bon Scott.

Line-up:
* Brian Johnson – Vocals
* Vic Malcolm – Guitar, Vocals
* Tom Hill – Bass
* Brian Gibson – Drums

Track List:
01. Keep on Rockin’
02. Give You Till Monday
03. Hope You Like It
04. Don’t Do That
05. All Because of You
06. Old Time Rocker
07. Oh Lord
08. Natural Born Loser
09. Strange Man
10. Ain’t It Just Like a Woman
11. Geordie’s Lost His Liggie

Link in comments.

Brian Johnson

Kansas – Audio Visions (1980) (@256)

08 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

“Audio-Visions” came out on the heels of the commercial failure of “Monolith”. The growing rift between Steve Walsh and Kerry Livgren was by now well-known to most fans. Both had released solo albums the same year, and rumors of Walsh’s departure had been swirling since the “Point of Know Return” tour. There were also reports of excessive drug and alcohol use on the part of Walsh, which may in fact have been exacerbating the problems in the band. Most fans though believed the primary concern had to do with philosophical differences between Livgren and Walsh, particularly over the heavily spiritual emphasis in Livgren’s writing. In a nutshell, Walsh wanted to party and Livgren wanted to pray.

Livgren presented the band with a handful of very solid arrangements, but was unbending in the zealousness of his newfound faith to change the lyrical focus away from the Cross. Walsh, and to a lesser extent, Williams and Ehart, were not as inclined to turn the group into a traveling revival show, but an album was due to the record label, and the group as a whole preferred the quality of Livgren’s work over what Walsh was producing at the time. In addition to Walsh’s solo effort, it was well-known he was shopping for another outlet for his musical talents. He had reportedly auditioned with Bad Company.

Although not well-received by critics, the quality of the music on “Audio-Visions” is every bit as good as that on their previous works. What was changing was both the relationship of the band’s members to each other, and the fickle tastes of the listening public.

Walsh did leave shortly after Audio-Visions released, replaced by his vocal clone John Elefante. He resurfaced less than a year later with Billy Greer and the other members of Streets, a decidedly straight-ahead rock band.

Line-up:
- Phil Ehart / drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Dave Hope / bass, backing vocals
- Kerry Livgren / guitars, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals
- Robby Steinhardt / lead vocals, viola, violin
- Steve Walsh / lead vocals, keyboards, vibes, percussion
- Rich Williams / guitars, percussion, backing vocals

Track List:
01. Relentless (4:55)
02. Anything for You (3:56)
03. Hold On (3:45)
04. Loner (2:26)
05. Curtain of Iron (6:08)
06. Got to Rock On (3:19)
07. Don’t Open Your Eyes (4:03)
08. No One Together (6:54)
09. No Room For A Stranger (2:55)
10. Back Door (4:20)

Link in comments.

Kansas, Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh

May Blitz – The 2nd of May (1971) (@256)

08 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

The 1971 follow-up to May Blitz’s selftitled debut album, “The 2nd of May” featured similarly grotesque artwork on the cover and contained eight excellent tracks.

The album kicks off with “For Mad Men Only”, with a heavy fuzzy power chord guitar and driving beat, it contains some great riffs and solos, certainly a sign of things to come as they are similar to bands such as Black Sabbath. This track also reminds me of the typical heavy sound from UK underground Psyche/Space rock band “Stray”. The style of vocals in “Snakes and Ladders” sounds reminiscent of Hendrix, has a strong bass line, fuzz power chords which sound very Black Sabbath indeed. There are echoed backing vocals and “space” effects swirling around, now we’re in Hawkwind territory! “The 25th of December” as you’d guess is a Christmas song which swings along beautifully, occasionally leading into whispered vocals and a jazzy style rhythm and bluesy guitar. “In Part” is a jazzy style number which has a flute playing in the background, funny thing the vocals are half sung half spoken, almost rap-like, which leads into a fine drum solo. I don’t care what anyone says, i love ‘em!! The next track on the cd is called “8 Mad Grim Nits”, not sure who they refer to but it is a crazy fast jazzy jam featuring very fast drum and bass playing and some wild fuzzy, phased over- amped lead guitar, really sounds like they had a lot of fun doing this one! Here’s another group i would have loved to have seen live. “High Beech” is a beautiful folky song overlaid with watery acoustic guitars and nice lyrics, “shadows spring to life”, “today is the beginning of the rest of our lives”. “Honey Coloured Time” is another beautiful song about our hypocritical world with hushed vocals, which includes some fine jazz style guitar and bass and a Hendrix style ending, talk about mixing styles. “Just Thinking” is a ponderous, dreamy love song, very laid back, and features some interesting echoed “squeaky” guitar effects.

It’s a shame May Blitz didn’t do more after they were dropped from Vertigo. James Black and Reid Hudson returned to Canada and Tony Newman went on to work with such artists as Three Man Army, Marc Bolan, David Bowie & Mick Ronson, Chris Spedding and Whitesnake.

Line-up:
- James Black / lead vocals, guitar
- Reid Hudson / bass
- Tony Newman / drums

Track List:
01. For Mad Men Only (4:16)
02. Snakes And Ladders (4:42)
03. The 25Th Of December 1969 (3:12)
04. In Part (6:10)
05. 8 Mad Grim Nits (4:33)
06. High Beech (5:02)
07. Honey Coloured Time (4:13)
08. Just Thinking (5:12)

Link in comments.

May Blitz

Kansas – Monolith (1979) (@192)

08 Aug 2007

9 comments

(Review from progarchives.com)

Monolith is often pointed to as the beginning of the slide for Kansas, and in some ways it was. But the album as a whole is extremely well arranged, and considering it was the band’s first attempt at self-production in the studio, pretty well constructed overall.

There were certainly divisions in the band, they were more because of Walsh’s desire for the band to pursue a simpler, more rock-infused musical path and less of a spacey, progressive one (and also probably because of Walsh’s liquid-consumption and short-temper problem during this period). In fact, Walsh had penned some tunes during this timeframe that were not included on Monolith for whatever reason, but did end up on his own solo debut Schemer-Dreamer in 1980. It is interesting to note that this is the first Kansas album that did not include any co-authored works between Livgren and Walsh.

There’s plenty of magic left on Monolith: “On The Other Side”, “Reason To Be”, “People of the South Wind”. What holds the album together is not a unifying story (contrary to some reports, this is not a concept album about space indians) but a unified Kansas. Steve Walsh, whose songs usually departed from Kerry Livgren’s search for God, joins forces by writing songs with religious ramifications: “How My Soul Cries Out For You”, “Away From You”, “Angels Have Fallen”. Only the directionless “Stay Out of Trouble” shows the sextet out of step with one another. If the album’s theme is overtly religious, the music rocks out in spots, notably “Angels Have Fallen” and “A Glimpse of Home” (which sounds more like King’s X than their previous work with Glixman). Considering that Livgren opens the album questioning his own inspiration, Monolith is a surprisingly inspired work. When it all clicks (and it clicks often here), Kansas makes superlative, spiritual music.

Line-up:
- Phil Ehart / drums, percussion
- Dave Hope / bass, Autogyro
- Kerry Livgren / guitars, keyboards
- Robby Steinhardt / lead vocals, viola, violin
- Steve Walsh / lead vocals, keyboards
- Rich Williams / acoustic & electric guitars

Track List:
01. On The Other Side (6:23)
02. People Of The South Wind (3:38)
03. Angels Have Fallen (6:37)
04. How My Soul Cries Out For You (5:44)
05. A Glimpse Of Home (6:34)
06. Away From You (4:23)
07. Stay Out Of Trouble (4:13)
08. Reason To Be (3:50)

Link in comments.

Kansas, Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh

Barclay James Harvest – Once Again (1971) (@256)

07 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, allmusic.com)

Barclay James Harvest was, for many years, one of the most hard-luck outfits in progressive rock. A quartet of solid rock musicians with a knack for writing hook-laden songs built on pretty melodies, they harmonized like the Beatles and wrote extended songs with more of a beat than the Moody Blues.

“Once Again” is the favourite of many Barclay James Harvest fans, due in no small part to the inclusion of two of their best ever songs, “She said”, and “Mocking bird”. Both are heavily orchestrated, and stately in pace. “She Said” is a powerful story of unrequited love. It is deceptively simple in structure, being vaguely reminiscent of the Moody Blues “Isn’t life strange”. The pop like two verse, three chorus basis is accompanied by infectious instrumental passages, and a haunting flute solo. “Mocking bird” too has a simple basis, but is developed into a truly awesome piece of prog. The symphonic interlude of “1812 overture” stature which occupies the core part of the piece is surrounded by a simple melody, and repetitive lyrics. This is Barclay James Harvest at their absolute zenith. In many ways, these two tracks established the Barclay James Harvest “sound”.

Other standout tracks on the album are “Song for Dying” and “Happy old world”. These are simpler art rock songs, the former moving from almost whispered verses to loud acidic choruses, John Lees voice soaring majestically over Woolstenholme’s symphonic keyboards.

Line-up:
- Les Holroyd / bass, acoustic guitar, lead vocals, keyboards
- John Lees / guitars, lead vocals
- Mel Pritchard / drums, percussion
- Woolly Wolstenholme / keyboards, Mellotron, vocals, guitar

Track List:
01. She Said (8:19)
02. Happy Old World (4:39)
03. Song For Dying (5:01)
04. Galadriel (3:14)
05. Mocking Bird (6:38)
06. Vanessa Simmons (3:45)
07. Ball And Chain (4:48)
08. Lady Loves (3:57)
09. Introduction – White Sails (A Seascape) (Bonus)
10. Too Much On Your Plate (Bonus Live in the Studio)
11. Happy Old World (Bonus Quad Mix)
12. Vanessa Simmons (Bonus Quad Mix)
13. Ball And Chain (Bonus Quad Mix)

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Kansas – Point of Know Return (1977) (@256)

07 Aug 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com)

Many bands painfully experiences that getting a major-selling album and hit song also means pressure and demand from their label to turn into a more commercial direction aimed at the big masses. Kansas were obviously well aware of this, and managed to come up with a solution to the task on “Point of Know Return”.

Without losing any of the progressive edge and sound, the band had taken a slight turn toward shorter songs and also came up with another big hit in form of the acoustic “Dust in the Wind” that had a melody memorable enough to make it their best known tune next to “Carry On Wayward Son”. The title-track is one of the best examples of commercial progressive rock that actually works, and the instrumental “The Spider” shows that a track doesn’t have to be very long to still feature an impressive amount of complex chord-changes. There were also signs here that the band went back to their old fashion of more clearly separating the progressive and hard rock side of their music, evidenced by the fact that fairly straightforward rockers like “Portrait (He Knew)” and “Lightning’s Hand” stands side by side with lengthy epics like “Hopelessly Human” and “Closet Chronicles”. The two styles were however fused again in “Paradox” that could have been one of the shorter songs from “Leftoverture”. “Nobody’s Home” is a pleasant ballad with some grandiose violin from Steinhardt, and the band also experiences with some very slight funk/disco-influences in “Sparks of the Tempest”.

Line-up:
- Phil Ehart / drums, chimes, tympani, chain-driven gong, percussion
- Dave Hope / bass, autogyro
- Kerry Livgren / guitars, keyboards, percussion, whistling machine
- Robbie Steinhardt / vocals, cello, violin, viola
- Steve Walsh / vocals, keyboards, vibes, percussion
- Rich Williams / acoustic & electric guitars, bow pedal

Track List:
01. Point of Know Return (3:11)
02. Paradox (3:49)
03. The Spider (2:08)
04. Portrait (He Knew) (4:32)
05. Closet Chronicles (6:30)
06. Lightning Hand (4:21)
07. Dust in the Wind (3:26)
08. Sparks of the Tempest (4:15)
09. Nobody’s Home (4:37)
10. Hopelessly Human (7:10)

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Kansas, Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh

May Blitz – May Blitz (1970) (@256)

06 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

May Blitz were formed by vocalist/guitarist Jamie Black who recruited Tony Newman on drums, (ex Sounds Incorporated and Jeff Beck Group), and Reid Hudson (bass, vocals) in 1969. The original lineup featured bassist Terry Poole and drummer Keith Baker, from Bakerloo, but both left before recording anything for the band. Baker had a better offer from Uriah Heep, and went to record “Salisbury” with the band.

The band survived long enough to record two incredibly heavy, powerful and psychedelic albums with strong blues undertones and progressive tendencies, despite the lack of keyboards. These were released on Vertigo, who we also associate with Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep – but the music is probably heavier than either. Their style comes in somewhere around High Tide and the Pink Fairies — but these are really ballparks.

This debut album is a must-hear for anyone curious about the development of heavy music, and features a production in which it is not only almost possible to smell the ganja smoke, but is also rich and clear enough to provide the striking dynamic contrasts the music needs, as it occasionally veers from ambience to crushing riffs in the blink of an eye. It is certainly very unpredictable.

Line-up:
- James Black / lead vocals, guitar
- Reid Hudson / bass
- Tony Newman / drums

Track List:
01. Smoking the Day Away (8:19)
02. I Don’t Know? (4.52)
03. Dreaming (6:40)
04. Squeet (6:51)
05. Tomorrow May Come (4:47)
06. Fire Queen (4:14)
07. Virgin Waters (6:56)

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May Blitz

Joan Baez – Diamonds and Rust (1975) (@256)

06 Aug 2007

(Review from allmusic.com)

With the Vietnam War winding down, Joan Baez, who had devoted one side of her last album to her trip to Hanoi, delivered the kind of commercial album A&M Records must have wanted when it signed her three years earlier. But she did it on her own terms, putting together a session band of contemporary jazz veterans like Larry Carlton, Wilton Felder, and Joe Sample, and mixing a wise selection from the work of current singer-songwriters like Jackson Browne and John Prine with pop covers of Stevie Wonder and the Allman Brothers Band, and an unusually high complement of her own writing. A&M, no doubt recalling the success of her cover of the Band’s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, released her version of the Allmans’ “Blue Sky” as a single, and it got halfway up the charts. But the real hit was the title track, a self-penned masterpiece on the singer’s favorite subject, her relationship with Bob Dylan. Outdoing the current crop of confessional singer/songwriters at soul baring, Baez sang to Dylan, reminiscing about her ’60s love affair with him intensely, affectionately, and unsentimentally. Other highlights include “Winds of the Old Days”, in which Baez forgave Dylan for abandoning the protest movement, as well as the jazzy “Children and All That Jazz”, a delightful song about motherhood, and the wordless vocals of “Dida”, a duet with Joni Mitchell accompanied by Mitchell’s backup band, Tom Scott and the L.A. Express.

Track List:
01. Diamonds and Rust
02. Fountain Of Sorrow
03. Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Summer
04. Children And All That Jazz
05. Simple Twist Of Fate
06. Blue Sky
07. Hello In There
08. Jesse
09. Winds Of The Old Days
10. Dida (Duet with Joni Mitchell)
11. Medley: I Dream Of Jeannie / Danny Boy

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Joan Baez

Captain Beefheart – Strictly Personal (1968) (@256)

06 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

‘Strictly Personal’ became something of a cause celebre in Captain Beefheart’s oeuvre- the man himself disowned the album due to the psychedelic period production trappings added to the mix by producer Bob Krasnow, in order to make the music a little bit more palatable to a demographic used to the psychedelic sound. In retrospect, Krasnow’s decision was understandable- in its original state, this music was not easy to categorise and, therefore, sell to the general public. However, Beefheart’s music is definitely not psychedelia and nowadays, perhaps the music sounds more of its time than it may have done. Nevertheless, ‘Strictly Personal’ remains an excellent entree into the world of Captain Beefheart, being a little less avant garde than the follow-up ‘Trout Mask Replica’, but also a little bit more abstract than 1967′s ‘Safe As Milk’.

Although ‘Strictly Personal’ was the second album of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band to have been released, an album called ‘Mirror Man’ was recorded before this. For whatever reason, that album was shelved for around four years. ‘Strictly Personal’ understandably owes something to those ‘Mirror Man’ sessions, with one of those sessions’ songs being included here, the aggressive ‘Kandy Korn’, albeit in a re-recorded, shorter version. There is also a direct nod to ‘Mirror Man’ on the eerie ‘Son Of Mirror Man- Mere Man’, with some gruff, acidic vocals from Beefheart himself accompanied by some angular guitars from Alex St.Clair and Jeff Cotton.

What’s more, the material is lengthier than the ‘Safe As Milk’ material and there is a strong element of blues. However, this is far removed from conservative retreads of 12 bar standards- it is the Delta blues warped beyond all recognition, and surely the logical precursor to the later excursions of Tom Waits. ‘Ah Feel Like Ahcid’ is a clear example of this reshaping of the blues. Its tune deliberately harks back to Son House’s oft-covered blues standard ‘Death Letter’, but quite what staunch purists made of this almost parody approach is interesting to contemplate; there is a simulation of a crackling record that all Delta blues listeners will be all too familiar with, and Beefheart’s crazed hollerings are akin to an even more extreme version of Howlin’ Wolf. The Howlin’ Wolf link continues with the pseudo-’Spoonful’ guitar riff of ‘Gimme Dat Harp Boy’, and ‘Safe As Milk’ (harking back to his debut album) is almost a 60s approximation of a Delta blues standard, with its hard-hitting vocals and relentlessly pounding percussion of John French. The guitar work is exceptional, too.

It is a fair summary of where Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band had been, were then and were about to go. It is an enjoyable album and a more accessible proposition than the next few albums.

Line-up:
- Captain Beefheart / harmonica, vocals, guitar
- Alex St. Clair / guitar
- Mark Marcellino / keyboards
- Antennae Jimmy Semens / guitar
- Jerry Handley / bass
- John French / drums
- Don Van Vliet / vocals

Track List:
01. Ah Feel Like Ahcid (3:05)
02. Safe As Milk (5:27)
03. Trust Us (8:09)
04. Son of Mirror Man — Mere Man (5:20)
05. On Tomorrow (3:26)
06. Beatle Bones ‘N’ Smokin’ Stones (3:17)
07. Gimme Dat Harp Boy (5:04)
08. Kandy Korn (5:06)

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Streetwalkers – Streetwalkers (1974) (@256)

06 Aug 2007

7 comments

Request of Panka & John. Thanks to Plastic Geordie for the contribution. Sorry I forgot to post.

(Review from Patrick Little)

In the winter of 1973/1974, only months after the dissolution of Family, Chapman/Whitney completed a duo album called Streetwalkers. Basically this was an informal exercise by the pair to stretch their musical wings. They had done some diverse stuff on the last Family album, but this was sort of a jam project with a loose collection of famous musical friends.

The album starts off with an intense tune — succinct, biting and ever-changing. “Roxianna” has an Americana feel that is reminiscent of Family album “It’s Only a Movie”, even features clarinet. “Systematic Stealth” is a mature ballad with electric piano and Whitney’s 12-string and slide. “Call Ya” features a sax solo from Mel Collins and a Rod Stewart like Roger Chapman. “Creature Feature” is atmospheric and creepy, it has a slunky feel with a mean edge, excellent funk that would permeate later Streetwalkers. “Sue And Betty Jean” is yet another ballad that builds and floats along; featuring a baritone saxophone that coats, soothes and relieves… A nice and orchestrated blues piece “Showbiz Joe” follows. “Tokyo Rose” is a mean mix of bass, horns and low guitar. Fifties style sax screaming over chord changes and multi-tracked Chappo gets the rock back on track. The last track is an epic in the least — the string section score is right there from the beginning, creating counter melodies and embellishments.

A touring outfit of the studio album followed the formation of a solid backing band In February 1975 and the duo dubbed themselves the Streetwalkers.

Line-up:
* Charlie Whitney – guitar, steel guitar
* Roger Chapman – lead vocals, percussion
* John Wetton – bass, back vocals
* Ric Grech – bass
* Tim Hinkley – keyboards, back vocals
* Max Middleton – keyboards
* Neil Hubbard – guitar
* Ian Wallace – drums
* Mike Giles – drums
* Godfrey McLean – congas
* Poli Palmer – electric vibes
* Mel Collins – brass, woodwind, arrangements
* Boz Burrell – back vocals
* Linda Lewis – back vocals
* Jim Cregan – back vocals

Track List:
01. Parisienne High Heels
02. Roxianna
03. Systematic Stealth
04. Call Ya
05. Creature Feature
06. Sue And Betty Jean
07. Showbiz Joe
08. Just Four Men
09. Tokyo Rose
10. Hangman

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Charlie Whitney, Ian Wallace, John Wetton, Ric Grech, Roger Chapman

Kansas – Leftoverture (1976) (@256)

05 Aug 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com)

“Leftoverture” was Kansas’ big breakthrough and is usually also regarded as their finest hour.

The record opened with their signature tune and hit “Carry on Wayward Son” that was a true gem of catchy, melodic and harmonic progressive rock with sophisticatedly constructed song structures and hard rock overtones, especially in the rocking riffs. “The Wall” is one of the band’s strongest melodies, and also features a sweeping and symphonic theme on violin from Steinhardt. “What’s On My Mind” is the closest the album comes to pure hard rock, but again characterized by the band’s sense for strong melodies, and not just hard riffs. Some of the instrumental passages of “Miracles Out of Nowhere” and “Opus Insert” showed that Livgren finally was letting his admiration for Gentle Giant shine through, and that’s of course not a bad thing at all. “Questions of My Childhood” is an upbeat and bouncing tune to set you in a good mood, and the overall bright and optimistic feel of the album is in sharp contrast to the darker themes on “Masque”. The only exception is perhaps “Cheyenne Anthem”, a touching symphonic progressive epic about the brutal and degenerating way that the American native population always has been treated by the authorities. The record closes on a big note with the composition that, despite its title, actually gave the album its name: “Magnum Opus”. This breathtakingly complex and mostly instrumental suite was reportedly made up of several bits and pieces that had been left over from various sessions and aborted songs. Technically it’s probably the most impressive performance the band ever did and makes a hell of a finale to Kansas’ perhaps best album.

Line-up:
- Phil Ehart / drums, percussion
- Dave Hope / bass
- Kerry Livgren / guitar, keyboards
- Robby Steinhardt / lead vocals, violin, viola
- Steve Walsh / lead vocals, keyboards, vibes
- Rich Williams / acoustic & electric guitars

Track List:
01. Carry on Wayward Son (5:13)
02. The Wall (4:47)
03. What’s On My Mind (3:27)
04. Miracles Out of Nowhere (6:29)
05. Opus Insert (4:26)
06. Questions of My Childhood (3:38)
07. Cheyenne Anthem (6:50)
08. Magnum Opus (8:27)
09. Carry On Wayward Son (Bonus Live)
10. Cheyenne Anthem (Bonus Live)

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Kansas, Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh

Otis Spann (with Fleetwood Mac) – The Biggest Thing Since Colossus (1969) (@256)

05 Aug 2007

(Review from guitarplayer.com)

Having played piano for many years with Muddy Waters, the late Otis Spann knew great guitar when he heard it. When Fleetwood Mac trekked to Chicago’s Chess Records in 1969 to record with some of their blues heroes (including Spann), the sessions went so well, the piano legend drafted Green, Danny Kirwan (Fleetwood Mac’s second lead guitarist and Green’s protégé), and bassist McVie to join him and master blues drummer S.P. Leary in the studio.

Green and Kirwan play beautiful lines—sometimes in harmony—and the groove is solid throughout. A superb example of “fathers-and-sons” blues, this album successfully merges the sounds of Chicago and London.

Line-up:
* Peter Green – Guitar
* Danny Kirwan – Guitar
* S.P. Leary – Drums
* John McVie – Bass
* Otis Spann – Piano, Vocals

Track List:
01. My Love Depends On You
02. Walkin’
03. It Was A Big Thing
04. Temperature Is Rising (100.2°F)
05. Dig You
06. No More Doggin’
07. Ain’t Nobody’s Business
08. She Needs Some Loving
09. I Need Some Air
10. Someday Baby

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Danny Kirwan, Fleetwood Mac, Otis Spann, Peter Green

Bad Company – Run With The Pack (1976) (@256)

05 Aug 2007

(Review from amazon)

By 1976, Bad Company was really beginning to make a name for themselves. If you thought Straight Shooter was a bit of a step down from Bad Company’s debut, any feelings you may have had about the band’s quality diminishing should be shattered by Run With The Pack. Although it didn’t have as many hits as, say, the band’s 1974 debut, the quality of music is nothing less.

Starting things off is the classic rock anthem Live For The Music, which is unquestionably one of the finest tunes the group ever recorded. “Simple Man” and “Honey Child” are lighter numbers that are no less excellent, and show off those amazing vocals only Paul Rodgers can do. And then we get the title track, which was a minor hit. This song is a classic rock masterpiece, combining elements of harder classic rock with more melodic ones – and even employing some orchestral arrangements. After that we go right into the album’s big hit, Silver Blue And Gold. Bad Company actually recorded quite a few ballads, but this one just might be the best of the bunch. Combining a melodic song structure with elements of classic pop-rock, the band succeeded in creating a masterpiece. The strangest on the album track comes next – it’s a cover of the old Coasters song Young Blood. Though not the best work on here, it’s still solid. And closing out the album are several underrated Bad Company tunes you’re not likely to hear on the radio any time soon, including the masterful Fade Away.

Run With The Pack captures the band in a prime no other did. Admittingly, this is a bit more of an acquired taste than the band’s self-titled debut (which is where new fans should start), but if you’re already into Bad Company, get this one — you won’t regret it.

Line-up:
* Paul Rodgers – Vocals, Piano, Guitar
* Mick Ralphs – Lead Guitar
* Boz Burrell – Bass Guitar
* Simon Kirke – Drums

Track List:
01. Live for the Music – 3:58
02. Simple Man – 3:37
03. Honey Child – 3:15
04. Love Me Somebody – 3:09
05. Run With the Pack – 5:21
06. Silver, Blue and Gold – 5:03
07. Young Blood – 2:37
08. Do Right by Your Woman – 2:51
09. Sweet Lil’ Sister – 3:29
10. Fade Away – 2:54

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Bad Company, Boz Burrell, Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke

Kansas – Masque (1975) (@256)

04 Aug 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Sonically as strong as its great predecessor, “Masque” starting with two comercially oriented tracks, the listener can tell that this band can genuinely rock without losing its musical distinction. ‘It Takes a Woman’s Love…’ takes a lesson from the school of GFR, while ‘Two Cents Worth’ indulges in a rock-blues context with a funny vibe related to the ironic testimony of a decadent drunk. Both songs are sort of stylish, but let’s face it, only entertaining, not really substantial.

From ‘Icarus’ onwards things stand up to the usual level of classic Kansas grandeur in a very consistent manner. ‘Icarus’ is a multicolored rocker that starts softly with those high piano arpeggios accompanied by refined washes on synth and violin: these washes announce the splendid display of well-ordained complexity that is to be developed fluidly by the full band. This song has great energy and a sense of darkness married very cohesively. ‘All the World’, one overlooked song (undeservedly so), finds the band digging deeper in the dark side, creating avery interesting contrast between the languid sung passages and the harder-edged motifs that complete the instrumental interlude. The latter includes aggressive violin stuff and weird synth ornaments that keep a creepy aura to the song in avery effective way. Too many good qualities for a song that shouldn’t be so overlooked.

The album goes on with a good rocker, ‘Child of Innocence’, that combines the hooks of powerful guitar riffing and the sense of cleverness provided by the moderate use of tempo shifts along the way. “It’s You” returns to the easy going spirit of the first two tracks, but elluding their frivolity by the dynamic use of violin solos and solid interplaying between the piano and organ. “It’s You” is an adequate moment of rest between the solemnity of “Child of Innocence” and the uneasy torment of “Mysteries and Mauyhem”, one of the fiercest Kansas pieces ever. This track is both ballsy and complex, virile yet unearthly, a reckless flame with a controlled fire: the two guitars, the organ and the violin fight constantly (and successfully) to keep up with each other’s challenges, while the rhythm duo creates a bullet proof pace for the overall sound.

The magnificent closer ‘The Pinnacle’, a showcase for Livgren’s ability to mix emotion and reason in both lyrics and music. This tale of mystical experiences of the mind in its struggle to grasp and accept the fact of death couldn’t find a better sonic accomplice than this succession of beautiful motifs, violin leads, the organ solo of Walsh, etc. In a few words, the utilisation of the band’s output as an orchestra. This 9+ minute gem has to be one of the best album closers ever: the last section and the final climax are spine chilling – pure emotion recycled across the incarnation of great musical inventiveness.

Line-up:
- Phil Ehart / drums, Moog drums, assorted percussion
- Dave Hope / bass
- Kerry Livgren / guitars, keyboards
- Robbie Steinhardt / lead vocals, violin
- Steve Walsh / lead vocals, keyboards, congas
- Rich Williams / electric guitars

Track List:
01. It Takes a Woman’s Love (To Make a Man) (3:09)
02. Two Cents Worth (3:10)
03. Icarus (Borne on the Wings of Steel)
04. All Over the World
05. Child of Innocence
06. It’s You
07. Mysteries and Mayhem
08. The Pinnacle
09. Child of Innocence (Bonus Rehearsal)
10. It’s You (Bonus Demo)

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Kansas, Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh

Black Sabbath – Mob Rules (1981) (@256)

04 Aug 2007

(Review from allmusic.com, amazon, wikipedia)

1981′s Mob Rules was the second Black Sabbath album to feature vertically challenged singer Ronnie James Dio, whose powerful pipes and Dungeons and Dragons lyrics initially seemed like the perfect replacement for the recently departed and wildly popular Ozzy Osbourne. In fact, all the ingredients which had made their first outing, Heaven and Hell, so successful are re-utilized on this album, including legendary metal producer Martin Birch and supporting keyboard player Geoff Nichols.

“The Mob Rules” is a magnificent record, with the only serious problem being the sequencing of the material, which mirrors “Heaven and Hell” almost to a tee. In that light, one can’t help but compare otherwise compelling tracks like “Turn Up the Night” and “Voodoo” to their more impressive Heaven and Hell counterparts, “Neon Knights” and “Children of the Sea”. This unhappy streak is finally snapped by the unconventional “E5150,” a synthesizer-driven instrumental. Then, the unbelievably heavy, seven-minute epic “The Sign of the Southern Cross” delivers one of the album’s best moments before unleashing the roaring title track. When the band slows things down in the middle of the otherwise heavy “Country Girl”, you can’t help but be impressed. Out of the last three songs, “Falling Off the Edge of the World” stands out with its dark lyrics — it is perhaps the most overlooked secret gem to come from the Dio era.

Line-up:
* Ronnie James Dio – vocals
* Tony Iommi – guitar
* Geezer Butler – bass guitar
* Vinny Appice – drums
* Geoff Nicholls – keyboards

Track List:
01. Turn Up the Night – 3:42
02. Voodoo – 4:32
03. The Sign of the Southern Cross – 7:46
04. E5150 – 2:54
05. The Mob Rules – 3:14
06. Country Girl – 4:02
07. Slipping Away – 3:45
08. Falling Off the Edge of the World – 5:02
09. Over and Over – 5:28

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Black Sabbath, Geezer Butler, Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Vinny Appice

Kansas – Song for America (1975) (@256)

04 Aug 2007

(Review from progreviews.com, progarchives.com)

Kansas sure can play complex melodies, harmonic counterpoints, and unusual time signatures, and yet, always find a space to show off tight sounding rock, energetic blues, high-spirited country-rock and make it an integral of their own progressive style. With the band’s second release, they really hit their full stride.

“Down the Road” gets the album off aggressively with its tale of a dope peddler pulling out of Dodge. There’s the title track, which still many people will champion as the band’s finest moment. The broad melody that opens the song is just perfect, a terrific mixture of grand and bittersweet. It’s like John Ford filming Yellowstone, panning lavishly at widescreen level and conjuring up images of a “pre”-America: an exhilarative, unspoiled paradise. The closing theme, by contrast, is an obsessive weaving of a 7/4 riff over a balance of tentatively ascending and descending chords in 4/4 while a sing-song melody whistles away. It might well represent the America of now, the America of industry, fatigue, and reductionism. If the opening theme is a musical exclamation point, the closing theme fades the song out like a cautionary question mark: what will eventually become of the society blindly sapping the “virgin land of forest green”?

“Lamplight Symphony” and “Incomudro” are also top-notch, and with their use of the polyphonic string synths are strongly reminiscent of Camel at times. Similar to “Song for America”, these both open with sweeping, anthemic melodies that instantly catch the listener’s attention and drift into lengthy instrumental middle sections. Unlike “America”, however, the verses retreat in dynamic to accommodate the more introspective natures of the songs. “Lamplight Symphony” is really lovely, which tells of an old man confronted with the spirit of his dead wife on a winter’s night. Detractors roll their eyes at the admittedly overblown, goth-romantic elements of the song and the obvious symbolism (winter/night/death, etc). However, when I hear the song, I tune in to its basic emotional elements universal to human experience: memory, time, and the loss felt of departed loved ones. “Incomudro”, is more like an enigmatic philosophical reflection than a story, but whatever it’s about, it has some particularly impressive Hammond work in the beginning of the song and a dazzling climax that seals the album.

This album marked the beginning of a golden age for Kansas.

Line-up:
- Phil Ehart / drums
- Dave Hope / bass, backing vocals
- Kerry Livgren / guitars, keyboards, backing vocals
- Robbie Steinhardt / lead vocals, violin
- Steve Walsh / lead vocals, keyboards
- Rich Williams / lead guitar

Track List:
01. Down the Road (3:43)
02. Song for America (10:03)
03. Lamplight Symphony (8:17)
04. Lonely Street (5:43)
05. The Devil Game (5:04)
06. Incomudro – Hymn to the Atman (12:12)

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Kansas, Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh

Eddie Boyd (with Fleetwood Mac) – 7936 South Rhodes (1968) (@192)

03 Aug 2007

(Review from allmusic.com, guitarplayer.com)

Recorded in London in January 1968 with three members of the original lineup of Fleetwood Mac : Peter Green (guitar), John McVie (bass) and Mick Fleetwood (drums). It’s an adequate setting for Boyd’s straight Chicago piano blues, going heavier on the slow-to-mid-tempo numbers than the high-spirited ones. Compared to the howling textures that normally characterize Green’s solos, the tones here are quiet, clear, and shimmering.

Line-up:
* Eddie Boyd – Piano, Vocals
* Mick Fleetwood – Drums
* Peter Green – Guitar
* John McVie – Bass

Track List:
01. You Got to Reap
02. Just the Blues
03. She’s Real
04. Back Slack
05. Be Careful
06. Ten to One
07. Blues Is Here to Stay
08. You Are My Love
09. Third Degree
10. Thank You Baby
11. She’s Gone
12. I Can’t Stop Loving You

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Danny Kirwan, Eddie Boyd, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green

Kansas – Kansas (1974) (@256)

03 Aug 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com, allmusic.com)

Formed in Topeka in 1970, the founding members of Kansas — guitarist Kerry Livgren, bassist Dave Hope, and drummer Phil Ehart — first played together while in high school; with the 1971 addition of classically trained violinist Robbie Steinhardt, they changed their name to White Clover, reverting back to the Kansas moniker for good upon the 1972 arrivals of vocalist/keyboardist Steve Walsh and guitarist Richard Williams. The group spent the early part of the decade touring relentlessly and struggling for recognition; initially, their mix of boogie and prog rock baffled club patrons, but in due time they established a strong enough following to win a record deal. The group knew just how to create an identity and signature sound of their own by combining progressive rock strongly influenced by the British scene with more typically American-sounding, melodic 70′s hard rock.

Their self-titled debut from 1974 showed that their formula worked extremely well, most thanks to strong material and the band’s tight and technically impressive performance. The two first songs on the album, “Can I Tell You” and a cover of J. J. Cale’s “Bringing it Back”, showed the basic and rocking side of their sound, although Steinhardt’s violin and Walsh’ various keyboards gave them a fresh and colourful sound. The mellow ballad “Lonely Wind” became one of the better-known songs from the album, as it also was the single. “Belexes” brings the band back in harder rocking territory again, but they finally and ultimately flexes all their progressive muscles in the masterful epic “Journey from Mariabronn” that clearly showed Livgren as the most progressive oriented songwriter in the band. The track is a feast for anyone who loves classic 70′s progressive rock, and demonstrates to the full what a tight, powerful and energetic band Kansas really were.

Side 2 opens with the short, but still slightly sophisticated “The Pilgrimage” before we’re in for more progressive bliss in “Apercu”. Walsh sings the lyrics in a melodic and emotional manner that would prove typical of him, while the instrumental passages usually were left over to his organ, synths, Steinhardt’s violin and Livgren’s guitar. The two musical styles of the band is finally fused together in the closer “Death of Mother Nature Suite”. This thundering heavy progressive epic features lyrics that showed a clear social consciousness from Livgren’s side.

The band would still have to wait some time to finally take off commercially, but their debut was musically superb anyway.

Line-up:
- Phil Ehart / drums
- Dave Hope / bass, backing vocals
- Kerry Livgren / lead & Rhythm guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
- Robbie Steinhardt / violin, lead vocals
- Steve Walsh / lead vocals, organ, piano, congas
- Rich Williams / lead guitar

Track List:
01. Can I Tell You (3:31)
02. Bringing it Back (3:33)
03. Lonely Wind (4:15)
04. Belexes (4:22)
05. Journey from Mariabronn (7:55)
06. The Pilgrimage (3:42)
07. Apercu (9:43)
08. Death of Mother Nature suite (7:43)

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Kansas, Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh

Cardeilhac – Cardeilhac (1973) (@256)

02 Aug 2007

(Info from Crack in the Cosmic Egg, progarchives.com)

This is one of lost Swiss bands who only produced one album and after the album was released no one knew where the band or its members were going.

The music is heavy progressive, dominated by keyboards & guitars, blending British 60′s styles with the typically Teutonic 70′s hard-rock sound, notably inspired by Deep Purple, along with some more progressive touches.

Line-up:
- Rinaldo Hausier / guitars
- Denis Angelini / vocals
- J-C. Balsinger / bass
- Andro Locher / organ
- Gaston Balmer / drums

Track List:
01. Pick Up Your Gun
02. Everybody
03. Pushers Dwell
04. Sadness
05. She Don’t Care
06. Neutral
07. Nightmare
08. Loch Ness

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Fleetwood Mac – The Original Fleetwood Mac (1967-68) (@256)

02 Aug 2007

(Review from allmusic)

The Original Fleetwood Mac is a compilation album, first released in 1971. It consists of various outtakes recorded by the original line-up of the band in 1967-68.

Prior to the addition of Danny Kirwan (guitar/vocals) in August of 1968, the Fleetwood Mac were a quartet. With the exception of Spencer, the rest of the Fleetwood Mac had (at one time or another) been part of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. While further exploring the textural variations of their respective blues origins, it was Green who quickly emerged as the leader, even though McVie and Mick Fleetwood retained the band’s namesake. As these cuts exemplify, it was Green’s stellar fretwork and composition that coalesced this unit. Evidence abounds on the derivative “Drifting” and “First Train Home,” which retains much of the vibe heard on the Chicago-influenced “Rambling Pony No. 2″ — an unabashed overhaul of Muddy Waters’ classic “Rollin’ and Tumblin’”. The slightly trippy “A Fool No More” and the jammed-out instrumental “Fleetwood Mac” are uniformly inspired, more so than the rote reworkings of Lafayette Leake’s “Love That Woman” or Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s “Mean Old Fireman.” The latter is otherwise notable however for Green’s acoustic contributions.

Line-up:
* Peter Green – vocals, guitar, harmonica
* Jeremy Spencer – vocals, slide guitar
* John McVie – bass
* Mick Fleetwood – drums

Track List:
01. Drifting
02. Leaving Town Blues
03. Watch Out
04. A Fool No More
05. Mean Old Fireman
06. Can’t Afford To Do It
07. Fleetwood Mac
08. Worried Dream
09. Love That Woman
10. Allow Me One More Show
11. First Train Home
12. Rambling Pony No.2
13. Watch Out (Take1)
14. Something Inside Of Me (Take 1)
15. Something Inside Of Me (Take 2)
16. Something Inside Of Me (Take 3)
17. One Sunny Day
18. Without You
19. Coming Your Way

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Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green

Rainbow – Live in Munich (1977) (@Video)

01 Aug 2007

9 comments

(Review from progarchives.com)

This concert was recorded in Munich on October 20, 1977, at Rainbow’s 1977 European tour, a few months prior to the release of their third studio album, “Long Live Rock n’ Roll”. It was originally filmed to air on the German TV “Rockpalast” show.

This video captures the mindblowing spirit of Rainbow in those days: the powerful voice and enthousiastic performance by Ronnie James Dio (the ultimate hardrock singer), the great and varied guitarwork by the former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, the powerhouse rhythm-section and the exciting extra dimension to Rainbow their sound by David Stone on his wide range of vintage keyboards, the sensational huge illuminated rainbow on stage and the filming of the band and the members, very tasteful and captivating. We can watch a lot of exciting shots on Ritchie Blackmore playing on his Fender Stratocaster, often near his huge Marshall amplifier, sometimes with soft blue light, at other moments in a sea of coloured lights. The highlights on the video include: great vocals and a long and compelling solo with subtle use of the tremolo-arm in the bluesy “Mistreated”, fragile Bach-inspired guitarplay during the intro of “Sixteenth Century Greenslaves”, a bluesy guitar solo in the final part of “Man On The Silver Mountain” (close to the early Deep Purple sound), a sensational drumsolo by Cozy Powell, in the closing section accompanied by bombastic classical orchestrations in “Still I’m Sad” and a biting guitarsolo in the final concert track “Do You Close Your Eyes”. But one gets really carried away by keyboard player David Stone’s performance during Still I’m Sad: the intro delivers stunning work on Hammond (church organ sound) and Mellotron (majestic choir-section), halfway this composition he got a solo spot in which he plays sensational pitchbend-driven flights on two Minimoogs, it sounds like ‘Seventies’ Rick Wakeman meets ‘Pulstar’ Vangelis, goose bumps!

This video is close to the heavy magic of 70s Deep Purple and Uriah Heep, what a power and skills, a 70s rock document!

Video : Xvid, 704×480, 29.97 fps
Audio : AC3, Stereo, 48000 Hz, 256.0 kbit/s
Total Runtime : 113 min

Line-up:
* Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
* Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
* Cozy Powell – Drums
* Bob Daisley – Bass
* David Stone – Keyboards

Track List:
01. Intro – 1:44
02. Kill the King – 4:42
03. Mistreated – 11:49
04. Sixteenth Century Greensleeves – 8:52
05. Catch the Rainbow – 18:44
06. Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll – 8:01
07. Man on the Silver Mountain – 16:25
08. Still I’m Sad – 27:33
09. Do You Close Your Eyes? – 15:40

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Bob Daisley, Cozy Powell, Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Video

Rainbow – Stranger In Us All (1995) (@256)

01 Aug 2007

(Review from wikipedia)

Blackmore left Deep Purple in 1993 and formed a new Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. The band released Stranger in Us All in 1995 and embarked on a lengthy world tour.

With a style comfortably sitting somewhere between the dungeons and dragons approach of the Ronnie James Dio era and the radio friendly commerciality of the Joe Lynn Turner era; Stranger In Us All had a sound dissimilar to any Rainbow of old. The superb vocal flexibility of Doogie White proved once again Blackmore’s knack of finding relatively unknown talent and giving them a vehicle to further success.

However, fed up with stadium rock, Blackmore turned his attention to Renaissance and medieval music, a lifelong interest of his. Rainbow was put on hold once again and played its final concert in Esbjerg, Denmark in 1997. Blackmore, together with his partner Candice Night as vocalist, then formed the renaissance-influenced Blackmore’s Night who are still recording albums, and performing small intimate tours, completely in contrast to Rainbow’s mammoth stadium shows.

In late 1997, Cozy Powell approached Ritchie Blackmore to see if he would be interested in reforming the Rising line-up of Rainbow. Due to everyone’s prior commitments, this proposed re-union was not meant to last more than one tour, both Ronnie James Dio and Ritchie Blackmore had almost given the project the green light. However Cozy Powell’s death in April 1998, also brought about the demise of the long awaited re-union. In the decade since, many other rumours have been announced from various sources, of a future Dio/Blackmore Rainbow project, but both men have always been quick in dispelling these rumours as having no basis in fact.

Line-up:
* Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
* Doogie White – Vocals
* John O’Reilly – Drums
* Greg Smith – Bass
* Paul Morris – Keyboards

Track List:
01. Wolf to the Moon – 4:16
02. Cold Hearted Woman – 4:31
03. Hunting Humans (Insatiable) – 5:45
04. Stand and Fight – 5:22
05. Ariel – 5:39
06. Too Late for Tears – 4:50
07. Black Masquerade – 5:35
08. Silence – 4:04
09. Hall of the Mountain King – 5:34
10. Still I’m Sad – 5:22

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Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore

Thrice Mice – Thrice Mice (1970) (@256)

01 Aug 2007

(Info from progarchives.com, Cosmic Dreams At Play)

Thrice Mice grew up from a beat school as a sextet from Hamburg, playing the distinctive German type of progressive jazz-rock typified by underground legends like Xhol and Out Of Focus. For those days they had a very unique blend of jazz elements, influences from classical themes and heavy rock using some technical sound effects that bring Hawkwind into one’s mind. Although the four compositions are basically rather melodic and straightforward they’re highly enriched by improvising solos, intricate dual sax playing and use of big band-alike brass.

The classically inspired “Vivaldi” was quite a big success for them when they played it live (can be heard as a bonus track on the CD release). Each one of the other three tracks is based on either a particular theme or story. “Jo Joe” is about someone’s idiosyncratic philosophy, “Fancy Desiree” is inspired by Joachim Ringelnatz’s novel “Fancy Desire” and “Trakov” is telling the very personal experiences of some band members with a Finnish girl on a camp tour in Sweden.

Line-up:
- Wolfgang Buhre / saxophone
- Karl Heinz Blumenberg / vocals
- Werner Von Bohsen / guitar
- Wolfram Munnemann / organ
- Arno Bredehoft / drums
- Rainer Von Gosen / bass

Track List:
01. Jo Joe
02. Vivaldi
03. Trakov
04. Fancy Desiree
05. Drive Me (Bonus)
06. Pig II (Bonus)
07. Vivaldi’s Revival (Bonus)
08. Trying (Bonus)
09. New Life (Bonus)
10. Dawn (Bonus)
11. An Invitation (Bonus)

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Fleetwood Mac – Live at the BBC (1968-71) (@256)

01 Aug 2007