Archive for September, 2007

(Review from amazon, wikipedia)

In September 1976, Lynyrd Skynyrd had one of the worst reputations in rock ‘n’ roll. During the previous “five years of alcoholism” Ronnie Van Zant had single-handedly left a trail of trashed hotel rooms, whiskey-soaked gigs and fistfights over mistakes in the shows. On Labor Day weekend, founding guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins were involved in separate alcohol and drug related auto accidents. It was Rossington’s accident that was Ronnie Van Zant’s inspiration to write “Whiskey bottles, and brand new cars; Oak tree you’re in my way” for the song “That Smell”.

During April, 1977 recording sessions, the band laid down tracks for a pair of new Van Zant-Rossington songs, the catchy “What’s Your Name”, which was inspired by a bar fight involving roadie Craig Reed, and a churning blues number called “Sweet Little Missy”, that featured Billy Powell on keyboards and a searing Steve Gaines guitar solo. The later was dropped from the new album prior to it’s release, and appears as a bonus track. Steve Gaines was one of the souths most promising young guitarists. The band also recorded two new Gaines-Van Zant songs, “You Got That Right”, a rocking celebration of the band’s exhurberant touring lifestyle and “I Never Dreamed”, an introspective ballad that addressed the fundamental shift in Ronnie Van Zant’s priorities since the birth of his daughter, Melody, on 1976.

After all the turmoil Skynyrd had endured, they decided to call their new record “Street Survivors”. “Street Survivors” marks a time of change for Lynyrd Skynyrd, as it is unlike any prior Skynyrd studio album. This is the one that features the triple-guitar assualt of Rossington-Collins-Gaines that was intoduced live on “One More From The Road”, and that is most prominently featured on “That Smell”. Highlights In addition to “That Smell”, the top 10 “What’s Your Name” and “You Got That Right”, include a Steve Gaines song from his pre-Skynyrd days, “I Know A Little”, a six year old Skynyrd song repolished that even pre-dates “Free Bird”, “One More Time”, and a brothelesque rocking little number that is one of the favorites, “Ain’t No Good Life”.

Three days after the release of Street Survivors, a chartered Convair 240 carrying the band between shows crashed near a forest. The crash killed singer/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist/vocalist Steve Gaines, vocalist Cassie Gaines. Drummer Artimus Pyle crawled out of the plane wreckage with several broken ribs. Allen Collins suffered two cracked vertebrae in his neck, and both Collins and Leon Wilkeson nearly had arms amputated as a result of crash injuries. Wilkeson suffered severe internal injuries, including a punctured lung, and had most of his teeth knocked out. Gary Rossington broke both his arms and both his legs in the crash. Leslie Hawkins sustained a concussion, broke her neck in three places and had severe facial lacerations.

In January of 1978, Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded after the airplane tragedy. On the original pressing of the cover of Street Survivors was a photograph of the band engulfed in flames. MCA Records, out of courtesy, withdrew the sleeve and replaced it with a cover of the band striking a similar pose against a plain black background.

The world will never know where Lynyrd Skynyrd would have taken us musically, “Street Survivors” was only the beginning of a new brand of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Line-up:
* Ronnie Van Zant – lead vocals
* Allen Collins – guitar
* Gary Rossington – guitar
* Billy Powell – keyboards
* Artimus Pyle – drums
* Leon Wilkeson – bass
* Steve Gaines – guitar, lead vocals
with
* Honkettes (Cassie Gaines, Jo Billingsley, Leslie Hawkins) – back vocals
* Ed King – guitar
* Greg Walker – bass
* Rick Medlock – drums, back vocals
* Tim Smith – back vocals

Track List:
01. What’s Your Name – 3:30
02. That Smell – 5:47
03. One More Time – 5:03
04. I Know A Little – 3:26
05. You Got That Right – 3:44
06. I Never Dreamed – 5:21
07. Honky Tonk Night Time Man – 3:59
08. Ain’t No Good Life – 4:36
09. Georgia Peaches (Bonus)
10. Sweet Little Missy (Bonus)
11. You Got That Right (Bonus Alternate)
12. I Never Dreamed (Bonus Alternate)
13. Jacksonville Kid (Honky Tonk Night Time Man) (Bonus)

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Lynyrd Skynyrd

Pentangle – Basket of Light (1969) (@256)

29 Sep 2007

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

Were Pentangle a folk group, a folk-rock group, or something that resists classification? They could hardly be called a rock & roll act; they didn’t use electric instruments often, and were built around two virtuoso guitarists, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, who were already well-established on the folk circuit before the group formed. Yet their hunger for eclectic experimentation fit into the milieu of late-’60s progressive rock and psychedelia well, and much of their audience came from the rock and pop worlds, rather than the folk crowd. With Jacqui McShee on vocals and a rhythm section of Danny Thompson (bass) and Terry Cox (drums), the group mastered a breathtaking repertoire that encompassed traditional ballads, blues, jazz, pop, and reworkings of rock oldies, often blending different genres in the same piece.

The name Pentangle was chosen to represent the five members of the band. The pentagram is also the device on Sir Gawain’s shield in the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight which held a fascination for John Renbourn.

Though they had fellow British folk-rockers like Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span for company, Pentangle explored a musical world of their own design. Their all-acoustic sound combined traditional British folk with jazz, rock and Indian music, much as American groups like Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead were mating their roots with other influences.

On their third album, the band developed a good equlibrium between traditional folk songs and band compositions in their typical jazz-folk-blues style.

One of the highlights is the irreplaceable track “Train Song” with its incredible bowed double bass ending, followed by another high drama “Hunting Song” where McShee is simply awesome behind some bell percussions from Cox and superb bass staccatos from Thompson the two guitarists waiting inn the aisle underlining the track with sober guitars but also alternating sung verses with their female colleagues – awesome. “Light Flight” and “Lyre Like Dirge” are simply outstanding tracks also but almost getting lost in the sheer mass of greatness present on this album. “The Cuckoo” is another one of those highly orgasmic moments of crystal clear vocals that makes you wish for previous centuries to come back. Yet there is the most definitive version of one of the most covered traditional folk songs — “If I Was A Carpenter” that takes here its best clothes and sounds stupendous with its incredible banjo and sitar duo.

This record is a timeless beauty.

Line-up:
- Bert Jansch / guitar, banjo vocals
- John Renbourn / guitars, sitar, vocals
- Jacqui Mc Shee / vocals
- Danny Thomson / double bass
- Terry Cox / drums, percussion, glockenspiel, vocals

Track List:
01. Light Flight (3:19)
02. Once I Had a Sweetheart (4:43)
03. Spring Time Promises (4:09)
04. Lyke-Wake Dirge (3:36)
05. Train Song (4:47)
06. Hunting Song (6:44)
07. Sally Go Round the Roses (3:40)
08. The Cuckoo (4:30)
09. House Carpenter (Bonus) (5:32)
10. Sally Go Round the Roses (Bonus Alt 1) (3:40)
11. Sally Go Round the Roses (Bonus Alt 2) (3:42)
12. Cold Mountain (Bonus) (2:02)
13. I Saw an Angel (Bonus) (2:52)

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Pentangle

Rush – Rush In Rio (2003) (@256)

29 Sep 2007

(Review from progressiveworld.net)

Rush in Rio is the fifth live album of the Canadian power trio’s career, recorded at the final show of the Vapor Trails tour.

Yes, almost all of Rush In Rio was heard on prior live releases, but never like this. That’s because Rush found a previously untapped fan base in Brazil, an incredibly enthusiastic multitude that demonstrated their love for Rush by showing up in huge numbers (60,000 in Sao Paulo, the Rush attendance record) and in turn inspired the band to really play their hearts out. Which probably wasn’t hard to do; the fans practically worshipped the band, were quite vocal in their appreciation that Rush chose to visit Brazil, knew the words to all the songs – even the girls, for crying out loud – and even sang along during the instrumentals “YYZ” and “La Villa Strangiato”. Now, who wouldn’t be inspired by that?

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / bass, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / electric and acoustic guitars, mandola
- Neil Peart / drums, cymbals

Track List:
CD1
01. Tom Sawyer (5:04)
02. Distant early warning (4:50)
03. New world man (4:04)
04. Roll the bones (6:15)
05. Earthshine (5:44)
06. YYZ (4:56)
07. The pass (4:52)
08. Bravado (6:18)
09. The big money (6:03)
10. The trees (5:12)
11. Free will (5:48)
12. Closer to the heart (3:04)
13. Natural science (8:34)
CD2
01. One little victory (5:32)
02. Driven (5:22)
03. Ghost rider (5:36)
04. Secret touch (7:00)
05. Dreamline (5:10)
06. Red sector A (5:16)
07. Leave that thing alone (4:59)
08. O baterista (8:54)
09. Resist (4:23)
10. 2112 (6:52)
CD3
01. Limelight (4:29)
02. La villa strangiato (10:05)
03. The spirit of radio (5:28)
04. By-Tor and the snow dog (4:34)
05. Cygnus X-1 (3:12)
06. Working man (5:48)
07. Between sun & moon (The board bootlegs) (4:51)
08. Vital signs (The board bootlegs) (4:59)

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Geddy Lee, Live, Rush

Rush – Vapor Trails (2002) (@256)

29 Sep 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

After sufficient time to grieve and reassemble the pieces of his life, Peart married photographer Carrie Nuttall in September 2000. In early 2001 he announced to his band mates that he was ready to once again enter the studio and get back into the business of making music.

Long known for purposeful stylistic changes that defined individual albums as well as delineated the larger-scale phases of their recording career, “Vapor Trails” brought a shift in many fundamental aspects of the Rush sound as it had evolved over the years. On Vapor Trails there are no keyboards, no traditional guitar solos, and no processed-guitar tones. Instead, Vapor Trails uses a more purified guitar tone, lots of vocal, guitar and even bass overdubs, and an overall darker tone to the music and lyrics.

This album contain more tracks than most Rush records, though no instrumentals. The opening “One Little Victory”, driven along by Alex Lifeson’s frantic riffing and Neil Peart’s powerhouse drumming, or the intense, relentless “Peaceable Kingdom” and the weird, mid-tempo “Freeze”. The album’s absolute standout, however, the hauntingly beautiful “Ghost Rider”, in which the three musicians get a real chance to shine individually and collectively – especially the rhythm section. The title-track is also outstanding, with great vocals by the inimitable Geddy Lee.

The lyrics are of deeply personal nature, after the tragic losses Neil Peart had suffered. The times when he got his inspiration from the doubtful writings of Ayn Rand or from fantasy and science fiction are gone. “Show me beauty, but there is no peace/for the ghost rider”: these are the words of a man who’s known pain, anger and grief, nevertheless has managed to get on with his life.

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / bass, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / electric and acoustic guitras, mandola
- Neil Peart / drums, cymbals

Track List:
01. One Little Victory (5:08)
02. Ceiling Unlimited (5:27)
03. Ghost Rider (5:39)
04. Peaceable Kingdom (5:22)
05. The Stars Look Down (4:28)
06. How It Is (4:05)
07. Vapor Trail (4:56)
08. Secret Touch (6:34)
09. Earthshine (5:37)
10. Sweet Miracle (3:40)
11. Nocturne (4:49)
12. Freeze (Part IV of Fear)(6:16)
13. Out Of The Cradle (5:03)

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Geddy Lee, Rush

Affinity – Affinity (1970) (@256)

29 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, vintageprog.com)

Like many bands riding on the crest of the jazz-rock wave in the early ’70s, Affinity released one album and were just getting their footing when they decided to split up, despite the album being well received by the critics. Basically, their music is an eclectic mixture of a blues-rock with jazz, pop and folk influences as well as some rudiments of early ’70s psychedelia. Their sound is very brassy and the Hammond organ omnipresent, the overall product sounding very progressive for its day. With the powerful vocals of Linda Hoyle leading the way, it looked as though the band had quite a future ahead of them.

Issued in 1970, their only album shows much variety as well as plenty of soloing. As the excellent sound, musicianship and production will attest, it is a superb achievement for the times. The material on the album is quite strong all the way through. “I Am and So Are You” and “Three Sister” do both use horns to good effect. “Mr. Joy” is a relaxed and excellent jazzy track, while “Night Flight” is a more typical early 70′s progressive rock track. There are two excellent cover versions here too. You would may not expect much from a cover of The Everly Brother’s “I Wonder If I Care As Much”, but its sounds awesome with a incredible symphonic and great arrangement. And their 11-minute version of “All Along the Watchtower” is a irresistible Hammond-orgy you must hear to believe.

Line-up:
- Mo Foster / bass
- Linda Hoyle / vocals
- Mike Jupp / guitars
- Lynton Naiff / piano, harpsichord, vibraphone
- Grant Serpell / percussion, drums

Track List:
01. I am and so are you (3:31)
02. Night flight (7:15)
03. I wonder if I care as much (3:20)
04. Mr. Joy (5:02)
05. Three sisters (4:57)
06. Cocoanut grove (2:35)
07. All along the watchtower (11:36)
08. Eli’s coming (Bonus) (3:32)
09. United states of mind (Bonus) (2:49)

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Affinity, Linda Hoyle

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Gimme Back My Bullets (1976) (@320)

28 Sep 2007

(Review from amazon, allmusic.com)

Perhaps Lynyrd Skynyrd’s most underrated album, 1976′s “Gimme Back My Bullets” was another inspired and consistent set from one of southern rock’s founding fathers. Like its predecessor, “Nuthin’ Fancy”, Skynyrd’s fourth release didn’t produce a hit single like its first couple of albums had, but there were several songs that subsequently became standards for the band.

The title track is powerful—relentless, a little dangerous—with lead guitar wailing urgently behind one of the angriest Ronnie Van Zant vocals yet recorded. Melodic, tumbling guitar figures introduce “Every Mother’s Son”, providing fuel for another standout Van Zant performance. “Searching”, later became regularly included in their live shows.

Line-up:
* Ronnie Van Zant – lead vocals, lyrics
* Allen Collins – guitars
* Gary Rossington – guitars
* Billy Powell – keyboards
* Leon Wilkeson – bass, background vocals
* Artimus Pyle – drums, percussion
with
* Honkettes – back vocals
* Lee Freeman – harp
* Barry Harwood – dobro, mandolin, violin

Track List:
01. Gimme Back My Bullets – 3:28
02. Every Mother’s Son – 4:56
03. Trust – 4:25
04. I Got The Same Old Blues – 4:08
05. Double Trouble – 2:49
06. Roll Gypsy Roll – 2:50
07. Searching – 3:17
08. Cry For The Bad Man – 4:48
09. All I Can Do Is Write About It – 4:16
10. Gimme Back My Bullets (Bonus Live)
11. Cry For The Bad Man (Bonus Live)

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Lynyrd Skynyrd

Rush – Different Stages (Live 1998) (@256)

28 Sep 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

After wrapping up the tour promoting Test for Echo in 1997, the band entered an indefinite hiatus mainly due to tragedies in Neil Peart’s life. In August 1997, his daughter Selena died in a car accident, followed by his wife Jacqueline’s death from cancer in June 1998. Peart embarked on a self-described “healing journey” by motorcycle in which he traveled roughly 55,000 miles across North America. He subsequently wrote about his travels in his book Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road.

A triple live album entitled “Different Stages” was released, dedicated to the memory of Selena and Jacqueline. It contained recorded performances from the band’s Counterparts, Test for Echo, and A Farewell to Kings tours.

Rarely does a live recording manage to capture the very essence of a band like “Different Stages” does for Rush. Their live releases have either been too polished as to not capture the energy and atmosphere of a live performance, or they have been to raw and thus interfering with the quality of the music. Rush achieves the perfect balance for “Different Stages”. The crows noise stays at a level where it’s able to be heard and felt, but it never overpowers or even threatens to drown out a note that the band plays. Also, the production allows you to hear that it is a live release and feel the frantic energy and adrenalin galvanized air, but the music quality is still crystal clear.

Between the recordings of Disc 1 + 2 & 3 is a timeline of 20 years, but you can’t find a difference when you look at the passion, power, perfection and atmosphere, how Rush perform their music. From the opening riff of Dreamline in 1997 to the closing riff in Cinderella Man in 1978, there is nothing to be disappointed about this great live album.

Line-up:
* Geddy Lee – bass guitar, synthesizers, vocals
* Alex Lifeson – electric and acoustic guitars, vocals
* Neil Peart – drums, percussion

Track List:
CD1
01. Dreamline – 5:34
02. Limelight – 4:32
03. Driven – 5:16
04. Bravado – 6:23
05. Animate – 6:29
06. Show Don’t Tell – 5:29
07. The Trees – 5:28
08. Nobody’s Hero – 5:01
09. Closer to the Heart – 5:13
10. 2112 : I. Overture – 4:32
11. 2112 : II. The Temples Of Syrinx – 2:20
12. 2112 : III. Discovery – 4:17
13. 2112 : IV. Presentation – 3:40
14. 2112 : V. Oracle: The Dream – 1:49
15. 2112 : VI. Soliloquy – 2:07
16. 2112 : VII. Grand Finale – 2:37
CD2
01. Test for Echo – 6:15
02. The Analog Kid – 5:14
03. Freewill – 5:36
04. Roll The Bones – 5:58
05. Stick It Out – 4:42
06. Resist – 4:27
07. Leave That Thing Alone – 4:46
08. The Rhythm Method (drum solo) – 8:19
09. Natural Science – 8:05
10. The Spirit of Radio – 4:47
11. Tom Sawyer – 5:18
12. YYZ – 5:25
CD3
01. Bastille Day – 5:07
02. By-Tor & The Snow Dog – 4:59
03. Xanadu – 12:32
04. A Farewell to Kings – 5:53
05. Something for Nothing – 4:01
06. Cygnus X-1 – 10:23
07. Anthem – 4:47
08. Working Man – 4:00
09. Fly by Night – 2:04
10. In the Mood – 3:34
11. Cinderella Man – 5:09

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Geddy Lee, Live, Rush

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Nuthin' Fancy (1975) (@320)

28 Sep 2007

(Review from rollingstone.com, allmusic.com)

“Second Helping” brought Lynyrd Skynyrd mass success and for the follow-up they offered “Nuthin’ Fancy”.

With three full-time electric guitarists, a piano player and a fireplug of a lead singer, Lynyrd Skynyrd presents an unusually broad front line. On record, they approximate their hot live sound by limiting overdubbed extras and partly through extensive room miking—by enclosing the band in a natural ambience. It results in a rawer edge than their previous albums.

There are several songs here that are just good generic rockers. But Lynyrd Skynyrd prove that what makes a great band great is how they treat generic material, and they make the whole of “Nuthin’ Fancy” feel every bit as convincing as their first two records.

Yes, this does seem to pale in comparison with its predecessors, but most hard rock bands would give their left arm for a record that swaggers and hits as hard as Nuthin’ Fancy.

Line-up:
* Ronnie Van Zant – lead vocals
* Allen Collins – guitar
* Ed King – guitar
* Gary Rossington – guitar
* Billy Powell – keyboards
* Leon Wilkeson – bass guitar
* Artimus Pyle – drums, percussion
with
* Barry Harwood – dobro, mandolin
* Jimmy Hall – harmonica
* David Foster – piano
* Bobbye Hall – percussion

Track List:
01. Saturday Night Special – 5:08
02. Cheatin’ Woman – 4:38
03. Railroad Song – 4:14
04. I’m a Country Boy – 4:24
05. On the Hunt – 5:25
06. Am I Losin’ – 4:32
07. Made in the Shade – 4:40
08. Whiskey Rock-A-Roller – 4:33

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Lynyrd Skynyrd

Burnin' Red Ivanhoe – W.W.W. (1971) (@256)

27 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Burnin’ Red Ivanhoe was formed back in 1967 in Denmark. Their style is an interesting blend of early scandinavian jazz/art-rock and R&B. The band’s approach to music is quite refreshing and original, the album has an uplifting and very energetic (almost naive) mood. The music has a certain scandinavian touch, difficult to explain.

Lots of instruments (flute, sax, trombone, piano, organ, acoustic & electric guitars etc.), which is always nice, and there’s a lot of variation in the mix, as the guys are not afraid to use some of the more exotic instruments..

Obviously the band was having time to tour England and they wrote this excellent track about their hotel in Croydon after a gig in Fairfield Hall where Menzer’s flute resembles that of Traffic’s Chris Wood. Some of the other sonic similarities that can be heard are reminiscent of the excellent German group Out Of Focus. The title track starts out dreamily as an oriental-desert psyched-out trip: you could almost see the early 70′s hippies crossing Iran on their way to Kathmandu in their Combi VW while listening to this. Close to the best German groups such as Embryo, this track is a pure delight. With almost no transition we veer into Kaskelain, which is definitely more dynamic and brilliantly played and ends up in motif that is exactly the one that the next track uses to pick up the pieces. Karsemore, this tracks starts almost basic but soon veers into a demented jazz-psyched out rock. Cool stuff and the band is on top of their game in this lengthy three-piece suite. After another stand out track “Oblong Serenade” is a phenomenal succession of blistering solos over a great rhythm and a fitting outro for the album.

Traffic, Out Of Focus, Colosseum… Does it not make your mouth salivate?

Line-up:
- Kim Menzer / flute, trombone, harmonica, Tenor saxophone, percussion
- Ole Fick / guitars, vocals
- Karsten Vogel / Alto & Soprano saxophone, organ, piano
- Jess Staer / bass, acoustic guitar
- Bo Thrige Andersen / drums, percussion

Track List:
01. Second Floor, Croydon (8:37)
02. W.W.W. (6:07)
03. Avez-Vous Kaskelainen (4:47)
04. Kaske-Vous Karse Mose (3:49)
05. All About All (4:08)
06. Oblong Serenade (6:25)
07. Cucumber-Porcupine (5:21)

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Lynyrd Skynyrd – Second Helping (1974) (@320)

27 Sep 2007

(Review from allmusic.com)

Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote the book on southern rock with their first album, so it only made sense that they followed it for their second album, aptly titled Second Helping.

Sticking with producer Al Kooper (who, after all, discovered them), the group turned out a record that replicated all the strengths of the original, but was a little tighter and a little more professional. It also revealed that the band, under the direction of songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, was developing a truly original voice. Of course, the band had already developed their own musical voice, but it was enhanced considerably by Van Zant’s writing, which was at turns plainly poetic, surprisingly clever, and always revealing.

Though Second Helping isn’t as hard a rock record as their debut, it’s the songs that make the record. “Sweet Home Alabama” became ubiquitous, yet it’s rivaled by such terrific songs as the snide, punkish “Workin’ for MCA”, the southern groove of “Don’t Ask Me No Questions”, the affecting “The Ballad of Curtis Loew” and “The Needle and the Spoon”, a drug tale as affecting as their rival Neil Young’s “Needle and the Damage Done” but much harder rocking.

This is the part of Lynyrd Skynyrd that most people forget — they were a great band, but they were indelible because that was married to great writing. And nowhere was that more evident than on Second Helping.

Line-up:
* Ronnie Van Zant – lead & backing vocals
* Gary Rossington – guitar
* Allen Collins – guitar
* Ed King – guitar, slide guitar, rhythm & bass
* Billy Powell – keyboards
* Leon Wilkeson – bass
* Bob Burns – drums
with
* Mike Porter – drums
* Clydie King – back vocals
* Merry Clayton & Friends – back vocals
* Bobby Keys, Trewor Lawrence & Steve Madiao – horns
* Al Kooper – backing vocals, piano

Track List:
01. Sweet Home Alabama – 4:43
02. I Need You – 6:55
03. Don’t Ask Me No Questions – 3:26
04. Workin’ For MCA – 4:49
05. The Ballad of Curtis Lowe – 4:51
06. Swamp Music – 3:31
07. The Needle And The Spoon – 3:53
08. Call Me The Breeze – 5:09
09. Don’t Ask Me No Questions (Bonus Single) – 3:31
10. Was I Right Or Wrong (Bonus Demo) – 5:33
11. Take Your Time (Bonus Demo) – 7:29

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Lynyrd Skynyrd

Rush – Test for Echo (1996) (@256)

27 Sep 2007

(Review from allmusic.com, progarchives.com)

With the inclusion of more synthesizer sounds, “Test for Echo” tries to combine the band’s old sound with modern sound.

The opening track “Test for Echo” takes the ambient music with synthesizer and guitar work in continuous stream of music which is then followed with bass and drums in electronic sounds. It flows naturally with low to mid register notes of Geddy Lee vocal. Bass guitar is still being played as old style of Rush – which in a way has characterized the music of Rush.

“Driven” has been played in many Rush live album versions and it becomes an important part of the show, obviously. The strong point of this track is in its rhythm section and soft guitar riffs combined with bass lines. Again, you can find interesting bass lines combined with all good drumming and synthesizer works. “Half the World” tries to bring the music in its mild level with its guitar-based rhythm section in floating style. “The Color of Right” sounds like a continuation of the previous track especially on the way rhythm section is built and – of course the low to mid register notes on vocal line.

“Time and Motion” takes the music into more uplifting mode with the blast of music that combines guitar riffs and melodic synthesizer shot. “Totem” continues the previous track style. “Dog Years” is a rocker with faster tempo and higher register notes on vocal and nice guitar riffs. “Virtuality” is another rocker with firmer guitar riffs than previous track. “Resist” brings the music into a kind of ballad with nice guitar fills and rhythm section. “Limbo” reminds me to the music style of “signal” album. “Carve Away the Stone” concludes the album with medium tempo music.

The album is all instrumental gymnastics and convoluted song structures, all of which demonstrate each member’s skills. And the key to the album is the individual performances, since each song isn’t particularly memorable as a song, only as a way to showcase the solos. With Rush, such a tactic isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / basses, synthesizers, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / guitars
- Neil Peart / drums, percussion

Track List:
01. Test for echo (5:55)
02. Driven (4:26)
03. Half the world (3:42)
04. The color of right (4:48)
05. Time and motion (5:01)
06. Totem (4:57)
07. Dog years (4:54)
08. Virtuality (5:43)
09. Resist (4:23)
10. Limbo (5:28)
11. Carve away the stone (4:05)

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Geddy Lee, Rush

Akin Eldes – Kafi (2002) (@256)

26 Sep 2007

(Review from guitar9.com)

Akin Eldes is a prominent Turkish guitarist, best known for his work with Bulutsuzluk Ozlemi.

Kafi is his all-instrumental first solo album with his own songs and displays his love for improvisational hard rock, progressive rock and other musical idioms. Eldes loves effects such as phasers, flangers and other time-shifting tools, so the music surges and swells when not driven hard by frenzied, psychedelic soloing, as on “Serbest Bolge”. Bolstered by the drum work of co-producer Cem Aksel and the bass throb of Patrick Chartol, Kafi is an ear-perking and head-turning work aimed at fans of rock improvisation coming from exotic ports of call.

Line-up:
* Akin Eldes – Guitar, VG-8, Bass, DR Programming
* Patrick Chartol – Bass
* Cem Aksel – Drums, DR Programming, Special Effects
* Gurol Agirbas – Bass
* Tanju Duru – DR Programming, Special Effects

Track List:
01. Girizgah (Introduction)
02. Serbest Bolge (Free Zone)
03. Lirik Blues “In Memory Of Yavuz Cetin”
04. 4 Delay
05. Sappho
06. Hababam
07. Sco
08. Haydi
09. Kafi
10. 1/3
11. Sofsotik
12. Ukw

Links in comments.

Turkish

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd (1973) (@256)

26 Sep 2007

(Review from wikipedia, allmusic)

The band, originally called “My Backyard”, was formed in Jacksonville, Florida in the summer of 1964 by teenage friends. Their early influences included British Invasion bands such as Free, Yardbirds, and Beatles, as well as southern blues and country & western music. During the 1960s, the band changed names several times. In 1968 they won a local Battle of the Bands contest.

In 1970, the band first became “Lynard Skynard” and then to “Lynyrd Skynyrd” as a mocking tribute to Rossington’s and Burns’ gym coach at Robert E. Lee High School, Leonard Skinner, replacing all the syllables in his name with the letter ‘y’. Skinner would strictly enforce the school’s dress code, which did not allow boys to have long hair touching the collar or sideburns below the ears.

The band continued to perform throughout the South in the early 1970s, further developing their hard-driving, blues-rock sound and image. Musician, songwriter, and producer Al Kooper of “Blood, Sweat, and Tears” was impressed with the band during a performance at an Atlanta club called Funocchio’s in 1972, and signed them to MCA Records.

Allman Brothers came first, but Lynyrd Skynyrd epitomized southern rock. Allmans were exceptionally gifted musicians, as much bluesmen as rockers. Skynyrd was nothing but rockers, and they were southern rockers to the bone. This didn’t just mean that they were rednecks, but that they brought it all together — the blues, country, garage rock, southern poetry — in a way that sounded more like the south than even the Allmans. And a large portion of that derives from their hard, lean edge, which was nowhere more apparent than on their debut album, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd.

There are few records that sound this raw and uncompromising, especially records by debut bands. Then again, few bands sound this confident and fully formed with their first record. Perhaps the record is stronger because it’s only eight songs, so there isn’t a wasted moment, but that doesn’t discount the sheer strength of each song. Consider the opening juxtaposition of the rollicking “I Ain’t the One” with the heartbreaking “Tuesday’s Gone”. Two songs couldn’t be more opposed, yet Skynyrd sounds equally convincing on both. If that’s all the record did, it would still be fondly regarded, but it wouldn’t have been influential. The genius of Skynyrd is that they un-self-consciously blended album-oriented hard rock, blues, country, and garage rock, turning it all into a distinctive sound that sounds familiar but thoroughly unique. On top of that, there’s the highly individual voice of Ronnie Van Zant, a songwriter who isn’t afraid to be nakedly sentimental, spin tales of the south, or to twist macho conventions with humor.

It’s the birth of a great band that birthed an entire genre with this album.

Line-up:
* Ronnie Van Zant – lead vocals
* Gary Rossington – lead & rhythm guitars
* Allen Collins – lead & rhythm guitars
* Ed King – bass, lead guitar
* Billy Powell – keyboards
* Bob Burns – drums
* Leon Wilkeson – bass
with
* Roosevelt Gook (Al Kooper) – bass, mellotron & back-up harmony, mandolin, bass drum, organ, mellotron
* Robert Nix – drums
* Bobby Hall – percussion
* Steve Katz – harmonica

Track List:
01. I Ain’t The One – 3:52
02. Tuesday’s Gone – 7:30
03. Gimme Three Steps – 4:27
04. Simple Man – 5:56
05. Things Goin’ On – 4:57
06. Mississippi Kid – 3:54
07. Poison Whiskey – 3:13
08. Free Bird – 9:07
09. Mr. Banker (Bonus Demo) – 5:22
10. Down South Jukin’ (Bonus Demo) – 2:57
11. Tuesday’s Gone (Bonus Demo) – 7:55
12. Gimme Three Steps (Bonus Demo) – 5:19
13. Free Bird (Bonus Demo) – 11:09

Links in comments.

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Rush – Counterparts (1993) (@256)

26 Sep 2007

(Review from wikipedia, allmusic.com)

Counterparts continues the trend of dark and emotional themes; it takes on difficult subjects such as bigotry and crime, yet it keeps a general concept of ambition, sadness, and love on songs. Synths also continued to wash away with guitar taking the main stage more and more. In the classic rock-unfriendly alternative explosion, Rush released their most honest and organic rock & roll record in over a decade.

Opener “Animate” is straightforward enough, but doesn’t even hint at the guitar ferocity and lyrical angst of “Stick it Out”, a song which undoubtedly polarizes Rush fans to this day. Intellectual melodic rockers like “Cut to the Chase”, “At the Speed of Love” and “Everyday Glory” are also present (and less shocking), but diversity continues to rule the day with Geddy Lee’s bass taking charge on the amazingly somber “Double Agent” and the giddy instrumental “Leave That Thing Alone.” Pure hard rock resurfaces on “Cold Fire,” but it is the largely acoustic “Nobody’s Hero” which provides the album’s most gripping moment with an impassioned plea for HIV consciousness and understanding.

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / basses, bass pedals, synthesizers, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / guitars
- Neil Peart / drums, percussion
with
- John Webster / keyboards

Track List:
01. Animate (6:03)
02. Stick it out (4:30)
03. Cut to the chase (4:48)
04. Nobody’s hero (4:54)
05. Between sun and moon (4:37)
06. Alien shore (5:45)
07. Speed of love (5:02)
08. Double agent (4:51)
09. Leave that thing alone (4:05)
10. Cold fire (4:26)
11. Everyday glory (5:11)

Links in comments.

Geddy Lee, Rush

Dug Dug's – Dug Dug's (1971) (@256)

25 Sep 2007

(Review from El Mundo Loco, Yesterday & Today Records)

Dug Dug’s are a Mexican rock group which started off in the early sixties as a high school band called Xippos Rock. In a road trip from Durango to Tijuana, the name was changed to Dug Dug’s, an abbreviation of the band’s native city and state.

This self-titled first album is a killer mix of late ’60s garage psych, UK ’60′s psych and Santana like moves with ripping fuzz guitars and complex percussion. Lots of cowbell, fuzz guitar, and flute.

Track List:
01. Lost in My World (Perdido En Mi Mundo)
02. Without Thinking (Sin Pensarlo)
03. Eclipse
04. Sometimes (Algunas Veces)
05. Let’s Make It Now (Hagďż˝moslo Ahora)
06. World of Love (Mundo de Amor)
07. I Got the Feeling (Tengo el Sentimiento)
08. It’s Over (Se Acabo)
09. Going Home (Yendo a Casa)
10. Who Would Look At Me? (Quien Me Mirara?)

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Genesis – Abacab (1981) (@256)

25 Sep 2007

(Review from allmusic.com)

“Duke” showcased a new Genesis — a sleek, hard, stylish trio that truly sounded like a different band from its first incarnation — but Abacab was where this new incarnation of the band came into its own. The group escalated the innovations of Duke, increasing the pop hooks, working them seamlessly into the artiest rock here.

Even if the brash, glorious pop of “No Reply at All” — powered by the percolating horns of Earth, Wind & Fire, yet polished into a precise piece of nearly new wave pop — suggests otherwise, this is still art rock at its core, or at least album-oriented rock, as the band works serious syncopations and instrumental forays into a sound that’s as bright, bold, and jagged as the modernist artwork on the cover. They dabble in other genres, lacing “Me and Sarah Jane” with a reggae beat, for instance, which often adds dimension to their sound, as when “Dodo” rides a hard funk beat and greasy organ synths yet doesn’t become obvious; it turns inward, requiring active listening. Truly, only “No Reply at All”, the rampaging title track, and the sleek and spooky “Man on the Corner” (which hides a real melancholy heart underneath its glistening surface) are immediate and accessible — although the Mockney jokes of “Who Dunnit?” could count, it’s too much of a geeky novelty to be pop. The rest of Abacab is truly 80s art rock, probably the band’s last album that could bear that tag comfortably.

Line-up:
- Tony Banks / keyboards, backing vocals
- Phil Collins / drums, percussion, lead vocals
- Mike Rutherford / lead guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals

Track List:
01. Abacab (7:01)
02. No Reply At All (4:40)
03. Me And Sarah Jane (5:59)
04. Keep It Dark (4:31)
05. Dodo / Lurker (7:28)
06. Who Dunnit? (3:22)
07. Man On The Corner (4:26)
08. Like It Or Not (4:57)
09. Another Record (4:28)

Link in comments.

Genesis, Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins, Tony Banks

Rush – Roll the Bones (1991) (@256)

25 Sep 2007

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

Continuing Presto’s trend, 1991′s “Roll the Bones” extended the use of the standard three-instrument approach with even less focus on synthesizers than its predecessor. While musically these albums do not deviate significantly from a general pop-rock sound, Rush stuck to their creative approach of incorporating traces of more exotic musical styles. Lyrically, this album is quite possibly one of Rush’s darkest albums, as most of the songs deal with death in no uncertain terms.

The title track is a natural extension of the previous album’s opener “Show Don’t Tell”, which boasts more prominent funky rhythms and guitar work, and a surprising “rapped” section in the middle (a first for the band). Another funk-rocker is “Where’s My Thing? (Part IV, ‘Gangster of Boats’ Trilogy)”, featuring several jazz components. It is Rush’s first instrumental since 1981′s classic “YYZ”. Other highlights include the melodic pop of the album-opener “Dreamline” and a coming-of-age love song, “Ghost of a Chance”.

Within their everpresent modern casual look, they manage to bring their efforts close to admirable and their music close to brilliant. There is a great mood that this album settles for the listener, there is a rafined taste of music they Rush deceloped, there is a sense of dedication and of understanding of the message in here. “Roll The Bones” satisfyies and clears up the mind and the impression power. Though nothing new is respresented by this, still it is an experience of its own. A spiritual difference of taste and accomodation marks “Roll The Bones”, a difference that every interested one will notice and will be marked by it. This time, the formula of simplicity and pragmatism with limits works fine.

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / basses, synthesizers, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / guitars, backing vocals
- Neil Peart / drums, cymbals
with
- Rupert Hine / keyboards, backing vocals

Track List:
01. Dreamline (4:37)
02. Bravado (4:35)
03. Roll the bones (5:30)
04. Face up (3:53)
05. Where’s my thing (Part IV of the “Gangster of Boats trilogy”) (3:49)
06. The big wheel (5:12)
07. Heresy (5:25)
08. Ghost of a chance (5:18)
09. Neurotica (4:39)
10. You bet your life (4:59)

Link in comments.

Geddy Lee, Rush

Guru Guru – UFO (1970) (@256)

24 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

The constant driving force behind “Guru Guru” since it’s inception as “The Guru Guru Groove Band in 1968 has been the unusual intellect and masterful musicianship of drummer Mani Neumeier. During the first half of the 1960s he embraced the jazz interpretations of John Coltrane, Thelonious Monl, Max Roach and other jazz mentors from which he would develop his own style of impulsive drumming. During this period he played with various traditional jazz groups in Zurich, Switzerland culminating with work with Swiss jazz pianist Irene Schweizer. It was during this time that he hooked up with bassist Uli Trepte with whom he shared the desire to create louder more adventurous music which would follow the paradigms of Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa. Joined by guitarist Edy Nageli, they played their first gig in Heidelberg, Germany in August 1968 and shocked audiences who had been familiar with Neumeier`s work in the more mainstream European jazz scene.

After a few more lineup changes, during which they briefly became a quartet, they were joined by ex-”Agitation Free” guitarist Ax Genrich whose pyrotechnical aspirations were just what Neumeier and Trepte were looking for. On the insistence of their fans who followed them from gig to gig, their debut album, “UFO”, was released in early 1970 on the Ohr record label which by that time was already known for promoting avant garde music.

What we have in this album is one of the earliest examples of space rock, kosmische muzieke, wild psychedelia and an essential base to the Krautrock scene, even if it is not the most representative. Based on the live jams of Jimi Hendrix, a lot of Guru’s music just soars on ahead often reaching mayhem and redefining chaos. Indeed Stone In and the fabulous Girl Call (it sounds like she’s not calling but orgasming really) are coming almost straight out from Hendrix’s realm (thinking of Hear That Train Coming on the Rainbow Bridges soundtrack, here). Their mainly instrumental rock exudes energy, sounding sometimes like a three guitar Floyd (Saucerful-era) fusing the tracks together (have to pay attention when the next Dalai Lama track starts) in an intense and sometimes improvised dirty lo-fi rock.

The second side of the wax shows a different Guru with a definitively more spacey, spooky ambient guitar feedbacks where spaceships are boarding up, travelling through black holes and shooting asteroids out of their trajectory. While the title track may appear a bit lengthy and will not really stand numerous listens, this track is absolutely fascinating because mostly made of one guitar and its amplifier. The closing LSD March is another freak out most likely depicting the world where Syd Barrett never really came back from. Neumeier’s drumming shines throughout the album.

Line-up:
- Mani Neumeier / percussion, drums, voice, tapes
- Uli Trepte / bass, sounds
- Ax Genrich / guitars

Track List:
01. Stone In (5:43)
02. Girl Call (6:21)
03. Next Time See You At The Dalai Lhama (5:59)
04. Ufo (10:25)
05. Der LSD / Marsch (8:28)

Link in comments.

Rush – Presto (1989) (@256)

24 Sep 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

Rush started to deviate from their 1980s style with Presto, shedding much of their keyboard-saturated sound. They opted for arrangements that were notably more guitar-centric. Although synthesizers were still used in many songs, the instrument was no longer featured as the centrepiece of Rush’s compositions.

The opener “Show Don’t Tell” immediately sets the scene, with its jagged rythms and Lifeson’s aggressive riffing – clearly a much more complex offering than the catchier, chorus-orientated songs on their previous studio album. “Chain Lighting” rocks harder and faster than most of the band’s ’80s production after “Moving Pictures”; while the slower, deceptively melodic “The Pass” deals in style with the thorny topic of suicide. “Scars” features a complex drum pattern in which both acoustic and electronic drums are utilized. The pattern was derived from a tribal rhythm Neil Peart experienced while on a bicycle tour of Africa. There are other gems to be found on this album, such as the partly acoustic title-track and the brisk, dynamic “Red Tide”.

Having closed the ’80s chapter with the live “A Show of Hands”, “Presto” bodes well for the future. Again Rush had regrouped and revised their approach to stay relevant, once more proving that their vision of progressive rock could take root anywhere, anytime.

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / basses, bass pedals, synthesizers, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / guitars
- Neil Peart / drums, acoustic & electronic percussion
with
- Rupert Hine / keyboards, backing vocals
- Jason Sniderman / keyboards

Track List:
01. Show don’t tell (5:01)
02. Chain lightning (4:33)
03. The pass (4:50)
04. War paint (5:24)
05. Scars (4:07)
06. Presto (5:46)
07. Superconductor (4:47)
08. Anagram (for Mongo) (3:59)
09. Red tide (4:30)
10. Hand over fist (4:10)
11. Available light (5:04)

Link in comments.

Geddy Lee, Rush

Parlour Band – Is A Friend (1971) (@256)

24 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, allmusic.com)

Parlour Band was formed when vocalist/keyboard player/songwriter Peter Filleul and a local Jersey hard rock band joined forces. Combining Filleul’s love of Beatlesque lush melodies and the band’s love of American westcoast hard edged rock, they were both a psychedelic pastoral pop band and a heavy progressive group.

Every song is masterful, filled with great melodies, fantastic interplay, rich soaring flowing textures of guitars and keyboards, and the vocals — especially harmonies are really good.

Highlights include; “Forgotten Dream” with multiple tempo changes and classical-tinged organ burble, “Little Goldie” in its bouncy pop optimism and relatively sophisticated keyboard-based arrangement, the closing three-part, seven-minute mini-opus “Home”.

Line-up:
- Peter Filleul / lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm acoustic
- Pix / vocals, lead vocals (6), wah wah Gibson
- Craig Anders / vocals, electric & acoustic & slide guitar
- Mark Ashley Anders / vocals, bass
- Jerry Robins / percussion

Track List:
01. Forgotten Dreams (2:41)
02. Pretty Haired Girl (2:52)
03. Springs’ Sweet Comfort (5:09)
04. Early Morning Eyes (3:52)
05. Follow Me (4:56)
06. Evening (4:58)
07. Don’t Be Sad (3:21)
08. Little Goldie (3:20)
09. To Happiness (3:04)
10. Home (7:37)
a) Once More Loneliness
b) Fortress
c) Home

Link in comments.

King Crimson – Islands (1971) (@256)

23 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

‘Islands’, released in 1971 and was King Crimson’s fourth studio record. The band has changed a lot in the meantime and left only Robert Fripp and Pete Sinfield as original members, who signed all the tracks, but the two instrumentals together. From the more symphonic outfit of the beginnigs, the band moved into jazz rock with Mel Collins on sax, Boz Borrell on bass and lead vocals and Ian Wallace on drums, plus some guest artists from the jazz-rock field like Keith Tippet and Marc Charig. The overall athmosphere is the typical Frippish one of tension, threat and danger which he supports all through the record with his trashing biting guitar play, alternating with some sweeter passages.

‘Formentera Lady’ starts of slowly with a bowed bass, flute, piano and chimes and a first beautiful theme, alternating with a second theme over a funky ostinato bass line, that will later on be elaborated by guitar, mellotron, a sax solo and soprano vocallizes blending into….

‘Sailor’s Tale’, a syncopated up-tempo jazz instrumental with flute and sax , giving way to a slower heavy funk rhythm change over which Fripp plays thrashing razor blade chords and a threatening mellotron.

‘The Letters’ starts with a delicate guitar, a mournful melody, before the brass section and distorted guitar come crashing in, followed by a baritone sax solo and a second part with angry desperate vocals ponctuated by the guitar and an A Capella outro.

‘Ladies Of The Road’ starts a as a slow blues with guitar and tambourine, followed by a howling tenor sax and heavy drums until the chorus gives place to a Beatles like Barbershop vocal arrangement and a sax solo.

‘Gulls’ is a classical elegy for strings and oboe, a sweet melody played by the oboe over pizzicato strings.

‘Islands’ the title song presents a perfect balance of lyrics and music a masterpice of Fripp and Sinfield. A beautiful melody accompagnated by piano and flute and leaving place to a second theme played by cornet and a harmonium and then by mellotron and oboe. All the second half of the long track functions as a long outro over a distant and discret rhythm a cornet solo, harmonium and mellotron chords fading slowly out.

This vastly underrated album of King Crimson’s discography, is a great fusion of elements from their previous two albums mixing the lyrical style of “In the Wake of Poseidon”, and the orchestration and improvisation found on “Lizard”.

Line-up:
- Robert Fripp / guitar, mellotron, pedal harmonium and sundry implements
- Mel Collins / flute, bass flute, saxes and vocals
- Boz Burrell / bass guitar, lead vocals and choreography
- Ian Wallace / drums, percussion and vocals
- Peter Sinfield / words, sounds and visions
with:
- Keith Tippet / piano
- Paulina Lucas / soprano
- Robin Miller / oboe
- Mark Charig / cornet
- Harry Miller / string bass

Track List:
01. Formentera Lady (10:14)
02. Sailor’s Tale (7:21)
03. The Letters (4:26)
04. Ladies Of The Road (5:28)
05. Prelude: Song Of The Gulls (4:14)
06. Islands (11:51)

Link in comments.

Boz Burrell, Ian Wallace, King Crimson, Mel Collins, Peter Sinfield, Robert Fripp, Sakalli's Pick

Jon Lord – Sarabande (1976) (@256)

23 Sep 2007

(Review from purplerecords.net, progarchives.com)

Founder member of Deep Purple, keyboard player Jon Lord needs little introduction to rock audiences. Yet classical music had been a huge part of his musical education, and echoes of his love for the genre imbued the early Deep Purple albums. His interest was then channeled into a series of classical/rock experiments which lasted throughout the seventies.

Jon Lord based his material on a set of dance suites, interpreted with a string orchestra and modern rock instrumentation. His own keyboard playing was stunning, ranging from gentle piano work to heavy Hammond organ riffs. The guitar was played by Andy Summers, just prior to his joining The Police.

A crash of orchestra and cymbals opens this huge work. The title piece is strong, with a cool bass line and Lord’s infectious synth, built up with masses of horns, strings, and percussion shifting from Latin moves and sweeping winds to jazzy and romantic encounters. This is *orchestral* rock more than it is *symphonic*, and the record is bold even for 1976.

In the 11-minute ‘Guige’ we hear remnants of Dave Brubeck’s proto-fusion and even Bo Hansson’s distant impact, as instruments talk to each other in spirited conversation. The second half grooves smoothly into hip street rhythms, Arabian sand storms, Eastern treasure and T.E. Lawrence. ‘Caprice’ is first-rate syn-phonic rock sewn into a fascinating quilt of opera, pomp and circumstance and is benefitted by Eberhard Schoener’s firm conducting.

Unfortunately, at the time it was released, the album went mostly unnoticed in the storm of Deep Purple’s 1976 tour and their split.

Line-up:
- Philharmonica Hungarica Orchestra / Eberhard Schoener, conductor
- Jon Lord / Hammond organ, RMI piano, Steinway and Yamaha Grand pianos, Clavinet, ARP Odyssey, Pro soloist, String ensamble synthesisers
- Paul Karass / bass
- Andy Summers / guitar
- Mark Nauseef / percussion
- Pete York / drums, gong, sleigh bells, shaker

Track List:
01. Fantasia (3:32)
02. Sarabande (7:25)
03. Aria (3:48)
04. Gigue (11:10)
05. Bouree (11:07)
06. Pavane (7:45)
07. Caprice (3:13)
08. Finale (2:04)

Link in comments.

Jon Lord

Gomorrha – I Turned To See Whose Voice It Was (1972) (@256)

23 Sep 2007

(Review from sleeve, progarchives.com)

Near the end of 1971, bassist Mike Eulner joined so that Eberhard didn’t have to switch off from organ to bass.

In early 1972 Gomorrha went back into the studio and needed only four days to record the six songs for “I Turned To See Whose Voice It Was”. The band sounded relaxed and laid back. And even though their sometimes ominous fantasies created an apocalyptic mood, their guitar and organ-dominated sound had a releasing and optimistic feel to it. Otten used experiences he had in his daily life for his lyrics, thus creating private images without showing any inclination towards social criticism. The album featured catchy instrumental jams, krautrock’s original psych / spacey mood, pastoral flute parts and heavy guitar riffs.

Gomorrha only lasted another year. The members were not prepared to commit themselves to the uncertain life of musicians, so they split up and went back to their regular jobs, and none of them have ever returned to music.

Line-up:
- Eberhard Krietsch / organ, piano
- Helmuth Pohl / drums
- Mike Eulner / bass
- Ad Ochel / guitar
- Ali Claudi / guitar
- Peter Otten / vocals

Track List:
01. Dance On A Volcano (10:01)
02. Opening Of The Sealed Book (5:45)
03. Dead Life (3:56)
04. I Turned To See Whose Voice It Was (7:48)
05. I Try To Change This World (9:31)
06. Titish Child (6:57)

Link in comments.

Gomorrha, Helmut Pohl

Rush – A Show of Hands (Live 1988) (@256)

22 Sep 2007

(Review from allmusic.com, progarchives.com)

“A Show Of Hands” closes out the third chapter of Rush. The only tracks from the pre-1982 period to be featured are “Closer to the Heart”, which is expanded to include a jamming section at the end, and the spooky “Witch Hunt”, originally from 1981′s Moving Pictures.

The remainder of the album’s track list is comprised of a selection of Rush’s highlights from 1982-1987, such as “Subdivisions”, “Distant Early Warning”, “Force Ten”, “Time Stand Still” and “Red Sector A”; as well as several tracks that have been forgotten over time (“Marathon”, “Turn the Page”, “Mission”, etc.). Also featured for the first time on a live Rush album is a completely unaccompanied drum solo by Neil Peart — the intricate “Rhythm Method”.

The inspired “A Show of Hands” is an excellent snapshot of Rush in concert during the mid-to late ’80s.

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / basses, synthesizers, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / guitars, synthesizers, backing vocals
- Neil Peart / drums, acoustic & electronic percussion

Track List:
01. Intro (0:53)
02. The big money (5:52)
03. Subdivisions (5:19)
04. Marathon (6:43)
05. Turn the page (4:46)
06. Manhattan Project (5:00)
07. Mission (5:59)
09. Distant early warning (5:22)
09. Mystic Rhythms (5:32)
10. Witch hunt (part III of Fear) (3:55)
11. The rhythm method (drum solo) (4:40)
12. Force ten (4:57)
13. Time stand still (5:10)
14. Red sector A (5:12)
15. Closer to the heart (4:53)

Links in comments.

Geddy Lee, Live, Rush

Gomorrha – Trauma (1971) (@256)

22 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

The band Gomorrha based in Cologne in 1969 has been influenced initially strongly by 60′s beat music and the original version of this album here (which is added up as bonus on this edition) is kept basically in this style using German lyrics. Since especially their vocals in native language wasn’t that much appreciated on concerts the band decided to discard the complete recordings and to do new ones with singing in English adding a much stronger psyche and bluesey touch to the songs. Those are mainly dominated by guitar and especially on the title track which is the longest and certainly most interesting one plenty of solos can be found. Keyboards have been used rather sparsely but then highly efficient and in a freaky and psychedelic vein.

The band impresses enough to earn one of those progressive dust-fascinating styles, in mix with the 60s being more and more pale, the independent rock being a sort of experiment or a defining attitude, the bluesed or psyched rock having good and even better values (in an otherwise tongue-twisted music monotony) and the impression of a fake krautrock style, of course purely out of some bit of deep nuances or the general German rock movement. All this happens in a band with no impressive, yet steaming and unconventional spices of progressive rock, jam and bluster music or different small concepts, meant to entertain and to show craft.

More about Gomorrha’s intricate place in the progressive rock fundamental essence, you can find enchanting and pleasing moments of composition, of slender art acts, of brutal and mystic forces that gravitate, on the typical use of lush guitars, extravagant minor keyboards, a bit of passive drumming, and a vision which to be called of a wild dream or of a forceful spell-bound interpretation. The bit of illusory names and concept, like Trauma, sense some of the best dynamics and impressions, possible for a band that, again, fuses blues, unharvested pop, simple rock or psychedelic atrophied nimbles. All this includes something from the symphonic open-hearted zeal, the epic art rock persiflage, the psychedelic prog unnatural form or the hard rock unnatural or unwanted groove. Gomorrha, finally, doesn’t play that much of a restless and constantly dissatisfied prog, since its rock movement is somewhere between the very obscure good art and the totally dehydrated worth of sound, melody and attractive tone. It’s an under-sound, concerning every specific big movement of progressive rock. With a bit more passion and flawless direction in their music, Gomorrha would have become one of the most frantic dark-poignant bands in the genre.

Line-up:
- Helmut Pohl / drums, flute
- Ali Claudi / guitar, vocals
- Eberhard Krietsch / bass, keyboards, organ, vocals
- Ad Ochel / guitar, vibraphone, vocals
- Peter Otten / vocals

Track List:
01. Journey (3:12)
02. Trauma (13:12)
03. Yesterday (3:45)
04. Lola (4:26)
05. Dead Land (3:28)
06. Summer (2:45)
07. Rainbowlight (2:42)
08. Dance of Circles (3:07)
09. Firehands (3:13)
10. Lola (4:03)
11. Totes Land (3:26) (Bonus German)
12. Flammenhände (3:12) (Bonus German)
13. Reise (2:38) (Bonus German)
14. Regenbogenschein (3:02) (Bonus German)
15. Gestern (3:22) (Bonus German)
16. Kreiseltanz (4:11) (Bonus German)
17. Sommer (3:48) (Bonus German)
18. Trauma (9:11) (Bonus German)

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Gomorrha, Helmut Pohl

Quicksilver Messenger Service – Happy Trails (1969) (@256)

22 Sep 2007

(Review from amazon.com, wikipedia)

The Quicksilver Messenger Service was never as well-known as some other San Francisco bands of the late sixties like Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead. Essentially a jam band, their early albums and live shows contributed to some of the best instrumental jams of the period.

“Happy Trails”, recorded at the Fillmores East and West and released in 1969, represents an (edited) example of the band’s very finest live performances; the music sounds fresh and exuberant even after more than thirty years.

What was originally the first side of a vinyl lp showcases the Quick’s interpretation of Bo Diddley’s fabulous “Who Do You Love.” The result is a fabulous musical journey featuring incredible guitar solos by Gary Duncan and John Cipollina and also by bass player David Freiberg. Drummer Greg Elmore holds the whole piece together not only with his tight and steady rendition of the trademark Bo Diddley beat, but also his ability to provide a solid rhythmic backing to the improvised guitar solos.

The long, jazz-tinged solo by Duncan has always particularly impressed me with its inventiveness and structural near-perfection. “Who Do You Love” also includes a playful interchange between band and audience that leads gloriously into Cipollina’s exuberant solo. Overall, this recording represents some of the finest and most memorable music to emerge from the amazing San Franciso rock scene that emerged during the “psychedelic era”.

The second half of the album is comprised of an almost continuous suite. Beginning with another Bo Diddley song “Mona”, guitarist Gary Duncan’s Maiden of the Cancer Moon follows and the album closes with the atmospheric Calvary, which manifested itself during a studio acid trip. As a coda, the band sing the theme tune to cowboy TV show Roy Rogers, which lends its title to the album. Fans of rock trivia may be interested to note that this whimsical tune also appears on Van Halen’s Diver Down.

Line-up:
* John Cipollina – Lead Guitar
* Gary Duncan – Guitar, Vocals
* David Freiberg – Bass Guitar, Vocals, Viola
* Greg Elmore – Drums

Track List:
01. Who Do You Love – Part 1 – 3:32
02. When You Love – 5:15
03. Where You Love – 6:07
04. How You Love – 2:45
05. Which Do You Love – 4:38
06. Who Do You Love – Part 2 – 3:05
07. Mona – 7:01
08. Maiden of the Cancer Moon – 2:54
09. Calvary – 13:31
10. Happy Trails – 1:29

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Quicksilver Messenger Service

Rush – Hold Your Fire (1987) (@256)

22 Sep 2007

(Review from wikipedia, allmusic.com, amazon)

Although Hold Your Fire uses nearly as much synthesizer as its predecessor, Power Windows, Hold Your Fire’s guitar riffs and solos are considerably more prominent on several songs.

Rush continued to explore new territory with Hold Your Fire. The song “Tai Shan”, for example, has significant eastern influences. Til Tuesday bassist and vocalist Aimee Mann contributed the first vocals from an artist outside of Rush to “Time Stand Still”. Mann’s laughter is also sampled in the opening minute of the song “Force Ten”.

While the use of keyboards is still overwhelming at times, Geddy Lee employs lush textures which, when coupled with a greater rhythmic and melodic presence from guitarist Alex Lifeson, results in a far warmer sound than in recent efforts. Complex bass lines deviate from the guitar riffs. Neil Peart is as inventive and exciting as ever.

The theme of the album is the human struggle to temper instinct and passion with intellect and restraint. The songs explore several variations of the theme: honoring the sacrifices we sometimes must make to hold true to our dreams (“Mission”); warning us of the dangers of giving in (“Lock and Key”); or exploring the side effects of progress (“Second Nature”). Peart’s lyrics have always been among the most literate and thought-provoking in rock and, when all is said and done, it’s hard to disagree with them. The reason for this is that, rather than beat you over the head with his point of view, he chooses to explore the many shades of gray that illustrate one of the core struggles at the heart of human understanding.

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / basses, bass pedals, synthesizers, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / guitars
- Neil Peart / drums, acoustic & electronic percussion
with
- William Faerey Engineering Brass Band / brass
- Andrew Jackman / brass arrangements
- Aimee Mann / backing vocals
- Steven Margoshes / string arrangments
- Andy Richards / additional keyboards

Track List:
01. Force ten (4:31)
02. Time stand still (5:08)
03. Open secrets (5:37)
04. Second nature (4:36)
05. Prime mover (5:18)
06. Lock and key (5:09)
07. Mission (5:15)
08. Turn the page (4:55)
09. Tai Shan (4:15)
10. High water (5:33)

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Geddy Lee, Rush

Dead Can Dance – Into the Labyrinth (1993) (@256)

21 Sep 2007

(Review from allmusic.com, amazon, time.com)

In 1981, Brendan Perry formed “Dead Can Dance” with vocalist Lisa Gerrard, bassist Paul Erikson, and drummer Simon Monroe. The band decided to call their name “Dead Can Dance” when they saw a ritual mask from New Guinea. As they saw it “The mask, though once a living part of a tree, is dead. Nevertheless, it has, through the artistry of its maker, been imbued with a life force of its own”.

By 1982, Perry and Gerrard decided to relocate to London; Erikson and Monroe decided to stay in Australia. Since then, Dead Can Dance effectively worked as a duo with many session musicians and collaborators helping them record in studio and perform live.

Their goth-sounding name and dour visual image aside, the prolific duo of Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard produce wildly eclectic but utterly unique music. Their painstakingly crafted albums encompass numerous arcane genres, from European classical music to ancient Celtic and Middle Eastern folk styles, often employing authentic antique instruments to achieve their ambitious, emotive soundscapes. Their songs are of lost beauty, regret and sorrow, inspiration and nobility, and of the everlasting human goal of attaining a meaningful existence.

While there is plenty of dark magic on “Into the Labyrinth”, there are no banshee vocals or pounding beats. Instead, Dead Can Dance taps the ecstatic power of Middle Eastern devotional music, Gregorian chant and Celtic canticle to forge a mesmerizing sound that seems to transcend centuries and cultures.

Perhaps even more impressive is that everything was performed solely by Perry and Gerrard — no outside guests here, and yet everything is as detailed, lush, and multifaceted as many of their past albums. New classics from the band appear almost track for track: Gerrard’s a cappella work on “The Wind That Shakes the Barley”, the gentle beauty of “Ariadne”, the rhythmic drive and chants of the title song. The conclusion is a slightly surprising but quite successful cover — “How Fortunate the Man With None,” an adaptation of a classic Bertolt Brecht tune about the turn of fortune’s wheel. Given a restrained arrangement and Perry’s singing, it brings Labyrinth to a satisfying end.

Line-up:
- Brendan Perry / vocals, multi-instruments
- Lisa Gerrard / vocals, multi-instruments

Track List:
01. Yulunga (Spirit Dance) (6:56)
02. The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove (6:17)
03. The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2:49)
04. The Carnival Is Over (5:28)
05. Ariadne (1:54)
06. Saldek (1:07)
07. Towards the Within (7:06)
08. Tell Me About the Forest (You Once Called Home) (5:42)
09. The Spider’s Stratagem (6:42)
10. Emmeleia (2:04)
11. How Fortunate the Man With None (9:15)

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Brendan Perry, Dead Can Dance, Lisa Gerrard

Raw Material – Time Is (1971) (@320)

21 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, progressiveworld.net)

Raw Material’s second album is definitely a more consistant and even album than their debut. The main improvement would be the addition of lead guitarist Cliff Harewood.

For the time period in which it was recorded, it’s startlingly progressive. They were right at the cutting edge of the new sound that was spawned from sixties psychedelic music. The combination of guitars, keyboards, flute, and some perfectly placed percussion made their music an intense experience. The classical influence was evident in their arrangements. Suites dominated a large portion of this album. There are also some drops of jazz weaved in their song crafting.

Line-up:
- Colin Catt / lead vocals, keyboards
- Mike Fletcher / saxophone, flute, vocals
- Dave Green / guitar
- Phil Gunn / bass
- Cliff Harewood / lead guitar
- Paul Young / drums, percussion

Track List:
01. Ice Queen (6:42)
02. Empty Houses (7:32)
03. Insolent Lady (8:53)
a) Bye The Way
b) Small Thief
c) Insolent Lady
04. Miracle Worker (4:47)
05. Religion (4:27)
06. Sun God (11:14)
a) Awakening
b) Realization
c) Worship

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Raw Material

Rush – Power Windows (1985) (@256)

20 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

‘Power Windows’ continues in the direction of ‘Grace Under Pressure’ in that the synths continue to take prominence, and the songwriting is much more direct than the band’s more epic moments of the 1970s and earlier 80s albums.

From the opening drums of Big Money to the catchy fade out to Mystic Rhythms, all songs are linked with a specific theme regarding power and how we abuse it.

This is Rush, trying to survive the musical abyss of the 80s, is much more digital, polished, tight, and drowned with technological sounds and guitar pedals. The keyboards take a bigger role than in their 70s period and include digital synthesizer, electric piano, and typical keyboards. The guitar is reverb-heavy and Alex Lifeson tends to use the pedals quite a lot. Geddy Lee avoids the falsetto, plays the keyboards surprisingly decent, and keeps using a big bass sound. Neal Peart luckily has good taste and doesn’t leave it all to dull electronic drum sequences. His drum sounds are a bit synthesized but they fit and Peart plays the heck out of them!

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / basses, bass pedals, synthesizers, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / guitars
- Neil Peart / drums, acoustic & electronic percussion
with
- Jim Burgess / synthesizers
- Ann Dudley / string arrangements
- Andy Richards / keyboards

Track List:
01. The big money (5:34)
02. Grand designs (5:05)
03. Manhattan Project (5:04)
04. Marathon (6:09)
05. Territories (6:18)
06. Middletown dreams (5:15)
07. Emotion detector (5:10)
08. Mystic rhythms (5:53)

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Geddy Lee, Rush

Rush – Grace Under Pressure (1984) (@256)

20 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, wikipedia)

The band felt dissatisfied with long-time producer Terry Brown’s studio treatment of their previous album “Signals” and parted ways with him in 1983.

The style and production of Signals were patently augmented and taken to new heights on 1984′s Grace Under Pressure. Although Geddy Lee’s use of sequencers and synthesizers remained the band’s cornerstone, his focus on new technology was complemented by Neil Peart’s adaptation of electronic drums and percussion, leading their distinctive metallic sound to the overall feel of the album. Alex Lifeson’s contributions on the album were decidedly enhanced to act as an overreaction to the minimalistic role he played on Signals. Still, many of his trademark guitar textures remained intact in the form of open reggae chords and funk and new-wave rhythms.

“Red Sector A”, is notable for its allusions to The Holocaust, inspired by Geddy Lee’s memories of his mother’s stories about the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, where she was held prisoner. “Between the Wheels” is one of the band’s most synth-driven songs since Subdivisions from Signals. The album’s opening track is “Distant Early Warning”, which deals with the pressure involving the aftermath of nuclear holocaust. “The Enemy Within” is part one of the “Fear” series of songs that started with Part III on Moving Pictures released in 1981. This track incorporates ska influences into their music.

“Grace Under Pressure”, though somehow bleak and disturbing, proving Rush’s ability to change with the times (even at the risk of alienating some hard-core, long-time fans) and incorporate disparate influences in their output. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s undeniably progressive to those who keep an open mind.

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / basses, synthesizers, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / guitars, synths
- Neil Peart / drums, acoustic & electronic percussion

Track List:
01. Distant early warning (4:56)
02. Afterimage (5:03)
03. Red sector A (5:09)
04. The enemy within (Part I of Fear) (4:34)
05. The body electric (4:59)
06. Kid gloves (4:17)
07. Red lenses (4:41)
08. Between the wheels (5:44)

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Geddy Lee, Rush

Raw Material – Raw Material (1970) (@256)

20 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, progressiveworld.net)

“Raw Material” consist of your standard progressive quartet plus frontman Mike Fletcher on wind instruments. They developed a slightly jazz-tinged progressive rock.

On this self-titled debut, the band’s sound here wasn’t as intense or complex as their second album but it is a glimpse at what they would become. Colin Catt, the vocalist and keyboard player, set the tone for the band with his trilling vocal style and Jon Lord/Deep Purple influenced keyboard playing.

It is a fusion of many fine examples of early progressive-rock with the use of the flute, sax and harp.

Line-up:
- Colin Catt / lead vocals, keyboards
- Mike Fletcher / saxophone, flute, vocals
- Dave Green / guitar
- Phil Gunn / bass, guitar
- Paul Young / drums, percussion

Track List:
01. Time and Illusion
02. I’d be delighted
03. Fighting Cock
04. Pear on a apple tree
05. Future recollections
06. Traveller man
07. Destruction of America
08. Time and Illusion (Bonus Different Version)
09. Hi There Halleluja (Bonus)
10. Bobo’s Party (Bonus)
11. Days of fighting cock (Bonus)

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Raw Material

Fairport Convention – What We Did on Our Holidays (1969) (@256)

20 Sep 2007

(Review from amazon)

Fairport Convention’s second album captures the band poised between the more embryonic, American-influenced rock of their debut and the more pronounced British folk-rock that would follow. Newly arrived vocalist Sandy Denny contributes her haunting songs and indelibly husky voice, Iain Matthews lofts his angelic tenor into the mix, and the set list is the most diverse they would ever offer, stacking solid covers of Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan beside traditional English songs and stirring originals.

“What We Did On Our Holidays” works both on its own terms and as a position paper on Fairport Convention’s emerging ambition to find a distinctive accent for their alternately hearty, witty, and somber music.

Line-up:
* Sandy Denny – Vocals, Acoustic & 12-String Acoustic Guitars, Organ, Piano, Harpsichord
* Iain Matthews – Vocals, Congas
* Richard Thompson – Electric, Acoustic & 12-String Acoustic Guitars, Piano Accordion, Vocals
* Ashley Hutchings – Bass, Backing Vocals
* Simon Nicol – Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Electric Autoharp, Electric Dulcimer, Backing Vocals
* Martin Lamble – Drums, Percussion, Violin, Tabla & Footsteps

Track List:
01. Fotheringay
02. Mr Lacey
03. Book Song
04. The Lord Is in This Place…How Dreadful Is This Place
05. No Man’s Land
06. I’ll Keep It With Mine
07. Eastern Rain
08. Nottamun Town
09. Tale in Hard Time
10. She Moves Through the Fair
11. Meet on the Ledge
12. End of a Holiday

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Ashley Hutchings, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny

Rush – Exit… Stage Left (Live) (1981) (@256)

19 Sep 2007

(Review from amazon, wikipedia)

Following the success of “Moving Pictures”, Rush released their second live album the same year.

An item from each of Rush’s previous eight studio album covers can be seen on the cover of this live album. The owl from “Fly by Night” flies above Apollo, the man in the suit from “Hemispheres”, who stands next to the woman from “Permanent Waves”. The puppet king from “A Farewell to Kings” sits atop a box stenciled with the “Rush” logo from Rush. Next to him is a painting of the “Caress of Steel” album cover, held by one of the movers from “Moving Pictures”, with another mover standing behind. Next to this is Dionysus, the nude man from “Hemispheres”. Behind this scene, the starman from “2112″ hangs in the background, next to an “EXIT” sign. This entire scene is on the left side of the stage, thus “Exit…Stage Left” which is of a photo of a concert in Buffalo.

“Exit”, offers a perfect blend of winding, fusion-leaning, virtuoso instrumentals (“YYZ,” “La Villa Strangiato”), extended sci-fi epics (“Jacob’s Ladder,” “Xanadu”), sentimental ballads (“Closer to the Heart” in unison with the whole crowd, “The Trees”), and tauter songs (“Free Will,” “Tom Sawyer,” “Spirit of Radio”) that represent the best of all worlds. Musically, they generated a huge amount of sound for three men (especially Geddy Lee’s mammoth bass lines and Neil Peart’s octopus-like percussion); lyrically, Peart’s fantasia may be pseudo-poetry, but it is poetic, and it may be adolescent wisdom, but it is wise.

This album makes a fine companion to their previous live album “All The World’s A Stage”, as there are no repeated tracks.

As with their first live release, “Exit… Stage Left” identified the margin of a new chapter of Rush’s sound. The band underwent another radical stylistic transmutation with the release of “Signals” in 1982.

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / bass, bass pedals, synthesizers, vocals, rhythm guitar
- Alex Lifeson / guitars, bass pedals
- Neil Peart / drums, percussion

Track List:
01. Spirit of Radio (5:12)
02. Red Barchetta (6:48)
03. YYZ (7:44)
04. A Passage To Bangkok (3:46)
05. Closer to the Heart 3:09)
06. Beneath, Between and Behind (2:34)
07. Jacobs Ladder (8:47)
08. Broon’s Bane (1:37)
09. The Trees (4:50)
10. Xanadu (12:10)
11. Freewill (5:33)
12. Tom Sawyer (5:01)
13. La Villa Strangiato (9:38)

Links in comments.

Geddy Lee, Live, Rush

Troya – Point of Eruption (1976) (@VBR 196-181)

19 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

“Troya” was a symphonic krautrock inspired german band that was formed in 1972 in Werne an der Lippe. The band was first called Drastic. They changed the name and the line up to record symphonic psychedelic influenced music based principally on electric guitar, mellotron and vocals. Influenced by classical and baroque music, in 1976 they released their unique self-financed sole album; Point of Eruption, with very little means.

The album features enchantic melancholic music with long instrumental passages, mainly guitar and hammond organ.

The opener, She, introduces the disc with smooth organ and light guitar, to go on with beautiful symphonic piano and vocals. Battle Rock is more energic and alternates between epic and slow movements. The next song, Chromatik, features mysterious atmosphere and trippy guitar solos sometimes reminiscent of Novalis. Festival announces that the second part of the album will be dominated by organ and mellotron and is very psychedelic. The two final tracks Sinclair and Choke conclude superbly the album and let the listener in the sky…

Troya had a lot of potential and talent but did not record in the best of conditions. It’s a pity that the band released only one album.

Line-up:
- Elmar Wegmann / guitar, flute, vocals
- Klaus Pannewig / drums, glocken, vocals
- Wilhelm Weischer / bass
- Peter Savelsberg / organ, mellotron, and e-piano

Track List:
01. She (5:46)
02. Battle Rock (7:58)
03. Chromatik (4:06)
04. Festival (3:48)
05. Sinclair (4:58)
06. Choke (5:58)

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Allman Brothers Band – At Fillmore East (Deluxe Edition) (1971) (@256)

19 Sep 2007

11 comments

(Review from wikipedia, allmusic, amazon, rollingstone.com, bbc.co.uk)

Recorded at the Fillmore East music club, the legendary rock venue in New York City, on Friday and Saturday March 12-13, 1971, it showcased the band’s mixture of blues, southern rock and jazz. It is one of the critical heights of their career, and is generally accepted as one of the greatest live recordings in the history of rock music.

Portions of those legendary performances not included in the original set have also wound up on various box sets. Now, for the first time, all recordings (in their original mixes) lifted from the Fillmore East dates have been assembled together into a deluxe edition. It also rearranges the running order closer to the actual concert, creating for the first time a complete concert experience. Over two hours of some of the finest musicianship & improvisation in all of rock.

Whereas most great live rock albums are about energy, At Fillmore East is like a great live jazz session, where the pleasure comes from the musicians’ interaction and playing. Although the electric guitar has gone in many exotic directions since, the contrast between Duane Allman quavering on slide and Dickey Betts burning in standard tuning can still drop the jaw of anyone with a non-arthritic “wow” reflex and the time to listen. Their duelling Les Pauls rode the matching rhythms of twin percussionists Jaimoe and Butch Trucks (still the best name of any drummer on the planet). Topping it all off was sibling Allman Gregg’s husky blues wail and lyrical Hammond.

Whether delivering the blues with Duane Allman’s slide licks daring grown men to weep (“Stormy Monday”), or with Gregg Allman’s song writing skills to the fore on more succinct gems like “Midnight Rider” this remains a snapshot of a band getting off on each others’ abilities and sharing the joy with one lucky crowd.

It’s one of those great concerts that make you say “if only I had a time machine…”

Line-up:
* Duane Allman – lead guitar, slide guitar
* Gregg Allman – organ, piano, vocals
* Dickey Betts – guitar, vocals
* Berry Oakley – bass guitar
* Jai Johanny Johanson – drums, congas, timbales
* Butch Trucks – drums, tympani

Track List:
CD1
01. Statesboro Blues – 4:17
02. Trouble No More – 3:43
03. Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’ – 3:27
04. Done Somebody Wrong – 4:33
05. Stormy Monday – 8:48
06. One Way Out – 4:56
07. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed – 13:04
08. You Don’t Love Me – 19:24
09. Midnight Rider – 2:55
CD2
01. Hot ‘Lanta – 5:20
02. Whipping Post – 22:53
03. Mountain Jam – 33:39
04. Drunken Hearted Boy – 7:33

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Allman Brothers Band, Duane Allman, Jaimoe Johnson, Live

Dave Matthews Band – Remember Two Things (1993) (@224)

18 Sep 2007

(Review from allmusic.com, amazon, wikipedia)

Vocalist/guitarist Dave Matthews formed the Dave Matthews Band in Virginia in the early ’90s. Featuring Matthews, Stefan Lessard, Leroi Moore, Boyd Tinsley, and Carter Beauford, the group’s music presents a more pop-oriented version of the Grateful Dead crossed with the worldbeat explorations of Paul Simon and Sting. The band built up a strong word-of-mouth following in the early ’90s by touring the country constantly, concentrating on college campuses.

Dave Matthews Band’s first album, Remember Two Things, was self-released in 1993. Early Dave Matthews fans all have well-worn copies of the original pressing, and will tell you they bought them from Dave Matthews himself.

The album cover art is an autostereogram which, when focused on correctly, shows a person’s hand giving the peace sign. The two things referred to in the title are said to be “love your mother” and “leave only footprints”.

It’s a live album, with the exceptions of “Seek Up” and “Minarets”. The band’s sound is pretty much all there. It is an impressive showcase for their instrumental prowess. You will hear them in what sounds like not-too-crowded coffeehouses and you will hear the aching in Dave Matthews’ voice alone with the microphone. It’s very raw, very inexperienced, not overproduced, but most of all, true Dave Matthews Band to the core.

Line-up:
* David Matthews – guitar, vocals
* Carter Beauford – percussion, vocals
* Stefan Lessard – bass
* LeRoi Moore – woodwinds, vocals
* Boyd Tinsley – violin, vocals
with
* Greg Howard – Chapman Stick, synthesizer and percussion samples on “Minarets”
* Tim Reynolds – guitars on “Minarets”, “Seek Up”, “I’ll Back You Up”, and “Christmas Song”

Track List:
01. Ants Marching (live) – 6:08
02. Tripping Billies (live) – 4:49
03. Recently (live) – 8:41
04. Satellite (live) – 5:01
05. One Sweet World (live) – 5:18
06. The Song That Jane Likes (live) – 3:33
07. Minarets – 4:22
08. Seek Up – 7:20
09. I’ll Back You Up (live acoustic) – 4:26
10. Christmas Song (live acoustic) – 5:34

Link in comments.

X-Legged Sally – Bereft Of A Blissful Union (1997) (@256)

18 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

This album is the music developed for a ballet or choreographed modern dance, written for the most part by leader Vermeersch but recorded with the help of British String Smith Quartet. Again, if you know this crazy Sally, you will know you are in for a gigantic roller-coaster ride, and in this case the live shows must’ve been worth the price of the entrance to the hall, since it appears that part of the dancing happened under water and without breathing apparatus.

The album is book-ended by two classical pieces (the closing one being particularly interesting), but clearly the show’s centrepiece is the 24 min Brungle, that comes complete with complete madness, superb horn arrangements, exciting strings and wild drumming: stupendous. The other major track is the 10 min+ Birdcage starting out as a wild but controlled modern classical music. Another climax is the only sung track Out Of The Pit. Der doppelganger is a rearrangement of a Schubert piece.

This album is the last one to have come out under the X-Legged Sally name, but this is a fantastic exit for an extraordinary group. Very worthy and yet another superb album.

Line-up:
- Paul Belgrado / bass
- Danny Van Hoeck / drums
- Peter Vermeersch / winds
- Bart Maris / winds
- Michel Mast / saxes
- Peter Vandenberghe / keyboards, accordeon
- Gery Cambier / double bass, percussions
with The Smith Quartet:
- Deirdre Cooper / cello
- Ian Humphries / violin
- Charles Mutter / violin
- Nick Pendlebury / viola

Track List:
01. Nuages Gris (4:15)
02. Brungle (23:53)
03. 3 of 2 Poetretten Van Een Drenkeling (5:28)
04. Out Of The Pit (2:57)
05. Birdcage (10:15)
06. Der Doppelganger (3:41)
07. Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair (7:08)

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X-Legged Sally

Rush – Moving Pictures (1981) (@256)

17 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Rush almost came out with what would have been “Exit… Stage Left” right after “Permanent Waves”. At almost the last moment, however, they decided they were not through exploiting the new direction they found with “Permanent Waves”, and decided to go back in the studio to write new material in the same vein. Thus came forward “Moving Pictures”.

Considered by most to be the pinnacle of Rush’s career, “Moving Pictures” is the perfect blend of the sound of old with the new sound that was to come. It mixes the heavy progressive of yore with the catchy synth beats that would define their 80s output. It isn’t quite as progressive as Hemispheres, but is more accessible and more immediately enjoyable.

The seven tracks on the album are so well-known that it would almost seem pointless to mention any of them. “Moving Pictures” can boasts one of the best opening tracks ever, the intense, multilayered “Tom Sawyer”. Introduced by simple but elegant synth playing courtesy of the incomparable Geddy Lee (very busy on this album in his triple role as singer, bassist and keyboardist), the song is bolstered by Lee and Peart’s stellar interplay. The following “Red Barchetta”, though an excellent track with intriguing, sci-fi lyrics set in a world where cars have been banned, has never been a favourite of mine. Then the first part gets to a close with the double whammy of the magnificent (if a trifle overplayed) instrumental “YYZ” and Rush’s take on the joys and pains of fame, the deceptively catchy “Limelight”.

The remaining three tracks do not feature in live albums and collections as often as the others, which is a pity, as they are every bit as good and even (strictly speaking) more typically ‘progressive’. The 10-minute-plus “The Camera Eye” is a streamlined prog epic about city life which showcases Lifeson’s brilliant guitar work and Lee’s vastly improved vocal abilities. In fact, this is probably the first Rush album in which Geddy Lee shows unbelievers he can actually sing. The following song, “Witch Hunt”, starts off with a brooding atmosphere punctuated by angry voices and ominous tolling of bells. Here keyboards, drums and guitar complement each other perfectly, and Geddy Lee’s lower-register vocals add to the sense of menace. Finally, in the closing track, “Vital Signs”, we see the shape of things to come – that is, the reggae influence that would come to the fore in their later albums.

“Moving Pictures” stands to prove that the 80s were a far better decade for music than they are given credit for.

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / basses, bass pedals, synthesizers, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / guitars, bass pedals
- Neil Peart / drums, timbales, gong, bass drums, bells, glockenspiel, chimes, crotales, plywood
+ Hugh Syme / synthesizers (6)

Track List:
01. Tom Sawyer (4:34)
02. Red Barchetta (6:08)
03. YYZ (4:24)
04. Limelight (4:21)
05. The camera eye (10:57)
06. Witch hunt (Part III of Fear) (4:44)
07. Vital signs (4:47)

Link in comments.

Geddy Lee, Rush

Spooky Tooth – It's All About (1968) (@224)

17 Sep 2007

(Review from scaruffi.com, alexgitlin.com, allmusic.com)

The Art (evolved from the VIPs, a rhythm and blues band formed in 1964) were one of the bands that took advantage of the psychedelic boom of 1967 when they recorded the album Supernatural Fairy Tales. The Art changed their name to Spooky Tooth to record It’s All About in 1968.

The album featured the band’s blistering reading of the classic, “Tobacco Road”, always a live showstopper, and their debut single, “Sunshine Help Me”. The latter so enamoured Brummie poppers The Move that they cut their own version on the live “Somethin’ Else” EP. Another cover is Janis Ian’s “Society Child”, though original songs like the soulful ballad “It Hurts You So” and “Bubbles” (with its Beach Boys sensibility) are the real standouts. The cheery, psychedelic “It’s All About a Roundabout” is very catchy. On this dreamy cut, the band demonstrates some sharp melodic and compositional instincts. One of the best and often overlooked songs that fail to ever appear on any compilation collections is “Forget it, I got it” which really shows the direction the band would take in their later albums.

It’s inevitable that the band’s heavily Hammond organ-saturated sound drew comparisons with Island stablemates Traffic; after all, the various band members had worked together in other outfits, but Traffic had the head start in terms of record releases and chart success. Moreover, both Traffic and Spooky Tooth shared producers in the shape of Jimmy Miller, so such sonic similarities are perhaps less of a surprise. If anything, Spooky Tooth were darker and doomier, although their strongly melodic rock set them apart from their contemporaries.

Line-up:
* Gary Wright / Vocals, organ, keyboards
* Luther Grosvenor / Guitars
* Mike Harrison / Vocals, keyboards, harpsichord
* Mike Kellie / Drums and percussion
* Greg Ridley / Bass, guitar

Track List:
01. Society’s Child
02. Love Really Changed Me
03. Here I Lived So Well
04. Too Much Of Nothing
05. Sunshine Help Me
06. It’s All About A Roundabout
07. Tobacco Road
08. It Hurts You So
09. Forget It, I Got It
10. Bubbles

Link in comments.

Spooky Tooth

X-Legged Sally – The Land of the Giant Dwarfs (1996) (@256)

16 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

How to talk fittingly of the craziest album X-Legged Sally ever made?

Already, the bar was set rather high with the previous “Eggs And Ashes”, but here another level was easily reached. Can you imagine Miriodor and Interference Sardines with twice as many musos and allowed to sing whenever they wish (which is not often, but always dutifully chosen at appropriate moments) and constantly aim towards Zappa humour and songwriting? If yes, you must be completely insane and might just be ready for such a flabbergasting album.

Whether the concept of this album is a concept or not, you will be confronted by the main character’s, Yesbody, adventures and some rather hilarious sexual education bits (such as inciting women to take up ownership of their clitoris ;-)o) along with fabulous musical landscapes that pushes back Captain Beefheart to his crib and sees eye-to-eye Zappa. From the very first burping sounds leading into some familiar national anthem, to the very last notes of the jazzy outro -which is actually the intro of Yesbody’s exploits-, we are facing an incredible journey that knows no bound in sanity or any other artistic/musical means. There’s even a track called Mono Dolby!

Although we are clearly in the rock domain and although you can feel these guys are jazz musos that have been classically trained, the whole album is clearly a GAS from start to finish.

Line-up:
- Pierre Vervloesem – guitars
- Peter Vandenberghe – keyboards
- Paul Belgrado – bass
- Danny Van Hoeck – drums
- Peter Vermeersch – winds
- Bart Maris – winds
- Thierry Mondelaers – vocals
- Michel Mast – Saxes

Track List:
01 – Anthem – In the land of the giant dwarfs (1:05)
02 – Feb II (4:53)
03 – R.I.P. (3:36)
04 – Yesbody 2 – Yesbody goes for the swallow juice (2:42)
05 – Skip XXI (6:27)
06 – Yesbody 4 – Yesbody enjoys the envious eyes at his moontan (2:10)
07 – Charge (2:08)
08 – Yesbody 3 – Yesbody is in love and looks for a girl (1:49)
09 – Lie to me (1:32)
10 – Glad you’re dead (1:27)
11 – Home (3:04)
12 – Hair (5:06)
13 – Poor man’s rain (4:49)
14 – Starfinger (7:26)
15 – Mono Dolby (1:00)
16 – Owl Harry (3:10)
17 – Quorns (3:22)
18 – Yesbody 1 – Yesbody swallowed the key (2:43)

Links in comments.

X-Legged Sally

Rush – Permanent Waves (1980) (@256)

16 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

This album was actually one of the first ever to be released in the 80′s, coming out on January 1, 1980.

A new decade arrives and Rush have a hit single!

This album features sophisticated rock songs like “Spirit of the radio” and “Freewill” featuring lots of dynamics and great soli, a wonderful build-up piece entitled “Jacob’s Ladder” (fine use of synthesizers), a splendid guitar solo in “Different Strings” and lots of shifting moods and dynamics in “Natural Science”.

Where earlier Rush albums escaped into a fantasy world of their own devising, in “Permanent Waves” the band traded in fantasy for reality, diffusive energy for a concentrated beam of brilliance, bygone battles for imminent conflicts.

This is a good mix of shorter, accessible songs, and longer more complex ones. Rush may have gotten more radio friendly at this point, but they still had the artist integrity and the brains to come up with some great progressive rock songs. Permanent Waves is a fine album, another classic milestone in Rush’s catalogue.

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / basses, bass pedals, synthesizers, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / guitars, bass pedals
- Neil Peart / drums, tympani, bells, timbales, chimes, crotales, triangle
with
- Erwig Chuapchuaduah / steel drums
- Hugh Syme / piano (5)

Track List:
01. Spirit of the Radio (4:56)
02. Freewill (5:21)
03. Jacob’s Ladder (7:26)
04. Entre Nous (4:37)
05. Different Strings (3:48)
06. Natural Science (9:17)

Link in comments.

Geddy Lee, Rush

Carol of Harvest – Carol of Harvest (1978) (@256)

16 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Carol of Harvest played a dreamy blend of progressive rock and folk with female vocals that might be compared with Mellow Candle and early Clannad mixed with Jane, Pentangle and Renaissance. The music has the added edge of long arrangements with moog synth and acid guitar solos.

Their sole album is a very serious, sad and moody record. The songs have stunning melodies, and the overall feeling is very psychedelic. The dreamlike surrealistic solutions are also done with a good style. The amplified acoustic guitars are often processed through an echo, and there are also some great moody electric guitar solos to be heard. The production date of late 70’s is revealed only by some bit more modern synthesizer sounds, which could not have appeared on the late 60’s or early 70’s recordings. There’s also a quite strong rhythm section on this band, and they do some faster stuff in some occasions too. I’m sure that they have studied their classic jazz recordings. Beate Krause’s deep voice is truly stunning, and she also pronounces English in a very good manner, this is a quite rare achievement in the underground recordings coming out of non-English speaking European countries.

The three live bonus tracks bring little more to the album (the sound quality is average and the songs are unremarkable but have a space rock sound), but they do not interfere with the overall fluidity of the album as well as its enjoyment.

Line-up:
- Beate Krause / vocals
- Axel Schmierer / guitars
- Jürgen Kolb / keyboards
- Heinz Reinschlüssel / bass
- Robert Högn / drums

Track List:
01. Put On Your Nightcap (16:02)
02. You And Me (2:31)
03. Somewhere At The End Of The Rainbow (6:26)
04. Treary Eyes (4:17)
05. Try A Little Bit (9:59)
06. River (Bonus) (2:36)
07. Sweet Heroin (Bonus) (7:04)
08. Brickstone (Bonus) (1:14)

Link in comments.

X-Legged Sally – Eggs And Ashes (1994) (@256)

16 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

This album is mostly music accumulated from different projects (three apparently) that X-Legged Sally participated in over the years. They often were linked to multi-phase artistic projects and this made them fairly widely known in Belgium, even if this did not really helped them making a breakthrough. In this case, we deal with tracks that were written for short films of friend Wim Vandekeybus dating from 1991 (Immer Das Selbe Gelogen), 1993 (Her Body Doesn’t fit her Soul) and 1994 (Mountains Made Of Barking). Needless to say that hardly none ever saw these movies outside of the opening screening events.

This mixing of the tracks outside their sequences and sometimes away from other tracks of the movies they belong to is somewhat a strange manner. One thing for sure is that none of those tracks sticks out like a sore thumb, as could be feared with a such perilous gamble, and actually the whole ensemble of them make a very good album. If you heard the other X-Legged Sally albums, you will be categorically enthused by this one as it is right up their normal usual style, completely nuts, insanely crazy and absolutely impressive both in inventivity and virtuosity.

Opening track sung in German (as are a lot of the tracks here) and close to German Cabaret music mixed insanely with almost acoustic hardcore punk is quite a stunner, while its follow-up is a cross of Talking Heads meeting Miriodor. Midwave is the first real highlight (but what is a highlight in such a bright album anyway) and its superb groove enthralling you to oblivion until the track fades out in total chaos, awaiting for its slow death until the bass is re-awakening from stupor and bringing right back into hell. Turkish Bath has evident eastern influences. The closer Mask with its 17 min+ is a bellyful of peppers but much worth the successful digestion for future musical orgasms.

Though this album is a compilation of three different sessions, the resulting object is pretty successful as an entity.

Line-up:
- Danny Van Hoeck / drums
- Paul Belgrado / bass
- Pierre Vervloesem / electric guitar
- Peter Vandenberghe / keyboards
- Michel Mast / Tenor & Bariton saxophone
- Bart Maris / trumpet
- Peter Vermeersch / Tenor saxophone, clarinet

Track List:
01. Lulu (2:40)
02. Laut und leise (3:39)
03. Midwave (9:47)
04. Hae Song (4:27)
05. Turkish Bath (7:06)
06. Immer Carlo (1:46)
07. Sparadrap (7:15)
08. Two Volcanoes (4:37)
09. Mask (17:24)

Links in comments.

X-Legged Sally

Rush – Hemispheres (1978) (@256)

15 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Keeping their strong step on the road of hard rock driven symphonic prog that had been started in “A Farewell to Kings”, “Hemispheres” finds this power trio exhibiting an air of finesse fluidly combined with their habitual metallic rock conviction.

The 18-minute opener is the continuation of their previous album’s closer. A second chapter that, after the magnitude boom on the precedent release, was necessary and comes as most benefic and most rewarding. Plus, it needed to be of a different caliber, to continue the story into a new imaginative ground and to combine several separate sentiments. And it does make the difference. Book II is more open, more eluded, going on a meticulous expansion of the music, stretching themes instead of pumping energy, headlong into melody than “into mystery”, bright, of colors and cliques, of familiar tones and imposing themes, of skill and still magic, more elusive, more direct, more productive…and more progressive. The change of scenery doesn’t mean a brutal comfortable description, nor a weak manifest. Hemispheres-the piece will not be the ground-shattering and unpredictable rage of the Voyage Overture, but the tempered sensation of an armonic horizon and of a reached “beyond”. Music’s warm and whelmingly satisfying, the leitmotif theme creating the short moment of personal impeccable comprised universe. This is no longer darkness, but light and matter in pure form. This is no longer the agony and the phobia that impersonated the breathtaking coma-like eruption, but the vigorous illustration of settled mood and relaxed spirit, to the rhythmed beat and the constant stable look. The allegory towards a better world, love, peace and such that lyrics – in a point – affirm, isn’t vague, but of precise content. Mutual relation between the music and the vision exteriorization. The world beyond “the black hole”’s diminishing power (though I hate going so explicit on description) is a utopia, one of confinement and calm breathes. The ballad epilogue perfectly contemplates on one of the most thrilling, extensive and multi-emotional compositions ever. My sensible chord goes towards the ravishing book I, but this one is a masterpiece as well. An integrating and “completist” one.

Trees and Circumstances are beautiful intermezzos. With humour and irony, they can come as brilliant filler. Seriously though, they work great on the mood, releasing the tension into a nice simplicity method. Trees is bohemic and interesting. What I want to evidentiate is that by the form they have, the complementary pieces are not denigrating the album, being in the Hemispheres spirit. “Nice” works out just fine.

“La Villa Strangiato”: 9-and-a-half minutes of Lee/Lifeson/Peart tearing it up (sans vocals) at the peak of their abilities. Every musical mood you can imagine is here in this wordless story, from the fanciful to the frightful, from the fantastic to the realistic. A wonder of instrumental dexterity and musical storytelling.

No impediments. No impurities. Unprejudiced. Hemispheres is a masterpiece and an essential work of music, of art, of pretty much everything.

Line-up:
* Geddy Lee – bass guitars, vocals, Oberheim Polyphonic, Mini-Moog Synthesizers
* Alex Lifeson – electric, acoustic and classical guitars, Roland Guitar Synthesizers
* Neil Peart – drums, orchestra bells, bell-tree, tympani, gong, cowbells, temple blocks, wind chimes, crotales

Track List:
01. Cygnus X-1 Book II (18:04)
02. Circumstances (3:40)
03. The Trees (4:42)
04. La Villa Strangiato: (10:34)

Link in comments.

Geddy Lee, Rush

Rush – A Farewell to Kings (1977) (@256)

15 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

“A Farewell to Kings” is a landmark album in the long, prolific career of its threesome perpetrators. The progressive colours that had been part of Rush’s sonic landscape in their previous two studio efforts are now taken to the next level, becoming now an integral element of a hard-rock driven progressive power trio sound.

Geddy Lee has added a mini-moog to his instrumental credits, and both he and Alex Lifeson have gained access to bass pedal synthesisers. Neil Peart show off his new toys, in the form of orchestral and tubular bells. The synthesised bass adds a whole new dimension to the sound as it tests the abilities of even the most accomplished woofers.

The title track is a suitably majestic start, with a folkish acoustic guitar beginning which switches into a powerful guitar driven riff, with the typical, possibly helium assisted, shriek of Geddy Lee soon joining in. An ultra complex section with mad time signatures and outstanding work from the whole band, particularly Neil Peart’s wonderfully dextrous percussion, follows, before reaching a perfect climax.

While “Closer to the Heart”, “Cinderella Man” and “Madrigal” showed us that they had some great shorter songs in them, the band’s greatest strength still lies in their sci-fi epics. “Xanadu” and “Cygnus X-1″ are undeniable classics in the band’s back catalogue.

‘Xanadu’ starts out with an ominous synth drone and some guitar soundscapes and lashings of percussion, before the cascading guitar riff takes over and the song propels into the stratosphere with stunning ensemble interplay, and some neat synth playing from Geddy Lee alongside the choppy guitar work and fiddly percussion. The song proper starts when Geddy Lee’s vocal enters amidst a wave of synths and doomy guitar chords, yet the complex chorus with stop start time signatures keep things very tricksy indeed. There then follows a brilliant guitar solo and an equally brilliant climax whereby the band return to a more cerebral section with gentle guitars amongst the synth drone. Complex progressive at its very best.

‘Cygnus X-1′ is in the same vein as ’2112′, with its synth heavy intro with sci-fi narration, soon joined by a stop start section whereby the band are firing on all cylinders, yet Geddy Lee’s wild vocal and Lifeson’s powerful guitar soon take over proceedings until some outstanding instrumental work gets going again, with guitar and percussion to the forefront.

This album encompases everything one could possibly like about Rush (musicianship, melodies, lyrics, power), and gradually clings together, leaving the listener with a great progressive rock album. It represents a major step in the history of Rush.

Line-up:
* Geddy Lee – bass guitar, twelve string guitar, Mini-Moog and bass pedal synthesizers, vocals
* Alex Lifeson – electric, acoustic and classical guitars, bass pedal synthesizer
* Neil Peart – drums, cowbells, orchestra bells, wind chimes, triangle, bell tree, vibra-slap, tubular bells, temple blocks

Track List:
01. A Farewell to Kings (5:49)
02. Xanadu (11:04)
03. Closer to the Heart (2:51)
04. Cinderella man (4:19)
05. Madrigal (2:33)
06. Cygnus X-1 (10:21)

Link in comments.

Geddy Lee, Rush

Pendragon – Masquerade Overture (1996) (@256)

15 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Pendragon have never (yet!) received the recognition they undoubtedly deserve.

“The Masquerade Overture” certainly have all the right ingredients here for a good neo-prog album with similarities to Marillion, Arena, IQ etc, and derivative influences of Genesis and to a lesser extent Yes. Long tracks, time changes galore, swirling keyboards, melodic guitars, choral overtures, etc., there all here by the bucket load.

The highligh is “The shadow” a definitive prog track if ever there was one. It opens with an “Entangled” like vocal section with acoustic guitar and keyboard orchestration. As the sound builds, through synthesiser breaks and guitar interludes, the pace quickens slightly, the track at times being suddenly but briefly set free in bursts of heads down rock. The impact of these bursts is quite magical, giving the track a unique identity. The track closes with a symphonic cascading vocal refrain, quite magnificent.

The opening section of the album is also highly notable. The album is introduced by a brief operatic overture which leads into “As good as gold”. Once again, here we have classic symphonic neo-prog, Clive Nolan creating layers of lush keyboard sounds on which the track is based.

The remaining tracks are all excellent slices of neo-prog at its finest, there really is not a weak offering to be found here. That said, unlike other similar albums, “The Masquerade overture” does not demand to be heard as a complete piece, the tracks being equally enjoyable when heard in isolation.

Clive Nolan spreads his talents among many projects but with all of them, while there’s a diversity, there is also a consistency of quality. If you are unfamiliar with Pendragon’s work this is an excellent place to start, you will not be disappointed.

Line-up:
- Nick Barrett / guitars, vocals
- Clive Nolan / keyboards
- Fudge Smith / drums
- Peter Gee / bass
- Tracy Hitchings, Tina Riley, Anthony Plowman, Gwen Ross, and Simon Clew / backing vocals

Track List:
01. The Masquerade Overture (3:03)
02. As Good As Gold (7:15)
03. Paintbox (8:39)
04. The Pursuit Of Excellence (2:37)
05. Guardian Of My Soul (12:41)
06. The Shadow (9:55)
07. Masters Of Illusion (12:51)
08. Last Man on Earth (Bonus Live) (14:40)

Links in comments.

Clive Nolan

X-Legged Sally – Killed By Charity (1992) (@256)

14 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, fes.be)

Their second album, “Killed by Charity”, was recorded during the New York heatwave of July ’93, also produced by Bill Laswell. Its sound has greater clarity, more humor, more diversity, more volume, … And it features a cover of Burt Bacharach’s “The Look of Love”!

It’s a largely instrumental album. Vermeersch compositions are definitely a tad too obtuse for the average fan even if the habitual lunacy is still there it is more of a demented nature rather than fun. There are times (during the “Break Too” track most notably) when Monderlaer’s singing is not too far from King Crimson’s Adrian Belew circa the Discipline album, and Vervloesem’s guitar resembles the one in the same album’s Elephant Talk. The second last track “It’s A Baby” can be considered the highlight of the album mostly because it is more accessible.

Line-up:
- Danny Van Hoeck / drums
- Paul Belgrado / bass
- Pierre Vervloesem / guitar, vocals, shaker
- Jean Luc Plouvier / keyboards
- Michel Mast / saxes
- Bart Maris / trumpet
- Peter Vermeersch / clarinet, vocals

Track List:
01. Eddies (1:26)
02. Dum Dum (3:34)
03. Still Life With Ray (3:38)
04. Spix and Chaco (4:19)
05. The Shah of Blah (2:51)
06. Bleedproof (5:54)
07. Break Too (3:59)
08. Did You Get Your Milk, Stewart? (2:31)
09. Mysterious Angelic Voices (2:56)
10. Am Tisch! (2:16)
11. The Look of Love (3:28)
12. Killed by Charity (4:22)
13. It’s a Baby (4:43)
14. Shredded (1:21)

Link in comments.

X-Legged Sally

X-Legged Sally – Slow Up (1991) (@256)

14 Sep 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

X-Legged Sally were one of the first bands from Belgium to combine a set of very different musical styles (jazz, rock, improvisation and classical), becoming a starting point for the Belgian indie music scene that developed in the nineties.

Initially, X-Legged Sally was formed to compose and perform the music Peter Vermeersch wrote for dance productions. Vermeersch’ composing style was becoming too demanding for the constraints of sheet music such as was used in his earlier band Maximalist!. From the beginning, improvisation played an important role in X-Legged Sally’s songs. The first X-Legged Sally concert took place in November 1988. Soon, X-Legged Sally became a band in its own right, although there would be cooperations with dance ensembles throughout the existence of the group.

This debut album was recorded in October 1991 by Bill Laswell and the Knitting Factory in NY, but was only released for the opening of festivities of 1993′s Antwerp, European Cultural Capital that lasted a whole year. Apparently the Flemish regional government funded the project. Being mostly Peter Vermeersch and Pierre Vervloesem’s group, the septet has an incredible sound. Clearly these guys listened to a wide array of music and progressive groups. The inside group photo does show a girl named sally sitting cross-legged, you will never know if it was a spoof or not.

With its slow-beat but eccentric jazz opener the uninitiated proghead might just take the advice from the track title and skip ahead, but this would be a serious mistake. Zippo Raid is a much more energetic track while the aptly-titled X-Legged Sally – their eponymous track supposed to define them – raised the standards. Among the other highlights are Blackhead BB with its sax orgies (were Van Der Graaf Generator’s Jackson was obviously an influence) underlined by Vervloesem’s Zappa-esque guitars, Bacon & Eggs and Turkish Bath. In a much harder and funky way (in a Red Hot Chilly Peppers sense) Little hearts and Lacto B rock your heart out with a real virtuosity but staying away from the demonstration.

A stunning debut album and the first of series of impressive records. X-Legged Sally is one of the seminal bands of Belgium’s 90′s scenes, and a must-hear-to-believe-it.

Line-up:
- Pierre Vervloesem / guitars, vocals
- Danny Van Hoeck / drums
- Peter Vermeersch / Tenor saxophone, clarinet
- Eric Sleichim / Alto saxophone
- Jean-Luc Plouvier / keyboards
- Michel Mast / Bariton & Tenor saxophone
- Bruno Deneuter / bass
- Sally C.S. / x-noise, twists

Track List:
01. FFWD (5:35)
02. Zippo Raid (4:15)
03. XLS (6:53)
04. Down At The Dinghy (4:34)
05. Bacon & Eggs (5;25)
06. 34th Street (4:59)
07. Blackhead Blue Blues (5:08)
08. Lacto B (1:06)
09. Fuck & Coffee (2:50)
10. Turkish Bath (5:21)
11. Little Hearts (4:24)
12. Liquid (4:06)
13. Pinocchio (5:05)
14. Memphis (4:49)
15. Ongenaam (1:54)

Links in comments.

X-Legged Sally

Spriguns – Magic Lady (1978) (@256)

14 Sep 2007

(Review from progressor.net)

With three folk-rock albums under their belt, Spriguns and their rising star Mandy Morton released “Magic Lady” in 1978.

There are neither real folk songs nor any typical folk-rock songs on “Magic Lady”. All baker’s dozen of Magic songs, composed by Lady Mandy within united stylistics, sound original and interesting, but there hides just a slight folk-ish spirit on the album as a whole and that even on those songs that feature traditional folk instruments (cello, viola and concertina).

Bright, melodious and accessible, ten out of the thirteen tracks of the album can be easily described as songs of light neo progressive that can gladden a lot of neo fans. As for the other three out of thirteen, According to Mathew, Goodbye the Day, and Witchfinder (tracks 3, 5 & 9 respectively), these wonderful songs contain really rich and large-scale instrumental arrangements, characteristic for classic art rock.

Line-up:
* Mandy Morton – Lead Vocals & Acoustic Guitar
* Tom Ling – Electric & Acoustic Violins & Harpsichord
* Byron Giles – Electric & Acoustic Guitars & Vocals
* Mike Morton – Bass Guitar & Vocals
* Alex Cooper – Drums & Percussion
with
* Tim Hart – Dulcimer & Vocals
* Graeme Taylor – Electric Guitar
* Gordon Folklard – Concertina & Cello
* Sarah Folklard – Viola
* Gaynor Roberts – Backing Vocals (in “Music Prince”)

Track List:
01. Magic Lady – 2:28
02. Music Prince – 3:18
03. According To Mat(t)hew – 3:26
04. Little Inbetween / Little In Between – 1:35
05. Goodbye The Day – 4:23
06. Silence Do The Rest – 2:58
07. The Lady – 3:08
08. White Ship – 2:42
09. Witchfinder – 3:36
10. Gypsy Glass – 3:48
11. Ghost Of A Song – 2.55
12. Winter Storms (Bonus) – 2:57
13. Magic Lady Reprise – 0:52

Link in comments.

Spriguns

Rush – All the World's A Stage (Live 1976) (@256)

13 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Loud, live, raw Rush!

“All The World’s A Stage” completes the first stage of Rush’s development, or as the band notes on the sleeve: “the end of the beginning, a milestone to mark the close of chapter one”.

“All The World’s A Stage” captures the essence of Rush in the beginning, a trio carried by the energy of the moment. The selections may sound a little rough around the edges but what’s nice about “All The World’s A Stage” is the opportunity to hear the band cut through live versions of their earliest material like it really mattered (and it did): Album tracks like “Lakeside Park” and “Something For Nothing”, even “By-Tor…” would have fallen by the wayside by the time most bands had released a live album. Issuing one early in their careers like this gives Rush fans the opportunity to enjoy their first-phase music in its original context rather than as some posthumous archival release, and the difference is significant.

Recorded from the band performance at Massey Hall, Toronto at 11, 12 and 13 June 1976; we get all of the staples from the first four Rush albums on here. Right from the powerful opener “Bastille Day”, the sheer enthusiasm and energy of the band’s performance is impressive. They were in their early 20s at this point, yet they were effortlessly playing songs like the epic “2112″ and “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” in the live setting. Shorter rockers like “Anthem” and “Something For Nothing” are smokin’, while some of the extended jamming on tracks like “Working Man” shows how talented these three Canadian guys really were.

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / bass, keyboards, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / guitars
- Neil Peart / drums, percussion

Track List:
CD1
01. Bastille day (4:59)
02. Anthem (4:57)
03. Fly by night / In the mood (5:05)
04. Something for nothing (4:03)
05. Lakeside Park (5:05)
06. 2112: 15:51
I) Overture (4:17)
II) Temples of Syrinx (2:13)
III) Presentation (4:29)
IV) Soliloquy (2:25)
V) Grand finale (2:27)
07. By-Tor and the Snowdog (12:01)
08. In the End (7:14)
09. Working Man / Drum solo / Finding My Way (14:20)
10. What you’re doing (5:38)

Links in comments.

Geddy Lee, Live, Rush

Andrew Powell – Alan Parsons Project Played By Andrew Powell (1983) (@256)

13 Sep 2007

(Info from wikipedia)

Andrew Powell worked on the first album by The Alan Parsons Project (“Tales of Mystery and Imagination”) as arranger, conductor and composer, subsequently on all but one of their albums (Vulture Culture) until the Project broke up.

In 1983, Andrew Powell released an instrumental album featuring his orchestral interpretations of Alan Parsons Project tunes with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Track List:
01. Lucifer/ Mammagamma (5:00)
02. Time (5:06)
03. Games people play (4:02)
04. I Robot Suite (3:38)
05. Damned If I Do (3:38)
06. Pavane (4:42)
07. What Goes Up (5:35)
08. Eye In The Sky (4:25)
09. Old And Wise (5:02)

Link in comments.

Andrew Powell

Rush – 2112 (1976) (@256)

13 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

“2112″, a truly great epic rock album, was the album that gave Rush their breakthrough outside Canada.

The opening track “2112″ spreads through the whole first side. It is, actually, seven smaller tracks all in one; epic indeed. It begins with a sci-fi, almost techno-y laser hum, followed by what can best be described as “cosmic sounds”. Then the rock kicks in: Lifeson’s guitar riffs, Geddy Lee’s bass providing support, and Peart’s drumming crashing in to carry both along. They rip through the first part of the song, “2112 Overture”, and then zoom right into the second part: “The Temples of Syrinx”. Afterwards comes the mellow “Discovery”, then the slightly harder “Presentation”. Expect only the best solo-wise in that segment. Following the solo is “The Oracle”, a part which helps to further the story the epic is based on. Finally, we come down to “Soliloquy” and at long last, “Grand Finale”. They crush through final part of the twenty-minute song, and end it with distorted guitar fuzz, a fading bassline, crashing cymbals and pounding bass drum, all with an electronic, echoing voice shouting about control. It’s really a highlight in rock history.

The second side is superb, as well. “A Passage To Bangkok”, keeping in spirit with most 70′s songs, is about marijuana. Ohwell, it has a very good main riff and Geddy does a very nice job with his vocals to provide an atmosphere. “The Twilight Zone” is next and it’s about… well, the television show The Twilight Zone. A very nice homage. Next comes “Lessons”, a great song about making mistakes and learning from them. Lifeson goes up high on the fretboard for this one, creating wails to fit Geddy Lee’s vocals. It’s a rather cool effect which leaves a lasting feeling of amazement. Then comes the ballad on the album, “Tears”. Implementing a violin and acoustic guitar, paired with very somber, very melancholy vocals, it strikes you in the heart and leaves a sad imprint… which is quickly taken away by the albums closing song, “Something For Nothing”. A very rocking song, to say the least, the boys jump right to it during the chorus and continue until the last chord fades out with the album.

If you’re a Rush fan, you more than likely already have this. If you’re not, cherish it, worship it. It will blow you away, if you let it take control over you. Have a nice journey through space, but don’t forget to come home again!

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / bass, bass pedals, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / guitars, bass pedals
- Neil Peart / drums, percussion
with
- Hugh Syme / Mellotron on the track Tears

Track List:
01. 2112: 20:34
I) Overture (4:32)
II) Temples of the Syrinx (2:13)
III) Discovery (3:29)
IV) Presentation (3:42)
V) Oracle: the dream (2:00)
VI) Soliloquy (2:21)
VII) The grand finale (2:14)
02. A passage to Bangkok (3:34)
03. The twilight zone (3:18)
04. Lessons (3:51)
05. Tears (3:32)
06. Something for nothing (3:59)

Link in comments.

Geddy Lee, Rush

Pinhani – Inandigin Masallar (2006) (@256)

12 Sep 2007

(Review from sozluk.sourtimes.org)

After performing covers in various bars of Istanbul with his previous band “Van Basten”, Sinan Kaynakci formed Pinhani with his cousin Zeynep Eylul Ucer in 2004. They had played together before in different amateur bands. In fact, Kaynakci had given her first bass as a gift many years ago. “Pinhani” was their grandfather’s nickname in the poems he wrote, they inherited it as the band’s name. The word “Pinhan” is of persian origin, meaning “Secret”.

With veteran musicians Akin Eldes and Cem Aksel, they released their debut in 2006. Warmly received by Turkish listeners, Pinhani quickly gained popularity nation-wide.

Their music is simple, clear, naive, gentle and sincere. Deep words are sung along peaceful and joyous melodies. Where “Don Bak Dunyaya” is melancholic, “Hele Bi Gelin” makes you dance, “Beni Al” leaves a sour taste. “Yildizlar” has the bitterness of a break-up. “Unutuldular” tells the emotional breakdown caused by the accumulation of multiple seperations.

With its magical atmosphere, “Inandigin Masallar” easily ranks as one of the top Turkish folk-rock albums recorded in the last few years.

Line-up:
* Sinan Kaynakci – Vocals, Guitar
* Zeynep Eylul Ucer – Bass, Vocals
with
* Cem Aksel – Drums
* Akin Eldes – Guitar

Track List:
01. Istanbul’da
02. Seni Bana Anlatirlar
03. Hele Bi Gel
04. Beni Al
05. Don Bak Dunyaya
06. Ben Nasi Buyuk Adam Olucam
07. Haftanin Sonu
08. Unutuldular
09. Yildizlar
10. Gozler Anlatir

Link in comments.

Turkish

Andrew Powell – Ladyhawke (1984) (@192)

12 Sep 2007

(Review from allmusic.com, wikipedia)

In 1984, Andrew Powell composed the music for the film “Ladyhawke”. He was most well known for his work with the Alan Parsons Project. The film director Richard Donner stated in the liner notes that he had been location-scouting with a steady soundtrack of the Project’s albums, and so he married music style to pictures in his mind before the film was even begun. Powell wrote the score and approached Parsons to produce the music.

The score itself is a genuine rarity among movies, written and produced in a progressive rock idiom, electric instruments (especially guitars and keyboards) mixing freely with orchestral passages and creating a seductive otherworldly ambience, somewhat reminiscent (as is the movie for which it was written) of the scoring for Excalibur, though that relied on Wagnerian material to make its point. This is closer in spirit and execution to ’70s progressive rock, and very impressive in that context.

Totally instrumental, “Ladyhawke” successfully features the “orchestral” side of the Project.

Line-up:
* Andrew Powell – Composer, Conductor, Keyboards, Orchestration
* Ian Bairnson – Guitar
* Richard Cottle – Keyboards
* Stuart Elliott – Percussion, Drums
* David Paton – Bass
* Alan Parsons – Producer, Engineer

Track List:
01. Main Title
02. Phillippe’s Escape
03. The Search For Phillippe
04. Tavern Fight (Phillippe)
05. Tavern Fight (Navarre)
06. Pitou’s Woods
07. Phillippe Describes Isabeau
08. Bishop’s Procession
09. Wedding MUsic
10. Navarre’s Ambush
11. Imperius Removes Arrow
12. Chase / Fall / Transformation
13. Cezar’s Woods
14. She Was Sad At First
15. Navarre Returns To Aquila
16. Turret Chase / The Fall – Film Version
17. Wolf Trapped in Ice
18. Navarre And Isabeau’s Dual Transformation
19. Navarre And Marquet Duel
20. Marquet’s Death
21. Bishop’s Death
22. Final Reunion / End Title

Link in comments.

Alan Parsons, Andrew Powell, David Paton

Styx – Pieces of Eight (1978) (@256)

12 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

“Sing for the day”, the third track on this album, sums up perfectly what’s on offer here. “Pieces of eight” is an album clearly designed with one thing in mind, crowd pleasing. Almost any of the tracks here can be taken straight into a live environment, and will instantly get the crowd on its feet and singing along. There is an anthem feel to so many of the tracks, you could be mistaken for thinking you are listening to the opening day of an Olympic games.

The album opens with a simulated boxing event with announcements and crowd effects as we are introduced to the “Great white hope”. There’s an AC/DC feel to the vocals here, the song being little more than melodic pop rock. “I’m OK” keeps the pop feel going as the anthemic influences increase, this is Styx in full “We are the champions” mode. There is a nod to something more substantial in a slower church organ section, but we’re soon back on track and on our feet again for the big ending.

The distinctive vocals of Tommy Shaw appear for the first time on “Sing for the day” which, while slightly more structured, has an irritatingly infectious chorus. Things move in a slightly more prog direction with the story based “The message”/”Lord of the ring” which sounds like it probably inspired a host of Rhapsody’s ballads. While the track is slower, with some good old phasing, it retains that “sign along with us” feel.

There’s an ELP like organ intro for “Blue collar man”, a pretty basic rock number, while “Queen of spades” deceptively starts out as a “Babe” like Dennis De Young ballad, before some impressive lead guitar carries it off into the melodic rock territory once more. “Renegade” is yet another driving guitar rock song.

The album closes with the title track and “Aku Aku”. Once again, “Pieces of eight” opens as a “Babe” like ballad, before becoming yet another anthem song. It features a quasi-classical section leading into a majestic guitar break, prior to the repeating power chorus to end. “Aku Aku” resembles as slowed down version of the closing section of Eric Clapton’s “Layla”.

There’s little which is particularly challenging or original in “Pieces of Eight”, but the melodies are strong, and the performances competent. One for the masses.

Line-up:
- Dennis DeYoung / keyboards, vocals
- Tommy Shaw / guitar, vocals
- James Young / guitar, vocals
- Chuck Panozzo / bass, vocals
- John Panozzo / drums, vocals

Track List:
01. Great White Hope (4:22)
02. I’m O.K. (5:41)
03. Sing for the Day (4:57)
04. The Message (1:08)
05. Lords of the Ring (4:33)
06. Blue Collar Man (4:05)
07. Queen of Spades (5:38)
08. Renegade (4:13)
09. Pieces of Eight (4:44)
10. Aku Aku (2:57)

Link in comments.

Styx

Rush – Fly By Night (1975) (@320)

11 Sep 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com, allmusic)

After Rutsey’s departure, Rush held auditions for a replacement drummer before finally selecting Neil Peart in July 1974. Prior to joining the band, Peart had recently traveled to London England in order to further his musical career. He became increasingly disillusioned with the music scene and emigrated back to Canada where he auditioned for Rush.

Peart’s inclusion led the band to a more progressive ethos over the course of the next few albums. He also became the band’s principal lyricist since Lee and Lifeson had very little interest in writing, contributing to only a few songs over the rest of the band’s career. Instead the two of them focused solely on the musical aspect of Rush.

Their second album is a natural follow on from the band’s debut. The Rush sound is beginning to crystallise, most notably in Geddy’s vocals.

“Anthem” opens proceedings, and if their debut ‘Rush’ was heavy hard rock, “Anthem” is sublime heavy metal. Bombastic, theatric and iconoclastic, it propels forward with serious intent, tons of depth, and inspired vocals by Geddy Lee. Featuring lyrics inspired by the philosophy of Ayn Rand, it’s clear that Peart is a player on par with his new bandmates.

While “Beneath, Between, & Behind” is a furious heavy rocker, the over eight-minute “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” helped pave the way for the group’s future epics and introduced the fans to Peart’s imaginative lyric writing, often tinged with science fiction themes.

The autobiographical “Fly by Night” is based on Peart’s experience of moving from Canada to London as a young musician (long before joining Rush). It is a perrenial FM radio staple, simple and light-hearted, easy to get into and utterly enjoyable. The reflective and melodic “Making Memories” is an underrated acoustic-driven composition, lilting springtime bounce. It appears to be an account of experiences from the band’s first tour. “Rivendell”, referring to an Elven city in Tolkien’s novels, is a gentle ballad with great acoustic guitar riff and effects by long electric guitar notes. “In The End”‘s slow build is lovely, and the crashing chords along with Geddy Lee’s wailing provide a huge ending to ‘Fly By Night’.

Line-up:
- Alex Lifeson / electric guitars, six and twelve string guitars
- Neil Peart / percussion
- Geddy Lee / bass guitars, classical guitars, all vocals

Track List:
01. Anthem (4:21)
02. Best I can (3:24)
03. Beneath, between and behind (3:00)
04. By-Tor and the Snowdog (8:57)
I) At the Tobes of Hades
II) Across the Styx
III) Of the battle
IV) Epilogue
05. Fly by night (3:20)
06. Making memories (2:56)
07. Rivendell (5:00)
08. In the end (6:51)

Link in comments.

Geddy Lee, Rush

Cream – Royal Albert Hall: London 2-6 May 2005 (@256)

11 Sep 2007

(Review from amazon.com)

They step onto the stage of London’s Royal Albert Hall: Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Eric Clapton. The capacity crowd, which includes film stars Sean Penn and Jude Law, stands to greet them. Thirty-seven years after their farewell concert, the famously fiery Cream did the unthinkable –they reunited.

This double-CD collection captures highlights from the historic four-day engagement, beginning with a buoyant “I’m So Glad” and ending with a triumphant “Sunshine of Your Love”. It would be churlish to suggest that Cream appears exactly as they did in the 1960s (Bruce looks a little frail), but the legendary power trio still has the goods. Bruce is still the essence of soul (a particularly rich vocal on “Politician”), while Baker is as irrepressible as ever (a rare vocal on “Pressed Rat and Warthog,” percussive tour-de-force “Toad”). Then there’s Clapton, who remains as much a master of the guitar as of understatement. “Thanks for waiting all these years”, he quips after a slow-burning “Outside Woman Blues”. The track listing is, indeed, generous, despite the absence of such Cream classics as “I Feel Free”, “Strange Brew”, and “Tales of Brave Ulysses”.

Line-up:
* Jack Bruce – Bass
* Eric Clapton – Guitar
* Ginger Baker – Drums

Track List:
CD1
01. I’m So Glad (James) – 6:18
02. Spoonful (Dixon) – 7:28
03. Outside Woman Blues (Reynolds) – 4:33
04. Pressed Rat and Warthog (Baker, Taylor) – 3:21
05. Sleepy Time Time 1 (Bruce, Godfrey) – 6:07
06. N.S.U. (Bruce) – 6:02
07. Badge 1 (Clapton, Harrison) – 3:58
08. Politician (Bruce, Brown) – 5:08
09. Sweet Wine (Baker, Godfrey) – 6:28
10. Rollin’ & Tumblin’ (Waters) – 5:02
11. Stormy Monday 2 (Walker) – 8:09
12. Deserted Cities of the Heart 1 (Bruce, Brown) – 3:56
CD2
01. Born Under a Bad Sign (Jones, Bell) – 5:31
02. We’re Going Wrong (Bruce) – 8:26
03. Crossroads (Bruce, arr. Clapton) – 4:25
04. White Room 1 (Bruce, Brown) – 5:38
05. Toad 2 (Baker) – 10:06
06. Sunshine of Your Love 1 (Baker) – 8:46
07. Sleepy Time Time (Alternate Take) (Bruce, Godfrey) – 6:06

Links in comments.

Cream, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Live

Rush – Rush (1974) (@256)

11 Sep 2007

(Review from wikipedia)

Rush was formed in the summer of 1968, in Toronto by Alex Lifeson, Jeff Jones, and John Rutsey. The stage name “Lifeson” is a semi-literal translation of his surname “Zivojinovich”, meaning “son of life”. That same September, Jones was replaced as bassist and lead vocalist by Lifeson’s schoolmate Gary Lee Weinrib, who went by the name of Geddy Lee due to the heavily accented pronunciation of his surname.

After this point, Rush experienced rapid personnel changes and lineup reformations before finally settling on the first officially recognized incarnation of the band. After experiencing some stability in their lineup and honing their skills on the local bar/high school dance circuit, Rush released their first single in 1973. The single did not generate the desired reaction on the commercial circuit. Because numerous record companies refused to produce and distribute Rush’s music, the band was forced to form their own record label, Moon Records. Due to a limited budget, the sessions were scheduled during the late night ‘dead’ time in studios which, due to lack of activity at those times, had lower rates. Their self-produced debut was first released on Moon Records in Canada. Only 3,500 copies of the original were pressed.

Rush’s roots were always blues based. Their debut is a prime example of their Cream, The Who, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple influences. It is first and foremost a hard rocking, blues driven album. The band show a mature and above all energetic style from the get-go. Geddy Lee’s vocals are something of an acquired taste, the high pitched Jon Anderson range keys making the band sound like Led Zeppelin on helium.

Each side has a 7 minute feature track. “Here again” is a slower reflective number, the guitar inflections and melancholy vocal emphasising the blues side of the band. “Working man” also starts out as a slower piece of heavy rock before Lifeson lifts the pace with a storming guitar solo reminiscent of one of Alvin Lee’s finer (Woodstock) moments.

Picked up by a Cleveland radio DJ, copies of the Moon Records album were imported to the Cleveland area and quickly sold out. This new found popularity led to the album being re-released by Mercury Records. With additional money coming in, all of the recordings were re-mixed to improve the sound quality. The remix version was used for all later releases.

Immediately after the release of the debut album, Rutsey resigned in July 1974 due to his affliction with diabetes and a distaste for touring.

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / bass guitar, classical guitar, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / acoustic & electric guitar
- John Rutsey / drums, percussion

Track List:
01. Finding My Way (5:05)
02. Need Some Love (2:19)
03. Take a Friend (4:24)
04. Here Again (7:34)
05. What You’re Doing (4:22)
06. In the Mood (3:33)
07. Before and After (5:34)
08. Working Man (7:10)

Link in comments.

Geddy Lee, Rush

Keats – Keats (1984) (@224)

10 Sep 2007

(Review from amazon, allmusic.com)

Keats was an early-80′s Alan Parsons Project spinoff, featuring most of the musicians from the Project albums. The band consisted of long-time Project cohorts vocalist Colin Blunstone, guitarist Ian Bairnson, bassist David Paton, and drummer Stuart Elliott. The line-up was completed by keyboardist Pete Bardens, renowned for his fine work with Camel.

Most of the music is in a direction similar to some of Project’s more pop-oriented tracks. The songs are slicker than the more musically and lyrically adventurous Project albums. There aren’t a lot of orchestrations and “progressive” bombasts.

“Turn Your Heart Around” could have easily been a soundtrack for an action movie. “Avalanche” is a moving and melodic masterpiece. “Tragedy” is a frantic piece aptly named that conjures up images of desperation and then suddenly breaks into a tasty and mellow guitar solo before returning to mayhem. “How Can You Walk Away” sounds like the typical Project “airplay sound” with it’s moving beat and signature riffs.

A nice, easy listening album featuring the “popish” side of the Project.

Line-up:
* Ian Bairnson – Guitars, Bass, Piano, Back Vocals
* Peter Bardens – Keyboards
* Colin Blunstone – Vocals
* Richard Cottle – Synthesizer, Keyboards, Saxophone
* Stuart Elliott – Strings, Drums, Tambourine, Triangle, Xylophone, Cowbell, Guiro, Wood Block, Wind Chimes
* David Paton – Synthesizer, Bass, Vocals
* Alan Parsons – Producer, Engineer

Track List:
01. Heaven Knows
02. Tragedy
03. Fight To Win
04. Walking On Ice
05. How Can You Walk Away
06. Avalanche
07. Turn Your Heart Around
08. Hollywood Heart
09. Ask No Questions
10. Night Full Of Voices

Link in comments.

Alan Parsons, David Paton, Peter Bardens

Alan Parsons Project – Gaudi (1987) (@256)

10 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

This is really the Eric Woolfson Project, Parsons being almost entirely absent from the album credits. He is listed as co-writer of the songs, but this could be very much in the way Lennon/McCartney shared every song. This album is the nearest to progressive Alan Parsons Project have come since “Tales of Mystery and Imagination”, and is a very good collection to boot.

This is of course a concept album about the architect Gaudi, and consists of generally longer tracks than other Alan Parsons Project albums. It was originally composed as a stage show, and has indeed gone on to become a successful one in Germany.

“La Sagrada Familia” kick off the album with much pomposity and orchestration. At almost 9 minutes it is a fine piece, with great vocals by John Miles (“Music”) and dramatic instrumental overtones. Miles also performs lead vocals on “Money talks”, which sound like little more than a thinly disguised mimic of Pink Floyd’s “Money”. Indeed, it is the tracks on which Woolfson take on lead vocal that shine brightest. “Inside looking out” is particularly pleasing, similar in many ways to the classic Alan Parsons Project track, “Silence and I”. “Standing on higher ground” is more like standard Alan Parsons Project fare, with it’s relaxed mid-paced rhythm, and catchy hook, a sort of “Eye in the sky part 2″.

Line-up:
- Laurie Cottle / bass
- Stuart Elliott / drums & percussion
- Ian Bairnson / guitars
- Richard “Trix” Cottle / synths and saxes
- Eric Woolfson / pianos & keyboards
- Bob Howes / timpanis
- David Cripp / horn (leader)
- John Heley / cello
- Andrew Powell / orchestra arrangements and conduction
- Bob Howes / choir, The English Chorale conduction
- John Miles, Lenny Zakatek, Eric Woolfson, Geoff Barradale, Chris Rainbow / vocals

Track List:
01. La Sagrada Familia (8:44)
02. Too Late (4:34)
03. Closer To Heaven (5:54)
04. Standing On Higher Ground (5:02)
05. Money Talks (4:23)
06. Inside Looking Out (6:19)
07. Paseo De Gracia (3:43)

Link in comments.

Alan Parsons, Alan Parsons Project, Andrew Powell, Chris Rainbow, Eric Woolfson

Refugee – Refugee (1974) (@256)

10 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

What do you get if you take “Nice” and replace Keith Emerson for Patrick Moraz? The answer is simple -> “Refugee”.

Lee Jackson and Brian Davidson wanted to revive “Nice”, so they searched for another keyboardist who could replace Emerson and they eventually found him. The Swiss born virtuoso Patrick Moraz had left “Mainhorse” so they recruited him and the result was incredibly solid.

What Refugee produced was a very well constructed and progressive album. The music bears only passing resemblance to the Emerson dominated work of the Nice, with much more of a democracy in evidence. This gives the album a noticeable balance.

Jackson’s vocals will never win him any awards, but their gruffness seems right at home here, and in any case, much of the time his voice is not required. Moraz keyboard work is excellent, his familiar jazzy slurring on the synthesiser is predominant, similar to that which made “Relayer” so different from other Yes albums.

The tracks are split between three pretty straight forward pieces clocking in at around the five minutes, and two long structured pieces of pure prog. “Grand Canyon” does a good job of painting a picture of said wonder of the world, with lyrics such as “We’ll swoop right up the canyon wall, then like an eagle down we’ll falllll (descending echoes on the word “fall”)”, you get the idea! “Credo” is a slightly rougher more Nice like piece, with slightly jazzier keyboards.

It really is a pity the band did not remain together to develop their unique sound. Moraz went on to replace Rick Wakeman in Yes.

Line-up:
- Patrick Moraz / keyboards
- Lee Jackson / bass, vocals
- Brian Davison / percussion, drum

Track List:
01. Papillon (5:11)
02. Someday (4:58)
03. Grand Canyon (16:42)
04. Ritt Mickley (4:55)
05. Credo (18:01)

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Brian Davison, Lee Jackson, Patrick Moraz

Cream – BBC Sessions (1966-68) (@256)

10 Sep 2007

(Review from allmusic.com)

This 22 track BBC session set from 1966-1968 marked a major addition to the Cream’s discography, particularly as they released relatively little product during their actual lifetime. All of these cuts were previously unreleased by the band, and although many of these had made the round on bootlegs, the sound and presentation here is unsurprisingly preferable.

As for actual surprises, there aren’t many. It’s a good cross section of songs from their studio records, though a couple, “Steppin’ Out” and “Traintime”, only appeared on live releases, and some of these BBC takes actually predate the release and recording of the album versions, which makes them of historical interest for intense Cream fans (There are also four brief interviews with Eric Clapton from the original broadcasts).

There’s a mild surprise in the absence of a version of “White Room”, but otherwise many of the group’s better compositions and covers are here. Cream took better advantage of the live-in-the-studio BBC format than some groups of similar stature. There’s a lean urgency to most of the performances that, while not necessarily superior to the more fully realized and polished studio renditions, do vary notably in ambience from the more familiar versions. The sound quality is good but not perfect, and variable; sometimes it’s excellent, yet at other times there seem to be imperfections in the tapes sourced, with “Sunshine of Your Love” suffering from a (not grievously) hollow, muffled quality.

Given Cream’s tendency to over-improvise on the band’s live concert recordings, however, the concise nature of these BBC tracks (none of which exceed five minutes) makes them preferable listening in some respects.

Line-up:
* Ginger Baker – Drums, Vocals
* Jack Bruce – Bass, Harmonica, Piano, Vocals
* Eric Clapton – Guitar, Vocals

Track List:
01. Sweet Wine – 3:27
02. Eric Clapton Interview – 0:54
03. Wrapping Paper – 2:29
04. Rollin’ and Tumblin’ – 3:02
05. Steppin’ Out – 1:50
06. Crossroads – 1:53
07. Cat’s Squirrel – 3:38
08. Traintime – 2:50
09. I’m So Glad – 4:22
10. Lawdy Mama – 1:53
11. Eric Clapton Interview 2 – 0:48
12. I Feel Free – 2:54
13. N.S.U. – 2:55
14. Four Until Late – 1:55
15. Strange Brew – 3:00
16. Eric Clapton Interview 3 – 0:44
17. Tales of Brave Ulysses – 2:55
18. We’re Going Wrong – 3:25
19. Eric Clapton Interview 4 – 0:37
20. Born Under A Bad Sign – 3:03
21. Outside Woman Blues – 3:18
22. Take It Back – 2:17
23. Sunshine of Your Love – 4:08
24. Politician – 3:59
25. SWLABR – 2:32
26. Steppin’ Out – 3:37

Links in comments.

Cream, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Live

Alan Parsons Project – Stereotomy (1986) (@256)

09 Sep 2007

(Review from wikipedia, allmusic, progarchives.com)

The word ‘Stereotomy’ is taken from the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. It refers to the cutting of existing solid shapes into different forms; it is used as a metaphor for the way that famous people (singers, actors. etc.) are often ‘shaped’ by the demands of fame. On this album, the theme circles around the way in which the modern world molds the personality, the character, and the livelihood of the human being. People are but a slave to their lifestyle and their environment, and they are destined to be thrown into this situation at birth, with tolerance as an inevitability.

The Alan Parsons Project, being as they were a studio based “project” led by Eric Wolfson and Alan Parsons, had the luxury of being able to call upon guest vocals whom they felt would be appropriate for a particular track. This gave their albums the potential for great diversity, a facet they did not always exploit to the full. Too often, the various singers end up sounding similar to each other, overwhelmed by the everything but the kitchen sink approach adopted during production.

“Stereotomy” however is different. The chosen vocalists are individually strong, including as they do John Miles, Chris Rainbow, and the great Gary Brooker (Procol Harum). There is still the familiar APP pop sound, particularly on the lightweight tracks such as “Beujolais” and “In the real world” There is also the obligatory couple of instrumentals which always seem to sound the same, but there are also some more adventurous, well constructed pieces too.

The title track is a great upbeat opener, with the single word title being used to great phonetic effect (similar to the way Russ Ballard used to do so well on Argent tracks like “Liar” and “Tragedy”.)

“Limelight”, the track featuring Gary Brooker’s voice stand head and shoulders above the other tracks. It is truly one of the APP’s defining moments. Admittedly Brooker could make any lyric sound emotional, but when he gets the right song, as he does here, the results can be stunning.

Line-up:
- David Paton / bass
- Stuart Elliott / drums & percussion
- Ian Bairnson / guitars
- Richard “Trix” Cottle / synths ans saxes
- Eric Woolfson, Alan Parsons / pianos & keyboards
- Steve Dye / backing vocals
- Andrew Powell / orchestra arrangements and conduction

Track List:
01. Stereotomy (7:15)
02. Beaujolais (4:27)
03. Urbania (4:34)
04. Limelight (4:39)
05. In The Real World (4:17)
06. Where’s The Walrus? (7:34)
07. Light Of The World (6:22)
08. Chinese Whispers (1:02)
09. Stereotomy Two (1:18)

Link in comments.

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

Evolution – Evolution (1970) (@256)

09 Sep 2007

(Review from shindig-magazine.com)

The late ’60s in Spain saw a fascination with soul music — perhaps the upbeat groove of black America was a suitable reaction to the staid ways of Franco’s dictatorship. Evolution initially arrived in Spain from Germany as beat/soul band Los Vampires, who overtime changed direction, lost members and regrouped at the end of the decade in Barcelona to become the cities hottest soul act.

When the psych-prog boom took off influences such as Santana, Spirit, King Crimson, Traffic and Blood, Sweat & Tears also began to play a crucial part in their sound. The band originals combined incredible psych-rock dance floor fillers – notably ‘Dr. Vazquez’ – which were packed with fuzz guitar, Hammond and Det Ferring’s impressive vocals, with more introspective rock. (It comes as no surprise that recently the Mod scene has picked up on Evolution’s dazzling interpretation of Spirit’s ‘Fresh Garbage’).

Track List:
01. Dr. Vazquez – 2.51
02. I’m Walking High – 4.12
03. She’s So Fine – 3.05
04. Water – 3.22
05. Fresh Garbage – 2.49
06. 21st Century Schizoid Man – 4.25
07. Get Ready – 5.06
08. Loving Me – 3.12
09. You Don’t Love Me Baby – 3.42
10. I Must Live (Bonus) – 3.12
11. Pain And Pleasure (Bonus) – 3.12
12. In The Court Of The Crimson King (Bonus) – 2.48
13. Problems (Bonus) – 3.22

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Cream – Live Cream, Vol. 2 (1968) (@256)

09 Sep 2007

(Review from allmusic.com)

A great lost curio, Live Cream, Vol. 2 is not only vastly superior to its volume one predecessor in every way, it is also one of the greatest Cream albums in their slim catalog. Utilizing — for the time — state-of-the-art mobile recording equipment, the sonic excellence on this album surely must be acknowledged to the engineers: Tom Dowd and Bill Halverson. The feeling that you are in the front row is very much in evidence, and this is largely due to their ability to capture the band’s live fury with clarity. As for the performances, this record captures the band at their peak. The group made their reputation as a live act with epic, lengthy jams that verged on jazz, and indeed there is one example of this on the 13-plus-minute closing cut, “Steppin’ Out”. On record, this occasionally made for tough listening. But on the rest of this album, compact, four to five-minute versions of “Deserted Cities of the Heart” and “Tales of Brave Ulysses” among others, make it a vital, intense, and enjoyable listen that is ultimately rewarding.

Line-up:
* Ginger Baker – Drums, Vocals
* Jack Bruce – Bass, Harmonica, Keyboards, Vocals
* Eric Clapton – Guitar, Vocals

Track List:
01. Deserted Cities of the Heart – 4.33
02. White Room – 5.40
03. Politician – 5.08
04. Tales of Brave Ulysses – 4.46
05. Sunshine of Your Love – 7.25
06. Steppin’ Out – 13.28
Tracks 1, 2 & 3 recorded October 4, 1968 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena
Tracks 4 & 6 recorded March 10, 1968 at the Winterland
Track 5 recorded March 9, 1968 at the Winterland

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Cream, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Live

Cream – Live Cream, Vol. 1 (1967-68) (@256)

08 Sep 2007

(Review from allmusic.com)

Cream was a band born to the stage. This is a consistently brilliant live album. Four of the five cuts appeared on Fresh Cream. The fifth, “Lawdy Mama,” is a traditional blues piece that makes its first appearance here. All but “Lawdy Mama” are given extended jazz-based treatment. The dialog among the three musicians as the jams develop is fascinating. Foreground and background seem to dissolve as all three musicians take charge, using the full range of their instruments. Performances like this single-handedly raised the stakes of musicianship in rock.

Line-up:
* Jack Bruce: Bass guitar, harmonica, vocals.
* Eric Clapton: Guitars, vocals.
* Ginger Baker: Drums, percussion, vocals.

Track List:
01. N.S.U. – 10:15
* Recorded March 10 1968, Winterland
02. Sleepy Time Time – 6:52
* Recorded March 9 1968, Winterland
03. Sweet Wine – 15:16
* Recorded March 10 1968, Winterland
04. Rollin’ and Tumblin’ – 6:42
* Recorded March 7 1968, The Fillmore
05. Lawdy Mama – 2:46
* Studio Recording from Disraeli Gears sessions, 1967

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Cream, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Live

Thirsty Moon – You'll Never Come Back (1973) (@192)

08 Sep 2007

(Review from allmusic.com, progarchives.com)

Thirsty Moon were one of the many German jazz-rock progressive groups in the early ’70s that put their own unique spin to their fusion-based music. Inspired by the brass rock of Chicago, the early fusion of Emergency, and early, jazzy Krautrock like Xhol Caravan, Kollektiv, and Organisation, Thirsty Moon threw everything from horns to congas into their blend of jazz, progressive, and psychedelic music.

Their second album, released in late 1973, showcased the band’s eccentric song structures and highly original sound.

The opening side is a killer with only two lengthy tracks allowing for tons of interplay, solos, plenty of tempo changes and embellishments of all sorts. The 14-min+ Trash Man is really enthralling and suffers no lengths or over-long soloing tirades. The opening I See You was in the same register as well.

On the flipside, after the very fusionesque Tune In, we are clearly waiting for the monster 12-min+ title track, which starts out very slowly, almost cosmic, slowly moving across the galaxy, powered by a Fender Rhodes engine to the dissonant, almost free-jazz realm (avoiding its black hole, though ;-) then by activating the saxophone booster gliding and grooving to its great j-r destination. The closing Das Fest is just as beautiful, starting slowly, evolving to a quiet peaceful groove before exiting on a fade-out.

Line-up:
- Jürgen Drogies / guitar, percussion
- Norbert Drogies / drums
- Michael Kobs / keyboards
- Harald Konietzko / bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
- Erwin Noack / percussion
- Willi Pape / woodwinds

Track List:
01. I See You (7:18)
02. Trash Man (14:27)
03. Tune In (5:00)
04. You’ll Never Come Back (12:34)
05. Das Fest Der Völker (5:05)

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Alan Parsons Project – Vulture Culture (1985) (@256)

07 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, allmusic, wikipedia)

“Vulture Culture” offers more of the same from Alan Parsons, in the form of well produced melodic soft rock. The theme of the album is the fact that everyone lives in a parasitic society, where it’s every man for himself. Those who can’t fend for themselves simply won’t survive in a world where the kindness of the human spirit is rapidly deteriorating.

The album only contains one instrumental piece. Almost every song is a touchy and delicate ballad, no surprises in this aspect, but still they’re some which are slightly nostalgic and memorable.

The aptly named “Let’s Talk About Me” rolls out first and it perfectly epitomizes the narcissistic attitude of the 80s. It sets the tone for the entire album, being a mid-paced melodic rock song with a strong hook.

The sentimental, mellow and heartful ballad Days Are Numbers (The Traveller) stays as a top selection, among with the upbeat urban style of the tilte track, Vulture Culture. The other songs are also enjoyable and very melodic, you’ll enjoy Separate Lives, The Same Old Sun and Sooner Or Later, the three songs are fine ballads all sang by Woolfson. Also the paranoic but still delicate Somebody Out There, and the desert like, interlude instrumental Hawkeye are good.

Originally, the album was intended to be the second LP of a double album, with Ammonia Avenue being the first. This is the only Project album that does not feature the orchestration of Andrew Powell.

Line-up:
- David Paton / bass
- Stuart Elliott / drums & percussion
- Ian Bairnson / guitars
- Eric Woolfson / pianos
- Alan Parsons / fairlight prog.
- Richard “Trix” Cottle / synths & saxes

Track List:
01. Let’s Talk About Me (4:22)
02. Separate Lives (4:42)
03. Days Are Numbers (The Traveller) (4:02)
04. Sooner Or Later (4:26)
05. Vulture Culture (5:21)
06. Hawkeye (3:48)
07. Somebody Out There (4:56)
08. The Same Old Sun (5:24)

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Alan Parsons, Alan Parsons Project, David Paton, Eric Woolfson

Nine Days' Wonder – Nine Days' Wonder (1971) (@192)

07 Sep 2007

(Review from Cosmic Dreams at Play, progarchives.com)

Walter Seyffer founded Nine Days’ Wonder as early as 1966. They recorded their debut album as a fairly international quintet (4 different nationalities between the five of them) in January 1971, in the Dierks Studio with the Hauke & Dierks team.

This is a fine example of more bizarre progressive rock, clearly inspired by King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Soft Machine, Traffic, Family and Deep Purple. They presented long, complex suites of heavy progressive riffing, jazz fusion, large amounts of free improvisation, neck-breaking shifts of tempo and general insanity on tracks like “Morning Spirit” and “Stomach’s Choise”.

The album only four tracks, two of them multi-movement “suites”. This is head-twisting dizzyingly-wild music, constantly changing with a few characters intervening here and there. All tracks and subsections are attributed to all the members and it hardly surprises once you heard it a few times.

Line-up:
- Walter Seyffer / vocals, drums, percussion, effects
- John Earle / vocals, tenor/soprano sax, flute, guitar
- Rolf Henning / guitar, piano
- Karl Mutschlechner / bass
- Martin Roscoe / drums

Track List:
01. Fermillion (15:48)
02. Moss Had Come (3:27)
03. Apple Tree (6:45)
04. Drag Dilemma (12:47)

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Cream – Goodbye (1969) (@256)

07 Sep 2007

(Review from amazon, allmusic)

Cream disbanded following the release of their third album, 1968′s Wheels Of Fire. The band, who had accomplished so much in so little time, had been together less than three years. Their final album, the appropriately-titled Goodbye, wasn’t released until several months after the group had disbanded and the members had moved onto new musical projects.

As a slim, six-song single LP, it’s far shorter than the rambling, out-of-control Wheels of Fire, but it boasts the same structure, evenly dividing its time between tracks cut on-stage and in the studio.

While the live side contains nothing as indelible as “Crossroads,” the live music on the whole is better than that on Wheels of Fire, capturing the trio at an empathetic peak as a band. It’s hard, heavy rock, with Cream digging deep into their original “Politician” with the same intensity as they do on “Sitting on Top of the World”, but it’s the rampaging “I’m So Glad” that illustrates how far they’ve come; compare it to the original studio version on Fresh Cream and it’s easy to see just how much further they’re stretching their improvisation.

The studio side also finds them at something of a peak. Boasting a song apiece from each member, it opens with the majestic classic “Badge,” co-written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison and ranking among both of their best work. It’s followed by Jack Bruce’s “Doing That Scrapyard Thing”, an overstuffed near-masterpiece filled with wonderful, imaginative eccentricities, and finally, there’s Ginger Baker’s tense, dramatic “What a Bringdown”.

Like all of Cream’s albums outside Disraeli Gears, Goodbye is an album of moments, not a tight cohesive work, but those moments are all quite strong on their own terms, making this a good and appropriate final bow.

Line-up:
* Jack Bruce – bass guitar, piano, backing vocals, lead vocals
* Eric Clapton – guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals
* Ginger Baker – drums, percussion, lead vocals
with
* Felix Pappalardi – piano, mellotron, bass guitar
* George Harrison – rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Track List:
01. I’m So Glad – 9:13
02. Politician – 6:20
03. Sitting on Top of the World – 5:04
04. Badge – 2:47
05. Doing That Scrapyard Thing – 3:18
06. What a Bringdown – 3:57

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Cream, Eric Clapton, Felix Pappalardi, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce

Alan Parsons Project – Ammonia Avenue (1984) (@256)

07 Sep 2007

(Review from allmusic, wikipedia, progarchives.com)

One of the most interesting aspects about the Alan Parsons Project is the band’s ability to forge a main theme with each of its songs, while at the same time sounding extremely sharp and polished. Much of this formula is used in Ammonia Avenue, only this time the songs rise above Project’s overall message due to the sheer beauty of the lyrics partnered with the luster of the instruments.

Ammonia Avenue was originally intended to be released as a double album with their next album, Vulture Culture’s material forming the second record. The title of the album was inspired by Eric Woolfson’s visit to Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in Billingham England, where the first thing he saw was a street with miles of pipes, no people, no trees and a sign that said ‘Ammonia Avenue’. The album focused on the possible misunderstanding of industrial scientific developments from a public perspective and a lack of understanding of the public from a scientific perspective.

The enchanting saxophone of Mel Collins on “Don’t Answer Me” adds to its lonely atmosphere, while the briskness of Eric Woolfson’s wording throughout “Prime Time” makes it one of the Project’s best singles. On “You Don’t Believe,” the seriousness of the lyrics works well with the song’s energetic pace. The subtlety of the ballad comes to life on the elegant “Since the Last Goodbye,” which focuses on a failed attempt at a relationship. With Ammonia Avenue, the sum of the parts is greater than the whole product, which can’t be said for all of the Alan Parsons Project’s albums. Vocalists Eric Woolfson, Chris Rainbow, Lenny Zakatek, and Colin Blunstone equally shine, placing their talents above and beyond the album’s main idea.

Line-up:
- David Paton / bass
- Stuart Elliott / drums & percussion
- Ian Bairnson / guitars
- Eric Woolfson / keyboards
- Alan Parsons / fairlight prog.
- Mel Collins / saxophone
- Andrew Powell / orchestra arrangements and conduction

Track List:
01. Prime Time (5:03)
02. Let Me Go Home (3:20)
03. One Good Reason (3:36)
04. Since The Last Goodbye (4:33)
05. Don’t Answer Me (4:11)
06. Dancing On A Highwire (4:22)
07. You Don’t Believe (4:26)
08. Pipeline (3:56)
09. Ammonia Avenue (6:30)

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Alan Parsons, Alan Parsons Project, Andrew Powell, David Paton, Eric Woolfson, Mel Collins

Alan Parsons Project – Turn of a Friendly Card (1980) (@256)

06 Sep 2007

9 comments

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

Project’s fifth album “Turn of a Friendly Card” focuses on gambling, and loosely tells the tale of a middle-aged man who grows restless and takes a chance by going to a casino and betting all he has, only to lose it all.

This time the album doesn’t lead off with a spacey instrumental. Instead “May Be a Price to Pay” introduces the notion of playing as an exercise in trangression with an air of symphonic solemnity in the opening bars, leading us to a lighter, somewhat poppier further development, always keeping a symphonic twist.

On “Games People Play”, vocalist Lenny Zakatek sounds compelling and focused, giving the song a seriousness that aids in realization of the album’s concept. Zakatek returns a short while later on the similar “I don’t want to go home”.

The ballad-like “Time” is a typical Project mellow mood piece, and also marks the first time Eric Woolfson was given the microphone for the lead vocals. Woolfson often recorded vocals in the studio during early recording sessions, but was usually replaced with a featured singer in the final cuts. This album was recorded in France and they didn’t have anyone else available at the time, so Woolfson laid down the final cut. The success of “Time” led to many other lead vocals of Woolfson in their next albums.

Side two opens with what effectively serves as a prelude to the title suite. “The gold bug” is a typical Project instrumental featuring some fine saxophone and melodic vocalisation.

The minute “The turn of friendly card” starts, it is clear that the quality control has suddenly been turned up significantly. This is due in no small part to the distinctive vocals of Chris Rainbow (one time of Camel, but also a notable solo artist). Rainbow sings on all but one of the sections, “Nothing left to lose” which sees Eric Woolfson make his second vocal contribution to the album. The theme of the piece looks at the futility of gambling, although it has to be said that any examination of this heavy topic here is very superficial.

The orchestration which features throughout the suite comes to the fore on “The ace of swords”, an effective instrumental passage. The following “Nothing left to lose” has some of the strongest melodies on the album. Eric Woolfson offers a wonderful vocal performance to complement the reflective lyrics. The track develops through a brief reprise of the “Snake eyes” theme into one Ian Bairnson’s most aggressive guitar solos and a reprise of the title song to close the album. The final instrumental passage provides a wonderful coda to this superb piece.

Line-up:
- Eric Woolfson, Alan Parsons / keyboards
- David Paton / bass
- Stuart Elliott / drums & percussions
- Ian Bairnson / guitars
- Andrew Powell / orchestra & choir arrangements and conduction

Track List:
01. May Be A Price To Pay (4:52)
02. Games People Play (4:17)
03. Time (5:05)
04. I Don’t Wanna Go Home (4:54)
05. The Gold Bug (4:28)
06. The Turn Of A Friendly Card
- Part One (2:39)
- Snake Eyes (3:17)
- The Ace Of Swords (2:58)
- Nothing Left To Lose (4:03)
- Part Two (3:12)

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

Armageddon – Armageddon (1975) (@256)

06 Sep 2007

(Review from amazon)

Armageddon was the last decisive battle for ex-Yardbird Keith Relf. The former lead singer and harmonica player of the band that launched Clapton, Beck and Page; Relf had abandonned his blues-guitar band roots when he founded Renaissance in the late 1960′s. Relf left Renaissance after two albums (actually half way threw the second album) due to frustrations with the music business and being tired of touring.

After the disolution of Steamhammer, Relf, and ex-Steamhammer members, Martin Pugh (guitar) and Louis Cennamo (bass) came to L.A. and hooked up with ex-Captain Beyond and Johnny Winter drummer Bobby Caldwell to form Armageddon. Armageddon combined the complex drum patterns of Caldwell, with Pugh’s heavy and stylistic riffing and Relf’s insightful and searching lyrics to create a haunting and enduring piece of heavy rock.

In the opening song “Buzzard” borrowing a riff from Steamhammer’s “Penumbra”, Pugh’s guitar soars with speed, control and precision, while Relf’s intelligent lyrics rap around the crashing, thunderous drums of Caldwell. It is an exhilarating eight minute flight worth taking over and over again. While “Buzzard” is one of the album’s highlights, there are many other particularly strong moments include: the beautiful and stylish “Silver Tightrope,” which features an echoing guitar and more contemplative lyrics from Relf, and “Last Stand Before” a Zeppelinesque (Physical Graffiti era) rocker with descriptive and prophetic lyrics. In this one Relf sings “Lost a friend, met his end, way before his time” and “my brother’s falling catch him if I can. I see him falling you can join him in his last stand,” it makes one wonder if he was aware of his own fate.

It’s too bad that this proved to be the last stand for Relf and Armageddon. Relf returned to England due to poor health shortly after this was released. Relf’s health and reported drug use among some of the band lead to Armageddon failing to release any more material. Relf died shortly after returning to England, when he was electrocuted while playing guitar.

Line-up:
* Keith Relf – Harmonica, Vocals
* Martin Pugh – Guitars
* Louis Cennamo – Bass, Bowed Bass
* Bobby Caldwell – Percussion, Arranger, Drums, Vocals

Track List:
01. Buzzard
02. Silver Tightrope
03. Paths and Planes and Furture Gains
04. Last Stand Before
05. Basking in the White of the Midnight Sun
06. Warning Comin’ On
07. Brother Ego
08. Basking in the White of the Midnight Sun (Reprise)

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Keith Relf, Martin Pugh

Cream – Wheels of Fire (1968) (@256)

05 Sep 2007

(Review from allmusic.com, amazon)

If Disraeli Gears was the album where Cream came into their own, its successor, Wheels of Fire, finds the trio in full fight, capturing every side of their multi-faceted personality, even hinting at the internal pressures that soon would tear the band asunder.

First up comes the studio half of the album. White Room, a huge hit for the band, can be found here. This is psychedelic, late sixties rock at its very best. Although it’s the only major hit to emerge from the studio portion of the album, it’s far from being the only good song. Over the course of the studio half of the album, the band serve up more of the bluesy psychedelic rock as only they could do.

The live half of the album unveils a new composition – a cover of Robert Johnson’s Crossroads. This track features Eric Clapton on lead vocals, and it has become a massive hit over the years. Spoonful, of course, is a Willie Dixon cover that the band first recorded on their debut Fresh Cream. This new version features a ton of jam sessions and the like. It comes close to the seventeen-minute mark. The same can be said of the version of Toad that appears here, featuring Ginger Baker’s drumming. These lengthy jams do Cream justice not only as a rock band, but also as a blues band.

Line-up:
* Jack Bruce – lead vocals, bass guitar, cello, harmonica, calliope, acoustic guitar, recorder
* Eric Clapton – electric guitar, vocals (lead vocals on “Crossroads”)
* Ginger Baker – drums, percussion, bells, glockenspiel, vocals (lead vocals on “Pressed Rat and Warthog”)
with
* Felix Pappalardi – viola, brass instruments, bells, organ

Track List:
CD1 (At Studio)
01. White Room – 4:58
02. Sitting on Top of the World – 4:58
03. Passing the Time – 4:37
04. As You Said – 4:20
05. Pressed Rat and Warthog – 3:13
06. Politician – 4:12
07. Those Were the Days – 2:53
08. Born Under a Bad Sign – 3:09
09. Deserted Cities of the Heart – 3:38
CD2 (Live at Fillmore)
01. Crossroads – 4:14
02. Spoonful – 16:48
03. Traintime – 6:52
04. Toad – 16:16

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Cream, Eric Clapton, Felix Pappalardi, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce

Armaggedon – Armaggedon (1970) (@256)

05 Sep 2007

Request of anonymous.

(Review from Cosmic Dreams At Play)

Yet the same question arises : “Why didn’t this group record more than just one album?”.

Their self-titled album is a heavy progressive masterpiece with excellent, Hendrix-influenced guitar work and vocals by Frank Diez. Armaggedon was the start of his long and impressive career. Their album had six tracks, and two of them were cover versions. Most impressive was the 10 minute version of Jeff Beck Group’s “Rice Pudding”. This track had some of the greatest heavy guitar riffing to appear on a German record. Their version of Spooky Tooth’s “Better By You, Better Than Me” was also competent enough. In addition, both Frank Diez and Manfred Galatik wrote great songs, as typified by the tracks “People Talking” and “Open”. Michael Nurnberg and Jurgen Lorenzen provided a strong backing.

However, demand for the group was poor, and Armaggedon soon broke up.

Line-up:
* Frank Dietz – vocals / guitar
* Michael Nürnberg – bass
* Manfred Galatik – keyboards
* Jürgen Lorenzen – drums

Track List:
01. Round
02. Open
03. Oh Man
04. Rice Pudding
05. People Talking
06. Better By You, Better Than Me

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Cream – Disraeli Gears (1967) (@256)

04 Sep 2007

(Review from wikipedia, rollingstone.com)

Cream’s second album, Disraeli Gears, was released in November 1967.

The title of the album, Disraeli Gears, was actually a bit of an inside joke. Eric Clapton had been thinking of getting a racing bicycle, and was discussing it with Ginger Baker, when Mick Turner, one of the roadies, commented on the performance of “those Disraeli Gears” meaning to say “derailleur gears”. The band thought this was hilarious—Benjamin Disraeli was a prominent 19th Century British politician—and decided that it should be the title of their next album. Had it not been for Mick, the album would simply have been entitled Cream.

Disraeli Gears is often considered to be the band’s defining effort, successfully blending psychedelic British rock with American blues. It was also the first Cream album to consist primarily of original songs, with only three of the eleven tracks written by others outside the band.

“Strange Brew” stands out as the most complex song and rather an unusual one in that Clapton uses reverb—to stunningly mean and sensual effect—and it is really very far away from the usual blues stylings for which he has been noted. In some places in the song, it sounds like the guitar has been triple-tracked.

“Sunshine of Your Love” (an incredibly strong number) and “Tales of Brave Ulysses” are typical Cream pieces. They are structured on a simple, repeating run of heavily syncopated descending (or ascending) chords. In these songs, and on “Outside Woman Blues”, where the chord structure is classic, the beauty of Cream becomes readily evident: Clapton’s lines, Baker’s dynamics, and, to a slightly lesser extent, Bruce’s runs are so simply put together that the listener has no choice but to stand in awe of their precision, grace and exquisite sense of time.

“Swlabr” (pronounced “Slobber”?) and “Take It Back” are also two excellent cuts (these written by Jack Bruce and Peter Brown). Cream’s second album is more difficult to get into, and thus more rewarding, then the first one. “Fresh Cream” was recorded over a year and a half ago, at a time when the group was less than two months old. This album reflects a more original direction, greater musical sophistication (the guitar is double-tracked throughout) and the polish of a year together.

Line-up:
* Eric Clapton – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals, backing vocals
* Jack Bruce – bass, harmonica, lead vocals, backing vocals
* Ginger Baker – drums, percussion, vocals

Track List:
01. Strange Brew – 2:46
02. Sunshine of Your Love – 4:10
03. World of Pain – 3:03
04. Dance the Night Away – 3:34
05. Blue Condition – 3:29
06. Tales of Brave Ulysses – 2:46
07. SWLABR – 2:32
08. We’re Going Wrong – 3:26
09. Outside Woman Blues – 2:24
10. Take It Back – 3:05
11. Mother’s Lament – 1:47

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Cream, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce

Alan Parsons Project – Eve (1979) (@256)

04 Sep 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

“Eve” is a pretty good outing for the prolific Alan Parsons Project, with a good selection of guests, and some nice instrumental work. This is the only Project album to feature female lead vocalists.

The usual melodic pop prog is here, with strong melodies and fine performances. The Moody Blues, Barclay James Harvest, and later Renaissance all offer indications of the type of music to expect. The progressive influences, which were at their strongest on the first album (“Tales of Mystery and Imagination”) have all but dried up with the tracks all being shorter, individual pieces.

“Lucifer” is a truly wonderful instrumental, dominated by orchestrations and John Leach’s dulcimer and zither (they are actually a cimbalom and kantele, respectively). “Damned if I Do” was the minor hit on the album, a rocking number with orchestration with vocals from Lenny Zakatek. “I’d Rather Be a Man” and “You Lie Down with Dogs” are more rocking numbers, but there are some ballads too, like “You Won’t Be There”, and “If I Could Change Your Mind”.

It tends to be when they do ballads that Alan Parsons Project really shine, and in this case, “If I could change your mind” is the standout track. Vastly underrated singer Lesley Duncan takes the lead vocals on this track. This makes for a beautiful contrast with the normally male dominated vocals.

Line-up:
- David Paton / bass
- Stuart Elliott / drums & percussion
- Ian Bairnson / acoustic & electric guitars
- Eric Woolfson, Duncan MacKay / keyboards
- Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson / miscellaneous
- Lesley Duncan, David Paton, Chris Rainbow, Clare Torry, Dave Townsend, Lenny Zaketek / vocals
- Andrew Powell / orchestra & choir arrangements and conduction
- The Orchestra of the Munich Chamber Opera

Track List:
01. Lucifer (5:09)
02. You Lie Down With Dogs (3:42)
03. I’d Rather Be A Man (3:52)
04. You Won’t Be There (3:37)
05. Winding Me Up (4:00)
06. Damned If I Do (4:50)
07. Don’t Hold Back (3:36)
08. Secret Garden (4:40)
09. If I Could Change Your Mind (5:49)

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Alan Parsons, Alan Parsons Project, Andrew Powell, Chris Rainbow, David Paton, Eric Woolfson

Rare Amber – Rare Amber (1969) (@256)

04 Sep 2007

(Review from bandfamilytree.com)

Rare Amber formed in 1968 when two blues musicians from Bristol, Gwyn Mathias (guitar) and Chris Whiting (drums) moved to London and formed the band with Del Watkins (guitar) and John Dover (bass). After several singers the album was recorded with Roger Cairns on vocals, and Chris Whiting had been replaced on drums by Keith Whiting (no relation). The group disbanded in early 1969, “Rare Amber” released an album of the same name. In the same year the band also released a single Malfunction Of The Engine/Blind Love.

The music is a successful blend of originals and covers of compositions by blues kings like Otis Spann and B.B. King. It is made up of progressive heavy blues rock typical of the time, a psychedelic blues monster, although more psych than blues.

This edition also contains their only single as bonus tracks.

Line-up:
* Gwyn Mathias – guitar
* Del Watkins – guitar
* John Dover – bass
* Roger Cairns – vocals
* Keith Whiting – drums

Track List:
01. Malfunction Of The Engine
02. You Ain’t Made Yet
03. It Hurts Me Too
04. Paying The Cost To Be The Boss
05. Night Life
06. Custom Blues
07. Popcorn Man
08. Heartbreaker
09. Solution
10. Amber Blues
11. Blues Never Die
12. Malfunction On The Engine (Bonus Single)
13. Blind Love (Bonus Single)

Link in comments.

Del Watkins

Ozric Tentacles – Jurassic Shift (1993) (@256)

04 Sep 2007

(Review from gnosis2000.net, progarchives.com)

The Ozrics are masters of the hypnotic groove, finding that seemingly endless psychedelic guitar and synth riff, a repetitive – nearly trance-like structure, and then exploring all of its possibilities to some sort of conclusion. The writing isn’t particularly flashy, certainly not complex, nor does it have many of the traditional progressive traits. But the music, embellished by plenty of synth dweedling and strong rhythm patterns, is nonetheless powerful, and does take the listener somewhere special if the mind is open and the spirit free.

Easily comparable to the Gong space-era stuff, “Jurassic Shift” however has more crystal clear textures with ultra modern keyboards. The drums and bass are never bland nor repetitive; they are very elaborated and clearly contribute to enhance this extremely complex music. There are many Middle Eastern music influences, so that the ultra modern textures constantly flirt with the more traditional music, mostly produced with the help of advanced keyboards technology and exotic percussions. The album contains peaceful and relaxing bits including delicate flutes. One clearly finds a little Frank Zappa’s influence of the 80′s, especially on the guitar and drums styles, like in many bits of the tracks “Jurassic shift”, “Pteranodon” and “Vita Voom”.

The mind melting keyboards, the Middle Eastern influences, the hyper drive guitar riffs…its all here for you to throw yourself into.

Line-up:
- Ed Wynne / guitar, koto, keyboards, samples, atmospheres
- Joie Hinton / keyboards, samples, atmospheres
- Merv Pepler / drums, ethnic percussion, babble
- John Egan / flute, babble
- Roly Wynne / bass
- Zia Geelani / bass
- Generator John / tambourine
- Marcus Ethnic / percussion

Track List:
01. Sun Hair (5:43)
02. Stretchy (6:51)
03. Feng Shui (10:24)
04. Half Light in Thillai (5:35)
05. Jurassic Shift (11:05)
06. Petranodon (5:40)
07. Train Oasis (2:45)
08. Vita Voom (4:48)

Links in comments.

Ed Wynne, Joie Hinton, Ozric Tentacles

Alan Parsons Project – I Robot (1977) (@256)

04 Sep 2007