Archive for October, 2007

(Review from dprp.net, allmusic)

The debut album from Clear Blue Sky was released at a time when the rock world was undergoing a number of radical changes. The psychedelic era was coming to a close with progressive rock taking over the mantle of rocks’ leading genre. However, not all bands followed the modus operandi of progressive rock bands, using classical music and jazz music as the platform for their musical trip. Some bands, most notably those within the hard rock genre, used a form of heavy blues as their launching pad.

Clear Blue Sky were just one of these bands that have a most definite blues influence. However, their ability to introduce a number of variations within their musical structure such as subtle classical influences as well as a degree of complexity that went beyond the average band enabled their music to be appreciated by a wider range of audiences.

The album starts with the suite, “Journey To the Inside Of The Sun” which occupied the whole of first side of the original vinyl album, and is in itself subdivided into three tracks. The opening Sweet Leaf is a real stomper, with a classical blues riff. As can be expected, a line-up comprising guitar, bass and drums could be rather limited in the amount of musical diversity that can be created, yet on the other hand the band manage to carry this off well. The opening nine and a half minutes (all of Sweet Leaf) are instrumental with John Simms belting out one guitar solo after the other, ably backed by Sheather and White. On the other hand one can note the classical influence on these musicians when occasional the stomp is abruptly stopped with a short classical interlude (played on guitar) taken from Dvorak’s New World Symphony.

The Rocket Ride starts with a Hendrix-like riff, however the track takes an unexpected twist with some rapid changes in time signature and key just before the entry of Simms on vocals. It proceeds on a blues-based foundation though the occasional twist and turn does occur, as happens also with I’m Comin’ Home. At times there are traces of Cream, whilst at others one feels that the riffs that shift from an almost acoustic feel to a more abrasive distortion are on a par with Jimmy Page’s riffs with Led Zeppelin.

You Mystify has the band letting all hell let loose with Simms’ searing guitar work. The shifts in time signature are continuous, once again proving the group’s ability to go beyond the routine twelve bar format. Tool Of My Frade also has a backing Hammond, which stays firmly in the background, just adding to the fullness of the sound thus allowing for Simms to do away with the distortion, and even introduce an acoustic guitar. As always the guitar work is fantastic, but a word must be put in for the rhythm section, most notably Ken White’s drumming which is constantly changing creating the perfect backbone for Simms and his guitars.

My Heaven and Birdcatcher bring the album to a close. My Heaven could be considered to be the mellower of the two blending both hard and acoustic rock, making it one of the more easy listening tracks on the album. On the other hand Birdcatcher is a straight forward track with Budgie-sque riff featuring plenty of blues influences. Of particular interest on this closing track is use of a flute which adds that Jethro Tull touch to the track. This touch as well as the interlude halfway through the track which has just flute and guitar with footsteps used to keep the beat create and incredibly fantastic atmosphere.

Clear Blue Sky managed to introduce a number innovative features that places them well above the majority of similar blues-based trios from the same era. The occasional classical innuendo coupled with their ever changing time signatures allowed for them to stand out amongst similar bands.

Line-up:
* John Simms – guitars, vocals
* Mark Sheather – bass
* Ken White – drums

Track List:
01. Journey To the Inside of the Sun : Sweet Leaf (8:03)
02. Journey To the Inside of the Sun : The Rocket Ride (6:25)
03. Journey To the Inside of the Sun : I’m Coming Home (3:10)
04. You Mystify (7:52)
05. Tool of My Trade (4:57)
06. My Heaven (5:03)
07. Birdcatcher (3:40)

Link in comments.

Yes – Something's Coming (BBC Recordings 1969-1970) (@256)

31 Oct 2007

16 comments

Oops, I forgot this one earlier :)

(Review from progarchives.com)

“Something’s Coming” charts Yes’ sessions for the BBC in the late 60s/early 70s, promoting their first two albums and assorted singles. Peter Banks and Tony Kaye are still in the band at this stage, and their roots are showing (The Nice, Vanilla Fudge and The Beach Boys spring to mind when hearing these early tracks).

One thing that is apparent here is that one of the band’s early champions was the late DJ John Peel. These sessions are obviously before the days (such as when presenting BBC’s coverage of Glastonbury a few years ago when Yes played) he would claim that the only relationship he had with Yes was ‘one of long standing hatred’. In the 1960s, Peel had a (now legendary) show called ‘Top Gear’ and a lot of recordings are sourced from that, alongside other shows presented by period DJs such as Dave Lee Travis and Johnny Walker. Judging by the quality of the recordings, the mastertapes no longer exist for any of these tracks, and presumably the sources are ‘transcription discs’ or fan recordings. However, the sound is generally listenable and as a valuable historical document, its status is assured.

There is only one ‘new’ song here; ‘For Everyone’, which itself emerged in part later on ‘The Yes Album’ classic ‘Starship Trooper’. Elsewhere, ‘Yes’ and ‘Time And A Word’ are heavily dipped into. They specialised in radically re-arranged cover versions of pop standards, and their influence is clearly seen in the many covers present here. ‘Something’s Coming’, originally released as the B side to their ‘Sweetness’ single, is a track from ‘West Side Story’ and traces of their later arrangement of ‘America’ can be heard here. Other covers include Ritchie Havens’ ‘No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed’, with the theme tune of western ‘The Big Country’ thrown in, The Beatles’ ‘Every Little Thing’ and Buffalo Springfield’s ‘Everydays’. All of these cover versions are characterised by instrumental virtuosity, a tendency that took Yes into superstardom as the 70s progressed.

As for originals; alongside the single ‘Dear Father’, from the debut album comes the laid back pop of ‘Sweetness’ and the Fifth Dimension meets The Nice stylings of ‘Looking Around’, and the more ambitious follow-up ‘Time And A Word’ showcases ‘Then’ (the arrangement of which has some sections very close to the later classic ‘Heart Of The Sunrise’). However, some songs from ‘Time And A Word’ showed little progression from the debut- ‘Sweet Dreams’ and ‘Astral Traveller’ bear witness to that, though both songs are perfectly good.

Whilst sound quality sometimes gets quite rough, and some songs are duplicated (though from different sessions), this is still an intriguing release for Yes fans.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass
- Tony Kaye / keyboards
- Bill Bruford / drums
- Peter Banks / guitar

Track List:
CD1
01. Something’s Coming (7:39)
02. Everydays (5:13)
03. Sweetness (4:15)
04. Dear Father (5:33)
05. Every Little Thing (5:32)
06. Looking Around (3:40)
07. Sweet Dreams (3:26)
08. Then (4:20)
09. No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed (4:19)
CD2
01. Astral Traveller (6:02)
02. Then (5:15)
03. Every Little Thing (6:49)
04. Everydays (6:07)
05. For Everyone (4:36)
06. Sweetness (5:17)
07. Something’s Coming (7:59)
08. Sweet Dreams (4:15)
09. Beyond And Before (5:28)

Links in comments.

Bill Bruford, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Peter Banks, Tony Kaye, Yes

Esquire – Esquire (1987) (@256)

30 Oct 2007

13 comments

Request of Theressa.

(Review from amazon)

Esquire are a British symphonic rock group founded in 1982 by singer Nikki Squire, wife of bass player Chris Squire of Yes fame, and ex-New Cross bass player Nigel McLaren. Making up the numbers in this trio is unsung hero Charles Olins on keyboards. One would be entirely correct in assuming that Esquire play a style of music akin to Yes.

This 1987 album is a sublime work of art, that is about great songs rather than being a vehicle for displaying the artists’ obvious musical craftsmanship and virtuosity. All tracks overflow with sterling melodies that ooze class and sophistication. Still this remains a hardhitting rock album. The band’s unique, innovative sound is further typified by Nikki Squire’s remarkable, somewhat masculine sounding vocals, which greatly resemble Jon Anderson’s.

The hugely impressive highlight, “Blossomtime”, which starts off with a delicate piano passage, but eventually turns into an overwhelmingly pompous affair with a chorus. The multilayered backing vox and harmonies are out of this world.

Unfortunately, the band lacked the promotional clout at Geffen records, and the following autumn Big Generator came out and stole the thunder from this album.

Line-up:
- Nikki Squire / vocals
- Nigel McLaren / bass, backing vocals
- Charles Olins / keyboards, backing vocals
with
- Chris Squire / backing vocals
- Alan White / drums
- Pat Thrall / guitar
- Steve Topping / guitar
- Eddie Golga / guitar
- Jamie Lane / drums
- Dinky / drums
- Carmen Squire / backing vocals

Track List:
01. To the Rescue
02. Sunshine
03. Knock Twice for Heaven
04. Up Down Turnaround
05. Blossomtime
06. Hourglass
07. Moving Together
08. Silent Future
09. Special Greetings
10. What You’ve Been Saying
11. Sunshine (Original Mix)

Link in comments.

Alan White, Chris Squire

Deep Purple – Live in Japan (1972) (@256)

30 Oct 2007

11 comments

(Review from progarchives.com)

An unadulterated masterpiece, loud, proud and technically amazing, “Made in Japan” is the mother of all live albums. When it was recorded, Deep Purple were at their height of their musical form, stunning audiences into submission at every live performance. However, in their case it was no mere, dumb bludgeoning in the style of many later heavy metal bands, which thought sheer volume was the only answer. Each of the members of Deep Purple was a master of his instrument (even the underrated, but always reliable bassist Roger Glover), and Ian Gillan was the voice that launched a thousand screamers. Last but not least… they had the songwriting skills to back up their musical proficiency – something in which many modern-day bands are sadly lacking.

The songs are no simple renditions of the studio tracks, but rather an excuse for the band to flex their collective muscles and showcase their individual talents. Ritchie Blackmore plays like a demon, wringing all kind of weird noises and sublime sounds from his Fender Stratocaster. Jon Lord, the Hammond god, is his perfect foil, sometimes providing a solid background for Blackmore’s improvisations, sometimes pulling out all the stops and showing that he was more than a match for the Emersons and Wakemans of this world. Ian Paice’s drumming is metronomical in its precision, and his spot on “The Mule” is a good example of a drum solo that avoids being boring. Glover pounds his bass stoically in the background: no Chris Squire- style “lead bassist”, but a perfect partner for the impeccable Paice. Then we have Ian Gillan, handsome and wild, competing with Blackmore’s guitar for the highest note on “Strange Kind of Woman”, screaming his heart out on the legendary, dramatic “Child in Time”.

All of the tracks are extended, dilated, chock-full of improvisation and creativity. The closing “Space Truckin’” clocks in at almost 20 minutes, a lengthy jam session including pieces of other tracks, underpinned by Jon Lord’s trademark buzzsaw Hammond.

This boxed set includes the full 3 concerts played on that 3 consecutive nights in the Japan tour from which the tracks on “Made in Japan” were selected. Not only do you get the tracks which constituted “Made In Japan” but you get alternative (and equally brilliant) takes of those tracks from the other nights they performed on that tour with the addition of “Black Night” and “Speed King” which weren’t in the original selection set.

Line-up:
* Ian Gillan – vocals, harmonica, percussion
* Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
* Roger Glover – bass
* Jon Lord – organ, keyboards
* Ian Paice – drums, percussion

Track List:
CD1 (Osaka, 1972-08-15)
01. Highway Star (7:37)
02. Child In Time (11:51)
03. Mule (9:36)
04. Strange Kind Of Woman (8:50)
05. Lazy (10:26)
06. Space Truckin’ (21:35)
07. Black Night (6:25)
CD2 (Osaka, 1972-08-16)
01. Highway Star (7:08)
02. Smoke On The Water (7:25)
03. Child In Time (12:30)
04. Mule (10:21)
05. Strange Kind Of Woman (10:35)
06. Lazy (10:21)
07. Space Truckin’ (20:13)
CD3 (Tokyo, 1972-08-17)
01. Highway Star (7:15)
02. Smoke On The Water (7:06)
03. Child In Time (11:32)
04. Strange Kind Of Woman (11:26)
05. Lazy (11:16)
06. Space Truckin’ (19:19)
07. Speed King (7:55)

Links in comments.

Deep Purple, Ian Gillan, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, Live, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover

Roy Harper – Flat Baroque and Berserk (1970) (@256)

29 Oct 2007

Request of Ikke.

(Review from amazon)

1970 found Roy Harper recording his fourth full-length album, with contributions from members of the Nice. It also found him cutting out the somewhat clumsy, group-oriented sounds found on his previous albums and returning to the folky, acoustic sounds that typified his first album, as well as markedly focusing on the poetic lyrical heights that he was obviously capable of.

The album opens with “Don’t You Grieve”, a new spin on the Jesus/Judas story, told from Judas’ point of view. Right away, it’s obvious that Harper hasn’t lost his trademark sense of humor, but where his irreverence tended to detract on earlier albums, the irony and cleverness here ties in with songs that have serious meaning–digging at religion. It is also a pretty rocking song. Between tracks one and two is a snippet of Harper’s legendary, rambling between-song banter, an essential part of this album and a glimpse into Harper’s inimitable live show. Track two, “I Hate the White Man” might be his most controversial song (and that’s saying a lot when you talk about Roy!), a burning mini-epic that lambastes the arrogance of white culture from the inside out. In a lot of ways, “I Hate the White Man” takes up where Folkjokeopus’ “McGoohan’s Blues” left off– he really came alive, showing his gift for breathtaking, incandescent lyrics, his skill at skewering the deluded, and an edgy use of his incomparable voice. When you hear songs like these, you start to wonder why more people don’t know about Harper’s music.

The first two songs are classic tunes, but the entire rest of the album is strong. The deceptively light “Feeling All the Saturday” juxtaposes images of Harper’s infant son with images of him resting his “toes on the horizon”–the song was written after Roy was told by a doctor that he only had a short time to live. “How Does it Feel” is another classic, with a soaring vocal and some great verse-to-verse rhymes. His fingerstyle acoustic playing is in good form on songs like “Davey” and “Francesca,” showing hints of his inimitable style and his more progressive work to come. “Tom Tiddler’s Ground” is another great tune that he still plays live, with a mysterious lyric and a great recorder accompaniment. The song also has a classic Roy Harper moment–when the engineer tells him the tape is “Rolling”, Roy responds, “A joint? Well you better had be then, hadn’t you?”. The album closes with one of his classic throwaways–”Hell’s Angels.” Until the end, it’s an entirely acoustic and subtle album, until the heavy lumbering rock of “Hell’s Angels” breaks the spell. It’s one of the funniest album closers ever–Roy intentionally spoiling his own vibe–but it’s also a potent commentary on the Angels and contains the classic line; “Free speech!! One each!!” Yet another instance of Roy paradoxically creating meaningful throwaways, and displaying an eccentricity and brilliance unmatched by any of his peers.

The album really works from start to finish and it remains today as glittering as the day it was released. If you’re just approaching Roy Harper’s music for the first time, this is a great place to start, since it’s accessible, but also shows most of his greatest qualities — lyrics, musicianship, wit, and voice.

Line-up:
- Roy Harper / Bass, Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Saxophone, Vocals
with
- Keith Emerson / Keyboards
- Brian Davison / Drums
- Lee Jackson / Bass

Track List:
01. Don’t You Grieve
02. I Hate The White man
03. Feeling All The Saturday
04. How Does It Feel
05. Goodbye
06. Another Day
07. Davey
08. East Of The Sun
09. Tom Tiddler’s Ground
10. Francessa
11. Song Of The Ages
12. Hell’s Angels

Links in comments.

Roy Harper

Locomotive – We Are Everything You See (1969) (@256)

29 Oct 2007

Request of anonymous.

(Review from brumbeat.net, seaoftranquility.org)

Recorded at the end of 1968 (although not released until a year later) Locomotive’s “We Are Everything You See” is a wonderful mix of late 1960s British psychedelia and early progressive rock with some tracks having heavy jazz overtones.

The opening track is a fine instrumental piece as performed by a classical string quartette. After “Ouverture” gets out of the way, Locomotive throw all of their cards on the table by introducing the listener to a completely enjoyable smorgasbord of songs that cover many different styles and influences.

Possessing the important ingredients that many bands of this era were able to exhibit, Locomotive blended a clever assortment of ideas that were fresh and interesting. Good song writing, being deemed far more important than excessive showmanship or instrumental dexterity, makes this a worthwhile listen for those who miss the vibes of the late 60’s / early 70’s. Vocally, the song, “You Must Be Joking” reaching into the highest register possible for a male singer is totally juxtaposed by the effect achieved on “Coming Down / Love Song For The Dead Ché” with its multi-part harmonies and grinding organ groove.

As well as Locomotive’s original album, this CD edition includes a generous selection of bonus tracks starting with the single (mono) version of Mr. Armageddon that has a different intro from the album version. There’s Got To Be A Way – the original b-side of the single, is also included and what a great track it is (you can almost dance to this one!). Lots of great Hammond with horns, and some high range Queen-like vocals. I’m Never Gonna Let You Go (apparently a cover of a Question Mark and The Mysterians song) is probably the closest of the tracks to a real commercial pop record.

The final rare Locomotive single (issued early in 1970) is also included on this CD edition. “Roll Over Mary” backed with “Movin’ Down The Line” have none of the jazz influences of the earlier material and are very much typical of the period as done in a heavy rock style. Not surprising really as Norman Haines had left the band before it was recorded with the remaining members soon re-emerging as the progressive rock outfit The Dog That Bit People.

Line-up:
* Norman Haines – keyboards, vocals
* Mick Hincks – bass, vocals
* Bob Lamb – drums
* Mike Taylor – trumpet
* Lyn Dobson – sax
* Dick Heckstall-Smith – sax
* Henry Lowther – trumpet
* Bill Madge – sax
* Chris Mercer – sax
* Chris Wood – woodwind

Track List:
01. Overture
02. Mr. Armageddon
03. Now Is the End-The End Is When
04. Lay Me Down Gently
05. Nobody Asked You to Come
06. You Must Be Joking
07. Day in Shining Armour
08. Loves of Augustus Abbey, Pt. 1
09. Rain
10. Loves of Augustus Abbey, Pt. 2
11. Coming Down/Love Song for the Dead Ché
12. Loves of Augustus Abbey, Pt. 3
13. Time of Light and Darkness
14. Mr. Armageddon (Bonus Mono Single)
15. There’s Got to Be a Way (Bonus)
16. I’m Never Gonna Let You Go (Bonus)
17. You Must Be Joking (Bonus Mono Single)
18. Movin’ Down the Line (Bonus)
19. Roll Over Mary (Bonus)

Link in comments.

Dick Heckstall-Smith

Yes – Magnification (2001) (@256)

29 Oct 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

Sherwood was let go prior to the 2000 tour. Months later, Khoroshev was fired after a sexual assault charge, just before the recording of “Magnification”. Trimmed to a quartet, the band decided to fill the keyboard role with an orchestra. Specific parts and arrangements were written by notable film composer Larry Groupé and performed by the orchestra, sounding as if the orchestra was a permanent band member.

“Magnification” clearly showed once again that people underestimate old bands that have new, bright sparks. They may not be the same in terms of sound, but creativity is defiantly there as the band continues, over thirty years after their debut to challenge standing styles of music, this time incorporating an entire orchestra which, in a way defies their own musical styles. A Yes without keyboards! It’s like imagining a Deep Purple album without guitar or Jethro Tull without flute; well Yes took on the challenge.

The orchestration works as much as it fits in with both the music and the sound of the band. While Yes had used an orchestra previously on parts of the “Time and a Word” album, that was more a case of applying the additional sound after the tracks had been completed. Here, the orchestration was planned in advance, hence coming across as an integral part of the music.

All the other Yes trademarks are here : The tracks overflow with terrific vocal harmonies, wondrous guitar melodies, and soaring bass lines.

The compositions on “Magnification” are very different from the 70′s, different though they may be they are of no less intrigue. Different styles and moods are provoked by the backing orchestra, and songs like “Spirit of Survival” use this large array of instrumentalists well. The orchestra gives a backing like no other, rivaling the mellotron in “Give Love Each Day”.

Like “Keys to Ascension”s studio tracks and “Ladder”, this is the work of a group of supremely talented and aging musicians who can probably put out higher quality music in their sleep than most artists can at the tops of their games. It’s much more understated than the band’s defining early works, but is quite symphonic and listenable, especially considering the orchestra.

Since 2004, Yes has been on an indefinite hiatus. While Howe, Squire, Wakeman and White have all expressed an interest in recording and touring, Anderson has been firmly opposed. Thus, band members have pursued varied solo projects.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals, MIDI guitar, acoustic guitar
- Steve Howe / acoustic & electric guitars, steel, mandolin, vocals
- Chris Squire / bass, vocals
- Alan White / drums, percussion, piano, vocals
with
- Larry Groupë / orchestral music composition, arrangement, conduction

Track List:
01. Magnification (7:15)
02. Spirit Of Survival (6:02)
03. Don’t Go (4:27)
04. Give Love Each Day (7:44)
05. Can You Imagine (2:58)
06. We Agree (6:30)
07. Soft As A Dove (2:18)
08. Dreamtime (10:45)
09. In the Presence of (10:24)
i) Deeper
ii) Death of Ego
iii) True Beginner
iv) Turn Around and Remember
10. Time Is Time (2:09)

Links in comments.

Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Yes

Marty Friedman – Dragon's Kiss (1988) (@256)

28 Oct 2007

Request of b.rock.

(Review from allmusic, metal-archives.com, amazon)

Cacophony guitarist Marty Friedman unleashes his virtuosic six-string fury on the excellent Dragon’s Kiss, which may be the most definitive sampling of Friedman’s talents available. Spiking his supersaturated heavy metal sensibilities with texture, imagination, and a flair for the exotic, he bombards you with heavy riffs, soaring leads, and of course, all in the Friedman flavor. Japanese influence is obvious here. Though this album does definitely have some very talented guitar playing and shreddy leads, Friedman also shows that speed is not needed to enforce his point. Wonderful melodic rhythms and leads fill this album.

The album is that its so far ahead of its time, and although it was released in 1988, it still sounds alot fresher than what Malmsteen and Vai have been doing in recent years. Any one who is dazzled by technical guitar work will appreciate this album from beginning to end.

This all-instrumental offering marks the end of Friedman’s more indulgent, progressive solo artist phase, as he was recruited to join Megadeth’s ranks shortly after its release.

Line-up:
* Marty Friedman / lead, rhythm and bass guitars
* Deen Castronovo / drums
with
* Jason Becker / guest solos on Saturation Point and Jewel

Track List:
01. Saturation Point – 4:52
02. Dragon Mistress – 3:41
03. Evil Thrill – 5:30
04. Namida (Tears) – 2:43
05. Anvils – 2:38
06. Jewel – 4:05
07. Forbidden City – 8:18
08. Thunder March – 4:11

Link in comments.

Marty Friedman

Yes – House of Yes (Live 1999) (@256)

28 Oct 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

This double album captures the band on tour for “The Ladder album”, at the House of Blues in 1999.

The set list for this performance includes five tracks from The Ladder, plus a smattering of classics. The show starts off with their classic track “Yours Is No Disgrace”, performed smoothly and energetically. It is a solid and rocking rendition. Steve Howe is absolutely fantastic in his rageous and devastating guitar solo : a great moment and a bloody good opener for a concert.

“Homeworld” from their last album sounds great and is on par with most of the “old” songs represented here. “Perpetual Change” is a nice surprise, since it’s not played live much. “And You and I” sounds a bit heavier and slower than usual.

The highlight of disc two is “Awaken”. Khoroshev’s ability to render a true YesClassic is impressive. Rick Wakeman’s influence is obvious. Khoroshev is really gifted but less pompous and demonstrative than Wakeman (specially during live shows). In one word : sobriety and simplicity. This version is almost perfect with a lot of emotion during the concert. Great time.

The “I’ve Seen” part of the dual song with “Your Move” is a nice and strong closing number. The encores start with two songs from “90125″ : the strong (but short) “Cinema”, their mega hit “Owner of A Lonely Heart” and as for most of their shows since a very long time, it ends with “Roundabout”.

“House of Yes” nicely documents the group that made “The Ladder”. If you want to venture with (yet) another line-up of Yes performing some of their classic stuffs, this album is worth a look.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass, harmonica, vocals
- Billy Sherwood / guitars, vocals, keyboards
- Alan White / drums, percussion, vocals
- Steve Howe / guitars, steel, mandolin, banjo, vocals
- Igor Khoroshev / keyboards and vocals

Track List:
CD1
01. Yours is No Disgrace
02. Time and a Word
03. Homeworld (The Ladder)
04. Perpetual Change
05. Lightning Strikes
06. The Messenger
07. Ritual – Nous Sommes Du Soleil
08. And You And I
CD2
01. It Will Be A Good Day (The River)
02. Face to Face
03. Awaken
04. Your Move / I’ve Seen All Good People
05. Cinema
06. Owner of a Lonely Heart
07. Roundabout

Links in comments.

Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Yes

Rory Gallagher – Wheels Within Wheels (1974-1994) (@256)

28 Oct 2007

(Review from amazon)

“Wheels within Wheels” fullfils at least one of the lost ambitions of the late Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher. On each of his electric albums, Gallagher featured a rootsy acoustic track and he’d hoped to release a complete album of unplugged performances.

Collecting and tidying up a selection of outtakes and lost recordings, his brother, Donal, reveals Gallagher’s taste for blues, skiffle, and folk, and his love of collaborating with great musicians. The album includes 4 completely different versions of tracks Rory Gallagher had recorded before, and 10 totally new ones to his repertoire, recorded between 1975 and 1994.

It is the perfect combination of old and new songs, all of varied pace, favoring Rory Gallagher’s acoustic side. In fact ‘Lonesome Highway’ is the only song to include anything from the famous old Gallagher battered Stratocaster. The roll call of the famous friends with whom Rory collaborated is very impressive.

Given Gallagher’s prodigious abilities, the playing is exceptionally fine, but there’s a rare warmth here. The album successfully captures the respectful, dignified, and wild qualities of a gifted musician.

Track List:
01. Wheels Within Wheels
02. Flight to Paradise (with Juan Martin)
03. As the Crow Flies
04. Lonesome Highway
05. Bratacha Dubha (with Martin Carthy)
06. She Moved Thro’ the Fair/Ann Cran Ull (with Bert Jansch)
07. Barley & Grape Rag (with Ronnie Drew and the Dubliners)
08. The Cuckoo (with Roland Van Campenhout)
09. Amazing Grace (with Bela Fleck)
10. Walkin’ Blues (with Bela Fleck and Mark Feltham)
11. Blue Moon of Kentucky (with Bela Fleck and Mark Feltham)
12. Deep Elm Blues (with Roland Van Campenhout)
13. Goin’ to My Hometown (with Lonnie Donegan)
14. Lonesome Highway Refraining

Link in comments.

Rory Gallagher

Magna Carta – Lord of the Ages (1973) (@256)

27 Oct 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Before the album, Davey Johnstone left the band to join Elton John (an astute move indeed from a financial perspective!), his place being taken by Stan Gordon. The line up was augmented as usual by some worthy musicians, including Gerry Conway (drummer with Cat Stevens) and Graham Smith who would join the band shortly afterwards.

The epic title track, “Lord of the Ages” starts off as a soft acoustic piece. The verses here are spoken over a stunning melody, with a haunting sung refrain. The theme is vaguely theological, being based on the Book of Revelations and the musings of Nostrodamus. As the track develops, the serene atmosphere is suddenly broken by a lead guitar burst. This introduces a much harder, rock based section. While the track has undeniable parallels with Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”, it is also quite different, and certainly one of the most atmospheric piece of progressive folk ever created.

Prior to the title song though, we have two typical Magna Carta softly melodic acoustic songs. Side two continues the gentle atmosphere of these tracks, “Song of Evening” having a inspiring, perhaps Celtic refrain. “Father John” has some striking high harmonies before the pace quickens for a “Simon and Garfunkel” like section. The song’s intricate structure belies the apparent lightness of the music.

The final track “Falkland Grene” was recorded for a Scottish TV series called “Castles in the Air”. The folk influences so intrinsic to the song are accentuated by some fine harmonies.

It is a beautifully crafted album with lots of soft tunes and lush accoustic guitars, and above all some great vocals with nice melodies. If you still haven’t met Magna Carta, this is an excellent starting point.

Line-up:
- Chris Simpson / guitar, vocals
- Glenn Stuart / vocals
- Stan Gordon / guitar, vocals
with
- Gordon Huntley / steel guitar
- Graham Smith / bass
- Danny Thompson / bass
- Gerry Conway / drums

Track List:
01. Wish It Was (3:33)
02. Two Old Friends (3:31)
03. Lord of the Ages (9:58)
04. Isn’t It Funny (And Not a Little Bit Strange) (2:35)
05. Song of the Evening (3:43)
06. Father John (6:41)
07. That Was Yesterday (3:23)
08. Falkland Greene (2:49)

Link in comments.

Gerry Conway, Magna Carta

Yes – Ladder (1999) (@256)

27 Oct 2007

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

Every time you turn around, it seems, Yes is yet again in the process of shifting lineups. For The Ladder, the Yes ranks swell to six players as the band tries to figure out just where it stands in the rock scene at the turn of the century. The band’s sound reminds of their classic 1970s sound, largely because of the new keyboardist Khoroshev’s keyboards, his work being classically-oriented.

Things get off to a very good start with “Homeworld”, which was developed for a computer game of the same name. It’s a grand epic in tradition Yes style, full of lush keyboards and intricate interplay between the guys in the band. Jon Anderson’s voice, which sounds as good as ever, wafts over top. What is apparent from “Homeworld”, and is borne out in the rest of the disc, is that the individual showcases for the players are few and far between. This is a band effort and certainly sounds that way.

“Lightning Strikes” is a sort of distant sibling to ABWH’s “Teakbois” (or, more recently, Marillion’s “Hope for the Future”), it has the band venturing into a sort of Caribbean style. The tune has a lot of energy and just enough interesting musical stuff to get to the finish.

“New Language” finds the band returning to an old traditional of long, progressive, and heavily instrumental work. And the bonus is that this one is very heavy on keyboards, with Khoroshev setting kind of a bouncy tone and Howe coming in behind Anderson’s vocals to briefly put out a little funk before Khoroshev wanders off to do some of the spacey stuff. This track clocks in at a bit over nine minutes, but it seems shorter. Maybe it’s the rather driving beat, unusual for an extended Yes track.

The album’s sound is not about extended solos and flashy virtuoso playing. It is more about building an edifice of sound to support strong tunes and the odd hook line. It is also about putting vocal harmonies into every chorus. Not that this is a bad thing, as harmony is one of the things that Yes do better now that they did in the seventies.

Imagine an anthology of Yes’ (then) 30 year career, only with new material, and you have ‘The Ladder’, in a nutshell.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass, harmonica, vocals
- Billy Sherwood / guitars, keyboards, vocals
- Alan White / drums, percussion, vocals
- Steve Howe / guitars, steel, mandolin, banjo, vocals
- Igor Khoroshev / keyboards and vocals

Track List:
01. Homeworld (The Ladder) (9:33)
02. It Will Be A Good Day (The River) (4:53)
03. Lightning Strikes (4:34)
04. Can I? (1:32)
05. Face to Face (5:03)
06. If Only You Knew (5:42)
07. To Be Alive (Hep Yadda) (5:07)
08. Finally (6:01)
09. The Messenger (5:13)
10. New Language (9:19)
11. Nine Voices (Longwalker) (3:20)

Link in comments.

Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Yes

Mahogany Rush – Strange Universe (1975) (@256)

26 Oct 2007

(Review from allmusic, wikipedia, headpins.net, amazon)

Half-Italian, half-Arabian Frank Marino grew up in Montreal surrounded by music and at the age of 14, formed what would become Mahogany Rush with Paul Harwood on bass and drummer Jim Ayoub in 1970. The name Mahogany Rush was less a band name and more a description of the experience of taking LSD.

Without question, Hendrix was a major influence on the hard rock power trio; you could hear it in leader Frank Marino’s singing as well as his electric guitar playing. But ultimately, Mahogany Rush sounded like itself.

Mahogany Rush’s third album, Strange Universe is as melodic as it is forceful. As aggressively as Mahogany Rush rocks on gems like “Tryin’ Anyway”, “Dancing Anyway” and “Dear Music”; this 1975 album never fails to be musical. One hears overtones of progressive rock, psychedelic rock and jazz-rock fusion on much of the material, and Mahogany Rush’s lyrics aren’t the typical boy-meets-girl fare-in fact, the threesome explores gothic fantasy themes on “Land of 1000 Nights,” “Tales of the Spanish Warrior” and other cuts.

From the dark insiduous quasi-funk of ‘Tales of Spanish Warrior’ to the fading swirl of the title track, there isn’t a single dull moment in this great album.

Line-up:
- Frank Marino / Synthesizer, Guitar, Drums, Keyboards, Vocals, Moog Synthesizer
- Jimmy Ayoub / Percussion, Drums
- Paul Harwood / Bass, Guitar

Track List:
01. Tales of Spanish Warrior (4:57)
02. The King Who Stole (…the Universe) (3:57)
03. Satisfy Your Soul (3:17)
04. Land of 1000 Nights (4:44)
05. Moonlight Lady (4:08)
06. Dancing Lady (3:11)
07. Once Again (3:34)
08. Tryin’ Anyway (3:45)
09. Dear Music (4:19)
10. Strange Universe (6:58)

Link in comments.

Mahogany Rush

Dies Irae – First (1971) (@256)

26 Oct 2007

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

Dies Irae is a heavy brand of German rock, blending in jazz, blues and psychedelic touches. The band mostly used straight rock structures, with much psychedelic spice, and good songs. All creatively and imaginatively played, and inter-cut with all sorts of surprising twists and turns. The heavy jamming guitar sessions represent a real musical attraction, constantly propulsive with space rock effects.

“Lucifer” is a heavy rock “trip”, featuring an aggressive blast of rhythmical guitars, stoned voices. “Salve Oimel” is exclusively made of recitations. “Another Room” goes back to an intense spaced free sounding rock, largely made of echoing groovy guitars, a lot of “trippeness”. “Trip” is an amazing, almost “ethereal” acid rock composition. “Tired” is a boggie, rock ‘n roll song, in the tradition.” Witches meeting” is a pretty good heavy rock improvisation dominated by inspired guitars. Hippy freak like style in the genre of Shanandoa.

In other words, when McChurch Soundroom meets Virus, you get the heavy psych-out musical action of Dies Irae.

Line-up:
- Andreas F. Cornelius / drums
- Robert J. Schiff / bass
- Harald H.G. Thomas / guitar, vocals
- Rainer Gerd Wahlmann / lead vocals, harmonica

Track List:
01. Lucifer
02. Salve Oimel
03. Another Room
04. Trip
05. Harmagedon Dragonlove
06. Tired
07. Witches Meeting
08. Red Lebanese Pt. 1
09. Red Lebanese Pt. 2
10. Run Off

Link in comments.

Yes – Open Your Eyes (1997) (@256)

26 Oct 2007

(Review from wikipedia, amazon)

Wakeman left the group yet again after a Yes tour was planned without his input, and because of his frustration over the decision to bury the studio tracks on redundant live albums in “Keys to Ascension” series. Longtime collaborator Billy Sherwood immediately rejoined Yes on keyboards and guitar as an official member.

The album initially begun as a collaboration between bassist Chris Squire and Sherwood, vocalist Jon Anderson was impressed by some of the early material and was eager to sing on it. Sherwood, Squire, Anderson and White worked on the songs, with Steve Howe involved at the end. However, the end result did not satisfy some of the band members. Both Anderson and Howe claim that the album was too rushed to incorporate their ideas.

“Open Your Eyes” is a surprisingly strong effort that manages to maintain Yes’s familiar sound without making the band sound like a museum piece. New numbers like “New State of Mind”, “Open Your Eyes”, and “Fortune Seller” blend the band’s progressive inclinations with solidly crafted melodies that place them among the band’s catchiest creations. The synchronised dissonant and concordant harmonies at once conjure Gregorian chant, space travel, and the heavenly firmament itself. The lyrical theme is predominantly enlightenment, tolerance and abiding, unmarredhope.

Track List:
01. New State of Mind
02. Open Your Eyes
03. Universal Garden
04. No Way We Can Lose
05. Fortune Seller
06. Man In The Moon
07. Wonderlove
08. From The Balcony
09. Love Shine
10. Somehow, Someday
11. The Solution

Links in comments.

Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Yes

Judas Priest – Screaming for Vengeance (1982) (@256)

26 Oct 2007

(Review from amazon)

In the early ’80s, a new musical movement, dubbed “The New Wave of British Metal”, swept across England. Judas Priest is often credited as the originator and leader of the pack. Rob Halford’s vocal histrionics and the dual guitar attack of K.K. Downing and Glen Tipton mesmerised metal-heads everywhere. While the band has been around since the early-’70s, the band’s big breakthrough in the USA came with 1982′s “Screaming for Vengeance”.

Screaming For Vengance finds Judas Priest running on all cylinders. The album opens with the driving “Hellion/Electric Eye”, one of their greatest tracks, and still remains their opening song on their live tours. “Riding on the Wind” and the title track continue the fury with the relentless guitar work of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton and Rob Halford’s powerful vocals. Tracks such as “Bloodstone”, “Devil’s Child”, and “(Take These) Chains” all contain great riffs and memorable melodies. But the big hit of the time was “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”, getting heavy radio and TV play.

With its perfect balance of heavy riffing and melodicism, “Screaming for Vengeance” stands out as one of the best of Priest albums.

Line-up:
* Rob Halford: Vocals
* K.K. Downing: Guitars
* Glenn Tipton: Guitars
* Ian Hill: Bass Guitar
* Dave Holland: Drums

Track List:
01. The Hellion – 0:41
02. Electric Eye – 3:39
03. Riding on the Wind – 3:07
04. Bloodstone – 3:51
05. (Take These) Chains – 3:07
06. Pain and Pleasure – 4:17
07. Screaming for Vengeance – 4:43
08. You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ – 5:09
09. Fever – 5:20
10. Devil’s Child – 4:48

Link in comments.

Glenn Tipton, Judas Priest, Rob Halford

Yes – Keys to Ascension II (1997) (@256)

25 Oct 2007

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

Arriving one year after the first volume of Keys to Ascension, the second volume completes the documentation of the San Luis Obispo shows. “Keys to Ascension II” follows the formula of the first “Keys To Ascension” album, juxtaposing live renditions of classic Yessongs with newer tracks in the style of “classic” Yes. The difference here is that one whole disc of new material is included, making the second disc a complete studio album in itself.

The live CD is leftovers from the set featured on volume one. Obvious cuts appear like “Close to the Edge”, “I’ve Seen All Good People” and “And You and I”, as well as three seldom played cuts — the lap steel driven “Going For The One”, the lush modern day clasical “Turn of the Century” and the title track from the bands second album Time and A Word.

The terrific opener of the studio CD, “Mind Drive” is an 18 minutes epic full of everything we love about Yes, but with a really modern feel to it. It starts in tranquil repose with Howe’s gentle acoustic guitar work, before a morse code style rhythm builds in intensity, with Alan White’s precise drumming being particularly effective in cranking up the tension. Jon Anderson seems to have written his best lyric and given his best vocal performance in a long while with this track, whilst Howe is on fire throughout. The acoustic section of this piece at last show the band have regained their dynamics after the dated bombast of everything they did since ‘Drama’ (even ABWH didn’t really return to their glory years to these ears). Wakeman gets some great keyboard sorties that show he’s still got it (though it was hardly in doubt). It effortlessly re-creates their best work, but has a vitality about it that even some modern bands of this style don’t.

The other studio tracks are also good (though not in the caliber of “Mind Drive”) and have more energy than what’s on volume one. No really new ideas are here, but lots of classic stuff is revisited.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass and vocals
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards
- Alan White / drums
- Steve Howe / guitars and vocals

Track List:
CD1 (Live)
01. I’ve Seen All Good People (7:16)
02. Going For The One (4:58)
03. Time And A Word (6:23)
04. Close To The Edge (19:40)
05. Turn Of The Century (7:55)
06. And You And I (10:48)
CD2 (Studio)
01. Mind Drive (18:37)
02. Foot Prints (9:09)
03. Bring Me To The Power (7:25)
04. Children of Light (6:02)
a) Children of Light
b) Lifeline
05. Sign Language (3:29)

Links in comments.

Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Yes

Episode Six – Love, Hate, Revenge (1966-69) (@256)

24 Oct 2007

(Review from allmusic.com)

Most famous for including bassist Roger Glover and singer Ian Gillan before they joined Deep Purple, Episode Six managed to release no less than nine British singles between 1966 and 1969 without coming close to a hit record or establishing a solid identity. Also prominently featuring organist/singer Sheila Carter-Dimmock, the group’s 1966-1967 singles were rather light pop/rock harmony numbers, with an occasional ballad and a bit of a soul influence. Light years removed from Deep Purple, Episode Six was nothing if not eclectic in their choice of material, trying their hands at numbers by the Hollies, the Beatles, the Tokens, and Charles Aznavour, as well as a British hot-rod tune (written by Glover). While their repertoire lacked focus, their singles were actually pleasant and their fine cover of Tim Rose’s “Morning Dew” would have been a deserving hit.

In 1967, they began to fuse pop and psychedelia with reasonably impressive results, especially the single “I Can See Through You” (written by Glover), one of the finest British psychedelic obscurities. Their final two singles showed the band going in a much more progressive direction and anticipating some of the most indulgent art rock of the ’70s with “Mozart Versus the Rest,” which assaulted one of the composer’s most famous riffs with manic electric guitars. Episode Six folded in 1969, after Gillan and Glover had joined Deep Purple.

This box set has the complete recordings of Episode Six. The first CD contains all of their single A and B-sides from 1964 through 1968. Disc two, designated “Rarities, Demos, and Live Recordings” shows some of the rougher and more intriguing edges of their sound that got smoothed down in the process of completing their singles.

Line-up:
* Ian Gillan – vocals
* Graham Dimmock – guitar
* Tony Lander – guitar
* Sheila Dimmock – keyboard
* Roger Glover – bass
* Harvey Shields – drums

Track List:
CD1
01. Put Yourself In My Place
02. That’s All I Want
03. I Hear Trumpets Blow
04. True Love Is Funny That Way
05. Here There & Everywhere
06. Mighty Morris Ten
07. Love Hate Revenge
08. Baby Baby Baby
09. Mornign Dew
10. Sunshine Girl
11. I Can See Through You
12. When I Fall In Love
13. Little Ones
14. Wide Smiles
15. Lucky Sunday
16. Mr Universe
17. Mozart Versus The Rest
18. Jak D’or
19. I Will Warm Your Heart (As Shelia Carter & Episode Six)
20. Incense (As Shelia Carter & Episode Six))
21. I Won’t Hurt You (As Neo Maya)
22. U.F.O. (As Neo Maya)
CD2
01. Love Hate Revenge (US Single)
02. Way You Look Tonight (Outtake)
03. My Little Red Book (Outtake)
04. Plastic Love (Outtake)
05. Time & Motion Man (Outtake)
06. Only Lonely People (Outtake)
07. Zip A Dee Doo Dah (Demo)
08. Cottonfields (Demo)
09. My Babe (Demo)
10. Love Is A Swinging Thing (Demo)
11. Steal Your Heart Away (Demo)
12. Walking To New Orleans (Demo)
13. I Want Money (Demo)
14. Mozart Versus The Rest (Live)
15. Him Or Me (Live)
16. Hazy Shade Of Winter (Live)
17. Monster In Paradise (Live)
18. Orange Air (Live)
19. Castle (Live)
20. Slow Down (Live)
21. I Am The Boss (Live)
22. Morning Dew (Live)

Links in comments.

Ian Gillan, Roger Glover

Steppenwolf – Early Steppenwolf (Live 1967) (@256)

24 Oct 2007

(Review from amazon)

Dating before Steppenwolf released their debut, this album lets you hear history in the making. It was recorded live at The Matrix in San Francisco on May 14th, 1967.

While this album has a rough, garage-band sound, it also has undeniable power. The talent behind the music is obvious. Here is a chance to listen to some early versions of later classics. The concert starts out with a slower, blusier version of Power Play than the one on “Monster”. Howling Wolf’s “Howling for My Baby” is guaranteed to make you want to move, or at least to tap your foot. Another standout is a beautiful version of “Corina, Corina”. It starts with an amazing guitar riff and also has a nice guitar break. The album winds up with an extremely extended version of “The Pusher”, occupying the whole second side of the original LP.

Line-up:
* John Kay – Guitar, Vocals
* Mars Bonfire – Guitar
* Jerry Edmonton – Drums
* Goldie McJohn – Organ, Keyboards
* Nick St. Nicholas – Bass

Track List:
01. Power Play (2:55)
02. Howlin’ for My Darlin’ (4:53)
03. I’m Going Upstairs (7:14)
04. Corina, Corina (3:54)
05. Tighten up Your Wig (3:14)
06. Pusher (21:27)

Link in comments.

Live, Steppenwolf

Kate Bush – Kick Inside (1978) (@256)

24 Oct 2007

(Review from amazon, allmusic.com)

Kicking things off with a whimper, not a bang, Kate Bush quietly released her 1978 debut. She was only 19 years old; she had written some of the songs when she was only 13. It is her most unabashedly romantic, the sound of an impressionable and highly precocious teenager spreading her wings for the first time.

“The Kick Inside” album still to this day affects an incredible number people, Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan among them. There are so many elements that make this album unique — Bush’s soaring soprano, her warm piano playing — but the one thing that perhaps sticks out most is how different her sounds were from anything else circulating at that time. Ten years before “alternative” hit the forefront, this music was neither easy nor palatable, truly an alternative from the other styles out there.

The centerpiece is the legendary “Wuthering Heights” but there is a lot else here to enjoy: The disturbing “Man with the Child in His Eyes”, the catchy rocker “James and the Cold Gun”, and “Feel It”, an early manifestation of Bush’s explorations of sexual experience in song.

Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic lyrics would soon become her trademark.

Line-up:
* Kate Bush: Piano, Keyboards, Vocals
with
* Ian Bairnson: Guitar, Vocals, Bottle
* Paddy Bush: Harmonica, Mandolin, Vocals
* Barry DeSouza: Drums
* Stuart Elliot: Drums
* David Katz: Violin
* Paul Keogh: Guitar
* Bruce Lynch: Bass
* Duncan Mackay: Organ, Synthesizer, Keyboards, Piano (Electric), Clavinet
* Alan Parker: Guitar
* David Paton: Bass, Vocals
* Morris Pert: Percussion
* Andrew Powell: Synthesizer, Keyboards, Piano
* Alan Skidmore: Saxophone

Track List:
01. Moving – 3:01
02. The Saxophone Song – 3:51
03. Strange Phenomena – 2:57
04. Kite – 2:56
05. The Man with the Child in His Eyes – 2:39
06. Wuthering Heights – 4:28
07. James and the Cold Gun – 3:34
08. Feel It – 3:02
09. Oh to Be in Love – 3:18
10. L’Amour Looks Something Like You – 2:27
11. Them Heavy People – 3:04
12. Room for the Life – 4:03
13. The Kick Inside – 3:30

Link in comments.

Yes – Talk (1994) (@256)

24 Oct 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progressiveworld.net, progarchives.com)

After the release of “Symphonic Music of Yes”, Bruford chose not to remain involved in future Yes possibilities. Anderson began writing with both Howe and Rabin separately, but eventually, Howe was not asked to be on the next album by the record label (Victory Music), which had approached Rabin with a proposal to produce an album solely with the 90125 lineup, to which Rabin initially countered by requesting that Wakeman be included. By 1993, Wakeman’s refusal to leave his long-serving management meant he also could not play on the new album, which by then was well into production. Rabin and Wakeman have both expressed regret that they never played together on a Yes album – excepting the patchwork of Union.

So Yes was back to its popular 1980s lineup of Anderson, Squire, Rabin, Kaye, and White. In 1994, Yes released Talk. Anderson and Rabin’s collaboration resulted in a fusion of ‘old’ and ‘new’ Yes that appealed to a variety of fans. Some of the fruits of the band’s previous work with Roger Hodgson also appears on the album.

“Talk” is tight, varied, textured… some great performances, and so different from anything Yes had done before. As different as, say, 90125 was from anything Yes had done prior to it. Though I can see why Steve Howe may not like to play Rabin’s parts – Rabin is less of a lyrical guitar player, more of a riff guitarist. Howe is much smoother. This was a different Yes, but still a Yes with artistic integrity.

The highlight of the album is the closing suite “Endless Dream”. Had this track been recorded by the “classic” line up, it would by now be a regular part of the Yes live set. This 15 minute masterpiece weaves its way through the serenity of “Awaken”, the drama of “Gates of Delirium”, and the pomp of “And you and I” to form something which ranks among the absolute best pieces Yes have ever recorded. Rabin’s guitar work on the track is superb, and vocally the harmonies are as strong as Yes have ever achieved.

Some might say “Talk” sounds more like a Rabin solo album than a Yes record. There is no doubt that Yes with Rabin sounded and sounds a lot different than without him. 1994′s Talk is no exception.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass and vocals
- Tony Kaye / keyboards
- Alan White / drums
- Trevor Rabin / guitars and vocals

Track List:
01. The Calling
02. I Am Waiting
03. Real Love
04. State Of Play
05. Walls
06. Where Will You Be
07. Endless Dream Part 1 : Silent Spring
08. Endless Dream Part 2 : Talk
09. Endless Dream Part 3 : Endless Dream

Links in comments.

Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Tony Kaye, Yes

Yes – Symphonic Music of Yes (1993) (@320)

23 Oct 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

When the Union tour was over in 1992, Bill Bruford and Steve Howe recorded an album of Yes instrumental music reinterpreted by an orchestra for RCA Victor, which featured Jon Anderson’s vocals on two of the songs. Entitled “The Symphonic Music of Yes”, the album offered some fresh sonic presentations of Yes masterpieces. String arrangements were done by David Palmer (who also arranged for Jethro Tull), and the record was produced by Alan Parsons.

The ten tracks included here will all be familiar to Yes fans, being taken from their early albums up to “90125″. A few have been significantly edited, “Close to the Edge” loses a full 10 minutes, “Heart of the Sunrise” a couple, and only the closing “Soon” section of “Gates of Delirium” is used.

While the album is basically a vehicle for the London Philharmonic Orchestra to render orchestral versions of Yes songs, it is afforded greater credibility through the presence of Steve Howe, Jon Anderson and Bill Bruford.

Anderson sings on only two tracks, the opening “Roundabout”, and “I’ve seen all good people”. “Roundabout” is a pretty faithful rendition, with Howe repeating his guitar sections with little deviation. The keyboards parts are replaced by the orchestra in true Yes’ symphonic style. “Your Move” is completely absent from “All Good People”, with only the repetitive second section being used. Anderson is joined by the London Community Gospel Choir for this gospel tinged version. Unfortunately, Anderson tends to rather dominate the mix, to the exclusion of the choir.

All the sections of “Close to the Edge” are used, but each is pared down significantly. For such a familiar piece, this can initially be quite disconcerting. The version here is entirely instrumental, with the orchestra taking the vocal melody in true orchestral rock fashion. “Owner of a lonely heart”, “Heart Of The Sunrise”, “Soon”, and “Starship Trooper” are all presented in a similar way. “Owner of a Lonely Heart” is interesting, as the guitar is the dominant instrument, Steve Howe offering his own interpretation of Trevor Rabin’s composition. On “Soon”, Howe speaks briefly at the start of the track, reciting a line from elsewhere in “Gates of Delirium”.

Two tracks feature The English Chamber Orchestra in place of The London Philharmonic Orchestra. “Mood for a Day” features Howe’s (the only Yes man to appear on all the tracks) familiar guitar recital, but his piece is transformed by some highly effective orchestration. “Survival” is probably the most successful track. The melody of the verses is played by solo violin or flute, with the chorus section being sung by the London Community Gospel Choir, this time without Anderson. The result is a truly moving rendition of this early Yes classic.

The album is made of some very pleasant and imaginative interpretations of familiar pieces. Some are more successful than others, but as a package, worthy of investigation by those who enjoy the music of Yes.

Line-up:
- Steve Howe / guitar, vocals
- Bill Bruford / drums
- Jon Anderson / vocals
with
- Tim Harries / bass
- Julian Colbeck / hammond organ
- David Palmer / synthesizer, piano, Hammond organ
- London Philharmonic Orchestra
- English Chamber Orchestra
- London Community Gospel Choir

Track List:
01. Roundabout (6:10)
02. Close To The Edge (7:39)
03. Wonderous Stories (3:53)
04. I’ve Seen All Good People (3:50)
05. Mood For A Day (3:01)
06. Owner Of A Lonely Heart (4:43)
07. Survival (4:17)
08. Heart Of The Sunrise (7:49)
09. Soon (6:16)
10. Starship Trooper (7:16)

Links in comments.

Bill Bruford, Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Yes

Happy Family – Toscco (1997) (@256)

23 Oct 2007

(Review from progreviews.com, progarchives.com)

The band’s second album finds them tightening up the arrangements while simultaneously stretching their improvisatory tendencies.

Starting on the calm clarinet-driven intro of Great Man, the album is mostly based on the longer tracks such as Nord Company, Sushi Bar (with its excellent clunky piano intro before exploding into a wild rrriff series before returning to the clunky piano) and Three Leaves Insect, where the group is most at ease developing Present-like grooves (the piano is so reminiscent of Trigaux’s lines), while the relentless drumming is cross of Bill Bruford and Daniel Denis, but also Dave Kerman (again Present). The shorter pieces are not to be overlooked, though: Picture Book (with a King Crimson crescendo ala Starless), Locomotive (with its incessant Present groove constantly interrupted by the piano breaks) and Tokyo Station (with its almost macabre middle section) are the legs and arms of the album on which it stands on and offers you what 90′s progressive has done best: intense power progressive music.

Line-up:
- Kenichi Morimoto / keyboards
- Tatsuya Myano / bass
- Takahiro Izutani / guitar
- Keiichi Nagase / drums

Track List:
01. The Great Man (3:01)
02. Overdrive Locomotive (6:31)
03. Nord Company Vs. Lead Company (5:19)
04. Filial Piety at the Dawn (4:03)
05. The Sushi Bar (11:42)
06. He Is Coming at Tokyo Station (3:50)
07. The Picture Book – X Rated (6:29)
08. The Three Leaves Insect (12:19)
09. The Great Man (Revisited) (1:25)

Links in comments.

Happy Family

Gokalp Baykal – Yagmuru Beklerken (2007) (@256)

22 Oct 2007

7 comments

(Info from gokalpbaykal.com)

Influenced by Paul Simon, Michel Sardou, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Cem Karaca, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan; Gokalp Baykal started playing guitar during his university education as an architect in 1980. He recorded his first demo in 1986, critically acclaimed in Istanbul underground scene. A second demo followed in 1992. He self-financed his debut album in 1996, later picked up and re-released by an independent label in 1997.

His sixth album, “Yagmuru Beklerken” is a double album of 27 songs, spanning across more than twenty years of his music career. Most of the songs, recorded during previous album sessions were unreleased to-date. The first CD consists of entirely acoustic, the other entirely electric songs.

“Yagmuru Beklerken” provides a comprehensive look at this modest Turkish folk musician.

Line-up:
* Gokalp Baykal – vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica
with
* Ismail Safa Yalbaz – guitar, flute, ud, accordion, synths, back vocals
* Suayip Yeltan – bass, guitar
* Cenk Sarkus – percussion, harmonica
* Ozgur Ayabakan – guitar
* Cenk Tarhan – bass
* Koray Ozsoy – drums
* Sabih Cangil – guitar
* Ergin Ozler – maracas
* Pasa Altin – bass
* Cem Polat – drums
* Tolga Kaya – guitar, back vocals
* Utku Dogruak – guitar, back vocals
* Arzu Gorucu – back vocals
* Erbatur Cavusoglu – back vocals

Track List:
CD1 (Acoustic)
01. Yolun Sonunda
02. Surgunden Gelen Gemi
03. Yolda Bir Yerde
04. Soz Etme / Kalem Kirar
05. Sessiz Oyun
06. Senin Kedin Olmak
07. Tas Kalmadan (Acoustic Version)
08. Hic Kimseyi (Acoustic Version)
09. Uc Dunya
10. Dunya Henuz Dunyayken
11. Senden Cok Uzakta
12. Kimsin Sen
CD2 (Electric)
01. Tas Kalmadan
02. Hic Kimseyi
03. Kanima Karisan
04. Bu Ask Degil
05. Yalanci
06. Mumkun Degil
07. Aksamdan Kalma
08. Kedilerin Gunu
09. Kuslari Dinle
10. Sarmal Dongu
11. Benim Kedim Olmak
12. Bir Kadeh Sonra
13. Sevgililer Gunu (Bonus Single)
14. Bir Is Bir Es (Bonus Single)

Links in comments.

Turkish

Humble Pie – Rock On (1971) (@256)

22 Oct 2007

(Review rollingstone.com, allmusic.com)

Among Humble Pie’s strong points are their arsenal of good vocalists and the instrumental versatility of all the members. Steve Marriott who is at times rock’s best vocalist does a fine job on guitar, harp, and keyboards. Probably the brightest talent in the group is Peter Frampton who has developed enormously since the days when, as leader of the Herd, he was the idol of Britain’s mini-boppers. Frampton is a strong and sensitive vocalist and an excellent writer, but he really stands out as a guitarist. His lead work is extraordinarily fluid and powerful and his tasteful understatement helps him avoid the excesses of many lead guitarists. The group is rounded out by Greg Ridley (vocals, bass, and guitar), whose singing adds much body to the band, and Jerry Shirley who has really become a first rate drummer.

All the cuts are quite good, it’s hard to single out individual cuts. The record has an undeniable live feel to it, framing the group as if they were a boogie version of “The Band”. When all of these elements come together on songs such as “Sour Grain” and “Stone Cold Fever”, it’s an unbeatable combination.

Line-up:
* Steve Marriott – guitar, vocals, keyboards, harmonica
* Peter Frampton – guitar, vocals
* Greg Ridley – bass guitar, backing vocals
* Jerry Shirley – drums
with
* B.J. Cole – pedal steel guitar
* Bobby Keyes – saxophone

Track List:
01. Shine On – 3:00
02. Sour Grain – 2:40
03. 79th and Sunset – 3:01
04. Stone Cold Fever – 4:09
05. Rollin’ Stone – 5:59
06. A Song for Jenny – 2:35
07. The Light – 3:15
08. Big George – 4:08
09. Strange Days – 6:36
10. Red Neck Jump – 3:06

Link in comments.

Humble Pie, Peter Frampton

Happy Family – Happy Family (1995) (@256)

21 Oct 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, progweed.net, gepr.net)

“Happy Family” is a Japanese instrumental quartet, on guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums. They formed in Tokyo in the late 80s. They played together for quite a while before they were signed and actually release proper studio albums. In their early days, a demo tape and two live cassettes were sold at their concerts.

Having had a fairly long career before the release of their debut album, Happy Family were a well-oiled machine that left no space for one more single note to be introduced in the 200 MPH fusion of RIO, metal and zeuhl influences.

If you have not yet heard anything from this band, than it’s high-time you allowed yourself the pleasure. The “Happy Family” album consists of seven instrumental tracks, ranging from the one-and-a-half minute piece “Drums Whisper Spacy” to the nineteen-minute “Naked King”. All of these tunes, with the exception of two, were written by keyboardist Kenichi Morimoto. Unlike a lot of bands, though, this does not mean that Happy Family is dominated by one instrument — all four musicians are equally represented on these recordings, and they all can play. Happy Family is considered by many to be one of the foremost representatives of progressive rock in Japan, and they are generally described as followers of the zeuhl style of music. Don’t let that fool you into expecting a Magma spin-off, however, as the songs on this album sound only a little like the music of Magma, Weidorje, and the like. What is common, though, is the energy, the chaos, the overwhelming drive of the bass guitar (in this case, courtesy of Tastuya Miyamo), the almost insane drumming (Keiichi Nagase doing the honors), and the total lack of conformity to what are generally accepted musical rules and conventions.

It’s really a difficult task to describe what you would hear listening to the entire album. There are songs of incredible speed and energy. The first track, “Rock and Young,” is six-and-a-half minutes of intensity that never lets up. There are also songs where the tempo is certainly slower, but the energy nonetheless remains. The longest track is mainly a slower song, with a fanfare-like intro and a long buildup, yet even then it is full of intensity. The buildup has the feel of a slow march, the bass and drums providing straight accents while the guitar and keyboard (joined later by the bass) begin to play a quirky melody. This gets faster and more difficult as the song progresses until it erupts into a drum/guitar duet. The guitar plays strange melodies and rhythms while the drums echo along perfectly, note for note, as if they weren’t difficult enough for one person to play, let alone two. From there it gets almost funky, and then, well, you get the idea. There’s no predicting anything you’re going to hear on this album.

Even when Happy Family seems to be playing “regular” music, they’re really not. Track 5, “Kaiten (Ningen Gyorai),” by all accounts seems to be a relatively straight-forward piece. After a guitar-laden intro, the band breaks into one of its steadier time signatures —which remains for a good portion of the entire song — and it seems that Happy Family is about to play a song that would be accessible to the masses, or at least a larger portion of the enlightened. This song even has recognizable sections! That’s when Miyano brings his bass guitar out front and the Magma-esque tendencies become clear. Janik Top himself would be proud, because the power that emits from the bass, while present throughout the whole album, really comes through and shines on this track, and it truly is inspiring. He swoops, he soars, he crunches.

There are so many good things that could be said about this album, but it can all be summed up into one thing: This is a great album. If you like your music energetic, fast, noisy and intense — this is an album for you.

Line-up:
- Kenichi Morimoto / keyboards
- Tatsuya Myano / bass
- Shigeru Makino / guitar
- Keiichi Nagase / drums

Track List:
01. Rock & Young (6:40)
02. Shige Et Osanna (4:53)
03. Partei (7:06)
04. Rolling the Law Court (4:55)
05. Kaiten (Ningen Gyorai) (8:24)
06. Naked King (19:04)
07. Drums Whisper Spacy (1:33)

Link in comments.

Happy Family

Yes – Union (1991) (@256)

21 Oct 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

While Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe went their own way, Yes were working on their follow-up to “Big Generator”. The band had been shopping around for a new singer in case Anderson would not be involved. They worked with ex-Supertramp Roger Hodgson, and songwriter Billy Sherwood of World Trade. Hodgson enjoyed working with the group; but thought it unwise to attempt to pass off the music as Yes. Other names were being mentioned as possible replacements, most notably Steve Walsh of the band Kansas. However Walsh was almost immediately dropped from consideration as it was felt that his vocal styling would not mesh with the current sound that the band was trying to produce at the time.

Arista, ABWH’s new label, encouraged ABWH to seek outside songwriters, and Trevor Rabin ultimately sent a demo. Predictably, Arista sensed the commercial possibility of a union of Yes and ABWH. This would lead to the end of Yes having new albums released by Atlantic Records after more than 20 years of their initial recording contract.

Throughout early 1991, phone calls were made, lawyers soothed, and agreements were struck, with Yes joining ABWH for the Union album. Each group did its own songs, with Jon Anderson singing on all of the vocal tracks, and Steve Howe contributing a trademark acoustic guitar solo. Chris Squire sang backing vocals on a few of the ABWH tracks (with Tony Levin doing all the bass on those songs). None of the songs on “Union” featured all eight members at once.

The collective work of both factions yield a tour de force. These fourteen songs far exceed anything that the individuals involved, solo or otherwise, have recorded since “90125″. The record has something for everyone: arena-scale rockers that outperform anything on “Big Generator”, complex arrangements that succeed where the first ABWH album failed and individual contributions that ooze with atmosphere.

Steve Howe’s inspired guitar licks (including another acoustic solo piece, “Masquerade”), Bill Bruford’s off-kilter drumming, the decision to allow Tony Levin’s bass to fill the same space as Chris Squire once did, Trevor Rabin’s dead-on hooks, and Jon Anderson’s voice paired once again with Squire. “Union” really does represent the best of both worlds. Where “Big Generator” sounded mechanical, “Union” feels organic; where the ABWH experiment lacked direction, here it is focused like a high-powered laser. Each of the fourteen tracks is a miniature treasure for fans, but even so some moments rise to the top: “Lift Me Up”, “Saving My Heart”, “Miracle of Life”, “Silent Talking”, “I Would Have Waited Forever”, “Shock to the System” and “Dangerous (Look in the Light of What You’re Searching For)” belong with their best tracks from the ’80s and ’90s.

If Yes seemed to take its heritage lightly with “Drama”, “Union” settles the score with fans. As a further treat, the entire lineup supported the album with a live tour.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals on 1, 2, 4-5, 8, 10-12, 14
- Chris Squire: bass on 4, 6-7, 9, vocals on 1, 4, 6-7, 9
- Tony Levin / bass on 1, 2, 5, 8, 10-12, 14
- Tony Kaye / keyboards on 4, 6-7, 9
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards on 1, 2, 5, 8, 10
- Alan White / drums on 4, 6-7, 9
- Bill Bruford / drums on 1, 2, 5, 8, 10
- Trevor Rabin / guitars and vocals on 4, 6-7, 9
- Steve Howe / guitars on 1-3, 5, 8, 11-12, 14

Track List:
01. I Would Have Waited Forever (6:32)
02. Shock to the System (5:09)
03. Masquerade (2:18)
04. Lift Me Up (6:30)
05. Without Hope You Cannot Start the Day (5:18)
06. Saving My Heart (4:42)
07. Miracle of Life (7:30)
08. Silent Talking (4:01)
09. The More We Live – Let Go (4:34)
10. Angkor Wat (5:24)
11. Dangerous (Look in the Light of What You’re Searching For) (3:39)
12. Holding On (5:24)
13. Evensong (0:52)
14. Take the Water to the Mountain (3:10)

Links in comments.

Alan White, Bill Bruford, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Tony Kaye, Tony Levin, Yes

Quicksand – Home Is Where I Belong (1973) (@256)

21 Oct 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com)

This Welsh band released their album of song-based progressive rock in 1973, only to disappear quickly right after its release.

“Home is Where I Belong” is a fine and respectable album, featuring melodic songs that occasionally go into complex and symphonic structures.

The opener “Hideaway My Song” is a catchy and straightforward rocker with a good feel and nice 70′s sound. But things do get more seriously progressive in “Sunlight Bring Shadows”. It starts very tight and quirky with some intense drumming. From there it evolves into complex, flowing parts featuring good melodies and arrangements packed with organ, mellotron and guitar. The simpler songs on the record, such as “Empty Street, Empty Heart” and “Time to Live” reveal a slight American West Coast-influence with nice vocal harmonies.

“Overcome the Pattern” features some distorted organ, but it’s kept well within a melodic format. The use of the moog is sparse but tasteful, making a repeated appearance after each verse. “Flying” is the most experimental track, starting with sinister and distorted sounds before some surprisingly psychedelic vocals appear and finally climaxing into a mellotron-crescendo with a high-pitched voice above the band’s vocal harmonies. The title-track has a quite straightforward and simple structure, but the melody is really good and the arrangements have the needed progressive 70′s feel. “Season” is a song pretty typical for the record, and floats into the instrumental “Alpha Omega” that undoubtedly is the symphonic highlight. It’s based in a majestic Moog-theme surrounded by grandiose Mellotrons, surely a mighty and powerful combination. The closer “Hiding it All” is an atmospheric ballad, a pleasant and moody way to round off a good album.

Line-up:
- Robert Collins / organ
- Jimmy Davies / guitar
- Phil Davies / bass
- Anthony Stone / drums

Track List:
01. Hideaway My Song
02. Sunlight Brings Shadows
03. Empty Street Empty Heart
04. Overcome The Pattern
05. Flying
06. Time To Live
07. Home Is Where I Belong
08. Season
09. Alpha Omega
10. Hiding It All

Link in comments.

Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe – An Evening of Yes Music Plus (1989-90) (@256)

21 Oct 2007

7 comments

(Review from progarchives.com, wikipedia)

Though Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe (ABWH) had lost the legal rights to use the name of their parent group Yes, it was agreed that they could refer to their origins in Yes on tour posters and merchandise. Thus their 1989-90 world tour was advertised by the phrase “An Evening of Yes Music Plus”.

Tony Levin, who played bass on the studio album as well as most of the tour, was ill during the concert recorded on this album. He was replaced by bassist Jeff Berlin.

The concert is split in its double-CD emotion, but the stage act of classic Yes immense pieces, new ABWH hits or short different music motives gathers a unique tempo of emotions, dynamics and size-explosive rock. The musicianship offering its full soul and energy is a bit of clique, but works to the intensity of the show. The music quality is high-involving, maybe only random to taste. The sense of Yes music is equally challenging, rumbled inside the typical atmosphere and repeated excessively. The modern air of Yes is undeniable, but the passion comes from the greater good of uniform play and basic artistic astound. There are bits of acoustic craft that don’t sound terrific, nor improve the impression, there are wondrous moments when the “script of play” isn’t respected, it’s only taken, benevolently, into a fresh-illusionary performance. The is rock, glam classic, new-age sparkles, fleeting symphonism and perfect-rounded pop (or accessible) expressions. The album is huge to the usual size of resisting the Yes flavor, but what’s worth taking rarely escapes the typical occasion of excitement, heart sign or gold shine. Less typical is the fact that ABWH don’t evolve to their special sign, in any good, spoiled or unpredictable to taste moment.

A “Yes” concert by the special musicianship of glamorous essential artists Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe. ABWH remains a project that could have continued in shining tempo.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Bill Bruford / drums
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards
- Steve Howe / guitar
with
- Jeff Berlin / bass
- Julian Colbeck / keyboards
- Milton McDonald / guitar (rhythm) and vocals

Track List:
CD1
01. Benjamins Brittens Young persons guide to the orchestra
02. Time and a World-Teakbois-Owner of a lonely Heart
03. The Clap-Mood for a day
04. Gone but not Forgotten-Catherine Parr-Merlin The magician
05. Lond distance roundaround
06. Birthright
07. And you and I
CD2
01. Close to the Edge
02. Theme
03. Brother of Mine
04. Heart of the sunrise
05. Order of the Universe
06. Roundabout

Links in comments.

Bill Bruford, Jon Anderson, Live, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Yes

Scorpions – Fly To The Rainbow (1974) (@256)

20 Oct 2007

Request of anonymous.

(Review from wikipedia, amazon)

After their first album, the departure of Michael Schenker led to the break up of the Scorpions. In 1973, guitarist Ulrich Roth (of Dawn Road) had been offered the role as lead guitarist in Scorpions but turned the band down.

Rudolf Schenker attended some of Dawn Road’s rehearsals and ultimately decided to join the band, which consisted of Roth, Francis Buchholz (bass), Achim Kirschning (keyboards) and Jurgen Rosenthal (drums). Roth persuaded Rudolf Schenker to invite Klaus Meine to join, which he did soon after. While there were more members of Dawn Road than Scorpions in the band, they decided to use the Scorpions name because they had released an album and were known in the German hard rock scene.

With their second album, “Fly to the Rainbow”, Scorpions begin to establish their trademark hard-rock sound while exorcising the last of their remaining psychedelic tendencies.

The band kicks off the album with a classic hard power rocker entitled Speedy’s Coming. Of all the tracks on the album, this is probably the one that sounds the most like the band’s eighties material that most fans know and love. The highly irregular rocker They Need A Million comes next. For this track, the band takes on somewhat of a Spanish sound. As weird as this may sound, it makes for a pretty interesting track. Drifting Sun, Fly People Fly, and the title track are all interesting little power ballads that almost certainly won’t fail to please.

Line-up:
* Klaus Meine – Vocals
* Ulrich Roth – Lead Guitars, vocals
* Rudolf Schenker – Guitars, vocals
* Francis Buchholz – Bass Guitar
* Jurgen Rosenthal – Drums and percussion

Track List:
01. Speedy’s Coming
02. They Need a Million
03. Drifting Sun
04. Fly People Fly
05. This Is My Song
06. Far Away
07. Fly to the Rainbow

Link in comments.

Jurgen Rosenthal, Scorpions, Uli Jon Roth

Jethro Tull – Heavy Horses (1978) (@256)

20 Oct 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

An autumnal record, resplendent as the mosaic of leaves that met me in the woods this morning. It finds the middle road of challenging simplicity, of a charming fluent texture, of an short material that lasts as impression. Maybe something that “Songs From The Woods” didn’t achieve.

Similar in scope to “Songs From The Wood”, we’ve entered the dark part of the forest here, the sweet decay of dying leaves thick around us. While tinged with melancholy, “Heavy Horses” is ultimately a resilient effort, celebrating life in the midst of death. We’re immediately put on guard with the opening “…And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps”, invoking the image of the weathercock and the heavy weather ahead. The two themes — nature and inhospitable weather — bridge their last album and their next, Stormwatch, which has always suggested a trilogy.

The songs that follow are as ambitious as anything in their catalog, all hands on deck tending to their musical ministrations, suggesting a unique mixture of independence and teamwork. The unconventional rhythms and seemingly disjointed sounds might be initially daunting, but it soon yields to bedazzlement after a few sittings. Some songs adopt an irregular gait at first, but this technique allows the listener to pick apart different rhythms and weave them together into a cohesive fabric.

It is difficult to rank Jethro Tull albums; many become favorites for different reasons. “Heavy Horses”, however, is one of the clear contenders for their greatest achievement. Perhaps a most suitable album to demonstrate how not every time complexity,epic-structure or climax thinking are the only possible ways of wonderous musical moments. Sweet, subtile, sensational, relaxing, charming – ahh… what more is there to be said? A pleasure to talk about, to experience, to dream upon.

Line-up:
- Ian Anderson / flute, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, vocals
- Martin Barre / electric guitar
- Barriemore Barlow / drums, percussion
- John Glascock / bass
- John Evans / piano, organ
- David Palmer / portative organ, keyboards, orchestral arrangements

Track List:
01. …And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps (3:13)
02. Acres Wild (3:26)
03. No Lullaby (7:55)
04. Moths (3:27)
05. Journeyman (3:58)
06. Rover (4:16)
07. One Brown Mouse (3:23)
08. Heavy Horses (8:59)
09. Weathercock (4:03)
10. Living In These Hard Times (Bonus) (3:10)
11. Broadford Bazaar (Bonus) (3:40)

Link in comments.

Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, John Glascock, Martin Barre

Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe – Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe (1989) (@256)

20 Oct 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

Jon Anderson grew tired of the musical direction of the “new” Yes line-up. He wanted the band to return to its classic sound. Following the 1988 tour, Anderson began working with former Yes members Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, and Bill Bruford. Some in the group (particularly Bill Bruford) wanted to distance themselves from the “Yes” name. As it turned out, Anderson and the former Yes members were contractually unable to use the name, as Squire, White, Kaye, Rabin and Anderson jointly held those rights, dating back to the 90125 contract. Jon Anderson suggested they call themselves “The Affirmative” but the other band members felt that was disingenuous. The name “No” was also suggested, but in the end, they decided to simply name themselves — “Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe” or simply ABWH. The project included session bassist Tony Levin, brought in by Bruford, after the two had worked together in King Crimson.

The end of the 80s was progressive’s darkest period so it’s easy to see why ‘ABWH’ was welcomed as a classic then, and it doubtless sounded very fresh upon its release, utilising contemporary production techniques and instruments combined with the old wave Yes sound.

The album opens with “Themes”, a multi part track that has some great keyboards from Wakeman and a fun walking stick line from Levin. From the get go, you’ll notice that Anderson’s lyrics aren’t as cryptic and dense as his past progressive efforts with Yes. Fist of Fire is a more atmopsheric piece with some dated keyboards from Wakeman (which represent trumpets) and some precision drumming from Bruford. “Brother of Mine” has some sincere vocals from Anderson, some great guitar work from Howe, and many complex vocal sections that really bring back memories of the old Yes. The final minutes of the track is arguably the best part of the album. Birthright has some interesting acoustic work from Howe and some underlying atmopsheric synthesizers from Wakeman, and it evolves into a bombastic and grandiose composition with great riffing from Howe throughout the entire thing as well as some overly played keyboards from Wakeman.

“The Meeting” is a piano/vocal duet between Wakeman and Anderson. It’s one of Wakeman’s more emotional and melodic performances on the album and it overall comes out very well. Quartet suffers from dated and somewhat contrived keyboards, and yet has some smooth guitar and some wicked soloing from Howe. “Teakbois” is a latin influenced song with marimba sounds. “Order of the Universe” has some solid bass from Levin as well as some great guitar fills from Howe and some solid harmony vocals and lead vocals. The album ends with Let’s Pretend, a somber and acoustic ballad with some interesting chord progressions and some nice keyboard work, as well as some stellar acoustic guitar work from Howe. It ends the album on a lighter note and really suits the atmosphere.

The material is generally quite strong, even if Chris Squire’s bass is sorely missed.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Bill Bruford / drums
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards
- Steve Howe / guitar
with
- Tony Levin / bass, vocals and stick bass
- Milton McDonald / rhythm guitar
- Matt Clifford / keyboards, programming, orchestration, vocals

Track List:
01. Themes (5:58)
02. Fist of Fire (3:27)
03. Brother of Mine (10:18)
04. Birthright (6:02)
05. The meeting (4:21)
06. Quartet (9:22)
07. Teakbois (7:39)
08. Order of the Universe (9:02)
09. Let’s pretend (2:56)

Links in comments.

Bill Bruford, Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Tony Levin, Yes

Sperrmull – Sperrmull (1973) (@256)

19 Oct 2007

(Info from Crack in the Cosmic Egg)

Sperrmull made what has become a highly rated hard-rock album. It contains some freaky krautrock, notably “No Freak Out” which contrary to its title is a superb kind of Hendrixy-Hawkwind type mixture.

The album has all the musical variety of early 70s German albums – the jolly mandolin tune on “Me And My Girlfriend”, Floydian effects on “No Freak Out”, Deep Purple-like guitar and organ lines on “Rising Up” and powerful solo work with dynamic arrangements on “Right Now”. The rest, “Land Of The Rocking Sun” and “Pat Casey”, are more conventional catchy rock songs.

Line-up:
* Helmut Krieg – guitars, mandolin, vocals
* Harald Kaiser – bass, vocals
* Reinhold Breuer – drums, percussion
* Peter Schneider – organ, electric piano, synthesizer

Track List:
01. Me and my girlfriend
02. No freak out
03. Rising up
04. Right now
05. Land of the rocking sun
06. Pat Casey
07. Have to leave you (Bonus)
08. To be satisfied (Bonus)

Link in comments.

Yes – Big Generator (1987) (@256)

19 Oct 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

A laborious album to make, Big Generator’s sessions dragged on for two years. Interpersonal problems chiefly between Squire and Anderson kept the album from timely completion.Ultimately Rabin took a hand in its final production which led to creative differences. Rabin was aiming to progress beyond 90125, while founding lead vocalist Jon Anderson was beginning to yearn for more traditional Yes music.

The result was an album that was successful commercially and critically, birthing two hits in the process. Many see this as a disappointing album by Yes, and its easy to understand why. The music is far removed from the band’s early work. In place of the lengthy progressive compositions we have an almost AOR sound, closer to the music of say Styx or Toto.

It’s therefore essential before listening to this album to put any preconceptions aside, and hear it as if you were unaware who it was by. It is a little difficult to do it as Jon Anderson’s distinctive voice is of course still present.

There’s a freshness and energy here which had been lacking from recent albums by Yes, they seem here to be genuinely enjoying themselves. Most of the tracks have a pace and urgency to them which had been missing from “Tormato” and “90125″.

Songs such as “Rhythm of Love” and “Love will find a way” are simply structured as little more than melodic pop rock pieces, and even the longer “I’m running” is hardly challenging. This however is the beauty of the album, it’s stark simplicity, this album is Fun with a capital F. When things do slow down, such as on “Shoot high, aim low”, the power is turned up, only the final “Holy lamb” stands alone as a more traditional Jon Anderson led softer piece.

If you’re looking for “Close to the edge” or “Yours is no disgrace”, you won’t find anything like that here. What you will find is high quality melodic rock.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass and vocals
- Tony Kaye / keyboards
- Alan White / drums
- Trevor Rabin / guitars and vocals

Track List:
01. Rhythm Of Love (4:49)
02. Big Generator (4:31)
03. Shoot High Aim Low (7:59)
04. Almost Like Love (5:58)
05. Love Will Find A Way (4:48)
06. Final Eyes (6:20)
07. I’m Running (7:34)
08. Holy Lamb (Song For Harmonic Convergence) (3:15)

Link in comments.

Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Tony Kaye, Yes

Pink Fairies – Never Neverland (1971) (@224)

19 Oct 2007

(Review from allmusic.com)

The group were formed when the three musicians from The Deviants, having sacked their singer and leader Mick Farren, returned from a disastrous tour of the West Coast of North America and hooked up with Twink.

Despite gaining a reputation for mythic debauchery, the group remained largely an underground sensation before issuing their 1971 debut Neverneverland.

“Never Neverland” readily takes its place among the era’s most crucial debuts, a hard-rocking, free-flowing, and, above all, anarchic monster that opens with the definitive statement of yippie intent, “Do It” and doesn’t look back. Titled for radical Jerry Rubin’s book of the same name, “Do It” remains a manifesto for the revolution that never quite got off the ground, a gutsy affirmation that the Pink Fairies were never to eclipse.

While “Say You Love Me” and “Teenage Rebel” certainly adhere to the band’s rockiest tendencies, the ballad “Heavenly Man” sounds like nothing so much as those other pink things, Pink Floyd circa Obscured by Clouds, while “War Girl” has a distinct American R&B tinge to it. Other moods float in and out of focus before Neverneverland returns to Free Festival central for the live crowd-pleaser “Uncle Harry’s Last Freak-Out” — present in both its 11-minute LP form and, among the bonus tracks, the 12-minute instrumental prototype that was one of the band’s first studio attempts at the piece. Needless to say, both are as relentless as the title insists — and as fiery as the Pink Fairies’ own reputation demand they should be.

Line-up:
* Paul Rudolph – Guitar and Vocals
* Duncan Sanderson – Bass
* Russell Hunter – Drums
* Twink – Drums and Vocals

Track List:
01. Do It
02. Heavenly Man
03. Say You Love Me
04. War Girl
05. Never Never Land
06. Track One, Side Two
07. Thor
08. Teenage Rebel
09. Uncle Harry’s Last Freak-Out
10. The Dream Is Just Beginning
11. The Snake (Single Version)
12. Do It (Single Version)
13. War Girl (Alternate Extended Mix)
14. Uncle Harry’s Last Freak-Out (First Version)

Links in comments.

Pink Fairies

Roxy Music – Roxy Music (1972) (@256)

18 Oct 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Roxy Music are primarily known as a singles band, having enjoyed great success in that market with what seemed at one time to be a never ending stream of hits. They were one of the major bands of glam rock, their image appearing at times to be as important to them as their music. The imagery can sometimes mean that the substance of the band is overlooked. Perhaps history has therefore been unfair to Roxy Music, as their early albums in particular demonstrate that there was often more to their music than “Do the strand” or “Dance away”.

The line-up here includes many highly gifted musicians, most of whom would go on to become highly respected luminaries both within progressive and in music as a whole. The roll call includes such names as Phil Manzanera, Brian Eno, and Andy Mackay plus of course Bryan Ferry, all of whom were full band members of early Roxy Music. The signatures of the band are Ferry’s unique, tremulant vocal style, and Brian Eno’s synthesised processing of the guitars and wind instruments. All the compositions are credited to Brian Ferry, although the reality is clearly that the entire band were involved in the arrangement and development of the songs.

After the rather wandering introduction to the album with “Remake/Remodel”, things slip quickly into gear with “Ladytron”. If nothing else, the track serves as an early reminder of Roxy Music’s prog influences. They may not have looked like a prog band, but they were quite prepared to draw from whatever sources were necessary at the time. The track has some wonderfully futuristic sounds, especially bearing in mind the album dates from 1972. Eno is clearly already experimenting with sounds and distortions causing the more traditional instruments to take on new forms of life. “Is there something” starts off as a more orthodox blues rock song with twanging guitar and rudimentary piano, but develops nicely through some sax and oboe. The latter half has some good old fashioned mellotron sounds complementing emotional vocals. Not included in the original LP, the superb single “Virginia Plain” became a surprise hit at the time. “2HB”, which completes side one, is a downbeat, rather meandering affair which borders on the ambient.

Side two opens with “The Bob” (nice title!), a piece which is either extremely complex in structure or completely lacking in structure, depending on your perspective. It certainly changes style with admirable regularity, but the end result is a disjointed, unsatisfactory piece. “Chance meeting” slows things right down again, being essentially a piano and vocal piece with sundry guitar effects. “Would you believe” sounds at first like a drunken ballad, before the pace is suddenly lifted and an echoed straight rock’n'roll number pounds forth. At 7 minutes, “Sea breezes” is the longest track on the album. The title is poetically appropriate, the track being mainly soft and peaceful. It’s another rambling piece with little to make it memorable. The album closes with the brief “Bitters end”, another soft, downbeat number with lounge bar sound effects.

Bearing in mind this album was recorded decades ago, it is remarkably forward looking while paradoxically drawing in many retrospective influences. The unique sounds and styles it presents can be challenging even now. There is no doubt that this is the album which put the art into art rock.

Line-up:
- Bryan Ferry / piano, keyboards, vocals
- Phil Manzanera / guitar
- Brian Eno / synthesizer, keyboards, tapes
- Rik Kenton / bass
- Andy Mackay / oboe, saxophone
- Graham Simpson / bass
- Paul Thompson / drums

Track List:
01. Re-Make/Re-Model (5:14)
02. Ladytron (4:26)
03. If There Is Something (6:34)
04. Virginia Plain (Bonus Single) (2:58)
05. 2HB (4:30)
06. The Bob [medley] (5:48)
07. Chance Meeting (3:08)
08. Would You Believe (3:53)
09. Sea Breezes (7:03)
10. Bitter’s End (2:03)

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Yes – 9012 Live: The Solos (1985) (@192)

18 Oct 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

As it says on the sleeve, this live album focuses on solo performances by the band members. Taken out of the context of a complete concert and bundled together in this way, such pieces can quickly lose much of the appeal they had in that environment. A lengthy bass solo can sound wonderful when placed between a couple of classic tracks, but much less so when it comes after keyboards solo, a guitar solo, and a preceding bass solo! On the plus side though, the first track on each side of the LP is actually a band performance albeit from the “90125″ album.

We open with a decent rendition of “Hold on”, not one of the band’s best known songs by any means, but it does feature strong harmonies, and sounds pretty good in a live environment. Quickly though, we are then into three solo spots in a row. Tony Kaye keeps his brief both in title (“Si”) and substance, being little more than a synthesizer fanfare. Trevor Rabin’s “Solly’s beard” is an acoustic guitar flourish reminiscent of the Steve Howe’s solo spots. Jon Anderson’s solo is the soft vocal section from “Gates of Delirium” subtitled “Soon”. It is a lovely part of the track, but sounds all the better when contrasted against the bombastic chaos which usually precedes it.

Side two has just three tracks. “Changes” is the band song on this side, and the most orthodox Yes song on the album. Trevor Rabin takes on the initial lead vocals, his voice sounding rather like John Wetton’s, leading to a bit of an Asia feel. Chris Squire’s turn at centre stage is a short feedback laden rendition of “Amazing Grace” Gollowed by a duet with Alan White entitled “Whitefish”. The title reflects White’s surname and Squire’s Fish nickname. The track itself is not really new though, being an 8 minute variant on Squire’s solo spot on “Fragile”, an elongated version of which previously appeared on “Yessongs”.

Not an album for anyone, this one is really for the Yes faithful, and even then the absence of Wakeman and Howe will cause many to question further this album’s validity. Despite all its faults though, there is enough here to make this a Yes album worth having.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass and vocals
- Tony Kaye / keyboards
- Alan White / drums
- Trevor Rabin / guitars and vocals

Track List:
01. Hold On (6:57)
02. SI (2:40)
03. Solly’s Beard (4:39)
04. Soon (2:18)
05. Changes (7:00)
06. Amazing Grace (2:10)
07. Whitefish (8:40)

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Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Tony Kaye, Yes

England – Live in Japan 'Kikimimi' (2006) (@256)

18 Oct 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Since the reissuing of England’s albums, there have been a huge demand for a reunion. This has finally led to a concert in Mexico and two gigs in Japan. This album contains the recordings of the two concerts on July 8th and 9th in 2006, the Club Sitta in Kawasaki.

England starts the concert as if they have never stopped, what an amazing and inspired sound, from Midnight Madness (pleasant intro with the Hohner clavinet sound), Three Pieces Suite (wonderful vintage keyboards like the Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond organ and lots of Mellotron eruptions) and Paraffinelea (dynamic featuring an extensive, quite fiery guitar solo) to Yellow (acoustic rhythm guitar, violin-Mellotron and subtle guitar work) and the splendid Poisened Youth (intense violin-Mellotron, a compelling guitar solo with howling runs and a guitar improvisation). Then the three to me unknown tracks: the up-tempo song Nanogram with sparkling Fender Rhodes piano and sensitive electric guitar, the swinging Open Up with a strongly build-up Hammond organ solo and fiery electric guitar work and the final composition The Imperial Hotel delivering lots of shifting moods and the wonderful Fender Rhodes piano and choir-Mellotron sound, goose bumps!

Line-up:
- Robert Webb / keyboards, vocal, guitar
- Martin Henderson / bass, vocal
with
- Alec Johnson / guitar, vocal
- Steve Laffy / drums, percussion
- Maggie Alexander / vocal, keyboards

Track List:
01. Midnight Madness (6:47)
02. Three Piece Suite (13:36)
03. Paraffinalea (7:08)
04. Yellow (6:29)
05. Poisoned Youth (17:15)
06. Nanogram (5:32)
07. Open Up (8:37)
08. The Imperial Hotel (10:16)

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England, Live

April Wine – Electric Jewels (1973) (@256)

18 Oct 2007

(Review from musicianguide.com, wikipedia, aprilwine.ca)

One of the most popular and enduring rock acts to emerge from Canada, April Wine formed in late 1969 in Halifax but soon moved to Montreal. The band chose the name ‘April Wine’ simply because the two words sounded good together.

Despite the band’s initial success, tensions between its members were growing. After a split pitted Goodwyn and Clench on one side and the Henman brothers on the other, the Henmans left the group in 1973.

When the split occurred, the recording of their third album, “Electric Jewels” was mostly finished. The Henmans got to keep the songs he had written and the “new” group recorded a few songs to replace them prior to releasing the album. The really interesting thing that happened was they re-recorded the ending of the title cut. Thus, on that track, the old band starts the song and the new band finishes it.

Featuring the gritty, classic down-to-earth hard rock sound, the harder-edged “Electric Jewels” album was met with instant favour from the band’s ever growing fan base. It contains songs such as “Weeping Widow”, “Just Like That” and “Lady Run, Lady Hide” which would stay in April Wine’s concert set lists for many years to come.

Line-up:
* Jim Clench – Bass, Vocals, Arp
* Myles Goodwyn – Guitar, Mandolin, Piano, Vocals, Mellotron
* Gerry Mercer – Percussion, Vocals
* Gary Moffet – Guitar, Vocals

Track List:
01. Weeping Widow
02. Just Like That
03. Electric Jewels
04. You Opened Up My Eyes
05. Come on Along
06. Lady Run, Lady Hide
07. I Can Hear You Callin’
08. Cat’s Claw
09. Band Has Just Begun

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England – The Last of the Jubblies (1975-76) (@256)

17 Oct 2007

(Review from prog-nose.org, gardenshedmusic.com, progarchives.com)

The recording of “Last of the Jubblies” came at a time when keyboard instruments and sound effects units were still wildly experimental. The particular blend of both antiquarian and avant-garde musical instruments gave England a very special character, and heavily influenced their style of musical composition on this album.

It actually is a record of leftovers, but don’t let this put you off. The songs are intricately arranged, there was no half work here. In fact, most of the elements that made “Garden Shed” such a great record, are here once again: the silliness, the passion, the skills, the vintage organic sounds.

If you have “Garden Shed” you should like this, but it is not strictly for completists – the music is much too good!

Line-up:
* Robert Webb : keyboards, piano, harpsichord, vocals
* Martin Henderson : bass guitar, vocals
* Jode Leich : drums, percussion, vocals
* Frank Holland : guitar, piano, vocals

Track List:
01. Creepin’ Instrumental (6:44)
02. A One-Legged Day Tale (9:01)
03. Sausage Pie (5:17)
04. Tooting Bec Rape Case (8:49)
05. Mister Meener (3:45)
06. Nanogram (4:14)

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England

Judee Sill – Judee Sill (1971) (@320)

16 Oct 2007

(Info from rhinehandmade.com)

Judee Sill was a true original. A singer-songwriter with a wealth of influences and a fascination with religion, she referred to her work as “country-cult-baroque.” She was the first artist signed to David Geffen’s Asylum label, and, along with Joni Mitchell and Carole King, exemplified the breezy “Laurel Canyon Sound” of the early ’70s. Sill scored moderate hits with “Lady-O” (originally written for The Turtles) and “Jesus Was A Cross Maker” and released two albums — 1971′s Judee Sill and 1973′s Heart Food — before suffering chronic pain and eventually dying of a drug overdose at age 35.

Sill grew up in Oakland, California, and began playing piano at age three. A troubled family life and brushes with the law landed her in reform school, where, as church organist, she developed the gospel style that would characterize her future recordings. After a stint in college and three down-and-out years of addiction, she cleaned up and began work on her dream of becoming a songwriter. She spent a short time penning songs for The Turtles’ production company before signing her own deal with Asylum.

For her self-titled debut, Sill gathered a production team that included Jim Pons and John Beck of The Leaves, as well as engineer/producer Henry Lewy, known for his work with Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Leonard Cohen. Her guitar playing provides the foundation for most of the songs, joined by various combinations of pedal steel, strings, and brass. “Jesus Was A Cross Maker,” built on a bed of Sill’s gospel-flavored piano, was produced by Graham Nash and crafted as a single. Rich with cosmic imagery and ambiguously spiritual lyrics, the songs on Judee Sill often blur the line between the earthly and the divine.

Track List:
01. Crayon Angels
02. The Phantom Cowboy
03. The Archetypal Man
04. The Lamb Ran Away With The Crown
05. Lady-O
06. Jesus Was A Crossmaker
07. Ridge Rider
08. My Man On Love
09. Lopin’ Along Thru The Cosmos
10. Enchanted Sky Machines
11. Abracadabra

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Judee Sill

Yes – 90125 (1983) (@256)

16 Oct 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, wikipedia)

After the band’s breakup, Geoff Downes and Steve Howe joined up with John Wetton and Carl Palmer to form “Asia”.

The rhythm section of Chris Squire and Alan White decided to continue to work together, briefly considering forming XYZ (eX Yes&Zeppelin) with Jimmy Page. Squire then heard demos by Trevor Rabin, which impressed him and they got together with White to work on a project under the Cinema name (also the name of a track on this album). Squire met former Yes keyboard player Tony Kaye, and invited him to join the trio. Interestingly, Kaye had never worked with White, Bill Bruford being the Yes drummer during his time with the band. Trevor Horn had moved away from performing and took up a successful career in production. Trevor Horn was also associated with the nascent band from an early stage as the band’s producer.

While the band were happy with the music they were making, much of which was based on material written by Rabin, they felt they needed a front-man. Rabin’s vocals were adequate if not distinctive, but his multi instrumental capabilities made it difficult for him to sing, play and act as front man simultaneously. Squire therefore met up with Jon Anderson, and played him some of the Cinema demos. Anderson was immediately impressed, and signed up with the band. It was quickly decided that trading under the name of “Yes” would be a sensible option, given that four of the five present had been members. Rabin was dubious at first, not wanting to be perceived as Steve Howe’s replacement, but rather the lead guitarist for a new group. However, he quickly changed his mind once Anderson brought in some new lyrics and put his distinctive vocals on the existing music tracks. Thus, after a three-year gap, Yes was back.

“90125″ launched Yes to the MTV age and to a whole new breed of fans. The music was catchy, contemporary and well-liked by reviewers and their new fans (many of whom had little clue of the band’s previous incarnation). The lead single, “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” became the band’s first (and only) US #1 hit, driving 90125 to selling three million units, by far Yes’s most commercially successful album.

The first few notes of “Owner of a lonely heart”, make it immediately apparent that things are radically different here. Trevor Horn’s immaculate production joins together more disparate noises in the first 20 seconds than other Yes albums have in total. The track was of course a massive hit single, and served to open up the music of Yes to an much larger audience than they had ever previously enjoyed. That new audience was of course much more fickle and transient, and not that interested in who the band were, just whether the music had a good beat! The song did however restore, nay enhance, Yes’ credibility with their record company. Enough of the new found fans did start to explore Yes’ back catalogue too, and thus they rode the Genesis inspired train to fame and fortune.

There’s no doubt the album is far more commercially orientated than what had gone before. Yes had ventured into singles territory with tracks such as “Don’t kill the whale” and “Wonderous stories”, but these had been little more than simplified traditional Yes fare.

The remaining tracks all have an AOR sound, with bands such as Styx and Kansas coming to mind as comparisons. “Leave it” has some excellent harmonies. There are three versions of the song on this extended edition including the original Cinema version, and an appealing a-capella version.

The track “Cinema” is a live version (for no apparent reason). It’s an enjoyable if brief instrumental which bizarrely won a Grammy award as best rock instrumental performance. The final track “Hearts” is probably the best on the album, at least in terms of what might be expected from a Yes album. Like almost all the tracks here, it is still dominated by vocals but Anderson appears to be performing what is predominantly his own composition.

This edition of the CD has six bonus tracks, four of which were recorded without Anderson. The two which are repeated on the album with Anderson’s vocals give an interesting indication of how Cinema would have sounded had they not been stillborn. Also included is an extended version “Owner of a lonely heart” taken from the 12” single.

Although the group’s name was Yes, Rabin had never intended his songs here to become Yes songs. He was writing and performing originally for his own solo output, then for a project known as Cinema. So in other words, the brand’s Yes but the output wasn’t.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass & vocals
- Tony Kaye / keyboards
- Alan White / drums
- Trevor Rabin / guitars & vocals

Track List:
01. Owner Of A Lonely Heart (4:27)
02. Hold On (5:15)
03. It Can Happen (5:39)
04. Changes (6:16)
05. Cinema (2:09)
06. Leave It (4:10)
07. Our Song (4:16)
08. City Of Love (4:48)
09. Hearts (7:34)
10. Leave It (Bonus Single Remix) (3:56)
11. Make It Easy (Bonus) (6:12)
12. It Can Happen (Bonus Cinema Version) (6:05)
13. It’s Over (Bonus) (5:41)
14. Owner Of A Lonely Heart (Bonus Extended Remix) (7:05)
15. Leave It (Bonus ‘A Capella’ Version) (3:18)

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Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Tony Kaye, Yes

England – Garden Shed (1977) (@256)

16 Oct 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

“England” came a little late in the progressive scene, coming at a bad time as punk rock was on the rise. Clearly they were influenced by their peers, yet England managed to conceive a sound distinctly their own that, had their timing been better, may well have propelled them into progressive’s major league.

“Garden Shed” bears repeated listening, but doesn’t take long to work its way into the brain – catchy melodies, superb song-writing, clever lyrics and inventive arrangements are allied to lush and intricate keyboard textures, and tight ensemble playing topped off with wonderful vocals, all performed with energy and enthusiasm. Indeed, the vocals are a major strength, ranging from lush harmonies and multi-part counterpoint to solo voice, sometimes ‘straight’ and ‘dry’, at others ‘theatrical’ – always involving and interesting. Instrumentally, the album is awash with vintage keyboards, but is especially memorable for being a king-pin Mellotron album and the swan-song for the mighty Mk II.

At the core of the album are two lengthy set-pieces – ‘Three-Piece Suite’ and ‘Poisoned Youth’, the latter inspired by ‘The Picture Of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde. Both are brilliant examples of organically progressive ‘symphonic’ Prog, song-based ‘epics’ that sound naturally cohesive and never forced. These are accompanied by shorter tracks: wonderful ensemble vocals [I love the whispered countdown 1-2-3-4 into the second verse] and bitter-sweet lyrics make ‘Paraffinalea’ one of my all-time favourite songs; the mellow ‘Yellow’ is one of those beautiful acoustic based ‘pastoral’ songs most bands did so well in those days; superb opener ‘Midnight Madness’ packs a lot of Prog into its seven minutes; while the simple piano accompanied ‘All Alone’ acts as a calming bridge before the next progressive epic.

Line-up:
- Martin Henderson / bass & vocals
- Frank Holland / guitar & vocals
- Robert Webb / keyboards & vocals
- Jode Leich / percussion, bass & vocals

Track List:
01. Midnight Madness (6:58)
02. All Alone (Introducing) (1:53)
03. Three Piece Suite (12:58)
04. Paraffinalea (4:12)
05. Yellow (5:24)
06. Poisoned Youth (16:17)

Links in comments.

England

Ten Years After – Recorded Live (1973) (@256)

15 Oct 2007

(Review from starling.rinet.ru)

This “official Ten Years After bootleg” was culled from performances during nights in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paris and Frankfurt, and the sound quality of the live recording is just fantastic.

It’s interesting to compare this record to “Undead”. How ‘huge’ have they grown – almost in every sense. From a secluded club scene to large arenas in major European capitals; from a homemade lousy equipment to the Rolling Stones mobile; from half-hour gigs to extended concerts; from half-obscure jazz covers to international hits; finally, from the raw, unpolished, even though mighty energetic tones to a well-polished, professional, intoxicating ‘wall-of-sound’.

“Recorded Live” was recorded at a rather late period in the band’s career, when they were already almost spent creatively and on the brink of dissolution, but it is a well-known fact that live playing and “general creative state” are two absolutely different things. Live playing and its quality depend on quite a few factors, including, simply speaking, the particular mood of the band’s members on the day of the gig, which, in turn, may depend on the weather or the expression on that guy in the front row’s face. Luckily, most of the performances on this album were drawn from moments when the band seemed to be in relatively high spirits.

The album feature a lengthy run-through of their most driving and famous numbers. They kick off with ‘One Of These Days’, only to continue with the unforgettable riff of ‘You Give Me Loving’. Later on, the band, as usual, breaks in some of the oldies, like ‘Help Me’ and ‘Good Morning Little Schoolgirl’. On the way, Alvin displays some cute little tricks, like showing his prowess at classical guitar (‘Classical Thing’), resurrecting the ‘Skoobly-oobly-dooboob’ ditty (‘Scat Thing’) and just playing the fool (‘Silly Thing’).

The two highlights of the show are, of course, a terrific fifteen-minute version of “I Can’t Keep From Crying”, which is again transformed into tons of different things on the way, including even a few lines from “Cat’s Squirrel” and even “Sunshine Of Your Love” and “I’m Going Home”. “I Can’t Keep From Crying” was the central point for showing Alvin Lee as a ‘guitar experimentator’ – in particular, he liked to tune his guitar and play it at the same time. “I’m Goin’ Home” is predictably close to the Woodstock version, except that the various sections are interspersed in a different way and the drums are much more prominent. With all the ‘boo-boo-babys’ in place, and the old rockabilly classics medley in the middle, it’s simply a superb version.

Line-up:
* Alvin Lee – guitar, vocals, harp
* Leo Lyons – bass
* Chick Churchill – keyboards
* Ric Lee – drums

Track List:
01. One Of These Days
02. You Give Me Loving
03. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
04. Help Me
05. Classical Thing
06. Scat Thing
07. I Can’t Keep From Cryin’, Sometimes (part 1)
08. I Can’t Keep From Cryin’, Sometimes (part 2)
09. I Can’t Keep From Cryin’, Sometimes (part 3)
10. Silly Thing
11. Slow Blues In ‘C’
12. I’m Going Home
13. Choo Choo Mama

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Alvin Lee, Live, Sakalli's Pick, Ten Years After

Yes – Yesshows (Live 1980) (@256)

15 Oct 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com, amazon, wikipedia)

Recorded at various performances around the world between 1976 and 1978, Yesshows features the work of both longtime Yesman Rick Wakeman and his successor Patrick Moraz. Consequently, it’s more an overview of the band’s mid-period work than a document of a particular tour or performance.

The material is from the post-”Close to the Edge”-period (with the exception of “Time and a Word”) and the album serves as a superb supplement to the live classic “Yessongs”. The band is in top shape and delivers great performances of the material. The most important aspect of Yesshows is its display of the live interaction between the musicians. While Yes was never accused of being a “jam band”, their elaborate, sophisticated arrangements require their own kind of musical telepathy between participants.

Issued as Yes were about to disband, Yesshows stands as a fitting live memento of their late 1970′s era.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass and vocals
- Patrick Moraz / keyboards on 4, 6, 7
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards on 1-3, 5, 8
- Alan White / drums
- Steve Howe / guitars

Track List:
01. Parallels (7:06)
02. Time And A Word (4:05)
03. Going For The One (5:22)
04. The Gates Of Delirium (22:40)
05. Don’t Kill The Whale (6:50)
06. Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil) Part 1 (11:48)
07. Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil) Part 2 (17:06)
08. Wonderous Stories (3:53)

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Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Patrick Moraz, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Yes

Yes – Drama (1980) (@256)

15 Oct 2007

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

In October 1979, the band started working on new material for a new album. Howe, Squire, and White said none of the three of them liked the music Anderson had offered the band, claiming it was too lightweight and lacking in a heaviness that the trio felt they were generating during their own time together. In December, the work ended when Alan White broke his foot. There is also strong speculation that Anderson and the remaining members of the band had a falling out over money issues and claims and counterclaims of members spending more than their fair share of their group monies. By May 1980, the situation reached a conclusion with Anderson departing Yes as no agreement could be reached over musical direction and financial remuneration. With Anderson leaving, Wakeman followed suit, thinking that Yes could not continue without its primary voice.

With Anderson and Wakeman were no longer in the group; Squire, Howe and White were left with a rather uncertain future. At Yes manager Brian Lane’s suggestion, Squire invited The Buggles duo of Geoffrey Downes (keyboards) and Trevor Horn (vocals) – to help out on a new Yes album. Initially, the plan was that Downes and Horn would help write some new material. They already had a song called “We Can Fly From Here” which had been written with Yes in mind. Downes and Horn were then invited to join Yes as full-time members. This short-lived line-up tried to fuse the old fashioned symphonic progressive rock that Howe & co. still favoured with the more contemporary pop-leanings of Horn and Downes. The resulting album, “Drama”, displayed a heavier, harder sound than the material Yes recorded with Anderson in 1979.

The sound in the album is very sharp, with Chris Squire very much to the fore. The Buggles influence is not that apparent, in fact it is interesting to hear the Buggles track “I am a camera” and compare it to “Into the lens”, the Yes interpretation of that track. While the two are recognisable as being the same song, the electro-pop of the Buggles is transformed into a decent slice of progressive.

“Tempus Fugit” is superb, the song would have fitted in well on “Fragile” or “The Yes Album”. This track could almost be described as the Yes theme tune (in a “hey hey we’re the Monkees” sort of way!), with the anthem chorus lyrics “…answers to Yes”. The long “Machine Messiah” is an excellent piece of progressive, in the true traditions of the band. Had Anderson and Wakeman appeared on tracks such as this, those songs wouldn’t be underrated in the band’s history.

If this version of the band made a couple more albums, they could well have gelled into an excellent unit.

With the criticism directed toward them, and members’ interest in pursuing different projects, the band officially disbanded in the spring of 1981.

Line-up:
- Chris Squire / bass, vocals and piano on 5
- Steve Howe / guitars
- Alan White / drums
- Geoff Downes / keyboards
- Trevor Horn / vocals & bass on 5

Track List:
01. Machine Messiah (10:27)
02. White Car (1:21)
03. Does It Really Happen? (6:34)
04. Into the Lens (8:31)
05. Run Through the Light (4:39)
06. Tempus Fugit (5:14)

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Alan White, Chris Squire, Geoff Downes, Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Trevor Horn, Yes

Doors – Doors (1967) (@256)

15 Oct 2007

(Review from rollingstone.com, allmusic.com)

Doors, one of the most influential and controversial rock bands of the 1960s, were formed in Los Angeles in 1965 by UCLA film students Ray Manzarek, keyboards, and Jim Morrison, vocals; with drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger. The group never added a bass player, and their sound was dominated by Manzarek’s electric organ work and Morrison’s deep, sonorous voice, with which he sang and intoned his highly poetic lyrics.

The key to the band’s appeal is the tension between singer Jim Morrison’s Dionysian persona and the band’s crisp, melodic playing. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger’s extended solos on the album version of “Light My Fire” carried one to the brink of euphoria, while the eleven-minute epic “The End” journeyed to a harrowing psychological state. Scattered among these lengthier tracks are such nuggets as “Soul Kitchen” (“learn to forget”) and Morrison’s acid-drenched takes on the blues (“Back Door Man”) and Kurt Weill (“Alabama Song”).

Though great albums followed, “The Doors” album stands as the band’s most successful marriage of rock poetics with classically tempered hard rock — a stoned, immaculate classic.

Line-up:
* Jim Morrison / Vocals
* Ray Manzarek / Organ, bass, piano and keyboards
* John Densmore / Drums
* Robby Krieger / Guitar

Track List:
01. Break On Through (To the Other Side) (2:30)
02. Soul Kitchen (3:35)
03. Crystal Ship (2:34)
04. Twentieth Century Fox (2:33)
05. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) (3:20)
06. Light My Fire (7:08)
07. Back Door Man (3:34)
08. I Looked at You (2:22)
09. End Of The Night (2:52)
10. Take It As It Comes (2:17)
11. The End (11:43)

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Dixie Dregs – Dregs Of The Earth (1980) (@320)

14 Oct 2007

(Review from amazon, guitar9.com)

Dixie Dregs applied the virtuoso techniques of jazz fusion to playing instrumental rock. Each album encompassed a variety of styles (rockers, progressive, funk, bluegrass, ballads, and even baroque), with catchy music and intricate arrangements.

From the opening rock burner “Road Expense” through the minstral-like closing tune “Old World”, the band tightly interwoven melodies are cleanly executed and entertaining. You’ll enjoy the country hoedown flavor and humor of “Pride O’ The Farm”, and the classically balanced “Hereafter” – all driven by the miraculous guitar work of Morse, where every note is picked (no hammer-on’s or pull-off’s here). “I’m Freaking Out” is another standout, where Morse’s guitar and T Lavitz’ keyboards push, shove and vie for attention for nine minutes in one of the Dixie Dregs finest moments on record.

Line-up:
- Steve Morse / acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, pedal steel
- Andy West / fretted and fretless bass
- Allen Sloan / acoustic and electric violins, viola
- Rod Morgenstein / drums and percussion
- T Lavitz / acoustic and electric piano, organ, synthesizer, clavinet

Track List:
01. Road Expense (3:24)
02. Pride O’ The Farm (3:40)
03. Twiggs Approved (4:29)
04. Hereafter (6:21)
05. The Great Spectacular (3:20)
06. Broad Street Strut (3:54)
07. I’m Freaking Out (9:06)
08. Old World (2:00)

Link in comments.

Dixie Dregs, Steve Morse

Kiss – Destroyer (1976) (@256)

14 Oct 2007

(Review from allmusic)

With their 1976 album Destroyer, the band’s fifth release in two years, Kiss began to expand their fan base by shedding a bit of their edge, taking on a more melodic sound and a less menacing image. Their breakthrough, Alive!, was going to be hard to top, so instead of trying to recreate a concert setting in the studio, they went the opposite route.

Destroyer is one of Kiss’ most experimental studio albums, but also one of their strongest and most interesting. Alice Cooper/Pink Floyd producer Bob Ezrin was on hand, and he strongly encouraged the band to experiment — there’s extensive use of sound effects (the album’s untitled closing track), the appearance of a boy’s choir (“Great Expectations”), and an orchestra-laden, heartfelt ballad (“Beth”).

There’s plenty of Kiss’ heavy thunder rock to go around too, such as the demonic “God of Thunder” and the sing-along anthems “Flaming Youth”, “Shout It Out Loud”, “King of the Night Time World” and “Detroit Rock City”.

Also included is a song that Nirvana would later cover (“Do You Love Me?”), as well as an ode to the pleasures of S&M, “Sweet Pain”.

Destroyer also marked the first time that a comic-book illustration of the band appeared on the cover, confirming that the band was transforming from hard rockers to superheroes.

Line-up:
* Gene Simmons – bass guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals
* Paul Stanley – rhythm guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals
* Ace Frehley – lead guitar
* Peter Criss – drums, lead vocals, backing vocals

Track List:
01. Detroit Rock City – 5:17
02. King of the Night Time World – 3:19
03. God of Thunder – 4:13
04. Great Expectations – 4:21
05. Flaming Youth – 2:59
06. Sweet Pain – 3:20
07. Shout It Out Loud – 2:49
08. Beth – 2:45
09. Do You Love Me – 3:33
10. Outro – 1:25

Link in comments.

Kiss

Yes – Tormato (1978) (@256)

14 Oct 2007

(Review from progressiveworld.net, wikipedia)

Yes’ 1978 album might not be as consistent as the previous eight studio albums, but with it’s compositions and arrangements, it showed that Yes were still a very visionary band even if punk and new wave were trying to take over big time.

The original album title was to be Yes Tor, referring to a geological formation in southern England. The photographs taken by Hipgnosis for the album cover were seen as so unimpressive that Rick Wakeman, in frustration, threw a tomato at the pictures. The cover and title were adjusted accordingly.

“Tormato” is a very diverse collection of songs. Opening with the rhythmic “Future Times”, yet again containing some new Wakeman keyboard sounds by means of the fragile “Madrigal”, it was as if you were taken to the middle ages with Jon Anderson’s high pitched vocals accompanied by Wakeman’s harpsichord and Howe’s wonderful acoustic guitar. “Release, Release” then delivered a decent slice of authentic rock ‘n’ roll spiced up by some tremendous percussion and added live sounds. Even to this day “Arriving UFO” remains an interesting composition, blending accessible parts with experimental passages, yet more proof that at around this time Yes were very much searching for a new identity by blending lots of different elements, not in the least a more energetic, almost authentic rock ‘n’ roll attitude. With “Circus Of Heaven”, Jon Anderson brings in his children to deliver some vocals, turning this into a funfair kind of composition. During the Squire penned “Onward”, Wakeman delivers some oboe sounds from his then brand new polymoog, giving the sound a slight orchestral feel. Spiced up with Squire’s pumping bass sounds “On The Silent Wings Of Freedom” would remain a live favourite with the band for a long time. Again backed by some great orchestral arrangements by means of Wakeman’s polymoog and birotron, the latter being a prototype kind of “better” mellotron entirely financed by Wakeman, Alan White really rocks on this one.

Despite internal or external criticisms of Tormato, the band enjoyed successful tours in 1978 and 1979 by utilizing, for the first time, a rotating circular stage and calling the tour “Yes – In The Round”.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass and vocals
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards
- Alan White / drums
- Steve Howe / guitars

Track List:
01. Future Times/Rejoice (6:45)
02. Don’t Kill The Whale (4:56)
03. Madrigal (2:23)
04. Release, Release (5:47)
05. Arriving UFO (6:03)
06. Circus of Heaven (4:30)
07. Onward (4:02)
08. On The Silent Wings of Freedom (7:47)
09. Abilene (Bonus) (4:02)
10. Money (Bonus) (3:14)
11. Picasso (Bonus) (2:12)
12. Some Are Born (Bonus) (5:42)
13. You Can Be Saved (Bonus) (4:20)
14. High (Bonus) (4:30)
15. Days (Bonus Demo) (1:00)
16. Countryside (Bonus) (3:11)
17. Everybody’s Song (Bonus) (6:48)
18. (untitled hidden track) (Bonus) (3:06)

Links in comments.

Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Yes

Dog That Bit People – Dog That Bit People (1971) (@256)

13 Oct 2007

Hincks and Lamb, left over from Locomotive after Norman Haines had left, formed this interesting outfit which is very much a progressive rock outfit playing short songs.

The album opens mellowly with Goodbye Country, featuring a nice melody, but gets heavier on the somewhat prototypical The Monkey And The Sailor. This track has an unexpected middle eight, though. Lovely Lady sounds like The Honeybus and Sound Of Thunder again lives from an odd juxtaposition between verse and chorus, a recipe which is some kind of trademark on this album. Someone Somewhere should have been sung by Ringo and boasts a horrible guitar solo which should have been played by George. A Snapshop Of Rex sounds like Joe Cocker but suffers from the absence of Joe Cocker, while Mr. Sunshine clearly tries to be Traffic. Tin Soldier is not the Small Faces’ song, but is an agreeable tune, albeit with embarrassing lyrics. The concluding Reptile Man has, predictably enough, doctored vocals above a repeated jungle riff and is the only truly black spot on the album, though hard progressive fans will argue otherwise.

Line-up:
* John Caswell – vocals, guitar
* Michael Hincks – vocals, bass
* Bob Lamb – drums
* Keith Millar – vocals, guitar, keyboards

Track List:
01. Goodbye Country
02. The Monkey And The Sailor
03. Lovely Lady
04. Sound of Thunder
05. Cover Me in Roses
06. Someone, Somewhere
07. A Snapshot of Rex
08. Red Queen’s Dance
09. Mr Sunshine
10. Tin Soldier
11. Walking
12. Reptile Man
13. Merry Go Round (Bonus)

Link in comments.

Fleetwood Mac – Vaudeville Years (1968-70) (@256)

13 Oct 2007

10 comments

(Review from amazon)

Two CDs of outtakes, rehearsals, unreleased tracks and muck-abouts from the Peter Green era, none of which had previously seen the light of day officially.

This was the period when Fleetwood Mac was shuffling off its purist’s blues incarnation in favour of Peter Green’s sophisticated and eerie pop compositions. Included are tentative stabs at Drifting (here named Fast Talking Woman Blues) and much of the sessions for the wonderful Then Play On – the Working For Madge jam, Underway, Coming Your Way, Oh Well and so on. There’s also an unembellished, unfinished take of that apogee of British blues-psych, Green Manalishi; the very first attempts at Man Of The World and several mirth breaks for Jeremy Spencer’s rock’n'roll pastiches. These include a posh-blues piss-take of Alexis Korner and the always amusing B-side, Somebody’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight, featuring Elvis as a malevolent Hell’s Angel. Don’t forget the full 15-minute-plus versions of both “Underway” and the “Madge” (spliced together from two separate jams that couldn’t sound more different).

It’s a rag-bag selection to be sure, but Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac’s die-hards will find it fascinating.

Line-up:
* Peter Green – guitar, vocals
* Mick Fleetwood – percussion, drums
* John McVie – bass
* Jeremy Spencer – guitar, vocals
* Danny Kirwan – guitar, vocals

Track List:
CD1
01. Intro / Lazy Poker Blues – 3:48
02. My Baby’s Sweeter – 3:53
03. Love That Burns – 4:15
04. Talk To Me Baby – 3:37
05. Everyday I Have The Blues #1 – 4:13
06. Jeremy’s Contribution To Doo-Wop – 3:34
07. Everyday I Have The Blues #2 – 4:23
08. Death Bells – 5:05
09. (Watch Out For Yourself) Mr Jones – 3:35
10. Man Of Action – 5:21
11. Do You Give A Damn For Me (Early version of Showbiz Blues) – 3:45
12. Man Of The World – 3:28
13. Like It This Way – 3:17
14. Blues In B Flat Minor (Instrumental version of Before The Beginning) – 4:16
15. Someone’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight (Full-length version) – 2:58
16. Although The Sun Is Shining – 2:24
17. Showbiz Blues – 6:51
CD2
01. Underway (Full-length version) – 16:15
02. The Madge Sessions #1 – 17:21
03. The Madge Sessions #2 – 2:42
04. (That’s What) I Want You To Know – 3:54
05. Oh Well – 2:47
06. Love It Seems – 2:39
07. Mighty Cold – 2:28
08. Fast Talking Woman Blues (also known as Drifting) – 4:02
09. Tell Me From The Start – 2:02
10. October Jam #1 – 5:01
11. October Jam #2 – 1:57
12. The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Prong Crown) – 4:43
13. World In Harmony – 3:28
14. Farewell (Early demo of Earl Gray) – 2:18

Links in comments.

Danny Kirwan, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green

Yes – Going for the One (1977) (@256)

13 Oct 2007

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

Following an extended tour through 1974–1975, Yes took a brief hiatus as a band, with each member of the group releasing his own solo album. After this hiatus, the group commenced sessions for a new album. Wakeman had found himself in serious financial troubles after several expensive solo-projects and shows. After negotiations, Wakeman returned as a session musician, and Moraz was asked to leave the band.

Released in a very difficult year for progressive rock, at the zenith of the ‘dinosaur’-bashing punk era, this is a brilliant return to form for Yes. Its five tracks still retain mystical, abstract lyrical images, and the music is grand and melodic, the vocal harmonies perfectly balanced by the stinging guitar work, keyboards and solid rhythms.

“Wonderous Stories” is a pleasant and lovely acoustic ballad, the powerful “Parallels” would replace “Siberian Khatru” as their opening track in concerts in the late 70′s, he majestic “Turn of the Century” is Yes at their most beautiful and symphonic.

But the masterpiece track is “Awaken”, a very appropriate title in many ways as it’s been something of a sleeper over the years. The song has only in comparatively recent times received due recognition as one of Yes’ finest ever pieces. Wakeman is very much to the fore on this track, not so much in the form of overt soloing, more in creating an atmosphere upon which the rest of the band build intertwining layers. The piece moves from fragile beauty through eloquent, at times almost ambient, phases to awesome majestic power. The final climb to the crescendo is quite overwhelming, and when played live invariably causes the audience to rise as one, as if uplifted from their seats by an unseen power, before being gently lowered back to earth by the ethereal ending.

Full of wonderful melodious passages and great musicianship, “Going for the One” represented a major step forward for Yes, as they developed a more mature yet accessible sound, while retaining their ability to compose “classical” music.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals, guitar (6,10,12), harp (7)
- Chris Squire / bass and vocals
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards
- Alan White / drums
- Steve Howe / guitars

Track List:
01. Going For The One (5:30)
02. Turn Of The Century (8:58)
03. Parallels (6:52)
04. Wonderous Stories (3:45)
05. Awaken (15:38)
06. Montreux’s Theme (Bonus) (2:38)
07. Vevey (Bonus Revisited) (4:46)
08. Amazing Grace (Bonus) (2:36)
09. Going For The One (Bonus Rehearsal) (5:10)
10. Parallels (Bonus Rehearsal) (6:21)
11. Turn Of The Century (Bonus Rehearsal) (6:58)
12. Eastern Numbers (Bonus Early version of “Awaken”) (12:16)

Links in comments.

Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Yes

Tipographica – God Says I Can't Dance (1996) (@256)

12 Oct 2007

(Review from Gibraltar)

Tipographica is actually a sextet of crazy Japanese, who spit laser bullets with guitars, keyboards, saxes, bass, drums and trombone. Although the band has a rather accessible sound basis, they succeeded in upgrading it with different rhythm approach and made one of the most complex progressive music available.

The band is at home in contrarhythms, actually they can play and they are playing poli-contra-rhythmically, and they do that very intense, with splashes (Coltrane on 45 or higher) of notes on the edge of discernibility and very quickly (Tempo in average between 120 and 150). The use of demi-semi-quavers (1/32 of a notes) is here at the utmost (for ears). In comparison with that much of RIO, new music and contemorary classical sound rather light. They like extended tracks. 7′+ and 8′+ers prevail, while almost each album contains 11+’ long piece.

Festival of lopsided rhythms, their third album is “God Says I Can’t Dance”. How spasmodic it would be, if one would decided to dance on such music. Well, I can imagine. After first few listens rhythm sounded to be quite separated from “tuned” side of the song structure. The band has added various japanese and non-japanese ethnic instruments from different parts of the world (djembe, etc.). If you can imagine how it would sound shrinked, cut-off and completely serrated music, then this is it. Brilliant and as inaccessible as one may think. Only after additional listens, some patterns start to uncover themselves.

Line-up:
- Tsuneo Imahori / guitar
- Naruyoshi Kikuchi / saxophone
- Osamu Matsumoto / trombone
- Akira Minakami / keyboards
- Hiroaki Mizutani / bass
- Akira Sotoyama / drums
with
- Kazuto Shimizu / mokkin

Track List:
01. Friends (8:54)
02. Control Tower Says ‘TP-1, Break Down’ (8:45)
03. White Collar Worker VS Black Rubber Man (11:22)
a) AM 3:28 Shinjuku
b) AM 3:45 Kasumigaseki
c) AM 5:02 Berlin
04. And Then The Last Ship Is Going (7:35)
05. Japanese Room (we Have No ZEN) (7:34)
06. Laughin’ Photograph (8:15)
07. Forest Tipographical II (7:34)

Links in comments.

Tipographica

Cravinkel – Garden of Loneliness (1972) (@256)

12 Oct 2007

(Review from Dead Ernest, progarchives.com, Gibraltar)

Published one year later, Cravinkel’s second album “Garden of Loneliness” has an enthusiastic sense of improvisation during the breaks and lead guitar solos, including short soul jamming sessions, funky & jazzy rythmical accompaniments. It’s a classic slice of early seventies psychedelia with three tracks between just under 10 and over 20 minutes long.

The first song is a cool 7/4 jam with prominent electric piano and gutsy vocals. The title track is a strong, special and dynamic rocking piece with wha wha guitars, agressive vocals, occasionally featuring calming sequences with nice floating guitar lines.

The last and longest is called ‘Stoned’ and it’s just superb, with tons of long passages of truly psychedelic, often multi-tracked, electric guitar soloing that will have you reaching for the nearest joint and the first bong you can get a hold of. The vocals aren’t out of place, with a sort of heady lightness to them, then there’s an acoustic section mid-way through ‘Stoned’ giving a psychedelic Byrds/Airplane-like feel to it all before the track reverts to its searing heady electric-guitar dominated self, as vocals return, then drums storm in for a minute or so before the song reaches its climax.

Line-up:
- Gerd Krawinkel / guitar, percussion
- Rolf Kaiser / vocals, bass
- George Haupt / drums
- Klaus Meier / guitar, vocals, percussion

Track List:
01. Sitting In The Forest (10:17)
02. Garden Of Loneliness (9:48)
03. Stoned (20:29)

Link in comments.

Cravinkel

Yes – Relayer (1974) (@256)

11 Oct 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com)

Jon Anderson wanted none less than Vangelis to replace Rick Wakeman, but it became clear after weeks of rehearsals that he would not fit into the band. Instead, the Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz, who earlier had been in Mainhorse and Refugee, joined the band.

The vast difference between Moraz’s contributions to Yes and Wakeman’s was more of a novelty than a disappointment, Moraz being a distinctive electric-jazz musician in his own right. “Relayer” clearly showed that he was the perfect choice.

Structurally, the album was similar to “Close to the Edge” as it consisted of a 20-minute suite on side 1, while the second side featured two 10-minute tracks. “The Gates of Delirium” is no less than a fantastic piece of music, an energetic orgy of all the best that symphonic progressive rock has to offer, featuring great melodies, grandiose and atmospheric arrangements and not at least some of the wildest, best, most complex and intense instrumental passages that Yes ever recorded. To make an ear-shattering finale to such an energetic piece would be pointless and impossible, so instead the band slowed it all down at the end and gave us four minutes of the most beautiful music and atmosphere of their career in form of the final part known as “Soon”. Music won’t get better than this. The energy level is maintained with “Sound Chaser” that opens the second side. This was probably the technically most breathtaking and difficult track the band ever wrote, and that says quite a lot. It’s fast, quirky and has a freshness that few other progressive rock bands could rival. The nice and cosy “To Be Over” ends the album in a surprisingly harmonic and laidback way compared to the rest of the record, and has some of the feel of “Tales from Topographic Oceans” in it.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass and vocals
- Patrick Moraz / keyboards
- Alan White / drums
- Steve Howe / guitars and vocals

Track List:
01. Gates Of Delirium (22:55)
02. Sound Chaser (9:25)
03. To Be Over (9:08)
04. Soon (Bonus single edit) (4:18)
05. Sound Chaser (Bonus single edit) (3:13)
06. The Gates of Delirium (Bonus studio run-through) (21:16)

Link in comments.

Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Patrick Moraz, Steve Howe, Yes

Omar Faruk Tekbilek – Mystical Garden (1996) (@256)

11 Oct 2007

(Review from amazon, omarfaruktekbilek.com)

Omar Faruk Tekbilek was born in Adana (in Turkey) to a musical family. At the age of eight, he began his musical career by developing proficiency on the kaval, a small diatonic flute. His uncle owned a music store and gave him music lessons in exchange for work in the store. While working in the store, Tekbilek learned the intricate rhythms of Turkish music, how to read scales, and other rudiments. He was trained on and eventually mastered several instruments; ney (bamboo flute), zurna (double-reed oboe like instrument with buzzing tone), the baglama (long-necked lute), the oud (the classic lute), as well as percussion. By the age of twelve he began performing professionally at local hot spots.

Upon turning 16, he moved to Istanbul where he spent the following decade as in-demand session musician. He stayed true to his folkloric roots, but during this period of frenetic session work in the metropolitan music scene, he explored Arabesque, Turkish, and Western styles and the compositional potential of the recording studio. In Istanbul he also met the Mevlevi Dervishes, the ancient Sufi order of Turkey. He did not join the order, but the head Neyzen (ney player) became another source of inspiration. Tekbilek was profoundly influenced by their mystical approach and fusion of sound and spirit. During that time he was introduced to Hatha Yoga and eventually to Tai Chi and Chi Qong, which he continues to practice daily.

His sixth studio album, “Mystical Garden” combines Tekbilek’s musical mastery, composition and mystical influences creating a soulful and emotional musical journey to a place not easily accessible. The entrance is carefully guarded and always hidden yet within reach. Children, the pure of heart, are the few who are allowed unlimited access. So close your eyes and let Faruk give you a guided tour of a place most of the world has forgotten. Innocence, pure beauty, peace, and tranquility reside here. Step carefully on your journey for all living things are treasured in this Mystical Garden.

Mystical Garden places more emphasis on Faruk’s writing, featuring five original tracks. And there is a greater emphasis on the stellar musicianship of the players. “Egyptian Dance” demonstrates traditional Egyptian motives, with variations on the rhythm and the scales. “Hu Allah” continues to tell Tekbilek’s story in the garden, with his soulful voice over a bed of chanting, nature sounds, and orchestration, along with oud, ney, and bendir. As the last track, this piece leaves the listener in a peaceful trance.

Line-up:
- Omar Faruk Tekbilek / Synthesizer, Arranger, Cymbals, Tambourine, Vocals, Oud, Darbouka, Bendire, Baglama, Ney, Kaval, Finger Cymbals, Davul, Bendir, Zurna, Kavala, Jura
- Arto Tuncboyaciyan / Percussion, Shakuhachi, Drums, Triangle, Vocals, Bells, Bendire, Shaker, Guiro, Zil, Davul, Water Bowl
- Hasan Isikkut / Violin, Kanun
- Brian Keane / Synthesizer, Bass, Guitar, Percussion, Arranger, Cymbals, Drums
- Dan Pickering / Flugelhorn

Track List:
01. Other Side of the River (8:53)
02. Magic of the Evening (6:47)
03. Laz (3:55)
04. Shashkin (6:48)
05. Hasret (8:53)
06. Egyptian Dance (5:06)
07. Three Last Words (8:33)
08. Mystical Garden (7:07)
09. Hu Allah (9:59)

Links in comments.

Turkish

Mountain – Nantucket Sleighride (1971) (@256)

11 Oct 2007

(Review from amazon)

“Climbing” made the band stars; Mountain jumped right back into the studio the following year in an attempt to continue their previous success. “Nantucket Sleighride” is a masterful production with Felix Pappalardi at the helm once again.

This recording doesn’t have the rawness and brashness of the previous album; it is more complex musically and lyrically while maintaining the bands musical integrity and giving it more polish at the same time.

Leslie West justifies himself as a guitarist once and for all – he was never the shredder but he influenced more than his share of forthcoming guitar players with his chunky chords and his spare, lyrical solos. Felix Pappalardi’s bass playing remains sensitive and harmonically sure; drummer Corky Laing is even more of a sonic adventurer with a will than before; and keyboardsman Steve Knight finally lightens up his hands and lets his organ flow

The title track is the centerpiece for the album and it is about old tales told by whale hunters. The men would harpoon the whale and then the creature would go under the sea then crash to the surface and pull the boat until it died of exhaustion and constant harpooning. Pappalardi had bought a house in Nantucket at the time and was inspired to write about local lore. The lurid, echoey sound of the whole piece and the dreamy keyboard accompaniment is simply amazing.

It’s hard work to combine artistic rock with heavy, evil guitar riffs and deep, bluesy vocals. Mountain does it effortlessly.

Line-up:
* Leslie West – guitar, vocals
* Felix Pappalardi – bass, rhythm guitar, piano, vocals
* Corky Laing – drums, percussion
* Steve Knight – organ, handbells

Track List:
01. Don’t Look Around
02. Taunta (Sammy’s Tune)
03. Nantucket Sleighride
04. You Can’t Get Away
05. Tired Angels
06. Animal Trainer And The Toad
07. My Lady
08. Travellin’ In The Dark
09. Great Train Robbery

Link in comments.

Felix Pappalardi, Leslie West, Mountain

Yes – Tales from Topographic Oceans (1974) (@256)

11 Oct 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com)

The important follow-up to “Close to the Edge” was not just Yes’ most ambitious album, but probably the most ambitious record in rock history. “Tales from Topographic Oceans” was based upon Shastric teachings that Jon Anderson had read while on tour. It divided life into four parts, and each side of the album represented one of those parts, encrypted with highly religious and spiritual revelations.

The first track “The Revealing Science of God” is stuffed with fine melodies and an overall cleverly cohesive and well-constructed structure, despite its long length.

The first part of “The Remembering” mixes a laidback, almost folky melody with grandiose and sweeping passages from Wakeman that will return later in the song. The track transforms into a faster and more joyful pace in the middle, and gave name to the band’s next album “Relayer”.

After two song based and tightly structured compositions we’re in for some of Yes most’ experimental music ever in the mostly instrumental “The Ancient”. This compelling track goes from thundering riffs, symphonic and melodic passages and then to chaotic and noisy improvisations before ending in a pleasant acoustic song.

Finally we get to the best-known track of the album in form of “Ritual”, the only song from the record that would remain in their concert repertoire for a long time. The first minutes of it is mainly taken up by a catchy and cheerful vocal-theme before slowly transcending into the beautiful main melody. This is followed by a long solo section where Squire really is allowed to let loose before it goes into a very dramatic percussive part where the band always used to flash their lighting show when they performed it live. At the end it all calms down and returns to the main melody again, passionate and beautiful.

“Tales from Topographic Oceans” is an atmospheric and mysterious world of its own that the listener can escape into. It’s not an easy album to penetrate, but once you’re in it you’ll find it to be one of Yes’ most fascinating works and definitively their most otherworldly one.

But there were highly mixed opinions about it both from critics and fans. Wakeman was among those who didn’t like the album, and he became so sick and tired of performing it on the tour that followed it that he finally left the band.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Steve Howe / guitars and vocals
- Chris Squire / bass and vocals
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards
- Alan White / drums

Track List:
CD1
01. The Revealing Science Of God – Dance Of The Dawn (20:27)
02. The Remembering – High The Memory (20:38)
CD2
01. The Ancient – Giants Under The Sun (18:34)
02. Ritual – Nous Sommes Du Soleil (21:35)

Link in comments.

Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Yes

Cravinkel – Cravinkel (1970) (@256)

10 Oct 2007

(Review from Crack in the Cosmic Egg, Krautrock Album Database)

Gerd Krawinkel gave the band’s his own name, spelled in English. Cravinkel were odd for a German band in the early-70′s, as their sound was often closer to Nordic bands of the era like Culpepper’s Orchard, blending in country and folk musics into Anglo-American type rock.

The band’s self-titled debut album features ten short tracks, none of which top four minutes. The album does have a fairly unique sound, even if it is patterned after the Anglo style.

‘Two Circles’, a dreamy laid-back track, combines elements of psych and blues guitar with blues vocals giving the track a slight cosmic feeling. ‘Lonesome Road’ is a jangly pop number with an interestingly downbeat chorus section. Showcasing a strong touch of country and folk rock, ‘Smiles’ comes off as a laid back guitar and vocal ballad. In addition to these tracks, the groovy numbers, ‘Get A Feeling Going Round’ and ‘Candlelight’ are sure to catch your attention with their power riffs and catchy hooks. Furthermore, ‘Hidden Love’ is sure to please fans of the group Cream.

As a bonus, this reissue contains the group’s only single, 1971′s ‘Keep On Running’ b/w ‘Mr. Cooley’.

Line-up:
- Gerd Krawinkel / guitar, percussion
- Rolf Kaiser / vocals, bass
- George Haupt / drums
- Klaus Meier / guitar, vocals, percussion

Track List:
01. Get A Feeling Going Round (3:29)
02. Two Circles (2:36)
03. Lucy (3:33)
04. Heaven (2:58)
05. Candlelight (3:09)
06. About Mother And Son (3:13)
07. Lonesome Road (2:47)
08. Hidden Love (3:17)
09. If I Sing A Song For You (3:46)
10. Smiles (3:43)
11. Keep On Running (Bonus) (3:44)
12. Mr. Cooley (Bonus) (3:56)

Link in comments.

Cravinkel

Watchtower – Control and Resistance (1989) (@256)

10 Oct 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, electricbasement.com)

Around 1986, Billy White who wrote most of the music on “Energetic Disassembly”, decided to leave and so he left the band with a very demanding task to find a new ‘brain’ that would lead the band on it’s way. If they wanted a leader or not, they certainly got one. Ron Jarzombek, at the time shreding in a more or less unknown S.A. Slayer was a friend of White, and the actual plan was that Jarzombek would just fit in for a few concerts until the band would find a proper guitar player. But things followed, Jarzombek and the band got together so well that he finally decided to join the band for good, ready to share his genuine mind. With Jarzombek in the band, WatchTower got even more progressively orientated and his significant seal soon unavoidably changed WatchTower’s sound.

In 1987, Jason McMaster was asked to be guest vocalist for “Dangerous Toys” to which he said yes. Eventually he decided to go with them full time. To fill the vacant vocalist, the band eventually recruited “Hades” wailer Alan Tecchio.

After the great, almost revolutionary breakthrough with “Energetic Disassembly”, WatchTower striked once again with a 40 min long album called Control & Resistance in 1989, which made even a step further in the world of progressive music.

“Instruments Of Random Murder” is one of their most over-the-top songs, it serves to weed out the casual listeners quickly, appealing only to the most demanding fan of highly complex metal. Things become only slightly more comprehensible with key songs “Mayday In Kiev” and the title track (which explodes with highlights). “The Fall Of Reason” seems a nakedly honest homage to Rush, considering the Lee-like bass approach and Jarzombek’s Lifeson-esque melodic figures. And if you’re looking for a slightly less manic Watchtower, the ears wrap easily around “Life Cycles”, a contemplative, philosophical number of relative calm, which sounds to me like Alan Tecchio’s best-ever vocal performance. The players involved seem like the kind of musicians that could play absolutely anything that popped into their heads, and it’s a distinct pleasure to hear them performing at the very peak of their abilities here.

What seemed an unstoppable juggernaut died when Jarzombek suffered injuries that sidelined his guitar playing for many years.

Line-up:
- Doug Keyser / bass
- Rick Colaluca / drums
- Alan Tecchio / vocals
- Ron Jarzombek / guitar

Track List:
01. Instruments Of Random Murder (4:06)
02. The Eldritch (3:17)
03. Mayday In Kiev (5:48)
04. The Fall Of Reason (8:01)
05. Control And Resistance (6:58)
06. Hidden Instincts (3:51)
07. Life Cycles (6:48)
08. Dangerous Toy (4:20)

Link in comments.

Watchtower

Yes – Yessongs (Live 1973) (@192)

10 Oct 2007

(Review from wikipedia)

After the recording of “Close to the Edge”, and at the height of the band’s success, Bruford quit the band to join King Crimson. He was replaced by former Plastic Ono Band drummer Alan White, a more conventional rock drummer and a distinct contrast to the jazz-influenced Bruford.

White was brought into Yes several months before the release of “Close to the Edge”. Their early touring with White was featured on their next release, the three-record live collection Yessongs, recorded on their world tour in late 1972 and early 1973. The album included two tracks with Bruford, notably the song “Perpetual Change” with an extended Bruford drum solo, as well as backing Chris Squire in his solo “The Fish”, while White played drums on the rest of the tracks.

The album features most of the material from the three previous albums. The performances are extremely tight and energetic, and that’s really impressive when you think about the complexity of the material. The versions of “Close to the Edge”, “Roundabout”, “Perpetual Change” and “Yours is no Disgrace” bursts with power and energy. The addition of Wakeman’s mellotron on the tracks from “The Yes Album” is also a very pleasant feature.

Yessongs showcases Yes’s ability to breathe new life into their songs in live performances which made them a top draw for concerts. Some songs are extended to almost double the length of their studio counterparts as well as given a more high-octane performance.

Line-up:
* Jon Anderson – vocals
* Chris Squire – bass and vocals
* Steve Howe – guitars and vocals
* Rick Wakeman – keyboards
* Bill Bruford – drums (4 and 10)
* Alan White – drums (everything else)

Track List:
01. Opening (excerpt from ‘Firebird Suite’) – 3:47
02. Siberian Khatru – 9:03
03. Heart of the Sunrise – 11:33
04. Perpetual Change – 14:11
05. And You and I – 9:33
06. Mood for a Day – 2:53
07. Excerpts from ‘The Six Wives of Henry VIII’ – 6:37
08. Roundabout – 8:33
09. I’ve Seen All Good People – 7:09
10. Long Distance Runaround/The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) – 13:37
11. Close to the Edge – 18:13
12. Yours Is No Disgrace – 14:23
13. Starship Trooper – 10:08

Links in comments.

Alan White, Bill Bruford, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Yes

Roy Harper – Folkjokeopus (1969) (@256)

09 Oct 2007

(Review from amazon, allmusic)

An idiosyncratic British singer/songwriter acclaimed for his deeply personal, poetic lyrics and unique guitar work, Roy Harper tries to cover a lot of ground in his third album.

Folkjokeopus is everything its three-part title makes it out to be. Yep, it’s mostly folk music (cut sometimes with a bit of folk rock), it contains a song that can only be described as an “opus”, and it’s full of jokes. The acoustic guitar work is uniformly excellent, making this album rather impressive.

The highlight of the album is the nearly 18-minute “McGoohan’s Blues”, inspired by actor Patrick McGoohan’s depiction of the establishment rebel in his TV series, ‘The Prisoner’. It’s a sprawling opus indeed, beginning with Roy’s contemplation of his son’s future life in an uncertain and hostile world, and expands to make sweeping, cutting, and mind-blowing revelations as the epic track unfolds. The song includes such classic lines as “the world that Christ fought is supported by using his name,” and “the wet politicians and clergymen have much to say/ Defending desires of the sheep they are leading astray”. The words are evocative, the singing is impassioned, and the band at the end of the song actually adds to its impact.

Track List:
01. Sgt Sunshine
02. She’s The One
03. In The Time Of Water
04. Composer Of Life
05. One For All
06. Exercising Some
07. Control
08. McGoohan’s Blues
09. Manana

Link in comments.

Roy Harper

Watchtower – Energetic Disassembly (1985) (@256)

09 Oct 2007

(Review from electricbasement.com, progarchives.com)

Watchtower started their journey back in 1982. They had began mainly as a cover band but soon started writing their own material. In 1983 they were approached by Rainforest Records to release an album but that never materialized because the label went under.

When WatchTower unleashed Energetic Disassembly, the onslaught caught listeners offguard. Decades later, the metal world still can’t fathom the talent, aggression and innovation that made the Austin quartet progressive-metal legends. Progressive metal? The term had yet to arise when “Energetic Disassembly” seduced unsuspecting listeners. Multiple time signatures, frenetic drum work and banshee screams assaulted eardrums and announced a music revolution.

“Violent Change” suffers no fools. From the get-go, Billy White grafts busy guitar runs against Rick Colaluca and Doug Keyser’s bionic rhythm section. The duo juggles tricky changes as Jason McMaster lends his inimitable howl.

The man who drew Geddy Lee comparisons warns of societal meltdowns, nuclear war and social fears. Lyrically prescient and musically unequalled, WatchTower burned the template for countless acts that would follow.

Separating the band from its imitators is balls, cajones, those funny things dangling below McMaster’s bullet belt. Yes, kids. While many prog metallers boast talent, they lack aggression. They don’t seethe, gnash their teeth or rail against anything. Not so WatchTower.

Like angry punk rockers, the band tears rock a new one, ripping superman riffs and lyrical themes like a Doberman tearing flesh from bone.

One part aggression, two parts intellect, and WatchTower found its groove. Make that four independent grooves played simultaneously by musicians seemingly high on speed engineered on a Martian meth lab.

Take “Asylum.” After a tentative intro, tempos speed and the boys plow into one of those impossibly tight riffs that paint smiles on the most cynical, crossed-arm skeptic at the lip of the stage.

When McMaster and White harmonize, it’s only icing on the cake. Extending the insanity is “Tyrants In Distress,” possessing one of the best intros this side of “Am I Evil?” One can picture stage smoke swirling around Colaluca’s drum kit.

Listen as Keyser’s bass runs echo the drummer’s quick fills and off-tempo cymbal work. It’s the sound of Godzilla decimating Tokyo if the beast had ADD and Tourette’s syndrome – and some of that Martian speed.

This infamous album almost single-handedly created a new genre and took heavy metal into a new dimension.

Line-up:
- Doug Keyser / bass
- Rick Colaluca / drums
- Jason McMaster / vocals
- Billy White / guitar

Track List:
01. Asylum (3:48)
02. Meltdown (3:59)
03. Tyrants in distress (5:59)
04. Argonne Forest (4:38)
05. Energetic Disassembly (4:39)
06. Violent change (3:22)
07. Social fears (4:41)
08. Cimmerian shadows (6:35)

Link in comments.

Watchtower

Styx – Crystal Ball (1976) (@192)

09 Oct 2007

Request of anonymous.

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

Curulewski suddenly left Styx just before they were to embark on a nationwide tour, and was replaced by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Tommy Shaw after a frantic search to find a last-minute replacement. Shaw proved to be the missing piece of the puzzle for Styx, as most of their subsequent releases throughout the late ’70s earned commercial success.

Although the band is based in Chicago, the group has its English scam down pat, from the Yes-like vocal harmonies on “Madamoiselle” to the slightly pretentious, fun use of “Claire de Lune” as an intro to “Ballerina”. Styx merges the cocky edge of the finest English outfits with the commercial sensibilities of the most successful American bands. The songs have interesting changes of direction yet they’re always back on track in time for catchy choruses. The instrumentation, particularly the dual guitars of James Young and Tommy Shaw, always seems on the verge of going out of control, giving the whole album an extra surge of excitement.

The title track, “Crystal Ball” has a beautiful combination between nice vocal, excellent acoustic guitar work and tight composition. This is the kind of song that you want to hear over and over even though it’s pretty straight forward. It has nice melody and excellent songwriting. Style-wise, “This Old Man” is similar, it’s only different in melody. It was a song that DeYoung wrote for his father and the impact his dad had on his life. These two songs are very accessible to those who like rock music in general.

Although the album wasn’t commercially successful upon its initial release in 1976, it would go gold in 1978 after the band’s breakthrough with their next album.

Line-up:
- Dennis DeYoung / synthesizer, keyboards, vocals
- Tommy Shaw / guitar (acoustic), guitar, guitar (electric), vocals
- James Young / guitar, vocals
- Chuck Panozzo / bass, guitar (bass), vocals
- John Panozzo / percussion, drums, vocals

Track List:
01. Put Me On (4:56)
02. Mademoiselle (3:57)
03. Jennifer (4:16)
04. Crystal Ball (4:32)
05. Shooz (4:44)
06. This Old Man (5:11)
07. Clair de Lune / Ballerina (7:09)

Link in comments.

Styx

Yes – Fragile (1971) (@256)

09 Oct 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com, wikipedia)

Tony Kaye was replaced by the classically-trained Rick Wakeman, who had just left the band Strawbs, who proved to be the last piece in the puzzle of the ultimately best line-up of the band. As a soloist, Wakeman proved to be a good foil for Steve Howe. He also brought two vital additions to the group’s instrumentation: the Mellotron (which Kaye had been unwilling to employ) and the Minimoog synthesizer. Surrounded by banks of keyboards, Wakeman’s flowing blond hair and sequened cape provided a strong visual focus on stage.

The first recording by this lineup (Anderson, Bruford, Howe, Squire and Wakeman) was a dynamic ten-minute interpretation of Simon & Garfunkel’s “America”, which originally appeared on a compilation album. The mellotron work (end of track) was actually played by Bruford. It was both the end of one era (their last non-original track) and the beginning of another, showcasing all the elements of the new Yes sound in place.

The same year, Yes released their fourth studio album. Considering its enormous qualities, it’s a bit surprising that “Fragile” was recorded and written in a short amount of time, and was mostly a result of the spontaneous creative energy coming from a band who were enthusiastic and overwhelmed by their own newly discovered chemistry.

The album opened with the classic “Roundabout”. Driven forward by Howe’s acoustic guitar riff, Squire’s superb bass, Anderson’s catchy vocal-lines and newcomer Wakeman’s colourful keyboards, “Roundabout” was the definitive progressive rock hit song, catchy enough to appeal even to the mainstream but at the same also complex and demanding enough to keep the progressive rock listener satisfied. “South Side of the Sky” is one of the band’s most overlooked gems, showing them almost in heavy-prog mode, but also featuring a beautiful and very typical Yes-chorale in the middle dominated by Squire and Anderson’s vocal harmonizing. “Long Distance Runaround” would prove to become one of the favourites from the album, even if this light but sophisticated and cheerful jazzy pop was rather unusual for Yes. And last but not at least we had “Heart of the Sunrise” that in my opinion has to be one of the ten best progressive rock compositions of all time. Alternating between aggressive riffs, beautiful and passionate vocal melodies, sweeping symphonic passages dominated by Wakeman’s Mellotron and complex and technically insanely demanding instrumental bits, this is classic, ’70s symphonic progressive rock at its best in a nutshell.

The record also gave room for a short solo-piece from each of the five members. Wakeman did a little thing based on Brahms in “Cans and Brahms”, Anderson experimented with overdubbed vocal-harmonies in “We Have Heaven” and Bruford delivered 35 rhythmically very complicated seconds in “Five Per Cent for Nothing”. The two best-known of these solo-piece were however Squire’s legendary bass-solo “The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)” and Howe’s “Mood for a Day” that next to “Clap” was his most beloved acoustic piece.

“Fragile” also marked the beginning of a long collaboration with artist Roger Dean, who designed the original version of the group’s logo and illustrated their album covers, as well as designed their stage sets.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass and vocals
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards
- Bill Bruford / drums
- Steve Howe / guitars and vocals

Track List:
01. Roundabout (8:29)
02. Cans And Brahms (1:35)
03. We Have Heaven (1:30)
04. South Side Of The Sky (8:04)
05. Five Percent For Nothing (0:35)
06. Long Distance Runaround (3:33)
07. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) (2:35)
08. Mood For A Day (3:57)
09. Heart Of The Sunrise (10:34)
10. America (Bonus) (10:33)
11. Roundabout (Bonus early rough mix) (8:35)

Links in comments.

Bill Bruford, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Yes

X-Legged Sally – Fired (Live 1996) (@256)

08 Oct 2007

Thanks to crimsonking for his contribution.

(Review from progarchives.com)

Released as a musical testament, this recording dates from April 20th, 1996 (the Cactusclub in Bruges) and is an incredible witness of the live power of the group. This was recorded for a live Radio Een Programme Cucamonga broadcast, which explains the excellent sound quality and the seriously faded out public applauses.

Still with an absurd humour (look at the sleeve upside down, it makes much more sense), the group goes through their whole career with an amazing five tracks from their debut album (if you count the Charo Calvo collab) and even have time for a fitting Zappa tribute with the superb City Of Tiny Lites sung out by Mondelaers (his voice although not that memorable is sometimes all too rare). The other highlight being the Nullo problemo, a slow blues-up improvisation with an infectious groove. The original eponymous track XLs, is completely different from the studio version on this record.

A fitting farewell from one of the craziest band around.

Line-up:
- Pierre Vervloesem / guitars
- Peter Vandenberghe / keyboards
- Paul Belgrado / bass
- Danny Van Hoeck / drums
- Peter Vermeersch / winds
- Bart Maris / winds
- Thierry Mondelaers / vocals
- Eric Sleichim / saxes (2, 5, 8, 10, 13)
- Michel Mast / saxes

Track List:
01. Anthem: The Land of the Giant Dwarfs (0:41)
02. Zippo Raid (3:52)
03. The Shah of Blah (3:03)
04. Memphis (4:47)
05. Philip (2:30)
06. Bleedproof (8:26)
07. Fuck & Coffee (3:18)
08. City of Tiny Lites (5:49)
09. JO (2:20)
10. Nullo Problemo (7:58)
11. Home (2:51)
12. XLs (6:59)
13. Little Hearts (4:52)
14. Moe (5:30)

Links in comments.

Live, X-Legged Sally

Yes – The Yes Album (1971) (@256)

08 Oct 2007

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

Yes took a major step forward when Peter Banks was replaced by ex-Tomorrow guitarist Steve Howe in 1971. Their first album with Howe was also their first classic one, so the title “The Yes Album” was no coincidence. Yes had found most of their trademark sound and style here; build around science-fiction concepts, folk melodies, and soaring organ, guitar, and vocal showpieces.

The album opens with the superb “Yours is no Disgrace” and this track really proved that Yes now had become one of the greatest progressive rock bands ever. It featured powerful riffs, complex instrumental-parts, excellent organ and synth-work from Kaye and Howe’s playing varies from tasteful and atmospheric to raw and energetic.

Howe’s acoustic instrumental “Clap” also allowed him to demonstrate his unique style of playing. In many parts of the song “Clap”, Steve Howe uses an open-string guitar chord method to achieve an airy effect, resulting in a sound wherein the listener might believe that the song is being played as a guitar duet. The song was given its name because when Howe initially played it, his infant son Dylan began clapping along.

“Starship Trooper” was the first Yes-track divided into several parts and included the legendary riff of the closing-part “Würm”. “I’ve Seen All Good People” combined the lovely and atmospheric acoustic part called “Your Move” with the rocking energy of “All People” and demonstrated Yes’ phenomenal dynamics very well. “Perpetual Change” was yet another very strong and complex track.

Most of the material on the album would make an important part in their live-set for years to come.

After this album, organ/piano player Tony Kaye left the band. He was a skilled improviser, with Peter Banks (who left the band after “Time and A Word”) , they eventually formed their own progressive rock band, Flash.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / percussion, vocals
- Bill Bruford / percussion, drums
- Steve Howe / guitar (acoustic), guitar, guitar (electric), vocals
- Chris Squire / bass, guitar (bass), vocals
- Tony Kaye / organ, synthesizer, piano, keyboards, Moog synthesizer

Track List:
01. Yours Is No Disgrace (9:36)
02. Clap (Live) (3:07)
03. Starship Trooper: Life Seeker / Disillusion… (9:23)
04. I’ve Seen All Good People: Your Move / All… (6:47)
05. A Venture (3:13)
06. Perpetual Change (8:50)
07. Your Move (Bonus Single Version) (2:59)
08. Starship Trooper: Life Seeker (Bonus Single Version) (3:27)
09. Clap (Bonus Studio Version) (4:01)

Links in comments.

Bill Bruford, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Tony Kaye, Yes

Ozzy Osbourne – Under Cover (2005) (@256)

07 Oct 2007

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

Over the years, Ozzy Osbourne has been a classic metal legend, and the various choices he has made musically has caused him to be loved and hated alike by many.

Essentially an amped-up karaoke night in the Osbournes’ basement lair, Under Cover is impeccably engineered and effortlessly played.

It is a tribute to Ozzy’s influences and equals. Some you can easily see like King Crimson, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Joe Walsh, Rolling Stones, Cream,and Mountain – you know the raucous weirdos. It takes a stretch imagining covers of The Beatles, Lennon solo, Buffalo Springfield, Eric Burdon, Mott the Hoople and the Moody Blues.

“In My Life” has definitively feeling in Ozzy’s trademark rasp and it sounds more like a confession than a cover. “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream sounds as if it were written for Ozzy, and its obvious that this was a key influence on the Wizard.

Moody Blues’ “Go Now” (orignally of Bessie Banks) is a nice surprise, because not even the Moody Blues does it anymore. Though, oddly enough it was that type of blues rock that Ozzy started with (before Black Sabbath was Black Sabbath), so maybe this is more of a tribute to the musical path he never went down.

Ex-Alice in Chains axe slinger Jerry Cantrell provides impressive guitar work throughout, making a strong case as to whether this is his baby or Ozzy’s.

Line-up:
* Ozzy Osbourne – Vocals, Main Performer
* Jerry Cantrell – Guitar
* Chris Wyse – Bass
* Mike Bordin – Drums
with
* Ian Hunter (of Mott the Hoople) – Vocals on “All The Young Dudes”
* Leslie West (of Mountain) – Guitar on “Mississippi Queen”

Track List:
01. Rocky Mountain Way (Joe Walsh cover)
02. In My Life (Beatles cover)
03. Mississippi Queen (Mountain cover)
04. Go Now (Bessie Banks cover, previously covered by Moody Blues)
05. Woman (John Lennon cover)
06. 21st Century Schizoid Man (King Crimson cover)
07. All the Young Dudes (Mott the Hoople cover)
08. For What It’s Worth (Buffalo Springfield cover)
09. Good Times (Eric Burdon cover)
10. Sunshine of Your Love (Cream cover)
11. Fire (Crazy World Of Arthur Brown cover)
12. Working Class Hero (John Lennon cover)
13. Sympathy for the Devil (Rolling Stones cover)

Links in comments.

Leslie West, Ozzy Osbourne

Sammy Hagar – Sammy Hagar (1977) (@256)

07 Oct 2007

(Review from allmusic.com)

After spending several years as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the mid-’70s hard rock band Montrose, Sammy Hagar began a solo career.

His second solo album was one of the better early-career outings. This eponymous effort is most commonly referred to as The Red Album. Starting off with one of the most affective rock anthems that Hagar would write during his solo career, “Red”, the rest of the album maintains its generally energetic pace and relatively high quality.

Besides Red, other fan favorites like “Rock ‘n’ Roll Weekend” and “Cruisin’ and Boozin’” help fill out a track listing of a strong release.

Track List:
01. Red
02. Catch The Wind (Donovan cover)
03. Cruisin’ & Boozin’
04. Free Money (Patti Smith cover)
05. Rock & Roll Weekend
06. Fillmore Shuffle
07. Hungry
08. The Pits
09. Love Has Found Me
10. Little Star/Eclipse

Link in comments.

Sammy Hagar

Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Black Moon (1992) (@256)

07 Oct 2007

Request of Theressa.

(Review from progarchives.com)

After their breakup in the late 70s; Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) got back together in 1991, older and hopefully wiser, to record this 1992 release. It is an enjoyable light listening and the comeback of “never old wannabees” ELP fills a decade, with the same strong exceptions of an important release or a re-act.

Black Moon is totally viable for a progressive nice swing, a shape of ELP constant brand, a tempo of short but stout flavor, a rock mix feeling and a cover of extravagant to clique-mark melody orientation, also fit for radio play, for intermezzos of heavy play during live performances…and for who knows what else. Admitting a new “age” form of personal shape and denoting the paraphrase of a returning perspective, Black Moon is purest of ELP casualism. Unintentionally, it has the top levels of modesty such as the “Works” or the creative voom of a pale trend such as the “Emerson, Lake & Powell” try out. What makes this album good is some will of easy going, easy pretending.

The album has much more of a rock/pop feel than the progressive rock on their first five albums. All the tunes are catchy and although the album has a more commercial sound there are still the Lake ballads, the ‘serious’ numbers and Emerson’s take on a piece of classical music.

Lake’s voice had changed remarkably. The distinctive tones are still there, but he sings in a completely different, and much lower key. This is somewhat disconcerting at first, but you do get used to it.

The title track and Paper Blood are terrifyingly easy picks for an album’s hit learning. In different roundabouts, there are leit-ballads or crazed fluencies, one awful clean-cut classical transpositions hiding a good other piece, of an Emerson careful improvisation/solo, from being to remarked. Short memory lyrics, in the gust of a (still) enchanting voice by Lake; power trio to the point of indubitable lament, as well as fantasist correlations. A mood of melody, mostly atmospheric, separately mirovalant, in between the stimulus of simple-launching and sound artistic. At least far from thread-bare, Black Moon evokes a lethargic flame of ELP awareness, chasing the mist, killing time.

Line-up:
- Keith Emerson / keyboards
- Greg Lake / vocals, bass, guitars
- Carl Palmer / drums, percussion

Track List:
01. Black Moon (6:59)
02. Paper Blood (4:29)
03. Affairs Of The Heart (3:47)
04. Romeo And Juliet {Prokofiev, arranged by Emerson} (3:43)
05. Farewell To Arms (5:10)
06. Changing States (6:03)
07. Burning Bridges {Mark Mancina} (4:45)
08. Close To Home (4:29)
09. Better Days (5:37)
10. Footprints In The Snow (3:52)

Link in comments.

Carl Palmer, ELP, Greg Lake, Keith Emerson

Yes – Time and A Word (1970) (@256)

06 Oct 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com, wikipedia)

Rather than stay with the same successful formula of the first album, Yes dipped their toes into unknown waters by adding an orchestra to their compositions. Their second album (and the last with original guitarist Peter Banks) was the first where the band began to move into a more symphonic direction. The sound on the album is dominated a lot by the tasty Hammond-work and the orchestral arrangements from Tony Kaye.

Just as with the first album, “Time and a Word” also included two cover-versions.

‘No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed’, is a superb opening salvo and arguably sounds more confident than anything on their debut album. The band and the orchestra are fully integrated here, blasting out the theme tune for the famed Western ‘The Big Country’ with gusto. The main song itself is a re-interpretation of a Richie Havens song, and Jon Anderson makes the song his own, with some superb shifting bass from Chris Squire. Tony Kaye’s Hammond organ adds gravitas and guts to proceedings, too.

‘Everydays’ is a cover of a Buffalo Springfield song, but the band make it their own yet again. It switches from a loping, jazzy groove to a full-on Vanilla Fudge style stop-start instrumental assault with Peter Banks and Bill Bruford on particularly strong form.

Some tracks here hint at their loftier, more ambitious later works. ‘Then’ has complex instrumental sections with lots of intricacies. ‘Astral Traveller’ is swirling with Lesley-speaker enhanced vocal and languid guitar groove.

With the ambitious decision to use string arrangements on most of the album’s songs, Peter Banks’ role as a guitarist was diminished. Tensions within the band increased, and just after the album’s recording was completed in early 1970, Banks was asked to leave, which he reluctantly did.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals, percussion
- Chris Squire / bass, vocals
- Peter Banks / guitars, vocals
- Tony Kaye / piano, organ
- Bill Bruford / drums, percussion

Track List:
01. No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed (4:47)
02. Then (5:42)
03. Everydays (6:05)
04. Sweet Dreams (3:48)
05. The Prophet (6:32)
06. Clear Days (2:04)
07. Astral Traveller (5:50)
08. Time and a Word (4:31)

Link in comments.

Bill Bruford, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Peter Banks, Tony Kaye, Yes

Pink Floyd – Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (1967) (@256)

04 Oct 2007

Request of someone I can’t remember :)

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com, amazon)

Pink Floyd evolved from an earlier rock band, formed in 1965, which was at various times called Sigma 6, The Meggadeaths, and The Abdabs. When the band split up, some members – guitarists Rado “Bob” Klose and Roger Waters, drummer Nick Mason, and wind instrument player Rick Wright – formed a new band called ‘Tea Set’. After a brief stint with a lead vocalist named Chris Dennis, guitarist and vocalist Syd Barrett joined the band, with Waters moving to bass.

When ‘Tea Set’ found themselves on the same bill as another band with the same name, Barrett came up with the alternative name The Pink Floyd Sound, after two blues musicians, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. The “Sound” was dropped fairly quickly.

The heavily jazz-oriented Klose left after recording only a demo, leaving an otherwise stable lineup with Barrett on guitar and lead vocals, Waters on bass guitar and backing vocals, Mason on drums and percussion, and Wright switching to keyboards and backing vocals. Barrett soon started writing his own songs, influenced by American and British psychedelic rock with his own brand of whimsical humour.

The Syd Barrett-era (’67-’70) was musically totally differrent from the later Pink Floyd. Their debut, “The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn” is an amazing psychedelic rock album with a progressive edge and experimental approach. Syd Barrett’s acid-influenced lyrics fit perfectly to the up-spaced music, which is sometimes really out of mind.

Pink Floyd were employing musique concrete techniques, inventing glissando guitar, and exploring areas of trance with tunes like “Interstellar Overdrive”, actually two takes of an extended rave-up laid on top of each other. Mixing sci-fi imagery with swinging London metaphors and pastoral fantasies (the title is lifted from The Wind in the Willows), Pink Floyd’s music was even more dappled, swirled, and surreal than the light shows that accompanied their performances. Piper represented Syd Barrett’s vision as the sole composer of all but three songs. He was yet to have his acid-induced meltdowns and all things were possible and beautiful. Barrett mixed whimsy on “Bike” with cynicism on the wordless but ominous “Pow R. Toc H.”; goofy innocence on “The Gnome” and mysticism on “Chapter 24″. But there’s no doubting the contributions of Richard Wright with his swirling, reverb-drenched organ fugues and jazz ellipses and Roger Waters’s earth-rooted bass. Nick Mason’s underrated drumming, time-shifting polyrhythms, and colorful flourishes pushed Barrett’s elliptical pop even further over the edge, especially on the space-music opus “Astronomy Domine”.

This deluxe 3 CD limited edition issued on the 40th anniversary of the album, includes both stereo and mono mixes of the entire album, along with bonus singles of the era.

Line-up:
- Syd Barrett / guitar, vocals
- Nick Mason / drums
- Roger Waters / bass, vocals
- Richard Wright / organ, piano

Track List:
CD1: Stereo
01. Astronomy Domine (4:16)
02. Lucifer Sam (3:09)
03. Matilda Mother (3:05)
04. Flaming (2:45)
05. Pow R Toc H (4:25)
06. Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk (3:07)
07. Interstellar Overdrive (9:43)
08. The Gnome (2:14)
09. Chapter 24 (3:53)
10. Scarecrow (2:11)
11. Bike (3:27)
CD2: Mono
01. Astronomy Domine (4:12)
02. Lucifer Sam (3:07)
03. Matilda Mother (3:08)
04. Flaming (2:46)
05. Pow R Toc H (4:26)
06. Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk (3:06)
07. Interstellar Overdrive (9:40)
08. The Gnome (2:13)
09. Chapter 24 (3:42)
10. Scarecrow (2:11)
11. Bike (3.24)
CD3: Singles
01. Arnold Layne (2:55)
02. Candy And A Currant Bun (2:45)
03. See Emily Play (2:54)
04. Apples And Oranges (3:05)
05. Paintbox (3:45)
06. Interstellar Overdrive (Take 2) (French Edit) (5:15)
07. Apples And Oranges (Stereo Version) (3:11)
08. Matilda Mother (Alternative Version) (3:09)
09. Interstellar Overdrive (Take 6) (5:03)

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Pink Floyd

Yes – Yes (1969) (@192)

04 Oct 2007

(Review from wikipedia, allmusic.com, rollingstone.com, vintageprog.com)

Based on their shared vision for creating a new sound, vocalist Jon Anderson and bassist Chris Squire formed a new band in 1968, bringing in their former bandmates Peter Banks and Tony Kaye. Banks came up with the name Yes, with the rationale that it would stand out on posters. Drummer Bill Bruford was recruited from an ad he had placed in Melody Maker.

Yes played their first show at East Mersey Youth Camp in England on August 4, 1968. Soon thereafter, they opened for Cream at their 1968 Farewell Concert from Royal Albert Hall. The group earned a reputation for taking other people’s songs and drastically changing them into expanded, progressive compositions. In September, they subbed for an absent band at Blaise’s and as a result of that appearance gained a residency at The Marquee club. Soon after, they made their first radio appearance on John Peel’s programme and, when Melody Maker selected them and Led Zeppelin as the two bands “Most Likely To Succeed”, it appeared that their future was assured.

Yes’ debut album is surprisingly strong, given the inexperience of all those involved at the time. In an era when psychedelic meanderings were the order of the day, Yes delivered a surprisingly focused and exciting record that covered lots of bases in presenting their sound. Their sound seems to be a mix of several of the most currently popular approaches, notably Crosby, Stills and Nash (vocally) and Vanilla Fudge (instrumentally). Unlike the Fudge, they have a sense of style, taste and subtlety, and the record is a pleasurable one, if a bit familiar-sounding. This is the kind of album that sometimes insinuates itself into your routine with a totally unexpected thrust of musical power. Because all of it is excellently done: brisk fuzz leads, whirring bass, a bit of the Beatles vocally, a touch of Wes Montgomery in the guitar solos—a definitive album, in fact, in the prevalent style of “hip” groups over the past two years. Some of the Yes-trademarks can already been heard here, like the falsetto vocal-harmonies and the powerful and distinctive bass-playing of Squire.

There are two covers, which the band use to demonstrate their penchant for massively reworking others’ songs; The Beatles’ “Every Little Thing” is turned into a grungy wall of sound with several tempo changes, and The Byrds’ “I See You” becomes a jazzy psychedelic workout for Banks and Bruford to display their instrumental virtuosity.

“Yes” marked a decent starting point for a band that would become one of the greatest progressive rock bands ever.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals
- Chris Squire / bass and vocals
- Tony Kaye / keyboards
- Bill Bruford / drums
- Peter Banks / guitars

Track List:
01. Beyond and Before (4:50)
02. I See You (6:33)
03. Yesterday and Today (2:37)
04. Looking Around (3:49)
05. Harold Land (5:26)
06. Every Little Thing (5:24)
07. Sweetness (4:19)
08. Survival (6:01)

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Bill Bruford, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Peter Banks, Tony Kaye, Yes

Marty Friedman – Scenes (1992) (@256)

03 Oct 2007

(Review from wikipedia, allmusic, amazon)

Marty Friedman is perhaps best known as the lead guitarist for the thrash metal band Megadeth for close to ten years. He is a largely self-taught guitarist, known for his improvisation and for fusing an Eastern musical feel with Western musical styles, such as neo-classical, thrash metal and later on into progressive rock. Going beyond traditional scales, Friedman often arpeggiates the chords over which he plays, using an unconventional picking technique favoring up-strokes. He is also known for frequent use of melodic and wide vibrato.

The second solo from guitarist Marty Friedman revealed a level of depth and maturity that equally surprised Megadeth and guitar-shred fans everywhere. There’s no heavy riffing, double bass drumming or angry choruses. It marked the true arrival of one of the most important and original guitarists to emerge from the neo-classical genre.

All instrumental, the album is a collection of anthemic, incredibly well structured songs which take your emotions in many different directions. Instead of aggresive and abrasive, this music is docile and smooth. A lot of it is Japanese influenced.

The music starts with a quiet intensity, and slowly escalates into dramatic, lilting crescendos. Friedman’s intense melody-driven guitar splashes all over the muted synthetic backdrop, painting the sweetest of sounds to be coaxed from the instrument.

It is magical and is almost like a journey through a fantastical, exotic land where there is no evil, no ugliness, no malice, just beauty, innocence and purity.

Line-up:
* Nick Menza – Drums
* Brian BecVar – Keyboards, Percussion
* Marty Friedman – All Guitars

Track List:
01. Tibet – 2:35
02. Angel – 3:39
03. Valley of Eternity – 8:15
04. Night – 6:39
05. Realm of the Senses – 5:32
06. West – 5:44
07. Trance – 1:56
08. Triumph – 5:41

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Marty Friedman

Steely Dan – Citizen Steely Dan Box Set (1972-80) (@256)

02 Oct 2007

(Review from rockhall.com)

Steely Dan has been more of a conceptual framework for inventive music-making than a typical rock band. Spearheaded by a pair of resourceful musical auteurs – Donald Fagen and Walter Becker – they have done nothing by the books since launching Steely Dan in 1972. The band’s very name is a scatological reference from a novel by Beat Generation anti-hero William Burroughs. Though Steely Dan recorded prolifically for much of the Seventies, they toured for only a brief spell early in that decade, deciding they much preferred the studio to the road. This allowed them to craft a wry, nuanced and hyper-literate series of albums – seven in all, released from 1972 to 1980 – that are highly regarded by connoisseurs of pop hooks, jazz harmony and desiccating wit.

Beneath the highly polished surface of Steely Dan’s music, astute listeners could hear a visceral love of and identification with the very soul of jazz. Fagen and Becker referenced Duke Ellington, Stan Getz and Horace Silver at least as much as any rock-oriented source material. Even so, there was a certain accessible quality to songs like “Reelin’ in the Years,” “Do It Again” and “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” that allowed Steely Dan to connect with rock fans, especially those who were college-aged and –educated.

Co-founders Donald Fagen and Walter Becker met in 1967 while attending Bard College in upstate New York. After serving as touring musicians with Jay and the Americans and trying their hand as staff songwriters, they formed Steely Dan in Los Angeles as an outlet for a growing backlog of offbeat, original material that no one else seemed inclined to record. In the beginning, Steely Dan was an actual band with a lineup of Fagen, Becker, guitarists Denny Dias and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, and drummer Jim Hodder. This configuration cut the albums Can’t Buy a Thrill, Countdown to Ecstasy and Pretzel Logic. Though Dias remained on board through 1977′s Aja, Steely Dan were almost completely Fagen and Becker’s fiefdom by the time of Katy Lied, their fourth album.

On record, the duo recruited the cream of L.A.’s jazz-pop studio scene, including Michael McDonald, Victor Feldman, Jeff Porcaro, David Paich, and jazz stalwarts like David Sanborn, Tom Scott, Michael Brecker, Larry Carlton, Chuck Rainey, Bernard Purdie, Phil Woods and Wayne Shorter. Producer-engineer Gary Katz, who worked on every album through 1980′s Gaucho, was a vital member of the Steely Dan brain trust whose input was critical to the perfectionist, audiophile quality of the group’s recordings. The A-list musicians provided a glossy top coat to Steely Dan’s agreeably sleek music – an ironic vehicle for their cutting, urbane and often black-humored lyrics.

The group also had a serious side, too, that’s often been overlooked. “Deacon Blues” (from Aja) presented a moving portrait of a down-at-the-heels jazzman, “Kid Charlemagne” nervously surveyed a drug dealer’s netherworld, and there was much to suggest that Fagen and Becker weren’t just mocking the decadent affectations of the Seventies – though no one did that very thing better than they. Steely Dan hit a commercial and artistic peak in the late Seventies. The hugely popular Aja, released in the fall of 1977, had nothing to do with any musical currents that were popular at the time, but its jazz-inflected lushness and inscrutable intelligence appealed to listeners across the spectrum. Aja, which soared to #3, was soon certified platinum – it was, in fact, one of the first albums to receive this newly created award, which recognized sales of one million copies. Within a year of its release, Steely Dan – whose musical sophistication and sardonic outlook made them unlikely candidates for Top Forty success – charted four hit singles: “Peg”, “Deacon Blues”, “FM” and “Josie”. Rolling Stone dubbed them “the perfect musical antiheroes for the Seventies”.

Steely Dan’s long-delayed seventh album, Gaucho, appeared in 1980. A year later, they announced they were breaking up.

This comprehensive box set, Citizen Steely Dan: 1972-1980, collects all seven of Steely Dan’s original albums in chronological order, taken from remastered discs. It also contains a non-LP single “FM”, a non-LP B-side “Bodhisattva (Live)”, a rare compilation track “Here At The Western World”, and a previously unrelased demo of “Everyone’s Gone To The Movies”.

Track List:
CD1
01. Do It Again – 5:54
02. Dirty Work – 3:08
03. Kings – 3:45
04. Midnite Cruiser – 4:06
05. Only A Fool Would Say That – 2:55
06. Reelin’ In The Years – 4:36
07. Fire In The Hole – 3:26
08. Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me) – 4:19
09. Change of the Guard – 3:38
10. Turn That Heartbeat Over Again – 4:58
11. Bodhisattva – 5:17
12. Razor Boy – 3:10
13. The Boston Rag – 3:10
14. Your Gold Teeth – 6:59
15. Show Biz Kids – 5:23
16. My Old School – 5:45
CD2
01. King Of The World – 5:00
02. Pearl Of The Quarter – 3:49
03. Rikki Don’t Lose That Number – 4:07
04. Night By Night – 3:38
05. Any Major Dude Will Tell You – 3:08
06. Barrytown – 3:19
07. East St. Louis Toodle-Do – 2:48
08. Parker’s Band – 2:43
09. Through With Buzz – 1:32
10. Pretzel Logic – 4:31
11. With A Gun – 2:17
12. Charlie Freak – 2:43
13. Monkey In Your Soul – 2:34
14. Bodhisattva (Live) – 7:41
15. Black Friday – 3:40
16. Bad Sneakers – 3:19
17. Rose Darling – 3:03
18. Daddy Don’t Live In That New York City No More – 3:13
19. Doctor Wu – 3:54
20. Everyone’s Gone To The Movies – 3:44
21. Chain Lightning – 2:59
CD3
01. Your Gold Teeth II – 4:12
02. Any World (That I’m Welcome To) – 3:53
03. Throw Back The Little Ones – 3:13
04. Kid Charlemagne – 4:37
05. The Caves Of Altamira – 3:32
06. Don’t Take Me Alive – 4:14
07. Sign In Stranger – 4:21
08. The Fez – 3:58
09. Green Earrings – 4:05
10. Haitian Divorce – 5:48
11. Everything You Did – 3:54
12. The Royal Scam – 6:31
13. Here At The Western World – 4:00
14. Black Cow – 5:08
15. Aja – 7:56
16. Peg – 3:55
CD4
01. Deacon Blues – 7:33
02. Home At Last – 5:32
03. I Got The News – 5:04
04. Josie – 4:31
05. FM – 5:05
06. Babylon Sisters – 5:48
07. Hey Nineteen – 5:07
08. Glamour Profession – 7:28
09. Gaucho – 5:30
10. Time Out Of Mind – 4:11
11. My Rival – 4:30
12. Third World Man – 5:14
13. Everyone’s Gone To The Movies (Demo) – 3:57

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Rush – Snakes and Arrows (2007) (@256)

02 Oct 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, sputnikmusic.com)

The decidedly tireless trio is now back in studio after a five year break, interrupted only with the cover album “Feedback”.

Rush comes back with a strong album and it came at a point when the band seemed more content on living on their own heritage and legend (DVD’s, live albums, world tours, cover albums, etc..), but this fear is now history! Fear and angst is exactly what this album is about: Peart’s lyrics seem to make a constant theme over the whole album and Lifeson is the unsung hero and loads the album with acoustic guitars. With a related artwork depicting a gloomy world full of dangers and destructions, until the prophetic and hope-filled end of “We Hold On” (where you see the skies of the futures clearing away), it only serves the themes.

From the sharp blues pieces, to the complex progressive-pop compositions, with the off-the-wall musicianship of each individually infamous musician, the album fulfills the Rush quota. Intense instrumentals contrast the serene acoustic parts, for an even balance.

The more things change the more they stay the same. A wise old adage that applies squarely to Rush just as it does most things. Nothing is new here, yet everything is new. A rebirth, if you will. Not that Rush ever went away. But in a career of a band with many peaks and valleys as is to be expected from such a long recording history, Snakes And Arrows definitely represents not just a peak, but coming after the shaky ground this band has stood on the last ten odd years, a peak that is an unexpected and welcome surprise. Meet the new Rush, same as the old Rush….and as it turns out after all these years that’s a pretty good thing.

Line-up:
- Geddy Lee / bass guitar, bass pedals, mellotron, vocals
- Alex Lifeson / six & twelve string electric and acoustic guitars, mandola, mandolin, bouzouki
- Neil Peart / drums, cymbals, electronic percussion, tambourine

Track List:
01. Far Cry (5:21)
02. Armor And Sword (6:36)
03. Workin’ Them Angels (4:47)
04. The Larger Bowl (4:07)
05. Spindrift (5:24)
06. The Main Monkey Business (instrumental) (6:01)
07. The Way The Wind Blows (6:28)
08. Hope (instrumental) 2:02)
09. Faithless (5:31)
10. Bravest Face (5:12)
11. Good News First (4:51)
12. Malignant Narcissism (instrumental) (2:17)
13. We Hold On (4:13)

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Geddy Lee, Rush

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Legend (1973-77) (@192)

02 Oct 2007

(Review from rollingstone.com, wikipedia)

This is the bottom of the Lynyrd Skynyrd barrel — a posthumous album that contained the rest of previously unreleased demos and b-sides of singles. Some of these tracks also found their way into the re-released editions of studio albums as bonus tracks.

Ronnie Van Zant’s growls spit life into the otherwise sputtering Chuck Berry homage “Sweet Little Missy,” and “Truck Drivin’ Man” is a welcome “What’s Your Name”-style shouter, even if the guitar solo is a bit buried and Van Zant’s vocal somewhat weaker than his caustic best. More restrained, almost overheard, is “Four Walls of Raiford,” an I’m-in-jail ballad that doesn’t suffer from the fake heroism with which such numbers are usually stuffed.

Actually, “Four Walls of Raiford”, by itself might be enough to have the whole thing. It was for me.

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

Track List:
01. Georgia Peaches – 3:12
02. When You Got Good Friends – 3:03
03. Sweet Little Missy – 5:10
04. Four Walls Of Raiford – 4:15
05. Simple Man (Live) – 6:35
06. Truck Drivin’ Man – 5:17
07. One In The Sun – 5:19
08. Mr. Banker – 5:18
09. Take Your Time – 7:24

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Lynyrd Skynyrd

Jean Michel Jarre – Oxygene (1976) (@256)

01 Oct 2007

(Review from amazon, wikipedia)

Jean Michel Jarre pulled of an incredible move when he released “Oxygene”. He made the world of electronic music safe for composers. While a small, select few folk were making music with the earlier synthesizers of the day, most of them either concentrated on making novel reinterpretations of classical (Tomita or “Switched On Bach”), cold, mechanical drones (Tangerine Dream) or music that was intentionally robotic (Kraftwerk). “Oxygene” simply made electronic music feel organic.

Jarre did this by making the songs of “Oxygene” play out like a classical composition. Each movement had distinct and original melodies and each sounded like it could hold its own as a song unto itself. The themes also sounded like they could be as organic and enveloping as the album title suggested; this was earthy music long before the term “new age” got slapped on everything that was vaguely atmospheric and meditative. The lush, spacey and strongly melodic sound.

Originally Jarre found it hard to get the record released, due to its entirely instrumental composition and the lack of a clear single which could be sold separately. After its release it became one of the most popular and characteristic albums of electronic music with a huge commercial success.

Track List:
01. Oxygene, Pt. 1 (7:40)
02. Oxygene, Pt. 2 (8:08)
03. Oxygene, Pt. 3 (2:54)
04. Oxygene, Pt. 4 (4:14)
05. Oxygene, Pt. 5 (10:23)
06. Oxygene, Pt. 6 (6:24)

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Lynyrd Skynyrd – Skynyrd's First and … Last (1970-72) (@320)

01 Oct 2007