Archive for November, 2007

(Review from allmusic)

After slowly but surely building a fanbase around the world, Scottish rock band Nazareth finally hit the big time in 1975 with “Hair of the Dog”.

The title track sets the mood for this stark album of hard rock with its combination of relentless guitar riffs, a throbbing, cowbell-driven beat, and an angry vocal from Dan McCafferty that denounces a “heart-breaker, soul-shaker”. The end result is a memorably ferocious rocker that has become a staple of hard rock radio stations. The remainder of the album divides its time between similarly pulverizing hard rock fare and some intriguing experiments with the group’s sound. In the rocker category, notable tracks include “Miss Misery”, a bad romance lament driven by a doomy riff worthy of Black Sabbath, and “Changin’ Times”, a throbbing hard rock tune driven by a hypnotic, circular-sounding guitar riff. In the experimental category, the big highlight is “Please Don’t Judas Me”, an epic tune about paranoia that trades heavy metal riffs for a spooky, synthesizer-dominated atmosphere that is further enhanced by some light, Pink Floyd-styled slide guitar work. The American edition of this album also included a surprise hit for the group with their power ballad reinterpretation of the Everly Brothers classic “Love Hurts”.

However, the album’s surprise highlight is a song that bridges the gap between the straight hard rock and experimental songs, “Beggars Day/Rose in Heather”; it starts out as a stomping rocker but smoothly transforms itself midway through into a gentle and spacey instrumental where soaring synthesizer lines support some moody guitar work.

Line-up:
* Dan McCafferty – vocals
* Manny Charlton – guitars, synthesiser
* Pete Agnew – bass, backing vocals
* Darrell Sweet – drums, backing Vocals
* Max Middleton – keyboards

Track List:
01. Hair Of The Dog – 4:10
02. Miss Misery – 4:42
03. Guilty – 3:38
04. Changing’ Times – 5:59
05. A.Beggars’ Day B. Rose In Heather – 6:30
06. Whiskey Drinkin’ Woman – 5:29
07. Please Don’t Judas Me – 9:48
08. Love Hurts – 3:51
09. Down (Bonus) – 3:54
10. Railroad Boy (Bonus) – 4:07
11. Hair Of The Dog (Bonus Single Edit) – 3:21

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Jethro Tull – Minstrel in the Gallery (1975) (@256)

30 Nov 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com)

“Minstrel in the Gallery” goes back to the classic Tull-style : powerful, heavy and complex progressive rock mixed with beautiful, acoustic folk-melodies. The sound is also richer and more symphonic.

The title-track opens with an acoustic, minstrel-like medieval part before it explodes into the heaviest and most hard-hitting instrumental-passage Tull ever recorded. The main part of the song is a catchy, flute-driven rocker that would become a favourite on stage for years to come. “Cold Wind to Valhalla” starts also as a soft, acoustic tune, but becomes more aggressive when the whole band kicks in and plays the excellent melody of the track. “Black Satin Dancer” is maybe Tull’s most overlooked classic ever. The main melody is one of the most beautiful Anderson ever wrote, and the string-arrangement makes it even more majestic. The sinister and heavy instrumental part is a prime example of progressive rock at its absolutely best and most dynamic. “Requiem” is a very nice and cosy acoustic ballad. The melody is maybe not the strongest or best, but what a great atmosphere and feeling. The second side opens with more acoustic beauty in the form of “One White Duck/Nothing at All” before you’re in for the ambitious, 17-minute “Baker Street Muse”.

Line-up:
- Ian Anderson / flute, electric guitar, vocals
- Martin Barre / electric guitar
- Barriemore Barlow / drums, percussion
- Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond / bass, string bass
- John Evans / piano, organ

Track List:
01. Minstrel In The Gallery (8:16)
02. Cold Wind To Valhalla (4:19)
03. Black Satin Dancer (6:52)
04. Requiem (3:45)
05. One White Duck/0^10 = Nothing At All (4:38)
06. Baker St. Muse (16:42)
07. Grace (0:37)

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Neu! – Neu! 2 (1973) (@256)

29 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Neu! 2 is an album that is often dismissed, mostly because of what was on side 2 of the original vinyl release. It’s pretty much mandatory to parrot the story that Neu! ran out of money before finishing the album, so they decided to record their single at different speeds to fill the second half. While this is true up to a point – they really did blow most of their recording budget on the first half of the album – it’s a mistake to dismiss the second half of the album entirely.

The album opens with the brilliant Fur Immer, which starts at the wrong speed (a foretaste of what was to come later on) before settling down into the best and most hypnotic of Neu!’s motorik grooves. There’s a definite resemblance to Hallogallo from their previous outing, but here the sound has been processed and refined to perfection; repetitive and ever changing, minimal yet full of detail, it’s often referred to as their finest moment and with good reason. For 11 minutes achingly minimal guitar lines intertwine over washes of keyboards and the pulse of Klaus Dinger’s perfectly judged drumming. This fades into the drums-and-reverb experiment of Spitzenqualitat, which somehow maintains interest for almost 5 minutes, before a brief soundscaping interlude leads into Lila Engel. This is a slice of motorik proto punk, to be explored more on later albums.

And so we come to the second half of the album. The first thing to point out is that both sides of their one and only single are included here, accounting for about a third of the side’s playing time, and both Super and Neuschnee are well up to Neu!’s usual standards. Neuschnee compresses the glacial beauty of their longer pieces into just under 4 minutes and does so highly effectively. Super is a more raw piece, showcasing Klaus Dinger’s proto punk sensibilities.

The two sides are also played at different speeds, from the sound of it on a cheap and nasty mono turntable, and it is these experiments which cause all the controversy. Back in 1973 this was by no means an obvious ploy; scratching, turntablism and plunderphonics all lay several years in the future, although Kraftwerk had used tapes played back at half or double speed on their second album.

When the two sides are played at 78 rpm, in addition to the usual distortion we also hear the needle skipping and what sounds like the record player being shaken. In both cases the whole track is played at the wrong speed. This is not the case with Neuschnee 16, which could have filled the missing space on its own – instead the experiment is cut short after three and a half minutes. Two other tracks are included; Cassetto sounds like a Neu! track being played back on a cheap cassette player whose batteries are almost flat, while Hallo Excentrico sounds like the master tape is being wound manually across the heads while some studio chat goes on in the background. On these two tape experiments it’s not entirely clear what the source material is, although the title of Hallo Excentrico indicates that it may be Hallogallo.

Neu! 2 isn’t quite a lost classic, but it comes close. Two thirds of the album is strong, original material that stands up well against the rest of their output, and taken on its own terms their experimentation on the second half of the album is occasionally successful and quite innovative.

Line-up:
- Klaus Dinger / Japanese banjo, 11-string guitar, percussion, Farfisa piano, bandonion, voice, electronics, record player
- Michael Rother / guitar, bass, piano, deh-guitar, violin, zither, percussion, electronics, cassette recorder

Track List:
01. Für immer (Forever) (11:17)
02. Spitzenqualität (3:35)
03. Gedenkminute (Für A + K) (2:06)
04. Lila Engel (Lilac Angel) (4:37)
05. Neuschnee 78 (2:32)
06. Super 16 (3:39)
07. Neuschnee (4:07)
08. Cassetto (1:48)
09. Super 78 (1:36)
10. Hallo Excentrico! (3:44)
11. Super (3:11)

Link in comments.

Neu

Jethro Tull – War Child (1974) (@256)

29 Nov 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progreviews.com)

Originally meant to accompany a film project (the album was planned as a double-album set), it was reinstated as a ten-song, single-length rock album after failed attempts to find a major movie studio to finance the film. The “War Child” movie was written as a metaphysical black comedy concerning a teenage girl in the afterlife, meeting characters based on God, St. Peter and Lucifer portrayed as if shrewd businessmen.

“War Child” went back to separate songs of a more normal length, making the sound of “A Passion Play” more accessible. The music on Warchild is an elaboration of the style presented on “A Passion Play” and is stuffed to the gills with new sounds and instruments. An accordion supplements many of the tracks, as do strings. The album is dotted with non-musical sound effects: sirens, voices, shots, glasses clinking, etc.

Though a number of songs are remnants of the afterlife story, the tone is never dark or somber. The music is more rock-oriented than either Thick as a Brick or A Passion Play, and Martin Barre is back in a big way on several of these songs, with some very heavy lead guitar. It sounds like the band had a grand old time making this album, and the strongest tracks shine robustly. “Back Door Angels,” the album’s longest song, impressively melds the progressive rock of the previous two albums with the metallic crunch of Aqualung. “Sea Lion” — a holdover from the pre-Passion Play sessions in France — doesn’t have a particularly strong melody but the driving, insistent music wins over. The light “Skating Away,” (which also pre-dates A Passion Play) is a great Jethro Tull song. “The Third Hurrah”, while probably too over-the-top to safely qualify as tasteful, nevertheless provides an energetic reprisal of the “Warchild” theme.

The album closes with “Two Fingers”, a bloated remake of the Aqualung-sessions refugee “Lick Your Fingers Clean” finishes the album and causes the listener to feel like (s)he may have gone one plate too many down at the all-you-can eat buffet.

Line-up:
- Ian Anderson / flute, acoustic guitar, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, sopranino saxophone, vocals
- Martin Barre / electric guitar, spanish guitar
- Barriemore Barlow / drums, glockenspiel, marimba, percussion
- Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond / bass, string bass
- John Evans / piano, organ, synthesizers, piano accordion
with
- David Palmer / orchestrations and conducting, members of the Philomusica of London

Track List:
01. War Child (4:36)
02. Queen And Country (3:01)
03. Ladies (3:18)
04. Back-Door Angels (5:31)
05. SeaLion (3:38)
06. Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day (4:11)
07. Bungle In The Jungle (3:37)
08. Only Solitaire (1:29)
09. The Third Hoorah (4:50)
10. Two Fingers (5:10)

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Pinnacle – Assasin (1974) (@256)

29 Nov 2007

(Info from rockadrome.com)

Pinnacle were a UK psychedelic hard rock album band. First released as a demo in 1974, their debut is a sonic assault with pounding drums and bass and frenzied keyboards. With major power chords and Moogs combined with tortured vocals, it leaves a stunning impression.

For fans of bands in the same vein of Black Sabbath and Atomic Rooster.

Track List:
01. Assassin (5:11)
02. Time Slips By (5:06)
03. Cyborg (5:04)
04. Astral Traveller (6:08)
05. The Chase (4:08)
06. Thumbscrew (4:49)
07. The Ripper (4:13)
08. Bad Omen (5:25)

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Jethro Tull – A Passion Play (1973) (@256)

28 Nov 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com, progarchives.com)

Despite its musical qualities, “Thick as a Brick” received mixed reactions from both the press and fans but it was still nothing compared to the merciless butchering that “A Passion Play” had to go through.

The record consists of yet another album-length suite, but of a much darker tone. “Thick as a Brick” follows the life of one man, from birth to death. “A Passion Play” follows the afterlife of one man, from heaven to hell.

Part 1 and Part 2 of this album is interrupted by a silly story called “The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles”, narrated by John Evans, with orchestration from David Palmer. It sounds like your silly children’s book story. After that, the music resumes. The second half of the album is a bit more accessible, in which the music is more melodic. This part does sound like several different songs and you can tell where one ends and one begins.

The music has lots of rhythm changes and the charm resides in the miscellaneous echoed sax parts and the catchy, melodic & well played piano.

Definitely not for the Jethro Tull newbie; though the complexity, inaccessiblity and originality of “A Passion Play” might be pretty attractive once you get to know Tull music.

Line-up:
- Ian Anderson / flute, acoustic guitars, soprano saxophone, sopranino saxophone, vocals
- Martin Barre / electric guitar
- Barriemore Barlow / drums, timpani, glockenspiel, marimba
- Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond / bass, vocals
- John Evans / piano, organ, synthesizer, spoken word

Track List:
01. A Passion Play (Part 1) 21:35
02. A Passion Play (Part 2) 23:30

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Whitesnake – Live in the Heart of the City (1980) (@256)

28 Nov 2007

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

“Live In The Heart of the City” was recorded over two dates in 1980 and one date in 1978 and from the much missed Hammersmith Odeon. Although Whitesnake never achieved the sales figures of Coverdale’s previous band, Deep Purple, this is still a class live-album.

Featuring some quite excellent musicianship from guitarists Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody, interlocking guitar riffs and fiery solos; the rhythm section of Lord, Paice and bassist Neil Murray is rock-steady and the exceptional vocal talents of Coverdale every single song on this live-CD is a slab of good time rock ‘n’ roll with a whole load of boogie thrown in.

Whitesnake favorites such as “Walking in the Shadow of the Blues” “Ready an’ Willing” and “Fool for Your Loving” heat up the crowd, but it’s the extended version of “Lovehunter” that gets things boiling, thanks to Micky Moody’s extended slide guitar solo. The audience participation on “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City” provides another thrilling moment, but the band truly brings the house down with a last encore of Deep Purple’s “Mistreated” — a blues of monstrous proportions that becomes an 11-minute catharsis for Coverdale.

Line-up:
* David Coverdale – vocals
* Micky Moody – guitar
* Bernie Marsden – guitar
* Jon Lord – keyboards
* Neil Murray – bass guitar
* Ian Paice – drums

Track List:
01. Come On – 3:38
02. Sweet Talker – 4:14
03. Walking in the Shadow of the Blues – 4:49
04. Love Hunter – 11:00
05. Fool for Your Loving – 4:50
06. Ain’t Gonna Cry No More – 6:28
07. Ready An’ Willing – 4:46
08. Take Me With You – 6:44
09. Come On – 4:01
10. Might Just Take Your Life – 5:27
11. Lie Down – 4:27
12. Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City – 6:27
13. Trouble – 4:52
14. Mistreated – 10:50

Links in comments.

Bernie Marsden, David Coverdale, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, Live, Micky Moody, Neil Murray, Whitesnake

Neu! – Neu! (1972) (@256)

28 Nov 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

Neu! formed in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1971 after multi-instrumentalists Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger both split from Kraftwerk. The band always wrote their name as NEU! in block capitals and with an exclamation mark, intending it as a pop-art slogan.

Probably the most cherished element of the Neu! oeuvre is what is often called the “Motorik” beat (a portmanteau combining the German words ‘Motor’ and ‘Musik’). Here they deconstruct the traditional rock song format, with its verses and choruses, intros and changes, stripping it down to a single minimalist 4/4 beat, which drummer Dinger repeats continuously throughout the entire track. Although on paper this might seem a recipe for monotony, in fact Dinger’s discipline and flair as a drummer generates a very powerful, focussed groove, with a great sense of continuous forward motion.

Recorded in the space of four days with Can producer Conrad Plank, the duo’s self-titled debut appeared early in 1972 and quickly established their affection for minimalist melodies and lock-groove rhythms. Take all the soft psychy aspects of Ash Ra Tempel and add the mid-era Pink Floyd guitar sounds and you are not far off of what you can expect here.

Neu!’s music grooves… and really equally fuses rich analog electronics with soaring guitar aspects. Their music generally wanders about but always manages to come back to help develop and expand on their themes. Their music is warm yet very electronic without ever sounding electronic. Quite obviously after listening to this album you will hear just how influential this album has been. Let me offer up one immediate and outrageously stolen parts from this old album… Track 4 could almost have been lifted directly off this album and put on the plastic fake new Pink Floyd album “Momentary Lapse Of Reason” …yes a deliberate steal for sure… the rowing of the boat… the electronic imaging and the eerie English Channel feel… oh well… life is all about the argument of the “taste and tasting”.

Neu! is an amazing band, exploring space, post rock and some novelty music in a nihilistic way — great if you like the more ambient style of Krautrock.

Line-up:
- Klaus Dinger / Japanese banjo, drums, guitar, voice
- Michael Rother / guitar, deh-guitar, bass, double bass

Track List:
01. Hallogallo (10:07)
02. Sonderangebot (4:51)
03. Weissensee (6:46)
04. Im Glück (6:53)
05. Negativland (9:47)
06. Lieber Honig (7:18)

Link in comments.

Neu

Jethro Tull – Living in the Past (1972) (@256)

27 Nov 2007

(Info from progarchives.com)

How a band could make a single and still not sell-out?

Although this is a compilation of all the singles they put out in the early years (most didn’t make it to the original studio albums), this is an absolute must-have for all early Tull fans. ‘A’ sides differ from their studio album counterparts, also there are live tracks and unreleased gems — not odds and sods by any means.

Line-up:
* Mick Abrahams / Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
* Ian Anderson / Flute, Guitar, Mandolin, Violin, Balalaika, Organ, Vocals, Tin Whistle
* Barriemore Barlow / Drums
* Martin Barre / Guitar, Back Vocals, Descant
* Clive Bunker / Percussion, Drums, Glockenspiel, Back Vocals
* Glen Cornick / Bass, Organ (Hammond)
* John Evans / Organ, Percussion, Piano, Celeste, Harpsichord, Keyboards, Organ, Mellotron, Back Vocals
* Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond / Bass, Alto Recorder
* David Palmer / Synthesizer, Conductor, Keyboards, Saxophone, String & Orchestral Arrangements
* Lou Toby / Strings, Arranger, Conductor, String Arrangements

Track List:
CD1
01. Song for Jeffrey – 3:23
02. Love Story – 3:05
03. Christmas Song – 3:07
04. Living in the Past – 3:23
05. Driving Song – 2:42
06. Bourée – 3:46
07. Sweet Dream – 4:04
08. Singing All Day – 3:05
09. Teacher – 4:11
10. Witch’s Promise – 3:51
11. Inside – 3:48
12. Alive and Well and Living In – 2:47
13. Just Trying to Be – 1:36
CD2
01. By Kind Permission Of (Live) – 10:10
02. Dharma for One (Live) – 10:00
03. Wond’ring Again – 4:15
04. Hymn 43 – 3:20
05. Locomotive Breath – 4:26
06. Life Is a Long Song – 3:20
07. Up the ‘Pool – 3:13
08. Dr. Bogenbroom – 3:01
09. For Later – 2:09
10. Nursie – 1:35

Links in comments.

Glenn Cornick, Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, Martin Barre, Mick Abrahams

Geddy Lee – My Favourite Headache (2000) (@256)

27 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Legendary Rush bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee released this album in 2000, when the future of the band was still hanging by a thread following the tragic events in drummer Neil Peart’s life. So, the burning question first – is it anything like Rush? And, if so, how?

A completely honest answer would be “yes and no”. Seen as Lee has had practically little or no history of recording activity outside the band he helped found in 1974, it is next to impossible to hear his distinctive vocals (loved and loathed in almost equal proportion) without thinking of Rush. The same goes for his famed, intricate bass playing style, which on this album is somewhat more understated than with his mother band, but nevertheless quite recognisable. However, the musicians who accompany him are in many respects a departure from what one would have expected. Canadian multi-instrumentalist Ben Mink, familiar to Rush fans for his wistful violin playing on the song “Losing It” (from 1982′s “Signals”), provides both strings and guitars. Geddy’s choice of a drummer, though, may seem quite strange to many a staunch progger, as the musician in question is Matt Cameron, better known for his work with two seminal Seattle grunge bands such as Soundgarden and Pearl Jam – therefore, a more traditional rock drummer than Lee’s thirty-year, faithful sidekick, drum god Neil Peart. Cameron, however, acquits himself very well in this new role, although we can imagine how daunting it must have been for him at first to work with one half of one of the most celebrated rythm sections in the whole rock world.

Like on latter-day Rush albums, the emphasis here is on shorter, well-crafted songs (the longest, “Slipping”, clocking in at about 5 minutes). Lee’s voice sounds as strong as ever, with the presence of airy. lyrical string arrangements making for the most striking difference from Rush’s sound. Most of the songs are deceptively simple in structure, revealing unsuspected musical layers after repeated listens. Some are noticeably heavier, like the title-track, which opens with one of Geddy’s trademark, booming bass lines, only to slow down in the middle with a beautiful string section punctuating his thoughtful vocal delivery. The tracks that may be more reminiscent of Rush’s ’90s output are “Moving to Bohemia”, the metallic “Home on the Strange”, possibly the heaviest song on the record, and especially album closer “Grace to Grace”, which could have been lifted from Rush’s “Vapor Trails” – only with much better production. These streamlined, dynamic offerings are balanced by the string-laden, almost romantic “The Angels Share” and “Slipping”, which see Lee’s vocals at their emotional best.

“My Favourite Headache” is a strong offering by one of progressive rock’s most influential musicians, one which reveals a different side of his remarkable creativity.

Line-up:
* Geddy Lee – bass, vocals, piano, guitar, programming, percussion, whining
with
* Ben Mink – electric and acoustic guitar, violin and viola, programming, wheezing
* Matt Cameron – drums
* Jeremy Taggart – drums on “Home on the Strange”
* John Friesen – cellos on “Working at Perfect”
* Waylon Wall – steel guitar on “Windows”
* Pappy Rosen – backward vocals on “Slipping”

Track List:
01. My Favorite Headache (3:33)
02. The Present Tense (3:25)
03. Window to the World (3:01)
04. Working at Perfekt (4:59)
05. Runaway Train (4:31)
06. The Angels’ Share (4:34)
07. Moving to Bohemia (4:25)
08. Home on the Strange (3:47)
09. Slipping (5:05)
10. Still (4:29)
11. Grace to Grace (4:57)

Link in comments.

Geddy Lee

Jethro Tull – Aqualung (1971) (@256)

26 Nov 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com)

Jethro Tull’s evolution toward progressive rock reached its peak with the classic “Aqualung”. The album has a kind of a split-concept where the first side features songs about poor people and social differences, while the second side is about the problems and evil of organized religion.

The album is a superb blend of heavy-progressive rock mixed with tasty, acoustic melodies dominated by Anderson’s distinctive flute-playing and Martin Barre’s excellent guitar-riffs.

The opening title-track demonstrated all sides of the band very well and is the best song on the album, even if it’s one of the few Tull-tracks to feature no flute at all. “Cross Eyed Mary” starts with some mellotron and flute before it goes into a crunching rocker where Anderson sings aggressively about a female Robin Hood. “Mother Goose” and “Wond’ring Aloud” are among Tull’s finest acoustic ballads with beautiful melodies and tasty string-arrangements.

Side 2 starts with the sinister “My God” and this track is next to the title-track the most progressive song on the album. The mid-part where a choir joins Anderson’s flute is one of the most magical moments here. The blasphemous “Hymn 43″ shows Tull from their most rocking and catchy side, but “Locomotive Breath” captures that side of the band even better with one of the greatest rock riffs in history. The closing-number “Wind Up” starts as a ballad but turns into yet another hard rocking tune with a great sense of melody and a quite progressive structure.

Line-up:
- Ian Anderson / flute,acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals
- Martin Barre / electric guitar, descant recorder
- Clive Bunker / drums, percussion
- John Evans / piano, organ, mellotron
- Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond / bass, alto recorder, backing vocals

Track List:
01. Aqualung (6:37)
02. Cross-Eyed Mary (4:09)
03. Cheap Day Return (1:23)
04. Mother Goose (3:53)
05. Wond’ring Aloud (1:55)
06. Up To Me (3:15)
07. My God (7:13)
08. Hymn 43 (3:19)
09. Slipstream (1:13)
10. Locomotive Breath (4:26)
11. Wind-Up (6:04)

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Blodwyn Pig – Basement Tapes (1969,74,96) (@320)

26 Nov 2007

(Info from huxrecords.com)

This album is comprised solely of unreleased recordings from the BBC radio archive and, in addition, the last two tracks are studio recordings from 1996. The first three recordings are of 1969, the remaining from 1974.

It serves as a handy guide through the Blodwyn Pig story, showing the full range of acoustic blues, heavy rock and progressive blues/rock that endeared them to real music lovers in the 70′s.

Line-up:
- Mick Abrahams / guitar, vocals
- Jack Lancaster /
- Andy Pyle / bass
- Ron Berg / drums
- Clive Bunker / drums

Track List:
01. The Modern Alchemist
02. Mr Green’s Blues
03. It’s Only Love
04. See My Way
05. Blues Of A Dunstable Truck Driving Man
06. Baby Girl
07. The Leaving Song
08. I Know
09. It’s Only Love (live)
10. See My Way (live)
11. Blues Of A Dunstable Truck Driving Man (live)
12. Hound Dog
13. Drive Me

Links in comments.

Blodwyn Pig, Mick Abrahams

Foghat – Fool for the City (1975) (@256)

26 Nov 2007

(Review from allmusic)

After building a solid core audience through relentless touring and a string of hard-rocking albums, Foghat finally hit the big time in 1975 with “Fool for the City”. The album matched their road-tested abilities as hard rockers to a consistent set of tunes that were both well-crafted and ambitious.

The tone for the album is set by its title track: This hard-rocking gem not only pairs riff-driven verses with an effective shout-along chorus, but also throws in a few surprising moments where the guitars are taken out of the mix completely and Nick Jameson’s bass is allowed to take the lead in a funky breakdown. Fool for the City also produced an enduring rock radio favorite in “Slow Ride”, a stomping rock tune that transcends the inherent clichés of its “love is like a car ride” lyrics with a furious performance from the band and a clever arrangement that works in well-timed automotive sound effects during the verses and plays up the band’s ability to work an R&B-styled groove into their hard-rocking sound.

Further radio play was earned with “Take It or Leave It”, an acoustic-based ballad that worked synthesizers into its subtle yet carefully layered arrangement to become one of the group’s finest slow numbers. The album’s other songs don’t stand like the aforementioned selections, but they all flow together nicely thanks to a consistently inspired performance from the band and clever little arrangement frills that keep the group’s boogie-oriented rock fresh.

“Fool for the City” is both one of Foghat’s finest achievements and one of the high points of 1970s hard rock.

Line-up:
* Lonesome Dave Peverett – Lead Vocals, Guitar & Heavy Breathing
* Rod “The Bottle” Price – Guitar, Slide, Steel Guitar & Vocals
* Tony Stevens – Bass
* Roger Earl – Drums & Repercussion
* Nick Jameson – Producer, Engineer, Bass, Keyboards, Guitar & Vocals

Track List:
01. Fool for the City – 4:32
02. My Babe – 4:36
03. Slow Ride – 8:14
04. Terraplane Blues – 5:45
05. Save Your Loving (For Me) – 3:32
06. Drive Me Home – 3:56
07. Take It or Leave It – 4:56

Link in comments.

Blodwyn Pig – Live at the Fillmore West, August 1970 (@192)

25 Nov 2007

85 minutes of fantastic rock from Blodwyn Pig, recorded at the Fillmore West in August of 1970, months before their break-up. They were a great live band. Mick Abrahams shows that he was one of the unique guitarists of the early 70′s, and the playing of Jack Lancaster on woodwinds (two instruments at once sometimes), Ron Berg on drums and Andy Pyle on bass is superb. The highlight, 12 minute long version of ‘Cat Squirrel’ is amazing.

Line-up:
* Mick Abrahams / Guitar, Vocals
* Jack Lancaster / Flute, Saxophone
* Andy Pyle / Bass
* Ron Berg / Drums

Track List:
01. It’s Only Love – 3:40
02. Ain’t Ya Comin’ Home Babe? – 10:57
03. Dear Jill – 5:17
04. Worry – 9:49
05. San Francisco Sketches – 15:45
06. It’s Only Love – 3:44
07. Change Song – 4:54
08. Cat Squirrel – 12:35
09. See My Way – 8:38
10. Slow Down – 6:25
11. Rock Me – 4:10

Links in comments.

Blodwyn Pig, Mick Abrahams

Area – Maledetti (1976) (@256)

25 Nov 2007

(Review from progweed.net, wikipedia)

Area grew to be one of the most respected and important bands of the blooming 70s Italian progressive rock scene. The youth of the time was able to identify with their socialist lyrics and Area soon grew to prominence, also because the band was founded on a strong and virtuosic musicianship. Area’s sound is an odd mish-mash, drawing from rock, jazz, eastern and arabic music, and it was this blend of all sorts of music that made the band stand out.

Maledetti holds all of the elements that make Area such a hair raising listening experience, while exploring new territory foreign to the Area camp. Most of the information on Area comprises their releases up to this one and stops short of really describing this torrent wave of musical experimentation called Maledetti. All of the Area elements are intact; from the Mediterranean sonic fusion, rhythmic assaults that leave one breathless, to newer elements of African rhythmic percussion via Paul Lytton, classical jazz elements courtesy of Steve Lacy, and a classical music overture with the aid of a string quartet, making Maledetti a monster in the Area catalog.

Along with Ares Tavolazzi on bass and keyboard genus Patrizio Fariselli, Demetrios Stratos has never sounded better with his vocal intonations. Starting off with “Evaporazione” we hear Stratos running back and forth spouting in Italian which ends abruptly with him screaming “Ladies and Gentlemen”, leading to “Diforisum Urbans”: a glorious glide of rhythmic keyboard mayhem that breaks with a keyboard run halfway through and Stratos vocalizing like never before. “Gerontocrazia” contains one of Stratos’s most incredible vocal workouts. “Scum” is one of those tracks that will have you reaching out and pulling your old Monk and Bud Powell recordings and dust them off for a second listen.

Side two: enter the string quartet with a Bach concerto, magnificent in it’s own right, and into “Giro, Giro, Tondo”. Stratos is full of emotion and energy. Patrizio Fariselli shines like the brightest beacon in a dark harbor with his keyboard work. And ending Maledetti is “Caos”, a workout of structures of insanity guided by no one. What would an Area work be without chaos represented in the final inflection.

Line-up:
- Giulio Capiozzo / drums, percussion
- Patrizio Fariselli / piano, electric piano, bass clarinett, synthesizer, percussion
- Ares Tavolazzi / electric & acoustic bass, trombone
- Paolo Tofani / guitar, synthesizer, flute, tcherepnin
- Demetrio Stratos / vocal, organ, cembalo, steel drum, percussion
with
- Eugenio Colombo / kazumba
- Hugh Bullen / bass
- Walter Calloni / drums
- Steve Lacy / soprano sax
- Anton Arze & Jose Arze / txalaparta
- Paul Lytton / percussion
- Paolo Salvi / cello
- Giorgio Garulli / contrabass

Track List:
01. Evaporazione (1:54)
02. Diforisma urbano (6:30)
03. Gerontocrazia (7:38)
04. Scum (6:35)
05. Il massacro di Brandeburgo numero tre in sol maggiore (2:30)
06. Giro, giro, tondo (5:59)
07. Caos (parte seconda) (9:10)
08. Intervisa (2:03)

Link in comments.

Jethro Tull – Nothing Is Easy : Live at the Isle of Wight (1970) (@256)

25 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Great live set from, obviously, England’s Woodstock — Isle of Wight Festival 1970. This live album is a must have for fans of their early albums.

A nice selection from each of their previous three studio albums, plus a real gem.. an intense performance of “My God” which was to come on the forthcoming “Aqualung” album.

Martin Barre is on fire on all eight tracks. Each song has tremendous passion and all the elements of a blues-rock event reminiscent of Cream in their heyday … just awesome power and energy oozing out of every note. Anderson sounds as prolific as ever, leading the band with conviction.

Even at the their folkiest and droning-est, Tull were still a hard rock band in those days with an irresistible propulsive force in their work — the performances are inspired and highly energetic.

Line-up:
- Ian Anderson / acoustic guitar, flute, vocals
- Martin Barre / guitars
- Clive Bunker / drums
- Glen Cornick / bass
- John Evans / keyboards

Track List:
01. My Sunday Feeling (5:20)
02. My God (7:30)
03. With You There To Help Me (9:58)
04. To Cry You A Song (5:40)
05. Bourée (4:34)
06. Dharma For One (10:10)
07. Nothing Is Easy (5:36)
08. Medley: We Used To Know/For A Thousand Mothers (10:37)

Links in comments.

Glenn Cornick, Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, Live, Martin Barre, Mick Abrahams

Jethro Tull – Benefit (1970) (@256)

24 Nov 2007

(Review from progressiveworld.net, progarchives.com)

Jethro Tull’s third release was “Benefit”. Ian Anderson’s vocals are getting stronger and more dominating, while his flute playing maintaining its unfailing authority. Anderson’s writing is getting darker and he is being cynical in reference to being on the road and away from home. His feelings regarding the music industry were coming through as well.

Every track here is telling it’s own story, and each one is augmented with excellent music – it’s hard to say whether is music the background for the lyrics or vice versa. Whatever it is, it works perfectly. Anderson’s lyrics are emotional and clever in he same time, and the beauty of the lyrics and the music themselves is not buried under overaccentuated technicality, although this album is of high quality craftsmanship-wise.

The album is full of contemplative piano parts, which in correlation with unique Tull trademark – Ian’s flute – create a perfect amalgam and pleasant listening experience. The other side of the musical diversity is armoured with barrage fire of hard-rock moments which are not raw or notorious at all; hard-rock presented here is crafted well, reasonably polished, with a spice of furiousness; there are some absolutely astonishing moments where guitar sounds like a snake in spasm lashing both sides of stereo field, an unbeatable trick that surprised even the band members, because apparently it happened in studio by a coincidence.

“To Cry You A Song” is the strongest introduction to the fresh and new formula that they would continue to follow and develop for the rest of their long and fruitful careers. Although the group’s love of blues and jazz remained evident, they are leaning heavier towards more rock and folk arrangements, which allowed them to reach a much wider audience. “Inside” is another song that was to rapidly become a trademark of the Jethro Tull sound with Anderson’s flute taking a lead role and Martin Barre strumming a soft acoustic guitar in the background. Although Barre rarely remains in the background on any song, he is now more comfortable in his new surroundings and shows all of his colors on this album.

This new formula delighted listeners worldwide. The group’s diversity pleases those that love to rock and the other segment of listeners that enjoy the more folk, classica, and ethnic sounds that they offered on their previous release “Stand Up”.

Line-up:
- Ian Anderson / flute, acoustic guitar, vocals
- Martin Barre / electric guitar
- Clive Bunker / drums, percussion
- Glenn Cornick / bass
with
- John Evans / piano, organ

Track List:
01. With You There To Help Me – 6:19
02. Nothing To Say – 5:14
03. Alive And Well And Living In – 2:48
04. Son – 2:51
05. For Michael Collins, Jeffrey And Me – 3:51
06. To Cry You A Song – 6:15
07. A Time For Everything – 2:44
08. Inside – 3:49
09. Play In Time – 3:49
10. Sossity; You’re A Woman – 4:30
11. Singing All Day (Bonus) – 3:07
12. Witch’s Promise (Bonus) – 3:52
13. Just Trying To Be (Bonus) – 1:37
14. Teacher (Bonus Original UK Mix) – 3:49

Links in comments.

Glenn Cornick, Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, Martin Barre, Mick Abrahams

Blodwyn Pig – Getting To This (1970) (@320)

24 Nov 2007

(Review from headheritage.co.uk, amazon)

“Getting To This” is in the same mould as its ground-breaking predecessor “Ahead Rings Out” but blessed with even more invigorating edge and energy. It’s a chaotic ball of noise from a wonderful era. The influence of Jack Lancaster’s jazzy saxophone is much more strongly felt. It is a sometimes gentle and thoughtful, sometimes rocking fusion of jazz, rock and blues.

“Variations On Nainos” with Jack Lancaster giving the one-legged, jockstrapped wonder a real run in the fluting race. The wind flourishes at the start of the song are a gas – pun not intended – and Andy Pyle’s bass licks during the band solos a wonder of the Western rock ‘n’ roll world.

The album’s heaviest song is ‘See My Way’, featuring Abrahams’ well lubricated larynx on fine form, great dynamics, and a central guitar solo that literally flies off the vinyl and soars round the ceiling like a cuttlefished canary while Pyle and Berg piledrive a backing.

All-too-short but delicious “Long Bomb Blues”, delightfully sardonic and catchy, leading straight into “The Squirreling Must Go On” – a reference to the guitarist’s “This Was” showcase of two years’ previous, but much, much harder and relentless — about as heavy as a band can get without getting heavy metal.

“Worry”, a rare Andy Pyle composition, is very intense with rising and falling unison lines, a belting sax solo in a far off key, and big, bad, jazz-inflected chords bursting through an orange amp to a fulcrum near you.

Whether Blodwyn Pig would have excelled in the same way as Tull at reinventing themselves at regular intervals and thus prolonging their career – who knows. Personalities went their separate ways long before the music lost its exuberance.

Line-up:
* Mick Abrahams – guitar, vocals, seven-string guitar, tenor guitar
* Jack Lancaster – flute, violin, electric violin, tenor sax, baritone sax, soprano sax, phoon horn, cornet
* Andy Pyle – electric bass, six-string bass
* Ron Berg – drums, tympani
with
* Graham Waller – piano

Track List:
01. Drive Me – 3:19
02. Variations on Nainos – 3:47
03. See My Way – 5:04
04. Long Bomb Blues – 1:07
05. The Squirreling Must Go On – 4:22
06. San Francisco Sketches – 8:11
07. Worry – 3:43
08. Toys – 3:03
09. To Rassman – 1:29
10. Send Your Son to Die – 4:25
11. Summer Day (Bonus) – 3:48
12. Walk On The Water (Bonus) – 3:42

Links in comments.

Blodwyn Pig, Mick Abrahams

Kitaro – Silk Road Vol. 1 (1980) (@256)

24 Nov 2007

(Review from allmusic, amazon)

Kitaro’s style is the epitome of the contemplative, highly melodic synthesizer music. This famous Japanese composer taught himself to play electric guitar in high school — inspired by the R&B music of Otis Redding. After his early works with the Far East Family Band, he met the innovative German synthesist Klaus Schulze during a trip to Europe. Kitaro was hooked. He built his first synthesizer and began experimenting with all kinds of unusual sounds.

In 1980 he produced the first of several soundtracks for Silk Road, a Japanese television documentary series that ran for five years. The music is fluid and harmonic, blending smooth electronic lines with influences from traditional Japanese music, rock, and the romantic Western tradition. The album became a phenomenal success — people loved his combination of lush, majestic textures and gentle, almost naive, melodies.

The tracks are a seamless stream of melody, with a mellow loveliness and a liquid lyrical mood. There are incredible transitions throughout the pieces, making this a true masterpiece and a treasure to own.

Track List:
01. Silk Road (Shichu No Michi)
02. Bell Tower (Shoro)
03. Heavenly Father (Tenchi Sohzo Shin)
04. The Great River (Harukanaru Taiga)
05. The Great Wall Of China (Chohjo)
06. Flying Celestial Nymphs (Hiten)
07. Silk Road Fantasy (Silk Road Genso)
08. Shimmering Light (Kikari To Kage)
09. Westbound (Nishi Ni Mukkatte)
10. Time (Toki No Nagare)
11. Bodhisattva (Bosatsu)
12. Everlasting Road (Towa No Michi)

Link in comments.

Kitaro, Sakalli's Pick

Jethro Tull – Stand Up (1969) (@256)

23 Nov 2007

(Review from progressiveears.com, allmusic.com)

Jethro Tull’s unique and peculiar mixture of raw blues, jazz motifs, pop sensibility, and folkish nuance attracted a diverse listening audience. Although the band had by this time lost guitarist Mick Abrahams and his blues-purist approach, still, it persevered, replacing Abrahams with the more-than-capable and somewhat more versatile skill of Martin Barre. Frontman Ian Anderson garnered considerable attention and musical press with his theatrical flutework and stage drama, and by the time Tull released its second recording, “Stand Up” just after issuing the Living in the Past (with its tricky, non-commercial 5/4 beat) single to strong acclaim, the band was in high demand.

The group’s second album solidified their sound. Its opening track “A new day yesterday” starts where their previous album left off but as the song flows new flavors are added: fine flute accompaniment, some rock guitar riffs. There are still elements of blues present in their music, but after the opening track, it is far more diminished — new lead guitarist Martin Barre had few of the blues stylings that characterized Mick Abrahams’ playing. Rather, the influence of English folk music manifests itself on several cuts, including “Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square” and “Look Into the Sun”. The instrumental reworking of Bach’s “Bouree” became a favorite concert number, with an excellent solo bit featuring Cornick’s bass.

As a story-song with opaque lyrics, jarring tempo changes, and loud electric passages juxtaposed with soft acoustic-textured sections, “Back to the Family” is an early forerunner to later epics. Similarly, “Reasons for Waiting” has a mix of closely miked acoustic guitar and string orchestra, all hung around a hauntingly beautiful folk-based melody.

The song “We Used to Know” later became the inspiration for Eagles’ 1976 hit song “Hotel California”. The chord progressions are nearly identical, and the bands toured together prior to the release of “Hotel”.

While hardly a “concept” album, lyrically the album devotes a lot to Anderson’s relationship with his parents (a subject continued on “Benefit”) and coping with new found pop stardom.

Line-up:
- Ian Anderson / flute,acoustic guitar, Hammond organ, piano, mandolin, balalaika, bouzouki, mouth organ, vocals
- Martin Barre / electric guitar, flute on “Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square” and “Reasons For Waiting”
- Clive Bunker / drums, percussion
- Glenn Cornick / bass
with
- David Palmer / string arrangement and conducting on “Reasons For Waiting”

Track List:
01. A New Day Yesterday (4:10)
02. Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square (2:12)
03. Bourée (3:47)
04. Back To The Family (3:48)
05. Look Into The Sun (4:21)
06. Nothing Is Easy (4:26)
07. Fat Man (2:52)
08. We Used To Know (4:00)
09. Reasons For Waiting (4:06)
10. For A Thousand Mothers (4:13)
11. Living in the Past (Bonus) (3:23)
12. Driving Song (Bonus) (2:44)
13. Sweet Dream (Bonus) (4:05)
14. 17 (Bonus) (3:07)

Link in comments.

Glenn Cornick, Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, Martin Barre, Mick Abrahams

Blodwyn Pig – Ahead Rings Out (1969) (@320)

23 Nov 2007

(Review by Sid Smith)

Blodwyn Pig is guitarist Mick Abrahams’ response to Ian Anderson’s more pop and folk-friendly inclinations for Jethro Tull, the group they both helped found at the start of the blues-based music boom of the mid-60s. Leaving Anderson in charge of the soul and future direction of the group, Abrahams put together a credible outfit.

Blodwyn Pig is a rare example of an off-shoot band whose commercial appeal came close to rivaling that of its parent group; Tull’s Stand Up topped the charts in July 1969, “Ahead Rings Out” made it to number nine the following month.

It is always going to be Abrahams’ beast and unsurprisingly it stuck to the formula expressed on Tull’s debut, This Was. However the secret ingredient that gives them an edge is wind player and multi-instrumentalist, Jack Lancaster.

A more assured and robust soloist than Anderson, Lancaster’s playing moved between King Curtis or Coltrane as occasion demanded. The throwaway opener “It’s Only Love” is lifted by his sparkling, punchy horn arrangement, whilst “The Modern Alchemist” enables Lancaster to jazz it up large.

Featuring exemplary backing from Andy Pyle on bass and drummer Ron Berg, the album sits firmly in the long-coated underground brigade camp that stretched the blues, if not quite to snapping point, then at least into some interesting shapes and occasionally humorous squeezes. “The Change Song”, with its mockney ‘boy done good’ monologue shows the irony of white boys getting rich by singing the blues wasn’t lost on Abrahams.

“Leave It With Me” or “Sing Me A Song I Know” are pure Tull – close your eyes and it could easily be the cock-legged Anderson belting through those changes. Such similarities may help account for Blodwyn Pig’s commercial appeal which was consolidated on tours in both Europe and America.

This album reminds us just how forceful and effective Blodwyn Pig were at their particular brand of jazz-tinged blues that never forgot to rock.

Line-up:
* Mick Abrahams – guitar, vocals, seven-string slide guitar
* Jack Lancaster – flute, violin, tenor sax, baritone sax, soprano sax, brass arrangements
* Andy Pyle – electric bass, six-string bass
* Ron Berg – drums

Track List:
01. It’s Only Love – 3:23
02. Dear Jill – 5:19
03. Sing Me a Song That I Know – 3:08
04. The Modern Alchemist – 5:38
05. Up and Coming – 5:31
06. Leave It With Me – 3:52
07. The Change Song – 3:45
08. See My Way – 5:06
09. Ain’t Ya Coming’ Home, Babe? – 6:04

Link in comments.

Blodwyn Pig, Mick Abrahams

Fuat Saka – Lazutlar II (2000) (@256)

23 Nov 2007

(Info from sleeve)

After the huge success of Lazutlar, Lazutlar II was inevitable. It is a follow-up of the Lazutlar “documentary”.

Fuat Saka worked on this album for over a year in Hamburg, Istanbul, Trabzon and Selanik. He studied with veterans Taskin Ofluoglu, Osman Yazici and Ibrahim Can on Blacksea music and folklore.

Via Ofluglu, he met one of the most important kemenche players still alive, Kosta Siyamidis in Selanik and the first recordings of this album started. Doctor Antonyadis is a bard from Macka, living in Selanik. Translating his verses in “Hui Hui” could mean to lose its beauty, so Fuat Saka learned Romaic and sang it in its original form. He also met Archilias and Yannis Kurtidis, two important voices of authenticity. Singing along with Kosta’s kemenche, they are like a big world chorus.

Saka had played with Zurab Gagnidze and Zaza Miminoschvili for many years. When these Georgian musicians came to Istanbul for the recording sessions, they brought along two traditional songs of their country : “Batumlu Suleyman” and “Suliko”.

The whole recordings of this fabulous album were made with solely acoustic instruments and took six months.

Line-up:
* Fuat Saka / 12-string guitar, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, rhythms, tomtom, saz, vocals
with
* Kostas Siyamidis / kemenche
* Zurab Gagnidze / bass
* Zaza Miminoschvili / panduri
* Remzi Temelli / kemenche
* Zaza Miminoschvili / naylon gitar
* Herbi Alman / sax, flute, dipciridu
* Metin Meto / holla, percussion, vocals
* Friedrich Glorian / drums
* Mahmut Turan / tulum
* Zatinder Thakur / tabla
* Yannis Kurtidis / vocals
* Vasiliadis Archilias / vocals
* Osman Yazici / vocals
* Taskin Ofluoglu / vocals
* Zurab Gagnidze / vocals
* Hilmi Yarayici / chorus
* Nedret Sekban / chorus
* Can Halman / chorus

Track List:
01. Rapatma 2 (4:59)
02. Meryem Ana (2:18)
03. Esoni (3:41)
04. Leose (4:58)
05. Div Div (3:18)
06. Karayel ve Kaptan (5:24)
07. Feridem (4:25)
08. Eyiya (4:27)
09. Suliko (4:08)
10. Torul (3:12)
11. Alaca Katu Mota (3:05)
12. Tabancamin Sapini (3:25)
13. Batumlu Suleyman (3:35)
14. Hui Hui (3:45)

Links in comments.

Fuat Saka, Turkish

Byrds – Notorious Byrds Brothers (1967) (@256)

22 Nov 2007

(Review from rollingstone.com)

The initial genius of the Byrds had to do with marrying the sensibilities of Bob Dylan and the Beatles out in sunny Southern California. Changes came quickly for the band, whose stylistic evolution could be tracked not just from album to album but from single to single. The surfeit of talent that made such accelerated growth possible also doomed the Byrds to fly apart, as visions and egos collided. Only three of the group’s five original members — guitarist Roger McGuinn, bassist Chris Hillman and drummer Michael Clarke — are pictured on the cover of The Notorious Byrd Brothers, and by its release, in January 1968, even Clarke was gone. Fired midway through the recording sessions, David Crosby is a spectral presence, having co-written a trio of the record’s most trenchant songs and casting angular shafts of light onto others with his otherworldly rhythm guitar and harmony vocals.

The best word to summarize The Notorious Byrd Brothers is transitional. It was also their first record to exhibit overt country leanings – by the Sixties’ end, everybody was getting back to the country, but the Byrds were there first, and on Notorious Byrd Brothers you can hear them saddling up the horses.

The album’s ethereal, fresh-scrubbed sound owes much to producer Gary Usher, the auteur behind countless Sixties surf-pop records and co-author of Beach Boys classics like “In My Room.” Burbling Moog synthesizers and purring steel guitars join in on the Byrds’ minty-clean folk-cosmic odes. Utopian idealism commingles with darker visions: Spiritual yearning is evident in songs that look to nature (“Dolphin’s Smile”), childhood (“Goin’ Back”) and the group mind (“Tribal Gathering”) for guidance. Stones in the pathway include hard drugs (“Artificial Energy” elliptically warns that speed kills) and war (“Draft Morning” peers inside the mind of a young man being shipped off to Vietnam). The reawakening of consciousness is ecstatically, psychedelically celebrated in “Natural Harmony.” The aura of a world in upheaval is caught like lightning in a jar on “Change Is Now,” with its evocation of hope and uncertainty, familiarity and daunting strangeness. Those combinations make Notorious Byrd Brothers a brilliant window onto an unforgettable place and time.

Line-up:
- Roger McGuinn / vocals, guitars, moog synthesizer
- David Crosby / vocals, rhythm guitar, bass
- Chris Hillman / vocals, bass, rhythm guitar
- Michael Clarke / drums
with
* Jim Gordon / drums
* Clarence White / guitars
* Red Rhodes / pedal steel guitar
* Beaver & Krause / moog synthesizer

Track List:
01. Artificial Energy – 2:18
02. Goin’ Back – 3:26
03. Natural Harmony – 2:11
04. Draft Morning – 2:42
05. Wasn’t Born to Follow – 2:04
06. Get to You – 2:39
07. Change Is Now – 3:21
08. Old John Robertson – 1:49
09. Tribal Gathering – 2:03
10. Dolphin’s Smile – 2:00
11. Space Odyssey – 3:52
12. Moog Raga (Bonus Instrumental) – 3:24
13. Bound to Fall (Bonus Instrumental) – 2:08
14. Triad (Bonus) – 3:29
15. Goin’ Back (Bonus Version One) – 3:55
16. Draft Morning (Bonus Alternate End) – 2:55
17. Universal Mind Decoder (Bonus) – 13:45

Link in comments.

Byrds, David Crosby, Jim Gordon

Jethro Tull – This Was (1968) (@256)

22 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, allmusic)

In 1967, ex-members of early blues bands Blackpool (Ian Anderson and Glenn Cornick) and McGregor’s Engine (Mick Abrahams and Clive Bunker) formed a band together. At first, the new band had trouble getting repeat bookings and they took to changing their name frequently to continue playing the London club circuit. A booking agent’s suggestion, Jethro Tull after the 18th-century agriculturist who invented the seed drill, stuck as the band’s name.

At the time, a lot of blues enthusiasts didn’t accept wind instruments at all, especially the flute, as seminal to the sound they were looking for, and as a group struggling for success and recognition, Jethro Tull was just a little too strange in that regard. Anderson’s antics on-stage, jumping around in a ragged overcoat and standing on one leg while playing the flute, and his use of folk sources as well as blues and jazz, gave the band the potential to grab a bigger audience and some much-needed press attention.

One of the first pop/rock records to feature a flute, their debut album is the start of a long and successful string of great albums, always daring. As you might guess this debut is hardly perfect, but still a must. While strongly bluesy but with a very present folk influence, the album boasts an unusual four instrumentals and a real tightness for such a young group.

Original lead guitarist Mick Abrahams contributed to the songwriting and the singing, and his presence as a serious bluesman is felt throughout, often for the better: “Some Day the Sun Won’t Shine for You,” an Ian Anderson original that could just as easily be credited to Big Bill Broonzy or Robert Johnson; “Cat’s Squirrel,” Abrahams’ big showcase, where he ventures into Eric Clapton territory; and “It’s Breaking Me Up,” which also features some pretty hot guitar from Abrahams. Roland Kirk’s “Serenade to a Cuckoo” (the first song Anderson learned to play on flute), their jazziest track ever, is one of the best parts of the album. The most famous track is “A Song For Jeffrey”, with aggressive flute / harmonica and bass guitar.

Following this album, Abrahams left and formed his own band, Blodwyn Pig. He was a blues purist, while Ian Anderson wanted to branch out into other forms of music; Abrahams and Cornick did not get along; and Abrahams was unwilling to travel internationally or play more than three nights a week, while the others wanted to be successful by playing as often as possible and building a world-wide fan base.

Line-up:
- Ian Anderson / flute, mouth organ, claghorn, piano, vocals
- Mick Abrahams / guitar, 9-string guitar, vocals
- Clive Bunker / drums, hooter and charm bracelet
- Glenn Cornick / bass
With
- David Palmer / brass arrangement and conducting on “Move On Alone”

Track List:
01. My Sunday Feeling (3:42)
02. Some Day The Sun Won’t Shine For You (2:49)
03. Beggar’s Farm (4:20)
04. Move On Alone (1:59)
05. Serenade To A Cuckoo (6:11)
06. Dharma For One (4:16)
07. It’s Breaking Me Up (5:05)
08. Cat’s Squirrel (5:44)
09. A Song For Jeffrey (3:23)
10. Round (0:49)
11. One For John Gee (Bonus) (2:06)
12. Love Story (Bonus) (3:06)
13. Christmas Song (Bonus) (3:06)

Link in comments.

Glenn Cornick, Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, Martin Barre, Mick Abrahams

Wallenstein – Blitzkrieg (1971) (@320)

22 Nov 2007

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

Formed in Mönchengladbach by classically trained art student Jürgen Dollase in autumn 1971 as Blitzkrieg, with an international cast of: American Bill Barone, Dutchman Jerry Berkers, and local friend Harald Grosskopf. After only a couple of concerts, they were quickly spotted and were eagerly signed up. But, there proved to be a problem, also touring Germany at the time was a British band called Blitzkrieg, so a change of name was needed. They decided on Wallenstein, a notorious character of the Thirty Years War.

Remarkable for a band that had only existed a month or so, Wallenstein’s debut album Blitzkreig certainly lived up to its title, a power-drive of psychedelic classical rock, overloaded with energy. The opening track “Lunatic” has the energy of “High Tide” crossed with the complexity of the finest Italian classical rock. Elsewhere the more stately and episodic “Manhattan Project” builds to moments of near-epic grandeur over the course of its fourteen invigorating minutes, balancing the delicacy of a mellotron flute and grand piano with the raucous noise of Barone’s over-amped electric guitar.

Jürgen Dollase has a similarly strong accented Peter Hammill style of singing, which leads to Wallenstein often being quoted as a German classical twist on Van Der Graaf Generator.

Line-up:
* Jurgen Dollase – Piano, Electric Piano, Mellotron, Keyboard
* Bill Barone – Guitar
* Jerry Berkers – Bass, Vocals
* Harald Groskopf – Drums

Track List:
01. Lunetic (11.55)
02. The Theme (9.47)
03. Manhattan Project (13.54)
04. Audiences (7.40)

Link in comments.

Cactus – V (2006) (@256)

21 Nov 2007

(Review from allmusic, modernguitars.com, Goldmine)

There were probably fewer people clamoring for this Cactus reunion in 2006 than for a Vanilla Fudge or Beck, Bogert & Appice one, but that didn’t stop the famed plodding rhythm section from giving it another go. Original Cactus lead singer Rusty Day passed in 1982 but the core trio of bassist Tim Bogert, drummer Carmine Appice, and guitarist Jim McCarty recruited singer Jimmy Kunes and let fly with this hourlong set of forceful, sweaty blues-rock.

Cactus V sparkles with blistering boogie driven songs. The songs are energetic and powerful. It plows through familiar terrain with requisite enthusiasm. Foghat and prime Pat Travers come to mind through earthy, rhythmic rockers such as “Doin’ Time” and “Music and Soul”. Appice turns in a live and boomy drum performance and there’s loads of groove between him and Bogert — a classic rhythm section and the stars behind the bottom end of Vanilla Fudge as well. Harmonica adds spice, blues integrity and a link to the band’s signature early ’70s sound, and McCarty’s guitar tone is robust, timeless and all about electricity.

V winds adventurously through 14 varied tracks, ultimately composing itself as a blast from the past handled cannily by a crack team of veterans. It’s a huge, warm and hard-hitting work all around.

Line-up:
* Carmine Appice / drums, back vocals
* Tim Bogert / bass, back vocals
* Jim McCarty / guitar
* Jimmy Kunes / vocals

Track List:
01. Doing Time
02. Muscle And Soul
03. Cactus Music
04. The Groover
05. High In The City
06. Day For Night
07. Living For Today
08. Shine
09. Electric Blue
10. Your Brother’s Keeper
11. Blues For Mr. Day (Instrumental)
12. Part Of The Game
13. Gone Train Gone
14. Jazzed (Instrumental)

Links in comments.

Cactus, Carmine Appice, Tim Bogert

Trace – White Ladies (1976) (@256)

21 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, amazon)

By The White Ladies, Trace had become the sole preserve of Rick van der Linden. It includes a new rhythm section, a second keyboard player and a saxophonist. With three ex-Ekseption members in the line-up, the band resembles Ekseption much more than Trace.

With this album the band deviates from the original Trace concept, which was completely keyboard dominated, and introduces sax, strings as well as a female singer. Thus, the album sounds very different from the previous Trace albums, the music is more structured and refined, and the ‘wild’ element is restrained in favour of nuance and melody. It features a string section and is therefore more symphonic and impressionistic. More melodious themes and richer arrangements melt classical music with rock & jazz.

The album is a concept piece, it’s based on the Dutch legend of the White Ladies, who steal a farmer’s wife away from her husband and child. The White Ladies are nymphs who lure humans into the woods with their music. Any human touches by them is freed of worries and wants to dance away the rest of his or her life.

Despite good albums, great concerts and worldwide recognition, Trace didn’t work out the high expectations and the band dissolved after this album.

Line-up:
- Rick Van Der Linden / keyboards
- Cor Dekker / bass
- Peter de Leeuwe / drums
- Dick Remelink / saxes, flute
- Hans Jacobse / additional keyboards
- Hetty Smit / vocals
- Harry Schafer / narrato

Track List:
01. Legend Part 1
02. Interlude 1
03. Confrontation
04. Interlude II
05. Dance of the White Ladies
06. Doubts
07. Trace I
08. Witche’s Dance
09. Surrender
10. Interlude III
11. Parthétique
12. Legend Part 2
13. Interlude IV
14. The Rescue
15. Trace II
16. Back Home
17. Meditation
18. Flash Back
19. Conclusion

Link in comments.

Rick van der Linden, Trace

Astral Navigations – Astral Navigations (1971) (@192)

21 Nov 2007

(Info from Gibraltar)

Astral Navigations is really a recording of two different bands (in each side of the original LP), Lightyears Away and Thundermother.

Lightyears Away is folk/psychedelic (more toward the folk end) featuring Bill Nelson who later joined with Be-Bop Deluxe. There is some pleasant singing (male, some female) over piano with some short, very fuzzed guitar breaks. There is some nice diversity in style with acoustic guitar and flute in play.

Thundermother is more straight-ahead rock with heavy guitars.

Track List:
01. Fourth Coming
02. Path Of Stone
03. Windows Of Limited Time. The Astral Navigator
04. Yesterday
05. Today (North Country Cinderella)
06. Tomorrow (Buffalo)
07. Someday
08. Country Lines
09. Boogie Music
10. Rock Me Babe (Bonus)
11. Come On Home (Bonus)

Link in comments.

Trace – Birds (1975) (@256)

20 Nov 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com)

Pierre van der Linden left the band and was replaced by future Marillion-drummer Ian Mosley. Their second album “Birds” stayed true to the sound of the debut-album.

Side 1 of the album was pretty much what you could expect: classical covers with a few self-written tunes thrown in between. The version of Bach’s “Boureč” is fresh and energetic with a cool clavinet-break in the middle. The version of “Opus 1065″ (another Bach-composition) is a bit more ambitious, and features a guest appearance from Curved Air’s Darryl Way on violin. Interestingly enough there’s also a short cover here of a tune by one of Linden’s very first musical influences: Bix Beiderbecke.

What really makes it worth having is undoubtedly the 22-minute “King Bird Suite”. It’s a very glorious and impressive piece of keyboard-based progressive rock, and it was next to “Gaillarde” probably the best thing the band ever did.

Line-up:
- Rick Van Der Linden / keyboards
- Jaap Van Eik / bass, guitar, vocals
- Ian Mosley / drums, timpani, gong, tambourine
with
- Darryl Way / acoustic & electric violin on 4
- Coen Hoedeman / assorted monkeys on 1

Track List:
01. Bourree (2:27)
02. Snuff (2:28)
03. Janny (In A Mist) (1:15)
04. Opus 1065 (7:46)
05. Penny (2:53)
06. Trixie-Dixie (0:38)
07. King-Bird (22:01)
08. Birds (Short Edit) (3:41)
09. Tabu (Second Version) (4:14)

Link in comments.

Darryl Way, Ian Mosley, Rick van der Linden, Trace

Cactus – Fully Unleashed Live Gigs (1970-72) (@256)

20 Nov 2007

(Info from rhinohandmade.com)

This two-disc live set includes tracks cut at England’s Isle Of Wight Festival in August 1970 (less than four months after the band’s first show), a June 1971 gig at the Gilligan’s club in Buffalo, NY (including blink-and-you’ve-missed-him member Ron Leejack), and those ‘Ot ‘N’ Sweaty selections (recorded at the Mar-Y-Sol Pop Festival in Puerto Rico in April 1972). But the heart of this collection was played at Ellis Auditorium in blues-friendly Memphis, Tennessee on December 19, 1971 — the original quartet’s final performance. That last concert is here in its entirety.

Both line-ups of Cactus are well represented here in all their amp-blowing glory.

After Cactus’ dissolution in 1972, Bogert and Appice finally joined with Beck to form Beck, Bogert & Appice.

Track List:
CD1
01. Intro/Long Tall Sally
02. Bag Drag
03. Evil
04. Parchman Farm
05. Alaska
06. Oleo
07. No Need to Worry
08. Let Me Swim
CD2
01. Big Mama Boogie, Pts. 1-2
02. Medley: Heeby Jeebies/Money/Hound Dog/What’d I Say
03. No Need to Worry
04. Parchman Farm
05. One Way…Or Another
06. Bro. Bill
07. Swim
08. Bad Mother Boogie
09. Our Lil Rock-N-Roll Thing
10. Bedroom Mazurka

Links in comments.

Cactus, Carmine Appice, Live, Tim Bogert

Magellan – Hour of Restoration (1991) (@256)

20 Nov 2007

(Review from allmusic.com, progarchives.com)

Magellan represents the second wave of sonic explorers, those who sailed in spirit with the most storied of the progressive rock pioneers during their youth and now seek to make the journey in practice. It was the spirit of adventure and willingness to take risks of Ferdinand Magellan that caused band leader Trent Gardner to name his band Magellan.

The early influences of Rush, Yes, and Kansas are marbled throughout Magellan’s Hour of Restoration, their debut album.

The album recounts the signing of the Magna Carta and then takes a progressive excursion through England’s formative years as a nation. The eight tracks introduce Terry Gardner’s voice in a perfectly structured context, fitting in appropriately to the album’s historical theme, while his keyboard playing heightens and dramatizes when necessary. The opening “Magna Carta” is a near 15 minutes of glorified progressive, enveloping the album’s concept with appealing instrumental interchanges. Tracks like “Friends of America” and “Union Jack” begin to solidify the partnership between Wayne Gardner’s finessed guitar playing and the character-shaping percussion work from Magellan. By the last track entitled “Turning Point,” Hour of Restoration completes the task of musically narrating Britain’s history rather pleasingly, borrowing accomplished progressive agencies from artists of the ’70s and initiating them into a modern neo-progressive sound.

Line-up:
- Wayne Gardner / guitar, back vocals
- Trent Gardner / keyboards, lead vocal
- Hal Stringfellow Imbrie / bass, back vocals

Track List:
01. Magna Carta (14:45)
02. The Winner (2:07)
03. Friends of America (3:27)
04. Union Jack (9:08)
05. Another Burning (5:04)
06. Just one Bridge (2:15)
07. Breaking These Circles (5:17)
08. Turning Point (1:24)

Link in comments.

Cactus – 'Ot 'N' Sweaty (1972) (@256)

19 Nov 2007

(Review from amazon)

Interband troubles led to McCarty quitting at the end of 1971. Shortly afterwards Rusty Day was fired from the group. For Cactus’ half studio/half live fourth album, Bogert and Appice recruited new members.

This took the band in a slightly different direction while still providing some kickass rock and roll. The first three songs were recorded at Mar Y Sol Festival, and five others recorded in the studio. The live portion of this album is frantic and plenty of energy. The studio cuts are more goodtime rock and roll oriented than the traditional classic boogie/blues of Cactus.

‘Ot ‘N’ Sweaty proved to be their final studio album before their break-up.

Line-up:
- Carmine Appice / Percussion, Drums, Back Vocals
- Tim Bogert / Bass, Back Vocals
- Peter French / Vocals
- Werner Fritzsching / Guitar
- Duane Hitchings / Organ, Piano, Keyboards

Track List:
01. Swim
02. Mad Mother Boogie
03. Our Lil Rock N Roll Thing
04. Bad Stuff
05. Bringing Me Down
06. Bedroommazurka
07. Telling You
08. Underneath The Arches

Link in comments.

Cactus, Carmine Appice, Duane Hitchings, Tim Bogert

Trace – Trace (1974) (@256)

19 Nov 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com)

Rick van der Linden formed Trace after he left Ekseption in 1973. The rest of the trio was made up of Jaap van Eik on bass and former Focus-drummer Pierre van der Linden. Musically they were a very solid, tight and energetic classical-influenced, keyboard-based progressive rock band, but of a more conventional kind.

Their debut album opens with their maybe best recording ever in form of the 14-minute “Gaillarde”. This fantastic jam is partly based on some passages from Bach’s “Italian Concerto” (but not the same ones that Ekseption did on “Beggar Julia’s Time Trip”) and goes from the most energetic organ-solos you can imagine and to beautiful and majestic melodies. This track will surely make any fan of keyboard-based progressive rock drool.

The rest of the album never reaches the same heights again, but is still good most of the way. The adaptation of Grieg’s “Ases Dod” is very tasty, and demonstrates well all the different sounds in Linden’s impressive arsenal. “The Escape of the Piper” is based in a fast theme played on piano, and is broken up in the middle with a synth-part that sounds like bagpipes. “Once” is a more organ-based piece with a very energetic and jazzy mid-part. “Progression” is a 12-minute jam with a flawless, very fresh and energetic performance. “A Memory” is a beautiful piece based in an old folk-melody from Sweden. The closing number “Final Trace” is as typical Rick van der Linden as he gets, but it features nothing that he already had done in Ekseption.

This album is a must-have for all fans of keyboard-based progressive rock of the classic kind.

Line-up:
- Rick Van Der Linden / keyboards
- Jaap Van Eik / bass, guitar
- Pierre Van Der Linden / drums

Track List:
01. Gaillarde
02. Gare Le Corbeau
03. Gaillarde
04. The Death Of Ace
05. The Escape Of The Piper
06. Once
07. Progression
08. A Memory
09. The Lost Past
10. A Memory
11. Final Trace
12. Progress
13. Tabu

Link in comments.

Pierre van der Linden, Rick van der Linden, Trace

Allman Brothers Band – Live at Ludlow Garage (1970) (@320)

19 Nov 2007

(Review from allmusic.com)

Live at Ludlow Garage 1970 features 91 minutes of the Allman Brothers Band in concert at a Cincinnati venue that they loved, nearly a year before their legendary Fillmore shows.

The group’s sound imparts its own punch and clarity, and it was done in stereo, and if not for the existence of the Fillmore tapes, and the fact that the albums they yielded sold a kajillion copies, this show might well have been released in the 1970s, not after digging the archives in 90s.

It isn’t as intense as the Fillmore shows, but it does capture the group as a little-known working band with but a single album out and building a reputation — and with Dickey Betts yet to emerge as either a singer or composer and their sound still being worked out.

They build their set on ambitious reinterpretations of songs by Blind Willie McTell, Muddy Waters (“Trouble in Mind”), John Lee Hooker (“Dimples”), and Willie Dixon (“Hoochie Coochie Man”), climaxing with a searing though somewhat disjointed 44-minute version of “Mountain Jam.”

Line-up:
* Gregg Allman – vocals, organ
* Duane Allman – electric guitar, slide guitar
* Dickey Betts – guitar
* Berry Oakley – bass
* Butch Trucks – drums, percussion
* Jai Johanny Johanson – drums, percussion

Track List:
01. Dreams – 10:15
02. Statesboro Blues – 8:09
03. Trouble No More – 4:13
04. Dimples – 5:00
05. Every Hungry Woman (Allman) – 4:28
06. I’m Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town – 9:22
07. Hoochie Coochie Man – 5:23
08. Mountain Jam – 44:00

Links in comments.

Allman Brothers Band, Duane Allman, Jaimoe Johnson, Live

Yezda Urfa – Sacred Baboon (1976) (@256)

18 Nov 2007

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

The band had financed and recorded their debut album, “Boris”, by themselves; hoping it would help them in getting a record deal. They were only offered a bad deal by a small record company, so they declined. They finished “Sacred Baboon” as the album was called in 1976, but due to lack of funds they shelved it, and in 1981 they called it a day, and the band split up to pursue other interests, mostly out of the music scene.

Most of the tracks on “Sacred Baboon” are two speeds: fast and really fast, although they do make room for some lighter moments. Those who like guitar dominated progressive rock will have loads to feast on here. Mark Tippins’ guitar work always runs full throttle throughout the album with incredibly fast melodic parts.

There’s plenty of other virtuosity to be found on the album as well. Vibes, harpsichords, synths, organs, voices, chorus even an ocarina and recorder is in play.

“Give ‘Em Some Rawhide Chewies” is immediately impressive, and rocks out from the first second of the album. Songs like “Cancer of the Band” and the beginning of “Boris and his Three Verses” illustrate a more plaintive, melodic side to the group, before breaking into dazzling instrumental portions. The aforementioned “Cancer…” as well as “(My Doc Told Me I Had) Doggie Head” also feature great multi-part vocal harmonies that are directly out of the Gentle Giant book.

Yezda Urfa pull out all the stops however on the closer “3, Almost 4, 6 Yea,” a high energy track featuring multiple time signatures, cross-cutting sections, and a heartrendingly beautiful classical guitar solo.

“Sacred Baboon” stands up well against similar efforts by other contemporary American acts such as Happy the Man with superb musicianship and on-the-dime, well executed playing is the definite highlight.

Line-up:
- Brad Christoff / drums, tubular bells, metalophone, and percussions
- Phil Kimbrough/ keyboards, accordian, mandolin, flute, recorder, vocals
- Marc Miller / bass, cello, marimba, vibes, vocals
- Rick Rodenbaugh / vocals
- Mark Tippins / guitars, vocals

Track List:
01. Give ‘Em Some Rawhide Chewies (3:50)
02. Cancer Of The Band (6:48)
03. Tota In The Moya (10:14)
04. Boris And His Three Verses (2:50)
05. Flow Guides Aren’t My Bag (4:45)
06. (My Doc Told Me I Had), Doggie Head (5:02)
07. 3, Almost 4, 6 Yea (8:39)

Link in comments.

Yezda Urfa

Tomorrow – Tomorrow (1967) (@320)

18 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, allmusic)

Tomorrow were an early “supergroup” in reverse, in that the band members went on to find fame and fortune elsewhere. They were among the first psychedelic bands in England. Though the band never succumbed to mindless indulgence or jamming; indeed, their tracks were rather short and tightly woven in comparison with most psychedelic bands.

Tomorrow’s sole album is a solid effort, with quite a few first-rate tracks. “My White Bicycle” was one of the first songs to prominently feature backward guitar phasing, “Real Life Permanent Dream” has engaging English harmonies and sitar riffs, “Revolution” is an infectious hippie anthem and “Now Your Time Has Come” features intricate riffing from Steve Howe. “Hallucinations” has an irresistible melody, gentle harmonies and affectingly trippy lyrics.

The lack of commercial success can be explained by the long delay between initial recording sessions in spring 1967 and final release in February 1968. By the time the album arrived in record stores the psychedelic trend had already started to die out.

Lead singer Keith West had a number two British hit with “Excerpt From a Teenage Opera” which helped inspire Pete Townshend’s Tommy. Steve Howe found fame with Yes. Drummer Twink joined the Pretty Things and later Pink Fairies.

Line-up:
- Keith West / lead vocals
- Steve Howe / guitars
- John Wood / bass
- John “Twink” Adler / drums
- Mark P. Wirtz / keyboards, percussion

Track List:
01. My White Bicycle (3:17)
02. Colonel Brown (2:51)
03. Claremont Lake (3:01)
04. Real Life Permanent Dream (3:15)
05. Shy Boy (2:26)
06. Revolution (3:48)
07. The Incredible Journey of Timothy Chase (3:17)
08. Auntie Mary’s Dress Shop (2:44)
09. Strawberry Fields Forever (3:58)
10. Three Jolly Little Dwarfs (2:26)
11. Now Your Time Has Come (4:51)
12. Hallucinations (2:37)

Link in comments.

Steve Howe

Cactus – Restrictions (1971) (@256)

18 Nov 2007

(Review from allmusic)

This 1971 release may not see the band at their peak, but it surely showcases the occasionally thundering rhythm section of Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice.

Why a song like “Token Chokin’” was never a hit and why it has yet to be embraced by the classic rock-loving public is a complete mystery. The song is some of the most heels-up, thundering, so-brainless-it’s-genius rock that has ever been to tape. It’s complete with big guitars, big sing-alongs, and a bass-and-drum combo that could knock out windows. Somebody needs to revive this track. Songs like “Evil” and “Sweet Little Sixteen” are all scorching guitars and long-haired riffing. It’s a testament to the blues-inspired power they could surely muster up onstage.

There are competent acoustic blues numbers like “Mean Night in Cleveland” and “Alaska”, the latter an ode to said state featuring lyrics about penguins, Santa Claus, and the aurora borealis.

Nobody has ever said that boogie rock is grad school material, and Cactus are certainly no exception — they did manage to make a big, bearded racket that is both groan-inducing and a lot of fun.

Line-up:
- Rusty Day / Harmonica, Percussion, Vocals
- Jim McCarty / Guitar
- Carmine Appice / Percussion, Drums, Back Vocals
- Tim Bogert / Bass, Back Vocals
with
- Albhy Galuten / Piano
- Duane Hitchings / Keyboards
- Ron Leejack / Guitar, Slide Guitar

Track List:
01. Restrictions
02. Token Chokin’
03. Guiltless Glider
04. Evil
05. Alaska
06. Sweet Sixteen
07. Bag Drag
08. Mean Night in Cleveland

Link in comments.

Cactus, Carmine Appice, Duane Hitchings, Tim Bogert

Cactus – One Way … Or Another (1971) (@256)

17 Nov 2007

(Review from allmusic)

Even as their debut was ostensibly rawer, in their second album the band retained the same amp’ed-up electric blues reminiscent of early Grand Funk Railroad and Foghat, in a more polished fashion.

Immediately, the proceedings are thrust into high gear with a languorous and seething interpretation of Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally”. While not the extended barnburner it became in concert, it gets things off to a rousing start. The lightweight up-tempo “Rockout, Whatever You Feel Like” could easily be mistaken for Jo Jo Gunne, especially in Day’s vocal asides, strongly recalling Jay Ferguson and company. “Rock ‘N’ Roll Children” is a heavier number with McCarty unleashing rounds of impressive and impellent fretwork churning atop the simmering backbeat.

Cactus do what they do best, returning to their boogie rock roots on the suitably named “Big Mama Boogie — Parts 1 & 2″. McCarty’s pumping acoustic opening is perfectly augmented by some organic mouth harp courtesy of Day before launching into an explosive assault of pure, unadulterated proto- metal. The cover of Chuck Willis’ “Feel So Bad” is given a sizable shakedown. The understated “Song for Aries”, although clocking in at just under three minutes, the instrumental is a showcase for McCarty’s immorally underrated lead guitar.

The album concludes with two full-blown centerpieces, revealing Cactus’ strength as a formidable powerhouse combo on the autobiographically-inspired rave-up “Hometown Bust”. Fittingly, this album come to an end on a high note with the title track “One Way…Or Another”. The cut blazes from tip-to-tail and if the primary riff seems familiar, that may be because it was lifted almost verbatim from Jeff Beck’s Beck-Ola-era tune “Rice Pudding”. However in Cactus’ care, it stomps with a bit more crunch and no-nonsense attitude.

Line-up:
- Rusty Day / Harmonica, Harp, Vocals
- Jim McCarty / Guitar
- Tim Bogert / Bass
- Carmine Appice / Drums

Track List:
01. Long Tall Sally
02. Rockout, Whatever You Feel Like
03. Rock ‘N’ Roll Children
04. Big Mama Boogie, Pt. 1 & 2
05. Feel So Bad
06. Song for Aries
07. Hometown Bust
08. One Way.. Or Another

Link in comments.

Cactus, Carmine Appice, Tim Bogert

Yezda Urfa – Boris (1975) (@256)

17 Nov 2007

(Review from progressiveworld.net, progarchives.com)

Yezda Urfa blended influences from Yes and Gentle Giant into wonderful, fast-paced, great symphonic progressive between 1973 and 1981.

The name Yezda Urfa comes from Yazd of Iran and Urfa of Turkey. The band came across them while flipping through a dictionary while looking for a name for the band. Yazd was changed to Yezda to aid in pronunciation.

Their only release at the time is full of great symphonic music injected with loony, comical, breakneck speed interludes quite unlike that of any other band. There is a wonderfully organic and open feel to the music, a beautiful naivety that makes this ever so odd mix of musical influence quite engaging and refreshing.

The compositions are very varied, ranging from acoustic piano, rhythm-guitar and vocals to pieces delivering church- organ or a sumptuous climate with Howe-like guitar runs. At other moments there is a banjo, a guitar in the vein of Rory Gallagher, interplay between acoustic guitar, electric piano, xylophone and harpsichord or ebullient keyboards featuring Moog flights and choir- Mellotron.

Line-up:
* Brad Christoff – percussion, all sorts
* Phil Kimbrough – keyboards, synthesizers, mandolin, wind instruments
* Mark Tippins – guitars, banjo, vocals
* Marc Miller – bass
* Rick Rodenbaugh – vocals

Track List:
01. Boris And His 3 Verses, Including Flow Guides Aren’t My Bag – 10:51
02. Texas Armadillo – 1:51
03. Almost 4, 6 Yea – 8:49
04. To-Ta In The Moya – 10:56
05. Three Tons of Fresh Thyroid – 10:21
06. The Basis of Dubenglazy While Dirk Does The Dance (Bonus) – 9:51

Link in comments.

Yezda Urfa

Steve Howe – Pulling Strings (Live 1998) (@256)

17 Nov 2007

Request of Theressa.

(Review from amazon)

Recorded in Chicago and Minneapolis during Steve Howe’s tour of the same name, “Pulling Strings” is similar to “Not Necessarily Acoustic”.

The material that flies under his own flag covers a lot of musical territory, showing off the maestro’s diversified tastes. One moment he may be doing rockabilly, the next flamenco, and then classical guitar solos. Add to that material that hearkens to the progressive stylings of Yes, new age work, and fusion, and it is apparent to see that this is a man who is hard to pigeonhole.

Here, Howe thrills with acoustic interpretations of “Gates of Delirium” and “Close to the Edge” on his trusty Martin guitar. He teases the crowd by quoting every song from “Going For The One” before launching into the poignant nylon-stringed sentimentality of Turn of the Century. He also revisits some of his best bits from his early solo albums, including “Diary of a Man Who Vanished” and “Pleasure Stole the Night”. His spin on Mason Williams’ “Classical Gas” is simply fantastic. The finale, “My White Bicycle”, is a rare cut from his early days with the band Tomorrow.

Yes fans already know that Howe’s voice isn’t that great–but one doesn’t listen to Yes or Howe for his singing abilities. His fretboard virtuosity is stunning and clean, and the few tunes which feature vocals aren’t any worse off for it.

Line-up:
- Steve Howe / acoustic guitars, electric guitars, string pad, hi hat, lute, keyboards, bass, tambourine, drum machine
- Phil Spalding / bass on track 1
- Stuart Elliott / drums on track 1

Track List:
01. Sweet Thunder (3:20)
02. Diary of a Man Who Vanished (2:27)
03. Excerpts from “Close to the Edge” (4:23)
04. Excerpts from “Beginnings” (3:19)
05. Pleasure Stole the Night (2:45)
06. Sketches in the Sun (3:10)
07. Rare Birds (3:11)
08. Windy and Warm (1:39)
09. Classical Gas (4:28)
10. Excerpts from “Turn of the Century” (4:47)
11. Misty (1:23)
12. Excerpts from “All’s a Chord” (1:37)
13. Running the Human Race (4:02)
14. Everytime You Look over Your Shoulder (3:33)
15. Theme from “The Gates of Delirium”/Soon (6:47)
16. Blinded by Science (3:46)
17. My White Bicycle (3:17)

Links in comments.

Live, Steve Howe

Jon Anderson – Change We Must (1994) (@256)

16 Nov 2007

Request of arv_pd.

(Review from allmusic, progarchives.com)

Jon Anderson joins conductor Nigel Warren-Green and his London Chamber Academy for orchestral arrangements of new material and old favorites on “Change We Must”.

The result is a good music, on an empathy towards heart and mind pushing the composition in a strong fit, mixing its best charming emotions or unveiling the sensations into their best line of achieved effort.

Beginning with the Jon & Vangelis chestnut “State of Independence,” the singer and orchestra achieve a natural beauty that the previous pairing aimed at but rarely captured. Likewise, “Hurry Home” and “Under the Sun” — both of which originally appeared on In the City of Angels (the latter as “It’s on Fire”) — are given a second life with Celtic and Third World arrangements, respectively.

Some of the new material — such as the “Chagall Duet,” with soprano Sandrine Piau, or “Candle Song,” with daughter Jade — offer a double dose of sweetness, while other songs (notably John Adams’ adaptation “Shaker Loops”) are intentionally edgy. Anderson even steps out of the spotlight for a trio of piano-led instrumentals co-written with David Tolley and featuring pianist Gwendolyn Mok. These serve as a spirited interlude between songs and represent a unique departure from Anderson’s often-elusive arrangements.

For nostalgists, who might regard the lack of anything from Olias of Sunhillow as a missed opportunity, the Yes song “Hearts” is given a faithful but welcome reading. The title track serves as a fitting finale, with flawless production and otherwordly arrangements transporting the listener to Anderson’s own plane of consciousness. Dedicated to spiritualist Nana Veary, Change We Must speaks in a multitude of musical tongues — classical, rock, Third World, choral — with beauty as its common thread.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals and orchestration
with
- Matt Clifford / keyboards, orchestration on (7,9)
- Opio Singers Chior (1-3,10,12)
- Orchestration- Nick Ingram (1,4,12)
- Ian Thomas / drums (3)
- Milton McDonald / guitar (3,12)
- Steve Pearce / bass (3,11,12)
- Toby Alington / synthesizers (3)
- Gwendolyn Mok / piano (4,7,9)
- Geoffrey Alexander / orchestration (5,6,8,10,11)
- Sandrine Piau / vocals (6)
- Tim Handley / orchestration (7)
- Jade Anderson / vocals (8)
- Christopher Warren-Green, Rosie Furness, Roger Chase, Steve Trees, Jonathan Williams (8) / string quartet
- Skalia Kanga / harp (8)
- Nadya / Sun Chant (11)

Track List:
01. State of Independence (5:37)
02. Shaker Loops (5:31)
03. Hearts (5:03)
04. Alive and Well (4:43)
05. The Kiss (3:51)
06. Chagall Duet (3:31)
07. Run on, Jon (2:46)
08. Candle Song (3:36)
09. A View from the Coppice (2:46)
10. Hurry Home (6:52)
11. Under the Sun (5:01)
12. Change We Must (5:39)

Link in comments.

Jon Anderson

Cactus – Cactus (1970) (@256)

16 Nov 2007

(Review from wikipedia, allmusic.com)

Cactus was initially conceived in late 1969 as a supergroup of the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice with guitarist Jeff Beck and singer Rod Stewart. The plan was derailed when Beck had a motorcycle accident that incapacitated him for 18 months. Stewart then joined pal Ron Wood in the revamped Faces (and pursued a somewhat lucrative solo career)

Bogert and Appice were left to find alternates for their dream band. They recruited guitarist Jim McCarty from Mitch Ryder’s disassembling Detroit Wheels, and singer Rusty Day from Ted Nugent’s Amboy Dukes. The already quasi-legendary Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of Bogert and Appice may have provided the backbone of the band’s business cards, and soulful, ex-Amboy Duke Rusty Day brought the voice, but it was arguably former Detroit Wheels guitarist Jim McCarty who was the true star in the Cactus galaxy.

McCarty sprays notes and shreds solos all over their debut album highlights such as “You Can’t Judge a Book By the Cover”, “Let Me Swim” and most notably, a manic, turbocharged version of “Parchman Farm”. The fact that Cactus chose to tackle this classic blues song just a year after it’d been blasted into the fuzz-distortion stratosphere by Blue Cheer betrays.
The blistering closing duo of “Oleo” and “Feel So Good” (complete with bass and drum solo slots) easily certifies this debut as one of the best hard rock albums of the then brand-new decade.

Line-up:
* Rusty Day – Harp, Vocals
* Jim McCarty – Guitar
* Tim Bogert – Bass
* Carmine Appice – Drums

Track List:
01. Parchman Farm
02. My Lady From South Of Detroit
03. Bro. Bill
04. You Can’t Judge A Book By The Cover
05. Let Me Swim
06. No Need To Worry
07. Oleo
08. Feel So Good

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Cactus, Carmine Appice, Tim Bogert

Fotheringay – Fotheringay (1970) (@320)

16 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Fotheringay’ was formed in 1970 by singer Sandy Denny upon her departure from ‘Fairport Convention’, together with her future husband, Australian songwriter Trevor Lucas (Ex-Eclection, ), Gerry Conway (Ex-Eclection) and two former members of ‘Poet and the One Man band’ Jerry Donahue and Pat Donaldson. The band drew it’s name from Fotheringay Castle, where Mary Queen Of Scots was imprisoned in England. ‘Fotheringay’ played Folk-Rock similar to ‘Fairport Convention’, introducing Jazz-elements like ‘Pentangle’.

The album opens with a couple of reflective Sandy Denny compositions. “Nothing more” and “The sea” both focus on her emotional delivery style, the latter sounding like a fine updating of “Who knows where the time goes”. “Winter Winds” follows a similar pattern, with her delicate vocals being given significant dominance over the sympathetic acoustic backing. In terms of Denny’s song-writing, by this time she had become highly competent at creating melodies which suited her voice well.

Five of the nine tracks are composed by Sandy Denny, one being a collaboration with Trevor Lucas. Lucas also writes “The ballad of Ned Kelly” which he sings. He has a fine voice, not unlike that of Gordon Lightfoot, whose “The way I feel” opens side 2. Indeed, Lucas also takes lead vocal on that track, delivering a fine performance. “Ned Kelly” has a barroom sing-a-long chorus, as does the Denny/Lucas composed “Peace in the end”. There is also a Bob Dylan cover — “Too much of nothing”.

“Fotheringay” is a highly melodic album which largely acts as a showcase for the vocal talents of Sandy Denny. The jigs and reels, and indeed story telling of Fairport Convention are absent, but then this was never intended to be a Fairport album.

Although the album and the group was well received the band broke up in 1971. Sandy Denny embarked on a solo carreer, Donaldson and Conway began session work, while Lucas and Donahue rejoined Fairport Convention.

Line-up:
- Sandy Denny / vocals, piano, guitar
- Trevor Lucas/ vocals, guitar
- Jerry Donahue/ lead guitar, backing vocals
- Gerry Conway/ drums, backing vocals
- Pat Donaldson / bass, backing vocals
With:
- Linda Peters (Thompson) / backing vocals
- Tod Lloyd / backing vocals

Track List:
01. Nothing More (4:37)
02. The Sea (5:32)
03. The Ballad Of Ned Kelly (3:34)
04. Winter Winds (2:13)
05. Peace In The End (4:02)
06. The Way I Feel (4:46)
07. The Pond And The Stream (3:20)
08. Too Much Of Nothing (3:55)
09. Banks Of The Nile (8:04)
10. Two Last Weeks In Summer (3:59)
11. Gypsy Davey (3:53)

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Fotheringay, Gerry Conway, Sandy Denny

Vanilla Fudge – Out Through The In Door (2007) (@192)

15 Nov 2007

(Review from metal-invader.com)

Vanilla Fudge, one of the archetype rock bands that define the psychedelic, hard rock sound in the late 60s return in action with an album full of “Led Zeppelin” covers.

What they deliver here, is they bring a real psychedelic air to the songs. They rip down the guitar parts and bring a Hammond that gives you the creeps. The album, delivers twelve well known Zeppelin songs all in decent fashion.

What makes this album enjoyable is the way they treat such classics as “Immigrant song”, “Dazed and confused”, ”All my love”, ”Rock n roll”. They give at the songs the Vanilla treatment making them coming from a paisley underground book slower, more soulful, less guitar oriented, more rock, than blues they offer a very interesting interpretation of such classics. This is an album, which respects the original and still has something to say.

Line-up:
- Mark Stein / lead vocals, backing vocals & keyboards
- Vince Martell / guitars, lead and backing vocals
- Carmine Appice / drums, lead and backing vocals, percussion
- Tim Bogert / bass, back ground vocals

Track List:
01. Immigrant Song (3:19)
02. Ramble On (4:30)
03. Trampled Underfoot (4:49)
04. Dazed And Confused (5:57)
05. Black Mountain Side (3:31)
06. Fool In The Rain (5:30)
07. Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You (7:05)
08. Dancing Days (4:49)
09. Moby Dick (6:06)
10. All Of My Love (6:17)
11. Rock And Roll (4:21)
12. Your Time Is Gonna Come (5:46)

Link in comments.

Osanna – Milano Calibro 9 (1972) (@256)

15 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

The basis of Osanna’s sound is original heavy guitar rock often in combination with amazing flute solos. Additionally, more spacey, Pink Floydian parts and quiet interludes with acoustic guitar and flute can be heard as well. There are plenty of mood changes and surprises that make this music very dynamic and interesting.

Their second album fuses hard rock, blues, jazz, folk in a progressive framework, incorporating an orchestra. It’s also a soundtrack of a film, despite the trippy artwork on the album cover that might make you think “Milano Calibro 9″ was an art film, it was actually apparently a mob film.

The album starts off with “Theme”, which starts off with a bizarre sounding ARP 2600 synthesizer. There is some classical piano, the orchestra, then the band kicks in to a mindblowing jam. “Tema” (“Theme”) is a more mellow, and pleasant piece, dominated by piano, orchestra, and ARP 2600 synthesizer. Nice piece. Then the album goes through several pieces entitled “Varazioni” (divided by roman numerals I-VII). These movements goes through many different moods and changes, although most of them are quite short. The second movement is the one of only two cuts with vocals. It’s stuffed with lots of bizarre, atmospheric and acoustic pieces, with that great flute, and more great loud, aggressive jams. The last piece, “Canzona” is the album’s only other vocal track, and it’s a pretty straightforward pop song, as seemed to be the common occurance on many Italian progressive albums.

Line-up:
- Elio D’anna / flute, piccolo, tenor sax, baritone sax
- Lino Vairett / vocals, 12 string guitar, harmonica, hammond organ,synthesizer
- Danilo Rusici / guitar, 12 string guitar, pipe organ, electronics
- Lello Brandi / bass
- Massimo Guarino / drums

Track List:
01. Preludio (4:10)
02. Tema (4:50)
03. Variatione 1 (To Plinius) (2:15)
04. Variatione 2 (My Mind Files) (4:58)
05. Variatione 3 (Shuum…) (1:38)
06. Variatione 4 (Tredicesimo Cortile) (1:31)
07. Variatione 5 (Dianalogo) (2:10)
08. Variatione 6 (Spunti Dalla Spartito No.14723-AY2 Del Prof. Imolo Meninge) (2:49)
09. Variatione 7 (Posizione Raggiunta) (1:28)
10. Canzona (There Will Be Time) (4:54)

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Eloy – Ocean 2 : The Answer (1998) (@192)

15 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

This is Eloy’s final fling, a return to concepts and themes first explored in the 1970s but updated with modern sensibilities and techniques. Ocean 2 takes stylistic references from the melodic arena-rock of their previous album, while resurrecting the space rock of its spiritual ancestor “Ocean” and a hefty dose of superior symphonic progressive. The band also demonstrate a far greater control of spatial dynamics with plenty of light and shade mood swings.

If the original Ocean was about the fall of mankind and the human condition, then Ocean 2 is Bornemann’s vision of the way forward by exploring esoteric and religious pointers that reach deep into the mystical. For example, Ro Setau makes the familiar claim of great secrets lying in an undiscovered chamber under The Sphinx in Giza, “treasures of wisdom / left by wise men / thousands of years ago”, while Awakening Of Consciousness takes the Buddhist route where “predestination and karma remain at your side”. The culmination is reached in The Answer, Bornemann’s vision of Revelation when the human mind becomes at last “in unison with space and time”.

The album’s sound is alive with industry and imagination. No one instrument dominates, but keyboards patrol all facets of the compositions, from soft ethereal washes to the full-blown wall-of-sound of the band in full flight where they merge with Bornemann’s wonderful guitar playing. Vocals are universally excellent, and special mention must be made for Matziol’s superb contribution on bass, one of the highlights of this album.

Ocean 2 is a high quality modern take on spacey progressive rock that should please most fans, old and new alike, but don’t expect it to sound like the original “Ocean”. The connection between them is mainly lyrical rather than musical.

Line-up:
- Frank Bornemann / vocals, guitars
- Klaus-Peter Matziol / bass
- Bodo Schopf / drums & percussion
- Michael Gerlach / keyboards, vocoder

Track List:
01. Between Future And Past (2:43)
02. Ro Setau (7:09)
03. Paralysed Civilization (9:28)
04. Serenity (3:09)
05. Awakening Of Consciousness (6:03)
06. Reflections From The Spheres Beyond (12:59)
07. Waves Of Intuition (4:56)
08. The Answer (11:19)

Link in comments.

Eloy

Vanilla Fudge – The Return (2002) (@256)

14 Nov 2007

(Review from allmusic, progarchives.com)

One can only hope to have the energy, soul and emotion that this group has in their fifties. We seem to be going through a rock ‘n’ roll renaissance lately with 60s and 70s bands reemerging and catching everyone by surprise with the great music that is being produced. Thus Vanilla Fudge stroke back, 17 years after their previous attempt, and released “The Return”.

If you are taking a look at the track listing, this IS NOT a live album, but a studio re-recording of some of the classic tracks that propelled them in the legend. There are also three completely new “Fudged” covers, the 1979 Rod Stewart hit “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and two hits by turn-of-the-21st-century boy bands, Nsync’s “Tearin’ Up My Heart” and the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way”.

The performances are true to the Vanilla Fudge style, with slowed tempos, quotes from classical and traditional themes, and lengthy improvisation (eight of the 12 tracks run over six minutes), and the album certainly demonstrates that, almost 40 years into their career, the bandmembers retain their rock & roll chops admirably.

For all the hangers on and all of those that have been wondering what this band sounded like, here is your chance to hear them in the new century.

Line-up:
- Carmine Appice / drums, vocals
- Tim Bogert / bass, vocals
- Vince Martell / guitar, vocals
- Bill Pascali / organ, vocals

Track List:
01. Ain’t That Peculiar (6:10)
02. You Keep Me Hangin’ On (6:45)
03. Tearin’ Up My Heart (7:37)
04. Shotgun (6:05)
05. People Get Ready (6:46)
06. Take Me For A Little While (4:15)
07. Good Good Livin’ (4:42)
08. I Want It That Way (6:50)
09. Need Love (4:49)
10. She’s Not There (5:12)
11. Season Of The Witch (8:10)
12. Do Ya Think I’m Sexy (7:12)

Links in comments.

Carmine Appice, Live, Tim Bogert, Vanilla Fudge

Steeleye Span – Hark! The Village Wait (1970) (@256)

14 Nov 2007

(Review from wikipedia, allmusic.com)

The Steeleye Span story began in late 1969 when London-born bass player Ashley Hutchings departed Fairport Convention, the band he had co-founded in 1967. Fairport Convention had been involved in a road accident in 1969 in which the drummer, Martin Lamble, was killed and other band members injured.

Hutchings’s departure was in part because of the accident, in part because he wanted to pursue a different, more traditional, direction than the other members of Fairport Convention did at that time.

Hutchings’ new band was formed after he met established duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior on the London folk club scene, and the initial lineup was completed by husband and wife team Terry and Gay Woods. With two female singers, the original line-up was unusual for the time.

The name Steeleye Span comes from a character in the traditional song Horkstow Grange (which they did not actually record until they released an album by that name in 1998). The song gives an account of a fight between John “Steeleye” Span and John Bowlin, neither of whom are proven to have been real people. Martin Carthy gave Tim Hart the idea to name the band after the song character.

Their debut album’s sound is essentially folk music with rock drumming and bass guitar added to some of the songs. The banjo features prominently on several tracks, including “The Blacksmith”, “Copshawholme Fair”, and “Lowlands of Holland”.

This was probably the best singing line-up of Steeleye Span, with Gay Woods and Maddy Prior melding beautifully on tracks like “Dark-Eyed Sailor” and “My Johnnie Was a Shoemaker” and Terry Woods adding some realistic coarseness on “The Hills of Greenmore.” The sound is fully electric here with superb playing on the epic “Lowlands of Holland”.

It’s a pity this album is the only one to feature the original line-up of the band, as the Woods couple left immediately after its release, without having ever performed live.

Line-up:
* Maddy Prior / vocals
* Tim Hart / vocals, electric guitar, electric dulcimer, fiddle, 5-string banjo, harmonium
* Ashley Hutchings / bass
* Terry Woods / vocals, electric guitar, concertina, mandola, 5-string banjo, mandolin
* Gay Woods / vocals, concertina, autoharp, bodhran
with
* Gerry Conway / drums
* Dave Mattacks / drums

Track List:
01. A Calling-on Song
02. The Blacksmith
03. Fisherman’s Wife
04. Blackleg Miner
05. Dark-Eyed Sailor
06. Copshawholme Fair
07. All Things Are Quite Silent
08. The Hills Of Greenmore
09. My Johnny Was A Shoemaker
10. Lowlands of Holland
11. Twa Corbies
12. One Night As I Lay On My Bed

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Ashley Hutchings, Gerry Conway, Maddy Prior

Eloy – Destination (1992) (@320)

14 Nov 2007

(Review from progressiveworld.net)

The thought that goes through my mind while listening to Eloy’s Destination is: Yes. That is, more specifically, Rabin-era Yes. Of course, Frank Bornemann sings heavily accented but still, Bornemann’s range is the same, that very high pitched falsetto, if only with a dark undertone not found in Anderson’s voice. It isn’t just Bornemann’s vocals, which are the most up front element. The music does as well – think of the crunch that Talk had. This is in the same realm. Interestingly, it precedes Talk by about two years. Of course, it also recalls, to varying degrees 90125 and Big Generator, becoming less so the further back in time we go.

The album rocks and rocks fairly hard. There are some interesting arrangements on this guitar heavy album … well, that’s misleading, because it’s more accurate to just call this a heavy album – deep, booming bass, throaty keys, dark guitar, pounding percussion (which sound digital on the title track). The more accessible tracks — the opener “Call Of The Wild” and “Racing Shadows” — really stick in the mind. “Call Of The Wild” pulses darkly and includes light flute notes from guest Lenny MacDowell that are reminiscent of that other famous Anderson, which seems like an easily, lazy comment to make but I could help but think of classic Tull. “Racing Shadows” could easily have been a track on Big Generator, though I think more of “The Calling” from Talk.

This is far from a boring album, as “Silent Revolution” is anything but, being a hard pounding rocker with some great guitar work – rocker is an understatement. The drive of this track is just propulsive, not quite with speed metal ferocity and velocity. The latter two minutes feature twinkling keys and the chirpy voices of a kids choir. This is a heavy album, aside from the music, covering such weighty issues such as humanity’s destination, political lies/promises.

“Prisoner In Mind” is in the mold of the typical rock song, easily the most accessible track here, and the shortest at just over four minutes. The odd track out is “Jeanne d’Arc” which closes the album, in that it is more operatic-rock, with a majestic choir of voices. It is an epic track along the lines of Ayreon, say, to make a somewhat anachronistic reference.

Line-up:
- Frank Bornemann / vocals, guitars
- Michael Gerlach / keyboards
- Nico Baretta / drums
with
- Peter Chrastina / choir arrangements
- Hege Engelke / bass (3-4), rhythm guitar (4), acoustic / solo guitar (6)
- Detlev Goy / bass (1-6-8)
- Lenny MacDowell / flutes (1-3)
- Klaus-Peter Matziol / bass (2-5)
- Kai Steffen / solo guitar (5)

Track List:
01. Call Of The Wild (6:49)
02. Racing Shadows (7:11)
03. Destination (7:41)
04. Prisoner Of The Mind (4:26)
05. Silent Revolution (7:55)
06. Fire And Ice (5:10)
07. Eclipse Of Mankind (6:29)
08. Jeanne d’Arc (7:36)

Links in comments.

Eloy

Vanilla Fudge – Mystery (1984) (@320)

13 Nov 2007

(Review from allmusic, amazon)

Vanilla Fudge reunited 14 years after their breakup and took a stab at the 80s. Though the 80s Fudge is pretty different. The fun psychedelic distortion of Vince Martell is totally stripped away. Mark Stein plays very little B-3 organ. He mostly uses what were the most modern synths of the Eighties, and it doesn’t sound like the classic Fudge. Clearly, this wasn’t an attempt at former glories, but a stab at reinventing the band instead of putting their trademark arrangements on familiar tunes.

The covers are amusing and some of the originals show sparks of ingenuity. Jeff Beck funks up the Supreme cover “My World Is Empty”, cover of Dionne Warwick’s “Walk On By” is slow and heavy reminescent of the classic Fudge.

Unfortunately most of the tracks doesn’t have a distinct Fudge signature on them, unable to differentiate from other music of the era.

Line-up:
- Carmine Appice / drums, vocals
- Tim Bogert / bass, vocals
- Vince Martell / guitar, vocals
- Mark Stein / keyboards, vocals
with
- Ron Mancuso / guitar
- Jeff Beck / guitar

Track List:
01. Golden Age Dreams (4:34)
02. Jealousy (3:57)
03. Mystery (4:38)
04. Under Suspicion (3:56)
05. It Gets Stronger (5:21)
06. Walk on By (4:59)
07. My World Is Empty (4:04)
08. Don’t Stop Now (4:17)
09. Hot Blood (4:13)
10. Stranger (4:53)

Link in comments.

Porcupine Tree – Sky Moves Sideways (1995) (@256)

13 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Porcupine Tree have managed to defy genres and blend together numerous ambient, rock and avant-garde styles to create a musical landscape that is both refreshing and compulsively seductive — the hypnotic rhythms, spacy synthesizers, glissando guitar and crazy voices.

Their third album, Sky Moves Sideways typifies and fully explores their space rock roots and ideas. Bookended by two largely extended pieces of music, the album take the listener to another world. From the ethereal and other-worldly The Sky Moves Sideways to the hard rocking riffing of Dislocated Day, this album is an eclectic and involved album throughout the entire journey. The drums are dynamic and are well placed, the bass is thumping and moves along nicely with the drums and other instruments. The keyboards are lush and create soothing atmospheres to lift the listener off of their feet, and the guitar is varied and the effects and emotions that are conveyed are just utterly superb.

The album opens with The Sky Moves Sideways Phase I, which essentially to any fan of Pink Floyd will remind them of Shine on You Crazy Diamond with a long synth based orchestration that is soothing to the ear and is a great introduction. Soon, gentle and very phased guitar chords are played over a steady bass/drum beat for the next few minutes. Steven Wilson’s vocals on this track are very echoey and very other-worldly. The extended outro has very electronic overtones, and the flute solo fits very well over that. In short, this is 18 minutes of progressive nirvana. Dislocated Day starts off as a gentle piece but turns into an all out rocker that shows the definite future base of Porcupine Tree’s sound with powerful riffs and strong keyboard and guitar interplay.

Dislocated Day is an acoustic based piece that has soft and gentle vocals as well as a definite Floydian feel to it. It’s the softest piece on the album and it fits very well as the middle piece. Prepare Yourself was intended as a short interlude that preceded the extended instrumental piece Moonloop, but Moonloop didn’t make it onto the album. It’s a short little guitar solo that in the context of the album acts as a prelude to The Sky Moves Sideways Phase II. Now the 16 minute instrumental (except one questionable sequence when a celestial sounding voice) has a terrific jam feel to it, with rocking bass, thumping drums, spacey and well timed keyboards, and guitar solo after guitar solo. Strong guitar sections that add a layer of dissonance to the superb vocals at one point. The track ends essentially as it began with celestial and spacey keyboards giving it the final goodbye.

This edition of the album includes a bonus CD of additional material, most notably an alternative version of the title track. This thirty-four minutes and thirty-seven seconds lasting version combines the original phase one and two of the song, but with various extra melodies and changes in the composition, which eventually were cut from the album. On this version of Sky Moves Sideways, Steven Wilson sings different vocals than on the final version of its Phase 1 on the original album.

Line-up:
- Steve Wilson / guitars, keyboards, programming, flute, tapes and vocals
- Richard Barbieri / synthesizers and electronics
- Colin Edwin / bass guitar and double bass
- Chris Maitland / drums and percussion
- Suzanne Barbieri / vocals
- Theo Travis / flute
- Gavin Harrison / drums
- Rick Edwards / percussion

Track List:
CD1
01. The Sky Moves Sideways – Phase 1 (18:39)
02. Dislocated Day (5:24)
03. The Moon Touches Your Shoulder (5:40)
04. Prepare Yourself (1:58)
05. The Sky Moves Sideways – Phase 2 (16:48)
CD2
01. The Sky Moves Sideways – Alternative Version (34:37)
02. Stars Die (5:01)
03. Moonloop – Improvisation (16:18)
04. Moonloop – Coda (4:52)

Links in comments.

Eloy – Ra (1988) (@256)

13 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, amazon)

After 1984′s Metromania, the members of Eloy went their separate ways until Frank Bornemann reconvened with Michael Gerlach to continue as a duo assisted by session musicains and a host of electronics. The band has come a long way from its roots. It is clear that technology and the fact that this is the first album in four years make Ra a kind of a shifting sound album.

The material here is high quality arena rock, a semi-progressive return to form that ploughs the same musical furrow as Rabin-era Yes but much more progressive! The band’s songwriting had never been better, songs are intelligently produced with strong developing arrangements.

Long-term fans of Eloy may feel that “Ra” does not sit well alongside their earlier albums. Though it is a fine example of 80′s progressive, with some good compositions and competent performances.

Line-up:
- Frank Bornemann / vocals, guitars
- Michael Gerlach / keyboards, drums, bass synthetizers
with
- Diana Badey / whispers (3)
- Udo Dahmey / drums (4)
- Achim Gieseler / keyboards (4-5)
- Paul Harriman / bass (2)
- Stefan Höls / bass (4), backing vocals (3-5)
- Tommy Newton / guitars (2)
- Annette Strangenberg / vocals (3-4-5)
- Darryl Van Raalte / fretless bass (3)
- Sue Wist / vocal intro (1)

Track List:
01. Voyager Of The Future Race (8:51)
02. Sensations (4:46)
03. Dreams (8:05)
04. Invasion Of A Megaforce (7:42)
05. Rainbow (5:21)
06. Hero (6:51)

Link in comments.

Eloy

Vanilla Fudge – Rock & Roll (1970) (@192)

12 Nov 2007

(Review from allmusic)

Vanilla Fudge took a more basic stance with Rock ‘n’ Roll, bringing in Aerosmith’s first and the Velvet Underground’s last producer, Adrian Barber.

Guitarist Vinnie Martell sings lead on “Need Love” and it is a quagmire of rock sounds, offset by Mark Stein’s “Lord in the Country”. The band then goes after a good but non-hit Carole King/Gerry Goffin number, “I Can’t Make It Alone”. It has that vibe that made “Take Me for a Little While” so important and so timeless. This is Vanilla Fudge’s trademark sound looking for a new personality.

Covers like “The Windmills of Your Mind” are what the band was all about. It is their ability to pour passions into other people’s already established songs. Just listen to the drums pound away six and a half minutes into the song while the keyboard slashes like a guitar. It’s the Young Rascals meet Moe Tucker of the Velvet Underground, a sublime blend.

After this fifth album, Vanilla Fudge decided to split up and to look for other musical challenges. “Rock & Roll” captures the band as it was disintegrating. It’s a delicious slice of nostalgia for hardcore fans.

Line-up:
- Vince Martell / guitar, lead vocals
- Mark Stein / organ, keyboards
- Carmine Appice / drums
- Tim Bogert / bass

Track List:
01. Need Love (4:58)
02. Lord In The Country (4:34)
03. I Can’t Make It Alone (4:46)
04. Street Walking Woman The Beat (6:12)
05. Church Bells Of St. Martins (4:39)
06. The Windmills Of Your Mind (6:03)
07. If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody (6:19)

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Kultivator – Barndomens Stigar (1981) (@256)

12 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Kultivator is a Swedish band as unique as unclassifiable. Formed in 1978, the band recorded its sole album, “Barndomens Stigar”, in 1981.

Kultivator’s music is a vast field of investigations. It seems impossible in a first approximation to classify them in a musical category rather than in another. Indeed, the facets of their music are so numerous, and one can notice the same about their influences, and their originality taken from their folkloric Swedish roots. A true hybrid to sum up that blends influences from zeuhl, art rock, canterbury, RIO and symphonic progressive rock but they still manage to create their own sound and rarely go into any overused progressive clichés..

Some people place them halfway between zeuhl and canterbury (‘Halfway between heaven and earth’ sang Richard Sinclair). Reality, in the light of their music and their influences, is much more complex and it needs a better definition of what zeuhl is; much more than what commonly defines it on the base of powerful, hypnotic and repetitive themes, achieved by the rhythm section and the piano or on the base of incantatory chants with melodies at times dissonant but above all simple in terms of harmony.

For the CD re-issue of the LP “Barndomens Stigar” in 1992, the band reformed and recorded the two bonus tracks. Today, the members of Kultivator follow various artistic solo careers (music, theater and teaching).

Line-up:
- Stefan Carlsson / bass, bass-pedals
- Johan Hedrén / Rhodes, organ, synthesizers
- Jonas Linge / guitars, vocals
- Ingemo Rylander / vocals, recorders, Rhodes
- Johan Svärd / drums, percussion
with
- Hadan svav boys’ choir

Track List:
01. Hoga hastar (3:32)
02. Vemod (2:35)
03. Smafolket (5:15)
04. Kara jord (7:07)
05. Barndomens stigar (5:13)
06. Grottekvarnen (7:05)
07. Varfol (2:52)
08. Novarest (6:14)
09. Haxdans (Bonus) (6:35)
10. Tunnelbanan Medley (Bonus Live) (3:13)

Link in comments.

Eloy – Codename Wildgeese (1985) (@256)

12 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, hopto.org)

Eloy broke up after “Metromania”. Three members recorded this soundtrack without Frank Bornemann under Eloy’s name.

The soundtrack is a mix of discrete instrumental tracks – some surprisingly good, containing the Eloy synth moods of the “Space Metal” era. Other than that there is not much of Eloy’s touch here — don’t expect enchanting melodies, guitar solos or symphonic evolutions.

Though generally not considered to be a “true” Eloy album, it could be worth exploring as an Eloy side-project.

Line-up:
* Hannes Arkona
* Hannes Folberth
* Klaus-Peter Matziol
with
* J. Nemec-Bolek on Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll

Track List:
01. Patrol (2:47)
02. Hongkong Theme I (3:32)
03. Hit And Run (1:38)
04. Queen Of Rock ‘n’ Roll (2:36)
05. Destiny (4:34)
06. Discovery (0:50)
07. Juke-Box (1:58)
08. Deadlock (1:30)
09. Cha-Shoen (3:35)
10. Sabotage (1:20)
11. On The Edge (3:30)
12. A Long Goodbye (2:13)
13. Face To Face (1:47)
14. A Moment Decides (2:07)
15. Revenge (1:13)
16. Hongkong Theme II (1:07)

Link in comments.

Eloy

Vanilla Fudge – Beat Goes On (1968) (@192)

11 Nov 2007

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

“The Beat Goes On”, released in 1968, is very different from their first album. There aren’t any real “songs” on the album. It’s a scattershot sound collage featuring just about anything and everything to make it interesting. The voices of world leaders, the band reciting pre-written mantras and reflections, and featuring covers from The Beatles and Sonny Bono.

Without a question this album contains some of the wildest combinations of classical, pop, rock and psychedelic you will ever hear. Mark Stein’s organ work is killer on this album with some real tasty runs.

The foundation of the album is based on 4 distinct phases with Phase 1 paying tribute to the Beatles, phase 2 touching Beethoven’s classic moonlight Sonata, Phase 3 a collage of historical speeches and Phase 4 a collection of shorter whimsical numbers with sitar, tabla and other worldly instruments.

Although this is not an album you would listen to every day, it is a very aggressive album full of highly imaginative song writing and clever instrumentation.

The group was at odds with their producer Shadow Morton when this album came to be. Shadow Morton made his own album using the group’s input, and it shows. It’s an anomaly in the group’s catalogue, although all of the “musical” parts sound like the group, before and after. The concept, however, does not belong to the band and bears no resemblance to the group’s other works.

Line-up:
* Mark Stein – lead vocals, keyboards
* Vince Martell – guitar, vocals
* Carmine Appice – drums, vocals
* Tim Bogert – bass, vocals

Track List:
01. Sketch
02. Intro: The Beat Goes On
03. Eighteenth Centry Variations On A Theme By Mozart
04. The Beat Goes On II
05. Fure Elise / Moonlight Sonata
06. The Beat Goes On III
07. The Beat Goes On IV
08. Voices In Time
09. The Beat Goes On V
10. Merchant / the Game Is Over
11. The Beat Goes On VI
12. You Can’t Do That (Bonus)
13. Come By Day, Come By Night (Bonus)

Link in comments.

Band – Band (1969) (@256)

11 Nov 2007

(Review from wikipedia, allmusic.com)

Band’s music fuses many elements: primarily old country music and early rock and roll, though the rhythm section often was reminiscent of Stax or Motown, and Robertson cites Curtis Mayfield and the Staple Singers as major influences, resulting in a synthesis of many musical genres.

With the exception of Robertson, every other member is a multi-instrumentalist. Though there was little instrument-switching when they played live; when recording, the musicians could make up different configurations in service of the songs.

“The Band”, the group’s selftitled second album, is a more deliberate and even more accomplished effort, partially because the players had become a more cohesive unit and partially because guitarist Robbie Robertson had taken over the songwriting, writing or co-writing all 12 songs.

Though a Canadian, Robertson focused on a series of American archetypes from the union worker in “King Harvest (Has Surely Come)” and the retired sailor in “Rockin’ Chair” to, most famously, the Confederate Civil War observer Virgil Cane in “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. The lyrics paint portraits of 19th century rural life (especially Southern American life, as references to Tennessee and Virginia made clear).

The album effectively mixes the kind of mournful songs that dominated their debut, here including “Whispering Pines” and “When You Awake” with rollicking uptempo numbers like “Rag Mama Rag” and “Up on Cripple Creek”. It is the Band’s sound that stands out the most, from Helm’s (and occasionally Manuel’s) propulsive drumming to Robertson’s distinctive guitar fills and the endlessly inventive keyboard textures of Garth Hudson, all topped by the rough, expressive singing of Manuel, Helm, and Rick Danko that mixed leads with harmonies. The arrangements are simultaneously loose and assured, giving the songs a timeless appeal.

Line-up:
* Rick Danko – bass, fiddle, trombone, vocals
* Levon Helm – drums, mandolin, rhythm guitar, vocals
* Garth Hudson – organ; clavinet; piano; accordion; soprano, tenor and baritone saxophones; slide trumpet; bass pedals
* Richard Manuel – piano, drums, baritone saxophone, harmonica, vocals
* John Simon – tuba, electric piano, baritone horn, tenor saxophone, high school and peck horns
* Jaime Robbie Robertson – guitars

Track List:
01. Across the Great Divide – 2:53
02. Rag Mama Rag – 3:04
03. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down – 3:33
04. When You Awake – 3:13
05. Up on Cripple Creek – 4:34
06. Whispering Pines – 3:58
07. Jemima Surrender – 3:31
08. Rockin’ Chair – 3:43
09. Look Out Cleveland – 3:09
10. Jawbone – 4:20
11. The Unfaithful Servant – 4:17
12. King Harvest (Has Surely Come) – 3:39
13. Get Up Jake (Bonus Outtake – Stereo Mix) – 2:17
14. Rag Mama Rag (Bonus Alternate Vocal – Rough Mix) – 3:05
15. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Bonus Alternate Mix) – 4:16
16. Up on Cripple Creek (Bonus Alternate) – 4:51
17. Whispering Pines (Bonus Alternate) – 5:09
18. Jemima Surrender (Bonus Alternate) – 3:48
19. King Harvest (Has Surely Come) (Bonus Alternate Performance) – 4:28

Links in comments.

Eloy – Metromania (1984) (@256)

11 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

Metromania represents the seeds of a resurrection with a shift to a harder rocking style blending elements of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Hawkwind with Eloy’s symphonic Prog tendencies and sophisticated Stadium-AOR.

As usual, the songs rely mostly on instrumental dexterity and clever arrangements rather than pure songwriting skills, but several turn out to be quite memorable for one reason or another with pounding riffs, stomping basslines and aggressive guitar figures. They are intelligently arranged and presented with little twists and turns.

“Escape To The Heights” sets the scene with a powerhouse wall-of-sound not unlike the old days of Hawkwind. “All Life Is One” is slow and stately in a heavy kind of way and features some excellent slide guitar work. “The Stranger” chugs along very effectively, while “Follow The Light” progresses in fine style, incorporating catchy Suzi Quattro soundalike vocal refrains and a welcome instrumental mood shift. “Night Riders” thunders into Black Sabbath land with a slow beat, grumbling bassline and big gritty guitar solo.

Line-up:
- Frank Bornemann / vocals, guitars
- Hannes Arkona / guitars, keyboards, percussion, vocoder
- Klaus-Peter Matziol / bass
- Fritz Radow / drums
- Hannes Folberth / keyboards

Track List:
01. Escape To The Heights (5:03)
02. Seeds Of Creation (4:28)
03. All Life Is One (6:28)
04. The Stranger (3:59)
05. Follow The Light (9:37)
06. Nightriders (9:39)
07. Metromania (6:10)

Link in comments.

Eloy

Procol Harum – Broken Barricades (1971) (@256)

10 Nov 2007

(Review from amazon)

1971′s “Broken Barricades” is Procol Harum’s fifth album, the band putting aside the Hammond organ and going even more in a hard rocking direction than on their previous album.

The highlights include the brutal Simple Sister on which Trower plays full throttle, the inscrutable title cut, the suggestive Luskus Delph, and the opaque classic Playmate of the Mouth. Fans of drummer BJ Wilson will thrill to Power Failure. Trower teams up with Reid to put his stamp on three cuts.

Broken Barricades marks the end of Procol Harum’s second period and also the end of an era with the subsequent departure of guitarist Robin Trower who was instrumental in giving the second period its harder sound.

Line-up:
- Gary Brooker / lead vocals, piano
- Robin Trower / guitars
- Chris Copping / bass, organ, synthesizers
- Barrie James Wilson / drums

Track List:
01. Simple Sister (5:48)
02. Broken Barricades (3:09)
03. Memorial Drive (3:43)
04. Luskus Delph (3:44)
05. Power Failure (4:29)
06. Song For A Dreamer (5:36)
07. Playmate Of The Mouth (5:03)
08. Poor Mohammed (3:05)
09. Broken Barricades (Bonus Single) (2:32)
10. Power Failure (Bonus Single) (3:09)
11. Simple Sister (Bonus Mono) (5:48)

Links in comments.

Procol Harum

Steve Howe – Not Necessarily Acoustic (Live 1994) (@256)

10 Nov 2007

(Review from progreviews.com, progarchives.com)

Steve Howe’s first solo live album was recorded during two performances in mid-December 1994 in Philadelphia and Montreal. His stunning, unique and seminal guitarplay incorporates rock, classical, symphonic, jazz, ragtime, blues and perhaps a few more musical styles.

During the show Howe plays a sizable chunk of his past work. There were also a few songs that had never been released. Most were played on a variety of acoustic guitars, but a few songs were done on a very clean sounding electric.

All his classic guitar pieces are covered: “Clap”, “Mood for a Day”, “Sketches in the Sun”, “Ram”, “Cactus Boogie”, “Meadow Rag” and “Masquerade” to name but a few. Also included are a clipped “Roundabout” and a tastefully compiled suite excerpting all four sides of Tales from Topographic Oceans, the highlight of which is “The Ancient” sequence. Howe displays brief snapshots of his influences, in the covers “Country Mix” (a medley of five country tunes clocking in at under three minutes), “Arada” and the short but sweet “The Glory of Love”.

This is an hour-long mostly acoustic live showdown from Steve Howe, providing a near-perfect overview of his best guitar work.

Track List:
01. The Valley of Rocks (3:03)
02. Heritage (2:32)
03. Arada (1:08)
04. Country Mix: White Silver Sands/Green Bay… (2:57)
05. Excerpts from Tales from Topographic… (9:18)
06. Bareback (2:42)
07. Sketches in the Sun (2:58)
08. Cactus Boogie (2:09)
09. Second Initial (2:47)
10. Corkscrew (3:45)
11. The Glory of Love (1:14)
12. Dorothy (2:10)
13. Meadow Rag (2:26)
14. Concerto in D, 2nd Movement (2:34)
15. Surface Tension (3:22)
16. Masquerade (2:03)
17. Mood for a Day (2:59)
18. Swedish Rhapsody (0:53)
19. Whispering (1:00)
20. Roundabout (2:33)
21. Ram (1:51)
22. Clap (3:43)

Links in comments.

Live, Steve Howe

Eloy – Performance (1983) (@256)

10 Nov 2007

(Review from amazon, progarchives.com)

With their eleventh studio album, the band’s sound now evolves into a more plastic product of the eighties with only some sparkling hard rock flavour.

The keyboards are floating, rythmic, varied, futuristic and melodic. The electric guitar is well balanced between sometimes distortion-free parts, sometimes quite aggressive hard rock parts, and it is always very clean and very rythmic. The bass is surprisingly complex, very well played and often fast. The drums are sophisticated and may be fast too.

On one hand the sound is quite heavy (Shadow and Light) and on the other hand it’s quite poppy and simple (In Disguise, Surrender, Fools). There is an instrumental piece called Mirador where a lot of keyboard and synth goes on, but it seems out of place among the other tracks. Heartbeat and “A Broken Frame” are closer to their previous albums with some heavier stuff in them.

This album is faster hard rock and the keyboards steal less the show.

Line-up:
- Frank Bornemann / vocals, guitars
- Klaus-Peter Matziol / basses
- Hannes Arkona / guitars, keyboards
- Hannes Folberth / keyboards
- Fritz Randow / drums, percussion

Track List:
01. In Disguise (4:29)
02. Shadow And Light (5:17)
03. Mirador (3:44)
04. Surrender (5:38)
05. Heartbeat (6:26)
06. Fools (5:10)
07. A Broken Frame (8:10)
08. Shadow And Light (Bonus Live 1983) (5:08)
09. Heartbeat (Bonus Live 1983) (6:00)
10. Fools (Bonus Live 1983) (4:49)

Links in comments.

Eloy

Duffy – Just In Case You're Interested (1975) (@192) (Vinyl)

09 Nov 2007

Duffy’s second album continues the band’s heavy sound of their debut, including more ballads and a nice cover of Animals’ “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”.

Line-up:
* Stuart Reffold – vocals
* Barry Coote – guitar
* Joe Nanson – keyboards
* Patrick Sarjeant – bass
* Will Wright – drums

Track List:
01. Matchmaker (2:52)
02. Long Lost Friend (3:06)
03. Judgement Day (4:25)
04. Amie (2:37)
05. It’s My Life (2:58)
06. Rock Solid (3:26)
07. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood (5:56)
08. Tell Me (3:10)
09. Riverside (3:05)
10. Place to die (2:09)

Link in comments.

Duffy

Peter Banks – Two Sides of Peter Banks (1973) (@256)

09 Nov 2007

(Review from progreviews.com)

The original Yes guitarist’s solo debut features quite a line-up of guest artists. Predominantly, these are Jan Akkerman of Focus — who is Banks’ main collaborator, Phil Collins, Flash bandmates Ray Bennett and Mike Hough. Briefer cameos are provided from Steve Hackett and a John Wetton who was just dipping his toes into King Crimson at the time.

The album opens with a beautiful electric guitar duet, Banks’ classic volume pedal tones and Akkerman ringing out with sad, gothic fifths characteristic of his work in Focus. The other duet, Akkerman’s “Beyond the Loneliest Sea”, is even more impressive, with more weeping willow support from Banks and Akkerman laying down some luscious classical guitar.

Banks takes the ball and runs alone with “White House Vale”, a melodic guitar poem which showcases some of his own classical moves, with a brief interlude that presages the next piece, “Knights”. The main riff of the two-parter “Knights,” incidentally, is almost exactly like one of main themes from Wendy Carlos’ Tron composed a decade later, though the similarity is almost certainly coincidental. On Banks’ post-Yes albums, he inevitably lets fly some terrific electric guitar solos, in the John McLaughlin “let them eat cake ’cause I’m gonna wing this mutha” spirit of sloppy exploration, even if it sounds nothing like Mahavishnu Orchestra. Here you can find that on “Knights” and “Stop That!”. The album closes with a fun, and one can only assume tongue-in-cheek, electric hoedown between Banks and Akkerman entitled “Get Out of My Fridge”.

Line-up:
- Peter Banks / electric and acoustic guitar, ARP, mini moog, Fender piano
- Jan Akkerman / electric and acoustic guitar
with
- Ray Bennett / bass guitar
- Phil Collins / drums
- Steve Hackett / electric guitar
- Mike Hough / drums
- John Wetton / bass

Track List:
01. Vision of the King – 1:25
02. The White House Vale – 7:13
03. Knights – 6:53
04. Battles – 2:23
05. Knights Reprise – 2:13
06. Last Eclipse – 2:28
07. Beyond the Loneliest Sea – 3:04
08. Stop That! – 13:41
09. Get Out of My Fridge – 3:21

Link in comments.

Jan Akkerman, John Wetton, Peter Banks, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett

Eloy – Time To Turn (1982) (@256)

09 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, vintageprog.com)

With “Time to Turn” Eloy conclude the second (and final part) of their great concept work about Salta and the Ikareens, they started with “Planets”. Although stylistically comparable with its conceptual twin “Planets”, it relies a little more on subtlety and elegance. Keyboards and synths still predominate, but are nowhere near as overpowering, while guitars have made a welcome return to the foreground.

“Behind the Walls of Imagination” is one of the highlights here. It has some very interesting use of clavinet, as the instrument is the main part of the track’s rhythmic foundation. “End of an Odyssey” is with its 9-minutes the longest track on the album and features lengthy passages with lots of spacey keyboards that make sure you won’t miss the typical sci-fi atmosphere that usually is one of the most important things on an Eloy-album. The title-track is a strongly melodic tune with a very nice female-chorus. The opener “Through a Somber Galaxy” and “Magic Mirrors” are both well-structured tracks with decent melodies and more of the spacey atmosphere.

From the fantastic cathedral-organ-like intro to the unespected acoustic closer, this is a voyage to distant worlds, through obscure and spectral galaxies where evil cold forces seemed really to prevail over all things light and warm.

Line-up:
- Frank Bornemann / vocals, guitars
- Klaus-Peter Matziol / bass, pedals
- Hannes Arkona / guitars, keyboards, percussion
- Hannes Folberth / keyboards
- Fritz Randow / drums

Track List:
01. Through A Somber Galaxy (6:00)
02. Behind The Walls Of Imagination (6:25)
03. Time To Turn (4:32)
04. Magic Mirrors (5:25)
05. End Of An Odyssey (9:25)
06. The Flash (5:34)
07. Say, Is It Really True (4:45)

Link in comments.

Eloy

Queen – Queen (1973) (@256)

08 Nov 2007

Request of wreck_d2001.

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

Queen had been playing the club/college circuit in and around London for almost two years when the band used a chance opportunity to test out De Lane Lea Studios’ new recording facilities to put together a polished demo tape. They were finally taken aboard in 1972 by Trident Studios, but they were allowed to record only during the studio’s downtime, when the paying artists had left (usually between 3am and 7am). The downtime arrangement lasted from June to November 1972. The limitations led the band to focus on completing one track at a time. Though the album was completed and fully mixed by November 1972, Trident spent months trying to get a record company to release it. After eight months, they released it themselves in 1973.

Like any patchy but promising debut from a classic rock group, it’s often easy to underrate Queen’s eponymous 1973 debut, since it has no more than one well-known anthem and plays more like a collection of ideas than a cohesive album.

But what ideas! Almost every one of Queen’s signatures are already present, from Freddie Mercury’s operatic harmonies to Brian May’s rich, orchestral guitar overdubs, and the suite-like structures of “Great King Rat”. That rich, florid feel could be characterized as glam, but even in these early days that appellation didn’t quite fit Queen, since they were at once too heavy and arty to be glam and – ironically enough, their legendary excess – they were hardly trashy enough to be glam. But that only speaks to the originality of Queen: they may have traded in mystical sword-n-sorcerers like so many ’70s prog bands, they may have hit as hard as Zeppelin (and Page’s guitar army certainly was a forefather to May’s overdubs), but they didn’t sound anybody else, they were too odd in their theatricality to be mistaken for another band.

One major thing that separates this first album from later works is the youthful anger and darkness that fills the lyrics and colors the tones. Every song on “Queen I” demonstrates a facet of rage or despair; in songs such as the exorcismal “Liar” and “Great King Rat”, Freddie is wringing his soul for authentic portrayals of intense personal exile and discordance. Revolutions and confrontations fill songs such as “My Fairy King” and “Son and Daughter” Even the relatively placid “Doing All Right” implicitly acknowledges a (temporary?) escape from despair and the helplessness of floating in fate’s wake- thus bookended perfectly by “The NIght Comes Down”, which belays soothing-seeming verses with lyrical and musical descents. Coping is a matter of adopting a protectively practical tone such as the determined worldy realism of “Keep Yourself Alive” or the cynical view of rockstardom in “Modern Times”.

Line-up:
* Freddie Mercury / vocals, piano, electronic organ, tambourine
* Brian May / guitar, piano, vocals
* Deacon John / bass guitar
* Roger Taylor / percussion, vocals

Track List:
01. Keep Yourself Alive (3:47)
02. Doing All Right (4:09)
03. Great King Rat (5:43)
04. My Fairy King (4:08)
05. Liar (6:25)
06. The Night Comes Down (4:23)
07. Modern Times Rock & Roll (1:48)
08. Son & Daughter (3:20)
09. Jesus (3:44)
10. Seven Seas Of Rhye (1:15)

Link in comments.

Queen

Duffy – Scruffy Duffy (1973) (@256)

08 Nov 2007

(Info from freakemporium.com)

Big crunching chords with the odd solo similar to early Big Star or Badfinger with flashes of Small Faces, they were one of the first UK bands this side of the pond to take on powerpop.

The sound of their debut album varies from rock-n- basic roll to a gradual solid heavier sound. There are lots of loud, gritty blues rock based assaults.

Line-up:
* Stuart Reffold – vocals
* Barry Coote – guitar
* Joe Nanson – keyboards
* Patrick Sarjeant – bass
* Will Wright – drums

Track List:
01. Running Away
02. Changing My Ways
03. Ode to Clay
04. The 1959 Rock ‘n Roll Bop
05. The Browns
06. Banker
07. Joker
08. I Can’t Help the Way I Am
09. St. John’s
10. Finale

Link in comments.

Duffy

Eloy – Planets (1981) (@256)

08 Nov 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com)

“Planets” is the first of two concept-albums about the planet Salta and its inhabitants the Ikareens in the solar system Hel. The heavy riffs of “Colours” had obviously only been a one-time experiment, as they are mostly absent here.

What “Planets” offers instead is a very well produced symphonic progressive rock sound with all the most important trademarks of Eloy, but still with the tight and more compact song-structures of “Colours”. The atmosphere is also even more spacey than before, and this was a natural consequence of the story and concept. It shows the band at their best and remains their creative peak from the 80′s. It’s also one of the few examples of a progressive rock band that actually handled the transition from the 70′s to the 80′s very well.

The album opens with a 2-minute introduction of spacey synths that immediately let you know that you’re in for a cosmic adventure. The highlight of the first side is undoubtedly the impressive “Mysterious Monolith” that features some of the best instrumental-passages Eloy ever did. The second side featured some strings that reminded slightly of the arrangements from “Dawn”, especially on “At the Gates of Dawn”. The hard rocking “Queen of the Night” is the musical opposite, while “Spinx” is more in the style of the first side. The album closes with “Carried by Cosmic Winds” that is carried along by a strong keyboard-riff and dreamy female vocals.

Despite it’s relatively simple composition, this album comprises all excellent tracks that form a cohesive music as a whole.

Line-up:
- Frank Bornemann / vocals, guitars
- Klaus-Peter Matziol / basses, vocals
- Hannes Arkona / guitars, keyboards
- Hannes Folberth / keyboards
- Jim McGillivray / drums, percussion

Track List:
01. Introduction (1:58)
02. On The Verge Of Darkening Lights (5:37)
03. Point Of No Return (5:45)
04. Mysterious Monolith (7:40)
05. Queen Of The Night (5:22)
06. At The Gates Of Dawn (4:17)
07. Sphinx (6:50)
08. Carried By Cosmic Winds (4:32)
09. On The Verge Of Darkening Lights (Bonus Live 1983) (4:09)

Link in comments.

Eloy

Hatfield and the North – Rotters' Club (1975) (@256)

07 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

More accomplished than the band’s self-titled debut album, it shares most of its basic features, but the level of musicianship is even higher, with Dave Stewart’s stunning keyboards more in evidence at the expense of The Northettes’ vocalising. The four musicians form an extremely tight unit, their instruments blending seamlessly in a harmonious whole, further enhanced by the vocal interludes, courtesy of Richard Sinclair’s golden voice. The presence of horns and other wind instruments is strong, though less improvisational-sounding than on the debut, adding to the more sophisticated feel of this album.

“The Rotters’ Club” opens with one of the most infectious, hummable songs ever, the delightful “Share It” – living proof of how you can have a song which is at the same time accessible and intelligent. The lyrics are very entertaining and superbly interpreted by Richard Sinclair – which is no mean feat, as all the songs on this album require quite a bit of technical skill. Pure instrumental bliss follows, with the interplay between the four musicians quite stunning in its smoothness and ease. The rhythm section of Pyle and Sinclair is among the tightest, most inventive, giving such luminaries as Squire and Bruford a run for their money. “The Yes-No Interlude” flows into the quirky “Fitter Stoke Has a Bath”, complete with funny underwater effects and Sinclair’s deadpan delivery, which in turn fades into the wistful, melancholy “Didn’t Matter Anyway”, accompanied by Jimmy Hasting’s sweetly mournful flute.

The album’s probably the best track is, however, the 20-minutes-plus Dave Stewart epic “Mumps”, a complex, meandering composition which features wordless vocal harmonies from The Northettes, monumental keyboard work from Stewart and a shorter vocal section with whimsical, nonsense lyrics, known as “The Alphabet Song”.

The five bonus tracks (which first appeared on the band’s posthumous compilation “Afters”) include the energetic instrumentals “Oh, Len’s Nature” and “Lying and Gracing” and Sinclair’s beautiful “Halfway Between Heaven and Earth”, another vocal tour de force for prog’s great unsung hero.

As to the lyrics, they’re funny and uplifting, squarely in the tradition of English nonsense verse. Like its predecessor, “The Rotters’ Club” is not the kind of album that everybody will like immediately, but there’s no doubt that it’s one of the best examples of what prog is all about. Get hold of it and enjoy – you won’t regret it.

Unfortunately, the group’s brief flash of brilliance lasted for only two albums.

Line-up:
- Phil Miller / guitars
- Pip Pyle / drums, percussion
- Richard Sinclair / bass, vocals, guitar (7)
- Dave Stewart / organ, electric piano tone generator
- Jimmy Hastings / flute, soprano & tenor saxophones
with
- Mont Campbell / French horn
- Lindsay Cooper / oboe, bassoon
- Barbara Gaskin / backing vocals
- Tim Hodgkinson / clarinet
- Amanda Parsons / backing vocals
- Ann Rosenthal / backing vocals

Track List:
01. Share It (3:02)
02. Lounging There Trying (3:10)
03. (Big) John Wayne Socks (0:46) Psychology on the Jaw
04. Chaos at the Greasy Spoon (0:30)
05. The Yes No Interlude (7:02)
06. Fitter Stoke has a Bath (7:38)
07. Didn’t Matter Anyway (3:03)
08. Underdub (3:55)
09. Mumps (20:06)
a) Your Majesty is Like a Cream Donut (quiet) (1:59)
b) Lumps (12:35)
c) Prenut (3:55)
d) Your Majesty is Like a Cream Donut (loud) (1:37)
10. (Big) John Wayne Socks Psychology on the Jaw (Bonus) (0:43)
11. Chaos at the Greasy Spoon (Bonus) (0:20)
12. Halfway Between Heaven and Earth (Bonus) (6:07)
13. Oh, Len’s Nature! (Bonus) (1:59)
14. Lying and Gracing (Bonus) (3:58)

Links in comments.

Amanda Parsons, Dave Stewart, Hatfield and the North, Jimmy Hastings, Lindsay Cooper, Pip Pyle, Richard Sinclair, Tim Hodgkinson

Ego On The Rocks – Acid in Wounderland (1979) (@256)

07 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

“Ego On The Rocks” was a late 70′s project of keyboard player Detlef Schmidtchen and drummer Jürgen Rosenthal, two Eloy members who had left the band after the release of “Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes” to explore a bit more Morlockian musical avenues. They had originally planned their project as the first of a trilogy, but the album’s poor commercial performance resulting a subsequent threat of financial ruin ended it prematurely.

Their sole album “Acid in Wounderland” sees the duo moving Eloy’s space-rock sound into more accessible territory, incorporating Tangerine Dream-like sequencer pinging and sound collages snipped from old movies and a few philosophical (vocal) rants. Schmidtchen, who gives plenty of screaming and some swooping synth solos, is highly competent on guitar as well as on keyboards.

The album is full of great space atmospheres combined with loads of loop and tape effects, acid like guitar solos, bass trance like grooves and loads of electronic keyboard accents. Without a question this album will take your brain into the wonderful world of deep space.

Line-up:
- Detlev Schmidtchen / vocals, keyboards, guitars, bass, strings, sequencer
- Jürgen Rosenthal / drums

Track List:
01. 7 to 7 or 999 to 99 Hope (6:09)
02. Unallgemeine Bestürzung (4:58)
03. Erected Error (4:18)
04. Mystik +1+9+8+0 (4:53)
05. Asylum (4:53)
06. Hazard (4:20)
07. Godbluff (5:27)
08. Civilization Song 1 (6:15)
09. Destroy the Gun (Bonus) (5:07)
10. Losers and Finders (Bonus) (6:03)
11. Another Saturday Night (Bonus) (2:41)
12. Civilization Song 2 (Bonus) (3:42)
13. Once in Africa 1 (Bonus) (19:15)

Links in comments.

Detlef Schmidtchen, Jurgen Rosenthal

Eloy – Colours (1980) (@256)

07 Nov 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com, progarchives.com)

Eloy entered the 80′s with a new line-up (again). Eloy moved with the times and updated their sound to include a stronger keyboard presence. New keyboard player Hannes Folberth has brought a raft of fresh ideas and sounds, replacing the old spacey textures and grooves with a more structured ‘symphonic’ form. The addition of a second guitarist adds depth to full and imaginative arrangements, ably assisted by exciting rhythmical twists and a detailed and powerful production.

“Colours” marked a move into shorter and more compact songs with gradually more 80′s-sounding arrangements. It also tried to fuse their symphonic style with driving hard rock-riffs, “Illuminations” and “Child Migration” are the best examples of this. There are also several songs here in the 3-minute range and all of them are surprisingly good. The opener “Horizons” combines a complex rhythm with a nice melody sung by a female choir. “Impressions” is a nice song with a flute-solo, and “Giant” is the track here that reminds most of 70′s Eloy. The closing instrumental “Sunset” reminds a lot of Kitaro!

“Colours” is an original album that proved that Eloy was one of the few progressive rock bands that could evolve and change without selling out but instead still remaining progressive.

Line-up:
- Frank Bornemann / vocals, guitars
- Klaus-Peter Matziol / bass, vocals
- Hannes Arkona / guitars
- Hannes Folberth / keyboards
- Jim McGillivray / drums, percussion

Track List:
01. Horizons (3:20)
02. Illuminations (6:19)
03. Giant (6:05)
04. Impressions (3:06)
05. Child Migration (7:23)
06. Gallery (3:08)
07. Silhouette (6:57)
08. Sunset (3:15)

Link in comments.

Eloy

Skin Alley – Skintight (1973) (@256)

06 Nov 2007

(Review from Tapestry of Delights)

By the time of their last studio album, “Skintight”, Skin Alley were playing a more mainstream rock with lots of orchestration and brass arrangements.

Highlights include “Instermental”, a soul/funk orientated instrumental with flute; “The Heap Turns Human”, which brings to mind Who in the “Who’s Next” period; the bluesy hard-rocker “Maverick Woman Blues”, which featured strong vocals and slide guitar; “Surprise Awakening”, with restrained Sax employment, approaches quite close to the British jazz skirt atmosphere.

Line-up:
- Bob James / Guitars, Flute, Sax, Vocals
- Krzysztof-Henryk Justkiewicz / Keyboards
- Nick Graham / Bass, Flute, Keyboards, Vocals
- Tony Knight / Drums, Percussion, Vocals

Track List:
01. If I Only Had Time 3:54
02. At A Quarter To One 2:54
03. How Long? 3:32
04. Surprise Awakening 4:18
05. Broken Eggs 4:11
06. Maverick Woman Blues 4:01
07. The Heap Turns Human 3:59
08. What Good Does It Do? 5:06
09. Mr Heavy 3:31
10. Instermental 3:45

Link in comments.

Nick Graham, Skin Alley

Hatfield and the North – Hatfield and the North (1973) (@256)

06 Nov 2007

(Review from progweed.net, progarchives.com)

Sometimes nothing suffices like this group’s definitive concoction of jazzy, off-beat progressive rock. Those shimmering guitar solos, fluid rhythms, sparkling synths and choppy organ motifs bubbling around in the groups distinctly quirky, and distinctly English, brand of exquisite, melodic prog-fusion. If any band could possibly define the “Canterbury” sub genre, Hatfield & The North might be that band. The group consisted of a veritable all-star team of Canterbury musicians. Stalwart Dave Stewart on keyboards (Arzachel, Egg, Khan), Pip Pyle, fresh from a brief stint in Gong on drums, Caravan’s beloved Richard Sinclair on vocals, and of course the incomparable Phil Miller, from Matching Mole, on guitar.

Their selftitled first album is definitely not easy listening. A grower indeed, something you have to listen to repeatedly and with a good deal of concentration. Four superb musicians (true masters of their craft), jazz-tinged, experimental compositions, angelic female vocals and contributions from such greats as Robert Wyatt of Soft Machine fame… Heaven for some, hell for others. Hatfield and the North are certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. The music has more shifts and time signature changes than most people’s attention span can cope with, and most of the tracks are instrumental.

There are quite a lot of tracks listed on the record’s sleeve, though it is practically impossible to see where one ends and the other begins – they flow seamlessly into each other, forming a continuum which challenges the listener’s powers of concentration in a way the traditional song format does not. As such, it is not easy to mention individual tracks, although there are obviously some which stand out, notably the 10-minute-plus “(Son of) There’s no Place Like Homerton”, where a beautiful vocal interlude courtesy of The Northettes is followed by wildly blaring horns. “Calyx” features delicate vocal harmonies from Robert Wyatt; while “Fol de Rol” starts with Richard Sinclair humming nonsense words and then launching into an incredible bass solo.

The album’s a delightful mixture of styles: in a brief period of time you are taken from chirpy music-hall style singing, to crisp electric guitar solos, delicate flute salads and angelic girl choirs. A marvellous concoction!

Line-up:
- Phil Miller / guitars
- Pip Pyle / drums
- Richard Sinclair / bass, vocals
- Dave Stewart / organ, piano
with
- Jeremy Baines / pixiephone
- Barbara Gaskin / backing vocals
- Geoff Leigh / saxophones, flute
- Amanda Parsons / backing vocals
- Ann Rosenthal / backing vocals
- Robert Wyatt / vocals (4)

Track List:
01. The Stubbs effect (0:23)
02. Big jobs (Poo Poo extract) (0:36)
03. Going up to people and tinkling (2:25)
04. Calix (2:45)
05. Son of “There’s No Place Like Homerton” (10:10)
06. Aigrette (1:38)
07. Rifferama (2:56)
08. Fol de rol (3:07)
09. Shaving is boring (8:45)
10. Licks for the ladies (2:37)
11. Bossa nochance (0:40)
12. Big jobs No 2 (By Poo and the Wee Wees) (2:14)
13. Lobster in cleavage probe (3:57)
14. Gigantic land-crabs in Earth takeover bid (3:21)
15. The other stubbs effect (0:38)
16. Let’s Eat (Real Soon) (Bonus) (3:16)
17. Fitter Stoke Has a Bath (Bonus) (4:35)

Links in comments.

Amanda Parsons, Dave Stewart, Hatfield and the North, Pip Pyle, Richard Sinclair, Robert Wyatt

Eloy – Silent Cries And Mighty Echoes (1979) (@256)

06 Nov 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com, progarchives.com)

After the near perfect blissed-out Space-Psych-Electro-Prog of Ocean, two years later Silent Cries And Mighty Echoes presents more of the same.

The album is packed with superior spacey atmospheres from a variety of well-matched synths and guitars, and hypnotic grooves often featuring meaty rubber-band bass themes. With a number of ear-catching themes, and some gorgeously organic instrumentation from the tail-end of the ‘analogue’ era. Eloy take you much further into the void of outer space. Keyboards tend to dominate, but Bornemann’s fluid guitar still captures the attention with some inventive playing, even venturing into an occasional solo.

The opening track “Master of Sensation” has an instrumental intro that sounds very much like “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” and the track itself is drenched in atmospheric background-effects that sound like something from “Meddle”. The track is a very good up-tempo track with some great synth-solos in the middle. “The Apocalypse” is 15 delightful minutes of slow-paced and atmospheric symphonic progressive rock dominated by Bornemann’s Gilmour-influenced guitar-playing and lots of the usual dreamy keyboards from Schmidtchen.

The Pink Floyd-influences are more or less absent from the second side of the album that seems to be more in the vein of “Ocean”. “Pilot to Paradise” is an absolutely outstanding track with a great organ-theme and a beautiful synth-break in the middle. “De Labore Solis” is a very laidback song based in another very nice and typical Eloy-theme played on the moog. The closing-number “Mighty Echoes” has a much more sinister theme and feel.

Line-up:
- Frank Bornemann / guitars, vocals
- Klaus-Peter Matziol / bass, pedals, chorus
- Jürgen Rosenthal / drums, percussion
- Detlev Schmidtchen / keyboards, chorus
with
- Brigitte Witt / vocals (2b)

Track List:
01. Astral Entrance / Master Of Sensation (9:09)
02. The Apocalypse (14:54)
a) Silent Cries Divide The Night
b) The Vision Burning
c) Force Majeure
03. Pilot To Paradise (7:01)
04. De Labore Solis (5:12)
05. Mighty Echoes (7:16)

Link in comments.

Detlef Schmidtchen, Eloy, Jurgen Rosenthal

Magma – Udu Wudu (1976) (@256)

05 Nov 2007

(Review from progressiveears.com, progreviews.com)

Biting at the heels of its highly praised Magma-Live, the band finds itself trying something very different on Üdü Wüdü for the most part. That first thing being shorter songs with nearly singable melodies. Secondly, synthesizers are introduced into the band’s sonic palette for the first time. The production quality however returns to the dark, murky sound of earlier albums. Vander relinquished some control over the group for this album, only writing about half the music.

The album’s title cut, “Udu Wudu” is the most shocking, mainly for the fact it’s so blasted happy and festive sounding, quite un-Magma-like for certain, but somehow oddly engaging, with it’s Brazilian samba rhythm and huge vocal choruses.

However, the happy-slappy vibe of the title cut is short lived when the band returns to what it does best, spinning tales of life on Kobaia and all its uncertainties, underscored by manic drumming, funky and menacing fuzz bass, lots of horns and those semi-operatic vocal choruses.

“De Futura” is an 18-minute, funky tour-de-force from Jannick Top. This piece practically invents today’s metal-zeuhl scene (a la groups like Happy Family and Ruins) with its crushing bass and heavy, syncopated drums. That is not to say that it’s chaotic or disjunct, but there is definitely a primal aggression at work here that Magma rarely approached. Fierce and fun.

Line-up:
- Christian Vander / percussion, vocals, piano, keyboards, drums
- Jannik Top / bass, Brass arrangements, vocals, synthesizer
- Klaus Blasquiz / vocals
with
- Stella Vander / vocals
- “Lisa” / vocals
- Lucille Cullaz / vocals
- Catherine Szpira / vocals
- Pierre Dutour / trumpet
- Alain Hatot / saxophone, flutes
- Bernard Paganotti / bass, vocals, percussion
- Patrick Gauthier / keyboards
- Michel Graillier / keyboards
- Benoît Widemann / keyboards

Track List:
01. Üdü Wüdü (4:10)
02. Weidorje (4:30)
03. Troller Tanz (Ghost Dance) (3:40)
04. Soleil d’Ork (ORK’ Sun) (3:50)
05. Zombies (Ghost Dance) (4:10)
06. De Futura (18:00)

Link in comments.

Benoit Widemann, Bernard Paganotti, Christian Vander, Jannick Top, Magma, Patrick Gauthier

Rick Wakeman – Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975) (@256)

05 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, vintageprog.com)

Wakeman was truly inspired when he decided that the legendary King Arthur was to be the subject of his next project. While the album will not really serve as a definitive historical document, it does capture the essence of the Myths and Legends of that period. It was Wakeman’s most ambitious project ever. It almost bankrupted him and was the main reason why he later re-joined Yes.

The album includes a symphonic orchestra with choir, a narrator and a rock band in addition to Wakeman’s tons of keyboards. But the album was recorded in the studio and was made up of “shorter” tracks than the previous album. Technically, the album is better performed than “Journey…” but it may also lack some of the charm and amusement of that album. However, it’s still a nice album with many good songs about Arthur and the knights.

Two of the tracks, “Guinivere” and “Merlin the Magician” are sketches of the characters. “Guinevere” is almost a pop-tune in a symphonic progressive rock dressing. “Merlin the Magician”, however, is one of Wakeman’s finest instrumental pieces, with synthesisers soaring and diving among a myriad of different sounds and atmospheres. It has soft, atmospheric piano-parts relieved by harder moog-parts.

The other tracks tell different parts of the story, from Arthur’s early days to his death; the music being superb throughout. “Arthur” is majestic with a strong melody, befitting the discovery of the new king, as he succeeds where all others have failed in pulling the sword Excalibur from the stone.

“Sir Lancelot and the Black Knight” reflects the pace of the battle, it is a more dramatic and rocking track. The final tracks, “Sir Galahad” and “Last battle” combine to form a wonderful long piece telling the story of Arthur’s final days and beyond, before finishing in a triumphant climax to a great album.

Line-up:
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards
with
- Ashley Holt / vocal
- Gary Pickford Hopkins / vocal
- Jeffrey Crampton / guitars
- Roger Newell / bass
- Barney James / drums
- John Hodson / percussion; with the English Chamber Choir, vocals
- Terry Taplin / voice

Track List:
01. Arthur (7:26)
02. Lady of the Lake (0:45)
03. Guinevere (6:45)
04. Sir Lancelot and the Black Knight (5:21)
05. Merlin the Magician (8:51)
06. Sir Galahad (5:51)
07. The Last Battle (9:41)

Link in comments.

Rick Wakeman

Eloy – Live (1978) (@224)

05 Nov 2007

(Review from seaoftranquility.org)

In 1978, Eloy released their sole live album, at a time when most progressive bands were either going commercial or altogether disbanding. Eloy however were at the peak of their popularity in their homeland of Germany. The band was famous for elaborate stage shows featuring copious laser lights, dry ice machines and plentiful pyrotechnics. Eloy live sounded so more powerful: strong and flowing guitarwork, lush keyboards and great shifting moods.

Live compiles some of the band’s best loved compositions to date and very often, the live versions outshine their studio counterparts. Most of the classic “Ocean” album is represented here (it was recorded during the Ocean promotional tour afterall) as well as choice cuts from Dawn, Power and the Passion and the title track from Inside.

The narration from the studio version of “The Dance in Doubt and Fear” is gone and given mostly an instrumental treatment. However, there is some narration on other cuts. The closing track, “Atlantis’ Agony at June 5th-8498, 13 p.m. Gregorian Earthtime” is extended to twenty plus minutes of spaced out bliss and leans towards the cosmic side of compatriots Ash Ra Tempel, Mythos and perhaps Tangerine Dream.

The only significant flaw of the album is that it feels a little too cut and paste. Each track fades with Frank Bornemann cheerfully eing “danke schon!” so that the songs generally don’t segue or flow very naturally. On the other hand, Live is not at all a bad place to introduce a novice to the music of Eloy. The sound quality is fine given the age of the master tapes.

Line-up:
- Frank Bornemann / vocals, guitars
- Klaus-Peter Matziol / bass, vocals
- Jürgen Rosenthal / drums, percussion, voice
- Detlev Schmidtchen / keyboards

Track List:
01. Poseidon’s Creation (11:37)
02. Incarnation Of Logos (8:46)
03. The Sun-song (8:30)
04. The Dance In Doubt And Fear (7:36)
05. Mutiny (9:56)
06. Gliding Into Light And Knowledge (4:24)
07. Inside (6:34)
09. Atlantis’ Agony At June 5th – 8498, 13 p.m. Gregorian Earthtime (20:54)

Links in comments.

Detlef Schmidtchen, Eloy, Jurgen Rosenthal, Live

Blue Oyster Cult – Tyranny And Mutation (1973) (@256)

04 Nov 2007

(Review from allmusic.com)

On Tyranny and Mutation, Blue Öyster Cult achieved the seemingly impossible: they brightened their sound and deepened their mystique. The band picked up their tempos considerably on this second album and producers Sandy Pearlman and Murray Krugman added a lightning bolt of high-end sonics to their frequency range. Add to this the starling lyrical contributions of Pearlman, rock critic Richard Meltzer, and poet-cum-rocker Patti Smith (who was keyboardist Allen Lanier’s girlfriend at the time), the split imagery of Side One’s thematic, “The Red” and Side Two’s “The Black” and the flip-to-wig-city, dark conspiracy of Gawlik’s cover art, and an entire concept was not only born and executed, it was received.

The Black side of Tyranny and Mutation is its reliance on speed, punched-up big guitars, and throbbing riffs such as in “The Red and the Black”, “O.D’d on Life Itself”, “Hot Rails to Hell”, and “7 Screaming Diz-Busters”, all of which showcased the biker boogie taken to a dizzyingly extreme boundary; one where everything flies by in a dark blur and the articulations of that worldview are informed as much by atmosphere as idea. This is screaming, methamphetamine-fueled rock & roll that was all about attitude, mystery, and a sense of nihilistic humor that was deep in the cuff. Here was the crossroads: the middle of rock’s Bermuda triangle where Blue Öyster Cult marked the black cross of the intersection between New York’s other reigning kings of mystery theater and absurd excess: the Velvet Underground and Kiss — two years before their first album — and the ” ‘it’s all F#$&%* so who gives a rat’s ass” attitude that embodied the City’s punk chic half-a-decade later.

On the Red Side, beginning with the syncopated striations of “Baby Ice Dog”, in which Allen Lanier’s piano was as important as Buck Dharma’s guitar throb, elements of ambiguity and bluesy swagger enter into the mix. Eric Bloom was the perfect frontman: he twirled the words around in his mouth before spitting them out with requisite piss-and-vinegar, and a sense of decadent dandy that underscored the music’s elegance, as well as its power. He was at ease whether the topic was necromancy, S&M, apocalyptic warfare, or cultural dissolution. By the LP’s end, on “Mistress of the Salmon Salt”, Bloom was being covered over by a kind of aggressively architected psychedelia that kept the ’60s at bay while embracing the more aggressive, tenser nature of the times.

Line-up:
- Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser / lead guitar, vocals
- Eric Bloom / lead vocals, stun guitars, all synthesizers
- Joseph Bouchard / bass, vocals, keyboards
- Albert Bouchard / drums, vocals
- Allen Lanier / keyboards, rhythm guitar

Track List:
01. The Red And The Black (4:24)
02. O.D.’d On Life Itself (4:47)
03. Hot Rails To Hell (5:11)
04. 7 Screamind Diz-Busters (7:01)
05. Baby Ice Dog (3:28)
06. Wings Wetted Down (4:12)
07. Teen Archer (3:57)
08. Mistress Of The Samon Salt (Quicklime Girl) (5:08)
09. Cities on Flame With Rock And Roll (Bonus Live) (4:44)
10. Buck’s Boogie (Bonus) (5:21)
11. 7 Screamind Diz-Busters (Bonus Live) (14:00)
12. O.D.’d On Life Itself (Bonus Live) (4:52)

Links in comments.

Blue Oyster Cult

Asia – Asia (1982) (@256)

04 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, progreviews.com)

Asia began with the apparent demise of Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, two of the flagship bands of British progressive rock.

Though comprised of members of Yes, King Crimson and ELP, Asia sound nothing like any of those bands, nor were they trying to. Asia were rooted firmly in the AOR-influenced pop-rock school of the early 80′s, groups distinguished as much by the amount of mousse they put in their hair and the guitar-shaped keyboards they wielded as by any specific sound they all possessed.

Every song has a strong hook, and an infectious melody. The band members are all masters of their crafts, so it goes without saying that the musicianship is of the highest quality. From the opening “Heat of the moment”, the soaring guitars, and big sounding keyboards provide the perfect complement to John Wetton’s criminally underrated singing ability.

Progressive fans expecting a King Crimson/Yes/ELP hybrid, or even another UK, will be bitterly disappointed. Getting past these trappings, though, the music can be pretty enjoyable.

Line-up:
- Geoffrey Downes / keyboards and vocals
- Steve Howe / guitars and vocals
- Carl Palmer / drums and percussion
- John Wetton / lead vocal and bass guitar

Track List:
01. Heat Of The Moment (3:54)
02. Only Time Will Tell (4:48)
03. Sole Survivor (4:51)
04. One Step Closer (4:18)
05. Time Again (4:48)
06. Wildest Dreams (5:11)
07. Without You (5:07)
08. Cutting It Fine (5:40)
09. Here Comes The Feeling (5:40)

Link in comments.

Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes, John Wetton, Steve Howe

Eloy – Ocean (1977) (@256)

04 Nov 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com)

“Ocean” is a distillation of all that had gone before yet displaying an ever increasing level of competence and self-confidence. Smooth ambient atmospheres rub shoulders with hypnotic yet ethereal space-jams in an irrestible combination of lush and futuristic keyboard textures, understated sensitive guitar phrases, superb bass motifs, excellent vocals [yes, really], solid performances, inspired arrangements and a thoughtful concept all assisted by a crystal clear soundstage.

The dominant musical device is densely layered keyboards creating moods with and without support from harmonious guitars and a tight rhythm section, sometimes light and upbeat but often dark and sombre, using ‘drones’ and spoken vocals to invoke feelings consistent with the story: suspense, awe, wonder, dread and melancholy. Tempos are exclusively mid-pace and rhythms are loping rather than aggressive.

The allegorical concept of Ocean is a cautionery tale based on the ancient myth of Atlantis, a ‘heaven-on-earth’ continent containing a race of people who became so corrupt that they had to be destroyed by the gods before they terminally polluted the earth. Bornemann has said they chose “the subject of Atlantis to point out the wrong direction society is taking – that our development into such a wrong direction can only result in a catastrophe” but provides no answers to the conundrum.

Although divided into four tracks, the album proceeds and succeeds as a single homogeneous entity, stylistically coherent and satisfyingly constructed: there is no hint of filler, nor anything out of place, as each section sets an appropriate mood in an entertaining and inventive way. Even a lengthy monologue-over-ambient-drones section covering the first half of the final track never descends into tedium as attention is maintained by background subtleties and tantalising foreknowledge of the rhythmic section to follow.

Atlantis is both inside and outside, a commentary on a possible past in a parallel universe out in the infinity of space, yet a warning for us in the here-and-now. Ocean’s music-scape eerily conveys the magnitude and wonder of the cosmos in a very direct manner, more succesfully than most of its peers.

“Ocean” remains for many people to be Eloy’s finest moment, simply because it features some of their best material and atmosphere and they had managed to make something completely of their own that reminded of no other progressive rock band.

Line-up:
- Frank Bornemann / guitars, vocals
- Klaus-Peter Matziol / basses, vocals
- Jürgen Rosenthal / drums, percussion, flute
- Detlev Schmidtchen / keyboards, mellotron, xylophone, voice
with
- The Boys Of Santiago / chorus (1)

Track List:
01. Poseidon’s Creation (11:38)
02. Incarnation Of The Logos (8:25)
03. Decay Of The Logos (8:15)
04. Atlantis’ Agony At June 5th – 8498, 13 p.m. Gregorian Earthtime (15:35)

Link in comments.

Detlef Schmidtchen, Eloy, Jurgen Rosenthal

Jon Anderson – Olias of Sunhillow (1976) (@256)

03 Nov 2007

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

In 1976, Yes lead singer Jon Anderson took us on an incredible journey into the fantasy land of “Olias Of Sunhillow”.

The album tells the story of an alien race and their journey to a new world due to catastrophe. Olias, the title character, is the chosen architect of the glider Moorglade, which will be used to fly his people to their new home. Ranyart is the navigator for the glider, and QoQuaQ is the leader who unites the four tribes of Sunhillow to partake in the exodus.

Combining lush keyboards, layered vocal sections, chants, world music influenced percussion, and other instruments (bells, chimes, harp, acoustic guitar) create a mesmerizing musical adventure. Pastoral musical moments lend their beauty to Anderson’s vocals, with an unhurried pace to the continuous music.

The pieces owe most of their strength to the atmosphere that they create, with synth’s and harp being the most prominent contributors to the sound. Some pieces are fairly typical of the New Age style of music with light melodies being played over drawn out chords on the synths, while others, such as “Naon” are energetic drum rhythms built up layer on layer, much in the style of “We Have Heaven”.

This is an album where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It holds together beautifully and can be a very uplifting experience.

Line-up:
- Jon Anderson / vocals, all instruments

Track List:
01. Ocean Song – 3:05
02. Meeting (Garden Of Geda) / Sound Out The Galleon – 3:34
03. Dance Of Ranyart / Olias (To Build The Moorglade) – 4:19
04. QoQuaQ Ën Transic / Naon / Transic Tö – 7:08
05. Flight Of The Moorglade – 3:24
06. Solid Space – 5:21
07. Moon Ra / Chords / Song Of Search – 12:48
08. To The Runner – 4:29

Link in comments.

Jon Anderson

Aziza Mustafa Zadeh – Jazziza (1997) (@192)

03 Nov 2007

(Review by Onno van Rijen)

In 1998, Aziza a touching tribute to her father’s memory (and, incidentally, using the very name he had given her as a child prodigy), Aziza turned the world of jazz onto her deep-rooted mugami side. She turned Paul Desmond’s “Take Five” into a dervish romp through an Elysian field of dreams; Rogers and Hart’s ‘My Funny Valentine’ and ‘Orfeo Negro’ became odes to the tradition of mugam and the mugami musicians and actually appeared to race in and out of both songs! Antonio Carlos Join’s ‘Insansatez’ became the ‘shur’ mugam mode and Charlie Parker’s ‘Scrapple from the Apple’ became the ‘rast’! On this album, Aziza also showcased her compositional genius with two new compositions – ‘Sunny Rain’, and another which is pure Aziza – ‘Butterflies’ – with its explosive intermezzo for piano and scat performed with baroque strictness and splendor!

Line-up:
* Aziza Mustafa Zadeh – Grand piano and vocals
with
* Toots Thielemans – Harmonica
* Eduardo Contrera – Percussion
* Philip Catherine – Guitar

Track List:
01. Lover Man – 6:37
02. Sunny Rain – 6:09
03. My Funny Valentine – 7:46
04. Scrapple from the Apple – 1:19
05. Character – 5:57
06. Nature Boy – 5:55
07. You’ve Changed – 5:53
08. Butterflies – 1:32
09. Black Orpheus – 8:18
10. How Insensitive – 5:39
11. Take Five – 6:58
12. I Can’t Sleep – 4:15

Link in comments.

Aziza Mustafa Zadeh

Eloy – Power and Passion (1975) (@256)

03 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, vintageprog.com)

“Power And Passion” represents something of a transition phase for Eloy, the ‘missing link’ between earlier heavy hammond-and-guitar driven power-progressive and the ethereal space rock that typified succeeding albums. It is their first concept-album, and it showed that the band went in a more polished and symphonic direction.

The album tells the story of Jamie, son of a mad scientist, who accidentally swallows a ‘tardis’ drug that sends him back in time to 1358 in Paris where he meets and falls in love with a girl called Jeanne, gets embroiled in a peasant uprising, is imprisoned and finally finds his way back to the 20thC to ponder his sense of loss for Jeanne and how little the world has changed in 600 years. The point of Bornemann’s story is that humans have made great strides forwards in technology, but little in the way of relationships and humanity: the focus may have shifted, but the world remains full of greed, suppression and exploitation. The story is told in a literal and simplistic manner, barely touching the philosophical aspects. Neither is there any attempt at illustration in musical terms.

The music is more symphonic than their earlier albums and the keyboard-arsenal has been broadened considerably and featured now mellotron, piano, organ and various synths. The material on the album is varied; the two ‘time travel’ songs – Journey Into 1358 and Back Into The Present – are old style rock work-outs; Mutiny is a changeable long track with some excellent Mellotron and organ touches but is otherwise unremarkable; Imprisonment and Thoughts Of Home are simple reflective ballads; Daylight gets into a groove of sorts but is rather bitty; and The Zany Magician crosses a terrific gritty guitar riff with The Who’s Uncle Ernie from Tommy!

Love Over Six Centuries is the first of two exceptional tracks, moving effortlessly from gentle chiming guitars, bass groove and heavy riffing to a classic Eloy space-groove telling the stories of Jamie and Jeanne. Beginning predictably with bells, “Bells Of Notre Dame” sets up a reflective languid mood with mellotron and guitar, gradually building towards a crescendo with some fine guitar work and strong backing. Both songs are great examples of spacey Eloy.

Eloy’s music may not have won awards for originality, but they adopted, adapted, developed and perfected chosen styles over time. The hints on this album show a trip to space to come.

Line-up:
- Frank Bornemann / vocals, guitar
- Luitjen Janssen / bass
- Fritz Randow / drums
- Detlef Schwaar / guitar
- Manfred Wieczorke / keyboards, mellotron
- Mary Davis-Smith / voice (3)

Track List:
01. Introduction (1:10)
02. Journey Into 1358 (2:56)
03. Love Over Six Centuries (10:05)
04. Mutiny (9:07)
05. Imprisonment (3:12)
06. Daylight (2:38)
07. Thoughts Of Home (1:04)
08. The Zany Magician (2:38)
09. Back Into The Present (3:07)
10. The Bells Of Notre-Dame (6:26)

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Eloy

Renaissance – Day of the Dreamer (Live 1978) (@256)

02 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com)

I just can’t get enough of live albums! Unlike previous releases, this is not a single concert, rather it is a compilation of old recordings. Though there isn’t information which concerts, the line-up and the track list suggest late 70s.

Listening closely to these songs suggests that maybe at least 3 different sources were used: this is not a problem as any variations in the sound quality are so small as to be insignificant. Even the last 2 tracks, which clearly do have distinctly different sonic characteristics, blend in quite well. Overall, the sound is just about as good as anyone can expect: excellent dynamic range; clear and bright; excellent separation and stereo imaging allowing all instruments to occupy their own space (though there is perhaps some bleed from drums and bass); and virtually no background noise. Generally, the mix is good, but could be better: errors in fading up the guitar in several places; harmony vocals which ought to be a little stronger; and some people might think the bass guitar should be toned down a notch. Personally, I like the feel of this, as the prominent bass, together with some feisty drumming, help to drive the music. Small subtle changes betray the multiple sources, but overall it has a crystal clear sound which creates a greater sense of intimacy than is normally the case when they are supported by an orchestra.

These are indeed some very fine performances by a group of very talented musicians at the top of their game and no orchestra this time around. Suffice to say that all songs are performed well – there are no duds. On the merit side it is wonderful to hear the material from ‘A Song For All Seasons’ (which at least helps to date that material to 1978 or later!); while on the debit side, the last 2 tracks – Ocean Gypsy and Running Hard – are probably the weakest, not because of poor playing, but because the sound is not as punchy.

So, with no orchestra, how do they fill the gaps? By adding synths to the piano played by John Tout. It is the reason this album is intriguing, but it is also it’s Achilles Heel! Nothing wrong with Tout’s playing, as he demonstrates he is capable of operating multiple keyboards simultaneously as well as the best of them. No, his playing is exemplary, the problem is in the sounds he makes with those synths. On most of the songs (the last 2 are notable exceptions), the synth sounds, especially the pads and washes, are cheesy and generic, probably from an early digital keyboard – eg, substitute ‘string’ sounds that sound just like, well, substitute string sounds! During the early instrumental passages of A Song For All Seasons, a disastrous saw-tooth synth singularly fails to emulate a brass section! Twenty years or more ago this may have been an accepted practice, and these sounds certainly crawled all over a lot of records, but today they merely sound dated and out of place.

However, despite the reservations about the synths, this is a cracking album offering an alternative live view. This is how most of us will have experienced them in the live environment – just the 5 core musicians naked and thriving on it.

Line-up:
- Jon Camp / bass, pedals, vocals
- Michael Dunford / acoustic guitar, vocals
- Annie Haslam / lead vocals
- Terrence Sullivan / drums, percussion, back vocals
- John Tout / keyboards, synths, back vocals

Track List:
01. Can You Hear Me (13:59)
02. Carpet of the Sun (3:51)
03. Day of the Dreamer (10:10)
04. Back Home Once Again (4:07)
05. Can You Understand/The Vultures Fly High (5:29)
06. Song for All Seasons (11:09)
07. Prologue (7:37)
08. Ocean Gypsy (7:44)
09. Running Hard (9:35)

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Annie Haslam, Live, Renaissance

Mainhorse – Mainhorse (1971) (@256)

02 Nov 2007

(Review from vintageprog.com, wikipedia)

Mainhorse was founded in 1968, it got two years for the band to get a contract and a year later their selftitled album was released.

The one and only album of Mainhorse is very typical, rough edged early 70′s prog dominated by Hammond-organ and aggressive guitar playing. They also used some strings that gave the music some symphonic tendencies on a couple of tracks. “Introduction” and “Such a Beautiful Day” seems to be two very typical Mainhorse tracks. Powerful with Moraz’ excellent organ-playing in front and the vocal-melodies sometimes takes some unexpected turns. Moraz’ playing is mostly rocking and almost bluesy on some passages, but he also turns out some clearly classical-influenced melodies. “Pale Sky” is basically a melodic and symphonic track with a long, experimental and percussion-dominated instrumental-break in the middle. “Basia” and the epic “God” is maybe the most ultra-progressive tracks here, while “Passing Years” is a nice, simple and symphonic song. “More Tea Vicar” is an atmospheric instrumental-theme with a cool early 70′s atmosphere and with some glockenspiel played by Moraz.

The album remained unnoticed at the time and when success failed Mainhorse disbanded soon. Drummer Bryson Graham went to play with Spooky Tooth. Patrick Moraz founded Refugee, replaced Rick Wakeman in Yes and later joined Moody Blues.

Line-up:
- Warren Bernhardt / piano
- Patrick Moraz / keyboards, vocals
- Peter Cockett / guitar, violin, vocals
- Bryson Graham / percussion, drums
- Jean Ristori / bass, cello. vocals
- Peter Lockett / guitar, violin, vocals

Track List:
01. Introduction (5:09)
02. Passing Years (3:55)
03. Such a Beautiful Day (4:44)
04. Pale Sky (10:17)
05. Basia (5:32)
06. More Tea Vicar (3:33)
07. God (10:31)

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Patrick Moraz

Eloy – Inside (1973) (@256)

02 Nov 2007

8 comments

(Review from progarchives.com, vintageprog.com)

Guitarist Frank Bornemann became the sole leader and singer of Eloy when Erich Schriever left after the debut. Eloy took a turn for a much more progressive direction under Bornemann’s leadership.

At its heart, Inside is constructed from a winning combination of melodic, semi-Symphonic Prog songs and lengthy jams. The core songs are not as complex as eg Yes, yet they display memorable melodies, typically inventive arrangements and meaningful lyrics. This side of Eloy’s playing would be developed further on later albums, but here the jams impress more. Essentially these comprise mesmeric repetitive riffs played out by bass and drums while guitar and organ alternate improvised leads and rhythm support.

Bornemann’s guitar playing is fluent and fluid, equally at home providing gutsy support or ripping into a solo, yet it is keyboard player Wieczorke who steals the show. With a classy performance, Wieczorke rings the neck of his trusty Hammond, sometimes angry and gritty, at others light and ethereal, pushing it to the limit in a way familiar to fans of Keith Emerson to provide most of the instrumental highs, even when chugging along as ostensible support to Bornemann. The rhythm section of Stöcker and Randow do an excellent job in support, especially Stöcker’s bass driving the jam sections forcefully yet rhythmically.

The album has just four tracks, beginning with dark and menacing astral travelling of 17 minute ‘epic’ Land Of No Body, primarily a vehicle for Wieczorke to take centre stage with his flamboyant improvisation and experimentation, taking in some riff-tastic themes and head-down grooves along the way. Brilliant title track, “Inside” has a lovely tick tock feel, with a gripping sinister riff-theme before heading off into the stratosphere. “Future City” has a nice loping percussive beat and a guitar-led instrumental jam but is overshadowed by impending final track “Up And Down”, a classic Eloy combination of languid haunting spaciness, a seering workout dominated by fat overdriven organ chords, and a sublime laid-back slow-smoking bluesy-jazzy number.

“Inside” is rough round the edges and musically naive in places but that is admirably countered by an endearing freshness and infectious energy.

Line-up:
- Frank Bornemann / guitar, vocals, percussion
- Fritz Randow / drums, percussion, acoustic guitar, flute
- Wolfgang Stöcker / bass
- Manfred Wieczorke / organ, vocals, percussion

Track List:
01. Land Of No body (17:14)
02. Inside (6:35)
03. Future City (5:35)
04. Up And Down (8:23)

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Eloy

Marillion – Holidays In Eden (1991) (@256)

01 Nov 2007

(Review from progarchives.com, progressiveworld.net)

Marillion’s second Hogarth era album was really the first to be devoid of any Fish influences, given that he had been involved in the rehearsals for much of the “Season’s End” album. “Holiday’s in Eden” is however a natural follow on from “Season’s End”, with no major change of sound or direction.

Though poppier, “Holidays In Eden” has everything that is typical of Marillion — from Steve Hogarth’s emotive vocals, Steve Rothery’s often light and whispy (and somewhat uncharacteristic) guitar phrases (but oh, those Rothery solos can be heard here, too), Pete Trewavas’ steadily throbbing bass, Mark Kelly’s feathery, atmospheric keys to the vital pulse of Ian Mosley’s drumming.

The opening and closing tracks, “Splintering heart” and “100 nights” are the most adventurous, both being slow powerful pieces, with some decent guitar. Melodies are strong throughout the album, especially on tracks like “No one can”, “Dry land” and the sing-a-long title track.

This edition includes a bonus disc containing over 40 minutes of unreleased material of alternate/demo versions.

Line-up:
- Steve Hogarth / vocals
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses

Track List:
CD1
01. Splintering heart (6:54)
02. Cover my eyes (Pain and Heaven) (3:54)
03. The party (5:36)
04. No one can (4:41)
05. Holidays in Eden (5:38)
06. Dry land (4:43)
07. Waiting to happen (5:01)
08. This town (3:18)
09. The rakes progress (1:54)
10. 100 nights (6:41)
CD2 (Bonus)
01. Sympathy (single) (3:30)
02. How can it hurt (single) (4:41)
03. A collection (single) (3:00)
04. Cover my eyes (acoustic single) (2:34)
05. Sympathy (acoustic single) (2:30)
06. I will walk on water (Alternate ’98 mix) (5:14)
07. Splintering heart (live) (6:42)
08. You don’t need anyone (Moles Club demo) (4:04)
09. No one can (demo) (4:51)
10. The party (demo) (5:45)
11. This town (demo) (4:16)
12. Waiting to happen (demo) (5:31)
13. Eric (Video OST) (2:32)
14. The epic (Fairyground) (demo) (8:31)

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Ian Mosley, Marillion, Steve Hogarth

Eloy – Eloy (1971) (@192)

01 Nov 2007