SYMPHONIC PROG

Wow! This is the holy grail for Camel fans! We get here the Live at the Marquee Club 1974, the Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1976, and the Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1977 - all three of which are presented in full! Also, there is the complete Royal Albert Hall show from 1975, Live at the Colston Hall 1977, as well as the Pressure Points live album (the latter being from 1984, so the dates in the title of the release are misleading).

Some of these recordings were previously featured on the 1978 double LP A Live Record, but while that was a compilation of tracks from various sources and line-ups, here we get the full gigs for the first time.

The Marquee Club 1974 catches the band after the release of Mirage, and features songs from that album and from the self-titled debut, as well as a selecton from the at the time upcoming Snow Goose album. They also play the non-album track Ligging At Louis' and Homage To The God Of Light - a Peter Bardens number they used to play in the early days. The recordings have been recently remixed, and the sound quality is amazingly good for an early 1970's live recording! It is fantastic to have this live document available now, and it is a stunning live album.

The Royal Albert Hall 1975 show consists of the Snow Goose album performed with orchestra, as previously released on A Live Record, but with the added encore of Lady Fantasy. This one is not my favourite, I prefer the band without orchestra.

The Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1976 is from the Moonmadness period and features the original line-up performing the bulk of that album, plus some earlier songs. Another very strong live album.

Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1977 and the Colston Hall gig from the same year features the new line-up with Richard Sinclair and Mel Collins. Here they play mainly material from Rain Dances. This used to be my least favourite Camel period, but I really warmed to it and now I just love it! The band are on fire here! The Hammersmith '77 recordings are another live masterpiece while the considerably shorther Colston Hall gig is of equally high quality, but somewhat redundant here.

Finally, there is the Pressure Points album from the time of Stationary Traveller. It is all very good stuff, but I already have it on both CD and DVD, so having it included here again is not very interesting.

My two personal favorites here are the Marquee Club 1974 and the Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1977, both of which merit the highest rating.

Very highly recommended!

It should probably be mentioned that this is a digital only release, available as a download and on various streaming sites. However, all of the material is also available in the recently released, massive box set Air Born.

Anyhow, am speculating, but my copy is on Atco so we have to assume the American market thought what we have here might create a splash. I don't know how popular the obvious touchstone of Focus were over there at the time but I do know PFM were creating waves. I also don't know how much of a 'prog' scene there was in the States in the mid 70's....Fire Ballets Night On Bald Mountain was indeed a '75 release but the only other I know in the same ballpark as this album....Cathedrals Stained Glass Stories was '78. It is stretching a point to mention Kansas as a comparison.

Back to Europe. I actually don't hear much Focus in this but several Italian prog bands, especially those with a jazz/rock leaning and I also hear Floyd esque quieter sustained keys chords with understated guitar over that in a few passages. Even Budgie...yup...and their track Parents in Finches Pisces. I might chuck in some Babe Ruth too. If I have a problem (I don't really, I am a big fan of this album) it is that some of these 4 extended tracks sound as if they fall into the 'hey I have this bit and you have that bit and he has his bit so lets put them all in the same key, work on a few bridges (funnily enough in A Bridge To Alice) and call it one song' trap. Also, as it isn't...even though akin to...jazz/rock fusion...there are times when a vocal passage would have cleansed the pallet.

There is light and shade though and definite attack and bombast as all 4 are outstanding musicians but you do sense in the 'shade' passages ie the quiet bits they just can't wait to be let off the leash again rather than invest some of themselves in the subtler moments.

To conclude, this was a speculative buy from a long long gone record warehouse in Manchester...of which I may mention in other reviews ...way way back when you had to discover 'new to you' music that way. Many turned out to be keepers. this especially.

Again it would be a very very 4.25 but as I can't in all honesty give it a 5 then my rating slightly lowers the average even when I think it is above it as it stands (4.13). A flaw PA?

The 90's saw prog get its mojo back. Though never likely to hit mainstream again and make a ton of money, prog got its mojo back. They had survived the 80's. ELP, as a group, never had to worry about navigating the 80's, despite the fact that era was ripe for ELP to make a comeback after Love Beach. In The Hot Seat sees ELP decide not to go prog, but instead attempt to find some kind of commercial hit. They threw everything possible at the wall in the hopes something on this album would be a hit. So, why don't I stop delaying the inevitable, and take you on a journey through this album track by track.

We begin with Hand Of Truth, often regarded as the best song on the album. Now at first, with the bombastic keyboards, I thought this was going to be a pretty good banger, and then Greg Lake starts singing and all the issues with this album come front and center. Palmer's drumming sounds more like a drum machine, Emerson's keyboard sounds it's been ADRed at points, and Greg Lake's voice has diminished and he sounds hoarse to the point he can't hit the right notes. Now I'm willing to put up with all of that if the songs are there, but Hand Of Truth, lyrically and sonically, is more of a Mike + The Mechanics song. I hear this, and just beg for Mike + The Mechanics to be playing this song.

Next is Daddy, a fairly dark song about a girl from upstate New York who goes missing. I've seen people say this is off-brand for ELP, and frankly, I think it sounds right for them. Unfortunately, this doesn't come out sounding like an ELP song, but instead this is something I would expect to hear from Peter Gabriel. But you want to know what the biggest problem is with this song? It sounds like Emerson and Palmer are missing, and instead been replaced by session musicians. Say what you will about Love Beach, that at least had ELP, and wasn't reliant on session musicians. This is a Greg Lake solo song at the end of the day, it is not an ELP song.

Then we get to the most bizarre song on the album, One By One, an attempt by Keith Emerson to show he is a true artist and composer among mere prog rockers like Steve Hackett, Yes, and Dream Theater. And I have no idea what Keith was on when he made this song. It sounds like it's trying to be for some sort of Disney soundtrack, complete with that honking synth sound that was a bad idea in the 80's when The Clash abused the hell out of it on their final studio effort. I expect a song like this to be overproduced, but truth be told, the end result is really flat and dry. It lacks the bombastic sound ELP is known for, and this becomes apparent throughout the album. There's no power behind it. This should have been the fun song on the album, but there are so many missed opportunities, and again, this is something I expect on a Disney soundtrack.

Then we come to Heart On Ice, a corny ass Phil Collins style love ballad that even Phil Collins would have thrown out. By this point, Adult Contemporary had lost its luster, so songs like this were not in demand. This feels like a desperate move by a desperate band who are desperate to fill their bank accounts. But more importantly, I can't hear anything that sounds like Emerson, or Palmer performing. Much like daddy, it feels like session musicians with Greg Lake performing solo, but unlike Daddy, Greg Lake's voice is shot to the point he just doesn't have the vocal range necessary to make this corny song work. Why is ELP performing this? I'd more sooner pass this one off to Peter Cetera, because at least he would jump at this song, and make it work for him.

Next up we come to The Thin Line, and you must be joking. That's right, ELP are trying to get some serious street cred by performing a conscious hip-hop R&B inspired song about the line between love and hate. There's just one problem... ELP have no street cred. They were, for the longest time, up their ass yuppies who had money to burn, and flaunted it during their live shows. Greg Lake's voice, again, is not built for this sort of thing. He doesn't have the soulful voice of somebody like Paul Carrack, who could probably make this work. This song can be best described as career suicide. ELP were once one of the most respected prog rock acts around, and any momentum they had after Black Moon crashed and burned with this singular song.

Normally, a sane person would stop there, but we're only half way there. Next we have Man In The Long Black Coat, which is a cover of a Bob Dylan song. I'll admit, I like this version of the song. It comes the closest to finding something that works for Greg's diminished vocals, and in fact, he does hit a few high notes on this song. But AGAIN, this is a solo Greg Lake song that sounds like it's being backed by session musicians and a drum machine. Why isn't this a Greg Lake solo album?...

Then there's Change. A pop-standard style song of the 90's. Now, I had hopes for this song, because Greg Lake's voice seemed fitting for it, but the song itself is just ASS. We get what is possibly one of the saddest keyboard solos from ELP, but at least it sounds like Emerson and Palmer are on here, but the production makes this song flat, and loses any sort of power. This is not the song to inspire change in the world, basically.

We come to yet another ballad, this one is called Give Me A Reason, and it is not written by Emerson, Lake, or Palmer. It instead comes to us from renowned songwriter Steve Diamond. The session musicians and drum machine are back for this Peter Cetera style number, and again, Greg Lake's voice just isn't working on this one. It's outside of his range, and Greg is putting in no effort to try and push his voice higher. Oh, and this one comes complete with a cheesy guitar solo. Greg Lake's attempts to break into adult contemporary are feeble, and pathetic.

Next we come to Gone Too Soon, a blues-rock style song. Frankly, I think Greg Lake's hoarse voice actually works here. The problem is, like most songs on this album, are flat and under produced. By this point, I'm pretty sure you can tell the obvious problem here. Yep, session musicians are backing the song. Oh, but we do get a keyboard solo this time, and it did nothing for me. If this were a Greg Lake solo song, I'd probably like it, but because it's on an ELP album, I have to use that context. This just doesn't do it for me.

I am glad to say we are on the last song of this album, Street War. Has ELP saved the best for last? Nope! In their continued effort to sell out and go every possible direction, ELP sees themselves trying to imitate Billy Idol and go punk. There's just one problem with that... Billy Idol's career was killed by the trainwreck he released in 1993, Cyberpunk. Billy Idol wasn't cool, and ELP trying to go punk just sounds like the biggest joke since trying to get street cred with The Thin Line. This is just wrong. This whole album is just wrong.

And this is why I will be one of those people who will continually say Love Beach is not the worst Emerson, Lake and Palmer album. Despite Love Beach being an absolute mess, I can at least hear Emerson, Lake and Palmer in Love Beach. ELP deserved to go out on a better note, but sadly this was their last studio effort. This was historic for ELP as it marked the first time the band did not chart in the US, or the UK. While Black Moon was low on the charts, that album at least charted, and had songs that stayed in ELP's set list. In The Hot Seat is the one album the group absolutely hated to make, and you can tell they just wanted to have this one done with. And that is what In The Hot Seat represents, a sad, broken way to end a recording career.

Hourglass is the brand new album of Patchwork Cacophony, the personal project of Ben Bell, who you probably know either from this project, or from Broken Parachute, or from Gandalf's Fist.

Luckily enough, I was able to listen to his 1st and 2nd album at the time of their release, so I was able to spot the differences and changes in every new album's style and sound. His debut one was a good effort, but it was rather obvious that he was not sure yet of the style he wanted to play. So, there were many influences and different styles mixed there. The 2nd album, Five of Cups was a far better album without a doubt. Once more, Ben did almost everything by himself, but this time he had Marcus Taylot and Tim Hall as guests; both on guitars. (Marcus Taylor is his bandmate in Broken Parachute).

And now, 8 years later, he released his 3rd album, Hourglass, which is the most enjoyable, well crafted, and better produced of all 3. The album includes 8 songs, and 4 of them are between 8 - 11 minutes in length. The other 4, are short instrumental pieces which are working like "bridges" between the long ones. The 4 long tracks are excellent, and the 4 short ones are doing the job the way they should. Have in mind that there is also another option for those who might be interested, which is the Halfhourglass. This is an EP, which includes only the 4 long tracks of the album in shorter "radio friendly" versions. This was a great idea, and it is a very pleasant EP.

The Hourglass album is available in Digital format on platforms like Bandcamp for example, but is also available as CD. As for the Halfhourglass EP, if I'm not mistaken, it is available only in digital format, and it can be found on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.

So, no matter if you will choose Hourglass or Halfhourglass, be sure that you will pick a really great album!

Give it a try, you won't regret it!

My Rating: Somewhere between 4.0 and 4.5 Stars.

It all changed with Look at You Now: although this record follows the group´s recent trend to keep on writing shorter songs, this CD has a freshness and energy I haven´t seen in any FK output for years. Superficially the new songs seem not as good as they really are, but upon listening to the album a few more times, I got the same feeling I used to when I heard their 90´s classics. The band is in great shape and it was a joy to hear those classic guitar lines, very much in the vein of Steve Howe, back into the tunes. Was it something to do with the chemistry of having brother Michael Stolt back in the group? did it help the songs turned out so much better and inspired?

Whatever the true reasons, the fact remains that this CD moved me like the Flower Kings used to. Of course it is not another Retropolis or Stardust We Are, but the spirit is back. It´s like they now don´t need to write an epic of sorts to make some point. In fact, the short songs sound just like they should. Look at You Now is like a mix of the "old" Flower Kings with the more concise stuff they´re writing lately. It seems they finally found the right balance and I hope they continue in this path. With no fillers and with an excellent flow, it´s a real nice surprise.

Final rating: something between 3,5 and 4 stars. It may not be essential, but it is more than just very good.

"Invisible Touch" is the thirteenth studio album of Genesis and that was released in 1986. It became and is remained by far, as the most commercially successful album of their entire musical career, and it eventually sold over fifteen million copies worldwide. It received in general, favourable reviews from critics, and catch Genesis at their commercial peak. However, some of them commented that "Invisible Touch" was more a Phil Collins' solo album than a Genesis' album. Perhaps due to that, it was also the most pop album of them, mainly based on electronic percussion and synthesizers.

"Invisible Touch" has eight tracks. All songs were written by Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins. The first track "Invisible Touch" is the title track. It was also released as a single and it became the most successful single in the band's lengthy history and was also their first and only single to be # 1 in the United States. This is a typical and pure pop song that was made to be a greatest hit. As a pop song, we are in presence of an excellent song. However, it has nothing to do with the progressive music. It seems to be a song written to be part of a Phil Collins' solo work. The second track "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" was the fourth single to be released from the album. It was the first of the two extended musical pieces on the album. This is a very good song with some progressive lines and once more, when he wants, Tony Banks can show his great musical skills. It's a very nice atmospheric song with many interesting musical passages. This is, in my opinion, one of the highlights of the album. The third track "Land Of Confusion" was one more single taken from the album, one of the four tracks of the album released as a single. It became a Genesis' classic song with a catchy rhythm and a beautiful melody, very nice and pleasant to hear. Of course this isn't exactly a progressive song but it's good enough to be remembered. Undoubtedly, we are in presence of an excellent pop rock song, with nothing to do with silly songs such as, "Who Dunnit?" or "Illegal Alien". The fourth track "In Too Deep" was another song to be released as a single on the album. This is clearly a Phil Collins' song with the entire DNA present on the songs released on his solo albums. This is an excellent pop song, one of the most beautiful, mellow and sweet songs ever made by him. I must confess that in some moments I like very much to hear some Phil Collins' songs. Still, this isn't, without any doubt, the right place for him to write a song like this. The fifth track "Anything She Does" is lyrically a song about pornography. It's about a man who is in love with a porn star and that can't have a relationship with her in the real life. Musically, it isn't, in my humble opinion, a great song, and it represents also, for me, one of the weakest points on the album. It seems to be a song put out of the place, which doesn't sound anything to a Genesis' song. It sounds too much to reggae and reminds me too much a song made by The Police. The sixth track "Domino" is divided into two parts, part one, "In The Glow Of The Night" and part two, "The Last Domino". The first part was released as the B side of their single "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight", and the second part was released as the B side of their single "Invisible Touch". It was the second of the two extended musical pieces on the album. It's, without any doubt, the best track on the album and it's a song in the same vein of "Duke's Travels" and "Duke's End" from "Duke", "Dodo/Lurker" from "Abacab" and "Home By The Sea" and "Second Home By The Sea" from "Genesis". The seventh track "Throwing It All Away" was issued as the second single released from the album. The song is a soft rock ballad and is musically structured around the guitar riff of Mike Rutherford. It's a very decent song and a successful song but with nothing progressive on it. It's a soft pop song without anything more special to say about it, except that we are in presence of another Phil Collins' song that should have been released on a solo Collins' album. The eighth and last track "The Brazilian" is a song that reminds immediately "Los Endos" from "A Trick Of The Tail". This is a true fantastic and memorable instrumental track with many progressive elements and that soon became a classic Genesis' instrumental track. This is a song that features some experimental sounds and effects and that sounds a bit like a progressive song. It's undoubtedly with "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" and "Domino" the best and only progressive moments on the album. We even can say this is a wonderful and fantastic moment, and perfect enough, to close a nice and good album, really.

Conclusion: Sincerely, I don't consider "Invisible Touch" a bad Genesis' album. Probably it isn't even the weakest album of them. It's true that "Invisible Touch" is the less progressive and most popish album of all Genesis' albums. However, it has quality enough to be considered a good album and it can also be considered more balanced than some other albums from them. It's also, in a certain way, better than "Abacab" and "Genesis" is. It's much more balanced and it hasn't weak tracks like "Who Dunnit?" or "Illegal Alien". By the other hand, it isn't much less progressive than those albums are, and in terms of a non progressive album, is probably better than they are. It's true that is far from the class of most of their albums, but it has more fun than some things made by them. This is the typical 80's album. It rules.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

I have always felt the two trio releases involving Emerson in the Eighties are somewhat overlooked by fans of ELP, yet they are both excellent, as this new 3-CD boxed set displays so well. What we have here is the album (with three bonus tracks), their live album, 'Live In Concert' and a CD of rehearsals, 'The Sprocket Sessions'. All material included in the box set has been re-mastered by renowned engineer Andy Pearce which also includes an enhanced booklet with sleeve notes written by Prog Magazine editor, Jerry Ewing.

I fully remember this being released and picked up the pre-recorded cassette (those were the days) as soon as I could. I did not know what to expect but was fully aware of Powell's work with Rainbow and Whitesnake, and even remembered him performing "Dance With The Devil" on TOTP. I certainly did not expect an album which commenced with classic ELP sounds and styles with "The Score", and when Lake got to the chorus and sang "It's been so long you're welcome back my friends, To the show that never ends" I was ecstatic. It didn't matter we had a different "P", the band were back and playing classic music, linking back to "Karn Evil 9" for their fans. The music had shifted in that it was more commercial, especially "Touch and Go", yet not so overtly as Asia, somehow bridging the Seventies and Eighties. Emerson was also convinced by Powell to undertake a recording of "Mars, The Bringer of War" which is one of the standout tracks, albeit the style being somewhat different from other classical covers the band did in the past.

Years after this was originally released I went to see the wonderfully bawdy musical 'Sinderella' featuring Jim Davidson, and I was somewhat surprised to hear some of these songs played during the performance (Davidson and Emerson were friends, hence the use of "Karn Evil 9" for 'The Generation Game'), yet I was also pleased as I felt this album was overlooked by many. The rehearsals and live recording add to the overall story in that we hear Cozy performing on some classic numbers (his style is very different indeed to Palmer), and overall this set brings back to life an album from a band who deserved to be around for much longer than the short time they were.

Vocals are in french and the music is a symphonic/neo blend but the fake drums are such a negative for me. They did get a real drummer on their second and final record from 1994 an album I also gave 3 stars to. I consider 1987 to 1991 the dark ages of my music and that was actually one of the reasons I picked this 1989 release up as I was hoping for a hidden gem that might make my top five for that year. Nope.

"Legendes" is not a bad record at all despite my comments but it's not one I'd recommend either despite it having it's fans. 3 stars.