15 years on from his debut, Harper introduced the ROY HARPER BAND with "Work of Heart". It's curious that the band consists of musicians whose competence I am not qualified to question, but who, unlike many of his earlier collaborators, can hardly be said to challenge the man's pre-eminence over his domain.

This is even more unctuous than "The Unknown Soldier", an osterized emulsion of ideas that are perhaps not even half baked, and that would only pique musicologists who specialize in the 1980s come the 2050s, and heaven help them if this was somehow chosen as representative of this fellow's output. It's not that there was no good music in the 1980s, but, when it adhered to these formulae, many others did it better - why impart questionably poetic lessons when the whole point isn't to listen, and how would you even hope to dance to this?

In the middle of "Woman", we get an approximation of the 4th or 5th best track on the BUGGLES "The Age of Plastic". I suppose that isn't nothing. "I Still Care" and the closing suite are the best on offer here, but I wouldn't shoehorn them onto a best of compilation as presented. Supposedly many of these numbers received a rawer and more fan friendly treatment on the subsequent"Born in Captivity". Since that one is for only fans, I think I'll vault ahead to discern if any further work of this artiste advances his legacy.

Yes, thankfully, The Child is Father of the Man. Number One, the Chief salutes you.

Is history cyclical? Perhaps, but consideration of "Parasomnia" brings me back to the ending above of my 2/22/2009 review of "Octavarium."

Number One is my oldest son, now a successful, multi-store retail, district manager who recently had the good fortune to see Dream Theater on their fortieth anniversary tour. Finally, on Sunday, 3/23/25, we spoke regarding "Parasomnia,"agreeing that it is Dream Theater's best effort since 2002's "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence."

In the autumn of 2024 when the band gave us the preview of "Night Terror" from "Parasomnia," I joked with Number One that, depending on the 11/5/24 outcome of a major event in the "body politic" of the United States, I, too, might have "Night Terror . . . ." This outcome has, subsequently, also led to "Day Terror."

On a far more auspicious note, we have "Parasomnia." As we enter the album through "In The Arms of Morpheus," we are whisked away into a fitfully trancelike state that is relentless. "Night Terror" descends into "A Broken Man," which constricts into "Dead Asleep." The listener is on a "mechanical bull" of the Imagination that charges through "Midnight Messiah" to the alarm clock conclusion of "The Shadow Man Incident."

As a "concept album," "Parasomnia is not only a latter day "Metropolis Pt. 2?Scenes from a Memory," but also an "incarnation" of "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway." Although "Parasomnia" does not possess a relatively linear "quest romance motif" like that of "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway," it presents eight bewildering nighttime scenarios with a cumulative effect tantamount to the quest of Rael . . . .

Instrumentally, the album is superb. Throughout, there is the continuous dialogue between John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess. James La Brie is most authoritative. In his return to the band, Mike Portnoy parallels the career of NFL great, Fran Tarkenton, who, beginning his career with the Minnesota Vikings and serving an intermediate tenure with the New York Giants, returned to the Vikings to complete his legendary status as quarterback.

And, then, there is John Myung: "L'Angelo Misterioso" of "Parasomnia." In response to the legendary lead guitar work Eric Clapton provided on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," George Harrison co-wrote and performed rhythm guitar on Cream's, "Badge," under the pseudonym, "L'Angelo Misterioso."

Myung's presence initially became noteworthy to me during Rudess and Petrucci's "dialogue"during "Night Terror" and Rudess' piano solo during the latter stages of "The Shadow Man Incident." With each listening, I have found Myung's bass to be fairly "high" in the mix, largely assuming the function of rhythm guitar. And, why not? With a drummer like Mike Portnoy, the music of "Parasomnia" opens up the full, rhythmic possibilities for Myung's six string bass. As a parallel, I would like to make reference to Greg Lake's eight string Alembic bass on "Fanfare for the Common Man."

There are, of course, other remarkable instrumental elements throughout this album. I would like to point out Petrucci's solo during "A Broken Man" in which he revisits the "Kansas-like" sound of "A Rite of Passage" from "Black Clouds and Silver Linings."Rudess delivers singular piano work during the remaining third or so of "The Shadow Man Incident,"supported by Myung's bass.

In mentioning Fran Tarkenton earlier, I must similarly say, in "Parasomnia," Dream Theater has sent "the ball" out of Wrigley Field and/or over the Green Monster in Fenway Park.

And, who among us would not want to "Bend the Clock?"

Largely experimental and occasionally provocative, 'Alpha Centauri', or the second studio album released by Tangerine Dream, is a 1971 album that bridges a supposed gap between krautrock and electronic music, seeing the German band led by Edgar Froese embarking on a space-themed odyssey developing in peculiar cosmic movements with the predominant use of organ and flute., eventually inspired by the experimental sounds of Pink Floyd's early psychedelic recordings, particularly 'A Saucerful of Secrets' and 'Ummagumma'. Froese and Co. had taken up that chilling cosmic soundscape-creation and elevated it to a hypnotic work where electronic instrumentation prevails and provides an often-ominous but always intriguing musical background as well as a fine space for improvisation, which is what this album is largely about.

And while the remains of the group's krautrock pedigree can still be heard, 'Alpha Centauri' is the first really significant step towards Tangerine Dream's magnificent exploration of texture, timbre, and ambience, all sheathed in cosmic reverence, making this a somewhat transitional recording. Here we have the organ-heavy 'Sunrise in the Third System', a fine tone-setter for the record, the skeletal and tender composition 'Fly and Collision of Comas Sola', which reveals a distant krautrock echo towards its ending, and the first massive movement of sound by Tangerine Dream, the 22-minute title track, a worthy anticipator of the musical form explored more thoroughly on 'Zeit'. Reissues of the album bring along fascinating bonus tracks like the ethereal 'Oszillator Planet Concert' and the rare and abrasive prog single 'Ultima Thule', developing in two parts. All this makes 'Alpha Centauri' incredibly interesting as well as an important piece of the Tangerine Dream puzzle, with its spacey sounds and structure-less experiments.

I was encouraged to try out Little Creatures after Talking Heads got an honorary mention on Progarchives and I will admit that the 2 singles this album generated were something I remember enjoying back in the 80s. I recall Talking Heads being talked about at the time as something a little different from the standard pop that dominated UK charts; however I never considered the singles different or special enough to take a punt on the rest of their music. Afterall I was still catching up on all the epic stuff I was too young to enjoy from the 70s and even that stuff was competing with all the metal and alternative rock that was appearing daily. So was it worth my effort to pull out this old vinyl recording, making a digital copy and whacking it onto my Sonos? In a word, Nope!

Let's be fair to Talking Heads, they were a little different from the pack and they had a quite refreshing approach to their music so I perfectly understand all those 80s music fans getting a little excited about this stuff. However, at the time this stuff was getting all popular I was discovering The Sisters of Mercy, Alien Sex Fiend and Marillion as well as catching up on AC/DC, Black Sabbath and The Scorpions - I know I was a musical schizophrenic but that's because I still didn't know that prog was my thing. So you can see why I didn't find time for Talking Heads or any other mildly interesting pop band. I do think we should see Talking Heads as sitting at the more sophisticated end of the pop spectrum as they competently produced consumable music that will probably still be with the original 80s fans - I bet they still play this stuff when they are alone!

So Little Creatures runs through 9 tracks that never escape from 4 time and don't seem to be interested in trying different structures even though there isn't such a strong reliance on vocal hooks as you might expect from pop music. Some songs like Television Man do have minor dalliances in something that is unexpected but it simply isn't enough to satisfy an ardent prog listener. The album is book-ended by those 2 singles And She Was.. and Road To Nowhere just to make sure you hear the whole thing (assuming you enjoy Road to Nowhere). Most of the tracks are forgettable enough and there isn't a vocal performance or musician that stands out enough to keep you listening. This whole thing is competent and a little different but it isn't anything else. The lyrics are quite original and despite some repetition I never get annoyed with them which makes it easy to continue listening even though I tend to switch off after a while.

There is some texture to the music but what this stuff really needs above all else, is a little more passion from the vocals because it really needs something more to grab you by the wotnots and force you to hear it out. For my own experience, after about a dozen spins I started to get bored with the singles (because they were already too familiar) which allowed me to dip into the other tracks. That's the point where I realized I was not going to get any more out of this experience and I decided to write this review and move on to something more rewarding.

In summary, Little Creatures is an ok 1980s pop album with an interesting style that made it stand out at the time but with hindsight it isn't anything special and it really doesn't have any business sitting in a progressive music collection. It is a statement on how music began to diversify again after those awful 80s years of synth pop but will only really be of interest to 80s pop fans. Let them have it I say.

Ominous Art Deco Sound

The architects of elegant and brutal chaos return with 'Goldstar', a work directly inspired by the vast monstrosity of their hometown New York. In just under 39 minutes, the trio builds a wall of sound that feels like Manhattan beneath skyscrapers warped by madness.

The album proves that avant-garde can be accessible without losing its edge, deploying their signature extreme metal with jazz elements and dissonant sections efficiently and concisely. The production is raw, one thanks the controlled maelstrom that so characterizes their style. The atmospheres are built with precision, and harsh textures and arrangements are integrated to enrich the final result. Furthermore, contributions from figures such as Dave Lombardo and Tomas Haake add interest to the album.

Despite its dense layers and evident complexity of execution, 'Goldstar' feels direct. Part of this is due to its length, which is long enough for the band to develop their approach without overwhelming the listener, something many of their contemporaries fail to grasp. Shorter pieces, such as "NEWYORKCITY" and "Goldstar" (for some reason, the latter giving me a mental image of the video game 'Fallout',) serve as effective transitions, ensuring a steady flow. In "Gomorrah Nouveaux", the phrase "High class, low life" encapsulates the band's critique of the decadence they find in their surroundings; they translate the combination of superficial luxury with deteriorating morality into music that is precise but, at times, could take more risks.

In the end, this album stands as a new sonic cathedral, built upon the crumbling foundations of the city that so inspires them. IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT remains consistent in its form, but too comfortable within its own limits. The execution and the idea are impeccable, but the lack of creative boldness leaves the feeling that they fell short of their own potential. It's a good album, although one that leaves the impression that they could have gone further if they had dared to challenge their own rules.

Music: 3 stars

Lyrics: 3 stars

Execution: 4 stars

Emotion: 2 stars

Production: 3 stars

Artwork: 3 stars

Average: 3

Definitely not Floyd's best, but its musical redemption from the "Final Cut" and "Momentary Lapse of Reason" not bad considering that by this point their top songwriter was long-gone and their second best was trying to sue them dry. Some of the songs are actually very good, and none are terrible - that aspect alone seperates this album from A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Marooned and Cluster One, both instrumental, feature some great guitar work from David Gilmour, and High Hopes and Lost For Words are solid lyrically as well as musically. But, as is always the case with the post-psychedelic Floyd, the music needs the sweet-and-sour balance of Gilmour and Waters to stand up. In this case it is Gilmour's blandness which rules the day, and while this is more accessible for most listeners than Roger Waters' whining, it doesn't make for a classic album. If you have all the work from Floyd's golden era and are looking to expand your collection, then this would be one place to start. But don't go judging the band on this release alone. 4.0 the quartet was done by this moment in time but make one last hoorah.

After the rushed "Crisis? What Crisis?", Supertramp returned to the studio to work on their 5th studio album. And boy did they work out something great here. It starts with the joyful, "Give a Little Bit," a song you've probably already heard before. "Lover Boy" is a Rick Davies classic. The lyrics here are truly fantastic, as they are still relevant over 40 years later. "Even in the Quietest Moments" is the best song on the album, it is still very pleasing and doesn't feel like a big step of quality. "Downstream" is a simple song. Just Rick and his piano. But that is what makes it so great. The lyrics, the chorus, the production, everything on this track is perfect. This song is very underrated. "Babaji" is a fun song. The ending is particularly infectious. Then we come to "From Now On." This song is the peak of the album. Rick's lyrics, John Helliwell's saxophone, and everything in between give this song a gentle, lifting touch. The outro has me singing throughout the rest of my day. What a brilliant, gentle song. "Fool's Overture" is a long trip of a song its one of their proggiest tracks. The audio clip going into the change of sound in the music is wonderful. We also get some of Roger Hodgson's best lyrics here. It's a great outro to such a great album. Overall, this album has many different styles of songs blended together into one tight, non-innocuous package. 4.5

2025 has already been quite a year for prog releases, with acts such as Dream Theater, Karmakanic, Steven Wilson and Pattern Seeking Animals, already having released very strong albums (which I have reviewed) along with releases on the horizon like (Alex Lifeson's) Envy of None and The Flower Kings, and lesser known acts that I have either reviewed or done a spotlight on like Andy Toomey, The Swan Chorus, Magic Pie, and Massimo Pieretti, either already releasing new material of about to do so.

Today, I will be reviewing the latest album, called "Seawater", from UK Prog-Folk stalwarts Mostly Autumn. They have been led by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Bryan Josh since their founding in the mid-90s, and he has been the only consistent member throughout their history. MA has been described as a blend of Prog-Folk and harder edged Neo-prog with a lot of Pink Floyd influence (several of the original members played in a Pink Floyd Tribute band); in fact, not long before his passing, PF keyboardist Rick Wright mentioned that he liked their music. They even released a live PF tribute album in 2004. This is their 15th studio album since they began releasing them in the late 90s. While I have heard a fair amount of MA songs in the past, I am far from an expert. This will be the first album of theirs I will have listened to in its entirety. This line-up has been pretty stable for around a decade, with only one member change since 2015 (so far as I can discern) when Henry Rogers took over the drum throne in 2018 from Alex Cromarty.

Here is the line-up for the "Seawater" album:

- Bryan Josh / guitars, vocals - Olivia Sparnenn-Josh/ vocals - Iain Jennings / keyboards - Chris Johnson / guitars - Andy Smith / bass - Angela Gordon / flute, keyboards - Henry Rogers / drums

With: - Troy Donockley / uilleann pipes, low whistle (1,2) (he is a frequent MA collaborator)

Without further fanfare, let's dig in. This is a cold listen with the exception of having heard and really enjoying "If Only For a Day."

Track 1 - Let's Take a Walk (Featuring Troy Donockley)

It begins with a slow fade in of nature sounds, The instruments begin entering quietly by around 20 seconds. Just before the one minute mark some power chords are strummed, then Donockley enters with his pipes. The first vocals enter after the 2-minute point by Bryan Josh. Drums begin accenting as we get to the 3 minute point. This is getting a slightly Celtic flavor as we progress. The rhythm section enters along with a nice organ wash. By around 4:20 the instruments go back down to menial levels. Olivia Sparnenn-Josh sings harmonies with her husband (they married after she had been in the band for several years, first as a background singer, then a lead singer). The sound is very full and well-produced. At 5:44 Donockley re-enters. If it weren't for its 9 minute length, this could be a hit on country radio (that's NOT an insult, to be clear); it's a bit like something John Mellencamp would do (again, except the length) and he'd probably be considered country if he came out nowadays. Great guitar solo at the end from Josh. To sum up, I'd say it's a rockin' tune with a mixture of Celtic and country flavors. It's prog in its scope, if not in its execution. Regardless, I really like the song! It has a great energy to kick off the album.

Track 2 - Why Do We Remember all the Rain (Featuring Troy Donockley)

This one has a 6-6 Celtic lilt at the beginning with Donockley on his flute. Olivia takes the lead vocals here, and she sounds wonderful. The beat switches to 4 as the rest of the band kicks in. Henry Rogers is playing a cool drum part. A guitar solo begins around 2:40. This one has more of the sound I have come to associate with Mostly Autumn. I love how the guitar and flute lines intertwine around 4 minutes. Great track!

Track 3 - Be Something

Bryan Josh takes back over on lead vocals right off the bat with a strummed acoustic guitar. He has a bit of a gruff voice, but he makes it work! After the upbeat 4-4 opening chorus, he goes into a slower 6-8 for the verse. On the second chorus, Olivia joins him with some subtle playing from the rhythm section. The alternating meters keep happening in the same manner. The chorus is a bit of an earworm. It finally opens up to the full band around 2:45. They like to fill the sound with a big fat organ tone. There is a key change leading into the guitar solo, which is based on the choruses. This is a very inspirational song. Great song!

Track 4 - When We Ran

Soft, ethereal keyboards start this one out. A piano joins, beginning to establish a slow rhythm. Bryan is the lead vocalist as the singing begins. This is very quiet so far. The music comes to a pause at around 2:15, then a rhythmic synth part that reminds me of the synth part that begins "The Secret of My Success" by Night Ranger starts. The synth then adds a melodic part that almost seems Spanish or Mexican in nature (not sure why, but that's the impression it gives me). This has developed a bit of an 80s new wave synth vibe augmented by some power chords. Olivia joins in on harmonies in the next section and the bridge. At 5:00 the key goes up a step for the guitar solo. Following the solo, we have a "breakdown" section. The chorus returns at around 6:15. The melodies are very uplifting. Another key change happens at 6:40, then yet another for the next guitar solo at around 7:15. The song begins to fade out over the final minute while the guitar solo continues. However it doesn't fade entirely, there is a definite ending. I believe Angela Gordon doubles some of the guitar lines with flute towards the ending. Good track!

Track 5 - If Only For a Day

This is the one I have heard already, but only once before. It begins as a piano ballad in a minor key with Olivia singing. Her voice is very expressive. She jumps an octave on the 3rd verse. A subtle rhythm section starts on the second verse. This song is a slow burn. Power chords kick in half way through the verse and the rhythm section gets stronger. This song is heavy in a "Comfortably Numb" kind of way. Bryan Josh likes the "key change for guitar solos" thing. Olivia's singing is phenomenal on this! Another guitar solo follows. Bryan is really showing his Gilmour influence here. Lots of powerful sustained notes with emphasis on the feel. My favorite track on the album so far!

Track 6 - When Nations Collide

Soft keyboards and Olivia's voice start us off here. A strumming acoustic (12 string I believe) joins in at just before one minute. We are in a slow 6-8 here. The song gets a stronger rhythm starting at around 2:30 The guitar solo explodes in at around 3:35. This one is also Floydian, reminding me of "On the Turning Away." There are some interesting chord progressions in this one. The stunning voice of Olivia Sparnenn-Josh is the clear star of this song though. (I've been using her first name for much of the review though for "economy of typing." No disrespect meant.) Nice track.

Track 7 - My Home

This begins with some sound effects, joined by some clean electric guitar that sounds like its inside of a very large echoey bathroom. Bryan Josh is the singer here. 12-string acoustic is blended in. The song kicks in with power chords and it begins to have a slightly country vibe again. Bryan is singing in the lower ends of his range for the verses, then jumps up a register in the choruses. Nice key change for the bridge at around 2:40. They key changes for the guitar solo again. Bryan likes to sing the big, inspirational, pump-you-up kind of songs. This one almost has a Bon Jovi vibe to it in the chorus, but please don't hold that against it! It's a good track!

Track 8 - Mars

This one begins with a hymn kind of feel to it. Bryan is the lead vocalist again. This one's lyrics seem to be a call back to the previous song, when he sings "To think that I could lay down on Mars, and dream of my home? (Olivia joins in) So far away." At 2:20, the song suddenly gets "huge" sounding and Olivia takes over in dramatic fashion! Then, guess what? The key changes for the guitar solo! (It's all good though, Bryan! It's nice hearing key changes.) Some of the notes in the solo are excessively high, so I believe he is using a slide past the end of the neck, over the body of the guitar to get them, or he is using an effect pedal, but I believe it is the former. Olivia returns on vocals afterward. Her vocals are spectacular! Great track!

Track 9 - Future Is a Child

Keyboard tones and acoustic guitar enter with a very slight "Welcome to the Machine." vibe. Bryan starts the vocals by singing the title phrase. Olivia joins on the second verse, and there is a subtle rimshot rhythm in the drums. At one minute in or so, the music explodes and Olivia takes charge on the vocals! Bang! It reminds me of when Ann Wilson jumps an octave on "Alone" by Heart. Bryan takes back over on the verses, soon joined by Olivia on harmonies. The drums pick up the rhythm. Olivia does her fantastic dramatic thing again around 2:30. Nice vocal harmonies in the bridge. Bryan takes an acoustic lead at around 3:30?tasty. Olivia takes back over again afterward. A cool flute solo with Moody Blues vibes happens at around the 5 minute mark. Then Bryan takes over with a big descending riff behind his solo. The first time I have heard the bass stand out on the album is around the 6 minute point. Big solo from Bryan as the song reaches its conclusion. This is one of the better tracks on the album. Well done!

Track 10 - Seawater

But one track remains, and it's a doozie! The 19 minute closing title epic! Quiet piano commences this one, then Olivia begins singing softly, sometimes doubled an octave lower by Bryan. There are thunder sound effects with the vocals & piano after 1:10. The music pauses briefly around 1:40 then a more rhythmic piano part takes over (Iain Jennings, I assume, although Angela Gordon also plays keys along with her flute skills). This is a well-played classical style piano part. The rhythm section kicks in near the 2 minute mark. Olivia resumes singing around 2:30. Nice harmonies around 3:30. Then Bryan kicks in with a guitar solo (without a key change). Once again, his Gilmour influence is apparent. I like the walk down at around 4:45. Sound effects of an ocean storm follow. Rhythmic keys and sustained bass begin to emerge from the effects. At around 5:50 choir-like vocals begin singing staccato "doot doot doots" in harmony, and a siren sound effect follows. This song is very cinematic in its approach. String orchestra-like synth sounds join in at around 6:40. Then there is a sudden shift to the distorted guitar bass and drums taking over the staccato theme that the vocals had been doing with all of the sound effects gone. At 7:10 the band locks into a moderately fast groove, then angelic voices join in backed by synth. Olivia begins singing lyrics again before the 8 minute mark. It is quite dramatic around 8:50. They are singing about tsunamis here. At 10:17 everything except a piano playing low notes and hushed vocals drops out. A high pitched piano note joins in and by 10:35 we have a synth solo; the first on the album. The tsunami chorus returns at around 11 minutes. By 11:30, acoustic guitar and drums tale over, playing the rhythmic motif from earlier along with wind sound effects. Synth- strings join in creating a churning ocean effect. The band crashes back in around 12:10 with Bryan taking over on vocals. Choir-like vocals return, backing him up with "ahhs" as the music builds in intensity. There is a loud crash of thunder around 13:30 that brings us to another pause for wind and ocean sound effects. A moderately slow 6-8 rhythm on 12-string acoustic guitar, bass and drums takes over by the 14 minute point. The Joshes join in singing vocals in octaves. Just after 15 minutes the music gets HUGE with orchestration--nice! Layers are being added as the music proceeds. Just prior to 18 minutes Bryan plays lead over the top. Then at 18:18, the music suddenly stops. We return to the quiet piano from the introduction, with post-storm birds chirping as this wonderful epic reaches its conclusion. This is definitely the flagship song of the album. Superbly done!

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

A solid album indeed. I enjoyed every track. However, if you're looking for odd-meters and lots of twiddly-bits, this may not be the album for you. The closing epic title track is definitely great prog, and overall, while the music is well-arranged, well-written, and well-performed, some of the tracks are not what most people would call prog. And that's ok. I just want to be clear about it. If you want some good song oriented music that is played and sung by wonderful musicians, that's what we have here. I'll give it a 4 out of 5 stars, as it is very good, but I was only blown away on a few tracks, especially "If Only for a Day," "Future is a Child" and "Seawater."

"KHAN" were a 4 piece made up of Canterbury-influenced musicians who later went on to their own projects, primarily guitarist Steve Hillage. He and keyboard virtuoso Dave Stewart dominate the album with better-than-average prog ideas that are intermittently interrupted by "far out" hippie rock cliches in the vocal verses of the song. Which is too bad, because it somewhat distracts and detracts from some creative instrumental work that is as playful as it is complex. I like what user Loserboy said that some of Dave Stewarts best Hammond work is on here, he's definitely right. Dave Stewart's keyboard sounds and arrangements make this album more detailed than spacy, despite the silly outer-space themes (especially compared to Hillage's subsequent work with the much more psychedelic band Gong). Whether playing rhythms, arrangements, or psych/hard rock leads, Hillage's guitar style is strong and unique. Many of the tendencies of prog rock, for better and/or worse, are abundant on this lesser-known release during its heyday. some of these tracks on their sophomore album ( that wouldn't be released) would be placed onto Steve hillage's solo debut "Fish Rising". 4.0 Canterbury classic

Review Nº 885

"Avalon" is the eighth and last studio album of Roxy Music and was released in 1982. It was their greatest commercial success hitting the UK charts and staying there for over a year. "Avalon" is also the only Roxy Music's album to reach the platinum record in the USA. "Avalon" is one of their finest albums. Certainly, the lush and elegant soundscapes of "Avalon" are far removed from the edgy avant-pop of their early albums, yet it represents another landmark in their career. Ferry was never this romantic or seductive but "Avalon" shimmers with elegance in both its music and its lyrics.

The beautiful art cover of the album represents a figure wearing a medieval helmet and carrying a falcon, evoking King Arthur's last journey to the mysterious land of Avalon. The figure is Bryan Ferry's then girlfriend and future wife Lucy Helmore, a former model and London socialite, who posed as the cover model for the album, continuing the tradition of Roxy Music's albums to feature images of women on the cover artwork. The artwork was designed by Peter Saville too.

As on "Flesh + Blood" the line up are only the remaining three original members and some guest musicians. So, the line up is Bryan Ferry (vocals, keyboards and guitar synthesizer), Andy MacKay (saxophone), Phil Manzanera (guitar), Yanick Etienne (vocals), Fonzi Thornton (vocals), Neil Hubbard (guitar), Paul Carrack (piano), Kermit Moore (cello), Alan Spenner (bass), Neil Jason (bass), Andy Newmark (drums), Rick Marotta (drums) and Jimmy Maelen (percussion).

"Avalon" has ten tracks. All songs were written by Bryan Ferry except "While My Heart Is Still Beating" written by Bryan Ferry and Andy MacKay, "Take A Chance With Me" written by Bryan Ferry and Phil Manzanera and "Tara" written also by Bryan Ferry and Andy MacKay. The first track "More Than This" is the song released as the first single taken from this album and is of course one of the hits of this album. It's a great commercial pop song composed for easy radio listening. We may say this is a perfect hit pop song for the 80's. The second track "The Space Between" is a kind of a sexy song with clear influences of the disco sound, so in vogue at that time. It's a song that sounds to have been played in the night dance clubs all over the world in that time. It's a little bit repetitive and monotonous song. The third track, the eponymous title track, "Avalon", was the song released in the second place as a single and taken from this album. This is, without any doubt, a great song. It's a song with good and perfect classic lyrics and where the music is absolutely perfect and invites us to dance slowly like when the party is over. The voice of Bryan Ferry is absolutely fantastic and the female chorus is very warm and gives it a nice touch. The fourth track "India" is a very short and nice instrumental song with some influences of the oriental music. The fifth track "While My Heart Is Still Beating" is another great song. This is a very sophisticated art pop song with very interesting musical moments like the percussion and drums, the vocals and finally the sound of the saxophone. I think we can say this is the song on this album, more close to the original sound of the group. The sixth track "The Main Thing" is another highlight on this album. This is a song with a fantastic and very own musical atmosphere and where Bryan Ferry's vocals are some of the best on the album. It's a song with a great beat. The seventh track "Take a Chance With Me" is another great song of the album. It's also a song released as a single and was the last Roxy Music single released during the band's life. It's a very catch song with good and nice melody that sounds very fresh even today. The eighth track "To Turn You On" is a very simple and nice song that specially lives almost of the Bryan Ferry's voice. It's an interesting song with some tasteful guitar moments very well accompanied by piano. The ninth track "True To Life" is another interesting and nice song with good musical atmosphere and with a very calm rhythm. It has also different vocals by Bryan Ferry and good percussion all over the song. The tenth and last track "Tara" is another very short instrumental song like "India". It's a very beautiful song where the sound of Andy MacKay's saxophone is absolutely relaxing. This is a strange and beautiful way to end this album and is also probably a perfect and elegant farewell for this so special, interesting and unique prog rock band.

Conclusion: "Avalon" is, in my opinion, the most Bryan Ferry's album of the band. It's also their most well produced, most mature, most accessible, most commercial and the bestselling album of the band. This is really a unique album on the band's career that takes us to another musical dimension. It's true that "Avalon" isn't truly a progressive album but is only a pop rock album with only little reminiscences of progressiveness. However, of all the many pop rock albums made by many progressive rock groups in the 80's, like Genesis, Yes, Gentle Giant, Renaissance and even "Breakfast In America" of Supertramp, that I can remember, this is, in my opinion, the one that passed the test of time with best results. "Avalon" is a very charming album that still sounds fresh, cool and sophisticated after all these years and I can still hear it, even now, with great pleasure. So, "Avalon" is an album highly recommended for any art rock enthusiast.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)