Odd and compelling piece. I first heard this in 74 when a teenager. I had found it at my local record library and was magnetized by the sleeve: otherwordly kind of prog image; oddly De Chirico hinting at parallel worlds. It seems it was first written for BBC Dance Worshops by a New Yorker called or calling himself Burt Alcantara; might be his real name but there are no photos or useful bios anywhere online I can find. Anyway New York and BBC Dance Workshop seem solid info. Beyond that it is all as mysterious as the music which is electric, compulsive, and totally coherent altho at times it feels as if the man just sat down and played it all in one go with no rehearsal no forethought or plan. 44 years later I still find it exactly as I did aged 16. Mysterious. Beautiful. Mildly unnerving. Any lover of prog/electronic music must hear this and I would surmise they will be captured straightaway and knowledge of this will never leave them. I am a fan of this album. Any other recording of Alcantara I can find is a Ballet Rambert opera called Tutti-Frutti and the second half of an album named Napalis .... beyond that enigma .... like the music here

— First review of this album —

Canadian act Into Eternity released their debut album through DVS back in 1999, with another four coming in quick succession on Century Media, the last two of which two featured Stu Block (Iced Earth) on vocals. The band then decided to put recording on hold, so that they could concentrate on touring internationally. Amanda Keirnan joined on vocals to replace Block, giving the band more depth and breadth with her ability to growl with the best of them as well as providing strong soprano when the need arises. The band decided that after ten years away from the recording scene it was time to return with their sixth album, and they are back with 'The Sirens'.

Spending many years on the road has obviously paid dividends as the guys are incredibly tight, with melodic guitar runs as sharp as one could wish for, while the rhythm section move between providing a foundation and moving more into the secondary melody. Amanda is a real find, the perfect conduit for the style of music they are performing, which is a mix between Arch Enemy, Death, Opeth and King's X. It is deep, it is pummelling, it has hints of Judas Priest yet somehow stays more melodic while losing none of the brutality. Some of the guitar solos, such as on the killer song "Sandstorm", are breathtakingly quick and somehow the band manages to groove and move while at the same time rocking like absolute and total bastards.

They have discovered that fine line between melodic metal and out and out brutality and speed, and have then trampled all over it. This is incredibly clever and solid metal that has much in homage to the death and thrash scene as it does to the prog, and then somehow mixes it all together to create something that fans of all three genres will do well to discover. Let's just hope that we don't have to wait another ten years for the next one, surely not.

The name SOFT MACHINE evokes god status in progressive rock circles, a band so far ahead of their time that they not only were one of the key pioneers in launching the entire progressive rock universe way back in the mid-60s, but singlehandedly created the jazz-fusion niche world which would finally be penned the Canterbury Scene. The band has been somewhat of a spawning ground for some of the jazz-rock world's most gifted musicians as well as having been a nursery ground for countless other bands to have split off from. For one to trace the family tree of this productive rotating collective over the decades is tantamount to rocket science physics equations with band members leaving, returning and new ones continuously adding new idiosyncrasies. The band can claim nearly thirty musicians in all who have come and gone with a whole bunch of related bands when you take the extended close relatives into consideration.

Just check out this impressive list of SOFT MACHINE spinoffs: 2nd Vision, Adiemus, Daevid Allen Trio, Bluesology, Brainville, Centipede, Command All Stars, Elton Dean's Ninesense, The Dedication Orchestra, Gilgamesh, Gong, In Cahoots, Isotope, Matching Mole, Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath, Nucleus, Pip Pyle's Equip'Out, Polysoft, Short Wave, Soft Bounds, Soft Head, Soft Heap, Soft Machine Legacy, Soft Mountain, Soft Works, Symbiosis, Keith Tippett Tapestry Orchestraa, which of course along with Canterbury's other pioneers emerged in the big bang of the entire scene in the nascent proto-prog efforts ofThe Wilde Flowers. And while it may be hard to believe that this band that released their debut all the way back in 1968 is still finding new life, lo and behold an entirely new version of SOFT MACHINE has appeared with their 2018 release HIDDEN DETAILS which emerges 37 years after the last studio album "Land Of Cockayne" and a whopping half century after they forever changed the musical landscape with their eponymously titled psychedelic pop classic debut.

With a release under the original moniker, one would expect this to be an announcement of sorts of some type of reunion album that finds the original members of the classic period getting back together to reclaim their jazzy rock ingenuity of the past. Of course, i'm not really sure if a "classic" lineup has actually ever been established with this band since it seems like every album, studio and live, sports a different lineup as musicians flowed through the band like a never-ending river however personally i would assume that it would include any of the members from the debut to the "Third" era. To assume this, however, you would be mistaken indeed, for the SOFT MACHINE of 2018 is a completely different beast altogether. Well, let me rephrase that, an old beast shedding a part of its moniker to usurp the throne of the progenitors of the original band. Not exactly what i was expecting, however the results aren't nearly as disastrous i had feared. Not by a long shot.

HIDDEN DETAILS, in actuality, is an extension of the related group Soft Machine Legacy which was formed in 2004 as a new variant of yet another related band called Soft Works. This newly coined band in the greater SOFT MACHINE family emerged when guitarist John Etheridge replaced the late great Allan Holdsworth and then released three albums in the forms of the self-titled debut (2006), "Steam" (2007) and "Burden Of Proof" in 2013. Out of the original Softies, only Hugh Hopper was involved on the first two albums before being replaced by Roy Babbington (another 70s member), otherwise the rest of the group consisted of Etheridge on guitars, Theo Travis on sax, flute and Fender Rhodes piano and John Marshall on drums. While not the classic early years, Marshall played drums on "Fifth" and stuck around throughout the rest of the 70s and 80s as did Babbington.

Are you thoroughly confused yet? Well, i am! Just to relay the details of exactly what happened for this new album to come about, the band announced in 2015 that they would tour with the "Legacy" part being dropped out of their name and Soft Machine Legacy minus the Legacy is simply SOFT MACHINE, so in effect HIDDEN DETAILS is R-E-A-L-L-Y, technically speaking, the fourth Soft Machine Legacy album in disguise, JUST to make things in this Canterbury universe even M-O-R-E confusing. And you thought it was only the music that was complex? Well, the proof is in the pudding that absolutely nothing is easy to figure out in this slice of jazz-rock infused world. LOL! Enough of all that! How's the friggin' music you wonder. In short, very good! In fact, so much better than i ever could've hoped for.

Whether you like the name change or not, these guys somehow manage to harness that ineffable SOFT MACHINE sound from the past and embark on a modern day fusionist journey that breathes new life into a rather infertile nook of the progressive rock universe, all the while keeping it firmly grounded in the the contemporary world that animates new creativity into a classic sound all the while brandishing a slick modern production job. Right from the hard hitting opening title track, this quartet elegantly captures the classic SOFT MACHINE zeitgeist with crazily laid out time signatures, heavy sax, bass and drum action as well as a rock guitar sound that the early Softies eschewed. Theo Travis proves to be a veritable brass blower as his technically infused playing reminds of the greats such as Elton Dean's best performances only in a more streamlined and controlled manner.

While these guys, who are well into their 70s i believe, crank out the title track as effortlessly as they would've decades ago, it's not just the technical workouts that bedazzle the listener on HIDDEN DETAILS. The secret sauce is in the veritable smorgasbord variety of the tracks which even include the unthinkable reworkings of "The Man Waved At Trains" (from "Bundles") and "Out Bloody Rageous" (from "Third) which prove that this current SOFT MACHINE lineup was quite confident with their abilities to carry the torch by taking that last leap of faith and dropping the "Legacy" ending of their band name. The former track is a flute rich jazzified slow rocker that triumphantly engages in all the expected jazzy timings and sweet sensuality of a flute based melodic drive. While the latter captures the expected "Third" era warmth but adds a much silkier and smooth spaced out version that takes some of the aggressive drive out of the original. While being faithful to the original in spirit, these modern day renditions are quite an achievement.

Perhaps the greatest triumphs of HIDDEN DETAILS comes from the more complex atmospheric pieces such as the the title track and the angular avant-garde motifs of "Ground Lift" and "Flight Of The Jett" which exude a greater sum of the parts that takes you into an entirely different realm where the sound stabs paint a pointillistic reality on the other side of perception. Masterfully executed and uniquely interwoven into the overall fabric of the album. On the other side of the spectrum lies the immediately more catchy and perceptible melodic (in jazz fashion) tracks such as "Broken Hill" and "Fourteen Hour Dream," the latter of which has a downright danceable groovy bass riff that is accompanied by a soul massaging flute performance. As the album ends with the ambient "Breathe," i take this as breathing a sigh of relief as i just listened to an album that i loved despite having every fear that it would be some irrelevant retreading of the past with nothing but recycled bits regurgitated in a nauseating disrespectful fashion. Wow. I couldn't have been more mistaken.

Progressive rock is a persistent beast and while bands like SOFT MACHINE have never been the most commercially successful, their musical maturity has earned them a high place in the greater rock universe in terms of respect and durability. While the classic combo of musicians like Mike Rutledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers and Hugh Hopper may only be distant memories for long time prog lovers and mere encyclopedic entries for those of us who weren't around to experience the initial lineups of the great SOFT MACHINE classics, it's reassuring to know that a bunch of stalwart virtuosos of this magnitude are keeping the Canterbury torch burning. HIDDEN DETAILS is a testament to not only to the SOFT MACHINE "Legacy" but to the entire Canterbury Scene actually. While this one will not usurp the throne of classics like "Third" as top dogs in my world, this one does inspire me to fill the gap and investigate all of the other spinoff bands that the members on this album have played in. This was, indeed, one of the greatest surprises of 2018!

I understand this group being on here but I'd say this is more mainstream rock than pure prog. I like the description hippie prog I read in one of the reviews and they really remind me of the songs I've heard from the somewhat contemporary band Phish. I really like this album and I think this is the first of four good listening records from this Welsh product. These guys are creative and really don't sound like anyone out there during their heyday. Angel Easy and Many are Called but Few Get Up are highlights for me.

I can pull this out every year or so and be entertained

Since The Residents release everything they have ever recorded, whether it's good or not, here is another EP full of songs that were meant to be on the "Fingerprince" album, but weren't quite ready yet. As if that ever made a difference to The Residents before. What did they have to get ready, I wonder. Anyway, "Fingerprince" was originally supposed to be a 3 sided album, but since these songs weren't ready in 1977, they held on to them until 1979 and released this EP. The original release was limited to 40 copies, and were sent out to those who ordered "The Third Reich and Roll" Box Sets. Later, a reprinting was made available to members of the W.E.I.R.D. club in 1981. Then a 3rd reprinting was done on pink vinyl in 1985. Eventually, it was added to CD copies of "Fingerprince" after 1988. The question to ask yourself is...."Why?" This question will remain unanswered in order to protect the innocent.

"Monstrous Intro" is a short instrumental with no point. "Death in Barstow" is a good example of where Les Claypool was inspired when he listened to The Residents music. No, it doesn't have any cool bass lines, but you can definitely hear Primus' inspiration in the goofy song with a weird lilting waltz-like non-waltz. It can't be a waltz silly, it's not in 3 / 4 time. "Melon Collie Lassie" is a dark song with stupid preprogrammed percussion and a fake accordion. Talk about tacky, but that's the whole point, right? Again, I must ask, what wasn't ready? If this is finished, I can only imagine what the unfinished version sounded like. Then you get the "Flight of the Bumble Roach". This is definite Avant Prog with the obvious sarcastic wink at the classical classic song "Flight of the Bumblebee", and lots of delirious non-harmony. "Walter Westinghouse" is the only track that cracks the 3 minute mark, approaching 8 minutes of awful poetry and tacky accompaniment. The two obnoxious voices just get more obnoxious as the redneck reader and another reader that sounds like Grover on acid get louder and more obnoxious.

Yes this is bad music at it's finest. It's like your stupid cousins got together, broke out your grandmothers Wurlitzer and made a tape recording 50 years ago. Unless you are a collector, there is no point in looking for this EP, you are better off picking up a copy of "Fingerprince" that has this attached to it. For tacky and awful music, it just doesn't get much better than this. But this EP is not worth the trouble since it has been made obsolete.

On their third release, this retro-modern UK prog folk outfit takes a step back in musical adventurousness but lurches forward in lyrical coherence. On the one hand, "Thought Becomes Reality" offers several largely instrumental numbers and even a song that are traditionally based. While perfectly well played and enjoyable enough in their way, they appear to fall within a comfort zone that might have previously caused these renegades a degree of discomfiture. On the other hand, at least the first three tracks are somewhat adherent to a theme of interstellar travel. They successfully juxtapose the excitement of such an endeavor with the unsavory aspects of colonization and being one of the chosen few to leave a burning wasteland of a planet while being entrusted to avoid repeating past mistakes.

Not surprisingly, and consistent with the previous offerings by CIRCULUS, the album kicks off strongly, with the inspiring "Transmuting Power" both setting the stage for the arduous voyage to come as well as the successful arrival. Tyack's earnest vocals act as both play by play person and color commentator, while the shimmering keyboards complement the acoustic guitar backing. The voices of either the ship's computers or the all too wiling natives of the new world are swollen with helium, which initially detracted for me but subsequently won me over. "Guide our Way" is more reflective but nearly as rewarding, with flute playing its usual pivotal role and Holly- Jane Shears supporting on vocal harmonies. Lofty statements are made but they neither detract nor enhance.

For the rest, the light hearted "Michael's Garden" and the hippy anthem "Within you is the Sun" that cedes the lead reins to Holly-Jane are the most engaging. As I write this, a new album "Birth", their first in 9 long years, is newly available. Perhaps they needed that long to regroup and return with a fresh insight, or they were just struggling to implement the message behind this album's title. Not quite as engaging as their first 2 projects.

I'm just not feeling it with Focus. I can hear why so many people hold this album in high esteem - Hocus Pocus is a terrific opener, and there are many technically pure symphonic parts, but I'm just not moved. I think Eruption is a rather weak extended track and the rest of the album is ok, some good parts, no great parts in terms of individuality or instrumentation. In my collection this gets two stars but this album produced a sizeable hit in America and really has influenced many listeners and musicians so I'll bump it up to three. More rock songs should use yodeling to spice up their generic vocals.

The seventh album "Revolver" is one of my favourite creations by The BEATLES, both as for the content and as for the sleeve, but simultaneously I guess every Beatlemania might have got bewildered with such a political, introspective, and depressive, and especially innovative soundscape. In 1966, they decided to quit gigging upon stage and to exert much concentration upon studio-based recording. Using tape loops or reverses frequently, they (especially John) would have dug more and more psychic, psychedelic inner world out. Aside from a sweet love song "Here There And Everywhere" or a funky relaxing stuff "Yellow Submarine" (this stuff is flooded with effective sounds or noises quite novelly though), every single track in this album is thoughtful, and tough to digest linearly. And their novelty upon melodic, rhythmic, and directly auditory presentation would have completely ignored the audience's mind (the audience completely followed the bizarre combo, nonetheless!).

The first attack "Taxman" is one of George's masterpieces featuring his loud, powerful, exciting guitar grandeur. Quite dry melody and sound along with political, cynical lyrics is kinda difficulty, we could not often listen to in those days. On the other hand, the following "Eleanor Rigby" composed mainly Paul is crazy introspective and complex, against loneliness around life and death. We can feel such a severity in the life via his simple composition, complicated lyrics, and instrumental set / formation. This severity itself can be heard in another gem "For No One" by Paul. Both tracks feature instrumental simpleness indeed. "Got To Get You Into My Life", covered by Earth Wind And Fire later, is characterized with bombastic brass sounds and Paul's intensive shouts. John launches splendid psychedelia through "She Said, She Said" that notifies us of serious life and death, and "Tomorrow Never Knows" under starry, meditative condition produced by hallucinogenic agents maybe. Even if these songs only are in, this album is worth purchasing and listening to, let me say.

Anyway my fave upon this lp is a superb salubrious, danceable one "And Your Bird Can Sing" honest to say. ;)

There's a bunch of vocal tracks in Kitaro's discography; for example Dream (1992) features lyrics and vocals of Jon Anderson on a couple of tracks. 'Caravan' is however a special case, as it turned Kitaro's original synthesizer music into a radio-friendly pop song. I'm not sure if it entered the charts, but I remember hearing the song on the radio occasionally. I always wondered who is the good-voiced singer since he was never mentioned on the radio. Now as I added this single here, I learned that Kitaro was teamed up with an American group called Pages. The names of the musicians are printed on the cover -- with the strange exception of the vocalist, but some years ago I found out that he is Richard Page, an unfamiliar name to me. His other groups include Mr. Mister, which I have at least heard of, if not listened to.

'Caravan' is based on the track 'Caravansary' -- featured on the B-side of this single -- from the 1983 album Tenjiku (Silk Road IV). Already the intrumental itself feels very much like a *song* in its sincere melodicism. The beautiful, slightly melancholic main melody is simply "sung" by a synthesizer. The vocal version feels like the most natural thing and actually makes one wonder if the composition was right from the start meant to become a vocal song as well. I don't know how the collaboration between Kitaro and Pages started, ie. whose idea it was to record this song. But it's a lovely [non-prog] song. A peaceful, dreamy pop ballad with rather spiritual lyrics. "Caravan, journey in the sky / As the sun comes out from the day / Caravan, we know who we are..."

"Reconceive" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US, Denver, Colorado based progressive metal act The Quiet Room. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in April 2000. The band was founded in 1992 and released two full-length studio albums before they disbanded in 2002. Since the release of "Introspect (1998)" there have been quite a few lineup changes as lead vocalist Chadd Castor has been replaced by Pete Jewell, bassist Josh Luebbers Luebbers is replaced by Rob Munshower, and drummer Mike Rice is replaced by Graeme Wood. The remaining members from the lineup who recorded the debut are George Glasco (guitars), Jason Boudreau (guitars), and Jeff Janeozko (keyboards). So that's 50% of the members who have been replaced since the last album.

The lineup changes have resulted in quite a different sound to the rather traditional progressive metal sound of "Introspect (1998)", and it's especially due to the vocal style of Pete Jewell. The instrumental part of the music is a combination of traditional keyboard laden 90s progressive metal combined with harder edged riffs and rhythms (delivered with relatively complex tempo- and time signature changes). There's an occassional tribal/alternative vibe about the music (listen to "Choke on on Me" for an example of this), but it's just an element of the overall sound. As mentioned it's in the vocal department, that "Reconceive" stands out the most though. Jewell is quite the versatile singer and can do both clean and more gr gruff vocals. He predominantly performs the latter though, which makes "Reconceive" quite a different sounding pr progressive metal release. He doesn't growl or do anything too extreme, but he has a raw shouting delivery, which is quite at atypical for a progressive metal release.

The musicianship is generally on a high level, and the album is also relatively well produced (the guitar tone could have been more pleasant and the guitars could also have packed a bit more punch), so "Reconceive" is overall a pretty good quality album. I'm not sure the most conservative progressive metal listener will find this in his/her taste, but if you enjoy your progressive metal with a groove laden and alternative element, this might be the thing for you. Personally I find "Reconceive" an interesting yet not perfect release, and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.