RISING

Although this album was a very influential to the world of prog, I don't see it as a masterpiece of prog. It is definitely a great hard rock album, but it isn't very proggy. Don't get me wrong, I like this album and very good performances are given by all members. The only tracks I recommend to proggers are the opening track, The Tarot Woman, and Stargazer. There are few really good tracks on the album other than those two. Do You Close Your Eyes is the worst song on the album, close to Van Halen/Def Leppard (though I do like both those bands) -style pop hard rock. Another song I wouldn't recommend is Run With The Wolf. In all, this is a solid album, though I can't see why it is considered a near-masterpiece.