DRIVE THE COLD WINTER AWAY

Actually, I lied. This has nothing to do with prog rock at all so cannot have 5 stars according to the criteria of the site. However, it is so brilliant it's getting 5 anyway. Anyone who objects can go hang. It is a totally acoustic album (except for a bass guitar), initially released solely in Ireland for Christmas and designed to raise enough money to fund The Book of Invasions. The songs are all traditional and beautifully arranged, being performed masterfully on a huge range of traditional instruments; in particular, Jim Lockhart's harpsichord work is magnificent. I doubt if any other band on the site could have done this (possibly Gryphon and Gentle Giant?) and few would want to try. Many songs are instrumental, some are in Gaelic (or even Manx) so you may have no idea what they are about. And it matters not a jot. Next Christmas, put this on your pressie list and expand your horizons: it really is the perfect Christmas record and totally timeless.