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JeffELOLynne View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Duncan Browne
    Posted: September 16 2011 at 12:27
Hy everyone,
To be honest, I think it's a huge mistake that Duncan Browne has not yet been included in progarchives. He's definitely a progrock or artrock artist. His 2 late 70's albums(everyone probably knows them from the the fantastic "The Wild Places") are stunning pieces of crossover prog with a hint of symhponic prog,with superb drumming from Simon Philips). His 2 first albums are progressive folk, with McCartney-esque melodies and beautiful mellotron sounds. His work with art-rockband Metro( with whom he released one album, a truemasterpiece)  is also not included in the site. Can I ask with great urge to include him in this otherwise fantastic website??? I personally want to help with writing reviews and making his personal page.
PS: You can check him on allmusic, all his albums are labeled "prog" ;)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 16 2011 at 13:17
Thanks for the suggestion Sander.

Sounds interesting. On RateYourMusic the only album of his that bears the "progressive rock" tag is The Wild Things. I'm listening to samples from it right now. Hard to define, I'd say it's Art Rock with a strong Fusion and Symphonic Prog component, plus a touch of Psychedelia and pastoral folk. The strong focus on melody and vocal delivery (where it is the case) in the music make me forward the suggestion for the Crossover Prog team.











http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Browne

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p59937/biography

http://www.myspace.com/thewildplaces
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 16 2011 at 13:24
From the album Streets Of Fire:



^ this sounds like Dire Straits



^ this sounds like outstanding prog. I see this is the single version, the studio album version was 6 minutes long.



The rest of the samples sound like a not very demanding classic rock / AOR.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 16 2011 at 14:12
From his early folk days:







There certainly are some progressive qualities in this stuff, too. But it's mostly baroque folk.


As for the side project Metro, it appears the music is good quality New Wave:



Fascinating career - from 60s exthereal folk to progressive music, to AOR and new wave.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 16 2011 at 14:48
Takes me back, "The wild places" was a fine album.Clap
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 16 2011 at 15:25
Hmmm, I really enjoy his first album, but never explored beyond that. Most samples here sound completely different, though, not sure I like it.... Confused 
Bigger on the inside.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 16 2011 at 15:35
^ Judging by the samples I listened, the second one is even better than the first one. It really struck a chord with me. I would describe it like a mix between Dylan and Beatles at their most ethereal (Here Comes The Sun, Eleanor Rigby). The rockier parts sounded like Strawbs.

The prog/AOR of his late 70s is very good, too, but in that area I don't find him so special.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 16 2011 at 16:38
I agree he made some very cheesy AOR stuff back then, but some of his material is in my eyes just outstanding. Fauvette and American Heartbeat are both thrilling rock songs I want to play over and over again and Roman Vecu and Kisarazu are haunting ballads. Not to mention "The Wild Places", for me the most beautiful song ever recorded. And certainly prog enough to be featured on the site. I also think it's a good idea putting him in the crossover genre.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 16 2011 at 17:14
I have loved the song The Wild Places from day #1 as a good piece of art rock. Just listened Camino Real from the same album: both songs belong imho to the best things released in the barren year 1979 (in which UK's Danger Money stands tall as an uncontested masterpiece). I think that The Wild Places is prog-related and Camino Real is a valid ticket to Xover.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 17 2011 at 04:19
Funny you mentioned UK, I always thought Browne's 2 latest records were a mixture of UK and Roxy Music, not in the least because of the incredible drumming of Simon Philips). Btw: he's the guitarist and sometimes synthplayer in Metro, the singer is actually Peter Godwin.
I know it's difficult to see a "leitmotif' in his work, indeed running from Beatlesque baroque folk(although some of the tracks on his second album are artrock of the highest degree, like "Last Time Around" and "Ragged Rain Life") to the seemingly harmless glampop of Metro(although, if you listen carefully you realize this record is darker and deeper then you initially thought) to the very sentimental symphonic/art rock of his latest work. But there is one thing pasting all those things together: his strong sense for melodie and dark romantic lyrics and his ability to reinvent himself several times in a relatively short amount of time. And although he can get sentimental(hence the AOR stamp) he never get's cheap, and I personally keep believing him in every word he sings. Listen to Roxy Music's late 70's work, isn't that also very sentimental? Comparing him to Dire Straits is maybe a little to simple, his guitar work certainly reminds me of Knopfler's but while Knopfler writes rock n' roll songs that have really NOTHING to do with prog, Browne always writes interesting compositions with clever hooks. At first glance you may think that it's shallow, but there is alot of depth in his work. But if it's not your cup of tea I understand. 
One of his most beautiful songs( difficult to put in a particular style this one!) is Mignion. Brings tears in my eyes...
http://youtu.be/cew0QpvR-cw
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 17 2011 at 05:20

as he played with such musicians like Nic Potter, John Giblin, Tony Hymas, Simon Phillips, he is certainly prog-related...

I am currently discovering 'the wild places' and it has some obvious Dave Greenslade/Chick Corea (the flamenco-like bridge in "camino real") /UK influences.
  
"Magma was the very first gothic rock band" (Didier Lockwood)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 17 2011 at 06:29
I went to Duncan Browne from Metro. I like him but I've never looked at him as "prog" artist. However I'll relisten to the two albums that I have to see if I'm wrong.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 17 2011 at 07:05
Relistening to his debut he sounds more folk-rock than prog. He reminds me to Dan Fogelberg.
Curiosity killed a cat, Schroedinger only half.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 17 2011 at 08:10
To be honest, I really disagree with the Dylan/Fogelberg comparison. To me his earlier work sounds like the baroque folk of Nick Drake(with whom he shares the same moody atmosphere), Donovan and even "Melodie Nelson"-era Serge Gainsbourg. But even these comparisons really fall short to define Browne's unique style of music. But plz leave Dylan out of the thread, I hate that guyTongue.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 17 2011 at 09:36
I love Dylan and I think that without him what we call prog would be very different, if non-existing at all.




Edited by octopus-4 - September 17 2011 at 09:37
Curiosity killed a cat, Schroedinger only half.
My poor home recorded stuff at https://yellingxoanon.bandcamp.com
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 17 2011 at 11:25
He also reminds me alot of John Cale(early work) and Fleet Foxes(who covered his "My only son"). Also listen to "The Shrine" by Fleet Foxes, it's very similar to Browne's earlier work.
I really rate his late 70s work equally high as his second album(his debut being inferior to his other work imho), but you just gotta see through the sentimentality displayed here. Sorry if I offended you with the Dylan thing, I just can't see many similarities in melody or lyrics between him and Browne(Dylan being mostly a protest singer). I'd say a mix of Paul McCartney(very important!!!!), John Cale and Nick Drake is probably the best way to describe him.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 20 2011 at 00:19
added to Crossover.
Websites I work with:

http://www.progressor.net
http://www.houseofprog.com

My profile on Mixcloud:
https://www.mixcloud.com/haukevind/
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