Forum Home Forum Home > Progressive Music Lounges > Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Why does Glass Hammer get Hammered here?
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedWhy does Glass Hammer get Hammered here?

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 3456>
Author
Message
richardh View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Online
Points: 25890
Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 28 2012 at 03:51
I decided to download Cor Cordium yesterday while also placing an order for Perilious. Surprisingly very enjoyable as I didn't like IF at all. I was expecting a clone of IF but Cor Cordium is much more to my ears. Its does often sound like Yes ineveitably given the vocals but I can detect wider influences coming from Gentle Giant and even Supertramp. The music really breathes and I get that nice feeling of warmth from the music I didn't get with IF. Nice one and looking forward even more to Perilious now!

Edited by richardh - October 28 2012 at 03:51
Back to Top
Aussie-Byrd-Brother View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: October 12 2011
Location: Melb, Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 7951
Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 28 2012 at 04:08
Richard, I definately think `Cor Cordium' has a much wider range of infleunces than the tired `Yes' clones dismissal!

Looking foward to the newie, guys!

I'm thinking of launching into a review spree of all the albums/DVD's I have of this band. There's one or two gaps with some earlier titles I don't have, but I'll be tracking down copies of those soon enough too!
Back to Top
cstack3 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: July 20 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Status: Offline
Points: 6710
Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 28 2012 at 22:38
I just received my CD of "Perilous" today....It's much better than the last three Yes albums for sure!  I hear many influences (UK for one) and believe that PA fans will enjoy it.  Jon Davison is just fantastic!
Back to Top
dennismoore View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: April 19 2011
Location: America
Status: Offline
Points: 877
Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 29 2012 at 22:02
Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

ISurprisingly very enjoyable as I didn't like IF at all. I was expecting a clone of IF... 


Heresy.  Plain & simple.Angry

IF is awesome, except for the preachiness, but the tunes rock!

May I suggest you go back and give it another listening?  You are quite obviously doing something wrong.Wink

OK, seriously....

For me, I went bannanas over IF.  Cor Cordium or cordoba or conundrum or whatever doesn't work for me at all, just notes, no feeling, I did like the song Nothing Box, though, quite a bit. Plus I hate people who try to give me Latin lessons! Speak English! I say!  It was good enough for Henry VIII and Roye Albrighton & Elton John....Big smile

You are from England....think of all the bloodshed and lives that would have been spared over the centuries if those arrogant French people, just spoke English???   Think about it.

Who needs Latin???Confused    Who needs the Peace Corps???



"Yeah, people are unhappy about that - but you know what, it's still Yes." - Chris Squire
Back to Top
M27Barney View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: November 09 2006
Location: Swinton M27
Status: Offline
Points: 3136
Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 30 2012 at 07:39
Aye but unfortunately - a helluva lot of English is based on Latin and some of my favourite words are Latin too - I'll leave you to guess what those are!!!
Back to Top
Hercules View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: June 14 2007
Location: Near York UK
Status: Offline
Points: 7018
Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 30 2012 at 12:52
Originally posted by javajeff javajeff wrote:

Glass Hammer has a few albums that should be rated over 4.00, but they are lower at PA.  Compare their top four  albums to anything on the 2011 top 100, and their albums are rated low.  Their highest is a 3.75.  They make solid prog.  Why don't they get higher ratings from the PA audience?  Do they sound too much like other groups?
 
Why? Because the currently active members on progarchives don't represent the prog mainstream at all - most are RIO/avant and post rock fanatics. Wierd and tuneless is great, melody is for old farts. Almost all the symphonic lovers I know who used to be on here have left in frustration at being ridiculed for liking 70s music (senile old coot, one member referred to me as, but luckily I give not a pig's burp for his opinion so I stayed). I do like a lot of modern music though and Glass Hammer are very good. Unfortunately, as you allude to in your final sentence, like IQ, Marillion and Mostly Autumn, allegations of near plagiarism of earlier great bands dog them; some do not understand the difference between "influenced by" and "copying".
 
And actually, 3.75 is a very good score so don't be too disheartened.
A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life.
Back to Top
Aussie-Byrd-Brother View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: October 12 2011
Location: Melb, Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 7951
Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 30 2012 at 13:03
I think it's sometimes looked down upon to love a band that is considered merely a cliched product of their influences, but I find Glass Hammer are frequently adding their own touches, pushing themselves, experimenting. There's actually a lot of different touches throughout all their albums. Usually they're not in the same place as they were a few albums back.

To be honest, I actually think G.Hammer kind of give a big two raised middle fingers to the haters, as they put out albums so appreciated by symphonic fans that are full of real `F.you' prog - defiantly, gloriously and proudly PROG!

Edited by Aussie-Byrd-Brother - October 30 2012 at 13:06
Back to Top
richardh View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Online
Points: 25890
Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 30 2012 at 15:40
Originally posted by dennismoore dennismoore wrote:

Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

ISurprisingly very enjoyable as I didn't like IF at all. I was expecting a clone of IF... 


Heresy.  Plain & simple.Angry

IF is awesome, except for the preachiness, but the tunes rock!

May I suggest you go back and give it another listening?  You are quite obviously doing something wrong.Wink

OK, seriously....

For me, I went bannanas over IF.  Cor Cordium or cordoba or conundrum or whatever doesn't work for me at all, just notes, no feeling, I did like the song Nothing Box, though, quite a bit. Plus I hate people who try to give me Latin lessons! Speak English! I say!  It was good enough for Henry VIII and Roye Albrighton & Elton John....Big smile

You are from England....think of all the bloodshed and lives that would have been spared over the centuries if those arrogant French people, just spoke English???   Think about it.

Who needs Latin???Confused    Who needs the Peace Corps???



I will persevere with IF for sure , I must be missing somethingConfused
 
Cor Cordium is beautifull. 60 minutes that flies past not a wasted moment and on my third listen I'm now thinking this could be my favourite symph prog album of the last 10 years or so.
 
(and not touching the comment about the French , suffice to say that one of my favourite TV programmes of all time is Sharpe. Over the hills and far away....)Smile
 
 
 
 
Back to Top
dtguitarfan View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 24 2011
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Status: Offline
Points: 1708
Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 31 2012 at 05:44
Originally posted by Hercules Hercules wrote:

Why? Because the currently active members on progarchives don't represent the prog mainstream at all - most are RIO/avant and post rock fanatics. Wierd and tuneless is great, melody is for old farts.

Quoted for truth.
Back to Top
AtomicCrimsonRush View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: July 02 2008
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 14256
Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 31 2012 at 06:36
Glass Hammer are great but do not get the recognition as not as popular. The lead singer I saw in the recent Yes concert in Melbourne and he was absolutely incredible. His voice was great with Yes. I think its unfair to call GH Yes clones though as they have their own style, especially on the IF album.
Back to Top
Aussie-Byrd-Brother View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: October 12 2011
Location: Melb, Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 7951
Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 31 2012 at 06:48
I was there with you, Scott, and I can only support Jon as well!

I think he's given Glass Hammer a bit of a stable lead-vocalist slot, which can only be a good thing! These last three albums will be easily associated as the `Jon' albums, as opposed to the frequently revolving vocalists through the course of their prior albums.

I'll admit I do miss the naivety and daggy innocence of Fred and Steve's lead vocals. Even if they weren't the most charismatic of lead vocalists, they still had a lot of character and distictive personality. Their vocal arrangements were always quite impressive too.
Back to Top
AtomicCrimsonRush View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: July 02 2008
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 14256
Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 31 2012 at 07:11
Well said ABB, and I remember meeting you there at the concert! ........such a great night
Back to Top
AEProgman View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: August 11 2012
Location: Toadstool
Status: Offline
Points: 1787
Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 03 2012 at 20:43
^^^ Also saw Jon with Yes this summer here in the states, perfect.  I have now given "Perilous" a number of spins and to me, I put it on par with "Lex Rex", but in a differnt way since Jon is on vocals and the writing seems more intracate.  I don't have "If" yet, so I can't compare to that, but I do like it better than "Cor Cordium".
Back to Top
AtomicCrimsonRush View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: July 02 2008
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 14256
Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 04 2012 at 07:18
I am going to try and get round to reviewing some Glass Hammer as they deserve more recognition than what they are currently getting. 
Back to Top
richardh View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Online
Points: 25890
Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 04 2012 at 12:38
I've done a bit of an about face on If now and edited my review of 2 years ago and upgraded it to 4 stars. I still prefer Cor Cordium thoughSmile
Back to Top
Aussie-Byrd-Brother View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: October 12 2011
Location: Melb, Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 7951
Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 06 2012 at 14:22
OK, so FINALLY my copy of the newie `Perilous' has arrived (I've been trying to keep my impatience waiting for it at bay by launching into reviewing all their previous albums to distract me! ).

On first listen, although the music is more complex and varied than ever before, I cannot believe how much they've made Jon sing like Anderson from Yes. I mean, this time he sings EXACTLY like Jon Anderson - ALL THE TIME. It was clearly done from the perspective of latching onto the exposure that Jon's work with Yes has brought the Hammer boys, but at least on most of `Cor Cordium', and particularly with tracks like `Dear Daddie', Jon was starting to find his own voice.

To be honest, this aspect is a bit of a shock, and kind of...depressing? My gut reaction when hearing it is kind of....a wasted opportunity? The last thing G.Hammer needs is MORE Yes associations...

It probably makes sense, this decision they made, to impress Yes fans that might be new to the band, but it's a bit of a cop out.

Luckily the music itself sounds very promising....I'll report back soon!
Back to Top
richardh View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Online
Points: 25890
Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2012 at 01:54
I received it yesterday and have had just one listen.
 
A few thoughts - the only thing that sounds like Yes is the vocals. The music is beautifully cohesive which surprised me given all the parts. There are some lovely 'different' sections which breaks it up and makes it way more enjoyable than 'If' (imo). Fred plays a lot of organ in the style of Eddie Jobson (UK Danger Money era) with a nod towards ELP on odd occasions. This feels a lot more like an album based firmly on keyboards. Not sure the guitar gets so much attention as perhaps the previous two albums but need more listens to be sure.
 
Most importantly I love it on first listen. Plenty of goosebumps and I have that nice warm fuzzy feeling that I need to get from GH. This and Cor Cordium may well establish GH at the top of the tree of modern symhonic prog bands.
 
PS Is there any chance whatsoever they could tour Europe or more specifially the UK? I really need to see this band.
Back to Top
Aussie-Byrd-Brother View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: October 12 2011
Location: Melb, Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 7951
Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2012 at 02:26
Richard, I think in the end you'll have more luck in Europe/the UK to get to see Glass Hammer....down here in Australia....well, we're not exactly the prog capital of the world!

Yep, so far `Perilous' sounds so complex and carefully composed with darkly classical and epic arrangements, it's going to take a lot of listens to appreciate properly - challenge accepted!

I was kind of stunned when I first hit play by the quality and depth - even though I was really taken back by the overt `Anderson's' in the vocal delivery!

Edited by Aussie-Byrd-Brother - November 07 2012 at 02:33
Back to Top
M27Barney View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: November 09 2006
Location: Swinton M27
Status: Offline
Points: 3136
Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2012 at 06:28
I have just Listened to Lex Rex a couple of times and that is a CD that has grown on me since I last listened to it - Excellent synth swirling arpegios and some nice guitar also - also some good hammond work - you can definately pick out some tales from topographic oceans moments and a bit of genesis also - but nothing too plagiaristic - the English music hall intro's are not needed I think - but I may have to go back and re-visit my review....
I shall now buy Cor Cordium and the latest I think.
Back to Top
richardh View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Online
Points: 25890
Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2012 at 14:34
Originally posted by Aussie-Byrd-Brother Aussie-Byrd-Brother wrote:

Richard, I think in the end you'll have more luck in Europe/the UK to get to see Glass Hammer....down here in Australia....well, we're not exactly the prog capital of the world!

Yep, so far `Perilous' sounds so complex and carefully composed with darkly classical and epic arrangements, it's going to take a lot of listens to appreciate properly - challenge accepted!

I was kind of stunned when I first hit play by the quality and depth - even though I was really taken back by the overt `Anderson's' in the vocal delivery!
 
Well at least you have gorgeous weather , beaches etc as a consolation.Smile
 
The Anderson style is very strong but they manage to avoid sounding too much like Yes most of the time. I love the atmosphere on this album. Its quite modern and sleek but also nods to the past without being a copy. Fred is just amazing on the keyboards and as you say there is a density and complexity to the whole thing which is very impressive. I just hope it doesn't get written off as another Yes soundalike retro album as patently it is not that.
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 3456>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.141 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.