— First review of this album —

Water into Wine went out with a whimper, not a bang, taking the stage for the final time at the 1976 Greenbelt Festival, a long-running Christian music and arts event that was just in its infancy at the time. The band had just returned from a modest American tour which I would guess they lost money on, and this (their second album) was pretty much being sold only at live shows. Add to this that by 1976 the Jesus freak movement was in serious decline, and guys like this were well on their way to becoming dinosaurs.

Musically the album is a little darker than their debut ‘Hill Climbing for Beginners’, and is made up mostly of the various acoustic guitars, a little bit of piano, and William Thorp’s as-usual stellar violin. The lyrics are less overtly proselytizing than the first record as well. While that record had a running ‘rapture’s coming – grab your hat’ theme running through it, by the time ‘Harvest Time’ came out the band seems to have come to a realization of – ‘well, maybe not today’. Instead, the band offers up a mix of homespun folk tunes like “Scottish Suite” and “Patience (is a Virtue)”, and a nearly side-long, wandering ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ sort of thing with the title track. There’s even “Moonglow”, a short jazzy number with male/female vocal duo just to throw one’s paradigm of the band completely off.

Unlike the band’s debut, which had a few interesting tunes and some actual spark in most of the arrangements; this one is pretty much uniformly bland. I think the band was musically spent at this point, and the lack of thematic or stylistic consistency on the album is probably a reflection of that. This album appears to be everything and the kitchen sink that the various members had left in their creative tanks.

The album rose to almost mythical status among vinyl collectors in the eighties and nineties thanks to is short pressing on a private label and small distribution. But Si-wan got ahold of it and released it on CD in 2000, followed by Kissing Spell. I’ve heard Radioactive released it as well but have never been able to confirm that.

This is not a particularly good record. It’s certainly not progressive in any sense, although there are some remnants of the band’s proggy and creative side on the title track and even a little on “Scottish Suite”. The rest is just filler. I have to say that this album almost defines what a two-star record is, so that’s what I’ll have to go with in rating it. For collectors and the infinitely curious only.

peace

— First review of this album —

Oh my God... Another Purple Compilation and for Progsters... This is from 2000 and it is produced by Deep Purple (Overseas) Ltd. ans EMI Records Ltd.. Proper for this fact is strange to have in hand a compilation for Progsters!

But from the start with the evergreen 'Hush' is clear that the music is not the great Proto Heavy Metal of 'Deep Purple In Rock' or 'Machine Head' and also 'Mary Long', a great Proto AOR is great for Progsters. Also 'Comin' Home' and 'Drifter' (with Bolin, Hugues and Coverdale) are good for Progsters. That have in 'Living Wreck' a great surprise: this song is prog like a song of Genesis, Yes or ing Crimson. And if you think that I'm mad listen to 'Fireball' (that is also a great Proto Power Metal) or 'Black Night' or still 'Child In Time'.

And also this compilation is pratically useless... 'Anthems' is a great Heavy Prog compilation. We want to hide?

Blind Dog at St. Dunstans is the seventh album from Caravan and the follow up to Cunning Stunts from 1975. Blind Dog at St. Dunstans has many similarities to itīs predesecor who IMO was a very good album which unfortunately had some big flaws too. I gave Cunning Stunts a 3 star rating. There has been a major change in the lineup since Cunning Stunts as David Sinclair left Caravan for the second time. His replacement is Jan Schelhaas who after a couple of albums with Caravan would also jump ship in favour of a spot in Camel. Jan Schelhaas has a style that is a bit different from that of Dave Sinclair, but generally he fits well into Caravanīs sound.

Quality wise Blind Dog at St. Dunstans is a bit of a mixed affair. The first four songs are all very good songs and we even get some real Canterburian clarinet playing in the short instrumental Bobbing wide from Jimmy Hastings. Here am I, Chiefs and indians and A very smelly, grubby litle oik are all excellent Caravan songs just the way I like them. Soft rocking with light jazzy hints and great humour. Had the rest of the album been in this quality I would have rated the album one star more than Iīm gonna give. Unfortunately the quality drops to an absolute lowpoint with Come on back and the even worse Oik (reprise). Trivial and a bit too happy pop songs and Oik (reprise) even has a gospel choir which is something I loathe. The last three songs Jack and Jill, Can you hear me? And All the way (with John Wayne's single-handed liberation of Paris) are all good but nothing more. In the lyrics department Pye seems to be in love or something as there are lots of love songs on both Cunning Stunts and Blind Dog at St. Dunstans and without knowing anything detailed about Pye Hastings life my guess is that he met his big love just around this time. I must say I think his love songs are a bit too cheesy for me and Iīd much rather enjoy his more humorous song lyrics.

The musicianship is great on Blind Dog at St. Dunstans. As mentioned the big change in the lineup has affected the sound a bit but not much. There is a hideous organ playing in Can you hear me? For instance and a modern sounding synth sound in the beginning of All the way (with John Wayne's single- handed liberation of Paris) that I donīt recall David Sinclair using that much ( maybe a bit on Cunning Stunts). Geoffrey Richardson who was very dominant on Cunning Stunts is superseeded by Pye Hastings this time. Pye even plays guitar solos on the album.

The production is very good, and everything comes out as it should. Really enjoyable.

This is unmistakebly a Caravan album and it could be considered a twin album to Cunning Stunts as the sound of those two albums are very much alike. I will rate Blind Dog at St. Dunstans 3 stars which is the same as I gave Cunning Stunts. There are some really great things on Blind Dog at St. Dunstans but unfortunately the quality isnīt high all the way through the playing time. Itīs an album I enjoy on occasion though and I can recommend it to fans of the Canterbury scene.

Civilian is the eleventh and last album from Gentle Giant. Gentle Giant had with their previous album Giant for a Day hit the bottom. It was a bad mistake to release that album. It alienated almost everyone of their original fans and allthough Iīm not sure about this statement I donīt think many new fans came as a consequence of Giant for a Day. Civilian is a bit better without being outstanding like the first nine albums from the band.

On Civilian Gentle Giant employ a more hard rocking AOR approach compared to the somewhat soft rock on Giant for a Day. It suits them well IMO and there are even some very decent songs on Civilian. The mood is a bit darker too which is best heard in a song like the opener Convenience (Clean And Easy) but certainly also in other songs.

The musicianship is great as always but Civilian like Giant for a Day totally lacks the virtuosic playing of the past which means that a very important part of Gentle Giantīs sound is missing.

The production is good. Itīs easy to hear that Gentle Giant is now influenced by the new sounds of the eighties. The bass and drums still have that nice soft seventies quality though. Itīs more in the choice of keyboard sounds and use of choirs that I hear this influence.

Civilian is actually a good album IMO and if you like AOR rock this album will probably rock your world. I canīt say that Iīm a big fan of that particular genre, but I find an album from that genre that I like now and again and Civilian is a good example of that. Good but nothing more. 3 small stars is deserved for this album. Too bad a great band like Gentle Giant didnīt go out with a bang.

What a hilarious roller coaster ride! The whole album is a relentless mix of musically demanding compositions which a heavy dose of improvisation. The whole album is constructed like a radio show - it consists of many short tracks and a few longer ones, and they all contain short bits of musical narration, the kind of which only Mike Keneally produces - for example, right at the beginning of the album you hear him saying "thank you for buying hat." by means of carefully arranged multi-layered vocal arrangements. Simply hilarious!

Where's the autumn dancing lady?

Principal Edward Magic Theatre (PEMT) may have been born in an uprising of love and peace, but they only actually managed to record two studio albums together. With so many fingers in the communal pie (no less than 140 assuming each band member was fully endowed) it is not perhaps surprising that they decided the project had run its course a mere 2 years after it began.

"The Asmoto Running band" is the second and final album released in the band name. Pink Floyd's Nick Mason steps in as producer, PEMT having supported the Floyd on numerous occasions. It is even suggested in the sleeve notes for the See for Miles reissue (but not substantiated), that Mason was involved with lead singer Vivienne McAuliffe at the time. The legendary Alexis Korner also appears to be around, taking credit for the overall production and as the publisher of the music. His precise roll beyond that though (if any) is less clear.

Inevitably for a band whose line up reads more like a class register, there are a few line up changes here, but most of those involved on "Soundtrack", including thankfully the gifted lead vocalist Vivienne McAuliffe, are still at their desks.

The tracks are generally a bit briefer and more focused this time, than on the "Soundtrack" debut, the superior production being immediately apparent. "McAlpine's dream", which opens the album, is a sort of blending of Pentangle, The Incredible String Band and Curved Air. As with the songs on the first album, the arrangement is complex and ambitious. From here, we merge straight into "McAlpine versus the Asmoto", the two tracks combined forming a 12+minute suite. The latter part is a pounding instrumental, at times sounding rather Genesis like, but featuring violin as the lead instrument.

The "Asmoto" theme runs through much of the album, although what that theme is actually about is not something I can shed any light on. It is likely that the accompanying live show (and bearing in mind that several group members do not actually play or sing on the album) brought the story to life, but even then this would probably have been in abstract format. As the album progresses, the tracks get noticeably shorter and more frivolous. The music remains pleasant, but the indications are that the inspiration is drying up rapidly. The final three tracks are somewhat less inspired than anything which has gone before, reaching a low point on "The Kettering song" which appears to be little more than an improvisation around that town's name.

The version I have of the album is included in a 2 on 1 single CD release by See for Miles Records (1994, SEECD412) which contains both the albums recorded by PEMT. In order to fit the albums onto a single disc, "Autumn dancing lady" is dropped altogether. We are helpfully reassured in the sleeve notes that "we are sure this will not detract from your listening enjoyment".

In all, another enjoyable album by PEMT. The group's ambitious may have been over-challenging for their combined talents, but there is a refreshing naivety here which endears us to the music.

This spanish band release a single album way back in 1979, but what an album, high class symphonic prog. Si dodo hicera crack is an album full of vintage keyboards with solid guitar, bass and drums interplay. Vocals are sung in spanish and are very well done with loads of harmonic passages. Sometimes Crack reminds me of italian scene from the '70's but as well some of thier country fellows like Iceberg and even in places Gotic. Anyway this is an excellent album with spanish floavour just good to keep your attention on the highest levels. This is a great musical experience for me and i will give 4 stars without hesitation, one of the best bands from Spain no doubt. recommended.

Excellent addition to my prog music collection

To many listners this album is almost a desaster, because of the catchy pop tunes and easy listning, but to me is a damn good one, one of my fav MMEB albums, in fact the third best after Nightingales& bombers and The good earth. This is pop music with some leanings to prog but a well played one and very enjoyble. This is one of that albums that has something special even if you are not a MMEB fan. The best tracks are : the opening track - the rocker - Lies (through the 80's), the smooth Adolescent dream, For you , No guarantee and the funny Fritz the blank( who saw the cartoon version from the DVD they know what i'm talking about). So no deseppointing album for me, the keys om MM are present all over the album and recognaizeble instant, and again did a great job. Finaly this album for me was their turning point in their career, what followed never quite achived the magic moments of the previouses ones. 4 stars without hesitation

Part pub knees-up, part wickedly complex progressive music, part in-yer-face punk chutzpah, the CARDIACS' 'Sing to God' is unfailingly excellent and in places astonishing.

The supposed inventors and sole members of the genre 'pronk' (prog punk), the CARDIACS sound like you'd expect: a mash-up of brazenness and sophistication. But don't be deceived. Behind the punky singing and out-there music lies a band with a meticulous ear for complexity. Some of the music on this album defies description: 'Eat It Up Worms Hero' is akin to a smash-and-grab raid in which the object stolen is your brain, so bizarre is the sound. 'Angleworm Angel' is a riot. 'Dog Like Sparky' will haunt me for ages, and 'Fiery Gun Hand' is plain creepy. 'Dirty Boy' is so far beyond brilliant it deserves entirely new adjectives. How on earth did they make sounds like that? Can I listen to it again?

This band is clearly sited in the experimental side of modern prog: there are few references to the classic prog sound of the 70s on 'Sing to God'. Instead, this album demonstrates how the SPIRIT of progressiveness can infuse any genre and make it an adventure. It will more than satisfy anyone looking for something different, anyone who wants a new taste to wake up a jaded palette.

I don't think it's quite a masterpiece, however. First, it needn't have been a double CD: with a little trimming of some of the less interesting tracks, this could have been a killer disc. I don't have any objection to extra material, but the quality here is uneven. 'A Horse's Tale' and 'Red Fire Coming Out Of His Gills' aren't really up to it. Second, I miss the cheekiness of their earlier stuff, the blart of Sarah Smith's saxophone, the tossing-off of outrageously complex material without a moment's thought. Here it sometimes seems a little too knowing, a little too clever. And I can't help feeling that with age has come a slight diminution of their incredible energy. Tim's Smith's voice seems to have receded along with his hairline. Nevertheless, I wish more bands were like the CARDIACS.

This is dangerous territory: venture into the CARDIACS' world at your peril. Don't blame me if you become addicted.

Strong, upbeat debut from Tony Kaye and Dave Foster's progressive rhythm band, bursting with energy at the Rainbow in December,1972 and bringing together the soulful, pulsing beats of Santana and Traffic with the melodic intricacies of the Allmans, Yes and Meddle-period Floyd. Foster had been with Jon Anderson (who co-produced here) in the Warriors, and the trail of bands in Kaye's wake is no secret, making Badger an interesting project with huge potential. And in part they live up to it. 'Wheel of Fortune' is good if a bit too stuck in its era but 'Fountain' is more prog, first-rate bluesman Brian Parrish trading licks with Kaye beautifully, the band oozing with feeling all the way through. A bit of English beat for 'Wind of Change'; catchy bubble rock with some good R'nB jams and a nice classical crescendo, and Blackmore&Lord-like 'River' is fine though the odd preoccupation with religion begins to show, the yearnings of gospel just under the surface. 'The Preacher' aches with soft remorse and evangelic visions, more solid rhythm, Kaye's rich organ throughout and Parrish ripping it up on lead guitar. And heavy prog beast 'On the Way Home' is a powerful number showing how songwriting and progressive rock can coexist. A night of very good music from an ensemble on the edges of A-list Prog, a semi-supergroup that deserves plenty of reexamination.