SYMPHONIC PROG

Consequently, I am not sure what I expected from the latest release, but the bar was set incredibly low, and I was sure they would not be able to reach even that so when they surpassed it I must admit to being quite surprised. Bringing Sherwood into the band to replace Squire was always going to be the way to go given his style, and he has certainly upped the clunkiness to ensure he fits in perfectly. I was at Davison's first ever gig with Yes, here in Auckland, and it may have taken him quite some time, but he is now singing with some authority and sounds as if he now belongs there as opposed to just warming a seat until someone else returns again. Downes also appears to have looked back to previous albums and is no longer attempting to drive the band in a direction which was not right for them, while Steve Howe also seems more settled.

Does this make 'Mirror to the Sky' an essential Yes release? No, but it is certainly the best since Davison became involved and given the lack of White and Squire that is possibly not expected. I found I could listen to this all the way to the end without cringing, and there are some high points here and there, which is certainly a step in the right direction. I have been playing this more than I expected, and while I will always mourn the lack of Wakeman and Anderson due to what they bring to the group, this is a nice middle of the road release which for the most part I found I enjoyed, not something I thought I would ever say again about a new Yes album.

'Past the Evening Sun' is the band's first proper studio album, released in 2018, featuring the core three members playing respectively keys, drums, and bass guitar, with a guest player on the saxophone, a key instrument in this album. And much like the two classic 70s bands mentioned above, RVM do not use any guitars, which is cool! The record opens up with the nearly 22-minute multi-part epic 'Past the Evening Sun', a rampant exploration of the band members' Van der Graaf Generator lucid dreams, incorporating some hypnotic psych-prog patterns, with a tasty and memorable main riff that could have easily served as the main album theme. Unfortunately, this main riff is only used here. Next up is the shorter track 'End of Greatness', a more mellow and less explosive piece that once again strongly reminisces something like 'After the Flood' or 'Take a Pebble'. Finally, there is the 12-minute composition of 'Chasing the Horizon', a psychedelic trip that tries to recapture the spark of the main album piece, the title track, but turns out to be much more forgettable.

The album is good but it's nothing like the records serving as its blueprint. The vocals I would not highlight as particularly strong, while the keyboard works and the sax parts are especially tasty, most often in track one. The band follows the example of many other contemporary artists of trying to entirely imitate some classic retro bands, but the end results are rarely too exciting because many of these bands get lost in the exercise, and hardly manage to present their own musical personality. Unlike acts like The Flower Kings or Spock's Beard, to give examples of bands that have a distinct personality despite the music they play. A fine album, well played and nicely composed, but nothing too special by today's standards.

This means that anyone into Morse is going to find plenty on here to enjoy. I was lucky enough to see the original line- up of Spock's Beard a few times, before first seeing Neal on his amazing 'Testimony' tour, which of course also featured Randy and Mike, his long-time sparring partners. That he is one of the most important songwriters and performers to have come into the prog scene in the last 30 years is never in doubt, and the album is all one would expect. I have no idea how many live albums I have featuring Neal (the technical terms is "lots") and he always seems perfectly at home no matter who he is performing with. However, there are some times when it is appears he is almost performing to his own formula, and while there are plenty of fans there who love what he did to "Bridge Over Troubled Water" I must confess to not being in the same boat, as there was something magical about the original which has been lost here. However, that can almost be forgiven when we get into the last three numbers, which have a running time of 22 minutes, 34 and 30 respectively. It is when he allows himself to fully expand and go full prog that he really comes to life as he creates music which is dynamic, full of contrast and power, and it is these where the listener can truly be lost inside.

That this is a great album is never in doubt, but due to the material it is never totally indispensable, albeit thoroughly enjoyable at all times. It is nice to listen to, but there are other live albums of his which are superior.

Compositions are still strong albeit simpler and catchier. The album opens on a bland note but soon transfers into a romantic guitar-driven scenery that makes up for a bit of waiting. The second track is the only weak one on the album IMO. It has a more jam feeling, especially in the second part where the rhythm section takes the lead, it reminds me a bit of mid-70's Focus flirting with jazz ("Crackers"). Fortunately we are graced with two excellent romantic instrumentals. In particular, the first one "As one" is a prime example of well constructed reflective piece. Pity this track isn't longer. "With love as the motive" is the richest track, also the longest one. Perfect Moog/ARP symphonic lines, emotional guitar solo and a peaceful outro make it perhaps a strongest track on the album. "Reconciling" is a bit of return to the previous two albums although it doesn't exceed them in any way. It's interesting to hear the funky groove understated by the guitar too.

Overall, this album isn't at the level of "Beyond expression" and "Glory of the inner force" but it is a memorable good-bye by this one-of-a-kind band.

The second piece is notable for including fast fusion tracks with all four players speeding at 100km/hour. The third track is the most symphonic track on this album with great synth layers and emotional guitar playing. The melancholy end of the track is the best ending possible to this album.

This masterpiece belongs to the best instrumental progressive rock works ever and is a proud testament of the mid 70's progressive rock peak that was both mature, well executed and emotional. A must have in any instrumental rock collection due to incredible piece of musicianship.

Finch were a group of four instrumental virtuosos but the main attraction was the young guitar player Joop van Nimwegen seconded by a universal keyboard master Cleem Determeijer.

This record contains the rawest and most classically oriented Finch playing. Often, the speed of playing and dynamics are astonishing while not getting over the edge. The guitar sound is quite sharp and fits well into edgier rock. "Register magister" has a lot of interesting style trips in it be it symphonic rock or rock'n'roll, whereas "Paradoxical moods" is closer to the conventional first 70's rock sound with Hammond etc.. "Pisces" is the most symphonic number with great organ and guitar soloing that would be repeated on the next album. This one reminds me of Focus. "A bridge to Alice" does not stand as high as the previous 3 tracks but it has the typical Finch/Focus emotional end that these bands mastered brilliantly. The short "Colosus" tracks are short virtuoso pieces with trademark Shadow-inspired soloing. They are great to serve as band's introduction. This and the next one, more refined "Beyond expression" are among the peak of European instrumental prog rock of the 70's. 4.5 stars

Tracks like "No Opportunity Needed, No Experience Needed", a cover of the iconic Woodstock symbol Richie Havens, the relaxed "Sweet Dreams", the elaborate and celestial "The Prophet", or the atmospheric and watery "Astral Traveller", feature Tony Kaye's keyboards in an important exploratory role, supported by Chris Squire's aggressive bass, Bill Bruford's persevering jazz-oriented percussion and Tony Cox's orchestration.

On the other hand, Jon Anderson supports another of the band's future pillars, the melodies charged with deep poetic content, as with the crystalline "Clear Days", but above all with one of Yes' most accomplished acoustic pieces, the beautiful "Time And A Word". A gem, and one of the few surviving pieces from Yes' formative period, included with some frequency by the band during their tours in the following years.

After the release of "Time And A Word" and due to disagreements about the musical direction they should follow, the band fires guitarist Peter Banks and begins the search for his replacement, someone who is more aligned with the projects Squire and Anderson had planned for the creation of their own musical universe.

3/3.5 Stars

Manannán is an Irish sea deity, and the ruler and guardian of the Otherwold, the Celtic conception of where their gods lived. I'm not particularly well-versed in Celtic mythology, but that alone sounds like it should be able to at least match the lofty concepts of many classic prog albums.

"Setting Off" is an appropriately-titled intro to this record. Lush synths and clean guitar underpin warm, gentle vocals and whistling. Moreso than any classic prog act, this piece has a lot in common with Berlin-era Bowie, but it's enjoyable.

The first proper song is "Riverflow", and this absolutely sounds like it was ripped straight out of 1972. Tight organ and guitar lines work together well, and Mellotron adds a lovely richness to everything. The vocalist reminds me more of Neal Morse than would be ideal, but his voice suits the music well enough. In its second half, this song's guitar tones belie when it was recorded, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. That modern-sounding distortion, however brief, adds a nice bit of contrast.

A watery bassline emerges to kick off "Whirlpool", and the guitar line is fittingly askew and panicked. The band portrays tension and anxiety expertly through the instrumentation. The guitars and drums again present brief flashes of modern styles and tones, but these serve to make this piece more unique.

"To the Other Side", the album's longest song, has a gentle opening. Acoustic guitars and light synths set an idyllic scene. Mellotron eventually comes to add a slight undercurrent of tension as the track picks up steam. I'm especially fond of the hand percussion here, though I'm less fond of the guitar line that sounds like it's taken directly from "Close to the Edge". For as much as this band roots itself in a specific year, they're good at not sounding derivative.

Moving into this song's second half, a plodding, lightly-distorted organ line and more haunting Mellotron shift the mood suddenly, but not jarringly. The song ends on a passage that puts the bass forward, and I like that a lot, even though the vocal melody feels a bit forced.

A relatively heavy guitar-and-organ line fades in for "Na Bruídaí", and it turns into a surprisingly catchy groove. I also like that this song is sung in the Irish language. (I have an interest in language revitalization, so it's refreshing to hear Irish in a context like this.) This composition reminds me a lot of prog-adjacent hard rock acts like Uriah Heep or Ian Gillan-era Deep Purple. A few minutes in, the mood turns from rocking to brooding, with an array of keyboards building an otherworldly atmosphere. The rhythm gets weird in the song's second half, and I like the surprising twists this composition takes. This is probably my favorite cut on the album for its internal diversity and ambition.

"Valley of Elah" immediately reminds me of ELP's "In the Beginning," with its acoustic guitar and hand percussion. The vocal performance is also vaguely familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Steely Dan, maybe? The big "Sha-la-la" chorus is on the cheesy and overblown side of things, but it's not bad. The brief guitar solo is great, at least, channeling a lot of David Gilmour's early work. The closing minute does a great job of building and resolving the built-up tension.

"Scaling Novas" is a slower piece that puts acoustic guitar and vocals in the spotlight. Much like the preceding cut, things really pick up in the last minute (even moreso here), and I like that rather sudden contrast in intensity.

At the Mercy of Manannán ends with "Carnivale". It's a dark, somewhat wonky instrumental. The band plays around with meter and rhythm a lot, and competing musical ideas are layered skillfully atop one another. This is one of the album's more modern-sounding moments, but it's also among my favorites.

M-Opus's new album certainly does a good job at channeling 1972. Much of the album does sound like it could be some long-lost release from that year, but other parts are more spiritually 1972. This willingness to innovate, rather than slavishly adhering to 50-year-old sounds, is a great strength for this band. At the Mercy of Manannán isn't anything groundbreaking?by the band's own aims, it can't be?but it's a pretty solid release.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2023/09/11/album-review-m-opus-at-the-mercy-of-manannan/

I then realised that he Keith Emerson often wrote pieces of that sort which are really classical but not classical and not modern classical they are really pieces of rock music deeply infused with classical culture and music and yet not of it. Never was really a fan of Emerson, Lake & Palmer in the 1970s I had an LP of Trilogy and was aware of the music on Pictures From an Exhibition but really I was a lukewarm fan I knew who they were I knew what the music was like but I never paid that much attention.

Fast forward to 2022/3 and I have decided to really look into them . What I find there really amazes me; musically they are really really excellent the interweaving of the three very different elements in the group really works exactly what the word chemistry means you have the slightly out of control keyboard man Keith playing some pretty crazy stuff more often than not fast like a quicksilver snake . And then you have Carl whose drumming basically sounds like furniture being thrown down the stairs repeatedly at different angles in different directions; never subtle always present like a marble spine. Then we have Gregg Mr Lake who to me and I really have listened to a lot of singers over the years has one of the most emotional emotive voices ever, his work in King Crimson already moved me and so many others time and time again and once he joined the other two his elegant voice and sometimes interesting lyrics combined with the other two really created something special.

There is much talk online of which album by ELP is the best. I read most of the ones I could. And the amusing thing here is that they do not agree what they do agree on is that at the number one place there is always one of three albums: The first album the eponymous one, Trilogy, Brain Salad Surgery. I think only once or twice it is not one of these which is number one. I personally would be unable to say which one is the best. Out of the 1970s albums to me they are all masterpieces in some way. First of all they are unique none of the other bands from that time let us say Yes or King Crimson or Van Der Graaf Generator or Genesis have a sound that is anywhere near them it is completely and utterly unique. So if ever asked a question what is the best album my answer will be: all of the 1970s albums every single one of them.

But yes Works Vol. 1 for me is definitely close to the very top.