CROSSOVER PROG

"The Complete Studio Recordings" is a very special compilation album of Roxy Music that was released in 2012. This is an economic package that includes the entire studio discography of the band on only one package. But, besides that, it has also two extra CD's with singles, B sides singles and alternative mixed versions. So, it can be an interesting purchase for those who don't have yet all these studio albums individually and they can have also some extra things.

As I've already reviewed all these albums previously on Progarchives, in an extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read all those reviews.

"Roxy Music": "Roxy Music" is an excellent, original and fantastic debut album. It's with "For Your Pleasure", one of the two albums that represent the first period, the most experimental and avant-garde period of them. They represent also the most interesting phase for all prog heads. Some songs of this album remind me the new wave music. Their debut is a classic album. Roxy Music was a band that proved the innovative music can also be melodic and accessible.

"For Your Pleasure": "Roxy Music" and "For Your Pleasure" are the two less accessible albums of the band but are also the best and most experimental and avant-garde of their career. Both albums represent the most interesting phase of the band for prog heads. Still, "For Your Pleasure" is better because is more balanced, mature and adult. Ferry took the reins a little more and Eno's influence diminished. There's no doubt this was the album which put the art into rock.

"Stranded": "Stranded" is a mark in the change of the musical direction of the band. The musicianship is excellent and the production is very professional. "Stranded" is one of the most sophisticated and charming albums of Roxy Music. This is, perhaps, their best work after the departure of Eno. Even Eno later rated it as Roxy Music's finest album. So, if you're really interested in their most prog phase without their avant-garde phase, "Stranded" is the right place to start.

"Country Life": Of all Roxy Music's studio albums, "Country Life" is their most rock album. It's essential for those who love the decadence, the glamour and the passion of art rock. Overall, "Country Life" is another step out of the more experimental sound of the first two Roxy Music's albums. If you liked "Stranded" you will not be disappointed. The new sounds are great, even if they aren't quite complex. The new language made of Roxy Music a band ahead of their time.

"Siren": "Siren" marks the end of an era, the end of the second era of Roxy Music. "Siren" is a fantastic album and a landmark in the progressive rock music of the 70's. It's a model of the modern rock and we can't forget that the Rolling Stone magazine considered "Siren" as the Roxy Music's masterpiece and ranked it in number 371 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. "Siren" is a solid offering from Roxy Music, one of their defining truly essential albums.

"Manifesto": Returning to action after almost four years of solo projects, Roxy Music redefined their sound and strips away, and once for all, of their experimentalism and the art rock influences in favour of short concise pop songs with some kind of stylish disco rhythms, while retaining in the generality a good and consistent song writing. "Manifesto" is a transition album from the art rock to pop. So, for all prog heads, it hasn't the kind of music we expected from them.

"Flesh + Blood": I always considered "Flesh + Blood" as better than "Manifesto" is. "Flesh + Blood" is better balanced, cohesive and consistent than "Manifesto is. However, it lacks to it a touch of progressiveness to be a great prog work. Like Genesis, Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music succeeded where other bands like Renaissance, Gentle Giant and Emerson, Lake & Palmer failed and weren't able to achieve and sustain a commercial success in those difficult days of the 80's.

"Avalon": "Avalon" is the most well produced, mature, accessible, commercial and bestselling album of Roxy Music. This is a unique album on the entire band's career that takes us to another dimension. It's true that "Avalon" isn't truly a progressive album but it's a charming album that still sounds fresh, cool and sophisticated after all these years. I still can hear it with great pleasure, even nowadays. So, "Avalon" is highly recommended for any art rock enthusiast.

Conclusion: "The Complete Studio Recordings" is a very good and very interesting compilation album of Roxy Music. It's very complete with all their studio albums on only one package. But, beyond that, it has also two extra CD's of outtakes, B sides and some rarities. So, with all these material, "The Complete Studio Recordings" is an excellent alternative for all who don't have the studio discography of Roxy Music and they can have also some rare material at the same time. It's true that there is another compilation album of Roxy Music very similar to this one "The Studio Albums" also with all the eight studio albums of the band. But, "The Complete Studio Recordings" is a better option because you can have also the two extra CD's. So, we can say that "The Complete Studio Recordings" is indicated to all who don't have their studio albums yet and for those who are hard fans and wish to have everything from the band.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

After a chaotic opening with ebbs, flows, dissonant sonics and even monastery-like chants that beguile and astound, "Starting Anew" does just that, with a buzzing bee synth chased by traditional Greek handclaps whilst introducing a folk melody, that morphs into bass-led theatrical section, somewhere between Talking Heads and Sophocles, deviating and churning vocal acrobatics on the fringe of oddity (or odyssey). The quirky high-pitched voice on "You Want to Know" leads into a fantasy land for children, as if attending a kindergarten rhyme contest, while the spectral "A Farewell Kiss" is a worrisome linear rant where Nikitas' forlorn shudder inspires some kind of unease verging on delirium, sparse instrumentalism stressing the mental part, echoing, and bellowing like a sailor desperately searching for the Golden Fleece. Its marvellously weird.

"Eff it, let's dance" he blurts out and unexpectedly, the mood veers into a splashy disco curiosity that elevates through the various floors leading to the roof of psychosis (there is nice Greek word for you), bypassing all the material temptations that modern life has to offer and go back down gain to the basement for another run? Things return to normal (whatever that means) as an acoustic guitar skillfully navigates through the chirping birds and the flowing streams, sketching a trilling Hellenic folk section that exudes that inner passion that they are so known for. The speed is briefly revved up for a more furious exaltation, and back we go to some technical bravado on the fretboard that is jaw-dropping in intensity. "Xopoc" is quite the display, a restless and provocative tour de force.

The final mind-bending track reverts to the natural sounds that began this brief voyage into a sun-drenched illusion, a reverential clarinet dueling with hand drums, wood blocks and a gradual hypnosis (another fine Greek word), with liberal doses of conflict and dissent. "Eff it , lets drink" as I grab the ouzo bottle firmly.

4 possible estuaries

Now with 'I dreamed of flying', Pieretti and company give us a song with an emotional essence, where hopes, dreams and a brighter future float. The music is soft, full of beauty and tenderness in one hand, but with nostalgy, uncertainty and sadness in the other hand, and this is because we cannot deny the world we live in and all the terrible things that are happening in certain parts, where war and anti-humanism prevail.

As usual, there are several guest musicians in this track (we can expect much more in the album), starting with the singers who do a great job, both male and female representing equality and union. We can listen to different keys and synths during the track, creating a diversity of nuances and keeping a vibe of hope, until in the last minute we can enjoy a cute moog solo. Guitars also create a tender vibe, very soft and delicate, while percussion add richer palet of sounds.

A nice song indeed, now I am looking forward to hear the whole album, which surely will be quite interesting.

Despite being a band effort, ELFMAN used the opportunity to offer a different album from what had come before with slower tempos that focused on a more overtly pop musical construct that eschewed many of the musical liberties of the earlier releases and focused on the current trends of mixing new wave, synth-pop and the ska revival without sacrificing the horn section that made Oingo Boingo stand out from its competition. Slightly frustrated with the lack of national success despite having a huge fandom base in Southern California, SO-LO tamed things down a bit to flirt with a more mainstream approach that would hopefully attract a few more newbies to the cult. The album only generated one single in the form of the opening "Gratitude" which provided the perfect synthpop sound for 1984 and unlike many such bands never lost that post-punk grit provided by the feisty guitar workouts.

The album follows the playbook the lead single generated with less frenetic performances that stick to a tight groove, super catchy melodic hooks and the usual Oingo Boingo instrumental interplay that featured call and response efforts from the horn section and rhythm section. ELFMAN also toyed with various synthesizer tricks of the trade such as on the Devo-esque "Cool City" with only ELFMAN's idiosyncratic singing style and the band's already established sound keeping it all firmly planted in the Oingo Boingo universe. "Go Away" keeps the album humming along with a wider array of rhythms, stylistic approaches and songwriting techniques that seemed to stem from the fact the band wasn't playing at lightning fast speeds any longer. This track takes on somewhat of a "New Romantic" vibe in the vein of Duran Duran, ABC or Ultravox once again without crashing anyone else's party. "Sucker For Mystery" took Boingo into even stranger territory with less focus on the guitar aspects and almost totally dominated by the synth-pop and vocal interchanges between ELFMAN and the backing singers but still offering an instantly infectious melodic construct.

"It Only Makes Me Laugh" went straight for the ska revival sounds of Madness or The Specials only accompanied by a heavy synth-pop presence. Seemingly alienated from previous efforts despite the band throwing a complete curveball still maintains the high quality pop music melodies ELFMAN cranked out effortlessly. Same goes for the following "Last Time" which while extremely watered down compared to the rest of the album still finds a unique way to express a completely new idea without sacrificing its instantly ear worm hook likability. For me the least palatable track is "Tough As Nails" which tries to deliver a funk-based groove with an accompanying horn section but ends up sounding one of those early cheesy albums from Red Hot Chili Peppers that couldn't quite muster up the musical mojo until later in their career. "Lightning" is the closest as it gets to the Oingo Boingo old school of yore so much so that it easily could've been slipped onto a previous album without anyone noticing. Dynamic instrumental interplay with some spazzy keyboard playing, punk infused guitar energy and ELFMAN firing on all pistons. "Everybody Needs" also delivers an interesting mix of of old school Boingo with what makes this album unique and the best example of the funk being used on the album.

For those who only love hardcore Boingo or nothing then anything from this album on will be a true disappointment but for those who love the simpler expressions of 80s new wave music in addition to the more experimental passionate liberties of the early years then SO-LO turns out to be a very fascinating album. It did take me quite a while for me to warm up to this because ELFMAN used the transfer to MCA to water down his classic sound enough to go mainstream and although this album has become somewhat of a footnote in the greater Oingo Boingo canon, it served as a huge experimental transition that took them to their next successful album "Dead Man's Party" which after convincing the record label to renegotiate to become a band effort again, produced one of Boingo's most successful hits "Weird Science." While this is hardly the peak of the Oingo Boingo run of albums that were released between 1981 and 1994, SO-LO is actually a very brilliantly designed album that lover's of classic synth-pop new wave will love. While the experimental purists will run away in horror at this point, i have found myself revisiting this one quite a bit over the years and it has easily slid from a 3.5 side note to a 4 star highlight in my collection.

This is RETURNED TO THE EARTH's fourth album since 2016, four opuses in six years, pretty average. Overall RETURNED TO THE EARTH is accessible progressive rock, not far from progressive pop without the pop side which takes precedence over the prog side, are you following? I read somewhere that Robin PEACHEY's voice had a coloring close to Neil TENNANT of PET SHOP BOYS and that's exactly it, PET SHOP BOYS who by the way composed some very progressive titles in their time.

The opening of hostilities takes place with the long eponymous piece "Fall of the Watcher", it is bucolic symphonic progressive (yes PSB like PET SHOP BOYS I swear I didn't do it on purpose) punctuated by a heartbreaking solo of six strings in its second part (9/10). The White Room which follows convinced me much less, a beautiful simplistic melody without more, nothing to get up from at night (7/10). "Drowning" sails in the same waters, pleasant without taking away the stars, a little repetitive in its middle part, much more symphonic and that's all the better in its final part thanks to the multiplicity of Steve PEACHEY's keyboards (8/10) .

The epic "Sacrificed in Vain" which exceeds ten minutes, is "The" pearl of the album not only for its duration, but also for its melody placed like a diamond in a translucent case on the shelf of your living room, Robin PEACHEY's vocals are of a beauty to cry, to listen and listen again until I'm thirsty (10/10), one of the songs of the decade, nothing less, reminded me of my distant youth and a track from THE FIXX "Stand or Fall" for the bass guitar loops and abundant percussion of Paul JOHNSTON. After this marvel we go back down a notch with "Lack of Information" which highlights Robin's guitar particularly, a little too similar to the third track for my taste (8/10) despite once again the quality of the main melody .

The party ends with "April Sky", the diaphanous beauty of a fine layer of dust in the sky, we are not far from ecstasy, calm and voluptuousness at the rendezvous, a radiant end for a work which will require numerous listenings to get the quintessence, well that's my modest opinion as a progressive consumer (9/10).

RETURNED TO THE EARTH, a good client for my top 10 of the year.

Setting the sombre tone with the strenuous "Dark Morality", a ghost emerging from the soul's inner sanctum, waiting patiently as the mournful piano exposes the stark ethics, a rivulet of bass torch lighting the road ahead, Robin softly choosing his imperative words for maximum effect. His trusted electric guitar raises the bodily hairs with doomsday incandescence, the percussive pulse forges ahead as if leading a funeral procession. The outro ends in dissonant confusion and fatal surrender. Maintaining the devastating melancholia, "The Final Time" is just too much for anyone to bear, a cello driving home the stake of despondence, an ultimate meeting of closed eyes. Resonant piano and trembling voice reiterate the bluish haze, as a fluid guitar seeks desperately some kind of positive closure. A heart squeezing melody once again.

The epic, nearly 10-minute title track is the epicentre of this remarkable recording, starting off as a simple story purely sung, with a dire piano as the only partner. The jarring electric guitar is the tool with which the arrangement gets ratcheted up into a whirlwind chorus of atmosphere, passion, and melodic acquiescence. The bleak, almost minimalist mid-section beats like a pained heart, a bass pumping a mild sedative as the pain permeates every pore and sinew. Its haunting, perplexing and brazen in its restrained agony. The duo made sure to keep things from being overproduced with any coats of syrupy gloss, a superb piece that has not a single second of fluff.

Hey, it gets worse. Maintaining the eerie shadows and the sinister sonics on "Meaningless to Worth", the notion of trust is examined, at best a vanishing concept in today's world, where everything is questioned for ulterior motives and agendas. Cannot have the truth without trust, so that means two are down, I am afraid. The second section serves as a hopeful apotheosis, where shimmering keyboards, shivering guitars, and shifting drums, mean more than money and fame.

The sublime vocal on "Die For Me" steps through the void, and is only matched with a sensationally anguished melody for the ages, a pleading declaration of salvation of any ilk. The mood is raised to a turbulent level with a shuddering guitar rant. The kindly Steven Wilson would be green with envy, as this is a dramatic 9-minute masterwork of melancholia with an extra dose of sorrow. The solemn piano mid-section could be either Barbieri or Holzman, with sparse, minimal but beautiful piano, like a soft echo in a fertile valley, as Robin intones 'shouldn't be this way', paralleled all the way through by his querulous guitar. Beyond gorgeousness.

Looking out over the ocean where humanity's destiny lies, the ebb and flow of "Raging Sea" connects land and sea, sky and earth, an ideal of peace where we need to return to. The wavering voice matches the fluctuating words, buoyed by a floating bass line and a surging melody not far removed from Tim Bowness' style. Robin sings with his consuming guitar firmly aimed at the stars above, and letting it cry.

Returned to the Earth have proven persuasively that their musical path is now fully set, fine-tuning, and honing their precious craft towards a future farther from any overt pop sensibilities but also closing in on the apex, a proverbial peak where intelligent and meaningful art can and will prevail. Forever more. A must have release .....

5 caveman spires

7. Turn It All Around with a fluid sound, frolicking on the works of the Magyar Posse; musical poetry, languorous violin, a nugget that eyes its rise towards a cheerful Philip Glass 8. Means to an End for the spine-chilling symphonic climb 9.Beautiful Decay piano and slide guitar from Louisiana, dark folk rock again, yes it is by going to the depths of the bayous that we can find hope; the organ helps, the violin too and we start dancing arm in arm to ward off bad luck; title to listen to in good mental condition 10. The Brittle Man for the paradoxical title with its symbolic climb onto a musical scaffold, or how to associate black with hope 11. Saturated changes register, the invasive Floydian choirs helping to put you in a trance, the tune with its haunting rhythm flowing endlessly and the keyboard adding a few touches of clarity 12. Empty for the second big title with the fleeting tune that reminds me of one of Alan Parsons, fast but focused; the latent prog intro that 'kills', the one that I loop 3 times before letting the title go further; Kristoffer signs the invasive piece with his voice, the air swirling; the crescendic rise 'finally' explodes the album which I found monotonous, too sinister, even if that was intended; the solo, the solos that emerge from Paul, Marcel and Patrick make me regret that there was not musical light of this kind earlier; in short, slap this last piece.(3.75)

this album has metallic power, progressive breaks, intimate prog folk variations with passages of saxophone, flute from Luke; Adam launches crystalline and solemn scales of borderline grandiloquent piano and Dave calmed down by distilling his devastating solos at the right moments without drowning us with super guitar-hero notes. An album that can be listened to smoothly, without latency, from which I will highlight 'The Child', 'Changes' and 'Sunshine' for this intense work between delicacy and fury.

An album more prog metal than crossover but a very good album that should not be forgotten and which will last in their discography. (4.5)

I've been a fan of Arjen Lucassen's music for twenty years now, first discovering his work through Ayreon's 'The Human Equation' and then backtracking to albums like 'The Final Experiment' and 'Into The Electric Castle', still favorites of mine to this day. I've followed all of his projects since then, and enjoyed them all, as while each one explores a different avenue of his musical vision, they all share the same basic DNA. Supersonic Revolution is his latest venture, and it's a case of false advertising in some ways, as I was led to believe this was some sort of campy glam rock album. Lyrically, this act are all about immortalizing their 70s youth with kitschy lyrics about the good old days, and the basic touchstone here is definitely a 70s hard rock-inspired sound, but it's far heavier and faster than I expected it to be, with a lot of shredding guitars and insane keyboard runs that immediately brought to mind Star One. The fact that vocalist Jaycee sounds a good deal like Russell Allen only strengthens the comparison, although this guy could easily sing for Tygers Of Pan Tang, too. He's got a killer rasp and a hell of a range, and he makes these tunes soar in unexpected ways, just the perfect voice for these bluesy, fist-pumping anthems.

The production is modern and polished like a silver platter, so it certainly doesn't sound like an album you dug out of your father's beat up old record collection from the attic or something. It's also a lot more progressive than you'd expect given the album cover and logo. I'd heard this was like Ayreon doing The Sweet or some [&*!#], and it really isn't. Beyond the obvious prog sounds Arjen brings to the table, the main bands this plays off of are Deep Purple from their 'Machine Head' days and the first three Rainbow albums. Former After Forever keyboardist Joost van den Broek exclusively plays the organ here, channeling his inner Jon Lord, and does a hell of a job of dazzling the listener with some of the most intricate and effortless playing you're likely to hear. Guitarist Timo Somers of Carthagods fame is a real find, laying out these bluesy riffs like [%*!#]ing Criss Oliva in his prime with plenty of cheeky pinch harmonics and shredding like the bastard child of Marty Friedman and Eddie Van Halen. It's a gloriously controlled racket that brings a kind of unruliness that Arjen wouldn't have managed if he'd handled axe duties on this (he serves as songwriter and bassist here).

Song wise, the whole album is dynamite, kicking off with a pedigree banger in 'The Glamattack', a double-bass-led anthemic assault that has some serious power metal vibes, especially during the chorus, which rocks massively. Then we have the hair-raising title track, one of the catchiest tunes on the album, before we're treated to the most blatant Purple-esque track in 'Burn It Down' and the most intricate and proggy cut here, the excellent 'Odyssey'. This one is pure Star One, chugging along with a mean groove and some superb vocal lines from Jaycee. Later cuts like 'Holy Holy Ground' hit the same kind of highs, while 'Came To Mock, Stayed To Rock' injects a bit of humor into the mix, but it's a killer boogie number that closes out the album before we have a slew of covers that are cool, but not really essential. I must say I'm pretty impressed with this. It's been stuck in my CD player for two weeks and it's been a huge pick-me-up during this rainy English winter. Those thinking this is some glam-inspired cringe fest need a blast of 'The Glamattack' to blow back the cobwebs, as anyone familiar with Arjen's work in Star One and Ayreon will find much to rock out to here. Let's hope they produce a follow up.

Nine tracks over 35 minutes and how about the first sounds that we hear on that opener "Stage Whispers" as in screaming guitar. The flashy solos will continue on this one. "Love With The Madman" is a top three for me. They slow it down after that energetic opener and the vocals sound different, better. Some emotion. "Maid In Heaven" sounds like a single. "Sister Seagull" is another top three. The melancholy does it for me along with the guitar solos.

"Sound Track" and the closer "Swan Song" are about the two proggiest songs on here which isn't saying a lot. Both the longest tunes here clocking in around 6 minutes. Some orchestral stuff on "Music In Dreamland", some brass. "Between The Worlds" is an uptempo rocker while "Jean Cocteau" is trippy and relaxed and I like it better than the rocker. The closer "Swan Song" is my final top three by the way.

I've seen Bill's name so often over the years so it's finally good to hear him play and sing. A solid 3 stars.