I don't know much about this band but judging by the music they must be Pink Floyd's biggest fans. Many bands have tried but few succeeded. It's all in the details you know: the lazy pace of the drums, the dreamy synth waves, some guy talking in the background, and those crystal clear blues guitar licks that are as bright as a puppy's eyes. Yes, this band really got all that nailed.

As to the songwriting they missed the clue completely though. The albums is made up of an endless sequence of short tracks strung together in 4 larger movements. Most of it sounds like an ode to 'Shine On', almost as if it's a premature studio outtake right from 1974. The melodies are not quite there, the guitar is searching for that brilliant sequence of notes that would stick in the world's collective memory for decades to come, but no. Finding them it doesn't. Kudos to the keyboard player though whom I'd swear is the real and unmatched mr. Wright in person. It actually made me check out 'Wish You Were Here' for the first time in ages.

THE ENDLESS RIVER. It's kind of a cool name for a band, but naming their debut album 'Pink Floyd' is maybe a bit of a risk, not that they make any attempt to hide their main influence, but actually using that name, I'm not sure this won't end in some kind of lawsuit from mr. Waters.

Way back in the 70s I was really fascinated by Gary Boyle's guitar playing ... pretty much like Allan Holdsworth, John McLaughlin or Larry Coryell. No, don't want to compare them from a stylistical point of view, I only like to highlight an extraordinary spirit which units them all. This album has been part of my vinyl collection ... until I decided to sell (nearly) all my LP's to an enthusiastic collector. Some time ago I came back to this by accident and noticed that a modified version exists in the meanwhile released on See For Miles. This means the album title as well as the track order have been changed and some remixes were included too.

I'm sure you feel the same sometimes? Someone mentions a band or artist and then you immediately associate this with a special song? When it comes to Gary Boyle respectively ISOTOPE it's Deep End - my absolute favourite. And so first of all it's some spacey flavour which attracts attention. I mean the intro before the machines begin to proceed really. Here were have a proper proportion of improvisation, however interweaved with a tricky arrangement. Speaking of a groovy fundament which is interrupted by some wonderful relaxed interludes with subsequent piano and guitar solo excursions. I love this song! Gary Boyle at his best, no doubt! But to make it clear, he's far away from a dominance.

Due to the fact that we have two keyboarder equivalently acting here, Zoe Kronberger and Frank Roberts, I'm not able to say which part they play. Sometimes it sounds close to Jan Hammer. I like the groovy dynamic on Crunch Cake where some other songs are coming more from a popular jazz rock territory like Fonebone or Pip Dream which partially is close to Joe Sample's Crusaders. Sliding Dogs Lion Sandwhich is a nice bonus surprise, especially dedicated to this release ... and fantastic on top of it! Well, an improv track with some avant touch. Probably a leftover from the original recording sessions and simply considered to be too weird?

And now to this remixes ... there is nothing new to state practically ... to be honest, it took some time to make friends. Nothing new concerning the compositions - but for one or two it might be interesting to notice the brilliance as for the updated sound quality and the presence of keyboards and guitar especially. Nowadays, with an interval of more than 30 years (and while also demanding an higher standard probably) I'm still positive about the album's spirit - 'Deep End ... Plus' is essential, a fine recommendable jazz rock/fusion effort.

Brian Ellis came to my attention through his band ASTRA but most recently with that band folding he and Conor Riley have a new band called BIRTH. Brian has many solo albums but this is the first under the name BRIAN ELLIS GROUP. His "Quipu" record from 2011 is a masterpiece of Jazz/Fusion mixed with psychedelia and closes with a Zeuhl number, it is awesome! He is a music fan like us and an incredible multi-instrumentalist. And yes a Producer and a wizard in the studio. Electric piano is his instrument of choice here with synths and organ added at times.

The "Escondido Sessions" involve three drummers with one I'm not familiar with but we also get Hurley from ASTRA and Marrone from BIRTH as well as Mast playing bass from BIRTH and the wild card Shiroishi from CORIMA on sax. I was interested to see what Ellis would come up with here and he's gone down that rabbit hole called Free Jazz and I make no bones over the fact I just am not into this style. To over simplify it, it's Jazz music with a horn player wailing over top in a relentless and often dissonant manner right Pharoah Sanders? So the CORIMA guy does that throughout here but this guy is sure talented offering up some really cool sounds that had me shaking my head. It just gets annoying after a while when there's little in the way of melody.

My favourite part of listening to this 35 plus minute album is the drumming. Flat out so good, the purposed style and with Miles coming to mind right away on the opener with the electric piano with reverb and sparse bass and sax not trumpet here but yeah "Bitches Brew" with the atmosphere as it takes it's sweet time. So much of the time the music sounds distant but if not for the sax domination I'm going 5 stars for the musicianship alone. Just my tastes of course but this is a 4 star album and one of the very few in this style that I appreciate like this.

Brian Ellis has done it again and he's on the El Paraiso label here so mastered by Jonas Munk and art work by Jakob Skott but produced and recorded by Brian Ellis. Another very impressive work by Mr. Ellis.

This is interesting. A big change from the predecessor. For people used to the more traditional sound of prog, with lots of organ and analog synths, developing a more symphonic, melodic and spacey sound, it will be an improvement over the predecessor. As for my own opinion, I disagree. I think the band lost a little bit of the flair that made their music captivating in their debut, with all that ecletism and although not hugely innovative, at least original sound.

Space Cabaret seems to be a somewhat concept album. At least, the first four songs are presented as a part of a large suite with a Space theme. The most experimental part of this suite is Archway 272, that shows some changes and is a showcase of their new sound heavily reliant on keyboards. On the other hand, I think the band lost a bit of energy in this new style, and while Song From the 4th Era is a great song and A Distant Thought, a Point of Light is also beautiful, they lack the quirkness that made songs interesting in their debut. These songs remind me a bit of Omega in their least prog songs in the 70s.

The second side has two long songs, that are the most interesting, with some long organ solos, a mix of styles (even a little bit of funk in Dream) but unfortunately they are not strong back-to-back. As if they have five or six minutes of great material, but padded it with a bit of less inspired music.

Too bad the band didn't survive the lack of success, because they had creativity and talent to maybe make a few great records still, had they continued. But, although this album sounds more like the dominant prog sound of the 70s, it is a bit less interesting than their debut. Maybe the fact that this album, being easier to compare with the top prog bands, shows more its flaws, while the freshness of their debut leave a better impression. Nonetheless, it is still a very good album.

Let's just start here by saying that this band just keeps progressing and gets better and better with each release. No easy task as their previous effort 'Black Rain' was an outstanding offering, well worth checking out if you haven't already. This one, arguably, is better still. It is filled with beautiful arrangements, melodies, and instrumental excursions that are at times haunting, other times invigorating and uplifting. The lyrics are catchy and intelligent, often highlights of the songs. The vocals are most enjoyable and pleasant. They are strong when warranted, appropriately soft and aethereal at times, with plenty of engaging harmonies. This band is a master of songcraft for sure! I seriously wonder if this group of artists could produce a bad song even if they set out to do so deliberately.

This album, like the previous one, is highly accessible, but has plenty of cross-over prog aspects such as tempo changes, instrumental shifts, and different sounds and moods. There is plenty of variety to keep it interesting over repeated listening. That being said, some may tend to say this is more on the soft rock & pop side, and this is arguably so. But be thinking in terms of later years Moody Blues, Alan Parsons Project, early Beatles, some solo David Gilmour, Pink Floyd, pre pop ELO, early Supertramp, Blackfield, and others in this vein. There are more influences that are not coming readily to mind, but you should get the idea. The outstanding achievement is that while you will catch glimpses of these influences, this is no knockoff band. FoF has a definitive and unique sound. The conclusion is that, if this is somewhat more pop than prog oriented, it is highly elevated, sophisticated, and has a musical integrity and degree of complexity that doesn't insult your ears or intelligence. One can only hope this album gets the exposure it surely deserves!

So, some thoughts on the tracks...

8mm: FoF have a knack for starting their albums with a great opening track and this one is no exception. Here we have the title track and what a way to start! This is nearly a perfect song. Starts with pensive piano over projector sounds. Anyone with a little age on them like me remembers these noises and it creates an uneasy DeJa'Vu and a sense of loss for days gone by. Full instrumentation quickly follows with the opening lyrics soon following perfectly encapsulating these feelings. About 2:15 the tempo changes and there is an instrumental escalation that captures the sense of emptiness and frustration that comes from being able to recollect the past but not bring it back, and then to conclude, it returns to the lovely opening melody and lyrics, and fades out. Prog oriented enough for me. I'll say it again, a nearly perfect song. Hard to believe, but there is better yet to come. (10/10)

Collateral Damage: Okay, another nearly perfect song, albeit in this case more on the pop side of things. Starts once again with a tinkling of the piano and then full instrumentation following, nice acoustic oriented guitar work building up to electric guitar with some pleasant, restrained soloing. The catchy lyrics and hooks drive the earworms in deep. If you don't want to sing along with the chorus after a listen or two there must be something wrong with you. Perhaps a tiny bit repetitive, but it's just so good that you won't care. (10/10)

Overture to Flame: The shortest track, and the only instrumental, and it is way too short. Starts with a striking guitar riff over light synth wash, drums enter to up the beat, and then a synth rhythm follows that raises up the Alan Parsons vibe in a big way. If you like the old APP instrumental tracks, you will love this. It is unfortunate because it is so good, that instead of exploring this instrumental line more fully, it drops off quickly to fade into the next track. It is an overture after all, the warmup and lead in for what is to follow. We'll lean this one to the prog side. (9/10 Docking a point because it is too short!)

Flame: So here we roll into the longest track of the album, and arguably one of the less pop and somewhat more prog like ones. According to their web site, this is the first cover that they have ever done, and they chose a good one. I looked for the original to compare them, but couldn't find it, so I'll venture to say that it is a bit obscure. In any event FoF seems to have made it their own with their signature way of constructing songs. This one starts slowly with nice acoustic guitar, almost with a hint of a Spanish melody, slowly builds and then ballad type lyrics and vocals enter around 1:45. The music drops back to acoustic guitar and slowly builds up again. The arrangement is very nice with some upfront bass and enjoyable drum fills steadily moving things along. About the 6:00 minute mark the beat picks up out of ballad mode and starts to take flight, the intensity builds to its outro fade out. Another great track. (9.5/10)

Jump This Wall: This was the one that was a grower for me. It's curious that this was the case really, as it is a very good track, musically interesting and upbeat, with even a touch of brass laced throughout. The male and female vocals add an extra dimension, and the lyrical content is timely, touching on 'being locked up in a lock down', seemingly alluding to the contradiction of having freedom to move and at the same time dealing with so much isolation at the same time. All good and well. Here though, was my problem, the 'I'm having a ball trying to jump this wall' chorus which is prominent throughout the song didn't really work for me. Although a catchy rhyme, it just seemed clunky and awkward. It even annoyed me a bit. But after a few listens to the album, what lyric kept popping into my head? Yeah, this one. Go figure. So, it's a grower. My lowest rated song for this album, but still very good all in all. (8.5/10)

Don't Lose Your Spirit: This is a big one for this collection and for FoF in general, starting with a great instrumental intro for the first 2:30 that slowly keeps building in intensity, pretty rocking for this band! Then suddenly, a big tempo change but still with a strong beat, and vocals enter. The blend of male and female singing makes this full and rich sounding. Another chorus here that you can take home. Last minute ends with yet another contrast, a quiet contemplative tone with a slow brooding vocal fade out finish. These guys are just so good at what they do. Yes, another near perfect tune! (10/10)

Funerals: This is my number one track here, and may in fact be the actual perfect song in this offering. This one checks all the boxes for me. While still cross-over and immediately accessible, this has definite prog roots with some nice shifts and variations, but it's long enough to develop the themes and sections to satisfaction. Starts with a slow tempo, and just slightly eerie tone. The vocal carries the feeling further, with guitar coming in to further enhancing the eerie flavor. A little further and the synth enters just building things up more. At about 3:45, there is a big tempo change and the mood shifts to a more happy feeling but with an organ underneath keeping the slightest hint of the eeriness, and then a memorable acoustic guitar lead over the top. Very nice! Drops back to bring the vocal full cycle with the opening flavor but just a bit more lifted up in intensity. Lyrics in this song shine. On the one hand you can relate to the idea of unrequited attraction, but on the other hand there is just a bit of creepiness given the context. Leaves you wondering. A great song! (10+/10)

Silently Raging: Starts with a light synth roll and percussion, while spoken word vocal touches on the growing loss of privacy by facial recognition, followed by a female lead vocal with male backing, so there is a different and warm feel to this. There is a bit of edge that picks up the anxiety of the brave new world we are all facing. Some nice lead guitar in this one to good effect, but always in control, never unrestrained. This is followed by a second spoken word section that this time touches on trying to allay any concerns of our being monitored by the powers that be. Timely stuff, and another strong track. (9/10)

Instillers: Starts with a sort of Genesis atmosphere, with synths similar to their Duke era sound, but quickly grows into a big up tempo arrangement. Big guitars, bass, synths, and drum propulsion. Every instrument is sounding distinct and powerful here, well mixed. Lyrics regarding the madness of mankind's course and poor interactions with one another sets the tone. The musical arrangement is intense, at least as intense as it gets on this album, and the ultimately positive message works well with it. (9.5/10)

A New Home: This is a beautiful duet in a mid pace ballad with just a bit of a jazzy vibe. This band makes these songs seem so easy to make. They sound so simple, yet there is a delicious subtle complexity and sophistication in the musical arrangements that is undeniable. It is just another example of how it so easy to be absorbed right into the FoF musical universe and just get lost in it. The lyrical theme centers around the plight of refugees. The predominant essence of the music is a mournful, longing overtone that has a sense of despair, yet it has enough uplift in it to also carry a ray of hope. Just so well done. Another very strong song for sure! (9.5/10)

Life is Like the Weather: The slowest, simplest, and most stripped down offering on this album. This one raises the ghost of early Beatles type ballads. It is also short like a 1960's single should be, catchy, warm and immediately likeable. A most classy and elegant closer. These folks sure know how to transform their sound in a myriad of ways and do it so well! (9.5/10)

In conclusion, this album is extremely high quality in most every way. Don't miss out on it! It's truly dumbfounding that it hasn't received more exposure. In my book, there are four nearly perfect (10 pt) tracks, another four (9.5 pts) that are just shy of this mark, and the remaining three receiving high marks as well. The production is extremely high quality, clear and vibrant, with every instrument easy to pick out and follow. Nothing muddy here at all. The arrangements are superlative, a combination of top tier song writing along with prime musicianship that extolls the talent of these artists. Everything here works together in a logical cohesive way, yet each song is strong enough to stand alone. The songs channel various emotions through both the lyrics and the melodies, creating a most refreshing experience, one that you will want to come back to frequently. This is definitely a five star effort in the cross-over prog category, highly recommended, and absolutely essential if you are into the accessible end of the prog wheel house!

Quite often prog rock fans look into those more obscure bands trying to find the great lost gem of progressive rock, and fail, since there is hardly something like that. Even so, many albums can be quite enjoyable. And it was more or less what happened to me when I came across CMU Open Spaces album. Luckily, the CD was not a "unofficial" Russian release.

CMU music is very ecletic, with heavy jazzy and bluesy leanings, but also some psychedelia, folk and experimental touches as well, not unlike many other offerings of the era. The band features a male and a female vocalist that share vocal duties, sometimes together in the same song, but mostly alternating between songs. The more experimental songs, which are also the two longest ones, are the most interesting in a progressive point of view. Chantecleer is more rock side and Open Spaces is more experimental, unstructured. Both great songs.

The other songs are also interesting, ranging from good to great. Highlights are Henry, with lots of changes, strong jazzy overtones and quite interesting lyrics; their rendition of Pharoah Sanders' Japan, with more subtlety than the original, giving it a nice Japanese traditional folk vibe; and Mystical Sounds, with its psych touches and nice flute work.

All in all, it is an album I like to come back to it frequently because it is well recorded, well played, has interesting ideas, and not very derivative (I particularly enjoy the usage of clean guitar tones and the strong rhythm section). It even had some songs that became instantly remarkably in the first listen, which is a boon in the genre, since it is often that albums are good but you can't remember any song of the album after a few listens.

Ornette Coleman is a legend in Jazz circles putting out albums since the 50's and the man can play the sax. He also creates very difficult music that I would suggest is Free Jazz here other than the 2 short tracks which come across to me as Avant/Jazz. Far from the easy listening, smooth Jazz that was being released in the second half of the 70's. This music will clear a room guaranteed. Basically a five piece with two lead guitarists surprisingly along with bass and drums and of course Ornette's constant wailing on the sax.

This will be a short one and I agree with Easy Money that it would have been refreshing if Coleman had let the guitarists have some space to do their thing. This to me is an unusual recording as even the drums are different sounding along with those guitars. This really is out there and not in a good way in my music world. And I was surprised that there' aren't more horns on here although Robert Palmer adds clarinet on the short pieces.

Yes I've wandered too far from home when it comes to Jazz, this is Free Jazz with some insane sax throughout. There should be a warning on the cover of this album. When I agree with Easy Money on the rating at least I know I'm in good company. I know little beyond Jazz Rock and Jazz Fusion I'll admit.

1. Darkest Hour crimsonian stoner prog psyche atmosphere 2. Ominous Signs with swirling guitar on an airy new wave synth base 3. At the Gates synths, do you want some here, pronounced space tune with the melancholic violin, brightened up; its like King Crimson chance or not 4. Dark Days sung and haunting tune on a cottony Asia, especially for the guitar solo; odd, 5. Lonely Landscape is worth the strident and eclectic metronomic space tune, redundant, hypnotic 6. The Long Night vocal by Angel, track on Yes, Asia, UK

7. The Quasi Effect for the BOF Miami Vice for example, fruity, well-crafted and consensual sweetened theme 8. The 11th Hour well from the looks of it we are in full matching mole for some fruity jazzy psyche; here again the guitar solo is highlighted between two space synths from Flash Gordon, very new wave synths 9. Between Two Worlds with the atmosphere that sinks into the 70s psyche genre; vocal which can recall the Archangel, air well perched 10. Distant Thunder continues with a synth from the time of special effects... spatial, hard to write that, kitsch time! The flowing marshmallow solo 11. Dark Money very 80's again with Joe who enjoys playing a tune that I would have liked to hear on the BOCs of yesteryear 12. For All to See variation in the tormented Eric Serra style where the bass shows that it can be primordial and that we too often forget; the enjoyable, dazzling guitar solo 13. Beyond Reason again a keyboard base and a percussion forward, the guest must be a drummer!

2 bonuses on CD on 2 flagship tracks featuring Billy on a light piano with I Saw the Light and on I'm Not in Love the flute for the finale of an album to be taken for what it is, a great reunion of musicians who come here to just have fun without trying to make a hit; They understand that prog is very outdated these days!

The last review I made for Todd Rundgren's music was nearly 2 years ago. Good lord that was a while ago. I still fully believe A Wizard / A True Star isn't really a good album after all this time, and even stated that I'll not touch another Todd Rundgren album again. However, conveniently enough I manage to still lay a finger on one of his works due to an album swap, and, well, let's just say I kinda back peddled on my statements a bit, since now I am fairly interested in what he has made.

Initiation, the sixth album within Todd Rundgren's studio discography is much like any other record he has made, featuring lots of music crafted with the intent of adding as much space to a vinyl as possible. This time, though, instead of putting a lot of filler onto one record, he decided to strip things back a bit, and only add 7 full-on tracks. 6 tracks with more normal lengths that showcase his more prog pop rock sides, similar in vein to bands like Supertramp and ELO, and 1 massive 30+ minute electronic epic on the second side.

Right off the bat I already liked this a lot more than A Wizard / A True Star, since now I find there are less mediocre tracks here to sit through to get to some of the more better stuff. In fact, this record only really has one bad track on here, being Born to Synthesize. I will get to that later, but most of the tracks here are a lot more dedicated, and may even rival some stuff off of his Utopia project.

My favorite tracks are more on the first side, with my particular favorite being Eastern Intrigue and The Death of Rock and Roll, being these very fun progressive pop-like tracks that combine the prog with elements of more commercial genres (The Death of Rock and Roll being classic rock n' roll, and Eastern Intrigue having elements of soul and funk). I also really dig the epic of A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, which I think gets very close to being my favorite Todd Rundgren epic, aside from The Ikon of course. It feels like proto-80s prog electronic music, where I can hear stuff that can be related to some 80s Tangerine Dream albums, and funnily enough with the second movement, III - The Fire of Spirit - Or Electric Fire, Frank Zappa's album of Francesco Zappa. I guess Todd is certainly a man who tries to be quite innovative with his works, and it all does work out very well in my opinion.

Though I won't say this album is a masterpiece. For one, Born to Synthesize feels like one of the biggest missed potentials on this record. It is merely Todd singing with a filter on. That's it. I don't mind Todd's singing; I think as a vocalist he is pretty good, but I don't wanna hear a 3 minute 'song' of just his voice through some crappy wobbly effect. If the track had some synths in the back, it probably still wouldn't be my favorite but I wouldn't mind hearing it, and it could be a nice song that could tease a bit of Cosmic Fire, kind of like how the beginning of A New Career in a New Town by David Bowie teases a bit of the more ambient side off of Low. Unfortunately, the track doesn't do that and all we get is a very mediocre song.

Also, like all the other Rundgren albums I have heard, this album drags a lot. This is kind of a problem I see with the albums I have heard from him, especially when it comes to his epics. I do enjoy his more long, proggy stuff, but a lot of times it feels like he doesn't quite know when to stop until he realizes he is recording an album and not performing a live jam session. At least on here it is a bit more understandable as it is more electronic based than rock, and I have become a bit more used to the long winded epics thanks to bands like The Flower Kings, Echolyn, and Moon Safari, so I can get quite used to Cosmic Fire quite quickly, but still sometimes I wonder if, for its time, 38 minutes verges on the line of fun proggy goodness, or overly pretentious musicianship. Not quite sure still, but it does make things rather overbearing.

Still, I did very much enjoy this record. I am certainly willing to check more of Todd's music out, and maybe a bit more Utopia albums too. If you like a mix of pop, prog, and electronic in your life, check no further than here as it is a very good offering of just that.

Best tracks: The Death of Rock and Roll, Eastern Intrigue, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire

Worst track: Born to Synthesize

PALLAS is rightfully known as one of the earliest neo-prog bands that along with Marillion, IQ, Twelfth Night, Pendragon and Solstice ushered in the second wave of popular progressive rock in the early 1980s. What's not well known however is that the band formed as far back as 1974 in Aberdeen, Scotland and spent many years hitting the club circuit with the mission of keeping symphonic prog alive while the entire prog scene was clearly in decline. What's also interesting is that the band was first called Rainbow until Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple and assembled a band of the same name and achieved superstardom. After a brief stint as Pallas Anthene, the second part was dropped and has been simply PALLAS ever since.

While the first proper PALLAS album didn't emerge until 1984 way after its contemporaries jumped on the on the neo-prog bandwagon, the band did predate its competition and in fact released its debut EP simply titled THE PALLAS EP as early as 1978 however PALLAS was an entirely different band in those days with only founder Graeme Murray remaining by the time "The Sentinel" saw the light of day. THE PALLAS EP was a completely different beast than anything that came after and wouldn't even be recognizable as a PALLAS release even by the staunchest of followers. Pressed only once as a 7" vinyl recording with four tracks, this earliest offering from PALLAS found itself in a tug of war between Genesis inspired progressive rock and the contemporary sounds of punk rock. This hard to find musical artifact didn't even have a proper album cover and was simply released in a plain 45 styled sleeve with a simple THE PALLAS EP stamped on it.

One of the most unusual moments for any band that would be called neo-prog, PALLAS delivers a strange hybrid of punk rock simplicity with the progressive rock instrumentation such as a mellotron and 12-string guitar. Avoiding any time signature workouts, THE PALLAS EP focused more on simple punk rock songs with titles like "Reds Under The Beds" and "Thought Police" which displayed an anarchic sense of paranoia right out of the Sex Pistols or Crass playbook however the unusual electronic embellishments and high register vocal style of Peter Gabriel and early neo-prog clearly kept this in a world all its own. While Peter Hammill and Van der Graaf were flirting with punk rock crossover moments, their music provided a much more nuanced approach and greater finesse.

THE PALLAS EP is a crude first attempt at the recording process with a shoddy production and garage rock style songwriting. The four tracks on board do offer distinct melodic developments but stick to a short punchy 4-minute-ish running time. The lyrics almost sound like a parody with the opening "Reds Under The Beds" referring to the Red Scare of the Soviet Union and the ensuing paranoia the West had during the era about commies emerging from every nook and cranny ready to dethrone democracy in a McCarthy-esque coup d'erat. "Thought Police" is equally head scratching as it features a few prog moves such as an opening synth solo while three chord guitar punk banters on in accompaniment. The vocals are fairly bad with a laughable attempt to sound punk but failing to evoke all the proper attitude that made punk rock so effective.

"CUUK" offers a bit of bagpipe sounds to a less punk influenced sound and more reliant on hard rock. Vaguely sounding like what Big Country would conjure up in the 80s, the track was perhaps the most interesting musically speaking. The final "Wilmot Dovehouse MP" almost sounds like a tribute to The Who with its Pete Townsend guitar strumming technique but mixes the punkish guitar and bass moves with a trippy new wave styled keyboard heft. The vocals are in the style of an impish elf half-narrating and half-singing a storyline. The EP is one of a kind really and while not even remotely essential for lovers of the neo-prog style, it certainly is an interesting little curiosity that showcased a band experimenting with its stylistic approach before finally latching onto the 80s scene that would make them one of the top artists in the neo-prog second wave of progressive rock. Hard to find but available for a quick spin on the band's Bandcamp site. It's so bad that it's good in a Shaggs sorta way so i'll give it 3 stars.

While the 80s neo-prog scene is primarily associated with the English revival prog that was launched by Pallas, Twelfth Night, Marillion and IQ, there were really quite a few lesser known bands emerging from other nations around the very same time. In fact of all the earliest known neo-prog releases, only Twelfth Night can claim to have released anything before bands like the Dutch band ARKUS which unleashed its full debut release as early as 1981.

A rather mysterious band formed in the city of Nieuwegein sometime in the late 1970s, ARKUS just kind of snuck in its debut album before the English neo-proggers got their bearing and then disappeared as quickly as it arrived. Strangely the band has periodically reformed and dropped a second album in the 90s and another in 2003. The lineup featured Frans Smits (vocals, guitar), Ron Willems (guitar), Jan-Henk Wiggelinkhuizen (strings, organ, synthesizers), John Bouwman (bass, vocals) and Erik van Duin (drums, percussion, vocals).

While sounding more like an English band than any prog rock that came from the Netherlands, ARKUS evoked more of a post-Gabriel Genesis stance rather than the theatrical early English neo-prog bands. More Camel and even Pink Floyd than Marillion so to speak and as much classic symphonic prog as early neo only the dreamy pastoral kind. The band's debut 1914 was a concept album based on a poem written by Dutch poet and translator Bert Voeten. The original album featured seven tacks at 38 1/2 minutes long.

The band delivered a competent slice of early neo-prog and 1914 is actually quite pleasant. It's a dreamy airy affair with softy strummed 12-string guitars in conjunct with those classic Hackett inspired lead guitar sweeps and a thick synthesized atmospheric back drop. The bassist cops a Pink Floyd feel as have many neo-prog bassists throughout the decades and lead vocalist Frans Smits delivered a smooth competent vocal style that while not the cream of the crop was better than many of the neo-prog acts that could often sound atrocious. The compositions are all fairly consistent and the melodies are catchy from the getgo.

Despite its obscure nature and relative difficult status as an easy to obtain collectible, the album was reissued on CD with a couple bonus tracks. Overall this is a fairly decent slab of primeval neo-prog that didn't even emerge from the British Isles and if ARKUS had stuck it out for the long haul perhaps could've been a contender of best bands of the era but as it stands the album isn't perfect and could've used some spicing up as the formula is set to cruise control and the members needed to hone their chops a bit more for prime time. A nice little obscurity bin but there's a reason this one lingers in the shadows behind the bigwigs of the era.

The departure of Peter Nicholls after the successful "The Wake" and the immediate addition of Paul Menel as vocalist for their third album, "Nomzamo", implied a change in IQ's musical direction, leaning towards light and translucent structures dominated by typical eighties synthesizers, to the detriment of the more complex and intricate sonorities timidly present.

And so, after the intriguing introductory keyboards of Martin Orford in the persistent "No Love Lost", the album travels for most of its journey through tame waters of few risks, with developments that approach the most melodic and accessible AOR, such as the jovial "Promises (As the Years Go By)", the ballad "Still Life", which Ray Carless' saxophone tries to save, or the festive "Passing Strangers" and "Screaming", the latter piece even with an undisguised pop wink.

The recessive gene of IQ's progressive vein is visible in fragments that add nuances to the general appearance of the album, such as Paul Cook's tenacious percussions with African reminiscences in the piece "Nomzamo", the extensive "Human Nature", or the emotive and pacifist "Common Ground", with Mike Holmes' arpeggiated beginning and a luminous counterpoint with Orford's synthesizers that lead to a beautiful guitar solo by Holmes towards the end. Surely the best piece on the album.

Despite the always laudable intention of expanding musical horizons, it seems however that with the departure of Nicholls the band loses more than it gains, even in its graphic aesthetics. "Nomzamo" is a decent album, to be sure, but it could have been better.

2.5/3 stars

Many people who got into Porcupine Tree and No-Man in the 1990's also took a look at Blackfield. This is an energetic if sad collaboration between SW and Aviv Geffen, who is very popular in Israel. It's sad because all the music is melancholy and based on minor chords. This is Wilson's forte. He really likes sad songs. He excels in the emotional venue of dissatisfaction with life. His best Porcupine Tree tracks are also sad songs. He finds that sad emotions brings out the best in high emotions. The catalog of Blackfield is great music that most people have never heard. They never had commercial success because they make music that is outside the mainstream and young people like the lame stream which is the core of the main stream. This compilation is the best they did up to 2018. 4.5 solid stars.

Annette Peacock is an American composer, multi- instrumentalist, singer and on and on. She was at the forefront of Timothy Leary's movement in the early 60's as well as feminist movements as heard in her often irreverant lyrics. She is probably connected most to the avant/jazz style of music even though she was an early user of the moog as Robert Moog gave her a prototype in the late 60's.

"X-Dreams" is her second studio album from 1978 and her vocals are the focus as she speaks, sings and well you name it. Even though we have an astonishing amount of talent on here instrumentally she didn't take advantage of that. We get 5 bass players including Jeff Clyne, 4 drummers including Bill Bruford, 6 guitarists including Mick Ronson, Brian Godding, Chris Spedding, one keyboardist Peter Lemer, 3 sax players and 2 conga shakers. She had to be an influence on Laurie Anderson the way she speaks and sings and the sensual nature of the lyrics. I really do not like "Dear Bela" but the two opening numbers along with the closer are pretty good.

3 stars as the enjoyment factor is low.

— First review of this album —

THE STARK REALITY were a Jazz band from Boston who managed to release this one studio album in 1970 but broke up after a failed tour. More on that later. This has to be one of the most unique recordings in my collection. It's just such an unusual idea to basically re-do a children's album from Britain circa 1958 by Hoagy Carmichael that was used on his PBS children's show. The lyrics here are for kids make no mistake like "30 days has September, April, June and November..." etc. A double album back in the day of about 90 minutes or so.

So you can imagine trying to tour with this record right? Who is your audience? Parents bringing kids or adults just not showing up. I feel the Bio here doesn't do this band justice. This is Monty Stark's band and he is the singer and talented vibes player. But come on, the Bio here should emphasize that the legend named John Abercrombie is on guitar here. We also get bass and drums with this four piece. Abercrombie has been a staple on the ECM label for decades and his first two solo albums from 1975 are classics "Timeless" and "Gateway" which I spun the other night much to my delight.

The music here is for adults for sure and impresses me to no end, but then the silliness with the vocals seems to fight against the seriousness of the instrumental work. This is a highly improvised, reimagined interpretation of Hoagy's recording. Interesting that Abercrombie adds his own composition "Blue Pillow" which is pretty much him on acoustic guitar and sparse bass and the words "Blue Pillow" are beside his name and picture on the back of the album. Yes the man with the moustache and guitar who I shall call from now on Mr. Abercrombie.

I checked about 8 tracks that I was really impressed with so this is a 4 star album in my world, just very unique and possibly sitting with MOTHER GONG's "Fairy Tales" even though this is quite different from that and in my opinion this is not quite as impressive as what MOTHER GONG created. I mention Stark's vibes work and the guy does get creative with them and often leads along with Mr. Abercrombie as far as soloing over top goes. I really like the setup. There has been some archival material surface many years after this that are from 1969 when they had a fifth member playing sax and flute which obviously changes their sound.

I think my favourite track is the over 8 minutes "Dreams" but that short "Travelling" song with those vibes is so good and closing it out with both "Comrades" and "All You Need To Make Music" at over 12 minutes is finishing strong. Of the earlier tracks I have four in "The Old Prospector", "Cooking", "Shooting Stars" and "Rocket Ship" that leave me very satisfied.

These guys are players, I mean the bass and drums are both killer supporting Mr. Abercrombie and Stark. There are a ton of extended instrumental passages on here, often starting that way then several minutes in the vocals show up briefly and possibly return later. Again such a unique record by a very talented band this one is for the jazzers out there who still have that kid in them.

Continuing from the British blues rock scene that got underway in the mid-60s with bands like the Yardbirds and John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, the power trio BAKERLOO rode in the wave of the more accomplished blues rock acts that culminated with Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Serving somewhat as a crossroads pit stop between the blues rock 60s and the blues-based hard rock that would take the 70s by storm like its early namesake The Bakerloo Blues Line (a London subway line) then shortened to simply BAKERLOO, this short-lived band only existed for a mere two years but proved to be quite influential as well as the gestating grounds for all of the musicians involved.

Initiated by guitarist David "Clem" Clempson and vocalist / bassist Terry Poole the band went through a couple of drummers before settling on Keith Baker BAKERLOO was a fast-rising hit at local London establishments such as Henry's Blueshouse before receiving an invitation to join the UK Big Bear Ffolly tour which included the soon to be called Black Sabbath band Earth, Locomotive and Tea Symphony but also opened for Led Zeppelin's London debut event at the Marquee Club on the 18th of October, 1969. While the band seemed like a guaranteed success story, BAKERLOO only released its sole self-titled album in September of 69 and would soon part ways with all members joining some of the most famous blues based hard rock bands that the UK produced in the 1970s.

The original album featured seven tracks which added up to 46 minutes of playing time but future reissues have found various numbers of bonus tracks included. While the album was primarily self-penned originals, "Bring It On Home" was actually an uncredited Willie Dixon song, a trend that was common in the British blues scene of not giving credit where it's due as well as a tasteful rearrangement of a Johann Sebastian Bach's "Bourée in E Minor" composition in the form of "Drivin' Backwards." All three members were at the top of their game and effortlessly delivered fast-paced virtuosic blues rock jamming sessions bringing a sense of sophistication that the style wasn't particularly known for which possibly proved to be a bit alienating for the audiences who gravitated towards the style but caught the attention of the early prog rock lovers for its attention to detail and in particular the 15-minute closing "Son Of Moonshine."

The opening "Big Bear Ffolly" which refers to the tour which got them noticed immediately finds the band firing on full cylinders with a fiery enthusiasm that found the members almost telepathically crafting a super tight instrumental interplay. The creative diverse musical motifs and lightning fast playing style surely must've wowed the audience because BAKERLOO was truly on another level of competency. While mostly looking back to the earlier blues rock style of Cream as the primary source of inspiration, tracks like "Gang Bang" clearly pointed to the future world of faster hard rock with more intense instrumental displays and heavier chord stomping including an exquisite drumming solo. "The Worried Feeling" slows things down a bit to offer a more traditional blues style with less reliance on rock. The sprawling closer "Son Of Moonshine" showcases the band's expertise in extended jamming sessions and a 15-minute string of creative improvisation skills. While not exactly reaching prog rock territory certainly wasn't too far away from jumping on that bandwagon.

Although the band had only formed in February 1968 and found enthusiastic reviews over its album, the first to jump ship was Clem Clempson who would soon join Colosseum and then eventually Humble Pie and The New Jazz Orchestra. The band's end soon followed with Terry Poole most notably forming May Blitz and Keith Baker also joining May Blitz and Uriah Heep. Early drummer John Hinch would go on to join Judas Priest while early drummer Poli Palmer went to Family. A short stint for all involved but BAKERLOO's sole release is a fondly remembered album and live band from the era and had it continued could've gone far in the anything goes 70s. As it stands this is the only representation of the band's recording efforts but what a pleasant and exhilarating display of blues rock BAKERLOO unleashed. The bonus tracks on future editions are also very nicely done.

3.5 stars. I spent a week with "Electric Bath" back in the spring of 2021and was actually just recently surprised to see Don Ellis is on our site. I'm more about being inclusive than exclusive so bring on Buster Williams, Les McCann, Donald Byrd and on and on. The big negative for me with this 1967 release is that it's Big Band music. My dad may have liked it but me not so much. Hearing multiple horns as in 15 horn players on here has never been my thing which is in part why I'm not into orchestral music or Classical music. Now as I've always said there are always exceptions to my musical prejudices and when it comes to Big Band music I love TOSHIYUKI MIYAMA & THE NEW HEARD's "Yamataifu" from 1972. Experimental and dark, it's unique.

Don Ellis is a trumpet player and he's got something like 20 plus musicians helping him out. That cover art had to be controversial in 1967, they blanked it out on RYM. It does look like some art from the classics. Lots of horns yes but lots of percussion too and we also get some sitar surprisingly opening and closing "Turkish Bath" and clavinet 8 minutes in. "Alone" reminds me of some of those theme songs for 60's TV shows. The closer is all over the place so I guess you could say proggy. I like the opener "Indian Lady" for the energy but my favourite has to be "Open Beauty" for the electric piano and flute, this is laid back.

A lot of traditional jazz stuff on here of course, this is 1967 and I just have trouble getting into a lot of it.

"La notte anche di giorno" is the third studio album by La Coscienza di Zeno and was released in 2015 on the Fading Records label with a line up featuring Alessio Calandriello (vocals), Gabriele Guidi Colombi (bass), Andrea Orlando (drums, percussion), Stefano Agnini (synthesizers, Moog, organ), Davide Serpico (guitars), Luca Scherani (piano, synth, Mellotron, Hammond organ, bouzuki) and Domenico Ingenito (violin) plus the guests Joanne Roan (flute), Melissa Del Lucchese (cello) and Simona Angioloni (vocals). It's an interesting concept album, divided into two long suites, about two female characters and two different ways to face fear and pain. It confirms all the good qualities of the band's previous works and the cover with a beautiful painting by Priscilla Jamone gives a visual form to its dark atmospheres and reflective mood...

According to the liner notes, the first suite, "Giovane figlia" (Young daughter), was inspired by the figure of a suicidal girl, Serena Zanimacchia, and is dedicated to her memory. It is divided into six parts but, despite its complexity, is well structured and flowing. The first part, "A ritroso" (In reverse), begins with music and lyrics evoking the image of an empty, very particular swing hanging from a tree, a girl floating in the air like a kite without string. Then the music and words take us back in time conjuring up the images of an unexpected pregnancy and of a girl in a hospital fed by syringes and nurses. She feels helpless, as if she were put on trial for her sins and condemned even by her own mother... The following section, "Il giro del cappio" (The turning of the noodle), marks a change of perspective, the atmosphere is calm and reflective, the mood melancholic. The narrator tries to understand the reasons for such a tragic, extreme action. There's pity and mourn, the memories of the deceased girl emerge from the shadows, with all her efforts to change and the sense of impending tragedy that slowly grows. What did they do to her? She lived in darkness even during the day, but who forced her to hang herself, who knitted the fatal rope? The vortex of memories becomes a hurricane in the third section, "Libero pensatore" (Free thinker), where the narrator draws the image of one of his friends and of his brilliant girlfriend, a bit crazy but friendly and tenacious, now lost forever... In the next part, "Quiete apparente" (Apparent quiet), comes back the image of the girl swinging in the air like a kite while the light chases the shadows along the walls at dawn. A short instrumental part, "Impromptu pour S.Z.", leads to the last part, "Lenta discesa all'Averno" (Slow descent to Avernus) which attempts, once again, to investigate the reasons that pushed the unfortunate girl to take her own life. She couldn't overcome her crises, some evil persecuted her like a slithering serpent. What follows is a long, scary journey throughout the holes of the soul, where our hell simmers, a gloomy place that only the wise or the madman dare visit. The last verses of the suite are sung in French by the guest vocalist Simona Angioloni and are taken from a traditional ballad that tells, in a very poetical form, of a terrible family crime. The ballad is "La complainte de la blanche biche", in the past interpreted, among others, by bands such as Malicorne and Tri Yann...

The second suite, "Madre antica" (Ancient mother), is divided into four parts and is dedicated to Bianca Orsi, one of the most important Italian sculptresses and to Sfefano Agnini's father, Gregorio, who during World War II lived in the Po Delta area. Born in Salsomaggiore Terme, Emilia, Bianca Orsi trained in Milan at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts and in the first half of the 1930s frequented artistic and intellectual circles. Later she experienced the horrors of World War II first hand taking part in the Resistance as a partisan relay and a profound trace of that experience remains in her works. The first part of the suite, "Il paese ferito" (The wounded country), describes fake scenes of normality in a country ravaged by war: a little girl playing in the street, an old man smoking tobacco, two lovers kissing passionately, two stray cats on the run... The second part, "Cavanella", takes us in a village of the Po Delta and conjures up the image of the young Bianca walking barefoot on the bloodstained sand while some boys amuse themselves throwing stones with their slingshots at some corpses in uniform floating on the river waters. Mercy seems to be vanishing in war times and violence rules... The third part, "La staffetta" (The relay) depicts Bianca as a partisan messenger in Salsomaggiore Terme. In fact, the most common task for female fighters was the staffetta. The staffete brought or collected weapons and sent messages between the various fighting groups. They were women, in most cases very young, who perfectly knew the territory and moved on foot or by bicycle. The risks they faced were very high... The last part, "Come statua di dolore" (Like a statue of pain) evokes images of the concentration camps in Germany and tells of how Bianca managed to overcome that horror: now her blade cuts into the wood generating statues that recall death, statues of women pierced by pain...

On the whole, an excellent work!

— First review of this album —

Witold Szczurek is a very talented Polish bass player who has been in a number of bands over the years. He's also released many solo albums and this is his debut from 1984. He played double bass and acoustic bass here along with bowed bass. A four piece band of bass, drums, guitar and vocals(on 2 songs) with Witold composing and arranging the music. By the way Witold has an alias in Witold Rek.

I was so disappointed with this when I visited it at the end of doing my "best of" Jazz and related list several years ago, actually saving this for the end because I was so excited to spend some time with it. Man I was disappointed especially when I saw this tagged with Zeuhl and hey it's an album created by a bass player and I love bass but not doing my homework here as I'm not big on acoustic bass or double bass. But I like the bowed bass of course bringing melancholy to the fore. But this album is so mellow, surprisingly so. The Zeuhl tag is for the track "Hey, Hullo" which sounds like a MAGMA outtake but that's not enough to save the day here at least not in my music world.

Maybe my expectations were unrealistic as I've seen some high ratings for this but "Basspace" will always be an album that I look at as one that let me down.

Long before it started to smell like teen spirit, another blissful band coalesced in the fertile London underground in 1966 just in time to join the nascent psychedelic scene that was quickly sweeping away the old and ushering in a new era of rock and roll world domination. Formed by the songwriting team of Irish guitarist and vocalist Patrick Campbell-Lyons and the Greek born keyboardist / guitarist Alex Spyropoulos, the duo was fairly forward thinking in its musical approach that mixed aspects of 60s rock, Baroque chamber pop, folk, jazz, Latin music, classical and is now considered one of those proto-prog albums for releasing what is considered by some to be the first narrative concept album in the form of its 1967 debut THE STORY OF SIMON SIMOPATH beating The Pretty Things, The Who as well as The Moody Blues (Days of Future Passed came out a month after this one).

This album was indeed ahead of its time conceptually although very much steeped in the sounds of its era. Described as "A Science Fiction Pantomine" it narrates the fantasies of a boy named Simon Simopath who dreams of having wings abut ultimately grows up to work in one of those sterile office cubicles which leads to a nervous breakdown. But luckily after ending up in a mental institution he fantasizes about entering a rocket and befriends a centaur and a miniature goddess named Magdalena whom Simon falls for and marries! Now if this isn't the subject matter of a really good LSD trip then i really don't know what is! Far from the Seattle grunge band that adopted the NIRVANA moniker (and was sued by this band and settled out of court), THE STORY OF SIMON SIMOPATH is one of the earliest examples of childish twee pop and almost comes off as a musical fairytale meant to be played for children at bedtime.

Although NIRVANA was a mere duo, guest musicians included Sylvia Schuster (cello), Michael Coe (French horn), Brian Henderson (bass) and David Preston (drums). The music falls somewhere between simple 60s sunshine pop and a fully orchestrated classical crossover behemoth but the emphasis is on the cute and cuddly endearing storyline and the overall pop hooks leaving the orchestrations are a mere backing that only accent the overall performances. Nevertheless the Baroque chamber rock arrangements were quite unique when they emerged and have although the band itself attained only marginal success and the music they created evokes only a lukewarm response, it is fairly agreed upon that this NIRVANA was very influential for many bands to come including the earliest examples of progressive rock by The Moody Blues, Deep Purple and The Pretty Things.

While broken down into two acts with 10 tracks, the entire album only slightly exceeds 25 minutes of playing time making it one of the shortest concept albums for sure. This NIRVANA is probably more famous for having the same name as the successful 90s grunge band fronted by Kurt Cobain than for its own music mostly because it's a bit too hokey for its own good. While the spirit is heading in the right direction, the gleeful innocence of it all really does make it feel like a kid's album of some sort that could easily be played next to classics from Sesame Street or Peter The Wolf. Overall NIRVANA's debut is a fun little curiosity that warrants a listen just to place a sound to a name most are familiar with as the FIRST Nirvana but as an album that stands on its own it falls short of a totally captivating experience in any way. It sort of reminds me of "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band" at times except not even close to as ingeniously constructed. One that serves as a footnote in history and worthy of a spin or two but not something i would return to often.

Napolitano bands Osanna and Cervello unite (reuniting brothers Danilo and Corrado Rustici) for some groovin' jazzy blues-rock fusion.

1. "Tailor Made - Part 1 & Part 2 (5:09) what starts out sounding rather funky turns into driving blues-rock when the singing starts, but in the instrumental intervals between vocal passages it's highly-charged Jazz-Rock Fusion! Saxophonist Elio D'Anna is on fire but so is that rhythm section! What a temperamental song from these headstrong lads! (9.25/10)

2. "Something Inside Keeps You Down - Part 1 & Part 2 (6:11) opens as a kind of meandering, wandering "warm-up" or "practice" session turns into something quite else when Corrado Rustici enters singing in a high almost-falsetto voice. After two minutes, the singing shuts down and the band folds into a heavy rock motif that is anchored by some awesome deep bass playing and amazing drumming from Franco Lo Previte. Heavy and brooding but not bombastic or pedantic, this is very solid instrumental (9.25/10)

3. "Nova - Part 1 & Part 2 (7:10) opening with some funky rhythm guitar, Franco enters with some stunning drum work while everybody else settles into the rock 'n' roll groove. Elio takes the lead with some awesome sax screaming--on multiple instruments--while the guitars work out from beneath who's the lead and who's the rhythm. The brothers duke it out with Danilo shrieking out his more blues-anchored style before giving it up to Luciano Milanese's bass by way of short bursts from Elio and little brother Corrado with his fire-breathing machine gun. Elio gets another solo sixth minute which allows us to focus more on the different playing styles of the Rustici brothers: Danilo being all blues-orented while Corrado is so much more Mahavishnu--which is especially demonstrated when he finally lets loose in the final 30 seconds with some of his fire and brimstone. (13.5/15)

4. "Used to Be Easy - Part 1 & Part 2 (5:12) picked and strummed electricguitar chords over which Corrado starts singing in his higher-pitched vibrato voice that I'm so familiar with from my love of the band's Vimana album. The music beneath is sounds quite firmly founded in blues-rock, though you can tell from both his vocal and guitar that Corrado is very much interested in going a different direction (Elio, too); as a matter of fact, the rhythm section of Franco, Luciano, and Danilo all feel so firmly rooted in the blues-rock forms that this is the first time I'm conscious of the rift that must have led to their departure from the band. (8.66667/10)

5. "Toy - Part 1 & Part 2 (4:21) nice semi-funky rock with some jazzy elements coming from the rhythm guitar, lead sax, and drums (a bit)--the rest is more instrumental jam-band rock. By the time they get to the third and fourth minute the infectious groove has gotten so inside your being that the solos become quite enjoyable. I can't believe how 180 my view of this song became over the course of its four minutes! (9/10)

6. "Stroll On - Part 1 & Part 2 (10:33) hard-drivin', blistering-paced, near-metal blues rock with rather coarse and aggressive vocals from Corrado while the band races forward for the first six-and-a-half minutes, Luciano Milanese sounds very much like he's trying to match the speed and style of Percy Jones. Then they slow down a bit, allowing for a bit of space within which the various instrumentalists are able to clearly, patiently inject their solo--though the highlight of the entire song is Elio and Corrado's paired melody lines during the song's final two minutes; the two are in sync! (17.75/20)

Total Time 38:36

Interesting to contrast the two guitar styles of brothers Danilo and Corrado: the former is far more blues-rock oriented with lots of note bending and favoring a much more "dirty" sound while the latter is clearly a student/emulator of the technical wizardry of Mahavishnu John McLaughlin. At times Corrado's vocals sound so much like David Bowie! As accomplished as the musicians are, the sound engineering mix is not very enjoyable: the bass and drums are mixed farther forward than any of the other tracks! And Luciano Milanese is no Percy Jones (future member/contributor to the band) but he and drummer Franco Lo Previte are quite a force as a rhythm team. Though the music is often far too close to standard blues rock in both sound palette and style, I have come away very impressed with the power and presence of this album. I think the power of the music even helped me to cast aside my initial myopic orientation to only being open to Jazz-Rock Fusion. This is not Jazz-Rock Fusion. Still, it is my opinion, that the band's core trio's next move--to move to London, England, where they will use studio musicians in supporting rolls to record their next albums--is the best move they could have made.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of hard-driving technically-awesome jazz-infused bluesy rock 'n' roll music.

For a BRIDE that has been DYING since 1990, she sure has more lives in her than a cat which supposedly has 9. In fact the English band MY DYING BRIDE led by the distinct vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe and guitarist Andrew Craighan formed over three decades ago is still showcasing an immortality beyond the longevity of most bands from the same era. Still alive and kickin' in 2024 MY DYING BRIDE has released the 14th album of its never-ending procession of gloomy Goth-tinged doom metal with death metal decorations with A MORTAL BINDING which after a turbulent first two decades of lineup changes finds a bit of stability in the form of the same cast of members that were featured on 2020's "The Ghost of Orion" with the sole exception of Dan Mullins rejoining and replacing percussionist / drummer Jeff Singer.

Another chapter in the MY DYING BRIDE book but pretty much the same thematic developments as this band that was once wildly experimental between albums has long ago found the perfect comfort zone that seems to keep the fans coming back for more thus showcasing the desire to pacify the buying public rather than risk the golden goose by releasing some fusion of polka-based Gothic doom dance pop or anything of the sort. Au contraire. At this stage one can ostensibly predict without much chance of error exactly what any particular edition of the MY DYING BRIDE canon will sound like and in the case of A MORTAL BINDING, you guessed it! Another slice of oozing doom metal accompanied by Stainthorpe's plaintive Gothic vocal style set to the oozing dread of doom metal with the melancholic atmospheric backing to guarantee another soundtrack of dread and damnation only with the occasional outbursts into death metal.

Augmented by the band's now classic violin backing, A MORTAL BINDING for the most part follows the playbook cemented into place so long ago which means that one can only judge the quality of any particular MY DYING BRIDE release by the strength of the songwriting alone as the performances are always top notch and despite doom metal bands springing up from all four corners of the planet since this band's inception in 1990, MY DYING BRIDE still sounds as utterly unique as it has since day one. As far as consistency is concerned, this band certainly has it with one strong album after another, a few bonafide masterpieces and a few bellyflops in the pool that got drained over night. While A MORTAL BINDING does not reach the lofty pinnacle heights of the band's earliest death-doom works or the lugubrious perfection of albums like "The Dreadful Hours" or "Songs Of Darkness, Words Of Light," neither does it sink to the dreadful lead-lined depths of throwaway albums like "Evinta" or the lackluster mediocrity of many of the 2010 releases.

In fact as a true fan of this band having heard every album and EP, i'd have to say that the band sounds somewhat rejuvenated here with tracks that take a somewhat different approach than the automatic pilot get the job only but not much more albums since "A Line Of Deathless Kings." Sure this is undeniably a MY DYING BRIDE release through and through but the chunky guitar riffing offers a bit more of an energetic upgrade on many tracks including the opening "Her Dominion" and the lengthiest track on board, the 11 minute and 22 second "The Apocalyptist" which evoke the band's return to some of the death-doom sounds that brought them into the world's scene in the first place. The album features all those slow-burners of course with the weeping violin lamenting the tales of woe and despair but the diversity not he album gives A MORTAL BINDING a nice spicy return to the classic style of the band that once had a fiery passion to keep the BRIDE from falling into the grave.

As such MY DYING BRIDE always walks that fine line between exhilaration and ennui as the tight wire balancing feat is something that requires the ultimate finesse to maintain the attention span of an ever-increasing A.D.D. listening public and while the last few albums seemed to simmer on cruise control, A MORTAL BINDING hits me in all the right ways and gives me faith that the band still has a second wind that will propel it into a new era of prosperity however it is true that there will come a time when the band will have to rebrand itself as MY IMMORTAL BRIDE because whoever this mysterious maiden is, she seems to have a life support system and has discovered the fountain of youth while so many have crashed, burned and become buried. While A MORTAL BINDING certainly won't be declared the band's triumphant comeback of the century, it more than offers enough magic mojo by my discerning ears to grasp onto. As i stated it all boils down to the songwriting with this band and on this album the band seems to have put it all together in the right way for my liking. Better than i was expecting to say the least.

Highly-acclaimed jazz-rock fusion from a British quartet of seasoned musicians--including Hugh Hopper.

1. "Illusion" (3:54) nicely-partitioned jazz-oriented rock music, drummer Nigel Morris and mutli-keyboard-playing Laurence Scott seem more deeply connected in keeping the rhythm track on a tightly-formed course while the disturbingly-distorted bass of Hugh Hopper and wah-wah-ed rhythmic guitar play of Gary Boyle seem to be the more adventurous and experimental explorers on top. I think I'm most impressed with Mr. Scott on this one. (8.875/10)

2. "Rangoon Creeper" (6:01) weird boring funk. Laurence Scott again gets the chance to show off his tow-handed skills. (8.5/10)

3. "Spanish Sun" (7:50) great display of Gary Boyle's technical skill on the John McLaughlin-like guitars (especially the electric). I like the minimal support from the other band members; the song could probably even exist without them but they add something (besides their solos). (13.5/15) 4. "Edorian" (2:01) seems like a reprise of the two opening songs--especially in the sound palette choices. I like the doubling up of the keys and guitars while Hugh Hopper just wanders off on his own--apparently as tripping and his fuzz-tone bass. (4.3333/5)

5. "Frog" (2:31) a MAHAVISHNU'/"Vashkar"-like song with more drugged-out bass but nice lead guitar over the tight rhythm section of Nigel and Laurence. (I guess I'd better get used to the fact that Hugh Hopper will never contribute to the rhythmic structure and linear pacing of any of these songs, that it is, in fact, keyboard player Laurence Scott that will be playing the role usually expected/relegated to the bass player in tandem/association with the drummer.) (8.75/10)

6. "Sliding Dogs / Lion Sandwich" (5:58) I can see the draw to this one: for the fine execution of its mathematical structure--especially as it gets complicated with multiple tracks moving in off-set rondo--but it's not my favorite style of jazz-rock fusion. (Plus, Hugh Hopper's bass sound is already driving me to distraction and dislike.) (9/10)

7. "Golden Section" (5:15) at least on this song Hugh Hopper is able to show off some skills despite his fuzz-tone bass as he mirrors Gary's melody lines over the opening 1:20. After that, there's really nothing very special here: just over extended Fender Rhodes play with some sometimes-interesting bass exploration beneath. Even the song's main theme is nothing to write home about. (8.75/10)

8. "Marin Country Girl "(2:10) delicate interplay between piano and guitar with minimal support from bass and drums. The bass play may even be a second guitar, not Hugh Hopper's bass (which is highly likely due to the fact that it is not electric). Very nice. (4.5/5)

9. "Lily Kong" (2:32) what starts out rather simply, as a fairly straightforward weave, turns more complex until it is rudely faded away from our listening capabilities. Foul! (4.5/5)

10. "Temper Tantrum" (3:46) two tracks dedicated to electric guitar, bass and drums mixed kind of to the rear, with panning/reverberating keys floating in the in-between, Gary establishes quite an awesome little duel/battle with himself--between the two guitars (one that reminds me quite a bit of the amazing future duel between Al Di Meola and Larry Coryell on Lenny White's "Prince of the Sea"). Now this is Jazz-Rock Fusion! Easily the best song on the album! (9.5/10)

Total Time: 51:58

The music here is definitely not connecting with me the way it has for many other music lovers. I am impressed with the sound and with the guitar playing of band leader Gary Boyle, but I do not find the compositions as substantive or dynamic as I like. And I absolutely do not understand the affinity to or allegiance to Hugh Hopper--whose obsession with the abhorrent sound created by the singular bass effect he seems so stubbornly attached to over the album's first seven songs is almost enough to drive me away; a keyboard could (and should) do the work that he is so praised for! Kudos to Laurence Scott for coming in from relative obscurity and holding his own next to these other giants.

B/four stars; an excellent if totally confusing and sometimes off-putting example of experimentation within the fairly- new Jazz-Rock Fusion genre of music.

The sophomore album release by the German guitar genius. All tracks are Volker Kriegel compositions except where noted.

1. "Slums on Wheels" (13:24) John Marshall is a beast on the drums from the get go on this J-RF rocker. Guitarist and band leader Volker Kriegel uses a DANNY KORTCHMAR "It's Too Late, Baby" style acoustic guitar solo in the Alan Skidmore's soprano sax play in the second movement is so dynamic and exciting! And let's not forget the extraordinary drum playing of Nucleus' own John Marshall! Eberhard Weber's bass play is fairly standard until the seventh minute when the band clears out and he's given solo time--then you know this is the one and only Eberhard Weber--two minutes he's given before the band slowly re- matriculates. The section that follows the bass solo is a bit odd--feeling meandering and out of place, and then Heinz Sauer's saxophone solo feels like it goes nowhere and never gels with the rest of the band, but at 12:15 there's a bit of a restart that helps the band to get back on track for the final minute. A truly remarkable multi-part song (or suite)! (28/30)

2. "The "E" Again" (6:36) tediously repetitious rhythm track over which everybody seems to get a turn to solo (except the bass and drummer). The loose, laid-back feeling coming from all of the song's performers is kind of cool, but then, after six minutes it proves to be overdone. (8.70/10)

3. "Zanzibar" (10:22) penned by Edu Lobo, this is a very catchy, melodic song that feels as if it's led by the big band-like horns. Great jazz funk bass play (in a style that I've never heard before from Eberhard) leads in over John Marshall's solid drumming over which Volker, then, takes the first extended solo on his jazz guitar. It's very GEROGE BENSON and Wes MONTGOMERY-like. From the 3:00 mark two tenor saxophones trade off the next solos. Again, these guys are very engaging and compelling (which is exceedingly rare for me: I am not nor have I ever been a fan of the saxophone). The grooving JAMES BROWN-like high-energy R&B jazz-rock fusion is so infectious! Amazing performances top to bottom! (19/20)

4. "Missing Link" (12:03) some wild and crazy sounds being emitted here from all the band members but I ultimately reject this song for its overly-repeated foundation and 1960s-sounding guitar solo. Great, creative performances on top, but way too simplistic and repetitive--even in the suite's different motifs. (21.75/25)

5. "Für Hector" (5:45) another hard-drivin' song based on a fairly rudimentary JAME BROWN-like rhythm track (and "Shaft"-like introductory hi-hat play) that somehow inspires stellar performances from all soloists as well as the rhythm-makers. It's like they're pretending to be the JBs only at 45rpm speed instead of 33! Has there ever been a rhythm section as tight as these guys? Eberhard Weber and John Marshall are extraordinary! (9.25/10)

6. "Remis" (4:26) a more Latin-based song that feels as if it came out of the Latin/Caribbean-crazed 1960s: 1960s hippie game show music! But so tightly performed! Very smooth, fluid jazz guitar play over acoustic rhythm section (and electric piano). (9/10)

7. "Tarang" (10:00) a composition credited to Eberhard Weber, it opens up sounding like something from the Far East (not quite Indian, perhaps SouthEast Asian). The sound palette is very cool; not what one would expect on an album that presented those first six very Western songs. It's not until the second half of the third minute that we begin to hear any instruments familiar to the Western ear: double bass, drums, acoustic guitar, and electric piano. The sixth and seventh minutes present a long nearly-alone Eberhard Weber solo with clay hand drums before Fender Rhodes and drums start to reinforce both the pace and the harmonic structure. Interesting and definitely engaging despite a kind of lack of melody and harmony. I like it! (17.75/20)

8. "Lastic Plemon" (5:21) another rampant-flowing R&B-based song in the James Brown tradition that flies along with everyone playing their 1960s parts. Well-orchestrated impeccably-performed song that never really grabs me. (8.875/10)

9. "Janellas Abertas" (4:09) a short little four-part Caetano Veloso composition with double bass and symphonic percussion beneath Volker's extraordinary Spanish-style nylon-string acoustic guitar play. John Taylor also gets some time in the spotlight with his electric piano in the third movement, but everything returns to Volker's lap for the final beautiful section. (8.875/10)

10. "Plonk Whenever" (4:06) another song that sends the musicians off to the races from the very start, arranged in some very complex "old jazz" forms and streams, sounding a lot like pre- or proto-Fusion Herbie, Wayne, Miles, Johnny Mac, and Tony. (8.875/10)

11. "Definitely Suspicious" (5:55) acoustic guitar and gang come up with a rock/pop like construct with a bit of Latin and psych flavor over which Volker's simple rock/psychedelic electric and acoustic guitars take turns soloing for the first three minutes. The styles seem to move fairly cleanly between rock, psych-rock, and blues-rock. Fender Rhodes solo from John Taylor in the fourth minute before we return to Eberhard excels in a Danny Thompson kind of way while this song makes it clear that John Marshall is really meant to be a Jazz-Rock Fusion guitarist (not pop or jazz). Catchy enough melodies that I could see this getting some radio air time (back in the day). (9/10)

12. "Finale" (0:10) Volker's cartoonish finish.

Total Time: 81:77

A much more jazz- and jazz-rock representative. The question is: How much of this album's superlatives are due to the guitarist, composer, and band leader and how much to the amazing all-star lineup he's enlisted in support? I mean, these collaborators keep performing at such a high level throughout the album (despite some weaker song foundations) that it's hard not to credit them, but could it also be the band leader's brilliant instruction and inspiring example motivating these amazing performances? Also, I must mention and commend the great sound the engineers and producers got out of this album. Also, I'm very much appreciative for this opportunity of seeing/hearing bass virtuoso Eberhard Weber in a far different light than anything I'd ever heard from him.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of eclectic jazz, R&B, and Jazz-Rock Fusion pieces from a band of multiple virtuosi.

All I knew about 10CC back in the 70's was the songs I heard by them on the radio. So it was very surprising to listen this one for the first time. The witty lyrics, the quirky sounds, the vocal arrangements all bringing to mind either Frank Zappa or QUEEN much of the time. There are some inappropriate lyrics for sure and silliness rules the day here.

I don't remember hearing any of these songs back in the 70's although apparently "The Wall Street Shuffle" and "Silly Love" were released as singles. Honestly I will repeat myself a lot if I describe each track. Lots of piano, plenty of guitar, both upped by the vocals and silliness. "The Worst Band In The World" is a sarcastic track with the focus on the vocals and Zappa came to mind.

My least favourite song is "Hotel" for the lyrics and silliness. "Old Wise Men" isn't much better. I thought of QUEEN on "Somewhere In Hollywood" the longest track at over 6 minutes. "Baron Samedi" is a nervous sounding piece, quite jittery. Rough vocals at times. Zappa came to mind in spades on "The Sacro-Lliac" with those vocal arrangements. The closer has a country vibe to it and is a catchy vocal driven tune.

Not my music at all but I enjoyed spending time with it, a talented band. They were Neil Sedaka's backing band? Lol.

Swedish experimental Jazz-Rock Fusion with the help of Quartermass keyboard player Pete Robinson (later with Brand X).

1. "Bluegaloo" (6:25) a B+ funk track in a Herbie Hancock Headhunters style with successive solos from flute, electric guitar, drums and percussion, and electric piano (with flute and horn accents and embellishmnts). Nice jam with nice sound but there's really nothing very innovative from the soloists in terms of the sound or styles. (8.75/10)

2. "Woodchurch Sorceress "(1:50) creepy cinematic flute and percussion in-the-woods kind of stuff. (4.25/5)

3. "Kokt Tvätt" (5:51) flourish-filled launch into a repeating bar of odd rock-riffs arranged into a groove over which flute and electric piano solo and stuff. Not your typical Jazz-Rock Fusion; more like drawing from the older stuff of the earlier experimental work of Tony Williams, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie, and even Miles Davis. Nice drumming and percussion work. Pete Robinson and bassist John Gustavsson are a little too free and crazed for me. (8.75/10)

4. "The Nard Finished Third" (7:08) more funky like something from PARLIAMENT, WAR, or THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND than jazzy. Over the first few minutes it's all about the funk with little attention given to solos or jazziness. The third minute finally sees some soloing but this is all rock guitar (again like Parliament). I guess this reminds me also of Larry Coryell's eccentric Jazz Fusion. Again I must commend the percussion work of Malando Gassama and Ola Brunkert as well as dummer Barry De Souza (or is it Ola Brunkert on this one?). The flute play in the next section is quite flamboyant--more akin to that of Ian Anderson or Thijs van Lier than Joe Farrell or Hubert Laws. (13.25/15)

5. "Equator" (5:51) a quick-out-of-the-gate percussive sprint leads into a section of frenzy before the band finally settle into a still-frantically-paced and performed body akin to something John McLaughlin or Larry Coryell might have something to do with. Guitarist Janne Schaffer comes out of the first turn as the first true soloist before the percussion team takes over for a "solo" of their own. Then Pete Robinson, Janne Schaffer, and John Gustavsson start to trade barbs, back and forth, around the triangle, before settling into a side-by-side race of all-out soloing. The "chorus" brings the band back into harmony despite the frenetic energy feeding the soloing instincts of every one in the band. Wow! (9.25/10)

6. "Third Meter Stroll" (6:40) opens with lone bass acting as if he's trying to find his way through a cave system in the dark. Crazy-man Björn J'son Lindh joins in on his bat-fluttering flute while synthmeister Peter Robinson adds his own version of mammalian scurrying and fluttering action. The song goes on like this for the duration of the entire 6:40 as the hiker/spelunkerer continues down the tunnels on a steady if stop-and-go, look-and-listen, bump-and-learn mode. (8.875/10)

7. "The Visitor" (9:54) opening with an awesome deep thrum like the Talking Heads' "The Overload" within and over which guitar, percussionists, and wind instruments add their incidentals. Pretty cool--and, I'm sure, a lot of fun for the percussionists/sound effects artists! I wonder if Brian Eno or any of the Heads heard this song before heading into the Remain in Light sessions. (17.75/20)

Total Time 43:39

Interesting for the wide variety of Jazz-Rock Fusion styles adapted here as well as for the experimentalism used to try to create a variety of cinematic moods.

B+/four stars; an excellent collection of experimental Jazz-Rock Fusion songs and tracks. A very interesting listening experience!

For those who don't know him, Marco Minnemann is the drummer for the supergroup The Aristocrats (among others). He is a very complete musician, who participates in numerous projects and who offers with 'Their Colors Fade' his latest solo album in a Prog/Jazz/Metal style. On this one, in addition to the drums, Marco plays guitar, vocals, bass, keyboards, etc... Although the heart of his music is very anchored in rhythmic and percussive elements, this album surprises with its harmonic and melodic musical qualities, its diversity and its audacity.

From the first track "Egg Nog", the listener's bearings are disturbed. 8 minutes of polyrhythm, guitar and bass licks with a metal tendency, doubled vocals (male/female with Mikaela Attard ) with a strange melody. Not the most accessible song to open the album, but quite fascinating to dissect. And the icing on the cake: the participation of Alex Lifeson (Rush) on guitar?

Complete change of register on the very short instrumental "Mirrors" where Marco plays all the instruments showing his talents as a composer and performer.

"What do YOU ​​know?!" is a more traditional-looking song, almost pop, with an unexpected Hispanic vibe. On "The Ugliest Of Beasts" it is clearly the drummer who takes control for a jazz fusion track which seemed intended to be 100% instrumental until the arrival of a surprising female vocal. We are precisely in the part of the album devoted to the voice of Kendall Yates for a series of very pleasant songs.

Marco Minnemann is all alone again on "Fireflies", a powerful single that is reminiscent of Rush , including in the way he sings.

It is the beautiful voice of Pauline Cattiaux which takes over on the long development "To All New Ghosts In Town", a title with a very interesting rhythmic approach, listen to the implementation of the guitar and bass in relation to the drums, especially on the instrumental bridge.

"The Dark Side" is a jazzy ternary track with an experimental tendency with vocals that can be described as "Zappa-ian". So far, there haven't been too many electro elements, this happens with "Sailboats" which maintains a fairly dark atmosphere.

"I <3 My Shark" is a great success since it skillfully mixes Rock elements, an almost childish melody and lyrics, with complex orchestrations and brutal breaks.

Then comes "Calculator", a beautiful dark acoustic ballad which contrasts with the rest of the record. Jazz experimentation, superb brass parts, and poetry on the gripping "Glass Attack" which is a type of musical Happening.

A very beautiful piece with a silky arpeggio that calms the spirits, "Hope" brings a little light at the end of the album.

'Their Colors Fade' is a rich, complex, innovative album on which Marco Minnemann impresses with his qualities as a composer, singer, guitarist, and drummer of course. If you like adventure, a form of experimentation and don't fear complex rhythms, this record could appeal to you. The album is nevertheless a little long for my taste, since it displays 17 tracks for a duration of 1h12, but can you really blame a musician for being generous?

Review originally posted on www.progcritique.com.

If you are regular readers of ProgCritique, you know that the first part of the work devoted to Joseph by Neal Morse, namely 'The Dreamer ? Joseph: Part One', excited me. I invite you to go and read this column if you have not already done so. Some six months later, Neal returns with the second part of the project: 'The Restoration ? Joseph: Part Two', which constitutes the continuation and the end. The format is unchanged (concept album, rock opera, musical comedy, your choice), and the narration picks up where we left Joseph at the end of the first part, namely: at the bottom of the hole. We find in this second part many musical themes already present in part 1, but under slightly different arrangements. However, I find this one a little more Rock, a little more adventurous, and even more Prog, which is not to displease.

From the start of "Cosmic Mess", the instrumental virtuosity is there. Prog fans, settle in, you are at home here. Then the title takes a Rock turn with the arrival of Neal Morse 's singing lost in a reverb supposed to evoke the character's situation. The song is enhanced by dynamic brass parts and segues directly into the next "My Dream", where the trio D'Virgilio , Morse , Jennings is reconstituted (don't forget to listen to their album 'Sophomore'), for a set of high-level vocal jousts. Ross Jennings (Haken) stays on track for "Dreamer in the Jailhouse", a title still part of the Prog, dotted with interesting keyboard touches and some metal guitar insertions. The fervor does not diminish on "All Hail", which contains a bridge with a soaring 60s Psyche Rock atmosphere, and a finale which gains in intensity led by beautiful keyboards. A furious Prog title with vocal performances reminiscent of Gentle Giant, "The Argument" is a pure virtuoso demonstration and serves as a sort of introduction to "Make Like a Breeze", a resolutely Rock/Metal piece with the arrival of Ted Leonard on vocals and enhanced with grandiose organ and guitar parts.

The "Overture Reprise" reminds us of the opening theme of part 1, 'The Dreamer', then Neal Morse displays his talents as a composer on " I Hate My Brothers" which skillfully mixes Hard Rock guitars and brass. On "Guilty as Charged", we recognize the melody used on "Heaven in Charge Of Hell" from Part 1. It is from here that the two parts seem to begin to interact. The title also features a very beautiful string part, shifting the story to a more emotional angle. And on "Reckoning" it's the riff from "Gold Dust City" from 'The Dreamer' that emerges! Return of cannon vocals in Gentle Giant mode on the introduction of "Bring Ben", which then evolves into a more accessible Classic Rock style à la Toto. Then comes "Freedom Road", a ballad in the purest Neal Morse style, emotionally charged, with the support of the strings.

Return of the melodic theme of "Heaven in Charge Of Hell" from 'The Dreamer' on "The Brothers Repent Joseph Revealed", an extremely rich piece with numerous reminders of themes and marked by very successful string and brass arrangements. "Restoration" leans for a moment towards Jazz and Samba and brings a little lightness to this end of the story via a style that recalls the luminous side of the Extreme group's album 'III Sides to Every Story'. On "Everlasting", it's party time for the reunion of a large part of the protagonists who embark on a sort of jam session. The story closes with "Dawning of a New Day (God Uses Everything for Good)" in which Neal Morse can freely deliver his message of hope by speaking directly to us. The title (and the entire work) ends in apotheosis with a very orchestrated crescendo and the repetition of the words "God uses everything, Everything for good".

That's it, end of story. In total, combining parts 1 and 2, Neal Morse offers 2 hours 20 minutes of high quality music, all in less than 6 months. It's incredible to see such creativity from such a prolific artist. Perhaps some will see it as the work of the hand of God. In a more Cartesian way, we can imagine that the musician finds the capacity to surpass himself by tackling a theme of such dimension and which is so close to his heart, as many other artists have done before him.

Review originally posted on www.progcritique.com.

Three years after their first record publication ('Fragments') Trifecta is back with 'The New Normal'. From the cover, the graphic codes of the first album are used, ensuring a beautiful coherence to the project: Three rectangular black and white photos of the members of the group on a plain background (changed from red to blue) dotted with a few stains. As a reminder, Trifecta is made up of three big names: Nick Beggs on bass, Craig Blundell on drums and Adam Holzman on keyboards. All three of them together accompanied Steven Wilson on stage for a time. Musically, the group favors short formats, less than 4 minutes (with one exception), based on grooves or Jazz-Rock inspired themes, to put it simply. 'The New Normal' thus offers no less than 19 titles constantly alternating styles and atmospheres in order, I suppose, to avoid boredom. So the album is (to use the metaphor of a famous American film) a bit like a box of chocolates: you find your favorite flavors there, those you like less, and consuming the whole thing at once can be turn out to be a bit nauseating.

The powerful funky groove of "Beck And Call" opens the hostilities in a Jazz-Rock style that smacks of the 70s. An almost danceable track that sets you up for the rest. Piano, double bass and brushes for the interlude "Dot Are You Wooing?" which sounds straight out of a live recording in a smoky Jazz club. "Stroboscopic Fennel" is, for its part, more surprising, since we are facing a kind of slam, but in an old-fashioned way, in the style of The Last Poets, on which Nick Beggs declaims his surrealist poetry. So British! "Just Feel It Karen" turns on a slightly twisted Latin groove, leaving room for some very inspired drum and bass interventions. Return of poetry and surrealism with "Sibling Rivalry" on which two brothers seem to compare their way of playing the Didgeridoo (!), the title then evolving into an ethno-electronica style (I'll let you judge the relevance of this term). We could discuss for hours about the gastronomic usefulness of the decorative salad, the song "Ornamental Lettuce" does not do anything superfluous, and goes straight to the point for a new frenzied Jazz-funk groove. And here is the longest track on the record (4 minutes and 11 seconds!) "Daddy Long Legs" on which Adam Holzman expresses all his talent for building atmospheres, finding sounds and breaks that surprise.

Return of British surrealism via the dialogue "What Are You Doing?" which ends with the word "Kajagoogoo" referring to the famous pop group of the 80s ("Too Shy", 1983) which included in its ranks a certain Nick Beggs , at the time when he wore his hair with firecracker. Did Trifecta attempt to land a pop hit with the clearly announced "Stupid Pop Song"? Not quite, since it's more of a bossa-nova ballad sung very second-rate, as you might have suspected. Return of the groove guided by inspired keyboards on "Crime Spree" and its 80s thriller atmosphere. The unexpected inspiration of JS Bach is very present on the successful "Bach Stabber", while "Kleptocrat" allows you to appreciate a groove more traditional around the drums-bass-piano core.

New song sung and luxury guest participation from Alex Lifeson (Rush) on the simple and effective "Once Around The Sun With You". "Chinese Fire Drill" won't come as much of a surprise since we're starting to know the recipe. Last interlude-sketch "Ouch! My OCD" leaves you perplexed, fortunately the alarm is sounded by "Wake Up Call" to restart the end of the album with its jazzy, airy, precise and powerful bass riff. And it's the bass that keeps the lead for the following track "Wacky Tobaccy" in the purest style of the group. The atmosphere calms down with the sung track "Canary In A Five And Dime" bringing a welcome slight melancholic touch which continues on the final track "On The Spectrum" and its Mike Oldfield-style atmosphere .

There is really something to do with this 'The New Normal' which, despite its title, evolves far from normality, or rather from current music standards. The talent of the three musicians is once again dazzling, and the disc emanates a pleasure from the trio in playing together their own style, anchored in the jazz of the pioneers spiced up with a good dose of British humor.

Review originally posted on www.progcritique.com.

LAGWBAT is a freaking masterpiece and one of the best rock albums of all time for me. Each song continues to grow on me, having been listening to it on repeat since 2022. This album is more nuanced and richer in every aspect, while the three preceding records are all uniquely amazing creations in their own right, this one feels - for lack of a better word - fuller. More evolved. More definitively Rishloo.

The songs Dead Rope Machine and Landmines are absolute jewels not only in the overall composition and execution but lyrically, they are deep, hard-hitting and quotable-unforgettable masterpieces. The melodic and heavy parts merge beautifully, ebbing and flowing together, leading the listener into the heart of each song - which, for me, is the deep well of emotion at its core. And for me, that's what makes Rishloo so special and original. It's --- uncontrived and full of heart and yet refined and poignant at the same time. That's what this album nails for Rishloo. Drew's vocals get better than they've ever been, *and that's saying something.*

I love every song on this album. Dark Charade, The Great Rain Beatle and Winslow are pretty heavy and gutting; they seem to have become my go-to angst anthems over time. On the other hand, take the song Salutations, or Radio --- clean, soft singing, and the overall production is so light while packing the gut-wrench at the same time. Or the beautiful demented vocal part in Winslow that goes: "See it for the shadowbox cannibal dance distraction, see it for the tiered smoke-and-mirror display, see it for the crimson neon-stained glass refraction, see it for what it is.. not what you want it to be" (actually typed this from memory) that haunts you long after you've listened to it. They seem to achieve this balance of lyricism and profundity and poise and straightforward brutality in this album, not to mention the sheer skill that each of the four musicians bring. I have no technical insight or comparisons to other bands to offer, and I believe not everyone enjoys or processes music predominantly that way. Really immerse in the songs, the entire composition and lyrics and the energy of it all, and if you're like me, you could never have enough of this album; or any previous work of Rishloo's for that matter, as they all plot the points of their journey, leading into ever more exquisite mindstreams and inimitable experiences with each song and album... getting us thoroughly jaded and melancholy-holic with this one.

And perhaps that is why their art, underrated and unpromoted as it's been, stands out like a monolith in prog rock for me --- it gets very personal, the emotions are intact, the whole output has its cohesion and integrity... and all the while the musicianship continues to blow my mind. Thank you, Rishloo.

For better or worse, the Sortie CD is the most easily accessible way to get a legitimate copy of the work of Cartoon, America's answer to Henry Cow or Samla Mammas Manna. For the most part, it's better, since you get almost - but not quite - the entirety of their two studio albums on one CD. The sole missing track is Trio from Music From Left Field - a lightweight bit of nothing which may well have been devised solely to round off side one of that album, which was otherwise mostly taken up with the 15 minute epic Quotes. The odds of an American band playing this sort of music having any sort of commercial success in the early 1980s was always going to be remote, but Cartoon's body of work is impressive enough to merit a critical rediscovery, and Sortie is the best presentation it had. It's also 30 years old - isn't it high time Cuneiform revisited this stuff?

Cartoon's debut album was impressive in part because they were able to give the impression of a sprawling lineup with just a trio to hand; for their second album, they add more personnel, but otherwise they still occupy the hinterland between Zappa, Canterbury, and the RIO scene. As the clown on the cover may suggest, the RIO side of their sound this time draws a little less on Henry Cow and a bit more on Samla Mammas Manna, due to a similar interest in working circus music into the equation, though for an idea of just how spawling their range of influences is just listen to the epic opener Quotes and see how many musical references you can find tucked in there. (They even start playing the piano opening to Lennon's Imagine at one point). Never reissued on CD in full, most of this can be found on the Sortie collection, which trims off the admittedly rather disposable Trio in order to fit this and the debut album onto one disc, but Sortie is some 30 years past at this point; surely a new reissue is overdue?

Review Nº 772

"XII" is the ninth studio album of Barclay James Harvest and that was released in 1978. This album represents a mark in the musical career of the group because it was the last studio album with the presence of the keyboardist and founder member of the band Woolly Wolstenholme. He left the group due to musical differences with the other band's members. He had become disillusioned because the band moved away from their initial progressive roots, and he started his solo musical career, creating his own band. The limited success of the group leads him to withdraw from the music life and dedicate his life to an organic farm. "XII" is unusually a long vinyl album and is also their last album with a Mellotron.

"XII" has eleven tracks. The first track "Fantasy: Loving Is Easy" written by John Lees is a very solid song to open the album. It's a straightforward rocker with nice lyrics and strong guitar work with a good riff, very well accompanied by Hammond and synthesizer works. The second track "Berlin" written by Les Holroyd is a song inspired by separation of the citizens of both sides of Berlin by the wall. It's mainly a beautiful ballad performed essentially by Les Holroyd on piano and Woolly Wolstenholme on keyboards. This is a very emotional song that became a classic in their musical career. Sincerely, this is, for me, one of the finest compositions made by Les Holroyd. The third track "Classics: A Tale Of Two Sixties" written by John Lees is a very melodic rock song in the same vein of "Titles" from their album "Time Honoured Ghosts". This song was an attempt by John Lees to revisit his early musical influences and it also represents his personal homage to the music of the 60's. The fourth track "Turning In Circles" written by Les Holroyd is a very good and interesting rock ballad with some good guitar riffs and excellent bass work. It's true that this is a commercial track not very original but very well played and nicely and tastefully arranged. The fifth track "Fact: The Closed Shop" written by John Lees is a song based on the political and trade union situation in Britain in the late 70's. Musically, this is, for me, a very surprising song. It's a song with some medieval influences composed in a folk/rock style. It's a song that reminds me strongly "Part Of The Union", a song on "Bursting At The Seams" of Strawbs. This is, for me, one of the finest moments on the album. The sixth track "In Search Of England" written by Woolly Wolstenholme is a song about the conflict of youthful inexperience versus the wisdom of age. This is really the last great classic symphonic composition made by Woolly Wolstenholme with the band. This song represents one of the great progressive moments on the album and it's also one of the best compositions made by him. The seventh track "Sip Of Wine" written by Les Holroyd is a pleasant and nice rock ballad not very original but at the same time is very well performed and very well arranged. This is also a song with good guitar work. The eighth track "Harbour" written by Woolly Wolstenholme is a song that counts the feeling and the reflection of to return home after a long journey. It's a very simple ballad with an extremely beautiful melody and rich harmonies, very well supported by nice guitar work. This is a completely different song from "In Search Of England" and represents the other musical side of Woolly Wolstenholme. This is also one of my favourite songs on the album. The ninth track "Science Fiction: Nova Lepidoptera" written by John Lees is a very strong track and is inspired by John Lees' love for science fiction. It's a majestic piece of music and one of the most progressive on the album. This song is, in my opinion, a reminiscence of their earlier musical times. John Lees and Woolly Wolstenholme are simply brilliant. This is another great musical moment on the album. The tenth track "Giving It Up" written by Les Holroyd is another very atmospheric ballad with nice backing vocal moments of John Lees and Les Holroyd. Like "Turning In Circles" and "Sip Of Wine", are very nice songs but although not very original, they're very well played and nicely and tastefully arranged. The eleventh track "Fiction: The Streets Of San Francisco" written by John Lees taking is inspiration from the famous American TV police series of the 70's. It's a very beautiful ballad with some nice musical parts like the harmonica work, in the end of the song, playing in the back over the acoustic guitar.

Conclusion: "XII" is, in reality, an excellent album. However, it hasn't so known and beloved songs of their fans like "Hymn" and "Poor Man's Moody Blues", such as "Gone To Earth" has. Still, "XII" is probably, in my humble opinion, a better album than "Gone To Earth" is. "XII" is a more cohesive, uniform and balanced album that "Gone To Earth" is. "XII" is also an album that represents the end of an era in the music of the band. If John Lees songs are great and with some progressivity, unfortunately Les Holroyd songs start to sound too predictable and commercial, a tendency that would be confirmed in the near future. By the other hand and unfortunately, with the departure of Woolly Wolstenholme, the last progressivity influences and their symphonic roots have gone permanently from Barclay James Harvest. And it was really a pity. "XII" is in reality the last album of Barclay James Harvest that can be considered a true classic album.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

If listening to bands jamming makes you break out in small, red, itchy bumps you're going to want to look toward some later mid 70s work for satisfaction, say the jazzy psych rock of Dance In Flames or full on Fusion oriented Guru Guru of the late 70s on Globetrotter. This is not that however. This, Guru Guru's 1970 debut album Ufo, is a wonderful and heavily acidic mess.

On the first side we get three songs, all teetering on the edge of the unstructured abyss; flirting with uncontrolled free fall into an ocean of acid so thick and fuzzy there is no swimming out of. Stone In and Girl Call both start out a little sleepy. Some tremendously fuzzed out guitar moaning and groaning here, and some freely wandering drums and bass there (and some AUAUghghauauGhhhHh 'vocals' dribbled out on Stone In! Always love to hear). Both songs start to coagulate into the nearly gone, hectic and frenzied, point of no return, freak outs discussed earlier, but ending just before free fall, or at least Stone In fades out and Girl Call is rather abruptly, but kinda, effectively cut off. Also have to stop and mention how much I love the guitar distortion on Girl Call, some truly deranged, heavy, and fuzzed out wah wahs. Next Time See You At The Dalai Lama starts off sounding a bit more structured than anything else on the album, and seemingly more deliberately paced. The structure and pace does start to falter and waver, Ax, Mani, and Uli all rambling and coasting off into the cosmic brain, then coalescing for a slight time, before succumbing to the drift again.

Now, to flip this [%*!#]er over, and here we find that the inevitable has happened. You dance and prance for so long on the edge of psychedelic insanity, that falling into the vastness of kosmische sea will occur. The first of the two songs, sharing the album name, Ufo; sees our intrepid oceanic trawlers completely immersed into nebulous and hypnotic soundscapes. Guitars, electronics, percussion, and effects all dither and scratch around and about, occasionally swarming together into a truly wild proto industrial/noise piece here. A musical rendition of a grimy, old piece of space junk limping through the cosmos. While plenty of classical composeurs ;) were fiddling around with long and exploratory pieces of music, I find they never seem to actually be all that enjoyable, or reach the depths that more amateur works do. When you fiddle with the unknown the known ain't going to cut it. The final track Der LSD/Marsch is more grounded, but no less prescient. The first half, Der LSD I guess, sees some strung out guitar calling out over foggy, sunken graveyard, while some plodding bass and wispy and haunting, electronically treated flute(?) (Kraftwerk!?) slowly flow around. This all mends together into possibly the most cohesive our intrepid group have sounded, or it just seems so after the past 12 minutes. Marsch is appropriately titled, because after making it out of vast cosmic, oceanic, expanse it's a long walk back. Guitar, bass, and drums all have moments of cohesive, buoyant, forward drive, but fall into a tired and languid sounding plod on occasion.

Proclaims the group on return "Soon the ufos will land and mankind will meet much stronger brains and habits, lets get ready for that."

One of Argentina's best kept secrets from the fertile and creative 1970s prog scene, SÍNTESIS was a band like no other in a nation that followed in the footsteps of the romantic Italian prog scene more than any other stylistic approach of progressive rock. Forming in the city of Rosario in 1973 by the power trio of Julio Alberto Cusmai (drums), Jorge Migoya (guitar) and Juan Carlos Ricci (bass), SÍNTESIS dropped its sole eclectic obscurity onto the market in 1976 right in the middle of the coup d'etat that rocked the nation and installed a military dictatorship for the next several years. The members barely escaped Argentina with their lives but it also meant the band that was only getting started came to an abrupt end.

One of the boldest and wildest bands of the entire Argentine 70s, SÍNTESIS' all instrumental self-titled release has become quite the underground sensation fetching hundreds of US dollars for a single original copy of the original Profeta Records vinyl. A bizarre mix of Crucis, East of Eden, Return to Forever, King Crimson and a touch of the pastoral Italian folky prog band of the same era, this short but sweet album of seven tracks packs a major punch despite its meager running time of slightly less than 33 minutes. As much as an eclectic prog sensation as a jazz-fusion excitation, SÍNTESIS flavored its power punch album with a roster of talented guest musicians who added the extra flavors of the saxophone, flute, clarinet and violin. The one glaring omission is any trace of keyboards.

Offering as many adventurous guitar workouts as jazzy interludes that find angularity avenue around every corner, SÍNTESIS unleashed some of the most demanding time signatures and captures the essence of avant-prog without deviating from its jazz focused mission. The knotty and shapeshifting compositions are restless and jittery little buggers and you can never predict what lurks around the corner with John Albercombie guitar freak outs one moment and then making a hairpin turn into a compelling duet between a violin and flute workout but the jazz never strays far and the funky guitar chord procession accompany the ceaseless soloing as well as tackling the more heady style of fusion that goes for the avant-jazz jugular. The overall effect is brash and in your face almost drifting into a heavier rock paradigm but always tethered to the sensual flutes and Miles Davis sax escapades.

Led by the imitable guitarist Jose Migoya, SÍNTESIS took fusion to the next level and despite crashing and burning and literally forced to scatter worldwide, the band more than offered a career's worth of creativity in a single album's worth of material with heady excursions into stop / start guitar stops, frenetic bass outbursts and John McLaughlin style of reckless abandon on crazy guitar soloing run amok. The beauty of the album is each track features a completely different theme and tackles a completely new approach making this one of the wildest and energetic deliveries of eclectic prog flavored fusion in the entire Argentine paradigm. With no clear core sound to the band's overall approach, the album really is a free for all of as many prog and fusion ideas under a single roof. As placidly beautiful as is demanding and avant-garde, it's no wonder why SÍNTESIS has become the top cult favorite of all 70s prog from South America's most prolific prog nation.

With an acumen of a seasoned band that had existed for years and years, the cohesion of the musicians involved is nothing short of breathtaking. An amazing achievement made all the miraculous by the album being recorded in the midst of one of Argentina's most disastrous years in its history. This is certainly one band i wish would've carried on abroad in some shape or form but given the hardships endured and the crisis that unfolded during its making, it appears we have to be grateful that not only this one was recorded but actually survived all the turmoil and can be experienced digitally in the modern era. In dire need of rediscovery and a repressing because despite a proper CD release it's still almost impossible to track a decent copy down at a reasonable price. One of my top picks of adventurous fusion from the 70s underground bar none.

"Peter And The Wolf" comes across as a children's tale, which it is, set to music here by an all-star cast. It's not up to the standards of MOTHER GONG's "Fairy Tales" which also had it's stars but when you see some of the names listed out of the 20 something it's easy to be impressed. Led by the duo of Jack Lancaster who plays wind instruments along with violin and Robin Lumley the keyboardist who some will know from BRAND X. Jack by the way was in BLODWYN PIG at this point. These two guys wrote, arranged and produced this record and man what an undertaking with all of these musicians most involved with their own bands so getting them together must have been a challenge. This is 1975.

How many people saw this album in a record store and decided to buy it solely by who's playing on it? I mean no self respecting prog fan could put this back on the shelf could they? The main drummer is Phil Collins but we get brief appearances from Bill Bruford, Jon Hiseman and Cozy Powell. While Lumley takes care of most of the keyboards we get Keith Tippett playing piano and Brian Eno, Manfred Mann and Gary Brooker adding synths. Guitar? How about Alvin Lee, Gary Moore, Chris Spedding and John Goodsall. Percy Jones takes care of most of the bass duties but BLODWYN PIG member Andy Pyle helps out too. Violins and a lot of vocals and spoken words. And of course narration from Viv Stanshall and it's so well done. Really Julie Tipppetts and Bernie Frost are the only singers as only three tracks have singing although we get a choir on another tune but lots of character speakers here done by many of the musicians here.

The tracks average under 2 minutes as we go from scene to scene so not much time for the instrumentalists to show their skills. But this is about the story and it's well done in my opinion but honestly if I never hear it again so be it. The one track that stood out for me was "Wolf And Duck" at under 4 minutes and the one with Chris Spedding on it along with Eno, Collins and Jones. "Cat In Tree" is pretty good too but again this is more about the story, the lyrics. "Rock And Roll Celebration" is a disappointment, a shot at a single I guess. 3 stars.

Herbie's first studio album since decommissioning his Mwandishi project. Herbie is stated to have said that he was tired of the spacey, high-end stuff and just wanted to bring it back down to Earth with some funk. It is important when listening to this album to remember how influential it was: both to other artists as well as on the tastes of the popular ear; this was, after all, at the time (until the 1976 phenomenon of George Benson's Breezin'), the highest selling jazz album of all-time!

1. "Chameleon" (15:41) the opening funk bass sound and line lets us know right off the bat what's going to be different about this music compared to the famous "Mwandishi sound" of Herbie's previous three years of work: Funk is paramount here. The problem here is how long Herbie stays affixed to a particular pattern and motif: it's as if it takes him 30 measures to get the feel of a pattern enough to be able to play within much less diverge or solo above it. I don't know if the rhythm section (or engineer) realized that they were speeding up in the sixth minute, beneath Herbie's funky ARP Soloist solo, but it's awkward for a bit until they all return to the pocket. At 7:40 there is a reset to let Paul Jackson and Harvey Mason reset their rhythm pattern. Now we're in Fender Rhodes territory--the soundscape that will become BOB JAMES' standard/go-to palette. Paul and percussionist Bill Summers start playing off one another, which is highly entertaining despite Herbie supposedly being in the lead up top. Harvey's innovative use of the hi-hat here might also have served to influence all future Disco drummers. I prefer this middle section to the opening one. At the 12-minute mark there is a reset bridge with those rich ARP strings and panning Fender Rhodes play. J-R Fuse Heaven! Now this is where Smooth Jazz came from! At 13:15 there is another reset bridge that allows the band to restart the opening motif. Here Bennie Maupin finally gets some front-time on his tenor sax. Nice. A song that contains so much innovation I can't justify down-rating it despite my not really liking the majority of it. (27/30)

2. "Watermelon Man" (6:29) a very popular song that is denigrated by the fact that to me it is a very thinly-veiled revisitation on Dobie Gray's big hit from 1964 (a Billy Page compostion), "The 'In' Crowd." Then there is the presence at the opening and ending of the odd breath and voice percussion (what would probably inspire a whole generation of Bobby McFerrins. (8.875/10)

3. "Sly" (10:18) a reference to he of the Family Stone? What starts out deceptively in some disarray becomes, quite suddenly, at the two-minute mark, a meteoric flight through high altitude with bass, drums, percussion, and clavinet all rushing wildly along in a very loose weave beneath Bennie Maupin's wild soprano saxophone play. Then Herbie gets a turn on his Fender electric piano. The man is so smooth! Paul Jackson's low end bass play paired up with Harvey Mason's hi-hat and cymbal work is pure genius! Somebody (Bennie Maupin) must be playing the clavinet beneath/alongside Herbie's two-handed Fender Rhodes exposition. I have to admit that I'd never really appreciated the drumming of Harvey Mason before this--cuz I'd never heard anything quite like this before. High marks for the extraordinary work of that dynamic middle section.(19/20)

4. "Vein Melter" (9:10) It would seem here that Harvey's semi-automatic militaristic snare and hi-hat riff would run contrary to the somber, etheric world being created by the rest of the band, but somehow it all works (except the ARP sounds: they sound so dated!) My favorite part is hearing Bennie Maupin playing with such feeling and emotion without having to blast it or even raise his "voice." Also, you can hear here the reverberating Fender Rhodes electric piano sound that everybody will be using over the next ten years: KOOL AND THE GANG "Summer Madness," Donald Fagen/STEELY DAN, BOZ SCAGGS Silk Degrees and so many more. (17.5/20)

Total Time 41:38

Thrust is my favorite Herbie album.

A-/five stars; a minor-masterpiece (and landmark album) of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

From lovely Imola with its stunning Sforza castle, comes this new addition to the RPI school of prog, offering a classic take, flush from all the legendary influences, but adding a darker, as well as a more contemporary, somewhat investigational twist to the proceedings. Let me introduce the talented five-man blue squadra: vocalist Francesco Ronchi, Nello De Leo on guitars and vocals, keyboardist Cristiano Costa, and the rhythmic tandem of Lorenzo Marani on bass and drummer Jacopo Cinesi.

While there are many moody adornments on the silky opener "Sogni Infranti", the arrangement does eventually veer away from the initial Floydian atmosphere into a crosscurrent of conflicting dissonant melodies that certainly add drama so as to herald the rather operatic vocals from Francesco, who seems to be in very good voice, a set of voluminous lungs that are both expressive and effusive. The windy synths, the churning organ, and the tense mellotron seek only to follow the ardent bass undercurrent and the stabilizing drumbeat.

The cavernous choirs rise and fall on the sombre "L'Illusione dell'Obilio" catapulted forward by an elastic bass line and then exploding into a howling hurricane or organ-fuelled rage. The transitions and tempo changes are expertly navigated, as if bathing in some cosmic nirvana. Francesco scours the sonic crests like a pro, as the slashing guitar riffs pound the valley below (the Rogue poet). A colossal mellotron wave puts this one to bed. The magnificent "Catarsi" takes aim at a more atmospheric realm, eventually settling into an elegant groove (that thumping bass again) as the piano meanders a sorrowful lament, heightened by the pleading voice. Nello's bluesy axe rant shivers and trembles, up and down the intensity scale, propelled along by some majestic keyboard colorations. The piano (which was there all along) re-engages with even more concentration, honing further the direction of the arrangement, which reaches celestial heights as the operatic voice brings down the velvet curtain onto the stage floor.

The impressive "Apologia di Reato", with its flickering wrist guitar is another sombre bass-led reptile, slithering along menacingly as the voice flings itself vigorously beyond the pale, until some well-intentioned keyboard wavering obfuscates the impending doom, synthesizers effervescing like blinding phosphorous, gradually the voice crawls out of the abyss, to finally collapse into silence. Magnifico! The lovely retro sound of "Isolazione" showcases the wonderful osmosis of old school RPI with a more contemporary sound, but very much in keeping with their style of rising levels of thrusts and contrasts, the rifling guitar and the swirly synths being a pure delight, all well anchored by some deft drumming. The relentlessly painful fretboard solo is a showstopper. The passion expressed in the vocal department is equally outstanding. Adventurous and impeccably done.

The mighty organ takes center stage on the wild and at times manic "Madri di Niente, Figli di Nessuno", an obvious wink to Uriah Heep, a track that seeks to blitz intimidatingly with no mercy, a whirlwind of raging voices, Middle Eastern synth sax motifs in a jazzy sandstorm and even some hypnotic psychedelia. The devilish voice spits venom and thankfully gets shown the door and cleared out by a bass security guard.

The final track is the longest one here, clocking in at 7:39 and as such is a perfect finale, a remote mirage of sweltering dunes of sound, perfectly encapsulating their rather unique style. The bass guitar once again flows along like a river of consistent tranquility, leaving the passion to be delivered by the residual instrumentalists and the madman's declaration. The extended finale is a shimmering wave of exalted guitar shadings, keyboard flourishes galore, manic, and relentless drumming and an apotheosis of vocal expression.

I was totally captured by the overwhelming natural rawness of it all, namely the theatrical vocal deliveries, the solid rhythmic pulse, and the fascinating keyboard interventions and the gritty guitar work. This is a band that should have a fascinating career, which I fully intend to follow and to promote as best as I can. By the way, the cover art is absolutely eye catching and luxuriant.

4.5 Squaring Circles

Australian studio/sessions musicians lured into breaking in a new recording studio just outside of Melbourne.

1. "Journey In Threes" (6:30) drums, funked up bass, clavinet, saxophone, and guitar open this one with a GENTLE GIANT-like circus romp, then there is a long spacious pause before the band kicks back in at 1:20, this time in a very tightly arranged nearly-Reggae weave with tenor sax in the lead and guitar doing accent strums and notes. The bass is now more straightforward (the previous sound I called a "funked up bass" may have been, in fact, the left hand on the clavinet). Clavinet gets the second solo spot but the sax comes back for the third--this time with a little more vim and vinegar. Very interesting! And danceable in a DON ELLIS way. I don't know why I like the clavinet so well! (9/10)

2. "Scope" (5:05) BRUFORD-like syncopated complex opening weave turns into a little smoother jazz at the 30-second mark with bass and drums weaving a tightly Then, at 1:45 the band stops at the stop sign, looks both ways, then takes a left turn down one of the Fender Rhodes as keyboardist Peter Jones starts flying over his plastic keys. Another stop at another stop sign at the 3:15 mark results in another change of direction--this one more straightforward as the car cruises out onto the Nevada desert where we watch it fade away into the distance. Very interesting, complex jazz-rock fusion--all of the motifs sewn together here are quite complicated. Impressive! (9/10)

3. "Duke" (3:50) a duet of moody sax and supportive lounge Fender Rhodes gives this opening a late night French Film Noire or Femme Fatale feel. Nice performance if a bit stereotypic. The guys must have been in a mood. (8.75/10)

4. "Scrichell Cat" (6:30) more music that feels like something from an old black and white film--until the three-chord rock bridges. Sax is again offered the lead role while bass, drums, Fender Rhodes, and wah-rhythm guitar provide support and accents. Oddly simplistic compared to the mind-bogglingly complex music of the opening two songs. Electric guitar finally gets a solo around the four-minute mark--it's nice! He's got a very nice tone and very flowing, technically sound run capabilities. When he pairs up with the sax in the sixth minute it works remarkably well and then they parts ways to return to the rock motif for an extended period over (beneath) which the searing ROBERT FRIPP-like guitar play continues to the very end. (8.875/10)

5. "Keith's Mood" (7:34) The angular, sometimes discordant Robert Fripp guitar sound and style starts off right from the opening note of this one while drums, bass, and saxophone play Coltrane or Ornette Coleman to the Robert. Around the two-minute mark the band takes a divergent path to explore a trash-filled alley that empties out next to the church onto main street in the form of a blues-based R&B passage. Sounds like The Isley Brothers, past (the Sixties) and future (Harvest for the World, Go For Your Guns. etc.) An extended drum solo fills the sixth minute and more sounding quite traditional jazz except for the use of a large floor tom. At the end of the eighth minute the rest of the band returns, playing some grroup scales before suddenly stopping. Interesting and impressive but not very engaging (or danceable). (13/15)

6. "The Long One" (6:32) this one sounds like early Herbie Hancock as he explored the landscapes and sonic possibilities of early funk and R&B-infused jazz-rock. Sax is the lead melody-maker but the funky bass and Fender Rhodes play a huge role in the song's overall feel. Very cool in the early-1970s meaning of the word. Fender Rhodes takes the next solo in the fourth minute while the bass, guitar, and drums do a great job of maintaining the funky base. The nuances of each instrumentalist's contributions to this song are really quite something to behold--and even study! Not my favorite song or song style but definitely praiseworthy for these incredibly mature performances. (9/10)

7. "Turkish Defunked" (7:41) Waht?! a straigt-time beat?! (Wait 20 seconds.) Oh! They were just messing with me! Back to some funk with some Eastern European/Middle Eastern sounds coming from the sax(es). When the opening mood and sound palette have been established, the sax drops out for an extended Fender Rhodes solo that sounds quite a bit like Ray Manzarek. Sax resumes the lead as Ray continues to add sass and bluesy funk around the sides. Cool song that has its feet more in jazz than R&B-rock but goes back to the Turkish theme enough to confuse us. In the sixth we finally get the return of the burning sound of Charlie (Glenn's nephew) Gould's fuzzy electric guitar, but then the band switches gears, gets more staccato rhythm-brained before finally returning to the main theme for the finale (while Charlie continues his nonstop Fripp runs from behind). High quality performances of a diversified composition. (13.5/15)

Total Time 43:42

I can see how the AVERAGE WHITE BAND inspired the world. "Cut the cake!"

B+/four stars; an excellent addition to any Jazz-Rock Fusion lover and an album that I think any and every prog lover can and would appreciate.

Brilliant and experimental/boundary pushing proggy Jazz-Rock Fusion from Sweden. They sound a bit like a Chick Corea-led FOCUS only better.

1. "Eber's Funk" (7:45) opens aggressively like something from the early J-R Fuse masterpieces from Tony Williams and John McLaughlin then gets really funky with Brynjulf Blix's masterful clavinet play. (One cannot help but wonder how long he'd been playing this rather new instrument and its funk applications.) Drummer Pål Thowsen is amazing! Then guitarist Jon Arild Eberson launches into a wonderfully fiery solo himself, showing no shame or fear of being compared to the J-R F greats like McLaughlin, Coryell, Akkerman, and Connors. (14/15)

2. "B.M." (11:45) I love the experimentation here with all of the early Mahavishnu Orchestra instrument sounds--and the way they take some of the music and style of Dutch progsters FOCUS and move it even further into the realm of jazz or jazz-rock fusion. The main electric piano four-chord motif gently propelling the song along does get rather old as the soloists go on (and on), but the work of drummer Pål Thowsen beneath is quite a nice diversion to pay attention to. (22.5/25)

3. "Flytende Øye" (6:39) again, the proggy side of Jazz-Rock Fusion--here exploring the Bitches Brew/Herbie Hancock approach to electrifying jazz. These musicians are so talented! (9.25/10)

4. "Skakke Jens" (5:32) with some scathing electric guitar in the spotlight and only bass and drums beneath this one feels more like a progression of power trio rock as Jimi Hendrix might have taken it had he lived longer. Not as jazzy as the previous songs, still very interesting. R-L reverberating-panning Fender Rhodes enters at 2:50 with great effect (essentially shutting down Jon Arild Eberson's guitar) taking over the lead for the remainder of the song. (8.875/10)

5. "O Kjød" (6:42) what sounds like electric piano (though it could be oddly processed acoustic piano) and gently-picked electrified acoustic guitar open as kind of a duet, though the guitar exists more in a support capacity for the first minutes. Very Mahavishnu John McLaughlin and Chick Corea like. Jon gets a turn in the lead halfway through while Brynjulf settles back into an even-more-Chick Corea-like support roll. Wish it were better recorded. (9/10)

Total Time: 38:23

I often find it hard to understand how caucasian people can be so funky--as if African traditions have some kind of exclusive on the sound and form--but this band definitely has some serious funk running through their veins. Awesome stuff!

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion in its very quintessential form(s). An album every self- proclaimed prog lover should hear at least once over their lifetime. HIGHLY recommended.

An album of brass-enhanced pop jazz-rock music not unlike that of Blood Sweat and Tears: the band's lead singer John Redpath's voice is pretty much a dead ringer for that of David Clayton Thomas.

1. "Why Am I Doin' It" (7:50) built a bit more like CHICAGO's version of "I'm a Man" this one rocks, it rolls, and it blues- rocks, it even jazz-rocks a little. Nice Terry KATH/David CLAYTON THOMAS vocal from drummer John Redpath but the song does over-stay its welcome a bit despite saxophonist Hanus Berkas enthusiastic play. (13.25/15)

2. "Happiness" (7:00) piano-based blues rock that sounds very Southern USA like the Allman Brothers, Leon Russell, Dr. John, or even Van Morrison. (12.75/15)

3. "Journey" (7:30) a very-Sixties Bay area-sounding blues rocker built over a repeating three-chord piano arpeggi does ramp up for a bit in the third minute form some brass-rock before reverting to the original motif for some bluesy piano pounding. Nice recording engineering delivering clear tracks for each and every one of the instruments. Very solid. (13.5/15)

4. "Emergency Entrance" (11:20) opens with a nice weave of drums, percussion and bass before weird mosquito-like synth joins in with piano and rhythm guitar. Flute takes the next solo (I'm assuming that the mosquito-synth was intended as the first) with mostly-percussion backing. A bit like instrumental palette and sound beneath Van MORRISON's "Moondance"--or if it were extended into an instrumental jam. Organ, piano, saxophone (briefly), and electric guitar get the next solos, in that order--all of it pretty "raunchy" (though cleanly recorded). It's a nice song for displaying the capabilities of the band's individuals. The second movement of the song is pure blues--with saxes, low- end guitar, and organ takin' us into the Swamp. There is crescendos at in the tenth minute with some whole-band blasts and then some high-tailin' runnin' out for the final minute. (17.5/20)

5. "Killin' Time" (10:20) a two-part suite that starts out quite gently, even emotionally beautiful reminding me of some of NEKTAR's more tender moments. John Redpath's vocals are also very gentle--like BOZ SCAGGS on "Harbor Lights." But then the song jumps into a different gear, coming together for some more Southern Rock bordering on Chicago melodically. Here John's vocal is much more than something from an Allman Brothers or Blood, Sweat and Tears album. After a brief saxophone solo the song moves into its second phase: this one more organ-based and organ- dominated like something from an early Brian Auger or ROD ARGENT jam. Jiøí Matousek is a very talented organist! Sax takes the next solo--here reminding me of why I don't like this overgrown kazoo. I have to admit that overall this is a pretty cool song. (18.25/20)

Total time: 44:00

While I came here because of my deep dive into Jazz-Rock Fusion--something this album is NOT--I have to admit that I really enjoyed this experience. My several listens through Entrance has helped soften my rather dismissive "complex" against blues-rock.

B+/four stars; an excellent album of proggy/jazzy Blues-Rock music--one of the best of its kind that I've heard.

The ever shape shifting stylistic approach with a chameleoneque name to match, the fourth album under Godspeed You! Emperor's side project SILVER MOUNTAIN PROJECT returns only this time as THEE SILVER MT ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA & TRA-LA-LA BAND (note the dropping of the "With Choir") from 2003's ""This Is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing,). HORSES IN THE SKY emerged two years later with the EP "Pretty Little Lightning Paw" slipped in between. Also noticed the unusually short album title!

Once again Menuck is joined by an army of musicians and vocalists who play everything from the standard rock guitar, bass, piano and drums to the more chamber rock appropriate cello, violin, trumpet, harmonica, mandolin and contrabass topped off by a veritable choir of backing vocals whose precision singing skills offsets Menuck's quivering vocal instability. In fact Robert Kennedy Jr? Is that you? LOL. While still considered a post-rock and musically speaking clearly follows in its own footsteps, this time around all those vocal tracks scattered around on the band's first releases suddenly because the dominant force.

In fact every track is song oriented and every song features an overdose of Menuck's hard-to-swallow vocal shortcoming, the boon to many (including myself) and the welcome accoutrement for others who can't get enough of that indie rock off-kilter singing bravado. In fact Modest Mouse comes to mind throughout HORSES IN THE SKY had that Washington based band delved into the world of sing-along post-rock campfire songs that is. In a way this album reminds me of all those gleeful songs we sang as kids in grade school with the music teacher playing her heart out on the piano while our underdeveloped innocent lyrical content came spewing from our less than professional musical mouths like an off-key choir struggling in its infancy.

Despite the innocence and childlike qualities of the sing-along sessions, the music is nothing but a serious matter with concert hall quality performances stealing the show whenever Menuck chooses to close his yap and let it all rise to the forefront. It's a welcome event indeed for those of us who find Efrim's best efforts to become a bit overwhelming throughout an album's worth of convulsing solfeggios punctuating the rich tapestry of sound like nails on the chalkboard. There's a bit of country hoedown feel to the whole thing as well as it evokes some sort of traditional bumpkin music in the USA Appalachians of the the early years of the nation's existence especially when the banjo comes out to play.

More chamber folk than post-rock this time around, this one will certainly test the patience of those who merely tolerated Menuck's vocal contributions on previous efforts and the worst nightmare of those who cringed every time he opened his big fat piehole. Musically the album is sweet and tender which contrasts greatly with the outrage expressed lyrical content which laments everything from war, prison life and myriad social injustices worldwide. In fact if you actually listen to the lyrics they are quite bleak and depressing, a stark contrast to the otherwise more uplifting musical score which belies the Godspeed and Silver Mt Zion trend of dark melancholic musical deliveries which occasional do overpower everything else.

The album is well regarded so apparently not everyone is as repulsed by Menuck's seismically unretrofitted vocal charm as i am and to be fair when his singing is subdued it's tolerable however most of the album finds him bellowing a pseudo-falsetto which makes me wonder if the whole thing is a parody of some sort or just a stylistic approach that offers a degree of separation from the competition and SILVER MT. ZION releases in general. Whatever the case this will be a hard pill for many to swallow but if vocal shakiness is not a problem then you will most certainly like this more than i do.

This time appearing as THEE SILVER REVERIES which no trace of Zion to be found, the Canadian Godspeed You! Black Emperor side project of guitarist / pianist / vocalist Efrim Menuck dropped this tiny four track EP between its two regularly album releases. The result was the 30 minute THE PRETTY LITTLE LIGHTNING PAW E.P. which slinked into the year 2004 and has remained one of those tag ons to the band's greater discography going noticed by many but highly appreciated by those who happen to find it bliss them with the aural essence that is THEE SILVER MOUNTAIN ORCHESTRA.

Another curveball in the zigzagging trajectory of uniformity, PRETTY LITTLE LIGHTNING PAW finds a somewhat streamlined lineup with only five musicians on board however the biggest surprise is that key members such as violinist Sophie Trudeau switches to the bass guitar and the increase of guitars, basses and percussion makes this what feels like a bonafide post-rock release rather than some sort of post-modern classical chamber folk hybrid. If that wasn't enough to set the SILVER MOUNTAIN clan in a firm creative footing, the band then played the recorded finished product on a boombox and then rerecorded it all again from that which gives it an unusually rougher than usual sound. Holy moly!

This EP is more on the surreal and ethereal side of the equation with the usual post-rock cyclical loops wending and winding in some cases such as the title track up to 10 minutes in playing time only fortified with everything from toy box music, and varying percussive click and clacks. Also feedback plays a major role in echoey chamber resonance and although Efrim Menuck's vocals are a hard pill for me to swallow, his performances here somehow melt right into the pulsating processions of the heavily orchestrated chamber folk atmospheres finding all the other members offering their own voice to the atmospheric majesty of the tracks. Menuck's vocals are made tolerable to me in most part though the modulating effect of an echo box and drowned out by the incessant manic swarm of sound effects provided by the instrumentation.

In a way the EP prognosticates the style of the next album with every track featuring Menuck's paranoid lyrical delivery accompanied by a purposeful out of tune backing singalong choir evoking the innocence of childhood only with the horror of awareness that the world is not what we were led to believe in our sheltered early years of grade school giddiness. The singalong sessions that feature a call and response methodology may be on repetitive mode but the swirling swarm of musicality that back it and often drowns it out altogether are what make this little EP a sweet little gem in the band's overall canon. All the weakness of the band (particularly Efrim's vocal style) is suavely pacified with all the right doctoring up and majestic ethereal percolating of the post-rock accompaniments is actually quite magical.

While i'm a fan of the first three releases, the following "Horses In The Sky" takes the approach laid down here and strips it down until only the annoying features dominate. In all honesty this EP should've been the next album with an extended track list of course because even though the overall direction is the same, this one features enough elements to guarantee that the focal point doesn't gravitate to the weakest link of the equation. I actually discovered this one quite by accident as i bought another album by the group but when i ripped it onto the my external hard drive it turned out to be the wrong CD but to my delight i loved it and discovered a hidden gem in the greater MT SILVER ZION musical reality. Now it's actually one of my favorite releases of all. A triumphant little musical expression that shouldn't be ignored.

A jazz-rock one off from Birmingham. The musicians were obviously inspired by COLOSSEUM, CHICAGO, and BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS as well as PROCOL HARUM, The SPENCER DAVIS GROUP and even Andrew LLOYD-WEBER.

1. "Look Upon Me" (6:13) Oh! The bluesy kind of jazz-rock, not really what I'd call fusion. The music shifts to BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS territory for the second motif and chorus (part of which sounds as if it is intentionally lifted from Andrew LLOYD WEBER's Jesus Christ Superstar: Jesus' emotional performance in the "Garden of Gethsemane" scene (and song). There's quite a little of The Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" in there, too. Nice musicianship and pretty good sound reproduction throughout. (8.75/10)

2. "Winds of Change" (7:26) more music that feels as if it's on the verge of going PROCOL HARUM or ANIMALS with some nice (and original) melodic singing over the top of interesting, subtly shifting and changing instrumental performances beneath. The slower middle section sounds a lot like The SPENCER DAVIS GROUP, even when it picks up. The sound of the Hammond organ is so domineering despite the wonderfully performed and mixed bass and drums. The guitar and horn accents are pretty cool, too. The final sections up the tempo while letting the instrumentalists go unrestricted for a bit. Great blues-feeling song. (13.5/15)

3. "Bend for a Friend" (10:27) opens with a guitar and bass riff that sounds like a Sergio Leone film score. The rest of the band joins in and proceed to set up a motif that is quite stereotypic for what we consider "Indian music"--that is, the music of Native Americans (as depicted, of course, in the soundtracks of film and the occasional Indian-themed hit song). At the three-minute mark the motif switches to a different, more strident and jazzy interpretation of yet another fairly familiar N.A. melodic theme. Guitarist Adrian Ingram goes a bit crazy on his electric guitar, again bridging the jazz and blues-rock worlds throughout his solo: part Hendrix, part Johnny Mac (or Randy California). At the 5:30 mark there is another, rather radical thematic change--this one feeling as if we've started a completely different song. It's cinematic like something befitting a B-movie horror flick. At 6:30 we again stop to listen to a solo saxophone solo: that's right: a solo with absolutely no accompaniment. Finally, 45-seconds in drummer John Parker joins saxophonist Cliff Williams' chorused woodwind. Then in the tenth minute the rest of the band throbs their way back in before lining up to finish the song with original pseudo-Native American motif. Interesting song. (17.5/20)

4. "1066" (6:28) (a reference, I take it, to either the Norman Invasion or the Battle of Hastings.) opens with a bluesy motif beneath Alex's recitation of words and terms tied into the year 1066. But then the music turns anachronistic-- almost "mediæval"--with flutes, bass, organ, and harpsichord and a Michael Giles-like drumming touch. I find this anachronistic motif the most interesting and favorite of the album. Next is a rather spacious percussion-dominated passage that is quite reminiscent of King Crimson's quiet passage in The Court of the Crimson King's "Moonchild." Bass and drums get their time in the spotlight here. Hearing this makes me wonder if Carl Palmer and Greg Lake heard this song before (finally) rendering Greg's 10-year old song "Lucky Man" to tape. A very interesting song that never really seems to gel into something consistent or cohesive. (8.875/10)

5. "Wet Legs" (4:44) a kind of jazzy intro morphs into another Blues-Rock riff-based alternating four-chord progression. In the second minute of this completely-instrumental song there is a temporary detour down a jazzy sidestreet, but then we return fairly quickly to the original motif for some funky organ play and slow ROBIN TROWER-like guitar soloing (ending in "The Note": a single guitar note that is held for 45 seconds of slow decay while the organ continues to bounce around rather excitedly). The two motifs cycle around a couple more times before the song cashes out. (8.875/10)

6. "Winter" (8:06) a song that sits on the fence from its very opening notes as to whether it's prog or J-R Fusion, soon reveals its (surprise!) blues-rock nature. Syncopated drumming is the only truly jazzy element over the first few minutes as a descending four-chord motif beneath vocalist Alex Boyce's R&B voice drives the song until the instrumental vamp of the fourth and fifth minutes. Here a different rock rhythm motif is played beneath Alex Ingram's guitar soloing. The dude has obviously had some training in both blues and jazz guitar play (and may revere artists like Wes Montgomery and John Mayall) as he unleashes a truly nicely evolving solo over the course of its three minute length. Then the band suddenly stops and lays down a very spacious, mellow, and gorgeous gentle JIMMY WEBB-like motif to finish the song with. Great song though I wouldn't really call this Jazz-Rock Fusion--or even Jazz-Rock. (13.5/15)

Total Time 43:24

B+/four stars; an excellent album of well-crafted, superlatively-performed, and nicely-recorded Blues-Rock-moving- into-Jazz-Rock songs. Highly recommended to all lovers of progressive rock--especially if you're into the origins and development of Progressive Rock Music.

A quartet of classically-trained multi-instrumentalists from Spain have their first album released to minor acclaim, produce one other, more classically-oriented album two years later, and then disappear into the æther. Too bad! These Todd Rundgren's of instrumental Jazz-Rock Fusion are so very gifted!

1. "Agost" (6:54) the Return To Forever approach to Jazz-Rock Fusion is without doubt, but band members' foundations in and proclivity for classical music can neither be ignored. The virtuosity of these young musicians is at times jaw- dropping. The fact that they apparently have some kind of visceral need for frequent time and stylistic shifts has also been noted but it is still so striking to experience first-person. (13.5/15)

2. "Violeta" (8:20) a gentler, smoother, almost STEVIE WONDER approach in the opening minute of this soon reveals the band's "itch" with several sudden turns into very brief little quirky motifs: it's almost as if the band are acting partly from a collective attention deficit disorder and partly out of some kind of innate mischievousness though it could also come from a serious curiosity for the chaos and humor one can express through art. Perhaps it is a combination of these three traits that also drove artists like Frank Zappa, S(Z)amlas Mammas(z) Manna, Mr. Bungle, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and the like. An odd, at times humorous, at others annoying, song. (17.75/20)

3. "Vacas, Toros Y Toreros" (4:41) more quirk and circumcision--like a slightly more Latinized continuation of the previous song. Some of the melodies are like tongue-in-cheek pop riffs, others aborted and or "fake" forays into serious J-R Fusion. The whole time, however, I find myself smiling at all of the references being made (and being lampooned). Very interesting. At the same time, there is no doubt as to the skill and talent possessed (and expressed) by these musicians. (8.875/10)

4. "Font" (4:47) more musical ideas that seem to be purposefully making light of the seriousness of other people's music. The band is showing off their talents for imitation but in way that seems to show A) how stupidly easy these famous riffs and motifs are to make as well as B) how silly they are when put into other contextual fields or when contrasted with other equally classic riffs or phrases. I actually like this one. (9.125/10)

5. "Caramels De Mel" (5:24) opening with an edgy pseudo-cool, pseudo smooth jazz motif, the band then moves in and out of other equally-saccharine motifs. It's like listening to a Todd Rundgren album from the early 1970s knowing how NOT seriously he's taking himself with his music (whereas Frank Zappa, I think, took his music very seriously). Every note, every weave, every phrase just seems so tongue-in-cheek sarcastic! (9/10)

6. "El Vesubio Azul" (8:24) a piece that is a little less focused on exposing the perceived idiocy of others and, perhaps, more about expressing their own personal ideas for modernizing classical music--or for just expressing their own true musical ideas as a whole: I feel much less offended, embarrassed, or uncomfortable with the music coming out of this song than that coming out of the previous four songs. (17.5/20)

Total time 38:30

Such an unusual collection of music! I have to admit to feeling quite confused as how to respond to this album. Part of me is quite entertained by the band's irreverent poke at music in general (it would seem that NO artist or style is off limits from their jabs) as well as to their exceptional command of musical style and instrumental prowess, yet, at the same time, part of me is a bit put off by their unapologetic, almost cruel and nihilistic opinion of the artists they lambaste. I seriously wonder if there would be any fun to be had by hanging out with these always-critical, very cynical human beings or if any- and everyone in their circle of attention was equally subject to such unabated bullying.

B+/four stars; an extraordinary work of partly-satirical art that some will love and others might feel put off by. Highly recommended for your own personal experience.

This along with "The Shadow- Vol.I" were recorded live in studio over a four day period late in December of 2019 at Ocean Sound Recordings in Oslo, Norway. Sadly the band's founder, leader and man composer Per Ottesen came down with a serious illness shortly after these sessions and eventually passed early in 2022 causing them to hold off it's release until after he was gone. They are a four piece with Per on bass but some slide guitar as well. We also get drums, guitar and sax. A couple of them add electronics. This is mostly powerful sax driven music but the guitar does lead at times.

My favourite track on here is the 12 1/2 minute "The Shadow Of The New Praetorian" and I need to mention that Per knows how to compose some incredible music. I like the atmosphere to open as bass, drum rolls and other sounds come and go. An experimental soundscape then it kicks into gear and moves after 2 minutes. Sax is leading but 5 minutes in it's the guitar's turn to show it's stuff. And there's lots to show, check it out after 7 1/2 minutes. It all relents but it rises up again with the sax leading late.

"Beehive" has this repeated sax melody to open and close it with the guitar in the middle and I'm over simplifying it as this is 8 1/2 minutes long. "Chiaroscuro" is laid back with some lap steel and really except for the brief sax 3 minutes in this lacks the energy of that most of this album has. Other exceptions are the 23 second spacey opener and the 3 minute closer both quiet tracks.

Thankyou Apollon Records for sending me both volumes and as I said in reviewing "Vol. I" when you put the two cd covers together they form one bigger piece of art which is cool. And more importantly the music is high quality instrumental music and a fitting legacy for our departed bass player.

This is pure brilliance misunderstood by many people who think this kind of music is some kind of contractual obligation or just someone playing with a new synth. To be honest, this experimental and avant-garde stuff is celebrated when made by other artists, but I think some people lambast Beaubourg just because it is made by a musician and composer that was known for doing other things.

Vangelis, as a composer, was much of a free-spirit and often puzzled his fans (for example, with albuns like Soil Festivities and Invisible Connections not long after releasing the popular Chariots of Fire). Beaubourg, as a follow-up of Albedo 0.39 and Spiral certainly shocked many of the casual fans.

Avant-garde and minimalist in nature, the album is all about fragmentary melodies here and there, experiments with tones, sparse sounds and no rhythm at all. It is very experimental in the sense that it experiments with characteristics of the sound itself: heavy reverberation, stereo effects, relying heavily on the synthesizer filters and effects rather than the oscillators. There are lots of silences and pauses that are very important to the nature of the composition. Vangelis manages to fill 40 minutes of the album with a great listening experience for fans of the genre.

This is, of course, out of reach for many people, because it is simply not their genre. But for people who dig this highly experimental and avant-garde compositions in the tradition of the classical composers of the second half of the twentieth century, it is a tremendous work. And that is why it deserves a high rating, even if it is not for everyone.

What is interesting about China is that it mixes two different characteristics of Vangelis work: the somewhat folkish sound with traditional Chinese flutes, percussion and even a bit of violin by the longtime collaborator Michel Ripoche and the distinctive soundscapes using now polyphonic and digital synts, with their raspy sounds (at least at the end of the 70s and beginning of the eighties) and pianos, to a great effect.

One thing that amazes me on those works by Vangelis, including the celebrated elsewhere victim of some prejudice among prog fans "Chariots of Fire" is that, composing and playing almost everything, the Greek composer and musician knows exactly what should go where in every song, even with the countless possibilities that the synthesizers bring. One has to recognize that it seems to be much more complex than prog composers that compose the general flow of the songs on their main instrument and then use the talents of their bandmates to fill in the arrangemets of their own instruments.

In China, it is all there, and songs like Yin & Yang and Himalaya, that blend beautiful harmonies and soundscapes with experimental lead synth flourishes here and there make the work uniquely pleasant. Some other songs mix well the experimental aspects and the quasi-symphonic and traditional folk, like Chung Kuo. There is a good variety of compositions, some more straightforward, some more complex, and listening to the entire album is a very pleasant experience.

Of course, lots of people don't like very much Vangelis works because they are shy in the "rock" component (it is almost non-existent on this album), but it is a lot better musically than almost everything that was being done in the realms of the progressive music by 1979.

Another one of my all time favourite albums! This album was what they deemed the beginning of their deep dive into microtonal music, going so far as to have "volume 1" in the top left hand corner of the vinyl. Fun Fact: the name of the album came from the guitar that was custom built for King Gizz of the same name, and is featured on the front and back of the album. To me, this one one of their more daring exploits, and certainly not an easy one to pull off. I think that this album is another near masterpiece from them, continuing the progressive elements from the previous album Nonagon Infinity and bringing influences from various European cultures with a more driving rock aspect to it. This album is one of the pinnacles of more accessible experimental rock. I'm going to preface that some hardcore fans seem to understand the underlying story far better than I do, so that certainly won't be the main focus in this review.

Rattlesnake This album really starts off with the weakest song for me. It's not necessarily a bad song, I've grown to be okay with it, and could even say some parts are good. I like the vocals that have layers during the chorus. It kind of takes the one note jam a little bit too far, mainly because the parts going on around the very stagnant rhythm aren't as interesting as other songs. It's very tedious, and I like me a good jamming song, but this one is just a bit much for me to casually listen to. The zurna is really great however, and that plus the vocals are my favourite parts of this song. The microtones aren't used very much as this song, maybe because it's more of an intro to the album. The transitions between the beginning and ends of each song on the album are pretty great, especially the wind one here.

Melting Definitely one of my top songs I've ever listened to. I feel like this one would've been a better introduction song, seeing as it makes the microtones more and more prevalent. It has one of my favourite melodies, using B phrygian and adding extra microtones in the scale like C half-sharp, and G half-sharp. The interplay between the bass and the vocals is really notable to me, along with the very Latin feeling groove makes this one such a head-bopper to listen to. The really delicate synth adding the more Latin rhythms as well really adds to the texture. The effects that they put on the vocals (a kind of groan tube style filter) really pushes the 'melting' feeling of the song. The guitar solo, bass solo, as well as when the synth has its highlights are really fantastic. The drums (being panned in both ears and doubled!! Thank you Eric and Cavs!!) have really bright cymbals while having a really dark snare, creating a really cool contrast in the amount of sound that's happening. The haunting and foreboding lyrics with Stu doing very intentionally soft vocals works incredibly well on this track. The low pass filter leading into Open Water making it sound like we're underwater is very very nice.

Open Water I think this one does the one note jam a lot better than Rattlesnake, it has more fun variation in rhythms, and more of a power and drive to the drums. The groove on this track is iconic with the repeating snare pattern that really adds a punch to the sound unlike most songs on this album. The section where the guitar is just doing its thing at 1:12 is so good. The song uses microtones to emphasize a lot of the transitions and the melody, and it works really well to add some unease into the sound. Another emphasis is the layering of the natural sounds on top of the music, like the waves that occur in the middle of this song. The zurna is once again really great on this one. The shredding guitar along with the vocals at 4:40 is a really interesting choice that I love, it's not too powerful, it's very perfect for the scene they create. Everything in this song is incredibly well balanced in general, considering there's multiple guitars, multiple synth tracks, 2 drum tracks, vocals, etc., but it's not mixed in a very invasive way.

Sleep Drifter Probably my favourite of the chill songs on this album. It's still got a very rigid groove and is another one note jam song, but it's a lot softer than other songs. The lyrics that suggest lucid dreaming and the feeling of them, I think they set the stage really well for the song, and the really sweet melody accompanies this well. The breakdown/buildup in the middle of this song is a highlight for me, it's such a well done fake-out ending. The microtonal flourishes and trills in this one are really cool sounding, another strong contender for differentiating the songs. It is another one note jam, however it's a little slower, and gives a little more room to breathe in different sections. I enjoy how Billabong Valley sweeps through the mix in the end, feeling like a drifting tumbleweed.

Billabong Valley I'm still kind of 50/50 on the pitched up vocals in this song. I'm inclined to like them more because of the experimental nature, but they don't sound super great to me. The melody's not the strongest, but still good, and that kind of sums up this song. It definitely for me gets overshadowed by the other much stronger songs on this album. I do really enjoy the slowed down portion however, added with the zurna that adds some extra colour to the song. Strong progression in the song, but doesn't do anything wildly outstanding like a lot of the other songs.

Anoxia I feel like this is easily the most overlooked one in the album. It has such a good riff to go along with the really great melody. The switch up in moods going back and forth between double time and not are really well done, not a super aggressive switch and just really well done. Joey's vocals on this one are just a really nice switch up to the rest of the album which is just Stu. This song for me uses microtones the strongest, adding to the melody through the use of ornamentation, and also in the riffs during trills in the guitar. The lyrics on this one are really strong, keeping up the very mystical and foreshadowing nature of other songs. The transition to Doom City as well is a lot of fun.

Doom City Another overlooked one, but for a good reason. Another weaker song on this album, but not entirely bad or anything, still a good song. I like how this is the heaviest on the album with the use of the distortion guitars. The guitars also using wah pedals are really fun. The tempo switches on this song aren't nearly as strong as Anoxia. The continuous 'doom doom doom city, doom doom' in the background is really cool, adding another non-invasive layer to the song. They definitely had fun recording the zurna on this one with how aggressive and improvisatory it feels, sounds like fun.

Nuclear Fusion My favourite song on this album. Best riff and melody even though there are some strong contenders, and easily the best one note jam song (there's a lot of those on this album). The pitched down voices on this one, compared to Billabong Valley, work really well at the bookends of the song. The varied bass line makes the one note jam a lot more listenable and doesn't feel like we're listening to the same song over and over again on this album. I've always liked the little 'dum dum dum' that Stu hums in the beginning, his vocals are really great with the shaky parts he adds, as well as the almost muffled mic that's used. The vocals are really great, doing a similar thing to Rattlesnake, but to better effect with the melody happening and below it has Stu(?) singing the same rhythm but on the low F#. The lyrics are really strong off this one, with a really fun twist of demented science and about fusion of humans supposedly and of the actual nuclear fusion. It has such a good drum beat as well, simple but effective generally, shifting focus between ears at times. The bass in the high registers at 2:25 is such a fun texture switch up, adding more reinforcement to the top end of the piece. The tiny synth solo at 2:58 I also very much love <3.

Flying Microtonal Banana Just a great jammy song in 7/8 to end off the album. The layered zurnas on this one really sounds like an army approaching and I love that ominous sound. I enjoy how the instruments like the zurnas and harmonica blend and move in and out with one another. Dynamically the instruments really fade in and out with each other as well. It's a really solid outro to the entire album, and forms a loop back to the beginning in a similar style to Nonagon Infinity.

Issues: I think the songs get a little too tedious at times, and there's a lot of one note jamming that happens in this one. They definitely break this trend in the future microtonal albums KG and LW, getting a little more melodious with the riffs.

Strengths: This album has such good riff and melody writing, nearly every song having a very strong selection of ideas and phrases in them. I enjoyed the experimentation they had with this album, blending a lot of different colours and vibes to match with the microtonal aesthetic.

Generally this album is insanely close to perfect for me. The only things I would change are Rattlesnake and some smaller portions of songs. I'm giving this one 5 stars, because I feel like I could nerd out and rant about these songs for hours, even the weaker ones. And for the same reason as Paper Mâché Dream Balloon and Nonagon Infinity, this album is just much closer to 5 stars than 4 for me.

Often considered the Italian Emerson, Lake & Palmer for its strong power trio dynamics, LE ORME was also one of the 70s Italian prog scene's biggest sellers and most popular abroad along with fellow Italian proggers Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) and Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso (Banco). While starting out as a rather uninspiring psychedelic beat band on its 1969 debut "Ad Gloriam," LE ORME was one of the earliest bigwigs to release a bonafide prog album when it upped its game in 1971 with "Collage" but even then the prog was set to simmer and tended to focus on jamming sessions and less complex arrangements. By 1972 the band had advanced its craft manyfold and the following UOMO DI PEZZA ( Rag Doll Man ) found LE ORME in full-blown progressive rock mode which launched the band into the Italian spotlight. The album was also the band's biggest seller and set the course that would be taken over the next several albums.

Taking things to the next level of sophistication on many levels, the band not only enjoyed the technological advantages of the newest and swankiest recording opportunities but also adopted a greater inspiration of classical musical scores most notably the chaconne of Johann Sebastian Bach as the introductory phrasing that opens "Una Dolcezza Nuova." Graced by the same poetic prose of chief songwriter and lyricist Aldo Tagliapietra, the Italian lyrical delivery offers a varied roster of tales about "a woman" but not always in a flattering or desired manner despite the dreamy romantic lyrics narrating in a display of controlled softness. Despite existing as a mere trio at this juncture LE ORME featured super competent musicians who delivered all the goods with gusto and a prog sophistication that only the top dogs of the era could unleash. The contrast between Tagliapietra's subdued vocals and the heavy percussive workouts along with the oft raucous keyboards offered a tension unlike the much larger Italian prog bands of the era.

The album featured seven tracks that only added up to a mere 32 minutes but UOMO DI PEZZA doesn't waste a moment delivering highly catchy melodic song constructs accompanied by crazy demanding instrumental workouts allowing the musical flow to meander from soft airy passages to wild turbulent rides fueled by frenetic drumming wizardry and varied keyboard techniques that shifted from elegant slow oozing flows to unhinged and even offered violent virtuosity especially on tracks like "La Porta Chiusa." The album seems to thrive on the battle between placidity and organized chaos. As far as Italian prog of the era goes LE ORME delivered all the goods with romantic vocals delivered with a dynamic range and a heavy reliance on the world of classical music for its compositional crafting. Add to that all the heavier elements of rock and an unbridled passion to erupt into frenetic outbursts of virtuosity and hairpin turns all elegantly structured in amazing efficiency.

Despite the moments of energetic eagerness, the album retains its mellow flow throughout its run as even the virtuosic wizardry sounds relaxed and in good taste no matter how raucous. The sounds Antonio Pagliuca manages to eke out of his organs, synthesizers and mellotrons is no less than breathtaking with classic vintage sounds existing next to heavy fuzz-laden passages as well as Bach inspired tones and timbres from his most famous works. The use of accent instruments such as the clavichord and celesta add brilliant spices to an already enriched menu of pure Italian prog. While the guitar has never been a dominant instrument for Le Orme, the use of plushly strummed acoustic guitars and the occasional electric and bass offer more diversity to the sound palette but it is by far the various keyboards sounds and the drumming prowess of Michi Dei Rossi that offer the most dynamic musical performances on the album.

While LE ORME can certainly be too dreamy and pastoral for its own good, UOMO DI PEZZA delivered the perfect amount of contrast via the varying percussion performances as well as the wide range of organ and mellotron dynamics. The album would bring the band great success which would only grow for another two albums before the so-called trilogy was concluded. While many cite the band's following "Felona e Sorona" as LE ORME's top achievement, personally i find UOMO DI PEZZO to be the band's masterpiece as it just flows perfectly from beginning to end and offers everything that is great about Italian prog in a very unique way that made LE ORME stand out. This album rightfully belongs in the top releases of 70s Italian prog as it is flawless in how it comes together in a beautiful display of contrasts and mastered the perfect recipe for an Italian prog paradise that doesn't miss a beat until the the closing all-instrumental perfection of "Alienazione" closes the album's run. Best of the best! One of those albums that blows me away every time i hear it.