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SHAUN GUERIN

Symphonic Prog • United States


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Shaun Guerin picture
Shaun Guerin biography
Born 1962 (San Diego, USA) - July 17, 2003

The late Shaun Guerin was a highly sought after session drummer, and was the son of John Guerin, who was also a top session drummer and a member of the LA Express with Tom Scott, which became Joni Mitchell's backing band when she moved from folk into jazz rock. Besides being a talented drummer/percussionist Shaun Guerin was also a skilled vocalist/composer and keyboardist. Guerin was the lead vocalist and second drummer for the GENESIS tribute band CINEMA SHOW, which focused on the Gabriel era of GENESIS.

After 3 years Guerin decided it was time to work on his own progressive compostitions and began work on his first solo album, 2002's "By the Dark of Light", in which Shaun played drums,keyboards, guitars and sang all vocals. In 2003 Guerin released his second solo cd "The Epic Quality of Life", which saw Guerin (who sang vocals and played drums, keyboards, guitar and bass) also bring in some of his CINEMA SHOW bandmates (John Thomas-electric & acoustic guitars, Matt Brown-keyboards, Mellotron, vocals and Dan Shapiro-bass) making this cd less of a solo effort than his first and giving it more of a "band" feel. 2003 also saw Guerin record with CLEARLIGHT on the cd "Infinite Symphony", playing drums & percussion and contributing vocals for 1 track. In 2005 the prog rock supergroup K2 (Allan Holdsworth, Ken Jaquess, Ryo Okumoto, Guerin, Doug Sanborn and Yvette Devereaux) released "Book of the Dead", with Shaun on vocals. Shaun passed away shortly after the completion of this cd on July 14, 2003

A great voice and talent in the world of symphonic prog and highly recommended.

: : : TheProgtologist, USA : : :

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SHAUN GUERIN discography


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SHAUN GUERIN top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

2.87 | 22 ratings
By The Dark Of Light
2002
3.50 | 23 ratings
The Epic Quality Of Life
2003

SHAUN GUERIN Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

SHAUN GUERIN Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

SHAUN GUERIN Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.27 | 11 ratings
Archives
2004

SHAUN GUERIN Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

SHAUN GUERIN Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 By The Dark Of Light by GUERIN, SHAUN album cover Studio Album, 2002
2.87 | 22 ratings

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By The Dark Of Light
Shaun Guerin Symphonic Prog

Review by apps79
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

2 stars Shaun Guerin was a musician from Los Angeles,California,who began playing the drums in 1969,at the age of seven,next to his father John.His first listenings included Jimmy Hendrix,The Cream,Jannis Joplin and of course The Beatles,but it was his contact with E.L.P.,which turned his preferences around.Getting into the sounds of Genesis,Hatfield and the North,King Crimson and Brian Eno,Shaun became a huge prog rock fan,while during the years he also studied keyboards and guitars.He was the secondary drummer and lead vocalist of the Genesis tribute band Cinema show,but in 2002 he released his first personal work ''By the Dark of Light'' on Clearlight,entirely composed and performed by himself.

The album is a typical example of modern melodic Prog/Art-Rrock with strong Classic 70's Prog vibes.The tracks are split between vocal- and instrumental performances,with Shaun's voice being very close to that of PETER GABRIEL's.Additionally the album has strong GENESIS hints,especially from the 75'-80' years.The drumming of Shaun is of course steady and confident,but it's his guitar and keyboards abilities,which were a questionmark.Regarding his keyboard/piano work,Shauh delivers some good passages with flashy synths and melodic piano around,but the plastic sound does not help at all and buries the good ideas.His guitar work is mostly on the background with a few nice solos to be found throughout.Most of the instrumental tracks are very complex with a grandiose style and heavy synth and piano work,but not always inspired and conveincing.The obvious reference points are bands like MAGELLAN,AJALON,FOREVER TWELVE or AKACIA.

For most of its duration time,''By the Dark of Light'' justifies that it is a one man effort.Plenty of light mistakes,absence of tight coherence,as all vocal tracks are mellow with the instrumental being far more energetic, and average compositional skills.On the other hand plenty of passages really shine and show strong indications of a better follow-up.This one though is exactly in the middle...2.5 stars.

 By The Dark Of Light by GUERIN, SHAUN album cover Studio Album, 2002
2.87 | 22 ratings

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By The Dark Of Light
Shaun Guerin Symphonic Prog

Review by maryes

4 stars The symphonic prog albun "By the Dark of the light" of Shaun Guerin is a high quality composition and execution work. Highly recommend for fans of Genesis, El & palmer, Camel and in some moments Rush. In fact the musical blended not is restrict to a simple symphonic prog rock, the final mix shows moments of heavy, symphonic, canterbury and jazz rock,. The only weak point im my opinion is the vocal tracks, due to the voice is much nearly - almost a clony- of Phill Colins timbre and interpretation style. The quality of recording is very good, and the Shaun Guerin performance is perfect. My rate is 4 stars !!!
 The Epic Quality Of Life by GUERIN, SHAUN album cover Studio Album, 2003
3.50 | 23 ratings

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The Epic Quality Of Life
Shaun Guerin Symphonic Prog

Review by ZowieZiggy
Prog Reviewer

3 stars When you look at the fully "Genesis" oriented album cover you almost know what will be available on this album. Paul Whitehead designed several for the band (from Trepass to Foxtrot). He did also some work for VDGG, Renaissance etc.

I wasn't really impressed with his first album and when I listen to the title track, I have the same feeling. The major influence during "The Epic Quality Of Life" is "Yes" ("Heart Of The Sunrise"). But vocals are fully Gabrielesque (since Shaun used to sing in a "Genesis" cover band, there is no surprise about this).

Of course, synths sounds as Bank's ones, but the overall feeling here is more on the neo-prog style ("A Queen's Tale"). My favourite track is probably "The Edge Of Earth". It is a solid instrumental which features great drumming (another facet of this talented musician). It is indeed reminiscent of "Los Endos" (as the closing number Red Zone).

While you listen to "Monsters In My Room", the scent of "The Lamb" fills the air, if you see what I mean. Slow, scary, it reminds me at times of "Broadway Melody of 1974". Not too bad if you can face the fact that the originality is not the strongest point available here.

His first album was mostly instrumental, which is not the case on this one. Still, "5 To Go" is another of these. Again, the synthesizers are almost cloning the ones of who you known. Definitely neo-prog; almost metal. But pleasant.

His second album (and last one since he passed away a few years ago) is more convincing than his debut one; but for those who would like to discover his best participation work, I strongly recommend the album "Book Of The Dead" from the "K2" project.

"Juliet" is not a really good song. It's a melancholic ballad, very similar to some of Gabriel's solo work. A slow tempo for a quiet song. And you can use a carbon paper for Say Goodbye.

Three stars for "The Epic Quality Of Life" but be aware that if you are a "Genesis" orthodox, several songs / passages will kindle you ears ("Inside Of This").

 By The Dark Of Light by GUERIN, SHAUN album cover Studio Album, 2002
2.87 | 22 ratings

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By The Dark Of Light
Shaun Guerin Symphonic Prog

Review by ZowieZiggy
Prog Reviewer

2 stars I first got acquainted with Shaun's voice while he was singing in the "K2" project and their strong album "The Book Of Dead". His Gabriel-esque type of voice was a kick to investigate a bit deeper into his own music.

And this album is pretty much of his own; since Shaun plays all the instruments (except on one track). More than a "Genesis" album, this one is very close to Peter's solo work and probably therefore is not so appealing to me.

Compositions are average and highlights aren't that many (if any). The first symphonic piece is the excellent instrumental "Friends" which features some very good guitar work and identifiable synthesizers (hi Tony).

At times, Shaun's keyboards play is reminiscent of Emerson as well ("By The Dark Of Light", "Run To Fall" or the closing Crazy for instance). Unlike his work with "K2", this album is mostly instrumental which can upset some of you (myself included) who were probably expecting a more lyrics-oriented album.

"Victory" is another instrumental, fully neo-prog, even heavy. So far, this album is far to fulfil my expectations. Little variations, lack of catchy melodies, same rhythm throughout most of the songs. This is what's available so far.

The whole album has a slow and heavy beat; and "Sing My Prayers" is just one out of many songs of this type. Drumming is dominant (but since Shaun used to be a drummer, there is no real surprise). This album sounds rather dull to my ears and is a complete disillusion.

The problem when you are on your own to create an album from A to Z is that there is no one to give you some sort of guidance or back you up if you are short of inspiration. And it is a major problem with this release. It is a collection of uninspired tracks. Not bad but hardly interesting.

Two stars.

 By The Dark Of Light by GUERIN, SHAUN album cover Studio Album, 2002
2.87 | 22 ratings

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By The Dark Of Light
Shaun Guerin Symphonic Prog

Review by Fishy
Prog Reviewer

3 stars Not a bad album by the late Shaun Guerin. "By the dark of the light" has a great painting on the cover which is drawn by Paul Whithead who also did the cover art for a couple of Genesis classics. Therefore the similarities between the voice of Guerin and the voice of Peter Gabriel didn't surprise me at all but most of the album is instrumental anyway. The music is clearly piano based prog rock which includes influences from bands like Genesis & Peter Gabriel, Gentle Giant and ELP but there some influences of American song writers as well. The melodic music is a mixture of jazz rock and symphonic prog. While there's definitely a bombastic edge to it, the jazzy moods deliver the perfect antidote for preventing the sound from getting overblown. Throughout the album the playing of the instruments is decent without signs of virtuoso. The dynamic keyboard parts & sounds are the most diverse and fascinating elements of this music. Take "France" for an example, one of the highlights of this album, this gets driven by compelling moog parts on top of the excellent piano line & atmospheric keys underneath. The music is well balanced and the sound is really open ; there's not too much happening at the same time which is a good thing. There's several moments of brilliance like the marvellous tune at the beginning of "She's sad" which could have been a song penned by Tony Banks. Strange enough the static sounding rhythm in "Sing my prayers" remind me on the second Collins solo album but with the addition of a symphonic wall of sound. This song gives a clue what's wrong with this music. It starts with a fabulous atmosphere which is repeated over and over again. On moments like this the song writing, melodies & arrangements could've been developed a tad better. Every now and then the feeling pops up that I'm listening to a piece of music that hasn't been finished proper. As it is now, there's many enjoyable moments like the wonderful atmospheres on "Son of Gorp" but it could have been more memorable.

Conclusion : Not an album I play very often. Somehow it fails to make that eternal mark in my brain but still a very decent prog offering anyway. Genesis fans should check this album out.

 By The Dark Of Light by GUERIN, SHAUN album cover Studio Album, 2002
2.87 | 22 ratings

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By The Dark Of Light
Shaun Guerin Symphonic Prog

Review by erik neuteboom
Prog Reviewer

3 stars The late Shaun Guerin had several links with Genesis (as you can read in the previous review from Danbo), no coincidence that his voice was very similar to Peter Gabriel.

On this album we hear pleasant and varied songs: powerful electric guitar and a jazzy piano solo in "By the dark of light", tasteful keyboards and soli on guitar and synthesizer in "France", great keyboard overdubs in "Run to fall", powerful electric guitar and a catchy rhythm in "Victory", a spectacular keyboard sound and fiery electric guitar in "Son of Gorp", an up-tempo rhythm and again great work on keyboards and guitar in "No misery (5:08) and finally a swinging rhythm and wonderful keyboards in "Crazy".

A GOOD AND PLEASANT ALBUM FROM MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST SHAUN GUERIN!



 The Epic Quality Of Life by GUERIN, SHAUN album cover Studio Album, 2003
3.50 | 23 ratings

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The Epic Quality Of Life
Shaun Guerin Symphonic Prog

Review by Tony R
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

3 stars This album is a must for fans of classic Genesis.Guerin, a master multi-instrumentalist and a superb vocalist reminiscent of Gabriel at his best, died suddenly at the beginning of 2004 and thus robbed Prog Rock of a potential superstar.

Album opener,The Epic Quality of Life is like a Gabriel-era Genesis for the new millenium and The Edge Of The Earth sounds like the duel drum barrage of Phil Collins and Chester Thompson.Both tracks are sublime in their craft and flawless in their execution.

Best vocal performance is on the "spooky" Monsters In My Room which positively bristles with menace as Guerin the child takes us back to those nightmarish childhood nights of yore.Wonderfully atmospheric keyboards on this one too.

5 To Go thrashes along moving effortlessly up and down through the gears and is another classy instrumental,as is Red Zone the album's Los Endos style closing track.All the other tracks on the album are at least "good" and this is a very strong effort.

I must quickly mention Paul Whitehead's stunning cover.Fellow reviewer Danbo pays it tribute and whilst it is a beautiful piece of work,I'm not sure the Genesis scenes do it any favours.

The strength of this album is also its biggest weakness.Guerin wears his influences on his sleeve and whilst this is an album that gives us a tantalising hint at what a modern "Classic era" Genesis might sound like this simple truth prevents me from giving it 4 stars.It is an excellent addition to any prog music collection,whatever the ratings dictate.

 Archives by GUERIN, SHAUN album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2004
3.27 | 11 ratings

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Archives
Shaun Guerin Symphonic Prog

Review by Dan Bobrowski
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars Archives is a posthumous release from Shaun Guerin. Aptly titled, it is a hodge-podge of unreleased material, live recordings, covers and what can only be discribed as a "sample" from Clearlight Symphony, the flagship of Guerin's label, Clearlight Music. The quality of the recordings is high, all vocals and instruments are nicely mixed, a pleasure to the ear.

The covers: two Genesis tracks; Back in New York City and The Colony of Slipperman are well done and the songs enhance the similarities to Gabriel in Guerin's vocal style. Of course, he was a member of the Cinema Show, a Genesis tribute band, so that is not a stretch. ELP's Karn Evil #9 is enthusiastically recreated, but offers very little in adding some personal touches. In the Flesh is a Pink Floyd cover that is okay, but not worth calling your mother to tell her about it. Guerin surely was inspired by the prog masters and offers up some good interpretations. Drum Duet is just that, a short, live, slamfest performed with Scott Connor. Infinite Symphony (2nd Movement) is a Clearlight Symphony piece on which Guerin plays drums. It really only offers a small window into that band's works, interesting, but lacking any real creativity on Guerin's part.

Sci-Fi, Goodbye and Big Lizard are all availble on By the Dark of Light as bonus MP3s. These tracks feature Guerin playing all instruments. Very well, I might add.

The real core of the album consists of the remaining tracks. Mostly prog ballads. If This Is A Dream is melancholy and sweet. She Doesn't Care has that killer Phil Collins tom-tom sound, Banksian keyboard spikes and small razor-like guitar fills. Without You has wonderful harmony vocals, bittersweet and aching. Two Turns to One could have been on Duke as Genesis turned to pop. Just the titles of these tunes give you a bit of insight into a troubled mind, the turmoil of a broken relationship. Falling Forward takes you back to the more fusionesque pieces from By the Dark of Light.

A solid three stars, for classic prog fans. RIP, Shaun.

 The Epic Quality Of Life by GUERIN, SHAUN album cover Studio Album, 2003
3.50 | 23 ratings

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The Epic Quality Of Life
Shaun Guerin Symphonic Prog

Review by Dan Bobrowski
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars The first Shaun Guerin CD, By the Dark of Light, was mainly a solo performance. This time around Shaun recruits some of his "Cinema Show" (a Genesis Tribute band) bandmates and creates a more well rounded production, hence th e4 stars to BTDOL's 3 stars.

Shaun Guerin is a multi-insturmentalist who has recorded with the Clearlight Symphony, the Cinema Show and K2, as well as being in line to become the drummer in the Rocket Scientists before succumming to his inner demons. (RIP)

Six vocal tracks and three instrumentals that are very well written and flawlessly performed. Of the three instrumentals, the highlight is The Edge of the Earth, which features an incredible drum track, very reminiscient of the best work from 70's era Phil Collins. Red Zone and 5 to Go rock heavily in the vein of Los Endos. This enhanced CD is really a great mix of the classic Genesis sound and, harder edged, Prog-Jazz-Rock- fusion (includes a video of The Edge of the Earth).

The vocal (song) tracks are all addictive. Monsters in My Room is a vivid telling of a child's experience of challenging the creatures lurking in his night darkened bedroom, only to find himself greatly out-numbered and frighten beyond belief. Juliet is a love song, probably a metaphor to his own circumstance. A Queen's Tale could have been on Foxtrot and Inside of This is simply my favorite song on the disc, catchy and progalishus. Say Goodbye is an ode to lost friends, family, loves and relationships... Prophetic?

I've had a hard time leaving this disc out of my CD player long enough to listen to any other CD all the way through. Shaun Guerin has an addictive voice, dispite the heavy Gabriel influence. The melodies ricochet around inside my head and WILL NOT leave.

The cover art is among the best I've seen in the new era of prog. Paul Whitehead (Genesis) puts together a stunning work, with a self contained world covered in glass and floating in the ether. Scenes from By the Dark of Light, Nursery Cryme, By the Dark of Light and others are portrayed. Exquisite!

This disc is a must have for classic prog fans. Metal heads need not bother.

 By The Dark Of Light by GUERIN, SHAUN album cover Studio Album, 2002
2.87 | 22 ratings

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By The Dark Of Light
Shaun Guerin Symphonic Prog

Review by Dan Bobrowski
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars Shaun Guerin played the Peter Gabriel part in the LA Genesis tribute band, the Cinema Show. Guerin also worked with Clearlight Symphony and is the vocalist on Ken Jaquess' K2 project. Shaun Guerin died at the age 41.

I wanted to score this a bit higher, but instead I'll play it safe. Shaun Guerin's music will be classified strictly by his vocal stylings, which are so similar to Peter Gabriel that those comparisons are inevitable and unfortunate. The depth of his work may not be appreciated. This disc features mostly instrumental music, all composed and performed by Guerin, except for guitar on one track. These instrumental pieces range in variety and intensity from filler prog wandering to full out prog-fusion jams. Aside from the Genesis influence, I can pick out some Yes-isms, a bit of Hatfield and King Crimson. Very eclectic and well played.

Sing My Prayers is a very spiritual and emotional tune with a very strong Phil Collins drum feel, as Guerin pounds the toms with passion and power. She's Sad has a beautiful melody line and heart wrenchingly plaintive vocals. This is not My World has strong Genesis vibe to every nuance, almost a lost tune from 1973. France begins with a piano intro and the synths carry the tune throughout. Run to Fall reminds me of Gazeuse era Gong with mallet percussion and Morlien styled syncopated drumming. The album closer, Crazy, is also reminiscent of that era. Son of Gorp and No Misery show Guerin's instrumental prowess and display vivid imagery in the melodies.

The album cover art, designed by long time Genesis collaborator, Paul Whitehead, is wonderful. The disc is enhanced and offers some special features. Three "hidden" MP3's can be accessed through your PC.

I would recommend this disc to fans of classic prog and jazz-rock fusion, with a heavy prog influence. There is nothing heavy about this music; metal heads will probably find it boring.

Thanks to Lucas for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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