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VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS)

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Various Artists (Label Samplers) picture
Various Artists (Label Samplers) biography
This section contains albums released by record labels to promote their catalogues of artists.

In the days before the internet and MP3 downloads, it was not nearly as easy for record companies to promote their artists. Advertising campaigns in the music press had some effect, but the prospective audience could not of course hear the music.

While specialist radio stations have been around for some time in the US, in many other countries even today, the availability of anything other than mainstream pop and perhaps classical music is extremely limited.

An effective way to address these issues is for record companies to issue "samplers". These compilations of tracks by bands and artists signed to the label usually sell for well below the standard price for an album. One track by each artist is normally included. How representative that track is of their music varies widely, and as such samplers should be approached with some caution when considering whether a particular band is right for the listener.

The proliferation of samplers released by labels such as Island, CBS, Vertigo etc. in the early 1970's to promote the "progressive" and "underground" bands they were falling over each other to sign now serve as collectable historical documents. Some of the bands went on to secure fame and fortune while others simply disappeared altogether. On these albums, such bands sit side by side.

The advent of the internet and free downloads has largely removed the reason from record companies to release samplers, although they have not disappeared altogether.

Bob McBeath, October 2006

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VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) discography


Ordered by release date | Showing ratings (top albums) | Help Progarchives.com to complete the discography and add albums

VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

5.00 | 2 ratings
Molecole
1995
3.00 | 2 ratings
Psychedelic Gems 5
2001
2.25 | 4 ratings
Psychedelic Gems 6
2003
4.00 | 1 ratings
Psychedelic Underground 13
2007
3.00 | 2 ratings
Psychedelic Gems 7
2008
4.00 | 1 ratings
Psychedelic Underground 15
2009
4.00 | 3 ratings
Psychedelic Underground 16
2010
3.00 | 2 ratings
Psychedelic Gems 9
2010
3.05 | 2 ratings
Psychedelic Underground 17
2013
2.67 | 3 ratings
Prog P37: Welcome To The Machine
2015
3.00 | 4 ratings
Prog P41: The Twilight Zone
2016
3.50 | 4 ratings
Prog P42: No Jacket Required
2016
3.00 | 3 ratings
Prog P43: Strange Magic
2016
3.00 | 4 ratings
Prog P44: Fugue
2016
3.50 | 4 ratings
P45: See Emily Play
2016
2.86 | 5 ratings
Prog P46: Ocean Song
2016
2.50 | 2 ratings
Prog P47: Garden Party
2016
3.00 | 1 ratings
Prog P48: Funky Dung
2016
3.00 | 3 ratings
Prog P49: Dance Of The Dawn
2016
3.91 | 2 ratings
Prog P50: Tales of the Future
2016
2.00 | 2 ratings
Prog P51: Beam Me Up
2017
2.33 | 3 ratings
Prog P52: Cup of Wonder
2017
1.67 | 3 ratings
Prog P53: The Midas Touch
2017
3.00 | 1 ratings
Prog P54: One For The Vine
2017
3.00 | 1 ratings
Prog P55: That Time Of The Night
2017
3.00 | 1 ratings
Prog P56: Perpetual Change
2017
3.00 | 1 ratings
Prog P57: Postcards
2017
2.00 | 3 ratings
P58: Wish You Were Here
2017
3.00 | 1 ratings
P59: Dressed In Kingly Guise
2017
3.00 | 1 ratings
P60: Funny Ways
2017
3.00 | 2 ratings
P62: Cap In Hand
2018
3.00 | 1 ratings
P61: Internal Landscapes
2018
2.05 | 2 ratings
P63: Giants Under The Sun
2018
3.00 | 1 ratings
P64: Ashes In The Water
2018
3.00 | 1 ratings
P65: One of the Few
2018
3.00 | 1 ratings
P66: On The Air
2018
3.00 | 1 ratings
P67: Lunar Sea
2018
4.00 | 2 ratings
P68: Hoedown
2018
4.00 | 2 ratings
P87: Red Nightmares
2018
3.00 | 1 ratings
Issue 93: Plus Ça Change
2018
3.00 | 1 ratings
Issue 94: Over The Garden Wall
2018

VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 1 ratings
The New Universe Music Festival 2010
2011
3.00 | 1 ratings
Scion A/V Presents: Label Showcase - Prosthetic Records
2012

VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.12 | 6 ratings
The Rock Machine Turns You On
1968
3.00 | 4 ratings
Rock Machine I Love You
1968
3.53 | 5 ratings
You Can All Join In
1969
3.25 | 5 ratings
Nice Enough To Eat
1969
3.68 | 6 ratings
Wowie Zowie! The World Of Progressive Music
1969
3.93 | 6 ratings
Picnic - A Breath of Fresh Air
1970
4.08 | 6 ratings
Bumpers
1970
3.00 | 1 ratings
Reunion
1970
3.55 | 9 ratings
Fill Your Head With Rock
1970
4.00 | 4 ratings
The Age of Atlantic
1970
3.00 | 4 ratings
In good company
1970
3.92 | 6 ratings
Rockbuster
1970
0.00 | 0 ratings
Nova sampler
1970
4.00 | 4 ratings
The Vertigo Annual
1970
0.00 | 0 ratings
SiebenSiebzig
1970
4.00 | 1 ratings
Zappéd
1970
3.91 | 3 ratings
The Vertigo Trip
1971
3.00 | 1 ratings
Puissance
1971
3.00 | 3 ratings
All Good Clean Fun
1971
2.29 | 5 ratings
El Pea
1971
3.05 | 3 ratings
New Age Of Atlantic, The
1972
3.00 | 1 ratings
The Music People
1972
3.91 | 4 ratings
Greasy Truckers Party
1972
0.00 | 0 ratings
There is Some Fun Going Forward
1972
0.00 | 0 ratings
Rock Generation Volume 7
1972
3.00 | 1 ratings
Rock Generation Volume 8
1972
3.00 | 2 ratings
Suck It And See!
1973
4.00 | 2 ratings
Charisma Disturbance
1973
4.91 | 3 ratings
The Progressives
1973
0.00 | 0 ratings
One More Chance
1973
4.00 | 4 ratings
Charisma Keyboards
1974
3.05 | 2 ratings
This is Island
1974
3.69 | 7 ratings
V - Virgin Sampler
1975
5.00 | 1 ratings
Pop Start (Selection of the Best Pop Groups in Yugoslavia)
1975
0.00 | 0 ratings
Vece uz radio
1975
0.00 | 0 ratings
Leteca Diskoteka: Zoran Modli i Putnici u Odiseji 70's
1976
0.00 | 0 ratings
Supertracks
1976
0.00 | 0 ratings
CAP-FM: What's In-Store For You 2
1977
0.00 | 0 ratings
CAP-FM: What's In-Store For You 3
1977
3.00 | 2 ratings
Harvest Heritage: 20 Greats
1977
4.00 | 1 ratings
Randevu s muzikom
1977
3.59 | 8 ratings
Rock Scene
1978
3.50 | 2 ratings
Formaţii De Muzica Pop 3
1978
4.93 | 6 ratings
Recommended Records Sampler (1982)
1982
3.13 | 5 ratings
Fire In Harmony
1985
4.50 | 3 ratings
Formaţii Rock 9 - Grupurile Pro Musica / Accent
1986
0.00 | 0 ratings
A New Age in Music: Sampler
1986
0.00 | 0 ratings
A New Age Compilation: Standing Stones
1986
3.05 | 8 ratings
Enneade
1987
2.05 | 3 ratings
Angels in the Architecture
1987
0.00 | 0 ratings
Back On The Road - The Very Best Of Progressive Underground
1988
4.00 | 3 ratings
The 20th Anniversary Album
1989
0.00 | 0 ratings
Past, Present, Future
1990
0.00 | 0 ratings
The Best of the 01/W
1992
3.08 | 4 ratings
Fafnir
1993
3.00 | 5 ratings
The SI Music Sampler Vol. 1
1993
3.05 | 2 ratings
Ambient Volume 2 Imaginary Landscapes
1993
0.00 | 0 ratings
The Famous Charisma Box
1993
2.00 | 1 ratings
Progressive Voyage
1993
3.00 | 3 ratings
SI Compilation Disk Too
1993
0.00 | 0 ratings
The Charisma Poser: A Potted History of Charisma Records
1993
0.00 | 0 ratings
Vimus - Dokumentation Vol. 1
1994
0.00 | 0 ratings
All Saints Calling
1994
0.00 | 0 ratings
A Little on the CD Side: Volume 14
1994
3.05 | 2 ratings
The Cyclops Sampler
1994
2.96 | 5 ratings
SI Music Sampler vol. 2
1994
3.33 | 3 ratings
SI Music Sampler vol. 3
1994
2.50 | 2 ratings
Anna Mulle Lovee
1994
0.00 | 0 ratings
Vild I Skogen - Silence 25 Ĺr
1995
2.00 | 2 ratings
Dans l'antre du dragon
1995
3.00 | 2 ratings
Pick'n'Mix
1995
3.05 | 3 ratings
Cyclops: The Second Sampler
1995
2.00 | 1 ratings
Dik Dik- I GiGanti: Due Gruppi Un'Epoca
1995
3.00 | 1 ratings
Le Meilleur Du Rock Progressif Européen
1995
0.00 | 0 ratings
This Is an Orange
1995
0.00 | 0 ratings
Revenge of the Orange
1996
0.00 | 0 ratings
Tokyo Invasion, Volume 1: Cosmic Kurushi Monsters
1996
4.88 | 6 ratings
Sometimes God Hides: The Young Persons' Guide to Disciplne
1996
3.02 | 4 ratings
Love Proge
1996
3.00 | 2 ratings
The Third Cyclops Sampler
1997
0.00 | 0 ratings
The Good, The Bad, And The Orange
1997
0.00 | 0 ratings
The Alien Killer Orange - A compilation of Scandinavian Progressive Rock
1997
2.50 | 2 ratings
Psychedelic Gems 2
1997
2.50 | 2 ratings
Psychedelic Gems 3
1997
3.00 | 1 ratings
MetaZoon
1998
3.96 | 6 ratings
Sometimes God Smiles: The Young Persons' Guide To Discipline Volume II
1998
0.00 | 0 ratings
30 ans d agitation musicale en France
1998
4.02 | 3 ratings
Love Proge 2
1998
3.00 | 1 ratings
Moonchild 98
1998
3.51 | 3 ratings
Lions & Fables - Verglas Music Sampler vol. 1
1999
4.13 | 6 ratings
Harvest Festival
1999
4.00 | 1 ratings
Dreams And Visions, Verglas Music Sampler Vol 2
1999
3.00 | 2 ratings
The Dawn Anthology
1999
3.75 | 3 ratings
Tribute to the Titans
1999
4.00 | 1 ratings
Think Tank Media Sampler Volume One
1999
3.82 | 3 ratings
Frog Pest Tree (Magna Carta)
1999
2.00 | 1 ratings
Psychedelic Gems 4
1999
3.00 | 4 ratings
Un Voyage en Progressif Volume 1
1999
3.00 | 3 ratings
Un Voyage en Progressif Volume 2
1999
3.91 | 3 ratings
Think Tank Media Sampler Volume Two
2000
0.00 | 0 ratings
Children of Black Widow
2000
0.00 | 0 ratings
Canterbury Tales
2000
2.57 | 4 ratings
Cyclops Sampler 4
2000
3.00 | 5 ratings
Un Voyage en Progressif Volume 3
2000
3.00 | 1 ratings
Un Voyage en Progressif Volume 4
2000
3.00 | 1 ratings
Un Voyage en Progressif Volume 5
2000
3.00 | 1 ratings
Shroom Productions Progressive Music Sampler
2001
4.00 | 1 ratings
Arktinen Hysteria: Suomi-avantgarden esipuutarhureita
2001
1.00 | 4 ratings
Anderson, Wakeman, Howe (Original Members of Yes)
2001
3.00 | 2 ratings
Un Voyage en Progressif Volume 6
2001
3.00 | 1 ratings
Un Voyage en Progressif Volume 7
2001
4.01 | 7 ratings
Legend Of A Mind
2002
4.00 | 1 ratings
Cuneiform Progressive II
2002
3.32 | 5 ratings
Cyclops Sampler 5
2002
0.00 | 0 ratings
Norske Band I Hus Och Hytte...
2002
3.00 | 1 ratings
When Worlds Collide: Inside Out Music Sampler - Vol. 2
2003
0.00 | 0 ratings
Un Voyage en Progressif Volume 8
2003
3.95 | 2 ratings
Analecta, Volume 1
2004
3.00 | 1 ratings
Ghost Notes
2004
3.00 | 1 ratings
Unicorn Digital (VA) - Progression In Balance Vol. 1
2004
4.00 | 2 ratings
Song of the Silent Land
2004
3.00 | 1 ratings
Think Tank Media Sampler Volume Three
2004
4.00 | 2 ratings
All Good Clean Fun
2004
4.00 | 1 ratings
Music In Progress I: Progressive Rock & More
2004
4.00 | 1 ratings
Prog-Resiste
2004
0.00 | 0 ratings
Howe Squire White - The More Drama Tour
2005
3.00 | 1 ratings
Music In Progress
2005
4.00 | 1 ratings
Music In Progress 2: Progressive Metal & More
2005
0.00 | 0 ratings
Un Voyage En Progressif (Volume 9)
2005
2.68 | 4 ratings
Ars Longa Vita Brevis: A Compendium Of Progressive Rock 1967-1974
2005
3.50 | 2 ratings
One World Tapestry - Progressive Rock from Around the World
2005
2.50 | 2 ratings
Think Tank Media Sampler Volume Four
2005
4.92 | 4 ratings
Vertigo Mixed (Mixed By Andy Votel)
2005
3.18 | 2 ratings
Successi Di Dik Dik & I Giganti
2005
3.00 | 1 ratings
More Arctic Hysteria / Son of Arctic Hysteria
2005
3.73 | 13 ratings
Time Machine: Vertigo Retrospective
2005
4.00 | 10 ratings
Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal
2005
0.00 | 0 ratings
Harvest Showdown
2005
0.00 | 0 ratings
Cyclops Sampler 6
2006
3.00 | 1 ratings
Cuneiform Records Music Sampler
2006
3.95 | 3 ratings
Unicorn Digital (VA) - Progression In Balance Vol. 2
2006
3.90 | 2 ratings
A Taste Of Belgium
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
Cleveland Prog-Fusion Conglomerate
2006
3.00 | 1 ratings
Psychedelic Phinland - Finnish Hippie & Underground Music 1967-1974
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
A Visit to the Spaceship Factory - 20 Gems From the Early Years of Prog
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Real Life Permanent Dreams - A Cornucopia of British Psychedelia (1965-1970)
2007
3.00 | 2 ratings
Insane Times - 25 British Psychedelic Artefacts From The EMI Vaults
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Delirium of the Senses/ Psychedelia in Italian Cinema
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Wayside Sampler 3
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
Wayside Sampler 2
2007
4.02 | 6 ratings
A Breath Of Fresh Air: A Harvest Records Anthology/ 1969-1974
2007
4.00 | 5 ratings
Strange Pleasures
2008
4.00 | 3 ratings
Spirit Of Joy - Tales From The Polydor Underground 1967 - 1974
2008
4.91 | 6 ratings
L'Ultime rock progressif du Québec
2008
4.00 | 1 ratings
Analecta Volume 2
2008
2.44 | 4 ratings
Refugees: A Charisma Records Anthology 1969-1978
2009
4.05 | 2 ratings
Aufbrüche!
2009
0.00 | 0 ratings
Die Extralangen XXL Rock-Klassiker
2009
2.10 | 2 ratings
Prog Around The World
2009
0.00 | 0 ratings
Diluvian Temperals
2009
2.00 | 1 ratings
Empire Art Rock 89
2009
0.00 | 0 ratings
Great Messengers: Palms
2010
3.70 | 26 ratings
Emkog Sampler
2010
4.00 | 1 ratings
Compilado De Musica Progresiva
2011
0.00 | 0 ratings
The Spirit Of December
2011
4.02 | 5 ratings
Prog Rocks! (Magazine sampler)
2011
3.87 | 4 ratings
Prog Rocks!
2011
0.00 | 0 ratings
Best of Folk Prog: Black Widow Songs
2011
3.00 | 2 ratings
Classic Rock Society - New Species
2011
0.00 | 0 ratings
Glass
2012
3.00 | 1 ratings
Classic Rock Society: New Species - Volume II
2012
3.00 | 1 ratings
Classic Rock Society: New Species - Volume III
2012
3.50 | 2 ratings
Classic Rock Society: New Species - Volume IV
2012
2.05 | 2 ratings
Classic Rock Society - New Species - Volume V
2012
3.00 | 1 ratings
Classic Rock Society: New Species - Volume VI
2012
4.02 | 5 ratings
Five Years in Space 2007-2012
2012
3.00 | 2 ratings
Prog Rocks 2
2012
3.00 | 8 ratings
Prognosis 2.2
2012
2.50 | 4 ratings
Prognosis 2.3
2012
3.14 | 7 ratings
Prog mag sampler 24 A New Day Yesterday
2012
3.00 | 6 ratings
Prog mag sampler 25 P2: Stormwatch
2012
3.25 | 4 ratings
Prog mag sampler 26 P3: The Butterfly Effect
2012
3.80 | 5 ratings
Prog mag sampler 27 P4: Suits You, Sir
2012
3.75 | 4 ratings
Prog mag sampler 28: Into The Lens
2012
3.80 | 5 ratings
Prog mag sampler 29: P6 Big Big Terrain
2012
3.25 | 4 ratings
Prog mag sampler 30: P7 Cod Bluff
2012
3.75 | 4 ratings
Prog mag sampler 31 P8: Take the long way home
2012
4.00 | 1 ratings
The Crabs Sell Out / The Crabs Freak Out
2012
3.00 | 2 ratings
MOJO Mag Sampler: Echoes
2013
3.95 | 2 ratings
Classic Rock Society: New Species - Volume VII
2013
3.00 | 1 ratings
Classic Rock Society: New Species - Volume VIII
2013
3.00 | 1 ratings
Classic Rock Society: New Species - Volume IX
2013
3.00 | 1 ratings
Classic Rock Society: New Species - Volume X
2013
4.00 | 1 ratings
Plankton: A Fruits de Mer Collection
2013
3.67 | 3 ratings
Prog P19: Smash And Scatteration!
2013
4.00 | 1 ratings
Prog Rocks! (CD 1: Harvest)
2013
3.00 | 1 ratings
Prog Rocks! (CD 2: Charisma)
2013
3.50 | 2 ratings
Prog Rocks! (CD 3: Virgin Records)
2013
4.00 | 1 ratings
Prog Rocks! (CD 4: Liberty)
2013
3.00 | 1 ratings
Prog Rocks! (CD 5: Inside Out Music)
2013
4.00 | 2 ratings
Prog mag sampler 39: P17 Awaken the Stone King
2013
3.00 | 1 ratings
Prog mag sampler No. 38 - P16: Arriving Somewhere... But Not Here
2013
3.00 | 2 ratings
Prog mag sampler 37: P15 Tangerine Dreaming
2013
3.00 | 1 ratings
Prog mag sampler 36: P14 Brave New World
2013
3.00 | 1 ratings
Prog mag sampler 35: P13 The Spirit of Radial
2013
2.00 | 2 ratings
Prog mag sampler 34: P11 Sailing Uncharted Seas
2013
3.50 | 2 ratings
Prog mag sampler 33: P10 Tipplers Tales
2013
3.00 | 1 ratings
Prog mag sampler 32: P9 Head Space
2013
3.00 | 1 ratings
Prog mag sampler 40: P18 Childhood's End
2013
2.10 | 2 ratings
Losing Our Virginity: The First 4 Years '73-'77
2013
3.00 | 4 ratings
Prog P20: Elephant Talk
2014
3.00 | 4 ratings
Prog P30: Grand Designs
2014
3.60 | 5 ratings
Prog P21: Pigs On The Wing
2014
3.75 | 4 ratings
Prog P22: A Wilderness of Mirrors
2014
3.25 | 4 ratings
Prog P23: A Lifetime Of Adventure ...
2014
3.50 | 4 ratings
Prog P24: Little Fluffy Clouds
2014
2.00 | 3 ratings
Prog P25: Airborne
2014
2.33 | 3 ratings
Prog P26: As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs
2014
2.00 | 3 ratings
Prog P27: All The World's A Stage
2014
3.00 | 2 ratings
Prog P28: The Missing Piece
2014
2.50 | 2 ratings
Prog P29: Lilywhite Lilith
2014
3.00 | 1 ratings
Classic Rock Society - New Species - Volume XII
2014
3.00 | 1 ratings
Classic Rock Society - New Species - Volume XIII
2014
3.50 | 2 ratings
Classic Rock Society: New Species - Volume XIV
2014
0.00 | 0 ratings
Prog Sphere Promotions - Progstravaganza: Selections II
2014
0.00 | 0 ratings
Prog Sphere Promotions - Progstravaganza XIX: Convergence
2014
0.00 | 0 ratings
Prog Sphere Promotions - Progstravaganza XX: Landmarks
2014
3.97 | 4 ratings
Beyond Frontiers
2014
0.00 | 0 ratings
Prog Box
2014
2.50 | 4 ratings
Prog P31: The Start Of Something Beautiful
2015
3.00 | 2 ratings
New Way Of Krautrock - Volume 1
2015
2.00 | 2 ratings
Prog P35: Can't Afford No Shoes
2015
2.33 | 3 ratings
Prog P32: Lords Of The Backstage
2015
3.50 | 2 ratings
Prog P33: The Great Marsh
2015
2.33 | 3 ratings
Prog P34: The Chamber of 32 Doors
2015
0.00 | 0 ratings
Women in Prog
2015
2.33 | 3 ratings
Prog P36: Fish out of Water
2015
3.83 | 3 ratings
Prog P38: Shock the Monkey
2015
3.00 | 1 ratings
New Way Of Krautrock - Volume 2
2015
2.33 | 3 ratings
Prog P39: Windowpane
2015
2.33 | 3 ratings
Prog P40: Fantastic Voyage
2015
0.00 | 0 ratings
One Way Glass - Dancefloor Prog, Brit Jazz & Funky Folk 1968-1975
2017
0.00 | 0 ratings
Feedback Through A Magnifying Glass Volume I
2018
0.00 | 0 ratings
Forest of Thorns: A Dornwald Compilation
2019
0.00 | 0 ratings
A Year In The Revolution 2018
2019
3.00 | 1 ratings
Issue 95: Dactylic Rhythms
2019
3.00 | 1 ratings
Issue 96: High Hopes
2019
3.00 | 1 ratings
Issue 97: The Big Dream
2019
0.00 | 0 ratings
Fruits De Mer Conducts: Deep Sea Exploration
2019
3.00 | 2 ratings
Prog 108: A Time and a Place
2020
4.00 | 1 ratings
Sumer Is Icumen In (The Pagan Sound of British and Irish Folk 1966-75)
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
Fruits de Mer Records Unearths: Sounds from the Underground
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
ZZAJ: Jazz from the 23rd Century
2022

VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

0.00 | 0 ratings
Dandelion Sampler EP
1971
3.00 | 1 ratings
Classic Rock
1994
2.00 | 1 ratings
Frog Pest
1994
3.00 | 1 ratings
Frog Pest Too
1995
0.00 | 0 ratings
Passenger Sampler split CD
2006
2.48 | 8 ratings
God of War: Blood & Metal
2010

VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Sumer Is Icumen In (The Pagan Sound of British and Irish Folk 1966-75) by VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2020
4.00 | 1 ratings

BUY
Sumer Is Icumen In (The Pagan Sound of British and Irish Folk 1966-75)
Various Artists (Label Samplers) Various Genres

Review by Matti
Prog Reviewer

— First review of this album —
4 stars Grapefruit Records is a label that has released a lot of retrospective Various Artists box sets during the last ten years or so, covering many more or less marginal styles of popular music. I have especially enjoyed their boxes representing Folk Rock, Dust on the Nettles - A Journey Through the British Underground Folk Scene 1967-72 and the all-female selection Milk of the Tree - An Anthology of Female Vocal Folk and Singer-Songwriters 1966- 73. This time the focus is on the so called pagan folk, which term is approached quite open-mindedly. Quite a few included artists can be thought of as pagan rockers per se (like COMUS without a doubt is), but I don't see any trouble in that. The music itself is what matters. Anyway, now there are pretty many artists from the ProgArchives database, so I took the opportunity to add this set here, which naturally would be questionable for the mentioned Folk Rock sets, despite surely being interesting for several of us.

The editing of both the musical contents and the 38-page, lushly illustrated booklet in this the clamshell-shaped box is very good, I only have two minor complaints: the track times are missing, and the font is a bit too tiny for comfortable reading. Like in every respectable box set, each track is accompanied by brief but highly informative liner notes on the chosen artists. Here's an example:

STRAWBS - Canon Dale (alternative version) Not originally issued, recorded 10/70.

"The nearest thing we have these days to the wandering minstrels of the Dark Age", was how one music journalist described Strawbs in October 1970, shortly after the recruitment of keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman and former Velvet Opera rhythm section Richard Hudson and John Ford had given the band a broader musical palette. A performance on John Peel's Top Gear show that October saw them premier a new Hudson song called 'Canon Dale', drenched in his expansive sitar work. The band's next studio album, the May 1971 release From the Witchwood, continued that mystical theme, with Dave Cousins' terrific 'Witchwood' and a slightly more restrained rendition of 'Canon Dale' firmly exploring territory defined in 1969 by pop pundit Lillian Roxon as "acid folk".

It would be too worksome to even try dealing with the entire contents of 60 pieces. Instead, here's a quick and probably incomplete list of the other PA-included artists, in the running order and with a few track namings along the way: Third Ear Band, Traffic ('John Barleycorn'), Steeleye Span, Amber, Synanthesia, Mike Oldfield ('On Horseback'), Fairport Convention (Tam Lin'), Chimera, The Sallyangie, Dr. Strangely Strange, Jan Dukes De Grey ('Sorcerers'), Oberon, Fresh Maggots, Tea & Symphony, Principal Edwards' Magic Theatre, Pentangle ('Cruel Sister'), Incredible String Band, Mellow Candle, Curved Air ('Elfin Boy'), Spriguns of Tolgus. This list alone shows how much information on vintage Folk Rock, both household names and obscurities, one gets from this set.

 Losing Our Virginity: The First 4 Years '73-'77 by VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2013
2.10 | 2 ratings

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Losing Our Virginity: The First 4 Years '73-'77
Various Artists (Label Samplers) Various Genres

Review by Matti
Prog Reviewer

2 stars Virgin Records was founded in 1972 by [the future millionaire] Richard Branson and three other fellows. The prog oriented label got a wonderful start with the unexpected success of its first release, Tubular Bells (1973) by Mike Oldfield, but it's definitely the challenging musical nature of that seminal album, not the commercial success, that laid the ideological groundwork for Virgin. The first few years embraced far-from-mainstream artists such as German Krautrockers Tangerine Dream, Faust and Can, the psychedelic space rock act Gong and other artists familiar to progheads from the Canterbury scene, plus some even more marginal and unorthodox artists like Ivor Cutler. To cite Paul Sexton's liner notes on this three disc set, "These were the days of unfettered, maverick artistic expression, before the words 'music' and 'business' were superglued together". Like several other prog oriented record labels (Vertigo, Harvest, Charisma, etc.) Virgin truly deserves a retrospective multi-disc compilation to be reviewed on a prog site.

Have to say that absorbing this set (borrowed from library) was not as inspiring as the various artists compilations on a specific retrospective theme can be at their best. Especially on British folk-rock I've come across many highly delightful and educative compilations. Much of the appeal has directly to do with the way the compilation is edited and represented, and in this respect "Losing Our Virginity" is disappointing. What's interesting is the outlining of the background and the birth of the company which "took its baby steps in the business of selling gramophone records via the Royal Mail". But when it comes to representing the music on offer here, the 5-page liner notes leave a lot to be desired. A minus also from the omission of track lengths and album sources. The music samples are put in a chronological order in a month's precision, which I find unnecessary and somewhat problematic for the overall reception. The miserable-looking booklet has 16 pages in total; the diminutive illustration consists of a b/w Mike Oldfield photo and four page-size album covers: Tubular Bells, the V.A. release Manor Live, Steve Hillage's L and Faust's Faust IV, not even very exciting ones from a visual point of view. For example by placing four album covers on one page there would have been 16 of them within the same space.

It is of course obligatory to start the set with Tubular Bells, but since the album is surely familiar to the listener, a 13˝-minute excerpt is a useless exaggeration. MIKE OLDFIELD returns on the third disc with the less heard 'First Excursion'. FAUST is represented by 'Krautrock' and 'Giggy Smile', GONG by 'The Pot Head Pixies' and 'I Never Glid Before'. Other artists on CD 1 include STEVE YORK's CAMELO PARDALIS - never heard - , KEVIN COYNE, HENRY COW ('Teenbeat Reprise'), LINK WRAY, CAPTAIN BEEFHEART and KLAUS SCHULZE ('Some Velvet Phrasing'). Since the musical styles change very radically between the tracks -- as well as the unmarked track lengths --, one cannot speak of any coherence or consistency in the listening.

CD 2 happens to include several Canterbury artists: ROBERT WYATT ('I'm a Believer', 'Yesterday Man'), HATFIELD AND THE NORTH ('Let's Eat', 'Fitter Stroke Has a Bath') and EGG ('Wring Out the Ground'). Interesting samples from COMUS, DAVID BEDFORD, TOM NEWMAN and others. The lack of album information is a pity really, and especially for the more obscure bands such as MALLARD and BOXER one would wish to have information in an articulate artist by artist approach. The liner notes do speak a little of the represented artists, but not in a user-friendly way. Also, I find the small white font on pale green tiring to read for my middle-aged eyes.

By the time you've arrived to the third CD it also becomes a little frustrating how the same artists keep reappering, and the strictly chronological running order also results as a lack of any coherent flow in music. As a Finn I'm pleased to mention that WIGWAM's 'Freddie Are You Ready' (1975) sounds lovely amidst the less accessible stuff. IVOR CUTLER's 'The Dirty Dinner' is actually a story-reading, not music. The set is finished by two pieces from CAN, 'Silent Knight' and 'Don't Say No', the latter strangely being the only 1977 recording.

So, instead of being a delightful, informative, cultivated, ear & eye opening journey into the colourful output of Virgin's first five years, "Losing Our Virginity" sadly turns out to be a frustrating mess and a missed opportunity.

 Dik Dik- I GiGanti: Due Gruppi Un'Epoca by VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) album cover Boxset/Compilation, 1995
2.00 | 1 ratings

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Dik Dik- I GiGanti: Due Gruppi Un'Epoca
Various Artists (Label Samplers) Various Genres

Review by Prog123

— First review of this album —
2 stars When in Italy we mention I Dik Dik and I Giganti we mention two of the most famous and important Beat bands of the 60's. What is forgotten (mostly because of the music critics) is the fact that in the 70's both these bands produced albums of true Progressive Rock. And it is not considered, in the case of I Dik Dik that with the cover of "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" by Procol Harum, re-titled (and sung in Italian with the title "Senza Luce" in 1967) was the first true expression of Progressive Rock in Italy. Generalizing the style of I Dik Dik is similar to that of Procol Harum or The Moody Blues, although remaining more POP and with a non-Progressive Rock approach (but, on closer inspection, Progressive Rock is always, at the end of the analysis). As for I Giganti... Aside from the album "Terra in bocca" (an awkward concept album in terms of theme and, for this reason, rejected by critics and audiences) we can't talk about Progressives but only about good (or honest?) Beat Rock (or POP, to put it as it is used today).

This compilation is very interesting, therefore, as far as the I Dik Dik section is concerned, because if you like Procol Harum, you will find good music (even if limited to "Il Primo Giorno Di Primavera", "Senza Luce", "ll Vento" and "Vendo Casa"). I Giganti section does not feature anything Progressive, although the music is interesting (Like Beat Rock).

In conclusion, I don't recommend this compilation to anyone looking to discover the origins of Italian Progressive Rock. Rather make yours the first 2 albums of Le Orme, the first two albums of New Trolls or one of the many compilations of I Dik Dik (where, however, you find a lot of Beat and Progressive in a slightly misleading mix).

 Song of the Silent Land by VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2004
4.00 | 2 ratings

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Song of the Silent Land
Various Artists (Label Samplers) Various Genres

Review by TCat
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

4 stars 'Song of the Silent Land' is a compilation featuring mostly unreleased (at least as of 2004) tracks from artists signed by the label Constellation Records. The aritists on this label are made up of post rock/math rock and experimental artists and the label is based out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Some of the bands featured on this compilation are 'Godspeed You! Black Emperor', 'A Silver Mt. Zion', 'Fly Pan Am', 'Do Make Say Think' and 'Black Ox Orkestar'. Thirteen out of the 14 tracks were previously unreleased. The release was originally released to commemorate the Spring 2004 Constellation Roadshow Tour in Europe.

The first track is 'The Sky Lay Still' (6:21) by Elizabeth Anka Vajagic, who is a singer and guitarist from Montreal. Her style is dark, sparse and ethereal. This is quite apparent in this track, which originally came from her album 'Stand with the Stillness of this Day', however, this is a very stripped-down version of that song. The song is a slow moving, quiet track made up of her pensive electric guitar and her vocals. 'Winter Hymn Winter Hymn Winter Hymn' by 'Do Make Say Think' (4:54) is a heavy track with a lot of noisy static effects surrounding the distorted guitar chords. The track is a remix of the album 'Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn' to a 5 minute track. The track goes through a variety of harsh sounds, styles and rhythm, but overall it is quite dark and noisy, and has a crazy ending. 'Wool Fever Dub' (3:05) by 'Exhaust' is a rare track that comes from their self-released cassette and was recorded to a 4-track reel-to-reel machine in 1996. Starting off with a screeching guitar drone, drums come in establishing a rhythm while the feedback heavy guitar plays a harsh melody that emerges from the feedback. Yes, the track is noisy, yet it is quite an interesting study in melodic noise and distortion, not really annoying, somewhat avant-garde and metallic.

'(Re)view from the Ground (Remix)' (4:30) by HangedUp is a remix of a track originally released on their album 'Kicker in Tow'. The band is an experimental duo that uses heavy percussion and often self-made instruments. The music again is quite noisy and harsh, with layers of noisy percussion with a moderately fast beat and screaming drones to give a very industrial post rock sound. The duo has worked with the band 'Sackville' and 'Silver Mt. Zion'. 'Toyte Goyes in Shinein' (3:44) by Black Ox Orkestar' plays a style of post rock Jewish traditional sounding music. The lyrics are in Yiddish and is a moderately slow, acoustic piece, that has a nice lush sound later when wind instruments are added. The track comes from their album 'Ver Tanzt?' released in 2003. 'This Machine' (4:56) by 'Sackville' follows this. Sackville is now a mostly defunct band as the members have gone on to work with other bands, mostly from the same label. The music was said to be a mix of country and rock, but it is more of a folk style than country. This track was previously unreleased in any form. The music is acoustic, the vocals are quite bassy, a lot like the vocals of 'The Magnetic Fields' lead singer Stephin Merritt.

'Iron Bridge to Thunder Bay' (8:12) by 'A Silver Mt. Zion' is a previously unreleased track taken from the sessions from the 'Thee Rusted Satellites' album. The track builds as a layered drone increases in volume and strength, and then a percussive beat underlies the drone and various instruments screech and squeal from the drone. Violin and guitar emerge from the din of the drone, but create a dissonant texture with the repeating percussion and bass line. It's all very noisy, as this was their style during these sessions. It is easy to see why this track was left off of those sessions however, as it never really develops past that thick wall of noise. This is definitely their loudest track I've heard from them. 'String of Lights' (5:33) by 'Sofa' is a rare track from the band's self-released cassette called 'Record' which was recorded direct to 2-track in 1996. The music is a dark, yet somewhat acoustic affair with light percussion, guitar and vocals. The band is known as the first band to record on the Constellation label and was a critically acclaimed band, though they have now disbanded.

'Dreaming ('.Again)' (4:49) by 'Polmo Polpo' is a track built up of recordings from the sessions that produced their album 'Like Hearts Swelling'. The Polmo Polpo project is actually a one person project from Sandro Perri who has a very intriguing style of post-rock instrumentalism that utilizes electronics and folk instrumentation. This track is a nice, moderate track that is quite melodic, and it utilizes some interesting electronic effects to create a smooth sounding track which even has some whistling thrown in there. 'Slippage' (3:25) is by the band 'Re:' and is an unreleased track from their 'Mnant' sessions. The project is made up of duo Aden Evens and Ian Ilavsky who also worked together as 'Sackville'. This music has a very organic sound with a lot of percussion, effects and an interesting sounding instrument playing sustained notes that ring out quite nicely. Even though they use electronics quite a lot, they sound very organic. 'Tres Tres Avant' (5:10) from 'Fly Pan Am' is from an improvisation done in 2003. It consists of a repeating synth and percussion loop with layers of airy noise and guitar with added vocal effects thrown in. It's not their best track as it is quite repetitive, but then it is mostly just improvised effects over a loop sequence.

'Fair Warning' (5:03) by '1-Speed Bike' is actually a remix of a track called 'New Blue Monday' from 'HangedUp'. The project is the moniker for the solo work of artist Aidan Girt, who is a drummer that has worked with GY!BE and Exhaust. The track is a combination of a noise, rave-style music with spoken word vocals. The track is repetitive and way too long. 'See My Film' (3:57) by Frankie Sparo is from a previously unreleased song from the 'Welcome Crummy Mystics' sessions. Frankie Sparo was the moniker for Chad Jones, a singer/songwriter from British Columbia. This one is a bit avant-garde sounding with gruff vocals and an off-beat loop. The melody is interesting enough, and so is some of the string instrumentation, but it doesn't necessarily match the loop very well. It's okay, but a little strange in sections. The last track is 'Outro' (7:33) from 'Godspeed You! Black Emperor'. This track is a previously unreleased live performance of a concert finale in France recorded on May 14, 2003. It starts out with simple chimes playing a melody softly. A violin and cello soon join in shadowing the melody. The track continues to work off of the post rock formula of development through a long crescendo, adding other instruments and building intensity as it goes on. The sound is a bit low-fi in quality, but the music itself is quite good, and the quality seems to improve as it goes on, so it is part of the music itself. As is typical with GY!BE, the music is emotional and beautiful.

This is really a decent compilation, and the tracks on it are mostly now unavailable anywhere else. It is a good sample of some of the very innovative and talented artists on the label, many of whom are not around anymore. There are a few weak spots on the album however. The biggest disappointment is the contribution of A Silver Mt. Zion as they are one of my favorite post rock bands, but the track here is way too noisy and far from their best efforts. There are a few others that are too repetitive, such as the Fly Pan Am track and the 1-Speed Bike track. However, overall, it is a great compilation with a lot of variety that ranges from the minimal to the extremely noisy, yet quality runs through the musicianship here. Though the tracks are not always the best of some of the bands and not always representative, the entire collection makes quite a cohesive statement in the end. This is definitely a good find if you can locate it, or still order it, as I did several years ago when I started first discovering some of the bands on the collection.

 Fafnir by VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) album cover Boxset/Compilation, 1993
3.08 | 4 ratings

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Fafnir
Various Artists (Label Samplers) Various Genres

Review by TenYearsAfter

3 stars "Lesser known and unknown Italian Prog around 1993"

In 1993 the Italian prog rock label Kaliphonia released this interesting compilation album featuring many lesser known and unknown Italian prog bands and artists, along Collage from Poland.

Fancy Fluid delivers Neo-prog with fiery guitar, modern sounding keyboards and some nice musical ideas in the varied Nuove Effemeridi.

Consorzio Acqua Potabile (CAP) surprises with a wonderful intro on piano, warm vocals and sensitive guitar work with a lot of tension in Cavaliere Mascherato.

Combat by Marcello Capra contains beautiful interplay between acoustic and electric guitar. Recently I reviewed his album Preludio Ad Una Nuova Alba from 2010, simply wonderful.

Deux Ex Machina delivers complexity and bombastic atmospheres with Jean Luc Ponty inspired violin work in the jazz-rock orientated Luna.

In Jakazan by duo Clarion (including ex-Zauber member Paolo Clari) we hear warm flute play like John Hackett, but also a pretty irritating drum sound.

My highlight is Prologo by New Credo with Steve Hackett-like guitar, fluent keyboards and many shifting moods.

Michele Tale Di Bella plays in Across Zakla Makan howling electric guitar with twanging acoustic guitar.

We hear pleasant guitar play in Happiness by the five-piece formation H2O.

Myros (Zauber keyboardist Oscar Giordadino) features keyboard pyrotechnics in the vein of Japanese bands Gerard and Deja Vu.

Polish formation Collage with Midnight Flyer (also on the Collage compliation Changes from 1995) delivers a blend of pop and prog, very accessible with good vocals and pleasant keyboards.

Incentive from Ars Antiqua has a dreamy atmosphere with soaring keyboards and some fiery guitar runs.

The disappointing final track Glayer Lady Night by Max Oil has mediocre vocals and drums. Only the keyboards and the final part with howling electric guitar can please my ears.

My rating 3,5 star.

Those were the Italian Prog days, at about 25 years ago, but May 2019 I hope to review new Italian prog: Banco (Transsiberiana), La Coscienza Di Zeno (Una Vita Migliore) and FEM (Mutazione), ciao.

 Classic Rock Society - New Species - Volume V by VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2012
2.05 | 2 ratings

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Classic Rock Society - New Species - Volume V
Various Artists (Label Samplers) Various Genres

Review by Matti
Prog Reviewer

2 stars This sampler disc features 66 minutes worth of progressive rock from albums that were more or less new in 2012. I'll simply run through the ten tracks giving source album information if it's easily available -- for I don't have the magazine -- and my view on music.

BIG BIG TRAIN's 'The First Rebreather' (from English Electric Pt. One) is a good example of the band's symphonic style, featuring very nice keyboard parts. NEAL MORSE is represented by Momentum's title track, an energetic and fast-paced prog-rocker. THE FLOWER KINGS' album Banks of Eden starts with a 25-minute epic 'Numbers', of which this sampler offers a 5-minute medley, ie. a few cuts with quick fadeouts and changes into the next cut. Hmm, not a wise idea, the result is such a mess.

The fourth artist is a new acquaintance for me, and not in the ProgArchives database: ROB GOULD. 'The Broke Road' (3:48) is a mellow and moody composition featuring female vocals. Very nice, and the question of how 'prog' it is, seems irrelevant. FINAL CONFLICT: 'Babylon' (from Return of the Artisan) is also rather melancholic; the melody reminds me of 'Incomplete' by Fish. KAIPA: 'Our Silent Ballroom Band' (from Vittjar) also seems to be a 5-min. edit from an epic, but at least it's a singular excerpt. Kaipa makes modern symphonic prog that's often too bombastic for my taste, and this one's no exception. The male vocals are unpleasant.

The Norwegian RHYS MARSH AND THE AUTUMN GHOST is labeled as Crossover Prog. 'The Place Where You Lay' (from The Blue Hour) makes me think of him as a poor man's Steven Wilson. The arrangement has nice acoustic elements but the sad song itself is a bit boring. HAND is a British Alternative/Gothic Metal band with a female vocalist. 'Mimicry' (from Breathing, 2011) is an OK song of the genre I'm personally not fond of. The Swedish BEARDFISH and 'Note (Edit)' from The Void. I suppose it's the opening part of the near-16-min. piece, and it functions decently as a separate track. And finally, TINYFISH from England. 10-minute song 'Wide Awake at Midnight' comes from The Big Red Spark (2010). Well, seems every other modern prog band sounds like this, and the vocalist is mediocre. Furthermore the album wasn't fresh at the time anymore.

This sampler contains some usual good stuff from the contemporary big names, and tasters from acts less familiar to me, of which only Rob Gould enters my check-out-some-more -list. Not many delightful new names, nor is the diversity of modern prog very widely represented here, or maybe the year 2012 wasn't that great? I think two stars is enough.

 P58: Wish You Were Here by VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) album cover Studio Album, 2017
2.00 | 3 ratings

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P58: Wish You Were Here
Various Artists (Label Samplers) Various Genres

Review by Matti
Prog Reviewer

2 stars This is the supplementary sampler disc for the issue No. 80 of the PROG magazine. Editor Jerry Ewing describes the set as "a delighfully mixed bag", "a reflection of the variety and scope of modern day progressive music". Well, in the end it could have been more varied, really. Ten tracks by ten bands, of which only Galahad and Aisles are familiar to me in advance (some of the rest I know just by name). As readers of PROG magazine know, the contents of these sampler discs are better represented on the mag itself, but I received this disc separately.

First comes 'The Path of Least resistance' (11:54) by British Neo Prog group IT. Powerful, slightly dystopic feel especially for the partly distorted vocals which I don't like that much. LUNATIC SOUL is a solo studio project from Polish RIVERSIDE's bassist- vocalist Mariusz Duda. A bit monotonic song but with good sounds. Crossover-proggers KOYO and their eponymous album (2017) hasn't been reviewed here yet, but not-so-progressive rock piece 'Now I Understand' doesn't get me interested either.

GALAHAD's song 'Weightless' represents the gentler side of this set. Soft, orchestral sound is nice. JOUIS is the first one not to be found on ProgArchives. Mostly rather peaceful and perhaps over-extended 'Universe Goggles' (10:09) has a slightly Canterbury- like (or FRUUPP-ish) restrained groove, and retro sounds. The lengthy track of CIRCUS (not on PA) starts harmonically with vocals up front, but gets Crimsonesquely angular in the instrumental latter half. Well done, but not much of originality. AISLES are Neo Proggers from Chile. 'CH-7' (12:39; the longest) comes from the album Hawaii. This softly meandering track is not very far from the more recent Marillion, but is for the most part slightly boring.

'Blood Red Moon' by 4:44 (not on PA) relies more on cool sounds than songwriting, but the average vocals bring it down a bit. THE LONGING (not on PA) at least has a pretty good female vocalist, but it seems like the band is unsure whether to be melodic Metal or just Crossover Prog. SERPENTYNE is categorized here as Prog Folk; to me 'Viking Blood' is a somewhat phoney mix of Metal cliches and atavistic themes.

Compered to "Giants Under the Sun" that I reviewed a while ago, "Wish You Were Here" is a bit more Neo/Crossover -oriented compilation. No great band discoveries this time, so two stars it will be again.

 P63: Giants Under The Sun by VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) album cover Studio Album, 2018
2.05 | 2 ratings

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P63: Giants Under The Sun
Various Artists (Label Samplers) Various Genres

Review by Matti
Prog Reviewer

2 stars I'm not sure if it's worth the trouble to have dozens and dozens of music magazines' supplementary compilation discs in the ProgArchives database. The page of Label Samplers is terribly crowded with such CD's of very minimal chance to reach new listeners on the long run, not to speak of getting ever reviewed here. But on the other hand, each sampler review increases the chance to find more informative search results for relatively unknown new artists that may not (yet) be on our database. So this is hardly my last time to review one.

"Giants Under the Sun" is from the issue # 86 of the PROG Magazine, 78˝ minutes of new and upcoming artists, with one exception, as the editor Jerry Ewing says: "We open with a track from the late PETER BANKS, the original Yes guitarist. 'Endless Journey' comes from a new anthology of his work, and is a previously unheard mix of the track from his 1995 album Self- Contained. Given that we're celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Yes this issue, we thought it'd be a timely reminder of Banks' talent..." This track is perhaps not what a casual prog listener would expect from Banks and his ex-bands: a peaceful ambient instrumental.

The rest of the artists are mostly cases of "never heard" for me. FLUTATIONS sounds promising with their (almost-)instrumental piece featuring also violin. A bit like Mostly Autumn. JOHN HOLDEN is represented by a 9-minute track 'Tears from the Sun' that concentrates on delicate and melodic approach with a Floydian spaceyness and guitar sound. THE PIPE BROTHERS PROJECT have a regular-length instrumental 'XLV' with a light, melodic Symphonic /Neo Prog flavour. ENTRANSIENT has the second longest track here (11:15), but I find very little interesting in it, it's all-too-typical slice of contemporary, lower league prog rock with a slightly Metallic edge.

SONAR WITH DAVID TORN: a slowly evolving instrumental concentrating on a hypnotically repetitive sonic tapestry. RTFACT / WILL CHAMPLIN & NAD SYLVAN, such a messy moniker. Sylvan I naturally know from Hackett's Genesis Revisited, but this vocal oriented and poppy collaborative track doesn't sound much prog to me. ODDFICHE's 'My Train of Thought Derailed' (13:02) is another slow-evolving instrumental with a hint of sonic experimentalism. Yawn... MISGIVINGS FALL comes with a lengthy track that progresses between instrumental and vocal sections but sounds slightly lame. The worst (in my opinion) comes in the end: THE PHANTOM OF PHOBOS is a female-fronted Metal band.

This sampler is rather uneven, and funnily it contains pairs or threes that sound quite alike. But not a bad way of getting the first taste of several new bands.

 Psychedelic Underground 16 by VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) album cover Studio Album, 2010
4.00 | 3 ratings

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Psychedelic Underground 16
Various Artists (Label Samplers) Various Genres

Review by Matti
Prog Reviewer

4 stars I'm not sure about the continuity now, but at least some years back the German re-issue label Garden of Delights used to put out a promotional samler disc representing its nine latest releases, with a mathematical precision. This 16th sampler offers 59 and ˝ minutes of German rarities mainly from the seventies. The first thing that comes to my mind how it could have been better is purely quantitative; more tracks to make the disc 20 minutes longer.

As always with GoD releases, the leaflet is packed up with information (both in German and in English) in a very user-friendly fashion. I'm naturally basing my review on those band introductions. First comes TETRAGON, an instrumental quartet who released one album in 1971. Here's a track from their intended second album that remained unpublished for nearly four decades. It's energetic, jazzy prog-rock starring Hammond and electric guitar. XHOL played psychedelic jazz-rock. The GoD release represented here with a frenzy 12-minute instrumental is a live album "Essen 1970".

YGGDRASIL was a more song-oriented sextet that released their sole LP in 1972, though only as a metal-acetate. Sounds very nice! Lyrics are in English and there's a lot of flute to increase a certain [pre-Aqualung] Jethro Tull flavour. At the time ZOPPO TRUMP appeared only on a compilation album in 1976, but GoD dug out more unreleased studio recordings. Here's a cool, organ oriented jazz-rock instrumental that slightly reminds me of Jukka Gustavson's compositions on the WIGWAM debut. RADIO NOISZ ENSEMBLE was a Third Ear Band reminding successor of the folk group Emma Myldenberger and released their only album in 1982. The chosen fast-paced track is starring oboe.

The next two bands are the best known. The GURU GURU release is their live performance in Wiesbaden 1973 featuring three long tracks full of free improvisation. The sound quality is not very good, and to me this is the sampler's weakest link. EMBRYO had visited New York which brought funk and soul influences into their 1975 album Surfin'. At least the 9-minute, lighthearted instrumental 'Dance of Some Broken Glasses' sounds nice with the cool groove and flutes, but there's not much of progression in the composition. SÜNDENFALL II sounded very much like the early Jethro Tull, up to the vocals in English. (The original LP of 200 copies is worth a small fortune.) And finally on this sampler disc, an excellent slice of bright-sounding insrumental jazz-rock of the year 1980 by SURGERY. - All in all, this issue (or the period of re-issues) is among the finest from Garden of Delights, with only one track that I rather skip.

 Plankton: A Fruits de Mer Collection by VARIOUS ARTISTS (LABEL SAMPLERS) album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2013
4.00 | 1 ratings

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Plankton: A Fruits de Mer Collection
Various Artists (Label Samplers) Various Genres

Review by Windhawk
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

— First review of this album —
4 stars UK label Fruits de Mer Records started out back in 2008, with a clear concept in mind and learning the skills of marketing along the way. From the initial phase of being more or less ignored, in the span of a few years they have established themselves as a strong name in their specific field of the music business. The compilation "Plankton" features a selection of material released in the first two years of the label's existence, initially made as a cover CD for Record Collector Magazine in 2013 and then in late 2016 also made available to buy as a regular CD from the label itself.

As usual the quality of the material is good to excellent, and for those with an interest or passion for vintage style psychedelic rock it'll be quite the pleasant experience indeed. From a psyched up take on George Martin's classic Theme One to a cover of Brian Eno's Baby's on Fire there's great variety in the source material covered, ranging from pastoral excursions and 60's psychedelic pop/rock to vintage space rock and krautrock. Tracks originally from Pink Floyd and Amon Duul II representing the latter, while Tudor Lodge and Strawberry Alarm Clock are examples of the former. As they are presented in these cover versions at least: I haven't checked with the originals to hear just how much these reinterpretations are different from the originals.

In my view there's one cut here that stands a head and a shoulder above the rest though, namely Vibravoid's take on Pink Floyd's classic Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun. A firmly retro-oriented take on this track, with a plethora of odd and eerie sounds, but with a firmer and more concise delivery that adds a tension and hardness to this track that manage to elevate the sheer cosmic nature of the song and a highly appealing manner.

If you have an interest in psychedelic rock, be it progressive or not, this is a fine collection of material of classic tracks and forgotten jewels from yesteryear as explored and performed by contemporary artists. Those with an interest for material of this kind should not be disappointed by the material presented here.

Thanks to ProgLucky for the artist addition. and to easy livin for the last updates

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