Hobson's Choice
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Suggest New Bands and Artists
Forum Description: Suggest, create polls, and classify new bands you would like included on Prog Archives
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=51534
Printed Date: July 20 2025 at 06:42
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Hobson's Choice
Posted By: erik neuteboom
Subject: Hobson's Choice
Date Posted: September 04 2008 at 13:38
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Hello.
Today I stumbled upon a review I wrote about USA progrock band Hobson's Choice. I remember that my USA PA friend Bhikkhu was busy with the addition but sadly he's gone so I am curious what about this interesting band?
My review:
HOBSON’S CHOICE – New Horizons - This is an USA one-shot-band that made their one and only album entitled New Horizons in 1996. Hobson’s Choice their sound is rooted in the Seventies prog like Genesis, Yes and Pink Floyd but this band is not a clone. Within a few listening sessions I started to appreciate this album very much, the seven alternating compositions sound melodic and pleasant with a tasteful colouring by the varied keyboards and frequent, quite powerful guitarwork 1. Raging Sun 6:40 : After a spacey intro we can listen to Tobt Banks inspired organ runs and mellow vocals, then a slow rhythm with bombastic keyboards and flowing guitar , a wonderful start! 2. Procession 7:05 : This instrumental song contains beautiful interplay between electric guitar and keyboards (lots of Hammond organ) and many shifting moods and breaks, from dreamy or soaring with synthesizer flights to compelling or an accellaration with an unp-tempo featuring fiery guitar, powerful organ and fluent synthesizer flights, what a lush keyboard sound! 3. Passages 8:41 : Another instrumental, this one delivers a dreamy climate with wonderful strings and sensitive electric guitar. Then a fe accellarations with sparkling piano, strong interplay between organ (lots of Hammond) and guitar, the final part is dreamy with piano and strings, it sounds like a ‘warm bath’. 4. Steps Of Eight 8:27 : After a mellow part with vocals, piano and strings, a slow rhythm follows with a fiery guitar solo, in the end we can enjoy fragile work on the piano. 5. Jan In E Moll 3:55 : In this track the opening is by tanging acoustic guitar, soon blended with piano and mellow keyboard layers, a wonderful dreamy atmosphere. 6. Size Of It 7:35 : First a ‘keyboard-Heaven’ with Hammond and synthesizer flights, then a fluent rhythm with strong interplay by guitar and keyboards, the build-up towards a climax with a guitar solo and organ waves is great. 7. New Horizons 8:40 : This final track contains a fluent rhythm witch vocals and synthesizer flights, then sensitive guitar runs with floods of organ, followed by a synthesizer solo. The final part delivers lush keyboards and a fiery guitar solo, I love it! What a wonderful album but what a pity that Hobson’s Choice belongs to the vaults of progrock history! ARTIST: Hobson's Choice TITLE: New Horizons LABEL: Hobnobin Music RELEASE DATE: 1996 in USA RELEASE REFERENCE NUMBER: Ars1001 Cheers,
Erik.
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Replies:
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 04 2008 at 13:51
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Not to be confused with the metal/thrash/ hardcore band. Here is the official site: http://www.hobsonschoiceband.com/ - http://www.hobsonschoiceband.com/ And here is the myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/hobsonschoicemusic - http://www.myspace.com/hobsonschoicemusic Taking a little listen now. ------------- Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me. |
Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: September 04 2008 at 13:56
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Thanks Logan, I am sure this band fully deserves a PA addition.... in the end
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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 04 2008 at 14:13
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Listening now, and it should definitely be included. Good retro prog. They cite these as influences: Gentle Giant, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Genesis, Yes, Focus, Premiata Forneria Marconi, Pink Floyd Do you remember where the also much missed by me Bhikku was going to add them? Symph, I presume, as they didn't use the progfreak chart and I didn't find it on the charts. I like the Focus and ELP influences. ------------- Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me. |
Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: September 04 2008 at 16:25
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Logan, I just checked: in December 2007 Bhikkhu told me in a PM (we had frequently contact in those days) that he had just added Obscura and wanted to check out Hobson's Choice so it's almost a year ago that the Symphonic Team was going to prepare an addition. And .. .... it looks like you are preparing a review |
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: September 04 2008 at 16:30
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I want to clarify something, HT and I kept daily information about the additions, this band wasn't even in his list, I have all of them until the last one.
HT is a fast woirking guy and he left a couple of months ago, there is no way he could had left a band 7 or 8 months waiting.
I will check them personally now.
Iván ------------- 
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Posted By: Jared
Date Posted: September 04 2008 at 16:30
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^^ erik, I've given all their tracks a good careful listen this evening, and I came to the conclusion that they should be considered by the Symphonic team (of the 'Genesis' kind rather than the 'Yes' kind) first of all... I can't really think of anywhere else to put them... anyway, as Greg says, they have a great 'retro' sound, and I found it a very pleasurable and interesting listen... ------------- Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson |
Posted By: Ricochet
Date Posted: September 04 2008 at 16:36
Erik, you might want not to write "what a pity that Hobson’s Choice belongs to the vaults of progrock history" when in fact you probably want to say the opposite ("H'sC belongs to the vaults..." or 'what a pity that H'sC doesn't belong yet to the vaults..." - but the second would sound right, when they're actually added here).
 Good luck with the evaluation, otherwise. ------------- 
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Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: September 04 2008 at 16:54
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Ivan, you can say a lot of things about HT and Hobson's Choice but the fact is (based upon a PM I still have) that he started to check out Hobson's Choice and because of our frequent PM contact I know that HT was very willing to add this band to PA. And when he left it was not 7 or 8 months that he was busy to prepare, that sounds a bit too dramatic to me! Fandango: Greg is my progrock guru, half of my progrock collection is ordered at Syn-Phonic Ricochet: with the sentence " What a wonderful album but what a pity that Hobson’s Choice belongs to the vaults of progrock history!" I meant that they had turned into another one-shot-band, disappeared in the archives isntead of making a more albums. Hopefully there are more achrives for this band, the Prog Archives
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Posted By: Jared
Date Posted: September 04 2008 at 17:11
erik: I've quickly picked up the fact that not only does the guy know far more about prog rock than I do, he also has such a gorgeous little daughter, the sight of whom would melt your heart...
 I bet his wife is gorgeous too....some chaps just have all the good fortune...  ------------- Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson |
erik neuteboom wrote:Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: September 04 2008 at 17:14
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Fandago, once I read that he has 5 or 6 six children, I didn't know he had time to create and run a family |
Posted By: Jared
Date Posted: September 04 2008 at 17:27
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^^
you know, if we keep on talking about him like this, Greg will get our PA accounts suspended... ------------- Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson |
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: September 04 2008 at 17:27
Erik, in the past post you said: Erik Neuteboon wrote:
You mention December 2007 and HT left in June 2008, tihs means that he should had at least been working on this band:
Exactly 7 months, so I'm not being dramatic, I'm being 100% accurate according the information provided by you in your previous post. Iván
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Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: September 05 2008 at 06:43
Ivan, I simply meant that he had others things on his mind than only being busy with the Hobson's Choice addition for 7 or 8 months, in my opinion he was distracted by lot of unpleasant things that were going on so he couldn't focus for 100% on the Hobson's Choice addition. That's another story than "there is no way he could left a band 7 or 8 months waiting", very dramatic language because we all know that Bhikkhu is a very nice, decent and determined guy  But I agree that from December until June is exactly 7 months, very accuarate Ivan and thanks for the lessons !
But seriously, I am looking forward to the Hobson's Choice addition, also because this thread showcases it's appreciated
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Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: September 05 2008 at 11:42
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It's clear you don't know HT Erik, the guy is a working machine, if he had started working an addition in Devceber 2007, there's nothing on earth that would had stoped him to finish this addition in December 2007, and of course he would had commented it with me, because no band was added without full agreement of the team. But at the end Hobson's Choice is going to be added, I believe to Eclectic, already Logan and Clarke 2001 have voted in favor.
Iván -------------
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Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: September 05 2008 at 12:07
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Good luck with the addition and thanks for posting progheads, I am glad
that you have appreciated my effort to get Hobson's Choice on PA
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Posted By: Ricochet
Date Posted: September 06 2008 at 02:34
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Hobson's Choice approved for Eclectic, I will take on the addition.
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Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: September 06 2008 at 04:28
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Thanks, I am looking forward to the addition and then will post my review (in a revised version
). |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 06 2008 at 13:01
Now that this band is ready for inclusion, I should clarify something else people get the wrong impression.
Two different Gregs you're talking about. One is Greg Walker and one is a different person. It's just so nice to be called a Prog Rock Guru even if it's not really about me. ;) Thanks for the very kind words, Jared. Not the best picture of the wife, but since an almost identical one was in the newspaper once, I don't think she'd mind me sharing it much (a Japanese friend of ours hosted a party for visiting sumo wrestlers at her house. There's a funny one on my 'puter somewhere of me being dwarfed by one of the biggest sumo wrestlers -- not one of those in the following pic (a huge yokozuna). I'll leave you to guess which one of the three is my wife.  ------------- Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me. |
Posted By: Jared
Date Posted: September 06 2008 at 13:16
^^that's a really nice photo, Greg... ...looks like you were having a great time, and I knew your wife would be very attractive...(assuming we're talking about the same one...) and please tell her from me that her 'sweater' is absolutely eye-catching....
although I'm not sure this is the right thread for all this touchy feely stuff....
ps if you'd like to see a picture of me and my sister, just click on my MS link, and enlarge the picture...I will just have to say that its MY Guinness...she's tee-total.. ------------- Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 06 2008 at 13:21
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It was great fun, and my wife was a sumo fan, so extra nice for her. Great picture, Jared, and might I be so bold to say that you have a very attractive sister. ------------- Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me. |
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: September 06 2008 at 13:38
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Hey Jared, you look exactly as my cardiologist, you could be twins. He's also a Proghead.
You must have had a terrible youth, I know how hard is to have a beautiful sister.
 I fought with a couple of her boyfriends.  Iván -------------
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Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: September 06 2008 at 13:41
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In my wildest dreams I had never thought this thread would end in a fun thread, great
!! |
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: September 06 2008 at 13:45
Well, after a week of adding bands we deserve some fun
Happy about this week, we've checked 6 bands, added 3 and recommended 4 or 5 to other sub-genres.
Iván -------------
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Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: September 06 2008 at 13:52
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That's the spirit and ... unpaid
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Posted By: Jared
Date Posted: September 06 2008 at 13:55
cheers Greg...I shall tell her...
the thing is...no-one ever says to Kirsty.."my, don't you have a good looking brother...!"
 ------------- Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson |
Posted By: Jared
Date Posted: September 06 2008 at 13:57
thank you Ivan...and it gets worse...she's the middle one of 3 beautiful sisters...the youngest is an absolute stunner...she did some modelling, but couldn't be bothered to stick with the diets... ------------- Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson |
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: September 06 2008 at 14:06
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My sis was Miss Perú in the late 80's.
The problem is that she's 1.80 Mts high as me, and her boyfriends usually were over 1.90 Mts, so it was tough to be a jealous brother.
Iván -------------
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