This is an interesting example of a formerly-official release from IQ which has since achieved a sort of quasi-bootleg status. Originally, the plan was to just release a very limited number of these at gigs as a means of introducing new vocalist Paul Menel to the fanbase, since the majority of it consists of him singing along to live-in-the-studio rehearsal recordings of Peter Nicholls-era tracks (with a big emphasis on early material which by this point had become harder to find). Then, however, bootleg copies were churned out by nefarious individuals, to the point where most editions of this aren't official.

In the intervening time, the band have somewhat disowned this as a recording which existed for a particular purpose which has now become irrelevant, seeing how Paul Menel had his two studio albums with the band and has since moved on and the fanbase, for better or worse, has made up its mind about his tenure. The fourth side of the original LP release consists solely of silly goof-off tracks - if you only have the later CD releases you're not missing anything on that front and it seems likely they were thrown on solely to avoid having a blank side. The Glenn Miller Medley that closes side three is an interesting little bit of fun, and the rest consists of material which will be familiar to most IQ fans (especially now Seven Stories Into 98 has made the earlier tracks widely available).

It also has to be said that as far as introductions to Paul Menel's vocal style go, this isn't great - it's not that his performance is bad, but there's too many instances where it's mixed a little too low, to the point where the instrumental backing overwhelms the vocal track, defeating the purpose entirely. It's still IQ showing off their ability to reproduce their songs note-for-note, and so I still find it an engaging and entertaining listen, but I'd never rank it above either the proper studio renditions of these songs or the live renditions that have come out over the years.

Even if it's a movie I'm sure that nobody will be concerned about possible spoilers. I assume that everybody knows the story of The Wall,based on extracts from the lives of both Roger Waters and Syd Barrett mixed in the character of Pink, also considering that Syd was an orphan, too.

This is not just another re-edition of the 1979 album, and it's not just a concert DVD. It's a sort of documentary about the ideas and mainly the feelings that contributed in creating the album and the movie. The concert is taken from the 2014 tour (I've been at the gig in Rome) which featured between the huge number of musicians, two great guitarists like the bluesman Snowy White who was in the original tour and features also in Richard Wright's Wet Dream together with G.E. Smith, singer-songwriter other than session musician.

The movie has a long intro starting from the certificate of death of Eric Fletcher Waters, then Roger goes to the Memorial to play "Outside The Wall" on trumpet. The coming of an airplane starts suddenly "In The Flesh". As in the original tour the Wall is partially built. It will be completed during the concert, but the visual effects are, I presume more impressive than in the 80s. Roger is in his "nazi" uniform, metaphor of the war in this case. It's not yet the distressed rockstar of the reprise.

On "The Thin Ice" a photo of daddy is the first dispalyed on the wall followed by a sequence of people killed in different wars or even under terrorist attacks like a firefighter at the twin towers or the young Brazilian guy killed by mistake by the London police.

Everything is red with sequences of children on "Another Brick In The Wall Part 1". Here there's the first "interruption". Roger is inside a car in a rainy day and reads the letter received by his mother informing her of her husband's death. Roger's crying appears sincere, even if it may appear strange: an old man crying for the death of a father that he never knew more about 70 years before.

Back on stage, "The Happiest Days Of Our Lives" has the Teacher, realized from the pictures created by Gerals Scarfe. About 20 children dance and sing the choir of "Another Brick In The Wall Part II" On their shirts is written "FEAR BUILD WALLS". Interestingly Trump and his wall at the Mexican border were still to come, but Roger had already witnessed the IDF brutality against the Palestinians near "that" wall. He cancelled a tour in Israel after that episode.

On "Mother" he plays in synch with a video recorded during the original tour. Quite impressive.

Now Roger is in his car with a friend. speaking about the deaths of both father and grandfather, one in WWI and one in WWII. Again in a graveyard, the one where his grandpa is buried, reading a book. I don't know which one. The sentence that resonates in my mind is "They are objects". Together with him there are two sons and a grandson. The red haired Harry is the one who said "Look mummy, there's an airplane up in the sky" when he was a child. His recorded voice starts "Goodbye Blue Sky" also now.

This is the most controversial part of the show: An airplane drops bombs but they are in the forms of religious, economical and political symbols. I remember the zionists actually calling Roger anti-semite because the David's star was one of the symbols dropped, despite the fact that the christian cross and the half-moon where present as well, together with the dollar and pound signs, the communist symbol and some multinational commercial brands. I have to say that in the last 30 years, he doesn't seem to like any "David", one in particular.

"Empty Spaces" features the animations from the movie. Good choice. It's a pity that the sudden passage to "Young Lust" that's my favorite transition on the studio album, has been sacrificed to the extended version of this song. In the meantime the wall is being built. The Empty spaces are being filled and the band is already disappearing behind it.

?One Of My Turns" starts with Roger in a country mansion, apparently abandoned. Just for the intro, then the stage again, but with "Don't Leave Me Now" there's again the inside of that empty house for a while. On the stage the face of a young woman is bleeding from her eyes and mouth until the whole wall is bleeding.

Roger is in France driving to Italy, crossing the Alps with that friend. It's a quite long sequence that ends in "Another Brick In The Wall Part III".Now only Roger is visible nehind the wall on stage. There's n instrumental reprise of some of the previos songs while the last spaces are being filled. "Goodbye Cruel World" closes the first part of the show. Now the wall is completed. The world is outside.

I know that it's getting too long, apologies...second half

The bar of a dark hotel in France, I suppose. Roger explains the battle that caused the death of his father. It may be historically interesting but it's a bit too long.

"Hey you" starts from this dark place, then on stage but completely behind the wall which is now a big screen for amazing visual effects. "Is There Anybody Out There" follows.

Right left there's a hotel room where Roger, now "Pink", sings "Nobody Home" sit inside. I suppose everybody knows that this song refers to an episode of Roger's true life.

Movie again. Roger has now crossed the Alps and is on the Northwerst of Italy, still chatting with his travel partner. On the wall/screen the moving scenes of parents back from war to their sons are the backgrouind to "Vera". A photo of Vera Lynn appears for a while at the beginning. On "Bring The Boys Back Home" the wall is "painted" with the sentences by .D. Eisenhower.

Roger is finally on the beach south of Anzio (I know that place) watching the sea. The chorus "Comfortably Numb" is sung by Robbie Wyckoff from the top of the wall while Roger is down in front of the public.Dave Kilminster in an excellent Gilmour on the two solos. Roger hits the wall starting a colorful visual effect that prepares the scene through "The Show Must Go On" for "In The Flesh Reprise". The choir is already in simil-nazi uniforms. During the tour a German politician, likely close to the zionist movement tried to cancel the tour accusing Waters of anti-semitism. No German was concerned in 1989 when Roger wore the same uniform after the fall of the Berlin wall,it was clearly an idiotic revenge attempt for Roger's positions in favor of Palestine. The famous pig flies above the public. "Run Like Hell" starts immediately after. It's the most "interactive" moment of the show. If we think that the whole opera was inspired by the distance between the artists and the public it's like the years have given Roger more wisdom.

Big red worms walk on the wall while "Waiting for the Worms" closes the "fascist" saga. The animation on the wall is reminding to "When The Wind Blows", an old movie with Roger involved in the soundtrack Only piano and voice say "Stop"...and the trial is about to begin.

As in the movie, the various characters: teacher, mother, judge, appear on the wall. The effect of the wall turning on itself, showing the internal part is impressive. Roger doesn't sing on many songs, but on The Trial he showed to actually have still his screaming high-pitched voice. On the final, scenes of war are displayed while all the public screams "tear down the wall". And the wall falls down.

Back to the memorial. Roger is alone. He sees the name of his father on golden letters on the wall, together with the other soldiers of his batallion. He sits, like he's parying, but being an atheist he's more likely just thinking. FInally he takes the trumpet again and plays "Outside The Wall". The lyrics are quite different from the album. There's a choir, baked by acoustic guitar and concertina. The images fade into the last act of the concert. The musicians are presented and it's done.

Brilliant musicianship, moving subject and amazing visual effects. Of course, "if you are the kind of I like Pink Floyd but I can't stand Roger's politics...well do yourself a favor and don't buy this DVD".

The bonus material is just a documentary about how the sets were built in Athens and in Buenos Aires. Again, apologies for the length of this review. I'll be shorter in the future

'Re:Free' is an EP by OSI released in 2006, practically an extension of the band's 'Free' studio album from that same year, as it features three reworked by Kevin Moore songs from the album, namely 'GO', 'Kicking' and 'Home Was Good'. Obviously in line with the more experimental nature of the album, the remixed songs on the EP are also very experimental, extended in length and firmly pertaining to the electronic genre that is ever so familiar to Moore. The reworked songs resemble something that might have been done by Ryuichi Sakamoto or has been used as a bonus track on a Massive Attack album. It is in any case an interesting extra release, using as its basis material from the album that has been re-imagined by the artist in a somewhat "choppy" and even glitchy manner, pretty much anticipating the popularization of glitch pop in the 2010s. Especially interesting is the 10-minute remix of 'GO' whose glitchy sounds really suit the style of the original track. An overall nice effort that extends the sonic image of the 'Free' album.

Album number five for this Moongarden offshoot, led by keyboardist Cristiano Roversi and guitarist Davide Cremoni, who also both manage the lunar park. After two initially uneven recordings, the undersea ship's captains have charted a new course towards more convincing waters ever since their 2016 album "Journey Through Mine" and further buoyed by 2020's "Did Swans Ever See God". The arrival back then of singer Guillermo Gonzalez surely raised the periscope on new quadrants to navigate and this latest album stays firmly on path. The new sailors on board are fine recruits, as Marco Croci mans a solid bass anchor, while legendary drummer Maurizio di Tollo is among the finest percussionists in Italy. He will surely tackle the concussive depth charges with his usual technical brilliance. Vocalist Manuela Milanese adds a feminine voice to the crew. The premise is a sea-faring travelogue through the Caribbean, visiting the various differing cultures, using 5 different languages (English, French, Dutch, Haitian Creole and Portuguese) in the process of explain the various ports of call along the way. The suggestion is for listeners to check out the lyrics and join in as fellow passengers on the voyage from one island to another.

The giants of the ocean never cease to amaze, and "Majestic Whales" suggests a prog version of natural contemplation, a metronomic pulse from Di Tollo as well as along infusion of subtle synthesizers and its companion lead guitar, together delivering a fair amount of sullen reflection and courageous spirit. As the theme keeps elevating towards the surface, the spectacle begins truly kicks in, as guest guitarist Roine Stolt launches a luminous guitar torpedo that ultimately hits the mark. peeling off a glittering flurry of notes from his loquacious guitar. Great track, indeed.

"Les Mots Que Tu Ne Dis Pas" is French for 'words that you do not say' and comes as an interesting premise for a luxuriant track that requires a few spins before settling comfortably in the galley. Roversi flaunts his surly organ with rampaging effectiveness, Gonzalez seemingly in a fair amount of angst, as he rages in his mike with tempered hostility, while Di Tollo bashes everything in his way. Suddenly Milanese and the piano join in calming down the crew.

Jangly guitars announce "Limbo of the Rootless", putting Milanese's voice once again at forefront, Guillermo taking over after a while and then the two voices singing in parallel. A church organ solemnly shifts the overall fell into a bluesier ramble, handing off the lead to twirling axe solo that dances and soars as the mellotron wreaks further havoc. Organ fuelled manic operatics, whipping synths and a masterful rhythmic assault gets the sonar hyperactive as the temperature starts to boil. The arrangement dives into a deeper groove whilst steel maintaining a steady course, before Milanese's voice reestablishes the original theme with perfect finality. The core of this album is the gigantic 21-minute epic "Suite Atonement", where the crew get to stretch out and flex its muscles. All pastoral sweetness, acoustic guitar, flute and mellotron to begin, in an almost early Genesisian style, both voices blending into the fray, as Cremoni slaps an energetic guitar into the mix, a hushed voice and thumping bass section momentarily remindful of "the Knife", before soaring into more advances sonic glitter. He is often referred to as the Italian Steve Hackett, what with his Moongarden repertoire and Submarine Silence having started out as a Genesis tribute (The River of Constant Change). The arrangement does navigate into stormy weather, as the gale-like winds shudder and shake the metal tube hull, quickly diving deeper into calmer realms (as depicted by an aquatic synth section, all liquid bubbles escaping from the hatches). The band goes through a series of variant transitions where certain grooves can be played out, the organ-bass duet is interesting to say the least, an acoustic guitar echoing in the abyss, the dual Portuguese, Creole and French voices compressed by the cabin pressure, the distant doom of possible disaster, as 'Niet Vergeten' is repeated solemnly (Dutch for 'Do not Forget'). Fearless drunken sailors singing to the moon.

Bonus track "Zena "is an elegant piece of pastoral beauty, whistling synth and more acoustic guitar setting the stage for another Cremoni pirouette on his trusted guitar, adding heartfelt tone and undeniable emotion into every note.

All in all, an enjoyable release that requires one to listen multiple times and imbibe themselves into the narrative and feel a belonging that the musicians are striving to create. As an added extra, the Ed Unitsky artwork is, as per norm, off the maritime charts !

4 thoughtful career choices

The culmination of OSI as a project is 2012's enigmatic 'Fire Make Thunder', the fourth and final installment in the catalogue of Jim Matheos and Kevin Moore's side project. Featuring Gavin Harrison again as on 2009's 'Blood', this is the only album by OSI that has no other contributors or sessions musicians, with Moore handling all vocal duties. Now, 'Fire Make Thunder' is a general stylistic departure from the previous three albums, since it is much more mellow and cathartic, with a strong emphasis on the build-up of each song, featuring just eight really solid tracks. A darker atmosphere and a more profound tonality are to be heard on this record, which has a somewhat urban feel that is not so present on other releases by OSI. The lyrics are as usual cryptic and political, matching perfectly the alienated soundscapes of the album - great examples of what this whole record is all about are the opening and closing tracks, also the longest on the record, namely 'Cold Call' and the 10-minute final movement of the album titled 'Invisible Man'.

Stylistically this is the album that resembles Kevin Moore's Chroma Key project the most, another aspect that could not have been attributed to past records, much more pertinent to the tropes of a Fates Warning album. Yet 'Fire Make Thunder' is the most mellow, most textured and arguably most melancholic and charming listen of the entire four-album discography of the band, which is what makes is quite unique. The songs are yet again very varied and memorable, with other great examples of OSI's strengths being 'Indian Curse' and 'Wind Won't Howl'. All of this is to say that OSI represents one of the most intriguing and important episodes in the history of 21st century progressive rock, albeit a studio-only collaborative project, with the music of Matheos and Moore often transcending genre and displaying a fascinating feel of alienation and melancholy that is truly unforgettable.

Still packed with strong and vibrant ideas, still exuberantly contemporary, sonically unorthodox and experimentally tasteful, OSI's third album 'Blood' is another tremendously well-done entry in the discography of the short-lived project headed by Jim Matheos and Kevin Moore. And obviously with a well-defined and recognizable musical identity, 'Blood' had to further solidify OSI's presence (or rather, existence) as an experimental heavy prog rock project that dares to take the genre a step further, always with a taste for the inventive in the face of the extremely well-conducted blend of heavy riff-oriented music with strong influences from electronica and ambient, resulting in quite an otherworldly, memorable experience. Recruiting then-Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison as a replacement for Portnoy who had described his previous experience as "frustrating", one can definitely hear a very Porcupine Tree-ish influence this time around - the album is a nearly perfect symbiosis of the earlier heavy, moody sound and the more experimental and programmed songwriting of 'Free', interwoven into the overall dark and ghastly atmosphere of the album, not quite as on an industrial record but still very alternative and rampant, and in a sense, as melancholic and frustrated as a 'Fear of a Blank Planet'.

The fast-paced riffs and the menacing synth explorations of Kevin Moore are certainly elevated by the tremendous performance of Harrison who recorded his parts remotely and never met the core members of the band. Allowing themselves to retrace their progressive roots, OSI focused on writing more daring, intricate and experimental music - the outcome is once again very focused album that exemplifies everything that makes this project special, and with virtually no filler this is arguably the most consistent album released by Moore and Matheos, full of stellar compositions that should appeal to fans of dark and heavy progressive music, drawing upon the usual influences of alternative and electronic music. OSI are definitely more sonically expansive than a Fates Warning, more eclectic than a Dream Theater, and very often as moody as a Pocupine Tree. Particular highlights on 'Blood' include 'The Escape Artist', 'Terminal', 'Radiologue', 'Be the Hero', 'Stockholm' (with lyrics and vocals by Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt as well as the title track.

Jim Matheos and Kevin Moore-led project OSI followed up on their debut album with 2006's 'Free', a record that was supposedly not in the plans after the release of its predecessor, but one that found the light of day because of a gap in the schedules of both musicians who would re-join forces and following a similar writing process would go on to share ideas and compose an album of entirely new material for the studio-only prog rock project. Joined once again by Mike Portnoy (this time as a session drummer), bass duties had been handed over to Fates Warning's Joey Vera, a musician both Matheos and Moore were familiar with and found to be a perfect fit. Musically 'Free' expands the explorations of the band's first album but this time there is a greater emphasis on programming and electronics, as the sound of the album is significantly more experimental and focused, almost as if the duo had abandoned the heavier and more progressive aspect sough after on 'Office of Strategic Influence'.

Furthermore, it seems like 'Free' has a much more pronounced tendency for groove and texture, the songs are significantly shorter in length and the build-up of atmosphere and playing around with various sound design techniques are more upfront. The rhythm section is less prominent, a bit more mechanical, which does not undermine the overall sound of the album - the production is once again vivid and professional. The "updated" approach and the greater focus on swiftly introducing more unusual soundscapes and effects leads to several fabulous compositions, many of which are among the best material of the band, quite experimental, moody, not necessarily heavy yet featuring very rampant riffs - the title track, the gloomy 'GO', 'All Gone Now', an explosive track, the drab 'Bigger Wave', and 'Simple Life' are all top-tier OSI songs that display the full extent of the band's musical force. The rest of the material is really good and memorable; there is a large amount of bonus material, too, which is more demo-like, choppy and raw, also quite interesting to hear. A great follow-up for Matheos and Moore.

"I Robot" is the second full-length studio album by UK progressive rock act The Alan Parsons Project. The album was released through Arista Records in July 1977. It´s the successor to "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" from June 1976. Thematically the album is influenced by author Isaac Asimov's science fiction novels about robots and artificial intelligence.

Stylistically the material on "I Robot" is synth/keyboard dominated and futuristic sounding art rock, which occassionally gets complex or structurally intriguing enough to be labelled progressive rock. It doesn´t happen often though, and it´s probably not an album for the hardcore progressive rock listener. The AOR/soft rock direction of the tracks with vocals are sure to scare away listeners like that. "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" is an example of that, and it´s a song which could well be played on regular pop/rock radio, but quite a few of the tracks fall under this catagory. All tracks with vocals feature different lead vocalists, which is fully in line with the studio status of The Alan Parsons Project. It was never a project, which was meant to tour or be considered a regular band with a permanent lineup.

"I Robot" is a well produced release, which isn´t a surprise, given the studio experience of band leader Alan Parsons, who is responsible for the sound production. And ultimately it´s the musical performances and the well sounding production which are the most interesting parts of "I Robot", because the soft rock/AOR nature of the material really isn´t that intreguing. The album simply falls between two chairs trying to cater to both an AOR audience and a progressive rock audience. It may have caught the attention of the former but I have a hard time imagining that the latter got much out of this. Still a 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

The Windmill, a band known for its single tracks, which improves over time. Let's go see it right away.

"Fear" melodic prog metal intro with a strong synth; between power, enchantment and Olympicism; note Stig's enjoyable guitar solo, Erik's vocal opening on a Manichean piano amplifying the musical drama. The voice is well placed, the chorus pleasant; break at 7 minutes with riff and flute, synthesizers for the Scandinavian folk-bucolic atmosphere, on Overhead. It's melodic, nervous, cheerful, a bit on Ritual too; 12 minutes and the Genesisian, symphonic break. Long title that returns to the solemn chorus before the instrumental part and Morten's aggressive flute. Jean Robert's velvety old school keyboard gives in to reminiscences and launches Erik and Stig's guitars; the addition of the sax reinforces the warmth of the yesteryears for the warm finale.

"Calton Hill" very beautiful dynamic ethereal keyboard intro, a guitar riff that comes to look at Toto or even Saga, it starts well; the result finally on a marshmallow rock soul à la George Duke with sax that denotes heavy riff; an anachronistic genre that gives it a new imprint. "I Still Care" delicate piano intro, velvety vocal from Erik, it changes everything; Morten's flute brings delicacy, lightness and rustic contemplation with the organ of yesteryear; chorus with conventional choruses redundant for a new prog more than a heavy prog. "Nothing in Return" nervous drums, aggressive flute, riff to Jethro Tull marked. The vocal looks at Kansas, languorous with its share of choruses. Jean finally uses his keyboards for the rhythmic, Kashmiri prog variation flowing from the source, accompanied by Morten's bucolic flute. The synths return with the guitar riff to give a catchy heavy sound.

The Windmill, with a sound becoming stronger, emphatic, symphonic, alternating delicate passages on the flute and other rhythms avoiding the vintage side. Originally on Progcensor.

OSI is an exciting studio project masterminded by Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos and original Dream Theater keyboard player Kevin Moore, originally intended to serve as a progressive metal supergroup that could further develop ideas by Matheos which were later on transformed during the process by Moore through his approach to writing, bringing in a strong influence from electronic music and ultimately redirecting the sound of the entire project. The lineup on their debut release is completed by Mike Portnoy on drums and Cynic bassist Sean Malone, with Steven Wilson making an appearance on one track. The resulting release is expectedly a tremendous mixture of different influences, an album that in many ways redefines progressive rock as it takes its "basic formula" and offers a completely new approach to writing and presenting this style - the blazing guitars of Matheos synchronize viciously with the experimental synths of Kevin Moore, who also sings on the majority of the album.

The prog metal touch is obviously added by the presence of Portnoy and Malone, with the former staying true to his signature technical style of play, always interpreting each composition in a very unique manner, and the latter being heavily influenced by the likes of Mick Karn which obviously brings in another great influence. From the opening notes of the very first track, the instrumental 'The New Math', the listener is introduced to a very organic, heavy sound, similar to early 2000s heavy progressive music, yet somehow more atmospheric, occasionally sounding retro but never really embracing offering a rendition of all too familiar sounds. A true taste of the band comes with the second track 'OSI' as the vocals kick in, adding a particular dimension of the music that makes it even more recognizable. The rest of the album unfolds in a beautiful way as each track presents a different feel, a different aspect of the band's style - Moore's moody soundscapes provide a counterpoint to the raging riffs of Jim Matheos, which renders the entire album as very textured and melodic, which might seem surprising for a progressive metal album. Effective and intelligent use of ambience and technology grace 'Office of Strategic Influence', a tremendously well-conceived and performed album, offering a somewhat redefined heaviness. Occasionally moody and vintage, occasionally experimental and cold, this release really has all the ingredients of an excellent and innovative modern progressive rock album.