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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 21 2019 at 06:45
GRYPHON - Red Queen to Gryphon Three (1974)
 
 
Album Review #50:- 4 stars GRYPHON are a London-based Prog-Folk band who are best-known for their unique blend of medieval and Renaissance Folk music, combining classical themes and proggy elements. They released five albums during the Progressive Rock decade of the 1970's:- "Gryphon" (1973); "Midnight Mushrumps" (1974); "Red Queen to Gryphon Three" (1974); "Raindance" (1975);& "Treason" (1977). The band reached something of a stalemate in the 1970's because they were never quite able to achieve commercial success, but they're now experiencing a well-deserved revival, thanks to the arrival of the Internet. Buoyed up by the renewed interest in the band, Gryphon released the aptly-titled comeback album "Reinvention" in 2018, their first album in over forty years.The chess-themed album we have here, "Red Queen to Gryphon Three", with its distinctive album cover, is probably the best-known of Gryphon's six albums. There are four movements in this instrumental Prog-Folk concept album based on the game of chess, so let's make the "Opening Move" now with the 10-minute-long opening piece of music.

Thrusting a pawn forward to the centre of the board with the bold "Opening Move", you could be forgiven for thinking this is YES when you hear the dynamic opening chord sequence. This is an energetic and adventurous keyboard piece which also features a bassoon. Imagine the grand symphonic sound of YES with a bassoon player included and that's the powerful piece of music you have here. There's also a gentle flutey middle passage to give the music a medieval banquet atmosphere, although this impression doesn't last for long, as the music slowly builds up into a crashing crescendo of sound for the dramatic finish when the slightly discordant chords reminds one of some of Van Der Graaf Generator's more experimental works. It's a powerful "Opening Move" to this musical game of chess with a striking "pawn storm" of sound in the centre of the board, designed to grab the listener's attention right from the outset.

Onto the second movement now with "Second Spasm", which opens in traditional medieval feast style with the sound of a crumhorn. You can almost picture Robin Hood and his Merry Men dining with Maid Marion at an exotic banquet with a lavishly-laid-out table. There's no time to dine on a feast though, as we're in full proggy mode just one minute into this 9-minute-long piece, when there's an outbreak of dynamic (and very modern) keyboards to spoil the medieval party atmosphere. The music returns briefly to the flutey medieval theme of a banquet hall, and then we hear the sound of a slow marching rhythm in which gallant knights might have marched into battle in old days of yore. The finale transforms into a powerful quick-march, which brings to mind intrepid medieval knights jostling and jousting on the battlefield to save a beautiful fair maiden's honour in time-honoured tradition.

Side Two opens with the third movement: "Lament". It's an 8-minute-long, three-piece-suite, opening to the harmonious sound of a bassoon and the crumhorn floating along on a gently melodic wave of sound. The acoustic guitar and rhythm section reminds one of the Prog-Rock band Renaissance, which seems somehow appropriate, as Gryphon's unique blend of musical styles is loosely based on the Renaissance music of the Middle Ages. In fact, this music wouldn't have seemed too out of place if it HAD been played in Henry VIII's time, although there would have been no power source to plug the modern electronic keyboard into. Putting that minor detail aside though, the middle section of the suite is a really laid-back mellow groove, but try not to get too laid-back as there's an uplifting and unrestrained grand finale to this Renaissance-style (in both senses) musical extravaganza. This is the kind of flutey folky Renaissance music you could picture yourself listening to at a medieval banquet attended by gallant knights and lusty wenches dining on a suckling pig, whilst being entertained by jolly jugglers and merry magicians, although you're more likely to hear this music played now at a 21st century medieval banquet revival night.

It's "Checkmate" now for the fourth and final movement on our chess-themed Prog-Folk album. This medieval style Prog-Folk instrumental will transport you back in time to the Renaissance court of Henry VIII where gay (in the old sense of the word) wandering minstrels and court jesters entertained the King. The music might have the flutey sound of Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, but it's actually the antiquated crumhorn and a recorder that gives the music a Renaissance feel to it. In modern times in England, this is the kind of jolly Folk music that Morris dancers might prance around to, looking slightly ludicrous wearing bell pads on their shins and waving sticks and handkerchiefs in the air, although to be honest, most sensible people in England would go out of their way to avoid Morris dancers. Anyway, back to the music at hand. The music's not TOO folky, because there's enough prog elements included here to keep the prog-heads entertained, including staccato stop-start changes of tempo and an outbreak of Rick Wakeman-style keyboard virtuosity for the sonorous grand finale to this 10-minute Prog-Folk epic.

If you're in the mood for some proggy Folk which conjures up images of gallant knights rescuing fair maidens in distress, then this might be just the album for you. Some of the music on this unique album might sound folky and medieval, but it's given a proggy 20th century upheaval.



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - December 21 2019 at 16:01
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SKIN ALLEY - Skin Alley (1969)
 
 
Album Review #51:- 4 stars SKIN ALLEY were an English Jazz-Rock band who released four albums between 1969 and 1973. The eponymously-titled "Skin Alley" (1969) album, reviewed here, was followed up by:- "To Pagham and Beyond" (1970), "Two Quid Deal" (1972),& "Skintight" (1973). Their albums only met with very limited success due to a lack of publicity and general apathy from the record-buying public, and despite a change of record label from a U.K. to a U.S. label between the second and third albums, their fortunes didn't improve and the band went their separate ways in 1974. This album, with it's distinctive image of a rude American cop on the cover, included two bonus tracks added to the original nine songs on the album on the 2006 remastered CD edition. Let's cop a load of this album now and have a listen.

"Living in Sin" opens the album with a good solid slice of bluesy and brassy, psychedelic Jazz-Rock. Obviously, the term "Living in Sin" sounds rather old-fashioned and outdated now as we live in far more enlightened times fifty years on where it's no longer frowned upon for an unmarried couple to live together. In time-honoured fashioned, the bluesy lyrics tell a tale of a hard-drinkin' man fallen on hard times who's going to see his woman:- "I'm gonna see my woman, So look out here I come, I'm gonna see my young children, I love them every one, I've been living in sin, Smoking cigars and drinking gin, I was so alone, Had no-one to call my own." ..... The words might be moody and bluesy but this uplifting and energetic psychedelic Jazz number definitely won't leave you feeling blue. Song No. 2 "Tell Me" is a full-toned, emotionally-rich piece of music, featuring a powerful Hammond organ barrelling along to the sound of sweeping violins from the orchestra. It's grandiose and spectacular and the music and heartfelt lyrics could be described as an emotional rollercoaster ride, but that would be just another tired old cliche in a world full of tired old cliches. The impassioned plea of the next song "Mother Please Help Your Child" has a very solemn and religious hymnal feel to it. The music is a sombre flute and organ-driven piece with a slow marching rhythm. It's better than any music you're ever likely to hear in your average church service though. This powerful and passionate piece of music is enough to convert an atheist into a believer. You don't HAVE to be a religious devotee to enjoy this inspirational and spiritual paean, but after hearing this song, you might just believe in the restorative power of music to rejuvinate and revitalise the soul. If only they played music like this on "Songs of Praise". Hallelujah! Closing out Side One is "Marsha", a rollicking, rambunctious Jazz-Rock spectacular! The Hammond organist is given free rein here to go off on a wild keyboard jamboree with a cool saxophonist providing accompaniment. Prepare to blast off into Jazz-Rock heaven with this unrestrained and uninhibited 7-minute instrumental jam session that will light a fire in your soul. Come on baby, light my fire. We have ignition!

And so, we arrive at Side Two with the charmingly rustic instrumental "Country Aire", a short pastoral flute and harpsichord piece which reminds one of taking a long walk in the beautiful English countryside on a warm summer's day. It's the kind of traditional jolly Folk music that you might hear ridiculous-looking Morris dancers shaking their bells and tassles to as you quickly nip into the local tavern to escape them. Song No. 6 "All Alone" is just as moody and sentimental as the song title implies. Don't get too downhearted though, because this organ and saxophone piece is moody and magnificent. It's a timeless and transcendent piece of music with a slow marching rhythm, which builds up into a grandiose crescendo of sound for the tremendous finale. We're in Procol Harum "Whiter Shade of Pale" territory here with this harmonious, grand-sounding blast from the past. This impassioned and intoxicating piece of music might just inspire you to skip the light fandango and turn cartwheels across the floor, but try not to do yourself an injury. Dusk is drawing in now for "Night Time", a flutey and bluesy Jazz-Rock number with a mellow laid-back groove. This impressive and improvisational piece of Jazzy music is hip-shakingly good, so just move to the nice 'n' easy groove and shuffle those shoes, or if you're not in an energetic mood, just lay back and enjoy it and think of England. This music is groovy, baby! There's a change of mood and pace now for "Concerto Grosso", a short classical harpsichord piece which leads us gently into the closing song on the album, "(Going Down This) Highway". Yes, you've guessed it, this is a good old-fashioned rocking and rolling song for listening to as you're cruising down the highways and byways in your car, so if you're born to be wild, get your motor running, head out on the highway, and if you're looking for adventure, just take whatever comes your way.

"Skin Alley" is a nostalgic bluesy and brassy album of British Jazz-Rock with a ballsy take-no-prisoners attitude. It's foot-stompingly good!



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - December 22 2019 at 08:38
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FUZZY DUCK - Fuzzy Duck (1971)
 
 
Album Review #52:- 4 stars With a bizarre and humorous bandname that sounds like a warm and cosy family pub, the comically-named FUZZY DUCK were a shortlived, London-based, Hard-Rock band with just one self-titled album to their name. A Fuzzy Duck is a very rare bird indeed and it's a rare album too because there were only 500 pressings made of the original 1971 LP album with its very silly cover. The CD reissue added four bonus tracks to the original eight songs on the album. So, what can we expect from this bizarrely-named band with the even more bizarre album cover? Well, there's the ever-present sound of a powerful Hammond organ combined with wild and fuzzy guitar riffs, and when you reach the final track on the album, you might even hear the rare sound of a Fuzzy Duck too!

The album opens with the energetic rocker, "Time Will Be Your Doctor", a song that was also covered by Tucky Buzzard. This song is your prescription for a good healthy dose of booming and bombastic solid British rock. The dynamic keyboard player and wild fuzzy guitarist are really in their element with this powerful percussive piece. It's upbeat, it's up-tempo, and it's uplifting, and it's just what you need to keep the doctor away. The curiously titled "Mrs Prout" is another stentorian blast from the past that sounds like it's on anabolic steroids. It's a song with a powerful throbbing rhythm with all the explosive energy of a stick of dynamite, so light the blue touch paper and stand well back because this song is a blast. The unrelenting pace continues with "Just Look Around You". There's no time for a breather as this is another thunderous foot-stomping forte that barrels along at full velocity. This is sonorous supersonic British Rock that's as solid as a block of granite. We're nearly halfway through the album now with "Afternoon Out", another full-force fortissimo with a pulsating rhythm going full speed ahead and building up into a dramatic crescendo of sound for the powerful finale. I doubt if many people have actually witnessed the powerful drummer on this album in action, but judging from his frenetic non-stop energy displayed here, he must be as lively and animated as Animal from The Muppet Show.

Side Two opens with "More Than I Am", an uplifting and upbeat song that's positively overflowing with optimism as these lyrics reveal:- "I try to be more than I am, I'm doing all I can, And I'm more happy than, The greater could be man." ..... It's another lively, high-powered song, driven by the unstoppable power of the Hammond organ. There's no let-up in the incredible pace of this album with "Country Boy", a rammin' slammin' rocker with all the power of a hydraulic ram, so stand well clear because this is music with a ballsy take-no-prisoners attitude. There's no let-up either for the timeless "In Our Time", a window-rattling, wild guitar and keyboard jamboree. This is rollicking rock & roll as it's meant to be, so play it LOUD! The album closes with the short playful piece "A Word from Big D", in which we get to hear the quack of the Fuzzy Duck!

This powerful album is as solid as a proverbial rock with an unrelenting pace from beginning to end. It's an album with timeless appeal, featuring a glorious combination of the powerful Hammond organ sound and psychedelic fuzzy guitar riffs. The "Fuzzy Duck" album is not particularly proggy - it's just a good old-fashioned slice of Classic British Rock.



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - December 23 2019 at 06:52
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote dr wu23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2019 at 12:04
Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

SKIN ALLEY - Skin Alley (1969)
 
 
Album Review #51:- 4 stars SKIN ALLEY were an English Jazz-Rock band who released four albums between 1969 and 1973. The eponymously-titled "Skin Alley" (1969) album, reviewed here, was followed up by:- "To Pagham and Beyond" (1970), "Two Quid Deal" (1972),& "Skintight" (1973). Their albums only met with very limited success due to a lack of publicity and general apathy from the record-buying public, and despite a change of record label from a U.K. to a U.S. label between the second and third albums, their fortunes didn't improve and the band went their separate ways in 1974. This album, with it's distinctive image of a rude American cop on the cover, included two bonus tracks added to the original nine songs on the album on the 2006 remastered CD edition. Let's cop a load of this album now and have a listen.

"Living in Sin" opens the album with a good solid slice of bluesy and brassy, psychedelic Jazz-Rock. Obviously, the term "Living in Sin" sounds rather old-fashioned and outdated now as we live in far more enlightened times fifty years on where it's no longer frowned upon for an unmarried couple to live together. In time-honoured fashioned, the bluesy lyrics tell a tale of a hard-drinkin' man fallen on hard times who's going to see his woman:- "I'm gonna see my woman, So look out here I come, I'm gonna see my young children, I love them every one, I've been living in sin, Smoking cigars and drinking gin, I was so alone, Had no-one to call my own." ..... The words might be moody and bluesy but this uplifting and energetic psychedelic Jazz number definitely won't leave you feeling blue. Song No. 2 "Tell Me" is a full-toned, emotionally-rich piece of music, featuring a powerful Hammond organ barrelling along to the sound of sweeping violins from the orchestra. It's grandiose and spectacular and the music and heartfelt lyrics could be described as an emotional rollercoaster ride, but that would be just another tired old cliche in a world full of tired old cliches. The impassioned plea of the next song "Mother Please Help Your Child" has a very solemn and religious hymnal feel to it. The music is a sombre flute and organ-driven piece with a slow marching rhythm. It's better than any music you're ever likely to hear in your average church service though. This powerful and passionate piece of music is enough to convert an atheist into a believer. You don't HAVE to be a religious devotee to enjoy this inspirational and spiritual paean, but after hearing this song, you might just believe in the restorative power of music to rejuvinate and revitalise the soul. If only they played music like this on "Songs of Praise". Hallelujah! Closing out Side One is "Marsha", a rollicking, rambunctious Jazz-Rock spectacular! The Hammond organist is given free rein here to go off on a wild keyboard jamboree with a cool saxophonist providing accompaniment. Prepare to blast off into Jazz-Rock heaven with this unrestrained and uninhibited 7-minute instrumental jam session that will light a fire in your soul. Come on baby, light my fire. We have ignition!

And so, we arrive at Side Two with the charmingly rustic instrumental "Country Aire", a short pastoral flute and harpsichord piece which reminds one of taking a long walk in the beautiful English countryside on a warm summer's day. It's the kind of traditional jolly Folk music that you might hear ridiculous-looking Morris dancers shaking their bells and tassles to as you quickly nip into the local tavern to escape them. Song No. 6 "All Alone" is just as moody and sentimental as the song title implies. Don't get too downhearted though, because this organ and saxophone piece is moody and magnificent. It's a timeless and transcendent piece of music with a slow marching rhythm, which builds up into a grandiose crescendo of sound for the tremendous finale. We're in Procol Harum "Whiter Shade of Pale" territory here with this harmonious, grand-sounding blast from the past. This impassioned and intoxicating piece of music might just inspire you to skip the light fandango and turn cartwheels across the floor, but try not to do yourself an injury. Dusk is drawing in now for "Night Time", a flutey and bluesy Jazz-Rock number with a mellow laid-back groove. This impressive and improvisational piece of Jazzy music is hip-shakingly good, so just move to the nice 'n' easy groove and shuffle those shoes, or if you're not in an energetic mood, just lay back and enjoy it and think of England. This music is groovy, baby! There's a change of mood and pace now for "Concerto Grosso", a short classical harpsichord piece which leads us gently into the closing song on the album, "(Going Down This) Highway". Yes, you've guessed it, this is a good old-fashioned rocking and rolling song for listening to as you're cruising down the highways and byways in your car, so if you're born to be wild, get your motor running, head out on the highway, and if you're looking for adventure, just take whatever comes your way.

"Skin Alley" is a nostalgic bluesy and brassy album of British Jazz-Rock with a ballsy take-no-prisoners attitude. It's foot-stompingly good!


I'm buying that on original vinyl soon....local shop wants $70.00. I already have it on cd.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2019 at 12:12
^^ I'm wondering why you'd want the original vinyl of Skin Alley if you already have it on CD. If I had the original vinyl album, I'd be looking to replace it with a CD. I gave all of my old vinyl albums to my brother although I don't know what he did with them as I'm not even sure if he has a record player. Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote dr wu23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2019 at 13:32
Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

^^ I'm wondering why you'd want the original vinyl of Skin Alley if you already have it on CD. If I had the original vinyl album, I'd be looking to replace it with a CD. I gave all of my old vinyl albums to my brother although I don't know what he did with them as I'm not even sure if he has a record player. Smile

Well....I have a fairly large cd collection (about 1,000) ...more cd's than vinyl (about 750) ....I sold a lot of vinyl(over 400 ) years ago when cd's came out...mostly mainstream bands. But....the obscure and hard to find albums  prog and others are worth investing in for future money. I have bought obscure prog 3 or 4 years ago that has almost doubled in value to collectors. Some day in the future.....when I might need the cash,, I will sell some of them since I own the cd;s to listen to. At least..that's my plan.  ;)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2019 at 14:55
^^ There's a large record store near to where I live (Langley Mill Records) that was recently selling off 12,000 vinyl albums for the grand total of £300, although you'd need a pretty big van to carry them all away in. Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2019 at 05:54
STEAMHAMMER - MK II (1969)
 
 
Album Review #53:- 4 stars STEAMHAMMER were a British Blues-Rock band with four albums to their credit. Their first self-titled album, released in 1969, was firmly rooted in the blues, but the album under review here, "MK II" (1969), contains more progressive Jazz-Rock influences. They released two further albums, "Mountains" (1970) and "Speech" (1972) before breaking up and going their separate ways. Steamhammer famously acted as the backing band for U.S. blues guitar legend Freddie King during his two tours of England in the late 1960's. The CD reissue of the "MK II" album included four bonus tracks added to the original ten songs on the album. Let's have a listen now and find out if this British Rock band really DO have the ramrod power of a Steamhammer.

This album is pumped up and raring to go with the 6-minute opener, "Supposed To Be Free". This Jazz-Rock number is no light refrain - this is a storming hurricane. It's emotional, it's powerful and it's incredible! This energetic and uplifting Jazzy number is the perfect opening to the album, featuring a lively and dynamic horn section with the golden-voiced singer sounding like he's riding on a wave of endless optimism. The album barrels along at full-speed-ahead with "Johnny Carl Morton", a pounding and percussive piece with the unstoppable power of a runaway train. This band probably have amplifiers that go up to eleven. You can't help wondering how the harpsichordist managed to keep up with the frantic pace of the drummer. The gently tinkling sound of the harpsichord never sounded like this back in Mozart's time. Slowing down the pace now, we're treated to two minutes of acoustic guitar virtuosity for "Sunset Chase", which brings to mind some of the acoustic numbers from Steve Howe of YES fame. It's back to basics now for "Contemporary Chick Con Song", a good old-fashioned dose of rough and ready British Blues-Rock, where the band return to their bluesy roots from the first album. Who knows what the song is about, but it's probably about a down-at-heel man who's done wrong by his woman, in the best time-honoured tradition of the blues. Onto Song No. 5 now and there's a change of pace for "Turn Around", a gently melodic flute and harpsichord piece, which gives the frenetic drummer a much-needed break after the energetic intensity of the earlier numbers. Next comes "6/8 For Amiran", and if you've ever wondered what a complex and Jazzy 6/8 time signature sounds like, it sounds like this. This supercharged song bounds along at incredible speed with the relentless Duracel drummer going hell for leather on his kit. You can almost picture Tim "the toolman" Taylor of Home Improvement saying what this album needs is "More Power!"

Onto Side Two now and we're just "Passing Through" with Song No. 7. This is a song which is sure to delight fans of Psychedelic Rock. It's very reminiscent of the American Psychedelic Rock bands of the late 1960's, featuring the beautiful sound of an electric guitar, gently floating like a breeze over the mellifluous melody. The music brings to mind the U.S. psychedelic band "It's a Beautiful Day", and it is indeed a beautiful day to be listening to music like this, when you can be transported back to those psychedelic flower-power days of the late 1960's. It's a nicely laid-back psychedelic grooves to trip out to. It's groovy,  baby - although it doesn't require the use of any psychedelic substances to enjoy the great music. Does anyone know of any psychedelic bands who don't do drugs though!? No, me neither! Anyway, back to the album at hand. A short burst of the harpsichord follows next with "Down Along the Grove" and then we're moving swiftly along with "Another Travelling Tune". This is a 16-minute-long laid-back and mellow groove that's firmly rooted in the blues. This sounds like the kind of epic blues-guitar number that Eric Clapton might have done. The song rumbles along rhythmically like a train going down the tracks, with the melodious sound of a flute and saxophone in accompaniment. The music may not have the raw Steamhammer power of the earlier numbers, but it's a beautiful piece of music and a stellar highlight of the album. It's sixteen minutes of soothing and sophisticated bliss. Finally, we come to "Fran And Dee Take a Ride", an acoustic guitar instrumental, which immediately brings to mind Jefferson Airplane's "Embryonic Journey" from their classic "Surrealistic Pillow" album.

Steamhammer is the perfect name for a band with so much driving ramrod power in their sound. The "MK II" album is the new and improved, more powerful version of the original self-titled Steamhammer album, which was much more bluesy than the album we have here. If you're looking for an album full of riveting and rollicking British Rock, then look no further than this awesome album. In the immortal words of that great philosopher Ozzy Osbourne:- "It's Rock & Roll!!"



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - December 24 2019 at 08:16
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote dr wu23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2019 at 10:46
These guys are good also....


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote dr wu23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2019 at 10:53
A really obscure one....more proto prog than prog...but it's rare....


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2019 at 12:02
^^ Thanks! I love the Dark "Around the Edges" album. That's the first time I've heard it and also the first time I've heard OF it. Even better, I've discovered that Dark and Gravy Train are both included in ProgArchives vast database, so I'll definitely be reviewing those two albums at some point in the not too distant future. In the meantime, I'll be reviewing Steve Hackett's first album, "Voyage of the Acolyte" tomorrow. By the way, that was a great link you posted for Underground Rock Albums, so I'd just like to take the opportunity to thank you for it.  That extensive list is going to prove immensely useful when I start running out of obscure British albums to review from the late 1960's and the proggy 1970's era. Smile

Edited by Psychedelic Paul - December 24 2019 at 12:05
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 25 2019 at 06:29
STEVE HACKETT - Voyage of the Acolyte (1975)
"Shadow of the Hierophant" (Extended Playout Version)
 
 
Album Review #54:- 5 stars Legendary guitarist STEVE HACKETT (born 1950) is of course best-known for his GENESIS years as well as for his long and distinguished career as a solo artist. He recorded six albums with Genesis thoughout the 1970's:- "Nursery Cryme" (1971); "Foxtrot" (1972); "Selling England by the Pound" (1973); "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" (1974); "A Trick of the Tail" (1976); & "Wind & Wuthering" (1976). He left Genesis in 1977 due to the age-old band problem of "artistic differences", which led him to embark on a long solo career. Steve Hackett has recorded an incredible 26 solo albums to date, with his latest album "At the Edge of Light" released as recently as 2019. His first album, reviewed here, "Voyage of the Acolyte" (1975), was the only solo album Steve Hackett recorded whilst still a member of Genesis. It could be called the missing Genesis album, as it incorporated many of the ideas he wanted to include in the band. It almost IS a Genesis album in all but name, because "Voyage of the Acolyte" features Genesis members Mike Rutherford on bass and Phil Collins on drums. Steve recorded two more well-received solo albums at the tail-end of the 1970's:- "Please Don't Touch!" (1978) and "Spectral Mornings" (1979). He recorded six further albums during the 1980's which met with mixed receptions. More recently, he's released two critically acclaimed albums of "Genesis Revisited" songs. He was also part of the short-lived supergroup GTR who released one self-titled album in 1986. He collaborated with Chris Squire of YES in 2012 to record the album "A Life Within a Day", released under the cunningly-titled name of "Squackett". The original title of the "Voyage of the Acolyte" album was intended to be "Premonitions" but Steve Hackett's record label Charisma didn't like it and suggested the far better title of "Voyage of the Acolyte" which Steve was perfectly happy to accept. The album cover was painted by Brazilian artist Kim Poor, who later became Steve Hackett's wife and who went on to design many of Steve's future album covers.

"Voyage of the Acolyte" is a concept album based on a deck of Tarot cards and the first card drawn from the deck is "Ace of Wands". It's a Tarot card that represents fiery energy and this lively music is like a frenetic and energetic dance around the flames. It's a bright and sparkling proggy opening to the album that's positively glowing like a glittering prize. It's sure to delight fans of the Genesis sound, especially bearing in mind that the album has Mike Rutherford on bass and the unmistakably powerful drumming of Phil Collins. The music also features Steve Hackett's brother John on flute in some Prog-Folk fluty flights of fancy. There's enough key changes, chord progressions and staccato stop-start breaks in this 5-minute instrumental piece to keep even the most hardened of prog-heads happy. The second Tarot card drawn from the deck is "Hands of the Priestess, Part 1", a truly gorgeous flute and acoustic guitar piece. The High Priestess in the Tarot deck represents the duality of nature; masculine and feminine, good and evil, negative and positive, and although the music might have something of a melancholy air, it's a beautifully calming and pleasant piece of music that will carry you away on a sea of dreams, where you can marvel at those rippling blue waves of the topographic oceans ..... but that's another album entirely. The next turn of the cards is "A Tower Stricken Down". The Tower card which is shown being struck by lightning in the Tarot deck, represents disruption and potentially devastating change. This dramatic image is conjured up in the music, which is a strident and sonorous and somewhat discordant keyboard piece with the heavy pounding sound of Mike Rutherford's bass and with Phil Collins pounding away on the drums in a very offbeat and very proggy time signature. The music might sound harsh and full of dark and portentous doom and gloom, but it perfectly represents the sense of impending catastrophe in the stricken tower image. We hear a powerful sonic blast towards the end of the piece, which sounds like an atomic explosion, and then we hear the lonely voice of a Mellotron, representing a vast empty desert. Yes, it's all doom and gloom in this tale of a bleak dystopian future, but don't get too downhearted, as there now follows a brief reprise of the beautifully melodic "Hands of the Priestess", which is sure to lift up the spirits again. Next, we draw "The Hermit" card. It's a Tarot card representing spritual knowledge, accomplishment, development, and success. The music is a quietly introspective acoustic piece, featuring a cello, a flute, an oboe, and where we get to hear the dulcet tones of Steve Hackett for the very first time - and a very fine singer he is too. This is a sparklingly beautiful piece of music that glimmers like a bright shining crystal.

Opening Side Two now, you might recognise the voice on "Star of Sirius" because it's none other than Phil Collins. Not surprisingly then, this marvellous 7-minute piece of melodic prog sounds more like the classic sound of Genesis than anything heard on the album so far. As any amateur astronomer will know, Sirius is the brightest star in the northern hemisphere, and the playfully bright and uplifting melody very much reflects that. The Star Tarot card represents hope and optimism just as surely as the joyous and jubilant music in this emotionally-rich and exhilarating tune. The heavenly message contained within the stargazing lyrics is very uplifting too:- "Although the journey is still far from ended, You gaze at the sky, Above the cloudless night, Nebulous bright." ..... Returning to Earth now and we're in romantic mood for the Tarot card, "The Lovers". The card represents a naked man and a woman under the watchful protective eye of an angel in the legendary Garden of Eden. The delightful music is suitably angelic in tone too. It's a brief but beautiful acoustic guitar piece featuring the light echoey swirling synthesiser. This leads us into the final song and the real highlight of the album: "Shadow of the Hierophant". The Hierophant is a religious figure in the Tarot card depiction and the music is powerfully inspirational too and may even inspire religious devotion. This 12-minute masterpiece features the beautifully lilting tones of Sally Oldfield (Mike's sister). This is a spectacular grand finale to a magnificent album. Steve Hackett's masterful guitar really shines on this outstanding piece of musical magic. It wouldn't be overstating the case to say this music is as good as, if not better than, anything Genesis have ever done. This song features the full works, including crystal-clear vocals from Sally, the gorgeous floating sound of the Mellotron, a flighty flute, a sonorous bass, and powerful drumming. The song gradually builds up in intensity, emerging into a booming and bombastic wave of sound for the dramatic finale. No amount of superlatives in a review can do justice to the music though. In the words of King Crimson, this is a glorious and majestic "Cadence and Cascade" of music that you really have to hear to believe. You'll believe in the power of music to invigorate and revitalise the body and soul after hearing this. It's a powerful and dramatic piece of music with all of the opulent splendour and majesty of Buckingham Palace which will take you up the stairway to heaven and remain in the memory forever and ever, Amen! Okay, that's enough superlatives for now, because it's time for the album overview.

Steve Hackett makes a dramtic emergence onto the solo stage with "Voyage of the Acolyte" The album represents the spectacular beginning of a long and illustrious solo career. Steve takes us on a dramatic and powerful musical journey of wondrous stories with this tremendous opening album. It's sure to delight fans of melodic Progressive Rock everywhere, and should appeal equally to Genesis fans and non-Genesis fans alike. It's a moody and magnificent album of timeless appeal which has really stood the test of time.



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - December 25 2019 at 16:34
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RARE BIRD - Rare Bird (1969)
 
Album Review #55:- 5 stars RARE BIRD were a London-based Prog-Rock quartet who released five albums between 1969 and 1974:- "Rare Bird" (1969); "As Your Mind Flies By" (1970); "Epic Forest" (1972); "Somebody's Watching" (1973); and finally, "Born Again" (1974). Rare Bird's best-known song, "Sympathy", featured on their first album and the single reached No. 27 in the U.K charts. Their music is a very keyboard-heavy sound, due to the fact that the four-piece line-up included two keyboard players. Rare Bird's original LP albums have now become "rare birds" too, as they're pretty hard to get hold of these days. Incidentally, the "Rare Bird" album reviewed here, was the first album to be issued on the Prog-Rock Charisma label. Two bonus tracks were added to the original nine songs on the album in the re-mastered 2007 CD edition.
 
The album opens powerfully and dramatically with "Iceberg", an imposing cliff of pristine white ice as tall as a building with the awesome latent power to sink ships. This imposing organ-powered piece of music has similar grandeur and magnificent majesty. The song begins as a delicate and atmospheric slow fugue, sounding like a church organ, before erupting into a wild keyboard jamboree in which the organist goes absolutely berserk in a roaring storm of sound. The golden-voiced singer emerges from the organ storm in full impassioned voice in this dramatic refrain. It's powerful and heavy, but also beautifully melodic at the same time. This is the kind of thunderous and unrestrained organ music they ought to play in a grand cathedral as the bishop glides diagonally down the aisle across the chequered floor. How can Rare Bird possibly follow that storming opening foray onto the music scene. They follow it with "Times", a fast-based barnstorming number with all the unstoppable power of Stormin' Norman Schwarzkopf leading his army into battle. This powerful raw and raucous song features fantastic fugues and pounding percussion, so don't play it TOO loud or it might just give you a pounding headache. Onwards now to "You Went Away", a refined and sweet-sounding organ piece with the vocalist imploringly pouring his heart out over his lost love:- "You went away, And left me one that day, When we were much too close, Dreaming of a private piece, You went away." ..... This is no gentle ballad though, because the crazy organist and manic drummer are just waiting in the wings, so be prepared for a sonic onslaught in their wild moment of glory for the powerful grand finale. There's no let-up in the incredible pace and power of this album with "Melanie", a flamboyant and foot-stompingly good slice of funky fusion to close out Side One.
 
Opening Side Two comes "Beautiful Scarlet", an elevating and exuberant blitzkrieg of music which explodes into life with a dramatic chord sequence. This is energetic keyboard playing to die for, the like of which we don't hear any more. This is exhilarating and exuberant music designed to lift the spirits up into the stratosphere. The pianist and organist battle it out in unison to see who's the greatest keyboard player of them all. It's pompous and passionate and everything we could wish for in a powerful burst of Progressive Rock. And now for Rare Bird's BIG number, "Sympathy", their main claim to fame which was a massive hit across Europe but only made it to No. 27 in the British charts, so it looks like the good people of continental Europe knows a good song when they hear it. "Nature's Fruit" is another rollicking and rambunctious keyboard-driven song on an album full of outstanding songs where every song sounds like it's good enough to be released as a single. We're taking flight now with "Bird on a Wing", an emotionally-rich song featuring soaring vocals and the sound of that oh-so-beautiful organ in accompaniment. The dazzling guitarist deserves a mention too with his stirring power chords carrying the music along on a sonorous  wave of sound. Just when you thought this album couldn't get any better comes "God of War" to close out the album in dramatically fine style. The music rumbles along like a powerful express train steaming down the tracks with the powerful voice of the singer sounding like he's ominously prophesising doom and gloom and catastrophe. It's a suitably dynamic and dramatic conclusion to a superb album.
 
You can't beat a good solid dose of boom and bombast in a Prog-Rock album and this passionate and powerful album has it in spades. This is spectacular organ-driven British Rock, going full speed ahead on full locomotive power from beginning to end. it's also melodic and occasionally melancholic, but it's ALWAYS great music. This first Rare Bird album deserves to be treasured and preserved like a magnificent golden eagle.
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CHRIS SQUIRE - Fish Out of Water (1975)

Album Review #56:-5 stars CHRIS SQUIRE (1948-2015) is of course best-known as the legendary bassist with YES, appearing on all twenty-one YES studio albums, from their first self-titled album in 1969 right through to the final YES album "Heaven & Earth" in 2014, just a year before his tragic death from leukemia at the age of 67. His unique and aggressive style of bass playing was a major part of what gave YES such a distinctive sound. This album "Fish Out of Water" (1975) was the first of two Chris Squire solo projects, with his second solo album "Chris Squire's Swiss Choir" (2007), a Christmas album, following 32 years later. He also collaborated with Steve Hackett of Genesis to record the album "A Life Within a Day" (2012) under the cunningly-titled name "Squackett". The "Fish Out of Water" album was recorded at a time when all of the YES musicians were taking a long hiatus from the band to record a solo album after the trials and tribulations of recording the YES "Relayer" album. Chris Squire's first solo album featured an impressive line-up of musicians from the world of prog, including:- Bill Bruford on drums; Mel Collins on saxophones; and Patrick Moraz on synthesisers. The album also featured an orchestra, conducted by Chris Squire's old bandmate from The Syn, Andrew Price Jackman. Let's dive in now and have a listen to the album.

Chris Squire makes a big splash with "Hold Out Your Hand", which is very much in the mould of classic Yessongs, with Squire's vocals sounding remarkably like Jon Anderson. The sound of Chris Squire's bass is very much at the forefront, giving the music the distinctive YES sound that we've come to know and love over the years. This music has all of the dynamic power and glory that we've come to expect from YES, with the sound of Barry Rose's pompous pipe organ adding a rich fullness to the sound. Chris Squire might feel like a "Fish Out of Water with his first solo album, but we're in very familiar YES territory with this opening song. There's a lovely message about the wonders of nature and the universe around us contained within the lyrics:- "All you've got to do is, Hold out your hand, For the treasures of the universe, Are lying at your feet." ..... I think we can all hold out our hands and give Chris a big round of applause for "Hold Out Your Hand" because this is a superb opening number. The next song "You By My Side" is a BIG romantic piano number with full orchestration and featuring a tremendous hook-line, so be prepared to be swept away on a passionate wave of emotion. The powerful music really tugs at the heart-strings with these heart-warming lyrics:- "You know I love you, we can't be without you, When I'm alone, I still feel this way about you." ..... This sumptuous grand piano and orchestra piece is positively overflowing with emotion and it's enough to make you feel all  dewy-eyed and sentimental, so keep a hanky at the ready. We're "Silently Falling" now for Song No. 3, which opens to the sound of a flamboyant flute. This is one of two big epic numbers on the album, and with a running time of over 11 minutes, there's plenty of time for some keyboard wizardry from Patrick Moraz with the marvellous sound of Chris Squire's sonorous bass and Bill Bruford's pounding drums carrying the song along in true YES tradition. It's majestic and magnificent. This is  uplifting and unrestrained grand Symphonic Prog which is sure to delight fans of the sonorous full-toned sound of YES.

Do you feel lucky, because "Lucky Seven" is the opening song on Side Two. It's a Jazzy saxophone number in complex 7/8 time that sounds like it could have been a missing King Crimson song, which is probably not too surprising considering Mel Collins and Bill Bruford have both been members of Robert Fripp's King Crimson ensemble at various times. This is a funky fusion of sassy and sophisticated Jazz-Rock given the heavy bass treatment by Mr Chis Squire, esquire. And now we come to the grand symphonic epic "Safe (Canon Song), to close out the album. It's a 15-minute masterpiece featuring the full works, including a floating flute, sensational saxophone, booming bass, dynamic drumming, and with a full orchestra bringing this outstanding piece of music to a dramatic conclusion in glorious pomp and symphonic splendour.

Chris Squire's first solo album features the oh-so-familiar heavy bass sound of YES, combined with sumptuous vocals, keyboard wizardry, and sophisticated saxophones in abundance. "Fish Out of Water" is sure to delight fans of the classic YES sound, as this album sounds very much like an undiscovered YES album treasure. There's enough dramatic chord progressions and tricky time signature changes contained within this album to keep any Progressive Rock fan happy. It's an album full of romantic refrains, jaunty Jazz, mellifluous melodies and scintillating symphonies, but it's ALWAYS consistently great music. 



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - December 27 2019 at 08:58
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote dr wu23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 27 2019 at 10:18
Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

^^ Thanks! I love the Dark "Around the Edges" album. That's the first time I've heard it and also the first time I've heard OF it. Even better, I've discovered that Dark and Gravy Train are both included in ProgArchives vast database, so I'll definitely be reviewing those two albums at some point in the not too distant future. In the meantime, I'll be reviewing Steve Hackett's first album, "Voyage of the Acolyte" tomorrow. By the way, that was a great link you posted for Underground Rock Albums, so I'd just like to take the opportunity to thank you for it.  That extensive list is going to prove immensely useful when I start running out of obscure British albums to review from the late 1960's and the proggy 1970's era. Smile


I'll have to revisit that web page...I haven't looked at that list in a while.
There are plenty of obscure ones to ck out.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 28 2019 at 06:43
JADE WARRIOR - Jade Warrior (1971)
 
Album Review #57:- 4 stars  JADE WARRIOR have always been there lurking in the background, like a silent samurai, poised to strike with a new album release. This three-piece British band have been around since 1970 but never quite made it to the "big league", although their melodic prog albums are every bit as good as some of the more well-known prog bands of the time. They emerged from the Psychedelic Rock band, July, who released one self-titled album in 1968. Jade Warrior released seven albums during the proggy 1970's, including:- "Jade Warrior" (1971); "Released" (1971); "Last Autumn's Dream" (1972); "Floating World" (1974); "Waves" (1975); "Kites" (1976); & "Way of the Sun" (1978). They followed that studio album up with the compilation album "Reflections" (1979), released at a time when Jade Warrior were taking a long six year hiatus before coming back with the "Horizen" album in 1984. Jade Warrior's first three albums were released on the Prog-Rock Vertigo label, before switching to Chris Blackwell's Island Records in 1974. In total, the band have recorded fourteen studio albums throughout their long career with their most recent album "NOW" released in 2008. The line-up for this first self-titled album consisted of Jon Field (flutes, percussion); Tony Duhig  (guitars); & Glyn Havard  (bass, vocals). The album is notable for not including a drummer in this first line-up. Let's step into the mysterious oriental world of Jade Warrior now and check out the album.
 
Getting the album underway, we're on the move with "The Traveller", opening to the sound of a gentle acoustic guitar and floating flute with a percussionist lightly tapping away on the bongos. The exotic music conjures up images of some faraway land in the mystical east. Wait a minute though - what's this!? Leaping out of nowhere like a sleeping samurai comes a fuzzy electric guitarist with a soaring spacey solo. This is Psychedelic/Space Rock like you've never heard it played before. This is no gentle Japanese tea ceremony in the style of Marlon Brando's "Teahouse of the August Moon". No, this is a soaring sonic nirvana of fuzzy acid guitar, designed to exhilarate and elevate the mind and body into a state of euphoria - and you don't even need any psychedelic substances to get high. All you need is this emotionally elevating music. Floating gently back down to Earth now, comes the Blues-Rock number "A Prenormal Day at Brighton".  This song is no laid-back "Bell-Bottom Blues" though. No, this is a spirited, toe-tapping Blues-Rock number with attitude, which is all the more surprising considering Jade Warrior didn't include a drummer in their first line-up. Instead, we have a percussionist pounding away on whatever he can lay his hands on with the fuzzy psychedelic guitarist taking us right back to those halcyon days gone by when hippy guys and gals wore flowers in their hair. We're in deepest darkest Africa for the next song "Masai Morning". It's all very ethnic in the opening with the sound of a floating flute and what sounds like an African tribesman pounding away on the percussion. It sounds like the kind of tribal music you might hear on a wild African safari, or if your budget doesn't quite stretch that far, watching old repeats of "Daktari". First impressions aren't always right though, because the wild guitarist is just waiting in the wings to give us another dynamic burst of some fuzzy guitar riffing. This is energetic ethnic music  that's best listened to on a verandah with a glass of jungle juice in your hand as you watch herds of wildebeest galloping across the savannah. Failing that, you could just lie back at night with the lights off and dream of being on safari amid the breath-taking scenery of Kenya, ala Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) in "Out of Africa". Floating into view now comes "Windweaver", a beautifully laid-back mellow groove with some super soar-away guitar and flute soloing. This is gorgeous music that floats along like a cool gentle breeze. Just lie back and let "Windweaver" weave it's magical spell on you. The music segues nicely into "Dragonfly Day" to close out Side One. It's the longest song on the album at nearly eight minutes long. This is another cool and gentle groove with the ethnic sound of the tom-toms, acoustic guitar and feathery flute carrying us away to some warm and distant far-eastern land. It's psychedelic transcendental music to lay back and meditate to in a passionate "Purple Haze" of sound. The music is very much in the style of that other well-known psychedelic and spiritual band,  Quintessence. This music is moody and magnificent!
 
Moving swiftly along through Side Two now, so as not to get hopelessly bogged down in a long review comes "Petunia", a back-to-basics raw Blues-Rock number, reminding us that this is a British Rock album we're listening to here and not some multi-ethnic tribe of musicians from Asia and Africa. Next on the line is "Telephone Girl", an upbeat and uplifting wild psychedelic guitar groove with the percussionist passionately pounding away on the bongo drums. This is a tribal psychedelic revival that's foot-stompingly good. Next up is the bizarrely-titled "Psychiatric Sergeant", a fluty number which is very reminiscent of Jethro Tull. The flautist is in full-flight on this energetic song, which immediately conjures up an image of Ian Anderson standing on one leg in typical merry minstrel fashion. Next, we're taking a "Slow Ride", a light and delicate  acoustic guitar and fluty instrumental melody. This leads us gently into the closing number and the highlight of the album, "Sundial Song". This song is a veritable potpourri of exotic music, opening with a flawless flute and gentle percussion, followed by an aggressive samurai thrust of heavy guitar riffing,  and then  effortlessly transposing back into a marvellous mellifluous floating wave of sound for the magnificent conclusion.
 
This stunning debut album from Jade Warrior has it all! It's a spicy multi-ethnic cocktail of exotic instrumentation that's a little bit off the beaten track. If you're in the mood to spice up your life with some exotic and experimental non-western music that's not on the usual tourist trail, then take a psychedelic trip back in time with this superb album of musical exploration. This is a timeless album of intoxicating melodic prog that improves with age, just like a fine vintage wine.



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - December 29 2019 at 01:41
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 29 2019 at 07:56
STEVE HILLAGE - Fish Rising (1975)
1. Solar Music Suite
 
 
2. Fish
 
 
3. Meditation of the Snake
 
 
4. Salmon Song
 
 
5. Aftaglid
 
 
Album Review #58:- 4 stars Renowned guitarist STEVE HILLAGE has been part of the Canterbury Scene since the late 1960's. He was involved with two early one-album band projects: the psychedelic Arzachel (Uriel) album in 1969 and Khan's outstanding "Space Shanty" album in 1971. He's also been a longstanding member of the Jazz-Rock band, Gong. More recently, Steve Hillage was one half of the electronic dance duo, System 7. He also teamed up with ambient musician Evan Marc in 2008 to record the album "Dreamtime Submersible". The album reviewed here, "Fish Rising" (1975), is his first album in a long solo career spanning four decades and seven studio albums. He followed the "Fish Rising" album with six more releases in the late-1970's& early 80's:- "L" (1976); "Motivation Radio" (1977); "Green" (1978); "Rainbow Dome Musick" (1979); "Open" (1979); & finally, "For to Next" (1983). Many of Steve Hillage's bandmates from Gong featured on his first solo outing, including most notably, Pierre Moerlen on drums and percussion and Mike Howlett on bass. The line-up also included Dave Stewart on keyboards, who later paired up with Barbara Gaskin for "It's My Party (And I'll Cry If I Want To) in 1986. The 2007 remastered CD edition of "Fish Rising" added two bonus tracks to the original five pieces of music on the album.

"Fish Rising" consists of three long suites of music and two shorter songs. The album opens radiantly with the four-part "Solar Musick Suite", the longest piece on the album at nearly 17 minutes long. The first part "Sun Song (I Love It's Holy Mystery)" bursts into view like a brilliant ray of sunshine. This warm and melodic prog is positively glowing in rainbow colours with some simply sensational soaring guitar riffing from Steve Hillage. He's in fine voice too with his rich silver-toned vocals adding to the sense of warmth. It's a joyous and uplifting song with a flower-power message of love and peace and eternal optimism as these lyric reveal:- "So people look into each others eyes and gaze at them with certainty, We're gathered here today from all around to celebrate eternity, The spirit in the air is never far immersed in our totality, And the answers that we sit and hope to find, Are living here in side of we." ..... This joyful and invigorating music feels like the burgeoning arrival of spring, where colourful flowers are blooming in a twisting and transitional dance of new growth, as mother nature shakes off winter's cold embrace. This is warm and radiant music to stimulate and rejuvenate the soul. The "Solar Musick Suite" merges effortlessly into "Canterbury Sunrise", a lively Jazz-Rock instrumental, giving Steve Hillage a chance to really shine with some impressive soloing and with Dave Stewart providing sterling accompaniment on the organ. Next up is "Hiram Aftaglid Meets the Dervish", a wild and uninhibited whirling dervish of stirring Canterbury Scene music that's very reminiscent of some of Caravan's wilder Jazz-Rock freak-outs. Finally, there's a brief reprise of the glorious opening "Sun Song", to leave one feeling in joyously buoyant mood. Next comes the simply-titled "Fish", which is a bit of a tuneless mess to be perfectly honest, with the discordant music thrown together in a seemingly haphazard fashion. This is a fish that would have been better left in the ocean. The only good thing about this musical mash-up is it's less than 90 seconds long. Moving swiftly on now with the dreamweaving "Meditation of the Snake", a swirling and twisting magic carpet ride of transcendental ambience that washes over the listener like a blissful dreamwave of sound.

Opening Side Two now, we're going fishing with the 9-minute aquatic suite, "Salmon Song", and it's a pretty good catch too. It's a psychedelic rainbow trout swimming in a sea of spacey guitars, combined with some heavy sonorous riffing, and not forgetting those trademark Hillage guitar glissandos which soar right up into the stratosphere. This is one fish you won't want to throw back into the sea. And now we come to the album highlight, the 15-minute-long seven-piece suite, "Aftaglid", to bring the album to a dramatic and powerful conclusion. This is a real psychedelicatessen of musical styles, featuring gently pastoral acoustics, wild psychedelic riffing and Middle Eastern mantras, all combined together into a magnificent musical melange of sound.

"Fish Rising" is an album full of psychedelic delights, featuring super soar-away soloing, spacey New Age ambience, dynamic keyboard virtuosity, and jaunty Jazz-Rock, all combined together into a delicious potpourri of Canterbury Scene music. This fish-themed album will have you hooked.



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - January 02 2020 at 11:45
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 30 2019 at 12:15
DARK - Round the Edges (1972)
 
 
Album Review #59:- 3 stars DARK were a short-lived British Psychedelic Rock band based in Northampton, who released just one album before splitting up and going their separate ways. Their super-rare "Round the Edges" (1971) album has now become a real collectors item as there were apparently only sixty private pressings made of the original LP album, which were mainly given away to family and friends of the band. According to the New Musical Express, the album has now become one of the rarest and most valuable records of all time, fetching ridiculous prices of anywhere between £5,000 and £25,000. The album was reissued on CD in 2003 with four bonus tracks added to the original six songs on the album. A compilation album titled "Teenage Angst (The Early Sessions)" was issued on CD in 1993. Let's throw some light on the Dark "Round the Edges" album now and give it a listen.

We journey into the "Darkside" for the album opener, which sounds from the title alone, like it might be some dark satanic number, ala Black Sabbath. It all sounds very ominous, like thunderbolt and lightning, very very frightening, but it's really about the "Darkside" of the moon, so there's no need to have nightmares. This psychedelic music is more Iron Butterfly than Black Sabbath. It's a heavy, rough-and-ready, seven and a half minute fuzzy-toned psychedelic jam. It begins as a sweet strawberry sundae of laid-back psychedelia but gradually turns into an aggressive stormy Monday of way-out heavy guitar riffing, and very good it is too. It's not quite in the same league as "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida", but the music has the same raw earthiness to it. We're dancing around the "Maypole" now for the second song, but don't worry, it's not some airy-fairy nonsense about ridiculous-looking Morris Men making fools of themselves as they dance around the "Maypole." No, this is another high-powered, flower-power psychedelic freak out. In true psychedelic fashion, the bizarre lyrics make no sense at all, so one wonders if these guys were eating magic mushrooms before they wrote the following enigmatic lyrics:- "The elephants were dancing round a maypole and a tree, The dog in front loves the dog behind, just like you and me, The English pub collapses like a pack of English cards, I thought we'd have to die of thirst, instead we'll have to starve." ..... Far out, man! It's time now to "Live for Today", because tomorrow might never come, although we're still here to listen to this album nearly fifty years on, having survived the Cold War together. "Live for Today" is the longest song on the album at just over eight minutes in duration. It begins as a laid-back mellow groove, but there's ample time for a long instrumental freak-out of fuzzy chainsaw guitar riffing to close out Side One.

There's really not much to add about the three songs on Side Two:- "R.C.8" "The Cat" & "Zero Time", other than to say they're all hard and heavy psychedelic fuzz-guitar freak-outs, just like Side One, which might even begin to sound monotonous and repetitive to some ears. The music is very much in the style of the American psychedelic band Blue Cheer, who also have the same raw earthiness to their sound. There are no gentle romantic ballads to break up this album and give it more variety. The album is one long unadulterated jam session of fuzz-guitar Hard Rock from beginning to end although, if you're in the mood for a good old-fashioned non-stop barrage of raw, wild and frenzied Psychedelic Rock, then this trippy album might be just your cup of tea.

Don't be afraid of the Dark, step into the light and take a rainbow-coloured psychedelic trip back in time with the Dark "Round the Edges" album. It might not have the power to give you a temporary altered state of conciousness, but you can still get high on this great music without the aid of any psychedelic substances. This is raw and earthy, back to basics, foot-stomping Psychedelic Rock with no pretensions of grandeur. The album might not appeal to fans of Progressive Rock generally, but it IS an essential album for lovers of classic British Psychedelic Rock, and the rarity value of this lost album treasure alone means it's well-worth giving the album a listen. The original LP album is said to be the "Holy Grail" for record collectors.



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - December 31 2019 at 13:33
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GRAVY TRAIN - (A Ballad of) A Peaceful Man (1971)
 
Album Review #60:- 5 stars GRAVY TRAIN were an English melodic prog band, established in St. Helens, Lancashire in 1969. The band never quite managed to make it onto the gravy train of success with their four studio albums. Their eponymous debut album "Gravy Train" (1970) had a heavier sound than the album reviewed here. This second album "(A Ballad of) A Peaceful Man" (1971) features lush string arrangements and is widely regarded to be their best album. Gravy Train followed it up with two further albums:- "Second Birth" (1973); and "Staircase to the Day" (1974). This fourth and final album with a new producer was highly- rated, but sadly, the band decided to call it a day after becoming demoralised when their precious music equipment was stolen from the back of their van. Such are the harsh realities of the music business - an unforgiving world of dashed hopes and broken dreams.

This is an album of two halves - just like a game of soccer - with the three big romantic ballads grouped together on Side One and all of the powerful heavy rockers on Side Two. "Alone in Georgia" is a tremendous album opener. It's a really big production number that Phil Spector would have been proud of, featuring lush strings and rich orchestration with the bereft singer passionately pouring his heart out over his lost love, in true romantic balladeer style. This emotionally-rich and powerful ballad is a resonant Wall of Sound that really tugs at the heartstrings with its impassioned and melodramatic lyrics:- "Left me alone in Georgia, Left me alone inside a city, Why did she go without saying, Why did she leave without a goodbye?" ..... You'd need a heart of stone not to moved by this rousing romantic rhapsody. And now we come to the title track "Ballad of a Peaceful Man", opening to the sound of a flirtatious flute and sweeping strings. This is no gentle ballad though. This is a surging and passionate power ballad that emerges into a sonorous symphony of sound with a powerful anti- war message contained within the lyrics:- "Every time I look upon the market square, There's a monument erected to the dead who fell in war, Pardon me for crying, But I've seen the sight before, I hope it never comes again, Make your mind up, It's our only chance, To live in peace or set the world alight, Alight, yeah!" ..... Amen to that! Make Love, Not War. It's a stark reminder that this song was written at the height of the Cold War, when the fate of the world was very much in the balance. The third song "Jule's Delight" really is a delight to listen to. It's a gorgeous flute-driven melody floating on a symphony of sensational strings. This dramatic music might not quite reach the sublime heights of "Nights in White Satin" or a "Whiter Shade of Pale", but it's a marvellously-rich, mellifluous melody that's best listened to at night between silken sheets of pale satin - preferably with a romantic partner for company.

The opening song on Side Two, "Messenger", is very reminiscent of Jethro Tull. It's a proggy and playful flute-driven song but with a powerful anti-war message contained within the lyrics:- "Messenger swift, Won't you tell me the words that you carry, Stop for a moment and lie with me, I pray you'll tarry, Five more young men who'll never be able to marry, How long will this war last before you die too? Before you die too?" ..... The sound of the flighty flute in the opening brings to mind the merry minstrel Ian Anderson standing on one leg with flute in hand, but it's really another dark tale about the horrors of war. Don't get too downhearted though, because there's a splash of vivid psychedelic colours in a wild and unrestrained fuzz-toned guitar jamboree for the golden grand finale. The next song, "Can Anybody Hear Me?", is a raucous out-and-out rocker with the raspy-voiced singer giving it his all. Everyone can hear him sing this song, including the neighbours, if you play this music LOUD like it's meant to be played. Again, the music sounds like Jethro Tull, but this is Jethro Tull given a burst of high-energy, foot-stomping adrenalin. This is  heavy-duty rock wearing Doc Marten boots, a hard hat and a yellow fluorescent jacket. Next up is "Old Tin Box" which rattles nicely along like..... an old tin box. It's an upbeat and up-tempo Jazz-Rock number featuring the soaring sound of a saxophone. The steady rhythmical beat is redolent of a train rattling down the tracks, so make way because this is no gravy train - this is more like an unstoppable diesel locomotive going full speed ahead. There's no let-up either for "Won't Talk About It", because this is another hard-rocking song with a take-no-prisoners attitude. It's raw and aggressive Blues-Rock where the singer sounds like he's had a bad day, but he doesn't want to talk about it, so stay out of his way. There's no doubt about it, "Won't Talk About It" is the heaviest song on the album by far. Think of Deep Purple with a flute, and that's the powerful song we have here. We're "Home Again" now for the final song on the album, which has something of a tribal native American rhythm to it, so it might just be time to get out the peace pipe and do a rain dance before returning "Home Again" to the comfort of the wigwam for the evening.

Gravy Train have really surpassed themselves with this marvellous melange of music, featuring big romantic orchestral numbers on Side One and hard and heavy rockers on Side Two. Their first album was pretty good, but they've gone one better with this album by incorporating some lovely sweeping string arrangements, giving the music a rich orchestrated fullness. This superb second album should have put them on the gravy train to success, but sadly, it wasn't to be. They were just one of many promising British prog bands who fell by the wayside in the early 1970's, but on a brighter note, they stuck around just long enough to record four great albums, which have now been given a new lease of life thanks to the modern wonder of the Internet.



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - January 01 2020 at 13:19
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CONTINUUM - Autumn Grass (1971)
 
 
 
Album Review #61:- 4 stars CONTINUUM were a two-album British band led by the Hungarian multi-instrumentalist Yoel Schwarcz. Their music featured a unique combination of Progressive Rock, Classical and Jazz. Their first eponymously-titled album passed by virtually unnoticed at the time of its release in 1970, but their second album "Autumn Grass" (1971) is now gaining some well-deserved recognition in the modern Internet era. The album is split into three pieces of music on Side One and the whole of Side Two is occupied by the 26-minute-long suite and title track, "Autumn Grass". Continuum were discontinued shortly after the album's release, but their two amazing albums have now magically reappeared in a spacetime continuum known as the Internet.
 
The tremendous album opener "Byrd Pavan" is presumably a tribute to Jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd, although there's not a trumpet to be heard anywhere on this gorgeous 9-minute piece of music. It begins as a hauntingly-beautiful melody featuring a stately, processional church organist and a flirtatious flautist in accompaniment. The music has a sacred and ethereal ambience, conjuring up an image of some deeply religious and solemn occasion in church. It sounds like the kind of classical Baroque music you might have heard played back in Henry Purcell's time. First impressions can be deceptive though, because out of nowhere comes an animated harmonica player alongside the church organist who suddenly breaks out into a funky fugue of Jazz-Fusion in a dazzling display of keyboard wizardry. A sensational saxophonist joins the party too with some swinging and sophisticated soloing. The bass player and acoustic guitarist also have their moment of glory in the solo spotlight. Although the music is titled "Byrd Pavan", this is no slow processional dance - this is an upbeat, up-tempo and uplifting funky Jazz number that will have the church parishioners dancing down the aisles, although the vicar probably wouldn't approve.
 
The clue is in the title as to what you can expect with "Vivaldi Synthesis Two" because it's Vivaldi's Guitar Concerto given a modern twist with an acoustic guitar virtuoso bathed in soothing symphonic synth strings. This refined and romantic refrain is only 140 seconds long, but it's a marvellous 140 seconds of mellifluous musical magic. Vivaldi has never sounded so vibrant and vivacious.
 
The next piece of music is titled "Overdraft", and a bank overdraft is just what you might need to buy the original "Autumn Grass" LP album, as it's become a pretty rare collectors item these days. This 11 minute piece of music begins as a gentle piano and flute number before breaking out into a fabulous funky Jazz session. The music features a scintillating psychedelic guitar solo as well as an impressive display of keyboard dexterity from the lively organist. This sublime swinging sensation concludes with the gently tinkling sound of a solo piano to play out Side One. This is stirring and stimulating Jazz-Rock designed to light a fire in the soul.
 
And now we come to the magnum opus, the 26-minute-long title track, occupying the whole of Side Two. This is no "Moonlight Serenade". This music is as bright and bubbly as sparkling lemonade. As might be expected, this long piece is a  veritable potpourri of musical instruments and styles. It's a stunning interplay, featuring Baroque piano pieces, classical cellos, pastoral flutes, haunting  harmonica solos, gentle acoustic guitars and tympanic drum sequences. All in all, it's a magnificent display of musical virtuosity in which all of the assembled players are given their chance to shine and display their musical feathers in all of their magnificent plumage. The music on this album has been described as a "ritualistic invocation", which sums it up rather nicely I think
 
"Autumn Grass" is an intoxicating concoction of Jazz and Classical music combined together into an intriguingly heady cocktail of masterful melodies and intricate improvisation, which could best be described as Baroque Jazz-Rock. If you're looking for something completely different, then step out into the "Autumn Grass" world of Continuum, because this is the album for you. "Autumn Grass" is playful and pastoral and this enchanting and emotionally elevating album sounds good at any time of the year.
 


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - January 01 2020 at 08:43
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