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Cosmiclawnmower View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Cosmiclawnmower Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 12 2020 at 14:16
Ive got about 4500 vinyl lps, much of it original pressings.. As I remind my dear wife, it would make one heck of a house fire! Embarrassed Kinda my retirement fund; will help pay the care home fees so my kids wont have toWink
Ive got all 4 (official) Help yourself lps plus the various Man (Christmas at the Patti 2x10'' set)

I tend to collect labels but many are just silly silly silly money (Spiral Vertigo, RCA Neon even EMI Harvest) but my favourite and most complete is Pink Scroll and B&C mad hatter Charisma labels and I was thinking of starting a Record label thread starting with Charisma..

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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: February 12 2020 at 14:41
Originally posted by Cosmiclawnmower Cosmiclawnmower wrote:

Ive got about 4500 vinyl lps, much of it original pressings.. As I remind my dear wife, it would make one heck of a house fire! Embarrassed Kinda my retirement fund; will help pay the care home fees so my kids wont have toWink
Ive got all 4 (official) Help yourself lps plus the various Man (Christmas at the Patti 2x10'' set)

I tend to collect labels but many are just silly silly silly money (Spiral Vertigo, RCA Neon even EMI Harvest) but my favourite and most complete is Pink Scroll and B&C mad hatter Charisma labels and I was thinking of starting a Record label thread starting with Charisma..
4,500 vinyl albums! That's very impressive. I have around 2,600 CD's and around 160 of those are prog. Here's a link to my entire Prog-Rock CD collection which I've just updated to include the prog CD's I bought recently:-
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote HarryAngel746 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2020 at 07:01
Hello!
Oh! Dr. Z ! this mumbo jumbo voodoo harpsichord

 

album is one of my favourities!
Lirycs and concept also funny resoning with movie Angel Heart from 1987 Wink  

from the early UK obscurities I think this is also funny archaic sounding thing:

Deep Feeling 1971
(added to PA not so long ago)

full album playlist:


Edited by HarryAngel746 - February 13 2020 at 07:02
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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: February 13 2020 at 07:25
Originally posted by HarryAngel746 HarryAngel746 wrote:

Hello!
Oh! Dr. Z ! this mumbo jumbo voodoo harpsichord

 

album is one of my favourities!
Lirycs and concept also funny resoning with movie Angel Heart from 1987 Wink  

from the early UK obscurities I think this is also funny archaic sounding thing:

Deep Feeling 1971
(added to PA not so long ago)

full album playlist:
Thanks! I'll review Deep Feeling's album in my next batch of reviews. 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: February 13 2020 at 10:12
DARRYL WAY'S WOLF - Canis Lupus (1973)
 
 
Album Review #102:- 5 stars DARRYL WAY's WOLF emerged from the band CURVED AIR when violinist and keyboard player Darryl Way decided he needed a breath of fresh air. He recorded three albums with Curved Air before breezing away:- "Airconditioning" (1970); "Second Album" (1971) and "Phantasmagoria" (1972). He also co-wrote Curved Air's one and only hit song: "Back Street Luv". He left the band to form his own group Darryl Way's Wolf - or simply Wolf - in 1972 with a sense of dogged determination, although his band project never quite managed to achieve the howling success of Curved Air. Darryl Way's Wolf recorded three albums together:- "Canis Lupus" (1973); "Saturation Point" (1973) and "Night Music" (1974). The first album "Canis Lupus" (the Latin name for Wolf), features a number of classical themes, so let's travel Bach in time now to the proggy annus mirabilis year of 1973 and take a look at the album from a 21st century 20/20 vision perspective.

We're journeying back through time and space for "The Void", a spectacular cosmic opening to the album. This lively Jazz-Rock number features warm and silver-toned vocals from singer and bass player Dek Messecar, in powerful combination with a sparkling display of dexterity from Jazzy guitarist John Etheridge, and just to remind us that the piano is a percussion instrument in the orchestra, Darryl Way really hammers away at those piano keys with passionate intensity, backed up by drummer Ian Mosley giving the song some added Wolf bite with his pounding percussion. Well, that's all of the four lupine band members given a well-deserved name-check in the opening, so onwards to the next song: "Isolation Waltz". This song is no Waltzing Matilda though. No, "Isolation Waltz" is a storming rocker, in solid pulverizing 4/4 Rock time, and definitely not some wimpy pendulating Waltzy tune in 3/4 time. Darryl Way's way-out manic violin bow curves through the air demonically throughout this solid rocker, bringing to mind some of the classic Curved Air blasts from the past. In fact, Way's vital and vivacious violin playing sounds like Vivaldi going at pell-mell speed on anabolic steroids. Make no mistake, this band are no wolves in sheep's clothing! If you "Go Down" to the woods today, you might just meet a big bad Wolf, or you might be in for a big surprise with "Go Down", which features the band Wolf in a much mellower mood this time around in this cool and groovy Jazz number. This smooth and sophisticated Jazz would no doubt be best listened to whilst dressed elegantly in a dinner jacket or evening dress whilst cooling sipping on a dry Martini - shaken not stirred - in a salubrious cocktail lounge. Yes, it's that kind of cool Jazzy music that might have featured in an early James Bond movie, or maybe a much more recent Austin Powers movie. Either way, it's a great song. The final song on Side One "Wolf", represents a return to some mean and mighty Jazz-Rock with another vivid violin display from Darryl Way of stunning Vivaldi-esque proportions. This song has claws!

We're off on another crazy helter-skelter violin ride with "Cadenza". What's a "Cadenza" you may well ask? Well, it's a a virtuoso solo musical performance, and that's exactly what you get here from Darryl Way's maniacal violin. In fact, ALL of the musicians in the band are given the chance to display their magnificent musical plumage here with stunning style and panache. There's the inevitable drum solo, a dynamic dazzling display from Darryl Way on the keyboards, and a glittering glissando of guitar soloing. Darryl Way's incredible keyboards soar so high up into the stratosphere on this magnificent magnum opus that they almost go beyond the limits of human hearing. If you play this exhilarating music loudly and your dog starts going crazy, then you'll know the reason why. All in all, it's an outstanding piece of music. There's another invigorating burst of music on the way with "Chanson Sans Paroles" (which is French for "Song Without Words). The music is exactly what it says on the label because it's an instrumental, although the uninspiring term "instrumental" can never do justice to this fabulous piece of music. Take cover and batten down the hatches because Hurricane Darryl is on the Way! You can expect to hear another stunning display of awesome musical virtuosity with Darryl Way's wild and untamed werewolf violin leading the way. This is Jazz-Rock like you've never heard it played before and it's just as good - if not better than - anything Curved Air have ever done. This stormy music is no light breeze. No, this is more like a category five hurricane of unbridled raw power and energy! It's safe to come out now though, because the closing number "McDonald's Lament" is a return to altogether gentler climes. "McDonald's Lament" is nothing to do with a well-known American fast-food chain running out of hamburgers. It's just a gentle slice of Irish Folk whimsy floating on a mellow wave of vivacious violin strings and delicate percussion.

Darryl Way's Wolf "Canis Lupus" debut is an incredible howling performance from beginning to end. If you like Curved Air, then you'll surely love Darryl Way's Wolf. They're like a breath of fresh air.  This terrific lupine "Bark at the Moon" music jumps up and bites when you least expect it, so watch out, there's a Wolf about!



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - February 13 2020 at 11:30
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 14 2020 at 09:20
HIGH TIDE - Sea Shanties (1969)
 
 
Album Review #103:- 4 stars HIGH TIDE were a very 'eavy, very 'umble Psychedelic Rock band from England. They released eight albums over the course of four decades, although it's their ironically-titled debut "Sea Shanties" (1969) that's by far their best-known album. The album represents one of the earliest progenitors of the Heavy Metal sound and High Tide are often compared with the American Acid Rock band Blue Cheer. High Tide followed up the powerhouse "Sea Shanties" album with a self-titled album in 1970 and then took a very long hiatus before making a comeback with a new line-up in the late-1980's with an incredible run of six back to back albums in a row:- "Interesting Times" (1986); "Precious Cargo" (1989); "The Flood" (1990); "Fierce Nature" (1990); "Ancient Gates" (1990); and "The Reason of Success" (1991). And so, without further ado, let's give "Sea Shanties" a listen before the tide comes in.

HERE IS A WEATHER WARNING:- There's a storming gale of VERY HEAVY Psychedelic Rock on the way which is expected to reach Force 10 on the Beaufort Scale. Occasional gusts of very high decibels are expected! The opening blitzkrieg of storming Hard Rock and Heavy Metal thunder is titled "Futilist's Lament", and it would indeed be futile to lament the loss of sleep throughout this window-rattling sonic blast. This thunderous assault on the eardrums won't just keep you awake, it'll probably wake up the neighbours too and have them angrily banging on your door. There's no peace for the wicked (or the good) either with the next song "Death Warmed Up" as the non-stop artillery barrage of sound continues. This storming "Sea Shanty" is an unrelenting 9-minute-long pressure wave that's LOUD enough to wake the dead, never mind the neighbours, and it's probably the only time you'll ever hear a violin played on a heavy Psychedelic Rock/Metal album. Yes, really! A violin! Although you've never heard a violin played quite like this before. This even goes beyond the incredible power of Darryl Way's manic violin-playing in Curved Air. Yes, it really IS that awesome! Is this stunning album Psychedelic Rock or is it Heavy Metal? Who knows? Maybe it's some amazing new hybrid such as Psychedelic Metal. Either way, it's a remarkable album of unbridled raw power and energy. Phew! There's a bit of a breather now but not for long with "Pushed, But Not Forgotten". The song opens deceptively gently, but there's another storming outburst of Heavy Metal thunder and lightning on the way. It's not quite the storming hurricane of the first two powerful numbers, because this third song contains some gentler melodic passages, and it sounds all the better for it too. After all, thunderbolt and lightning can be very very frightening (according to Queen). This song is more like a warm gentle breeze with occasional outbursts of Heavy Metal thunder raining down, so keep an umbrella handy.

The enigmatically-titled "Walking Down Their Outlook" doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but who says LSD-influenced wild and crazy Psychedelic Rock has to make any sense anyway!? One thing's for sure though, it's another burst of raw Psychedelic Metal mayhem, featuring an absolutely maniacal violin player running rampant throughout. Who would have believed a delicate violin could ever sound so incredibly LOUD! Not Stradivari or Vivaldi, that's for sure! There's no let-up in the incredible pace of this album, so be prepared for more fireworks with "Missing Out", another 9-minute-long, non-stop fusillade of Heavy Metal cannon fire. This sonic blast explodes into life like a psychedelic shell burst bathed in glowing iridescent rainbow colours. There's more musical madness and mayhem on the way with "Nowhere", and nowhere will you find any gentle romantic ballads on this album. It's another wild and frenzied, psychedelic violin ride aboard the crazy train, which brings the album to a magnificent conclusion in a storming blaze of pounding and percussive glory.

High Tide's "Sea Shanties" rides high on a great tsunami wave of thunderous raw energy and power. "Sea Shanties" they are NOT! This is a rolling wave of storming Heavy Metal thunder from beginning to end. Batten down the hatches and hold on tight because it's going to be a wild and windy ride. There's an unstoppable High Tide on its way with a Force 10 gale blowing in on this supersonic blast from the past. Come hell or high water, you won't want to miss out on the storming ballroom blitz of High Tide!



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - February 15 2020 at 09:52
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote dr wu23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 14 2020 at 09:58
Both good...Wolf..have first 2 on cd.... wish I had High Tide on orig lp....pricey. Have the cd,
I have the 3rd Wolf, Night Music on lp...found it in Indianapolis a few years ago.
The second High Tide is also  good.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 14 2020 at 10:31
Originally posted by dr wu23 dr wu23 wrote:

Both good...Wolf..have first 2 on cd.... wish I had High Tide on orig lp....pricey. Have the cd,
I have the 3rd Wolf, Night Music on lp...found it in Indianapolis a few years ago.
The second High Tide is also  good.
High Tide's "Sea Shanties" is the heaviest Psychedelic Rock album I've heard since listening to Blue Cheer's "Vincebus Eruptum" album, although I preferred Darryl Way's Wolf album because there was a lot more variety to it, instead of the High Tide non-stop barrage of Heavy Metal thunder from beginning to end. Smile


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - February 14 2020 at 10:43
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote dr wu23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 14 2020 at 11:09
Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by dr wu23 dr wu23 wrote:

Both good...Wolf..have first 2 on cd.... wish I had High Tide on orig lp....pricey. Have the cd,
I have the 3rd Wolf, Night Music on lp...found it in Indianapolis a few years ago.
The second High Tide is also  good.
High Tide's "Sea Shanties" is the heaviest Psychedelic Rock album I've heard since listening to Blue Cheer's "Vincebus Eruptum" album, although I preferred Darryl Way's Wolf album because there was a lot more variety to it, instead of the High Tide non-stop barrage of Heavy Metal thunder from beginning to end. Smile

I like  Tony Hill's  voice on High Tide;  an even more menacing version of Jim  Morrison......but the music can be a bit much over the whole course of the lp.
One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 15 2020 at 05:34
MAY BLITZ - May Blitz (1970)
 
 
Album Review #104:-   MAY BLITZ were a hurricane-force English/Canadian power trio. They recorded two albums of storming Psychedelic Rock in the early 1970's. Their first album "May Blitz" (1970), released on the renowned Vertigo label, features arguably one of the worst album covers in rock history, but you can't judge an album by its cover, so let's hope the cover is no reflection of the music contained within. The second May Blitz album, the aptly-titled "2nd of May" (1971), would be their final studio album as the trio disbanded shortly afterwards in late 1971 due to lack of commercial success and two of the band members returned to their native Canada. A retrospective Live album was released in 2012, featuring a concert recording from Essen, Germany in 1970. And so, without further ado, it's time to load up the arsenal and unleash the musical blitzkrieg of fire and fury that is May Blitz.
 
"Smoking the Day Away" opens the album in a swirling 8-minute-long purple haze of wispy psychedelic smoke. It's a heady and intoxicating flower-power acid trip that takes you right back to those wild and crazy, hazy lazy days of summer in San Francisco in 1967, without ever having to leave the comfort of your front room. These three guys in May Blitz have probably never been anywhere near San Francisco either, but you'd never guess that from this acid-drenched psychedelic trip. They sound like they were born to be wild within sight of the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge. They're probably in their rocking chairs by now though - if they're still around - bearing in mind this album was recorded back in a distant bygone age, half a century ago. You can almost picture yourself riding on the back of Peter Fonda's Easy Rider motorcycle whilst listening to this music, even if the sad reality is that you're more suited to riding 'round in the back of Henry Fonda's family station wagon. I don't Know about you, but I'm in the mood for some heavy Blues-Rock, and that's exactly what you get with the second song, "I Don't Know", a mean and mighty blues number, bringing to mind classic Cream, only this band sound even more raw and earthy than the Rock God power trio of Clapton, Bruce & Baker, if that's at all possible. This bluesy music is probably more similar in style to the other well-known heavy British blues trio, The Edgar Broughton Band.  Our third song "Dreaming" opens as a laid-back acid-tinged excursion into a dreamy Twilight Zone world of transcendental meditation, where the hazy-voiced singer sounds like he's stoned out of his mind.  Don't get too laid-back though, because the music soon goes off the rails completely - a bit like this album review - and takes us on a harum scarum wild phantasmagoric nightmare ride along the highway to hell and back, followed by a return to calmer restorative climes for the mellow flower-power peace and love conclusion.  This is wonderfully heady stuff and the glorious highlight of the album so far. After "Dreaming", it's time now to wake up and smell the coffee and get ready for Side Two.
 
We may need to delve into the lyrics of the mysteriously-titled "Squeet" to find out what it's all about, so here goes:- "Squeet, All over a wall, Dying  to have a ball, It's been too long, I feel, I feel it coming on, Squeet, all over the wall." ..... No, it still makes no sense whatsoever, but who says hazy, acid-influenced Psychedelic Rock has to make any sense anyway!? One thing's for sure, it's a real storming humdinger of a song, despite the crazy lyrics being like a riddle wrapped inside an enigma. This great song represents a perfect example of early 1970's psychedelic stoner rock long before Stoner Rock with a capital "S" had even been invented. After the wonderfully dreamy (and occasionally nightmarish) excursion of "Dreaming" on Side One, along comes "Tomorrow May Come", another hazy lazy fantasy ride aboard the brightly-painted magic bus. You can really chill out and relax to this moody and mellow music, so just close your eyes and be transported back in time to the late-1960's hippy-trail along the magnificent Golden Gate highway of dreams - and you don't even need a bus ticket to travel there. FIRE IN THE HOLE! Take cover, because it's time now for the fiery sonic outburst of "Fire Queen", a  fast and furious blazing trail of Psychedelic Rock which explodes into life like a grenade and then bombs along relentlessly at full steam ahead for four solid minutes. Sensational! What we need now after that supersonic assault on the eardrums is a return to calmer seas, and that's precisely what we get with "Virgin Waters". Prepare to sail away and let the calming music wash over you in a blissful sea of dreams for this wonderful trip back in time to the psychedelic sixties. It's groovy, baby!
 
May Blitz have delivered a storming blitzkrieg of heavy Psychedelic Rock with this superb debut album. It's not ALL heavy and thunderous Rock though, as the album's sprinkled with a nice liberal helping of laid-back trippy tunes too. All in all, there's enough variety on offer here to keep everyone entertained, even if you're not a flower-power child of the sixties.


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - February 16 2020 at 03:02
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 15 2020 at 06:00
KATE BUSH - Album Ratings Only:-
 
3 stars1. The Kick Inside (1978)
3 stars2. Lionheart (1978)
3 stars3. Never for Ever (1980)
2 stars4. The Dreaming (1982)
5 stars5. Hounds of Love (1985) 
4 stars6. The Sensual World (1989)
4 stars7. The Red Shoes (1993)
5 stars8. Aerial (2005) 
4 stars9. Director's Cut (2011)
5 stars10. 50 Words for Snow (2011)
 


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - February 26 2020 at 01:12
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote dr wu23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 15 2020 at 07:12
^^ I had forgotten about May Blitz....have that on original vinyl thanks to a friend  who found a copy in Denver of all places......not played it  in a long time. 
You are finding some nuggets for sure.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 15 2020 at 08:23
Originally posted by dr wu23 dr wu23 wrote:

^^ I had forgotten about May Blitz....have that on original vinyl thanks to a friend  who found a copy in Denver of all places......not played it  in a long time. 
You are finding some nuggets for sure.
;0
Thanks! May Blitz is a Golden Gate nugget for sure, and I was instantly blown away by it in a storming February Blitz of heavy psychedelic thunder and lightning. That was the first time I'd ever heard the album today. Smile
 
I'll have some more entertaining parodies of real album reviews coming up before too long, just as soon as I've finished listening to all of Kate Bush's albums and picked my favourite song from each album for the Create Your Own Kate Bush Album thread. Smile
 
The one and only Peggy's Leg "Grinilla" album is up for review next - a recent addition to ProgArchives and another album I've never heard before. It's also the first time I've reviewed an album from an Irish band, so they're not quite Prog Britannia, but at least they're still within the realms of The British Isles. Smile


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - February 15 2020 at 08:24
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 15 2020 at 08:43
^ the second May Blitz album is great too. Don't miss that one

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 15 2020 at 09:27
Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

^ the second May Blitz album is great too. Don't miss that one
Thanks! I'll give it a listen. At least the album cover on the second May Blitz album is a big improvement over their first album cover. 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: February 15 2020 at 09:41
Those early proto prog/ blues rock things are fun...I'm also a fan of Steamhammer ,Gravy Train, Groundhogs, Patto... and other early bands in that vein. ..who we have talked about before.

Edited by dr wu23 - February 15 2020 at 09:43
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 15 2020 at 09:46
Originally posted by dr wu23 dr wu23 wrote:

Those early proto prog/ blues rock things are fun...I'm also a fan of Steamhammer ,Gravy Train, Groundhogs, Patto... and other early bands in that vein. ..who we have talked about before.
 
Yes, Groundhogs are another band I can add to my long list of albums to review. There's also a review for Patto coming up in the not too distant future, when I journey back into the past again. 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: February 16 2020 at 08:59
PEGGY'S LEG - Grinilla (1973)
 
 
Album Review #105:- PEGGY'S LEG are a relatively recent addition to ProgArchives. We're travelling across the Irish Sea to meet them as they hail from Dublin in the Emerald Isle. Peggy's Leg were a short-lived band who released just one album "Grinilla" in 1973, which was apparently recorded in the space of just 24 hours. The bizarre album cover depicts a gorilla with a big cheesy grin (hence "Grin-illa"), apparently lumbering across the surface  of the Moon in an astronaut's outfit with a big banana on its back, which might give some indication of the unique music contained within. The music of Peggy's Leg has sometimes been described as classically-inspired Symphonic Rock, so  let's have a listen to "Grinilla" and find out for ourselves.
 
We're travelling back in time for "History Tells" where the enigmatic musical mystery of Peggy's Leg is gradually unveiled, just like an Irish limerick. Their music is hard to describe, so, somewhat inevitably, the band have found themselves in the Eclectic Prog section of ProgArchives, a prog sub-genre that's reserved for bands who don't fit conveniently into one particular genre of music.  The opening track is a curious mixture of Jazz-Rock combined with acoustic Folk and subtle shades of Psychedelic Rock thrown into the mix too. One thing's for sure though, it's a recipe for success and the hairy "Grinilla" pictured on the album cover deserves a whole bunch of bananas because "History Tells" us that this terrific opening song is top banana. It gets even better too with the second song "Think for Yourself", a very commercially appealing and joyfully optimistic tune that's loaded with passionate intensity and which is very reminiscent of the Fab Four. Yes, there are definite Beatles influences to be heard in this charming acoustic melody which features some lovely harmonising too, in true Beatle-esque fashion. If all was fair in love and war and the harsh music business - where many dreams of stardom have been shattered - this potential hit record could have gone storming up the charts and reached the number one spot, but sadly, it wasn't to be as the song was never released as a single - not even in their native Ireland - as far as can be gathered. Such are the vagaries of the cynical music industry though, where so many budding new bands have withered on the vine, and Peggy's Leg unfortunately never managed to gain the widespread recognition that they deserved, either at home or across the Irish Sea in Great Britain. Anyway, after that minor digression, it's time for our third song "Variations for Huxley", a reference to the English writer Aldous Huxley (1894-1964) who was best-known for his book "Brave New World", about a dystopian futuristic World State - a bit like the European Union, only on a much larger scale. "Variations for Huxley" is a lovely 10-minute-long acoustic Folk Rock number bathed in warm golden guitar strings. This gorgeous piece of music begins as a gentle instrumental,  with delicately understated guitar and percussion, carrying the listener along on a mellow wave of blissful harmony and melody. The upwelling music slowly gathers in pace and intensity, shifting into high gear when the singer and electric guitarist emerge to give the glowing performances of a lifetime in a gloriously uplifting display of majestic epic splendour. The grand finale to this outstanding song is simply sublime and we still have Side Two to look forward to yet.
 
We're Bach for the classically-inspired "Into the Nightmare", which opens deceptively-gently as a Jazz-Rock number with a good helping of classical Bach-style influences to be heard too. The clue to the music contained within is in the title though, because the song suddenly veers off the beaten track totally without warning and takes us on a storming nightmare ride of pounding machine-gun percussion and wild psychedelic guitar riffing in a sonorous explosion of raw power and energy. This is music that's meant to be played LOUD! The crazy off-the-rails nightmare train ride ends just as suddenly as it began as "Into the Nightmare" returns to the dream-like state of peaceful pastures for the gentle bucolic ending to this superb three-piece suite. This stunning album is no horrid nightmare though - it's turning out to be a heavenly dream-come-true album of classic Progressive Rock. We're on the move again with "Just Another Journey", where Peggy's Leg get to firmly establish their classical and jazz credentials in a glorious musical maelstrom of dynamic energy and sound. Again, the diverse music can't be easily pigeon-holed as it  combines  Jazz, Classical and Prog-Rock in equal measure in an intoxicating mixture that makes for great music. In fact, It's hard to compare this one-of-a-kind band with any other band as they've artfully managed to develop their own unique style, which isn't easy to do in the huge music industry. The sixth and final piece of music on the album will be instantly recognisable because it's none other than Aram Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance", although you've NEVER heard it played quite like this before. This storming number barrels along relentlessly at 100 miles per hour with all of the power of a runaway steam locomotive. You really have to hear it to believe it!
 
Peggy's Leg have concocted a delicious Irish stew of Classical, Folk, Jazz and Prog-Rock in this stunning one-off album. This merry band of Irishmen could never be accused of aping the music of other bands, because "Grinilla" is a unique rarity in the progosphere which sounds like nothing you've ever heard before, and probably like nothing you'll ever hear in the future either. There's no monkeying around here, because the six outstanding pieces of music on this extraordinary album are all King Kong giants! This Eclectic Prog masterpiece will surely leave any ardent prog lover grinning like a Cheshire Cat, or indeed, grinning like a "Grinilla" upon hearing this outstanding album for the first time. Give the "Grinilla" a banana. He deserves it!
 


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - February 17 2020 at 15:44
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote dr wu23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 16 2020 at 09:26
Listening to Peggys Leg....never heard of them before....did you find them on that list I linked to?
Being Irish they should have chosen the name 'Paddy's Leg'... ;)

From you tube link:
'Here for your delight is the complete Mega Rare LP by `Peggy`s Leg` called Grinilla, a fantastic slice of Prog Rock that never sold on its release in 1973 , privately released on The Bunch Label originals are almost impossible to find due to a very small number pressed'

That's one of those rare things like Dark..Round the Edges where only 500 copies were pressed...an original vinyl of Peggy sold for $250 on ebay in 2010....one sold for $784 in 2014.
I love hearing those old early Brit things....and here I thought I knew almost all of them.
;)


Edited by dr wu23 - February 16 2020 at 09:32
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 16 2020 at 10:29
Originally posted by dr wu23 dr wu23 wrote:

Listening to Peggys Leg....never heard of them before....did you find them on that list I linked to?
Being Irish they should have chosen the name 'Paddy's Leg'... ;)

From you tube link:
'Here for your delight is the complete Mega Rare LP by `Peggy`s Leg` called Grinilla, a fantastic slice of Prog Rock that never sold on its release in 1973 , privately released on The Bunch Label originals are almost impossible to find due to a very small number pressed'

That's one of those rare things like Dark..Round the Edges where only 500 copies were pressed...an original vinyl of Peggy sold for $250 on ebay in 2010....one sold for $784 in 2014.
I love hearing those old early Brit things....and here I thought I knew almost all of them.
;)
I first came across "Paddy's Leg" on a YouTube link some months ago and I saw they'd been added to ProgArchives very recently. I didn't realise until today though that their "Grinilla" album hadn't yet been rated or reviewed.  I've got them off to a flying head-start with a full five-star rating. Smile
 
That's the second time I've written the first review for an album. The first time was for Roger Glover's "Butterfly Ball".


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - February 16 2020 at 10:41
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