Robert Connolly for X-over or Eccelectic

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    RYM review from apps 79:
Robert 
Connolly's main occupations are author, film producer and 
journalist. Born in mid-50's in Hamilton, Ontario, he somehow made a 
little attempt on producing his own Prog opus, titled ''Plateau'', 
apparently a sci-fi concept, coming with a comic book around the story, 
with Connolly playing guitar, keys and bass and getting outside help by 
local friends.More or less a typical US/Canadian underground Prog album 
with lots of layered synths, cosmic movements of a spacious mood and 
some strong ELP-type of organ runs.Vocals are a matter of question, 
sound rather amateurish over a muddy production and low-cost effect 
distortions, after all this was a home production.Anyway, a nice 
Canadian Prog curio with interesting keyboard parts and some upbeat 
electrified solos on guitar.

https://www.discogs.com/fr/Robert-Connolly-Plateau/release/1641046
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/robert_connolly/plateau/

Review from Tom Hayes (Ashratom)
Even though 
Connolly is standing next to a double neck guitar on the back cover, I 
believe his true passion is keyboards (and he's loaded with all the fun 
analog stuff like Mellotron, Mini Moog and Hammond). The concept is pure
 1970's space alien fantasy and comes complete with a goofy comic book 
(and any righteous CD label MUST reproduce this bad boy). For the album,
 Connolly put together two entirely different groups, each side 
represented. Side 1 mixes narration, female vocals, acoustic balladry 
and all out progressive rock that recalls Eloy's "Power and the 
Passion", but truthfully better. Side 2 is where Connolly hands over the
 guitar duties as well as brings on a male lead singer - while he 
focuses entirely on the keys. No question this side is the more 
traditional progressive rock, though the vocals tend towards the AOR 
side, typical of the region. Given this new outlook, I'm appreciating 
Robert Connolly's album more now than ever. It's the time and place.

From Gnosis2000net: 
Somewhere next to Tolkien and Arthurian concept albums are those esoteric prehistory concepts like pages from Chariots of the Gods?. Robert Connolly's Plateau even has campy narration to help the storyline along, detracting from this analog-heavy symphonic music in a manner that even surpasses the Dark Side of the Moon or Renaissance-like vocals on the opening cuts. So in a way, Plateau could be a poster child for everything excessive about prog-rock - the esoteric subject matter, the heavy keyboards, the overwrought melodrama, and the stylistic nods to Yes and even the Alan Parsons Project. Obviously the compositional work of one guy, most of the themes don't even approach the intricacy of his influences, staying to either simple keyboard/organ romps or guitar-led ballads. And while the narration quickly becomes irritating, once the male vocals start up, you'll be praying for it to return. Yes, Plateau has some nice proggy sections, those overused minor key progressions with mellotrons and monophonic synth leads, but as late as 1978, this sort of mainstream/AOR tinged symphonic rock had lost any sense of freshness. While this is surely a better album than, say, something by Starcastle or Styx, I'd tier it underneath music by England or other standout late 70s symphonic artists such as Happy the Man. For proggy prog fans with their blinders stil attached only.

Edited by Sean Trane - May 07 2021 at 00:49

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Sean Trane Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Prog Folk Joined: April 29 2004 Location: Heart of Europe Status: Offline Points: 20300	Post Options Post Reply Quote Sean Trane Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Robert Connolly for X-over or Eccelectic Posted: May 07 2021 at 00:39
	RYM review from apps 79: Robert Connolly's main occupations are author, film producer and journalist. Born in mid-50's in Hamilton, Ontario, he somehow made a little attempt on producing his own Prog opus, titled ''Plateau'', apparently a sci-fi concept, coming with a comic book around the story, with Connolly playing guitar, keys and bass and getting outside help by local friends.More or less a typical US/Canadian underground Prog album with lots of layered synths, cosmic movements of a spacious mood and some strong ELP-type of organ runs.Vocals are a matter of question, sound rather amateurish over a muddy production and low-cost effect distortions, after all this was a home production.Anyway, a nice Canadian Prog curio with interesting keyboard parts and some upbeat electrified solos on guitar. https://www.discogs.com/fr/Robert-Connolly-Plateau/release/1641046 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/robert_connolly/plateau/ Review from Tom Hayes (Ashratom) Even though Connolly is standing next to a double neck guitar on the back cover, I believe his true passion is keyboards (and he's loaded with all the fun analog stuff like Mellotron, Mini Moog and Hammond). The concept is pure 1970's space alien fantasy and comes complete with a goofy comic book (and any righteous CD label MUST reproduce this bad boy). For the album, Connolly put together two entirely different groups, each side represented. Side 1 mixes narration, female vocals, acoustic balladry and all out progressive rock that recalls Eloy's "Power and the Passion", but truthfully better. Side 2 is where Connolly hands over the guitar duties as well as brings on a male lead singer - while he focuses entirely on the keys. No question this side is the more traditional progressive rock, though the vocals tend towards the AOR side, typical of the region. Given this new outlook, I'm appreciating Robert Connolly's album more now than ever. It's the time and place. From Gnosis2000net: Somewhere next to Tolkien and Arthurian concept albums are those esoteric prehistory concepts like pages from Chariots of the Gods?. Robert Connolly's Plateau even has campy narration to help the storyline along, detracting from this analog-heavy symphonic music in a manner that even surpasses the Dark Side of the Moon or Renaissance-like vocals on the opening cuts. So in a way, Plateau could be a poster child for everything excessive about prog-rock - the esoteric subject matter, the heavy keyboards, the overwrought melodrama, and the stylistic nods to Yes and even the Alan Parsons Project. Obviously the compositional work of one guy, most of the themes don't even approach the intricacy of his influences, staying to either simple keyboard/organ romps or guitar-led ballads. And while the narration quickly becomes irritating, once the male vocals start up, you'll be praying for it to return. Yes, Plateau has some nice proggy sections, those overused minor key progressions with mellotrons and monophonic synth leads, but as late as 1978, this sort of mainstream/AOR tinged symphonic rock had lost any sense of freshness. While this is surely a better album than, say, something by Starcastle or Styx, I'd tier it underneath music by England or other standout late 70s symphonic artists such as Happy the Man. For proggy prog fans with their blinders stil attached only. Edited by Sean Trane - May 07 2021 at 00:49
	let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword

Rivertree Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Band Submissions Joined: March 22 2006 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 17641	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rivertree Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May 07 2021 at 01:24
	quick check via our evaluation facility on progfreak: the artist was rejected 11 years ago by the crossover team


yam yam Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Collaborator Crossover Team Joined: June 16 2011 Location: Kerberos Status: Offline Points: 6526	Post Options Post Reply Quote yam yam Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May 07 2021 at 04:18
	This is a strange case indeed, since no member of the Crossover team actually voted 'no' for this guy (there were just three 'abstain' votes cast before he was rejected by them). There were two previous suggestions in this forum - one in June 2011, where former admin Alex (harmomium.ro) commented: "Good stuff, sounds like Genesis around 74-76. I'll notify the Symphonic Prog Team" - and then another in March 2016, when another former admin David (Guldbamsen) commented: "He was suggested back in 2011, but I think he sadly fell through the cracks....I've tapped the Crossover team on the shoulder (Connolly was first rejected by the symph team and then passed onto Xover)". It seems there was no response to David's tap on the shoulder from the Crossover team in 2016 (no further updates appeared on progfreak), so it doesn't seem to me as though this guy was really given a fair crack of the whip. It certainly sounds like late 70s progressive rock to me, so I wonder if it might be worth passing the suggestion over to the current Crossover team for a final decision regarding his suitability for inclusion here?

Rivertree Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Band Submissions Joined: March 22 2006 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 17641	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rivertree Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May 07 2021 at 05:57
	^yep, that's a bit curious indeed this will probably open a new option to pick this up once again ...


Sean Trane Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Prog Folk Joined: April 29 2004 Location: Heart of Europe Status: Offline Points: 20300	Post Options Post Reply Quote Sean Trane Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May 07 2021 at 17:01
	Yeah, not a fan of the music in itself, but it clearly belongs in PA's DB it doesn't have to be X-over, though.
	let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword

AFlowerKingCrimson Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: October 02 2016 Location: Philly burbs Status: Offline Points: 18483	Post Options Post Reply Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May 07 2021 at 18:07
	Someone recently mentioned this band on PE.

Gordy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Folk/Eclectic/PSIKE/Metal/Post/Math Team Joined: January 25 2007 Location: US Status: Online Points: 4082	Post Options Post Reply Quote Gordy Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 11 hours 7 minutes ago at 08:15
	A friend recently asked why Connolly wasn't here, and I've been doing my best to dig through the forum archives to look for evaluation progress. If Symph and Crossover won't have him, I personally wouldn't mind seconding Hugues' suggestion and auditioning him at Eclectic, aka "Leftover Prog."

yam yam Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Collaborator Crossover Team Joined: June 16 2011 Location: Kerberos Status: Offline Points: 6526	Post Options Post Reply Quote yam yam Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 9 hours 18 minutes ago at 10:04
	Only one song was available when the Crossover team evaluated him back in June 2011, though it was the main song on the album, accounting for almost 14 minutes of the 35 minutes of music that the original vinyl LP contained. The members of the Crossover team all abstained due to the lack of any other samples, but that's no reason for rejection, so there's no reason why he couldn't be evaluated properly in Crossover now - with the full album now being available on either Spotify or YouTube. 'Plateau' on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k51yr-lHjqT9Mx5clhIYSjEPSI-8qO76E. And on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0qKc4HbYuW00d3LJZ5OhuB. I added the Spotify, RYM, and Amazon links to the album's entry on Awesome Prog. The link to the actual artist is https://awesomeprog.com/artists/10650. Listening now, and I can understand why he was originally sent to the Symphonic Team to be evaluated. The current digital version of the album only runs to around 33 minutes, with all songs being shorter than the times given on the Discogs page for the original vinyl, but I expect there were long gaps between the tracks on the vinyl (and also at the end of side 1) which probably accounts for that. This guy definitely belongs here, and it might even be worth giving the current Symphonic team the chance to run the rule over the album in the first instance, now that full samples are available. Edit: No artist photo in the thread at the moment, so let's fix that: That came from Robert's official website, where his full biography can be found. Another possible photo that could be used can be found here. Or if you don't mind a grainy monochrome one, here he is as a twenty-something in the mid-to-late seventies: As an aside, and for possible inclusion in the eventual biography, in 1975, there was a 45rpm single released by the original band known as 'Plateau' called 'My Life', written by their vocalist Howard Strutt, and with a Robert Connolly composition called 'Under the Big House' included as the 'B' side. 'Under the Big House' was later renamed 'The Oracle', and subsequently included on the 1978 Robert Connolly solo album, but it is the same recording which was later remastered by Robert for use on the album. The track 'My Life' did not appear on the 1978 album however, since it wasn't a Robert Connolly composition. The band Plateau played live at various clubs and bars in the mid seventies, and recorded the song 'Journey' in a professional 24 track studio, but gave up their efforts a couple of years later when no record companies were interested in signing them, and Robert disbanded them. He then recorded enough additional songs at his Cosmic Sound recording studio in Hamilton, Ontario to produce that one LP as a solo artist. The original members of Plateau agreed to allow him to use the music they had previously recorded as a band on his solo album because they did not want to see it go to waste. Edited by yam yam - 7 hours 36 minutes ago at 11:46