The New Age (Jordan Oliver)

 Don't worry Rushfan, I won't get angry with a positive comment about Phil, if yu like his music it's OK with me, I respect him as a drummer and believe he did a nice job in ATOTT and W&W as vocalist.

putting my thoughts here, just to announce:

The New Age (Jordan Olivier) - rejected by the Symphonic Team after a rather nasty discussion, I've done my part in listening and think it's not enough chemistry for Eclectic. I'd suggest Crossover, mainly because I do hear some nice (even if totally un-amazing) samples of lite (light) prog, symphonic/melodic/fantasy/charm music inspired music or new-age (prog) rock. The weak parts are in the vocals (the "recitation" in Be Aware = oof, bad goosebumps...), the beats and sways covered with noises and sugar atmospheres, the Emerson cameo I myself think as a "rip-off" (or a very, very similar cover, anyway) and such.

From very small samples like "Iran", "Lost Horizons" or such I couldn't extract almost any impression, it's impossible to just hear the noisy intro and bit of the beginning rhythm and to say in what genre does it belong. But, overall, both the "qualities" and the "mistakes" in key pieces like "Neptune" (not my favorite cup of symphonic/progressive/melodic/whatever tea), "Dreams", "Alpha Centaurus" - aside listening to Oliver's other albums, available on CDbaby - help decently.

Overall, Olivier is not an amazing addition to our prog rock world, but can make it to Xover, there's a bit of progressive rock in there from what I've heard. If not, Related remains the only entry.

Of course, it's advisable to treat the album as The New Age, otherwise Olivier as a whole has even weaker/simpler/unprogressive albums further down the road, which can make his entire addition bit more difficult.


Edited by Ricochet - March 01 2008 at 05:50

For the record,

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: The Rock wrote: For the record,   Greg Walker of Syn-phonic,one of the most respected prog vender in the world, carries The New Age album ''Neptuned'' in his online catalogue.here's what he says about it: ''Very rare keyboard prog heavily influenced by Keith Emerson and ELP''.   I don't think that Greg would want to sell some cheap new age stuff and try to make it pass for some prog. Note that he lists the album as ''The New Age'',not Jordan Oliver and that he dosen't carry any other of Oliver's albums.   I respect Greg's opinion very much but if his opinion is that this is a Prog band, I strongly disagree with him, already three teams have rejected Jordan Oliver, not one person, at least six persons from two teams.   We all agreed that probably Prog Related and maybe, forcing a bit the parameters could make it to Crossover.   But that's Crossover's Team call, already Eclectic and Symphonic have said no.   Iván

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: The Rock wrote:   Better yet,   Two other very well reputed prog vendors carry ''The New Age'' Neptuned album and calls it The New Age band;Doug Larson's eBay store and ZNR.ZNR even compares it to VDGG with Wakeman guesting on keyboards no less!!!   I've done business with all of these fine vendors and I would trust their knowledge of what is prog and what isn't.   And of course CDbaby calls it prog,so does the prog site www.prognotfrog.blogspot.com   They sell the album to a Prog audience, so it's not an impartial opinion, I trust Greg's opinion, but I don't share it, but CD BABY is not a reliable opuinion.   For example, they sell AGNUS DEI as Prog and it's New Age from a Reikki Master, nothing else, it's here because they added them by mistake, there's a thread about them and it's accepted they are not Prog.   http://cdbaby.com/cd/agnusdei http://cdbaby.com/cd/agnusdei5   Really the only places I've seen such reticence towards this album is right here!!! ALL the peoples I know who are into prog,and musics of all kinds aknowledge the fact that Neptuned,while not the best album and most original, is PROGRESSIVE ROCK.All but the few collaborators here.   FALSE The Rock:   GEPR: Doesn't include them Progressive Ears: Doesn't include him Manticornio: Doesn't include him Proggnosis: Doesn't include him. Progressive Rock E-Zine: Doesn't include him. Progressive World: Doesn't know he even exists Progressor: Neither. DPRO: Much less And I can go on....But it would be easier to list the sites that include them, because until now I haven't found a single Prog site that includes him or The New Age Band. No place from the Progressive Rock Web Ring includes Jordan Oliver, The New Age Band or even mentions Neptuned, and they have nothing to win or loose, by the cotrary, every Prog site wants to have the most complete database, ignores Jordan Oliver, The New Age Band or Neptuned.....Not a single one........Of course except the stores who carry his album......Doesn't this means something? When I thought I had found him in one of them, the article was about Iliver Wakeman or Jordan Ruddess, not a single one about Jordan Oliver.   And even if not....When you join a site, you respect their rules, they are written before you joined, so don't try to place us as ignorants, because that's not truth.    Really a big puzzle!!   The puzzle is that only the stores who carry this album consider he's Prog, while NOT A SINGLE PROG SITE, INCLUDES HIM...But yet, you insist.   Learn to accept the rules.   Iván

Jordon Oliver's The New Age project is on my list of bands to evaluate for Crossover, but I have not gotten around to him/it yet. My apologies, he is on my list - but the list is long and my time is limited.