What albums did you listen to today?...continued

Tymon, if you're looking for some zehul/canterbury inspired albums I suggest you give Kultivator a try.

progbethyname wrote: Listening pleasures for the last week. Not a lot cause my work hrs are crazy, but as you all know one thing about me is that I will always put b up a fight to grab at least 1 hr a day for time in my sonic universe. Logos-- La Enigma del vita ( omg I just love the modern and retro melding of RPI sounds/styles.) Talk with you guys next week. Traveling to London, ONT for work. May the PROG be with you.

You did well, music is invigorating, especially with that quality

Hmm, I'll need to put my vinyl copy on my playlist

Have a nice week


Last night, I felt well enough to spin some records:
The Black Wizards - Lake of Fire (First time on vinyl, it sounds even more raw )
Quella Vecchia Locanda - s/t (So many different emotions, interesting progressions and musical ideas in such a short time. It's amazing )

^^Wah, I need to revisit QVL tomorrow. The last time (and the only time) I've listened to anything from them was back when I was not that much into RPI, but rather on the basis of it being a classically-influenced band.

Sagichim wrote: Tymon, if you're looking for some zehul/canterbury inspired albums I suggest you give Kultivator a try.

Hey, thanks, Sagi! That name does not even ring a bell for me. I'll have to check them out!

It's been a great listening day today.

Metamorfosi - Inferno Someone at the Italian poll described this album so tastefully that I had to check it out.  The music itself is nothing that blew me away, but the guys sound amazing. The keyboards are really where it's all at. The Moog, Hammond, and harpsichord are amazing! The vocals are something that took a few minutes to get used to - a bit more... "mature" than most RPI, shall we say.

Cervello - Melos Man, along with Zarathustra and Banco's debut, this is probably my favorite. During the first few listens, it did not do much to me (although I were already able to catch a glimpse of their genius), but today - it just revealed so many great things. What I like in prog is when keyboards add that fullness to the sound. These boys don't need any - they get the job done with FOUR FRIGGING FLUTES. Finding out that the amazing guitarist here was just 16 when he recorded this made me really want to practice more.

Robert Wyatt - Theatre Royal Drury Lane This is one of the CDs I bought in London and it was my first listen to this album today, as much of a Wyatt fan as I am. Christ, this is amazing! Even before vocals kick in on most tracks, I can already tell Wyatt has had his finger in the pie! The atmosphere is out of this world - the audience are great, John Peel's humoristic introduction even made me laugh, and the musicians' jokes (check out that line-up - Mike Oldfield, Dave Stewart, Fred Frith, Julie Tippetts, Hugh Hopper, Nick Mason, and so many more!) are also very funny.

Goblin - Roller Michael made me do it. Goblin is very different to anything I have heard in RPI and even prog as a whole. They take the Italian symphonic approach, but there is a definite jazzy, groovy, funky influence here. Kind of in the vein of Gentle Giant from Power and Glory. It was a great listen, I really enjoyed the electronic passages, which really enrich the music. The "Goblin" track is killer! I'll need to check out some of their soundtracks.

Wendy Carlos - Wendy Carlos' Clockwork Orange Wendy Carlos is one of my favorite synthesists along with Klaus Schulze, Michael Hoenig, and Manuel Gottsching. However, her style is completely something different. Her approach is a bit different. The classical adaptations are closer to Keith Emerson than the German guys. Anyway, the music is very rich and evocative. I am yet to see the movie or read the book, but this album makes me want to.

Fred Frith - Gravity That's a whole new approach to dance music. I really love when Fred experiments with Eastern-European, Middle-Eastern, sometimes even Caucasian, I think, folk music, applying a great deal of their influence to unconventional, experimental RIO material. What I found out just in parallel to listening to this one is that it has one of my favorite American bands on it - The Muffins. Step Across the Border really made me want to investigate more of Fred Frith's projects.

Celeste - Celeste "Pastoral" is the word! Celeste's music is nothing short of beautiful!!! It's beautiful, peaceful, emotional, and fascinating in the strictest meanings of those words. The instruments are used in a pretty interesting way, there are no real basslines, the bass serves as a... ballsier guitar. The Mellotron flavoring is not a flavoring anymore - it's a prominent instrument. The album is very carefully instrumented, but the results are magnificent!

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antenas to Heaven I rarely come around these parts, but, I had to check GY!BM out sometime, as this is one of the bands my dad really likes. The music was surprisingly smooth and easy to digest for me. At times I'm thinking Univers Zero, at times King Crimson, at times Tangerine Dream, at times Art Zoyd. It's very good and a joy to listen to. Perhaps just a tad overcooked for my taste.

This was quite a listening session.


Edited by ALotOfBottle - August 28 2016 at 12:44

It's good to see Birth Control being discussed since it was one of the first German bands I got into when I started buying imports back in the seventies.

^  Yeah, Increase was the last one I bought and I haven't even heard any of their later albums.

Meltdowner wrote: Last night, I felt well enough to spin some records: The Black Wizards - Lake of Fire (First time on vinyl, it sounds even more raw ) Quella Vecchia Locanda - s/t (So many different emotions, interesting progressions and musical ideas in such a short time. It's amazing )

Hope you start to feel a bit better soon, mate, I know that feeling all to well lately. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like listening to music much when I'm sick. That almost week and a half that I was recently away from work I damn sure slogged through movies though!

Aussie-Byrd-Brother wrote: Uriah Heep – The Magician’s Birthday – What on Earth happened to this band? I have the debut `Very ‘Eavy...Very ‘Umble’, which I remember had more of a heavy, organ-driven sound. Based on the `strength’ of my only other Heep album `Magician’s Birthday’, I won’t be getting any more. It sounds like only the most straight-forward parts of Kansas, Styx, Queen, etc and the proto-prog like bands, just almost nothing `proggy’ whatsoever. Very well played rock music perhaps, but that’s it.

Rush - "A Farewell to Kings"
Rush - "Signals"

Meltdowner wrote: Aussie-Byrd-Brother wrote: Premiata Forneria Marconi – Photos of Ghosts (Man, no need to have this album on your Ipod if you have their first 3 Italian language discs) Omega – Skyrover <span style="line-height: 18.2px;">Hope you start to feel a bit better soon, mate, I know that feeling all to well lately. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like listening to music much when I'm sick. That almost week and a half that I was recently away from work I damn sure slogged through movies though! </span> No need to have it anywhere, actually  How's that Omega album? I'm back at work and feeling much better, thanks. Yeah, I didn't listen to any music from Thursday morning to Saturday night, that's quite a lot for me. I watched a few episodes of Castle and finished Monster.

Good to hear it, mate.

Yep, before work tonight I deleted `Photos of Ghosts' and `The World Became the World' albums off my Ipod, kept the Italian others. Heh, I also removed the second disc of the `Paper Charms' live set with Goat-Boy on vocals!

The Omega album sounds alright, quite Pink Floyd-y yet with a lot of straight-fiorward rock songs too, but still plenty of keyboards. I'll have a post a photo on my FB fo the back cover group shot of the band, has to be seen to be believed! No peeking at it online beforehand, promise me!

Magnum Vaeltaja wrote: The Magician's Birthday definitely wasn't their finest album from a prog perspective. I gave it a generous 3 stars and haven't listened to it in a while. Though I wouldn't rule out the band entirely if I were you; at least give Salisbury and Look At Yourself a try. Plenty of that raw, heavy Hammond organ we all know and love, and even more consistent material than their debut. The title track of Salisbury also has some great brass parts, too; a very orchestral feel. And July Morning is essential early heavy prog; Manfred Mann slays on the moog!

Thanks, mate. I did notice that there's actually several albums in between the debut and `Magician', so I'll explore those when I come come across then. I used to see CD remasters of most of their albums constantly at record fairs for very cheap, but `Magician' was the first one I ended up buying.