I Talk To The Wind: Prog Blog and Reviews

Review 31, A Farewell To Kings, Rush, 1977

The title track begins with a touch of acoustics, accompanied by synth and some glockenspiel. It promptly kicks off properly in true Rush style, with a bombastic guitar part, a solid bassline, giving Geddy Lee space to play around a little, some very capable drumming from Peart, and great vocals and lyrics. The chorus and verses are both strong, but the (even if it's good) instrumental break creates a rather poor place for the second chorus to hit in, and I'm never particularly motivated by the Lifeson solo here, which seems rather too surgical for my liking. An acoustic outro concludes the piece. So,

Gentle synths feature prominently in the following Xanadu, an ambitious story of the quest for immortality, replete with references to Samuel Taylor Coleridge . Wind chimes and either a very precise guitar or intelligent synths create a powerful, yet unobtrusive atmosphere, before the guitar and synth duet punches in with a very powerful accompanying rhythm section. So far, an intelligent, developed atmosphere, a perfect progressive opening. A rather sudden burst from the guitar, replete with a confidently wandering bassline and an impressive rolling drum leads through some more whimsical synths and both hollow and pompous percussion.

A more directed section leads up to the vocals, with a clever combination of bass and synths, while a vocal and lyrical whirlwind (delightfully reminiscent of the cutting lines of The Fountain Of Lamneth) takes us on the journey through paradise, ironic twist included. Another seemingly random bit of bass and drum rolling prepares us for the powerful return to the final verse ('A thousand years have come and gone, but time has passed me by/Stars stopped in the sky/Frozen in an everlasting verse'). As our protagonist escapes, the trio provide a rather grandiose conclusion, with a superb Lifeson solo continuing to a return of the earlier synths and some clever variation from Peart with precise drums and guitars leading us again to the end. Symptomatic of both the things I love and hate about Rush. Some music that just feels unneeded and damages the atmosphere, but in between that a lot of classic high-energy performance and some great lines and ideas.

Closer To The Heart is essentially a ballad, even if its subject matter is romantic only in style. Great performances from Lifeson and Lee, and admittedly Peart does a good job, except in his seemingly random tubular bells near the start of the piece, which really just seem like he was trying to add something in. Very complex and intelligent for a pop song, and a classic solo from Lifeson. Great song.

Cinderella Man is the album's weak point for me. Geddy Lee contributes a dose of incredible lyrical pain, which isn't massively helped by everything else emphasising the vocals. Very credible performances from those involved, with acoustics and electric guitar alternated nicely. The biggest problem, really, is some of the short bridges, which feel very out of place and repetitive. An instrumental section closer to the end gives us a nice, even self-deprecating solo from Lifeson, as well as an absolutely solid bass part and a good launching point for a return to the final chorus. Anyway, the lyrics and bridges make this a more difficult thing for me to listen to.

Madrigal is an excellent, short romantic piece, with a combination of interesting, rather uplifting bass, some synths, and an acoustic guitar. a little surprisingly organic drumming from Peart, which manages to merge nicely with the song. Good stuff.

Cygnus X-I, sci-fi theme and all, is my joint favourite Rush song (with The Necromancer... perhaps I have a thing for unrestrained lyrics), with a solid atmosphere sustained throughout, cheesy, but loveable lyrics interwoven with stellar lines and ideas. A series of gradual haunting atmospheric synths with a spoken, distorted voice, kicks off the piece before the bass, drums and guitar mechanically insert themselves, gradually preparing for an bit of rolling chaos from Peart and Lifeson and eventually a rocking theme with its near-hypnotic sound. Everything cuts out, and we are left with just bass and a new-found vocal idea. The piece takes a little time to explore the black hole's legend. The piece soars off to meet the protagonist, complete with a brilliant guitar solo from Lifeson. We are then taken to an uncharacteristically instrospective section before we get a monstrously loud bass-guitar duo and crashing drumming from Peart. The protagonist's maddened voice cries out in the chaos, which ascends to a haunting end before dropping away to a lone, tantalising acoustic voice in the other side of the void. To be continued.

So, some of the things that will really get to me in the later Rush albums that many will call classics, but also a lot of the features I love from Rush songs. Generally solid performances all round, great lyrical content (mostly!), and the stellar Cygnus X-I leave the album meriting a four star rating from me. Great album, highly recommended, the good far outweighs the bad.

Rating: Four Stars

Favourite Track: Cygnus X-I

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Something for everyone... Not one of my better reviews, but I think I got my thoughts across.
Discussion and criticism welcome, as always
There's a pre-list of my next purchasing spree on the previous page, in case anyone wants to drown me in recommendations. Nothing's finalised until at least Saturday...

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I'm bringing the Les Porches review onto this page, because I love Les Porches to pieces, and think the album could do with a little more coverage.

TGM: Orb wrote: Review 30, Les Porches, Maneige, 1975 The delights of this album are at heart surprisingly simple ones. Maneige have drawn no artificial musical lines in writing and performing this and clearly had enormous fun in doing so. Add to that that all of them are great musicians, capable of both improvisation and planned playing, as well as having two extremely talented composers in flautist/pianist Alain Bergeron and clarinet/guitar/piano player Jérome Langlois. The classical, avant-garde, jazz and rock elements are all fused into two masterly suites. Les Porches De Notre Dame itself is in my indeterminately long list of 'all-time-favourite-song-ever-except-for-the-other-ones-on-the-list'. This masterpiece is crafted by both a host of musicians and a host of guest musicians, so I usually have very little idea who is playing. I may thus avoid my usual tactic of 'throw in a band member's name so it seems like I know what I'm talking about' in this review. Extremely highly recommended to anyone who can take a dose of classical or jazz ideas in their high quality prog, and should at least be tried. Gentle clarinet and flute, accompanied by some of the percussion characteristic of Vincent Langlois and Gilles Schetagne throughout the album, begins the gorgeous Les Porches. The two instruments gently tease each other to prepare for the tingling glass-like percussion and a slight, gradual escalation, with a tad of accompanying bass or perhaps oboe. After the gentle romance of this overture, the piano sets in, cold and clear, intelligently moving, backed up by a rather menacing hum. A high, chilly flute plays a number of beautiful melodies, while stretching percussion, marimbas included, only enhances this crystalline feel. The second section of the suite is begun by avant-garde cowbell-clanging, and has a rather more homely, yet still delicate feel, with a clarinet being most prominently featured. The third section of the suite is again full of piano and glockenspiel, as well as a throbbing bass and warm tubular bells. An almost bird-cry-like effect gives rise to a gorgeous section with multiple pianos and the same rich percussion sound throughout. Rather warmer, and the lush clarinet and flute provide the feel of a day dawning, and sun streaming in through the stain glass windows of a Parisian church. An equally cheerful section leads us up to the crashing gong and the piano solo. I don't know my classical music well enough to describe the piano solo in a way that will be of any meaningful help to a serious musician, but I know that this solo is one of the most moving moments of music I have ever heard, with a warmth, beauty and a sense of loss and nostalgia that gets me on every listen. Following the beautiful conclusion of this, Les Porches proper sets in with a gorgeous mellotron-like background sound, piano, amazing vocals with appropriate lyrical ideas from guest Raoul Duguay, snatches of rock drumming that carefully foreshadows the full explosion of the piece, some stunning bass solos and several beautiful piano parts. A clarinet brings the piece back from the vocals, and suddenly the best conclusion of all time begins, with a warm, heart-felt masterfully polyphonic combination of everyone involved. Electric guitar sears through the eardrums, saxes swirl, conveying the full light of the day, the drumming is life in its purest form. Additions from piano appear from nowhere, the bass runs around dissolutely, but connected to the rest. The guitar and sax launch out on their own, contributing solos finer and more vibrant than anything from Howe or Hackett. It brings itself to a natural conclusion, in a fairly bluesy style. The perfect musical interpretation of life and of the day. The lively La Grosse Torche, a basically classical composition, with an enormous versatility of ideas on piano, flute, percussion and a string quartet handled perfectly and emotively in the space of only a minute and a half. The only way you could continue the album from Les Porches without disappointing. Les Aventures De Saxinette Et Clarophone is also extremely interesting, versatile and continually a plain joy to listen to. It is divided whimsically into three chapters, two of which are split into two adventures. From the strange get-go with its combination of freely used percussion and a slightly precursor to the bass that will hold together the first episode, Chaiptre I is distinctly eclectic, with a tapping, lively feel. A barrage of drums, including marimba, prepares for soulful, and surprisingly edgy saxophone-clarinet interplay. A warm bass part changes the thoughts to a darker, more pensive mood to conclude the episode with a cliffhanger, presumably. The second episode kicks off with something instantly punchy but alien to my ears and added glockenspiel or something of a similar nature as well as a soulful, dark, foreboding piano, a great drumming part prepares for the piece's full explosion into first scorching sax and then building up into a superb polyphonic section, complete with electrics. The glockenspiel and percussion lead up gently, with the anarchic piano accompanying, to another of my favourite guitar solos ever, this time with a rather more bluesy edge (presumably from guest Denis Lapierre). A warm clarinet concludes the first chapter. The second chapter begins with a snarling clarinet, more percussion everywhere, and the sax and the clarinet exchange thoughts and ideas. This is very much a theme throughout the rest of the piece, including more avant-garde percussion ideas and something that sounds like a spoken conversation, utterly hectic in nature on the second episode of this chapter with a rather eery, haunting atmosphere caused by the screeching duo. Suspense waiting for our instrumental heroes to confront the villain, whose arrival is signaled with a crash. The third and final chapter of our story is begun with a bass theme and (yes, you guessed it!) bizarre percussion, and a brief exchange of taunts leads to the final confrontation, with a brief engagement resulting in the inevitable victory of the triumphant clarinet and saxophone. It shimmers gently out, rebellious, yet heroic. Chromo abruptly tells us that we haven't yet reached the end of the album, even if the sheer amount of great music we have heard might give us that impression. A constant bass riff dances throughout the album, and, more than ever, we get the impression that the band is just having fun with a full workout, drums, flutes and clarinet playfully spotlighting themselves. Although the bass remains pretty constant throughout, everyone gets the opportunity to throw in an idea at any point. A rather mechanical bass-and-accompanying bits-and-bobs duo gives both suspense and a cheerful atmosphere at different times, and the skill and brevity with which they move from dark moods to very uplifting ones can only be admired. A surprisingly good end for the album. The album as a whole needed a bit of listening time to expand and grow on me until it reached its current level of consistent delighting, so I suggest not writing it off if at first you're less amazed than this fawning review suggests you should be. A full five stars, and absolutely perfect. Also, I think the sound quality's stellar on the remaster, even if I don't know what I'm talking about, and haven't heard the original. How many albums do you know that can express not only an insightful understanding of the day and life's essence itself, but also convey a fictional, free-to-interpretation comic-book, without a single word, and do so with so little distinction between the borders of jazz, classical and rock music? Its description as fusion is the only one possible, but inadequate to express exactly what the album is, and even if Chromo doesn't grip you (I feel that it's not really representative of the album's majestic longer pieces), I am certain that something from the two longer pieces will. Five stars. Buy this album Rating: Five Stars Favourite Track: Les Porches De Notre Dame

I'm such an egomaniac

Great review of one of my all-time favourite albums. Probably the one Rush album I put on if I'd like something from the band. You would appreciate them so much more if you could just get around those surgical, precise parts of Rush music. They are one of my main reasons for liking the band in the first place. Characteristic, and wonderfully tight.

micky wrote: Great TtK review Rob.. my 2nd alltime fav from them...love that album..  though not quite as much as I used to NaturalScience wrote: Is there any reason this guy hasn't been made a prog reviewer yet?  These reviews are great - the one for Les Porches is really informative, now I want to check it out. he will be...

Well-deserved and I want to be the first to congratulate...whenever it is due

Review 32, Starless And Bible Black, King Crimson, 1974

This album was very difficult to get to grips with, compared to either its predecessor or its successor. Firstly, the sheer amount of texture-based improvisation means that you (well, I, you might not) have to attach the right idea or image to a piece. Second, John Wetton's vocals take a deliberate shift to a much thicker and edgier tone, which is less instantly likable, but leaves a greater lasting appeal. However, a lot of listens have left this album as a great favourite of mine, the Crimson album I'll put on for a spin when I feel like putting on a Crimson album. The improvised nature and distinct edges have left this album very enjoyable after a lot of listens. My only quibble with it is that I haven't yet found the right idea for the admittedly excellent Starless And Bible Black itself.

Starless and Bible Black kicks off with the aggressive rocker 'The Great Deceiver'. Dominated by a violin riff, monstrous percussion from Bruford and a superb example of both Wetton's thick bass and Fripp's very precise guitar. Wetton gives the vocals a rather malady-like sound, and the various harmonies are mostly lead-ups to stunning returns-to-form, and it's very impressive how they can return to sound like they're sounding the same as they did earlier while being completely different with classic solos from Cross and Wetton, before dropping off into Lament. Lyrically, the song's quite amusing if you're impervious to the PC elements of society, but I can see how they'd be offensive to some people.

Lament is a very clever two-part song, with a juxtaposition of a quirky 'ballad' and a ferocious drum-driven part which is able to make me go into a chorea-like state. The first part features a thick guitar and Wetton's rather deliberately thick vocals, and a duet of wailing guitars and violins (and an occasional bass flourish). A mellotron gives a background for the others to play over. Following the conclusion of this washed-out rock-star story, Wetton and Bruford lead us onto the heavier, biting rock song, with a savagely compelling drum part, some Fripp whirring of the highest order, great shouting vocals and superb splintering violin. Seriously edgy and again impressively minimalistically concluded.

We'll Let You Know is the first of the album's improvised pieces, with its rather dissonant feel, some truly weird percussion from Bruford, including something sounding like a horse's hooves, dancy use of sheets and proper drums. Fripp and Cross wail away cheerfully in a catlike, while Wetton does what you expect an entire rhythm section to do, only better. The sarcastic wailing disappears promptly and cheerfully.

The Night Watch is the most clearly directed of the album's pieces, deriving from Rembrandt's painting of the same name. A combination of mutilated mellotron, chaotic tingly and normal percussion, and delicate bass leads up to the wallowing vocals. The middle section, however, is where the utter perfection comes through. Wetton's folk-like vocal suits the song perfectly, Bruford and Cross (mellotron) handle the softer song's needs with no slips whatsoever. The real standout player here is Fripp with his combination of gorgeous guitar soloing and minimalistic solos. A tragic mellotron-whirling leads us with David Cross's violin to a final conclusion. Gorgeous, and it perfectly captures the feel of the painting.

Trio is mostly indescribable. A soft, improvised trio (oh wow), with all three musicians fitting in place perfectly. Wetton provides a soft acoustic bass part, slowly building up, but never dominating, David Cross provides some reconciliatory violin, and Fripp (some sort of keyboard with a flute-like sound, possibly a 'tron) similarly plays without any real boundaries in the music. A relaxing rest, and a truly uplifting piece of music.

The Mincer is an acquired taste, with its hideously dark atmosphere, curious ending choice (the tape runs out), combination of haunting solos from Fripp and Cross with a thick harmonised vocal and the bursts of Bruford percussion. As always, John Wetton provides a thundering and original bass part, including high parts. A burst of energy gives way to the tape running out, which apparently Cross and Fripp loved to pieces, while Bruford and Wetton didn't. Superb, but definitely acquired.

Starless And Bible Black is the third of the album's improvisations, with a rather bleak feel evoked by the title. I'm not quite certain what exactly the theme is, and though I enjoy the entire piece, I find it difficult to attach the right imagery and ideas to it. The second I get this piece, this album will be upgraded to a five star rating.

The standout player is indubitably Fripp, who provides some wailing solos happily reminiscent of Prince Rupert's Lament. Bill Bruford takes an assortment of percussion, while John Wetton provides a rather jumpy and sudden bass-line and David Cross's mellotron both lends a certain dissonance to the piece and highlights the others' playing. This intelligent assortment of ideas gradually builds into a more substantial piece, with a more typically used 'tron and increasingly impressive Fripp shrieks and Bruford crashes. The piece returns to a more minimalistic sound a little around six and a half minutes in, allowing some gorgeous soft guitar from Fripp and then a decisive conclusion with Cross, Bruford and Fripp combining forces to lower the piece to its equally bleak conclusion. All in all, a distinctly dark, bleak and uninvasive improvisation. Still, I can appreciate the components, but not the grand design.

Fracture is the conclusion to the album, and my favourite piece from it. A masterful, colourful piece of semi-improvisation with strong imagery and superb interplay between the quartet. Fripp's guitar introduces us to the tiny cracks in the earth, with some Wetton bass, plucked violin and Bruford choices giving us a few more tiny tears, which the various instruments gradually extend to produce an image of several increasingly widening and stretching rifts. Clever minimalistic guitar-playing and xylophone continue to take us on this musical and geological journey, and are then accompanied by a violin and a bass to provide a richer texture. Eventually, squirming solos from Cross and Wetton with a rich drumming background move us into the first tremors. A minute or so of calm guitar and whinnying bass and violin provides the calm before the storm with the knowledge that the full quake will be hitting us soon enough.

Suddenly, out of this, Fripp's guitar explodes, with a thundering bass, shrieking mellotron, insanely building percussion from Bruford. Wetton gives us a superb bass solo before David Cross's violin returns to provide Fripp with something to echo. Cross and Wetton engage in what is almost a duel, with Fripp providing a couple of additions, while Bruford tingles and crashes in behind them. A dazzling set of bass-parts from Wetton, Bruford's powerful, percussive rolls and Fripp's flawless guitar leave us stunned in the aftermath of this sonic earthquake. Masterly Crimson material, and this track alone is worth the price of the album.

In conclusion, I'm not yet giving this album five stars, because I haven't yet 'got' the title track, but I may later change my mind on that. Essential listening for anyone interested in progressive rock, and especially a Crimson fan like myself. Be warned that this is not an easy album, and will require the right mindset and energy while listening to appreciate, and is unlikely to be love at first listen for many. It may not be love at all for those not interested in the textures and ideas behind the improvised pieces. Still, a set of unforgettable atmospheres, and at least worth trying. Leave it for later in the Crimson collection, but don't leave it altogether.

Rating: Four Stars
Favourite Track: Fracture

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Another review, eh. Thoughts on the album and comments welcome. Discipline to go, and possibly The Power To Believe, too, before mocking Jon Anderson and company among other things. A Moving Pictures review should also be done soonish.

Another great review. One of my favorite Crimson records (some of the songs), if a bit loose for my tastes.

Looking forward to that Moving Pictures one. Don't let us Rush-freaks down!!

TGM: Orb wrote: @By-Tor Tell me, what assassination weapons do Rush fans use today? Do I need a bullet-proof vest, chainmail, or both? Considering a food taster, but they're expensive, and I like my food.

We typically employ Armour, Sword, Necromancers, Double Agents, Cold Fire, black holes, snowy owls, kid
gloves, red lenses, trees, Red cars, chain lightning, red tide, superconductors, chemistry, digital men, large
bowls, angels (we work 'em), ghost riders and, umm.... evil Princes from Hades.

better be prepared

/\

ARG! DAMN! Geddy Lee IS ugly!

King By-Tor wrote: LinusW wrote: Don't forget Geddy's Long and Pointy Nose. Deadly. forgot that one.

I remember a thread long ago we discussed his nose... and some 'twit' mentioned his daughters... and wondered if they had his nose

OK, first part of the order has been placed

Phallus Dei  - Amon Duul II
Wolf City (oops, forgot the Tanz recommendation, sorry Mick :() - Amon Duul II
The Rotters' Club - Hatfield And The North
McDonald And Giles - s/t
Third - Soft Machine
In The Land Of Grey And Pink - Caravan
If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You - Caravan
Hot Rats - Frank Zappa
Bitches Brew - Miles Davis
Exiles - David Cross
Drama - Yes
Three Of A Perfect Pair - King Crimson
From H To He, Who Am The Only One - Van Der Graaf Generator
Ghost Reveries - Opeth
Hemispheres - Rush
Schehezerade And Other Stories - Renaissance
Benefit - Jethro Tull
Clutching At Straws - Marillion
MDK - Magma
Apocalypse - Mahavishnu Orchestra
The Silent Corner And The Empty Stage - Peter Hammill
Phaedra - Tangerine Dream
Stratosphear - Tangerine Dream
Three Friends - Gentle Giant

I think there was another, but I can't remember what. edit... AHA
Camel - s/t

Maneige - s/t + poss Ni Vents Ni...
Darwin!+ Di Terra - Banco
Will likely be on their way soon, but I'm ordering them from a different place.


Edited by TGM: Orb - May 17 2008 at 18:39

Woa man, you have a lot of classics in there.  I bet you spent almost as much $$ as a tank of gasoline.  Seriously, should have a summer full of music enjoyment...just looking over it, the Rush and Marillion are particularly good "summer albums" to me, and probably the Caravan and Miles Davis.