Pendragon Appreciation Thread
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=88682
Printed Date: November 30 2024 at 12:07
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Topic: Pendragon Appreciation Thread
Posted By: infocat
Subject: Pendragon Appreciation Thread
Date Posted: July 29 2012 at 16:48
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Can't post in the old one, so though I'd start a new one. I've been doing a "Pendragon marathon" in my car, and I'd like to hear people's thoughts on the band. My first exposure to Pendragon was in the early 90s. Specifically, the song "Shane". I hated it. It seemed to have everything that was hated about neo-prog. So I avoided them for about 20 years.  Last year I saw Passion in the "new releases" section at my local record store, and I figured I'd give them a shot. Very glad I did! Took me a couple of listens, but I fell in love with it. Lovely melodies, emotional guitar, great atmosphere, nice bit of heavyness without going all "metal". The the Madfish label reissued Pure. Wow! "Indigo" blew my mind on first listen, and its now my favorite song from them. Whenever I see the "what are you listening to now...in your head" thread, I can very often say it is this song. The entire album is so great. Madflsh reissued Believe next. I was less impressed. Seemed to have a bit of what turned me off all those years ago. But listening to it yesterday I realize it is for the most part a very good album. Not as good as the last two, but still very nice. Really love "The Edge of the World". Madfish then jumped back to reissue The Window of Life. Not sure why they didn't continue the reverse chronological order I had thought they'd been following, but anyway... Again, not so impressed on first listen. Love the guitar, as always, but the songwriting is a bit too "neo-prog standard", I guess you might say. As of now this is by far my least favorite of their albums. Finally, Not Of This World. Much better than TWoL. Still has the classic "neo-prog" sound, but the songs are much stronger. Not sure what else to say here. Curious question... All five of these albums end (sans any bonus tracks) with a relatively light ballad, containing a wonderfully emotional guitar solo. Is this common for all of their albums? I love the songs, but it seems a bit formulaic. I'm hoping that Madfish reissues The Masquerade Overture next, as that appears to be their mostly agreed upon classic. So what are your thoughts? Are you a classic Pendy fan that doesn't like their new "heavier" direction? Are you a fan of the new and find the older ones a bit lacking? Or are you just a fan of all of their work? (If you are not a fan at all you probably need not post.  )------------- -- Frank Swarbrick Belief is not Truth. |
Replies:
Posted By: Mirror Image
Date Posted: July 29 2012 at 21:06
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I haven't heard their newer recordings Passion and Pure, but I own every album from The Jewel up to Not Of This World. I didn't like The World that much, but I've enjoyed the other recordings I own. My favorites are The Window Of Life and, of course, The Masquerade Overture. Can't say I've been keen to explore their newer recordings as I heard they mark a new direction for the band.
------------- “Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.” - Sergei Rachmaninov |
Posted By: Sagichim
Date Posted: July 29 2012 at 21:07
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I don't like Neo Prog at all!! but I love Pendragon. The first album I got was The Masquerade Overture, I liked it but left it aside for a few years then when Pure came out I saw all the positive reviews and thought "why not?" Well Pure blew my mind off!! I am a big fan of Heavy Prog so I really like their sound now, any way I consider this to be their best album yet. Since then I thought I'll go back to TMO, and I enjoyed it more than ever, certainly it's one of their best albums. Passion is fantastic and also Believe, but I'm not sure I can like more of their early albums since I'm not a big fan of the Neo Prog sound but I'll definitely try.
I really advise for anyone who doesn't like Neo Prog to check out Pure or Passion, since it's more like Heavy Prog and very interesting stuff too.
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Posted By: Mirror Image
Date Posted: July 29 2012 at 21:31
Madfish has already reissued The Masquerade Overture: http://www.amazon.com/Masquerade-Overture-Reis-Pendragon/dp/B0007YNRRM/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343615441&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=Pendragon+The+Masquerade+Overtgure" rel="nofollow - http://www.amazon.com/Masquerade-Overture-Reis-Pendragon/dp/B0007YNRRM/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343615441&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=Pendragon+The+Masquerade+Overtgure ------------- “Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.” - Sergei Rachmaninov |
infocat wrote:Posted By: Mirror Image
Date Posted: July 29 2012 at 21:43
Went ahead and bought Pure and Passion. Got them cheap as hell. So why not?  ------------- “Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.” - Sergei Rachmaninov |
Posted By: infocat
Date Posted: July 29 2012 at 23:44
------------- -- Frank Swarbrick Belief is not Truth. |
Posted By: Mirror Image
Date Posted: July 29 2012 at 23:53
Oh, I have the two Madfish reissues: The Window Of Life and Out Of This World. They're very nice. I own The Masquerade Overture on the Toff Records label. I'm really happy with it. I don't think I will be parting with it.  Yes, I will keep an open-mind when I listen to these two newer Pendragon recordings.Kind of an out-of-the-blue question: on the first track The Walls Of Babylon off The Window Of Life do you hear some distortion in Nick's opening solo towards the two or three minute mark? I noticed this through my headphones. No other Pendragon album I own has any kind of distortion but this one track. I was curious... ------------- “Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.” - Sergei Rachmaninov |
Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: July 30 2012 at 14:42
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I discovered them with The Jewel when it was released, I don't have Kowtow but then I purchased every album from The World until Not Of This World when they came out.
The World and Masquerade Overture are my favourites of this classic Neo period.
I don't have any of their last 3 studio albums, there is simply too much other music I'm interested in and Pedragon was no longer in the top list I would spend money on, although recently I bought the Concerto Maximo DVD which is good, so I'm familiar with some of their modern heavier sound. Scott is so much more powerful at the drums than Fudge Smith and he has a very visual body language when playing.
All in all a good band I enjoy, but not a top favourite. I don't know the modern material enough except for what's included in the DVD but I would say that I like both, I can enjoy the classic Floydian Neo of their first period but I can also enjoy the harder and more powerful Neo they play now.
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Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: July 31 2012 at 14:24
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In our new house, we have a special room, with a cinema screen and sound proofed walls. I have put my home cinema system in there, and I wondered what would be the ideal album to play to test it out, very loud, without disturbing neighbours and family in the house?
I chose The Masquerade Overture at very loud volume, and it was perfect. It is a testament to this great band that this is the album I chose to test the system out with. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: Mirror Image
Date Posted: July 31 2012 at 15:21
The Masquerade Overture is just a great album all the way through. It's certainly one of the best Neo-Progressive albums I've heard right up there with IQ's Subterranea and The Wake and Marillion's Misplaced Childhood, Clutching At Straws, and Brave. ------------- “Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.” - Sergei Rachmaninov |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: July 31 2012 at 15:25
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Nick Barrett posted on PA a few times way back when. Also, forum member Wilcey is very close with the band. She is pretty good about providing us with band updates and happenings. ------------- 
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Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: August 01 2012 at 03:42
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Snapper's Madfish label will be re-issuing Kowtow in the next few weeks (I don't have a definitive release date yet. It'll have jazzed up artwork and a couple of bonus tracks (demos from the time) Kowtow is definitely an album of the 80's, & has a very 80's sound. I first started seeing Pendragon live about the time of this album so holds special memories for me! It's been out of print for some years so it'll be nice to see it "out there" again. The "Out of Order Comes Chaos" Blu-Ray/DVD is finally in production now, so should be out at the beginning of September after a loooooong and patient wait! No other major news, Nick's currently in writing mode so we'll just have to wait and see where the next album takes us. 2013 will mark the 35th anniversary of the band...... few bands of that age are still evolving rather than sitting on their laurels and doing what they are expected to do, I think it's always pretty exciting to see what comes next! :-) W x
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Posted By: Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Date Posted: August 01 2012 at 04:13
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`Kowtow' is such an underrated Pendragon album! I always loved it, even if it's got a stronger 80's pop sound than what they're usually associated with. More comparable to bands like Tear For Fears, ie intelligent but catchy pop? `I Walk The Rope' has always been a favourite Pendragon track of mine!
I wonder what the chances would be of seeing the band perform the entire album live for a DVD recording! I don't think too many of the `Kowtow' tracks have had a live performance? I can't think off the top of my head, and I'm not at home right now to check my DVD's! Have any of you guys seen `The Jewel Anniversary' concert DVD - I forget the actual title of it?! That's my favourite Pendragon live DVD, so great to see all those old players come back, and there's a real positive energy to the performance! Makes me smile seeing Nick and Clive hopping up and down during `Higher Circles'!
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Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: August 01 2012 at 04:28
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The Jewel concert was called "Past & Presence" and we had so much fun with that! In fact it was so much fun we took Barney, Rik and Jools out on a mini tour because we didn't want it to end! If you're a fan of the early stuff then "Past and Presence" should be a "must buy"!!! I love Kowtow, I think a fair few of those songs do spring up on other DVD's though. off the top of my head.... Kowtow was on "And now everybody to the Stage" DVD, 2am was of course on "Past and Presence" and Total Recall was on Concerto Maximo...... I think there's a couple popping up on the new DVD too....... off the top of my head though I can't recall which ones! :-) W x
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Posted By: infocat
Date Posted: August 01 2012 at 21:06
------------- -- Frank Swarbrick Belief is not Truth. |
Posted By: Mirror Image
Date Posted: August 01 2012 at 21:16
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I have to say that I didn't enjoy Passion at all. I thought the heavier sound worked against them. I stopped the CD after the first track. It just was disappointing to me. I understand their music had headed in a new direction, but I was surprised by the heaviness and gobs of crunch guitar. It just did little for me. I might listen again after I fully recover from this letdown.
------------- “Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.” - Sergei Rachmaninov |
Posted By: infocat
Date Posted: August 01 2012 at 21:18
------------- -- Frank Swarbrick Belief is not Truth. |
Posted By: Mirror Image
Date Posted: August 01 2012 at 21:25
Well, it's nobody's fault. Sometimes you just have take some chances, right? I very rarely buy a CD that I'm completely repulsed by, but this new Pendragon offering is pretty close to making me want to give up on them, but, as I said, I'm going to listen again. I hope Pure is better because I have that one on order too. ------------- “Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.” - Sergei Rachmaninov |
Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: August 02 2012 at 02:07
the release order is a complicated thing....... I don't think they'll be re releasing The Jewel, it's certainly not in the schedule at present. Other than that I think they're pretty much there with all the studio albums. There will also be a compilation thingy sometime soon to be a kind of "Pendragon sampler"
you stopped the cd after the first track??? really, you didn't listen to the rest? I mean whoever the album is by is that not a bit rash? you didn't think there might be something in it worth listening to? That's like NEVER going to a restaurant because you don't like the first thing on the menu! Good luck with a second attempted listen...... although if you didn't like the track Passion, I can't imagine "Empathy" will improve your mood much  Wx |
Posted By: somecallmetim
Date Posted: August 02 2012 at 16:35
| I heard Pendragon for the first time on PA! Oh. My. God. Thank God for this website! |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: August 05 2012 at 14:00
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The comments about Passion are bewildering to me. This is an album from a band moving forward and updating their sound to the modern, rather than resting on their laurels.
------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: Roj
Date Posted: August 08 2012 at 07:56
All I can say Mirror is you get paid too much.
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Posted By: Jon_t
Date Posted: September 17 2012 at 13:21
I Love pendragon always have ,most likely always will,I have had all the albums,cds,dvds,right from way back to 1979-1980,and what a ride its been,some brilliant purely pendragon music along the way.Pure I must admit takes a lot of plays to get used to ,but its worth the wait,until it all clicks into place My favorite pendragon cds in no real order are,The World,Superb to me every song,Window of life ,which is just fine music and thoughtfull powerful music,then followed by The Masquerade Overture ,what a fine trio of Albums they were then onto Not of this World,which I think lyrically was a peak for Nick,but there are many peaks to this band,then quite a few years later we got a new start of sorts with Believe ,Pure and Passion again a trio pf sorts in my mind,and love all 3 equally,but Have a slight soft spot for Believe as when at a point were Nick wasn;t sure he was releasing a dvd at the time sent me his own personal copy of the making of dvd,to watch,which was Just how Nick and the rest of the Pendragon family have been with me over such a long time. My favorite pendragon keepsake is the World Picture disc cd that I searched for for years ,and finally Nick sent me a copy he had as he knew I wanted it so much. And I can recommend all the Pendragon DVD'S and if you think Dave Gilmore can play a bit watch these DVD'S and you will see why Nick is the top of the tree for Prog Guitar in my oppinion. So to finish whether it fly high fall far from 1980 or the New out of order comes Chaos dvd ,pick any point in the great Pendragon Catalogue and if you are a fan of great progressive,Guitar driven music with the best lyrics of any rock band I know,you will love Pendragon as much as I do. And with what Wilcey had to say it looks like we have a lot of wonderful music to look forward to in the near future Cheers John
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Posted By: King Lerxst
Date Posted: July 19 2013 at 21:35
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Thanks to the good people that publish Classic Rock and Prog magazines I have come to know and appreicate Pendragon's music over the past couple of years. My first exposure was the song Indigo on the "Prognosis 3" CD that was free in one of the Prog issues. That song lead me to purchase the the Pure album as well as the Concerto Maximo DVD.
I've gone into their back catalogue and have acquired several albums including Believe, Not Of This World, Passion, Pure, and The World. I find that I like the newer material and their very early work best but the in-between albums tend to sound and feel too much alike.
I've never seen them live but with word having come out recently about them playing at least one show in North America (Quebec City) this fall, I fully intend to be in attendance.
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Posted By: InClouds
Date Posted: July 20 2013 at 23:41
| I love Pendragon, one of the many, many bands I have discovered on this site. I love every one of their albums (except Kowtow....I don't like to think about Kowtow......). I do like their "classic" stuff a bit more than their last couple of albums, but only slightly. They hit the nail on the head with "The Masquerade Overture" and "Not of this World". |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: July 21 2013 at 03:27
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Neo or not, The Jewel is a tremendous (and rockin') album. My personal favorite, followed by The Window Of Life.
I also bought last year's reissue of Kowtow. Underrated. Some cool songs on that one. In the 90s, I had The World. Underwhelming, to say the least. The Masquerade Overture may be the last full album of Pendragon's that I could listen to from start to finish. I tried the last several and they didn't reel me in. ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: rdtprog
Date Posted: July 21 2013 at 03:47
Pendragon have a thread! Oh yes only 2 pages in a year!
------------- Music is the refuge of souls ulcerated by happiness. Emile M. Cioran |
Posted By: the lighthouse keepe
Date Posted: July 25 2013 at 17:47
| Apparently Madfish are re - releasing The Masquerade Overture in August including the four track e.p.As good as gold in the package.Good to have it back on the shelf. |
Posted By: infocat
Date Posted: July 25 2013 at 21:24
------------- -- Frank Swarbrick Belief is not Truth. |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: July 25 2013 at 22:44
Again? I recall a previous reissue added the EP as bonus tracks. ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: the lighthouse keepe
Date Posted: July 26 2013 at 05:20
CD only .
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Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: July 26 2013 at 06:10
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I only know 'classic' Pendragon. Apart from The World, I like every album from the debut until The Masquerade Overture. Was a bit disappointed by Not Of This World, and then I stopped following the band. I think I should try one of their newer albums out, though, given how much I like the early years.
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Posted By: the lighthouse keepe
Date Posted: July 26 2013 at 14:39
I think you'll find plenty has changed since 2001 when they released " Not of this World".The albums since that release, "Believe","Pure"and"Passion" ,seem to have split the mass ranks of fans either way.All three are good,but way below earlier cds. Try " Believe" first and if you enjoy that then I'm sure you'll like the other two.Theyre live cds/DVDs are well worth checking out too.Through all these changes though, Barrets class as a guitar genius hasn't changed.So under-rated.
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Posted By: infocat
Date Posted: July 26 2013 at 22:58
Ah, I think I've found it. http://www.artist-shop.com/toff/" rel="nofollow - http://www.artist-shop.com/toff/ . "Pendragon formed in 1978 and over the past 30-odd years have built up a fanatical fanbase around the world, releasing eight albums along with countless EPs, live and mini-albums. The band returned in 2012 with their new album, Passion, which was hailed by Classic Rock Prog as 'an album that has both verve and real panache.' Passion was released on the new Madfish label (a division of Snapper Music) and Madfish are now in the process of releasing new editions of albums from throughout the band's back catalogue. "The Masquerade Overture" Madfish edition of their 1996 album with three bonus tracks! This series continues with Masquerade Overture, the 1996 album that was originally released on the band's own Toff Records. This new edition features three bonus tracks and is packaged in a slip case. "The World" Madfish edition of their 1991 album with a bonus track! This series continues with The World, the 1991 album that was originally released on the band's own Toff Records. This edition features the bonus track 'Sister Bluebird' and is packaged in a jewel case with slip case." Cool. I've been collecting all of the reissues. Was mystified when they jumped all the way "back" to Kowtow, skipping these two. ------------- -- Frank Swarbrick Belief is not Truth. |
Posted By: aliano
Date Posted: April 14 2014 at 10:13
| When will the new album be out?How do you think it will be?I hope they come back to their older sound like on their first albums.I don't like their metal sound |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: April 14 2014 at 10:46
The new album tour starts in October, so late summer, I expect. I hope they continue to evolve. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: InClouds
Date Posted: April 14 2014 at 16:43
Yeah...they haven't become metal, not by a long shot. They have certainly gotten heavier though, I'll give you that. And to be honest, I would love a return to the Masquerade Overture-type sound that was the reason that I fell in love with in the first place. I think they have been trying to sound more "modern", and I really can't blame a band for trying to stay relevant as long as they keep making quality music. Pure and Passion maybe aren't the type of albums that I have come to expect from them, but I did quite enjoy them all the same. To answer your question though, I think I will enjoy the new album as well. The only album I haven't liked from them is Kowtow (okay, and like half of Believe), so I am pretty confident that it will be good.
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Posted By: decypher
Date Posted: April 14 2014 at 17:25
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I love all of their albums, favourites would be Window of Life (the album I started with), Not of this World (the epitome of bombast-neo-prog ) but I really did enjoy following their style change on Believe/Pure/Passion (although after excessive listening to their entire discography, in retrospective I don't find that style change as drastic as it appeared at first). Nick Barret's tone is amazing.
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Posted By: aliano
Date Posted: May 13 2014 at 04:14
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Nick introduces the new album "Men Who Climb Mountains":http://www.pendragon.mu/and-so-it-begins-again-a-new-album/ Wow!!I'm really excited!It seems the new album will be exactly what I want to hear from Pendragon.Can't wait to hear it |
Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: May 13 2014 at 04:23
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Always evolving Lazland, it's a dull man that stands still on the road in life! "Men Who Climb Mountains" will be exclusively available from Pendragon (website and on tour) The 2 day (sold out) launch event in the UK is 4th/5th October and the tour starts Friday Oct 10th. We will start pre-orders in August and release is in October. More info when we have it! |
Posted By: deandob
Date Posted: May 13 2014 at 04:43
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The Voyager from the album The World has to be rated as one of the best examples of prog rock, and it was the song that introduced me back to prog about 5 years back.
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: June 18 2014 at 02:25
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Anyone here feel the same as I do with the song.........The Shadow ??? Just an AMAZING track, especially when Nick B let's rip just after the verse " I ran and I ran to go as far as I can...". This is totally Earth-shattering for my ears and up there with the most moving music I've heard up to this point in my life.....precious few other bands have this affect on me........
Nolan's keys couldn't be more perfect than what he plays here too. |
Posted By: snowsnow
Date Posted: June 18 2014 at 02:32
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The Shadow is a great track Oz!
Great band - cant wait for the new album. I wonder if the new one can even hope to offer a track as brilliant as This Green and Pleasant Land? Still knowing Pendragon...:) |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: June 18 2014 at 02:40
| When Nick takes a solo, it's like he's making love to his six-string beast - he just lets his inner passion and soul flow through his fingers and what comes out is usually nothing less than spectacular and inspired. He practically takes Gilmour's style to another level. Andy Latimer comes close too. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: June 26 2014 at 03:46
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Just listening to The Masquerade Overture now, and still insist that the passage during The Shadow is as intense and deep as a bj from a hot chick........(can't help but draw an emotional comparison many of us feel.....).
Musical ecstasy in a phrase........ |
Posted By: King Crimson776
Date Posted: August 17 2014 at 04:04
| Their early era (up through Not of This World, minus Kowtow) is an amazing stretch of music. Never all that complex, but one of the most emotional bands in prog. I love that pristine sound too. |
Posted By: CityZen
Date Posted: September 10 2014 at 00:01
| Exactly! Pure emotions <3 |
Posted By: Butchband
Date Posted: October 06 2014 at 22:11
| Pure is a really fantastic album from start to finish. I like the way some of the themes are repeated later on in the album. Great, great guitar tone. Excellent keys and bass/drums as well. This is an album I can just play on my stereo rig and just sit back and listen. And I really don't do that much anymore. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: October 07 2014 at 00:30
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: October 07 2014 at 05:43
| The new album dropped on my doormat this morning, one quick listen so far, sounds really good! |
Posted By: geekfreak
Date Posted: October 08 2014 at 09:37
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I`ve lost track of Pendragon a few yrs back. so I`ve been wondering which newer albums to seeking a return to Pendragon... ------------- Friedrich Nietzsche: "Without music, life would be a mistake." Music Is Live Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. Keep Calm And Listen To The Music… < |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: October 09 2014 at 06:26
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I'm really enjoying the new album so it was really sad to read Rachel's post on FB yesterday that the album had already been uploaded to various Torrent sites, presumably by a Pendragon "fan" as the album hasn't been out long.
Anyone who has any doubts about illegal downloading and its impact on prog bands should read her post.
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Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: October 22 2014 at 13:34
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I'd like to purchase the new Pendragon album, but it is very expensive to do so. Amazon is charging $35 USD, whereas these days most new albums are selling for $10, at least upon release; going up to $14 or $15 after the initial surge. I might buy the download off of CDBaby for $15 USD or maybe buy it directly from the band for 12 pounds which translates to roughly $20 USD plus shipping. I really dislike the inability to purchase so many English prog bands albums for a decent price. I'm just not a fan of import markups. -------------
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Posted By: infocat
Date Posted: October 22 2014 at 23:59
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Hmm, Wayside has it for $21. Same with Laser's Edge. Yeesh. (Better than $35, though!) Looks like Kinesis has it for $19.99. What happened to their deal with Madfish, I wonder? ------------- -- Frank Swarbrick Belief is not Truth. |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: October 23 2014 at 11:40
I got mine from those wonderful people at Caerlysi Music in Wales, and it arrived this morning, signed by the great Nick Barrett himself  I am going to put it on this evenings hen I get back from work. This is one of the most eagerly anticipated albums of 2014 in the Laz household. I really hope that you US folks can get a decent copy at a decent price. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: RoeDent
Date Posted: October 28 2014 at 10:30
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I'm so confused by the release schedule for MWCM. They never really announced it properly at all. I checked their website regularly and there were no concrete updates. And now Amazon, the world's biggest online retailer, have "run out of stock", mere weeks after the apparent release. |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: October 28 2014 at 11:07
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Posted By: RoeDent
Date Posted: October 28 2014 at 12:17
First of all, I don't have Facebook and don't intend on getting it. Second, the website says it's available through their web shop. When is/was it available "in all good music retailers"? That's what I mean. If I can, I prefer to buy my CDs from a shop. Saves all that faffing around and morning after disappointing morning of anxiously waiting for the postman. |
Posted By: Fearabsentia
Date Posted: October 28 2014 at 12:17
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I mostly a fan of their recent heavier stuff(I am a metalhead after all) Pure and Passion are my favorites, I could never really get into the early albums
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Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: October 28 2014 at 14:07
I got mine from Caerllysi Music, which has the added advantage of being based in Cymru. It is a great outlet for all things prog. It is still being advertised, so I imagine Will, the proprietor, still has at least one copy, so why not try him? The website is at caerllysimusic.co.uk. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: Jon_t
Date Posted: October 28 2014 at 14:13
There's been plenty on the Pendragon website all year leading up to the release of the new cd. The CD was on pre order before release via the site, and there was no waiting morning after morning as It was delivered on the day that Nick said it would be available and signed as well, which you won't get from Amazon etc. Its a great album, just enjoy and be thankful after all these years that we can still enjoy a new Pendragon cd as much and as good as this one and I for one can't wait for the Gig at St Helens next week, which by the way is a sell out now :)
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Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: October 31 2014 at 05:14
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Just for info...... We announced in March that it would be released in October. We didn't change that or alter that date. The LAUNCH event was October 4/5 and we shipped pre orders on October 6th as promised world wide. We are independent, basically Nick runs the label and I (his partner) assist in all the admin and shipping. We have a very few trusted dealers world wide who we have sent stock to Laser's Edge, Kenesis in USA, Just for Kicks in Germany, Bertus in the Netherlands, and Built by France..... in France. We are retailing from our own site at £12 plus P&P (and look at the stamp, we charge you a LOT less for P&P than it actually costs us!!!) So we think we are offering a good deal world wide. We have shipped to every continent across the world on the date we specified, and on going we aim to ship within 48 hours of each order. We are looking at mass distribution world wide next year, but for explanation, we HAVE to do it this way as being an independent self published band run by just 2 people if we offer it to mass distribution we don't actually earn any money from it......and before you jump up and down accusing us of being bread-heads, I'd like to say with a release, the same with shows we aim to not LOSE money, rather than aim to make a pile of cash. Making quality music and products is not a cheap exercise, and whilst we're busy (me in the office and Nick in the studio) we do need to pay the bills! If we were selling millions of albums through major labels across the world we could stock em up and sell em cheap, but alas we're not in that sector. And really, to be fair fans of niche music (prog) should understand that idea shouldn't they? We update the website every time we have news, we tweet, we FB. The news IS there. Always. We do pride ourselves in sticking to targets, if we say the album will be out in October, that happens. We dont' ask you to crowd fund it with a hazy "might be available some time in the next 3 years" kind of way, we offer pre-orders just one month before release when we know 100% we will not let you down. Some pre-orders did not arrive at their destination, some folks understood this was a "lost in the post" situation, some folks treated me to torrents of personal abuse. Again, we ship when we say we're going to, we can not be held responsible for the actions of the mail, but we ALWAYS do our best to rectify a bad situation as soon as humanly possible. And, we ARE human! Having said all of that over 10,000 people now have MWCM and seem in the main to be pretty happy with that. For us, we've just got home from 21 dates in mainland Europe and next week we do a few shows in the UK, I try to answer emails on the hoof as we're in foreign parts, but sometimes due to wifi restrictions or workloads e-mails will take slightly longer to reply to whilst we're touring. We're not ignoring you though, we're doing our best with our limited resources to keep everyone happy! We're not amazon, we're me'n'Nick. Oh, and I have no idea who is supplying amazon, it's not us! :-) Personally I am SO looking forward to St Helens (now sold out) to meet Jon_t as we've spoken via e-mail for many years and I'm sure he'll agree that we've built up a good relationship in that time, as we tend to do with anyone who e-mails into the office! :-) See ya next week Jon! Wilcey The office Monkey Pendragon Base-Camp
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Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: October 31 2014 at 06:08
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Ordered from Lasers Edge. Thank you for the info. -------------
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: October 31 2014 at 06:30
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Nick is one of the most emotional lead-guitarist's after David Gikmour......... .....Dunno what mor to say............?....... |
Posted By: geekfreak
Date Posted: October 31 2014 at 10:05
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I`d lost touch with the band from after the KowTow album, so my question is to renew my Pendragon. which album of the new music would or should I give a spin... ------------- Friedrich Nietzsche: "Without music, life would be a mistake." Music Is Live Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. Keep Calm And Listen To The Music… < |
Posted By: Jon_t
Date Posted: October 31 2014 at 10:56
Agree with everything above and Pendragon and particularly Nick and Rachel have done me proud for a long long time. See you in St Helens Rachel we are really looking forward to what I know will be a brilliant concert and night. |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: October 31 2014 at 12:07
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The Citadel is a great venue (I saw Wigan's finest, Tansads, there a few times), so have a great time, Jon. Unfortunately, since I moved to the other side of Wales, and we took on so much in caring responsibilities, getting up there was impossible. On the general point re Pendragon and the albums, I think that we should all be extremely thankful that the business model Nick & Wilcey have works so well. If it didn't, then we would not have so much great new music to enjoy. As I think I said before, I got mine the week of release from Will at Caerllysi Music, a great independent retailer, and it was one of the signed double CD issue Thank God they are not Amazon, or any other huge corporate monster. Surely, part of the continuing appeal of bands such as Marillion, Pendragon, and IQ is their ability to continue making great and vital new music, under a business model which, although not making a fortune, at least works and funds the stuff we love. BTW, I love the song based approach on MWCM. Review on the site to follow in the next week. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: October 31 2014 at 12:15
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Is that a joke? C'mon guys, the 90's are over, I won't spend $40 for a double cd. ------------- |
Posted By: Jon_t
Date Posted: November 08 2014 at 00:40
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St Helens was absolutely Awesome,for me best gig ever, and I have seen hundreds of Bands. The whole band was unbelievable, and a fantastic set of new and old. If you can manage to get to the final night in London ,you will not be disappointed. Great to meet Rachel also. Brilliant Venue, Brilliant night, Come back soon.
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Posted By: Jon_t
Date Posted: November 13 2014 at 02:08
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If anyones interested I have Just uploaded my first video from st helens -watch in HD Full screen
you tube is a pain for uploading took 14 hours for 8 mins of video -opening track to the concert. :)
link
http://youtu.be/B1xfJ7Ep3G4" rel="nofollow - http://youtu.be/B1xfJ7Ep3G4
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: November 13 2014 at 06:40
Can I just say Nick and Rachel run a brilliant operation - the amount of work they get through is phenomenal and anyone who sends abusive emails is a complete
 .Oh, and MWCM is brilliant.
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Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: November 19 2014 at 02:41
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forty dollars???? I have no idea who is charging you forty dollars but it isn't us! And whilst we're talking about the price of music I read this the other day, you might find it an interesting read..... http://thetrichordist.com/2012/10/05/mythbusting-music-is-too-expensive/" rel="nofollow - http://thetrichordist.com/2012/10/05/mythbusting-music-is-too-expensive/ And as a business plan making something that's getting more expensive to make but cheaper to sell...... yeah, sounds like a crap business model doesn't it? We appreciate those who support not just us but all the non-amazinion little guys out there struggling to get from one album to the next! Also...... Will at Caerllysi Music is a top bloke! :-) W x |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: November 19 2014 at 11:47
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Don't have any Pendragon though I have heard several albums on you tube......which is the best of the best so I can start there? ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: November 19 2014 at 14:15
Difficult question to answer, really. You could actually, do a lot worse than starting off with the new one. Of the symphonic phase, perhaps The Masquerade Overture, or, of the latter phase, Passion is a work of genius. Actually, though, Pendragon are a rarity in that they have never, ever, released a bum album. Three stars minimum, and you cannot say that about many acts. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: November 19 2014 at 14:19
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Also, I perhaps should mention that I made an error on my MWCM review last week. I paid tribute to Clive on the keyboard solo on In Bardo, which is beautiful. Playing the album on Saturday night, I noticed from the CD liner notes that it was actually.........Nick. Read before you write, Laz, read before you write........ Still does not detract from a mighty fine album, and I hope the review put this across. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: Jon_t
Date Posted: November 20 2014 at 02:03
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Most of the St Helens show except the encore now uploaded to my You tube channel if anyones interested.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNz6Ix_4dPV6H1lPQMJYqdA" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNz6Ix_4dPV6H1lPQMJYqdA
Please Visit the Pendragon Official website for more information on the new Album Men Who Climb Mountains which is superb.
Cheers John
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Posted By: yesheadjon
Date Posted: November 22 2014 at 07:01
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Firstly, I must be somewhat slow as I have just watched Breaking the Spell from St Helen's, done a search on Pendragon Album Reviews, come on the site and not equated jon_t to the footage until he posted the link. I really wanted to say that Nick and Rach are two of the most honest hard working people I know and it really gets on my wick when I see people whinging on as if they are managed by Simon Cowell and live in Beverley Hills. Trying to make end meet when there is so much illegal downloading and touring where the margins are so small make me wonder how people like Nick find the motivation to carry on. Album after album delivers something different but with a common thread that there is always emotion, passion and amazing musicianship. Men Who Climb Mountains may be the best album they have ever done, time will tell. If you only buy one CD for Christmas make it this one. Oh yes and I agree with jon_t St Helen's was one of the best gigs they have ever done in the 31 years I have been going to see them, really special. Cheers and much kudos to Rach, Nick and the band Jon
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Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: November 22 2014 at 07:33
Thanks for the tip
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Posted By: Roland113
Date Posted: November 22 2014 at 10:13
My heart goes out to you guys. Wow, I think this illustrates the effects of newer (and necessary) business models have had on musicians. I truly wish that you didn't have to feel guilty about making money off of your album. Just about everyone has some kind of job in life, musicians fall into that category, people that have jobs. The good news is that it's one of the most gratifying and fun jobs out there. I had a blast when I was playing and watching a crowd react to something you wrote is phenomenal. None the less, it is still a job. Making and selling music is how professional musicians pay their bills. Musicians do something that many cannot, they fill in a niche. If you ask me, Mr. Barrett and company should be making piles of money. More importantly, they shouldn't have to feel guilty or defend wanting to make money at their job. Seriously, very few people start their job with the mentality 'Well I don't want to make too much money here', I just hate it that musicians have to defend making money. Yeah, musicians in the seventies made a lot of money, but really if you were to run into Gene Simmons at the grocery store agonizing over getting the Jiff peanut butter over the cheaper store brand version, I think a little of the majesty is going to be lost. ------------- -------someone please tell him to delete this line, he looks like a noob------- I don't have an unnatural obsession with Disney Princesses, I have a fourteen year old daughter and coping mechanisms. |
Posted By: yesheadjon
Date Posted: November 22 2014 at 15:43
| I couldn't agree more, This is not some retarded boy band publicity machine. This is people with huge talent and bags of personal integrity trying to bring pleasure to the prog masses and make enough to get by. I absolutely take my hat off to them for it. |
Posted By: geekfreak
Date Posted: February 02 2015 at 07:53
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I`ve been trying to seek out which way to go with the newer album so I`ve just sent for the latest one once I`ve been and listened to it I`ll let you now... ------------- Friedrich Nietzsche: "Without music, life would be a mistake." Music Is Live Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. Keep Calm And Listen To The Music… < |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: February 19 2015 at 02:45
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Men Who Climb Mountains is a surprisingly strong album. Apart from the slightly iffy opening, Belle Ame, the album quickly shifts into gear, reaching blissful heights with Come Home Jack/In Bardo, and not letting up until the beautiful ending, Netherworld plays through. I think I'm liking this more than Pure. It's a departure from the likes of The Window Of Life, Masquerade Overture and Not Of This World (how do Nick and the boys do this perfection over and over ??), but still maintains amazing quality and emotion, something NB prides himself on. There is just a ton of magic and emotion that flows from Nick's fingers into his guitar, most of his solo parts are OUTSTANDING, enough to bring tears to my eyes, something only David Gilmour hints at. |
Posted By: geekfreak
Date Posted: March 04 2015 at 13:11
thanks I`ll be off looking forward to getting them... ------------- Friedrich Nietzsche: "Without music, life would be a mistake." Music Is Live Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. Keep Calm And Listen To The Music… < |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 29 2015 at 20:10
| Currently got Not Of This World spinning on the TT - I'm convinced this is my ultimate fave from Pendragon. Love it to bits. |
Posted By: the lighthouse keepe
Date Posted: May 30 2015 at 05:57
Along with The Masquerade Overture,it's the best! Nick Barrett is a superb musician,and his song writing isn't bad either! |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 30 2015 at 07:09
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Masquerade Overture is flawed by that Pursuit Of Happiness track, otherwise a fine album indeed. |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: June 08 2015 at 13:06
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Nick is 54 today. Cheers, and many happy returns!  ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: June 08 2015 at 13:28
Woohoo !! Happy Birthday Nick 
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Posted By: POTA
Date Posted: June 10 2015 at 10:55
I'm pretty upset they removed their catalog from Spotify. It's how I really discovered their music. I was listening to them relentlessly when it suddenly disappeared a little over a month ago. Here's what I was told when I emailed the band.
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Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: June 10 2015 at 11:29
The Spotify business model is a disgrace as far as artists remuneration is concerned. I am surprised that anyone allows their music on there. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: POTA
Date Posted: June 10 2015 at 11:43
Eh, it's great exposure, though. My friends and I would never have gotten in to so many bands if it weren't for Spotify. It's also where I discovered some great bands like Airbag, Mystery, Pendragon, Moon Safari; as well as good bands like Unitopia and Magic Pie.
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Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: June 10 2015 at 12:19
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What good is "exposure"?????? We get less album sales (and other merch sales) and gig attendances have remained steady for at least 20 years....so tell me where is the benefit if this exposure, other than Mr Spotify putting your £10 a month into his pocket? W
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Posted By: POTA
Date Posted: June 10 2015 at 13:40
I'm not saying you guys should not have removed your catalog. Sure, I'm personally bummed because it was easy access to your music, but I'm not offended by the decision. As far as exposure, that's really the point of radio and online streaming. You say it didn't help your band's sales or concert attendance. Fine. Remove it. But you're just one case. There are others like you too who got nothing out of it. And, hey, it could be the case that Spotify aided in concert attendances remaining steady, and helped album sales be more than they would have been if you hadn't been on it. Though I hope not since you're no longer on there.
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Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: June 10 2015 at 13:44
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As I said in my email, the easiest way to have the music you want to listen to readily available is to buy it. And unfortunately no.....Spotify has definitely not helped us, and to find a musician who can honestly say it help them is like looking for hen's teeth....and that doesn't make us at all unusual. It's basic economics, if nowt goes into the pot, nowt will come out. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: June 11 2015 at 00:26
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Just keep pressing those gems to vinyl and I'm there
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Posted By: infocat
Date Posted: June 11 2015 at 01:16
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I use Spotify like I use Bandcamp, to give the music a listen to see if I want to buy it. And then if I like it I buy it. On a different track, I bought all of the Pendragon Madfish reissues over the last couple of years. But will The Jewel ever get any kind of CD reissue? ------------- -- Frank Swarbrick Belief is not Truth. |
Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: June 11 2015 at 02:53
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The Jewel is out of print at the moment, we hope to re-issue it at some point, but I don't think it will be this year.....sorry! |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: June 11 2015 at 03:25
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The Jewel is such a gem (pun intended) !! Nothing bad about my LP copy from way back....... |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: September 17 2015 at 16:03
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I am going through a pretty strong Pendragon phase at the moment. As I write this, listening to the wonderful Men Who Climb Mountains, an excellent testament to where this great band are right now. I do find it surprising that only four collabs, including yours truly, have actually bothered to review it. Why is that, do you think? After all, I can only think of Marillion and IQ as equally important bands who emerged from the second wave of prog in the UK in the 80's, and who are still making great music. Road Of Bones, rightly, attracted huge praise on release. Why not equal attention to this fantastic project? I find it desperately confusing. Thoughts? ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: September 17 2015 at 16:10
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Too much hate for neo prog amongst the current batch of collabs. Personally, I hadn't written a review for quite some time, before the review that I wrote on a whim earlier this week. -------------
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