LONGSHOT

LONGSHOT began their prog trip in 1994 in the commune of Villefranche de Rouerge as a one-man project behind multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Michael Reese.Reese was so much attracted by a science-fiction novel of his friend Thierry Gulleminot,that he decided to adapt it in a trilogy under the name LONGSHOT...a concept story about a runaway,which escaped from the jail of Alpha Centauri,but was killed by a deadly cosmic bacteria,named ''the dark fear''.For this first part he recruited Michel Altmayer on drums,ex-member of the Zeuhl band ''Troll'',later to record with symph progsters ''Atoll''.So this first part entitled ''The cosmic bacteria's experiences'' was released in 1997 in only 500 copies due to problems with the band's distributors.

The truth is that such kind of a concept seems too ambitious to be created by just one person.Though the album is good in general,it fails to capture my whole attention from the start to the end.The same atmosphere dominates the whole album and it lies somewhere between melodic prog in the vein of CAMEL or even OSIRIS (the Bahrain band) and the guitar- driven prog of JADIS...and actually the guitar work in here is often remarkable with nice riffs and some intricate melodies,while at moments it becomes quite complex with great breaks.The album is balanced between instrumental themes and song-oriented tracks and I could say that it stands well in terms of composition and arrangement.However the digital keyboard sound is somewhat plastic and additionally a bit low in the mix,the compositions seem to last a little bit longer than they should,while what really spoils the whole effort are the distorted,spacey vocals of Reese,which sound at least accented,amateur and at times even hilarious.

For devoted fans and collectors of melodic Neo Progressive Rock,this would be propably a fine purchase...I wouldn't recommend it to lovers of more sophisticated and demanding rock forms...only 2 stars...

Longshot was in fact a shot in the dark for me when I bought it. I'm checking out quite a few neo bands lately and this is one of them. All I knew was they are from France and sound somewhat like Genesis and Marillion. Well this is said of a lot of neobands so what's it worth exactly ? Not much to me.

Check out for yourself is always the best solution and that's what I decided to do. First song is the Asylum Overture, the least you can say after only a few minutes this is no subtle band by any means. It could even be categorized as heavy prog if the album goes on like this. The vocalist does it in the same style. It's obviously a Frenchman singing English; to be honest I don't understand much of what he is singing, it doesn't really bother me but it's at least something I notice. Instrumentally the song goes a few times in different directions, so variation is certainly there. All in all I like what I hear in this overture very much. My rating for this would be 4,5* or something near that score.

The Deleted File starts off even heavier than the opener at least where the guitar is concerned. The keyboards setting in a bit later are more sophisticated. The guitar sounds a bit out of tune all the time but I think it's either meant that way or deceptive because I can't imagine they did this deliberately. It does sound original in a way, I never heard a guitar sounding like this, that's for sure. After several minutes listening I must conclude that despite the heaviness it is certainly neoprog after all, just a rougher kind of it. This second track is slightly less compositionwise than first track but it's the second very long track that's more than acceptable. I like their style of songwriting. This would get some 3,5* in my book.

Third track is one of the two shorter ones on this album and it's not a very impressive one I have to say. Miracle Man is a bit of a sloppy song without significant moments. It's probably the least of the album (2,75*).

Next, The Ballad of Peter Blackfrog is the second longest track of the album and where style is concerned sounding like the first two. After two or three listens this was my favourite song of the album. But listening to it more intense I must admit the instrumental part towards the end is too repetitive, dragging on too long so to speak. Still a very good track deserving some 4 stars all in all.

Endless is a middle length track and not quite the best of them all. It has the same kind of sloppiness as third track but has more substance as a song (3*). So far I haven't heard any similarity with Genesis or Marillion. This band sounds more like Magic Pie or Cryptic Vision, a sort of rougher edged symphonic prog is what I'm hearing.

Welcome to the Mind Surgery Clinic is the longest song of the album. Again in the same vein as first two and forth track. You have to like the style if you want to like this album. If you don't it's useless, this album is much of the same. Personally I don't mind but I'm sure this is not everybody's cup of tea. (3,75*)

Last in line is Armageddon, another shorter one and also one I don't like personally (2,75*). It's an accessible song but not in a pleasant way to me.

This is another mindbreaker for the decision of the rating. I think I will decide for the four stars because I really like the 3 longest tracks and they measure about 60% of the total albumtime. But beware, this is a very personal thing. The ratingdiscription excellent addition to ANY prog music collection is certainly not the right one for this album. Check it out in the store before buying. An advantage is that if you check out the first song, you have a pretty good idea for the entire album.

In exception to the vocals which was so very Badly recorded ( maybe with a Fisher Price Mic ) the stamp of the voice seems good but it's not sounding ! This , cd by an unknown band from Luxembourg with 2 members seems playing Genesis Music easier that Bands such Xitizen Cain & the poor Galadriel ! ) My opinion is very good compositions breaks & music but massacrated by a recording probably done by a kind of Amateurish sound engineer ! One of my favorite " GENESIS clone" with Iluvatar in the 90 NEO Prog scene.

Qué bueno teclados é musica ! That band that i believe from france or belgium was unknown for me til i found a very good chronicle at progressivrockbr after reading another excellent one metamusica magazine. this showed an interest when i saw genesis and yes cited and what a delight was the listening. Evoking Starcastle, camel, Genesis, yes & steve hackett + à la "Gabriel" vocals, this band offered to me a kind of spinaltap rarely got during the nineties. i saw there alot of guys which play down with that band that could be a next flower kings with a large scale sound producing. Didn't know what future to this great band having a great drummer from a Zeul band. Dont take attention from "Gunners" this band merit large scaling audience.

I knew this band thanks to Wmms mentor Peter Wustmann. I asked why he need such band too much anchored progressive roots for its label.Sure Peter had at this time PROG ROCK such Maryson, Anyones Daughter, Rachel Birthday and Ines but this band LONGSHOT was surely the Proggier in my idea. This was also the opinion of a friend of mine working with Empire, after he talked with a guy workin for Progressive Newsletter named Kristian..Not sure he was Kristian Selm, but this guy spoke about Longshot like a PROGRESSIVE ROOTS band with a 90's dynamic. I'm sure this kinda CAMEL-STARCASTLE-YES-GENESIS-MARILLION band did good music, sometimes a bit long, that fans of all bands above can't hate. My only disapointment with was the sounding somewhat poor and too much reverb on Keys & vocals. Was trying to ASYLUM but really : NO THANKS.

This is most a "like" YEs album from the drama period that a Genesis tribute as named in the booklet. Unless a very "Middle range" producing, all music is kind of technical prog with large changes, not a quarter minute with the same riff, causing for the music a lack of attention because the difficult approach. It was for me about 8 listening before i begun to like it. However the Vocals unless a voice in the Collins old era style ( sometimes FISH Marillion) are drowned in the reverb and we don't know why ? A good pretendant to Spock's beard, Arena, Marillion or FLower Kings with its own style teinted at some time Mike Oldfield. VERY PROGRESSIVE : ! Better in any case to the second one too much metal for me, hard to find but i found mine at ebay where it's not rare to see it .

It's a real drummer playing on this cd . Not a simple drummer, MICHEL ALTMAYER the guy from Troll and recently ATOLL and its easy to recognize its sounding!!! I consider exhaustive a 5 stars on any Longshot but the Bacteria merit at least 3 to 4 stars !! Far better that any MUSEA cd from the same age but condemned by a poor sound Producing. Take a look at Prog-resiste, Harmonie or few french revues , this band has Potential to become one of the best NEOPROG band among Iq , Spock of the FlowerKings.

This is more the work of a one-man band than the line-up of two suggests... Indeed, electronic drums are used throughout the album so where is Altmayer ??? This album suffers awfully from this "one-man band". The vocals are terrible and the music is very boring. The problem is that all the tracks are long ! The shortest is over 7 minutes. The music comes close to Saga but lacks the beauty, magic or anything really. It's just not worth getting interested in so take care you don't pick up my second-hand copy...

I don't know the first part of this sci-fi trlogy by french band LONGSHOT I've never heard before and actually I'm not very curious about it. Okay let me try to describe what is presented here. I would say a kind of Art Rock or NeoProg with some symphonic elements and a touch of Prog Metal. Closest comparison maybe bands like IT BITES or SAGA. Apart of the fact that I don't favor those bands, I'll explain what else are the reasons why this record fails to hit my attraction. First thing are the really awful vocals, but this would be tolerable if the music would be good at least. But instead the compositions are just longish lacking any diversity and complexity at all. Just terribly boring without any interesting moments and any rhythm changes. Really just a type of symphonic hard rock, nothing else. I'd love to be able to tell at least one hightlight or a better track, but I can't find any. I've got to say this is one of the worst symphonic Prog albums and probably the worst by a french band (apart of some 80's ANGE ones) I've listened so far!

I'd like to recommend this album only to fans of the mentioned bands or late GENESIS. Very poor for being classified as Symphonic Prog!

Hare Krishna !!! GOD BLESS ALPHA CENTAURII ! i was hopeless ! Fully acclaimed by the international press during 1997 and 98, LONGSHOT is back ! Without coming pessimistic, I was thinking that Longshot was one of these bands destined to remain in the darkness while I see it at the top of the poster . Despite my adventure in the team PROGJET, I can say nevertheless that I awaited it this LONGSHOT to the detour, even if my fears did not reveal themselves about musical view !!! To my big surprise the disc did not released on CYCLOPS taht early wanted this second cd but on a unknown label (Progressive) in a person of Wake the DEAD ! Magestic 12 pages full color booklet coming as proof we do not have there a SELF-PRODUCT confirming in entry that the label seems to have put the money on ! Impatient after a 3 years expectation, cos' I discovered the first one a long time after his 98 release . I take just the time to put to the plastic film in the thrash and throws the alphan u.f.o in my cd reader cd ! WHOAAAHH . . . Tibetan return or what ? Intro gliding to the magnificent waves from HIMALAYA adding in introduction a must (o how much shorty ) to the overall LONGSHOT sound .. . The PRODUCTION hits strong while offering a masterly cleaning leaving to think that the first album was left twenty years ago. This LONGSHOT takes therefore a sacred one jouvence cleans in a sonorous bath largely typed IQ, ARENA ( VISITOR ) or a Proggier SAGA ! ! ! As early as the first minutes the screaming guitars leaves us to dream of waht could have been the first album, a pure NEW POWER PROG item ! Always these long typical developments and final pieces to the very symphonic ends marking without any doubt a style widely embellished by 3 new members of an almost fearsome efficience . . Despite therefore the birth of a true group, of which it is a matter 1st album don't forget it, one will already note a good cohesion of the whole . Luckily Michael Reese seems to have sent out his hat , the ideal Line up that does not leave to feel the absence of the giant TROLL "Michel ALTMAYER". His substitute, BEN LARSON, without having his statute, replacing him feet and hands of master by a playing most direct rather typed MOSLEY (MARILLION) or Paul COOK (IQ). . . Not any guitars parts Guitares, (or Low) played there by Michael Reese , unless his very different approach in the playing would have added a more on doubles guitars arpeggio like other of the HACKETT/GENESIS harmonies on the nevertheless fearsome Solos of the Sieur Phil Wake, bringing in place and places a good personality and a big quoted SAGA / QUEEN on a number of melodies and Chorus. The BASS of FREDDY LYNN are not in remains and snore such a JOHN JOWITT of the most effective ones leaving widely places it has many lines to the abode more YES-like or played Fretless yet . . . For finish the review , REESE offers there some an of more beautiful more flown ones away KEYBOARDS* in solo on Peter Blackfrog overhanging Rhythmic keyboards and Tablecloths a lot more present and NEO than on the preceding one, well preserving the big side Tony Banks / Geoff Downes that characterizes him . . . The over voice" ROCK " of REESE sounding like a mix of RAY Wilson and Peter Gabriel claims by its harmonies his eternel devotion to GENESIS. . . This new LONGSHOT grown 2002 unquestionably pulled the teachings of its numerous fears and errors for not some to preserve apparently that the essential one. . . Remain to the group to obtain a vocal wealth "Multitimbral"so what was positive in THE COSMIC BACTERIA is sublimated by a excellent producing . A cd widely above the and average without any doubt quality superior has his predecessor that this be in production or in compositions. . . A very good beginning for the group on this label of the" PERIGORD NOIR " to the pig sense of smell to stuff !!! I already saw to the top of the poster. .

NIKO RINARDT.