IN THE REGION OF THE SUMMER STARS (1984)

This is THE Classical/Rock fusion masterpiece. It is supremely well composed and orchestrated, or arranged if you will, containing beautiful and aweful (i mean that as in full of awe) passages of music ranging from blazing rock guitars to gorgeous Romantic piano. The falling tower is probably the most accessible track to rock fans, as it has some great guitar riffing and breathless builds. My favorite track on the album has to be the title track though, because it has the best mix of rock and Classical, starting off with haunting synth passages that segue into a terrific, theoretically perfect guitar solo (just listen to the chord progression) by the underrated Lickerish.

With that said, I must give a warning to the uninitiated. In order to appreciate the less rocky tracks on this album, it is recommended that you at least have a healthy tolerance for Romantic and Post-Romantic music - i.e. Liszt, Mahler, Borodin... But, of course, its not necessary, just highly recommended; of course if you enjoy some of the more classical moments of Renaissance or other classically influenced bands, you'll be more likely to get into this, but if you get this album and dont like it, dont discard it, just give it a rest and come back later with a better Classical frame of reference.

A final warning, dont buy the 80's remastered version, because many of the tracks were rerecorded with cheesy synth sounds, but its still enjoyable, just not nearly as ethereal. For those who prefer a more classical sound than this album, you can try their Aerie Faerie Nonsense, as it is more Classical than this is even.

Sorry if I babbled a bit, but this is well-worth checking out!