BRAIN SALAD SURGERY

I have a hard time writing a review for an album like this --an album that I consider a "masterpiece" of its genre-- because I realize that it will certainly NOT be to every Prog fan's liking. Also, quite frankly, I don't even think that the album is flawless from beginning to end. I DO feel, however, that the entire "Karn Evil 9" track makes this album essential to the Classic Symphonic Prog fan.

"Karn Evil 9" is keyboard-and-drum-driven Symph Prog at its most bombastic/pretentious/unpredictable/majestic. This means that, while many of you will find it to be completely exhilarating, the rest of you will say that it's "too over-the-top busy" (those of you who prefer spacy or laid-back kinda stuff) or it's "not heavy enough" (those of you who need guitar to be the primary instrument). So...while I consider this to be essential listening to the Symph Prog fan, I also concede the fact that Post-Rock, Metal and Folk fans will probably not be into it.

Like it or not--THIS is what Prog was all about in its heyday: The artists doing exactly what they wanted, in a way that they wanted, for as long as they wanted (even if it meant continuing a song from side 1 of an LP to side 2:) ... and NOT giving a damn about what a Rock act was "supposed" to sound like. Oh, and they still seemed to be having alot of fun while doing it.

5 stars on the Prog-ometer

4 stars on the Personal Taste Meter