THE PROG COLLECTIVE

AWESOME!!!!!!!! This record is a must for anyone who wanted to know what all kinds of different "prog" artists would sound like if they jammed together. With this album Billy Sherwood has finally climbed out of the pseudo-prog box and established himself as a sort of Steve-Wilson persona who is somehow capable of bridging the gap between the strands of different types of prog, rock and jazz-fusion. On one album he has brought together Jerry Goodman (Mahavishnu), John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Alan Parson, Chris Squire, Gary Green (Gentle Giant), Peter Banks, Annie Haslam, Larry Fast, Steve Hillage, Tony Levin, Rick Wakeman and Tony Kaye. If that wasn't enough, he got Colin Moulding (!) out of retirement to guest on a track with Rick Wakeman (!!)...It's XTC meets Yes! I normally do not gush this much over new records theses days but dang! This one is really something. There really is something for everyone here. This is an incredibly cool record. I hope to see more of this outfit, and get Dave Gregory and Andy Partridge in here as well and lets have a mini-XTC reunion!

BUY THIS RECORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you treat this album as a solo Sherwoods project you won't be surprised (ok, it's better then most of his music). If you wan't to find a bit of Gentle Giant or Gong or even Renaissance spirit here you will be disappointed.

All those prog-giants are only surnames on the album sleeve. What we got here is only next 90s-yes-like pop album. Sherwood didn't get a step closer to rock then in his recent contributions. His compositions are only plain sweet songs similar to those which he made with Yes. The lack of progressive elements in this seven easy-listening songs is quite sad by the way. If this is the best of what most super of supergroups can give us nowadays - progrock is dead. What a luck I bought Anglagard at the same time...

I recommend Prog Collective only for Yes lovers . Of course only for those who can survive listening albums from the second half of their discography. You will be satisfactioned. Prog Collective is even much better then last Yes releases. Songs are well-written with some nice instrumental-works (Laws of Nature, Buried Beneath). A bit kitchy but not pompous like Keystudio.

The problem is that second half of Yes discography and Prog Collective are not progressive. As I wanted to get some prog stuff i got only adult-contemporary pop songs with well- harmonized music background.

A must have. Don't try to find the progressive bands roots. Just open your mind, listen n enjoy the entire album. Its not Porcupine Tree, nor Yes or Asia. It is one of the best albums have bought this year. Some of the best Prog rock musicians joined this project. So what do expect? Something unusual and full of music styles fusions. Excellent lyrics, vocals, guitars, and some keyboards solos. The drums work is awesome, and of course i was really pleased listening to some strings instruments. This record is flying high in the prog rock scene. The music is what i have known and call progressive. Every track is unique in its style. Dont miss it you wont be disappointed.

I had such high hopes for this album. With guests like Annie Haslam, John Wetton, John Wesley, Gary Green, Richard Page, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman, Peter Banks, et al, I was expecting so much more. The playing is fine, but somewhat uninspired as it's not a whole band with guest spots. This is a Billy Sherwood production - Billy on drums, Billy on guitar, Billy on keyboard, Billy on bass. The guests are playing with recordings. This does not mean it's bad...it's not. BUT. It easily could have been better. Billy is only average on drums, which is not good enough for me. He's average on bass. He's can play a lot of instruments, but not up to my prog standards.

The songs, while not bad, are not memorable. Melodies are kind of ho hum. The songs don't hold up.

I like Sherwood's work in general. Back Against the Wall, his World Trade Albums, his work with Squire, his work with Yes. This to me is too disjointed. One of the best aspects to prog for me was great musicians playing together. That is missing here, the energy is gone. It's just OK.

The Billy Sherwood Project

Apparently modelled on the Alan Parsons Project, this album features a host of well-known musicians from bands like Yes, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Renaissance, and more. Even Alan Parsons himself makes an appearance. Taking the role that Parsons did in his "project" is the incredibly prolific and multi-talented Billy Sherwood who serves as producer, song writer, and performer. "The Billy Sherwood Project" would perhaps have been a better name for this as "The Prog Collective" is a somewhat ridiculous name.

From Yes we have no less than six members past and present including three from that band's original line-up in keyboard player Tony Kaye, bassist Chris Squire, and guitarist Peter Banks (the latter two of which are sadly no longer with us). In addition to these, the other three Yes-men appearing here are Rick Wakeman, Geoffrey Downes, and of course Billy Sherwood himself. Other progressive Rock luminaries appearing here include John Wetton from King Crimson, UK, and Asia fame; Tony Levin, who played with King Crimson and Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, among others; Gary Green from Gentle Giant, and Annie Haslam from Renaissance.

The album features seven tracks all of which are around seven to nine minutes in length. Different tracks features different people with Wetton leading off on the opener The Laws Of Nature. Jerry Goodman from The Mahavishnu Orchestra hands in a mean violin on the same track. Over Again features Richard Page with Geoff Downes on keyboards. Next up is Technical Divide on which Alan Parsons sings lead. Social Circles is beautifully sung by Annie Haslam and Peter Banks plays some really nice guitar solos on the track. On Buried Beneath, Billy Sherwood sings lead which he does very well as usual. Also appearing of the track are Larry Fast of Synergy and associated with Nektar, and Steve Hillage of Khan and Gong. The track reminds slightly of Buried Alive from Rick Wakeman's Return To The Centre of The Earth album (on which Ozzy Osbourse sang lead vocals). Following The Signs features Tony Kaye (with whom Sherwood also plays in Circa) and John Wesley. Finally, the closing track is sung by Colin Moulding and Rick Wakeman plays keys.

Like most albums of this kind, with different people singing and playing on different tracks, this album feels somewhat disjointed with some songs not really fitting in among the others. Nonetheless, I find this album enjoyable and all seven songs are good. This album is surprisingly overlooked given the involvement of such big stars and the music found here will appeal to fans of the people involved and the various bands they are associated with.

First of all, there was absolutely no reason to list both The Prog Collective albums here on Prog Archives as 'various artists'. Both are definitively not what we call V/A, but de facto Billy Sherwood's solo albums with a lot of guest contributors. Not a prog band sensu stricto, while also not 'various artists', but... the prog collective (sic!). It seems to be as an artist name so the most appropriate definition. A collective of musical associates and like-minded professionals led by one of them who produced a bunch of musical ideas. The Prog Collective is even not a sort of so-called supergroup but just Sherwood with a little help from a lot of his superstar friends. All the music was composed and mostly played by him, other participants only added some vocal and instrumental parts. Sherwood played keyboards on Open Your Eyes (which is probably not good enough as a Yes album but a very good example of progressive pop). But the music in The Prog Collective's self-titled debut is not similar to Open Your Eyes, it rather reminds the studio material from Keys To Ascension. Not too complex, not too sophisticated, quite accessible, listenable and enjoyable. This album can hardly be rated as masterpiece, but it makes an excellent asset for anyone who's into prog and not stuck in 1970s.