VARIOUS ARTISTS (CONCEPT ALBUMS & THEMED COMPILATIONS)

THE GREAT BRITISH PSYCHEDELIC TRIP, VOL 1 1966-1969 begins the series with artists who existed concurrently with the more famous bands like The Who, The Pretty Things orThe Small Faces but never found any success in terms of exposure or sales for that matter. In fact most of these artists never even had the opportunity to release a single album with only a few singles that dotted their short-lived output. Despite the obscure nature of the artists on this compilation, none of which i was familiar with before encountering this psychedelic pop gem, these artists showcase exactly how many talented acts there were in the day crafting excellently constructed psychedelic baroque pop that stood up to the best of the era.

Also falling in line with the 60s marketing trends of confusing the public, there are actually two versions of this compilation released simultaneously with slightly different titles. The vinyl LP edition only featured 20 tracks and sported a different album cover as THE BRITISH PSYCHEDELIC TRIP (1966-1969) while the CD edition featured 26 tracks and was released as THE GREAT BRITISH PSYCHEDELIC TRIP, VOL 1. This was the result of the limitations of vinyl which split the series into four editions whereas the longer CD format fit everything snugly into three. While most of these tracks will be completely unfamiliar, a couple of them may jump out at you including The Flies' version of "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" best known as a Monkees single as well as The Californians' version of Warren Zevon's "Follow Me."

What this compilation succeeds in is revealing a completely unknown underground of the richness of the British music scene of the 1960s and although these tracks are psychedelic pop, like experimental artists like The Beatles, many were pushing boundaries while engaging in their trippy fuzz guitar sounds and Beach Boys style harmonies. While all the artists here could ostensibly be considered pop artists, the degree to which they aimed for the singles charts varied with clear missed hits with the sunshine pop "The Muffin Man" from World Of Oz to the more etheral, less commercial sounding track "Renaissance Fair" from Human Instinct. Others such as The Californians actually sound a lot like The Monkees. Overall this is an excellent collection of lost gems that will exhilarate those who can't get enough of 60s British psychedelic pop in the vein of The Pretty Things, The Beatles or The Move. Not every track is equally compelling but none are throwaways either. The two editions of each release are different enough they should be categorized as separate releases. Only 14 tracks appear on both formats. The rest are different. Track listing of each format:

THE BRITISH PSYCHEDELIC TRIP, VOL 1 (CD) 1 Turquoise - Tales of Flossie Fillet 2 Timebox - Baked Jam Roll in Your Eye 3 The Poets - In Your Tower 4 The 23rd Turnoff - Leave Me Here 5 World of Oz - The Muffin Man 6 Ice - So Many Times 7 The End - Shades of Orange 8 Ice - Ice Man 9 Cryin' Shames - Come on Back 10 Tintern Abbey - Vacuum Cleaner 11 The Virgin Sleep - Love 12 Turquoise - Saynia 13 Toby Twirl - Romeo and Juliet 14 Amazing Friendly Apple - Magician 15 Tintern Abbey - Beeside 16 The Flies - I'm Not Your Stepping Stonelyrics 17 The Accent - Red Sky at Night 18 Human Instinct - Renaissance Fair 19 The Cuppa T - Miss Pinkerton 20 Toby Twirl - Toffee Apple Sunday 21 Cherry Smash - Green Plant 22 The Californians - Follow Me 23 The Outer Limits - Just One More Chance 24 Les Sauterelles - Heavenly Club 25 Keith Shields - Deep Inside Your Mind 26 Al Stewart - The Elf

THE BRITISH PSYCHEDELIC TRIP (1966-1969) (Vinyl) A1 Turquoise - Tales of Flossie Fillett A2 The Attack - Created by Clive A3 Timebox - Baked Jam Roll in Your Eyes A4 The Poets - In Your Tower A5 The 23rd Turnoff - Leave Me Here A6 World of Oz - The Muffin Man A7 Ice - Anniversary (Of Love) A8 The End - Shades of Orange A9 Ice - Ice Man A10 The Fairytale - Run and Hide B1 Paul & Ritchie & The Cryin' Shames - Come on Back B2 Tintern Abbey - Vacuum Cleaner B3 The Virgin Sleep - Love B4 Turquoise - Saynia B5 Toby Twirl - Romeo and Juliet B6 Amazing Friendly Apple - Magician B7 Tintern Abbey Beeside B8 Fire - Father's Name Is Dad B9 The Flies - I'm Not Your Stepping Stone B10 The Accent - Red Sky at Night

They have spent almost their entire career making soundtracks other than few "one summer" hits on the disco music side.

Few words about Sandokan: it's a novel of the first years of the 20th century by an Italian writer who were used to write about exotic places like Malaysia, Indonesia and so on without having never left his town during all his life. The character is a pirate fighting against the British colonialists and in the movie it's interpreted by the Indian actor Kabir Bedi who in Italy became a sort of sex-symbol.

Said so, this soundtrack is a collection of short pieces written for the movie. There's a combat sequence, a love sequence but what is remarkable and had a great commercial success is the title track. It features a Sitar and has some Indian feeling. Probably it's the reason why somebody has considered it "progressive". Also the love theme can qualify in some ways.

The lyrics are what you can expect from the main title of a TV movie which was broadcasted in at least 5 parts, if I remember correctly, for about 8 total hours. In an age without internet and without streaming services, where people didn't have many choices, this soundtrack had a very lot of advertising.

I don't want to minimize the composing skill of the Oliver Onions, but sitar apart, I still don't see how this could be of any interest for a proghead.

I have to admit that if you blow the title track down any road in Italy, people would still recognize it. 2-stars is I think the appropriate rating.

Collectors of Italian movie soundtracks of the 70s only

THE GREAT BRITISH PSYCHEDELIC TRIP, VOL 1 1966-1969 begins the series with artists who existed concurrently with the more famous bands like The Who, The Zombies orThe Small Faces but never found any success in terms of exposure or sales for that matter. In fact most of these artists never even had the opportunity to release a single album with only a few singles that dotted their short-lived output. Despite the obscure nature of the artists on this compilation, none of which i was familiar with before encountering this psychedelic pop gem, these artists showcase exactly how many talented acts there were in the day crafting excellently constructed psychedelic baroque pop that stood up to the best of the era.

Also falling in line with the 60s marketing trends of confusing the public, there are actually two versions of this compilation released simultaneously with slightly different titles. The vinyl LP edition only featured 20 tracks and sported a different album cover as THE BRITISH PSYCHEDELIC TRIP (1966-1969) while the CD edition featured 26 tracks and was released as THE GREAT BRITISH PSYCHEDELIC TRIP, VOL 1. This was the result of the limitations of vinyl which split the series into four editions whereas the longer CD format fit everything snugly into three. While most of these tracks will be completely unfamiliar, a couple of them may jump out at you including The Flies' version of "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" best known as a Monkees single as well as The Californians' version of Warren Zevon's "Follow Me."

What this compilation succeeds in is revealing a completely unknown underground of the richness of the British music scene of the 1960s and although these tracks are psychedelic pop, like experimental artists like The Beatles, many were pushing boundaries while engaging in their trippy fuzz guitar sounds and Beach Boys style harmonies. While all the artists here could ostensibly be considered pop artists, the degree to which they aimed for the singles charts varied with clear missed hits with the sunshine pop "The Muffin Man" from World Of Oz to the more ethereal, less commercial sounding track "Red Sky At Night" from The Accent. Unlike the CD which featured some more avant-garde sounding acts, this one is pretty much strict psychedelic pop. Overall this is an excellent collection of lost gems that will exhilarate those who can't get enough of 60s British psychedelic pop in the vein of The Pretty Things, The Beatles or The Move. Not every track is equally compelling but none are throwaways either.

The two editions of each release are different enough they should be categorized as separate releases. Only 14 tracks appear on both formats. The rest are different. Track listing of each format:

THE BRITISH PSYCHEDELIC TRIP, VOL 1 (CD) 1 Turquoise - Tales of Flossie Fillet 2 Timebox - Baked Jam Roll in Your Eye 3 The Poets - In Your Tower 4 The 23rd Turnoff - Leave Me Here 5 World of Oz - The Muffin Man 6 Ice - So Many Times 7 The End - Shades of Orange 8 Ice - Ice Man 9 Cryin' Shames - Come on Back 10 Tintern Abbey - Vacuum Cleaner 11 The Virgin Sleep - Love 12 Turquoise - Saynia 13 Toby Twirl - Romeo and Juliet 14 Amazing Friendly Apple - Magician 15 Tintern Abbey - Beeside 16 The Flies - I'm Not Your Stepping Stonelyrics 17 The Accent - Red Sky at Night 18 Human Instinct - Renaissance Fair 19 The Cuppa T - Miss Pinkerton 20 Toby Twirl - Toffee Apple Sunday 21 Cherry Smash - Green Plant 22 The Californians - Follow Me 23 The Outer Limits - Just One More Chance 24 Les Sauterelles - Heavenly Club 25 Keith Shields - Deep Inside Your Mind 26 Al Stewart - The Elf

THE BRITISH PSYCHEDELIC TRIP (1966-1969) (Vinyl) A1 Turquoise - Tales of Flossie Fillett A2 The Attack - Created by Clive A3 Timebox - Baked Jam Roll in Your Eyes A4 The Poets - In Your Tower A5 The 23rd Turnoff - Leave Me Here A6 World of Oz - The Muffin Man A7 Ice - Anniversary (Of Love) A8 The End - Shades of Orange A9 Ice - Ice Man A10 The Fairytale - Run and Hide B1 Paul & Ritchie & The Cryin' Shames - Come on Back B2 Tintern Abbey - Vacuum Cleaner B3 The Virgin Sleep - Love B4 Turquoise - Saynia B5 Toby Twirl - Romeo and Juliet B6 Amazing Friendly Apple - Magician B7 Tintern Abbey Beeside B8 Fire - Father's Name Is Dad B9 The Flies - I'm Not Your Stepping Stone B10 The Accent - Red Sky at Night

One of the greatest contributions to the success of the movie also came from the accompanying soundtrack which has been deemed one of the top 100 Australian albums of all time. The entire score was produced by G. Wayne Thomas and was originally intended to be entirely recorded by the Sydney based progressive folk band Tamam Shud but due to voice problems of the lead singer Lindsay Bjerre, the plans were changed to make the soundtrack a various artists affair. The soundtrack was released by Warner Brothers and was the first Australian soundtrack to sell over a million copies and be certified gold. So that tells you how big of a deal this movie and soundtrack were during its day.

The original release featured 12 tracks with three tracks from G. Wayne Thomas, three tracks from Tamam Shud, three tracks from Brian Cadd and a track each from Terry Hannagan, John J. Francis and Peter Howe. The 30th anniversary edition featured three more tracks that were in the film but left off the original soundtrack due to time limitations of the era. Although i haven't seen the actual film yet, the soundtrack is said to be the perfect backdrop for the films numerous surfing scenes and other powerful moments that helped captivate and entire nation's attention for a brief moment in time. Ironically the film delivered a strong narrative thread with no spoken words in the movie itself therefore relied heavily on the musical accompaniments to convey the intended emotive responses and in that regard the soundtrack delivers brilliantly.

The music on this one is more on the mellow side of things with straight forward Cat Stevens type folk music delivers by producer and songwriter G. Wayne Thomas to the more complex progressive folk gems performed by Tamam Shud. Although the soundtrack is rather subdued in its mood settings, somehow the tender melodies delivered through the sounds of country rock, blues, folk music and touches of progressive rock actually work quite well. All of the tracks are instantly catchy and the arrangements are brilliantly written. The lyrics are key to the movies narrative and also excel at capturing the spirit of the film's intent. The soundtrack has a good flow to it as well and the decision to employ the talents of many different artists adds a nice diversity to the overall impression.

Soundtracks are hit and miss with the majority working adequately with the film while watching it but more often than not don't hold up on their own. MORNING OF THE EARTH may have been a great flick in its own right but as it turns out the soundtrack is actually pretty good as well. Personally i like the more upbeat tracks such as Brian Cadd's "Sure Feels Good" or Tamam Shud's excellent "Bali Waters," even the folky hippie vibe tracks aren't bad either. This is definitely a nice slice of Australian talent collaborating for a unique perspective on spiritual connections to the Earth through the art of surfing. Perhaps a bit too much country folk to make it absolutely essential for me personally but definitely a brilliant album for what it delivers and those into this type of music will absolutely love it.

3.5 stars rounded down

How many people saw this album in a record store and decided to buy it solely by who's playing on it? I mean no self respecting prog fan could put this back on the shelf could they? The main drummer is Phil Collins but we get brief appearances from Bill Bruford, Jon Hiseman and Cozy Powell. While Lumley takes care of most of the keyboards we get Keith Tippett playing piano and Brian Eno, Manfred Mann and Gary Brooker adding synths. Guitar? How about Alvin Lee, Gary Moore, Chris Spedding and John Goodsall. Percy Jones takes care of most of the bass duties but BLODWYN PIG member Andy Pyle helps out too. Violins and a lot of vocals and spoken words. And of course narration from Viv Stanshall and it's so well done. Really Julie Tipppetts and Bernie Frost are the only singers as only three tracks have singing although we get a choir on another tune but lots of character speakers here done by many of the musicians here.

The tracks average under 2 minutes as we go from scene to scene so not much time for the instrumentalists to show their skills. But this is about the story and it's well done in my opinion but honestly if I never hear it again so be it. The one track that stood out for me was "Wolf And Duck" at under 4 minutes and the one with Chris Spedding on it along with Eno, Collins and Jones. "Cat In Tree" is pretty good too but again this is more about the story, the lyrics. "Rock And Roll Celebration" is a disappointment, a shot at a single I guess. 3 stars.

This various artists compilation only features three sprawling tracks by the bands C.A.P. and Tapobran, both from Italy and the band Témprano from Venezuela. This album is dedicated to classic 1970s retro-prog with vintage keyboard sounds and a unified stylistic approach that borrows from early Genesis, ELP, Jethro Tull and the Italian greats like Banco and PFM. Each of the three tracks exceeds 22 minutes with the opening track by C.A.P. reaching a satisfying 27 minutes of symphonic prog splendor.

Consorzio Acqua Potabile (C.A.P.) starts the prog party with the sprawling 6-suite "Alla corte degli eroi - 1550, periodo Sengoku" which narrates the developments of the Samurai through endless variations based in the context of classic symphonic prog with additional references to Jethro Tull, King Crimson and especially Italian greats including Le Orme, Banco, Museo Rosenbach and just about anything else but the kitchen sink. This is one of the strongest tracks which is the most focused and features the most logical meandering through an endless series of developments. The segments while basically mini-tracks in their own right provide a logical procession although the actual Samurai references are nebulous and sparse. This track also features the most interesting vocalist at least for my ears.

The Venezuelan Témprano follows suit with a similar but distinct style as it nearly matches the longevity prowess of its processor. "The Farmers" which constitutes a mere four suites delivers the usual suspects for influences but also finds itself a bit less focused as far as meaningful movements and resorts to lengthy jamming extensions which tend to sound a little forced and at some points monotonous. Although not unlistenable by any means, just seems to be a step down from the opener and much more Genesis influenced with easily identifiable moments from classic pastoral sounds and Hackett inspired guitar tactics. Some jazzy moments are scattered about and the track sounds a bit more vintage.

The final track "The Bandits" by Tapobran likewise extends over the 20-minute mark surpassing the 22 minute demarcation. This track is segmented into four suites and offers some of the more overt rocking performances with heavier guitar moments and keyboard heft that will please fans of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's more brash moments. Being Italian there are plenty of references to the Italian greats of the era as well as moments of actual Japanese references making it the most identifiable as something that refers to the concept, something these Colossus Projects tend to make secondary in emphasis. While the track is the shortest, it offers more of a condensed punch in many regards and suits a more dramatic ending.

Overall this isn't as consistent as some Colossus releases yet quite excellent when taken as a whole. This is one of those pomp and awe type of prog album that many will cite as endless noodling but if an infinite roster of variations and thematic changes are your bailiwick then this will not disappoint. All three bands show an excellent display of tackling classic 70s prog and making it their own and despite an immeasurable wealth of influences on board, each band delivers a distinct flavor that far exceeds mere copycatting. For lovers of sprawling epic prog compositions, this is prog heaven however anyone allergic to these types of excess best stand clear. Personally i love it.

In a rare moment where the brothers' two different styles found a crossroads on this one of a kind album titled VARIATIONS which was written by Andrew in the mid-70s for his brother Julian to perform, a magical moment where sibling rivalry found common ground. The album is based on the theme of Paganini's "24th Caprice" and as the album title suggests it includes 23 differing VARIATIONS which has been a key tool in spicing up classical music since the beginning of time (as well as every other Western genre since). The score premiered at the 1977 Sydmonton Festival and featured the progressive jazz rock band Colosseum II to serve as the rock part of the equation. The following year it was recorded and released and then immediately shot up to #2 on the British charts showcasing the appeal of these types of novelties as the prog rock years were waning.

VARIATIONS was unusual concoction that features just as much jazz as rock interjected into a classical context however Andrew having mastered the art of classical composition ensured the rock and jazz aspects interacted smoothly with the clashing forces with which they were put against thus offering a sleek and well?.varied instrumental display of fine classical craftsmanship. The impressive lineup included Don AIry of Colosseum II, Deep Purple and Rainbow amongst others along with Rod Argent also of the same three groups. In addition Barbara Thompson of the original Colosseum brought in her jazz sensibilities from her time with The New Jazz Orchestra and would soon take inspiration to join the United Jazz + Rock Ensemble. Gary Moore also of Colosseum II and Irish rock band Think Lizzy provided guitar work while Julian rocked the cello. The biggest surprise of all comes from the appearance of Genesis and Brand X drummer Phil Collins sitting on the drum kit.

While only a short album at about 34 minutes, VARIATIONS certainly delivers its namesake with bravado and gusto alternating between moods, tempos, cadences, key changes, genres and all the tricks and trinkets that classical musicians pull out of their magic hats. While considered crossover classical where rock and classical along with some jazz commingle on the greater musical playground for a day, the emphasis is clearly on the classical aspects due to the source material which coincide with the the sophistication that virtuoso classical composers display. While there are certainly moments of cheesiness especially with the canned drumming moments (i wish Collins was more Brand X than Genesis here), the overall effect is as dramatic as one of Andrew's top theatrical scores. Julian totally rocks the cello but never makes it sound like a forced rock instrument.

While this sounds cheesy in its premise it's actually quite an intricately designed moment where none of the genres water each other down in the least bit and on the contrary find the perfect juncture where all can unleash their full potential without interfering with the other. Julian's virtuosic cello performances are the true standout but for the most part he is reserved and the musical flow dictates the overall instrumental interplay which found Andrew in the conductor's chair as well as adding his overall duties as producer and playing the synthesizer. It's an oddball album for sure and it will vaguely remind you of The Nice or other "rockin' the classics" prog that was all the rage in the 60s and early 70s but the difference here is you get a real classical composer reinterpreting the genius of Niccolò Paganini with an arsenal of talented musicians to take his vision to heart. Much better than i had expected and actually find this captivating.

First let's have a look on how Kalugin's own projects are represented here, as they are much better known in the prog community than the rest. KARFAGEN's 'Curious Talk' comes from Messages from Afar: First Contact (2017) and 'Hymn of Hope' from Messages from Afar: The Working Tapes (2024). The SUNCHILD track 'Rain Drops' is taken from the live album A Message of Peace Tour (2023). Hoggwash or Antony Kalugin's solo output are not included here.

INSIDE THE SOUND is a project of guitarist Max Velychko, who has worked in Kalugin's projects and in Modern-Rock Ensemble. 'Horizon' from Wizard's Eyes (2017) is a gorgeously soaring instrumental, with melodic power reminiscent of Camel, Hackett and such.

ARLEKIN is a Neo Prog moniker of the singing multi-intrumentalist Igor Sydorenko. 'Mirror of Shadows' is a 9-min. piece from his second album The Secret Garden (2021) which I haven't listened to. Sounds less Marillion- esque than the first album from 2014, and perhaps less intriguing too. Wish he would recruit a separate vocalist.

Crossover Prog band OBIYMY DOSCHU and their latest single 'Na Vidstani' (2020). A totally new name for me. Modern, silghtly depressed art rock, very well produced.

(Tracks 5 and 14) YELKA is not yet in ProgArchives. An interesting, highly eclectic sound with a strong female vocalist. Some ethnic nuances especially in the singing.

ICHTHYANDER DAD'S ONLY DOLPHIN is an instrumental quintet who released a live album in 2015. 'Biometry' demonstrates their Crimsonesque sound with violin in a big role.

LA HORSA BIANCA plays dynamic and psychedelic instrumental prog. 'The Mouse Principle' is from their third album Diluvian Beat (2020). Another non-PA artist KONSTANTIN IONENKO QUINTET plays fine modern jazz. Piano, saxophone and trumpet make their solos on 'Sect', and also the rhythm section is excellent.

Nor have I -- or PA -- heard of ROMAN GORIELOV. 'With No Reply' (2017) is a brief, pretty acoustic guitar piece. DMYTRO IGNATOV (not in PA) is obviously a metal-oriented guitarist, and on 'Silence' the American prog artist Derek Sherinian guests on keyboards.

The further artists on this CD are VICTOR GO, PEREVOD and KalMar. The two last mentioned are not in PA. All in all, this sampler really widens up anyone's picture of the progressive music made in Ukraine. It's much more many- sided than you'd think.

This particular tribute is dedicated to the Sergio Corbucci film THE GREAT SILENCE which was a 1968 revisionist spaghetti western film that tackled the usual plot of bounty killers and outlaw activities which were all the rage in Europe and was the continent's version of the US based westerns which were also very popular during the 1950s and 1960s. While cowboy visions and dreams are not exactly the subject matter of prog, this single album of three tracks which features Little Tragedies (Russia), Yesterdays (Romania) and N.Ø.T. (Italy) does an amazing job of crafting amazingly beautiful prog if not always highlighting the zeitgeist of a nostalgic film craze. Unlike the many double album editions of the Colossus Project, this one is a mere collection of three tracks that all average out around the 20-minute playing time. Collectively they add up to only 63 minutes which is actually quite short considering many of this compilations can feature up to 4 CDs!

First up is Маленькие трагедии (Little Tragedies) which has been a Russian staple in symphonic prog since 1994. "The Voice of Silence" tackles the expected dramatic developments set out in the symphonic prog universe with lots of time to allow ideas to flourish in its 19 1/2 minute run. This track features a wealth of melodic and compositional ideas that all play out with as much time as they require to feel fully developed before moving on. The track feels perfectly executed with all the required instrumentation demonstrating peak playing skills with special kudos to the excellent keyboard runs. Lyrics are in Russian and the tracks is the most exotic sounding of the three with lots of interesting twists and turns that keep you from guessing what will come next, of course without sacrificing the melodic flow which dominates the entire album.

The following Yesterdays delivers the two part "Suite Pauline" and allows a completely different take on symphonic prog that is a lot mellower than the musical style of Little Tragedies. Infused with a bit of jazz and a love for classic analog equipment, this band certainly does exhibit some classic Yes attributes and sounds the most like a bonafide 70s band due to its staunch dedication to the classic compositional style of the 70s including Steve Howe inspired acoustic classic guitar and Rick Wakeman-like keyboard assaults. This track clocks in at exactly 20 minutes and is brimming with creative infusions. The second fugue part is absolutely entrancing with the ultimate tribute to J.S. Bach in some of the most creative ways possible!

While the first two bands are fairly well known in symphonic prog circles, the third band N.Ø.T is not. This Italian band has never actually released an album in its own right and is one of those bands that has only appeared on the Colossus Projects but as Italians qualifies the most to actually evoke the spirit of the classic spaghetti western themes since Italy was the nation that released the most of these European classics with films like "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" ranking amongst the highest rated movies of all time. While the previous two bands were excellent in constructing phenomenal prog epics, this track takes on a darker approach and actually channels the spirit of what the subject matter is all about and at 23 1/2 minutes long, the lengthiest of the three tracks on board.

While the whole spaghetti western theme doesn't really fly in the context of symphonic prog in the end it doesn't really matter! What does matter is that this is one of the best Colossus releases i've experienced so far. This is what symphonic prog dreams are made of. Lengthy behemoths that meander in logical processions and develop beautiful multi-layered melodic constructs that crescendo in thundering instrumental virtuosity. The infusion of creativity for these bands is off the chart here and often these Colossus Projects feature bands that put their best material on these compilations. I'm woefully not too familiar with any of these bands' music so i can't compare to their regular releases but all i can say is that this is some of the best modern prog that can be heard. Everything is perfectly designed and when it's this fantastic. This is a masterpiece of symphonic prog majesty!

CD 1 (77:01) 1. "Un Pensiero e Sempre Libero" (LEVIATHAN) (26:34) Kudos to Musea/Colossus for getting these Italian NeoProg rockers to come out of retirement for this project. The music, quality of composition, musicianship, and sound engineering are all pretty good--except the pitchy performance of lead singer Paolo Antinori. Though Paolo was present on the band's third and last album, 1997's Volume, he was not the band's original singer (two albums created at the end of the 1980s.) As a matter of fact there are only two other musicians from the band representing on this piece--both founding members: keyboardist and flutist Andrea Amici and Andrea Moneta on bass, drums, ChapmanStick, and engineering. Despite some shortcomings, the musicians do a pretty good job of pulling together a very engaging and overall pleasing epic. As a matter of fact, the music is quite good; the overall rating might be higher if there were less singing (which, by the way, is all done in Italian). (40/50) B-

2. "The Secret Passage" (GREENWALL) (27:13) opens with some classical/New Age jazz piano soloing away as if performing an overture.lots of rather clichéd hooks and motifs (some very engaging and interesting) performed with passable engineering and then spliced together in an interesting fashion--like an Andrew Lloyd-Weber musical. Andrea Pavoni's classical/New Age piano solo over the final three minutes is, for me, the highlight. Unfortunately, the finished product is like listening to a B-level off-Broadway radio play. The vintage analog instruments are certainly present and shining but rarely creating anything exciting to the modern prog lover. The players' sometimes-pitchy accented English is sometimes horrible--especially the male. Luckily, they also spend quite a bit of time singing in Italian. Despite the fine effort from the performers, this is just not A-level prog. (46.5/55) B-

3. "God Of Silence" (SINKADUS) (23:14) Not used to hearing this Swedish band with vocals--and now I understand why they've been reluctant to use them much before. Still, this is a band of very skilled musicians who do a fair job putting this song together. Unfortunately, from this critical reviewer with my high standards, it could have been more inspired [and original], more fully-developed, and definitely more polished. (38/45) B-

CD 2 (79:25) 4. "Come Vento Tornero" (MAD CRAYON) (25:05) full marks: you can tell that this band--a seasoned quartet led by long-time prog stalwart and keyboard wizard, Alessandro Di Benedetti--literally put their hearts and soul into this very symphonic piece. The result is that it's a piece that's very hard to find fault! (47.5/50) A

5. "Lords And Knights" (VELVET DESPERADOS) (24:51) a group of talented Finnish youth who only worked together for a very short period, 2003 to 2007, releasing only one album of their own and then contributing to two of these Musea/Colossus projects: this one and 2007's Treasure Island. I really like their eclectic sound: the keyboards of Pink Floyd's Richard Wright, the rhythm section of an early Nektar or even earlier psych-rock band and a lead singer that sounds like a cross between Jim Morrison, Arthur Lee (LOVE), and Geoff Mann (TWELFTH NIGHT), but more, this band employs horns! In fact, an entire four-piece horn section! The music definitely has the feel of a band from the late 1960s, even earlier when they go into their blues-rock style (as in the most excellent section from 12:30 to 15:45--a sound and stylistic blend that I was not expecting!) Another most excellent passage can be hear from 15:45 to 18:50, this one sounding like an early, soulful BILLY JOEL. Wow! Again: I was not expecting this! The next section is led by some very Brian May-like guitar. The vocalist (and his second-track of harmony vocals) is most excellent--exceptionally effective at relating this story with theatricity, skill, and genuine feeling emotion. The song closes down with the same horn-led fanfare as the beginning. Again, the musicianship and compositional skill are top notch. I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to repeated listens in the future. And, whatever happened to these guys? I'd really like to know! (48/50) A

6. "A New Dawn" (REVELATION) (29:26) opens with some bombastic music that is definitely prog--probably more like NeoProg--and they have a good singer in Arcadelt's Pierfrancesco Drago. A lot of the opening motif (which is six minutes in length) feels and sounds like NeoProg in the vein of STEVE HACKETT GENESIS. The next, slowed-down section is far more GENESIS Trick of the Tail-like with Hammond organ, deep sustained bass notes, thick Mellotron chords, strumming 12-string guitars, and a early-Nick Barrett-like gentle male singer to tell the tale. At 14:15 we ramp back up to a more dynamic passage--not far from being a continuation of the previous motif, just different uses for each of the instruments and, of course, full involvement of the drum kit. The instrumental passage that follows around the 18-minute mark is totally from the GENESIS playbook--almost lifted from the end sections of "Supper's Ready," but this is cut short by a solo classical guitar interlude that starts right at the 20-minute mark, which does set up a heavy Wind and Wuthering passage 45-seconds later. A nice Steve Hackett-like guitar solo ensues for the next minute before an electrified acoustic guitar takes us into a different more-IQ-like passage. Pierfrancesco rejoins, now singing in a forced-sounding voice in a higher register over the thick low end-filling bass, pounding drums, crashing cymbals and bouncing Hammond chord play. The electrified acoustic guitar is used several times to bridge between verses and then to a new motif that contains picked 12-string guitar and flute along with Pierfrancesco's return to his more comfortable vocal range. This part has a sound palette and feel more similar to that of 1980s Pendragon. Overall, a very nicely constructed, performed, and rendered piece. (53.5/60) B+

Total Time: 156:26

B+/4.5 stars; a collection of one disc of excellent prog epics (CD 2), and one disc (CD 1) of somewhat under-developed or under-inspired pieces, thus, giving the Colossus/Musea project masters yet another early win in their intrepid effort to resuscitate the veritable symphonic "epic" of the "Classic Era." Highly recommended.