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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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Symphonic Prog Britannia

THE GIFT    This London-based Symphonic Prog band are The Gift that keeps on giving, making their three superb albums the ideal Christmas gift for any discerning prog fan. Smile

 4 stars 2016: The Gift - Why the Sea is Salt
 4 stars 2019: The Gift - Antenna
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Symphonic Prog Britannia

GENESIS        In the Beginning there were five members of Charterhouse School who One Day decided to form a band. That band was GENESIS. They were Looking for Someone to promote and produce their first album when a Window of opportunity came along in the shape of Jonathan King, a Duke of record producers working Behind the Lines at the time. The album "From Genesis to Revelation" entered a Land of Confusion and Misunderstanding though when many record stores placed the album in their religious music sections due to the religious-sounding title. The album and first single "Silent Sun" both flopped, and barely caused any Ripples in the music press either, despite Jonathan King Calling All Stations to try and promote the album and single on the radio. GENESIS' second single "A Winter's Tale" was also met with about as much indifference as A Fly on a Windshield by radio stations and barely No Reply at All from the music press. Their record company Decca became Entangled in a dispute when it was discovered there was another band in America called GENESIS, but by A Trick of the Tail, the band managed to keep their name Anyway by changing their name to "Revelation" in the United States.

The music business has always been as fickle as a Harlequin, where The Dividing Line between success and failure depends on a combination of good luck and hard work. Every new band is sailing through Uncertain Weather where they can easily be dragged down by the Undertow and Shipwrecked by having The Knife stuck into them by their record company or by the music press. That's All it takes to finish a band's career. There's Never a Time when it's been easy to make it in the tough music business, but Like It or Not, that's just the Way of the World. No astrological Watcher of the Skies can predict who's going to make it in today's cynical music industry, where the chances of success are about as hard as climbing a White Mountain of snow before the Fading Lights of Dusk close in.

After the Ordeal of seeing the commercial failure of their first album, GENESIS were In Limbo and left out In the Wilderness during a short period of Stagnation when the band members returned to their studies at Charterhouse. They weren't Down and Out or Taking It All Too Hard though, because making great music was far more than Just a Job to Do for the five talented band members. Contrary to being In Hiding, GENESIS were just Counting Out Time in The Waiting Room of The Cinema Show of life before returning to the recording studio. The band members were confident of The Musical Box of talent they had between them and their Horizons were positively bright with the general feeling that It's Gonna Get Better soon. GENESIS were working to a Time Table and they didn't plan on Living Forever on borrowed time, or waiting around each day until Supper's Ready. They were In Too Deep to consider Throwing It All Away at this late stage. The band were more than ready to Turn It On Again with an Invisible Touch of magic with the release of their next album, "Trespass". It would be several albums later though before GENESIS were basking in the warm Afterglow of a successful album release, followed by the Domino effect of success breeding further success in the proverbial Aisle of Plenty. Smile


 4 stars 1969: Genesis - From Genesis to Revelation - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Ls8TsNNijJYxxnS-Kp5ts8t
 5 stars 1973: Genesis - Selling England by the Pound - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Ls8c3SxGZW2wPNWTifikotc
 4 stars 1974: Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvZRqTE0R8CKQn3uj02Eete
 4 stars 1978: Genesis - And Then There Were Three - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lu_v2KJ4Drut19mv5NA5Vbb
 4 stars 1980: Genesis - Duke's Tour - Live in London - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LsakRPFG5xzS9M1Bt6ZUIsf
 4 stars 1987: Genesis - The Invisible Touch Tour - Live at Wembley Stadium - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtfP3gvjZFp8aRa4u4N4naZ
 3 stars 1992: Genesis - The Way We Walk, Volume 1: The Shorts - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtiJfPLwHyqHvA89AJ-6XAJ
 3 stars 1993: Genesis - The Way We Walk, Volume 2: The Longs - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvqCgkdpSIQIR_Td5siylSk
 3 stars 1998: Genesis - Live in Katowice, Poland - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lsay_xIB0GrhENO4VCbYT_x
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Symphonic Prog Britannia: A-Z Album Links

 4 stars 1969: Genesis - From Genesis to Revelation - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Ls8TsNNijJYxxnS-Kp5ts8t
 5 stars 1973: Genesis - Selling England by the Pound - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Ls8c3SxGZW2wPNWTifikotc
 4 stars 1974: Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvZRqTE0R8CKQn3uj02Eete
 4 stars 1978: Genesis - And Then There Were Three - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lu_v2KJ4Drut19mv5NA5Vbb
 4 stars 1980: Genesis - Duke's Tour - Live in London - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LsakRPFG5xzS9M1Bt6ZUIsf
 4 stars 1987: Genesis - The Invisible Touch Tour - Live at Wembley Stadium - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtfP3gvjZFp8aRa4u4N4naZ
 3 stars 1992: Genesis - The Way We Walk, Volume 1: The Shorts - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtiJfPLwHyqHvA89AJ-6XAJ
 3 stars 1993: Genesis - The Way We Walk, Volume 2: The Longs - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvqCgkdpSIQIR_Td5siylSk
 3 stars 1998: Genesis - Live in Katowice, Poland - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lsay_xIB0GrhENO4VCbYT_x

 4 stars 2016: The Gift - Why the Sea is Salt
 4 stars 2019: The Gift - Antenna

 4 stars 1996: Gracious - Echo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_rUjUj-lP0

 4 stars 1973: Greenslade - Bedside Manners Are Extra - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LsUdHcaZOpn4T1Mon3PhqDU
 3 stars 1974: Greenslade - The Birthday Album: Live Switzerland - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Ltg8RFUFePYrXLUQdiOTa-A



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - September 18 2023 at 18:22
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Symphonic Prog Britannia

FRUUPP       With a bizarre name like FRUUPP, you might imagine this five-piece band are some obscure Krautrock outfit from deep in the heart of Germany, but no, they're some obscure Belfast-based outfit from deep in the heart of Northern Ireland. They have four albums to their credit with this album "Future Legends" (1972) being their first. Later albums were "Seven Secrets" (1974), "The Prince of Heaven's Eyes" (1974), and "Modern Masquerades" (1975). A fifth album was planned for 1976, but due to poor record sales and the emerging Punk/New Wave movement, Fruupp were consigned to the prog history books when they broke up at the end of the year. Progressive Rock has triumphed over the shortlived Punk-Rock era in the long run though, because Fruupp have gone on to become "Future Legends" in their time, with their marvellous brand of mellifluous melodic prog experiencing a well-deserved resurgence of interest on the Internet. The 2009 CD remaster of "Future Legends" includes the bonus track, "On a Clear Day", which classical buffs may recognise as being a proggy reworking of "Jupiter" from Gustav Holst's "Planets Suite"

"Future Legends" opens with the title track, a short classical piece of music which acts as a prelude to "Decision", a lively and rumbunctious number that gallups along nicely with a pounding rhythm and builds up to an impressively rousing finale. An awesome opening to the album. "As Day Breaks with Dawn" follows next, with a melodic classically-inspired opening, which breaks out into a powerful thrumming Genesis-like number with the singer sounding remarkably like Peter Gabriel. Yes, we're definitely in Genesis territory here, with a somewhat heavier sound, and very good it is too. Onwards now to Track 4 and "Graveyard Epistle", a song which begins as a melodic ballad before breaking out into some very proggy, heavy and intense riffing. In true prog fashion, there are constant changes of tempo, staccato breaks and a few key changes thrown in too, to keep the listener entertained and enthralled. We're halfway through the album now and this is sounding very good indeed!

Side Two opens with "Lord of the Incubus". It's a grand-sounding title and the music is impressively grand too, Again, it sounds like a song Genesis could have recorded in their classic prog years. There's a thumping rhythm section and the guitarist is really in his element here as he demonstrates his virtuosity with some masterly soloing. Track 6 "Olde Tyme Future" has a more sedate pace, with some beautifully melodic keyboard motifs. The cryptic lyrics are shrouded in mystery but with music this good, who cares about the lyrics anyway!? And now we come to the penultimate and longest song on the album, "Song for a Thought". It's a seven and a half minute long magnum opus which opens in fine rollicking style and then transposes into a laid-back mellow and melodic groove in the middle section. before the resounding and reverberant grand finale, which might just blow your socks off. It's melodic, it's dramatic, and it'll leave you feeling euphoric. The final song is a brief and gentle vocal reprise of the classical title track which opened the album. It's a perfect ending to a magical album full of proggy tales of mystery and imagination.

This is a very impressive debut album from this Northern Irish band that's likely to appeal to fans of the classic Peter Gabriel years of Genesis. It's hard to pick out a highlight of the album, because "Future Legends" is full to the brim with great songs. If you're looking for a band with the musical talent and melodic finesse of Genesis with a somewhat heavier edge, then you'll be in prog heaven with this superb album. This prog masterpiece is such a delight to listen to that you may be inspired to give Fruupp's following three albums a spin too. A must-have album for any discerning collector of classic British prog.
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Symphonic Prog Britannia

4 stars 1977: First+Aid - Nostradamus - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXn4DfnhEbw

FIRST+AID          The British band FIRST+AID got together to record their one and only album "Nostradamus" in 1977. I prophesise that if you like the sound of some overblown Symphonic Prog, then this memorable ELP-style album may be just the prescription you need. Let's open the medicine cabinet now and see what the prog-nosis is. Will the album require medical care and attention or will it be given a clean bill of health? Well, let's find out.

"Visions" opens the album in dramatic style and starts as it means to go on with the sombre voice of the narrator announcing, "When the two great powers of the world unite, Their greatness will be seen to grow, But their power brings fear to the East, And the man of blood is angered, Then it will begin!" ........ I don't know what it all means, but it sounds ominous. The spoken word prologue precedes the doom-laden sound of a swirling solo synth before launching into an ELP-style free- for-all where two manic keyboardists appear to be competing with each other to see who's the nimblest keyboard wizard of them all. Shades of Keith Emerson vs. Rick Wakeman. Now we come to the title track, the 6-minute-long "Nostradamus". Play it loud! This song is full of pomp and ceremony in the best traditions of classic Symphonic Prog in all of its glorious splendour. It's everything you'd expect, including a powerful singer, a male chorus, and two sonorous synths competing with full orchestra, which is guaranteed to reverberate around the room and rattle the windows. If Phil Spector was a Prog-Rock producer, then this is what it might sound like. It's the prog equivalent of the "Wall of Sound". Now comes "The Awful Truth" where the listener is given a bit of a breather when the keyboard player displays his classical credentials with this pleasant little piano interlude. The next brief tune "By Royal Appointment" lives up to its name as it sounds like the kind of dramatic fanfare that might herald the announcement of the arrival of royalty at some historic occasion. "Catherine" closes out Side One. It's an emotionally appealing and heartfelt tribute to Catherine de Medici, the Queen of France (1547-1559) back in medieval times when France still had a royal family.

Opening Side Two is "Two Brothers", a 6-minute long instrumental piece with the uplifting sound of two swirling synths playing along side by side. When the full orchestra emerges, it feels like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds and bathing you in its warm glow. Who needs lyrics anyway when the music sounds as good as this. Now follows an orchestral reprise of "Visions", a gloriously beautiful piece of music which would make a marvellous film score. This orchestral piece is full of dramatic flourishes which wouldn't seem out of place gracing the screens of a Hitchcock thriller. To round off the album in impressive style comes the 13-minute-long opus "The Shape of Things to Come". The song title sounds dramatic and so it proves to be with the music. It's a suitably rousing song to end an epic Symphonic Prog album, with sudden shifts in tempo and time signature, so you never know quite what to expect on the first hearing. Prepare to be impressed though, because this long epic really grows on you and it's worth hearing for the stirring chorus and dramatic finale with voices from the pages of history, including Adolf Hitler and John F. Kennedy. Pretentious? Au Contraire!

This album may sound like an overblown Symphonic Prog effort to some ears, but if you like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, then this album should appeal to you. An interesting album from a historical perspective, released at a time when punk was just emerging and prog was accused of being overblown and pretentious by the snooty music press, but what do they know? Not that this album was even noticed by many people at the time of its release. It's not an essential album, but it does have impressive power and symphonic majesty and it's definitely worth a listen. A good dose of Symphonic Prog is the best medicine. It's just what the doctor ordered!
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Symphonic Prog Britannia

SEAN FILKINS    Not many of us have the time or inclination to read Leo Tolstoy's epic War and Peace with its 1,225 pages, but it'll only take up an hour of your time to listen to Sean Filkins musical equivalent: War and Peace & Other Short Stories, and no one dies in this abridged version either. Sean Filkins was previously aboard the Big Big Train, so why not take a trip with him on his one and only solo outing. I'm sure you'll find the journey worthwhile and to your exquisite tastes, just so long as you avoid the stale pork pies and the insipid coffee from the British Rail buffet car in cattle class. Tongue

 5 stars 2011: Sean Filkins - War and Peace & Other Short Stories

From English Electric to English Eccentric.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lOCboGfJE8
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Symphonic Prog Britannia

FANTASY      An English band from Gravesend in Kent. I've been returning to the fantastic music of Fantasy recently, a perennial Symphonic Prog favourite of mine, ever since I discovered them on ProgArchives several years ago. Fantasy only released one studio album during their brief lunchtime in the spotlight: the superb Paint a Picture (1973), but there were also two equally good archival releases, Beyond the Beyond (1974) and Vivariatum (1994). The dramatic music of Fantasy features beautiful symphonic soundscapes of ethereal Mellotron magic, which are so uplifting and inspirational to listen to that their albums could almost belong in the religious section of a record store. Smile


The five-piece English band Fantasy released their fittingly-titled debut album "Paint a Picture" in 1973. The album displays beautiful symphonic soundscapes of dramatic complexity, featuring charming organ and elaborate Mellotron melodies to make a masterpiece album of the era. The album featured seven bonus tracks in the re-mastered CD version released in 2005. "Paint a Picture" passed by virtually unnoticed at the time of its release, which is a shame, considering it's a beautifully-produced album which deserves far more recognition than it's received. The album is so uplifting and inspirational to listen to that it could almost belong in the religious section of a record store. Fantasy followed it up with an equally good album in 1974 titled "Beyond the Beyond" which wouldn't see general release for another 18 years. Their third and final album "Vivariatum" (1994) was up to a similarly high standard of musicianship and all three albums should appeal greatly to fans of early Genesis.

The album opens in dramatic style with the title track "Paint a Picture". The song features the magnificent distant-sounding rock organ, together with emotionally uplifting vocals and a gently rising crescendo of sound which puts the listener in an ebullient mood and makes a perfect introduction to what is a marvellous album. The second song on the album "Circus" continues in considerable style with some echoey-sounding vocals, intricate guitar playing and powerful drumming backed by the beautiful symphonic sound of the Mellotron. Track 3 "The Award" features plaintive-sounding vocals combined with a gentle melody which gathers in intensity as the song progresses. The song is another memorable addition to a fine album. Track 4 "Politely Insane" is an upbeat and uptempo number which chugs along joyfully at an impressive pace with some strident guitar chords. In a pleasant contrast of style, the next song "Widow" is a brief, gently melodic lament, as the song title implies, and nicely fits into the album as a whole. Track 6 "Icy River" is another memorable number with plenty to keep the listener entertained, including heavenly vocals, the ever-present sound of the powerful rock organ and some skilful and melodic guitar leads. Track 7 "Thank Christ" continues in similar fashion with a feel-good, uplifting sound and featuring some stylish vocal harmonies. Track 8 "Young Man's Fortune" is a real powerhouse of a song, featuring a throbbing rhythm section and sonorous organ playing. The album returns to a mellower mood in the first half of the penultimate number "Goblin Song", coming to life in marvellously-uplifting style for the finale. The final song "Silent Mine" features a religious-sounding organ combined with ethereal vocals to produce a very memorable conclusion to a superb album as a whole.

This melodic masterpiece of an album deserves pride of place in any Prog-Rock enthusiast's music collection. It's an album of contrasting styles which never fail's to maintain the listener's interest. A classic example of early-1970's English Symphonic Prog at its best.



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - September 13 2023 at 02:09
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Symphonic Prog Britannia: A-Z Album Links


 5 stars 2011: Sean Filkins - War and Peace & Other Short Stories

 4 stars 1977: First+Aid - Nostradamus - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXn4DfnhEbw
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Symphonic Prog Britannia

THE ENID         A mysterious Symphonic Prog band unknown to most people outside of the progosphere, The Enid are primarily a trio led by Robert John Godfrey on keyboards with Francis Lickerrish (1976-1980) and Stephen Stewart bringing up the rear on guitars. It's unlikely you'll find any of The Enid's albums in your local record store though, but you'll find them In the Region of the Summer Stars, and thankfully, you can hear all of their albums much closer to home on YouTube. Anyway, enough of this Aerie Faerie Nonsense and on with the music! Smile

 5 stars 1976: The Enid - In the Region of the Summer Stars - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdU5MQKDXsk
 5 stars 1977: The Enid - Aerie Faerie Nonsense - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJOT707sogc
 5 stars 1979: The Enid - Touch Me - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja0bqTOyecU
 5 stars 1979: The Enid - Live at Hammersmith Odeon - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0YgBn1GZxo
 5 stars 1980: The Enid - Six Pieces - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsMQfw_0L0s
 4 stars 1980: The Enid - Live at Loughborough Town Hall  - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_li-5cgYRiVV9XkpQfkhsBSRNi36Inpsbc
 4 stars 1983: The Enid - Something Wicked This Way Comes - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mKHWGN-FcDirVvf05Jm3rF-cSvL_or-m4
 4 stars 1984: The Enid - Live at Claret Hall Farm -  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_TaS3ukydpJ2qUR4OmDgf8Hw5JiQo-Mw
 5 stars 1984: The Enid - Live at Hammersmith, Vol. 2 - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nlBSdrNRLX7MzllJKlE66Y1y0bHfcTFqU
 5 stars 1994: The Enid - Tripping the Light Fantastic - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lDXULKPBB-n5ozUvmnAKEbvhyC0TiyTqo
 4 stars 1995: The Enid - Sundialer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQj-MCZCmOI
 5 stars 1996: The Enid - Members One of Another - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT6ClDq5GYg
 5 stars 2006: The Enid - Sheets of Blue - An Anthology 1975-2004 - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kqWrRJM8T1fOt-za97sFZXskadhoh7VGw
 5 stars 2010: The Enid - Live at Town Hall, Birmingham - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_TaS3ukydpKF9350hc2jSQmqDh_3sw8D
 5 stars 2012: The Enid - Live with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_TaS3ukydpJbqaps-yCP-rucq68UFaIx
 5 stars 2015: The Enid - The Bridge Show - Live at Union Chapel - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_TaS3ukydpK-DF7We7DqQKSKynVTN91v

ROBERT JOHN GODFREY        He may have the appearance of a college professor with his long beard and studious expression, but Robert John Godfrey is the main driving force behind THE ENID, the Symphonic Prog band that's been around now for well over 40 years. Although this album, "Fall of Hyperion" (1974), is billed as a Robert John Godfrey solo album, it's really an album by The Enid in all but name, and presumably, that's why this album is included at the beginning of The Enid albums roster on Prog Archives. Most importantly though, this album SOUNDS like The Enid, with all of the symphonic pomp and ceremony you might expect from such a distinguished Prog-meister as "Professor Godfrey". His first album release as The Enid, "In the Region of the Summer Stars"was released two years later in 1976, followed swiftly by the humorously-titled "Aerie Faerie Nonsense" album in 1977. This solo album "Fall of Hyperion" features vocals, although the first four albums by The Enid proper were all orchestral pieces with no lyrics. It wasn't until the release of the band's fifth album, "Something Wicked This Way Comes" in 1983, that lyrics were featured for the first time. Robert John Godfrey worked with Barclay James Harvest in the early 1970's before deciding to go solo. Godfrey and The Enid have 20 studio albums to their credit, and despite him being diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 2013, The Enid still continues to this day with many changes of line-up along the way. Although Robert John Godfrey has had to retire from touring due to his illness, he IS The Enid, because without keyboard maestro Godfrey ever- present at the helm, the band would never have existed.

The album opens in grand symphonic style with "The Raven". This anthemic piece of music is so extravagantly ostentatious in in all of its glorious pomp and splendour, that you may feel the patriotic urge to stand up and give a rousing rendition of "Land of Hope and Glory", or maybe the "Star Spangled Banner" if you're an American. Yes, it really IS that anthemic. It's booming, it's bombastic, and it's fantastic! You really have to hear it to believe it. This grand stentorian, orchestral symphony would have been equally at home as a magnificent finale to the album. And so, how do you follow up such a marvellous 9-minute album opener? You follow it with "Mountain", a 7-minute-long, energetic and euphonic piece of music with classical glissandos galore. Even classical music buffs couldn't fail to be impressed by this flawless fugue. This theatrical and emotionally uplifting music is like Renaissance with knobs on, where the dynamic and dramatic classical influences are even more in evidence. This is masterful Symphonic Prog taken to even more powerful extremes of classical greatness. Sailing onwards now on a patriotic wave of glory, comes the 6-minute "Water Song". You can expect to hear a profusion of grand- sounding keyboard runs on the piano with the ever-present full orchestra there in all of their magnificent power and glory.

Side Two opens with "Isault", an emotional powerful song with all of the grand theatrics of a BBC costume drama. It's grandiose and spectacular and just what we've come to expect by now from such an accomplished keyboard maestro as "Professor Godfrey". And now we come to "The Daemon of the World, a 15-minute long 6-piece suite to round off the album in grand style. Listen in awe and be prepared to be swept away by the magnificent grandstanding on display here in this powerful symphonic opus. It's melodious and triumphal with constant changes of tempo, staccato breaks, and sparkling fast and slow keyboard runs. This marvellous finale is sure to delight fans of The Enid and the whole Symphonic Prog genre generally. There's even the stentorian sound of a pipe organ thrown in for good measure. What more could you ask for!?

A gloriously powerful album of passionate majestic anthems that's guaranteed to astound and delight fans of classically- inspired Symphonic Prog. This album might be described as overblown and pretentious (just like this review) by those who aren't in the know, but to prog aficionados, this is prog heaven! Let Robert John Godfrey carry you away to a Land of Hope and Glory in this unashamedly pompous and sonorous extravaganza. It's an absolute must-have album for connoisseurs and collectors of classic British Symphonic Prog.

 4 stars 1974: Robert John Godfrey - Fall of Hyperion - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_TaS3ukydpKggplszMt_cWZOgljkSwwE
 4 stars 1986: Robert John Godfrey - The Music of William Arkle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI4vnCiJMsU
 3 stars 1987: Godfrey & Stewart - Joined by the Heart - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_TaS3ukydpIgt2EC_GDSJa2SuFt3Cpql
 5 stars 2013: Robert John Godfrey - The Art of Melody - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_TaS3ukydpL0_Fd5d0vkqk5Fvy88_idi

FRANCIS LICKERISH     A renaissance composer who's well-versed in classical music theory, which is very evident in his Far and Forgotten symphonic masterwork, From the Lost Lands, where you'll hear more violins, cellos and operatic sopranos than in the Last Night of the Proms. In fact, this grandiose and spectacular album of Symphonic Prog is loaded to the brim with more orchestral pomp and ceremony than Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance march. Francis Lickerish is probably best-known for his work as the guitarist with The Enid, but he's added  allsorts of other strings to his bow since then, having worked as a counsellor and group therapist for many years. If it's music therapy you're looking for though, then look no further than Francis' first four magnificent studio albums with The Enid, which are generally regarded as their best.  Francis Lickerish made a very welcome return to the world of music in 2009 with his magical Prog Folk project, Secret Green, before going onto even greater things with his legendary From the Lost Lands album in 2012, which sounds like a long-lost soundtrack to an imaginary epic fantasy movie in the Lord of the Rings film series. Okay, so it's not Neo Prog as such, but this album was just too good to overlook. Secret Green's To Wake the King isn't a good album though. It's an outstanding album! And so, with eight varied albums to choose from, why not sample some Lickerish Allsorts today. They're rather tasty. Thumbs Up

  2012: Francis Lickerish - Far and Forgot: From the Lost Lands - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kq-pjlZUbHbWHat5VafAgRa4jb9t9rILI



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - September 22 2023 at 14:09
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Symphonic Prog Britannia

ENGLAND, forever England: a Symphonic Prog band from the golden era of British prog, who play music that's as grand and imposing as The Imperial Hotel in the West End of London. England sound as English as the Garden Shed at the bottom of an English country garden. Incidentally, the cover of their 1977 Garden Shed album was a humorous ironic reference to the Golden Shred brand of marmalade. England have often been compared to Yes, and deservedly so, when you hear their symphonic majesty in all of its musical pomp and splendour. . They released an archive mid-1970's collection of unreleased songs in 1997, titled The Last of the Jubblies  and they made a comeback tour of Japan in 2006, which subsequently became the Live in Japan: Kikimimi album. England's latest album, Box of Circles, was released as recently as 2018. Just to confuse matters, there was also a completely unrelated English band going by the name of England, who released a self-titled album of Jazz-Rock in 1976, and on a side note, a close musical friend of mine was the sound engineer for England's Kikimimi tour of Japan. Smile


ENGLAND are an English band, not surprisingly, with a powerful Symphonic Prog-Rock sound, very reminiscent of YES, with elements of early 1970's Genesis too. The singer sounds remarkably similar to Jon Anderson of YES at times. The forerunner of this album was a 20-minute-long suite released as an EP, titled "The Imperial Hotel" (1975). This album "Garden Shed" (1977) is England's only full-length album release during the 1970's golden era of Progressive Rock, although they released two later studio albums "The Last of the Jubblies" in 1997 and "Box of Circles" in 2018, together with a Live album "Kikimimi" recorded in Japan in 2006. The album title and cover of "Garden Shed" is a humorous reference to the Golden Shred marmalade label. The album is known to have featured a sawn-in-half Mellotron, mainly because a full-size Mellotron is too heavy and cumbersome to transport from venue to venue.

The album opens promisingly in dramatic style with some delicate keyboard motifs before launching into a vibrant trumpet-like sound from the synthesiser. It's a tremendously uplifting and dynamic song which is very reminiscent of early 1970's YES. This is classic Symphonic Prog at its finest with powerful chords, dramatic changes of pace and triumphant and grandiose synth playing. The second song on the album "All Alone" is a beautifully gentle melody featuring some exquisite echoey piano playing and pleasantly laid-back vocals. The third song "Three Piece Suite" is a 13-minute-long majestic epic and fans of YES will immediately recognise similarities with the classic "Close to the Edge" and "Fragile" era of YES. This long track features beautifully melodic soundscapes, majestic synths and sudden and dramatic changes of tempo which should appeal to fans of Symphonic Prog everywhere. The humorously titled "Paraffinalea" is next up. It's a joyful sounding song with some sparklingly uplifting synth passages. The fifth song on the album "Yellow" is a gentle and melodic tune with similarities to early Genesis in some of their quieter moments. The album closes in dramatic and powerful fashion with a magnificent 16-minute-long epic, "Poisoned Youth", featuring constant changes of tempo and the ever-present sonorous sound of the imposing synth. This epic song concludes in commanding and grandiose style and makes a perfect ending to a superb album.

A classic example of Symphonic Prog at its finest. This rare album deserves far more recognition, as it's on a level par with some of the best albums that YES and Genesis have ever recorded. It's worthy of a place in every Symphonic Prog fan's music collection.



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - September 16 2023 at 03:45
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Symphonic Prog Britannia

EDISON'S CHILDREN    Anglo-American trio Edison's Children are the most exciting thing to happen in the progosphere since the invention of electricity! No, really!! This band are amazing!!!  Reportedly, during the recording sessions for the first album at Ocean Pines, Maryland, the studios were rocked by an earthquake of 5.9 on the Richter Scale which shook the entire eastern seaboard of the United States. Here's hoping Edison's Children will rock your world too, in the nicest possible way of course. Smile

 5 stars 2011: Edison's Children - In the Last Waking Moments - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEb_s6dSYhR2sUilYyHWZW6y
 5 stars 2013: Edison's Children - The Final Breath Before November - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEbKHW9TOC4-Zapi4reVICNF
 5 stars 2015: Edison's Children - Somewhere Between Here & There - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEaqe7_4Rwsx_4PT1GclZHts
 5 stars 2019: Edison's Children - The Disturbance Fields - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEYHEf24ubCszxUWoKp0qn5e
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Symphonic Prog Britannia

EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER       Welcome Back My Friends to the blog that never ends. Come inside. Come inside. If you believe in The Power of Three, then you'll believe in the awesome Trilogy of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. If you include ELP's full Works, there were two short-lived offshoots of the dynamic Tarkus trio too: Emerson, Lake & Powell and Emerson, Berry & Palmer, otherwise known as "3". You don't need  Brain Salad Surgery to know which is the least-loved ELP album of all, but I've been In the Hot Seat recently for showing some love towards the much-maligned Love Beach album - an album which was about as welcome amongst ELP fans as an ominous Black Moon appearing on  the horizon. The cheesy Beach Gees album cover and album title admittedly looks and sounds like a third-rate reality TV show, and it probably is. I'm thinking Love Island, or I'm a Progger, Get Me Out of Here. It's really just ELP making an Exhibition of themselves again though, but in the wonderful world of proud and pompous prog, that's surely a good thing. Smile

 5 stars 1970: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Emerson, Lake & Palmer - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LupA_HcmerhVcS72ZRm6z5f
 4 stars 1970: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Live at the Lyceum Theatre - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LsLAtaXzZYNdphJ2K31sGlg
 4 stars 1971: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l_Bx3CuewS783jcXDvM9dpMU6s2ni3irM
 3 stars 1973: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k0hQMgNN7BQdyXhurRMojLEASGtZlbdGo
 4 stars 1974: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lv08PZL5CkZsjxcHJy6ILWj
 3 stars 1974: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - California Jam - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvlDSW-XWwVXoVF_-v5U5Nj
 5 stars 1977: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Works Volume 1 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtbMMJU_ueOBFsKScckwbjp
 3 stars 1977: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Works Volume 2 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtyTIWpaQ-4akV2z3B9c3RL
 3 stars 1977: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Live in Montreal - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lt48UNkRvvhF-HpmWCpEM5U
 4 stars 1979: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Works Live in Concert - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LubGEipGTTCOJXyJnyDqiAw
 4 stars 1986: Emerson, Lake & Powell - Emerson, Lake & Powell - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtKb2sKbN9e7RqzfFtnb3k0
 3 stars 1988: 3 (Emerson, Berry & Palmer) - To the Power of Three - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvwwylCrJEuChC68BBpb9pt
 5 stars 1992: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Black Moon - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvKlKtnIef2L-sKwWozM6Dh
 4 stars 1993: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Live at the Royal Albert Hall - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lu1SH2fMU-LN405jSagHGzD
 3 stars 1994: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - In the Hot Seat - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nkXg_gQOobMjrBk1TK9nvfGDRyEkPKeP8
 4 stars 1997: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Live at Montreux - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtwKNdYm3zjUe82cvjEujZ_
 4 stars 2010: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - 40th Anniversary Reunion Concert - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lvg7UZ6rYE9plyqgOM1ocJC


 3 stars  1980: Keith Emerson - Inferno (soundtrack) - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LuUd-KN0Th-qttp-2AgqncC
 3 stars  1981: Keith Emerson - Night Hawks (soundtrack) - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvQW2M8bus4i_X3xl41nx0z
 3 stars  1982: Keith Emerson - Best Revenge (soundtrack) - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Ls-nJ4J_r48Jyy-xu891LrQ
 3 stars  1983: Keith Emerson - Harmagedon (soundtrack) - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lv057k6ynjQAft_UZckH5Zs
 3 stars  1984: Keith Emerson - Murderock (soundtrack) - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lt6udwIoWIUVd5iJR8uOfjI
 3 stars  1988: Keith Emerson - The Christmas Album - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lt4gDG3msPdTxltfryLs7-o
 3 stars  1989: Keith Emerson & Goblin - La Chiesa (The Church) (soundtrack) - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LsZX9l_o_BAtkBmTrZWfqjV
 3 stars  2002: Keith Emerson - Emerson Plays Emerson - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lt0j8DJ2s8J4nOwFvBGxD19
 3 stars  2008: Keith Emerson Band - Featuring Mark Bonilla - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvKUkutZDmdgJegCFgosX24
 4 stars  2009: Keith Emerson, Glenn Hughes & Mark Bonilla - Boys Club: Live from California - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtSNDgsu1RPemxmUSSgRf8R
 4 stars  2010: Keith Emerson Band - Live in Moscow - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lv0udqH3maPISwzwAC5rE1b
 4 stars  2012: Keith Emerson Band - Three Fates Project - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LuaNbvbnr5eMdR-G-zaESmu
 3 stars  2014: Keith Emerson & Greg Lake - Live from Manticore Hall - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LuQDyxtfWSlA3b7iNCSxT3w


 4 stars 1995: Greg Lake - In Concert: London '81 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lsbn7iNYLqu6mPist4nF8YB
 5 stars 1997: Greg Lake - From the Beginning: Retrospective - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtDjlZFDvvQ-THExFc8UpCb
 3 stars 2015: Greg Lake & Geoff Downes - Ride the Tiger - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LsBdyiJSuH-ZpGTmKtPRip-
 4 stars 2020: Greg Lake - The Anthology: A Musical Journey - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lt5pfJbwAmCf2LteKr6gYwv




Edited by Psychedelic Paul - September 15 2023 at 08:26
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Symphonic Prog Britannia

EARTHSTONE      The musical Seed of an idea between guitarist Chris Philips and keyboard player Chris Bond, where they endeavoured to create the musical equivalent of a clear starry night spent in woodland, surrounded by crystals, and sitting amongst the fairies, elves and unicorns. That would be a night out with Jon Anderson then. Tongue

4 stars 1994: Earthstone - Seed  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf5-UvNGEZY


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - September 10 2023 at 00:20
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Symphonic Prog Britannia: A-Z Album Links

 4 stars 1994: Earthstone - Seed  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf5-UvNGEZY

 5 stars 2011: Edison's Children - In the Last Waking Moments - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEb_s6dSYhR2sUilYyHWZW6y
 5 stars 2013: Edison's Children - The Final Breath Before November - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEbKHW9TOC4-Zapi4reVICNF
 5 stars 2015: Edison's Children - Somewhere Between Here & There - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEaqe7_4Rwsx_4PT1GclZHts
 5 stars 2019: Edison's Children - The Disturbance Fields - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEYHEf24ubCszxUWoKp0qn5e

 5 stars 1970: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Emerson, Lake & Palmer - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LupA_HcmerhVcS72ZRm6z5f
 4 stars 1970: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Live at the Lyceum Theatre - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LsLAtaXzZYNdphJ2K31sGlg
 4 stars 1971: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lvtxv-_M990EeRAYs0262c7
 3 stars 1973: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtFEdO7icqkDbTHkuco3Lyi
 4 stars 1974: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lv08PZL5CkZsjxcHJy6ILWj
 3 stars 1974: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - California Jam - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvlDSW-XWwVXoVF_-v5U5Nj
 5 stars 1977: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Works Volume 1 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtbMMJU_ueOBFsKScckwbjp
 3 stars 1977: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Works Volume 2 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtyTIWpaQ-4akV2z3B9c3RL
 3 stars 1977: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Live in Montreal - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lt48UNkRvvhF-HpmWCpEM5U
 3 stars 1978: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Love Beach - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvU2i83JQfiswmBTTaAyhB5
 4 stars 1979: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Works Live in Concert - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LubGEipGTTCOJXyJnyDqiAw
 4 stars 1986: Emerson, Lake & Powell - Emerson, Lake & Powell -  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtKb2sKbN9e7RqzfFtnb3k0
 3 stars 1988: 3 (Emerson, Berry & Palmer) - To the Power of Three - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvwwylCrJEuChC68BBpb9pt
 5 stars 1992: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Black Moon - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvKlKtnIef2L-sKwWozM6Dh
 4 stars 1993: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Live at the Royal Albert Hall - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lu1SH2fMU-LN405jSagHGzD
 3 stars 1994: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - In the Hot Seat - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LsRElYTXER7YSEMhEIOmP3D
 4 stars 1997: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Live at Montreux - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtwKNdYm3zjUe82cvjEujZ_
 4 stars 2010: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - 40th Anniversary Reunion Concert - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lvg7UZ6rYE9plyqgOM1ocJC


 5 stars 1976: The Enid - In the Region of the Summer Stars - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdU5MQKDXsk
 5 stars 1977: The Enid - Aerie Faerie Nonsense - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJOT707sogc
 5 stars 1979: The Enid - Touch Me - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja0bqTOyecU
 5 stars 1979: The Enid - Live at Hammersmith Odeon - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0YgBn1GZxo
 5 stars 1980: The Enid - Six Pieces - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsMQfw_0L0s
 4 stars 1980: The Enid - Live at Loughborough Town Hall  - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_li-5cgYRiVV9XkpQfkhsBSRNi36Inpsbc
 4 stars 1983: The Enid - Something Wicked This Way Comes - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mKHWGN-FcDirVvf05Jm3rF-cSvL_or-m4
 4 stars 1984: The Enid - Live at Claret Hall Farm -  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_TaS3ukydpJ2qUR4OmDgf8Hw5JiQo-Mw
 5 stars 1984: The Enid - Live at Hammersmith, Vol. 2 - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nlBSdrNRLX7MzllJKlE66Y1y0bHfcTFqU
 5 stars 1994: The Enid - Tripping the Light Fantastic - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lDXULKPBB-n5ozUvmnAKEbvhyC0TiyTqo
 4 stars 1995: The Enid - Sundialer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQj-MCZCmOI
 5 stars 1996: The Enid - Members One of Another - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT6ClDq5GYg
 5 stars 2006: The Enid - Sheets of Blue - An Anthology 1975-2004 - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kqWrRJM8T1fOt-za97sFZXskadhoh7VGw
 5 stars 2010: The Enid - Live at Town Hall, Birmingham - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_TaS3ukydpKF9350hc2jSQmqDh_3sw8D
 5 stars 2012: The Enid - Live with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_TaS3ukydpJbqaps-yCP-rucq68UFaIx
 5 stars 2015: The Enid - The Bridge Show - Live at Union Chapel - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_TaS3ukydpK-DF7We7DqQKSKynVTN91v


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - September 19 2023 at 15:28
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Symphonic Prog Britannia

DRUID      Ideally, I should have featured this stoned henge band of pagan sun worshippers on the summer solstice, but I'll have to settle for the upcoming autumn equinox instead. Smile
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DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION (DBA)       As you may be aware, I've remained quietly in the background within PA's hallowed halls for the last couple of weeks (a blessed relief for some), but one thing I knew for sure is I just HAD to be back here for a major event in the prog calendar on September 8th, and the reason being? Well, if you take a look at the list of DBA albums below, you'll see that they have a new album out in 2023 titled "Celestial Songs" which was due for release on September 8th, which is, Today! And so, you can say you heard it here first on ProgArchives, courtesy of Geoff Downes & Chris Braide, and of course, YouTube. Thumbs Up

 3 stars 2012: Downes-Braide Association - Pictures of You - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lDuJPaAeh6WbiU7fmWBc6PknzpReh46OA
 4 stars 2015: Downes-Braide Association - Suburban Ghosts - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l0tdnDNa8LlI-pWQnpWa7_unQew0-oltc
 4 stars 2017: Downes-Braide Association - Skyscraper Souls - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mrS6ZNUOk0BpsYpzl5yNtshHgmbQ6cU7Q
 4 stars 2019: Downes-Braide Association - Live in England - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nOojXmCSkY0y6p7VAUl1s7kuKcrt8vhxk
 4 stars 2021: Downes-Braide Association - DBA IV: Halcyon Hymns - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEbxzSX8xo-t12KMZd2FkA1o
 4 stars 2023: Downes-Braide Association - Celestial Songs - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m612im3DBpw5oOzPQgCZjSjZA3y13D2OM


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - September 10 2023 at 04:19
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GEOFF DOWNES      One of the busiest keyboard players on the entire planet, aside from Rick Wakeman. In fact, the number of bands and album projects Geoff Downes has been involved with just Buggles the mind. When he's not touring Asia with YES, he's touring Europe with ASIA, and as if that's not enough to keep any musician fully occupied, he's also one half of Wetton-Downes as well as being one half of the Downes Braide Association, on top of which Geoff Downes has made numerous guest appearances on other albums too. All in all then, his professional life has been filled with mostly Ups and hardly any Downes. Regarding his personal life, Geoff Downes is a supporter of Cardiff City, but you can't have everything in life. Tongue

 5 stars 1987: Geoff Downes & New Dance Orchestra - The Light Program -   https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEapk1L5x6Xvsc0u4w1rIcMr
 3 stars 1992: Geoff Downes & New Dance Orchestra - Vox Humana - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEZYaESgPStXwVjEioAhIICw
 4 stars 1999: Geoff Downes & New Dance Orchestra - The World Service - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEZJehI5Mybfzs5NnPTXLdX3


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - September 08 2023 at 08:08
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Symphonic Prog Britannia: A-Z Album Links

 5 stars 1987: Geoff Downes & New Dance Orchestra - The Light Program -   https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEapk1L5x6Xvsc0u4w1rIcMr
 3 stars 1992: Geoff Downes & New Dance Orchestra - Vox Humana - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEZYaESgPStXwVjEioAhIICw
 4 stars 1999: Geoff Downes & New Dance Orchestra - The World Service - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEZJehI5Mybfzs5NnPTXLdX3
 
 3 stars 2012: Downes-Braide Association - Pictures of You - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lDuJPaAeh6WbiU7fmWBc6PknzpReh46OA
 4 stars 2015: Downes-Braide Association - Suburban Ghosts - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l0tdnDNa8LlI-pWQnpWa7_unQew0-oltc
 4 stars 2017: Downes-Braide Association - Skyscraper Souls - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mrS6ZNUOk0BpsYpzl5yNtshHgmbQ6cU7Q
 4 stars 2019: Downes-Braide Association - Live in England - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nOojXmCSkY0y6p7VAUl1s7kuKcrt8vhxk
 4 stars 2021: Downes-Braide Association - DBA IV: Halcyon Hymns - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdktF-lL0yEbxzSX8xo-t12KMZd2FkA1o
 4 stars 2023: Downes-Braide Association - Celestial Songs - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m612im3DBpw5oOzPQgCZjSjZA3y13D2OM



Edited by Psychedelic Paul - September 10 2023 at 06:06
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Symphonic Prog Britannia

CYAN    Welsh keyboard wizard Rob Reed is the man behind the grandiose and majestic music of Cyan. You may know him better as a founder member of that other colorful band: Magenta. The debut album from Cyan is so good that Rob Reed recorded it twice, but if you're not sufficiently motivated to give it a listen, then do it For King and Country. Smile

 5 stars 1993: Cyan - For King and Country - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wacxgQvJe8A   
 5 stars 1994: Cyan - Pictures from the Other Side - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aDaHGNq-7U  
 5 stars 2021: Cyan - For King and Country
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CRESSIDA        Cressida are a group of five accomplished musicians who got together in London in the late 1960's to form a band. The band initially called themselves "Charge" before changing their name to Cressida. They released their self-titled debut album in 1970 and a further album "Asylum" followed in 1971 shortly after the break-up of the band. The "Cressida" album is full to the brim with complex changes of time signature, soaring emotional vocals, impressive Hammond organ virtuosity and wild guitar solos. The album contains 12 diverse songs, ranging from short Jazzy numbers, melancholy ballads, and all-out symphonic masterpieces. It's hard to pick out a favourite in an album that is a sheer joy to listen to from beginning to end, but the final song "Tomorrow is a Whole New Day" represents a masterpiece of Symphonic Prog. The melancholic singer sounds remarkably similar to Justin Hayward in places and the album is guaranteed to appeal especially to fans of the Moody Blues and any collectors of classic Symphonic Prog generally.

The album opens impressively with "To Play Your Little Game", featuring plaintive vocals and a beautiful organ solo before launching into some fast-paced Jazz-Rock played in an unusual time signature. "Winter is Coming Again" is a pleasant sounding melody, featuring a wild psychedelic guitar and Hammond organ solo in the middle section. "Time or Bed" opens with an acoustic guitar before transposing into another up-tempo Jazz-Rock number in an irregular time signature. The title track "Cressida" is probably the most Jazzy track on the album with an upbeat Jazzy 5/4 time signature. "Home And Where I Long To Be" is a beautifully complex song, and ranks as one of the most impressive numbers on the album with it's sudden changes of tempo, soaring vocals and virtuoso Hammond organ and guitar accompaniment. The song is very much in the style of the Moody Blues and would deserve pride of place on any of their albums. "Depression" is a very fast-paced song, very reminiscent of one of the Moody Blues rockier numbers. Side Two of the album opens in similarly impressive style with the jaunty song "One of a Group" with the sound of the Hammond organ very much at the forefront and featuring a brief fuzzy guitar solo with a few Jazzy piano motifs included for good measure. The eighth song on the album "Lights on My Mind" is an up-tempo rocker with some bright and breezy Hammond organ playing and another far-out fuzzy guitar solo. "The Only Earthman In Town" begins with a haunting refrain and launches into some dextrous and intricately fast-paced organ-playing. Track 10 "Spring '69" is a gentle melody featuring a solo acoustic guitar which blends in nicely in between the orchestral and Jazzier numbers. The penultimate song on the album "Down Down" opens with a beautiful organ solo and features the haunting sound of the Mellotron. The song has several interesting changes of pace throughout and includes a Jazzy interlude. The album concludes in full grandiose splendour with "Tomorrow is a Whole New Day", a song very much in the symphonic style of the Moody Blues classic "Night in White Satin".

This is a superb album of musical virtuosity featuring a very talented group of musicians. The album should delight Symphonic Prog lover's everywhere. It should also appeal to any aficionados of early Jazz-Rock with special appeal to fans of Justin Hayward and the Moody Blues symphonic sound. It's no exaggeration to say this album is a masterpiece and it deserves repeated listening to fully appreciate the beautifully complex nature of the twelve well-crafted songs. There's an abundance of melancholy melodies, fast-paced Jazz-Rock songs and grand masterpieces of symphonic virtuosity to entertain and enthral the listener in equal measure and it's an essential album for any classic Symphonic Prog collection.
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