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Well known 70s prog bands besides Genesis thread

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progaardvark View Drop Down
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    Posted: July 26 2024 at 08:21
RJG is still active on Facebook, at least up until June 28. He last posted a schedule of six concerts for 2024. I have not seen any news about any new studio work, but then I'm only on Facebook for brief moments every couple of days, mostly to post dog pictures.

Not sure if his profile is entirely public:
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2024 at 23:09
^ well remember that Lickerish album I have it somewhere in my CD rack although I'm very disorgnised at the best of times and will struggle to find it. Sadly I guess they are more or less finished with the last album released 5 years ago. I remember seeing some e-mails from RJG where he was very critical of himself and had necessarily taken control of then band back but I've not seen any further e-mails for a long time.
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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

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jacob Schoolcraft Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2024 at 10:18
Originally posted by Saperlipopette! Saperlipopette! wrote:

-this has made me wanting to relisten to The Enid. And also regret
getting rid of their two first albums - once bought for about an € each. I was still in my teens, and found the Aerie Faerie Nonsense cover art intriguing and
beautiful enough to grab them both. The musical content failed to
grab me though. But I was once
underwhelmed by most bands on the soft(er) side of progressive rock. That's not really an issue anymore. I've changed several times since then. I probably weren't the most attentive listener either, as I don't even have a recollection of this: 
Originally posted by Jacob Schoolcraft Jacob Schoolcraft wrote:


What Francis Lickerish and Steve Stewart were doing was a unique and innovative idea...for example..they played single note harmonies which sounded Classical but on electric guitars in a very aggressive way.

Other bands of those times specializing in twin guitar harmony lead would be Thin Lizzy...Wishbone Ash...but it wasn't Classical sounding . Steve Hackett, Robert Fripp, Steve Howe, Mike Oldfield had overdubbed harmony lead in the studio for years..but rarely did anyone have the idea of bringing 2 lead guitarists on stage to physically produce that Classical mentality of sound in an electrified way in Progressive Rock.
...surely sounds like something I'd love to hear.


Aerie Faerie Nonsense grew on me slowly. It took some time to like it. It's my least favorite of the first 4 albums. In The Region Of The Summer Stars is my favorite. Touch Me and Six Pieces have exciting aggressive breathtaking music
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote presdoug Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2024 at 07:51
     

Edited by presdoug - July 24 2024 at 11:03
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mellotronwave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2024 at 06:59
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Originally posted by Grumpyprogfan Grumpyprogfan wrote:

The first five albums from Kansas are excellent.


They sure as hell are!!


So that's the self titled debut to Point of Know Return? What about Monolith or Audio Visions? 


Monolith is OK too
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Cosmiclawnmower Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 24 2024 at 06:50
Originally posted by Saperlipopette! Saperlipopette! wrote:

-this has made me wanting to relisten to The Enid. And also regret getting rid of their two first albums - once bought for about an € each. I was still in my teens, and found the Aerie Faerie Nonsense cover art intriguing and beautiful enough to grab them both. The musical content failed to grab me though. But I was once underwhelmed by most bands on the soft(er) side of progressive rock. That's not really an issue anymore. I've changed several times since then. I probably weren't the most attentive listener either, as I don't even have a recollection of this: 
Originally posted by Jacob Schoolcraft Jacob Schoolcraft wrote:


What Francis Lickerish and Steve Stewart were doing was a unique and innovative idea...for example..they played single note harmonies which sounded Classical but on electric guitars in a very aggressive way.

Other bands of those times specializing in twin guitar harmony lead would be Thin Lizzy...Wishbone Ash...but it wasn't Classical sounding . Steve Hackett, Robert Fripp, Steve Howe, Mike Oldfield had overdubbed harmony lead in the studio for years..but rarely did anyone have the idea of bringing 2 lead guitarists on stage to physically produce that Classical mentality of sound in an electrified way in Progressive Rock.
...surely sounds like something I'd love to hear.

The 'Live at the Hammersmith Odeon 79' video (bits of it are available on youtube) show this to great effect on 'Mayday Galliard' and 'in the region of the summer stars' with them leaping about the stage! Also the spectacle of RJG and William Gilmour playing keyboards together (almost as a four-armed entity) is quite amazing.. although the quality of the video is pretty clunky, the 2 lps culled and remixed from the audio really show them at their best for meSmile Also, if you can find it, the drummer, David Storey's rendition of Cliff Richard's 'Summer Holiday' is pretty barking and surreal...LOL


Edited by Cosmiclawnmower - July 24 2024 at 06:54

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Saperlipopette! Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2024 at 22:52
-this has made me wanting to relisten to The Enid. And also regret getting rid of their two first albums - once bought for about an € each. I was still in my teens, and found the Aerie Faerie Nonsense cover art intriguing and beautiful enough to grab them both. The musical content failed to grab me though. But I was once underwhelmed by most bands on the soft(er) side of progressive rock. That's not really an issue anymore. I've changed several times since then. I probably weren't the most attentive listener either, as I don't even have a recollection of this: 
Originally posted by Jacob Schoolcraft Jacob Schoolcraft wrote:


What Francis Lickerish and Steve Stewart were doing was a unique and innovative idea...for example..they played single note harmonies which sounded Classical but on electric guitars in a very aggressive way.

Other bands of those times specializing in twin guitar harmony lead would be Thin Lizzy...Wishbone Ash...but it wasn't Classical sounding . Steve Hackett, Robert Fripp, Steve Howe, Mike Oldfield had overdubbed harmony lead in the studio for years..but rarely did anyone have the idea of bringing 2 lead guitarists on stage to physically produce that Classical mentality of sound in an electrified way in Progressive Rock.
...surely sounds like something I'd love to hear.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jacob Schoolcraft Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2024 at 17:04
Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Originally posted by Jacob Schoolcraft Jacob Schoolcraft wrote:

The Enid probably didn't surface until 76'...but they were very unique and that lured me in. Robert John Godfrey is a universal type of composer and their first 4 albums were instrumental and very innovative.

What Francis Lickerish and Steve Stewart were doing was a unique and innovative idea...for example..they played single note harmonies which sounded Classical but on electric guitars in a very aggressive way.

Other bands of those times specializing in twin guitar harmony lead would be Thin Lizzy...Wishbone Ash...but it wasn't Classical sounding . Steve Hackett, Robert Fripp, Steve Howe , Mike Oldfield had overdubbed harmony lead in the studio for years..but rarely did anyone have the idea of bringing 2 lead guitarists on stage to physically produce that Classical mentality of sound in an electrified way in Progressive Rock.

The founding members of the Enid had lived at a experimental school called Finchdon Manor. The environment was a bit free spirited and cultic. This...(imo) can be credited as a natural influence in their music. Because they were from this particular place...they ended up sounding different from other bands..and very original ...In The Region Of The Summer Stars is a very special album...


I know someone who went to see them at the Reading festival and they played Purple Haze. Robert John Godfrey doing the whole rock star thing was one of his best memories. He loves the Six Peices album although he's not that much of a prog fan (he likes Genesis but not a lot else). I like that one but my favourite would be Aerie Faerie Nonsense and even some of their recent albums like Journey's End are more than decent. Excellent band, thanks for mentioning them!


Your welcome...anytime! I love the Enid.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2024 at 15:02
Originally posted by Jacob Schoolcraft Jacob Schoolcraft wrote:

The Enid probably didn't surface until 76'...but they were very unique and that lured me in. Robert John Godfrey is a universal type of composer and their first 4 albums were instrumental and very innovative.

What Francis Lickerish and Steve Stewart were doing was a unique and innovative idea...for example..they played single note harmonies which sounded Classical but on electric guitars in a very aggressive way.

Other bands of those times specializing in twin guitar harmony lead would be Thin Lizzy...Wishbone Ash...but it wasn't Classical sounding . Steve Hackett, Robert Fripp, Steve Howe , Mike Oldfield had overdubbed harmony lead in the studio for years..but rarely did anyone have the idea of bringing 2 lead guitarists on stage to physically produce that Classical mentality of sound in an electrified way in Progressive Rock.

The founding members of the Enid had lived at a experimental school called Finchdon Manor. The environment was a bit free spirited and cultic. This...(imo) can be credited as a natural influence in their music. Because they were from this particular place...they ended up sounding different from other bands..and very original ...In The Region Of The Summer Stars is a very special album...

I know someone who went to see them at the Reading festival and they played Purple Haze. Robert John Godfrey doing the whole rock star thing was one of his best memories. He loves the Six Peices album although he's not that much of a prog fan (he likes Genesis but not a lot else). I like that one but my favourite would be Aerie Faerie Nonsense and even some of their recent albums like Journey's End are more than decent. Excellent band, thanks for mentioning them!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2024 at 19:34
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Originally posted by Grumpyprogfan Grumpyprogfan wrote:

The first five albums from Kansas are excellent.


They sure as hell are!!


So that's the self titled debut to Point of Know Return? What about Monolith or Audio Visions? 


To me, Monolith equals unrealized potential. It sounds unfinished. I actually like Audio-Visions better.

Vinyl Confessions and Drastic Measures are the two with singer John Elefante. I prefer the former. Kerry Livgren leaves after DM.

Steve Walsh is back with Power, with Steve Morse as their new lead guitarist. Very good album, with a great instrumental in "Musicatto."

In the Spirit of Things is the second/last with Morse, and quite underrated.

Seven years go by before we get Freaks of Nature, and another five before Somewhere to Elsewhere, which features the return of Kerry Livgren, who composes the whole album. STE is also the final Kansas album with both Steve Walsh and Robby Steinhardt (RIP). I consider both to be essential Kansas albums.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Grumpyprogfan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2024 at 19:19
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Originally posted by Grumpyprogfan Grumpyprogfan wrote:

The first five albums from Kansas are excellent.


They sure as hell are!!


So that's the self titled debut to Point of Know Return? What about Monolith or Audio Visions? 
I'm not familiar with those albums. So maybe we need some Kansas polls or discussions.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2024 at 17:38
Originally posted by verslibre verslibre wrote:

Originally posted by Grumpyprogfan Grumpyprogfan wrote:

The first five albums from Kansas are excellent.


They sure as hell are!!

So that's the self titled debut to Point of Know Return? What about Monolith or Audio Visions? 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jacob Schoolcraft Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2024 at 17:07
The Enid probably didn't surface until 76'...but they were very unique and that lured me in. Robert John Godfrey is a universal type of composer and their first 4 albums were instrumental and very innovative.

What Francis Lickerish and Steve Stewart were doing was a unique and innovative idea...for example..they played single note harmonies which sounded Classical but on electric guitars in a very aggressive way.

Other bands of those times specializing in twin guitar harmony lead would be Thin Lizzy...Wishbone Ash...but it wasn't Classical sounding . Steve Hackett, Robert Fripp, Steve Howe , Mike Oldfield had overdubbed harmony lead in the studio for years..but rarely did anyone have the idea of bringing 2 lead guitarists on stage to physically produce that Classical mentality of sound in an electrified way in Progressive Rock.

The founding members of the Enid had lived at a experimental school called Finchdon Manor. The environment was a bit free spirited and cultic. This...(imo) can be credited as a natural influence in their music. Because they were from this particular place...they ended up sounding different from other bands..and very original ...In The Region Of The Summer Stars is a very special album...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2024 at 16:46
Originally posted by Grumpyprogfan Grumpyprogfan wrote:

The first five albums from Kansas are excellent.


They sure as hell are!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Grumpyprogfan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2024 at 16:23
The first five albums from Kansas are excellent.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2024 at 14:44
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.

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AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2024 at 14:02
Originally posted by Jared Jared wrote:

Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Should also mention Triumvirat - Illusions On A Double Dimple, if only for Doug. Love that album!

without a doubt their best, but I enjoy their first 5 quite a bit...

I only have two and those are Illusions and Spartacus. I liked Illusions for a very long time until it dawned on me that the drum sound is not that good (a thud sound). For that reason I prefer Spartacus (the drum sound still isn't perfect but is at least better than Illusions). I wonder if anyone else has noticed this about the drums or is it just me? 

And why are we talking about Triumvirat when we could be talking about Eloy? Wink


Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - July 22 2024 at 14:05
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Jared Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2024 at 10:20
Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Should also mention Triumvirat - Illusions On A Double Dimple, if only for Doug. Love that album!

without a doubt their best, but I enjoy their first 5 quite a bit...
Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jared Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2024 at 10:18
Originally posted by Saperlipopette! Saperlipopette! wrote:

If I think in general and not just prog sites «my theory» is still true for the Moodies, Oldfield, MMEB and Supertramp (+KC, who really belongs in the group of bands above) who still today are bigger artists in sheer numbers than the rest of this group.

I think you're right; for three of them were predominantly mainstream bands who for various reasons were adopted by the then prog fraternity who thought their music was sufficiently interesting without having released any completely progressive albums... only Mike can be considered truely progressive here, but then he's also released quite a bit of crossover pop-rock in his time.

Of the four, only MMEB don't seem to have stood the test of time; my mind has them still firmly back in the 70's and I can't remember the last time someone started a thread about them here, even though Solar Fire, Good Earth & Nightingales were all great albums..
Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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