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Points: 7559 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 31 2006 at 15:56
Allow me to raise the profile of the amazing Chrysalis.

Their one album, Definition, was admired by Frank Zappa - and indeed, one of the members went on to join the Mothers of Invention for a couple of albums - "We're Only In It For the Money" and "Lumpy Gravy", IIRC.



Maybe it's a little light in places - we're not talking Comus here - but it is surprisingly sophisticated.
The important thing is not to stop questioning.
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Points: 934 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 13 2006 at 18:35
Thanks Sean.  This is the one prog genre I haven't dived into yet and really want too.  I will be going by your excellent recommendations and reviews.  I always look for your name in the reviews of albums on this site first, since I know it won't be over-hyped or from the perspective of a fan boy.  In other words I find your reviews honest and pretty accurate without all the hype that can be so often mistaken for quality.  Clap
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Points: 9008 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 02 2006 at 12:35
Thanks to this blog I discovered alot of good prog folk bands.

Thanks Sean Smile

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Points: 20296 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 04 2006 at 10:46
Originally posted by chamberry chamberry wrote:

Thanks to this blog I discovered alot of good prog folk bands.

Thanks Sean Smile
 
Unfortunately I started too many of them and there is more coming on this one, but.......... lack of time.
 
I wish I was Shiva (three pairs of arms)Wink
let's just stay above the moral melee
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keep our sand-castle virtues
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Points: 12815 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 14 2006 at 12:43
Sean,
  
Some odds'n'sods of thoughts - trust I'm not duplicating what others have said already here?
 
(I sure I've writtten this elsewhere on the site) I think Joe Boyd's White Bicycle biography, covering the 60's and including insights into the US and UK folk scene should provide a reference source to expand the roots of prog folk. Indeed Dazzling Stranger: Bert Jansch and the British Folk and Blues Revival by Colin Harper, is a most useful source reference. 

Ewan McColl and brother-in-law Pete Seeger conservative (be they both left wing politically) /old school ideas of what folk should be, and seen as the leaders of the genre until (as Boyd implies) the minor revolution at the 1964 Newport Jazz & Folk festival.

Not mentioned: John Fahey (often said to be a major influence on the American acoustic guitar scene),Al Stewart, John Sebastian, Country Joe & The Fish, Crosby Stills & Nash - Suite Judy Blue Eyes still astonishes me for the quality of playing , singing and the folk rock taking on board a symphonic structure.  Tom Paxton, the importance of Transatlantic Records (especially for Renbourn, Jansch US, exile Stefan Grossman), and Elektra Records Magna Carta.

The 'tarting up' of the acoustic sound of folk music in the late 60's, e.g. the string arrangements for Paul Simon/Simon & Garfunkel's early albums, followed by same to Al Stewart and David McWilliams (including the primitive electronic treatment of Days Of Pearly Spencer, when back by the Raymond LeFever Orchestra). Al Stewart writing long pieces about historical events, and even a side long piece in the form of Bedsitting Room - made notorious by being banned from air play by the BEEB - here developing from the tradition of epic folk poems and songs.

Fairport convention becoming a relevant force when Joe Boyd brought the powerful voice, as well a move and shifter, in the force of Sandy Denny - believing strongly in the tradition laid down by Cecil Sharp but pushing for the amplification and electrical instruments. The sometime parallels drawn between early Fairport and early Jefferson Airplane. In deed, the former original vocalist of Fairport,  Judy Dyble actually demoing early KC tunes.



Edited by Dick Heath - September 14 2006 at 12:44
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Points: 3928 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 14 2006 at 15:37
Isn't the side long piece 'Love Chronicles' Dick? 'Bedsitter Images' was the first album and it drenched Al Stewart's songs in over elaborate string arrangements. 'Love Chronicles' is an excellent epic indeed though, with early use of the 'f word' of course.
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Points: 12815 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 16 2006 at 07:53
Originally posted by salmacis salmacis wrote:

Isn't the side long piece 'Love Chronicles' Dick? 'Bedsitter Images' was the first album and it drenched Al Stewart's songs in over elaborate string arrangements. 'Love Chronicles' is an excellent epic indeed though, with early use of the 'f word' of course.


You are correct - I don't have the album (has it ever been issued on CD??) so relying on faulty memories of working in a record shop late 60's/early 70's, and playing it irregularly in store (lots of loud coughing when the offending word came up!).
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Points: 3928 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 16 2006 at 08:08
It did come out on CD, but never separately that I know of. It was contained in a 2cd set for EMI (bizarrely as none of the albums featured were on EMI) called 'To Whom It May Concern' and it featured 'Bedsitter Images', 'Love Chronicles' and 'Zero She Flies', plus his first single for Decca too.
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Points: 12815 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 18 2006 at 06:58
Sal
 
Sometimes wondered why CBS (Columbia)  made very little effort in promoting their back catalogue of Al Stewart recordings ..........
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Points: 4411 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 28 2006 at 16:21
Sorry to tell you that Comus' First Utterance was somehow a little disappointment for me... not exactly my cup ogf tea and not exactly the prog folk I was looking for.
 
They're interesting and I'm happy to have found the album (in elegant parersleeve edition cd), not all that masterpiece...
 
How about Ramases? Today I found their Space Hymn album in my beloved prog shop.
 
Space Hymns


Edited by Andrea Cortese - September 28 2006 at 16:23
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Points: 1059 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2007 at 06:29
Great thread Sean! I have the 2 disc Comus compilation, and I think they're great. It took me a few listens to really appriciate them, but they really grew on me. Also have Spirogyra's 'A Canterbury Tale' compilation, which again at first didn't really work for me, but listened to a few tracks again yesterday and it gels nicelySmile
 
Yesterday I bought Yashti Bunyan's 'Just Another Diamond Day' thanks to your suggestion. I'm listening to it now and I have to say it's really amazing. Thank you! 
The guy in my local store also liked her, which was nice.
 
Thank you again for bringing this often ignored genre to people's attention.
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Points: 1059 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2007 at 06:32
Just re-read this thread and found nobody mentioned Vashti Bunyan...don't know where I got that from but what the heck!
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Points: 1059 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2007 at 06:35
Originally posted by Dick Heath Dick Heath wrote:

Sal
 
Sometimes wondered why CBS (Columbia)  made very little effort in promoting their back catalogue of Al Stewart recordings ..........
 
I bought Al Stewart's 'Year of the Cat' yesterday, it's a really nice record. That's thanks to you sir!
 
Just let me pin this to your waitcoat...
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Points: 20296 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 08 2007 at 09:04
To get an idea of the future of folk prog, you might want to check out these bands, some of which have medieval influences
 
Although not really medieval but having a few influences:
among modern groups but usually considered as Wyrd Folk
 
 
 
Espers
 
three albums of which the medium brown and the dark brown cover albums are essential. Astounding stuff.
 
 
 
 
PG Six
 
 
Only heard of the Well Of Memory, but it comes close to being the album (released on amish records if you can believe it) of the year for me. Outstanding.
 
 
 
 
 
 
From 16 Horsepoower, comes David Eugene Edwards (not our Trouserpress) Woven Hand
 
 
Heard three of their four albums, the folkier being Mosaic (their last), but all three have excellent chances to please progheads
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And also The Iditarod (based on the dog sled race thru Alaska)
 
 
Four albums three of which I have heard? Sometimes very close to lo-fi folk, but on the whole excellent.
 
 
 
 
 Long Live Death is also a fine nu-folk along the lines of these I just named (two albums so far, but their site seems abandonned, though).........
 
 
 
let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
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prefer lifting our pen
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Points: 20296 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 08 2007 at 09:16
Originally posted by Dick Heath Dick Heath wrote:

Sean,
  
Some odds'n'sods of thoughts - trust I'm not duplicating what others have said already here?
 
(I sure I've writtten this elsewhere on the site) I think Joe Boyd's White Bicycle biography, covering the 60's and including insights into the US and UK folk scene should provide a reference source to expand the roots of prog folk. Indeed Dazzling Stranger: Bert Jansch and the British Folk and Blues Revival by Colin Harper, is a most useful source reference.  I have both these books waiting for me to pay azttention, but little time!! I'm still not finished Buckley's Dream Brothers and Out Bloody Rageous

Ewan McColl and brother-in-law Pete Seeger conservative (be they both left wing politically) /old school ideas of what folk should be, and seen as the leaders of the genre until (as Boyd implies) the minor revolution at the 1964 Newport Jazz & Folk festival. I intend to rewrite the definition of prog folk article (right now it is just a historical) and I will include McColl, Collins , Davey Grahame and Seeger as well as Fahey and maybe even the Dransfield brothers. I hope to place this on the other topics of definition page and set a real prog folk description.

Not mentioned: John Fahey (often said to be a major influence on the American acoustic guitar scene),Al Stewart, John Sebastian, Country Joe & The Fish, Crosby Stills & Nash - Suite Judy Blue Eyes still astonishes me for the quality of playing , singing and the folk rock taking on board a symphonic structure.  Tom Paxton, the importance of Transatlantic Records (especially for Renbourn, Jansch US, exile Stefan Grossman), and Elektra Records Magna Carta.  If I do include Al Stewart, I can hardly leave out John Martyn, Cat Stevens, Richard Thompson, Tim Buckley and Nick Drake. It is a question of drawing the line somewhere

The 'tarting up' of the acoustic sound of folk music in the late 60's, e.g. the string arrangements for Paul Simon/Simon & Garfunkel's early albums, followed by same to Al Stewart and David McWilliams (including the primitive electronic treatment of Days Of Pearly Spencer, when back by the Raymond LeFever Orchestra). Al Stewart writing long pieces about historical events, and even a side long piece in the form of Bedsitting Room - made notorious by being banned from air play by the BEEB - here developing from the tradition of epic folk poems and songs. Magna Carta was strongly influenced by S&G, too.

Fairport convention becoming a relevant force when Joe Boyd brought the powerful voice, as well a move and shifter, in the force of Sandy Denny - believing strongly in the tradition laid down by Cecil Sharp but pushing for the amplification and electrical instruments. The sometime parallels drawn between early Fairport and early Jefferson Airplane. In deed, the former original vocalist of Fairport,  Judy Dyble actually demoing early KC tunes. I preferred Dyble's voice over Denny's in FC. Yes, Dyble's tryout in GG&F is documented in the Brondesbury tapes album. The last trace of Dyble is in Trader Horne (included in the archives)
let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
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Points: 104 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 22 2007 at 20:48
Originally posted by Sean Trane Sean Trane wrote:

 

 

 

A recent discovery of mine, Jan Dukes De Grey is not a person, but a trio of extremely insane young man that have written just two albums (it seems that this is frequent that most of the groups I mention here only released two albums) and if the first one is a fine Hippy-folk album, nothing was to warn us that Mice And Rats In The Loft  (if this title is not about madness) would be so fantastic and enthralling and flabbergastingly superb. Only three tracks and the sidelong track Sun Symphonia is the apex of Folk-influenced prog rock. Just as lyrically insane as Comus or Tea & Symphony, this is a MUST if you are into bizarre folk.

 

 

 




I got this about two weeks ago and since then its become one of my favorite albums. Sun Symphonica is an underrated MASTERPIECE!

Thanks for the reccomendation.
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Points: 1264 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 05 2007 at 15:39
Do a search for Miranda Sex Garden, a weird band of prog folk; try an album called Suspiria, released in 1993. Just rare, yet highly reccomended for a progfolk hardcore fan.
The best you can is good enough...
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Points: 30 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 11 2008 at 23:28
THE KINGS OF FOLK PROG = JETHRO TULL
Nothing he's got, he really needs. Twenty first century schizoid man.
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Points: 20296 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 03 2008 at 12:05
Originally posted by sircosick sircosick wrote:

Do a search for Miranda Sex Garden, a weird band of prog folk; try an album called Suspiria, released in 1993. Just rare, yet highly reccomended for a progfolk hardcore fan.

Sorry for the delayin answering.Embarrassed
Just look it up in the Archives, they've been in for a while and I reviewed Suspiria.
 
 
 
 
Today, I 'd love to introduce my latest find, an Australian duo (if you can believe that), that released just one but a superb one album....
 
MADDEN & HARRIS
 
 
 
I reviewed the album this morning.....
 
 
Madden%20And%20Harris%20*%20picture
 
 
 


Edited by Sean Trane - April 03 2008 at 12:06
let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
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Points: 20296 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 02 2008 at 11:20
As of next week, I will revive this blog and make regular suggestions, because the genre is full of small wonders that need to be discovered.
 
 
 
let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
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