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Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 37575
Posted: April 23 2011 at 04:22
^ agreed
My comments regarding Batt as a producer were made before this thread was turned into a suggestion thread and should be ignored., If this had been a suggestion from the outset I would not have made them. My personal likes or dislikes are immateral for the purposes of evaluation.
From the clips I have heard of Arabesque and Tarot Suite I also support his inclusion.
Joined: March 18 2011
Location: Hertford
Status: Offline
Points: 466
Posted: April 23 2011 at 05:01
Some of the attitudes expressed here are unhealthy, and show the worst aspect of creating a genre at all. I don't particularly like some of the stuff Mike Batt does (too sugary for my taste at least), but surely it can't be denied that the man has a high level of talent? Argue about whether it's prog (for inclusion in our church) or not, but please don't devalue our credibility by denigrating his obvious talent because you don't like it personally.
Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 37575
Posted: April 23 2011 at 05:40
giselle wrote:
Some of the attitudes expressed here are unhealthy, and show the worst aspect of creating a genre at all. I don't particularly like some of the stuff Mike Batt does (too sugary for my taste at least), but surely it can't be denied that the man has a high level of talent? Argue about whether it's prog (for inclusion in our church) or not, but please don't devalue our credibility by denigrating his obvious talent because you don't like it personally.
Joined: February 17 2009
Location: Telford, UK
Status: Offline
Points: 933
Posted: April 23 2011 at 08:40
The problem with YouTube clips is that only the more commercial songs from Batt's solo albums are available. To assess his prog credentials you need to listen to the albums: Schizophonia, The Tarot Suite, Six Days in Berlin and Arabesque. I cannot upload these albums here without risk of being sued for breach of copyright. Can an artist not be considered for inclusion unless actual examples can be provided on this website? Should copyright laws determine whether or not an artist is eligible for Prog Archives?
Haiku
Writing a poem
With seventeen syllables
Is very diffic....
Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 37575
Posted: April 23 2011 at 08:46
Green Shield Stamp wrote:
The problem with YouTube clips is that only the more commercial songs from Batt's solo albums are available. To assess his prog credentials you need to listen to the albums: Schizophonia, The Tarot Suite, Six Days in Berlin and Arabesque. I cannot upload these albums here without risk of being sued for breach of copyright. Can an artist not be considered for inclusion unless actual examples can be provided on this website? Should copyright laws determine whether or not an artist is eligible for Prog Archives?
I chose those Batt Video's purely at random trying to get a sample of Schizophonia, The Tarot Suite and Arabesque - whether they were representative I am not qualfied to judge since I've not heard any one album in full. If by searching YouTube you can find more representive samples, please feel free.
The suggestion/admissions procedure is pretty well documented, so please do not make assumptions or jump to conclusions.
Joined: January 18 2010
Status: Offline
Points: 62
Posted: April 23 2011 at 21:09
Go to grooveshark.com...search for music...Mike Batt. You will find the albums "A Songwriter's Tale", "Caravans", "The Hunting Of The Snark" & "Songs Of Love And War" well represented in the list that it throws back at you, plus a few tracks from "Tarot Suite" and lots of stuff from other artists he has been involved with. The first title is a re-working of many of his best-known songs, and the second a film score he did. You can listen to any song you wish in its entirety just by selecting it and hitting "play song". Should give you a bit an idea of what the guy is all about for evaluation purposes.
Joined: December 05 2007
Location: Germany
Status: Offline
Points: 2720
Posted: April 26 2011 at 08:57
I giggle at his involvement with the Wombles, of course, but to be honest I find that both Schezophonia and Tarot Suite qualify, and as this site's rules are to include artists who only have one album qualifying as Prog can be included here, he qualifies. I suppose the rules here apply to all. The Tarot Suite is a really good listen now and again. I can only urge you people to give it a try.
Joined: December 01 2010
Location: London, England
Status: Offline
Points: 195
Posted: April 27 2011 at 09:56
To some extent, it's Mike Batt's own fault there is such confusion over his worth. He has produced some piffle, but he's also produced some magical stuff too.
Joined: February 17 2009
Location: Telford, UK
Status: Offline
Points: 933
Posted: April 27 2011 at 12:14
^ Absolutely agree with this. I am now listening to the 1980 album Waves, which has some real stinkers on it. Beunos Dias, Capitan is like a poor man's version of the awful 'Illegal Alien' by Genesis. Batt himself says of the album,'It's got some good songs on it, but is rather too much of a hotch-potch of styles for me to be proud of it..'
Having said that, the albums Schizophonia and The Tarot Suite (and to a slightly lesser extent Six Days in Berlin and Arabesque) are sufficient for his inclusion in Prog Archives.
Haiku
Writing a poem
With seventeen syllables
Is very diffic....
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