1000 Prog Albums Over 46 Years: 1966-2011

1973 - continued

#161

Spectrum
Billy Cobham

A review by Mellotron Storm:

There's no question that Billy Cobham is one of the most talented and influencial drummers on the planet. I had high hopes going into this one that it would be another "Birds Of Fire" shred-fest. Not quite, although the first song delivers big time in that style. Jan Hammer, his old MAHIVISHNU ORCHESTRA band mate helps out, while Tommy Bolin doesn't disappoint on guitars. We also get some bass, sax, flugelhorn, trumpet and flute to round out this mostly jazzy sounding album.

"Quadrant 4" opens with heavy, fluid drumming while Bolin comes in with some intricate melodies. A fuller sound 1 1/2 minutes in. This is so impressive. Ripping guitar after 3 minutes as the bass continues to throb. "Searching For The Door/Spectrum" opens with intricate drum patterns before we get to "Spectrum" which is very jazzy with plenty of keys from Hammer, as well as flugelhorn and flute. Guitar 2 1/2 minutes in. The drumming is incredible!  Sax after 4 1/2 minutes with liquid keys a minute later.

"Anxiety/Taurian Matador" opens like the last song with the first part taken up with Cobham's complex drumming skills. The second part kicks into gear quickly. This is another jazzy tune with some great keyboard and guitar solos trading fire as Cobham does his thing. "Straths" opens with 2 minutes of spacey atmosphere. Nice touch. Drums then come in sounding so amazing. The guitar in this one is excellent as well. Great tune.

"To The Women In My Life/Le Lis" opens with piano before the second part arrives which is light, uptempo and jazzy. Alto sax, trumpet and congas all chip in. Hammer offers up some moog as well. "Snoopy's Search/Red Baron" opens with experimental sounds and ends with percussion. The second part features a nice drum/bass rhythm as keys then guitar join in. Great sound 5 minutes in. A must have for MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA fans but I'm sure you already know that.

#162

Zarathustra
Museo Rosenbach

A review by Finnforest:

While Italian prog has won my heart in a big way I have noticed something. It seems that some of the most acclaimed titles are not my favorite ones. My only theory is that some of these bands like Museo Rosenbach and New Trolls seem more influenced by English groups (notably Purple and Tull). I find that far less appealing than the small bands that perhaps had little travel outside of Italy and therefore have a more pure, local/regional sound. "Zarathustra" is certainly a respectable album made by talented folks, especially the drummer Giancarlo Golzi.

The album consists largely of heavy organ-driven rock. It's a loud, heavy, Ritchie Blackmore/Jon Lord lovefest with obligatory mellotron here and there. It mostly is satisfied with rocking out and doesn't provide the unique flavor of albums/bands like Metamorfosi, Balletto, Semiramis, or Cervello, just to name a few of the better heavy albums. "Della Natura" is definitely the one that did work for me here, with some awesome nuanced playing and the cool chorus part. The relatively poor sound on the BMG cd probably doesn't help matters much; the quiet parts are very hard to hear without turning up to the point where the loud parts will blow the windows out. The vocalist is pretty good with a rough edge without being as annoying as the Trolls vocals. “Zarathustra” is a good album, just not a masterpiece in my opinion, but I'm in the minority.

A review by Mellotron Storm:

It's like this band was made for me. The ever-present mellotron and organ, combined with rough but excellent vocals, are all arranged perfectly. This album cries out "Classic"! The tone is set on the first song "l'ultimo Uomo". Soft vocals signal to your curiousity, and before you can prepare yourself you are sent sprawling by crushing riffs."Il Re Di Ieri" starts eerily, again with soft vocals come in but this time your prepared for the bursting forth of the organ and drum assault.

The vocals here are sensational and this is one of my favourite parts of the record. The short "Superuomo" is a wondrous instrumental with some great drum work. "Il Tempio Delle Clessidre" is similar to "Superuomo" only longer and better. Outstanding! "Degli Uomini" has a similar eerie start to it as "Il Re Di Ieri" as some very good guitar and vocals come in, heck everybody is going at it and then there is a quiet interlude. When the vocals come back gently you would think Peter Gabriel is making an appearance. Check out the way these guys play together on the instrumental "Della Natura" mind-numbing! The last song puts the spotlight right on the vocalist and let's just say the spotlight isn't really needed. Masterpiece!

#163

For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night
Caravan

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

The Canterbury darlings of the UK had a stellar year in 1973 releasing arguably one of their finest albums and following up soon after with a tour resulting in the amalgamation of performing with a symphony orchestra their new compositions. "If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You" certainly began what would be known as the classic period of Caravan, and then followed up by the quintessential "In the Land of Grey and Pink". The marriage of English folk whimsy merged with classical jazz was a trademark sound for the band, and the music matured with "Waterloo Lily" in 1972, a much more jazz oriented album.

"For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night" ushered in all of the previous styles with a distinctive symphonic sound. Some of the band's best material features on this such as 'Memory Lain / Hugh Headloss', an incredible piece of showmanship. Pye Hastings sounds as dynamic as ever on vocals and guitar, and the keyboard work of Sinclair is incredible. 'Hoedown' is another highlight; the violin prowess of Richardson is always masterful and incredible John G. Perry on bass with Coughlan's drums are a force in themselves.

Certainly a drawcard of the album is the full orchestra that is used and this became one of the live experiences captured perfectly on "Caravan and The New Symphonia" that same year. Other highlights include 'The Dog, the Dog, He's at It Again' which became a favourite over the years. It has a great lead break and the melody is memorable with fun lyrics; "my mother said that I should stay out of bed but I know that I like it in there, legs and thighs, hello's and goodbyes and you're there".

'Surprise, Surprise' is another outstanding track as is 'C'thlu Thlu' which is one of the darkest and best things they have done. The huge epic at the end of the album is a typical suite of songs on most Caravan albums in the early years called ' L'auberge du Sanglier / A hunting we shall go / Pengola / Backwards / A hunting we shall go (reprise)'. It is a fantastic album with some of the most incredible music including brass, violins, woodwind, all played virtuoso by the orchestra, along with Caravan. The sound is full and lush providing compelling music that is highly revered in prog history.

A review by SouthSideoftheSky:

“For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night” is better by far (pardon the pun) and is definitely my favourite Caravan album.

The addition of a violinist to the line up was a fantastic idea, and the sound here is rich and full (it's actually a viola and not a violin, but I can't tell the difference). The warm acoustic instruments; the viola, the flutes, the acoustic guitars, together with the sweet vocals contrast very well with the electric guitars, the organ and the electronic keyboards. The violin is sometimes played in a folky way (think Fairport Convention), and sometimes in a grand symphonic way (think Kansas).

The melodies are often very sweet and lovely, but on the other hand, the music sometimes rocks quite hard! This is definitely Caravan's hardest rocking record, something not often associated with the Canterbury Scene. This balance between the soft and sweet vocals and melodies and the harder guitar riffs is also very appealing. This album has a bit of everything and yet it flows perfectly from start to finish.

Yet another thing that I appreciate is the relative absence of silly and whimsical songs like ‘Golf Girl’ and ‘Love To Love You (And Tonight Pigs Will Fly)’, I never could get into those songs. Sure, there is ‘The Dog, The Dog, He's At It Again’, but it doesn't stick out as much as the two other ones I mentioned (both from the “In The Land Of Gray And Pink” album). Besides, there is an excellent instrumental break in ‘The Dog, The Dog, He's At It Again’.

Caravan's best and highly recommended!

#164

Brain Salad Surgery
Emerson Lake & Palmer

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

This is one album you must hear before you die; three words sum up the peak of prog excellence bar none: 'Brain Salad Surgery'. Forget what it means, forget the concepts, forget the innuendos throughout, and the infamous H R Giger cover, instead simply put on the head phones and sit back to be treated to some of the best prog you are likely to hear. It starts with the 'Jerusalem' track that is as bombastic as any ELP track. 'Toccata' follows and is one of the greatest instrumentals. The keyboards are played with such a fury they seem to strip the wallpaper off the walls. Emerson revels in his world as he thumps the keyboards with virtuoso playing.

'Still you turn me on' is the romantic ballad that was always present to garner and appease female fans, a mainstream song with appeal. 'Benny the Bouncer' is the satiric jaunty little ditty laced with black humour that always seemed to be a part of early ELP albums.

Virtually every moment of ‘Karn Evil 9’, this multi-movement suite, is awe inspiring. Rarely have a band been so precise, so in sync, so brilliant than this track. It moves through a series of impressions in the same way as a classical piece is structured. The first impressions are often found on best of ELP compilations and for good reason, but its great to hear this track in its entirety. Like the astounding 'Tarkus', it is a long, highly complex example of virtuoso playing and showcases in particular Emerson's incredible talents. It's frenetic pace transfixes from beginning to end of the first impressions. It slows in the 2nd impression so that we have room to breathe within the wall of sound that is at times suffocating, but then picks up the pace again in the 3rd impression with Lake's vocals dominating. There is a huge finale with a robot voice that seems to explode. The headphone sound zooms in and out from left to right and then fades out. This track is one reason the album often sits proudly at the top of prog rock album lists as one of the greatest.

A review by SouthSideoftheSky:

Still... You Turn Me On

What to say about this classic Prog album? Well, firstly, it is a masterpiece! Secondly, while a masterpiece it is not perfect. The first half of the albums suffers a bit from being put side to side with the epic Karn Evil 9 which is clearly the centrepiece of the album. Still, the first side holds up rather well too.

The album starts with Jerusalem, a great traditional hymn reworked in typical ELP fashion. Toccata is a highly experimental classical piece re-arranged by Carl Palmer. This is probably one of the most experimental things he and the band ever did. Greg Lake also gets his place to shine, of course. This time it's Still... You Turn Me On. This is not Lake's best song ever, but it is a good one. Benny The Bouncer injects a bit of humour into the music.

Then there is the massive three-part epic Karn Evil 9. This is a true masterpiece of progressive rock and in my opinion by far ELP's very best work. Every fan of progressive rock needs to hear this one.

Absolutely essential album! 

#165

Måltid 
Samla Mammas Manna

A review by Mellotron Storm:

4.5 stars.  At the end of the liner notes they wrote "Remember-joy is contagious!" Lets just say that this band has made a lot of people smile over the years. I laughed right out loud a couple of times while listening to the insane vocals. I'm sure they are singing some funny lines too, but it's all sung in Swedish. I had a hard time finding this cd but thankfully I finally got it and it was well worth the search. As a side note the Zeuhl band UPPSALA (great band) named their band after the city that guitarist Coste Apetrea is from. They met him and another Swedish guitarist while on vacation and were so affected by this meeting that they thus named their band UPPSALA and even named a song after the two guitarists. Like they said "Joy is contagious", they caught something special from that meeting anyway. Another side note is that the drummer (Hasse) has been the percussionist for the FLOWER KINGS for a long, long time.

The first song "Dundrets Frojder" really embodies what this band is all about. This is also my favourite song off of the album. It features a catchy, uptempo melody with keys and drums leading the way. The guitar is fantastic! The tempo picks up as these crazy vocals come in. It gets heavy before 7 minutes with some excellent drumming followed by mellotron. Nice. Scorching guitar late, on this the longest track.

"Oforutsedd Forlossning" features funny vocals and light drums. The sound gets louder as the guitar comes in.  "Den Aterupplivade Laten" opens with odd sounds before we get a melody. The piano reminds me of GENESIS as the soundscape does have a symphonic flavour. Nice piano to end it. "Folkvisa I Morse" is a short and catchy folk song. "Syster System" has these hilarious vocals with piano and drums.

"Tarningen" is a great uptempo track with outstanding piano, drumming and guitar. "Svackorpoangen" is led by piano and theatrical vocals. "Minareten" is bright and uplifting for 2 minutes before settling down as we get some more lunatic vocals. There is a fantastic sound the rest of the way until the mood changes after 7 minutes. The final song "Vaerelseds Tilbud" is made up of mostly piano melodies. This is like the polar opposite of UNIVERS ZERO, it's bright, fast and catchy, but most of all it will make you smile.

#166

Ashes Are Burning
Renaissance

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

"Clear your mind maybe you will find, That the past is still turning, Circles sway echo yesterday, Ashes burning, ashes burning..." Renaissance's "Ashes Are Burning" is their masterpiece. The title track is one of the best examples of Annie Haslam's high 5 octave range. The lyrics are evocative of dreams or reflections of how things used to be and how they could be. The folk prog atmosphere borders on a Celtic flavour at times due to the musicianship and vocal techniques. One may be reminded of early Fairport Convention or Pentangle at times, especially due to the content and female soprano vocals. Annie has a pleasant, sweet voice that always feels uplifting to the spirit and she is a survivor of the male dominated prog scene of the 70s. Curved Air would spring to mind as another. This album features some of Renaissance's most endearing and most popular works.

'Let it grow' is quintessential to Renaissance with a nice melody and a pretty musical framework. The rhythm is executed with acoustic flourishes mixed with piano arpeggios and scales. 'On the frontier' is a lot more progressive with some innovative time sig changes with bass solos and a prodigious piano workout.

The final track, 'Ashes are burning' is brilliant, clocking in at 11:24 as a mini epic with a ton of piano and acoustic work. A vibraphone compliments the soundscape beautifully with a tapestry of interwoven piano lines and Annie's enchanting voice. The lyrics are equally alluring and takes the listener to a far away place with lush green meadows and tall trees, and a neon purple sky; "Travel the days of freedom, Roads leading everywhere, Come with me now and show how you care, Follow the dying embers, Cross on the paths that they lay, Breath of the past the earths yesterday..."

The music has the power to transfix images with its delicate nuances, and progressive symphonic orchestration. Annie's pulchritudinous angelic vocals on the album are enticing enough, but the lyrics are mesmirising making this album an instant classic.

#167

Radio Gnome Invisible Vol. 2 - Angel's Egg
Gong

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

“Angel's Egg” encapsulates the high strangeness known and loved about Gong. This is definitely one of their best albums and notably features some of the weirdest tracks of the band's repertoire. Gong are surreal cosmic adventurers who always strive to produce the wackiest spaced out music on the planet. They accomplished it here. They have notably been referred to 'an invisible ideological empire' more than a band and it is easy to see why. The concept of this album takes on the same themes as “Flying Teapot”. The pot head pixies are back as is Zero the Hero, and the jazz fusion and Eastern influences abound. It is all rather absurd and the music works better listening to it as a whole album rather than individual tracks.

This album is the second in the “Radio Gnome Invisible Trilogy”, and it is the best. We are transported to Planet Gong, via a Flying Teapot, and the allegorical tale of life and the idiocy of our heroe’s quest begins: a quest that is never ending but nevertheless essential in finding the meaning of that perfect life. Steve Hillage is excellent as guitar extraordinaire and he is complimented with Allen, Malherbe, Blake, Howlett and Moerlen. A special mention must be made of the sultry vocals of Gilli Smyth as she croons 'Prostitute Poem', a nice break from all the lunacy and mayhem. Gong recorded this by hanging microphones from trees and the atmospehere is present throughout. Highlights include 'Other Side of the Sky', 'Flute Salad', showcasing Malherbe's incredible flute, and 'Oily Way', 'Inner Temple' 'Love is How Y Make It' and the rocker, 'I Never Glid Before'.

The album was voted as Gong's best by Mojo magazine readers and it is easy to see why. Coming in at second was “Camembert Electrique” and then “You”. In any case Angel's Egg is quintessential Gong and one of the best albums of 1973.

A review by Sean Trane:

In this chapter of the greatest trilogy ever written, one finds Zero The Hero looking for ways to spread the good words taught to him from Planet GonG through this Radio Gnome Invisible, and he meets all sorts in that quest.

Angel's Egg sees two new members replacing Frenchmen Trisch and Moze: Pierre Moerlen and Mike Howlett and now the classic GonG line-up is present. However, unlike the previous Flying Teapot and the following You, the tracks here are fairly short (except for the opening track that clocks in at 8 min) barely exceeding 5 min at best.

Side 1 starts with a rare but superb almost-instrumental that is proof, if need be, that Gong is masterful in all areas including jazz-rock Canterbury style. All other numbers are very typical GonG athmospheres and climaxing in the Prostitute Poem where Malherbe answers so greatly to Gilly Smyth - delightful and dare I say Orgasmic. Only the drunken pub tune Givin My Luv sticks a bit out but it is short and can be easily skipped.

Side 2 starts with the real treasure of this album: it is the Flute Salad - Inner/Outer Temple suite only to be followed by concert fave Oily Way. Malherbe shows that he also masters the flute and the climaxes created are not only orgasmic but cosmic. Moerlen gives us a peak on future Gong music by putting in his great vibraphone playing in one of the last track. Many different facets of GonG are present in this album making probably their most impressive one ever.

Again for years the superb artwork sleeve had not been sufficiently respected, often suppressing most of the heavenly blue innerfold of the album. Charly Records via their subsidiary Victor label again released a mini-lp reissue (cat# 61173, pricey but superb and essential for the understanding of this epic) and adjoining for the first time a booklet explainig the story and lyrics. However the extra track of previous reissues is absent, but it was not really adapted to the album. 

#168

The Six Wives Of Henry VIII
Rick Wakeman

A review by Warthur:

I've made a good faith attempt to get into Rick Wakeman's solo work, but I have to say that - aside from this album - it all leaves me completely cold. Rick is an excellent keyboardist, but an extremely poor editor; if he were more careful about which compositions or elements of compositions he allowed to make the final cut for release and which he held back for more work, he'd be making less releases but I think the overall quality would improve.

The circumstances behind the recording of this album are a case in point: made at a time when he felt that his own creative contributions were being sidelined in Yes, the album gave Rick an outlet for his own compositions which he couldn't find in his band work at the time. It's pleasant enough listening, though to be honest I don't think it's the amazing masterpiece it's often proclaimed as. Perhaps it's overestimated somewhat simply by comparison to the rest of Wakeman's solo catalogue, which is far more variable in quality. Three and a half stars.

A review by Sean Trane:

Outstanding stuff as Wakeman should've stuck to this one and never more disgress from Yes. This is a showcase for all the synthetisers from the era from the Mellotron to the Moog to the Hammond and everything to do with KB. This is where Rick became the Wizzard and the major success got to his head and started wearing stardust sprinkled capes and the whole "shabam" and quickly became pompous.

But still none of that on this album, as the six tracks (all instrumentals) are incredibly head-twisting (even some 30 years later), and strangely enough, as one could fear for such albums reflecting the technology of the the era, the music has not aged badly, quite on the contrary. But is this not the primùe quality of excellent music. Wakeman's keyboards are hovering, fluttering, nose-diving twirling around your ears like you were simply not on this planet anymore.

The only Wakeman solo album I still own as I got rid of all the others fairly quickly and I finally gave up in the early 80's.

#169

Photos Of Ghosts
Premiata Forneria Marconi

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Virtually every moment of “Photos Of Ghosts” is awe inspiring. Rarely have a band been so precise, so in sync, so brilliant than this album. Each track moves through a series of impressions. 'Il Banchetto' is the standout track and is a long, highly complex example of virtuoso playing that showcases in particular Premoli's incredible talents. It's frenetic pace transfixes from beginning to end, the metrical patterns of Cioccio's drumming is phenomenal. It slows in the middle section so that we have room to breathe within the wall of sound that is at times suffocating, but then picks up the pace again in the last impression with Cioccio's vocals dominating.

‘Celebration’ is a great single featuring very catchy melodies and happy organ sounds throughout. The atmosphere on each track is captured by the use of sparse orchestral arrangements, featuring primarily Pagani's woodwind instruments and Premoli's organ phrases and the jagged guitars of Mussida. The minimalist feminine flute is played to perfection and drifts along so sweetly it augments the ambience of the entire album.

Tracks such as ‘Mr. 9 till 5’ shift metrical patterns throughout and climax with the huge wall of sound that is essential PFM. There is a wonderful blend of guitars, violins and Hammond, Mellotron and Moog synthesiser building to a crescendo. The sonata form structure is powerfully realised with the bombastic vocal arrangements.

PFM have produced some stunning pieces such as ‘River of Life’ that begins with the beautiful acoustic vibrations of ‘Mussida’, a real beauty that meanders like a flowing stream. The flute and harpsichord chime in like fish in the sea dancing in the waves. The new directions of each track keeps the metronome ticking with changes in time signatures and that ever pounding bass of Piazza. Each track is masterfully executed and charged with high emotion making this one of the best examples of Italian prog.

A review by Conor Fynes:

In the Italian progressive rock scene, there are few grails as holy as PFM's 'Per Un Amico', an album which has since gone on to be considered not only to be among the best of Italy, but among the best prog rock of all time. Once discovered by Greg Lake of ELP, the band was given the opportunity to thrust out on to the international scene, whereas they had previously had most of their fanbase locked within their own country. As was likely one of the best business decisions that the band ever made, they made an album mostly in English, ironically a language that none of them were fluent in. Rerecording much of 'Per Un Amico' and adding a few new surprises along the way, Premiata Forneria Marconi had made an album that could finally introduce them to the global community. Although 'Photos Of Ghosts' is typically thought of as 'Per Un Amico' with English lyrics, there is more that has been done to refurbish this album than simply that, and although I am sure that many would tend to disagree, 'Photos Of Ghosts' results as an even more successful album than 'Per Un Amico', fixing some of the issues I had with that album, and giving a fresh new look on the music simultaneously.

As one might expect, the lyrics and new vocal performance tend to be the worst thing about 'Photos Of Ghosts'. As one can tell by the often garbled Italian accent, the vocalists struggle through the alien English language, and some of the passion that filled the vocals in the original has been lost in translation. Had this been the only thing that had been changed for 'Photos Of Ghosts', the album would be fairly unnecessary and I would tend to reccommend this record only to diehard fans of the other. Potentially the biggest thing that PFM has improved with on 'Photos' however is the sense of flow. Although the music was incredible on 'Per Un Amico', it did suffer from a lack of flow, as if the tracks were spliced together seemingly at random. The uncomplimentary fashion in which the album was structured robbed it of any perfection it may have otherwise had, but with 'Photos Of Ghosts', it really feels as if measures are taken to ensure a smooth listening experience. Instead of moving onto 'Generale' for the second track, PFM follows up the English rendition of 'Appena Un Po' with a song from their debut, 'E Festa'; aptly titled 'Celebration' here. Having a very moving and slower piece being trailed by a more upbeat and melodic number is ten times more effective than the jazzy breakdown that haphazardly followed on the original. Things like this make the album move along as a masterpiece would, and it really makes the music shine the way it should have on the original.

There are also some added nuances to the music, a sense that the album's sound was tweaked before rereleasing. It must have been a good experience for the band to look back on their existing music and try to improve things they may have regretted in hindsight. The nuances are entirely fresh perse, but it does make the music sound a little more up to date than 'Per Un Amico'. The music of course is warm, lush, and takes quite a few tricks from jazz and classical music. 'Per Un Amico' is widely considered a masterpiece for a reason, but it feels as if the tunes are even better here, save for the rather weak vocals. 'Photos Of Ghosts' may be a remake, and while it is not a legitimate album when compared to 'Per Un Amico', I feel it does provide a more fulfilling listening experience. Issues have been fixed, and much like a patch, Premiata Forneria Marconi have touched up their album and created an album I can more safely consider a masterpiece. 

#170

Contaminazione
Il Rovescio Della Medaglia

A review by Finnforest:

Forget the Concerto Grosso, this is the real deal.

Il Rovescio Delle Medaglia (RDM) were formed in late 1970 in Rome and became a very popular live act in the early '70s Italian scene. After two albums more in the rock realm than prog they added keyboardist Franco Di Sabbatino in 1973. This move, along with the collaboration of Argentinean composer Luis Bacalov was the double spark they needed to fuel one of Italian prog's most beloved titles, "Contamination," I believe a reference to the melding of classical music with rock. Bacalov should ring a bell for Italian fans as he helped New Trolls with their "Concerto Grosso" prior. But with RDM he would create an album that would blow that previous work out of the water.

In fact, beyond just Italian prog, “Contamination” is sometimes cited as one of the best, perhaps *the* best example of classical music with progressive rock. The stunning baroque arrangements are seamlessly tied to the RDM sound and are amazingly natural and unforced. Even an English version was floated in an attempt to break the band wider. The well received work in the magic year of Italian prog ('73) should have lent a brighter future but their impressive live stage sound system was ripped off that year and apparently this development took the wind from their sails. The core group folded soon thereafter as yet another of Italy's promising acts faded too soon.

"Contaminazione" is apparently a story of a man's obsession with the music of Bach. It begins with light strings panning back and forth in your speaks with spectacular choral voices. "Ora Non Ricordo Piu" starts with trippy synth effects and warm, pleasant vocals. There are more of those choral waves of sound before the band comes out of the gate with a heavy guitar riff. As they bound along there are wild synth digs spicing it up. The bass is awesome, lively and easily heard. "Il Suono del Silenzio" reprises the heavy main riff as the vocals flow. I know things are getting nuts when I have to pause the CD to keep up typing. The first real strings hit at this point and they sound just incredible. Totally alive, vibrant, well-recorded. As soon as they appear there is a blast of synth, then piano, then harpsichord all at once signaling this will not be a laid back affair. The band comes back with organ to the fore in their rock section. The track winds down with the main riff and vocal reprise.

"Mi Sono" starts with gorgeous violin as soft as a feathered bed over easy vocals. Suddenly the mood gets darker with tom-toms and building operatic choir, then it eases for more strings. Then all subsides for a Malmsteenish classical-tinged electric solo, very cool but too short. The track drifts to fading keyboards at close. "Lei Sei Tu" starts with a fast harpsichord (I think) run to lightly backing guitar bends and attentive drumming. Majestic strings break in pulling the mood straight up! Then the harpsichord/drums return with vocals.

"La Mia Musica" begins with gorgeous classical piano and then floats lovely, delicate vocals over you. Halfway through organ and strings commence and you feel like you're in the middle of some great cathedral in Europe 200 years ago. A great vocal tops off this standout song. "Johann" is a short trippy montage with vocal and distant guitar. "Scotland Machine" begins with a band and some synth freakouts followed by organ, harpsichord and mellotron. The band jumps in with spirited well conceived rock parts. It's all so much more sophisticated and satisfying than the Concerto Grosso.

"Cella 503" is a foray of delicious classical acoustic guitar soon joined by electric and then horns and strings in response. Just fabulous! (Ladies and Gentlemen, put on your gush-protection suit at this time.thank you.) The rock picks back leading to some great gothic BLASTS of organ that will rattle the walls. The title track is a short sojourn of flutes and woodwinds whippering away. "Alzo un Muro Elettrico" goes a bit Purple/Tull with the main riff but stops half-way through for a brief break.

"Sweet Suite" is next, ouch, the name is a bit corny! A very quiet, moody keyboard for the first half. The second half is a reprise of the heavy rock in the previous track with a nice strings ending. Finally we reach "La Grande Fuga" with the strings from the previous track descending into muscular electric guitar leads and organ flashes. From that point the band charges forward towards a fitting grandiose ending to this super album.

An essential title for fans of classical music and Italian prog fans. I award 4 solid stars because of the incredible marriage of the two main styles rock and classical. I've never heard it done so well. Perhaps I should have lit up the fifth star but it kills me when I have to do that. Often the attempt to mix classical and rock can be disastrously cheesy or annoying, here is it joyous and musically satisfying. This is one of many titans that makes the Italian scene competitive with the UK/German/French scenes in a creative sense, if not in the commercial sense.

#171

Tubular Bells
Mike Oldfield

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

One of the albums you must hear before you die that lives up to the hype. “Tubular Bells” remains one of the best debuts for an artist in music history; a man had a dream and pursued it vigorously and Oldfield's almost obssessive attention to detail on this album is staggering.

It begins with the trademark theme that was later used as atmosphere for the chilling “The Exorcist” movie. Then the guitars kick in and the awesome bass lines, all played by the great man himself. The track gets into weird territory about 16 minutes in and transports the listener to another realm. The sound is incredible and even though it is bombastic, it is so endearing and intelligently crafted it hits the listener right between the eyes.

It seems to mesmirize with every listen with hypnotic effect encapsulating all that is great about prog rock; the wierd off kilter time signatures, the lengthy sections of overture, the use of a variety of instruments, and the melody that haunts with every listen. Oldfield introduces each new instrument which is compelling to listen to. It is almost a lesson in music as one hears each instrument chime in including Mandolin, glockenspiel, up to the Tubular Bells sound itself. So familiar has this theme become it brings with it instant recognition par excellence.

Oldfield triumphs on this album and it has been sequelled numerous times, but this is the essential CD for instrumental music. Beautiful, haunting, compelling and played with musical virtuosity.

A review by Ivan_Melgar_M:

I always smile at the perspective of an almost unknown 19 years old MIKE OLDFIELD going from label to label asking to release his album with only two 20+ minutes tracks and answering the question. Who plays with you? With a laconic: "I play almost every instrument."

After many expected rejections he found Richard Branson who with his new label (Virgin Records) was willing to support the ambitious project and catalogued it with the V2-001 number, the first album ever released by Virgin Records.

But it's even funnier to imagine all those guys who rejected him, pulling their hairs when William Friedkin bought the rights for "The Exorcist" and the album reached the United States being N° 1 in the charts even before officially in the market.

But let’s go with the album.

"Tubular Bells" is not the best album in the music history, the most complex or the most spectacular, don't misunderstand me, it's a fantastic record and I believe a masterpiece, but the real merit is in "MIKE OLDFIELD" who had the courage to pursue a dream and wrote this incredibly weird album despite all the risks that the project would carry.

Part one is probably the best known by the people because the repetitive introduction created the perfect atmosphere for "The Exorcist", the interesting fact is that it's not really a repetition of the same section over and over, it's more like successive variations over a same theme, because each time he comes back to the original chorus, he adds a new instrument or a chorus, it's an excellent arrangement that introduces us to his world.

After a few repetitions, suddenly comes the explosion, out of nowhere a distorted guitar solo takes the listener by surprise then everything becomes really complex and it's hard to follow the radical changes. About the 16th minute everything gets weirder, a bass solo announces the unexpected and long final section when the perfect pronunciation of Vivian Stanshall starts to announce one by one each instrument that is added to the equation until the track reaches the climax with the tubular bells, simple and brilliant way to close part one.

Part two starts more calmed and even pastoral, the music flows gently giving Mike the chance to prove his versatility in some unusual instruments for Rock like Bagpipe sounding Guitars, Mandolin and Glockenspiel, but again he has something totally unexpected reserved. About the 8th minute the wonderful dissonance starts and again out of nowhere some haunting voices that I would describe as Klingon Opera join the band, it's shocking but at the same time full of passion, strong and dramatic, even if the listener doesn't have the slightest idea why is anything there, you don't need to understand it, as it was made to be enjoyed by the adventurous listener.

But again a radical change comes, a calmed section only interrupted by short explosions of metallic guitars that prepares us for the even more unexpected final. An almost Baroque organ solo changes as magic into "The Sailor's Hornpipe" (Better known as the Popeye theme), sounds a bit odd in the context of the album, but the reality is different, originally this section was even weirder, because Viv Stanshall provided a comic narration (in his Bonzo Dog Do Dah Band style) as tour guide showing the listener around the Manor House where the album was recorded, but this was obviously too strange even for Richard Branson.

I simply love this album from the first to the last note, but as I said before, even more important than the music itself (which as I also said is outstanding), the trascendence of this album goes way beyond in the fact that he dared to release it.

Five solid stars despite all the contradictory opinions I read over the years, at the end, this is my review and I rate it as I feel it. 

#172

Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy
Return To Forever

A review by Warthur:

Husband and wife team Flora Purim and Airto Moreira left Return to Forever after completing the wonderful “Light as a Feather”, and on “Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy” Chick Corea adjust the band's sound accordingly, more or less removing the Latin influences brought to the table by those two performers and instead going for a more straight-ahead heavy fusion album.

The Mahavishnu Orchestra appears to be the primary influence, and whilst Bill Connors doesn't quite manage to attain the furious speeds on his guitar playing that John McLaughlin does on “The Inner Mounting Flame”, he certainly gives it his best, and his interplay with Chick's electric piano is a highlight of the album's sound. As noted by other reviewers, the influence of other fusion traditions such as the more jazzy end of the Canterbury spectrum creeps in here or there, but otherwise this is a fusion album firmly rooted in the tradition of Mahavishnu, Weather Report, and Miles Davis, with a sound that at points risks becoming generic but is saved by the exceptional musicianship on show.

A review by Sean Trane:

RTF's first overhaul is a major one, and it can be seen this way: the first line-up was more of an early Weather Report, with Farrell's sax and flute as Wayne Shorter, while the second line-up with the appearance of a fiery guitarist can be seen more of Mahavishnu Orchestra-type of group. But the shuffle goes well beyond that: Gone are Purim's disputable vocals, while Farrell's always delightful flute also disappeared (taking away some of the sweet evocative passages from RTF's music), but the light bossa nova rhythms of Airto Moreira are replaced by the ex-Miles & Santana drummer Lenny White, whose drumming is much closer to Cobham (first era of MO), thus reinforcing the parallel I made just above. So with only Corea and Clarke remaining from the original line-up, the group also welcomed previously unknown Bill Connors on guitar, which showed a strong affinity to McLaughlin's fiery style. Recorded in NY in the summer of 73, the album again developed a bird theme artwork for an aerial gatefold sleeve.

Red hot jazz-rock or torrid fusion, such is the choice. The album opens on some cosmic sounds announcing the title track, but soon the track reaches cosmic speed with White's fluid and furious drumming, Connors' soaring guitar and Corea's amazing piano. The Clarke-penned Cosmic Rain is a very funky track, where Stanley doesn't hesitate to outdo every other bassist (jazz or rock) in terms of technicity and virtuosity, even using some fuzz bass ala Canterbury, well supported by Corea's Fender Rhodes. Captain Mouse is probably the album's best-known track with Corea's Rhodes ruling from its 200 MPH start to its much quieter middle section (he soars to stratospheric heights, while adding the odd organ lines over Connors' funky guitar lines. Mothership continues the 1000°C fusion with mind-blowing soloing, even if some of Chick's synth sounds could've been better advised. The two-parts Space Circus starts on an echoed Rhodes over sound effects for an intro, before the group gets mega-funky (not just Clarke, Connors is brilliant, White frankly at home and Chick his usual self. The closing game Maker is well in line with the rest of this fiery fusion-esque torrid jazz-rock, a Rhodes-drenched slow starter that gradually builds up to reach speed of light with Connors's incendiary guitar between Carlos, John and Larry.

Strangely enough, Connors will quit the group to pursue a solo career (a very confidential one to say the least, as he remained obscure forever) to concentrate on his acoustic playing, which might astound more than one expert since it was on electric guitar that his works were most stunning, his style hovering between McLaughlin and Larry Coryell. Nevertheless the album he recorded with RTF is simply the best of the group, even when including the previous line-up's two albums. HOTSG is an astounding record that inspired itself on the early MO albums such as Birds Of Fire or Inner Mounting Flame, without being a carbon copy either. Undoubtedly the best RTF album, no matter what people will say about ADM's future admission and the famed but over-rated RW album.

#173

Solar Fire
Manfred Mann's Earth Band

A review by SouthSideoftheSky:

Should it be played backwards, Manfred?

Manfred Mann's Earth Band more or less kept getting better and better with each new release. “Solar Fire” was the first in a long series of very good albums released by the band in the 70's. It begins with an excellent Bob Dylan cover in ‘Father Of Day, Father Of Night’. As usual with Manfred Mann's Earth Band, the cover is very different from the original. Obviously, it is a progified version of the Dylan number. The rest of the album's material is self-penned, some tracks by Mann alone, others by him together with other band members and one by Rogers/Slade without Mann. It has always surprised me why Manfred Mann's Earth Band relied so heavily on cover songs (particularly in live performances), when they evidently were capable of producing great songs like these and the ones on subsequent albums.

“Solar Fire” is not my personal favourite Manfred Mann's Earth Band album, but we can find here some of the band's very best and perhaps most progressive self-penned material. With the exception of the short instrumental, ‘Pluto The Dog’ - which easily is my least favourite track here - the material on “Solar Fire” is pretty strong. Songs like ‘In The Beginning, Darkness’ and the title track are highly melodic.

It is a bit odd that ‘Earth, The Circle Part 2’ comes before ‘Earth, The Circle Part 1’ on the album. Do they want us to play the album backwards perhaps? Maybe they did this to reflect the chronological order in which they were written? Or they did it as a joke? Or maybe it is just a simple typing mistake? We will probably never find out. But whatever the reason these tracks are very good.

#174

A Passion Play 
Jethro Tull

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

“A Passion Play” is a curio of Jethro Tull that divides many listener’s opinions; some say a masterpiece others say it is puerile nonsense. Anderson is a theatrical poet and side 2 is where the album really divides listeners with the story of the Hare That Lost its Spectacles. It is basically a mix of a strange commentary that attempts Zappa like humour. It blends with chaotic fairytale music that may sound pretentious like a childish theater prank laced with humour. Some may shake their head in dismay and ask what were they thinking? Anderson admits that the album is definitely for Jethro Tull addicts and not for the average listener.

It is a Tull tale with bunnies, stillettos, ballerinas and greasy old men. The press absolutely creamed this release and it received bashings from tabloids worldwide. They didn’t get it. It did not help that this release was sandwhiched between the masterpiece “Thick as a Brick” and the great “War Child”. Anderson found out that releases such as “A Passion Play” are not worth the effort but this is a definitive original approach and deserves recognition or its bombasity. It became important and infamous over the years for these reasons.

A review by Mellotron Storm:

I guess you could compare this to "Tales From Topographic Oceans" in the way that there's so much controversy about it. Both are very over the top, so there's this love/hate thing going on from TULL fans. Critics were very hard on this album, so hard that Anderson announced he would stop touring. He would tour again of course (about a year later) but it showed how much Ian disagreed with their assessment. He must have felt some sort of retribution by the fact it went number one in the USA.

Like "Thick As A Brick" this is a concept album only this one deals with a man after he has died. We get two side long suites. "A Passion Play (Part 1)" has sort of a strange intro until it kicks in before 1 1/2 minutes. It settles with whistling after 3 minutes, vocals follow. Acoustic guitar then piano join in. A change before 6 minutes as it builds. Great section! Unfortunately we're back to the previous soundscape too soon. It picks up around 9 1/2 minutes then flute leads around 12 minutes as the bass throbs. Vocals are back. Another great section after 14 minutes until before 18 minutes. It ends in a laid back manner.

"A Passion Play(Part 2)" opens with spoken words as a story is told to light classical music for over 4 long minutes. A calm after 5 1/2 minutes with reserved vocals and acoustic guitar. Organ and drums join in. Excellent sound 7 1/2 minutes in with sax then electric guitar. It then sort of meanders along. The organ 14 minutes in is good then the song picks up with vocals. It settles 18 minutes in with strummed guitar. A fuller sound 19 1/2 minutes in which is much better. It ends with reserved vocals and piano. Very much hit and miss with more misses. The laid back sections feel uninspired to me. Maybe if I was into concept albums my feelings would be different, but to rate this just on the music alone it's barely 3 stars.  

1973

#151

Selling England By The Pound
Genesis

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

A perfect balance of elements; lyrical sketches, virtuosic instrumentation and theatrical vocals. "Selling England By The Pound" prove Genesis to be creative visionaries. The entire musical arrangement is tighter and structured with instrumental breaks that are virtuoso on their own merits. There seems to be a stronger cohesion and unification of melodic musical ideas, with each member having a chance to shine as never before. Banks in particular flourishes on classical piano pieces and lengthy synthesizer breaks. There are no lengthy epics but there are long songs clocking around 10 minutes, such as ‘The Cinema Show’, ‘The Battle of Epping Forest’ and ‘Firth of Fifth’ that have become classic Genesis tracks, highly memorable due to lengthy instrumental passages, odd time signatures, key changes and mood shifts along with quirky thematic content.

The most loved lineup of Genesis was always Peter Gabriel, a tour de force on lead vocals, flute, oboe; Phil Collins, magnificent on drums, percussion, and vocals (he takes the lead vocals on ‘More Fool Me’ signifying his eventual ability to be the Genesis front man on Gabriel's departure); Steve Hackett, a master of lead guitar, acoustics, vocals and electric coral sitar (on ‘I Know What I like’); Mike Rutherford, extraordinary on bass guitar, bass pedals, rhythm guitar, and cello (on ‘Dancing With The Moonlight Knight’); and the incomparable Tony Banks, on vocals, piano, keyboards, and acoustic guitar (on ‘The Cinema Show’). Together they are perhaps the definitive Genesis, never to be surpassed for sheer musical excellence and creativity.

The lyrics of ‘Dancing With The Moonlit Knight’ typify the high strangeness of the album; "Off we go with, You play the hobbyhorse, I'll play the fool, We'll tease the bull, ringing round & loud, loud & round, Follow on, With a twist of the world we go." It features extreme time sig changes and theatrical vocals; Genesis takes the storytelling qualities of previous albums and gives it a vibrant injection of polished instrumental prowess.

The single from the album came in the unlikely form of a song about a lawnmower, ‘I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)’. The drone of the lawnmower makes an appearance at the end of the track and it is very effective in making a statement that lawnmowing is part of the English past time, maintaining a healthy lawn is the key. The lyrics are pure whimsy; "When the sun beats down and I lie on the bench, I can always hear them talk, Me, I'm just a lawnmower, you can tell me by the way I walk." The theme could be interpreted that the inanimate object of the mower is speaking about it's existence; "Keep them mowing blades sharp." However, the story of the song is reputedly focussed on Jacob, a lazy youth who is employed as a lawn mower and, contrary to the advice of those around him to engage in other activities, he remains happy with his circumstances and not prepared to take any risks. The album cover depicts Jacob lying on the bench with the inanimate object of the lawnmower in reference to this song. The track ends on Gabriel's fluttering flute solo and an odd jazz rock beat, but radio stations adored playing this as it was such an endearing curiosity.

‘Cinema Show’ features a bombastic refrain and some incredible passages of synth and jazz drumming. Rutherford and Hackett's acoustic guitars begin the piece and the natural progression to fully loaded synthesizer dominates. It has become one of the Genesis masterpieces that are quintessential to the group's long career. Gabriel's infatuation over T. S. Eliot is apparent in the lyrics; "I will make my bed, She said, but turned to go, Can she be late for her cinema show? Romeo locks his basement flat, And scurries up the stair." The Shakespeare references are a nice touch and give the track a mediaeval historical relevance.

In the virtuosic ‘Firth of Fifth’, the piano intro signifies England's greener fields, a similar feel to Emerson Lake & Palmer's ‘The Gates of Kiev’. The tempo is a strong rhythm full of grandeur and majestic Hammond; a religious cathedral like atmosphere ensues. Gabriel is at his theatrical best; "Urge the sailors on, till lured by the sirens' cry", and the medieval theme of beautiful sirens luring sailors is mimicked with alluring music. There are tranquil melodies in one of the most celebrated passages of music generated from Genesis. "Now as the river dissolves in sea, So Neptune has claimed another soul. And so with gods and men" the lyrics continue, presenting a typical mythological theme. The melancholy piano is accompanied by an up tempo synth with a sombre guitar and these tend to blend together to build a solid block of sound.

The epitome of the progressive side of the band is captured in the way the tracks vary so diversely from track to track. The Collins ballad, his first lead vocal for the group, in the song ‘More Fool Me’ prophesises the impact of Collins upon the group in the 1980s and indeed his solo career. ‘The Battle Of Epping Forest’ is an 11 minute 43 seconds romp through the tale of two rival gangs and the violence of the slaughter is sent up rather than taken seriously. Yet the darkness of the battle royale is embedded in the lyrics; "In with a left hook is the bethnal green butcher, But he's countered on the right by Mick's chain-gang fight, And liquid len, with his smashed bottle men, Is lobbing Bob the Nob across the gob. With his kisser in a mess, Bob seems under stress, But Jones the Jug hits Len right in the mug, And Harold Demure, who's still not quite sure, Fires acorns from out of his sling, here come the cavalry!" It is all over done with a lot of theatrical Gabrielisms but it works as a memorable lyrical sketch of fired up nonsense.

‘After The Ordeal’ and ‘Aisle of Plenty’ are part of the overall soundscape. The album ends with the reprise of musical motifs that began the album, a kind of cycle of musical ideas, returning to the past.

Overall "Selling England By The Pound" stands the test of time as a bonafide Genesis masterpeice, undoubtedly among the best the band would create. It is hailed as a treasure among the prog community today, specifically for the three showpieces. The single released in 1974 certainly didn't do any harm either as it peaked at #21 in the UK, spending 7 weeks in the charts. The album is an example of how music can sound when all the elements are balanced perfectly; when everything was working right, Genesis were untouchable.

#152

Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

"A short sharp shock" to prog rock. Inspired by the mental collapse of Syd Barrett and often cited as the greatest album of all time, “Dark Side Of The Moon” is a bonafide masterpiece that has been more influential to prog than perhaps any other album of the 70s. The music is a soundscape of soaring mellotron, awesome lead guitar and pulsating bass and percussion. It's the ultimate prog album and has managed to transcend music itself with its heavy concept of time, money, death, renewal, and descent into madness.

‘Speak To Me’ begins with the heartbeat and vulgar phrase of madness and it builds to a crescendo of a screaming lunatic that finally releases into a wash of sliding keyboards and clean guitar strums. The clock ticks as if life is slowly ebbing away, or it may be the mind becoming bereft of sanity, lapsing to madness. ‘Breathe’ is a gem that packs beauty and life into the soundstream. The lyrics focus on the pointless frustration of pursuing goals but then missing out on appreciating abundant life to the full. ‘On the Run’ is the techno-machination sound of industry and manic laughter, signifying the lunatic brainwashed by social systems. Does industrial society mechanize us, change us into machines, or are we in control? We are on the run due to a paranoia of technology. The fear of flying is also a theme, encapsulated live with the doomed airplane as it explodes into a ball of flame in to the speaker stacks; this is a running theme in much of later Floyd works (notably "Learning to Fly").

‘Time’ begins with clock chimes signifying the alarm call where madness waits at the door, but time is wasted and we have achieved nothing. The reprise to ‘Breathe’ brings us back to where the album began preparing us for the masterpiece and most talked about track on the album.

‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ is an astral journey to the realm of death. Clare Torrys' wailing is like the moans of childbirth or in this case rebirth as we cross over to the plain of non existence into the next life, which feels like heaven mid way through the track as Torry evokes softer nuances, with angelic tones that sends shivers up the spine. Her howls and moans expressed in full voice signify the ecstasy of freedom and the agony of death. Torry masterfully improvises the life and death pangs in such an emotive style, it is astounding. Thus ends the brilliant side one.

‘Money’ begins side two with the ka-ching of cold hard cash, the root of all evil. It has one of the best bass lines in rock history, and played in a 7/8 time signature. The riff is disconcerting, complex and Gilmour's jangly guitar splashes complement the bass perfectly. The lyrics speak of money as the corruptible force that causes the filthy rich to blow millions on cars, leer jets, football teams and diamonds. The lyrics are ironic with a dark, satirical nature, but the effects of money and its misuse have never been more eloquently stated. The lyrics were read out by the school Master to tease the little boy on "The Wall" movie. The saxophone solo is utterly brilliant and the way the song changes time signature is inspirational.

The pace slows considerably on ‘Us and Them’ a song about belonging in a world that treats you as an outcast unless you can fit into the mould that society creates. The track relies heavily on clean guitar and mellotron and seems to float along like a stream of sound, sounding like Neu!’s debut. The song's lyrics speak of those who are on the street because they cannot cope with the world, and those who are able to cope and therefore off the streets and safe in the cookie cutter mould of social integration.

‘Any Colour You Like’ has some wonderful shimmering Hammond and is a beautiful instrumental. The track was named based on Ford advertising campaign 'Ford's are available in any colour you like, as long as it's black.' The album's black cover with colour prism strips could be a reference.

‘Brain Damage’ is about Syd, the Floyd relic that burned out to madness. The lyrics suggest the lunatic is within us but we manage to keep it locked up somehow, but it's like an animal that may escape its cage if we don't manage to keep a leash on our sanity.

The finale is ‘Eclipse’. The music soars as Waters muses about 'all that we touch', see and feel is eclipsed by the moon. The image of the dead moon, the dead conscious, is blocked out by the huge sun, the life force; the intelligence eclipsed by insanity. But there is an optimistic note amidst the dark side; everyone shares the feelings of hope amidst despair, and we can conquer over our hopelessness by embracing each other: “There is no dark side of the moon, a matter of fact, it's all dark”. Tthe heartbeat heard at the beginning pounds and finally subsides. The heartbeat brings the album full circle and blends seamlessly into the opening again like a never ending cycle. Thus ends the penultimate prog classic that may well be the greatest album of all time. It peaked in the top 100 UK releases, the top 40 prog list in MOJO magazine and indeed on a television special the top Australian album of all time. The album is the penultimate prog classic and will never be bettered for sheer volume and impact upon the prog scene.

A review by Sean Trane:

The Bright Side Of The Sun.

What can one possibly say about this superlative album, the reference of the rock culture for now almost 40 years, the album whose perfection is constantly brought back to measure each and all other prog rock albums mercilessly pitted against it, to the point that it became THE reference in Hi-Fi stereo stores. This is also the album that will propulse Floyd's relative small fame in counterculture circles to international (but faceless) superstardom and push the rock industry to new heights, not only in sales expectations, but also in technical sophistication both in the studio and on tour; both in terms of sonic progress as well as the visual aspects, with an impressive lightshow and animation and other props.

The quartet themselves started to realize that they were working on something that would be quite special and bound to success, but not quite to this extent. The album's genesis was not as laborious as expected, as Floyd took some old ideas and reworked them. Water's Brain Damage was written at the time of Meddle and Wright's Us And Them's basic idea had been rejected by Antonioni for the Zabriskie Point soundtrack. While most of the album's frame was presented or tested during the early 72 tour, the album would finally see its release in March 73, but Floyd had been working on different projects in between - including the Pompeii show/film, the La Vallée film soundtrack and the music for Roland Petit's ballet.

The album's general concept is a fairly depressive (but unfortunately very lucid) look at humanity, underlined Roger Water's awesome and beautiful lyrics; and it is often viewed by fans as a first appearance of Syd Barrett's spectre in Floyd's preoccupations ("And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes"). Musically DSOTM is a bit of a change: lots of shorter more standard songs (everything being relative, of course) and unusually wordy (for Floyd) and not really allowing lengthy instrumental passages like Echoes or Eugene's Axe. The album's black cover relates to the Dark Side (the reverse of the medal) and the Any Colour You Like light spectrum being transformed by Hypgnosis in the inner gatefold into the heartbeat of Speak To Me. The vinyl came with posters and stickers of pyramids (the prism of the cover) to really create a world that was fascinating to enter and dreading to exit it.

The A-side seems concentrated on man's relation with time and its alienation in fulfilling its happiness. The album opens a highly symbolic heartbeat to verse on the album's weakest track, Breathe. As time goes on through that fantastic stereo effect of On the Run (isn't that what most of us are always doing?) with Mason's tape effect and the group's use of VCS-3 or the amazing alarm clock sequence leading to the flabbergasting roto-drums passage or a bit later some blood-curdlingly beautiful lyrics of Time (the first peak of the album) and the race against lost time. This lost-in-advance race of course can only end up in death and Wright's immense piano in the Sky Gig is accompanying a moving female improvised vocalizing that symbolizes the eulogy and pain of the departed's family. Simply awesome first side.

The other half concept fills up the flipside is concentrating on man's greatest flaws (Waters' future obsession) including greed and materialism (Money and its 7/4 time sig), violence (Us And Them), inconsequence (Any Colour You Like) and authoritarianism and its condemnation of deviancy from the "norm" (Brain Damage, the second peak of the album and Waters' only ? but poignant - vocals), provoking mental reclusion from society (the superb finale Eclipse) for the most fragile of us. No less awesome than the A-side. Musically Floyd also evolved, adding a now-famous sax and female vocals, but the most spectacular is Rick Wright's role: he's the album's unsung hero. In previous albums, he played mainly piano, Farsifa organ and sometimes a mellotron, this album is filled (but not over-flooded) with his new array of synthesizers such as clavinet, minimoog, VCS-3 and finally the great Fender Rhodes electric piano.

This stupendous album was not only perfectly written, but also masterfully produced by Alan Parsons (who would build a career on that album alone); it hasn't aged at all (especially lyrically) and it is little wonder it spent some 20 years on the US billboard top 200 charts, sometimes popping its head inside in the following 20 years. Speaking of 20, avoid the XXth anniversary remaster, coz it's pretty over-mastered and catastrophic. Go for the 35th 5.1 version.

A review by Finnforest:

Waters was pissed.

After trying his best to deliver more direct, straightforward, and meaningful lyrics people were still calling his music "space rock" and music for stoners, the latter especially ironic since the Floyd were not druggies in those days (Gilmour and Wright admitted to occasional weed, but aside from two sixties acid trips, Roger was not into drugs. Nor was Mason. They were drinkers during this period.) He wanted to confront more human issues like death, madness, relationships, compassion, poverty, war and peace. But the Floyd would be cast as stoner party rock and it's easy (for me) to understand how this frustrated Waters to the point where he disliked doing the shows. Imagine trying to lay down a quiet piece about life and death only to have a bunch of drunks screaming "play Money, man!!!!"

I think we all tend to take DSOTM for granted because it's so familiar to us and it's always on the radio. But if you sit and pay full attention to what you're hearing it becomes obvious that this is Floyd's second masterpiece after Piper. I'm pretty reserved on what it takes to be a true "masterpiece," I don't make a habit of awarding 5 stars to albums that have been out for 15 minutes. Lyrically and musically I cannot deny Dark Side. From "Breathe" to "Time" to "Us and Them" it is just simply so easy to be seduced by this music.

Near the end of the recording Waters came up with another brilliant idea. They wrote up questions on cards and presented them to a bunch of people to get them to speak about their lives and the underlying concepts on the album. The best pieces of the interviews were laced throughout the songs to give them a very real sense of humanity. When you hear these voices, they are not the planned lyrical content of Waters but rather the off the cuff conversation of just about everyone who was present at Abbey Road on a given day: janitors, roadies, musicians, etc. One of the most memorable came from a cantankerous old janitor named Gerry O' Driscoll who was asked "Are you afraid of dying?" He replied "I am not afraid of dying. Any time will do, I don't mind. Why should I be afraid of dying? There's no reason for it-you've got to go sometime." When asked "Do you ever think you're going mad?" he replied "I've always been mad. I know I've been mad like most of us have. Very hard to explain why you were mad, even if you're not mad." But most famously, when cajoled by Waters to explain what the DSOTM means, the old Irishman said "There is no dark side of the moon really. As a matter of fact it's all dark. The only thing that makes it look light is the sun." Another character Roger Manifold was speaking about fighting when he famously answered "if you give them a quick, short, sharp shock, they won't do it again. Dig it? I mean, he got off lightly 'cos I could have given him a thrashing-I only hit him once!" These conversational nuggets interject a sense of reality and authentic intimacy to the music beyond the limits of Waters' lyrical pen, an absolutely perfect way of connecting to the subject matter of the human condition.

As Chris Thomas was finishing the mixing, they still felt that "The Great Gig in the Sky" was missing something. Alan Parsons suggested having Claire Torry come in to sing over the piece. She found the band members rather dry and was pretty indifferent about the session. After negotiating her fee of about $50 bucks she tried a few runs and was not getting much from enthusiasm from Gilmour. She was about to split when she had the thought of singing "as if she were a musical instrument" and the rest is history. She claimed she didn't even realize they used her part until buying the album months later and listening to it at home. Upon retiring a few years back Ms. Torry proceeded to sue the Floyd for partial credit of the track. She won an undisclosed sum of money and a partial songwriting credit for Great Gig.

When it was complete Dave listened to the entire album and was quoted "My God, we've really done something fantastic." Roger brought a copy home for his wife: "My strongest memory of listening to it is when I played it to Judy. She listened to it all the way through, and when it was finished, she burst into tears. She was very moved by it. I thought that was a very good sign. We've definitely got something here."

All the Floyd have commented over the years that they felt things went downhill after Dark Side. Waters: "The DSOTM finished off Pink Floyd once and for all. To be that successful is the aim of every group. And once you've cracked it, it's all over." Gilmour expressed similar feelings: "After that sort of success, you hit that strange impasse where you're really not very certain of anything anymore. It's so fantastic, but at the same time you start thinking, what on earth do we do now?"

Isn't it funny that guys who think it was over with Dark Side would go on to create WYWH, Animals, and The Wall? Not bad output for lads who considered things were over!

The excellent book by John Harris focuses specifically on the making of this album and what led up to it. While I did not copy John's text in this review, I did use it as the resource for the stories in this review and for quotations of what the band members said. So I credit John for assembling this great information and thank him for informing this review. Please look for his book: "The Dark Side of the Moon: The Making of the Pink Floyd Masterpiece" by John Harris.

And so.....Dark Side of the Moon is the definition of an album deserving 5 stars. It was a grand achievement all those decades ago and more importantly, it remains incredibly poignant to this day. When you look at prog bands and ask yourself how many will be remembered or cared about 100 years on, my guess is that the Floyd doesn't need to worry about being challenged in the legacy department.

I see a few folks give this two stars and complain that it's over-rated and simplistic. I can't entirely disagree with some of those sentiments but keep in mind two things. First, progressive music doesn't necessarily *have* to be ultra-complex, sometimes simple slow chord progressions are perfect for the material. Second, the accessibility of DS is what drew so many people in over the years and opened their eyes to progressive music and other bands-not exactly a bad thing, is it?

A review by Conor Fynes:

Once again, Pink Floyd demonstrates their uncanny, unreplicated ability to keep dishing out masterpieces. From 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn' to 'The Wall', a saga of remarkable music was fashioned from the creative spirits of a few young men from Britain. Of all of their works; although not my favourite, Dark Side of the Moon is admittedly their most cohesive, best 'put-together' album they have ever made.

Quite honestly, for the first two years or so I had this album, I thought it was incredibly overrated, and not worth the recognition it got. It took me a long car ride, with only the Dark Side CD at hand, to finally get me to realize all the brilliance I had been missing out on. I consider myself corrected.

To truly appreciate the nuances and genius of this album, it's absolutely necessary to play it from start to finish. Unlike some albums where songs can be enjoyed fully on their own, Dark Side is more of a 40 minute epic; each song flows into the next. By means of comparison, Dark Side of the Moon can be considered a more mellow version of Rush's '2112' epic, nonetheless twice the length.

Despite the albums generally laid back feel, there are some moments (The Great Gig In The Sky, Any Colour You Like) that get incredibly intense. The lyrics fit in perfectly to the musical feel as well.

This is an album you can either put on as background music, or delve deep under the layers of it's musical mystique and take a true journey through space and time.

Will be remembered forever as one of the greats.

A review by Warthur:

The genius of The Dark Side of the Moon lies in one important fact: that whilst the rest of the progressive rock world was pushing as hard as it could for more complexity, more time signatures, longer songs and more obscure lyrics, the Floyd decided to take precisely the opposite approach. They didn't abandon complexity or experimentalism or prog completely, of course - the album's a 40-minute suite about madness replete with synthesisers, for goodness' sake - but they were careful to incorporate no more complexity than what a song strictly needed, and likewise Roger Waters made sure the lyrics were more direct and less abstract than, say, your average Yes composition - with the result that they had more force.

At a time when prog for prog's sake was a tempting proposition, Pink Floyd moved away from that, and therefore managed to avoid most of the backlash later in the decade, Johnny Rotten's "I Hate Pink Floyd" shirt notwithstanding. The result was the band's best album since their debut, and a definitive end to their post-Syd slump. What more is there to say?

#153

Larks' Tongues In Aspic
King Crimson

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

“Lark's Tongues In Aspic” begins with Part One of the title track and immediately transports the listener into the world of King Crimson: a world of jazz fusion, eclectic musicianship and wild virtuosity. Glockenspial style bells are played, almost sounding like air chimes, but underlying this a strange twisted shimmering can be heard, that grows louder and louder. The bells cut out and the 'Psycho' style violin locks in as Fripp's tortured fuzz guitar blazes. The drums are erratic as ever and the sound is almost like a free jazz festival. The violin sounds similar to Van der Graaf's "The Quiet Zone/ The Pleasure Dome" in some respects.

Cross, Bruford, Wetton, Muir and Fripp were a super group of immeasurable proportion and more influential to prog rock than most of the other bands of the early 70s. This is experimental rock at its most profound. On every level the album causes one to question the function of music. There are lyrics, sung by Wetton, but they are subdued and overshadowed by the incredible instrumental prowess of the Crim's. There is even an oriental feel, with viola and mellotron. The dynamics of the album are second to none, moments of tranquil beauty, Cross's sparse violin, the true essence of minimalism, is punctuated by sudden bursts of jagged guitar and drums.

Other tracks of note are 'Easy Money' and 'Exiles' but nothing compares to the end track, 'Lark's Tongues In Aspic, Part Two’. This track features a killer riff that virtually tears through the melancholy nature of the track. Bruford's drums pound relentlessly sometimes without a discernible rhythm, at other times in the drums are in time to what is left of the beat that has been mangled by spurts of guitar and bass. It's a tour-de-force of verbal soundscapes that astound the ears and reinvent music as a medium for atmospherics: a sublime patchwork of electronica and rock carefully interwoven with visceral violins and percussion vibes. The album is undoubtedly indispensable for King Crimson fans.

A review by Sean Trane:

Aspic's Lark on the Tongue!

This album for a long time was my least favourite of 70's Crimson albums because of Wetton's voice and totally weird sense of dynamic sound-levels - only Exiles seemed of interest as well as Talking Drum but for the rest...... I was simply not into it!!

And then one day, a friend put this album as I was arguing (politics) with a girlfriend at 2AM, and the spark came, with the music blaring out of the speakers at a very unreasonable loud volume for the time of that time of night. As I said , prior to this I only enjoyed Exile and to a lesser extent TD, but those crazy percussions that had turned me off in Easy Money started making extreme sense and I actually stopped in mid sentence (I was about to nail the coffin closed on the argument I was winning hands down) and yelled: YYYYEEESSSS!!!!!!!!. She looked at me and said: no King Crimson!! But I was now instantly hooked, and asked for a repeat of the track. Needless to say that after this repeat, this first thing I did was to go home with the borrowed album and played it twice before falling asleep. To this day, that famous coffin is still lacking a few nails, and I will gladly leave it that way!! ;-)

The 2 parts of Aspic became clear to me also but it is the incredible percussion from Muir on Easy Money that convinced me that this was probably the creative high point of this band. I still have a bit of a problem with Wetton's singing on Book Of Saturday but it is a thankfully short number. Still nowadays, Exiles and Talking Drum are my fave on the album, but almost every track is now a pure classic on my mind. Definitely one of Crimson's best oeuvre, even if it is not the most accessible.

A review by Warthur:

After the end of the Islands tour, Robert Fripp was once again left with the task of reconstructing King Crimson's lineup from scratch. However, rather than continue down the path of trying to produce a symphonic followup worthy of In the Court of the Crimson King, Fripp took the more daring approach: he wouldn't just create a new lineup, he'd break down and rebuild what it meant to be King Crimson from the ground up.

In the Court of the Crimson King kickstarted a new genre of progressive rock and was immediately embraced by the prog community, who soon took its lessons to heart. Larks' Tongues In Aspic comes up with its own genre yet again, and decades later the rest of the prog world still hasn't caught up to it, except for perhaps a few bands right on the cutting edge of Heavy Prog or math rock/post-rock. With angular rhythms, avant-garde percussion, Bill Bruford unleashed to try out jazzy chops that had been suppressed in Yes, John Wetton providing the best vocals and basswork on a King Crimson album since Greg Lake left, David Cross adding a plaintive and enigmatic violin to the proceedings, and Fripp laying down some of the angriest and heaviest riffs seen on a rock album to date, the album introduces the mid-1970s Crimson lineup (around the rock-solid core of Wetton, Fripp and Bruford) with a true tour de force.

Easily the best King Crimson album since their debut, this is the album which reinvented the band, and in doing so reinvented rock music altogether, and it still yields secrets with repeated listens to this day. If you only like symphonic prog and have no love for the heavier, more avant- garde, or even (dare I say it) RIO-ish end of prog, maybe this isn't for you, but otherwise if you like King Crimson, you need this album. Like In the Court of the Crimson King and Discipline, it's one of the key puzzle pieces that's essential to putting the picture together; if you don't taste the Aspic, you don't know King Crimson. 

#154

Birds of Fire
Mahavishnu Orchestra

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

“Birds of Fire”, the followup to the incredible debut album is in some ways better than 'Inner Mounting Flame', the jazz fusion masterwork. This second album begins with a gong and then launches with John McLaughlin's relentless inimitable guitar style. Once again the album is fully instrumental with some of the best virtuoso musicianship of the genre. This band virtually wrote the book on jazz fusion and there are nods to the work and influence of Miles Davis, particularly on the track ‘Miles Beyond’, paying homage to the landmark album “Bitches Brew” from the jazz legend.

The music is a fusion of heavy guitar, using jazz metrical patterns, Indian influences and a dash of Celtic thrown into the mix. It ranges from intense and off kilter with a range of time signatures, to a beautiful and melancholy pathos. The style is similar to the debut album but this time the sound seems more refined and easily accessible to the average jazz fan.

Goodman is once again incredible on violin and the keyboards of Hammer feature a range of crescendos and allegros intermixed with the frenetic guitar of John McLaughlin. Highlights include ‘Birds of Fire’, ‘Miles Beyond (Miles Davis)’, ‘Thousand Island Park’, ‘One Word’ and ‘Sanctuary’.

There are other highlights interspersed in the other tracks but it needs to be listened to as a whole to fully appreciate the innovation and ferociously original style of the band. This album is as legendary and highly revered in the jazz world as the debut album, making the band the revolutionary progenitors of jazz fusion.

A review by Sean Trane:

How does one better perfection? How could MO possibly top their incredible Inner Mounting Flame debut album? Well for one, they didn't know that it couldn't be bettered and for two, they actually did it by fiddling and twiddling the tiny imperfections and increase tightness as they were now well acquainted with each other after pulling 300 concerts over two years, whereas for TIMF, MO had been together a matter of weeks. So in the early fall of 72 came out Birds Of Fire with an outstanding artwork halfway between Rothko and Folon and incendiary music to match both the cover and the title. With an unchanged line-up, MO was now soaring so high that the air is getting thin.

Unlike the debut who had only one track under the 5 minute-mark, Birds Of Fire is made of a myriad of shorter tracks with the just two well over that same 5 minute-mark. One of those being the opening title track that sets the standard even higher than Meeting did on TIMF, with Hammer and McLaughlin trading riffs and links over a wild rhythm section, which violinist Goodman choose to accompany to great affects. This track is most likely imbedded in the vast majority of 40-something western music fans' subconscious mind, because it sounds familiar to almost everyone. A slower Miles Beyond (obviously dedicated to the man with the horn) crescendoes slowly until a huge riff takes the track upside down and once there, only Hammer and Goodman are keeping it alive until Mc and Cob come to the rescue and bring it back on its toes.

The rest of the tracks on the first side are short thingies insuring quick changes, starting with Celestial Terrestrial Commuting, which obviously influenced Steve Hillage's early solo works (Fish Rising to Open), Sapphire Bullets being just an electronic frenzy. A Spanish piano and guitar duo introducing a Flamenco ambiance where Mc's fiery guitar goes to extreme, while Laird's bass provide plenty of underlying drama and the needle lifts off another Meeting motif reworking, this time called Hope.

The monstrous 10-mins One World (an oldie from the Lifetime days) opens up the flipside, first gently under Cobham4S gentle drive morphing into a martial beat and bringing the track up to 200 MPH, with Hammer, Mc and Goodman trading licks, motifs and soloing away, before Cobham takes a solo (even if he's the best in the world, it's still a boring solo, no matter how overstretched it is) and thankfully closing up the track with some powerful instrumental interplay. Sanctuary is a slow-developing track, opening on Goodman's uber-absolute violin than the rest of the musicians slowly entering the track, in full restraint, the listener can hear the quintet containing their energies to avoid exploding and respect the superb track. Open Country joy is often a bit overlooked, with its pastoral violin line, then a slight explosion before bringing us to one of the world's best album endings: Resolution, which starts on a solemn martial chill-inducing crescendoing track bringing the tension to a max allowable (Goodman's violin is incredibly efficient at this) before the burst.. Which will never come as the track ends and the needle lifts off, leaving us to imagine the explosion of molten volcanic rock in fusion. What a bunch of bloody teasers

Well, MO managed to perfect perfection, and they probably did it without being aware of the feat and actually rushing it up. Indeed the album was done between two tours and most members think they could've twiddled a few more knobs and refined the compositions to better it further still. As can be heard in One World, the three soloists were in a very competitive environment and the egos where now acting up a bit, although in this album it remains at a healthy level.

As a side note, regarding the egos, Mc had been recording his collab with buddy Carlos Santana and taking with him Cobham, eventually touring to promote the Love Devotion Supreme album, hand coming within hours of missing the opening the first concert of MO's tour of Japan, thus being under-rehearsed for a while and creating much bad vibes for the next six months before the group implodes, taking in the abyss the recording sessions of their next album. 

A review by dreadpirateroberts:

Cracks in the line-up were already beginning to develop before this album - if a story of Laird and Goodman fighting and knocking Hammer over during a recording session for the last album are true - but you can't really see it in the music.

'Birds of Fire' is probably a more sophisticated album than its predecessor, but sacrifices some rawness, some of the brashness that was so welcome on their debut.

It does replace it with better production and more focused compositions. Opening with the title track, which covers similar ground to 'Meeting of the Spirits' the band start in top gear before slipping into the Davis cover 'Miles Beyond' which is a real stand out on the album, channelling some chilled funk that finally gives Laird a bit of space in the production, which actually happens a fair bit on this release. Here, in the opener and elsewhere, Cobham is his usual impressive, powerful self, especially when they crank it up for the last half of the piece, but he is also able to display his usual finesse.

The introduction of moog to Hammer's rig enables a different tonal palette to appear on the album and he overdubs it on 'Celestial Terrestrial Commuters' rather sparingly, though you'll hear it take the spotlight in the 'Dance of Maya'-ish 'Sanctuary.' Showcasing John's acoustic guitar is the brief and moody 'Thousand Island Park' which also features double bass and some nice work from Hammer. 'One Word' is pretty darn good and a showcase for the rhythm section while 'Open Country Joy' has an almost rude explosion in the middle of an otherwise pleasant country ballad.

It's a mixed album in some ways, but benefits from the changes they made, even as it suffers a little from the steps they repeat. I swing back and forth between three and four stars here, and so I'm putting the half star in. Again, like the Mahavishnu's debut, the classic fusion fan will want to hear this one.

#155

Io Sono Nato Libero
Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso's Io Sono Noto Libero is hailed in the prog world as one of the legendary albums and certainly in terms of RPI it lives up to this reputation. The band have an uncanny ability to include huge sections of tension and release in their music, shades of light and dark that compete with each other, and all is complimented by the gentle vocals of Giacomo.

‘Canto Nomade Per Un Prigioniero Politico’ is the opening epic clocking some 15 minutes in length. It begins with a minimalist keyboard that sounds like woodwind oboe perhaps. The trademark vocals chime in gently and then it explodes into a fast paced rhythm that capitalises on great fat organ sounds, and drums and bass constantly bend the metrical patterns sporadically. It consistently builds in power then slows to an improv section with the Nocenzi brothers' piano and synth competing with each other locked in battle. A ghostly whine takes the pace down and acoustic picking over a spacey synth. The next two verses are sung until it detours into an ambient passage where a UFO lands, a spacey sound with synth washes. Later, the piano is out of control and the high pitched sounds fight to keep up. Drumming seems to have settled into a 4/4 4/5 pattern but is inconsistent. A strange melody changes the atmosphere and fortissimo guitar and drums create a majestic feel. There are rototoms or tom tom drums at the end of the piece to add a new experience.

‘Non Mi Rompete’ is a very pop orientated sound with multi layered pleasant melodies. This is a more accessible approach and feels like it could be a successful single in some areas of the world. ‘La Città Sottile’ is a 7 minute track with a focus on staccato piano motifs, and gentle vocals. There are synth swishes and very strange sound effects to create the overall atmosphere of imminent fractured sections. The high pitched synth and Hammond of the Nocenzis generate a cool icy atmosphere and the guitar break compliments this. The piano break heralds a new section and there is a detour where the vocals are spoken as a narrative, and the piano twinkles while spacey synth merges in. There is no time signature for a moment and then another verse is sung with the estranged melody from the opening.

‘Dopo... Niente È Più Lo Stesso’ is a mini epic at about 10 minutes that features a flute sound that becomes the main motif throughout. Of particular note is Todaro's guitar riff that is more aggressive than previous and a welcome change in this respect. The piano sounds as though it is being tuned down as Nocenzi plays. The booming bass piano tones are downright chilling. The flute sounds add a pleasantness that is striking but the vocals are estranged and unsettling. The piano is incredible featuring the scales and arpeggios. A narration follows warning of the chaos to ensue. A majestic synth line is struck and the drums begin to add an odd metrical figure. A medieval harpsichord is heard and the vocals are wildly inventive at times like a prog circus side show host. A high pitched flute sound heard at the beginning returns reminding the listener they are still on the same track, as it has moved in so many directions, and then it fades as a descending sound emanates.

‘Traccia II’ is a concise conclusion to this majestic album. The focus is on a piano melody that is easy to remember and almost medieval in style. The instrumental has some beautiful synth passages. It gradually builds to a strong melody that is constant and majestic. The avante garde stately theme is broken by short passages of keyboards played with finesse. It is a grand conclusion to a very impressive influential album.

#156

In A Glass House
Gentle Giant

A review by SouthSideoftheSky:

While I gave Octopus a low rating, I definitely feel that “In A Glass House” is very much better. The feel of the music is darker on this album compared to the often too cheerful “Octopus”, which is apparent already by the look of the cover art. They also managed to produce lyrics that are worth taking seriously here for the first time in their career. “In A Glass House” is supposedly a concept album, but the concept is loose and invite you to think (instead of giggle, as was often the case on “Octopus”!) “In A Glass House” shows a more reflective, more mature Gentle Giant.

Compared to “Octopus” the tracks here are much longer (the title track is almost twice the length of the average track on “Octopus”) and allow more breaks and instrumental sections. The synthesisers sound as synthesisers should for the first time on a Gentle Giant album. Notice particularly the Moog breaks on ‘Way Of Life’.

The title track I think is a masterpiece and ‘The Runaway’ is also quite excellent, even if I find the sound of breaking glass at the start annoying. I also don't like very much the repetition of short snippets of all the previous tracks at the very end of the album. But despite a couple of irritating moments, this album is really good overall.

While the music on “Octopus” often was extremely complex, I felt that it lacked real depth. The complexity was often of a naïve and simple kind, if that makes any sense. It was a type of complexity that jumped right out at you, and not a type of complexity that it takes several listens to reveal. I don't get that feeling while listening to “In A Glass House” except maybe on ‘The Inmates Lullaby’, which is slightly silly. But can get away with it here, because it tackles a serious subject after all. This is certainly not easy music to get into. I did not like it straight away when I first heard this album, it took several listens before I started to really like it, which is sometimes a mark of a good Prog album.

In a way you could see “In A Glass House” as the result of Gentle Giant taking all the good aspects of all their previous albums and putting them into one, leaving out much of (but not all) the bad aspects.

Recommended!

#157

Felona E Sorona
Le Orme

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

"Felona E Serona" by Le Orme is an infamous RPI album that has so much to offer it is impossible to ignore for serious proggers. The Italian vocals are pleasant sounding and clear with an enriching atmosphere throughout. On the opening track the basslines are incredible and the lengthy pads on keyboard sound similar to Rick Wakeman from Yes. There is a wonderful lengthy instrumental with keyboard effects with a futuristic feel, even space rock in one section. The music seems to transport one to another place, and there is even an accomplished drum solo.

The clanging bells herald the arrival of ‘Felona’ and an acoustic guitar. The melody is quirky and accessible, almost like a pop track with positive lyrics; “Nothing really matters except to be alive and that is taken care of by the symbol of the sky”.

‘La solitudine di che protegge’ is very melancholic and serene, with twinkling piano flourishes and soft Italian vocals. Each track is so diverse and unique it really is quite a journey that Le Orme takes the listener on. ‘L'equilibrio’ is a quiet ambient piece that capitalises on the keyboard pads and high falsetto singing. ‘Sorona’ begins very slowly with very atmospheric music and falsetto singing. It is a short piece that works as a transition between tracks and leads to the next. ‘Attese inerte’ has a very intriguing bass line and begins with pads then builds to a strange ascending synth line. This feels a lot darker than the previous tracks particularly due to the droning synth motif. An agreeable Hammond sound ensues over the ascending drones. The high pitched whine sounds creepy but works well and there is a passage with all these elements working against each other that somehow gels together.

‘Ritratto di un mattino’ begins with an ethereal keyboard sound that builds like a stalker creeping on its prey. The album seems to have become darker as it progresses. The clear echo vocals are very estranged over the long keyboard pads. The next track, ‘All infuori del tempo’, is a return to master class performance with a strong acoustic rhythm. The vocals are melodic and there are some eclectic time sig changes. The minimalist approach of chords on a guitar and impressive vocal performance hold the track together, but it takes off into keyboard brilliance and erratic drumming. The closing track ‘Ritorno al nulla’ is majestic and instrumental based. There are some incredible keyboard passages on this that lift it into the stratosphere. Of particular note is the repetitive motif that rises and falls throughout; it enters into a new level for Le Orme as one of their best instrumentals.

As musical virtuosos Le Orme are unsurpassed in their time, and this incredible album is a quintessential RPI treasure.

#158

Arbeit Macht Frei
Area

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Area's stunning ferociously original approach to music is breathtaking. "Arbeit Macht Frei" is a masterful product of Italian prog. The music is astonishingly different and wonderfully complex. It begins slowly and then builds to the incredible 'Luglio, agosto, settembre (nero)' (July, August , Black September) "Forget your weapons and live in peace" a female voice pleads, "My love, With peace, with peace I have placed Loving flowers at your feet, With peace, with peace I stopped the seas of blood for you, Forget anger, Forget pain..." Then a strange male voice echoes the sentiment. The Arabian music flies out of the speakers and pins the listener to the wall with unrelenting power. The lyrics are in Italian, translated as; "Playing with the world, leaving it in pieces, Children that the sun has reduced to old age. It's not my fault if your reality forces me to fight your conspiracy of silence. Maybe one day we will know what it means to drown in blood with humanity."

Amazing lyrical power is accompanied by foreign sounding duel woodwind flourishes. The time sig picks up considerable pace and there is a great duel sax trade off instrumental with polyrhythms, sporadic tom tom drums and screeching vocals by Demetrio Stratos. His vocal gymnastics are well executed and become another instrument. It is chilling, ethereal but very emotional, almost screaming out in anger. The eccentric music is not for the squeamish, coming across as angry and volatile but it soon settles into a strange ambient peaceful section threatening to explode at any moment. The droning saxes are portentous and looming. Translated the final words are: "When you see the world without problems seek the essence of all things. It's not my fault if your reality forces me to make war with humanity".

The title track 'Arbeit Macht Frei' follows and typifies the approach of the band to unconventional music. Innovative virtuoso musicianship with always interchanging time signatures and mood swings, with insane sax work is reminiscent of the type of work Jackson did with VDGG or even early King Crimson. There are some wild flourishes of polytonalities, and the drums simply take off. When the band is in full flight such as midway through the title track, it is the most compelling music one will hear. The bassline is awesome and really holds the track together and then it stops suddenly. The style of Stratos is similar to the vocal style of Grobschnitt or PFM; high falsetto in places but easy to listen to and utterly full of conviction.

'Consapavolezza' begins with some ominous sax and bass, with a clean guitar sound. The vocals are distinct complete with rolling R's. There is a beautiful instrumental break with scorching sax and ambient keyboards. There are intersecting passages of dark and light and always a quirky humourous streak breaking through.

'Le Labbra Del Tempo' is a 6 minute improvisational jazz fest that stops and starts at will, and the drums struggle to keep up. The urgent sax is accompanied by Stratos’ estranged vocals. It locks into an infectious groove that takes detours and echoes the vocal rhythms. Metrical shapes take over and there is a keyboard instrumental and the drums spiral out of control. The high strangeness of echoing keys are a feature and then it is again brought to some semblance of order with an ambient section of melancholy beauty.

'240 Chilometri Da Smirne' begins with high saxophone solo and an offbeat rhythmic metrical pattern of bass and drums. It is a strange blend of time sig metronome bending prog and jazz fusion. There is a strong bass solo that continues under screaming dueling staccato sax blasts and shimmering keyboards. This is broken by a freakout section with organ squelches until it fades with a moaning sax.

'L'Abbattimento Dello Zeppelin' is the weirdest track; a spoken wailing section with estranged sax and bizarre effects is unsettling, unnerving, macabre at times, but a solid way to end such a ground breaking album. The drums echo the vocals and explode into a cacophony of freakout noise, like the end of KC's '21st Century Schizoid Man'. An insane section with break out instrumental violence follows and then this oddity abruptly ends without warning.

The album is essential for its unabashed unconventionality, and unashamed brutality towards music. Emotionally stirring and unforgettable, this is one of the best things to come out of Italy, along with Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Premiata Forneri Marconi. It is adventurous and intricate fusion to the Nth degree; music that will repel some and compel others. Listeners are likely to be compelled by the sheer force, the unmistakeable vigour and energy of Area.

#159

Hatfield and the North
Hatfield And The North

A review by Mellotron Storm:

Talk about an all-star cast! Even the guests are all-stars, namely Robert Wyatt formerly with SOFT MACHINE and Geoff Leigh from HENRY COW. This was Richard Sinclair's first band after he left CARAVAN, and he teams back up with Phil Miller who had left CARAVAN an album earlier than he did to join MATCHING MOLE. Of course Robert Wyatt was in MATCHING MOLE as well. Dave Stewart came from EGG via KHAN, and Pip Pyle came from GONG.

Although there are 17 tracks including the 2 bonus songs (an a&b side single released in 1974) the songs actually blend into each other all the way through, giving the impression of one seamless track. This is a difficult listen (at least the first half is) and I much prefer the follow up "The Rotters' Club".

"The Stubbs Effect" is a short piano intro, while "Big Jobs (Poo Poo Extract)" is a pleasant song where we get vocals for the first time."Going Up To People And Tinkling" is a jazzy little number with outstanding drums and bass work. "Calyx" features Robert Wyatt doing vocal melodies throughout. "Son Of "There's No Place Like Homerton"" has some great keyboard play as well as female vocals, flute and lots of horns late.

"Aigrette" is led by drums,bass and vocal melodies. "Rifferama" is more uptempo with some good guitar. This song really stands out from what has gone on before. The next song is ok, but "Shaving Is Boring" is fantastic! This is such an intense number, with some good guitar and organ late. The next three songs seem to blurr together as one before we get another good song in "Lobster In Cleavage Probe". This one has female vocals, flute, gentle keys and guitar before becoming more uptempo later.

"Gigantic Land Crabs In Earth Takeover Bid" really impresses me with the aggressive guitat that goes on for quite a while. Nice. The two bonus tracks would have fit well on "The Rotters' Club" maybe that's why I like them so much. The best vocals on this record are on "Let's Eat(Real Soon), while Phil gives us some great guitar on "Fitter Stoke Has A Bath".

As I said earlier, I love half of this record and find the other half a little difficult to enjoy. Still this is essential listening for Canterbury fans.

#160

Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh
Magma

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Innovation, diversity, originality, intensity, dynamic hyper-music, Kobaian language... This is Magma! Preheat the oven to moderate jazz, rinse the jazz in tribal chants and drain well, combine the mixture with some operatic vocalisations, and stir in a made up Teutonic alien language based on Orff's 'O Fortuna' from "Carmina Burana" over medium heat until completely immersed into the mixture, this will become Kobaian when it is thickened, then cover over with sporadic drumming and virtuoso musicianship, place in oven and cook until the cheese has melted through, any watery radio commercialism must be fully drained out, to serve, spoon the extra flavour of RIO and Krautrock, then top with slices of avant garde and a dollop of Wagnerian Opera, serve immediately. Enjoy your plate of Zeuhl.

Magma’s music has the effect of osmosis, it grows on the listener gradually creeping through their system transporting its gradient effect into the consciousness. The input of energy on this album and original approach is astonishing. “Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh” is hailed as a Magmasterpiece and for good reason. It broke down barriers of genre creating its own. Jazz infused rock opera would be one way to describe it but it is not sufficient as the language takes this to a different level. The otherworldly language of Kobaian is alienating but somehow appropriate. The iconic symbol emblazened on the albums is another aspect that seals the mythological essence of the group. An iconography creates that mystique that is so essential to Magma.

Nightmarish music to immerse the listener, with a disturbing edge could appropriately describe this music, although it may have the curious effect of being a source of uplifting encouragement to certain listeners. The tracks run together in a seamless epic. To allow the music to take one into which ever direction it decides as personal interpretation is essential in the Magmaverse. The musicianship is tight as a drum and Vander is stunning on drums and vocals, his second instrument, he seems to be the face, the voice, and the sound of Magma. On track one, for example, there are a lot of trumpets and a shimmering Hammond sound, with chimes, jingles and happy organ. The guitar is very unusual as a background instrument, but the staccato hammering organ is a dominant force. There is a definite beat though it is sporadic.

The vocals are an absolute delight with Gregorian chanting, choral yelling, high octave shrills and deep resonances. Of special note are the high pitched soprano screeches, which are part of the sound on every album. Vocalists Stella Vander and her estranged husband are the centrifugal force of this album. The vocals are impossible to ignore sounding familiar at times, in track 1, ‘Hortz Fur Dëhn Stekëhn West’, the words sound like; “play a sony, play a sony, play a sony, play a sony please for the loon, please sing a song, please play a record.”

The voices are even weirder on track 2, ‘Ïma Sürï Dondaï’, and sound like “We musn't raid our fire, we musn't raid our pools, please!” Then later, “I never see, I never win, I never see I won won won,” then the females answer, “baby the lotion, baby the lotion, baby the lotion...” There are huge sections of woodwind that is all over the place, jazzy and dislocated from any one time sig. The low bass is keeping some semblance of rhythm but it is as fractured as it can get.

The complexities of the polyrhythmic time signatures are intense, and at times the music takes surprising detours, such as track 3, ‘Kobaïa Is De Hündïn’, with sustained atonal chord progressions and tribal drumming metrical patterns. The piano is a real feature on this too and there is a relentless droning sound that becomes almost subliminal but is everpresent.

The next section on track 4, ‘Da Zeuhl Wortz Mekanïk’, is very memorable with an overpowering chant, sounding similar to “Is he single for he's so hot.” There are staccato stabs that darken the sound and these are contrasted by very light passages of minimalist strings.

Track 5, ‘Nebëhr Gudahtt’, settles into an ambient guitar and piano minimalist passage, there are no words for a time until Vander decides to mutter some unintelligible mumbo jumbo. A soprano gives out disturbing bird calls, the contrast of light and shade are astonishing. The vocals become screechy and tortured, screams of terror and a repetitious mantra of female choir voices. This is the dark nature of Magma and could send many music listeners running for cover. Then it merges seamlessly into track 6, the fan favourite, ‘Mekanïk Kommandöh’. The females sing sounding like; “He's superman, He's superman, He's superman”.

Track 7, ‘Kreühn Köhrmahn Iss De Hündïn’, ends this album with a slow somber but majestic ascending operatic piece. The choir sound like; “Soon it's very very soon”. The drums are fantastic on this, very tribal and layered with woodwind effects. It is anti-music atonal jazz, the ear simply resists this and the way Vander groans and shrieks is unsettling. It ends on a high pitched piercing beep.

Vander is the sole writer and secretes his creative juices on this masterpiece of the uncanny. Magma stand alone and proud as their own entity. There is extreme repetition which may turn many off but this is hypnotic and compelling. It is soul stirring stuff and wraps itself around your cerebral cortex until you are addicted. Magma have opened up a whole new realm of music; a delicious recipe with an enjoyable taste.