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Whats Your Unconventional Favorite Album |
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verslibre 
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Joined: July 01 2004 Location: CA Status: Offline Points: 17904 |
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 Posted: June 19 2019 at 16:42 |
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I love the not-as-"popular" late '70s-early '80s Santana records Marathon, Zebop! and Shango. I played the hell out of those for countless hours when I first got them on CD.
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richardh
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Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 28830 |
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Posted: June 20 2019 at 00:31 |
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The first 4 ELP studio albums are all great (obviously I'm a fan!) . The only 'wildcard' entry in their first 6 albums is Pictures At An Exhibition. It was originally only released in the USA and the band originally were thinking of only putting it out in Europe as a bonus live album to be packaged with Tarkus. It's rating on PA is a bit below those other albums but it certainly stands out from the crowd. Generally fans of symphonic prog but not ELP specifically prefer the debut or Tarkus. ELP fans and also those that like a lot of electronics in their prog go for BSS. Trilogy seems to sit somewhere else to my ears. The way I see it Trilogy is weighted more to lyrics and they damped down the sci-fi approach . Greg Lake admitted that he was never totally onboard with Tarkus ('' You can record that on a solo album'' was his response to Emerson when he first heard it!) so I guess for the sake of keeping the band together , Emerson had to relax a little bit of artistic control and that enabled a more 'integrated' vision to emerge. It's certainly an excellent and well regarded album and definitely one of their best but in terms of live performing it caused some issues ( The title track was dumped from the tour that ensued very quickly and Abaddons Bolero was nearly impossible although they tried doing it with Lake playing an extra set of keyboards!). After Trilogy and importantly the formation of their record company Manticore, they returned to the more expansive symphonic prog style for BSS that went down so well in the live arena. This was also what the fans really wanted. |
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omphaloskepsis
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Joined: October 19 2011 Location: Texas Status: Online Points: 6575 |
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 05:04 |
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I hypothesize these albums appeal to my female ears and perhaps that's why I like them more than most men folk. Works- ELP - I listen to Works more than any ELP album. Hallowed be Thy Name is one of my favorite songs ever. Big Generator- Yes - Flawless album to my ears. Every song is special. Several of my women friends love this album. Islands- King Crimson - The soaring, melancholy beauty appeals to me. A Momentary Lapse of Reason- Pink Floyd - My #4 favorite PF album. A Dramatic Turn of Events- Dream Theater - Fascinating secret concept album, chronicling a multi-decade breakup between Portnoy and the band. Raw emotions laid bare, riddle the album. Cuts to the bone and the last nerve. Minstrel in the Gallery- Jethro Tull - recorded in the aftermath of Ian's divorce, the beauty is breathtaking. The string quartet and Barres electric guitar are to die for! Baker St Muse is my favorite Tull song. Space Oddity- David Bowie - Songs like "Cygnet Committee" and "Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed" lay bare the genius of a sexy young Bowie catching fire. Lyrically genius album. Wakeman's mellotron and harpsichord shine. 13- Black Sabbath- Listen to 13 all the time! The bonus disc is as necessary as the main album. 13 is a masterpiece in my world. "It is the Business of the Future to be Dangerous"- Hawkwind - Tied with "Electric Teepee", another early 90's album, for my #1 Hawkwind album. Hmmm. Breakups seem to be a common theme to almost half the above albums. Minstrel, Momentary Lapse of Reason, and Dramatic Turn of Events mark the post breakups of Ian Anderson's marriage, and band breakups for Gilmore and Dream Theater. Maybe that's what attracts me so? Edited by omphaloskepsis - June 22 2019 at 03:51 |
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Lewian
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Joined: August 09 2015 Location: Italy Status: Online Points: 14956 |
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 07:03 |
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If we make it "which not totally conventional albums are among our favourites of a band", we can have a very long thread...
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Machinemessiah
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Joined: April 02 2005 Location: Santiago, Chile Status: Offline Points: 594 |
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 08:44 |
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I find Nightcap by Jethro Tull good good good:  It is the (prog) rockier version of Jethro Tull (the one I like most  ), full of ideas; and the flute sounds somehow different at times, and I believe there are other instruments as well.And this one live by ELP: Welcome back my Friends to the show that never ends (~ ladies and gentlemen):  I believe it sounds great (maybe for a live album) and have (IMO) excellent renditions of Brain salad songs… Jerusalem (superb), Toccata, Karn Evil 9... on the other hand, a fun, crazy, fast-paced Hoedown, Take a Pebble, Piano improvisations (love this), etc. |
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BaldJean
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 09:12 |
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your nick gives me the impression that "Drama" by Yes is another one you might name  |
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 A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
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Barbu
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 09:13 |
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 The Chateau, man...freaking awesome!
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Machinemessiah
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 09:44 |
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Ha ha ha  you got me!I changed my avatar now so that it doesn't confuse with the albums on the post... Well certainly I find Machine Messiah a heavy, progressive and unique song (big fan of Howe and Yes), and I also like White Car very much though short as it is! I listen to Drama often and I'm fond of it… (I bought it in the US while on holydays with my dads… around '95 I think…) but still I find it too much 80's... and not Jon Anderson... In my scale not as good/unconventional as the ones I posted, as an album, but yeah. In that sense, this is another unconventional I like:  I think I bought it on the same trip… Edited by Machinemessiah - June 21 2019 at 10:03 |
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tempest_77
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 11:05 |
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Jethro Tull - A Passion Play
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Machinemessiah
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 11:27 |
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Another one I remembered by Jethro; pleasant, mainly acoustic, live and fun: A Little light music  Sometimes these were presents back then… (this from my Dad) perhaps not the ones one'd choose but… unconventional, and sometimes, good!I remember having fun learning some passages on guitar of this take of Bourée.
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Machinemessiah
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 11:33 |
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Broadway the Hard way !  Orchestal Favorites  |
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patrickq
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 12:56 |
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Yes, Fly From Here. Not at the level of Close to the Edge, Relayer, or Yessongs, but in the same league as Fragile, Drama, and The Yes Album. I assume this view is unconventional...
Edited by patrickq - June 21 2019 at 12:57 |
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Fischman
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 13:00 |
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Hey, Zebop! is a fantastic album. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. While I still cite Abraxas as my fave, I'd bet Zebop! gets at least equal air time in my home/car.
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patrickq
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 13:09 |
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Excellent debut, and as good as Time and a Word, imho. Edited by patrickq - June 21 2019 at 13:13 |
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Tapfret
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 13:42 |
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By far my favorite Tull. I thought about mentioning this one, but really, its not unconventional. Its got a 4+ star rating here. What it is, is divisive. The people who hate it, REALLY  ING HATE IT.The one that really stands out is maybe not my favorite, but right up there in the top 3, is Black Sabbath - Never Say Die. Air Dance to me is their most proggy song. Others: Pain of Salvation - Road Salt One is my 2nd favorite of their albums right behind Be, which I suppose is unconventional in itself. Opeth - Watershed is easily my favorite of the death era albums. And I absolutely love Heritage as well. Metallica - RtL and MoP will always be their best best and most important. But I find St. Anger the only enjoyable one of the remainder of their studio discography. The Residents - In general, I love the part of their discography that people tend to hate. The synthy storyteller late 80's - early 90's. Particularly God in 3 Persons and Freak Show.
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BrufordFreak
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 16:05 |
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Renaissance's Novella has always been my favorite by them.
It took me quite a long time to get into both VDGG/Hammill and Gentle Giant, and my favorite albums by each artist is not their most highly acclaimed: H to He, Who Am The Only One and Free Hand, respectively. My favorite Klaus Schulze album is 2007's Kontinuum. I've always loved Focus' Mother Focus. I find Roye Albrighton's six "Nektar" albums of the 21st Century quite satisfying. John McLaughlin's Belo Horizonte is another secret favorite of mine. I've always enjoyed Chick Corea's The Mad Hatter and RTF's MusicMagic as much as anything else they've done. I would rather listen to almost any of the solo albums that Robert Wyatt has done in the last 23 years than Rock Bottom. |
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Drew Fisher
https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/ |
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siLLy puPPy
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PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic Joined: October 05 2013 Location: SFcaUsA Status: Offline Points: 15316 |
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 18:58 |
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The Shaggs!!!!
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 https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy |
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verslibre
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 19:02 |
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They can tell us...they'll just be "wronger than wrong."
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verslibre
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Posted: June 21 2019 at 19:05 |
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YES!! Same here...ever since I first heard it.
If you've not already, check out Shadowlands. Wonderful.
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omphaloskepsis
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Posted: June 22 2019 at 03:24 |
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In honor of your heart felt post, I'm breaking out my copy this weekend. Perhaps the 2nd time around will be the charm?
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chopper wrote: