1000 Prog Albums Over 46 Years: 1966-2011

1972 - continued

#137

Little Red Record 
Matching Mole

A review by Warthur:

Matching Mole's first album was Robert Wyatt's chance to finally get on record musical concepts developed during his tenure in Soft Machine which, for whatever reason, had been vetoed by the rest of that band. For the second album, the group took a more democratic approach to songwriting, resulting in a more diverse album that isn't quite so dominated by Wyatt's songs - Wyatt perhaps wanting to avoid repeating in his new band the same mistakes that drove him out of his old band.

As a consequence, the album is a bit of a patchy affair, with the band as a whole casting about and trying to decide what sort of music it wants to perform. Opening track ‘Gloria Gloom’ (on the CD version - Wyatt decided for CD releases to swap around side A and side B from the vinyl since he thought that yielded a better running order) begins with ambient noises - perhaps courtesy of guest synth wizard Brian Eno - that sound like a decades-displaced-in-time Aphex Twin before launching into avant-Canterbury strangeness, whilst other tracks start pointing the way to Phil Miller's later work in Hatfield and the North. (An instrumental version of Nan True's Hole, for example, would be performed live at Hatfield concerts under the anagrammatic title of Oh! Len's Nature.)

Still, as a whole the album lacks focus, and sounds more like experiments towards a band identity rather than the group manifesto the album title suggests. Perhaps a third Matching Mole album would have been more cohesive; unfortunately, that was not to be. Wyatt, worse for wear at a party, would take a startling fall from a balcony a short time after this album was released, paralysing him for life - and whilst Wyatt did thankfully escape an untimely death, the change in his circumstances meant that Matching Mole was not so lucky. Fans of Wyatt's “Rock Bottom” album or Miller's work with the Hatfields will be interested in the context this album provides for those works, but otherwise this is not an especially essential Canterbury release, and certainly not as gripping as Matching Mole's debut.

A review by Sean Trane:

4.5 stars really!!!

Less than seven months after recording their debut album, having toured constantly recording a few radio sessions throughout Europe, MM entered the studios in July 72 for their second (and last, but they weren't aware of it) album that was produced by Robert Fripp. Armed with a highjacked Chinese propaganda poster, the sleeve (and the album title) leaves little doubt as to their political aspirations, although I suspect that this was probably not shared by everyone in the group, because the ambiance within the group quickly became detestable and two months after its release, the group over, even if the explanation was about gigs not being paid and bankruptcy. So with Sinclair gone just after the debut's release, McRae is alone on keys, but the major difference with their first is Wyatt's songwriting, that had filled almost all of the album, was reduced to absolutely none in LRR, if you'll except the lyrics and other vocals, but these hold a big part of creativity.

Starting on one of the most surprising tracks that Wyatt ever recorded, Drink Our Politics Away is a strange semi-operatic over some McRae keyboards and Eno synth layer. Directly and abruptly segueing into Marchides (much the same way Signed Curtain had given in to Part Of The Dance on their previous album), the group takes its vengeance with a wild and torrid 100MPH jazz-rock that veers a bit dissonant in its middle section, before coming back more relaxed. Some exceptionally inventive drumming from Wyatt on this track that had received much previous rehearsal since it was concert standard, but everyone contributes greatly. Again segueing straight into Nan's True Hole, Robert develops some very strange gossipy vocals with him, wife Alfie and friendly model Julie just yapping away over Wyatt's jaw-dropping drumming and a Frippian guitar solo, courtesy of .. Phil Miller; the whole thing falling into Righteous Rhumba without really noticing much a change. Closing on the wild Brandy for Benj (a roadie), with McRae on a rare organ part at the start and Miller's brilliant solo.

Being shutout throughout the first half of the album, McCormick scores Gloria's Gloom as the flipside opens with the second centrepiece, which starts nightmarishly percussive and hauntingly spooky with Eno's VCS-3 deranging many listeners and remaining dissonant through a few minutes, until chattering gossipy vocals take the track slowly into the middle section where Wyatt singing his heart out until Eno's Martenot-like synth layers take us back to earth. After the popish God Song (sticking out like a sore thumb), Flora Fidgit (Frigid Flora? Yashure?? ;-)) where McRae's el piano steals the show. The closing Smoke Signal is the third highlight, a slow developing ambient cosmic piece with Wyatt's astounding drumming, and slowly dying in death throes.

Although MM's last studio album is generally not as reputed as its debut album, bit it's certainly no worse an album, with this one being more of a group effort. Both MM are absolutely essential to Canterbury fans, but it's not recommended to start with them, if you're a newbie.

#138

The Magician's Birthday
Uriah Heep

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

A Prog Birthday treat. Perhaps one of the proggiest Uriah Heep releases "The Magicians Birthday" is a fantastic collection of songs that often find their way onto compilations of the group. There are no dull moments and most of these tracks tell a story that is compelling and surreal. 'Sunrise', 'Spider Woman' and 'Blind Eye' start this off with huge blues riffs and heavy distorted hammering riffs. Hensley's Hammond is an impactful force on each track giving a decidedly eerie effect.

'Echoes In The Dark' begins with a downright chilling intro with ethereal organ and dark riffs. It turns into a song full of very powerful atmospheres. 'Rain' is one of the quieter Heep songs and it works as a break between all the mayhem. It became a popular entry in live performances as did 'Sweet Lorraine'. The album really gets into prog territory with the incredible 'Tales', but the piece de resistance is undoubtedly the 10 minute 'The Magician's Birthday'. This veritable icing on the cake features lengthy solos, tons of Hammond and guitar fills, along with isolated drums and even a kazoo for good measure. The quirky birthday tunes embedded are fun and of course the band were never taking them seriously.

Overall, this album comes recommended for heavy prog fans and it is undoubtedly one of Uriah Heep's finest achievements.

A review by Ivan_Melgar_M:

Still before URIAH HEEP managed to form their ideal lineup, they had already released their IMO best album "Look at Yourself" and immediately after they recruited the strong drummer Lee Kerslake and the superb bass player Gary Thain with whom they released the excellent "Demons and Wizards" and after it comes "The Magician's Birthday" a magnificent album even when less Prog' than the two previous with a beautiful Roger Dean cover.

I remember reading that Ken Hensley wanted to make this album the most experimental one but the rest of the band didn't fully agree so they reached an intermediate point combining Hard Rock/Metal tracks with strong Prog arrangements and tracks.

The album starts with "Sunrise" and the song is introduced by a haunting Byron scream that leads us to something that seems as an experimental and extremely hard power ballad, but the vocal explosions, controlled screams and radical changes makes this a very elaborate track, the wah-wah guitar of Mick Box and at last a powerful drumming makes this song a pleasure, whoever doubts URIAH HEEP as one of the oldest ancestors of Prog Metal should listen to this track.

"Spider Woman" is a classical Heep Hard Rock track with more conservative sound and less spectacular vocals than the previous, but an impeccable bass performance by Gary Thain, good, but not awesome.

"Blind Eye" is another very good song where Hensley keyboards, Box's electric and played rhythm guitar and the correct vocals of David Byron blend gently, again as usual elaborate outstanding vocal arrangements in a band where almost every member contributed with the backing vocals, flows gently from start to end not very complex but the quality is obvious.

"Echoes in the Dark" is another proggy track that starts with the haunting sound effects plus a dramatic guitar and piano creating a mysterious atmosphere, suddenly out of nowhere Baron's vocals join the band almost as a whisper, this leads to another strong instrumental section and several changes, this album keeps getting better.

"Rain" is probably the weakest song of the album, not a bad but a simple ballad, of course has beautiful moments but after the first tracks and two previous albums we expect much more of the band, less than the average.

"Sweet Lorraine" is breathtaking from start to end, a synth intro that wakes after Rain leads to a hard Rock track with great drumming by Lee Kerslake, it's amazing how Gary Thain manages to take his bass from the rhythm section and joins the melodic part as if it was a second guitar but keeps supporting Kerslake.

"Tales" works as a reliever after the strong material and to prepare the audience for the semi-epic and central piece of the album, not bad but plain simple, still the rhythm section work is outstanding.

"The Magician's Birthday" is a 100% prog epic that has everything, powerful moments, absolutely radical changes, drama, mystery, in other words a complete song that any proghead must listen to and that I won't ruin with plain words, all I will add is that the closing section is absolutely breathtaking, probably one of the best vocal works I heard inside or outside Prog, David Byron goes from the lowest to the highest ranges in fraction of seconds and the chorus is absolutely perfect surrounded by great Moog backup. I love this track from start to end, and if you don't like the lyrics in the Magician's Birthday greeting that I admit are a bit cheesy, don't listen as they only last a few seconds, and for me it's a complete masterpiece from start to end.

Even though I won't review the bonus tracks (I like to listen to the albums as they were originally recorded) I must say that the two I have in my 1996 Remastered Edition ("Silver White Man" and "Crystal Ball") are not in the level of the album but I won't consider them for the rating because they were not recorded for the original album and only added to have less free space on the CD being that the old LP format only allowed about 40 minutes.

Being that "The Magician's Birthday" is not as good as "Look at Yourself" because of the weaker "Rain" and "Tales" I can't give 5 stars without being dishonest, but surely the album as a whole and all the other tracks deserve no less a high rating.

Four solid stars for the last album of URIAH HEEP'S golden trilogy.

#139

A Toast to Panama Red

The Master's Apprentices

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

“A Toast to Panama Red” is Masters Apprentices most accomplished approach to prog rock. Each track chugs along with some excellent guitar from Ford and the wonderful vocals of Keays. Time sig changes are prevalent throughout and very well structured compositions that begin and end without flourish.

'The Answer Lies Beyond' pumps along at a nice medium pace with cool riffs and pulsating drum beats of Burgess. The slow meandering phased guitar of Ford carries along 'Beneath the Sun'. The vocals are quiet, and there is no chorus, as is the case for most of the tracks. It changes direction mid way through with a hypnotic riff, strange effects and psychedelic nuances.

This was 1972 and prog had survived the birth pangs and was beginning to flourish with this type of heavy psych approach which was complex and not just designed for pot heads. Keays drew the album cover and his wife wrote out the lyrics in her own hand, it was a real collaborative effort. 'Games We Play 1' is surrealistic and off kilter with an early Sabbath feel in the guitar work with very erratic drumming. The 7 minute track changes moods and launches into an ace bassline by Wheathers that drives it along, than Ford's lead punctuates the track with high pitched fret screams.

'Games We Play 2' is an instrumental that heavily relies on a driving guitar riff and showcases the musical prowess of the band. 'The Prophet' poem is read over the music in true Hawkwind style and choral voices from the Crikey Choir! This enhances the track with an ethereal quality. The next track 'The Lesson So Listen' opened the vinyl album side 2 and is held together by a progtastic riff; angular guitar and intricate drum patterns propel it along. The contagious melody of 'Love Is' is a definite highlight, and is a track that boasts some imaginative use of brass and acoustic flourishes. 'Memories of St Kilda' is intriguing and works as a rocker that changes signature and blasts to a sudden conclusion.

'Southern Cross' is the highlight of the album featuring an excellent lead guitar solo from Ford, a key to the success of the group. There is some great bass on this and vibrant drum beats. 'Thyme to Rhyme' is a soft album closer with acoustic guitar and, though short, it is to the point.

#140

Psychonaut
Brainticket

A review by Mellotron Storm:

BRAINTICKET basically dissolved after the first "way out there" release called "Cottonwoodhill". Joel Vandroogenbroeck, the organ and piano player brought the band back to life though with all new members. The first album was very much a band effort, but this one features all songs composed by Mr.Vandroogenbroeck. The female singer he added does sound like the lady on the first release, but without the craziness.

"Radagacuca" opens with flute and spacey organ sounds. Percussion arrives a minute in until that is all you hear 2 minutes in. We get some sitar and male and female vocals 3 minutes in. The flute is back in this cool, meditative song. That is until 6 minutes in when the organ is back with guitar and drums offering up a fuller and faster sound.

"One Morning" opens with the sound of a storm with rain, as piano, percussion, drums and vocals create the soundscape. "Watchin' You" has a heavier sound with female vocals. The guitar is raw with drums. Reserved but heavy guitar solos arrive  2 minutes in, one of the best parts of the album. Vocals are back. The beat stops as sitar and spacey, psychedelic sounds arrive.

"Like A Place In The Sun" opens with heavy drums and powerful organ. Female vocals come in, she's speaking now. We then get a drum solo before organ comes back. She's speaking then singing before the song ends with organ and drums. "Feel The Wind Blow" is a reserved song. It opens with people talking and smoking something. Gentle guitar and female vocals before percussion joins in. The last 30 seconds features the wind blowing.

"Coc'o Mary" has some cool drumming as guitar comes in, and then organ. Check out the drumming though. Flute comes in as the song calms down after 3 minutes with percussion. Drums and organ are back. For me this is a step up over the "over the top" debut. This one has some great sounding psychedelic tunes, even recalling the sixties at times.

#141

DNA
Jumbo

A review by Finnforest:

Not to be missed, bluesy-prog fans.

Strange. Usually when a band presents two sides of itself I will enjoy the more elaborate, the more "out there" work. This time it doesn't hold true. While Jumbo's final classic- era recording is rated slightly higher, it is their 2nd album, the gripping "DNA", which I find to be their masterpiece. Direct and raw with a nice balancing of contrasting sounds and cohesive themes. Nothing but pure human emotion, graced by melancholic acoustic beauty on one hand and charged with a raw bluesy power on the other. Atop these two dynamic legs you have the gut wrenching vocals of Mr. Jumbo himself. Sans the attempts at sophistication that the next album brought, there is only the pure magic here. Jumbo is one of RPI's first tier bands who actually managed to record more than one album and they are certainly one of the best in my opinion.

"DNA" was recorded in just one week, so typical of the time and place, and proof that the old Italian bands could use pressure to create more magic in days than today's stars can manage in months, with their budgets, tour riders, and computers. It is true that the second side of this album does not quite rise to the level of the side-long masterpiece suite of the first, but it is still good. Side one's "Suite per il Sig. K" is just phenomenal in its simplicity, passion, and connection to something inside. It combines bold and forceful piano with delicate and melodic flute play, backed by sprightly acoustic play and jamming electric rock guitar. The electric has a tortured fuzzed-up distortion that manages to rival Alvaro's grizzly bear roar. Throw in the occasional organ textures and you've got it made.

As with "Thick as a Brick," to whose fans I highly recommend this baby brother of an album, the piece alternates between extremes and features a good composition. While perhaps not as fancy as "Thick" or polished as some of its more elegant Italian peers, Jumbo makes up by pushing harder. This album combines the raucous energy of Flea's "Topi o Uomini" with the stunning authenticity of the Grateful Dead's seminal "American Beauty." Different style than the latter of course, I'm talking about feelings and impressions here. Scented Gardens correctly notes DNA as combining "heavy progressive and blues-rock with classical references." There's no need for me to bring out the charts and graphs here, this album is the real damn deal. Just one more home run for 1972.

Get the BTF gatefold mini-lp sleeve CD edition for great sound and a nice booklet.

#142

Phantasmagoria 
Curved Air

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: 

“Phantasmagoria” is one of the proggiest Curved Air’s albums featuring some of their most challenging time sigs and musicianship. The fuzz guitar from Francis Monkman, the ethereal synths of Darryl Way and Sonja Kristina as the high octave queen of prog, is an irresistible musical explosion, and it climaxed on this album. It begins with the slow and meandering ‘Marie Antoinette’, with the brooding vocals of Kristina; “Fire in their eyes, steel in their hand, they ride, chanting revolution, Vive le Nation!” She sings of the guillotine that is coming for the queen.

Kristina plays acoustic guitar on ‘Melinda More or Less’, a lovely mediaeval paean by Sonja’s lilting vocals that transcend beauty. Way's violin, Monkman's harpsichord, Mike Wedgwood's pulsing bass and Annie Stewart ‘s flute make this a mesmirising journey back to the ancient days of kings, queens and guillotines. ‘Not Quite the Same’ is an oddity about impossible love and self abuse, with some amusing lyrics; “Out in the park, he was walking his doggy, he saw a young lady, who made him feel soggy.” The medieval brass section that plunges it back to the dark ages continues the concept, before the jazziness of the Canterbury music takes over. Way and Monkman masterfully duel off on synthesizers in the instrumental break.

‘Over and Above’ has one of the zaniest off beat time sigs that is irregular throughout, diverging wildy in all directions. Monkman’s twisted signature keys are played with abandonment and astonishing virtuosity. Way's violin is way out of the box and he absolutely gives the bow a major workover. Sonja's theatrical vocal expertise is as amazing as ever and the opening section may be described as a jazz circus. There are some spacey sections on the track with chiming vibraphones and xylophones played by Crispian Steel-Perkins, Paul Cosh and Jim Watson. The erratic bassline, massive brass sound and wah-wah guitar really adds to the power of the soundscape. The sound captured is really symphonic prog meets jazz rock fusion. This is a complex killer track and certainly the most powerful progressive song from Curved Air.

‘Cheetah’ is an instrumental that features Darryl Way masterfully blasting huge slabs of violin, and there is a reworking of "Air Conditioning"’s ‘Ultra-Vivaldi’ that is much faster and dominated by keyboards; speeded up using a sequencer. The title track is a short song with wild Hammond and Sonja’s jaunty vocals on how to deal with loneliness and depression; “don’t ring for a taxi, don’t call a policeman, don’t send for a doctor, he’ll just give you pills, don’t hide in the sand man, you may not believe it.”  She sings of the summer of love and the lyrics cater to the flower power movement; “So if you get lonely just think of the summer, and swim in the sky blue, drift your mind away.” The uplifting breezy feel sounds like a happy song but it is really about coping with depression.

‘Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway?’ Is a weird curio with lovely Kristina sounding like a constipated Dalek. Her vocals are battered by a PDP8/L computer mixed with a Synthi 100 Synthesizer. It is meant to evoke the spiritual manifestation of the dead; “But I keep looking over your shoulder to see if I'm there, Oh, when I was a little Ghost, a merry time had we! Each seated on his favourite post.” The electronic vocals make this as creepy as it gets for Curved Air.

After this album, Curved Air’s bubble popped with the walk out of maestros Way and Monkman, and it was too big an ask to replace the classic sound the band once generated. “Phantasmagoria” definitely contains some of the proggiest and most experimental music from Curved Air. 

#143

Waterloo Lily
Caravan

A review by Warthur:

Although there is undeniably a little bit of jazz in temporary keyboard player Steve Miller's performance on this album, I think it's possible to overemphasise the jazz influence this time around. The music on Waterloo Lily is still very recognisably caravan - Pye Hastings and Richard Sinclair's vocals are as distinctive as they ever were, the dirty jokes are still very much present and correct, and musically speaking we're still at the lighter, more approachable end of Canterbury territory.

Still, there's no denying that it isn't quite as iconic as its two predecessors. Steve Miller's playing might not drive the band into full-on fusion territory, but it is still an odd fit for the band's sound. It's not jarring enough to spoil the album, but it is distracting enough to stop it being amongst the best of the best of Caravan's material. It's not the first Caravan album I'd recommend to people interested in the group's work, but I'd very strongly recommend it to anyone who'd already experienced and enjoyed classic Caravan material.

#144

Argus 

Wishbone Ash

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

"In the fire the king will come..." This is the lone masterpiece of Wishbone Ash.

Wishbone Ash's "Argus" is the band's most famous album and in fact is the best thing they ever did though the live material is excellent especially the "Time Was Anthology". What makes this album great is it contains no less than four of their all time classic tracks 'The King Will Come', 'Throw Down The Sword' and 'Blowin' Free', not to mention 'Warrior'. The great WA sound consists of duel guitar playing from the excellent musicianship of Andy Powell and Ted Turner; they would always be remembered for this album. The guitar breaks are nothing short of extraordinary, before Iron Maiden and before Judas Priest's twin guitar solos there was Powell and Turner. Martin Turner's vocals are easy to take and he doesn't go for high octave but stays in the mid range, his bass playing is noteworthy too.

'Time Was' is a classic track with very soft folk guitar and melancholy singing. The guitar jamming is a feature and there is a lengthy solo with a driving rhythm, after 9 minutes 40 the track finally comes to a close. A very good opening track to prepare us for better to come.

Steve Upton's drumming is fairly average though he does some lovely things with the cymbals on tracks such as'Sometime World'. This track is kind of bluesy and speeds up in tempo as the song progresses.

'Blowin' Free' begins with the killer riff that drives the song. The lyrics are great to sing to; "I Thought I had a girl I know because I seen her, her hair was gold and brown, blowin' free like a cornfield..." The twin guitar solo is a feature once again and this is a real favourite with the band and they always include it on their live set, which sound jammier and better than this. There are some delicious passages of soaring guitar and blues scales on this. The time sig remains fairly much the same apart from some slower bits thrown in such as; "In my dreams..." section.

'The King Will Come' is a favourite Wishbone Ash song featured on the Classic Rock Anthology DVD. The band have so much fun rockin' it out and the lead guitarist wears flowing white flares. Powell moves back and forth playing a flying V guitar staring into the camera just having the time of his life. They sound incredible live, so this studio version is not as loud and aggressive though it's still great. The guitars are not as up in the mix but the harmonies are divine. It is a song about the Biblical end times when the king (Jesus) will return and apocalypse will reign; the Revelation. The lead break is magnificent from both guitarists using wah wah pedal effects and huge scales. Once again this is a staple of the live set and would not be complete without it. It is brilliant prog rock. "See the word of the prophet on a stone in his hand, poison pen Revelation, just a sign in the sand..."

'Leaf and Stream' is the weakest track on the album, very quiet and melancholy, but still listenable and marks a transition point to lead the next huge rocker.

'Warrior' has a rocking riff and lead intro before the gentle lyrics; "I'm leaving to search for something new, leaving everything I ever knew, a hundred years in the sunshine, hasn't taught me all there is to know..." The theme centres around the conquest of the vanquished or fallen and how they triumph over the war to find the sword of destiny. The time sig changes to a faster tempo on "Time will pass away, Time will guard our secrets..." Then there is an anthemic section with the chorus repeated over and over with striking harmonies; "I have to be a warrior, a slave I couldn't be, a soldier and a conqueror, fighting to be free." Another great harmony and melody on this memorable track.

The second best WA track is 'Throw Down the Sword' which is among the live sets. It features a fade in intro with a very nice guitar riff that sounds medieval in tune. The quest is not over, and this track encompasses the tired traveler who is searching but not finding and throws down the sword in frustration; "Throw down the sword the fight is starting over neither lost neither won, to cast away the fury of the battle, turn my weary eyes for home... leave the glory, a story time could never change, to walk the road the load I have to carry..." It is the journey's end for the warrior, and this reminds me of the cover, a lone soldier watching over the battlefied awaiting death or will he be spared? The uncertainty is reflected in the music which meanders slowly along with very precise guitar lead breaks.

'No Easy Road' is a bonus CD track and not much really, just a solid rocking track that doesn't belong here, but interesting.

There is a kind of concept running through this album though it is not as blatant as a concept album usually is but with the theme of battle and quests, it is there. So this last track is a perfect ending to a perfect album. Wishbone Ash could never live up to the reputation of this album so "Argus" is their most accomplished work and worthy of masterpiece status.

#145

Seventh Sojourn
The Moody Blues

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

It is always a pleasure to listen back to such a relaxing innovative band as The Moody Blues. “Seventh Sojourn” is really a less discussed album than some of the earlier material perhaps as it does not have the creative consistency of previous albums. However, there is enough on this to warrant serious consideration. It begins with a melodic reflective piece ‘Lost In A Lost World’ with Mike Pinder soothing on vocals, and the band searching for the answer as always, accompanied by flute passages and uplifting harmonies.

‘New Horizons’ is full of beauty, generated by sweeping violins and very soft vocals with a romantic flavour. ‘For My Lady’ is a single and always one of my favourites with a lovely melody and memorable happy woodwind. Justin Hayward has golden tones on these ballads. The medieval sounds are strong and it has some of the more poetic lyrics of the album. It is more like the Jane Eyre period of the 1800s in feel then anything else on the album. The romantic flutes are simply gorgeous; best song on the album easily.

‘Isn't Life Strange’ is another very popular song gracing many compilations with the previous song. Personally I tire of this easilty and can’t stand the monotony of the tune and that warbling vocal is mush to my ears. You And Me’ is better with a rockier beat and some nice orchestra. The guitar riff is rather heavy for The Moody Blues and the violins are majestic throughout.

‘The Land Of Make-believe’ is an acoustic and flute-driven quiet piece. It sounds rather dated due to the lyrics and overall style. A real flower power throwback that is a throwaway, only saved by Hayward’s uplifting vocals and moving orchestral arrangements. A genuine album track found on this release alone. ‘When You're A Free Man’ is another song only found on this album for good reason. It is forgettable lush.

‘I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)’ ends the album on a high point. It rocks hard and is perhaps as heavy as the band gets. It works on all levels, vocally, melodically and lyrically. The song was a live staple for The Moodies and often is found on compilations.

#146

Doremi Fasol Latido 
Hawkwind

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Lemmy the Lurch jumped on board the Hawkwind Spaceship and he injected the right amount of bass rythym to this unit. The album as a result works well as a proto Motorhead journey into space. The Hawkwind trademark of weird spacey effects from keyboards saturate each track and its a voyage from beginning to end into another universe. The voyage bgins with the gatecrashing rocker 'Brainstorm'. It is featured on many compilations and in various lengths as well as on the live "Space Ritual" masterpiece. A track to savour, its a highlight of the Hawkwind repertoire.

'Space is deep' is another space effect laden track with some mesmirising guitars and vocals. The enchanting 'Lord of light' merges seamlessly into the quieter 'Down through the night' where Brock excels on vocals. 'Time We Left This World Today' has terrific bass from Lemmy showing his dexterity.

The bonus tracks are excellent featuring the obligatory classic 'Silver machine' again. It’s so great though one can't complain about its insertion. 'Urban Guerilla', 'Brainbox Pollution' and 'Ejection' are fabulous hard driving tracks with tons of echoing vocals, effects, and crunching fuzz guitar.

Overall this is one of the best albums from Hawkwind. Of course the best was yet to come with the live extravaganza, "Space Ritual".

A review by Warthur:

Hawkwind's third album sees the group struggling against difficult circumstances and turning these problems into opportunities. For starters, it's the first album with Lemmy on bass - an instrument he wasn't used to, having learned to play lead guitar, with the result that his playing is somewhat unorthodox on here - and it was recorded in Rockfield Studios at a point when the studios were just a barn with mattresses on the walls.

As a result, the mix of the album is murky, but in a stroke of genius which laid the groundwork for the sound of Hawkwind's classic period, the band decided to make that very murk a defining feature of their sound. On the best songs, such as the opening Brainstorm, the thunderous basslines, mysterious synthesiser tweets, and portentous vocals emerge from out of the fog and merge to create a strange, hypnotic melange. Whilst material like the closing The Watcher is a bit weak, the bulk of the album follows the lead of Brainstorm and the end result is a fascinating slice of space rock, with the lo-fi production values and Lemmy's bass technique giving it an almost proto-punk edge that sets this incarnation of Hawkwind apart from gentler, smoother, less abrasive space rock groups.

Still, I have to admit that Space Ritual just plain sounds better, and I tend to prefer the versions of this album's songs to be found on there. 

#147

Lord Of The Rings
Bo Hansson

A review by Warthur:

(Note: having satisfied myself that there is little to no appreciable difference between the Swedish and English releases of this album, I'll be posting my review under both versions).

Bo Hansson's debut album - first released in his native Sweden in 1970 before being given a wider release in 1972 - could well be one of the first great symphonic prog albums to come out of Scandinavia. Not only that, it's one of the earliest examples of an all-instrumental symphonic concept album - Krautrock bands had been releasing all-instrumental albums prior to this, mind, but those tended not to be concept albums and of course ploughed a very different furrow.

A series of keyboard-heavy instrumentals inspired by Lord of the Rings sees Bo backed up by a very capable band that he is more than happy to share the limelight with, knowing when to back off on his keys or guitar to let the sax or flute melodies breathe. The album is also surprisingly diverse - the concept might make you expect a disc heavy on medieval-influenced fare, but I also detect a certain Santana influence at points. A very, very capable debut album, and surely an important contribution both to the early-70s prog scene as a whole but especially the development of the genre in Scandinavia. Easily five stars.

A review by Ivan_Melgar_M:

The first time I heard about BO HANSSON'S "Lord of the Rings" and read the reviews, I had the misconception that this was the "Non Plus Ultra" example of early Swedish Symphonic, so when I heard it I was really surprised, this album has almost no connection with Symphonic, as a fact it’s much closer to early PINK FLOYD than to YES, GENESIS or ANGLAGARD.

So if any listener wants to try this album, I recommend to search for a copy of "Live at Pompeii" and try it, because that's the closest you will get to the overall sound of "The Lord of the Rings".

Of course this is not a negative commentary, I love the album, but if you want to listen to something, you need to have a clear idea about what you are going to have before you buy, instead of being disappointed because of lack of information.

Now, despite it's quality, the album has a serious problem, BO HANSSON was too ambitious, you can't make a conceptual album about a trilogy of epic proportions as The Lord of the Rings, with 12 songs of 3 or 4 minutes length as average as HANSSON does, as you would be only able to scratch the cover of the book. There's no time for a coherent development and for a real musical narration as you should expect from a conceptual album.

But, even when Psyche Prog is not the best style to suit the famous trilogy, it would be unfair to say that the sound is something less than excellent and more than adequate, "HANSSON" with his skills managed to adapt two styles that IMO were almost incompatible.

One of the reasons I didn't review this excellent album before is because it's based mostly in atmospheres, keyboards and guitar jamming, and being that the songs are so similar, it's very hard to make a track by track review as I usually do.

The music as I said before has a strong Psyche PINK FLOYD influence, the guitar jamming is much less aggressive than Gilmour's but honestly more delicate and elaborate.

The organ is another issue, sounding incredibly close to the sound of "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" but in other moments with a strong resemblance to 666 by "APHRODITE'S CHILD", something very positive, because the pompous Greek Orthodox Canonic influenced music suits perfectly with an album based on a book about the fight of good against evil with an obvious religious background.

Before rating "The Lord of the Rings" I must mention the superb drumming work by "Rune Carlsson" whose perfect timing and dexterity with the cymbals is the spine over which the music is supported.

Not a masterpiece of Progressive Rock, but for sure an album that must be included in any Progressive Rock collection, so I will go with 4 solid stars.

#148

Mediterranean Tales
Triumvirat

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Triumvirat stamp their authority on the prog scene of the 70s. The debut, "Mediterranean Tales", launches with an epic multimovement suite ‘Across The Waters’ that took up one side of vinyl in it's day. The Hammond solos by Jürgen Fritz are alluring, though the missing factor is the vocalist Hans Pape is not as good as Helmut, who joins later. There is a rather exuberant melody throughout and it twists and turns enough to satisfy the average prog addict.

The next track of note on side 2 is a sombre piece with a strange beginning, and hyper pulsating keyboards making the atmosphere quite dark, ‘E Minor 5/9 Minor/5’. The instrumental works exceptionally well as all Triumvirat instrumentals do, and this music is rather bleak in comparison to the uplifting music of other albums. The Hammond solo is well executed and precise, making this one of the best tracks on the album. The end is sublime with minimalist piano. This is a very atmospheric piece, and it bursts out again towards the end returning back to the disturbing pulse metrical pattern.

Another track worthy of mention is ‘Broken Mirror’, beginning with a piano, and then more layered keyboards. Hans Bathelt's drums are great especially the cymbal work. The song is as usual a work of virtuosity. The emphasis is on Fritz's keyboards. The time sig change after 2 minutes is delightful, the melody really takes off with a hypnotic riff, and amazing finger work on shimmering Hammond organ. Eventually lyrics are sung, with a fair amount of passion by Hans Pape. Overall the debut is a solid opening statement from one of the most innovative virtuoso German prog bands of the 70s.

A review by Ivan_Melgar_M:

In 1972 this German trio had the courage to start their careers releasing a semi conceptual album in a foreign language, and they did a great job. Often dismissed by critics as "B" class ELP clones, Triumvirat is far from being that simple, specially because Mediterranean Tales is a Symphonic album and ELP is a Classic Prog' band something absolutely different, we know of course "The Rat" and specially Fritz have some Emerson influences (they are declared fans of "The Nice") but their arrangements and lyrics are absolutely unique that deserve much more recognition than they got.

I must add that I believe Triumvirat at their peak is not less than ELP and most of the "big 5" prog' bands.

The founding members were Jürgen Fritz, Hans Bathelt and Werner Frangenberg but the third one decided to continue his career in a pop band, so he was replaced by Hans Pape, a talented bassist and very decent vocalist, this is the lineup that recorded Mediterranean Tales.

Incredibly the album starts with a 16 minutes multi part epic "Across the Waters" in which the band combines various classical influences that go from Baroque to Romantic, Jurgen Fritz is impeccable with his keyboards even when his German accent is hard to swallow by purists. A very good song and impressive starting point for a career.

"Eleven Kids" is a simpler song, which starts with a classical keyboard instrumental strongly supported by powerful bass and drums, but soon changes into a simpler tune where the band shows their pop side even when you can find some psychedelic fugues and classical chords, weaker than the previous but still a pretty good track.

"E Minor 5/9" is a more eclectic song with strange timing where bass and drums carry the weight of the music except in the middle section where a psychedelic keys semi solo breaks the repetitive rhythm and gives extra brightness, probably the track that reminds me more of The Nice or early ELP.

The original album ends with "Broken Mirror" which IMO is the best track because the band shows what their classical sound will be, incredible piano and complex structure that prepares the listener for Triumvirat's next two releases adding a jazz fusion section.

The Digital Remaster edition contains four more tracks "Be Home by Tea" (edition of part of the opening Track), an also edited version of "Broken Mirror" and two more songs ("Ride in the Night" and "Sing Me a Song") that probably didn't reached the original album due to the limitations of the vinyl format, but much weaker than the all the previous.

A very good album even when the band is not in the peak of their creativity that will be reached with Illusions on a Double Dimple and Spartacus. An excellent addition for any prog' collection and a must have for Triumvirat fans.

#149 - live

Pictures at an Exhibition
Emerson Lake & Palmer

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

“Pictures at an Exhibition” is an enjoyable romp in to the bombastic world of power trio ELP. It begins with off kilter time signatures that stop and start and clearly the band are having the time of their lives as they confound and dazzle the audience. Symphony music never sounded so good. ELP are able to create wonderful music and the live experience of their early sound is different than anything they have done before or since.

After a while all the majestic Hammond and Moog sweeps become challenging to the ear and one may long for some vocals. They come in on ‘The Great Gates Of Kiev’ which has become the greatest track to quote from as far as compilations of the band are concerned.

The album is best heard as an entire piece, but it is definitely not your standard ELP album. It is unique in that it is really a retelling of Mussorgsky's master work ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’, with a distinct rock interpretation.

The album has become one of the most discussed and revered of prog history and is a marriage of classical music meets rock. 

A review by Sean Trane:

As I said elsewhere, I dislike albums from Trace and Ekseption and Ars Longa Vita Brevis or Five Bridge Suite from the Nice for what I find to be useless and pointless reworkings of classical stuff. This album is the exception that confirms that rule but mostly because it is quite a daring and surprising rendition of Mussorgsky's major oeuvre and ranks up there along with Japanese-Real-Synthesizer-Wizzard Isao Tomita's version . Weird and daring idea to put lyrics to this stuff, and it does work in a strange ELP way. The end piece is a spoof/poke at Tchaikovsky Nut-Cracker and is also a pleaser. However this album usually takes a lot of heat from ELPheads but also with many people into classical music. I personally applaud the audacity of this adaptation.

Well done, boys.

#150 - live

Made In Japan

Deep Purple

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Deep Purple's History Making Live Masterpiece.

Deep Purple's "Made in Japan" is one of the all time greatest immortal live albums in rock history. It features the band at their brilliant best and promoting their masterpiece albums "In Rock" and "Machine Head", both milestones in themselves. The lineup is the infamous Deep Purple lineup that has become rock legend; featuring on vocals the air raid sirens of high octave metal hero Ian Gillan, the pounding drums of Ian Paice, the guitar wizardry of Ritchie Blackmore, the keyboard magician Jon Lord and the wonderful Roger Glover, bass guitarist extraordinaire. The live performance features the best of the band to this point and these lengthy versions are even better than the studio renditions. The album hits the mark with a rocking start with the hard driving 'Highway Star', the kid sister of 'Speed King'. The dynamic interplay of guitar and organ is wonderful and draws the listener in as it builds into the first verse. "Nobody Gonna Take My Car, I'm Gonna Race It To The Ground, Nobody Gonna Beat My Car, It's Gonna Break The Speed Of Sound" The lyrics embody the essence of the revhead and live Gillan is able to use his power vocals to full effect. But it's all about the riffs for this band and Blackmore delivers everytime; the true metal progenitor of lead guitar finesse, becoming a guitar hero with this album.

'Child In Time' is next running or a whopping 12 minutes. The song is a masterpiece, but live it surpasses even the album version. Gillan explodes on vocals reaching ear splitting notes after a gentle start. The song builds into a paroxysm of thunderous guitar riffs and Lord's keyboards are incredible. It builds into heavier sections with massive keyboard sweeps and fret melting lead guitar. An amazing wall of sound is generated with the rhythm machine of Paice and Glover. Eventually it settles into a serene passage until the finale where all members of the band blaze away and lift off into the stratosphere with crunching chord changes and a freak out of shattering noise as Gillan moans the pangs of child birth; perhaps it represents the birth of heavy metal, and the band deliver.

'Smoke On The Water' follows, beginning with a terrific variation of the opening classic riff. It is the most recognizable riff in rock history that every guitarist knows. The actual thematic content is fascinating about how a "stupid with a flare gun" burned down the recording studio of Frank Zappa and the Mothers in Montreux. Now the event is immortalised forever in song. This will perhaps remain the all time greatest Deep Purple song especially due to the 7 note chord riff. The live version is sensational with a scorching lead break and Lord's shimmering keyboard attack.

'The Mule' follows next with a lengthy instrumental break, and the song runs out to 9 ½ minutes in length. Ian Paice drums up a storm on his Ludwig kit soloing for quite some time. His precision drumming and atmospheric arrangement has become a benchmark for drummers worldwide.

'Strange Kind Of Woman' is also lengthy at 10 minutes and is great to hear as it was one of the biggest singles or the group not available on studio vinyl during this time. It was a chance for the band to kick back and groove along to a pleasing riff. The section where Gillan imitates Blackmore's guitar is often quoted as a master stroke and was influential to many bands to follow. It sounds as though Blackmore was trying to trick Gillan but they trade off perfectly and it is amusing and part of the experience of the live set, reminiscent of Plant and Page of Led Zeppelin.

'Lazy' is a 10 ½ minute opus with tons of keyboard soloing and Blackmore insane on bluesy guitar. It is a terrific lengthy jamming track about a dude so lazy he just stays in bed. Lord is awe inspiring on the organ solo and it really showcases his skill.

'Space Truckin'' follows and clocks in at a mammoth 20 minutes. It is another of the quintessential DP tracks. The power riffs and grinding organ absolutely slam to the wall. The lengthy version originally took up an entire side of the double vinyl album. It features huge spacey solos with Jon Lord's Hammond and his experimental ring modulator sounds. He unleashes a furious tirade of powerful organ stabs as Glover maintains a consistent bassline with Paice backing on drums. The session lasts for almost 15 minutes and is technical and progressive while maintaining strong rock rhythms. The Hammond solo is based on 'Mandrake Root' from the early DP albums.

"Made In Japan" is a classic masterpiece that is one of the most famous live albums in history. Every track is killer and the band are at the peak of their powers. It is a testament of the greatness of Deep Purple in the early years of proto-metal and the progressive nuances throughout, with intricate time sig changes and lengthy jamming solos, make it the ultimate live album of 1972.