| Echolyn lived far too short a life in prog years for me, but the legacy is a couple of highly complex and thorough records of which As The World is the most complete package. Echolyn delivers highly complex prog which is always busy and needs a lot of listening attention to grasp. This demanding music is full of tempo changing and mood shifts. Vocals are incredible and harmony is used in a similar fashion to that of Gentle Giant. musicianship is exceptionally high and all members deliver a top notch performance. | |||
| The music of Eloy is captivating and Ocean delivers for me the big punch. Ocean is comprised of a few songs of the highest calibre supporting an excellent concept storyline. Eloy use electronics and guitars in a way on Ocean that seem to push all the right buttons and have a lasting impact on the listener. I have read lots of articles which suggest that Bohneman's vocals are below standard, but I actually like them and can't subscribe to this point of view. | |||
| PFM's Per Un Amico is a masterpiece of Progressive Rock all the way through. PFM prove their ability to deliver a complete album ranging from serene acoustic guitar passages to heavy mellotron soaked heavy breathing prog. PFM never get too dark on this release and offers a strong symphonic aspect to it. Vocals are in Italian and like most PFM releases the musicianship is very high. The songs of Per Un Amico are well written and performed. Once again it was hard to pick the best of their releases, but this one has a real beauty to it that needs to be heard to be understood. | |||
| This is in my mind Gabriel's finest and most complete work to date. Each song is very well written and performed in the tradition of this great artist. Although the first 3 albums have a similar feel to them, this seems to bring the best of them all into this recording. Peter continues to explore the deep and dark aspects of human nature in this recording and is helped by the presence of Phil Collins and Kate Bush. All time classic tales like "Biko" and "Games without frontiers" adorn this recording. | |||
| Rush have released so many great albums over the years that it is very difficult to pick the best of the lot. For me Signals is a fav and for all the right reasons. Rush deliver a concept-like album centered on Suburbanization and the dangers of metropolitan life. Like all Rush albums musicanship is of the highest quality and each song is delivered with great impact. I find Signals delivers powerful synth leads which seem to drive the rest of the musicians. This is a collection of some of Rushs' most powerful work and the clarity of the recording make listening quite pleasureable. | |||
| Eyes Of The Universe offers some gorgeous prog moments very reminiscent of the best Alan Parsons Project work. At times I get a slight Pink Floyd feel as well, but never enough to become too obvious. The songs are exceptionally well written and are quite varied, hitting a wide spectrum of emotions. A couple of tracks actually hit close to heaven for me and rank as some of the most enduring prog tracks in my collection. Much of this album is soft and seems to have a caressing space-like feel to it. | |||
| This is a mellotron lovers garden of eden! Lots of great keyboard work here and some incredible musicanship. Like so many great Italian recordings, YS demands the listeners full attention throughout. Although this recording has a true '70's reproduced feel to it, it remains very enjoyable with its underground sound. The guitar work is superb and what really stands out is the use of vocals and harmonies throughout. Lyrics are in Italian and are excellent. | |||
| I have always had a real soft spot for these guys since their first release. Somewhere, but Yesterday represents their second major release and remains to this day their strongest effort. I will admit that this has a strong early Genesis feel to it (that is obvious), but Cyrus and gang bring a whole new dimension to the material. You will get strong keyboard work with hard driving themes carried by the great unorthodox vocals of Cyrus. Like wiskey, his vocals do take some time to get used to, but once you have the itch there is no turning back...I love his sound to be honest and find it nice and raw. The guitar work is brilliant and the music is magical all the way through...I am sure that if Genesis had not fallen into the pop culture scene, they would have sounded something like this. | |||
| For me this is one of the true essential Progressive recordings of all time and certainly is Jethro Tull at its finest moment. What makes this recording work so well for me is the careful attention to the song writing that occured during these sessions. Like many great masterpieces the songs are long and are given the space to build into some breathtaking proggy moments. As per normal Jethro Tull, musicianship is exceptionally high and Anderson's flute playing is highly inspiring. | |||
| Goblin will perhaps be best remembered for their many contributions for the penning and performing of scores for B-Grade horror movie soundtracks. Goblin were a highly prolific band who worked in both the 70's and 80's and managed in infuse heavy Italian progressive leanings with classical movements into their music. Their music is generally quite soundtrack'ish with a dark moody centre. Musically Goblin relate somewhat to the work of Pink Floyd and PFM with a distinctive sound of their own. Instrumentally these 4 lads are unbelievable with great bass, drum and keyboard interplay. Best to leave the light on in the whole house while tuning into this music…delicious and scary all in one……. Step aside John Carpenter. . | |||
| Quirky German Krautrockers who are perhaps best described as a German Prog version of WAR (well….sort of). Heavy groove based jazz / fusion prog who were noted as one of the biggest influences on the Ozric Tentacles. Wiederhoren has been wonderfully re-mastered and now offers real clear and warm chops. Their style in somewhat in the Grobcshnitt vein but imagine with a heavy twist of jazz fusion and you are probably not far off. Their music is fun and very clever with some absolutely amazing grooves. Like so many of the German greats this was recorded by the underground master Conny Plank. | |||
| "Adventure" is a heavy cosmic voyage into the epicenter of your mind. As most of you know by now Brainticket were and are still one of my personal fav's from the Krautrock - Space genre and for good reason. Brainticket's music sustains real "head-music" aspects without any repetitive electronica to guide us….instead flutes, clavinets and synths combine to create huge sonic landscapes for your mind to wonder. On "Adventure" the psychedelia found on their earlier recordings is replaced with heavy electronic and synthesizer shrines and monuments. One of the most attractive aspects to this music is actually in the lovely percussion and deep analog synths used throughout. As always Brainticket use a large number of different electronic sounds for texture creation and sound effects…designed to totally freak you out. Originally this album contained two side long songs and the fine folk at Cleopatra have kindly added 3 lovely bonus tracks to. An enormous album which needs to adorn all good electronic music collections. Essential music | |||
| Mercury Rev have been experimenting with pop culture for some time now and "All Is Dream" is no exception with their cascading hypnotic rhythms and powerful song delivery. Without a question these guys transcend pop music (although they are quite popular among the kiddies these days). Even though these guys are a modern pop outfit I just love in sharp contrast their liberal use of the mellotron throughout. Hard to peg these guys down but I would say a mix of Radiohead and Travis. This is a band that can use a bowed saw to transcend moments of despair, and lead the listener to a delicately sanguine resting place, where guitars swirl and soar with a rainbow blast of moonlit images. It can be a powerfully majestic experience, as it is in "Chains" or " Little Rhymes" which add some lovely instrumentation and impactful lyrics. Aside from mellotron, Mercury Rev also add Hammond organ, cello, violins, violas, french horn, flute and full orchestration. An excellent album and surprisingly quite progressive. Best listened to with a bit of volume behind it for maximum experience. | |||
| This is another one of my favorite recordings from the boys of the Ozric world. Once again the Ozric Tentacles get into some pretty trippy psyched out jams, but this album too will leave you wanting more. I find Strangitude more controlled and less improvisiational than Jurassic, but still works very effectively for me. | |||
| One of the all time greatest recordings with some absolutely incredible moments. This is in my opinion The Beatles' greatest work of art and is their most mature in so many ways. You can obviously hear the extreme experimentation that the Beatles were working with at the time never alienating the listener from the beauty of the music....a real trick which works perfectly here. The mellotron was first used by the Beatles here and the use of orchestra is perfectly inter-woven with the captivating music. Sgt Pepper is really a study all on its own and works well on many different levels. "Doing the garden, digging the weeds, who could ask for more......." | |||
| In many ways this is in my opinion the pinnacle album from Mike Oldfield. Ommadawn marks the third major release from Oldfield and in my opinion conveys his deepest musical abilities ever. Ommadawn is really a combination of the best elements from both Tubular Bells and Hergest Ridge. Oldfield brings a very relaxed subtle atmosphere to Ommadawn but delves deep into the human psyche here. Once again Mike plays most of the instruments, but unlike Tubular Bells has assistance. Ommadawn has some of the greatest vocal parts ever to come from Oldfield. Ommadawm covers lots of ground and moves from the dark depths to the light and flowery chants of children. | |||
| This recording remains today one of my all time favorites. Although this is an exceptionally dark and forboding album it does contain some of the most brilliant and thought provoking progressive material ever. This album has been recorded using the Q-sound Canadian technology (so too did Fish - Sunsets On Empire) and offers incredible sound seperation. Roger is joined by some incredible musicians and guests. Jeff Beck add plenty of amazing guitar parts, exceeding anything that Gilmour had ever put to record in my opinion. Rogers surrounds Amused To Death with some of the most powerful lyrics ever written. Highly recommended | |||
| Any prog collection would not be complete without Camel's Snow Goose! This highly inspirational - instrumental progressive masterpiece arguably offers Camel's most complete work. The Snow Goose reveals great soaring guitar, gorgeous keyboards , excellent percussion and bass interplay. Essential ! | |||
| Picking the best of this lot is not an easy task, but Still Life is an all time classic recording. This is Van Der Graaf at their best with the classic line up of musicians. The music here is deep dark and rich adding some of VDG's most notable song writing skills. Childhood's End is a brilliant epic tracks and one of my all time favorite VDG tracks. This band were one of the most influential in the world of Prog rock and have been praised in many circles. This album pulls all the right buttons and has a superb recording quality to it with just enough hiss to give you that classic feeling to it. Hammill is at his finest here and sounds just superb with the rest of the band. This is a needed jem to show off to all your friends! | |||
| What can be said here but its simply Tangerine Dream at their best. Recorded with their best line-up (Froese, Franke and Baumann) Tangerine Dream create a symphonic masterpeice sure to please all fans of head music. Songs are slow and very spacey in delivery giving the listener a deep need to journey off this planet with them. Phaedra represents a milestone really in electronic music history as flutes and guitars were overlayed onto the electronic passages creating a "new sound". Sound effects were carefully chosen and cleverly support the feeling of the music. This is a great recording to relax to and is best understood in dark lighting with perhaps the stars of the evening sky being your only source of light | |||
| As the warning stipulates "This record could be hazardous to the health of cloth-eared nincompoops" and this is certainly true. Amarok is yet another masterpiece from Oldfield. Once again Oldfield has put thousands of instruments and instrumental sections together in one very long but superb song. Amarok contains lots of the pattented Oldfield characteristics that we have all come to love and appreciate. The melodies are lush and very captivating moving through many different moods. Amarok has no constraints around it and obviously Mike was free to take this piece in any direction. Some absolute stunning symphonic rock moments which will make you shiver. This cd is perfect for those nights when you want to sit and stare out into the sky at the stars. | |||
| Now talk about a superb offering or what! This is pure magic and will certainly keep your toes tapping all night. David Cross has lined up some truely amazing guest to help on this album...John Wetton, Robert Fripp and Peter Hammill to name a few. Exiles generally speaking explores the heavier side of prog, but is not prog metal in anyway. Exiles is very close in feeling to King Crimson's THRAK. David and team get into some truely amazing jams here which will leave you speachless! As you would expect the cd is laced with a fair amount of electric violin playing which creates very warm tones to the mood and works very well withh the heavier guitar acid laced solos. Essential material! | |||
| Dark and very much in the vein of Van Der Graaf Generator, Dagmahr marry the '90's prog sound with the classic '70's. Great dark guitars with vocals very much in the style of Peter Hammill. | |||
| Now here is a great recording that will please all fans of Italian Prog. Sophisticated yet delicately beautiful tension building prog with a touch of the ol' psycho - bizarre. This is in my opinion Banco's finest hour with amazing keyboard work. Non Mi Rompete is one of my all time favorite progressive rock tracks as it reaches out with a very sweet spirtual element. This is pure classic prog of the highest intelligence which will please all fans of PFM and Le Orme. Io Sona nato libero is a complete recording and offers a wide range from the organ drenched materpiece "Canto Nomande Per Un Prigioniero Politico"...to the acoustic guitar Soliloquy "Non Mi Rompete". Once again all the lyrics are in Italian so be warned for those who are linguistic-centric! For the rest this will be an album of choice. What always stands out for me on this album is the amount of classical piano used and how well it mixes witht eh rest of the instruments. Fabulous music.....It is essential | |||
| Here is a relatively new Italian prog band 'wittlin' through the moods and sounds of early Genesis. Twilight is a very solid release and I think works very well. Their lead singer certainly has a very strong voice and I would categorize it some where in the Peter Gabriel camp. Their guitarist is fabulous and adds a very strong element in the music with some nice extended jams. At times the music wonders in and out of song structure but if you can follow it is a nice journey......after all that is what Progressive Rock is all about. Twilight is very well recorded and offers great speaker seperation and wide sound dynamics for your home stereo system. Songs are nice and long and shift moods and structure throughout keeping the listener in an active mood. | |||
| This has long been a household favorite and fans of Sylvian will know this one well. Brilliant Trees is full of emotion and energy ranging from classics as Red Guitar to the nostalgic nostalgia. David offers a superb recording somewhere between alternative and progressive. Song structures are complex and wide varied with elements of Jazz and rock tossed in. Brilliant Trees has a wholesome quality and works exceptionally well from beginning to end. | |||
