Blodwyn Pig - Modern Alchemist

Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Solar Fire (1973)

"'Solar Fire' is an amazing album derived from astrology using impressions from Holst's Planet Suite. The songs are consisting of improvised parts and many spacy elements according to this main theme. Manfred Mann is a fascinating musician. In the 60s he wrote several pop songs which went up into the TOP 10. Coming from Jazz Rock with CHAPTER III he founded the EARTHBAND in the early 70's and is still touring and producing albums with his band. He's the main composer of the songs and serves a lot of interesting hammond/moog/mellotron parts and 'Solar Fire ' is set to be his best prog album. But for me Mick Rogers is also on the top of this production with his great guitar work.
The opening song Father of Day, Father of Night is the bestknown I think, epic compelling, which begins very calm with a choir and then suddenly explodes. Great vocals by Rogers. I can remember In the beginning, Darkness was often played on parties in the 70s. A more classic rocking song whilst the drumming partially is remembering at GOLDEN EARING's Radar Love. The title song convinces me with the jamming part in the middle, really a highlight and the two parts of Earth the Circle are sophisticated avantgarde music.Another unforgetable gem in the history of Progressive Rock. " - Rivertree - ProgArchives

- Manfred Mann / organ, synthesizers, vocals
- Colin Pattenden / bass
- Mick Rogers / lead vocals, guitar
- Chris Slade / drums
- Doreen Chanter / backing vocals
- Irene Chanter / backing vocals
- The Grove Singers / backing vocals
- Peter Miles / percussion (2)
- Paul Rutherford / trombone

1. Father Of Day, Father Of Night (9:56)
2. In The Beginning, Darkness (5:22)
3. Pluto The Dog (2:50)
4. Solar Fire (5:17)
5. Saturn, Lord Of The Ring / Mercury, The Winged Messenger (6:32)
6. Earth, The Circle Part 2 (3:23)
7. Earth, The Circle Part 1 (3:48)

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Caravan - The Dog, The Dog, He's At It Again

Caravan - Better By Far (1977)

"This album really rocks your socks off. It has great music, lyrics, and humor to boot like "Behind You" and "Give Me More." The classic sound of "The Last Unicorn" and "Nightmare" take you away with Geoff Richardson's violin. Pye's singing is unique but very strong in capturing the mood set by the instruments. "Better by Far" and "Let it Shine" are sweet love songs for couples. Get this album. It's a must." - jeff_the_poet1 - ProgArchives

- Richard Coughlan / drums, percussion

- Pye Hastings / vocals, guitars

- Dek Messecar / bass, backing vocals

- Geoff Richardson / viola, guitars, flute, sitar, mandolin, vocals

- Jan Schelhaas / keyboards, backing vocals

+ Vicki Brown / vocals (6)

- Fiona Hibbert / harp (7)

- Tony Visconti / recorders (5), electric double bass (7)

1. Feelin' alright (3:30)

2. Behind you (5:08)

3. Better by far (3:30)

4. Silver strings (4:05)

5. The last unicorn (5:50)

6. Give me more (4:42)

7. Man in a car (6:12)

8. Let it shine (4:30)

9. Nightmare (6:26)

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Porcupine Tree - Normal

Argent - Nexus (1974)

"Nexus is Argent's most progressive album. The pop indulgences of "Hold your head up" and "God gave rock and roll to you" are largely gone, to be replaced by much more structured and serious compositions.
From the synthesiser driven three part instrumental opener "The coming of Kohoutek" through the dramatic "Music from the spheres" to the slightly more traditional Argent on side 2 of the LP, there's a coherence throughout.
Almost inevitably, the album was not as successful as "In deep" or indeed "All together now". There were no obvious singles, the band relying on the fan base they had acquired through their previous singles, to stay with them. It appears the lack of success for the album was a factor in Russ Ballard's subsequent departure, which in turn led to Argent (the band) rapidly becoming a spent force. "Nexus" however gave a wonderful illustration of how things could have been
Well worth seeking out." - Easy Livin - ProgArchives

- Rod Argent / keyboards, vocals

- Russ Ballard / lead vocals, guitar

- Bob Henrit / drums

- Jim Rodford / bass

1. The comming of Kohoutek

2. Once around the sun

3. Infinite wanderer

4. Love

5. Music for the spheres

6. Thunder and lightning

7. Keeper of the flame

8. Man for all reasons

9. Gonna meet my maker

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Kiss - Love Gun

Delirium - Lo Scemo E Il Villaggio (1972)

"After minor changes DELIRIUM headed for a more symphonic edge than displayed in their debut album, but still retaining it original charm and character. Once again a wide range of influences prevails on DELIRIUM's early albums with stronger and a slight harder edge. The dominance of flute and tenor sax on this album mixes superbly with the increased fusion tension explored within. Songs are highly melodic with excellent vocals and group choir like contributions. Songs however symphonic are still quite jazzy and full of syncopation timing. Overall a scrumptious little album from early golden early 70's. " - Loserboy - ProgArchives

- Mimmo Di Martino / acoustic guitar, vocals in 4,6,8
- Peppino Di Santo / drums, percussion, gong, vocals in 2
- Marcello Reale / bass, contrabass, vocals
- Martin Grice / tenor & contraalto & baritone sax, flute, electric flute, vocals
- Ettore Vigo / piano, organ, vocals

1. Villagio (5:14)
2. Tremori Antichi (2:23)
3. Gioia, Disordine, Risentimento (7:20)
4. La Mia Pazzia (3:28)
5. Sogno (5:48)
6. Dimentione Uomo (4:37)
7. Culto Disarmonico (3:45)
8. Pensiero Per Un Abbandono (4:37)

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Mr. Big - Take Cover

Rush - Driven

Jade Warrior - Released (1972)

"Jade Warrior goes wild here! This sax-driven energic hard rock/fusion record is VERY good! When I think about Jade Warrior, peaceful and delicate music comes to mind, thinking about albums like Floating World, Kites and Waves. However, Released is surprisingly hard rock. Yes, there are already some excellent peaceful & delicate passages, but they constitute a small percentage of the album duration. There is an omnipresent Van Der Graaf Generator/Solution similitude.On "Three-Horned Dragon King", there is a marriage between Led Zeppelin-influended hard rock patterns and sax-driven Van Der Graaf Generator/Solution fusion. As if it was not enough, the rhythms are filled with tribal tam-tams. On "Eyes on you", the rhythmic flute contrasts with the visceral hard rock guitar solos. The pleasant Frippian guitar on "Bride of Summer" is particularly soothing. My favorite track remains "Water Curtain Cave", an absolute jazzy gem recalling Van Der Graaf Generator/Solution on saxes and a very young Robert Wyatt on drums. "Minnamoto's Dream" and "We Have Reason to Believe" will make you remember that Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix have always been a very good source of inspiration. The epic "Barazinbar" starts progressively with tribal tam-tam rhythms, leading to repetitive & reassuring flute & sax notes a la Solution: the pleasant rhythmic guitar riffs and solos remind a bit the ones on the Lenny White's Venusian Summer album; the music gets more & more loaded as the track approaches to its end. The album beautifully ends with the excellent "Yellow Eyes", made of peaceful & delicate flute parts and of acoustic guitars a la Renaissance's "Black flame". " - Greenback - ProgArchives

- Tony Duhig / guitar
- Jon Field / flute, congas, percussion
- Glyn Havard / vocals, bass
- Dave Conners / alto & tenor saxes, flute
- Allan Price / drums

1. Three horned Dragon King (6:09)
2. Eyes on you (3:05)
3. Bride of Summer (3:19)
4. Water curtain cave (6:28)
5. Minnamoto's dream (5:30)
6. We have reason to believe (3:50)
7. Barazinbar (15:00)
8. Yellow eyes (2:51)
9. Minnamoto's Dream (???)

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Denis Leary - Asshole

Caravan - Waterloo Lily (1972)

""Waterloo Lily" was the last album which really captured in its entirety their classic 70's early sound. This album has it all... great musicianship, excellent vocals and highly developed songs. CARAVAN were exceptionally influential in helping define the Canterbury sound with their involved jazz-rock sequences and wonderful instrumentation. "Waterloo Lily" may be their most progressive effort in pure definition with some wonderfully inventive aspects clearly giving the listener the feeling of musical exploration. This album is full of wide mood and tempo swings with some quiet parts and then leaping into full jazz inspired prog rock. There is no question that the combination of Hastings, Sinclair and Coughlan were a wicked musical combination. "Waterloo Lily" is a highly recommended album offering some of CARAVAN's best work ever! " - Loseboy - ProgArchives

- Richard Coughlan / drums, percussion
- Pye Hastings / vocals, guitars
- Steve Miller / keyboards
- Richard Sinclair / vocals, bass
+ Mike Cotton / trumpet (5b)
- Lol Coxhill / soprano saxophone (1-2)
- Colin Frechter / string arrangement (5a)
- Jimmy Hastings / flute, tenor saxophone (5b)
- Phil Miller / guitar (2)
- Barry Robinson / oboe (5a)

1. Waterloo Lily (6:47)
2. Nothing at all /It's coming soon / Nothing at all (reprise) (10:25)
3. Songs and signs (3:39)
4. Aristocracy (3:03)
5. The love in your eye / To catch me a brother / Subsultus / Debouchement / Tilbury kecks (12:31)
6. The world is yours (3:41)
7. Pye's June Thing (2:57)
8. Ferdinand (2:57)
9. Looking Left, Looking Right (5:37)
10. Pye's Loop (1:21)

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Pain Of Salvation - Undertow

Anekdoten - Vemod (1993)

"Anekdoten's Vemod is probably the most impressive (and heaviest) debut album from the last two decades along with Anglagard's Hybris, and they have little chance at being dethroned, Paatos' Timeloss included. This quartet seems to have come out of Sweden's Boreal Forest or even more north the Polar Tundra, with their incredibly somber but beautiful melancholy that one our Scandinavian brothers can express so forcefully. Not least helped by the ironic pagan artwork (notice the ironing encircling the high priestess Anna-Sofi, the voodoo doll and its throne), the group manages to find its own sound right from the first mellotron and cello lines, even if it is obvious that their main influence is Crimson." - Sean Trane - ProgArchives

- Jan Erik Liljeström / bass, voice

- Nicklas Berg / guitar, mellotron, voice

- Peter Nordins / drums, percussion

- Anna Sofi Dahlberg / mellotron, keys, cello, voice

- Per Wiberg - grand piano

1. Karelia (7:20)

2. The Old Man and the Sea (7:50)

3. Where Solitude Remains (7:20)

4. Thought in Absence (4:10)

5. The Flow (6:58)

6. Longing (4:50)

7. Wheel (7:52)

8. Sad Rain (10:14)

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Al Di Meola - Libertango

Birth Control - Increase (1977)

"There has never been an album quite like Birth Control's Increase-though i have not heard all of BC's albums, upon hearing Increase, i was amazed at how unique it seems. There are common influences associated with progressive rock here (and some that are not common) In the melting pot of influences there is everything from a hard rock feel, to jazz-rock and blues-rock, and even funk in a few places, and it is the way in which they mesh them together that makes for a very uncommon and impressive record. The band's instrumental prowess is still fully evident, and is something that makes the album hang together and qualify as a winner, but Increase tends to be over looked in the general grand scheme of things. What really drew me to this record was the song "We All Thought We Knew You", which is the lyrical highlight, and pretty impressive instrumentally as well with an interesting vibraphone solo in the middle of things-it was written as a tribute and memorial to the late Helmut Koellen, former guitarist and vocalist for Triumvirat who had died suddenly just a few months before this song was recorded. A sad and painfull thing to deal with, but is done so sensitively and with understanding. Luckily, on youtube is a live concert performance of We All Thought We Knew You from 1977 in Germany with Zeus B. Held and the band-my favourite video on youtube. No, Increase is not exactly like their other ones, but definitely is worth hunting for and listening to-i guess i could sum it up as unique, spirited,and wonderfull! i give it 5 stars without hesitation." - presdoug - ProgArchives

- Bruno Frenzel / guitar

- Zeus B. Held / keyboards, saxophone

- Bernd Noske / lead vocals, percussion

- Horst Stachelhaus / bass

- Manfred von Bohr / drums

1. Skate-board Sue (3:55)

2. Domino's hammock (4:52)

3. Fight for you (4:35)

4. Until the night (6:25)

5. Get up! (4:35)

6. We all thought we knew you (7:50)

7. Seems my bike's riding me (8:00)

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Anekdoten - The War Is Over

Supertramp - Indelibly Stamped (1971)

"this is the second album of the art rock band Supertramp, their rawest and most rocking album they have released. This album is a rare album in the discog of this rather sophisticated band, which have on the debut and albums that are highly sophisticated albums with lots of subtle details. Indelibly Stamped is probably the least sophisticated Supertramp album i have heard (i have not gone past Brother Were you Bound). It is some traces of subtleties on the album but none the less though on this album it is more focus on the tightness of each song and the force of each track, but the album is much rawer and in your face then the debut-album..." - aginor - ProgArchives

- Roger Hodgson / acoustic, lead and bass guitar, vocal

- Frank Farrell / bass guitar, piano, accordion, harmony, vocal

- Rick Davies / keyboards, harmonica, vocals

- Kevin Currie / percussion

- Dave Winthrop / flute, sax, vocal

1. Your Popa don't Mind (2:58)

2. Travelled (4:15)

3. Rosie Had Everything Planned(2:58)

4. Remember (4:00)

5. Forever (3:05)

6. Potter (2:23)

7. Coming Home to see you (4:39)

8. Times have Changed (3:42)

9. Friend in Need (3:08)

10. Aries (7:25)

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Patricia Barber - Inchworm

Björk - Gling-Gló (1990)

"Björk Guðmundsdóttir is a singer/songwriter from Iceland, who has been both loved and hated during her long and multifaceted career. Writing and recording music since the '70s, she's become the face of her country and known to the whole world. Her music varies from new wave punk to experimental pop and even trip-hop and progressive pop. She has also composed music to movies and musicals and has also acted in several. There's no doubt Björk is one of the most influential female artists of modern music scene." - Björk Official Website

Vocals and harmonica: Björk Guðmundsdóttir.

Piano and tambourine: Guðmundur Ingólfsson.

Drums, maracas, and Christmas bells: Guðmundur Steingrímsson.

Bass: Þórður Högnason.

Mandolin: Ko Slá ðeeþub (on "Í eftirmynd).

1. Gling gló - 2:44

2. Luktar-Gvendur - 4:05

3. Kata rokkar - 2:56

4. Pabbi minn - 2:44

5. Brestir og brak - 3:23

6. Ástartöfrar - 2:43

7. Bella símamær - 2:40

8. Litli tónlistarmaðurinn - 3:23

9. Það sést ekki sætari mey - 4:00

10. Bílavísur - 2:38

11. Tondeleyo - 3:29

12. Ég veit ei hvað skal segja - 3:03

13. Í dansi með þér - 2:26

14. Börnin við tjörnina - 2:46

15. Ruby smábarn - 4:00

16. Ég get ekki hjálpað elska þessi maður - 3:40

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Aphrodite's Child - End Of The World

Jacula - Tardo Pede In Magiam Versus (1972)

"Tardo Pede In Magiam Versus is one of the more bizarre albums in my collection and certainly the strangest sounding release I've heard from the RPI genre. Jacula is the brainchild of Italian musician and composer Antonio Bartoccetti, releasing two albums before moving onto Antonius Rex.The album cover sets the tone; a red cowled figure in a graveyard lets you know you're unlikely to be in for a few laughs over the next forty minutes or so. In reality Tardo Pede In Magiam Versus sounds more like a soundtrack to a gothic horror film than a progressive rock album. The music is dominated by a powerful church organ played by Charles Tiring which sounds fantastic. Likely to be a stumbling block for many listeners are the dramatic vocals of the very un-Italian named Doris Norton which I found a bit heavy going myself. Apart from actually singing she also chants and uses spoken word. On Absolution the vocals are handled by what sounds like a medieval choir.The church organ dominated moments conjure up images of Lon Chaney in classic silent 1920's film The Phantom Of The Opera but there are also more ethereal moments as Norton's spoken word vocal is underpinned by melancholic harpsichord and flute on Long Black Magic Night and gently strummed guitar, piano, flute and mournful soprano wailing (for want of a better word) on the floaty Jacula Valzer. In Old Castle (sic) is perhaps best of all being church organ and nothing else; very haunting.There's nothing quite like this album in my collection to compare it too, the nearest I can get is a three cd set of Bach organ works played by german conductor/musician Karl Richter but the link is rather tenuous being primarily down to sound of the church organ.This album certainly wont be to everyone's taste but personally I quite like it. Not one to be brought off the shelf too often but now and again when I'm in the mood for a bit of gothic horror this will fit the bill nicely." - Nightfly - ProgArchives

- Antonio Bartoccetti / vocals, guitars, bass
- Doris Norton / vocal, synths
- Albert Goodman / drums
- Charles Tiring / church organ, piano

1. U.F.D.E.M. (9:02)
2. Praesentia Domini (10:58)
3. Jacula Valzer (6:21)
4. Absolution (5.00)
5. Long Black Magic Night (6:21)
6. In Old Castle (9:36)

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Quintessence - Quintessence (1970)

"A superior follow-up to their debut 'In Blissful Company', this self-titled effort sees Notting Hill's Quintessence expand upon their exotic raga-rock sound with layers of guitars, drums, sitars and a slighly more progressive lilt. Some may find the quasi-religious mumblings a tad unbearable, and some of band-leader Raja Ram's rather indulgent noodlings do sometimes hinder the otherwise fluid acid rock, but it's all part-and-parcel of this quirky group's appeal. Imagine Hawkwind on valium and with acoustic guitars and tabla's instead of electric instruments and you get the picture, except Quintessence sport a slightly more refined musical style. Both of the group's first two albums are well worth checking out, especially for fans of Jade Warrior, Clark Hutchinson's 'A=Mh2' and ethnic krautrockers Yatha Sidhra, and despite the fairly laughable hippie-dippie lyrics, the sounds of offer here are genuinely progressive in their execution and the instrumentation richly-textured in it's attempt to re-produce the exotic sounds of India and beyond." - Stefro - ProgArchives

- Shambhu Babaji / bass, acoustic guitar

- Dave Codling / rhythm guitar

- Shiva Shankar Jones / lead vocals, keyboards, hand drums

- Jake Milton / drums, percussion

- Alan Mostert / acoustic & elelectric guitars, bass

- Raja Ram / flute, percussion, bells

1. Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Gauranga

2. Sea of immortality

3. High on Mt. Kailash

4. Burning bush

5. Shiva's chant

6. Prisms

7. Twilight zones

8. Maha mantra

9. Only love

10. St. Pancras

11. Infinitus

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Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment (1998)

Liquid Tension Experiment had its genesis still in the year of 1996, when Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy was contected by Peter Morticelli (head of the label Magna Carta) and Mike Varney (vice president of the label Magna Carta) and was asked to, according to Portnoy, try and "put together a couple of Super Groups (for the lack of a better term!)",. In spite of declining the offer at first, he eventually agreed to assemble a super ensemble.
Many were the attempts to put the group together through most of 1997, but most of them failed due to one pivotal problem: they were lacking a member. Mike was able to recruit a bass player, who was Tony Levin, of King Crimson and Peter Gabriel's band fame, and a keyboard player, who was Jordan Rudess, which was playing with the jazz fusion group Dixie Dregs at the time, but there was still a guitarist missing. Every guitarist that was originally invited to be part of the group refused the offer due to conflicting schedules.
Finally, in the spring of 1997, Mike decided to invite John Petrucci, Dream Theater guitarist, to join Liquid Tension Experiment and, with his acceptance, the group was finally complete and ready to record their first album, the self titled Liquid Tension Experiment.
The idea, or the concept, of that album was to fully write, rehearse and record the whole thing in a week, and so it was done: from September 20 to September 25 of 1997 the whole process was successfully done and the album was released in the next year, in March of 1998.
Liquid Tension Experiment's music could be described as the meeting of jazz fusion, heavy metal, latin music, funk, progressive rock and enormous doses of improvisation delivered by some of the best musicians the worlds of progressive rock, progressive metal and jazz have to offer.

- Tony Levin / basses
- John Petrucci / guitar
- Mike Portnoy / drums
- Jordan Rudess / keys

1 - Paradigm Shift (8:57)
2 - Osmosis (3:28)
3 - Kindred Spirit (6:32)
4 - The Stretch (2:03)
5 - Freedom Of Speech (9:21)
6 - Chris And Kevin's Excellent Adventure (2:23)
7 - State Of Grace (5:03)
8 - Universal Mind (7:55)
9 - Three Minute Warning Pt.I (8:22)
10 - Three Minute Warning Pt.II (4:05)
11 - Three Minute Warning Pt.III (5:21)
12 - Three Minute Warning Pt.IV (4:22)
13 - Three Minute Warning Pt.V (6:31)

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Liquid Tension Experiment - Another Dimension

Culpeper's Orchard - Culpeper's Orchard (1970)

"Certainly this is not a fully progressive album, but considered in the context of history, it is a remarkable album in the genre. The titans of progressive rock were also only flirting with the genre in 1970. Tull's "Benefit," Genesis' "Trespass," Yes' "Time and a Word," and ELP's eponymous album could also hardly be considered fully progressive in scope. Truth is that Culpeper's Orchard's debut is a great rock and roll album flirting with elements that would soon blossom into the melodic/symphonic/blues/folk progressive rock scene. Of course, in terms of complexity, eclecticism and dynamic progression, some of the Canterbury blokes were already ahead of the game, but Culpeper's Orchard deserves mention alongside the burgeoning progressive scene." - progdemon - ProgArchives

- Cy Nicklin / lead vocals, rhythm & acoustic guitars, percussion
- Neils Hendrikson / lead guitar, piano, lead vocals, harpsichord
- Michael Friss / bass, organ, flute, two finger piano, percussion
- Rodger Barker / drums, percussion

1. Banjocul (0:46)
2. Mountain Music Part 1 (6:26)
3. Hey You Paople (1:29)
4. Teaparty for an Orchard (6:09)
5. Ode to Resistance (5:53)
6. Your Song & Mine (5:34)
7. Gideon's Trap (5:44)
8. Blue Day's Morning (2:12)
9. Mountain Music Part 2 (7:33)

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Caravan - Golf Girl

Caravan - For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night (1973)

""For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night" marks a return to the CARAVAN sound i know and love.The jazz sounds that influenced "Waterloo Lily" are gone along with Richard Sinclair and Steve Miller who still wanted to pursue that direction.Enter John Perry on bass, and the returning David Sinclair on keyboards after a stint with MATCHING MOLE.The addition of Geoffrey Richardson can't be underestimated,as his viola play brings a fresh sound to the band.Although this is in the mold of their earlier works it does sound lighter,smoother,catchier and maybe more symphonic.I suppose you could say this is Pye Hastings baby now,no not the pregnant lady on the cover,but the band.He writes pretty much all the songs and it's good to hear his brother Jimmy playing the flute on the first track as well as conducting and arranging the woodwind and brass section on that song. "Memory Lain,Hugh/Headloss" has such a good beat to it,with some pastoral sections with flute in between.Some prominant drumming and great guitar melodies.The "Headloss" section is uptempo with guitar,vocals and drums all shining bright.This is great! "Hoedown" features a fast paced melody and vocals to match.The viola is a nice touch. "Surprise,Surprise" is slower paced than the first two songs.This one is light and breezy.The vocals are wonderful,they really make the song.The drumming deserves special mention as well. "C'Thiu Thiu" has a dark,eerie intro and this is contrasted with an uptempo catchy passage.This contrast continues throughout.Organ 4 1/2 minutes in. "The Dog,The Dog,He's At It Again" features whimsical vocals and viola.This is so charming.Haha.This has such a catchy melody. "Be Alright/Chance Of A Lifetime" is a much more powerful and aggressive song.A nice ripping guitar solo a minute in.The song suddenly slows right down,with reserved vocals and viola.The tempo changes continue. "L'Auberge Du Sanglier/A Hunting We Shall Go/Pengola/Backwards/A Hunting We Shall Go(Reprise)" is the longest track just under10 minutes.Some wonderful orchestral arrangements in this one.Tempo changes often,and the electric cello is a nice touch.Piano and guitar take the spotlight at seperate intervals, and the song ends with an explosion. This truly is a return to form." - Mellotron Storm - ProgArchives

- Richard Coughlan / drums, percussion, timpani
- Pye Hastings / vocals, elelectric guitar
- John G. Perry / bass, vocals, percussion
- Geoff Richardson / viola
- David Sinclair / keyboards
+ Paul Buckmaster / electric cello (7)
- Tony Coe / clarinet, tenor sax (1)
- Jimmy Hastings / flute (1)
- Rupert Hine / synthesizer (1-2-6)
- Pete King / flute, alto sax (1)
- Harry Klein / clarinet, baritone sax (1)
- Henry Lowther / trumpet(1)
- Jill Pryor / voice (5)
- Chris Pyne / trombone (1)
- Frank Ricotti / congas (2-3-5-7)
- Barry Robinson / flute, piccolo (1)
- Tom Whittle / clarinet, tenor sax (1)

Orchestra arranged by John Bell & Martyn Ford, conducted by M. Ford

1. Memory Lain, Hugh / Headloss (9:14)
2. Hoedown (3:18)
3. Surprise, surprise (4:05)
4. C'thlu thlu (6:12)
5. The dog, the dog, he's at it again (5:38)
6. Be alright / Chance of a lifetime (6:35)
7. L'auberge du Sanglier / A hunting we shall go / Pengola / Backwards / A hunting we shall go (reprise) (10:05)

Bonus tracks

8. Memory Lain, Hugh / Headloss (9:18)
9. No! ("Be Alright") / Waffle ("Chance of a Lifetime") (5:10)
10. He Who Smelt It Dealt It ("Memory Lain, Hugh") (4:43)
11. Surprise, Surprise (3:15)
12. Derek's Long Thing (11:00)

Links In Comments

Kansas – Dust In The Wind

Franco Battiato - L'Era Del Cinghiale Bianco (1979)

"In 1979, after some years of soporific avant-garde, Franco Battiato woke up and turned his attention to the public. However "L'era del cinghiale bianco" is not just an easy pop album or a bleak effort to reach a commercial success. In that period the "Halcyon days" of prog were gone and Franco Battiato, like many other artists, was looking for new musical ways. Here classical music and Mediterranean and Middle- Eastern folk influences are blended with rock and pop in a very personal way, with the help of a group of excellent musicians. Lyrics don't tell stories but the words are just like "flashes" trying to suggest imagines. The result is surprisingly good!" - Andrea - ProgArchives

- Franco Battiato / vocals
- Giusto Pio / orchestra director, violin
- Roberto Colombo / keyboards
- Antonio Ballista / piano
- Alberto Radius / guitars
- Julius Farmer / bass
- Tullio De Piscopo / drums, percussion

1. L'era del cinghiale bianco (4:16)
2. Magic Shop (4:12)
3. Strade dell'Est (4:16)
4. Luna indiana (3:35)
5. Il re del mondo (5:33)
6. Pasqua etiope (4:29)
7. Stranizza d'amuri (5:11)

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Björk - Hyperballad

Calliope - La Terra Dei Grandi Occhi (1992)

"The sound from this italian five piece band delights me from the very first moment: dazzling runs on the Minimoog synthesizer, floods of Hammond organ, majestic Mellotron waves and warm vocals. The tracks "Non ci credo piu", "Lunario" and "Passi dentro il tempo" are fluent tracks featuring powerful play on the guitar and keyboards. More mellow are the songs "Avalon" and "L'anima del cielo" delivering dreamy guitar and compelling organ and Mellotron waves, dynamic drums and emotional vocals. My highlight is the long composition "Pensieri affascinatti": Banks-like organ work, a break with fiery electric guitar and a lush grand finale, layered with vintage keyboards. A pleasant final song is "Mellotronmania", the name of the title speaks for itselfs, MELLOTRON SOUNDS!! Another strong effort from an Italian band, FORZA ITALIA! " - Erik Neuteboom - ProgArchives

- Massimo Berruti / lead vocals

- Gianni Catalano / drums

- Rinaldo Doro / keyboards

- Mario Guadagnin / guitar (acoustic 6 & 12 string, electric, vocals

- Enzo Martin / bass

1. La Terra dei Grandi Occhi (8:35)

2. Non si Credo più (5:03)

3. Lunario (3:54)

4. Pensieri Affascinanti (8:54)

5. Passi Dentro il Tempo (4:24)

6. Avalon (4:18)

7. L'Anima del Cielo (6:49)

8. Mellotronmania (1:32)

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Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes

Bram Stoker - Heavy Rock Spectacular (1972)

"Here is a gem from the Early British Progressive Rock Movement, unfortunately it was both a painstaking as a hardly impossible task to find information from this elusive band. Bram Stoker was a one shot band that released their album in 1972 under the title Heavy Rock Spectacular. In 1999 the label Audio Archive released the album with the same tracks but a different cover (to be seen along with this review) as a reissue CD, a year later the label Black Widow released it with the original artwork and in 2003 the label Akarma released it as CD reissue in a mini LP gatefold sleeve.The eight melodic and dynamic compositions are Hammond organ drenched, the electric guitar is often distorted (fuzz) delivering some fiery soli but in general it is on the background. Bram Stoker their sound has elements from Atomic Rooster (Born to be free), ELP (Fast decay) and often Beggar's Opera, mainly due to the classical organ sound (for example Bach's Toccata In D-Fuga in Fast Decay and the long Fingal's Cave) and the pleasant vocals. The track Blitz has some Spanish flavored guitar undertones and sounds a bit dark. The final, horror-like song Poltergeist features floods of classical inspired organ.
IF YOU LIKE HAMMOND DRENCHED SEVENTIES PROGROCK, I HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THIS ALBUM!! " - erik neuteboom - ProgArchives

- T. Bronsdon* / all instruments

1. Born to be free (3:43)
2. Ants (3:48)
3. Fast decay (3:49)
4. Blitz (5:33)
5. Idiot (4:28)
6. Fingal's cave (7:42)
7. Extensive corrosion (4:19)
8. Poltergeist (4:35)

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Magenta - Blind Faith

Quatermass - Quatermass (1970)

"Quatermass is one of the myth of the seventies subterrean scene, even because at the time they sold very little and so they couldn't bring out another albums after their self-titled debut. It was a pity, because they certainly had talent and not receiving a prize for their efforts must have been degreeding. Later, this created quite a hype among prog fans, who eventually recovered it from the mould and gave it the attention it deserved. Many have then hailed this record as a masterpiece, sometimes claiming the band's outstanting superiority on Emerson Lake & Palmer, who gained an extremely wider success in the same era with an analog line up (bass and vocals- keyboards- drums) and playing ideas. I'd just say that Quatermass is surely a good album, but I would not exactly agree with its milestone fame. There are certainly good ideas and undeniable technical skills, especially for the keyboard player- Peter Robinson- and the drummer- Mick Underwood. There are good songs such as Post war Saturnday Post- which seems a traditional blues number, but it's torn apart by Robinson's weird and alienaiting solos, from the majestic introduction to the robotic, synthetized sounds in the ending. Gustafson seems overall quite attached to blues canons in singing- just check out Up on the ground and Gemini, he fills the verses with high pitched, rough shoutings- but the compositions are made precious by the band's jams, and again- Robinson and Underwood are the protagonists in this domain. The record even contains a couple of short numbers: the catchy and nice Black Sheep of the family and the relaxing, string-wrapped Good Lord knows, and even Entropy, which opens and closes the album in an unearthly atmosphere. Sadly enough the instrumental jam of Laughin' Tackle seems quite too untidy and messy to endure the challange of time, revolving on itself without finding any clear idea to work on. A good debut, but the group was still trying to find its own style, and it's sad they were not given the possibilities to do it, because they would probably had come out with some more surprising and homogeneous records. However they proved their worth working as session men for many other artists, and their talent became widely recognized. Quatermass remains a very good record to listen to, particularly if you can appreciate a good and original keyboard style. " - Charterhouser - ProgArchives

- John Gustafson / bass, vocals

- Peter Robinson / keyboards

- Mick Underwood / drums

1. Entropy (1:10)

2. Black sheep in the family (3:36)

3. Post war Saturday echo (9:42)

4. Good Lord knows (2:54)

5. Up on the ground (7:08)

6. Gemini (5:54)

7. Make up your mind (8:44)

8. Laughing tackle (10:35)

9. Entropy (0:40)

10. One blind mice (3:15)

11. Punting (7:09)

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