Over the many months I was absent, I bought some Prog.  I bring this up
to get some discussion going.  The problem is, I've acquired a lot of
albums over the past few months and haven't had enough time to really
listen to any of it very closely.
Kazumi Watanabe -- Kilowatt
I don't like this.  It's not jazzy enough and the drums are BOORING.
It's too much like a lead electric Rock guitarists solo album.  Blech.
Can anyone recommend something I might like better?
Lucifer's Friend -- _Banquet_
I've only really listened to tracks 1 and 2, but track 2, "Thus Spoke
beron" Ois absolutely incredible.  It's an actual jamming orchestra with
a rock band. Outstanding.  It's too bad the rest of the album gets
really cheesy.
Spirit -- The Family That Plays Together
Very good stuff, but I typically skip the first song, "I Got A Line On
You," because I've heard it too much.  Neat stuff these guys do.  Why
don't Prog fans talk about this more?  I've also got _The Twelve DReams
of Dr. Sardonicus_ and it's quite good too.
David Bowie -- Aladdin Sane
I bought this for the title track which for me is the best thing he ever
did.  Great freaked-out, free-form, avant garde piano playing by Mike
Garson and vocals by Bowie much like Peter Hammill.  The rest of the
album is nowhere near as great as this song, but it's OK.  At least
there's "Panic in Detroit."
Roxy Music -- Viva! Roxy Music
A live set recommended to me by Stuart (he used to be here too) and I'm
glad I bought it.  I haven't had a chance to listen to the whole thing
more than once, but "If There Is Something" and "Out of the Blue" stand
out.
The Moody Blues -- Days of Future Passed, On The Threshold Of A Dream,
To Our Children's Children's Children, In Search of the Lost Chord
I used to not think that this band was Prog, but I was wrong.  I
suppose that it fits more in with Psychedelic sometimes, but I like it
equally.  They can be scary on one song and quite beautiful on the next.
I like that.
Lens -- Sketches
I picked this up at Progfest '97.  This is an offshoot of the San
Francisco band Episode, who some of you may remember from a few years
back.  This is a little grittier with more emphasis on leads, but then
it's also not as interesting as Episode.  It's OK stuff, but nothing to
seek out.
Prism -- Second Thoughts/Second Move
I've spent very little time with this, but it's pretty good fusion.
Finch -- Glory of the Inner Force
Oh my God, what a band!!  Kind of like a magnified and speedier Focus
with bits of Yes here and there.  They jam and jam and jam some more,
but they have a course and you can tell it's all written out.  It's
controlled jamming, I guess you'd call it.  No vocals which is fine by
me.
U Totem -- Strange Attractors
I need some more time with this, but I do like it.  It doesn't move me
like the 5uu's (there are members here from that band) but they are good
at what they are doing.
Brand X -- Manifest Destiny
Well, a bit of a letdown from _Xcommunication_, but I need to give it
more time.  I love the bonus track of the live version of "Church of
Hype", my favorite song from _Xcommunication_.
Halloween -- Laz
Eh, well, these guys are better live.  At least they are on that
Progfest '94 CD I have.  I'll have to give this more time.
Ultimate Spinach -- III
I bought this at a Rhino records outlet in L.A. because it was cheap.
Stuart told me that they were suppossed to be Psych.  Well, it's not,
The cover of "Romeo and Juliet" is decent as is "Some Days You Just
Can't Win."
Dark -- Dark
Apparently this is a CD of some highly sought after LP, but I can't see
why.  It's pretty boring to me.  It's just hard rock with too much lead
guitar.
England -- Garden Shed
Damn, now we're talking!  I had never heard of this before Stuart bought
the CD at Progfest.  We were listening to it in the motel room.  I
started liking it and then REALLY liking it so I bought one myself.
This is a fantastic album that for me is as good as any of the albums by
the Prog giants.  The style is like Genesis (mellotrons) or even like
Todd Rundgren on his _A Wizard a True Star_ album (quirky bits) with a
vocal delivery in the high range like Jon Anderson at times.  VERY
symphonic and very emotional. The bass is tight and strong and reminds
me of Squire. Then there's the drumming which is always top notch.  His
style is original but the influence of Bruford and Collins is there. The
music is deceptively simple, but once you start really digging into it,
you realize how sometimes impossibly complex it is.  I highly recommend
this to all of you here.
Gentle Giant -- In A Glass House
Up there with _Free Hand_ in my opinion, and I really like _Free Hand_.
The opening song works better on the _Playing The Foole_ live album, but
it's a great song anyway.
Gentle Giant -- In Concert (BBC)
This is later material played live and so you can't expect much.  The
only stuff that I like is when they play the earlier material.  They
could still pull it off.
Kayak -- See See The Sun, Kayak, Royal Bed Bouncer, Starlight Dancer,
Phantom of the Night, Periscope Life
I got into a real Kayak kick a couple of months back and bought 3 CDs
and 5 LPs of these guys.  The early stuff (the first 3 I lised above)
are great Prog Pop which at times is heavily weird.  Lots of Yes
influence at the beginning, but it became more original with each album.
My favorite is _Royal Bed Bouncer_.  They have a really unique way of
approaching vocals.  The vocals are really an integral part of the music
(like Yes) rather than being just added parts.
Kraan -- Let It Out
A fusion band that I would compare to If, but they are actually better
at it, in my opinion.  The first song here is kind of cheesy ("bandits
in the woods, there are bandits in the woods so watch out") but the
other songs are much better.  There's a touch of Steely Dan (think of
"Boston Rag" instrumentally) in one of the songs.  Decent fusion.
Well, that's enough for now.  I'm probably forgetting some albums, but
this much should start some conversation.
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- Clark Ray                                                  -
- email: clarkray@psnw.com                                   -
- Web Page: http://www.psnw.com/~clarkray/list.html          -
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