New stuff:
Peter Hamill _The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage_
Cool fucking cover, man!  So far I like this better than any
VDGG album (not saying much) on first listening.  Complex and melodic.  I
think it's got most of VDGG on it, but there's no info on the
cover.  Anyone seeking a better review, let me know.  I'll
probably have to tape it and play it in the car.  I'm actually
listening to it a 2nd time the same day, which I haven't done
with any VDGG albums.  After several more
listenings...there's some of that patented Hamill vocal work, which
annoys some people to no end, but there's some really great
instrumental passages.  I may not end up liking all of this,
but so far, so good.
Passport _Second Passport_
Squarely in the same vein as Thirsty Moon. 
Seemed a bit more demented than _You'll Never Come
Back_.  Great fusion with heavy space cadet overtones.  The
jazz part of the music is outstanding, as all members of the
band are top-notch improvisors.  A little less rock influence
than Thirsty Moon, and more emphasis on virtuoso playing.  Lots of wailing 
sax, great guitar, bass, drums and keyboards (although the guitar and kb are 
the same person).  They pull off the fusion of jazz, rock, and space music 
very well.  I have _Looking On_ (a later album) and it didn't
strike me as being as good, and was much more
conventional fusion.
Mike T:  Check  this one out, if you haven't heard it.
Tony Williams Lifetime _Emergency_
From 1969.  With Johnny Mac and Larry Young, which is
half of McLaughlin's _Devotion_ lineup.  I think Young and
Maha played  on _Bitches Brew_, too.  This is pretty good
stuff  on first listen.  A lot of free-form jamming, jazzier
than a lot of "classic" fusion.  Some psych influences, and
some odd singing, somewhat punk/krautrock oriented.  Not
as structured as most of my faves, but I'll give it some more
time.
Berlin _Pleasure Victim_
New wave, so I won't waste much time, except to say that
"Sex" (the song, that is) is definitely pseudo-prog, and many
of us thought "Riding on the Metro" might be Curved Air
(really-tho we were a bunch of spaced-out freaks).  The CD
has a BONUS TRACK which is the EXTENDED
VERSION OF SEX.  I had to say that.
Genesis _SEbtP_
Definitive remastered version of the week for $12. 
Someday I'll understand these Genesis albums better.  I
should start a thread on RMP:  What's the best prog album
you never heard/don't like?
Simon and Garfunkel _Collected Works_
3 CD set.  Probably a sizable percentage of their output. 
Haven't heard it yet.  After further review, this may well be
all 5 of their albums...I'll have to find my cassette(s) and do
a track by track check.
Single
From the _Live Floating  Anarchy_ album
With "Opium for the People" and a song whose title I don't
recognize called "Poet for Sale".  When I went to buy it for
$6, the guy said "I found a couple more" so he only charged
me $3.  If anybody's shorts get bunched up over such an
item, let me know and I'll ask him if he's still got them. 
Haven't listened to it yet.
Steve Hackett _Please don't touch_
Clark played this and some of it sounded good.  I'll give it a
2nd chance.
Trace s/t
Another ELP type band, sounded pretty good, need more
time to evaluate it.  The song "Once" really stood out., and
"Progression" contains a piano phrase lifted from "I Feel the
Earth Move Under My Feet" by Carole King.
Lucifer's Friend _Banquet_
I see now why this album gets such violently opposed
reviews.  It's the lost Chicago album.  There's some really
schmaltzy vocalizing ("Our World is a Rock 'n' Roll Band")
a la later Chicago before they completely bombed out. 
There's some pretty good radio-friendly rock, and some
great jamming (esp. "Thus Spoke Oberon") with horn and
string section backing in places.  Sort of Chicago 2 meets
Chicago 5.
Godley & Creme _L_
This isn't out on CD, I think, and this copy's side 2 is
supposedly not so hot.  Haven't listened to it yet.
Focus _Live at the Rainbow_
I got this because I knew Clark wanted a copy, so he'll have
to do the review.
Todd Rundgren _A Wizard A True Star_
I dread his pop singing.  It's so repetitive.  There's not much
of it on this album, on first listen.  Some pretty weird and
heavy stuff.  At times, I was quite impressed.  At times, I
wasn't.  Definitely not his top 40 mode.
Cherry Five s/t
This album fairly reeked of Golden Age WopRock, so it
stayed on for a while.  There's some  fairly weak spots on
the album (esp. the last track "My Little Cloudland"), but
it's mostly top-notch Italian prog, a little closer to
mainstream pop than most.  Great bass player, the usual top-
notch ensemble playing, English lyrics written by an
ITALIAN.  Not an album I'd recommend to a beginner in
Italian prog, but well worth it for the fan.
Strawbs
_Grave New World_
_Hero and Heroine_
These went straight to tape for heavy rotation in the car
(I've since given away the tape-have to tape them again). 
Some fairly folky stuff, some folk-rock, some folk-prog (a
rare commodity in my collection).  Some fairly heavy rock
in at least one song.  I should have _Nomadness_ on the
way soon.   That live album with Rick Wakeman (_Just a
Collection of Antiques & Curios_) that I already had was
apparently before they got Prog.  
Manfred Mann's Earth Band _Somewhere in Afrika_
Sometime after they shoulda broke up, I think.  The song
"Rebel" was grounds for summary execution alone.
Michael de Albuquerque _We May Be Cattle But We've All
Got Names_
I gambled  this would be worth $4.50 to Clark (I was right). 
If not, I'm sure somebody will want it.  It's got Ollie
Halsall, whom I've heard of before.  Michael dA was with
ELO at some point.
---
 * PW * 
--- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 
---------------