The message from Stuart Dubois rises higher:
 SD> New stuff:
 SD> Peter Hamill _The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage_
 SD> Cool fucking cover, man!  So far I like this better than any
 SD> VDGG album (not saying much) on first listening.  Complex and melodic.
 SD> I think it's got most of VDGG on it, but there's no info on the
 SD> cover.  Anyone seeking a better review, let me know.  I'll
 SD> probably have to tape it and play it in the car.  I'm actually
 SD> listening to it a 2nd time the same day, which I haven't done
 SD> with any VDGG albums.  After several more
 SD> listenings...there's some of that patented Hamill vocal work, which
 SD> annoys some people to no end, but there's some really great
 SD> instrumental passages.  I may not end up liking all of this,
 SD> but so far, so good.
I'd like to hear this.  Hammill's vocals alone would probably not bother
me and neither does the music of VDGG, but when you put both together,
well, in the words of Mr. Horse: "No sir, I don't like it."
 SD> Passport _Second Passport_
 SD> Squarely in the same vein as Thirsty Moon.
 SD> Seemed a bit more demented than _You'll Never Come
 SD> Back_.  Great fusion with heavy space cadet overtones.  The
 SD> jazz part of the music is outstanding, as all members of the
 SD> band are top-notch improvisors.  A little less rock influence
 SD> than Thirsty Moon, and more emphasis on virtuoso playing.  Lots of
 SD> wailing  sax, great guitar, bass, drums and keyboards (although the
 SD> guitar and kb are  the same person).  They pull off the fusion of jazz,
 SD> rock, and space music  very well.
This sounds like something to hear.
 SD> Tony Williams Lifetime _Emergency_
 SD> From 1969.  With Johnny Mac and Larry Young, which is
 SD> half of McLaughlin's _Devotion_ lineup.  I think Young and
 SD> Maha played  on _Bitches Brew_, too.  This is pretty good
 SD> stuff  on first listen.  A lot of free-form jamming, jazzier
 SD> than a lot of "classic" fusion.  Some psych influences, and
 SD> some odd singing, somewhat punk/krautrock oriented.  Not
 SD> as structured as most of my faves, but I'll give it some more
 SD> time.
Way back when, Tony Williams Lifetime was recommended to me as music
with great drumming.  I'd like to hear this.
 SD> Berlin _Pleasure Victim_
 SD> New wave, so I won't waste much time, except to say that
 SD> "Sex" (the song, that is) is definitely pseudo-prog, and many
 SD> of us thought "Riding on the Metro" might be Curved Air
 SD> (really-tho we were a bunch of spaced-out freaks).
I never got into Berlin.  I didn't know they did "Riding on the Metro,"
but then, I never really cared for it anyway.  It has been at least 10
years since I've heard it, so maybe I should hear it again.  I *think*
I've heard "Sex," but I'm not sure.
 SD> Genesis _SEbtP_
 SD> Definitive remastered version of the week for $12.
 SD> Someday I'll understand these Genesis albums better.
Hmm, there's nothing to understand, really.  It did take me probably 3
or so full listenings to finally start liking it, but now it's one of my
favorites, although all the live versions of those songs have much
more life.  That's true of ALL of Genesis' songs, though.  Have you ever
heard _Seconds Out_, their 1977 live album?
 SD> Simon and Garfunkel _Collected Works_
 SD> 3 CD set.  Probably a sizable percentage of their output.
 SD> Haven't heard it yet.  After further review, this may well be
 SD> all 5 of their albums...I'll have to find my cassette(s) and do
 SD> a track by track check.
Yes, that's all of their albums.  I'd like to borrow _Bridge Over
Troubled Water_.  I first heard all of that about 4 years ago and
remember liking it quite a bit.  "Cecillia" and "Bridge" have been
favorites of mine for as long as I can remember (playing my sister's
single of that when I was 4 years old).
 SD> Single
 SD> From the _Live Floating  Anarchy_ album
 SD> With "Opium for the People" and a song whose title I don't
 SD> recognize called "Poet for Sale".
I've never heard of this band.
 SD> Steve Hackett _Please don't touch_
 SD> Clark played this and some of it sounded good.  I'll give it a
 SD> 2nd chance.
It's not exactly up your alley, but I could see you liking some of it.
Personally, I like it better than _Voyage of the Acolyte_, but I'm alone
in that I'm sure.
 SD> Trace s/t
 SD> Another ELP type band, sounded pretty good, need more
 SD> time to evaluate it.  The song "Once" really stood out., and
 SD> "Progression" contains a piano phrase lifted from "I Feel the
 SD> Earth Move Under My Feet" by Carole King.
ELP?  Hmm, a little, but not as pompous, overbearing, and pretentious as
ELP :-)  The keyboard is aggressive like Emerson, but more classy or
something, but when they use the mellotron and get all symphonic, I'm
reminded of none other than Focus.  Plus, and I'll say it again, Pierre
Van Der Linden (from Focus) is one of my favorite drummers.  I'd take
his style over Palmer ANY time.
I really love the opening 3 tracks including "Guillarde."  I like those
as much as anything by Focus, and that for me is saying a lot because I
really like Focus.  "Once" is fantastic too.  I'll listen to
"Progression" again and see if I hear that Carole King thing.
 SD> Lucifer's Friend _Banquet_
 SD> I see now why this album gets such violently opposed
 SD> reviews.  It's the lost Chicago album.  There's some really
 SD> schmaltzy vocalizing ("Our World is a Rock 'n' Roll Band")
 SD> a la later Chicago before they completely bombed out.
 SD> There's some pretty good radio-friendly rock, and some
 SD> great jamming (esp. "Thus Spoke Oberon") with horn and
 SD> string section backing in places.  Sort of Chicago 2 meets
 SD> Chicago 5.
Wasn't it "Thus Spoke Oberon" that you played for me?  Man, if it was,
that song was incredible!
 SD> Godley & Creme _L_
 SD> This isn't out on CD, I think, and this copy's side 2 is
 SD> supposedly not so hot.  Haven't listened to it yet.
Um, I think you can get a Japanese import on CD.  I've got this LP too.
It's pretty good, but after listening to this and another solo
album of theirs, _Freeze Frame_, I'd say I much prefer their work in
10cc and Hotlegs, although the Godley and Creme solo stuff is more Prog
than either of those bands.
 SD> Focus _Live at the Rainbow_
 SD> I got this because I knew Clark wanted a copy, so he'll have
 SD> to do the review.
Yes, cool!  Thanks for picking that up for me.
 SD> Todd Rundgren _A Wizard A True Star_
 SD> I dread his pop singing.  It's so repetitive.  There's not much
 SD> of it on this album, on first listen.  Some pretty weird and
 SD> heavy stuff.  At times, I was quite impressed.  At times, I
 SD> wasn't.  Definitely not his top 40 mode.
I'd like to hear this.  Is it something like that Utopia CD I played
some of for you?
 SD> Michael de Albuquerque _We May Be Cattle But We've All
 SD> Got Names_
 SD> I gambled  this would be worth $4.50 to Clark (I was right).
 SD> If not, I'm sure somebody will want it.  It's got Ollie
 SD> Halsall, whom I've heard of before.  Michael dA was with
 SD> ELO at some point.
Yeah, he played bass with ELO on _ELO II_ (1972) and _On The Third
Day_ (1973).  I'm looking forward to hearing this.
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- Clark Ray                                                  -
- email: clarkray@psnw.com                                   -
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--- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 
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