The message from Steven Van Impe rises higher:
 SVI> Hello Clark.
 SVI> Please read what Mike Taylor told me about you:
 SVI>> There's so many messages here! And I only know a few groups
 SVI>> you name in your messages (Pink Floyd, Marillion and Alan
 SVI>> Parsons Project)
 MT> Here's a perfect example.  Clark Ray is a fan of all these bands, Pink
 MT> Floyd the least of the three.  Ask for his opinion on other bands.
 SVI> So that's what I'm doing now.
First off, Mike's got me a bit wrong: I like *most* of those three, but
I don't like all that Floyd has ever put out.
 SVI> Could you suggest me some bands ? I like
 SVI> Pink Floyd's _Wish You Were Here_ best, and Alan Parsons' _Tales
 SVI> Of Mystery And Imagination_ second. I haven't heard much
 SVI> Marillion yet, just _B-sides themselves_ and _Misplaced
 SVI> Childhood_.
OK, we've got some similar tastes.  That's my favorite Parsons Project
album and I like Floyd's _Wish You Were Here_.  As for Marillion, I went
nuts for _Misplaced Childhood_ when I first got it, but I got rather
tired of it.  There are still many parts of it that I like, though.  My
favorite Marillion is _Fugazi_.  Most don't like it, but I do.  It's the
album that came out right before _Misplaced_ so you might want to try it
out.
 SVI> Mike already pointed me some groups like Porcupine Tree, IQ and Camel,
 SVI> and also advised checking out Yes, King Crimson and early Genesis (I
 SVI> like _Selling England by the Pound_).
I haven't heard any Porcupine Tree, but I do recommend IQ, especially
considering your other tastes.  Definitely get _The Wake_.  I'd be very
surprised if you didn't like it.  It's a favorite of mine.  It took me a
little while to get used to the singer's voice, but I finally did.
You'd like Camel a great deal, too, I'd bet.  I don't know how willing
you are to do it, but I'd like to suggest a 2-disc compilation of Camel
called _Echoes_.  I suggest this because it contains songs from their
many different styles from 1973 to 1992.  What's more, it would
be a great intro to many different styles of Prog.  If you don't want to
make a commitment to a 2-disc set, try ANY Camel you can find, let me
know what you think of it, and I'll direct you from there.
If you haven't tried any Yes yet, you should.  They are such a treat and
more than a few of their songs have that feeling of "yes, this is IT."
Try _Fragile_ or _The Yes Album_.  Those are tame enough to not scare
you away and yet contain some of their best and most emotional music.
As for King Crimson, that may be a bit more complex than you are
accustomed to, but, they are a must-hear for anyone into Prog and
they've put out three of my all-time favorite albums: _In The Court If
The Crimson King_, _Larks' Tongues In Aspic_, and _Red_.
And then there's Genesis.  I was, and still am mostly, a freaked-out
fanatic of their music.  I've got everything they put out commercially
from their debut in 1969 to their last album in 1992 as well as a number
of bootlegs, singles, EPs, etc.  I'm not quite as enamored with them as
I used to be, but that's just because I've found music out there that
excites me as much or more.  _Selling England_ is a good starter for the
Gabriel era of Genesis, but you may have found it to be a bit flat; I
kind of do.  I suggest their 1977 live album called _Seconds Out_.  Phil
is on vocals, but most of the songs are from the Gabriel-era.  I also
highly recommend _Foxtrot_ and _Trick Of The Tail_.  Actually, I bet
you'd really fall for _Trick Of The Tail_, judging by your other tastes.
You're still at a very early stage in this stuff and we need to have a
better idea of what you like already.  Before I recommend any other
bands, I'd like to know some more about your tastes.  How are you for
Fusion/Jazz?  What instruments do you seem to pick out first when you
hear music?  For me, it's the drums, bass, and anything else in the
rhythm section.  I don't care for guitar solos, usually. They tend to
bore me.
Anyway, stick around here.  We'll help.
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- Clark Ray                                                  -
- email: clarkray@psnw.com                                   -
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