Babylon (78), Night Over Never (89), Better Conditions for the Dead (89)

Very Genesis influenced Floridian band who put out a coveted album in the late seventies. This is album is extremely in the Genesis style (like Marillion) yet avoids the commerciality that this band eventually dived headfirst into.) Syn-Phonic also released two bootleg quality live albums from their heyday which show them in a rather muddy light.

Imagine an incredible dynamo of progressive energy in the mold of Nursery Cryme period Genesis, but with some slight punky undertones thrown in as well. Add to this the affected vocals of singer Doroccas, and you have a sound that, while not unlike a high energy version of early Marillion, pre-dated that band by five years. They only released one self-titled studio album around 1978, featuring four long cuts. Hopefully someday that fine album will be reissued on compact disc. A few years ago, two limited issue LPs of their live show were released, (Night Over Never and Better Conditions For The Dead) which included all of the songs from the original album, plus several other tracks not included on the studio LP. While the quality of the recording is no better than an average bootleg, the performance on both of these live albums is incredible.

Babylon, in some ways, is better than Nursery Cryme-era Genesis, although certainly not nearly as innovative, given that their album was recorded in '77. Detectable influences include peak-period Genesis, Gentle Giant, a bit of Zeppelin, even. The vocalist has a very high voice, Plant-like in tone, but phrased more like early Gabriel (if you can imagine that). There's some vague resemblance to Rush, but much more progressive and less metallic. I wish they'd been better recorded; the home-grown qualities of the studio album detract from its appeal, though it's certainly better than the "bootleg quality" ascribed to those live albums. If some really exceptional remastering (or remixing!) is done for the CD reissue, this could be a major winner!

[See Helicopter]

Depois Do Fim (82)

Depois Do Fim is a classic South American prog gem! Seven songs, all in the 5-7 minute range. Style-wise, Bacamarte are somewhat (and superficially) comparable to early Iconoclasta, with similarities in guitar style and synth tones, and an obvious Latin flair. Bacamarte's music is ever-changing through a variety of styles, shifting from jazzy flute to heavy, Italian-styled synth layers to blazing runs of guitar and flute. The arrangements are rich, complex and, most importantly, inventive. You never know what direction the band will next take. The musicians are also first rate, though the guitarist, drummer and bassist most catch my attention. The guitarist carries the melody with his non-stop riffing or his emotional solos, thrilling with his fills and trills. He's also quite a joy to behold on classical guitar. The drummer and bassist make an excellent rhythmic foundation. The synth is mostly dedicated to providing the layers of atmosphere and occasional fills. He does quite well, and on a couple of tracks he shows he definitely has the chops. Give or take, the album is about half vocal (in Portugese) and half instrumental. Highly recommended! -- Mike Taylor

A strange thing it is to hear music from 1982 that sounds more characteristic of a style of the mid-seventies. But wait! Before you think that Bacamarte is another derivative Yes or Genesis wannabe, let me extoll their virtues! Did you ever get an album, and upon the first listen you were extremely impressed, but not quite blown away? However, as you listened to it over the next few months, you realize that it's a classic, one of the best you've ever heard. This is my impression of Bacamarte's one and only album, Depois do Fim. Obviously, they were influenced by the British prog giants, Yes and Genesis, but the album comes across with more of an Italian or Argentinian style. In particular, PFM circa Per un Amico and Mia's Cornonistipicum. With a lead section of guitar, flute and keyboards that intertwine in complex, busy counterpoint, and a backdrop of wandering bass, Bacamarte creates a warm, rich sound. Combine this with absolutely stunning female vocals, mature writing style and a Latin feel. Like contemporary proggers Anglagard, there is little emphasis on solos, and much on composition. You can listen to each instrument individually without hearing much repetition, which, to these ears, is the highest point achievable in music; all players playing different parts that combine to become something greater. A few moments of the album make me laugh though. There's a 10 second ripoff of the opening riff of PFM's "Generale!," and a short keyboard theme that I'm sure I've heard Rick Wakeman do. Other than that, Bacamarte is very original. The guitar sound is akin to PFM's Franco Mussida, and the keyboards have the necessary "fat" analog sound of the vintage seventies. The LP is something of a rarity, but is one of the few that I would pay the exorbitant collector's prices for. I can't recommend this record highly enough to anyone into symphonic prog. It is a true masterpiece, and deserves categorization with Yes's Relayer, PFM's Per Un Amico, Celeste's Principo di un Giorno, and Änglagård's Hybris. Go get it. Now. -- Mike Borella

A nice Brazilian band, from the 80s, but with a definitely 70s sound. They use keyboards/guitars/bass/drums, but also adds a good female vocalist, flutes, accordion and percussion (don't worry, it's no ethnic music!) Their sound can be described as Italian-like, sounding amazingly like Semiramis in some parts, with a very dynamic and strong instrumentation, specially the interplay between guitars/keyboards. Almost no digital keyboards were used, so this adds to the '70s (Italian) prog feel of the whole record! -- Luis Paulino

Bach Two Bach (71)

Lemmings (73), Stalingrad (78)

Bachdenkel was a British band that lived in France. They recorded two albums on the independent Initial label. Stalingrad (title appears in the Cyrillic alphabet) was the second of those. Keyboards are in short supply, so the sound is pretty intimate, mostly just two guitars, bass, drums and vocals. The vocals strongly suggest John Wetton. The two-part title song is probably the best, part one being vocal, part two instrumental. Elsewhere there aren't any real standouts, most of the songs are short, and there's no real complexity to the music, but it's not a bad album. It's a pleasant enough album, but not spectacular. One interesting thing about the album is the back cover, which shows a mock crypt with a bunch of names on the gravestone. Some of the names include: Guy Boyer (vibraphonist who played on the second Moving Gelatine Plates album), Rory Gallagher, Peter Hammill, Patrick Juvet (French disco star), Mick Ralphs and Bernard Szajner (French synthesist and Initial label-mate).

Back Door (72), Eight Street Nites (73), Another Fine Mess (75), Activate (76)

Sax/bass/drums jazz/blues trio who got lots of acclaim because of the bass player, who played chords and treated his bass like a guitar. The two first albums had prog overtones and definitely had strong moments and original ideas. The group later faded completely into blues and lost appeal.

Planet Show (79)

Sky-label synthesist whose one album features members of Lake and Brainstorm.

Echoes (84)

Progressive/new-age keyboard artist.

One Live Badger (73), White Lady (74?)

An attempt by ex-Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye to form a progressive supergroup, Badger released two albums but failed to achieve any sort of popularity. Recorded live a couple of weeks before Christmas 1972, One Live Badger is comprised of long tracks that provide an opportunity to feature the keyboard playing of Kaye and more importantly the excellent guitar work of Brian Parrish. The music is kind of like Traffic meets Grand Funk Railroad with an emphasis on spiritual rhythm and blues. Most of the songs have a religeous theme but stay well shy of being preachy. This is not complex progressive, but it is a very nice album with lots of energy, power, and emotion. It has recently been reissued on CD and sports the great cover work by Roger Dean. Their second release, White Lady, has Jackie Lomax taking center stage and a shift from progressive to a more soulful sound. Not overly recommended.

Soudain l'elephant (93)

baG, a new French band, is Musea's foray into world music. baG has traveled extensively over the past few years listening to and influenced by Oriental, Arabian, South American, African, and French folk music. Their debut CD Soudain l'elephant is an ethno-folk-progressive amalgam of finely crafted and recorded music. The opening song Suerte is a slick new-age piece along the lines of Weather Report without falling to the excess of Kenny G. The music significantly improves after Suerte alternating between bucolic guitar pieces evoking Pat Metheny and jazz fusion in the style of Chic Corea. Highlights of this album are the Arabic influenced Udai, the slow moving and eerie Little Desert Hotel, and the King Crimson experimental stylings of Le Chat Noir. Soudain l'elephant is another excellent Musea release and sure to please a wide audience. One little glitch in the packaging is a handwritten poem printed in reverse on the inside cover of the CD booklet. By scanning and inverting the page I was able to decipher most of the writing. I then ran my guess by the kind folk at Musea who helped me with the following French and English translation:

Comme un elephant son ivoire J'ai en bouche un bien precieux Poupre mort! J'achete ma gloire Au prix des mots melodieux.

Like an elephant's ivory I have something precious in my mouth Purple death! I buy my glory At the cost of melodious words. - Apollinaire

This poem is undoubtedly an explanation of the album title. baG is a band to watch.

Hydrophony (??), Bizaria (93), Ephemeron (93)

Bizaria, the wonderful new Bagsby solo tape, is just the right mix of electronic, avant garde, and progressive music. Although there are individual track names, Bagsby's music is a nonstop sonic feast constantly changing and surprising the listener. Side one opens with the tubular analog sounds of the late sixties quickly replaced by an electronic symphony orchestra in the style of twentieth century classical music. David achieves on this tape what Klaus Schulze is only hinting at on his recent boxed set. The music mutates again to eerie cascading multi-sampled strings, bells, and brass. David knows what he is doing and he skillfully avoids the pitfall of tired sounds from not having enough samples. Suddenly the heavens let loose with a thunderstorm that clears the air only to be filled with the quiet nocturnal sounds of crickets and other feral creatures of the night. Transforming once again, Bagsby treats us to an electronic Indian Raga that could have only been played by a synthesized Ravi Shankar. Then closing out the side is a Ralph Lundsten influenced piece of cosmic jazz. That is quite a lot of territory to cover in 15 minutes! Not to be outdone is Side Two with its avant garde mixture of bells, vibes, and reverberating crystalline electronics that bend and glide all over the sonic spectrum. Curiously out of this sonic chaos the sounds coalesce into a melody with a heavy beat that develops into excellent ELP inspired progressive rock! Bizaria is one true bizarre listening experience not to be missed. Seek out this tape by this highly intelligent and talented composer. You won't be disappointed. Hot on the heels of Bizaria is another new Bagsby solo tape, Ephemeron. Mr. Bagsby is amazing in the musical breadth of his talent. Each tape is a unique experience from the mathematical experimentation of Hydrophony through the electronic amalgam of Bizaria to the intelligent avant garde compositions of ephemeron. This electronic chameleon now presents an outstanding tape of Peter Frohmader and Art Zoyd influenced music: "More Nightmares of Science" (7:30), "Ephemeron 3" (6:12), "Ephemeron 4" (4:30), and "Automata" (8:50). "More Nightmares of Science" is a well crafted subterranean bit of electronic chamber music that can go up against the best of Peter Frohmader. The sinister "Ephemeron 3" with its sampled voices, strings, and bass could well have been used as the soundtrack to Psycho. "Ephemeron 4" is more of the same but not as dark. The final piece is "Automata." Pulsating electronics, rapid toy piano runs, and a gut wrenching bass contribute to the frightening experience of witnessing a robot gone berserk! Lamentably all too soon the tape is over. Is there no aspect of electronic or progressive music that stumps Bagsby? I don't think so. Give his music a try. David has something for everyone.

Interstellar Chaos (??)

All you Hawkwind freaks probably remember Harvey as their keyboardist from 1978 to 1991. Interstellar Chaos is Harvey's new solo release and it is much more experimental than anything he ever did with Hawkwind. Here we have "the missing link" of electronic and space music. Harvey boldly goes where no one has gone before taking the legacy of early Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze and extending it to the nether reaches of the universe. I wish more musicians would follow his lead. This is music sorely missed with today's use of digital synths, drums, samplers, and sequencers. The music flows from one song to the next as one seamless journey though time and space. The song titles alone are enough to excite your imagination: "Mistiness in Orion's Head," "Gravitational Pull," "The Sun in Hydrogen Light," "Heading: Cygnus X-1," etc. The CD format is perfect for this music but here the cassette features an additional 10 minutes of music. Unfortunately the cassette has some distracting gaps of a second or so in the middle of some songs that are missing on the CD. If you spend money on no other CDs this year, buy Interstellar Chaos. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

[See Hawkwind]

A Rock Mass For Love (71), Memento (7?)

Prog, with psych touches on A Rock Mass....

Out of the Blue (76)

Jazz-rock band. The music on their only (?) LP (Out of the Blue) is very similar in style to several other German bands from the same era: Kraan, Passport, Release Music Orchestra, etc. No vocals. Pretty nice stuff, although nothing earth-shattering. I found them a bit lacking in the drum department. -- David Wayne

Balance (73)

Private-label prog

Sirio 2222 (70), YS (72)

Their first album Sirio 2222, a rather average album of Hendrix-esque psychedelic rock may be of no interest to progressive fans yet their second, the widely regarded as superb Ys is a no miss. If you like jams that climax in incredible splendor and keyboards that compare to some of Wakeman or Stewart's best works, I think you may like this one. Although incredibly haunting, if you like dark works don't miss this one. I offer these quotes in support: Audion (speaking of the Italian band, Semiramis) .".. in the genre only one album I can think of surpasses it - Il Balletto di Bronzo's Ys," Syn-Phonic of Ys: "may be the very best ever and who's to argue " and Wayside (speaking of Sirio 2222) ."..who would next record the classic Ys." If these leading lights of prog music ever influence your music buying tastes, than you can probably see where I'm coming from....

Their album Ys is an Italian progressive rock classic from the early seventies. The music itself is most reminiscent of ELP, with fast-paced keyboard and piano leads. The "moods" of the tracks vary from the diminished chord soundscapes commonly used in horror movies to very melodic keyboard and drum interactions, in the best traditions of the genre. The Italian vocals add another dimension to the music, and range from tortured solos to well-structured harmonies. Admittedly, this CD will not appeal to many, but, to those to whom the above description sounds appealing, it should be well worth the listening.

Their album Ys is without a doubt one of the best progressive albums to come out of the 70's Italian scene. Intense high-energy rock with some jazz and classical influences, dominated by keyboards and guitar, strong vocals, and brilliant, complex and sometimes chaotic instrumental passages.

Ys is a very beautifully dark sounding album. I listened to this for the first time in several months just for this review and it really impressed me more than it ever had before. Only part I don't like is the second to last song or part, the mellow one that has that repeating bass line that drags on forever. This album is very chaotic musically and but not too hard to listen to IMO.

The first LP was great (hard rock sound) but the problem was that the label did not publicise the album enough. The guitar and the drums sound good. The second LP was very different from the first, more jazz and classical, with good keyboards

YS is a dark and intense jam that, in my opinion, blows away the best King Crimson. If you like progressive rock dynamic and disturbing, go for it. A must have.

A heavy Italian classic, their album YS. Always with the lyricism that seems to be inherent in Italian progressive, the music spans the range from melodic to intense in this one album. Melodic Emerson-like keyboard is suddenly replaced by heavy guitar jams (which I can only compare to other Italian bands such as Semiramis and Osanna) and vice versa--there is never a dull moment. Lyrics are sung in Italian, but don't let that stop you from checking out this Italian classic.

[See Leone, Gianni]

Bambibanda E Melodie (74)

This is an album where the most important instrument is the guitar and the lyrics are reduced to the minimum. It's a rhythmical rock LP.

[See Fossati, Bambi | Garybaldi | Gleeman]

Aun Es Tiempo De Sonar (7?)

Banana is an Argentinian band whose sole release is a work of sometimes very good, sometimes average progressive rock. The music shows a variety of European influences from Yes to Nektar to Focus to Genesis to Camel. Though their sound is very melodic, the rhythm section is pretty basic which fails to elicit any emotional excitement from me. The keyboard work is usually relegated to the background and often limited to Fender Rhodes. Occasionally, some synth lines will burst forth which adds some dimension to the sound. However, the guitar is fairly prominent (almost all the solos are guitar) which is where I most hear the Nektar, Focus, and Camel influences. I'm also reminded of Nektar (from Recycled) in some of the synth/guitar combinations. In a way, it surprises me that the music fails to contain any latin influences like fellow Argentinians, Espiritu. Unfortunately, this lack tends to make the album sound less original that if it contained, for instance, some flamenco-styled acoustic guitar. The vocals (which are fairly abundant) are singularly uninspiring, sometimes sounding like AOR love-song crooning ala Styx. Overall, this isn't a bad album, one many of you would enjoy. Beware of some weaker moments, though.

Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso (72), Darwin! (72), Io Sono Nato Libero (73), Banco (75), Garofano Rosso (76), Come In Un'ultima Cena (76), Di Terra (78), Canto Di Primavera (79), Capolinea (80), Urgentissimo (80), Buone Notizie (81), Banco (83), ... E Va (85), Grande Joe (85), Da Qui Messere Si Domina La Valle (91), Il Tredici (94)

Originally known as Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso they released two albums on Manticore, Banco and As In A Last Supper. These however are merely English versions of their earlier release, the former being of songs from their first three albums Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, Darwin! and Io Sono Nato Libero. The latter is an English version of their fourth Come In Un'Ultima Cena. Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso's first three are definitely classics, with a strong baroque feel, dual keyboards, extremely complicated arrangements, and a strong vocal presence (you may like him or you may not.) They definitely take a little getting used to, although your patience will definitely reveal three beautifully crafted masterpieces. Garafano Rosso and ...Di Terra are mid period albums, almost all instrumental that delve into a more neo-classical realm and are best left for the more explorative. Later albums including Canto Di Primavera and the live Capolinea are rather poor, the latter including some horrible horn parts. I'd stick with the first three for starters.

I've only listened to Darwin! and Io Sono Nato Libero, and both are outstanding. Intricate and dense, sort of a keyboardish Yes/Crimson cross. Takes 2 or 3 listens to get used to but worth the effort.

The only thing I've heard from them is their 1975 Banco. It's a fairly decent piece of Italian progressive rock, certainly much more energetic than their often too folksy labelmates PFM. The highlight for me was the interplay between the bombastic keyboards and Rudolfo Maltese's nicely aggressive guitar work. Vocalist Francesco di Giacomo has operatic pretensions, which is sort of a downer, and occasionally the whole band veers off into a sub-par ballad shtick that Julio Iglesias would later make famous, but other than that this is quite solid. -- Doug Bassett

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, or Banco for short, along with PFM, Osanna and a few others, defined the early to mid seventies Italian progressive sound that so many after them would follow. That sound was equally influenced by folk themes, classical music, and the melodic and experimental british bands of the time, ie. Van Der Graaf, early Genesis, the Nice, and others. Banco, in particular also tended to have quite a bit of Jazz influence to their sound. In the 90's they reformed and re-recorded new versions of the first two albums. Their sound varies somewhat from album to album, but most feature excellent vocals (in Italian) by Francesco "Mr.Chubbs" DiGiacomo (Garafano Rosso is an instrumental album). All come highly recommended, except maybe Capolinea which was their farewell live album, and sounds more compromised.

During the '70s, only a few Italian progressive bands gained any noticeable mention in the United States. Banco was one of those bands (as was PFM). Like PFM, Banco remixed a few of their original albums with English lyrics on ELP's Manticore label. For example, Banco contained remixed selections from the band's first three albums. To my way of thinking, the reworking of the songs destroys their natural aura. Because of this, I recommend that you get the original Italian albums, particularly Io Sono Nato Libero and Darwin!. Both of these are excellent keyboard dominated symphonic progressive albums, along the lines of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, except more lyrical and less bombastic. The two keyboardists (piano, Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer) create some wonderful music, finely crafted and well executed. These albums should delight any keyboard fan. Classical influences abound; I'm not sure of this but to me they seem to draw more from the Classical and Baroque periods as well as the 20th century classical favored by Emerson. As indicated above, the lyrics are sung in Italian. The vocalist is a powerful singer, not harsh to my ears, dominating the sound when he does sing. Fortunately for us instrumental fans, the singing isn't as common as the incredible instrumental passages. Capolinea is a live album (from 1980) that fails miserably, despite the fact that it draws from these early albums. The sound is more commercial and the performance is uninspired. Start with the highly recommended Io Sono Nato Libero and Darwin! instead. -- Mike Taylor

Their first three albums are supposed to be their best. I only have the English-language Manticore-label reduction of these. It was enough to mesmerize me into their sound. If you like intricate progressive rock with great vocals, dual synthesizers and excellent guitarwork, you're gonna love them! The English vocals do sound rather awkward, the original Italian versions would probably cause me to turn my nose up at this album. I heard another album from around this time, Come In Un Ultima Cena, also excellent. Vocalist Francesco Di Giacomo sounds like an opera-trained Peter Gabriel. Two of the subsequent albums, Garofano Rosso and ...Di Terra are completely instrumental, neo-classical works. Di Terra is the better of these two, evocative, cinematic music. Highly recommended. I heard part of Canto Di Primavera which was nice, in line with their earlier works, yet not quite on that level. Capolinea is supposed to really suck. The other albums between 1980-1989 are also to be avoided. There's a 1990 or so release with a long Italian title which escapes me at the moment. It consists of updated versions of music from the first few albums. I heard some of it, nice, but doesn't add anything to the originals. -- Mike Ohman

Cuestion De Tiempo (92)

Spanish instrumental trio, with a focus on guitar and synthesizers. When I listen I am reminded of The Guitar Orchestra at times, but LBL's sound is not as multi-layered and dense; they opt instead to inject their sound with flutes, mandolin, keys, and on a couple tracks, some fairly dark sounding electronics. Overall, this is music that is introspective and free spirited, full of rich emotions and romanticism. Not poppy.

Banda Elastica (85), Banda Elastica 2 (91)

A very RIO sounding Mexican sextet, featuring guitars, drums, marimbas, bass, keyboards and sax/clarinet, with guests on violin/viola and flute. Their sound is a highly spirited blend of modern progressive, electrified jazz and ethnic influences. A few tracks feature vocals. They have two albums, a self-titled one from '85 and their second from 1991.

Galaxy My Dear (78), Ma, Dolce Vita (79), Heart (81)

Ex Biglietto per L'inferno. These album are electronic music.

[See Biglietto Per L'Inferno, Un]

Outline No. 12 (83)

NYC modern-classical/jazz/avant-garde violinist.

Two Sides of Peter Banks (73), Instinct (94), Self-Contained (95)

Original guitarist for 2 pretty good prog bands: Yes and Flash. Banks' all-instrumental solo album Two Sides of... is a strange patchwork of introspective, almost jazzy solo and multitracked guitar, guitar duets (w/Jan Akkerman of Focus), prog/fusion instrumentals (with Ray Bennett of Flash on bass and either Mike Hough of Flash or Phil Collins on drums) and some very loose, even sloppy, jamming (w/Bennett, Collins and Akkerman). I actually prefer the solo/duo guitar stuff. Steve Hackett and John Wetton also appear on one cut. Not an essential album, but not a bad one to have around. Akkerman sounds great. After Flash broke up, Peter Banks was in a band called After the Fire through the late '70s, and then seemed to drop out of sight, although I recall him playing on a major-label (Capitol?) fusion record by an Icelandic keyboardist named Jakob Magnusson in the early '80s. Banks has made a comeback, and done at least one solo CD (titled Self-Contained) as of this writing (1996). -- David Wayne

Original Yes guitarist who has to my knowledge released three solo albums. Two Sides Of Peter Banks is an early '70's entry with one excellent side-long instrumental suite (featuring contributions from Jan Akkerman, Steve Hackett, Phil Collins, and others) and one side of take-it-or-leave-it improvisation. Instinct and Self-Contained are entirely instrumental releases which showcase Banks' formidable but regrettably long-ignored chops. Purists may be put off by the programmed drums and low-budget production, but IMO Banks does the Yes legacy justice. Don't confuse Banks' solo work with his less-than-stellar, post-Yes groups Flash and Empire. -- J. Drake

[See Yes]

A Curious Feeling (79), The Fugitive (83), The Wicked Lady (83), Soundtracks (86), Bankstatement (88), Still (91)

Banks was a founding member of the once progressive, once great band Genesis. His keyboard work is distinct and often imitated, and his compositional skill is what sets him apart from his contemporaries (Emerson, Wakeman, and others). A Curious Feeling is his 1979 Debut album, with vocals by Kim Beacon, ex-of String Driven Thing, and is generally recognized as his best. His later albums grow increasingly more commercial: Although The Fugitive has some nice moments, Bankstatement and Still are pretty disappointing. He has two soundtrack albums: The Wicked Lady and Soundtracks, both of which are ok, but not great.

[See Genesis]

Hora Nata (72)

Progressive, compared to early Genesis.

First Love (75), Barbarella? (76)

Durante O Verao (76)

Brazilian folky progressive band. Ok I guess, not worth that much trouble.

Barclay James Harvest (70), Once Again (71), Other Short Stories (71), Baby James Harvest (72), Early Morning Onwards (72), Everyone is Everybody Else (74), Live (74), Time Honoured Ghosts (75), Octoberon (76), Best of Vol.1 (77), Gone To Earth (78), Live Tapes (78), Number 12 (78), Best of Vol.2 (79), Mockingbird - The Early Years (80), Eyes Of The Universe (80), Turn Of The Tide (81), Berlin - A Concert For The People (82), Best of Vol.3 (82), Ring Of Changes (83), Victims Of Circumstance (84), Face to Face" (87), Stand Up (??), Glasnost (87?), Welcome to the Show" (91?), Caught by the Light (93), Alone we Fly (??, comp.), Another Arable Parable (??, comp.), The Harvest Years (??, comp.)

Barclay James Harvest are a British group that were spawned by the progressive rock movement of the late sixties. Their music tends to echo some of the more mellow Genesis output, but, despite being on the brink of mass popularity, they have not yet released the landmark LP that could put them over the top. They are extremely popular in Germany and to a lesser extent in Britain. They were one of the first groups (the first ?) to be picked up by the Harvest label. The name of the label, incidentally, is not derived from the name of the group.

The musicians are Lees, Holroyd, Wolstenholme, and Pritchard. They often, under the "conductor-ship" of Wolstenholme, use an orchestral backing to their songs. In their better moments, they sound like something between Pink Floyd and Genesis, but are quite uneven. On their live albums, though, they play their better numbers, so those would be fairly safe purchases. One of their staple live songs, is self mockingly called "Poor Man's Moody Blues," and that description may be valid too.

Prog rockers who incorporate the spirit of The Moody Blues and bands such as Genesis into their material. Short Stories and Baby James Harvest were their 3rd and 4th releases, representative of the now well-defined BJH sound, delivered atop the symphonic base laid down by keyboardist Woolly Wolstenholme. Each disc offers close to 80 minutes of vintage BJH, and is accompanied with a detailed insert, including lyrics. Welcome to the Show evokes the spirit of their older material.

Manchester, England-based band who have gone through a number of stylistic changes over the years. The first, self-titled album was recorded with a symphony orchestra on a few tracks. Strongly derivative of the Moody Blues, right down to the dramatic reading at the beginning of the 11-minute "Dark now my sky". By the time of Baby James Harvest, they are relying on the orchestrations less; the one track with the full orchestra, "Moonwater", is more like pure classical music than rock. Other than that, the only real outstanding track is "Summer Soldier", a Floydian piece with layered guitars, massed mellotrons and clever use of sound-effects. Everyone Is Everybody Else ditches the orchestra altogether, as keyboardist Stuart Wolstenholme discovered synthesizers, used to stunning effect of the opening song, "Child of the Universe". "For No One" is another lush keyboard epic. The other high points are bassist Les Holroyd's two somber contributions to the album: "Paper Wings" and "Negative Earth". There is also a medley of folk-orientated songs, "Mill Boys" and "Poor Boy Blues". Octoberon finds them at the height of their popularity. It seems to be the apex of many of their acquired tendencies over the years. "Ra" seems to be one of their best keyboard-epics. "The World Goes On" is one of Holroyd's better moody pieces. They brought the orchestra back for "May Day", which also features a chorus. John Lees' vocals and the overall tone of the piece remind me of Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, but the sound reminds me more of Atom Heart Mother. "Suicide?" seems to be the culmination of the depressive tone that has been developing ever since Everyone.... Don't play it around your suicidal friends. There's many more where that came from, in fact, the band is still together! . -- Mike Ohman

The self-confessed "Poor Man's Moody Blues." I've only heard the album X11, and it is certainly similar to MB stuff from the early 80s. But not as good.

[See Godfrey, Robert John | Mandalaband | Wolstenholme, Woolly]

The Answer (70), Peter Bardens (71), Write My Name in Dust (71), Vintage 69 (76), Heart to Heart (79), Seen One Earth (87), Speed of Light (88), Watercolors (92)

Bardens' first solo LP was The Answer It doesn't sound a thing like Camel, and in fact isn't progressive at all, but rather excellent heavy rock. Peter Green, who plays here under the pseudonym Arthur Gee, never sounded better. -- Doug Bassett

Bardens, In his tenure with Camel, produced some of the finest progressive music ever recorded. Since his departure, his music hasn't totally lived up to what I had hoped it would, but more often drifted into the new-agey realm. Seen One Earth is probably the most solid of the lot, brilliantly applying multi-layered keyboards and soaring guitars for a mostly instrumental vision reminiscent of DSOTM or his final days with Camel. Watercolors is his newest, and is very new-agey overall (read: Boring). White Magic is the soundtrack to a skiing film on cassette that he peddles at his live shows.

Played keys in Camel and in Keats. Great organ sound, at least on those albums. He put out a couple of solos prior to Camel, and several new-age efforts more recently, which don't really interest me.

Bardens early work don t impress me much. I think the Vintage 69 album is a remake of his two first solo albums, which was made in '69 and '70 I think. Heart to Heart is incredibly dull and fumbling compared to his brilliant work with Camel, but he came back much stronger with Seen One Earth and Speed of Light, which are much more in the Camel vein, bordering to New Age but definitely much more interesting.

Sconcerto (76), Trusciant (78)

One of the few bands with multiple keyboardists that I can stomach (although only just barely), the all-instrumental prog-fusion band Il Baricentro is led by keyboard-playing brothers Francesco and Vanni Bocuzzi. The Bocuzzis acquit themselves nicely on a variety of keyboards although they stray into the schmaltz zone a bit too often for my tastes. Their compositions range from Latin-tinged fusion, to jazz-funk, to a sort of "Italian prog lite." At its worst, the music takes on a florid cocktail-lounge cutesy feel. For me, the main appeal of Baricentro's music is the spectacular interplay of bassist Tonio Napoletano and drummer Piero Mangini. Mangini is a truly excellent drummer whose approach is a devilish blend of David Garibaldi's polyrythmic funk and Bill Bruford's precision timekeeping. Napoletano's bass playing reminds me a bit of Magma's Jannick Top. On Trusciant they are joined by percussionists Luis Agudo and Max Rocci. Of the two Il Baricentro albums I own, Sconcerto is more progressive while 'Trusciant' (...which is dedicated to Jim Morrison, of all people!) has a more jazz-fusion feel. Both records are good, but not essential, unless you are a drummer. -- David Wayne

Italian band that plays in the fusion style of the 70's. The music on Sconcerto is based on arrangements of double keyboards, bass, drums and percussions. Several synthesizers are featured, as well as electric piano (Rhodes) and Clavinet with its funky touch. They have a sound that was common to numerous bands from that era. Note that brass are not used here, despite the very funky grooves the music often takes. Deserves attention from fans of the style, especially where the keyboard work is concerned. An excellent complement to your Return to Forever discs. -- Paul Charbonneau

Orfeo 2000 (72), LP Di Primavera (73)

Their LP was very banal and bored. Not interesting.

Early psych, no prog elements.

Hex (94)

The best kept secret of 1994. Bark Psychosis released one of the most addictive and unique Progressive Rock albums of the '90s. On Hex, Bark Psychosis is covering uncharted territory. They cover ambient, minimalism, free-improvisation, space-rock, and have a real knack for gorgeous, catchy and dreamy melodies (rampant throughout). This is neither Symphonic, Fusion, Jazz, RIO, or Zeuhl. Similar to Tortoise and Cul de Sac, but more melodic. The vocals are very laid back, and the instrumentation is as follows: piano, Hammond organ, bass, samples and programming, trumpet, cello, viola, flute, vibes, drums, guitar (very minimal), djembe and Melodica. Bark Psychosis would appeal to fans of Tortoise, Rain Tree Crow, Cul de Sac, Porcupine Tree, & the ambient works of '80s King Crimson (such as "The Sheltering Sky" and "Nuage"). A highly recommended release to "dream by" or "chill out" to. Buy it!!! You won't regret it. Bark Psychosis' Hex is a '90s must buy. -- Julian Belanger

Clara Crocodilo (79), Tubarões Voadores (82), Cidade Oculta (94), Suspeito (86), Façanhas (92)

Sin Tiempo ni Espacio (??)

The Madcap Laughs (70), Barrett (70), The Peel Sessions EP (87), (recorded '70) Opel (89)

Syd was the original guitarist and mastermind behind Pink Floyd. He was tossed out of the band before the second album was recorded, being too spaced out to play due to his heavy diet of LSD. Waters and Gilmour worked with him in the mid 70's to produce a couple albums (The Madcap Laughs and Barrett) These sessions also produced enough outtakes and such that a third album was released (Opel). Some of the material is brilliant, some is pretty painful and tortured, but in the right frame of mind....

[See Pink Floyd]

Free Play (91)

Former keyboardist of South-American fusion supergroup Caldera, Eduardo Del Barrio's Free Play has to be one of the most challenging major label (A&M) releases we've had in years. Although most of the compositions were improvised, his unique blend of modern classical, rock, and jazz sounds anything but random. Highly recommended to the adventurous. (While this one defies categorization, it can usually be located in the jazz section.)

[See Caldera]

L'Alchemista (91), Oxian (95)

From Italy, this six piece is fronted by two female vocalists. The overall sound wanders between quasi-symphonic and rock, mixing fresh ideas with some more familiar ones, they seem to straddle the line between the seventies and the nineties; the musical breaks contain certain classically inspired ideas, while the vocal parts lean towards pop and folk, while not being overtly so. Some comparisons could be made to bands like Renaissance and Coracao Da Terra, but Barrock truly sounds like neither, seeming to be rooted more in the 70's Italian progressive scene, but with all the modern technological advances.

Bara Basikova (91)

Basikova is the singing seductress of the Czechoslovakian prog band Stromboli. Unfortunately, her self titled solo album is mostly just techno-pop of very little interest.

[See Stromboli]

Parchesi Pie (78)

With accomplices Dave Newhouse (reeds and keys: also in the Muffins), and Glenn Wiser (bass and guitars), percussionist / keyboardist Bass recorded one unrelentingly strange album for the Random Radar label (Cuneiform's predecessor). The music on Parchesi Pie comprises very modern-sounding, through-composed chamber pieces featuring mallet percussion, bass clarinet and piano, silly Bonzo Dog Band-inspired vocal bits, strange spoken word interludes which sound like outtakes from the Firesign Theater, some overtly Zappa-influenced ensemble pieces, some even stranger free-improvised interludes, and some Canterbury-inspired bits. Like everything else on the Random Radar label, Parchesi Pie is a great, challenging listen, hampered only by the rather low-fi recording quality. If you appreciate early Zappa, Henry Cow, the Fugs, or the Bonzos, you really must check out this wonderful release! Whatever happened to this guy? -- David Wayne

[See Muffins, The]

Filthy Sky (70)

Prog/Folk/Psych.

Voci (78)

Basso is a keyboardist who's music is typical of the Italian symphonic rock tradition. His mastery of the piano, organ, mellotron and harpsichord is complemented by the addition of violin, drums, cello, bass and guitar. Although his highly classical approach reminds one of Keith Emerson, arrangements are usually more subtle and rhythms are not as furious. In fact, virtuosity relies here on a lighter and more subtle sound that's very Italian. A quality production, keyboard based compositions ans a sound typical of the place and time. It make you wonder how this classic has gone 15 years without being noticed. -- Paul Charbonneau

Sitar Power (86)

This guy (from Santa Cruz, CA) produces sort of a synthetic techno-rock using synthesizers and traditional Indian instruments. Interesting for a couple listens, but gets lame and cheesy sounding very quickly.

Fetus (72), Pollution (72), Sulle Corde Di Aries (73), Clic (74), L'Egitto Prima delle Sabbie (??), M.lle Le Gladiator (75), L'era del Cinghiale Bianco (79), Patriots (??), La Voce del Padrone (81), L'arca di Noe' (82), Orizzonti Perduti (83), Mondi lontanissimi (85), Fisiognomica (88), Giubbe Rosse (89), Caffe' de la Paix (??)

This is the best progressive soloist in Italy and now is very popular. I recommend Fetus and Pollution.

Suite (7?)

A band consisting of two Germans and two Cambodians, their music is very symphonic in style and heavily influenced by all sorts of South-East Asian forms. Good examples of use of weird, "folksy" instruments on only LP, "Suite." -- Stefan E Stefan

Workers' Playtime (71)

Ex-Blossom Toes in progressive mode.

[See Blossom Toes]

Axe Victim (74), Futurama (75), Sunburst Finish (76), Modern Music (76), Hot Valves (76), Live! In The Air Age (77), Drastic Plastic (78), Singles (81), Raiding The Divine Archives (90)

Art Rock band that featured guitarist extarordinaire Bill Nelson. Good for the uninitiated especially Sunburst Finish in which Nelson explores his version of the future with pop songs with flashy guitar.

The music is not categorized as progressive in the style of mellotron/keyboard symphonics, but is more within the realm of intelligent rock music comparable in spirit to Peter Hammill's solo material. For those unfamiliar with Be-Bop Deluxe, Modern Music or Sunburst Finish would probably be the best starting points.

Excellant guitar oriented rock with intelligent lyrics and mood shifts ranging from hard-edged to very subtle and passive.

Bill Nelson's mid-70's band, they produced a long string of albums that range from art-rock to mainstream pop, yet always very inventive, intelligent and generally progressive. The best of the bunch are probably Futurama, and Sunburst Finish, which feature plenty of excellent tunes and Nelson's trademark guitar pyrotechnics.

I have only heard their greatest hits album, but from that I would judge that Sunburst Finish is their most progressive album. I like it a lot, but it's more accessible than what I'd normally call progressive.

I have Axe Victim. Early 70s glitter-rock a la Ziggy Stardust-period Bowie with a heavy emphasis on Bill Nelson's flashy guitar style. Not by any means essential from a progressive standpoint, but fans of flashy guitar playing will probably drool all over this. Sunburst Finish and subsequent LPs are probably the most progressive. -- Mike Ohman

[See Astral Navigations | Nelson, Bill]

Bead Game (??), Welcome (68)

Early, heavy prog.

Ragnarok Electronic Funk (69), In a Wild Sanctuary (70), Gandharva (71), All Good Men (72)

Proto-Synthesizer music from the late 60s/Early 70's. IMHO pretty boring overall, goes nowhere.

Typical of early electronic music, definitely not prog, though of interest for those who want to find the roots of synth music.

Paul Beaver and Bernie Krause were American session keyboardists who were experimenting with the Moog synthesizer long before it became fashionable. Ragnarok Electronic Funk and In A Wild Sanctuary are all Moog. I haven't heard either of these. For Gandharva, they try interacting with other musicians, with mixed results. The high point is the B-side, a collaboration with jazz great Gerry Mulligan that was recorded in Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. Lovely, atmospheric music with lots of pipe organ, moog drones and Mulligan's pretty sax playing. The rest of the album ranges from rock jamming to electronic and gospel (!) and sounds about as cohesive as such a combination might suggest. -- Mike Ohman

I've heard only All Good Men. The album has two or three very good electronics/synth pieces in the vein of early T-Dream or Klaus Schulze. The rest of the album is very bad pop/rock/synth stuff with no redeeming value that I could hear. The few good songs aren't worth the effort it takes to listen through the bad songs. Don't bother. -- Mike Taylor

Forever Blue Sky (90)

Acoustic guitarist in new age vein, with sparing use of other instrumentation. Nice enough, but doesn't really challenge the senses.

Nurses Song with Elephants (72), Star's End (74), The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (75), The Odyssey (76), Instructions For Angels (77), The Rigel 9 (85)

David Bedford is an associate (or mentor?) of Mike Oldfield. Actually, some of Oldfield's most interesting and unprecedented playing can be heard on these records. Star's End is a very modern (but not really "avant-garde") classical piece for orchestra (the Royal Philharmonic), guitar (Oldfield) and drumset (Chris Cutler), which I find very rewarding listening. Bedford's writing is uncluttered, and he makes wonderful use of all the varied instrumental textures available to him. I am NOT a classical music expert, but to my untrained brain, Star's End recalls the work of modern composers such as Stravinsky and Varese. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a very different sort of release, with Bedford handling all the instruments (keyboards, percussion, flutes, violin, odd instruments) except guitar (Oldfield again). A narrator (Robert Powell) reads excerpts from the "...prose gloss which Coleridge added to his poem for the 1817 edition." Although the music is pretty "out there," it is more accessible than Star's End and successfully recreates the dark foreboding of the poem, unless you're a Philistine like me and can't banish the vision of Monty Python's John Cleese stomping around shouting "Albatross, get your Albatross here..." A great album which reminds me a tiny bit of Art Zoyd from their less frenetic period. A sea shanty crops up on side two. The Odyessy also has literary and seafaring inspirations, and there are some broad musical similarities to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Again, Bedford plays all instruments except guitar (Oldfield on two cuts, Andy Summers on one cut). Vocals, both choral and solo voices, are more prominent than on Rime..., and here Bedford makes extensive use of analog synthesizers. Overall, The Odyessy is a lighter, somewhat less challenging listen than either of his preceding albums, opting instead for a spacey, romantic, synth-heavy, more conventional progressive sound. Still, a very pleasant release which has some strikingly pleasant moments. -- David Wayne

[See Oldfield, Mike]

Bedful Of Metaphysicians (86)

I don't know if this was a real working band or just some one-off project that recorded this independent LP and then disappeared forever. Either way, this is one amazing smorgasbord of musical styles, tongue-in-cheek humor, and excellent musicianship throughout. It's difficult to describe this due to the fact that at any point in time the band could be playing in just about any concievable style filtered through their own demented musical vision. The band is led by Dirt Condominium (Guitars,Bass and Chroma) and Burma Diode (Keyboards), who also share responsibility for most of these compositions; The Dark Bongo plays saxes, Gordon Spiwak handles the drums, percussion and piano, and Michael Garrison on electric guitar and bass. They are augmented by various vocalists on different tracks, which together with the diversity of styles, almost gives it a feeling like it's 8 tracks recorded by 8 different artists! All in all a very interesting album, not your standard progressive fare by any means.

Act One (70), Waters of Change (71), Pathfinder (72), Get Your Dog Off Me (73), Lifeline (??), Sagittary (76), Beggars Can't Be Choosers (79)

Scottish band who are very much in the early seventies British style, i.e. East of Eden, Cressida, Spring etc. One of their albums features a cover of the "hit" "Macarthur Park." Lots of mellotron for those of us that can't get enough.

A worthwile band from the early seventies with lots of mellotron and Hammond organ. In places, it is fairly dated with song titles like "Time Machine" and song lyrics like "People of the land, join together hand in hand." Still enjoyable, though.

I have two of their albums, Waters of Change and Pathfinder. Waters is the one that introduced mellotron-player Virginia Scott to the band, and is probably their best. It sounds not unlike Cressida or Jethro Tull, but unlike them, dripping mellotron from every pore. Best songs: "Silver Peacock" and "Festival." Scott temporarily left the band for Pathfinder, a much more heavy rock orientated album. Some songs, like "Madame Doubtfire" and "The Witch," even have vaguely satanic lyrics! Especially the former, which ends with a nightmarish whirlpool of evil sound-effects and screaming. There's also some lighter moments, like the harpsichord heavy version of Richard Harris' (!) "McArthur Park." The best track is "From Shark To Haggis," which starts out dark and ominous, then transforms itself halfway into a wild Scottish jig. The Jethro Tull parallel holds here as well. Get Your Dog Off Me! reintroduces mellotron to the band, and adds Moog synth to boot. Haven't heard this, or the subsequent albums (Lifeline, Beggars Can't Be Choosers, Sagittary) for which Scott rejoined. -- Mike Ohman

Beia Come Aba (79)

A very non commercial jazz-rock band.

Konzert For A Broken Dance (82, released 90)

Interesting RIO-ish outfit with ties to Nimal and Debile Menthol.

Welcome Home (86), The Sleeping Beauty (87)

Super boring neo-prog band that sound like Camel on a synth programmer. Well, I guess if you like (etc. etc.)

This german band released one album in the mid 80's on the "music is intel- ligence" label. Their style sounds like a poppy Camel with lots of keyboards but lacks the depth and intensity of that band. The exception to this is the sidelong title track The Sleeping Beauty, which is really quite nice.

Lone Rhino (82), Twang Bar King (84), Desire Caught by the Tail (86), Mr. Music Head (89), Young Lions (90), Inner Revolution (92)

Guitar wizard from the Covington, KY/Cincinnati area. He probably has the most impressive resume of any living guitar player, having performed and/or recorded with the likes of Frank Zappa, Talking Heads, David Bowie, Laurie Anderson (among others), and having been a member of the 80's version of King Crimson. He also teamed up the regional band The Raisins (now known as psychodots, with a lower-case p) for two albums under the name The Bears. This band produced some very sophisticated and witty pop music that has an early Beatles feel to it-what the Fab Four might have done had they been starting out in the mid-80's and had they been better musicians. I prefer their first, self-titled album, but the second, Rise and Shine, is worthwhile. Belew's guitar wails. It screeches and careens all over the place. Listening to this man is exhilarating. He makes liberal use of electronics, but unlike most players, he doesn't use them just for the sake of trying to sound different-or worse, to hide his own musical deficiencies. Belew's electronic effects always enhance the music quite nicely, and even without them, the music would still be amazing stuff. His songwriting usually shows a fair amount of wit and humor, but he can get a bit tiresome when he's concerned with putting across a "serious message." My recommendations would be Lone Rhino and Young Lions. (The latter contains the delightful "I Am What I Am," which takes a radio broadcast of a dude named The Prophet Omega and puts music behind it. Belew played this piece on his last tour, with Omega's part recorded. It was the only time I've been at an ear-splitting concert and wished they would turn it up louder.) Desire Caught By The Tail is an instrumental album, probably of greatest interest to guitar players.

[See King Crimson]

The New Spirit Of Christmas (88)

[See Kindler, Steve and Teja Bell | Rising Sun]

Bella Band (78)

Good Italian fusion band that were on the Cramps label. Recommended to Arti E Mestieri fans.

Very good fusiony Italian one-shot. Not on CD yet, but the LP is well worth owing. True progressive in the best sense, derivative of no one, complex music, great feel. Highly recommended. -- Mike Borella

Metropolitain (75), Sea Fluorescent (76)

Ex-Heldon, but his music more comparable to Crosby Stills Nash and Young. Second album has some jazz-rock with guest Jerry Goodman of Mahavishnu Orchestra and the Flock fame.

[See Heldon]

Firefly (87)

All instrumental band from Japan. Their music is as beautiful as it is melodic. Heavily influenced by bands such as Camel and Sebastian Hardie, their single effort to date, entitled Firefly is a bonafide classic.

A lot like Edhels or Minimum Vital with their sound, but more like Camel in their apporoach, Bellaphon's Firefly is one of the better Japanese albums available and is a good start for those starting to get into the symphonic world. Some nice jams also mark this solid release.

Japan's answer to Finch, They only had one album so far as I know (Firefly), and it's not been released on CD yet. Quite Impressive with a strong fusion influence and powerful melodics a la Camel. Instrumental. Find it if you can.

[See Ain Soph [Japan]]

Ben (71)

A collector's item in prog circles with a taste for Vertigo material, though I find it of small interest.

Jazz-prog. Supposedly the rarest Vertigo swirl album.

Ikarus (??)

I've seen this recommended to Triggering Myth fans, so perhaps Happy the Man fans will enjoy?

[See Omega]

Près de Paris (75), 2 (7?), Musiques (78), Solilaï (81), Compilation (8?, Musiques/Solilaï), Early Pierre (8?), Spices (88)

Top-notch jazz-folk guitarist/singer whose distinctively non-wimpy music was erroneously and unfairly lumped in the "New Age" category. Although not really a "progressive rock" musician (...mainly because of the "rock" part of the phrase), many of his records feature Gong reedman Dider Malherbe. Musiques is solo guitar, while Malherbe (and one or two others) accompany on both Solilaï and Spices. All of Bensusan's records are sublime! -- David Wayne

Il Berlione (92), In 453 minutes Infernal Cooking (94)

This Japanese quintet features guitar, bass, saxes, keys and drums. Their sound could best be described as a Canterbury/RIO influenced rock with a healthy dose of mid-period King Crimson. There are strong jazz elements, comparable to the Hopper/Dean period of Soft Machine, and the angularity of Univers Zero. Excellent new music from Japan. Highly recommended.

It's fairly well-known that first impressions in progressive rock aren't necessarily the deciding factor in one's opinion of a band. Many bands I've grown to love didn't strike me as anything special the first time I heard them (e.g., Gentle Giant, Djam Karet...). I ordered Il Berlione based on some of the raves I've read about them. And, after about 25 minutes of listening to this album I had to turn it off, I thought any more would make me sick to my stomach. It wasn't the right time or place to give it a fair listen. So, that night I put it on again and after only about 20 minutes I was sound asleep, only to wake up in the middle of the night with my headphones still on. So, first impressions were not so hot.... Third time's the charm. Progressive rock is a strange label for this band, but I can see why it *may* apply. Il Berlione sounds to me like a mix of Hatfield and The North, National Health, and Earthworks but with more complexity than any of those bands. Their style ranges from very jazzy to fusion to flat-out rock in places. However, nothing I have ever heard sounds quite like Il Berlione. No vocals here, all instrumental. This young Japanese band uses a 5-pc lineup of drums, bass, keys, tenor sax, and guitar as the core lineup for most of the songs. First off, the drummer is absolutely stunning, and incredibly tasteful. This is the best drumming I've heard in fusion-style prog, bar none. In fact, everybody in this band is completely skilled at their particular instruments, and I suppose that is essential if you are going to make music this complex and be able to pull it off so tightly. The complexity of the music is what initially turned me off, but eventually won me over when I could figure out what was happening thematically and structurally. Il Berlione often uses a lot of atonal and modal motifs which is not surprising in fusion, but they do it in a unique way, unlike anything I've ever heard, as I've said. The best moment on the album, in my opinion, is about the last half of it. Track #9, "Make You Die, Your Brain" (I gotta laugh at how far off this translation must be) is a spirited Crimson-esque riff-based guitar rocker with a patterend bass line reminding me of Djam Karet a little bit. Then at the end, when the theme reappears, the tempo lurches into another gear and off they go....Reminds me of the sax explosion on Crimson's tune "Starless" from Red. This track is followed by the passionate "Memories in the Rain" which is the simplest song on the album in the sense that it is based on a cyclic chord progression in the organ line, with a swing-based drum beat. The sax solos for a while, all the while building dynamically. The phrasing is brilliant here. Then towards the end the blistering guitar solo takes off. This is the definitive solo on the album, very inspired and this kid has got incredible chops (I say kid because he looks like he's 14 years old, honestly). This gives me goose bumps every time I hear it. Many obscure prog bands have small budgets, and consequently they don't always get the production/mix they deserve, but Il Berlione is about as textbook perfect as you can get in this area. The engineers did a fantastic, no rather FLAWLESS, job. Very rich, clean, and balanced. So what is "bad" about this album? Well, not much, really. If I had to pick one thing, it would be that the tenor sax is raw and overbearing at moments. Saxophones, in general, have poor tone, imho. There are plenty of moments where there is no sax at all on this album, and others where it sounds great (e.g., "Memories in the Rain") but in certain places, it's just too much for me. So, if you like fusion-based prog rock a la the Canterbury bands, Il Berlione adds in a dose of highly original style and puts it all together on this very *remarkable* album.

Il Berlione is a new Japanese band whose 1992 eponymous release is one of the best releases of that year. The band's inspiration seems to come from many sources, including RIO bands such as Henry Cow, the jazzy Canterbury scene, King Crimson as well as traditional Japanese music. Clearly a diversity of styles. Because of this, the music heard on their first album is rather hard to put into words. The musicianship of band members is simply superb and they are fully capable of playing across a wide range of complex styles and angular melodies without sounding lost or confused. Il Berlione moves across this diversity of styles with rapid ease in a very fluid manner. Though all the musicians are very accomplished, special mention should be made of guitarist Naoya Idonuma. Actually, all are worthy of special mention including drummer Masahiro Kawamura. But back to Idonuma: the guy scorches in fusionesque blazes through "Lama" and "Make You Die, Your Brain" (I'm sure something is lost in the translation but it sounds cool as hell) yet he can be quiet and subdued when the music warrants. In a word, he's tasteful. Incidentally, Idonuma plays a wide variety of styles but the influence that comes across the most in his playing is that of Robert Fripp and King Crimson. It is from him that most of the King Crimson comparisons in this review are derived. However, songs like the opening "A Triple Role" have parts that would have fit onto Crimso's Three of a Perfect Pair and would have vastly improved that album. Other sections of the same song though call to mind the angular, modal melodies of Univers Zero or Henry Cow, while another one of Idonuma's solos comes across as a fusionesque Phil Miller from National Health. All this in the opening track. In addition to the usual instrumentation, sax is very prevalent as well as occasional traditional Japanese instruments, which when present give the song an extra dimension, further enhancing the band's appeal. This review does not adequately describe Il Berlione's very impressive first album but I do hope it intrigues you enough to check it out. It will be well worth your time. Highly recommended.

This Japanese group offers a very active instrumental music built around the guitar, saxophone, keyboards, bass and drums. It also includes the use of percussions and traditional instruments. However, the distinct characteristic of this music is its explosive energy and its very high intensity. The tracks in Il Berlione are often based on rhythmic patterns and commonly lead to guitar and sax improvisations that flirt with dissonance. The style owes as much to jazz as it does to rock. In fact, the only rock elements present here could be the electricity and the blistering guitar work. A release that deserves a warning to those who prefer relaxation to peak hour traffic in Tokyo. For In 453 Minutes Infernal Cooking, these five Japanese guys are back with their guitar, saxophone, keyboards, bass and drums. While the use of other instruments has been reduced, the music retains its jazz influences where guitar and sax improvisations are common. The band still shows a high level of energy but the raging intensity now makes room for a bit more conventional melodic work. The style is also closer to a conventional jazz-rock fusion. The rhythmic components remain important but themes are now more often based on melody. Easier to listen to than the first one, this disc offers strong performances that should please jazz-rock fans. -- Paul Charbonneau

Reise Zu Den Sternen (79), Hundertausend Urgewalten (82), Rocker Von Der Küste (84)

"Audion" sez Reise is space-rock concept album inspired by Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, but later albums regular hard rock.

Einsteig (71), Dharana (74), And the Waters Opened (78), Comtemplation (77), Hesse Between Music (??), Silence Beyond Time (80)

German ultra-low key space rock band that was led by Peter Michael Hamel and Roberto Detree (ex-of Embryo).They have six or seven albums, the best of which are their ethnic influenced first Einsteig and the spiritually influenced Dharana, with its sidelong masterpiece. Most of the later stuff is quiet stuff that goes nowhere, unless you're having trouble getting to sleep.

An interesting international group comprising hand percussion (tablas and congas), acoustic and electric guitars (Roberto Detree), oboe, and keyboards (Peter Micheal Hamel), with guest musicians on bass, vibes (Tom van der Geld) and other reeds. The major musical parallels here are largely acoustic, ethnic-influenced "fusion" groups such as the Paul Winter Consort and Oregon, and Contemplation would not sound out of place in the ECM catalog. This is not sentimental, vapid "new age" noodling, and if you listen patiently, the music gently unfolds to yield great rewards. -- David Wayne

Ethnic-orientated, multi-national space-music group led by keyboardist Peter Michael Hamel. Fans of Popol Vuh ought to like this. -- Mike Ohman

[See Embryo | Hamel, Peter | Sameti]

Miasma (87), Inner Marshland (87), Bevis Through the Looking Glass (87), Triptych (88), Autie Winnie Album (88), Any Gas Faster (90), Bevis and Twink (90), New River Head (91), Gathering of Fronds (92), London Stone (93), It Just Is (93, Sprawl (94), Superseeder (95), Son of Walter (96)

Bevis Frond is really Nick Solomon. He is from London, England and got his start have being awarded some money after an accident. He used the money to buy some home recording equipment and other stuff (the story was in Musician, but I threw it away so the details are not very precise). It would be easy to say that Bevis Frond is a Jimi Hendrix sound alike, but while it is his heavy influence of Hendrix is obvious, he is more jam and psychedelic orientated than Hendrix was (which is kind of hard to believe when I think about it.) I don't rank him as good as Jimi in skill, but something about is approach I find quite lovable. His style has remained quite steady of the last 6 years but he his song writing is becoming for concise. This may or may not be a blessing, depending on your point of view. The first LPs came out in 1988 on Reckless records, and were recorded on home equipment. Nick Solomon is the only player on all the tracks except for some bonus tracks on the CDs from the vinyl only Acid Jam which was Nick Solomon live with a real band! Starting with Any Gas Faster the sound quality is, overall, improved.

Bevis Frond is the solo vehicle for guitarist Nick Saloman. New River Head, the only album I have by the Frond, is heavy, Hendrix-inspired pyschedelic rock. The singing characterized by a droll British accent (a bit like Elvis Costello, actually, despite the accent) but that's not why you'd want to check out this band - the heavy guitar work would be the reason to give Bevis Frond a listen. The songs are typically in the 3-5 minute range and usually feature molten Hendrixesque leads. Saloman is a bit of a multi-instrumentalist, however, so some songs feature acoustic guitar, piano, and recorder while other musicians contribute violin or sax. This adds some diversity and a break from the heaviness. For example, one song sounds reminiscent of a traditional Irish folksong with violin providing the melody. New River Head is a double album and can be a bit much to take in one sitting, at least for me. If you like the idea of what I described above, you may find it worth your while.

[See Hawkwind | Magic Muscle]

The Interstellar Suite (87)

To my knowledge, Amin Bhatia has recorded only one album, entitled The Interstellar Suite. The album can best be described as symphonic electronic progressive music. It's all keyboard work, but done in an EXTREMELY symphonic way. Basically, the album is a 42-minute spacewalk. It sounds generally like the soundtrack to the "science fiction/space movie of your choice." It has a very general sound to it, as the name implies. It takes you through the various stages of space travel from the perspective of some unknown, indeterminate Voyage Team. It starts off with an overture, and then several various themes with varying degrees of intensity and dramatics. It then finishes off with some diminutive of the opening number. What happens in the middle is basically "The Launch," "The Battle" and a general victory for the winners. Pay close attention, assuming that you find this album (It can go in the "very very rare" category), to the number entitled "The Battle"; there's a very Griegian sound to it, reminiscient of "In The Hall of the Mountain King" in all of its bombast. Another atmospheric winner is "Walking In Space." It's extremely spacy and celestial, and really gives you the feeling that you're floating in space. Lie down and turn off the lights during this one. Yet another number containing one of the "original" themes is "The Ship". It follows "Overture" in opening the album, so it's the second theme that repeats. In "The Ship" you'll hear a very tranquil, almost romantic rhapsody which is supposed to give some musical interpretation of the story of the ship, I am guessing. It doesn't seem to do this altogether well, but it is an absolutely beautiful piece nonetheless. Other songs on the album are simply rearranged versions of the previously mentioned ones. I'd give this all-instrumental album an 88/100, and I'd change that to about a 94/100, if I were a fan of Star Trek music. Alas, the main setback of this album is that it is SO hard to come by. It was released on Capitol's subdivision Cinema Records. Well, Cinema Records made a lot of hype for themselves back in the period '86-'88, but nothing ever came about from it outside of what they already had worked out. A Patrick Moraz solo electronic album (which was excellent in my opinion), a Pete Bardens (Camel) solo album (which wasn't good in my opinion), Michael Hoenig, and this one here. That's basically all this label ever put out. Too bad, too, because they had some good picks to start with. Now that the label is defunct, none of these albums can be found anywhere anymore. But if you like the dramaticism of Star Trek/ Sci-Fi music, start searching for Amin Bhatia, "The Interstellar Suite." It is definitely worth it. -- David Barrio