Spectrum (73), Crosswinds (74), Warning (85), others

Drummer for Mahavishnu Orch. Numberous solo albums. I only have 2. Spectrum 1973 w/ an all-star band Tommy Bolin (guitar), Jan Hammer (keyboards), Lee Sklar (bass), other guest horn players. Mahavishnu Orch. with a more rock feel. Crosswinds 1974 more jazz w/ John Abercrombie, George Duke, the Brecker brothers and more.

Best known as the drummer for the first Mahavishnu Orchestra formation, he's also worked with Miles Davis during his fusion era. His solo efforts vary in quality. He's a fine drummer under someone else's direction, but tends to get flashy on later solo works, to the sacrifice of the music. Spectrum is a good starting place, as it also features Jan Hammer and Tommy Bolin.

Cobraa (74)

Piccolo Grande Vecchio Fiume (77)

Only one album that I know of. They play an Italian rock with progressive tendencies that reminds me of UNO, Dalton and Odissea. The music is mellow and not very complex, and keyboards are used as a background for the guitar and flute. The album is 40 minutes long and consists of seven songs between 4 to 8 minutes and all of them are very melodic and sometimes beautiful, but overall the album feels slow and a bit boring. This is far from the best Italian bands and is (IMO) only for collectors of Italian progressive rock. There are so many better bands. -- Andre Hagberg

Mu (73), others

Italian rock/pop singer (and keyboardist) who did a progressive album called Mu in 1973 (re-issued on Italian RCA in 1976). Mu starts out rather slow and spacey, and most of it is similar, but ultimately inferior, to the great Italian progressive bands (e.g., PFM, Banco, Acqua Fragile, etc.) of the same time period. -- David Wayne

Treasure (84), Victorialand (86)

Very spacy pop-art band with very nice female vocals in some language that nobody can seem to identify. Two albums in particular, Victorialand and Treasure, feature 3 or 4 great cuts each, the balance being too poppy or just plain too weird.

Sounds of Passion (86), Crazy Fool and Dreamer/Central Station (92)

Coda is a Dutch concept band led by multi-instrumentalist Erik DeVroomen. The sound is progressive and very symphonic, with strong emphasis on melody and impact. Possible comparisons might be made with Vangelis but with some killer guitar and some very beautiful spacy segments as well. The album Sounds of Passion was originally released in 1986, but has recently been transferred to CD. The thirty minute title track is an absolute mindblower. Two other shorter tracks are a little lame and poppy.

Coda were a Dutch progressive band who released this one masterpiece of conceptual, symphonic rock and vanished. For those who enjoy the essence of progressive rock, with swirling keyboards, passages with varying moods, and profound lyrics, this is sure to be of interest.

Coda's sole release, Sounds of Passion, is essentially a conceptual solo work by Erik de Vroomen though he brought in a band to help pull of his ideas. The reason you buy this album is for the 30 minute title track. It is divided into five parts of which only the first two minutes contain (spoken) vocals. The vocal prologue tells the story behind the concept and the remaining 28 minutes weave the instrumental story. The music is lush symphonic and ranges from aggressive to very pastoral in nature. Most notable is de Vroomen's keyboard work which covers everything from grand piano to novatron to various synths and more. Also heard throughout are various sampled sounds such as birds singing, thunderstorms, doors closing, voices and several other sound effects. The remaining two songs (totalling about 11 minutes) are weaker vocal efforts leaning toward the pop end of the Progressive spectrum. I've heard several SI releases and I've been disappointed with the vast majority of them. Coda's Sounds of Passion is a notable exception and very worthy of an audition if you like lush symphonic Prog.

Codona (79), Codona 2 (80), Codona 3 (82)

Codona was an influential world-jazz group, certainly progressive, but with hardly any rock influence. Members were Collin Walcott (from the group Oregon) on sitar, tabla, dulcimer, sanza, etc.; famous jazz musician and world music fan Don Cherry on trumpet, flute, organ, doussn'gouni, etc., and Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos. The group name was derived from the members' first names. The group ceased to exist after Walcott was killed in a car accident while touring with Oregon in East Germany. -- Dan Kurdilla

Cofradia de la Flor Solar (??)

Coïncidence (78), Clef de Ciel (79)

Clef de Ciel is an excellent album, purely fusion, reminding me very much of a Belgian band named Cos. It also sounds sort of like the best fusiony moments from Jeff Beck's Blow By Blow. The band was led by brothers Jean-Pierre Llabador on guitar and Jean-Claude Llabador on keyboards. Michel Montoyat played Rickenbacker bass, Joel Allouche was on drums and Olivier Chabrol played sax and piano. Yes, it's "just fusion" but it beats the hell out of UZEB. It's much more like the great European fusion bands of the time. -- Kenneth Newman

French prog/fusion band co-led by brothers Jean-Pierre (guitars) and Jean- Claude (guitars and keyboards) Llabador who did at least two records (Coincidence and Clef de Ciel), before Jean-Claude was killed in a tragic auto accident while touring. In the light of the band's history, I truly hate to say that I find both records to be rather pedestrian and uninteresting. Some of the guitar work is nice, but the keyboards are very dated- sounding, and the compositions are riddled with all sorts of lame jazz-rock cliches. Generally, the playing is merely competent but not especially inspired. Of the two records, Clef de Ciel is the superior.

[See Llabador, Jean-Pierre]

Basnie (89) Nine Songs of John Lennon (93), Moonshine (94), Changes (95, comp., same as Zmiany (93), Safe (96)

I know this review is going to confuse a lot of people. I've a bit of a reputation of being down on neo-prog. It's true that I don't care for Pendragon, Galahad, Aragon, Deyss, and most of the dozens of their sound-alikes and wannabes. The music is simple and commercial, and often the singing is atrocious and the drummer metronomic. So why do I like Collage? You tell me. I'm a bit confused myself. This Polish five piece write fairly simple music with catchy harmonies, prominent vocals, and the overused verse-verse-chorus style. However, they sing in their native Polish, and they have an excellent drummer. These two features set them apart to my ears. Sure, the music is straightforward I-IV-V progressions but the singer is competent, and doesn't butcher English grammar like so many do. The drummer adds fills and rolls constantly, and while he's not in the Moerlin, Farrugia, or Hauser camp, he's head and shoulders beyond most. If you approach this album for what it is, accessible music, you won't be disappointed. It's not a prog classic in terms of musicianship, composition or feel, but it contains more depth than just a few hooks and catchy vocal melodies. In ways it reminds me of what Jadis could be if they decided to be more musical, or maybe Marillion without the emphasis on twisted, emotional pieces. Friends have told me it reminds them of Rush. Whatever. I like it. -- Mike Borella

From Poland, this group plays a melodic rock typical of modern British bands. The usual lineup features vocals (in English), keyboards, guitars, bass and drums. The compositions on Moonshine are text based but instrumental parts and solos are also present. A heavy production and very symphonic arrangements add a touch of drama to the performances. The themes often evoke the melancholic feel of ballads but also rely on inspired work from the drummer. A band to discover for fans of the style. -- Paul Charbonneau

Konvergencie (71), Live (73)

In the style of ELP, they were active from 1971 until 1981. Your best buy is the live album. Perhaps a bit jazzier than ELP.

Those About To Die Salute You (69), Valentyne Suite (69), Daughter of Time (70), Grass Is Greener (70?), Live (71), Collector's Colosseum (71)

More jazz/blues than progressive.

Their first is the best prog blues album ever made, but it may be too blues for most Gibraltar readers (its one of my very favorites, actually).

Dave Greenslade's first prog-jazz group, Their first two releases Valentyne Suite and Those Who Are About To Die Salute You are generally regarded as their best.

Jon Hiseman (drums), graduate of the John Mayall school of power blues set out to meld the evolving blues sound with a solid rock rhythm section and the result is a very solid if somewhat dated debut album For Those.... The music is Mayall style power blues that evenly showcased the musicianship of saxman Dick Heckstall-Smith, keyboardist Dave Greenslade, Hiseman, guitarist James Litherland, and bassist Tony Reeves. The sound is somewhat dated, but it remains to this day one of the most powerful and important progressive albums. This is to blues what Soft Machine's Third was to jazz. The second release, Valentyne Suite, shows a more mature band beginning to experiment with different musical styles. Some of those presented on this album are the psychadelic sounding opening track "The Kettle," "Elegy" with a great strings arrangement, and Greenslade's monsterous sidelong suite "Valentyne Suite." This 17 minute instrumental track is a tour-de-force and is in my book of the 10 greatest progressive tracks of all time. Unfortunately for Hiseman, personnel changes after the second album began the downfall and a year later there was to be no more Colosseum. They lasted only a brief three years and a small legacy of five albums, but Colosseum did leave its mark and a good mark it was. The first two albums are available on a singe CD and is an excellent introduction to the band. Sound quality is excellent and it is highly recommended.

Colosseum, along with bands like King Crimson and Julian's Treatment, were creating some of the earliest forms of progressive rock back in 1969. Two fine examples are their excellent albums, For Those About to Die, We Salute You and Valentyne Suite. While King Crimson's famous In the Court of the Crimson King (generally touted as the first Progressive Rock album) comes in from the Heavy Mellotron Psychedelia angle, Colosseum approach this early form for Prog from the Jazz and Blues direction. For Those About to Die..., recorded in late '68 and early '69 contains eight songs averaging about 5 minutes each. Half have vocals and half are instrumental. The sound (a bit dated here) consists of the standard fare of guitar, bass, drums, vocals and Hammand organ as well as saxophone. Essentially, this album is a good-time jammin' rock album that is heavily blues and jazz inflected. There are definite Progressive tendencies, however, as some of the chordal progressions are a bit out of the ordinary. I'd file this under "proto-prog." Valentyne Suite, recorded in the summer of 1969, continues where their previous release left off but becomes more adventurous and Progressive. While the first four songs contain vocals and range from jazzy blues (or bluesy jazz) to hard rock (similar to their debut), the three-part, side-long "Valentyne Suite" is a stunning piece of instrumental music. Dave Greenslade turns in a *killer* Hammond solo that simply blows away ANYTHING Emerson ever did. I haven't heard any of their others but I would suggest Valentyne Suite is an excellent album to start with and, if you are interested in the growth of progressive rock, an essential part of any progressive collection

[See Airey, Don | Colosseum II | Greenslade | Mogul Thrash | Tempest]

Strange New Flesh (76), Electric Savage (77), Wardance (77), Variations (78)

Fusion/progressive descendant of Colloseum.

After the departure of David Greenslade from Colosseum in his quest for a solo career, drummer Jon Hiseman teamed up with a very talented bunch of musicians to form Colosseum II. Powered by the guitars of Gary Moore and the keyboards of Don Airey, they released a trio of albums, of which these are the best two. Musically, they straddle the boundary between jazz fusion and rock in very much the same style as Brand X, Arti+Mestieri, etc., with an increased keyboard presence. With the exception of a couple of tracks, most of their work is all-instrumental. Jon Hiseman's drum and percussion work also contributes greatly to the intensity of the music, all of which is anchored by John Mole's bass. Electric Savage was released at the end of 1976. As noted in the sleeve, "Just hours before Christmas 1976 and a few hours after our return from a European tour, our exhausted crew set up the gear ... for seven days we continued playing the music live ...." The recording captures the musical virtuosity of the band members, and their ability to present a powerful live performance. Wardance was released in 1977, and was a more mature work with tightly executed compositions written around the dueling guitar and keyboard leads of Moore and Airey. In terms of overall effect this might have the edge over Electric Savage, but only slightly. Additionally, Don Airey's keyboard work is on equal footing with Gary Moore's guitars, unlike Electric Savage in which Moore's guitar was more prominent in the mix.

Jon Hiseman tries it for a third time this time enlisting newcomers Gary Moore (guitar), Don Airey (keyboards), and Mike Starrs (vocals). Starrs lasted for only one album as the band made a change to a more instrumental approach. Strange New Flesh is an interesting first release by the new lineup. The opening track, "Dark Side of the Moog" - a humerous tribute to Pink Floyd, shows a band primed and ready for an instrumental performance. The second track, a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Down to You" is a bit of a letdown after the solid opener, but does redeem itself by Don Airey's extended keyboard improvisation in the middle. The remainder of the album much the same, great instrumental passages surrounded by vocal pieces that seem out of place. All in all a nice album, but nothing to rush out and buy. Electric Savage was recorded just before Christmas in 1976 and shows a Colosseum II that has corrected all the shortcomings from the first album. Gone are the laborous vocal tracks with Gary Moore handling the lone brief vocal track. Instead you will find relentless interplay between Moore and Airey with the listener left trying to decide who really won. This is high enery progressive fusion in the same vein as Return to Forever or Mahavishnu Orchestra sans violin. You have not heard the best of Gary Moore unless you have heard this album. Very highly recommended. Wardance features the same lineup as Electric Savage and is really more of the same brand of fierce fusion. All three releases are available as Japanese or US domestic CD reissues.

Variations is an album of arrangements of a theme written by classical compser Paganini. He enlisted all of the members of Colosseum II as well as Rod Argent, Phil Collins, and Herbie Flowers.

[See Colosseum | Lucifer's Friend]

St. John's Eve (76)

Veci (Things) (80)

Fascinating all-instrumental 6-piece (keyboards, reeds/violin, bassoon, guitars, bass, drums/percussion) from Hungary. None of the members of this group were full-time musicians, but they run through 14 brief (1':35" to 4':26"), but very intricate compositions (mostly by keyboardist Daniel Fikejz), as if they were conservatory-trained. Wonderful stuff which, although strongly influenced by Hungarian folk and classical (i.e., Bartok) musics, seems very Zappa-inspired (circa Burnt Weeny Sandwich). The basson is prominent, so the music is superficially reminiscent of Gryphon, at times. I highly recommend this to fans of Zappa, Canterbury sounds, RIO (esp. those of us who enjoy Nimal, Zamla, etc.), and people who like the sound of the bassoon. The music of Combo FH is weird, but not in a pernicious/atonal/chaotic way, so even those of you with more mainstream tastes may like this. -- David Wayne

Diumenge (75), L'Oucomballa (76), Tramuntana (77), L'Angel de la dansa (78), Ordinaries aventures (79), L'Atlantida (81), Çompanyia Electrica Dharma al Palau de la Musica Catalana amb la Cobla Meditterania (82), Catalluna (83), Forc,a Dharma (85), No volem ser! (86), Homenatge a Esteve Fortuny (87), Fibres del cor (89), Tifa Head (91), Que no es perdi mai aquest so (93), 20 Anys, Forc,a Dharma! (94, comp.)

Çompanyia Electrica Dharma is a Catalan group that blends Catalan folk music with pop-rock music, and with a "soft" jazzy and experimental flavour, especially in their seventies albums, which gives an interesting final result. After Catalluna they became more poppy (avoid Forc,a Dharma and No Volem Ser!!), with the exception of Homenatge a Esteve Fortuny. The 20 Anys, Forc,a Dharma! compilation album is very a good starting point and to decide a further follow-up. -- José Miguel Girart

First Utterance (71), To Keep From Crying (74)

El Congresso (71), Tierra Incognito (76), Congreso (77), Viaje Por La Cresta Del Mundo (81), Ha Llegado Carta (82), Pafaros De Arcilla (84), Estoy Que Me Muero... Por Ti (86), En Vivo (88), Aire Puro (??), Para Los Arqueologos Del Futuro (??)

Excellent Chilean progressive band with a big sound, some influence from the melodic side a-la early Genesis, but an equal influence from their own ethnic folk heritage, such so they come off sounding very unique yet accessible. Many albums. Vocals in Spanish. Start with their double-live En Vivo.

Theme to the Guardian (75), Of Mist and Melting (79), Swimming With a Hole in My Body (80), Step It (85), Double Up (86), Assembler (87)

US jazz and fusion guitarist who first came to prominence in the mid-'70s with Chick Corea's Return to Forever (Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy), only to be replaced by the far less interesting Al Di Meola. Connors also appeared on Stanley Clarke's eponymously-titled second solo effort with Jan Hammer and Tony Williams. Two (Theme... and Swimming...) of Connors' first 3 solo albums on the ECM label are lovely, introspective solo guitar records, while Of Mist and Melting finds Connors on acoustic guitar in a jazzy, yet subdued, quartet with the likes of Jack DeJohnette (drums), Gary Peacock (bass) and Jan Garbarek (sax). Connors subsequently occupied the guitar chair in Garbarek's group, where his successors were the equally worthy Bill Frisell and David Torn. The three most recent solo albums (all reissued on the Evidence label) are very fine high-energy jazz-fusion power trio affairs, and should be of interest to fusion fans. -- David Wayne

New Marks (78), Musik (81)

German space-jazz trio who recorded 2 albums for JAPO (the now-defunct sister label to ECM). Both are excellent and are highly recommended to people who like ECM and that spacey German stuff. The music never lapses into fusion posturing, new age noodling, or straight-ahead jazz. Featured on both records are guitarist Evert Brettschneider and bassist Aloys Kott. Brettschneider sounds, at times, like John Abercrombie (circa his Timeless solo record, also on ECM), but plays a lot of acoustic as well. Michael Jullich doubles on drums, vibes and marimba. On the second album, Peter Eisold replaces Jullich on drums. Eisold doesn't play mallet percussion, which limits the group's sonic palette a bit. Nevertheless, Musik is a fine release which, although firmly in the ECM mold, has moments which recall space-jazz groups like Dzyan. -- David Wayne

Kronos (93)

Name a power trio from Canada with a singing bassist and a drummer who writes lyrics? No, not them because the drummer only wrote two songs. Continuum have released one CD that I know of, called Kronos. These guys are obviously influenced by fellow Canadian techo-progsters, Rush. There are a few brief moments where they get away from that formula but basically Continuum are...let's just say very strongly Rush influenced. If you like Rush, check these guys out. If not, then stay away because there is no other reason to check it out.

S/T La bourse ou la vie (??)

Canadian '70s prog

Trudge (89), Gag (??), Penetration (??), Golgatha (??), others

Trudge is industrial sounding dance-pop. Somewhat interesting on the first listening, then annoying thereafter. Very unusual, distorted and agressive sounding vocals. Apparently some of their other stuff is more ambient.

A L'affut D'un Complot (77), Le Bureau Central des Utopies (79)

Unusual band, complex musical constructs like Gentle Giant, but entirely acoustic. Worth searching out.

[See Duchesne, Andre]

Rags/The Golddiggers (91), Oh Moscow (91)

Cooper was a member of the tremendous Henry Cow. A wind and reed player and brilliant composer, her solo work is very much in line with Henry Cow's more melodic work. She writes wonderful textures and striking melodies unlike anyone else I can think of. Rags and Golddiggers are both film scores--the first for a film about female garment workers in London circa 1840, the latter for an all woman film directed by Sally Potter. Potter sings on both scores and Fred Frith, Chris Cutler and Phil Minton all appear on this disc. The music to Rags is based on traditional London "broadside ballads" and does a great job conveying a traditional feel to very avant-garde composition. Golddiggers is less historical but still great. Oh Moscow is a live recording of a Potter/Cooper extended piece about the Cold War. The music is incredible and features Potter, Alfred 23 Harth, and Minton. Cooper is truly a gifted composer and musician whose work is essentially ignored and unknown!

[See Henry Cow]

Rumblefish (83), The Equalizer and other Cliff Hangers (88)

Ex-Curved Air and Police Drummer, released an album The Equalizer and other Cliff Hangers on IRS No Speak label, I think it's mostly soundtrack stuff, electronic oriented, some of it pretty good, other stuff leans towards lame. Overall not an exceptional album.

I found Rumblefish interesting the first couple times. But then, I'm a drummer and was very much prejudiced favorably to like anything Copeland might do. However, it didn't hold my interest for repeated listenings.

[See Curved Air]

Full Horn (73)

Prog.

Breathe (71), Visitor (75)

Good Danish jazz-rock band, 3/4ths of which (keyboardist Kenneth Knudsen, drummer Ole Streenberg, and guitarist Claus Bøhling) went on to form the somewhat less interesting progressive band Secret Oyster. Did at least two albums, one of which (Visitor, originally issued on the Steeplechase label in 1974) was issued in the US in 1976 on the Inner City label. The music on Visitor is loose, jazzy, and dominated by Knudsen's electric piano, although Bøhling cuts loose on several tracks. Those of you who like fusion (especially post-Bitches Brew Miles Davis), the more aggressive ECM stuff, and Canterbury sounds (Soft Machine, etc.) will like this. -- David Wayne

[See Day of Phoenix | Secret Oyster]

Dimensione Onirica (73, released 92), Corte Dei Miracoli (76)

I don't know them very well but I think they have a symphonic rock sound.

Corte dei Miracoli put out one (that I know of) self-titled album. There's no date on the CD release but I'd guess by the sound that it's around '75 or '76, maybe a little later. Taking a lead from Banco, Corte dei Miracoli are a quintet of bass, drum, vocals and two keyboardists. Obviously synth-heavy, the band creates a sound fairly similar to Banco, sometimes heavy, sometimes lighter, usually lyrical, always in the symphonic vein. The music is moderately complex and all members are good on their instruments. I think there is a bit more emphasis on vocals than with Banco. Four of the five songs are in the 6-7 minute range and one is 13 minutes. If you like heavy layers of keyboards with lots of synth, these guys would be worth checking out.

Coryell (69), Spaces (74), others

Mostly known foor his jazz and fusion, solo and with Eleventh House. Check out his second album Coryell (yes, the one with he and his family naked on the cover), which has some splendid moments fusing hard rock, blues, classical, jazz and even some psychedelic licks, a must for any self respecting guitar junkie. Also, his album Spaces featuring dueling guitars with John (pre-Mahavishnu) Mclaughlin, Chick Corea on piano, Miroslav Vitous on bass, and Billy Cobham on the kit may be too jazzy for some readers, but still may be of interest to others, especially in light of the all-star lineup and the fact that it was recorded in 69, when all these guys were still unknowns!

Highly respected jazz guitarist who has released a couple of albums of interest to Progressive Rock fans. Spaces is outstanding fusion and includes guests John McLaughlin and Billy Cobham (both from Mahavishnu Orchestra), Chick Corea (Return to Forever) and Miroslav Vitous (Weather Report). Fans of any of these bands would do well to find Spaces. His first release, Coryell is a jazz/blues/psych hybrid that works suprising well and shows an experimental side of Coryell not heard later on. Also worth finding are his Eleventh House albums, his fusion band which is similar to the other fusion bands mentioned above but with some trumpet. The first, Introducing the Eleventh House is excellent, somewhat spacey, fusion.

Postaeolian Train Robbery (74), Viva Boma (76), Babel (78), Swiss Chalet (79), Pasiones (83)

Excellent Canterbury-inspired Belgian band, led by guitarist/flutist Daniel Schell, which featured the unique vocal talents of Pascale Son (Schell's wife). Each of the two recordings I have by Cos have their own sound. The first, Postaeolian Train Robbery is a personal favorite. The extensive liner notes included in the Musea CD reissue make it very plain that Cos were admirers of French progressive bands such as Zao and Magma, and their muscial influence is obvious on Postaeolian Train Robbery. The music on this CD is weird jazzy fusion comparable to the first couple of Zao albums (esp. Z=7L and Osiris), only Cos had a whimsical, goofy edge that Zao (and Magma) lacked. The Musea reissue also includes 4 tracks by Schell's previous group Classroom, which had a similar sound to Cos, only more straight-ahead jazzy and less interesting. The second album, Viva Bomma is more overtly influenced by Canterbury bands such as Caravan, Hatfield and the North, and Gilgamesh. Pascale Son's sweet vocals are again prominent and, at times, give the music an almost pop sort of sensibility. Aside from that, the keyboards sound like Dave Stewart minus the fuzz organ (I wish that dreadful 'string synthesizer' sound could somehow be eliminated!), the drummer sounds very much like Pip Pyle, and there's even a Hugh Hopper-styled fuzz bass feature on one cut. Very good, but also very derivative. Several members of Cos went on to other interesting projects: keyboardist Marc Hollander formed the excellent 'Aksak Maboul', and guitarist Daniel Schell formed an interesting band named Karo (just like the corn syrup) which recorded two albums for Crammed Discs in the late 1980s. -- David Wayne

After hearing Cos described as a Belgian Zao, I was intrigued. However, they fall far short of Zao, and remind me of a more accessible Art Zoyd. Fairly repetitive and predictable, I wouldn't give this one very high marks. -- Mike Borella

I've heard the first album by this band, Postaeolian Train Robbery. It's excellent semi-experimental jazz-fusion with flutes, synths, percussion and, most interesting of all, unbelievable female vocals of Pascale Son. She plays oboe (on one track) and guitar (but not on this album) as well. There are no real lyrics to the album. Like avant-garde vocalist Cathy Berberian, Son uses nonsense syllables as a substitute for language, but usually to suggest the semblance of language. On "Cocalnut," Son seems to be testing the limits of her voice, reminding of Zao circa Z=7L. "Amafam" includes an incredible duet for voice and drums, quite unlike anything I've yet heard. Coloc is a joyously dissonant song, as it turns out in the rarely used Locrian Mode. The piano and guitar playing, as well as Son's singing are all standouts here. The CD includes four bonus tracks by Classroom, the predecessor to Cos. Here there really ARE lyrics, in French. -- Mike Ohman

[See Abraxis | Aksak Maboul]

Ara Es Dema (7?), Perque No Scapagui L'Aire (78)

Catalan prog.

The Cosmic Jokers (74), Galactic Supermarket (74), Sci-Fi Party (74), Gilles Zeitschiff (74), Planeten Sit In (74),

Basically various sets of tripped-out "supergroup" jam sessions for the Kosmische Musik label released under different names (e.g., Sternmadchen, Galactic Supermarket, Cosmic Jokers) but they are all generally known as coming from the Cosmic Jokers (and sometimes Cosmic Couriers) and are all included here.

[See Ash Ra Tempel | Gottsching, Manuel | Schulze, Klaus]

An Old Castle of Transylvania (73), A Journey With The Cosmos Factory (74), Black Hole (75), Metal Reflection (??)

Cosmos Factory were a Japanese band that existed in the early '70s and released a few albums. The only one I've heard is An Old Castle of Transylvania from 1973. The title track is 18 minutes long and more in the psych realm, with just a few progressive overtones. This song is very much in the vein of classic early Floyd like "Saucerful of Secrets," "Careful With That Axe, Eugene," "Astronomy Domine" and "Interstellar Overdrive." The other "side" consists of five shorter songs that range from keyboard dominant semi-prog pieces to heavy guitar-laden tracks against washes of mellotron. One of the short songs is a three minute piano ballad which, to me, brings the album down a notch compared to the energetic and psychedelic nature of the other songs. Japanese vocals are heard now and again. Fans of heavy psychedelia may well go a bundle for this but the symphonic fans are warned against. -- Mike Taylor

I've heard An Old Castle In Transsylvania. An interesting mix of spacy, symphonic and psychedelic. Some parts are rather dated '60s styled guitar rock, others are bright symphonic with washes of Mellotron and bubbling synth. Varied and interesting. -- Mike Ohman

Holocaust (78)

Another solid Spanish symphonic band reissued by Laser's Edge and quite good albeit nothing special.

Spanish symphonic King Crimson influenced band. Good but not great. A little tedious, long hyperextended tracks that lack direction.

A Spanish band that is fairly unique to my ears, but not very exciting musically. It's not bad, but fails to develop any real excitement. I am reminded somewhat of mellow King Crimson, but the interplay isn't as complex nor as tight as Crimso. Coming from Catalan, there are obvious Spanish influences, such as in the use of trumpet and acoustic guitar. I like it for an occasional listen, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it. Which is just as well, as the CD (on Laser's Edge) is out of print.

Wakan Tanka (71)

Early French prog rock band with Claude Olmos of Alice. Pretty good, pretty rare.

[See Alice]

Two Weeks Last Summer (1972) Old School Songs (Dave Cousins and Brian Willoughby) (1979)

The voice of the Strawbs, Cousins released an excellent 1972 solo album of progressive folk rock and less adventurous folk tunes titled Two Weeks Last Summer, a must-have for any fans of the Strawbs. The sound is very much in the Strawbs vein, circa Grave New World or Bursting.

Natures Divine Reflection (93)

Well this is another one that has been truly hyped. There are a lot of interesting points to be made here. The cover is absolutely phenomenal, a colorful and spiritual design done by Carlos Tello Nielsen who is quickly becoming one of progressive music's finest artists. There are only three songs on the album but with all the damn titles it looks more like 15. Check this out, "Sunchild's Spiritual Quest Through The Forest Of Introspection" with Aquiescence, Catharsis, Assesment Of Reality... etc (you get the picture). Any wonder why the mass media finds this type of music pretentious? Dave Gryder is Covenant, a drummer and keyboardist of abundant talent, and lists several bands in the inner jacket that influenced him, and they do a hell of a job explaining where Gryder's coming from. Among others there's Kansas ('74 - '82) (well almost...??), Änglagård (whos shirt he proudly dons in a picture), Quill (explains some of what annoys me about the music, the pompous keyboard flourishes and majestic fanfares that having a full time guitarist usually helps to tone down), and Ibis "Sun Supreme" (which explains Gryder's penchant for long titles). You got to hand it to him, the music has got quite a bit of flair. Unfortunately, if Gryder's ARP Solina and Prophet 5 broke, there probably wouldn't be a Covenant, and there are times where I get up and scream "TURN IT OFF" as another Quill like melody starts with ARP stings a blazing. Yes, being a one man band certainly brings a lot of one dimensionality to the proceedings, and Bill Pohl's guest guitar work is often all too short (and his bass playing on the opener is very drowned out). Gryder uses a mellotron, but rarely uses it, sticking to the Solina and Prophet 5 and the depth seems to drop out occasionally. Basically the album is certainly listenable and some of the themes are quite good, yet after a while the sameness of the sound wears thin. Definitely worth a listen, but Gryder would probably be more effective in a band situation where other members could help to flesh out his ideas. Nevertheless, a pretty impressive debut.

Covenant consists solely of one Dave Gryder, formerly a drummer from a thrash-metal band. Syn-phonic put this album out under the name of Covenant for marketing reasons, and who can blame them? I can count the progressive rock solo albums that I enjoy without going into double digits. I've always considered prog as the ultimate form of synergy. Musicians of better-than-average skill pull ideas together in a form that none of them could have done on their own. The creative process of three or more people can be fascinating to watch, especially in music, as dozens of related, unrelated and/or random ideas get turned into a cohesive piece. Without bandmembers to provide feedback and vetoes, it seems harder to step back from your own material and see it through someone else's eyes. This is what I hypothesize Gryder had to go through, as he wrote this album. "Nature's Divine Reflection" is a keyboard/drum monster, with Gryder's virtuosity on both instruments near the mastery level. However, the lack of bass (mixed so low it might as well not have been there at all) and guitar (two way-too-short interludes by fellow free-lancer Bill Pohl) limits this album to a very one-dimensional appeal. But somehow, it still works. The keyboard array consists to something straight out of the seventies. Mostly analog (or digital imitating analog) keys add a dark, gothic feel. Mellotrons and church organs, blistering runs and atmospheric themes, add to the mix. And the drumming - wow. I always notice drum lines because they often divides the good prog from the not-so-good. Gryder's talents are prodigious as his busy, fast style dominates the rhythm. The metal influences are evident, perhaps reminding me of modern death-metal drumming, like that found on Cynic's or Atheist's newest albums. So here we have the darkness of Il Balleto di Bronzo, and American ELP style without the "L", perhaps an updated version of the incredibly overrated band Quill, but without the pretentiousness and lyrics that make Quill unlistenable. Gryder's definitely a major talent, but he needs to work with a real band to truly exploit his skills. Albums like Nature's Divine Reflection are good listens but they tell of too much unused potential. Missing from this offering is the synergy of a group of people working together (as well as the instruments that members of that group would be playing). I'll give Covenant a B+. Worth owning, but could have been so much better! -- Mike Borella

I've had the pleasure of meeting with and talking to Dave Gryder, who is Covenant. We talked for quite awhile about some of our favorite bands. It was evident to me that Dave was quite passionate about some of his faves, including Kansas, Cathedral, Yezda Urfa and, of course, Änglagaring;rd. In fact, Gryder thanks several prog bands for inspiration, which also describes the many influences heard on the 42 minute _Nature's Divine Reflection_. In addition to the above-named bands, Gryder lists Quill, Chakra, Earthrise, Ibis, Ethos, Polyphony, Il Balletto di Bronzo, Shadowfax, Nektar, Providence, October, Mirthrandir, Happy the Man and Harlequin Mass. An impressive list, overall. True to his influences, Gryder delivers a music that is very retro in style, sounding more like an album released in '76 rather than '93. Covenant is a true solo work, with Gryder playing all keyboards (Hammond organ, Mellotron, ARP Solina, Prophet-5 and a couple of Korgs), plus acoustic and electronic drums. A minimal amount of guitar is provided by guest guitarist Bill Pohl on the 17 minute opening track, "Premise of Life." As the album's title suggests, the music reflects various positive and negative aspects of spirituality and the quest for ultimate truth. There are three songs total on this disc. The remaining two are the six minute "Eschatolic Covenant" and the 20 minute "Sunchild's Spiritual Quest Through the Forest of Introspection." Each of the two long cuts are divided into many named parts in which Gryder explores and varies many different themes. Switching among the battery of analog and digital keys, Gryder develops each song, building the intensity to the climax, followed by a gentle end refrain. I like his choice of timbres selected for the Korg because they don't sound digital. For the Mellotron, Dave favors choral tape loops, used quite effectively. There is, unfortuntely, a one- dimensionality about the album due to the fact that it is just the one player. On "Premise of Life," the drumming became repetitive after a period of time, and I tired of the rapid fills employed on the electronic drums. I felt the music would have greatly benefitted from a bonafide drummer while Gryder concentrated on the ivories. Also, particularly on "Premise of Life," I felt the music could have used the input of one other musician. While Pohl's trademark guitar helped for its brief appearance, I really thought that another keyboardist dueling with Dave would have been a welcome addition. I don't intend this as a detraction of Gryder's talent, however, because "Sunchild's Spiritual Quest" is an excellent track, one that made it very easy for me to overlook the relatively minor drawbacks. On this cut, Gryder pulls out all the stops, fingers running furiously across the keys, taking the intensity level to dizzying heights. I think it's safe to say that Covenant's debut release won't set the prog world on end. But I also think it's gone a little under-noticed. I certainly think it deserves more attention from fans of keyboard-dominated progressive rock. -- Mike Taylor

Ear of the Beholder (71), Coxhill/Miller (73, w/ Steve Miller), The Story So Far...Oh Really? (74), Welfare State (75), Fleas in the Custard (75), Diverse (76), The Joy of Paranoia (78), Moot (78), Lid (78), Digswell Duets (79), Chantenay 80 (80), Dunois Solos (81), French Gigs (82, w/ Fred Frith), Instant Replay (82), Lol Coxhill and Tosuzen Danbor (83), Couscous (83), Frogdance (84), Cafe de la Place (88)

This wonderful British saxophonist is at home in any conceivable musical context (and a few inconceivable ones!). He has recorded numerous solo albums, most of which would probably not interest progressive rock fans. One possible exception is 1974's The Story So Far... Oh, Really? a release which he shared with ex-Caravan keyboardist Steve Miller (brother of Hatfield, etc. guitarist Phil Miller). The music on both sides is that slightly goofy, jazzy-type stuff which all Canterbury fans will immediately recognize and appreciate. Backing musicians include drummer Laurie Allan, bassist Archie Leggett, Kevin Ayers (guitar on one cut) and Robert Wyatt (voice on one cut). Contrary to the liner notes, on Side One (the Steve Miller side) there are only two solo piano pieces, three piano-drums duets (with Laurie Allan), and one piano-sax-bass-drums quartet. A must-have for Canterburians. -- David Wayne

[See Grimes, Carol and Delivery]

Si Todo Hiciera Crack (79)

I have Si Todo Hiciera Crack from 1979. I don't know if there are other albums by this band. Si Todo is very lyrical symphonic progressive from Spain. If Tony Banks were a keyboardist rather than a song writer, he would sound like this. Lyrics in Spanish, of course. Acoustic and electric guitars are also featured, but you won't be reminded of Steve Hackett. Also, there isn't a Gabriel-style vocalist, so a Genesis comparison isn't valid. For the mellotron fan, there's plenty of it, as well as piano. Nicely original, this album is worthy of any symphonic collection.

While in countries like England, Italy and the United States, the outlook for progressive rock by the late seventies was practically at its bleakest; Spain's scene was at its most prolific stage. While the rest of the world has really had little contact with progressive rock from this country - Spain's media also had little kindness for musicians - there really was an abundance of great music coming from Spain, and Crack was no exception. Probably one of Spain's finest examples of majestic and powerful symphonic progressive, Crack was maybe one of the most Anglo styled of the Spanish bands, although there are obvious cultural references that must not be ignored. With male and female vocals, flute; excellent use of guitars and synthesizers; and a warm and dreamy atmosphere; Crack show that they are an instant winner for symphonic rock fans.

Crack The Sky (75), Animal Notes (76), Safety In Numbers (78), Live Sky (78), Classic Crack (80), White Music (80), Photoflamingo (81), World in Motion (83), The End (83), Raw (86), From the Greenhouse (89), Dog City (90), Rare! (94)

Crack The Sky were (are? they keep re-forming occasionally to do some special event or record an album, but they're not a steady band by any stretch of the imagination) a hard pop-rock band which started out in the mid-late '70s. The band members for the most part are from the area around Baltimore/southern Pennsylvania. In Baltimore they are absolutely *legendary* among the hard-rockin', beer-drinkin' work-down-at-the-docks/steelmill crowd from the east side of town. I stood out as a bit strange growing up there and listening to progressive music, I did like Crack The Sky, so I wasn't a total outcast. It seemed that the band could never catch a break in New York or LA and were therefore destined to remain a regional success. The band has gone through a variety of lineups - the central figures being John Palumbo (vocals/guitar/keyboards) and Rick Witkowski (guitar). Their first 3 studio albums are the ones to get if you can find them. They were (maybe still are) out on CD - the titles are Crack The Sky, Animal Notes, and Safety In Numbers. When I saw these on CD they had been issued as 2-LP sets, with #2 and #3 on one disc and #1 on a disc with the 4th album, called White Music. These albums feature Palumbo's masterfully quirky pop-funk-rock compositions coupled with Witkowski's manic guitar and a very tight rythym section. The songs are full of witty lyrics, unconventional time signatures, changing dynamics... in short, pretty progressive-sounding for a hard rock outfit. Obvious influences were the Beatles, Elton John (at least in Palumbo's piano playing), and maybe a cross between Led Zeppelin/Aerosmith/Bad Company, but a *lot* harder than the Beatles or Elton. Queen also comes to mind, maybe Rush too, but no one hard rock outfit ever sounded like CTS. This band was, to my ears, *very* original. I can't think of anyone that sounded like them on the first 3 LP's. After that they became much less distinct. Of the stuff released in the later years, I would say that From The Greenhouse would appeal to Pink Floyd fans, but the rest (Raw, Dog City, Flamingo) is kinda shitty. Mostly this is due to the lack of a regular lineup - I get the feeling that more than ever Palumbo is just working in open-loop mode and then getting some guys into the studio to record his compositions. The last few times I've seen the band they have performed mostly back catalog material from the first 4 LP's, which sort of confirms the band's lack of familiarity with the recent material. One final note which may be of interest. Cary Siegler (sp?), the group's current bassist, plays in a local (Baltimore-Annapolis) bar band on weekends called "Band Of A Thousand Names." This group was formed by guitarist/guitar maker Paul Reed Smith. Paul doesn't play with the group anymore, but some of you might recognize the current lead guitarist. He is none other than Stanley Whitaker, ex-axeman for the noted prog-rock group Happy The Man. What a small world. The band really cooks, and their shows are always *packed*. They play all cover material, much of which might be enjoyed by prog rockers (Zappa, Satriani, Santana, Floyd, Gabriel, Neil Young, Supertramp, Allman Brothers, to name a few).

Crack the Sky's first four albums are particularly notable because of the interplay of the guitars of Jim Griffiths and Rick Witkowski. John Palumbo's songwriting is funny and increasingly bitter, but the guitar harmonies are what made Crack the Sky really special. The live album, Live Sky, probably best illustrates this. The first three Palumbo dominated albums don't hint at the power of the band. The fusoid jam at the end of "Lighten Up, McGraw/She's a Dancer," with it's contrasting themes pitted against one another, until a brutal ensemble riff finishes out the tune, must be heard to be believed. The same goes for the rabid "William Tell Overture" at the end of "Surf City." After the release of the live album, Palumbo returned to the band, and his songwriting became increasingly grim and bitter. The original band disappeared, and as a result the remaining albums were very pale imitations of the first four. Photoflamingo has two or three nice tunes that recall the third album, Safety in Numbers. World in Motion has a terrific Zep stomp called "Breakdown" and From the Greenhouse overall is a pretty decent pastiche of Pink Floyd. Overall, though, after the end of the original organization this band faltered terribly. Raw is an album to be avoided at any cost. -- Tim Schultz

Craft (84)

Craft was essentially keyboardist William Gilmour and bassist Martin Russell, both ex-of the Enid. Their only album Craft from 1984 featured six tracks based on six of the twelve signs of the zodiac. The sound was very symphonic much in the vein of the Enid, but perhaps a little more direct and less impressionist, mostly due to the drumming of Grant Gilmour and the band's no- nonsense writing style. The CD reissue features two bonus tracks, unrelated to the zodiac. Still waiting for the last six signs.

Craft is a three-piece offshoot of the English band, The Enid. The Enid were in existence from the mid '70s and throughout the '80s. I've never heard them myself but they are said to play a very orchestral/classical style of Prog. Based on that description, Craft sound nothing like their former band. Craft released a single album in 1984 titled Craft. It has since been released on CD on the Kinesis label (back when it was known as Kinetic Discs). The three members of Craft are: William Gilmour plays keyboards, (brother? cousin? coincidence?) Grant McKay Gilmour is the percussionist and Martin Russell contributes guitar...erm...bass. It seems that all the guitar sounds (and there are many) are created by the bass going through a custom pedalboard. When Russell isn't playing guitar...erm...bass, he also plays keyboards. Their sole release is based on six of the twelve signs of the zodiac but the CD release contains two bonus songs that are quite different than the zodiac tracks. The music is a more overtly symphonic Progressive Rock (relative to the Enid description) with layers of lush synthesizers defining their sound. True to their roots, I suppose, the music is classical (of the warm, rich Romantic variety) in nature. Tracks range from march themes to variations on Irish jigs. Overall, the album is pretty solid with mildly complex passages to keep things interesting. The two bonus tracks are very melancholy piano/vocals works and seem rather sparse compared to the lush synth arrangements of the original songs.

Craft is a three-piece offshoot of the English band, The Enid. The Enid were in existence from the mid '70s and throughout the '80s. I've never heard them myself but they are said to play a very orchestral/classical style of Prog. Based on that description, Craft sound perhaps a bit like their former band but placing more emphasis on the rock aspect. Craft released a single album in 1984 titled Craft. The three members of Craft are: William Gilmour plays keyboards, (brother? cousin? coincidence?) Grant McKay Gilmour is the percussionist and Martin Russell contributes guitar...erm...bass. It seems that all the guitar sounds (and there are many) are created by the bass going through a custom pedalboard. When Russell isn't playing guitar...erm...bass, he also plays keyboards. Russell and keyboardist Gilmour are credited with writing all of the tracks. Their sole release is based on six of the twelve signs of the zodiac. The CD on Kinesis release contains two bonus songs that are quite different than the zodiac tracks. More about them later. The music is a more overtly symphonic Progressive Rock (relative to The Enid description) with layers of lush synthesizers defining their sound. True to their roots, I suppose, the music is fairly orchestral. I sat and thought about it for a few moments and it hit me: The opening cut, "Aries," sounds like a fanfare-styled march and would easily make a good song for the Boston Pops Orchestra to close out an evening of gala events. Thus, the music is engaging, bouyant and rousing. "Taurus" is more somber with piano stating the melody and the bass adding punctuation. There are no drums which adds to the serious atmosphere. "Gemini" follows and the pace picks back up a notch as all three musicians get involved. Though the classical nature of these songs is far removed from the keyboard-led fusion of Kenso, the melody of "Taurus" reminds me of the Japanese band. "Cancer"'s theme is developed from an Irish jig which gives it a fun, lighthearted feel though it jams quite heavily in the middle. This is probably my favorite tune on the album as it seems to have the most changes and development. Suffice it to say the remaining two original songs are also nicely done (particularly "Leo") and make for a very solid and engaging album. As I mentioned above, the two bonus tracks are completely different in style from the zodiac tracks that make up the original album. "Branislana" and "And So to Sleep" are credited solely to Russell as writer. Both are short pieces of melancholy piano against a thin sheen of atmospheric synth While it's nice to hear another aspect of Russell's writing style, the two bonus tracks certainly are in contrast to the upbeat nature of the original album. Without them, though, the album would only be 35 minutes long. Of course, with them the music lasts only 40 minutes. Craft is a very enjoyable album that I think many Progressive Fans, both neo- and not, would enjoy. -- Mike Taylor

[See Enid, The]

Lost in Karak (??), Somnii Palus (??), Rats Can Roll (??, EP)

Similar to Nurse with Wound.

[See Nurse With Wound]

Cravinkel (70), Garden of Loneliness (71)

I heard three tracks from Garden of Loneliness, featuring alternately male and female vocals. Hers are soul-blues inflected, while his are gruff and gravelly in the tradition of German rock. The first song was a cool 7/4 jam with prominent electric piano and gutsy female vocals. The second (the title song) was a typical German spacy hard rocker with raspy male vocals and lots of guitar and organ soloing, not unlike Bullfrog but made long before that. The last song was a bluesy ballad, remindling alternately of Janis Joplin and Gladys Knight. Fanatics of the genre like me might search this out, others need not apply. Members of this group later formed the synth-pop band Trio, of "Da Da Da" fame!. -- Mike Ohman

The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown (68), Strange Lands (88)

This was one of Carl Palmer's first bands...I think he was 18 or so at the time. The only song I remember, "Fire" appeared on Empty-TV (regards to Joe Bob Briggs for that pun) and features Vincent Crane on keyboards. Pete Townsend covered the song recently. Not bad at all, especially with Roger Daltrey singing. The album is almost impossible to find...I don't know anywhere other than a garage sale.

Most notable for his late 60's monsterpiece Crazy World of Arthur Brown, with it's bizarre vocals and heavy-handed hammond, this album still sounds killer 25 years after the it's original release. He made one more album with Crazy World (that wasn't released until a few years ago), and then a lot of mediocre stuff after that.

[See Kingdome Come (UK)]

Gorilla (73), Lady Pig (74)

Jazzy Brain-label band. Probably like Altona?

Cressida (70), Asylum (71)

This is a bit of an obscurity, but undeservedly so! Cressida were a progressive rock group from the early seventies, with a sound based around organ/piano/ mellotron, similar to Beggars' Opera, and such groups. Asylum is the better of their two releases, and is sure to appeal to those who like the sound of that era. The compositions are very melodic, minor-chord based works, and, at times recall the early works of Fruupp and The Nice.

Cressida was one of several bands from the late '60s and very early '70s that were inspired by the Moody Blues. Similar bands include Fantasy, Salamander, Beggar's Opera, Cirkus, and Spring. The focus in on organ and guitar, often with a mellotron backdrop. Flute is sprinkled throughout. Recommended for fans of any of the above groups but symphonic, fusion, or heavy-prog fans may want to audition first. Personally, I think it's good for what it is but I get enough of this style from the Moody Blues. Asylum is more developed than Cressida, adds some strings and horns as occasional sonic highlights, and is is generally more mature. Thus, if you're interested, Asylum is the recommended starter.

A worthwhile find from the early British scene. Asylum is the second Cressida album, released on thel legendary "swirl" Vertigo label around the same time as Gentle Giant's Acquiring The Taste and the first Jade Warrior album. Cressida vocalist Angus Cullen sings in a pleasing British folkie style, while keyboardist Peter Jennings organ and piano playing has an apparent jazzy slant. John Culley's electric guitar playing seems to be hanging on to the remnants of the sixties, but it doesn't date the music too awful much. The band's sound benefits a good deal from the orchestrations on several tracks, which make them sound much more progressive than they otherwise might have, especially on the climactic "Munich," my favourite song on this album. "Lisa" and the eleven-minute "Let Them Come When They Will" are other touchstone tracks, the rest of the album is adequate; not exceptional but harmless. "Goodbye Post Office Tower Goodbye" shows the band's sense of humour, and is probably a disgruntled postal-workers anthem. :-)

[See Black Widow]

Zapp (92)

Belgian five piece featuring a lineup of dual violins, keyboards, alto and baritone saxes and bass, their basic sound could be likened to Art Zoyd meets Miriodor, they share much in common with both bands - The melodious sax- driven approach of Miriodor, and the drummerless chamber-music stylings of Zoyd. The keyboards seem to tie everything together into one cohesive whole. Truly a case where the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts.

Paradox (88?), Second Movement (??), Changing Poison Into Medicine (93)

Boring Neo-prog mixed with commercial pop music. Not my cup of tea. But Mr. Hansi Cross himself is one of the driving forces behind The Swedish Art Rock Society Crimson. -- Gunnar Creutz

Memos from Purgatory (88), The Big Picture (??), Testing to Destruction (??)

I only have Memos from Purgatory, which has a band of Cross' violin, saxophones, keyboards, bass and drums. Five of the tunes are written by Cross and three by keyboardist Sheila Maloney. Cross' tunes are interesting, although they tend to develop slowly and can sound half-written at times (there are long parts of "Meantime" and "The First Policeman" which are mostly bass and drums). My favorite piece is "Bizarre Bazaar," which runs through several riffs and a couple of solos in some weird Arabian/gypsy scale. Maloney's tunes aren't nearly as good, IMO; nothing much seems to happen in them (whereas with Cross' pieces there is usually a violent solo or some memorable noises every so often). Incidentally, they used a real drummer for the album, but from the sound of things they might as well have saved the money and used a drum machine instead; it would hardly have affected the sound of things at all. And no, it doesn't sound the least bit like Crimson. -- Michael Walpole

[See King Crimson]

A Nice Way of Life (70)

Short-lived prog group that at one time counted Christian Vander and Bernard Paganotti among it's members, although Vander was in for only a very brief period of time. Paganotti was the vocalist/bassist, Francois Breant the keyboardist.

[See Breant, Francois | Ergo Sum | Magma | Nemo | Paga | Weidorje]

Crucis (75), Los Delirios Del Mariscal (76)

Monster Argentine prog band who put out two rare albums in the mid seventies. Both are musts. Crucis and Los Deliros Del Marsical Sound like Finch, Focus, or Yes and are incredibly talented musicians.

Excellent band from South America somewhere. The sound is very elaborate and rich with influence, colorful and artful. Not derivative, at least to my ears. They have two CDs, unfortunately both were limited editions and seem to be out of print now. Good thing I got my pirated cassette.

I haven't heard it enough to go into detail, but I know I really like the album I have heard by them: Los Delirios del Mariscal. Fans of Finch, Focus, Yes and other bands with really murderistic guitar players will fall in love with this immediately. The keyboardist concentrates primarily on Hammond organ, and his stop-start playing brings to mind early Patrick Moraz. There are the odd spacy sections with soloing that somewhat resemble Carpe Diem or some Gong. All in all, this one gets my highest recommendations. -- Mike Ohman

Los Delirios regarded as one of the classics of South American progressive. It's a hard one for me to peg down style-wise. While listening I hear elements of Focus, Yes, and ELP. During heavier moments, they reminded me of Semiramis, while other times were clearly straight out of the early Britsh rock/prog scene, such as Spring. In other words, they have a fairly unique sound that is closest to symphonic in style, overall. Great album.

What can I say? These guys are great. Killer fusion in the style of Focus and Finch, but unique enough to catch your interest and keep it for a long, long time. Los Delirios Del Mariscal, their second album, is a bit slower to get into than their self-titled first offering, but it has really grown on me in the last few months. Like I said in my review of their first, the drummer is utterly fantastic. Carl Palmer fans will appreciate his style. This release has got more serious jamming and soloing than the first, and even though the guitarist falls back on typical cliches it is well worth the money. Sad that they only put out two releases. These guys are one of the best.

[See Montesano, Gustavo

Volcano (76), Sunny Day (79), Nobody's Fool (80)

Rock w/light prog touches a la Karthago, Cherubin, etc.

S/T (75)

S/T (77)

Symphonic prog.

Waiting in the Spider's Web (87), Forever (??)

German mid-80's band with a sound comparable to Grobschnitt's better moments, a harder progressive rock with lots of riveting lead guitar, moody stretches, abundant synth and mellotron, with powerful melodics and dramatic intensity. The vocals (sometimes sung, occasionally spoken) are in English, but the word pronunciation is atrocious, and the lyrics are a little disjointed.

I've heard just the title track from Waiting in the Spider's Web. It was a pleasant mix of symphonic Genesis and melodic Camel. Some vocal harmonies were nice but the vocals were nothing spectacular. But they weren't annoying, either. For this one short song, the guitar was the main melodic instrument. -- Mike Taylor

O Els Cavallers... (??), Montgo (??)

ECIM (93)

This four-piece from Massachusetts offers a free-wheeling neo-psychedelic sound that finds itself at home somewhere between current bands bands like Porcupine Tree, and the experimental music of earlier times like Faust or Fifty Foot Hose - a swirling miasma of novel ideas delivered with unbridled urgency. Completely liberated from any convenient labels, the material (mostly written by guitarist Glenn Jones) delivers on a multitude of levels. Most of the tracks are instrumentally oriented, but when vocals are used (tracks like "Nico's Dream" or "The Invisible Worm" - the latter co-written by synthesist Robin Amos) they are never done straight, but always treated, always deranged somehow, whispered, or barely intelligible, which all adds to the pervasive mysterious quality of their music. Most of the songs are permeated with electronic tweedling, either at the surface or just below, but unlike bands like Ozrics, who employ similar techniques, Cul De Sac does so in a way that often seems completely irreverent, giving their music a jagged feel which adds an additional layer of subliminal interest. Even a cover of John Fahey's "Portland Cement Factory" begins fairly normally, but halfway through is ripped apart, scrambled and reworked with an industrial vengeance before coming back to the familiar finger-picked solo guitar style. Like Djam Karet, Cul De Sac's music eschews instant accessibility, taking the long road and growing on the listener over a period of time, but that grip grows stronger with each play. I'll recommend this one highly to anyone looking to approach from a more adventurous and experimental angle.

Culpeper's Orchard (71), Second Sight (72), All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go (73)

Culpeper's Orchard is a great Danish psych/rock group that put out two or three albums, of which this is the only one to make the transfer to CD, so far. The first time you listen to the opening strains of "Banjocul," you'll think, "What did I get myself into?" But then comes the opening chords of Mountain Music and you'll know you are in for one fun guitar jam for the entire album. Though definitely in the psych vein, Culpeper's Orchard isn't a rehash of the '66-'69 psychedelic bands or the "west-coast sound." Instead, the band takes intense electric jams that dissolve into beautiful folk-like acoustic arrangements and harmonized vocal melodies. Even the lead guitar is clean and jangling, eschewing the popular fuzz-tone of that era. The Orchard combine known styles with Danish-folk arrangements into an original style distinctly their own. Hendrikson's electric lead played over driving dual acoustic rhthym guitars never fails to get me out of my chair and bopping 'round the living room. His lead guitar style in "Gideon's Trap," "Your Song and Mine," and the two-part "Mountain Music" draws heavily upon Eric Clapton during EC's time with John Mayall and Cream. This is most obvious in "Mountain Music Part 2," where he plays many classic Clapton licks from the Bluesbreaker album in homage to Eric. Though drawing from Clapton, Hendrikson doesn't wear it on his sleave, having developed a unique style of his own. Don't look for outstanding technical ability or phenomenal musicianship because you won't find it here. Just expect some good solid psych 'n' roll and you'll be as happy as I am with this album. Highly recommended.

A completely different beast from the usual, this obscure Danish group produced a really underrated album in 1971 that should please those fans of innovative sixties acts. This album is amazingly stylistically diverse. Opening with a banjo/vocal ditty, you really have no idea what is going to happen next as Culpeper heads into a great rock flight like the best of the early Vertigos with Jack Bruce on vocals. Strong point of this group is the lead guitarist who's tone and emotion causes this group to really excel. As the album progresses you hear the Byrds, the Beatles, Crosby Stills and Nash, Procul Harum, Chocolate Watchband, 13th Floor Elevators, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, the list goes on. The way it all comes together is extremely powerful and in my opinion far better than much of those bands music. In truth this is like an amazing tour into the late sixties and early seventies by a simply excellent band.

Aphorisms Insane (80)

Experimental guitar/synth/mellotron prog.

Curlew (81), North America (85), Live in Berlin (88), Bee (91), A Beautiful Western Saddle (93), Paradise (96)

Obnoxious and lame New York band that are too close to punk for me. Why Cuneiform released this is beyond me. I don't know anyone who likes this.

Dissonant and cacaphonic experimental Jazz group featuring Tom Cora on cello and George Cartwright on saxes, with guitar, keyboards and drums. Excellent stuff if you can handle this type of music, Live in Berlin is a good place to get your feet wet.

All of their recordings feature saxophonist George Cartwright and cellist Tom Cora, others present on various releases include multi-instrumentalist Fred Frith, guitarists Nicky Skopelitis and Davey Williams, drummer Pippin Barnett, keyboardist Wayne Horvitz and bassist Ann Rupel (among others). Frankly, I'm dismayed by the opinions of the little old ladies who wrote the preceding remarks about this fine band. Maybe they want more mellotron, and more vocals with lyrics about warlocks and wizards... who knows? I can accept that Curlew is not "progressive" in the Yes/Genesis/Marillion vein, but that's no reason to spout baseless invective! I beg you, the reader, to ignore those conservative twits and listen to me. Curlew is one of the truly great bands in existence today. In a nutshell, Curlew is more about adventures in sound, jazz-based improvisation and bold musical ideas than it is about being neat, pretty and derivative. Their sound is complex, shifting and original. My ears detect a wide variety of influences (Zappa/Beefheart, Ornette Coleman, Stockhausen, Slavic/Greek/Balkan ethnic music, Funk, noise, etc.) which have been blended, mutated and stretched to the breaking point. Their first release has rather twisted fusion sound, but is much more straightforward than the next several releases, some of which can really get out there! Their fifth recording, A Beautiful Western Saddle, is a real departure in that it de-emphasizes improvisation, and instead features a vocalist (Amy Denio) who sings over more "traditional" song-like compositions. Lyrics are by the great Paul Haines (...who did Escalator Over The Hill with Carla Bley in the early '70s). Despite the radical stylistic departure, A Beautiful Western Saddle is an utterly convincing musical statement, and is perhaps the best place for the uninitated prog-rock fan to find his (or her) way into Curlew's sound-world. -- David Wayne

Modern avant-garde progressive fusion band from New York with a few CDs out. Bee is a 70-minute 1991 recording of mostly instrumentals (the one vocal a cover of Jack Bruce's "As You Said"). This is a quintet: bass, drums, sax, guitar, and *cello*. Production values are iffy at times, the low end being a tad muddy, but this ensemble can whomp, buzz and saw with the best of them; moreover, their use of space and breath in the music makes up for whatever might be lacking in the engineering department. The music is gritty and even bizarre at times, but Curlew is not quite as intense as Mahavishnu Orchestra or Crimson (though the use of cello brings those bands' violin-enhanced textures readily to mind). They frequently flirt with atonal jazz, even more so than Brand X, but do not let Ornette Coleman rule their lives. (In any case, all of the soloists are quite accomplished.) Bee is an excellent albeit offbeat work for those who appreciate Crimson, Mahavishnu, etc. and are looking for something more recent/modern in the genre.

I wonder what the guy who thinks this is "dissonant and cacophonic" would think of John Zorn's more extreme records. I always thought Curlew was relatively accessible, playing tuneful material, albeit with some fairly raucous soloing. Interesting to hear Tom Cora make a cello work in a loud electric band, too. For those looking for well-known names, Bill Laswell played bass on Curlew; Fred Frith is the bassist on North America. Unlike their other records which are all (or almost all) instrumental, A Beautiful Western Saddle is a vocal record, with guest Amy Denio singing settings of words by poet Paul Haines, who provided the words for Carla Bley's landmark Escalator Over the Hill back in the late 60's. -- Dan Kurdilla

[See Cartwright, George]

Dawn (??), Dog's Blood Rising (84), Live At The Bar Maldoror (??), Swastikas For Noddy (??), Swastikas For Goddy (93), Looney Runes (90), Thunder Perfect Mind (92, corresponding to NWW's same-name release), Earth Covers Earth (??), Imperium (??)

Absolutely demented band whose sound ranges from wild noisy experimental music to psycho death folk, to strange soundscapes of electronics and voices and mutant covers of songs like Simon and Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence" (kind of like YBO's version of that tune plus "Bedlam Boys" on Alienation; contrast it to Tempest's version of Serrated Edge... eep!). Unpredictable as hell, and not for the easily offended. Like the genre description in the beginning of the survey says; can be wonderful or horrible depending on what you listen to... Earth Covers Earth is very acoustic and folky (relative to their overall output), while Dog's Blood Rising will induce nightmares for weeks. David Tibet, the "group"s leader is heavily into eerie processed voices and some bizarre subject matter ranging from Chaos Magick to occultism, the Third Reich and Eastern mysticism. Stress is on experimentation not musical prowess. In other words, this is not for symphonic fans. Probably harder to get into than zeuhl, Zappa and Canterbury but just as fun.

Air Conditioning (70), Second Album (71), Phantasmagoria (72), Air Cut (73), Lovechild (74), Live (75), Midnight Wire (75), Airborne (76), Live at the BBC (95)

Many a British prog band cut their mould from these pioneers, using synth, electric violin and female vocals in a way never tried before. The first album is one of the most adventurous of 1970, and while not all of the music has aged well, enough of it has to make it still interesting today. Most well-known from this album is probably "Vivaldi," a clever knockoff of the composer alluded to in the title featuring hot violin flashes from Darryl Way. Keyboardist/ guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Francis Monkman shines on the lovely "Situations," which features bell-like electronically altered guitar sounds. And then there's the voice of Sonja-Kristina Linwood, one of the best female vocalists, at least to these ears. Not only does she perform sweetly pretty ballads as "Situations" and "Screw," but can also rock with the best of them, something you can't say about Annie Haslam. The second album hit pay dirt with the hit single "Back Street Luv," and also introduced full-force synth into their sound on the 12-minute epic "Piece Of Mind." As before, not all the music here has dated well, but "Piece Of Mind," "Puppets" and "Young Mother" make it well worth the effort. Phantasmagoria found them fully ensconced in the progressive world, "Marie Antoinette" and the soaring beauty of "Over And Above" being two of the finest examples. A couple of tracks ("Not Quite The Same" and "Once A Ghost Always A Ghost") display a wry sense of humour. Several others essay folk and neo-classical styles, as the pretty "Melinda (More or Less)" which tries both. Also of note is the weird experimental music of "Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway?" which uses a computer to analyze and distort Sonja-Kristina's voice and make bizarre electronic music out of it. Amazingly, given the stylistic diversity of what's here, it hangs together marvelously. Their undisputed best. Air Cut was made after a drastic lineup shift, with only Linwood and bassist/backing vocalist Mike Wedgwood remaining from the previous band. Linwood incorporated some young prodigies in her new band, 17-year-old Kirby on electric guitar, and a certain 16-year-old named Eddie Jobson on keyboards and electric violin. The 10-minute epic "Metamorphosis", co-written by Jobson and featuring some of his finest keyboard playing, is the reason to own this one. "Armin" spotlights his violin playing and is likewise excellent. Nothing else takes your breath away like those two songs do, the rest of the songs resemble Caravan in their less inspired moments, but with harder-rock guitar. Still, any album with "Metamorphosis" on it is well worth owning. Lovechild is an mini-album of music recorded just after Air Cut with the same lineup, but not released until 1990. A quick listen will soon display why it stayed on a shelf all those years, it isn't very good. Two subsequent albums: Midnight Wire and Airborne reunite Linwood and Way, and are supposed to be better. -- Mike Ohman

Vaguely prog band from England who was responsible for unleashing monster violinist Darryl Way into the world who would go onto form Wolf with future Marillion drummer Ian Mosley, future Soft Machine guitarist John Etheridge, and future Caravan bassist Dek Messecar. Actually these guys unleashed two monster violinists, because I must NOT forget virtuoso Eddy Jobson. Try any of the first five.

Sort of a progressive Jefferson Airplane. This group is pretty eccentric w/ vocalist Sonja Kristina. Francis Monkman, Darryl Way, Eddie Jobson, and Stewart Copeland all started out in Curved Air. Lots of hot Violin and proto- synth stuff. First three (Air Conditioning, Second Album, Phantasmagoria) and last two (Midnight Wire, Airborne) are the best, all include prog + non-progressive and experimental stuff as well, but still very worthwhile, incredibly original and unique. The mid period albums (Air Cut, Lovechild, and Live) are a little spotty, but even these have their moments.

Featured the warbling of Sonja Kristina, the violin of Daryl Way, and the multi-instrumental talents of Francis Monkman. Eddie Jobson was a later member. True "art rock," they could range from being wildy experimental to just plain weird, but I think they avoided sounding like many of their contemporaries. Given the fascinating talent in the band, there is much worth listening to. Recommended: Second Album and Phantasmagoria.

Curved Air is a well respected UK band featuring several luminaries of the Progressive scene, including Francis Monkman and Darryl Way. I had heard a single track (title unknown) from an early album that was excellent (as their early albums are reputed to be). However, I unfortunately picked up Live first. There are a few nice moments but for the most part, the playing is very uninspired. I suggest you look elsewhere (try any of the first three) but stay away from Live.

On Air Cut this great British art rock band moves around among a variety of styles, from Fairport Convention-style folk ("Elfin Boy") to Jefferson Airplane-style psychedelic rock ("Easy") to more straightforward hard rock that occupies a middle place between prime-era Renaissance and early David Bowie. Not aggressively progressive, but those with open ears will find much rewarding stuff here. Eddie Jobson's keyboard work is particularly sharp. -- Doug Bassett

[See Caravan | Copeland, Stewart | 801 | Jobson, Eddie | Kristina, Sonja | Monkman, Francis | Way, Darryl | Wolf, Darryl Way's]

Cybotron (79), Colossus (??), Implosion (??)

Electronic/space/prog music, has been compared to Heldon. Don't confuse with American band w/same name, who released Enter.

Tread Softly On My Dreams (70)

Early Mellotron prog band.

Canaxis (68), Full Circle (80), Movies (80), On The Way To The Peak Of Normal (82), Snake Charmer (82), Der Osten Ist Rot (84), Rome Remains Rome (87), Plight And Premonition (88, with David Sylvian), Flux And Mutability (89, with David Sylvian), Radio Wave Surfer (91), Moving Pictures (93)

Plight and Premonition is a great ambient album in the same vein as Eno's ambient stuff albeit a little darker. Recommended.

[See Can]