Hell's Kitchen (90), Fade (96)

[Facade's music is loosely described by singer Jon Paradise as "the dividing line between rock and metal, and the balance between commercial and progressive." Influences range from "progressive" (Kansas, Saga, Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Rush) to "alternative/grunge/metal" (Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Metallica, Dokken) to "adult contemporary" (Sarah McLachlan, Toad The Wet Sprocket).]

Jak spelar dik matt (92)

From Home to Home (70)

[See Kaleidoscope]

Fairport Convention (68), What We Did On Our Holidays (69), Unhalfbricking (69), Liege and Lief (69), Full House (70), Angel Delight (71), Babbacombe Lee (71), Manor (72), Rosie (73), Fairport Nine (73), Live - A Movable Feast (74), Rising For The Moon (75), Gottle O'Geer (76), Chronicles (76), Live At The Troubadour (76), Bonny Bunch Of Roses (77), Tippler's Tales (78), Heyday (7?), Farewell Farewell (79), The Airing Cupboard Tapes (81), Moat On The Ledge (82), AT2 (84), Live At Broughton Castle (85), Expletive Delighted (86), House Full (Live in L.A.) (87), In Real Time (87), Red and Gold (89), Five Seasons (91)

Fairport has a sound that has pretty well established the british folk-rock scene, along with the Strawbs, Steeleye Span and others. Although not really progressive in the strict sense, they have strong personell connections to nearly every band around, including King Crimson, Jethrol Tull, Strawbs, and others, and influence has been carried in both directions throughout their career, and thus they may be of interest to readers interested in exploring this area. My highest recommendations go to three of their albums, Unhalfbricking and Liege and Lief from the early period (both featuring Sandy Denny), and In Real Time, a live one from recent years.

Early albums were pretty much straight ahead folk music, but as more members of Jethro Tull were added, FC's sound became more rock-oriented. Still probably classified as folk music, make no mistakes, but the more recent stuff is certainly apt to appeal more to fans of Tull and the like.

Buy Liege and Lief. I love it, and I hear that nothing else quite measures up to it (and nothing else that I've heard from them does). It's kind of a Celtic folk progressive album (maybe a bit week on the progressive part, but it has some good cuts on it).

[See Denny, Sandy | Jethro Tull]

Fairy's Moke (75)

Fading Beauty (73), Back On My Hill (80)

Apparently this band has a slug of albums out, but Lasers Edge re-released their first, most progressive album Fading Beauty on CD. There's lots of lengthy instrumental passages, heavy hammond organ, mellotron and decent guitar, but overall it sounds very dated (73, but sounds more like something from the end of the 60's) and tends to ramble on endlessly and pointlessly over it's three long tracks. File under: Goes nowhere.

German progressive rock released by Laser's Edge, Fading Beauty draws comparisons to mid-period Eloy. The music can be described as full-sounding symphonic rock, and consists of two long tracks that go through a variety of moods, with enough mellotron and guitar-drenched instrumental passages to keep the listener content.

Fading Beauty is a rather somber work from The Laser's Edge. Originally released in 1973, the title comes from the first part of the two part "Autumn Fantasia" suite, which deals with waning years of our lives. "Tharsis" is a 21 minute tale of a bird whose egg is our own earth. If the egg hatches, our earth is destroyed, but the only way to prevent the brood from hatching is by atomic explosion. An interesting story, but the music fails to carry it along very well. Plenty of organ and guitar abounds, but the music fails to get the listener involved.

[Note: The Sky-label albums, with the possible exception of Back On My Hill, are heavy-metal, so beware!.]

Cold Nose (75)

In this period he played in Sensation's Fix too. This album is a soundtrack.

[See Sensation's Fix]

La Famiglia Degli Ortega (73)

The 12 players in this band were all of the same family. The sound is a mix of popular music and vangard music.

Music In A Dolls House (68), Family Entertainment (69), Anyway (70), A Song For Me (70), Old Songs New Songs (71), Fearless (71), Bandstand (72), It's Only A Movie (73), From Past Archives (80), The Peel Sessions (88), BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert (91)

Seminal folk-hard-rock-prog band fronted by Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney. Their music was instantly recognizable due to Chapman's unique and grating vocals. Musically they covered a wide range of stuff, all condensed into song format and generally accessible, but still very progressive for its time. Fearless is probably their best album, which also features a budding John Wetton on bass and backing vocals. Many people swear by A Song For Me as well, but I cant say cuz I haven't heard that one.

Family existed from early 1967 until late 1973. During this period, this UK band from Leicester were festival staples, and covered a lot of musical ground, touching on '60s psychedelia (esp. Doll's House); breezy acoustic passages; hard progressive rock (esp. Song For Me and Anyway); jazz-flavorings ; and in their final stages, a laid-back, "good-time" brand of rock and roll (It's Only a Movie). All of this was anchored by the axis of Roger Chapman (aka Chappo) on vocals, and Charlie Whitney on guitars. Chapman is thought by many to have the most unique voice in rock: alternately down-home and soothing, to outright manic and throat-wrenching. Whitney was an under-rated player being most proficient on twelve-string guitars, acoustic and electric. Family also included a couple of famous alumni, namely Ric Grech, who went on to Blind Faith; and John Wetton, future star of King Crimson, UK, Aisa and others. -- Patrick Little

Great underestimated band from late sixties, early seventies with the distinct vocals of Roger Chapman and subtle guitar playing of Charles Whitney. Most of the songs are penned by these two although other members write the odd number. First album Music in a Doll's House still very much in the vein of Sixties psychedelia and has dated somewhat over the years. Not the best introduction to the band. Second album Family Entertainment is a classic of Progressive Rock, All songs seem to be influenced by a number of styles including Carribean to up tempo boogie-woogie. The first two tracks - "Weaver's Answer" and "Observations from a Hill" are timeless in their beauty and show diversity of instruments which enhances the multi layers of melodies. After this masterpiece two key members leave the band (Rick Grech moves on to Blind Faith) causing a redefinition of song and sound structure. The first half of Anyway contains four live songs (the only official ones) and shows the band at its loudest. Not a bad album but the production leaves much to be desired. A Song For Me has some great songs but on the whole seems uninspired. Before Fearless John Wetton joins the band but his influence is neglible, I don't think he sings a lot on the albums but it does seem that the zaniness which from the earlier albums is slipping away. Fearless is nevertheless is a good album although it could do without some of the last songs. Bandstand is maybe their best album of the second phase (the original album sleeve is a beauty) the songs show a maturity with again a number of styles all mixed into the typical Family sound - no band sounds the same as them, although it seems like a number of new British bands also grab this eclectic background but of course without Chapman's rasping vocal chords. Again two members leave before It's Only a Movie, a more groovy album where the keyboards are more predominanly evident. The group is after all these years not very well known in the States and it seems that Chapman and co. give up. They'll try again in the form of a band called Streetwalkers which does sound more American AOR and therefore a lot less interesting. Luckily a live album from a BBC concert has came out in the early '90s, performed just after It's Only a Movie but with a wide variety of of their album songs. It shows the band at its best with great improvisations and exquisite keyboard and guitar duels, very highly recommended. -- Eric Hermans

[See Asia | Atoll | King Crimson | Wetton, John]

Record (81)

With Erik Lindgren, in between work with the Space Negros and Birdsongs of the Mesozoic.

[See Birdsongs of the Mesozoic | Space Negros]

Weak Waving (91), King's Journey (92)

Italian neo-prog band.

Gack! Italian neo-prog band on Musea. Of their first album Weak Waving, it has to be one of the worst things musea has ever put out. Weak is right !!! The vocals are insipid and the music is wannabee neo derivative but not quite up to it. Awful!

Fancyfluid are an Italian band, and King's Journey is their second release, on Musea. Their sound has matured well in comparison with their debut, Weak Waving, and the result is a presentation of symphonic progressive rock along the lines of Galadriel, Nuova Era, etc., with conceptual pieces composed around a lush base of keyboards and guitar. The vocal and guitar work is somewhat influenced by early Marillion, and is very well executed. Comparisons may also be drawn with Italian counterparts Arcansiel. If you enjoy the work of the bands mentioned, and wish for something along those lines, this release should be a worthwhile investment.

Music From The Blackboard Jungle (80?), Some Brighter Stars (83), Migration (86), The Wolf At The Ruins (89), World Diary (92)

FF creates a sort of ambient music using predominantly acoustic instruments, all played by himself (Piano, Mandola, Bandurria, Violin, Synthesizers). His earliest releases are more ambient in nature. Of his third Migration: This music just gradually flows from one track to the next, exploring various dreamlike and meditative soundscapes in the process, with enough variety from one track to the next to keep it interesting, and regular dynamic and texture changes to hold the album together well. Interesting use is made of the absence of sound: there are a couple spaces between tracks that exceed 20 seconds or more, but fit well with the nature of the music. Of his later releases Wolf At The Ruins and World Diary: the music tends to be more melodic and far-eastern influenced than the early stuff, the side- long "New China" suite on World Diary being a good example. All are great. Start with either of the last two.

Fantasia (75)

Symphonic prog private-release rarity.

Roine Stolt/Fantasia (80), Fantasia (82)

Roine Stolt's first project after leaving Kaipa. Fantasia is described by Roine Stolt as a "more commercial sounding album."

[See Flower Kings, The | Kaipa | Stolt, Roine]

Paint a Picture (73), Beyond the Beyond (74) (released 92)

Another early British band in the vein of Beggars Opera, Cressida, Cirkus, and Spring.

Said to be highly regarded. Much mellotron.

Cave Down to Earth (75), Nipponjin (75), Parallel World (76), Tenkujin (77), Tom Hatano (77)

Japanese prog/space band with Kitaro in it.

I have their Parallel Worlds album and it's a *fantastic* space album, if you're into that genre. Uopn first listen, I thought to myself, "Ash Ra Tempel on keyboards!" More specifically, it sounds like Rick Wright, of Pink Floyd fame, in a space jam with Klaus Schulze. Speaking of, though Schulze doesn't play, he produced this album and his wizardry is evident throughout. Kitaro is also said to play on this album but the line-up isn't given. If you are into the long space jams ala Ash Ra Tempel, except with keyboards, you'd love this album. The drummer is Schulze-inspired and he's all over this place. Often, it's the drummer and bass carrying the tune while the keyboard provide an astoundingly mesmerizing backdrop. If you're a space traveler, get this 60+ minute CD, of which half is the 30+ minute title track.

This Japanese band has unleashed many a new-age synthesist on the unsuspecting world: Kitaro, Fumio Miyashta, Akira Ito... Their first album was issued under the band name Far Out, and is these days a rare collectors' item. The first proper FEFB album, The Cave Down To Earth, did not appear until 1975. It attracted the attention of Klaus Schulze, who collaborated with the band on the first European release. That album, Nipponjin--Join Our Mental Phase Sound, consisted of re-recorded selections of the two aforementioned albums. Schulze collaborated with the band again on the 1976 album Parallel World. Tenkujin, the band's lone U.S. release, finds the band a trio of Miyashta (vocals, synths, guitars, bamboo flute), Hirohito Fukushima (e-guitar, koto, vocals) and Yujin Harada (drums, percussion) plus a guest bassist. The sound is wonderfully spacy, heavy on the synthesizers, and featuring some clear-toned Hillage-influenced guitar. Vocals, alternately in Japanese and English, are subtle and not unpleasant, reminding one of Camel. Pink Floyd is another obvious influence, but there are definitely Japanese themes running throughout the album, from the koto and bamboo flute on "From Far East" to the cuckoo/waterfall/heartbeat sounds at the beginning of "Nagare." A very good album which really grows on you.

I've seen Nipponjin not only spelled Nepporjin and Nihonnjin, but also have seen the latter variant attributed to Far Out in a mail order catalog. However, two books list it as a FEFB album. I've also seen Tenkujin spelled Tenkeyin. If you know the definitive history of this band, please contact me.

Far Out (72)

Far Out were the Far East Family Band in an early incarnation. Some say that Nihonnjin is a Far East Family Band album that contains one Far Out song and one FEFB tune. This was released on CD as a Far Out album though so I'll submit it under that band. Nihonnjin does indeed contain two songs, the 18 minute "Too Many People" and the 20 minute title track. "Too Many People" starts with spacy electronics that lead into electric guitar. Soon vocals, in English begin to sing and the guitar has mutated into a "sitar" type of sound. Other than the opening, keyboards are rarely at the fore again. Instead, the guitar and drums are important to creating the atmosphere which is somewhat akin to Pink Floyd circa Saucerful of Secrets. As a matter of fact, the ending of "Too Many People" is pretty similar to the ending of the song "Saucerful of Secrets" with the chorused "oohs." The next song, "Nihonnjin," continues in the same style of "Too Many People." This time the ending is the melody played on Japanese wood flutes for several minutes. To me, the two songs sound very related and not as if one came from Far Out and the other came from Far East Family Band. Right now, the only FEFB I've heard is the very spacy, Klaus Schulze produced Parallel Worlds which is dominated by spacious synths. Perhaps earlier FEFB is different. Either way, Far Out is a classic of the early spacy, Japanese psych scene and definitely worth an audition for fans of early Pink Floyd.

[See Far East Family Band]

Seasonal Man (75)

Prog-folk. Has been compared to Mellow Candle.

Rock Fantasia (83)

Complex prog.

Night on Brocken (84), The Spectre Within (85), Awaken the Guardian (86), No Exit (88), Perfect Symmetry (89), Parallels (91), Inside Out (94) Chasing Time (95, comp.)

Perfect Symmetry is good, lots of neat time signature changes and rythms, reminds me of a complex Queensryche sound but without keyboards. Kind of depressing sounding and mellow, no real intense, adrenaline pumping kick-butt moments. Took a little while for them to grow on me.

Progressive metal, of course. Sort of a sister group to Dream Theater, but more metal than progressive. Shifting time signatures, pretty good lyrics, but IMHO the vocals aren't that great. This is based on Perfect Symmetry, though, that's all I've heard.

Fates Warning is one of the milestone bands in progressive metal music. 1996 marks the ten year anniversary of Awaken the Guardian, the band's first truly progressive album (the previous two, Night on Brocken and The Spectre Within are more traditional heavy metal and, while good, are of interest more to fans than casual listeners). Awaken the Guardian is a brilliant album, and shone like a diamond on the 1986 metal scene. Singer John Arch's penetrating vocals (love them or hate them, no in between) wailed on topics ranging from witchhunts to teen angst to Oscar Wilde's "The Selfish Giant." The album is dense and thickly layered, and takes many, MANY listens to sink in. Like King Crimson, the evolution of Fates Warning can be split into many different periods. With their next album, No Exit, FW refashioned itself as a faster, leaner, more ambitious metal band. New vocalist Ray Alder joined the band for this album, which contains a 21-minute epic called "The Ivory Gate of Dreams." This is an excellent album, but extremely heavy - a plus for some, a minus for others. Perfect Symmetry is regarded by many to be FW's best and most progressive album. Deep experimentations in syncopation and shifting time signatures abound. The album also contains "At Fates Hands," a largely instrumental piece with guest keyboards by Kevin Moore (ex-Dream Theater). After Perfect Symmetry, Fates began to become more commercial-sounding. Parallels, which also featured a guest appearance from Dream Theater (this time James LaBrie) was a satisfying if not downright pop album. After that came Inside Out, an even more mellow and radio-friendly disc. Both albums are excellent, but extremely different from the old stuff. The compilation, Chasing Time, is a great place to start. Not necessarily loved by everyone, Fates Warning has been largely responsible for the infusion of progressive thinking into heavy metal music. -- James Bickers

Faust (71), So Far (72), Outside the Dream Syndicate (73), Faust IV (73) The Faust Tapes (73), 71 Minutes of ... (8?), Munich and Elsewhere (86)

Wild, trippy, far-out German weirdos whose first two albums are landmarks of the German experimental scene. Just from looking at the first album, you know it's not going to be like anything you have ever heard before. Clear vinyl encased in a clear plastic sleeve with an X-ray of a fist printed on it, and even including a see-thru plastic lyric sheet with red lettering! The music is a totally original mix of electronics, tape effects, hard rock, semi-symphonic passages and light folky guitar pieces. It's impossible to predict in what direction they'll move next, they always move contrary to your expectations. Three tracks that all sort of run together. Highly recommended to the explorative. So Far way well be better and more varied than the first album. The opening track: "It's A Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl" is almost simplistic, with single-drum pounding, jagged guitar strumming, bouncy organ tooting and vocals chanting the title over and over, yet it builds to something surprisingly multilayered, with synthesizers and a good sax solo. "No Harm" starts with a passage with prominent trumpet and organ, and sounds not unlike something from Zappa's orchestral period. Then it bursts into a whirlwind of rock fury. The title song is a 7/4 vamp around guitar picks and trumpet blasts in a maelstrom of electronic swooshes which leads in to the chilling "Mamie Is Blue", with dramatic, thunderous electronic effects. Awe-inspiring stuff, and recommended even more than the first. I also heard Faust 4. Still pretty varied, but nothing quite so original as their prior stuff. In fact, they even do an extended version of "Picnic On A Frozen River" from So Far. Fanatics need only apply. -- Mike Ohman

German free form psychedelic/experimental band from the early 70's. What I've heard (71 Minutes and The Faust Tapes) has not impressed me very much. I'm sure I could take a bunch of LSD with my non-musical friends and we could grab some instruments we don't know how to play, and come up with something just as noisy. Somebody once told me that these two albums are just rubbish that was never intended to be released, and their first two are much better.

Faust were one of the seminal German bands along with groups such as Amon Düül II and the like, who incorporated the idea of structured dissonance into music. To those who enjoy the style of those early "psychedelic" groups, their first and So Far are worthwhile discs to explore.

I have Faust IV which is a really good Krautrock album. In fact, the first track is called "Krautrock"! The album goes from noisy jams to really nice melodies with nice keyboards. Re-released by Virgin in 1992.

[See Alcatraz]

Parents Tend To Oxygen First (1985)

A New York four piece working within a pop song format, their sound falls somewhere between the electronic keyboard-driven 90's-period Saga and 80's pop bands like Tears for Fears. Lead singer Pat Walsh is first rate, and the rest of the band pulls plenty of punches, with excellent songs and some clever hooks. I get the feeling these guys had no intention of ever trying to be any sort of progressive band, but because they sound so much like Saga ...

Things are More Like They are Now Than They Ever Were Before (80)

The duo of Steven Feigenbaum (guitars, bass, percussion, tapes, electronics, etc.) and Tom Scott (reeds, keyboards, percussion, etc.) recorded one great album for the "Random Radar" label. Tom Scott was a member of the Muffins, who recorded for the "Random Radar" label, and whose drummer (Paul Sears) also appears on this recording, along with wind synth player Barney Jones (of Mars Everywhere) and several others. Things..., besides having a great title, is a great album and should be an instant hit with fans of groups like the Muffins, Curlew, Soft Machine and Henry Cow. Besides several wonderful jazzy-weird Canterbury-ish/Muffins-ish bits (e.g. the title track) there are some very fine acoustic guitar and reed duos, some noisy/spacey avant-garde stuff, an acoustic guitar quartet, a piece that sounds minimalistic, but is much more interesting than anything any minimalist ever did, some demented Dixieland stylings, and much more. As fine as this album is, Steven Feigenbaum's greatest contributions to music are his music distribution company (Wayside Music) and the "Cuneiform" label, both of which succeeded in carving out a very distinctive niche in the music world. Through Wayside and Cuneiform, hundreds (perhaps even thousands) of us were introduced to the Muffins, Curlew, Art Zoyd, Univers Zero, Nimal, Debile Menthol, and countless other strange and wonderful sound artists. Thanks, Steve! -- Dave Wayne

[See Chainsaw Jazz | Mars Everywhere | Muffins, The]

Fermata (??), Piesen Z Hol (76), Huascaran (77), Dunajska Legenda (78), Biela Planeta (??), Generation (??), Simile (??)

A Czech group that has released 5 LP's of instrumental prog rock. The music tends to be a little oblique, with unusual chord progressions. The The emphasis is on piano/keyboards. The LP's are entitled Biela Planeta (The White Planet), Dunajska Legenda, Huascaran, Generation , and, Piesen Z Hol ("Songs From Ridges"). A comparable group would be The Nice.

Fermata have released at least six jazz-rock albums. Along with the ones mentioned in the upper paragraph is their debut Fermata and a symphonic styled eighties album that came later. I keep finding these guys lumped with Finch and Camel, yet they are much more in the jazz realm than any of these bands, and are basically just another fusion band with an experimental edge.

Diario Di Viaggio Della Festa Mobile (73)

PFM sound alikes, Festa Mobile were a little heavier than their more well-known counterparts and the keyboard player happened to be more of a virtuoso than PFM's but the effect is close. Although FM's singer may be a little less melodic than PFM's, the music is just as interesting and a little bit more involving.

Italian band from the mid-70, their one self-titled album is quite good, but not an essential classic. A folkish influence driving, lots of piano, organ.

Un Joc (7?), Zece Pasi (7?)

Mi Scorri Nelle Vene/Cerchi (70, 7")

When the band was dissolved Federico Stefani went to play with L'Uovo di Colombo and Reale Accademia di Musica Henryk Topel and Piero Pavone with the Reale Accademia di Musica The song "Mi Scorri Nelle Vene" is the italian version of the song "Soldier In Our Town" by Iron Butterfly.

[See Reale Accademia Di Musica | Uovo Di Colombo, L']

Fields (71)

A somewhat obscure band which featured Graham Field (founder of Rare Bird), Andrew McCulloch (appeared in King Crimson's Lizard, and worked with Dave Greenslade, Greg Lake, etc.), and Alan Barry (guitarist with Pete and Mike Giles, of early King Crimson fame). The music is guitar/organ based rock, similar to groups of that era, such as The Nice (Keith Emerson's group before ELP). Some songs feature the mellotron, and help round off the "prog sound."

[See Greenslade | Kingdom Come | King Crimson | Rare Bird]

Dawnrazor (87), The Nephilim (88), Elizium (90), Laura (91)

Often cited as the core "gothic" band by a lot of people, FOTN are were/are a great band which have matured considerably over the years. They sort of split up a couple of years ago with the lead singer and luminary taking the name with him. As far as I know, the rest of them became "Rubicon" and I've heard dire things about them. Anyway, this is quite a depressing band that plays really atmpospheric material. Not so much sound effects oriented, their power lies in their ability to write songs with a real dark, powerful feel. Dawnrazor is pretty good and shows promise from a pretty young band but The Nephilim and Elizium are fine pieces ... particularly Elizium. The Nephilim has the moody "Celebrate" consisting of mainly just vocals and bass with a few effects in the background that sounds like anything but a celebration. This album also contains "Love Under Will" which has a nice haunting guitar line. The vocals are sort of low and nearly spoken but suit the music perfectly. Elizium is just 4 long tracks and a very fine album. Highly atmospheric and really nice guitars combined with superb structure and that 200-year-old- house-on-a-dark-stormy-Sunday-afternoon ambience. They are very Lovecraft inspired (yes another one!) and there are constant references to "Ktulu" and "Dead but Dreaming" etc. If you're going to dabble, get Elizium. Laura is, I think, some older material (at least it sounds that way) and isn't particularly good. I think it was compiled from archives ... there seem to have been a huge number of live/compilation albums after Elizium and the split.

Cauldron (68), I've Paid My Dues (70)

San Francisco hippie band that dabbled with proto-electronics and dissonance. One band member played audio oscillators only, male-female vocal harmonies. Their album Cauldron is pretty good if you ignore a couple of pop covers.

Fili D'Erba (72)

The album is half Italian and half in English. Not really a very interesting band.

Redress of the Balance (91)

A new entry into the world of the neo-progressive, Redress the Balance, their debut CD is best described as a cross between Saga and the UK band Galahad. The music is, as was the case with the recent Galahad CD, a case of art rock meets AOR. The music itself is very listenable, dominated by keyboards and guitars, and will appeal to those who enjoy the music by the other bands mentioned above.

Harder edged neo-prog five piece from the UK. The band is blessed with two out- standing vocalists in Andy Lawton and Brian Donkin, who are both coincidentally excellent guitarists also. The sound is rounded out with keyboards, and the compoetent rhythm section led by bassist Dave Bridgett. Musically their sound may remind of Marillion or Egdon Heath, lots of accent and color, with solo guitar outbursts, shifting rhythms and excellent guitar-keyboard correlations. Fans of the aforementioned should enjoy these guys a lot.

[Do not confuse with different Final Conflict (country unknown) who have a release entitled Ashes to Ashes. They are punk/hardcore.]

Glory Of The Inner Force (75), Beyond Expression (76), Galleons Of Passion (77)

One of the top twenty progressive bands ever. Imagine Focus at their most kick ass, add a symphonic edge and a tendency to change beats every four to eight measures and you have the instrumental rock band Finch. All of theirs are good, but I'd look for Glory Of The Inner Force or Beyond Expression first.

This was an excellent Dutch progressive rock band that made three albums instrumental prog rock. Galleons Of Passion is probably the "best known" of the bunch. Their music has the melodic sensibility of Camel, with a harder edge.

Absolutely phenominal fusion band. Very tight. Experiment with various tempo and mood changes. Glory of the Inner Force is highly recommended.

Finch was an outstanding Dutch instrumental band who released four(?) albums between 1973 and 1977. The sound was replete with soaring melodics throughout, tight rhythm changes, flashy pyrotechnics, and enough excellent musicianship to blow away most other bands of the time. If this sounds like a description of some very hot fusion, well...that's not too far off the mark, but blend it with the color and subtle passion of Camel or Focus and you're halfway there. Beyond tends to be a little more spacy and fluid, while Glory, arguably their most powerful, has a lot more flair and a higher energy level. Galleons was their last, and most accessible, but not as challenging as the early stuff. I've not heard the first album, in fact I don't know anyone who has!

They're loud, they're fast, they're Caribbean lounge music with synths. :-) Well, that was my first impression anyway. "Paradoxical Moods" has organ, bass, drums, and guitar, playing furiously with callipso undertones. The overall sound is similar to an extended Djam Karet instrumental -- this is both good and bad -- with hints of Led Zeppelin in a mellow mood. The guitarist is quite decent. The keyboardist is quick but his solos don't have much harmonic content. The beat is strong. However, the first 2 minutes of the piece contain a total of TWO chords. You've got to be pretty damn great to keep people's interest with two chords, and Finch isn't it. As the music continues, there is a HEAVY emphasis on the tonic. If you pick a random spot on the CD and press "play," there is a good chance that the band will be playing a tonic chord. In summary: decent performers playing harmonically dead music.

Glory of the Inner Force will appeal to both fans of Steve Howe and Focus. The guitar player, Joop Van Nimwegen will remind you of a cross between Steve Howe and Jan Akkerman of Focus. The music itself is derivative of neither, though certainly closer in style to Focus than Yes. Four long songs that are sure to please fans of guitar. There's also some nice organ soloing. Highly recommended to Focus fans.

The best thing to come out of Holland since Dutch chocolate! Finch was primarily the vehicle for Akkerman/Howe influenced guitarist extraordinaire Joop Van Nimwegen, who composed nearly all of Finch's material. The other three members are awesome players as well. Cleem Determeijer is a chamaeleonic keyboardist who is able to change styles with the greatest of ease. Peter Vink is a stunningly nimble bass player, his lightning arpeggiations often give Chris Squire a run for his money. And Beer Klaasse keeps up the tempo in always interesting ways with his superb drumming. Glory Of The Inner Force is easily a classic of the Dutch scene. "Register Magister" is an incredible, relentless dynamo of progressive energy, while "A Bridge To Alice" builds beautifully to a climactic ending. The rare second album, Beyond Expression, includes just three songs, the side-long "A Passion Condensed" is another classic with non-stop energy. Considering Galleons Of Passion was recorded with a different keyboardist and drummer, it probably outlived the expectations of many, as Finch managed another excellent album. "Unspoken Is The Word", the three-part "With Love As The Motive" and the classic "Reconciling" make this well worth your time and money. Hampered only by a couple of short, undeveloped songs at the end of the A-side. Finch are one of those bands who managed to enter and exit the prog world without making one bad album over the course of their brief career. Not many bands can say that. -- Mike Ohman

[See Rainman; An Australian hard rock band called Finch released one self-title album in 1974.]

On A Day of Crystalline Thought (74)

Folk-prog compared to Renaissance.

Finisterre (95)

Finisterre is an impressive debut for this group. Basic instruments include guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, flute and few vocals (in Italian) but saxophone, violin and a choir can also be heard. Faithful to their national tradition, the group blends rock, jazz and classical elements to produce a music that stays fresh through repeated listening. The compositions show originality and offer a certain variety of arrangements that transit smoothly from intense electric guitar solos to quiet piano-flute melodies. An ambitious production that's surprisingly solid for a first release. -- Paul Charbonneau

Yellow (94), Green (96)

[See Krutzen, Henry]

Finnforest (75), Lahto Matkalle (76), Demonnights (79)

A fine, albeit somewhat derivative, Finnish jazz-fusion group led by brothers Pekka (guitars, bass, drums) and Jussi (drums) Tegelman. Eponymously-titled first album finds the trio (w/keyboardist Jukka Rissanen) under the spell of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. This is actually a fine rookie effort, with interesting compositions and spirited playing by all. Rissanen sticks largely to the Hammond organ, using synths sparingly and to largely positive effect. Pekka Tegelman takes all the solos and has a distinctive trebly, quavery sound, and brother Jussi's drumming is crisp and sharp. The overall sound of the band on Finnforest reminds me a bit of Focus, and perhaps Arti E Mestieri. A full-time bassist (Jarmo Hiekala) and two keyboardists (Jukka Linkola and Pertti Pokki) were in the band for their second album Lahto Matkalle, which again has a somewhat derivative sound, but on this release their inspiration seems to come from both Mahavishnu and Weather Report, circa "Sweetnighter." Still, there's lots here for fusion aficionados to appreciate, including more fine guitar work from Pekka Tegelman, and some pretty memorable and distinctive compositions ("Elvin" on side 1). The keyboardists get to solo, but they're no great shakes, and one cut ("Lahto Matkalle, part 1") begins with an overture played by a string quartet! For Demonnights, two saxophonists (Heikki Keskinen and Finnish jazz great Juhani Aaltonen) and a second guitarist (Jari Rissanen) were added, and Tuomo Helin and Jarmo Savolainen replaced the former bassist and keyboardists. Perhaps because of the horns, Demonnights has a more jazzy sound than the previous albums. However, the Weather Report influence now looms very large (especially in the Jaco-influenced bass of Tuomo Helin), and one cut ("Religions") is so derivative that Joe Zawinul could easily have won a plagiarism lawsuit. Even so, there's lots of great playing here, especially from the brothers Tegelman, and Juhani Aaltonen. Of all three records, Demonnights is the one I have listened to the most. Unlike a lot of fusion from the '70s and '80s, these records have a very under-produced, spontaneous feel which I find refreshing. -- Dave Wayne

Fuori Citta'/Due Bambini Nel Cortile (70, 7")

The song "Fuori Citta'" is the italian version of the song "The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack" by The Nice.

The Magic Shoemaker (69)

[See Lambert, David | Strawbs]

Fire Merchants (89)

Hard rock-fusion band led by John Goodsall (during the Brand-X hiatus). Their sound is too hard for my tastes, I can only take it a song or two at a time.

Fire Merchants were a band featuring John Goodsall (Brand X), Doug Lunn (pedigree unknown), and Chester Thompson (concert drummer for famed country and western group, Phil and the JumboTrons). They released this in 1989, an all- instrumental workout, sounding like a more aggressive and electric version of Brand X, jazz fusion that meets rock, in much the same way as Ronnie Montrose, Steve Morse, and the like have been doing. The CD, which contains a track that is not on the LP release, has been out-of-print for a while, and will probably drop out of sight fairly soon.

The other side of the coin from Brand X. Where Brand X always has a jazz feel, Fire Merchants is the rock exploration vehicle for guitarist John Goodsall. Features Chester Thompson (Genesis's tour drummer) on the drum kit. Though I don't think it's as good as Brand X, it's solid rock from a solid guitar player.

Fire Merchants is the project of guitarist John Goodsall (Brand X) who is joined by Chester Thompson (drums) and D. Lunn (basses). The music remains in the jazz-rock fusion style but is a bit heavier than that of his former band. The tracks consist of electric guitar improvisations on pretty intense riffs and rhythms. The use of guitar synthesizer introduces a certain variety to a sound that is never far from distortion. An excellent production for those who enjoy electric guitar in a fairly heavy jazz-rock context. -- Paul Charbonneau

Night on Bald Mountain (75), Two Too (76)

Excellant mellotron/Moog early 70's progressive produced by Ian McDonald of King Crimson fame. A little like Gentle Giant. Recommended: Night on Bald Mountain.

Traditional art rock. Night on Bald Mountain 1975 produced by Ian McDonald. Song credits include Mussorgsky and Debussy (arty enough for ya?). Two Too not recommended.

Nostradamus (77)

Here's an album that's confusing as hell. At a time when punk was on the front page of every British music magazine, and prog was deemed horrendously unfashionable, Decca Records released this very pretentious, very expensive sounding album. One wonders how this band scraped up the cash to afford the big orchestra which plays on most of the album for their first release, but the fact that they never made anything else should be a hint. This release is pompous in ways impossible to describe: ultra-serious, prophetic readings in a veddy British voice, lyrics about Nostrodamus and Catherine de Medici that sound as though they were written by a teenager with the aid of Encyclopedia Britannica, a cliched tape-collage intercutting the voices of Hitler, Churchill and FDR, etc. There are some good instrumental moments, though you're likely to be laughing too hard at the overblown stuff to notice. I'm still not sure if this is a Spinal Tap-esque parody of prog, or real progsters going way over-the-top in a reactionary answer to punk. -- Mike Ohman

[Sometimes the band name is written as First+Aid because of the Red Cross symbol between the two words.]

Firyuza (79)

Unique prog fusion.

Mouseproof (70)

Influences of Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Bonzo Dog Band, Soft Machine, etc. In addition to Gerry Fitzgerald, album features Sam Gopal and Lemmy (of Hawkwind).

[See Hawkwind | Gopal, Sam (Sam Gopal Dream)]

Hot and Cold Frog (85, EP), Hunger's Teeth (94)

Sister band to U Totem, Thinking Plague et al. Hunger's Teeth is superb...a masterful avant-garde rock album up there with the best of Thinking Plague and Henry Cow.

[See DiMuzio, Thomas | Drake, Robert | Present | Thinking Plague | U Totem]

Variaties op een Dame (78, aka Variations on a Lady ), Gevecht Met de Engel (80, aka The Lady's Back), Flairck Live in Amsterdam (80), Circus (81), Flairck en orkest (82, aka Flairck and Orchestra), Moustaki en Flairck (82), Oost-West Express (84, comp.), Bal Masque (85), Sleight of Hand (86), Encore (86), 10 (88, aka The Emmigrant), Alive (90), De Optocht (92, aka The Parade), Kamers (93, aka Chambers), Chileense Toer (95, aka Chilean Tour), De Gouden Eeuw (96)

I often see Flairck CDs in the folk bins in record stores, and often, I've heard these guys mentioned in the same name as Gryphon. The album that I have, Gevecht met de engel is fairly folky, but I really could not compare these guys to Gryphon. There isn't really any percussion here, like on Gryphon's records, and the overt medieval/renaissance influence is not there. What you do get is some nice acoustic folk stuff, with an emphasis on strings, and fairly long tracks (including a side-long suite). Quite enjoyable, like some of Jan Akkerman's solo acoustic stuff, but richer. Howevere, with these guys being compared to the likes of Gryphon, it was a bit of a let-down.

Delightful folk-progressive with strong Celtic underpinnings. The band on Variations on a Lady (a.k.a. Variations on a Lady) consists of two acoustic guitars, flute and violin. The highlight for me is the 22-minute title piece, incorporating lengthy, virtuosic cadenzas for pan-flute and violin. Mandolin, mandola, sitar and acoustic bass guitar also add variety to their lively sound. Circus adds cello, oboe, bagpipes, all manner of percussion and a touch of band-organ. The use of percussion instruments such as marimba and tympani gives the more upbeat passages a fuller sense of kinetic energy. The band-organ passage, though it comes on the tail of a fast part, seems a tad jarring and weird. Both albums come highly recommended, they are a band that is truly trying something different. -- Mike Ohman

Kenso do a cover version of one of Flairk's songs on Music for Unknown Five Musicians.

Galatea (??), Elements (79), Out Of The Dark (80), Supervision (82), Travaganza (82), 8 On 6 (86)

Band that weighed in somewhere between the UK classics from the 70's and the techno-pop bands of the early 80's, but not neo-proggy. Some tracks are great, others tend to be too poppy for this writer's tastes.

One listen to Supervision gives you the eerie feeling you've heard it all before. Probably because you HAVE heard it all before, done better by others. One notable "influence" is U.K., who they steal no less than three riffs from three different songs from. Check out the organ solo in the middle of "Time For A Change" for a weird sense of deja-vu. It's almost note-for-note the same as the solo at the end of "The Only Thing She Needs," complete with staccato CS80 chords intact!! Other songs resemble Camel ("Dancing Into Daylight"), Machiavel ("Supervision") and ATTW3-period Genesis ("Tragedy", which sounds remarkably like "Undertow"). If they ever had an original idea, they probably wouldn't know what to do with it. Fun for a moment's worth of quickie nostalgia, but if you're looking for originality, you sure as hell won't find it here. (I heard once that this band had two good albums: Galatea and Elements. I have yet to find any evidence as to the existence of these.). -- Mike Ohman

This quartet is one of the best from the early eighties European symphonic prog scene. The band could be compared to Genesis (Foxtrot to Wind and Wuthering period), with influences of ELP, Yes and Gentle Giant; however they're not a clone! The compositions are characterized by the virtuosity of the very melodic keyboards, with a very good rhythm section, complex, but never annoying in the long instrumental passages. The sound is characterized by the absence of guitars, replaced by saxophone and flutes (good integration) and by a strange timbric of the vocals (that remind a little of Pendragon's Nick Barret). They released 5 albums on Vertigo, until now (9/94) not available on CD. The first album was self-produced, the others were produced by John Acock (who co-produced most of Steve Hackett's albums). The Albums: Elements: great album, very symphonic prog, with mellotrons, pianos, flutes, and without guitars. Out In The Dark: The best one, the most Genesis like, the only one with a guitar player. Supervision: like the first and second albums but not quite as good. A cleaner sound, with very dry drums. Travaganza: not so good. They tried to be more commercial, copying songs like "In the Air" by Phil Collins and "Turn it On Again" by Genesis and "Salsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel. However there is one or two good songs, such as the beautiful "Lifetime". 8 On 6: not so good, either. Simplest compositions, simplest rhythmics, no feeling. This album closes in a bad way the story of a great band. -- Lele Hofmann

[See Gipsy Love]

Tanz Der Gotter (79)

Symphonic ala Epidaurus and Camel.

Ark 2 (69)

Known for two things: 1) Phil Collin's first band, and 2) being a piece of crap. Early psych.

Flash (72), In The Can (??)

Flash was formed by guitarist Peter Banks after recording two albums with Yes. They released three albums, of which In The Can is possibly their most "progressive." With three of the five tracks longer than 10 minutes, and with Banks' somewhat bluesy influence, the music is quite reminiscent of Audience (I wonder if anyone remembers them!) and other bands of that persuasion. The music revolves around Banks' guitars and ARP keyboard, and should appeal to those who enjoy the "UK progressive" sound made popular by bands such as Fields, Colosseum, Man even, in the early seventies, with a more guitar-dominant sound. As an additional data point... this release made the Billboard charts as well.

[See Banks, Peter | Yes]

Flashman (79)

Art-rock.

Cercando La Vita (70), Hydra (71), Pensando (72), Flashmen (73), Sempre E Solo Lei (74), I Flashmen (74)

Not a good band, all commercial songs. Only Pensando is good and has a progressive sound.

Flasket Brinner (71), Festen Pa Gardet (71), Flasket (72)

Swedish Rock/Avante Garde Jazz.

Topi O Uomini (72)

A Goblin offshoot. They only had one release Topoi O Uomini, a great album in which the intensity is never dulled.

A good band with some good players. The LP is progressive rock where the only problem is the lyrics. After this album they changed their name to Etna. Elio Volopini (Vocals, Bass, Sax) played in L'Uovo Di Colombo too.

One of the canards of the usually fertile Italian progressive scene, Flea's one album, Topi o Uomini, contained a total of one progressive track, the all too brief "Sono un pesce." It's a light piece with wistful vocalizing and a free-jazz freakout at the end as per King Crimson. Quite mediocre when compared to the great things accomplished by more daring fellow countrymen (Area, P.F.M., Il Balletto Di Bronzo, etc.), but is absolute nirvana when compared to what's on the rest of the album: grungy, psych-tinged guitar-laden hard rock. It sounds mostly like Grand Funk Railroad stretched out to Iron Butterfly length, only with Italian vocals. Over the shorter tracks, it's merely boring, but on the twenty-minute title song, it's complete agony. Don't bother. (The band featured future Goblin drummer Agostino Marangolo. After he left, the band changed its name to Etna, and reportedly changed its style as well.)

[See Etna | Goblin | Uovo Di Colombo, L']

Flea On The Honey (71)

All the songs are in english but they are not interesting.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (9?), Flight of the Cosmic Hippo (91), Ufo Tofu (92), Live Art (96)

Bela Fleck grew up in New York City, played banjo for a while in Newgrass Revival, then electrified his banjo and formed an instru- mental quartet with Howard Levy on keys, harp, and pennywhistle and the Wooten brothers on bass and drums (drums are/is actually synth-axe-drumitar).

I was never really had much appreciation for jazz until I heard this group, which combines jazz, bluegrass, folk, country and progressive styles of music in a very complex and original way. Theres a banjo player, keyboard/harmonica player, bass player and synth-axe player (uses it to control sampled percussion sounds) all of which are extremely talented. The best phrase to describe this would be maybe "space bluegrass/jazz" or something, it does have a slight cosmic feel at times. Highly recommended.

Decent bluegrass/fusion effort, not progressive in the generic sense. I saw them live on TV and bought them out of the bargain bin. They were better live; the tape was pretty lame, although the Bela's banjo playing can be amusing. Look for them in the bargain bin. They'll be there.

Dr. Siegel's Fried Egg Shooting Machine (72), Goodbye (72)

The trio that called themselves Flied Egg were part of the early Japanese psych scene along with bands like Fromage, Foodbrain, Chronicle and Flower Travellin' Band. I have Dr. Seigel's Fried Egg Shooting Machine which is a quite fun album though nothing outstanding musically. Ranging from the Beatle-influenced title track (these guys obviously have a sense of humor) to the Deep Purplish "Rolling Down the Broadway" to the love-sick ballad "I Love You" (where he sings, "Girl, I rearry love you") to the surprisingly proggish and ELP influenced "Oke-Kus," these guys cover the gamut of psychedelia that existed in the early 1970s. The main influences at work, though, would be the Beatles and Deep Purple. Flied Egg are a guitar and organ heavy dose of humorous psychedelia! Big fun if you're into that sort of thing.

Fliessbandbabys Beat-Show (70), Rockoper Profitgeier (71), others

An early seventies German political rock band that sound very close to a German socialist Mothers Of Invention. Most of you will probably never hear these guys since all of their LPs are worth at least $70 a piece, but if a friend has one, ask him to play one because they are worth a hearty laugh. Musical references of course are Zappa, but I also hear some Ventures and a lot of late sixties psych bands.

Their music is mainly based on political cabaret (Dieter Sueverkrup) and Singer/Songwriter style. The (musically) best albums are Fliessbandbabys Beat-Show and the 2LP-Set Lucky Streik, but musically they are definitely NOT recommended. If you don't understand the lyrics and you're not in the history of German business and commerce, you won't get the point. Along with their fellow polit-rockers Witthueser and Westrupp, their albums are the cheapest albums on the progressive 'Ohr' label - they sell for $15-30 here in Germany. -- Rames El Desouki

Rock (73), Disamore (75)

Back In The World Of Adventures (95), Retropolis (96)

[See Bodin, Tomas | Fantasia | Kaipa | Samla Mammas Manna | Stolt, Roine]

Anywhere (70), Satori (71), Made In Japan (72), Make Up (73)

Flower Travellin' Band were part of the early Japanese psych scene from the early '70s. Other bands in this vein include Speed, Glue and Shinki, Flied Egg, Foodbrain, Chronicle and so forth. They released one album in 1969 as the Flowers, then four others under this name. The only Flower Travellin' Band album I've heard is their last, Make Up from 1973. A 2LP set, it contained a mix of studio and live material. The music is generally heavy psych with long guitar solos and swirling Hammond organ. One of the songs, "Hiroshima," is a 24 minute psych jam that shows the band pulling out all stops. The closest comparison here would be to the extended tracks from Tangle Edge. Other songs get very bluesy and feature some excellent blues playing from guitarist Hideki Ishima. The live material also includes a fun cover of Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes." I really enjoy this album, to the point that it surprises me how much I do. If you enjoy early '70s psych, these guys are a must.

[See Flowers]

Challenge (69)

Flowers, or more properly Yuya Uchida and the Flowers, were the percurser band to the Flower Travellin' Band. The Flowers, however, were more basic, straight- forward psych and blues-rock. Composed of six guys and a gal, Challenge! is almost entirely covers of songs by Janis Joplin ("Summertime," "Piece of My Heart"), Jimi Hendrix ("Hey Joe," "Stone Free"), Cream ("White Room," "I'm So Glad") and Jefferson Airplane "Greasy Heart"). Obviously, the young lady does the Joplin and Slick schtick. She does a credible Joplin imitation, sounding like a miniaturized version. Different guys do the vocals for the other tracks. There is one original track, or it's a cover of a Japanese psych tune, but it's actually a decent psych instrument, loaded with guitar. It serves as an indicator of the future Travellin' Band sound. Hardly essential but kinda fun(ny) for a few listens. -- Mike Taylor

[See Flower Travellin' Band]

Fluence (76)

Heavy repetitive electronics, w/Richard Pinhas.

[See Heldon | Ose | Pinhas, Richard]