The Electric Lucifer (70)

Strange-looking early 70's electronic concept album.

Soleil Noir (84)

This album is said be excellent and reminiscent of Catharsis or Führs and Fröhling. Hasselmann has three other LPs.

Haas was the bassist in Ange.

[See Ange]

If A Man But Knew (72)

Prog rock, with Mighty Baby members.

[See Mighty Baby]

Haboob (71)

Prog, perhaps comparable to Amon Düül II?

Voyage Of The Acolyte (75), Please Don't Touch (78), Spectral Mornings (79), Defector (80), Cured (81), Highly Strung (83), Cell 151 (83) (EP + Bonus EP), Bay Of Kings (83), Till We Have Faces (84), A Doll That's Made In Japan EP (84), GTR (85), Momentum (88), Time Lapse (Live) (92), The Unauthorized Biography (92), Guitar Noir (93)

Steve Hackett: What can I say? He started out in a little band called Quiet World, joined this small art rock band, eventually left, and now has a great solo career! Of course, the "small art rock band" was none other than Genesis, and the music he helped produce was incredible, but that's when working with others. On his own, he's equally incredible, if not more so! Steve is best known for his instrumental work, his acoustic playing style, the "tapping on the fretboard" style that Van Halen popularized, and much more. His music has evolved over the years, and while some of it was not up to the standards that he set with other albums, they are still excellent: Voyage Of The Acolyte: This is a tie for his best album. I personally consider it to be the "missing" Genesis album from this period. It features Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford, and is an incredible album. From the slightly bizarre "Ace of Wands" to the enchanting "Shadow Of The Hierophant," it shows what Steve is capable of. Please Don't Touch: This is a decent album, showing his different musical sides. He goes from a Kansas-ish "Narnia" to an acoustic "Kim," to the powerful "Please Don't Touch." This album has different feels from song to song. Vocals are done by Richie Havens (folk singer) and Walsh (Kansas), among others. Spectral Mornings: This is probably the #2 album to get. From beginning to end, pure magic. If you enjoy instrumentals, this album is great, and if you enjoy Steve's style, this is a must-buy. Defector: Another amazing album by Steve. Has some really good songs ("Two Vamps as Guests," "Hammer in the Sand"), the song with the "tapping" ("Slogans"), and others. There are a couple songs which aren't up to par, but still quite listenable to. Cured: Umm... unfortunately, Steve lapsed on this one. There is only one really good song on this album, "The A-C Nightmare." Rocking instrumental, especially if done live. However, the rest of the album doesn't quite reach the heights of the others. Probably above what most others do. Highly Strung: A good Jazz-Rock album. If you liked his album with Steve Howe (GTR), you'll probably enjoy this. A lot more rock in this album, and still very good. I recommend it if you don't mind missing the "mellow" tracks off his other albums. This one just cooks! Cell 151 EP + Bonus EP: An EP that is very good. 4 Live songs, and an alternate "Clocks." Well worth getting if you can find it. Bay Of Kings: Steve was classically trained on the guitar. What does that mean? It means that he was trained by playing classical music, rather than rock. This is one of his two all-acoustic albums. If you enjoy instrumentals then get it. It's amazing what he can do with a guitar. Till We Have Faces: er ... this is an okay album. Not his best, but not his worst. It's merely an average album, unfortunately, but it has its moments. A Doll That's Made In Japan EP: Has the LONG "Doll That's Made In Japan," and an unreleased song, "Just the Bones." Very good, albeit short and hard to find. Momentum: If I remember right, Steve took the proceeds from GTR and used it to go on tour for this album. This his other acoustic instrumental album, and if you like Bay of Kings, you'll love this. If you are looking for rock'n'roll, this is NOT for you. A VERY mellow album, but if you like classical guitar, this is one of the best! Time Lapse: Steve took 2 recordings, one from 1981, the other from 1989. This is a good introduction to his music, and he proves that live albums can be better than studio albums. One new song on this one, Depth Charge (still unreleased except on this album). This, along with Guitar Noir and Unauthorized Biography, are the best albums for people curious about the Hackett "feel." The Unauthorized Biography: If only they would release this in the USA! This is a bunch of studio songs (a good selection), and two new songs. "Don't Fall Away From Me" was done with Brian May (they started it, Steve finished it). "Prayers and Dreams" is another acoustic instrumental. One of his best, IMHO. If you are looking for an album to "check out" Steve, this is a good sampler (Time Lapse and Guitar Noir are the others). GTR: Sell out? Did I hear someone mention selling out? Of course you did. This was a group that was designed to sell records, and show how effective two great guitarists could be. The music is decent, but not what you'd expect from two of the best guitarists, Steve Howe and Steve Hackett. If you don't mind pop-rock and cheesy lyrics, you'll like this. Has some GOOD songs ("Imagining"), but overall just another pop album. Cell 151/ Time Lapse In Milton Keynes: Has those 2, plus "The A-C nightmare" live. Guitar Noir: Last year, Steve went on tour with a BUNCH of new material. Some of it evolved during the long road trip across the United States, and some of it was created during it! A definite tie for his #1 album! Blues in one part, rock in another, jazz and acoustics all in one album! It should be released in the USA in September, and is already out in the UK. GET IT! There you have it. If I were to rank them by quality, I'd say: VotA/GN, TL/SM/HS, most of the others, then lastly Cured/Till We Have Faces. If I were to recommend AN album for people curious about Steve's work, I'd recommend Guitar Noir. This way, once they become addicted, they won't have two copies of all the songs! :) Time Lapse rocks as well, and if you like live music, you'll love this one. Overall, one INCREDIBLE guitarist!

[See Genesis]

Part One (88), Laz (90), Merlin (94)

One of the very best new French bands. While Laz their second has been hailed as a classic by some, I wouldn't go this far. It is excellent, but has some rather dull moments that leave this one hanging a bit short. If you didn't like it, than don't bother with their first either!

Crimson influenced french band that has a penchant for creating eerie tunes, sometimes with frightening-sounding vocals. The first album was merely OK, but the second one Laz really rips: Check out the track "Iron Mickey" on side two for proof true. One of the better current french bands.

Halloween is one of the newer French progressives, contemporaries of bands like Minimum Vital and Tiemko. I have their 1990 release titled Laz. Their influences are varied, but I do hear some Pulsar. Perhaps the band took their name from Pulsar's classic album, Halloween. There is some excellent, contemporary guitar playing, as well as excellent keyboard work, vociferous violin, and tasteful bass. In addition to the Pulsar, there is, at least superficially, some similaries to Minimum Vital and especially Tiemko's excellent release, Ocean. For the most part, however, the music sounds pretty original to my ears, often being very atmospheric in nature rather than solos against a backdrop of instrumentation. I believe the vocals are in English but they aren't found very often. Very well done and highly recommended.

Merlin is a superb third production from this French band. Hear four excellent musicians share violin, guitars, basses, keyboards, lute, drums, percussions, vocals. Also add participation by two string quartets (strings and winds) as well as guests on voice and flute. This impressive production offers inventive music and a variety of arrangements that range from chamber music to heavy symphonic, to jazz-rock fusion. Medieval themes are developed in music, song and words (in French) in the format of a captivating suite. The richness of this music dictates sustained attention by the listener. -- Paul Charbonneau

Hamel (72), The Voice of Silence (72), Buddhist Meditation (75), Nada (77), Oraganum (??)

Ex-Between leader, minimlalist keyboard works a la Terry Riley.

[See Between]

Fools Mate (71), Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night (73), The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage (74), In Camera (74), Nadir's Big Chance (75), Over (77), Nada (77), The Future Now (78), Vision (78), Ph7 (79), A Black Box (80), Sitting Targets (81), Enter K (82), Patience (83), The Love Songs (84), The Margin (85), Skin (85), And Close as This (86), Organum (86), Let It Play (87), Spur of the Moment (88), In a Foriegn Town (88), Out of Water (90), Room Temperature Live (90), Fall of the House of Usher (91), Fireships (92), The Noise (93), Roaring Fourties (94), Loops and Reels (??), Spur of the Moment (??)

Ex-Van der Graaf Generator with lots of solo albums. I have Over and And Close as This. Over is very good, very "personal." All the songs on ACaT are just Peter's voice and his keyboard, so they tend to be pretty mellow. Still good, though.

Enter K, Fireships, Patience are three releases by Van Der Graaf Generator's lead-man. All three releases feature Peter Hammill's intense vocals and very "literate" lyrics. All of these are from the eighties onward and tend to be a trifle less spare than his earlier material, musically. Enter K was released in 1982, and the CD features a bonus track, "Seven Wonders." Patience is from 1983, and follows in the same style. Both these recordings feature the classic line-up of Hammill/Potter/ Guy Evans/Ellis, augmented by the sax-work of David Jackson. Fireships features the other members on a few of the tracks, but Hammill's main compatriot is keyboardist/producer David Lord. The music on this work is more lush due to a more prominent keyboard presence, and Hammill's vocals seem to have mellowed a good deal, but the well arranged music and profound lyrical style remain. In fact, on some of the more sombre passages, the music is quite similar in style to David Sylvian, with an Eno-esque ambience. He returns with his latest release, The Nosie teaming up with old friends Dave Jackson and Nic Potter. His producer on recent releases, David Lord, is not in evidence, which is probably why the sound on this release is not as smooth as it was with Fireships and ...Usher. Hammill's guitars are more prominent in the mix, but his voice seems to have mellowed somewhat from the overwrought intensity of efforts from a few years ago. As always, though, the lyrics are "profound," with critical commentary on capitalism, white-collar crime and other social ills.

Just an incredible musician. His lyrics are unmatched by any others I've ever heard. His vocals stress the emotion of his lyrics. You can feel the pain, anger, emptiness, etc when he sings it. His vocals also annoy a lot of people. Too harsh for some. Peter plays mostly accoustic guitar and keyboards. There's a lot of mix between band structured stuff and completely solo work on his "solo" albums. The musical style of his solo stuff changed a lot over the years. Started out with a much richer sound at the start. The middle era stuff was somewhat experimental. The later stuff pushes toward accessibility a little more. The newest phase is pretty tame. I like his earlier stuff much better. Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night is great. "German Overalls," "In the End," and "(In the) Black Room" are great tracks. The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage is probably the most Van der Graaf Generator like album. "A Louse Is Not a Home" is one of Hammill's best. Nadir's Big Chance is probably a good place to start for the uninitiated. "Open Your Eyes" and "Two or Three Spectres" are classic tracks. Fools Mate has Fripp on it. In a Foreign Town and Skin are the best of his later albums. More accessible, but still interesting. Most of the middle albums are very patchy. Some good songs and mediocre songs on all of the albums.

Hammill founded Van der Graaf Generator in 1967. His solo work ranges over lots of styles and sounds. His first albums may fit any VdGG lover without much difficulty. His lyrics are always the best part. At the beginning they were more straight-forward, and very personal. I have separated his records in list in order to refer to them with respect of their different styles. 1971 - 1977: More Van der Graafian style. All of them are highly recommended. Fools Mate and Nadir's Big Chance are the less "serious" records, where Hammill finds time to express his foolish-self in his shorter song. Many members of VdGG and other friends (Fripp) are with him here. Chameleon... and Over are really depressing, as they are VERY personal records with lots of strong and sad songs. The first may be his most moving one, the second is more accessible to a larger audience, and it became his most succesful record. Both feature members of VdGG in several songs. Some songs are really rocking. The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage is the more Van-der-Graffian of them all, with "A Louse is not a Home." This one is the best artistically (IMHO). 1978 - 1980: Hammill experience period (rather long!). He plays lots of instruments here and even tries to play drums (and fails), but the outcome may be enjoying for some people. The Future Now and PH7 are both strange, PH7 is much easier to get into. Both have shorter songs with great lyrics. Hammill is alone except for Graham Smith (violin) and David Jackson (Sax) on few songs. Both have very similar sound. A Black Box is very hard to get into, but it has some great songs, with the very good "Flight" which is 20 min. long. If you're finding this one hard to understand, I recommend you to get to know the songs from the live performances... some help from friends on few instruments. Sitting Targets may be the begining of the formation of Hammill's new group. This one has a harder sound, but it isn't a band's album as the other players are only guests, and there are some Hammill solo songs. 1981 - 1985: Hammill forms another band, the short-lived K Group. Enter K, Patience are the K Group only original releases. All members have "band" names: K is Hammill, Fury is John Ellis, Mozart is Nic Potter and Brain is Guy Evans. Some guest appearance by David Jackson, David Lord and Stuart Gordon (Violin). These two are considered by some Hammill fans as the last two worth the hearing. The music is mainly rock, and the last track on both records is a nice progressive rock. The singing is as always very strong, and some songs really make these records very good. The lyrics begin to get obscure. The Margin is the K Group Live recording. Very strange to listen to at the start (the applause were cut out!), but it is a nice live double album. The K Group versions of Hammill's previous solo songs are very good, especially Flight. The Love Songs features beautiful songs from all of Hammill's fruitful career. "Just Good Friends" was totally re-done and it is great. Other songs were added some effects or some vocal/instrumental parts. Some were re-recorded with members of the K Group or with Stuart Gordon. "Been Alone So Long" remained without any change. Skin was Hammill's big return after 3 years of no original release. Although it is not a K Group album, he has a band behind him, with Evans, Jackson, David Coulter (playing Didjeridu, an oriental instrument you can hear on the start and the end of "Now Lover"), Gordon, Banton and David Luckhurst. It is a rather interesting album but the music tends to pop. 1986 - 1993 Hammill goes soloing again, and every record is different. And Close As This is a VERY solo album as Hammill only plays one keyboard and sings and that's all! Some midi work was done later but, as Hammill notes, this album was made with only one pass of the hand over the keyboard. A very interesting achieve, which some may really love (I know some!) In a Foreign Town - again a popier album, with lots of electric rhythm section (heavy synth bass and electric drums) This was trying to be accessible, but didn't really do the trick. Out of Water is a very sad and slow album which has an enjoyable sound and production. Some songs are very long, most are strong. Hammill got a help here from Gordon and Ellis. Hammill's voice here is a bit strange, and not as good as usual. In 1990 he founded his own record company named FIE!, and released Patience and Enter K on CD. The Fall of the House of Usher is an Opera Hammill has been writing for 20 years. The music was recorded with synths, with a sound which has a bit to do with strings sound but not really. Very few elec. drums on little short times around the record, bits of elec. guitars can faintly be heard somewhere - and that's it! The singers are Andy Bell from Erasure, Sarah-Jane Morris, Lene Lovich, Herbert Gronemeyer and Hammill himself. Even though this is the least you could expect from an opera it is getting better after coming out of the shock... After hearing it for many times this may become one of your favorite, as it is a very strong piece of music, and it is VERY strange. Hammill's voice is not that good, like in the previous release. Fireships and The Noise are the two ends of the spectrum that Hammill aims to reach in his new music period. Fireships is the first in his be-calm series, in which he wants to put out quiet and relaxed records. This one is beautifully produced by David Lord and has great sound, but lacks some strength. The Noise is the first one in the a-loud series, and it has a band playing with hammill. Room Temperature Live is rather unique. On the stage are Hammill, Gordon and Potter. Without drums these songs get really carried away and you may find it very hard to find what the rhythm is at all... You may like it for the very special sound the elec. violin has on this double CD. Hammill gives out good singing and sometimes lousy keyboard playing. Don't forget he is still putting out CDs and sends newsletters to fans, and he could use your effort in buying his new CDs. Do it for him now because you may find yourself in times when you'd wish you could help him go on when you still could ... This guy made really great and moving music and you may find it touching the right places, at times ...

One the the greatest musical geniuses on the planet. Everything he has done, with the possible exception of a few tracks on Nadir's Big Chance, Skin and The Noise is incredible. An incredibly emotional vocalist. Can't recommend him enough. This is the address of his mail-order and "fan" club which distributes a rather irregular newsletter:

      Sofa Sound, P.O. Box 66, Freshford, Bath, UK
    

[See Van der Graaf Generator]

Hades (7?)

Scandinavian band on Änglagård's LP label (Colours).

Haikara (72), Geafar (7?), Iso Lintu (7?), Rakkat Kuunteligat (7?)

Crimson-influenced.

Hallelujah Babe (71)

With Amon Düül II and Niagara members

Han L Pada (??)

Hannibal (70)

Obscure early 70's jazzy prog rock.

Lord Of The Rings (71), Magician's Hat (73), Attic Thoughts (75), Watership Down (77), Best Of (83), Mite I Livet (85)

Swedish keyboardist who released several solo albums, the best known is undoubtedly his early 70's Lord Of The Rings based on the Tolkien thing. At that point his keyboard arsenal was basically made up of organs (no synth) plus supporting musicians are used sparingly, but it's a bit stark and sounds a tad primitive technically by today's standards, but it's still quite nice. Later albums like Attic Thoughts and Watership Down are more technically sophisticated.

Hansson is a Swedish keyboardist. I know him only through his solo work though I think (but am not positive) he has done a group-related project. The only album I have is early '70s release Lord Of The Rings. While a bit dated, it's generally pretty decent. The music consists mostly of organ and just a touch of some early synthesizer. This is occasionally aided by guitar and percussion, hence the music is generally sparse or "stripped down," as it were. This sparseness lends the music a kind of dark, haunting aura. His music doesn't really remind me of anyone, except some of the guitar sections remind me vaguely of Mike Oldfield. Not bad if you find it cheap but probably not worth big bucks to most people.

Hanuman (72)

[See Lied Des Teufels]

Happy Family (90, Demo Tape), Live at Kichizyouji (92), Flying Spirit Dance Live (94), Happy Family (95)

Let me give you the Reader's Digest Condensed version first, because it's the most essential part of this entry. Happy Family are one of the best bands currently happening in Japan right now. In fact, along with Il Berlione, Happy Family are one of the best Japanese bands to have played in the past decade. Flying Spirit Dance Live was one of my top releases for 1994 and their CD debut, Happy Family, one of my best for 1995!.

OK, so you want to know why? I'll tell you but let's get some of the details out of the way first. Happy Family are a quartet, namely Keiichi Nagase (drums), Shige Makino (guitar), Tatsuya Miyano (fretless bass) and Kenichi Morimoto (keyboards). The first three releases listed above in the discography are all cassette-only and long out of print. The titles I use below are rough English translations provided to me by Takayuki Tomi of Rotters' Paper, the label that released the Flying Spirit Dance Live cassette. All three tapes are similar in style, though, and broadly defined by three bands; King Crimson, Univers Zero and Magma. That should be enough to make you sit up and pay attention. Specifically, the guitar work is in the vein of Robert Fripp (circa '73), the keyboards recall either Univers Zero or Magma, depending on what is happening at the moment. The fretless bass work instantly reminds of the trademark Magma/zeuhl fusion sound, and sometimes the heavy Wetton bass sound. And the drums remind me of Daniel Denis of Univers Zero and Bill Bruford.

I can't even guess why this band remained unsigned after sending around their demo tape. These guys would be right at home next to Il Berlione on the Japanese Belle Antique label. In fact, with the studio atmosphere, the 18 minute demo tape is the most like Il Berlione. "Dog String," one of the four tracks on the demo, builds a strong, swirling atmosphere off of short, repeated riffs. While that may sound simple, believe me, it isn't. The group interaction is incredible. Nowhere is this more evident than on the two live tapes. Here, raw and unpolished, you will hear some of the most incredibly dynamic and inventive playing to be unleashed from the Japanese Islands. For example, most of the songs feature Fripp-like guitar solos that suddenly break into keys, percussion and guitar ostinati a la Univers Zero and Present. All this is darting around the incredible zeuhl fretless bass playing that is as much a lead voice as any of the other instruments. One fine example (of many) is the furious "Rock and Young" which appears on both live tapes. The version on Flying Spirit Dance Live *blazes* with an intensity that defies words. Like Richard Pinhas, Happy Family are not ashamed of their King Crimson influence. In tribute, they perform "Nakid King" on Live at Kichizyouji. The 15 minute tune opens with a verbatim statement of "Red," their tribute to Crimson. This quickly breaks into the jagged rhythms that highlight Univers Zero's work. After exploring a variety of rhythms and syncopations, the band moves into a tension-building section that again recalls the Crimson King. Like "Starless," Happy Family build a tense atmosphere though use of a repeated riff. Beneath, drummer Nagase pounds out various patterns, each building on the other. The band steadily quickens the pace, building a climactic atmosphere, before finally breaking back into the "Red" theme to end the song. It's quite a breath-taking experience. A lesser tribute, "Kaiten," on Flying Spirit Dance Live, is based on a variation of the "Red" theme. And, astute readers will realize that "Bulgarian Flying Spirit Dance" is a cover of the Daniel Denis tune from his second solo album. Personally, I think the intensity of Happy Family covers excels over Denis' original. I can't begin to describe the experience that it is, listening to Happy Family. To see this band live has to be an incredible phenomenon.

Finally, in 1995, Cuneiform signed Happy Family and released their first CD, called simply Happy Family. Happy Family consists of seven songs, five of which appeared somewhere on their three cassettes. Four songs "Rock & Young," "Shige et Osanna," "Kaiten (Ningen Gyorai)" and a shorter version of the 19 minute "Naked King") were on the two live cassettes but are now given studio treatment, while "Partei" is a re-recorded version of a song on their demo cassette. For the majority of you, this doesn't matter because it will all be new. And fresh. And exciting! Though recorded in a studio, this disc successfully captures almost all of the intensity of their live performance. The only real difference is the slightly slower pace of these studio versions. The first new song is "Rolling the Law Court," which opens with an upbeat sax/drum groove that is reminiscent of Happy the Man. This soon moves into patented Happy Family territory, with metalish guitar licks, throbbing bass and powerful drumming. Tatsuya Miyano's sax trades licks with Shigeru Makino's guitar, adding depth and further intensity. The final piece is the other new cut, a 1.5 minute track wistfully entitled "Drums Whisper Spacey." The piano and "sqeuaking mouse" (I don't know how else to describe it) provides a peaceful epilog to the otherwise high-octane energy that is the rest of the album. Happy Family is one of the best current prog bands from ANY country and deserve your attention and support. They're mind-blowing and I will never be the same for it. Needless to say but I'll say it with gusto: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! -- Mike Taylor

Happy The Man (77), Crafty Hands (78), Third: Better Late (79), Retrospective (89), Beginnings (90), Live (94, recorded 78)

HTM produced some of the most stirring, complex, melodic, and MUSICAL works I have ever heard, and although they are rather rare, they are certainly very accessible and you should be able to find their stuff on domestic cd without having to plop down $35+ for it. Throughout their existance as a functioning band (from 1974-1978) they recorded three marvelous LP's. The following musicians appear on each one of these: 1. Frank Wyatt - piano, el. piano, organ, flute, sax 2. Stanley Whitaker - guitars 3. Rick Kennell - bass 4. Kit Watkins - synths, piano, el. piano, organ, flute. Each album had a different drummer (seems the money-grubbing scum at Arista scared them away with their threats of having no commercial appeal as a band, or something like that....). The discography below shows the albums and who played drums on them: 1. Happy The Man - drums: Mike Beck 2. Crafty Hands - drums: Ron Riddle 3. Third: Better Late - drums: Coco Roussel. The first one is arguably the best of the three, although not by much as they are all truly spectacular. It was produced by Ken Scott, of David Bowie and Supertramp fame. This album defines the band's sound very well, one that endured throughout their career. For those of you who have never heard the HTM sound are missing something very special. The band claims to be influenced by Genesis, Yes, and Gentle Giant although they really do not sound anything like any of those bands. They were a band so far ahead of their time that, to this day, they still sound totally revolutionary. The compositions tend to be rather complex and challenging, but they cleverly avoid falling into that dissonant trap that so many bands fall in to when they try to write something complex (e.g. the mid-section of Yes' "Ritual"). HTM maintains a melodic approach to everything they write. On this album you will find: (I quote a suitably impressed music critic) "dazzling artistic vision, instrumental virtuosity, and imagination," "fresh, exhilarating and impossible to categorize (this means please do not try to put a label on this band like "progressive" - it will make a lot of us very mad)," "witness HTM's masterful use of dynamics, tonal colors, and counterpoint; their ability to execute finger-breaking time signatures with deft ease; the lattice-like melodies and ingenious thematic variations that surge and recede with unusual grace and power; and the fact that no matter how complex or demanding their music became, the band always sounded uncluttered and in total control." There. Couldn't have said it better myself. Each member of the band is exceptionally gifted...there is no one single dominant member. The writing is carried out by Watkins, Wyatt, and Whitaker. Watkins tends to write pieces with a lot of symphonic flourish, and you can bet your life there will be some awesome lead synth playing (usually done on a MiniMoog). I once thought Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, and Tony Banks were the best around....then I heard HTM. Kit Watkins can bury those guys with his right hand alone. You have to hear him to believe it. His Minimoog settings have an unsurpassed clarity to them, and he knows exactly how to use the pitch-bending feature of the instrument at the right time. I have an old article from Keyboard magazine, around 1982, that shows the settings he used on the MiniMoog to obtain this remarkable, unique sound. Words cannot describe his technical prowess, honest.... Whitaker writes more upbeat, punchy songs, like "Stumpy Meets the Firecracker in Stencil Forest" from the first LP. Wyatt tends to write the songs with the lyrics, which were sung by Stan Whitaker. Here's what is available on CD to date: 1. Retrospective - a compilation of most of first and second lp, with some stuff from 3rd. Great place to start. 2. HTM 3rd: Better Late 3. Beginnings - features material recorded live in 2-track studio in 1974-75. Features a singer called Cliff Fortney who left the band before being signed to Arista. Very rough recording, but some really great songs. Some are not up to their usual standard of excel- lence, however. Recommended only for die-hards. Do not start with this one. 4. HTM and Crafty Hands were released on Japanese CD, but only 500 copies of each....I have never seen one myself, but I understand they sell for nearly $250 each a shows

THE best U.S. progressive, hands down! Beginnings collects from the earliest years of the band, and is supposed to be exclusively for established fans. (Can you tell I haven't heard it?) The first actual release was the self-titled LP from 1976. Showing influence from Gentle Giant, King Crimson, yet retaining an original identity, they weave an intricate, mostly instrumental tapestry with flutes, saxes, guitar and multiple keyboards. A very impressive debut. Crafty Hands is their classic LP, almost entirely instrumental, with moments of striking beauty ("Morning Sun", "Open Book") and others of hair-raising energetic prog jamming ("Ibby It Is", "Steaming Pipes"). The unbelievable "Service With A Smile" proves that great prog numbers need not be long, it's under three minutes! And "Wind Up Doll Day Wind" is their finest vocal number, with lyrics that give Peter Sinfield a run for his money. If you can find it, don't hesitate to get it! These two albums were anthologized on the CD Retrospective. The third album, recorded sometime around 1979 but not released till the mid-eighties, is the weakest of the original three, but has enough good music to make it worth completing your collection for. "Labyrinth" is as good a song as they've ever recorded, worthy of the best of Crafty Hands. "Eye of the Storm", "Run Into The Ground" and "While Crome Yellow Shine" (huh?) are other good ones. They include a couple of weak vocal tunes ("The Falcon", "Shadow Shaping") that make this one not as desirable to own, but it's not bad. -- Mike Ohman

I've have two albums by them. Beginnings and Crafty Hands. Beginnings is good, but nothing to get excited about. Crafty Hands is much better. I especially like the song "Wind Up Day Doll Wind." I kind of think of it as a cross between Genesis and Yes' "Heart of the Sunrise."

A great band that didn't make it because generally people are musically stupid. Kit Watkins, the keyboardist star of the band, went on to play on a couple of Camel albums but then drifted off into obscurity. He's still making interesting albums though. Because they got signed and apparently fronted enough money, the production on their albums is phenomenal - it holds up well today. Gentle Giant-like in complexity, the musicianship is somewhat better. Kit is an amazing keyboard soloist - a speed demon with an uncanny sense of melody. They never did get a good singer so their best stuff is generally instrumental. A lot of weird and shifting time signatures. "Cosmic" sounding.

This group has a very interesting and well developed sound, their first two albums which were recorded in the late 70s sound like they were recorded just yesterday, they were quite ahead of their time. I got Retrospective and liked the CD 10 times more the second time I heard it than the first time. Definately a grow-on-you group. Seems influenced by Gentle Giant sometimes, gets kind of new-age towards the end of the CD.

One of the best american progressive bands, years ahead of their time - the first two albums sound as fresh and innovative today as they did fifteen years ago. The music is about 90% instrumental, with strong leanings in a jazzy direction, their music is dramatic, complex and sometimes humorously quirky, with bursts of melodic color and odd-time signature explorations throughout. Retrospective is a collection of tracks from their two albums HTM and Crafty Hands (plus a few from their posthumous 3rd), and even though a few excellent tracks from those two are left off, it is still fairly representative of their best period, and a good place to start for the uninitiated. Their 3rd album wasn't released until around 83, and is overall more low-key than the first two, and far too serious - much of the humor in their music (as evidenced so well by early tracks like "Knee Bitten Nymphs In Limbo," "Stumpy Meets The Firecracker" and "Mr Mirror") had disappeared by the third album, and in comparison it pales, although its vocal tracks are far more cohesive than most they had done before. Beginnings is a collection of early recordings from the 75-76 period, prior to their first album. The material ranges from excellent to so-so, as does the recording quality, but may show some convincing evidence of Canterbury influences in their roots. For serious collectors only.

Excellent band from the USA, featuring Kit Watkins of Camel fame and Coco Roussell of Heldon fame. The music is strongly keyboard oriented and they had two keyboard players. There is also sax, flute, and guitar to round out the mix. The music ranges from dramatic to the sublime, always powerful. There is complex interplay between all the musicians such that it takes several listens to fully comprehend how intertwined the instruments are. The interplay will remind you of Gentle Giant. The melodic lines might remind you of Yes. The music will remind you of how wonderful truly innovative music is. I finally found Retrospective in a cut-out bin and thought I would have to be satisfied. Recently, however, they repressed Crafty Hands for either the third or fourth time. That should give you an indication of how popular it is. The album is everything everyone says it is and more. Snatch it up if you have the chance like I did. You will not be disappointed.

The edition of these 1979 recordings (3rd, Better Late...) remind us of just how regrettable the disappearance of this excellent group is. A music that defies description and a sound that isn't the least bit outdated. Always very melodic, this unique blend of symphonic rock and jazz relies on rich arrangements of keyboards, guitars, bass, vocals, drums, percussions, flute and saxophone. The sustained use of these instruments provide much richness to the sound while solid performances provide dynamic energy. Five excellent musicians that played, we now realize, ahead of their time. -- Paul Charbonneau

[See Roussel, Coco | Watkins, Kit]

Hardcake Special (74)

Brain-label band, but buyer beware. Considered to be THE WORST band on the label. Music is vocal-oriented soft rock.

Harlis (75), Night Meets The Day (76)

Composed of ex-Jane members. Debut was first Sky-label release.

[See Jane]

Musik Von Harmonia (74), Deluxe (75)

Rather boring ambient/electronic band ehich was basically a cross between Neu! and Cluster. Although I like most progressive genres, the minimalist attitute of bands like this don't attract me whatsoever.

[See Cluster]

Harmonium (74), Les Cinq Saisons (75), L'Heptade (76), En Tournee (80)

Canadian symphonic band, sounds very early-Genesis influenced, might also elicit comparisons to Ange, and the ethereal feel of Pulsar. French vocals. L'Heptade is a good place to start, if you can find it.

Yerma (92)

I suspect that his album Yerma is the musical accompaniment for some sort of theatrical production or modern ballet. Musically, it weighs in somewhere between avant jazz and classical, but with enough musical twists to keep the whole thing interesting. Harmssen plays all the instruments, but his primary instrument and base for most of the tracks is piano, with a style that reminds me a little of Lyle Mays (early Pat Metheny Group) at times. Overall, the music is on the lighter side, more acoustic oriented.It's all instrumental, with a couple of exceptions, including the opener - an odd indian vocal piece.

Numb Eyes: The Soul Revelation (91)

Excellent new symphonic/neo progressive band from Spain in which an accessible sound is mixed with a Spanish influence and a touch of Earth and Fire. Both Female and Male vocals abound and I think everyone on the net would dig this one. Great stuff. Their album? Numb Eyes: The Soul Revelation on Musea.

Spanish progressive group with dual male-female vocalists, lyrics in english. Their sound is accessible and may be loosely categorized in the ABWH vein, but of course that's far from the whole story, as they offer many original and inventive ideas, and lean in a more folky direction. The execution is a little sloppy at times, though. I'm sure their 2nd album will be much better.

Alive and Tripping (9?)

Current heavy psych. Similar to Hawkwind.

Heaven and Hell (69)

Prog featuring a pre-Caravan Steve Miller on keyboards.

[See Caravan]

Drumming at the Edge of Magic (??), The Apocolypse Now Sessions (??), Planet Drum (??)

One of two drummers for the Grateful Dead, has done some impressive percussion work of his own, I'd particularly recommend: Drumming at the Edge of Magic, and The Apocolypse Now Sessions for this survey.

Sailin' my Boat (69), It is and It Isn't (72)

John Wetton played on It is and It Isn't.

Still Life (85, with Louis Clark), Fox (90, with Akio Dobashi), Blessing in Disquise (94, as Annie Haslam's Renaissance)

Legendary lead vocalist for Renaissance. Fox is a Dobashi album, with Haslam as partner.

[See Renaissance]

Future Primitive (94), World Without Rules (96)

Former Tangerine Dream member whose recent solo work is, IMO, more exciting than the current work of his former band. Both Future Primitive and World Without Rules are melanges of T-Dream-style electronic, techno, world music, and whatever else Haslinger can dream up. The song titles ("Danc'In-D Machine," "Saint & Robot," "Time Harmonics," "Asian Blue," and "Rainmaker's Dream," just to name a few) give a fair impression of what these albums sound like. Recommended for any bored T-Dream fan. -- J. Drake

[See Tangerine Dream]

Vernal Equinox (77), Earthquake Island (78), Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics (80, with Brian Eno), Fourth World, Vol. 2: Dream Theory in Malaya (81, w/ Eno), Aka Darbari Java (83), Power Spot (86), The Surgeon of the Night Sky Restores Dead Things by the Power of Sound (87), Flash of the Spirit (89), City: Works of Fiction (90)

Trumpeter w/ strong East Indian influences in music.

Hatfield and the North (73), The Rotter's Club (75), Afters (79) Live in 1990 (91)

Dave Stewart's main band. The Rotter's Club, their second album, is easily one of the best albums of the mid 70s. It features the 20 minute epic "Mumps."

Agreed. But both The Rotters Club and their self titled first are worth it as is the posthumous compilation Afters. Great and undeniably complex music with a dose of humour thanks to Pip Pyles down to earth lyrics. Actually, pages could be written on these guys.

On first listen this did not strike me as being worth quite the commotion. However give it a chance and it will grow on you. Very complex, somewhat spacey at times and with a sense of humor that does not verge on total silliness.

I just got The Rotter's Club because I had heard so many good things about it but am finding it terribly hard to get into. Mumps is a nice piece, (annoying lyrics though) and the album in general is very jazzy and complex but their overall sound strikes me as kind of cheesy. As with many excellent prog groups though, they probably just need to grow on me more so don't take my opinion too seriously.

Quintessential Canterbury music, composed of ex-members of Caravan, Matching Mole, Gong and Egg. The debut has some real fine playing and provocative music, fans of the aforementioned will love this. "Son of 'There's No Place Like Homerton'" is a classic of the genre, and adds a Zappa-esque element to the music, and not just in the title. Also of note is the appearance of the Northettes, the band's female vocal backing trio, on this. Most of the songs are strung together in a sort of medley form. The album reaches a climactic point with "Lobster In Cleavage Probe," spotlighting Dave Stewart's symphonic organ playing. "Shaving Is Boring" is a hypnotic example of Caravan-esque riffing. The centerpiece of The Rotter's Club is the 20-minute, four-part "Mumps," another essential classic of Canterbury prog. Also important for the Sinclair favourite "Didn't Matter Anyway" and Pip Pyle's two excellent compositions: "The Yes No Interlude" and "Fitter Stoke Has A Bath." Afters is a posthumous compilation of non-LP music, now rare because most of this music has been reissued as bonus tracks on the CDs of the other two albums. I haven't heard this one in any form, as I only have the LPs. -- Mike Ohman

Wonderful jazzy progressive with a sense of humor. That one sentence gives you the essence of Hatfield and the North. However it doesn't give you the true scope of this band featuring Dave Stewart on keyboards. For the most part the Hatfields present a very evocative dreamy sound. They are considered to be Canterbury as such have a number of the stylings similar to those bands such as Caravan. (with whom they share members) They have three albums that I am aware of Hatfield and the North, The Rotters Club, and Afters. The Rotters Club is their classic and is IMHO one of the top progressive albums ever done. Among other things it contains an absolutely brillant 20 minute track called "Mumps." And luckily for all of us, their first two releases are available on the Caroline Blue Plate Special line.

Classic progressive rock with Dave Stewart. Unlike National Health or Egg, Hatfield has a jazzier feel and the music allowed for more improvisation that did the heavily scored work of the other two bands. The music is fun, thanks to Sinclair's tongue-in-cheek lyrics yet is still quite complex which satisfy the most demanding prog fan. I recommend The Rotter's Club with the 20 minute classic, "Mumps."

Excellent example of the English "Canterbury" scene. Members included Richard Sinclair, Dave Stewart, Pip Pyle, and Phil Miller. Two albums, one self-titled, then The Rotter's Club. An album called Afters was also released, made up of singles, live stuff and b-sides. I think that all of the new stuff on Afters was included as bonus tracks on the CD re-issues of the first 2 albums. Very jazzy, very "English" music with funny lyrics. TRC is one of my favorite albums in this genre.

[Dave Stewart is replaced by Sophia Domanich on the 1990 live album.]

[See Egg | Gowen, Miller, Sinclair, Tomkins | Grimes, Carol and Delivery | In Cahoots | National Health | Sinclair, Richard]

Bassball (77), Tab Two (92)

Bassist and de-facto leader of Kraan, his solo album Bassball is similar to that band in many ways, but contains mostly tracks with vocals and sometimes lame (dorky) lyrics. If that can be overlooked, the album is otherwise good.

[See Kraan]

Hawkwind (71), In Search of Space (72), Doremi Fasol Latido (72), Space Ritual (73), In the Hall of the Mountain Grill (74), Warriors on the Edge of Time (75), Quark, Strangeness, and Charm (78), PXR5 (79), Live '79 (80), Levitation (80), Space Ritual Volume 2 (85), The Xenon Codex (88), Stasis - The U.A. Years 1971-1975 (90), Space Bandits (90), Solstice Mixes - Spirit of the Age remixed by Astralasia (93), Electric Teepee (93?), Alien 4 (95), others

A friend sent me tapes of Hall of the Mountain Grill and Space Bandits. These are great albums for Floyd fans, especially HofMG. Very heavy, psychedelic music with lots of tape effects. Recommended. I'll definately be buying more Hawkwind, but I've heard that their many albums have spanned a wide musical range.

An amazing mix of prog rock, metal, psychadelic and jazz. Hall of the Mountain Grill, Levitation, Xenon Codex and Space Bandits are great places to start.

I wouldn't have been able to say which one I liked the best until I heard the just released BBC Radio One live from them. This album definitely epitomizes early Hawkwind, and the sound quality is good to boot!

Hard-rock/psychedelic/acid band that is often terribly overrated in progressive circles because of the heavy use of synthesizers, probably more than any other band I'd care to name that isn't German. Take away the synthesizers and you basically have pretty simplistic hard rock, with foursquare rhythms, vocals with two-note ranges, and redundant riffing. As a result, much of these albums sound pretty much the same. The best ones, i.e. most progressive sounding, are the ones with keyboardist/violinist Simon House (Hall Of The Mountain Grill and Warrior on the Edge of Time). I can't tell any of the others apart. -- Mike Ohman

Honestly, I'm not sure how this band got the cult following that it did. Actually, I can understand how it got it, but not how it kept it. Hawkwind used to give free concerts in the late 1960's, similar to the Grateful Dead, who also has a large, loyal cult following. Hawkwind has developed a heavy psychedelic space rock, with lots of sound effects interspersed throughout tons of simple, heavy, plodding guitar riffing. I got rid of the much praised BBC Radio 1 concert that was originally released on CD, but I do like In Search of Space, their second album. For me, it's enough. -- Mike Taylor

Hard rock with HEAVY use of synths that sometimes borders on cacophony. At least thats what their new stuff is like. I have Live Chronicles, Xenon Codex and Space Bandits, I like them all. Their creativity seems to be in the use of the synths to add to the intense moods of their songs. Some songs are just synth effects over bass and guitar pounding out the same note or chord. I don't really care for their old stuff.

Hawkwind was the master of the acid-space rock genre. What Pink Floyd stretched to reach, Hawkwind tooks as normal and extended it into the stratosphere. The pillars of Dave Brock and Michael Moorcock (later a science fiction writer) wrote about humanity and its response to the infinite awe and power of the universe. This band also explored the power of poetry/spoken words in many of their songs. The albums listed above demonstrate the power of synthesizers and science fiction at creating new worlds to explore (musically).

I could write for hours about Hawkwind, but instead here is a quick write up about the worlds best underground band. The leader of Hawkwind is Dave Brock. While membership has hardly been steady, for various reasons including Dave Brock getting tired of some people and telling them to leave, the sound has. Brock does allow each member to contribute, so this gives Hawkwind a different sound for each alignment, yet it always sounds like Hawkwind. The sound is psychedelic, and depending on the era, with a heavy metal twist, (the most common sound, "Silver Machine" was a big hit with this sound) a disco twist (a sound Brock didn't like so he reshaped the group after the album Amazing Sounds and Stories, which is a great album never the less), an almost jazz feel (Hawkwind), and a modern electronic feel on the latest (Electric Teepee). And they always had pop tendencies behind many of the songs, but yet is was never any of the above. It was, and is, Hawkwind. They also had a couple poets who contributed reading there poetry live as well as on record. They did "break up" for a while in the 70's and went by the name of Hawklords. This was mainly for contract reasons. This lasted only a couple years, and then Hawkwind came back. Two noted musicians have belong to Hawkwind. Lemmy was the bass player after John A. Harrison left in the early 70's. Lemmy was fired when he was kept by custom officials at the Canadian border and when he got back they already has a new bass player (Paul Ruldoph I believe). Lemmy went on to fame in Motorhead, a group name after a Hawkwind song he wrote and recorded for them. Ginger Baker was member in the late 70's, well past he Cream days. He was fired by Brock, but I never heard the reason - if there was one. Albums I recommend: A Space In Time, Warriors On the Edge of Time, Quarks Strangeness and Charm, Levitation and Electric Teepee. You can go wrong with any of the 70's releases in my opinion.

A lot of people really like them. I hear that Michael Moorcock writes a lot of their lyrics lately, and has been known to go on tour with them on occasion. I only have The Best of and the Rest of Hawkwind Live, and though it showed some potential, it really didn't do much for me.

Robert Calvert, born 1945 in South Africa starts his first artistic experiments in Margate, where his parents had settled around 1947. He begins to write poetry at an early age and founds a comedy-beat combo, similar in the style of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. In the late '60s he moves to London and gets immediately involved in the evolving psychedelic / underground culture. His poetry gets published in the "New Worlds" magazine, then edited by the nowadays famous SF-writer and one of the founders of the "New Wave" in SF-literature, Michael Moorcock. Via his old friend Nik Turner, Calvert gets acquainted with the band Hawkwind - one of the most vital and influential bands of those days. Calvert becomes their "resident poet" and appears in most of their gigs in between the songs, reciting his own and M. Moorcock's poetry - quite in contrast to the overall stageshow - in which the rest of the band is more or less hiding behind the usual psychedelic light show, Calvert, short haired, speaks clearly, straight forward into the audience - often with such intensity that he's totally worn out after the gig. He is also co-writing and singing a few of Hawkwinds songs and finally writes the lyrics for Hawkwinds one and only hit-single "Silver Machine." The success of this allows Hawkwind to realize their now legendary Space Ritual show - a conceptual idea of Calvert, combining Space-Rock music, poetry, and various other stage-acts. The next single named "Urban Guerilla," written and sung by Calvert is actually climbing the charts when it gets banned by the radio stations after an IRA bomb assault.
In 1973 Calvert leaves Hawkwind in order to work on his first solo-record. [See the Robert Calvert entry for more details.]
In late '75 he guests with Hawkwind at the Reading festival gig and eventually decides to re-join the group. A few weeks later he becomes Hawkwind's first (and until now only) constant lead-singer. In fact he becomes much more than just a singer. He continues and furthers his ambitious stage-shows. He designs and enacts various characters during the shows, wears various costumes, makes use of different props. In '76 and '77 the stage is occupied by a giant model, based on an atomic structure: "Atomhenge," a futuristic Stonehenge-stage-sculpture. In 1977 the band has reduced and strengthened its line-up and is releasing the mile-stone album Quark, Strangeness and Charm - a unique mix of psychedelic, industrial and even some Arabian influences. A perfect blend of the different talents in the band: the strong songwriting team of Dave Brock and Bob Calvert who adds some of his most powerful and imaginative lyrics (just listen to the title track!), Simon House an amazingly gifted violin and keyboard player, Simon King a strong and pushing drummer and finally the new member Adrian Shaw on bass whose inventive and variable bass lines provide the pulsating, energetic structure around which the whole band is evolving it's unique style. Quark... in it's originality and inventiveness stands also as a pre-decessor to the up-coming New Wave. An album, absolutely in touch with the modern and the future world: Calvert's lyrics comprise themes like genetics, post-nuclear war scenarios, terroristic/political (who can tell the difference?) threats from the rising power of the oriental (fundamentalistic) spheres - and some kind of a requiem on the classical psychedelic /underground days of the late 60's. Quark... is without a doubt one of the most important albums to come out of the 70's.
Two more albums with Hawkwind are following - of similar high quality: PXR5 and 25 Years On - the latter one released under the bandname Hawklords. Despite the ongoing creative and commercial success the rest of the band finds it more and more difficult to work with the manic Mr. Calvert. On long tours Calvert experiences more and more difficulties in leaving the characters behind he is evoking on the stage. Finally he insists to travel even during daytime in his full combat gear stage dress - complete with his gas-pistol on the hip - during the heyday of European terrorism in the late '70s, having the German RAF and other terroristic groups all over the headlines of European newspapers. Some nasty scenes from those days are reported. In late '78, Calvert finally leaves the band, though he will appear for some rare live-guestings in the later years. -- Knut Gerwers

[See Amon Düül II | Amon Düül (UK) | Bainbridge, Harvey | Calvert, Robert | Fitzgerald, G.F. | High Tide | Magic Muscle | Pink Fairies | Gopal, Sam (Sam Gopal Dream)]

Haystacks Balboa (69)

Early British hard-rock band with some progressive ideas, who released one self titled album in 69. The hard rock tunes are typical of the time, like Sabbath or Mountain, with backbreaking heavy fuzzy guitars and satanic lyrics. The progressive moments are quite nice, long tracks relying on hammond organ and guitar interplay with extended instrumental stretches.

Hazecolour Dia (71)

C'est La Vie (84), Cellar Replay (85), Stoat and Bottle (87), In the End 1978-1988 (92)

British (mostly) progressive group. In the End: 1978-1988 spans the ten year period indicated in the title, and includes only the tracks that fit the "prog" mold. There are a variety of influences, though the dominant one is the early seventies UK sound, with traces of Genesis, Camel, Greenslade, and the like. On some of the more aggressive tracks, elements of early Saga show up. All in all, this 78+ minute set offers up a very good insight into one of the more undeservedly neglected UK bands. Some of the older tracks are slightly lower-fi than the rest, but the quality of the music renders that unworthy of serious attention.

Haze bridge the time between the end of the first progressive era and the flowering of the neo-prog scene in Britain. Though the time period dates back to the late '70s, all of their albums come from the band's 1984-1988 period, a time when they remained a solid band with no personnel changes. A trio, Haze consisted of the brothers McMahon on guitars (Paul), and bass and keyboards (Chris). Both took their turn at vocals. Percussion and additional vocals were handled by drummer Paul Chisnell. The tracks on In the End: 1978-1988 break down as follows: Approximately half of the music (35 minutes, nine cuts) on this compilation is represented by nearly all (if not all) of Haze's 1987 LP, Stoat and Bottle. Three tracks (17 minutes) are from their first LP, C'est la Vie, released in 1984. Their '85 cassette-only release, Cellar Replay is represented by 13 minutes in four tracks. The remaining two tracks are from a 12" single (1985) and a previously unreleased live recording from 1988. The tracks are not arranged strictly chronologically, nor are all the tracks from the same LP lumped together. Like the early neo-prog bands, Haze draw their influences directly from their '70s counterparts, but unlike many neo-prog bands, Haze draw from a wider body of '70s British prog mentors, and actually have an original sound. The most Genesis-like piece is probably the "Dig Them Mushrooms" instrumental, where Chris' Tony Banksian keyboard melody, underpinned with massive doses of pedal bass, has the main role. The diversity of the album is highlighted by the following piece, "A Firkin of Mead," a brief acoustic song with a medieval feel. Here, the band round out their sound with flute and mandolin, although usually it's just the bass, drums, guitars and synths. All is not perfect, though. The static beat of "The Vice" and "Tunnel Vision" mars the otherwise engaging melodies. "Tunnel Vision," in particular, hints at an influence of the '80s techno-dance scene. Despite a few flaws, this is a solid compendium, whose highest points surpass the best the neo-prog scene offers. Haze go beyond that generally offered by typical neo-bands, serving up a unique identity, intelligently combining a degree of accessibility with European Prog. -- Mike Taylor