Awake (73)

The original LP of Jackal's Awake is a mega-rarity and is, apparently, highly sought after in some circles. Originally released in 1973, this CD release should satisfy anyone heavily into the Deep Purple sound. This quintet try awful hard to sound like Deep Purple circa 1970. Unfortunately, vocalist Charlie Shannon doesn't have the delivery of Ian Gillan, Chris Kellesis doesn't deliver Jon Lord's chunky organ, and Dave Bernard can't approach the bluesy leads of Blackmore, even when Ritchie was having a bad hair day. All this amounts to a band that is essentially a Deep Purple wannabe but they leave me flat. Despite the fact that I like Deep Purple a great deal (I've played air-guitar to the live version of "Highway Star" on Made in Japan more times than I care to remember), I have a hard time getting into the Deep Purple sound-alikes such as Warhorse and Jackal. To be fair, the band does gel for some songs, such as the eight minute "A New Day Has Arisen" (but can they drag the ending out ANY longer than they already have?) and the six minute "How Time Has Flown," when the band seems to be doing more than going through the motions and jam a little. But, it wasn't enough for me to get into the entire album. If you get into the Deep Purple sound, or bands like Warhorse and Captain Beyond, by all means, check out Jackal...you may go for it. As far as I was concerned, however, Awake put me to sleep.

I Wish You Would (79)

Featuring John Wetton and Richard Palmer-James of King Crimson, Curt Cress and Kristian Schulze of Passport/Snowball, and Peter Bischof of Emergency.

Tonewall Stands (92)

Ex-Van der Graaf Generator sax player.

[See Van der Graaf Generator]

King Progress (70), Fifth Avenue Bus (72), Jackson Heights (73), Ragamuffins (73), Bump 'n' Grind (73)

Formed by Lee Jackson of The Nice and Refugee.

[See Nice, The | Refugee]

Tardo Pede In Magiam Versus (72), Anno Demoni (92) (previously unreleased 2nd LP)

Tardo is an instrumental album where Bartocetti sings only on the song "Ufdem." This song is really good, the others are boring IMHO.

I've heard only one cut from their unreleased second album, Anno Demoni, which has recently been released on CD. Very dark and moody, with lyrics in Latin. Plenty of dark organ work creates a haunting, sinister atmosphere. What I heard sounded vaguely like the instrumental sections of Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine" from Wish You Were Here except darker. I really liked it but don't know how the rest of the album would be. I didn't here enough to see if the album continued to develop. If it did, it could be very powerful and moving, otherwise it would get boring quickly. I'm curious enough to find out someday, though.

[See Antonius Rex]

Jade Warrior (71), Released (72), Last Autumn's Dream (72), Floating World (74), Waves (75), Kites (76), Way Of The Sun (78), Reflection (80), Horizen (84), At Peace (88?), Breathing The Storm (91), Distant Echo (93)

Another British legend, Jade Warrior were a very unique trio that transcended the boundaries of progressive music with a string of LPs for Vertigo and later Island in the seventies. Their Vertigo albums Jade Warrior, Released and Last Autumn's Dream were all very Oriental sounding in a way (as were the covers) and combined this influence in a rock setting. They don't really have any drums per se (except on the latter two) and instead put forth an interesting music full of flutes and fuzz guitars and a unique song style. The Island LPs, with the best two Floating World and Waves approach a more new-agey style, and are the ones that are the most common. Often approaching Oldfield (in fact Jade Warrior's flute player was on Tubular Bells), the music is very eclectic and unusual. Try any of them although Released (with drums) is my favorite, with an excellent long jam.

Jade Warrior had three very different phases. The first, which includes the first three albums (plus the Reflections compilation of early material), could be thought of as east-asian and jazz-influenced folk-rock, with some fiery guitar outbursts and strong presence of flute. JW is the most dynamic of the three, alternating between rougher fuzz-guitar based tracks and quiet spacy instrumental passages, reminiscent at times of very early Jethro Tull, but without drums. At that point the band was a trio of Jon Field (flute and percussion), Glyn Havard (bass and vocals) and Tony Duhig (guitar). Released is harder rocking and more psychedelic, with guest musicians on Drums and Saxes. By Autumns Dream they had essentially become a five piece with Alan Price (drums) and Dave Duhig (guitar), but unlike its predecessor, this album was more in the style of the first album, with some memorable tunes like "Winter's Tale," "Lady of the Lake," and "May Queen" - this may, in fact be the best of the first three. For the second period (the "Island" period) which began with Floating World in 74, and lasted through about 1980, the band was an instrumental duo of Jon Field and Tony Duhig, playing pretty much everything, with guest musicians filling in when necessary. FW is instrumentally close to LAD, exploring further the possibilities of fusing eastern with western. Waves is a move in a slightly jazzier direction, while Kites invokes more eastern themes while moving into spacier regions. Way of the Sun is more upbeat than the previous three, adding latin percussives on several tracks, and some overt classical influence as well. This or FW are pobably the two best of the second period, and FW is probably the best place to start. The third period from 83 to present is generally a quieter, more reflective period, carrying on again as a duo until Duhig's death around 89. At that point Field reformed a three piece lineup with two new musicians, for the album Breathing The Storm.

Jade Warrior were the eclectic British duo of Tony Duhig and Jon Field, whose music combined elements of rock and classical music with Japanese motifs, realized through the use of flutes and native percussion, to result in music that was truly "progressive." Floating World is representative of mid-period Jade Warrior, and was recorded in 1974. As described, the music is a very imaginative blend of rock influences and Japanese musical sounds, that ranges from quiet passages built around guitar, flute and percussion, to full rock workouts, powered by electric guitars and drums. Breathing The Storm is a brand-new release, and features Jon Field with two other musicians, and is dedicated to the memory of Tony Duhig. The music is broadly defined as before, but is not as sparse, and has a broader sound realised through unobtrusive keyboard backing. The mood throughout the album is very low-key, almost to the point where it might be described as new-age, but there is a complexity and style to the compositions that rise above the categorization. The closest point of comparison would probably be to equal parts of Gandalf and Deuter.

A rather unique group based on the only CD I have, Floating World. Not much info is included. The songs are usually fairly introspective, but often dynamic as they shift from a variety of woodwinds and exotic percussion to loud electric guitar riffing. I've been told that the band's output has been rather uneven over the many albums, but the Island releases (e.g., Floating World, Waves, Way of the Sun) are all very good. The music isn't readily comparable to anyone else. This reason alone should make you want to check them out. Floating World is good stuff!

For the uninitiated, Jade Warrior's recorded history began around 1970 as a three-piece, integrating east asian themes, introspective jazz-rock ideas, some elements of folk, and a lot more into a unique new sound based on flute, guitar and ethnic percussion. Through the years, the band's sound evolved to encompass far more: After three albums they became a duo and esentially did away with vocals, and released another string of four albums for the Island label that are monuments of inventiveness, although seldom fully appreciated by those who cut their teeth on the first three. The eighties saw only two releases, the less than spectacular Horizen and the low key and highly introspective At Peace, released after the passing of guitarist Tony Duhig, leaving Jade Warrior as a one-man band. Flautist Jon Field then recruited two new band members, and started out all over again. With their 1991 release Breathing The Storm, they began to recapture the spirit of the Island period, albeit with a more laid-back approach, par for the post new-age era. Now comes Distant Echoes, perhaps their best release since 1974's stunning Floating World - or perhaps their best album to date. They have assembled all of their best inclinations here, given them new life, and embarked on a new forward looking journey. Unlike its moody predecessor, Distant Echoes rings with liveliness, forcefully encompassing all emotions. Once again, the lineup includes Colin Henson on guitars and Dave Sturt on fretless bass, plus a long list of session musicians on violins, saxes, bass clarinet, flugelhorn, drums and choirs. The album opener "Evocation," recals the gritty guitars and dissonance employed on their album Released, and then moves on to "Into The Sunlight," an eight minute piece recalling the Airto Moreira Brazilian percussive sound overlaid with the trademark wall of flutes and guitars; Henson does an admirable job at keeping Tony Duhig's guitar sound alive. The album continues to alternate low key and uptempo pieces: "Night of The Shamen" delves into an eerie melodic cycle on violin (vaguely reminiscent of the sound achieved by the Beatles on "Within You Without You") supported by guitar and pecussion, topped off with spicy guitar leads and scatting flutes. "Snake Goddess" uses choirs piano, and saxes to cover some new ground, while "Timeless Journey" and the album closer "Spirits Of The Water" recall the pastoral symphonics of Kites. All taken, this is a rejuvenated Jade Warrior fully realized, fresh with spirited ideas. For anyone not yet familiar with the JW sound, this is as good a place as any to tune in.

The first album is good, Jethro Tull-like music with lots of flute, percussion (bongos and the like), and alternately gentle and savage electric guitars. A mix of Asian and (on "Masai Morning") African influences make for a creative sound. "Dragonfly Day" is quite beautiful. There are a few blues orientated songs on the B-side that don't do anything for me, but otherwise it's a pretty good album, worth your money. I've heard a couple of later albums: Floating World and Way of the Sun. These are in a completely different style, totally instrumental using a kaleidoscopic array of different instruments. Hair-raising dynamics make these exciting to listen to. -- Mike Ohman

Jadis (90), More Than Meets the Eye (92), Across the Water (94)

I've only heard this group live, when they opened for Pendragon in London. I thought Pendragon should have been opening for them. Very good neo-prog, two guys from IQ play with them (Keyboard and bass), some real nice musical moments. I think they will be having a second CD out soon.

Neo-progressive band led by ex-IQ keyboard man Martin Orford. Apparently these guys have been around in some form or other for quite a long time, but just now got around to recording an album. Their sound is nice enough, not too adventurous or innovative, but not trite or overly derivative, although they do fit squarely into the poppy neo-prog genre. Their album is instantly likeable, with a lot of melodic hooks, and a fairly decent vocalist.

This UK-based neo-progressive band have been around for a while, and have finally delivered a recording, More Than Meets The Eye, to the public. The music is centred around the keyboards of Martin Orford (of IQ), and has the intensity of IQ mixed with the musical style of groups such as Pendragon and Saga. In other words, the music does have a more modern sound to it, unlike IQ, who based their music on the sound of mid-period Genesis. Other points of comparison would be groups such as Galahad, Castanarc, or even the Hogarth-led Marillion.

Warning, this is written by someone who doesn't get into Neo-prog as a general rule. I have always heard Jadis mentioned as one of the better neo-progressive bands. I tried to explore the "neo-progressive" sound by sampling among the various bands that were mentioned as the best representatives of the genre. Other than Marillion, this includes IQ, Pallas, Jadis and Pendragon. I've written about each of these in turn. Like other neo-progsters, Jadis draw their main influence from the Genesis and Marillion styles (more from the former than the latter). Strictly in comparison to those bands I mention above, I'd rate Jadis slightly above average, maybe about the same as IQ. The music is full of lush synthesizer and guitar remininscent of Steve Hackett and there is even some nice flute. The rhythm though is more straight-forward and commercially accessible. Occasionally this gets out of hand but they aren't as bad as Pallas whose Knightmoves to Wedge is almost pure stadium rock. At least Jadis change up their rhythms and try to maintain an interesting progressive format. There are three 3-5 minute songs and four 6-9 minute songs that allows the band to include a bit of variety and development. I don't think any of these neo-progressive bands rate with the best that the entire Progressive genre has to offer (Deus Ex Machina, Änglagård, even Echolyn, etc.) but within the realm of neo-prog, these guys are better than many. In many of these bands, all they need is a little more variety in the rhythms and time signatures. The melodies are often very nice and can get quite lush without being sickly sweet. But occasionally, the guitar solos become a typical "big hair band" solo over stock 4/4 rhythms. Yawn. But others are fairly decent and emotional. If the rhythms were just a bit more exciting....

Jadis is a limited pressing, 500 copies seemed to be made, produced by Steve Rothery. Contains all tracks from the studio demos and four 'new' tracks. This record was recorded because of financial problems of the keyboardplayer Pete Salmon. Contains nice versions of "G13" and "Follow Me To Salzburg." Once Upon A Time is a three track CD-single which contains old material being re-recorded. This release was made bacause the band did not want to use older tracks for the new album Across The Water. Contains a great version of "Follow Me To Salzburg" with a new keyboardsolo by Martin Orford. Across The Water is written in the style of More Than Meets The Eye but it doesn't have the impact of that album. All songs are newly written. The music sounds too much as a copy with boring guitar solo's. Parts of the music were used for a Dutch Radio Commercial for Ruanda last year.

[See IQ]

You Can Help Me (76)

Includes members of Triumvirat.

[See Triumvirat]

El Volantin (70), Todos Juntos (71), La Ventana (72), Los Jaivas (75), La Cancion Del Sur (76), Alturas De Macchu Picchu (81), Retrospectivo (??), Aconcagua (82), Los Jaivas En Argentina (83), Odas A Violetta Parra (84)

Los Jaivas evolved out of the late '60's Chilean hippie movement, the band's original style was a blending of rock and chilean folk themes, often using native instruments right along with the electric guitars, etc. By Ventana the band was moving more into a more symphonic track. After the coup d'etat of september '73 (pres. Alliende was overthrown), the entire band left Chile and moved to Argentina, some personnel changes followed, but eventually two albums were recorded in Argentina, the second, Cancion Del Sur is one of their very best. Immediately after recording it, the band again relocated, this time to France; after several years of gigging throughout Europe, they recorded their masterpiece Alturas De Macchu Picchu. By this time the band had a very unique sound comparable to no one, yet very progressive in nature.

Killer Chilean group who successfully merges prog-rock with South American Andean music. They can shift from gorgeous Andean folk to strong prog passages at the drop of a hat. All the musicians are top notch and play all the required South American folk instruments to perfection. This is highly original music and worthy of your collection. Check them out. -- Juan Joy

Ocean Alpha (87)

New Agey electronics with a world-music influence. The album Ocean Alpha is not bad, but not really earth-shattering either.

Jam Camp (90)

This four piece from Seattle plays an all-instrumental music fusing many styles from rock to jazz to blues to folk to classical, much in the way the early Dixie Dregs did, but without the humor the Dregs had (or for that matter the instrumental virtuosity either). Their self-titled debut CD has some very good tunes on it, but a lot of filler too. Still pretty good for the first time out, I expect the next one to be even better.

Together (72), Here We Are (73), III (74), Lady Jane (74), Fire Water Earth And Air (75), Live At Home (76), Between Heaven & Hell (77), Age of Madness (78), Sign #9 (79), Jane (81), Germania (83), Beautiful Lady (86), Live 89 (89)

German rock band that verged Floydian on Fire Water Earth and Air and were not all that great except for their excellent debut Together on German CD. For those just getting in to prog music.

What's the fuss about these guys ? I have Jane III, and it sucks! It isn't even progressive - just straight-ahead hard rock, sounds like Bachman Turner Overdrive on a bad night.

Seminal band from the German underground (aka Krautrock) scene. Moderately long (5-6 minutes) songs dominated by guitar and swirling Hammond organ. Together is their classic release and the recommended purchase. Fire, Water, Earth and Air is quite a bit different, sounding more like Pink Floyd (partly Meddle, partly Momentary Lapse of Reason) and Eloy. (In fact, Eloy's Manfred Wieczorke would later join Jane.) Singer/guitarist Klaus Hess sounds quite a bit like David Gilmour (albeit with a hint of German accent), both in voice and his guitar playing. The keyboards and rhythms bring about the Eloy comparisons. Fans of Eloy would want to start with Fire Water Earth and Air, while fans of heavy psych/blues would want to get Together.

Lady Jane has a terrible singer on it, organist Gottfried Janko, who couldn't carry a tune if his life depended on it. His power-drill organ tone gets rather excessive at times too. Still, some good songs stand out: "Music Machine" spotlights Klaus Hess' fine guitar playing, and ends with a surprising use of primitive drum machine! "Lord Love" builds tension effectively from beginning to end. The instrumental jam "Midnight Mover" sounds mostly like Hawkwind. Fire, Water, Earth and Air reunites the band with their original keyboardist and is far better, sounding rather like Pink Floyd, but with lusher keyboard sounds. The live album features another change in keyboardists, this time ex-Eloy member Manfred Wieczorke fills the spot. Includes the best songs from their best first album, Together, and none from their worst: III. Also included, some songs otherwise unavailable anywhere else: most notably the 19-minute "Windows." Between Heaven And Hell is the best album I've heard of them. It includes a 17-minute title-suite, a good spacy keyboard epic, and "Voice in the Wind," a nice vehicle for lush synths and harp (!). Here We Are and Age Of Madness are supposed to be other good ones. -- Mike Ohman

[See Eloy | Harlis | Hess, Klaus]

Gravedigger (72), Out of Time (??)

Ortodoxia (71)

Psych/prog.

Over Seas (88)

Israeli synthesist, his album Over Seas contains medium length tracks of melodic electronics, sometimes interspersed with natural sounds, all for a very spacy feel, possibly comparable to 80's Tangerine Dream, and generally eschews the new-age tag. Very good.

Liberation (69)

Pilgrim's Journey (95?), Others?

Compare to Steve Hackett, Mike Oldfield, Gordon Giltrap.

Jericho (72)

Jericho started as the Israeli band, The Churchills, but changed their name to Jericho Jones, then simply Jericho, after they moved to England. They released one album as Jericho, which was self-titled. It's supposed to be a monster classic (probably 'cause the LP is pretty rare), but the music really doesn't do much for me, though some of you might like it. It's guitar-dominated early UK hard rock with some psych influence--mostly just driving guitars, though. Three shorter works and two extended jams make up the album. It's good, but not great.

[See Apocalypse (Israel) | Churchills, The | Jericho Jones]

Junkies, Monkeys, and Donkeys (71)

When the Churchills moved to England, they changed their name to Jericho Jones, then simply Jericho. They released one album as Jericho Jones, but I've never heard it. I assume that it lies somewhere between the straight-ahead psych of The Churchills and the hard rock/psych sound of Jericho.

[See Apocalypse (Israel) | Churchills, The | Jericho]

Cosmic Blues (70), Train Ride (72)

Rock.

Above the Storm (95).

Good! Hybrid form of prog between Kansas and Marillion. -- Ricardo Deidda

Just A Reason To Be Out There (91)

SI's catalog describes them as ."..an Italian Marillion Clone...."

Fede, Speranza, Carita (72), a few singles

The LP has religious lyrics with interesting music. It has an English sound with italian melodies. The 7"s are more commercial.

This Was (68), Stand Up (69), Benefit (70), Aqualung (71), Thick As A Brick (72), Living In The Past (72, compilation), A Passion Play (73), War Child (74), Minstrel In The Gallery (75), Too Old To Rock And Roll, Too Young To Die (76) "M.U." - Best Of... (76, comp.), Songs From the Wood (77), Repeat - The Best of Jethro Tull - Vol II (77, comp.), Heavy Horses (78) Live - Bursting Out (78), Stormwatch (79), A (80), Broadsword And The Beast (82), Under Wraps (84), Original Masters (85, compilation), Crest Of A Knave (87), 20 Years Of Jethro Tull Boxed Set (88, 3CD compilation, live, previously unreleased), 20 Years Of Jethro Tull (88, 1CD compilation, live, previously unreleased), Rock Island (89), Live At Hammersmith '84 (90), Catfish Rising (91), A Little Light Music (92), 25th Anniversary Boxed Set (93, 4CD live and remixes), The Best Of Jethro Tull: The Anniversary Collection (93, 2CD comp.), Nightcap (93, 2CD previously unreleased), Roots to Branchs (95

I've learned over the years that you can't start a discussion about Jethro Tull with someone who is unfamiliar with the band without explaining the name first, so let me get that out of the way right now: Jethro Tull is a *band*, not a solo act. That's why they get filed under "J" and not "T". The situation is further confused by the fact that ever since the second album, the group has been fairly thoroughly dominated by one person, lead singer/flautist/acoustic guitar/a bunch of other things Ian Anderson. Ian Anderson is not Jethro Tull. Jethro Tull is not a "he." Call Jethro Tull a "he" and you look like a poser. You have been warned.
Anyway, when they started out, Tull were nothing more than your basic blues band, except that most blues bands don't have a lead singer who moonlights as a flautist. The band was composed of Ian Anderson, Mick Abrahams (guitar), Glenn Cornick (bass) and Clive Bunker (drums). The first album (This Was) isn't a bad album, but it's pretty much straight blues with very little progressive about it. I wouldn't make it high on my list of priorities. The second album (Stand Up) saw the departure of Abrahams (he and Anderson kept arguing over who should be in charge, and Anderson won) and his replacement by Martin Barre, whom Anderson had never heard play despite Barre having adutioned twice for him. (It's a long story which I don't intend to get into right now.) In many places this is still your basic blues album with a little psychedelia thrown in for good measure, but Anderson's style begins to creep through with some of the more lighthearted songs such as "Fat Man" and "Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square." These songs are more whimsical than the others, and the music is more acoustic -- electric guitars give way to acoustic guitars and balalaikas, and the drum kit gives way to bongos and tambourines. This entire album, and most of all the albums that would follow, were written entirely by Anderson. The third album (Benefit) was the culmination of this era (eras for Tull tend to last three albums) -- there are still a few straight blues songs, but acoustic guitar and flute gain a highly prominent role. However, this album is much more serious than Stand Up. It is one of their finer works, and should be relatively high on the list of Tull albums to buy.
On to the second era, which was their most progressive. The first album in this era was Aqualung. This is the quintessential Tull album, and if you buy anything else by them before this one you should be well aware of just how perverse you're being. The blues on this album is almost entirely gone, replaced in many instances with a hard rock/classic rock sound. The whimsical songs have returned, but the serious songs have gotten *very* serious -- generally dealing with socioreligious themes. I've heard three thousand explanations as to what exactly the "concept" to the album is, so I leave it to you to decide what the real one is. Anderson claims that it isn't a concept album at all. He says that about all of Tull's albums. Nobody believes him. Oh, one other note about Aqualung. It's probably the most danceable prog albums you'll ever hear, especially the guitar solo in the title song.
Anyway, the next two albums were clearly concept albums, as each one consists of only one song apiece. The first is Thick as a Brick, a highly disjoined song with some absolutely amazing sections and a few that will bore you to tears. Nevertheless, this should be the second album you get. The other one, A Passion Play, is more unified musically, with the result that none of it is as bad as the worst of Brick, but none is as good as the best of Brick. Some people (including me) absolutely love this album, and others hate it. Decide for yourself.
It is with these albums, especially Thick as a Brick, that the most basic parts of Jethro Tull became firmly established. Of course, many of them had been developing since the first or second album, but here they all fell into place. First and foremost was a style which was more basic than most progressive bands. Tull were never very big on having the latest technology on their albums. They finally got around to using a synthesizer on A Passion Play, which came out in 1973. For years the only keyboards used were a piano and Hammond organ. There was heavy emphasis on acoustic instruments -- especially acoustic guitar and flute. Most of the musical extravagance was in the varied instrumentation -- including everything from trumpet to sopranino saxophone to accordion to the aforementioned balalaika. Lyrically, the topics tackled were often grandiose, but the approach was often vulgar -- A Passion Play, for example, discusses the nature of afterlife and one man's struggle to choose between good and evil, all the while making lyrical references to wetting one's drawers, ladies being laid, girls losing their virginity to horses, and so forth. Although the exact way these facets of Anderson's writing style were presented would change over the years, and although he would at some point or another move away from them altogether, these nevertheless would define the sound of Jethro Tull for the rest of their heyday (which would last until some time around the release of the album A).
About this time they released a compilation of singles entitled Living in the Past. This is the only album that Rolling Stone in its infinite wisdom saw fit to give a five-star rating to. Don't let this fact worry you too much, it still is a good album. The next era doesn't have a very clear delineation. It begins with War Child, which marks a move back to normal-length songs and has a relatively poppish feel to it. It still has its whimsical and acoustic moments, but overall it's a pretty straightforward work. The next album, Minstrel in the Gallery, is more of a return to their earlier sound. Heavily acoustic, but searing when electric; usually more pensive than whimsical; it's the closest in feel to Aqualung of any of their albums. Rounding out this period is Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll; Too Young To Die!, about which the less said the better. It's even more straightforward rock than War Child, and almost completely lacking on whimsy.
With their next album, they took a sharp turn towards more traditional music, although this was mixed as always with a hard, rock edge. Songs from the Wood is heavy on mandolins, whistles, and portative organs. At its best, it includes some of the best work they ever did. The next album, Heavy Horses is (like A Passion Play) a more refined counterpart to its immediate predecessor. Rounding out this trilogy is Stormwatch. This album is considerably darker than its predecessors, and almost completely lacking in any light-hearted pieces. Nevertheless, it has some of their most stunning work, and is easily their most underrated album. With the next album, they picked up Dave Pegg, the bassist from the folk band Fairport Convention, so of course this means that Tull had to take a turn away from folk music. This happened because Anderson was working on a solo album, which included Barre and Pegg, and somehow turned into a Jethro Tull album when no one was looking. It is completely unlike just about every other Tull album ever made. Highly electric (it is the only album by Jethro Tull to feature on acoustic guitar at all) and co-written by keyboardist Eddie Jobson, it only barely qualifies as a Jethro Tull album at all. This should not be high in your list of priorities.
The next album -- Broadsword and the Beast -- was a more successful. It is in some ways a return to the Songs from the Wood era, heavy on the mandolins and acoustic guitar. However, this time the folk elements are joined in many places not by hard rock but by a highly electronic sound aided by the heavy use of synthesizers. The next album, Under Wraps, went whole hog on the synthesizers, and with the exception of one song ("Under Wraps #2") completely forewent acoustic instruments. If it gives you any idea what this album is like, one critic said that Anderson's voice was the only way you could tell this wasn't Ultravox. And the scary part is this is a pretty accurate description. The next album (Crest of a Knave) marked a definite return to their earlier sound. Back were the acoustic instruments, and the keyboards which had recently dominated were now largely relegated to the role of background accompaniment. Actually, it sounds highly reminiscent of Dire Straits in a lot of places, partly because of Barre's guitar and partly because Anderson's voice by now had been shot by throat cancer. However, the album is worth it just for the song "Budapest," a highly successful mixture of acoustic and electric rock. Unfortunately, this album seems to have been the last major creative work by the band. The last two albums (Rock Island and Catfish Rising) have been little more than an attempt by a "classic rock" band to make "classic rock" music, and the majority of their output in recent years has been boxed sets.
That being said, however, a word should be said about the first boxed set, called 20 Years of Jethro Tull. This set is what every boxed set should be. There are almost no pieces available elsewhere on this set. By far the majority of it is rare tracks (many never released) and live performances. If you can still find it, pick it up. -- Scott Rhodes

Jethro Tull recorded their first album in 1968 and have been in existence since then, with a break in the mid 80s. The group's music is written by their vocalist Ian Anderson, who plays the flute - perhaps the group's most defining feature to the newcomer. Other personnel have come and gone, the only other long-serving member being electric guitarist Martin Barre, who has been in the group since their second album, but the music's direction has always been dictated by Anderson. Jethro Tull are very well known and perhaps as a result of this many people have misconceptions of the band, their ideas about the band being dominated by the image of Anderson as frenetic flute-playing court jester rather than any notion of what the music is like. A common misconception is that Jethro Tull is folk-rock, but in fact their work shows little influence of English and Celtic folk music other than in the lyrics to some of the songs. Their first four albums - This Was, Stand Up, Benefit and Aqualung - all show a progression from a blues-inspired band to a more distinctive sound, though still with a heavy blues/rock influence. This Was was co-written by Anderson and electric guitarist Mick Abrahams, who was responsible for the bluesier aspects of the album. Abrahams left after the album, going on to play in Blodwyn Pig. The second album, Stand Up, was almost completely written by Anderson. Though some of the songs show the distinctive Tull composition style, much of it is still firmly rooted in the blues, probably a sign of Anderson's novice status as a songwriter. The third album Benefit contains stronger material, and indications of the direction that Anderson's songwriting was to take are present. "Nothing to Say" has a typical oblique Tull melody, whilst "Inside" shows the gentler side of Tull, with a sparse arrangement of drums, bass and flute to Anderson's tuneful vocal line. The album is flawed however, some of the arrangements being rather too dense and lacking in development of musical themes. The final and best album in this phase is Aqualung. It alternates powerful electric tracks with gentler acoustic pieces, which are basically just Anderson on acoustic guitar and vocals. There is not much variety on the album; indeed, many of the songs are very similar in construction, but the material is so strong that the album is still a winner. Sparse arrangements are used to great effect - in "Cross-Eyed Mary," for example, drums and a pentatonic guitar riff are used to create an infectious drive to the piece. The blues influence is still there in the use of the pentatonic scale and in the character of the soloing, but the sound is now distinctively Tull's own. Lyrically, it shows Anderson coming of age as a song-writer, providing good examples of his humour, individual phrasing and naturalistic lyrics. The next four Tull album are the ones which might be best described as "progressive": Thick As a Brick, A Passion Play, War Child are all closely related to one another, whilst the fourth, Minstrel In The Gallery, shows them leaning towards the folklore influenced work of the late 70s. Thick As A Brick is a 40 minute piece, broken in two by the LP side break. It is possibly their most popular album among Tullies, and sold very well when released in 1972. It is more interesting musically than the previous Tull albums, with a great structure which manages to be intellectually satisfying whilst losing none of the infectiousness of Aqualung. The follow-up to this was A Passion Play. It is basically in the same vein as Thick As A Brick, being a 40 minute piece along the same musical lines, though with a more diverse array of instruments, Anderson playing quite a lot of soprano and sopranino saxophone in addition to some of his best flute work. The music is slightly less accessible than that of Thick As A Brick and the mood more downbeat. When A Passion Play came out it was panned by previously friendly critics and sold badly compared to Thick As A Brick, showing a lamentable lack of insight on the part of critics and the average listener. However, for the progressive rock listener, both these albums are an excellent place to start. The next album, War Child, is also good. The instrumentation and music is similar to that used in A Passion Play, though it goes back to the shorter piece format of the earlier albums. Many of the tunes are relatively unmelodic compared to most classic Tull, with some very notable exceptions (such as "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day"), but again the music as a whole is excellent, with some saxophone work which, while not virtuosic, adds greatly to the music. Minstrel In The Gallery is probably the most varied and interesting Tull album. The lyrics of songs such as Cold Wind to Valhalla and the title track create a medieval feel to the album. The arrangements feature strings very heavily - these are orchestrated by David Palmer, though people who've heard Symphonic Yes shouldn't be put off by this (:-), because they are very effectively used as a backdrop to Anderson's acoustic guitar. Almost every song contains intelligent musical development of themes, often switching seamlessly from acoustic gentleness to the full electric band to great effect. Possibly the best piece on the album is a 16 minute medley called "Baker Street Muse," which shows Jethro Tull at their best. Their next album is Too Old To Rock And Roll, Too Young to Die. It is similar in style to Minstrel In the Gallery, but the melodies are routine and the music is not developed within each song. It is one of the least original Tull albums, perhaps because it was initially conceived as a musical, and then produced as an album when the project fell through. The best tune, "Salamander" is in fact a rip-off of the excellent "Cold Wind To Valhalla" on Minstrel! The next three Tull albums - Songs From the Wood, Heavy Horses and Stormwatch - constitute another phase for Tull, though they share a lyrical and imagery content with parts of Minstrel In the Gallery. Songs From the Wood is one of the most accessible Tull albums. The lyrics are influenced by English and Celtic folklore, the album having been written soon after Anderson acquired a farm. The arrangements are superb, with some great flute-work, and though the songs generally contain less musical development than in Minstrel In The Gallery, the themes are still excellent and full of interest. Heavy Horses is one of the best Tull albums. It is slightly more downbeat than the playful Songs From the Wood, and the lyrics are less steeped in folklore, being more about present day concerns. The arrangements are the best Tull produced, with bass, flute and restrained electric guitar being used to great effect. The style is quite varied - the upbeat "Acres Wild," one of the only Tull songs to approach folk-rock; "Journeyman," with superb lyrics and a fine example of a sparse Tull arrangement; the off-the-wall, rythmically intriguing .".. And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps." Stormwatch is the third album in this phase. It has less to commend it than the other two. It goes back to the strong folklore influence of Songs From The Wood, with songs like "Dun Ringill" and "Dark Ages," but has not the originality of Songs From the Wood, and comes across as dull. It lacks either the melodic interest of the previous two albums or the musical development of the earlier Thick As A Brick phase alternately. Tull's next phase could be described as "electronic," though the three albums it consists of - "A", Broadsword And The Beast and Under Wraps - share little in the way of style. "A" is a reasonably good album, even though it managed to offend the sensibilities of many Tullies. Originally it was to be an Anderson solo album, but his record company forced him to release as a Tull album, resulting in a completely new lineup with the exception of guitarist Martin Barre. It is strongly coloured by the synthesiser work of Eddie Jobson (who also played the violin on it) and musically it is has a markedly different flavour to other Tull albums. The lyrics are excellent, many of them being concerned with the current news events at the time of writing circa 1980. The song "4 W.D. (Low Ratio)" is perhaps the funniest song that Anderson has ever penned. Broadsword And The Beast heavily features another synthesiser player, Peter Vettese, but goes back to a more typical Tull sound. It is perhaps the most "poppy" of any Tull albums (on tracks like "Hard Times") and though it has many of the good Tull traits, it lacks interest and whereas "A" truly gains from the inclusion of synthesisers, on this album they seem to be used in place of the excellent arrangements of the 70s, perhaps because the material is not strong enough to support interesting arrangements. Tellingly, the best track is perhaps "Watching Me, Watching You," which is a far cry from a typical Tull style, but uses the synthesisers to excellent effect. The third album in this phase is Under Wraps, again featuring Vettese on synthesisers. This is one of the most unpopular of Tull albums, with good reason, for there seems to be no musical development of material, the music relying more on disconnected synth and guitar "comments" on the theme. The melodies are weak and cannot hold your interest on their own. It does have its moments - "Under Wraps" Parts I and II are good, as are a few others, such as "Later That Same Evening." The album suffers from being too long - close to 60 minutes - and would have benefited from being cut down in size. Under Wraps was released in 1984. Since then, Anderson has suffered from a throat problem which has greatly reduced his singing range in recent years, though his flute playing is better than it's ever been. 1987-1991 saw the release of three more albums: Crest Of A Knave, Rock Island and Catfish Rising, none of which are worth much mention. Catfish Rising is a boring "back to basics" (i.e. bluesy in the Dire Straits sense of the word) album, and I haven't heard the other two. Tullies swear by Crest Of A Knave, but I think they're clutching at straws from what I hear about it, and nobody likes Rock Island. Of the live albums, compilations and rarity albums, the double CD Nightcap from 1993 deserves special mention. While the second CD is not of much interest, the first CD contains the "Chateau D'Isaster" tapes, from a recording session abandoned before going on to record A Passion Play. Some of the material ("Tiger Toon" and "Critique Oblique") was reworked and included in A Passion Play, providing an intriguing comparison. On War Child, "Solitaire" and "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day" date - largely unchanged - from these sessions, "Only Solitaire" being represented on Nightcap by "Solitaire." To summarise, their best albums are Aqualung, Thick As A Brick, A Passion Play, War Child, Minstrel In The Gallery, Songs From The Wood and Heavy Horses. I'd recommend Minstrel... as being an excellent place to start, since it has the vital elements of all their best work. -- Phil Kime

[See Aviator | Fairport Convention

Leatherslade Farm (70), Aurora Borealis (72), Broken Hearted (73), I've Seen The Film (74)

Twisted UK Prog merchants. Broken Hearted is described as light rock with some prog touches.

The Green Album (83)

The Green Album is a CD reissue that has been long-awaited, the 1983 solo release by virtuosic violinist/keyboardist who endeared himself to many through his stint with UK. Jobson handles keyboards, electric violin, and vocals on this release, in pretty much that order of competence. Various other musicians offer support, but the focus is primarily on the sounds of the Yamaha CS-80 synth, with many passages that sound like electronic versions of UK. Jobson's vocals are a bit on the high side, and his violin wizardry is not displayed as much as it rightly deserves, but, overall, this is a decent piece of work that should appeal to those in both the progressive and electronic camps.

Eddie Jobson is a well-respected musician who has gigged with many different bands. He contributes keyboards keyboards and violin to some later Curved Air albums and UK's self-titled release. He also did a few concert dates (and a video) with the '80s version of Yes. However, his own work on The Green Album (as Zinc, which is Eddie and a variety of guest musicians) isn't anything real special. Jobson's signature style can be heard hear and there but the writing is not as strong as it could be. A fairly good work that could be outstanding with a little more innovation. There is some neat synth work to be heard. His vocals are vaguely Jon Anderson like which sometimes give the album a Yes feel the way harmonies are vocalized. I've also heard parts of another album (can't recall the title) that features Jobson realizing his compositions on the Fairlight synthesizer. The writing is weaker than The Green Album. If you are unfamiliar with Jobson, I suggest you check out UK's first release (also with Bill Bruford, John Wetton and Allan Holdsworth), then consider The Green Album.

[See Curved Air | UK]

Compared to a psychedelic Jethro Tull. Never released a proper album, but several tracks appear on Amiga's Hallo series of anthologies.

Far Canal (70)

Power trio consisting of keyboards, guitar, and drums. This band is definitely for the guitar fan. Tasteful when they use acoustic guitar, jamming when they use the electric. Vocals are pleasant, definitely not harsh; most of the songs are instrumental, though. The primary lead instrument is the guitar, the keyboard taking on bass chores as well as contributing to the rhythm, but organ does get its chance to shine several places throughout. At times, you'll be reminded of Grand Funk Railroad, so I'd definitely recommend Jody Grind to fans of GFR. Put simply, this classic album (Far Canal is their only release that I know of) is a good band for those who like to boogie. Everyone reading this should give 'em a listen.

Joker's Memory (76)

Jonathan (78)

Nothing to get worked up over, two keyboards and drums making synth-based prog. For my taste, Wavemaker do this type of music better. -- Mike Ohman

[See Eulenspygel]

Ship To Shore (76), The Sentinel (78), Breaking Cover (82)

British folk-prog singer/multi-instrumentalist who has opened shows for Barclay James Harvest, Camel and others. On his album Breaking Cover, he plays guitars, piano, synths, santour (Persian hammer-dulcimer) and sings. There are also numerous sidemen playing on the album, not least of which is Guy Evans of Van der Graaf Generator. A couple of the songs are rock orientated with filtered Hillage-like guitar, but most of the songs are more atmospheric, with acoustic guitars, synths and the ubiquitous santour creating a unique sonic landscape. "Warsore" is the one exception, an odd exercise in tape-collage. An interesting, unconventional album. -- Mike Ohman

Cape Catastrophe (8?), Propeller Music (84), Tunnels (93)

Probably best known as the longtime bassist of Brand X, he released two albums in the late 80's: Cape Catastrophe was pretty much programmed drums and keys with his trademark bass being the only live instrument. Nice stuff, in the new techno-fusion vein. The follow-up Propeller Music featured other guests and a more full sound, but also featured four annoying vocal tracks dispersed throughout the disc; Actually, the instrumental stuff here is generally better than Cape Catastrophe due to the live drums and less reliance on sequencing.

Right from the start of Tunnels, we recognise the bass player from Brand X with his fretless sound and his unique style. Here, he is joined by a guitarist and a drummer and the keyboards role is held by a MIDI vibes player. As you might have guessed, the result is a jazz-rock fusion with complex and furious rhythms. Danger! This disc contains raging energy that can make your head spin and involves much improvisation. Its content is for listeners who seek technical performances in a fairly heavy context. -- Paul Charbonneau

[See Brand X | Lancaster, Jack and Robin Lumley | Nova]

No Alternative (72), Keeping Up (73), Growing (73)

Early prog-rock group. I have their first album and it is reminiscent of early King Crimson although not nearly as good. The rocking tracks are in the vein of "21st Century Schizoid Man." There are also some "Moon Child" inspired ballads. The other two albums are said to feature a different style. Overall, nice but nothing special. -- Juan Joy

No Alternative is lush, Mellotron-based prog alternating between heavy and gentle movements. Most prominently influenced by early King Crimson, it's quite similar except for the more rock-based vocals and bluesy guitar. An unjustly underrated band. -- Mike Ohman

Overground (70), Turbulence (70), Schmetterlinge (71, aka Butterflies), Reflections (73), Minne (74)

Originally issued on the fabled Pilz label as Schmetterlinge, then issued in the US on BASF with the English title. This band was a German rock sextet fronted by the soulful vocals of Joy Fleming, who sounds alternately (depending on the song) like Janis Joplin or Dusty Springfield. The rest of the band is comprised of: guitar/flute, guitar/bass, keyboards/tuned percussion, bass/trumpet, saxes/flute, and drums/percussion. Since Fleming obviously has her own rock/soul aspirations, yet the band clearly desires to experiment, this album comes off as sporadically brilliant, yet wildly uneven. The one song that makes it worthwhile is "Sensual Impressions," an eight-minute instrumental that is a vehicle for a truly outstanding flute-solo with hair-raising dynamics. Fans of flute-playing MUST hear this! While the rest of the album doesn't quite approach this moment of greatness, there are other portions which are enjoyable enough. "Free" is a colourful free-jazz invention, "Suppression" is a brief instrumental that rather resembles Ian Carr's Nucleus, and "For you and me" is an energetic jam which sounds something like Brian Auger's work with Judy Driscoll. On the other hand, there is some embarrassingly dated stuff here: the lyrics usually gravitate towards the trite "peace, love and brotherhood" glop that was so popular back then, and some of the arrangements (notably "Rising Mind") sound straight out of "Jesus Christ Superstar." This album was made notorious by the short track "Rankness," a two-and-a-half minute sleazy blues number over which Miss Fleming verbally simulates orgasm. Including the F-word three times, "Rankness" may well be the most explicit song I've ever heard sung by a woman.

A Time Before This (70)

Julian's Treatment was the solo vehicle for Julian Jay Savarin, a British science fiction writer. He released a 1969 album under his own name which, along with King Crimson's In the Court of the Crimson King and Colosseum's first two albums, stands as the earliest Progressive Rock albums. Savarin then released A Time Before This based on some of his writings. Obviously, then, this album is a concept album about inhabitants of a planet near the Centauri star system. A Time Before This is mostly organ, drums bass and female vocals. There is a hint of spacy influences (as befits this type of theme) but it's nothing "cosmic." A Time Before This sounds a bit dated now but is essential for Progressive Rock historians interested in following the development of the genre.

Julian Jay Savarin's follow-up to Waiters on the Dance actually sounds older than that, relying almost entirely on Hammond organs in the keyboard department, but adding some additional instrumentation: flute, vibes, etc. Female vocals as before, but a different female. :) I liked the singer on Waiters... better, but this gal's pretty good. Some of the vocals are spoken, giving it an almost Brainticket-like feel. Overall, not as impressive as Waiters..., but still good. -- Mike Ohman

[See Savarin, Julian Jay]

Coulonneux (79), A Neuf (80), Emballade (83), Ne Parlons pas de Mahleur (86), Le Retour du Captain Nemo (92)

Julverne were based out of Brussels in Belgium in the very late 70's. The lineup: Pierre Coulon (flute, alto sax), Philippe Duret (clarinettes), Michel Berckmans (bassoon, oboe) [from Univers Zero], Jean Paul Laurent (piano, flute), Charles Loos (piano), Baudouin Dehaye (vibraphone), Jose Bedeur (acoustic bass), Denis Van Hecke (cello, vocals) [from Aqsak Maboul], Jean-Francois Lacroix (alto), and Jeannot Gillis (violin, tuba). This was on their excellent album, a neuf which was released around 1979 or 80 (not dated) on Crammed Discs, which was a label related to Atem, though distribution was handled by the Belgian branch of Recommended Records. If Univers Zero and Art Zoyd and Aqsak Maboul (don't forget them! - and if you want to get really obscure, Geoff Leigh, ex H. Cow, had a great chamber prog/punk band based out of Maasluis, Netherlands called Red Balloon, which had Catherine Jauniaux from Aqsak Maboul on vocals) were chamber rock bands, Julverne was more of a chamber rock band and onstage looked just like any other medium sized chamber music ensemble. The music is in many ways similar to Univers Zero except that where UZ would delve into the darker, modal moods borrowed from Bartok, Julverne would take a lighter, bitterseet step more in the direction of Satie or the whistful nostalgia found in Stravinsky's "Dumbarton Oaks." However, they could also wail dark when they felt like it or loud or even throw in some Bo Diddley just to keep you on your toes. The absence of drums or any electric instruments, fully severing any direct relation with the rock idiom, forced them to be inventive, to look for other dynamics, in order to play with the same power as a rock band. For a lot of people in the prog mainstream, this could be a very different experience. It is, above all a very civilised music, very European. Perfect as a seduction record for incredibly sophisticated, intellectual women who wish they had been born in France (but don't try that with Univers Zero!!!!!!, not unless you're into homo/suicidal paranoid fascist babes). I'm surprised they were never used for soundtracks, since it would be perfect film music. The cover, BTW, is an excellent watercolor. And the LP pressing was superb. I've never heard of a CD reissue, but a decent shape LP would probably be just as good if not better. I heard rumours there was a second album, but never saw hide nor hair of it. -- Kenneth Newman

[See Aksak Maboul | Univers Zero]

Jumbo (72), DNA (Suite Per Il Signor K) (72), Vietato Ai Minori Di Anni 18? (73), Live (90)

OK, we've heard all of the "Italian vocals are too grating" stories, and the complaints of all of the harshness inherent in some of this music. Well Jumbo are probably the classic example of a harsh Italian vocalist. But if you can get past the vocals (he doesn't sing all that much) you may be in for a real treat. Their third and last album (can't remember, but it's some long Italian title) is an Italian classic, a must for those into incredibly majestic and powerful mind-blowing rock. Another Italian, obscure and hard to pin down

The best one is DNA, (like Jethro Tull), with a great vocals by Fella.

The vocals are a little harsher than the average Italian band and the sound is a little different, too. A good choice for those who are looking for a little more diversity, but I wouldn't put them with the best of the Italian releases.

[See Jethro Tull]

Junco Partners (71)

Melodic UK Prog.

Friendship (71)

Psych.

Junior's Eyes (69), Battersea Powerstation (70)

Released in 1970, their Battersea Powerstation is considered a classic of the pyschedelic era. The songs all flow together, giving lending a progressive aura to this otherwise psychedelic work. From some opening silliness, followed by a brief "freak out" on the instruments, the band is off and running, covering a variety of moods and feelings. There's no fuzz guitar that was typical of the pysch from the previous two or three years. If you are a fan of psychedelic music from 1967-1970, you owe this one a listen.

Water (92)

American keyboardist, his album Water is a total solo project which is highly melodic yet unusual music, rhythmic and sometimes eccentric, and in a sense there's little connection to the space school, classical school, or the neo-synth sound either. I guess the closest comparison might be with the more upbeat stuff by Kit Watkins circa Sunstruck. Brilliant.