MacArthur (78)

Prog.

Machiavel (76), Jester (77), Mechanical Moonbeams (78), Urban Games (79), New Lines (80), Valentine's Day (81, live), Break Out (81), The Best of Machiavel (91)

Machiavel were a Belgian band of the mid-seventies, whose brand of progressive rock was very Genesis/Supertramp influenced. Combining Tony Banksian lead keyboard lines with Supertramp-like piano comping, their music was centered around keyboards, and the musicianship of the members was certainly top-notch.

Several Albums but only Jester and Mechanical Moonbeams are of interest here. Subsequent they totally sold out. Following comments apply to these two albums only. Belgian band, their sound based on highly melodic yet simple structures, with some general influence from Genesis; some tracks use a piano based style reminiscent of Supertramp, others have an etherialism akin to Pulsar's Halloween. Lots of keyboards, lots of mellotrons. The vocalist is a chameleon of sorts, can change from a powerful yet pure to a rough gravelly sound on a moment's notice. Vocals are in English. Both are good.

One of Belgium's biggest and best-known symphonic prog bands. Jester is very much in the Genesis mould, with lots of ARP synths, mellotron, and the odd melodic, acoustic-guitar orientated song (notably "Moments"). But Machiavel adds a harder rock feel with the strong guitarwork of Jean-Paul Devaux. Vocalist Mario Guccio is in the Peter Hammill mould, a singer with a wide range, both in pitch and emotions, and may not be to everyone's taste. There are enough disparate dynamics and assymetrical meters (7/8 seems to be a favourite of theirs) to keep die-hard prog-heads in check, yet it's not too far out there to scare off neo-prog fans. Mechanical Moonbeams cranks up the hard-rock elements at times, so occasionally it resembles AC/DC with a mellotron (listen to "Summon up Your Strength," if you don't believe me). But there still are some more melodic moments: "Mary" and "Rebirth" particularly. Also, the inspiring "Beyond the Silence" and "The Fifth Season" make this one well worth the effort. After Moonbeams, keyboardist Albert Letecheur was given the boot, he was replaced by a second guitarist (Thierry Plas), and you can pretty much guess the result. Stop at Mechanical Moonbeams. -- Mike Ohman

Out Of The Blue (73), Bon Voyage (74)

Quirky prog.

El Concierto Para Ir En Globo (80)

An experimental spanish quartet of guitars, violin, clarinet and drums. They play in a high energy electronic jazz with strong RIO influences.

Mad Curry (70)

Prog comparable to Soft Machine circa Volume 2 and Julian's Treatment for the organ work and female vocals.

Masque (82)

Here is a case where only the rarity of an album has defined its legendary status. In this case it's generally under-deserved, as this band is merely better than average neo-Grobschnitt type stuff, there are as many boring tracks as there are good ones. English vocals with strong german accents.

With Love (68), Made In Sweden (69), Snakes In A Hole (69), Live At The Golden Circle (70), Mad River (71, aka Made in England), Where Do We Begin? (76)

Essential band! They where a trio, Georg Wadenius on guitar and vocals , Bo Haeggstroem on bass and Tommy Borgudd on drums. On their first 4 LPs they made really great Jazzrock, with strong bass and vocals. Their fourth Mad River (it was also published under the name Made in England) is a real masterpiece of Scandinavian prog. I could only think of the best recordings of Burnin Red Ivanhoe or Wigwam when listening to this one. Its amazing what unusual sounds and feels that group can get into, and how full a sound they are able to get from what is basically a trio. Definitely a must, quite unique, i don't know something to compare it with!! The last one was some kind of a second start (from the original lineup there is only Wadenius here) and Pekka Pohjola of Wigwam joined in. Here you find fusion ala Brand X, but not that impressive. Recommended are the first three, highly recomed is Mad River! -- Achim Breiling

[See Group, The | Pohjola, Pekka | Solar Plexus | Uni Sono | Wigwam]

Zeitmaschine (77)

German one-shot featuring two guitarists (one doubling on synth), drums, bass, and a lead singer who doubles on flute and mellotron. The sound is that of a synthetic Camel with heavier guitar, mixed with some Floydian tendencies and acoustic+electric guitar arrangements with flute a-la Neuschwanstein. The vocals (in english) are OK, but not great. The title track is a long 17 minute opus that occupies all the real estate on side 2. Good but not essential.

Madrugada (74), Incastro (77)

Magdeburg (80, a.k.a. Verkehrte Welt), Grande Hand (82)

Melodic, symphonic prog.

Magdalena (86), Magdalena (87), Reconstruction (91)

[See Pazzo Fanfano di Musica]

Lanean Sartzen (81)

Rare Basque prog.

Hour of Restoration (91), Impending Ascension (93), Test of Wills (97)

New US band that is making quite a splash in progressive circles. Their sound can best be described as a mix of Kansas and Yes, but with a some- what harder edge. Their initial release is entitled Hour of Restoration and is a very worthy effort.

Pretty disappointing. Nothing innovative or special here. Not much like Yes, but reminds me more of Kansas. Pop-metal with keyboards. Doesn't deserve the credit they're getting.

This is sort of a one-man project, with Trent Gardner doing the writing, singing, producing, keyboards... They bring a bombastic variety of sympho, interspersed with some heavy metal riffs style Metallica. Quite complex at times, they remind of Rush. There's a lot of variation, in rhythm as well as in the rest of the music. If you like heavy sympho, this might appeal to you. I like it a lot. BTW, this is (by my knowledge) the first band to bring out an album on the Magna Carta label, the second one being Shadow Gallery.

Hour of Restoration isn't a bad start. Somewhere between BG-era Yes and Dream Theater. Maybe some Kansas too. Musically very good, but the most atrocious lyrics I have heard in the genre. Hard, but not metal. Cool album cover with a Fragile-like ship. Nice shifting time signatures.

Progressive metal band from N.California, formerly called "Streamline." On their 1st CD Hour Of Restoration, some of the material is pretty good, while some is so-so. Long 15 minute cut that kicks the album off sounds like it was patched together from 3 different studio sessions.

It is very heartening to note the new deluge (relatively speaking) of US bands that are reviving the domestic prog rock scene. Combined with the re-issues of bands from the seventies, the new bands include groups such as Animator, Mastermind, and this band, Magellan. Magellan's music is very strong and dramatic, in style somewhat in the same vein as mid-to-late period Yes. The vocalist is reminiscent at times of Steve Walsh of Kansas.

More AOR-style neo-prog. Comparable to Kansas, I think, but heavier. Lots of time changes. Hour of Restoration is pretty widely available here in the USA.

I've heard their first album, looking forward to their second. Sounds like Asia, but with a heavier flair, kinda like Dream Theater. The lyrics are... interesting, to say the least (the first track, "Magna Carta," is about the signing of the Magna Carta!). Worth getting, if you don't mind hard progressive. And ignore the lyrics the first couple times you listen to the album. They DO grow on you, but I still have problems combining heavy sympho and historical lyrics.

Impending Ascension is their fine follow-up to their debut Hour of Restoration. One screwy thing though, it that even though they are an American Band, this disc is only available as an import. For the uninitiated, they combine the instrumental styles of Yes, Rush, and Dream Theatre, with some Yes like harmony vocals in spots. One unique features of theirs are that the longer epic songs usually have to deal with historical or political events. They also feature electronic programmed drums. They are well done, so they don't sound robotic or detract from the music. Doane Perry of Jethro Tull guest drums on "Waterfront Weirdos," and plays electronic drums as to provide a continuity of sounds. Their music also makes use of frequent time signature changes. One minor complaint of mine has to with their shorter tracks. With most groups, the short tracks are poppy. With Magellan, however, they sometimes sound like unfinished ideas, not a complete song. So, they should stick with the longer works, which is what they excel at. This disc has a little more of an up front in your face sound, but is in the same vein as the first album, featuring modern keyboard textures and distortion guitar, to go from Symphonic one moment to hard rocking (albeit complex) the next. They even make use of vocoder. Fans of modern sounding progressive rock and the first album will do well to check this out! -- Alan Mallery

Hour of Restoration impressed me alot at first...then I found them less worthwhile as time goes on...a couple notches above Kansas. -- Dennis Montgomery

Magellan is the project of composer, singer and keyboardist Trent Gardner. He is joined on Impending Ascension by a guitarist and a bassist and drums are usually, but efficiently, programmed. The style is a fairly heavy and dramatic text-based rock. In fact, the higher pitched vocal harmonies evoke 1980s Yes. Here, the symphonic touch of the keyboards is often accompanied by loud guitar riffs and heavy, changing rhythms. An excellent production that brings out the energetic performances and a very contemporary sound. -- Paul Charbonneau

Gulp (??), 100 Miles Below (89)

The original Magic Muscle were basically Rod Goodway and Adrian Shaw. Simon House and Nick Salomon dropped in for the recording of "Gulp!" Adrian Shaw played with Hawkwind from '77-'78 and later joined Saloman's Bevis Frond. -- Knut Gerwers

A much less spacey, more straight ahead driving rock sister of late 80's Hawkwind. I like this a lot though it's not really classic progressive. Besides, with a bassist named "Baz Magneto" they must be good! -- Dennis Montgomery

[See Bevis Frond | Hawkwind]

Spaced Out (9?)

[See Astralsia | Van der Graaf Generator]

Musiqueros del Silencio (??), La Transformacion (??)

Magma/Kobaïa (70), 1001° Centigrades (71), Univeria Zekt-The Unammables (72), Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh (73), Mekanïk Kommandöh (73), Wurdah Ïtah (74), Köhntarkösz (74), Live-Hhaï (75) (live), Üdü Wüdü (76), Inedits (77), Attahk (78), Retrospektïw III (81), Retrospektïw I and II (81), Merci (84), Mythes Et Legendes Vol.1 (85), Offering 1 and 2 (86), Offering 3 and 4 (90), Les Voix (92), Theatre du Taur 1975 (94, live), Bobino (95), live)

Several centuries in the future, when society as we know it today has decayed into chaos, a group of earth people seeking a new start flee to the distant planet Kobaïa, to start a new civilization. Magma is a concept band whose albums explain the origins and development of the new civilization on Kobaïa, all in the new language of that planet. As might be expected, the music from Kobaïa is very unlike what we are accustomed to on earth, as is their language. Magma's music is very strange and beautiful, but does take some time to get accustomed to. Led by drummer Christian Vander, the group has gone through many personnel changes throughout the years, and the alumni list reads like a who's who of french musicians: Klaus Basquiz, Guy Khalifa, Jannik Top, Bernard Paganotti, Michael Herve, Rene Garber, Didier Lockwood, Francis Moze, Benoit Widemann, Jeff Seffer, Francois Cahen, Teddy Lasry... the list goes on and on. The first album is a double, and traces the story from its origins on earth through the first months on the new planet. Musically it shows the band's roots, a spirited jazz-rock style not far from Soft Machine of the same period. The second 1001° Centigrades explores further in the same general musical territory. The following year they released The Unammables under the pseudo- nym "Univeria Zekt" - on a different label, which quickly justified legal action on the part of their record compant, resulting in the album being pulled from store shelves, creating an instant rarity. MDK is very different from anything they had done before, a very repetitive modal type of music, dark and gothic, with the power of a full choir backing them. Wurdah Ïtah was the soundtrack to the film "Tristan Et Yseult," and carries on similarly to MDK, but with a leaner lineup, basically as a 4 piece. Köhntarkösz moves into new realms, with a more ethereal majestic approach, a soothing album with one 32 minute track split between two sides of the album, with two shorter tracks rounding the album out. The live album presents material from their all of their albums to date, including a full live version of Köhntarkösz; This is definitely the best album to start with, as it mixes instrumental and vocal material, louder and quieter tracks, and gives a good retrospective of the band in what most consider their finest period. Üdü Wüdü delivers a much harder edged, more grotesque sound, in a period when the band was fragmented. Inedits is a live album of performances from throughout their career, and while the sound quality is not as great as the double-live, the performances are excellent, and it documents some interim lineups of the band that are not recorded elsewhere. Attahk was the first album which overtly offered strong evidence of John Coltrane's influence on the band, a much jazzier album than any of its predecessors, and in general a more fluid approach, akin to Köhntarkösz. After a long and grueling tour, the band went into hiatus, working on solo albums and spinoff projects. Around 1980 the band reformed and toured, which resulted in the Retrospektiw albums the following year; These albums contained mostly reworked versions of their older material. By Merci, the lineup had nearly completely changed, and the sound had moved even further towards the Coltrane inspired jazz only hinted at in Attahk. This is probably the least appreciated of their albums, as it's the first that is in no way connected to Theusz Hamtaahk (the Kobaïan history) and features songs sung in french and english. It's not my favorite either. Mythes et Legendes is a compilation of early singles and scaled down versions of longer tracks, with spoken introductions (in french) presumably explaining the story behind them. the Offering projects are more jazzy than anything before them, but not commercial sounding like Merci; the lyrics are now essentially scat, and the music is much lighter than before, mostly piano, acoustic bass, occasional flute and drums. Where To Start ? Live, no question about it, this is the best introduction to their music. After you get used to it and decide you want more, then go for Köhntarkösz, Attahk, Üdü Wüdü, and MDK. -- Peter Thelen

For those of you who read French, try and get your hands on the book Antoine De Caunes (yes Brit friends, the one who hosts Eurotrash on Channel Four!) wrote about Magma in 1979. The book gives interesting detail about the history and whereabouts of the band. The book was published at the time by French publisher Albin Michel, and is now (late '96) announced as "to be reprinted soon" by them.
I now own a dozen Magma albums, and therefore have what I would call a good general overview of the work of Christian Vander et al. First of all, there are three pieces of work which cover more than one album I wish to signal. The first one is "Theusz Hamttaahk" ("the time of hatred"), of which "Wurdah Ïtah" ("Death to Earth" the Tristan et Iseult album) constitutes the second part, while "Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh" is the third part. The first part, allegedly entitled "Wurdah Glao" ("Death and Blood") never surfaced as such. The story line is more or less what was kinda exposed in the first album: a bunch of dissident earthlings leaving the Earth, founding a mystical utopia on the planet Kobaia ("eternity"), and then coming unwillingly, yet rather violently in contact with the bad guys from earth, who appear to calm down once they know that the kobaians have brought Stoah ("The Weapon") along. The second notable piece of work is "Emehnteht-Re," which covers parts of Kohntarkosz and Udu Wudu, which is a bit more obscure, mixing elements from Ancient Egypt with the usual kobaian paraphernalia. The third one, "Ork" was not concieved by C. Vander, but by bass player Jannick Top. It consists in tracks entitled "Ork Alarm" (on Köhntarkösz), "Ork Sun" and "De Futura" (on Üdü Wüdü). Sleevenotes explain that Orks are to machines what machines are to man (huh?).
Among the classical influences to be found in Magma's work, I wish to add Igor Stravinsky (use of polyrhythms), and Carl Orff (choir style), which are the references usually cited in Europe when talking of Magma.
About spoken or sung kobaian language, I think it has a certain link to good old jazzy scat, as it is mostly used in accordance with how it sounds rather than in accordance with the sense it makes, the latter being sometimes invented afterwards.. Kobaian is, syntaxically speaking (i.e., in the way sentences are built), close to French, with some Germanic influence. The vocabulary used is part Germanised French, part Germanic sounds, part Slavic sounds, and part "doing whatever we care to." Nevertheless, it is interesting to have a close listen to the first album's opening track, "Kobaia," in which the delivery of lyrics is pretty close to what is called "Yoghurt" by French-speaking musicians. The latter term is used to characterize something inarticulate and senseless, but which sounds "English" to French ears.
About written Kobaian, it has to be pinpointed that e-mail cannot render the frantic typographical delirium of the album sleeves, on which most i's and u's bear "umlaute" (ie two dots on top), S's bear w-shaped accents, and W's right-sloping ones...there is even a specific letter which does not exist in a standard ASCII font. Some of the sleeves do give French traductions of kobaian titles or words, but if you don't read French, you'll have to go on wondering what's going on.
What you should know is that Magma were hugely controversial in France in the '70s. Some journalists even dubbed them as "facist" or "nazi," which is quite an achievement for John Coltrane admirers. What really happened is that France was, at the time (and somehow still is), dominated by musical mediocrity and tasteless, mindless pop or chansons. In such a context, a group coming up with good, complex and demanding music had to be rejected by the corporate press, especially if they are dressing uniformly in black with big agressive red Magma logos on the chest and matching steel necklaces. One has to say, anyway, that Christian Vander sometimed encouraged it, as when he told reporters "I consider the audience as as many enemies, and every time I hit a cymbal means death to one of them."
I know that Magma CD reissues aren't easy to get from you local dealer. In case of difficulties, try contacting directly Seventh Records, who are dwelling somewhere near Paris (sorry, ain't got their coordinates with me now...). The company operates worldwide mail order by letter or fax, selling all Magma albums, as well as associated products (t-shirts, badges, lighters, even the "Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh" sheet music). -- Laurent Mousson

One of the most brutal, intense bands to ever make a record. Punk hero Jello Biafra (of Dead Kennedys) has called Magma the most vicious of the progressive rock bands (I hope I'm getting the quote right!), and anytime a *punk* hero talks about progressive rock you've just got to sit up and take notice for the sheer novelty of the situation. Some have said that Magma are hard to get into; I would disagree, as the raw, primal savageness of their music seems to connect to some dark unseen force seething under the surface of the human psyche. (Or, as a poster to rec.music.progressive put it, "Do NOT play Magma for your girlfriend!") I don't have enough of their albums to suggest a definitive starting point, but you can't go wrong with Live -- I'm surprised the concerts that went into this recording didn't cause as much social unrest as the debut of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring." Mind-blowing. -- Greg Ward

Undeniably strange experimental prog band with a far-fetched sci-fi concept they had to invent their own language to tell. The first album is pretty half-baked, some good Soft Machine-like jazzrock for about half of it, but lots of self-indulgent soloing. Vocalist Klaus Blasquiz sounds at his most "conventional" (if you can call it that) here, like perhaps a singer in some German underground band. Stylistically not unlike Moving Gelatine Plates or some of the German underground jazzrockers (Thrice Mice, Out Of Focus) of the time, but over the space of two discs, it becomes a bit wearying. 1001° Centigrade is a slightly less indulgent single disc, but taking them to more otherworldly realms lead by Blasquiz' unconventional vocalizings and based in the intricate horn and reed arrangements. Not their best, but a distinctive style is definitely forming. For Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh, the band was in full bloom. Augmented by a five-woman backing choir, this is the apex of their vocal orientated work, with Blasquiz grunting, screeching and wailing away like a madman, and the band forming mesmerizing textures in the background. Not for the faint-hearted probably, but for the explorative, a must. Köhntarkösz strips away most of the horns for a primary reliance on keyboards (nothing fancy, just piano and organ). The vocals are downplayed as well, but still noticeable. The 30-plus-minute title-track is split into two parts. It's the centerpiece of the album. Another fine one. The double live album features the addition of Didier Lockwood on violin, and is probably the most easily digestible for starters, being as it is in a more fusion mode. One disc features a live version of the previous album's title track, the other is composed of new tracks unavailable in studio versions. Drummer Christian Vander sings lead on at least one of the songs. Üdü Wüdü presents a more fragmentary band, with Blasquiz, Vander and bassist Jannik Top being the core, fleshed out by various session players, mostly members of Heldon. It is the first Magma album to feature synthesizers, so it's back to the dark, murky territory of earlier albums, but in a decidedly more high-tech mode. The 18-minute "De Futura" is the albums apex, with some excellent bass playing. Attahk is another one of the band's more accessible albums, more song orientated with more pronounced jazz and rock influences, and primarily featuring the trilling falsetto voice of Vander, as opposed to Blasquiz' unearthly barks and growls. Merci is almost commercial, but still definitely in the Magma style. Apparently some of the songs have English or French lyrics, either that or there's a Kobaian phrase that sounds JUST like "Oh baby". -- Mike Ohman

Magma has to be heard to fully understand but just knowing that they were one of the most influential French bands should be enough to realize their importance. Lead by drummer Christian Vander, Magma create a very dramatic and intensely driving form of progressive rock. Vander draws equally from the likes of jazzman John Coltrane and 19th century classical composer Richard Wagner. He combines these influences with his own unique vision and his own language called Kobïan. Their style has become known as Zeuhl and many French (and some not) bands show influences of Magma. Their music is incredible fusion characterized by a strong driving, almost throbbing drum and bass presence over which you'll hear violin, sax or keyboards. There is also a strong vocal (male and female) presence that is very dramatic and expressive. Incredible and intense! I have four Magma albums, Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh, Live, Üdü Wüdü and Attahk. Live makes the best starting point as it is an excellent performance highlighting the intensity that makes up Magma. Üdü Wüdü and Attahk are also excellent. Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh took me the longest to get into, of these four albums. Relentless in intensity, the powerful, almost operatic vocal intensity can take some adjustment for someone used to instrumental prog. Magma are a *must hear* band. However, to check out the instensity without the strong vocal presence, check out Zao or Weidorje, two splinter bands that are equally intense but have little or no vocals. Listen to these two bands to check out the zeuhl style but you should experience Magma. It's incredible. -- Mike Taylor

Magma were a very influential French band from the seventies whose music was a very powerfully rhythmic combination of jazz influences and rock, fronted by the dramatic vocals of Christian Vander. Attahk, Üdü Wüdü, and Live are, by most considerations, their best works, and make for a very appropriate introduction to the band. Notable to Magma was the fact that the vocals were in a fictional language created by Vander. Yet, with the drama of the music, the vocals do not in any way detract from the full effect.

[See Alice | Altmayer, Michel | Cahen, Francois | Chevalier, Jean-Luc | Cruciferius | Guillard, Alain and Yvon | Heldon | Offering | Paga | Raux, Richard (and Hamsa Music) | Thibault, Laurent | Troc | Vander, Christian | Weidorje | Widemann, Benoit | Zabu | Zao | Zoo]

Click here for another Magma Home Page [Scott Anderson, USA]

Magma (??)

Magna Carta (69), Seasons (70), Times of Change (70), Songs from Wastles Orchard (71), In Concert 71 (72), Lord of the Ages (73), Martin's Cafe (7?), Putting it Back Together (76), Took a Long Tme (7?), Prisoners on the Line (78), Live in Bergen (78)

Folk-progressive. Compare them to the Strawbs, though not of the same calibre.

Folk Band with some proggy elements which made its best albums late sixties early seventies. Rick Wakeman was a session musician on two or three albums. Line up consists of two guitars and a harmony vocalist. Most are similar with the Seasons album containing one concept side and the second a collection of lightweight tuneful numbers. Main songwriter is Chris Simpson (actually Magna Carta is his band), with almost every other album a different second guitarist. Sometimes the vocals are sung in harmony with a third member whose name I've fortgotten but he certainly sounds like a female (Jon Anderson squared) Sometimes a bit prog when there is an organ break or lush strings in the background. Last good album is Lord of the Ages with an ambitious first concept side illustrated in the Roger Dean album cover. After that the albums are less than mediocre and the prog elements have totally disappeared. -- Eric Hermans

Inner Mounting Flame (71), Birds Of Fire (73), Between Nothingness and Etenity (74), Apocalypse (74), Inner Worlds (75), Visions Of The Emerald Beyond (75)

John McLaughlin's early 70's fusion band, showcases his unique guitar style and features an all star lineup of Billy Cobham, Jerry Goodman, Rick Laird and Jan Hammer. My only gripe is the crappy recording quality of the first two albums, especially the first...otherwise every album is a 100%er!

Top fusion band of the seventies led by John McLaughlin, guitarist extraordinaire. Their first two albums are absolute masterpieces of the genre: The Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire, both Columbia recordings available on CD from CBS Records. The music is intense beyond belief, probably more harmonically sophisticated than anything else coming out at the time, and contains an instrumental virtuosity and expressiveness that musicians still aspire to. The original lineup was McLaughlin on guitar, Jan Hammer on keyboards, Jerry Goodman on violin, Rick Laird on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums. A third (live) album Between Nothingness and Eternity fell far short of the achievements of the first two, and later versions of the band contained a completely different lineup (and at times the inclusion of *strings*), thus severely degrading the potency of the original chemistry. Later McLaughlin projects included teaming up with Santana for an album and also working acoustically with a group of Indian musicians for several albums under the moniker "Shakti." Nothing really compares with the first two Mahavishnu recordings except perhaps Billy Cobham's first album Spectrum , which Jan Hammer played on (along with Tommy Bolin, Lee Sklar, Joe Farrell, Ron Carter, and other musicians). Recorded the same year as Birds of Fire, it comes closer to the spirit of Birds of Fire than subsequent Mahavishnu albums.

This band just utterly blew me away. I've only been listening to them for about two weeks, but I'm really impressed. Take Lark's Tounges era King Crimson, add a dedicated keyboard player, and then take the energy level and jack it way up. There isn't as much distortion as KC, and there are mellower tracks, which I also love. My best description is mostly hyper, up-beat jazz-rock fusion. If you were to buy one album, get Birds Of Fire, of the three I've heard, it's my favorite. Especcially check out "One Word" and "Open Country Joy."

For my tastes, the best fusion group to ever exist. Led by the incomparable guitar of John McLaughlin, the Mahavishnu Orchestra combined jazz, rock, and eastern influences into a fiery, dynamic tour de force. The Orchestra actually had two formations. The first band consisted of Jan Hammer on keys, Jerry Goodman on violin, Billy Cobham on drums, and Rick Laird on bass. They released Inner Mounting Flame, Birds of Fire and Between Nothingness and Eternity. Start with either of the first two, particularly Inner Mounting Flame. The sound is somewhat raw but is full of energy and vitality. The musicianship is second to none. You'll be astounded at the interplay between McLaughlin, Hammer, and Goodman. There are enough time and key changes in one *song* to satisfy any progressive listener. The next formation consisted of Jean-Luc Ponty on violin, Gayle Moran on keys, Michael Walden on drums and Ralph Armstrong on bass. This formation released Apocalypse and Visions of the Emerald Beyond. The former is the hardest to get into but is an excellent album none-the-less. It comes a full orchestra with The Orchestra fusion assault. The incredible VotEB is the essential album from the second formation. The focus is the interplay between guitar and violin and it is dizzyingly complex and intertwined. Phenomenal and intense, this is as good as it can get, led by a supreme musician.

[See Cobham, Billy | Davis, Miles | Goodman, Jerry | Nova | Ponty, Jean-Luc]

Mahjun (73), Fils a Colin-Maillard (74), Happy French Band (77)

A somewhat progressive French folk band, could be France's answer to early Gryphon, Pentangle, or Fairport.

Babylonia Suite (77)

ELP-style band. No new territory is explored, nor does this cut have the drive and energy of ELP.

This band goes way back to the mid-seventies, I'm sure they broke up ages ago. Their ELP influenced album Babylonia Suite while not earth-shattering is still very nice and stands as evidence that there was some real progressive music going down in Japan way back when. No vocals.

Babylonia Suite is all-instrumental progressive rock on organ/synth/mellotron /piano/bass/drums. It was actually recorded in 1978, and reflects the prime prog rock menu of those days, with all the hallmarks of the symphonic, melodic style. The use of moog-style lead passages brings to mind ELP as the closest point of comparison. Due probably to the age of the original recording, the sonic quality of the music is not as crystalline as modern recording allows, yet the quality of the music comes through very well.

Mainhorse (71)

One of the more worthwhile of the early 70's prog bands, helped a good deal by the keyboard talents of Patrick Moraz. His Hammond organ calisthenics are definitely the reason to pick this one up: his playing brightens "God", "Passing Years" and the intro. He even whips out an early "klaviosynthesiser" for the trippy "More Tea Vicar". Also of note is bassist Jean Ristori, who adds a beautiful cello to "Pale Sky" (He later played cello on the track "Lone Fantasy" on Pulsar's Halloween album). One other fact that gives Mainhorse an advantage over many of their other continental peers was the inclusion of an English vocalist and English lyricists, avoiding any worries about broken English. -- Mike Ohman

[See Refugee | Yes]

The Wood Of Tales (90), La Porte del Silenzio (93)

Solid new Italian neo-progressive. Should get better with their next release. First one? The Wood Of Tales.

Malibran, while good, have yet to mature, their first release, A Wood Of Tales, is rather loose yet shows much promise and many elements of what made the Italian scene so great in the seventies.

They sound like Biglietto Per L'Inferno.

Hard rock mixed with soft symphonic prog. The first album is quite rocking, with a big presence of the guitarist. Apart from the usual prog instruments, they have also a flute player, and a good one at that! This feature makes this band a bit difference, since they know how to fit the flute sound, specially on the second album. La Porte del Silenzio is specially a good album. Sung half in English and half in Italian (much better IMHO, since the singer has a horrible accent), the album has the usual (more than) side-long piece, plus some smaller, and equally good songs. All musicians play well their instrument, but with no particular highlight. The keyboardist, though, is a bit hidden between the two guitars, but he's always there, filling up the songs. The sound has no immediate comparison. They're not straight neo-prog, they have a slight tendency to sound like the old 70s band, but due to the recording, they wouldn't pass for an old band... If you like tasty flute work, then this band will appeal to you, even more if you also like guitar-dominated prog. I found them quite nice and I think most will find them too. -- Luis Paulino

Quintessence (79), many more

If their "best-of" album, Quintessence is any indication, the best way to describe these guys is a French Steeleye Span. Absolutely brilliant treatment of French folk songs with instrumentation ranging from krumhorns and hurdy gurdies (yes, some stretches smack of Gryphon) to electric guitars. The band's leader, Gabriel Yacoub also released a solo album entitled Trad. Arr.. Highly recommended to folkie progheads... Not a dud track on Quintessence, which is rare for best-of compilations :-)

Malombra (93), Our Lady of the Bones (95)

Malombra is a heavy dark prog Italian group with lyrics in English. They are musically in the range of Black Widow and Atomic Rooster but with personal approach.

Mammut (71)

A very rare album that is said to easily command $700-750 in collector's circles.

Revelation (69), 2 Oz Plastic With Hole In Middle (69), Man (70), Do You Like It Here? Are You Settling In? (71), Live At Padgett Rooms, Penearth (72), Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day (72), Man and Friends, Christmas At Patti (73) (2 10" LPs), Back Into The Future (73), Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics (74), Slow Motion (74), Maximum Darkness (75), Welsh Connection (76), Friday The 13th (83), The Twang Dynasty (93), Man 1994, The Official Bootleg (94), Call Down the Moon (95)

Maybe more rock than prog, but these guys sure used to deliver the goods. Rockin' stuff.

Another one of those bands that aren't really progressive in the general sense of the word (or the stylistic one either) but nevertheless, find themselves on many a prog collector's list. Why? These guys rock hard. Much jamming abounds, with an incredible sense of Grateful Dead-ish spaciousness, but end up blowing them away with their guitar work. Their early seventies stuff is all highly recommended to guitar freaks (like me!)

I heard one track from Slow Motion. "Hard Time To Die", I think it was called. Some fine keyboard work, lots of electric piano, but some pretty irritating vocals. If there are songs like this on other albums, I wouldn't mind hearing them. I heard snippets from other tracks: hard rock, jug band music, etc. In other words, it pretty much runs the gamut. -- Mike Ohman

Man were a relatively popular guitar/organ band from Wales. They've released many different albums and have had many personnel changes. They have ties to Wild Turkey, Gentle Giant, and Quicksilver Messenger Service as well as lesser known bands like Ducks Deluxe, Deke Leonard's Iceberg and the Neutrons. Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day is regarded by many Man fans as their best release. It contains for songs averaging about 10 minutes each. This particular formation takes a two guitar front, adds organ (and some synth) and goes off on long instrumental excursions (just a few vocals) of dual guitar leads and keyboards that is reminsicent of Wishbone Ash, early Steve Miller and Quicksilver Messenger Service. Certainly, fans of the style of those bands would want to hear this album. Slow Motion isn't as good. The eight songs are now running 4-6 minutes long. Only two of the members from Be Good... are still around. The band is a quartet but there are several guest musicians appearing on various songs. The style is really not much different from Be Good... other than shorter songs and more vocals. I think their forte, however, were the extended guitar assaults. Another popular Man album that I haven't heard is Maximum Darkness which features John Cipollina on guitar. It's a live album that features long songs and a three guitar assault.

[See Gentle Giant | Neutrons, The]

Mandalaband (75), The Eye of Wendor (78)

Quoting directly from the back sleeve... "The brainchild of Strawberry Studios chief engineer Davy Rohl, The Eye Of Wendor was the first of a projected musical trilogy describing a Tolkienesque world and its inhabitants, performed by The Mandalaband. The band were actually a group of musicians assembled by Rohl to help him realise his musical vision, and included several well-known names from the panoply of mid-70s rock artists.." Contributors include 10cc, Barclay James Harvest, Justin Hayward, Maddy Prior, and Paul Young. From listening to the mellotron-laden passages of symphonic music, the hand of Woolly Wolstenholme (keyboardist for Barclay James Harvest) is very much in evidence. Much of the vocals bear the mark of various members of 10cc, placing this release quite well in the 10cc-meets-BJH class. The score is very musical and enjoyable, filled to the brim with melodic hooks, and orchestral rock interludes. As a bonus, half of their first, eponymous release, "Om Mani Padme Hum (Four Movements)" is included on the CD.

[See Barclay James Harvest/10cc]

Cristo Redentor (68), Righteous (69), Games Guitars Play (70), Baby Batter (71), Get Off in Chicago (72), The Snake (72), Shangrenade (73)

American Guitarist who is probably best known for his stints with Canned Heat, John Mayall, and other session work. His finest moment was his first album Cristo Redentor, which stands as a monument of instrumental rock, highly innovative both technically and structurally (even by today's standard), combining influences from rock, blues, jazz and country. A good comparison would be Chet Atkins' album Stay Tuned.

I have Cristo Redentor, and it's a pretty good album. It's somewhat psychadelic with some good guitar work.

Mandillo (76)

Very commercial music.

[See Garybaldi]

Pecado Tras Pecado (93)

Mandrágora's described themselves as "influeced by all the great progressive rock groups. [They're music is] full of complex melodies, breath taking arrangements, and all sorts of meter changes. But Mandrágora is not foreign to other musical styles, they do Prog in the complete definition of the word. They liberally mix pop elements, rock sounds, ethnic roots, african textures, and tons of other elemants in their unique musical view. Mandrágora is constantly searching and experimenting with new forms. The final product is of course a very suprising and atractive repertoire."

Over the Moon (90), Head First (91), Earthdance (92?)

Once in a while a recording arrives in my mail box that blows me away. Earthdance is the latest CD to do so. Formed in the summer of 1984 by Simon Williams, Mandragora is a major exponent of neo-psychedelia. Playing alongside bands like Hawkwind, Gong, and Ozric Tentacles, Mandragora has honed their unrivalled blend of jazz, reggae, ethnic, electronic, and space rock music in their latest release. Simon Williams and ex-New Age keyboardist Phil Thornton form the nucleus of Mandragora with a variety of guest musicians playing on each of the seven songs. Each song is unique and explores a different facet of Mandragora's capabilities. All are excellent with two songs shining above the rest. One is the outstanding instrumental "Xylem" where Mandragora captures the rhythmic spirit and instrumentation of Klaus Schulze's "Miditerrean Pads"! Then there is "Factory in the Jungle," a pseudo reggae protest song about the loss of the tropical rain forests that grows and develops into a cosmic jam the world has not heard since the early years of Hawkwind. Earthdance is a true masterpiece! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

A Revivre Le Futur... (90)

Alias for ex-Troll leader (can't remember his name). Very Genesis sound alike with new synths and drum machines.

French band led by Michel Altmayer (drummer of Troll). Unlike Troll, this is very melodic and colorful stuff, mostly instrumental, in the vein of early Edhels, without the blistering guitar edge or electronics. Definite strong Genesis influence, but occasionally the throbbing zeuhl bass can be heard just below the highly polished surface.

Mandragore is the solo vehicle for Frenchman Michael Altmayer who once led Troll. The music is full of lush digital synths and occasional guitar over drums. Very melodic that shows several Genesis influences. The drumming is rather stagnant. Sometimes very nice melodic prog, other times is veers dangerously close to merely decent new age. Overall, not bad as background music but I get bored if I concentrate on it.

[See Altmayer, Michel]

Maneige (75), Les Porches (75), Ni Vent, Ni Nouvelle (77), Libre Service (78), Composite (79), Montreal 6AM (80), Images (83)

Their sound started out very symphonic, then evolved into sort of a symphonic Pierre Moerlen's Gong. By Libre Service the fusion elements of their sound were stronger, and by Images most of the percussive stuff of the early period had given way to a sound that fell somewhere not far from Edhels with a more jazz-rock feel. Most of their albums are 100% instrumental, I think only Les Porches has vocals on some tracks. The core lineup throughout was Alain Bergeron (Flute, Saxes, Keyboards), Denis LaPierre (Guitars), Yves Leonard (Bass), Vincent Langlois (Piano, Keyboards,Percussion), Gilles Schetagne (Drums and Percussion) and Paul Picard (Vibes, Xylophone, Marimba, Percussion,etc.).

I have Ni Vent...Ni Nouvelle which is a very beautiful album. Musically, the music on this release is most comparable to Gentle Giant, yet the band has a very unique sound, perhaps a little more like Locanda delle Fate. Judicious use of tubular bells, flute, violin, soprano sax, gong, recorder, and a variety of percussive instruments, such as xylophone and vibes, lend a fresh and relaxed feeling to the music. I've not heard the others, but this is an album worthy of anyone's collection.

Canadian instrumental prog with a fusion bent. Three members play percussion of some sort, so if you guessed that the music is percussive, you'd be correct. The debut album is rather diffuse, with lots of aimless soloing, but there are moments of lucidity. These become the basis for Les Porches, a more interesting and stronger album overall. The pieces are still quite long, but to good effect. The solos don't drag on as on the first album, and there's a lot more stylistic diversity, drawing on jazz, 20th century classical and other styles. Ni Vent...Ni Nouvelle concentrates the sound developed on the previous two albums into small, bite-sized chunks. It also adds a string quartet to a couple of tracks. A good album, with a touch of symphonic flair. Except for the excellent "Les péntocles," the symphonic influence is muted on Libre Service, displaying a more jazzy feel. There's even a touch of funk--in 7/4 time, no less--on "Troizix," a splash of Jamaican reggae on the percussive "Toujours trop tard." -- Mike Ohman

Chants Would Be a Fine Thing (84), I May Sing Grace (84), Psalm Enchanted Evening (86), Second Chants (92)

Former lead singer with Twelfth Night.

The solo-album Second Chants of this ex-Twelfth-Night vocalist can best be described as minimalist. Fans of Philip Glass, Wim Mertens and such might be very pleased with it. It is very sober, mostly consisting of a simple background with Mann's vocals over it. The background can be acoustic guitar, but also a sort of repetitive industrial sort of sound, like working machines. The instrumental pieces are a bit more melodic, and quite nice (especially on "Evensong"). Guest star is Pete Nicholls of IQ fame, who does some very nice vocals (although they sound sort of shaky). The nicest song is "Yes," which is sung in bits and pieces during some sort of fake radio or TV-programme, in which the singers are poking fun at all sorts of things. All in all, I can recommend this album, which is IMHO not just a curiosum, though it might seem so.

One time singer with Twelfth Night. Solo albums are pretty unpredictable, his newest Second Chants is pretty bizarre stuff that few would enjoy.

Second Chants is the last solo effort from the recently deceased ex-Twelfth Night lead vocalist. It is centred around the vocals of Mann, who has taken more than a leaf out of Peter Hammill's book. Six of the tracks feature additional vocal backing by ex-IQ vox-man, Pete Nichols. Be advised that this does not sound like a Twelfth Night-meets-IQ neo-progressive extravaganza, but is a more subdued, yet effective showcase for the compositional skills of Geoff Mann. The music, as with Hammill's efforts, is sparse in comparison with the symphonic style of the bands that the personnel stem from. Yet, there are three instrumental tracks in the keyboard/guitar vein that offer interludes. All in all, this should appeal to those who enjoy the style of Peter Hammill, and, of course, the admirers of Geoff Mann.

[See Catley, Marc and Geoff Mann | Eh! | Twelfth Night]

Earth Band (72), Glorified, Magnified (72), Messin' (73), Solar Fire (73), The Good Earth (74), Nightingales and Bombers (75), Mannerisms (76), The Roaring Silence (76), Watch (78), Angel Station (79), Semi-Detached Suburban (79), Chance (80), Somewhere in Afrika (83), Budapest (84)

Not progressive, but guitar- and synth-oriented rock. If you like Saga's Worlds Apart album, you'd probably like these albums by MM's EB: Angel Station, Chance and The Roaring Silence.

I'm sure many will rave about MM's Earth Band, which I don't find to be very progressive at all, just sort of a rehash of already well explored ideas on a marketable poppy AOR substrate. Manfred Mann's truly innovative band was "Chapter Three," which preceeded MMEB by a couple years. Their unique approach had a definite jazzy feel, with Mann's piano, the organ and unusual vocals of Mike Hugg, with bass, drums, and alto flute. They (Chapter Three) only have two albums, the best being the first (self titled).

I've got Solar Fire which is unremarkable except for a great progressive opening song: "Father of Day, Father of Night."

Though their approach to progressive music (cover versions of popular singer/songwriters songs done in bombastic long versions and rock adaptations of classical works) was pretty dated in the mid-sevneties, they did manage to squeeze some decent, albeit commercially-geared, music out of it. Solar Fire is one of the best, featuring "Joybringer", which was based on Bach's famous "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring" and is a good deal better than Apollo 100's "Joy". Nightingales And Bombers is not as good, but perhaps historically important as the first public acknowledgement of Bruce Springsteen as a songwriter with a cover of his "Spirit In The Night". Ironically, it would be Springsteen who provided the Earth Band with their biggest hit: "Blinded By The Light" from The Roaring Silence. That album was their most commercially successful, riding in the wake of "Blinded", but featuring more than that to recommend it: especially a beautiful version of Mike Heron's "Singing The Dolphin Through" and some good originals, most notably "Starbird" and "This Side Of Paradise". Later albums much sketchier, though they managed to squeeze the odd hit single form them (most memorably with another Heron composition: "Davy's On The Road Again" from Watch). -- Mike Ohman

[See Chapter Three]

Time to Fly (93)

I wanted very much to like Time to Fly by this young Swedish band. I was successful only to a limited extent. Upon first listen, I was reminded of ELP's "Tarkus," not in style but in contrast between studio and live versions. The live version of "Tarkus" is one of my all-time favorite works, ELP at their absolute best -- energetic, loose and monstrous. In contrast, the studio version of the suite sounds rigid and formal. I had a sense of "deja-vu" with Time to Fly. Sounding stiff, I can't help but think Manticore would be much better live in a club than a studio. Manticore straddle the fine line between Neo-progressive and Retro-Progressive, jumping back to the sound of the '70s and forth to a '90s style from one song to the next. The band comes off as a mix of the "big three": ELP, Genesis and Yes. Most of the digital and analog keyboard work by Erik Olsson strongly invokes Keith Emerson. However, there is also a Banksian influence in many of the passages. Add to that the prequisite (for current Swedish Prog, anyway) of large doses of mellotron and Manticore angle away from the ELP clone trap. Occasional Wakemaneque passages are also heard, while guitarist Ulf Holmberg (who also plays one of the two mellotrons) smacks of Hackett and Howe, as well the more modern sounding style prevalent in Neo-Prog. Despite the obviously derived nature of Manticore's style, the band show potential to play some pretty good Prog. The main problem with Manticore, for me, is drummer Putte Eriksson. His playing is very boring and plain. As a friend of mine said, "lobotomized." It's strictly to the beat and forget any kind of exchange between him and the rest of the band. This lack of good trap work ruined the overall effect of the group's effort. To add flame to the fire, I quite like Goran Holmberg, the Squire-styled bassist. If only he had a good drummer to spar with, Manticore would have an great rhythm section which would vastly improve the band's music. Instead, it served to remind me why I dislike a lot of Neo-Prog. The other major drawback is the recording mix. The songs are loaded with mellotron yet it's buried in the mix. So is the guitar and, often, many of the other keyboards. For me, the mellotron, when used, is responsible for much of the emotional impact of the music. Buried in the mix, the 'trons have no such effect for me. One minor quibble is the choice of the English lyrics. Kjell Jansson's heavy accent makes it hard to understand what is being sung. I would rather that Manticore sing in Swedish so I can enjoy the vocal melody and not worry about what is being said. But, that's my own preference, so it may not be perceived as a flaw by you. To be fair, relative to much of today's Neo-Progressive Rock, Manticore stand up well, despite the insipid drum work. Unfortunately for them, they follow close on the heels of Landberk, Anglagard and Anekdoten, the Swedish standard for Progressive Rock. Manticore pale in comparison. Hopefully, the flaws will be worked out for a second release. I really want to like these guys. Time to Fly doesn't make it easy. -- Mike Taylor

[See Lindh, Pär]

Diamond Head (??), K-Scope (??)

I heard some of Diamond Head, which didn't strike me as being especially exciting, but was far from unpleasant. K-Scope features most of Split Enz on it, and not surprisingly, sounds a lot like them. -- Mike Ohman

[See 801 | Quiet Sun | Roxy Music]

Why? (71), En Directo (??)

Pysch group with lots of great fuzz guitar. If you like psych, this band is for you. En Directo is a live album. -- Juan Joy

[See Esqueixada Sniff]

Maquina de Hacer Pajaros (??), Peliculas (??)

The First Run (93)

Neo-progressive band that plays in the Rush and Marillion style. Great band! All the members of the band are working in the same direction.

Dreams Consumed (71)

Marconceptos (94)

Excellent all-instrumental solo effort by the unknown Marco Gomez. This is truly a homegrown effort, produced by Marcosmos Productions on his own independent label. All guitars and synths are performed by Marco. Marco can be considered as the Mike Oldfield of Mexico with a similar style of weaving guitar and synth melodies with such precision and zeal that it immediately provides a very appealing listening experience. Some of the synth passages, such as "El Encuentro," "Tria," and "Umbrales" have a baroque meets flamenco feel. Much of the guitar work has a King Crimson or Robert Fripp-like quality that blends very complex ryhthms and time changes with intricate, somewhat dark, synth melodies reminiscent of Änglagård on occasion ("Palomas De Cristal," "Hells," "XX XXX," "Tyrannus"). The album also has some dabblings that venture into the psychedelic realm with Bach-like organ swirls and fuzz guitar licks. Yet on occasion, Marco's keyboard style reminds me of Rick Wakeman, especially on the baroque/Bach-like material. The only negative comment I have is that one can tell this is a first effort. On occasion, Marco tends to wander with the guitar a bit and ends up in the trap that a lot of guitarists fall into by playing as fast as possible to show us his expertise. Some of his jams get repetitive also. But these two negatives should not dissuade one from buying this album. Marconceptos is a brilliant first time effort that has something to offer everyone and should be part of every prog enthusiast's collection. -- Steve Staub

Albert Marcoeur (74), Album a Colorier (76), Armes et Cycles (79), Celui ou y'a Joseph (84), Presente A. Marcoeur (90, first four LPs on two CDs), Ma Vie Avec Elles (90)

Described as the French version of Frank Zappa. In a RIO vein, the music can be zany, unique and quite good.

Rainbow Knight (86), Star Light (87), The Force of Trinity (88), Mage Lich (89), Prologue (89), Fantasien (91)

All except Fantasien are cassette releases. Fantasien is a CD release.

Maria (76)

70's Japanese band with an early symphonic sound. Hot guitar and keyboard exchanges and japanese vocals. relatively dated sounding, though.

Visions from Out of the Blue (??)

Mainstream prog with much Mellotron.

Script For A Jester's Tear (83), Fugazi (84), Real to Reel (84), Misplaced Childhood (85), Brief Encounter (86, EP), Clutching at Straws (87), B'Sides Themselves (88, single B sides), The Thieving Magpie (La Gazza Ladra) (88), Seasons End (89), Holidays In Eden (91), A Singles Collection (92, (comp.), Brave (94), Afraid Of Sunlight (95)

Marillion, taking their name from Tolkien's "The Silmarillion," are widely accepted to be the first neo-progressive rock band. Their sound is similar to Genesis '72 to '82 or thereabouts with Pink Floyd and Yes influences to a lesser extent. From their first album Script For A Jester's Tear through Clutching At Straws, the music is directed around the poetic and sometimes fantasy lyrics of the lead singer Fish, who sounds very much like Peter Gabriel. The music is kept simple and sparse in order to make the lyrics the focus of the music. The synthesis between lyrics and music is, at times, rather extraordinary and moving, yet nearly always depressing. Their first three albums are loosely connected and explore the concept of a depressed jester that seems to have lost so much that he begins to go insane. The first album is probably their most progressive release - well, at least it's the least mainstream-sounding. It's lacking in many areas, but the title song and "Forgotten Sons" are notable. The second album, Fugazi, really works well, in my opinion, as they take more chances and get a bit heavier and fuller sounding. "Assassing" and "Emerald Lies" are quite good. The next album was a true concept album called Misplaced Childhood. It's linked songs tell a murky story about lost loves and lost childhood innocence. It produced a catchy, moderate pop hit called "Kayleigh." Their best-written, best-performed, and mostly best-liked album is Clutching At Straws, a concept album that discusses the depressions of society and the use of drugs and alcohol to suppress them. There are a number of finely crafted songs on this release, including the opening triad of songs "Hotel Hobbies/Warm Wet Circles/That Time Of The Night" and "Just For The Record," "Slàinte Mhath," "The Last Straw," and a catchy radio hit called "Incommunicado." This album is probably the best starting point for someone interested in getting into Marillion. Fish left in 1987 and Steve Hogarth took over on vocals and shared in the lyric writing. Unfortunately, the lyrics and their synthesis with the music isn't as good. Their new sound seems more geared for radio play, although they still have an air of depression in the music. Their latest album is a concept piece called Brave about a young girl that contemplates suicide on a bridge. It is billed as a return to form, and although it is a step in that direction, it is still lacking much of the magic of those early years.

Marillion began its career with the album Script for a Jester's Tear. While this album shows influences from many of the great 70's progressive bands, Marillion had definitely developed a style that was all its own. Exquisitely arranged music was accompanied by the vast lyrics talents of Marillion's lead singer: Fish. Songs such as "Script for a Jester's Tear" and "The Web" burned with beauty unlike anything else in the field of rock and roll; and songs such as "Garden Party" and "Forgotten Sons" cut with a social satire that was almost as deep. With their second album Fugazi Marillion really hit their stride. The music had divorced itself from the influences that were apparent on Script, and Fish's lyrics became vast in their intricacy. So vast, in fact, that the cathedral like imagery employed in Fugazi almost collapse in upon itself. Approach this album with poetic care. With these first two albums Marillion had achieved many great things, but these albums were soon to pail in comparison with their third work Misplaced Childhood. This album placed Marillion among the greats. A work only comparable in progressive music with such albums as Pink Floyd's The Wall and Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick. This album, one continuous piece of music, shows off Marillion's skills at composition. All together flawless. With this album Marillion was to see the greatest amount of success and publicity the band has seen in its career. This was the only time that Marillion made any mark on the U.S. music scene, and probably is the only time that they ever will. Marillion's fourth album Clutching at Straws was to be "old" Marillion's farewell to the world. The album, dealing with the problems of drug addiction and alcoholism, was the final album to be made with Fish as front man and lyricist. Fish left the band in 1988 to pursue a solo career. The exact details of the breakup are still the subject of some conjecture. With Fish gone many thought that Marillion was at its end, but the band hired a new front man by the name of Steve Horgarth and came back with a new album Seasons End. Steve Hogarth was everything that Fish was not: Short, good looking, a brilliant singer, and a crappy lyricist. Seasons End showed that Marillion was doing very well without Fish, thank you very much, and were going to survive quite well. The album, and Steve Hogarth, were well received by the fans and things looked good. Meanwhile, Fish had put out a solo album Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors which marked a deep departure from anything that Fish had done with Marillion. Gone were the dripping verse of Script and the heartfelt angst of Misplaced Childhood. What emerged was an independent, more commercially viable Fish; also showing that he could do fine without Marillion. Up to this point, Marillion's music had remained very much unchanged. Even with the switching of front men, the music had continued in very much a straight line. This was to change, however, with their next album Holidays in Eden. Taking a very strong step in the direction of commercial rock and roll, this album failed in both pleasing Marillion fans, and gaining a bigger market share in the Top 40. All together this album was the first "bad" work to come out of Marillion, in all its ten years of existence. Fish was faring no better. His next album Shadow Play was met with mixed reviews. His work also showed a move in the direction of the main stream, and many "old" Marillion fans wondered if this was the same old Fish they had grown to love. Things were looking bleak on both sides of the Marillion fence. Then, in February of 94, Marillion released their 6th album Brave. Once again, Marillion had returned to their old progressive ways. Though one can hear the echoes of Holidays in Eden on this new album, Marillion has shown that it can produce a concept album without relying on "old" Marillion material. Though Fish has not released his new album at the time of this writing (March 94), reports from concert goers is that the new material is pretty good. Things are looking bright for the future of Marillion and Fish. If you have not yet discovered them, then now is a good time to do so. It looks like the best is yet to come.

The archetype of neo-prog bands and still one of the best. I never heard the extreme Fish/Gabriel similarities people go on about. They're not *that* similar. Marillion do owe a lot to Genesis and Peter Hammill but they were never, even in the beginning, derivative in anything other than a historically flattering sense. Not a bad album even counting Holidays in Eden which people moaned about a bit. The radio songs on Misplaced Childhood are actually good (god knows how they got on the radio!). Both Clutching at Straws and Seasons End have a radio track on them ("Incomminicado" and "Hooks in You" respectively) which are largely throw-away and totally different to the rest of the music. I only just found out that the CD of Clutching at Straws has an extra track I never knew about that fits in with the entire suite nicely. Fish left due to "lyrical differences" ... the band thought he was getting too obscure ... he was obscure but his lyrics were quite brilliant as long as you weren't in the "thoughtful = pretentious" kindergarten. Start with Misplaced Childhood and work backwards then forwards. A great band with some really classic material ("Chelsea Monday," "White Russian," "Blind Curve," "Grendel" (*very* Genesis)).

[See Arena | Chemical Alice | Trace]

Le Monde En Etages (70), Le Son Tombe Du Ciel (71), Le Desert Noir (77), Platock (78), Contemporus (79), Live (80)

French guitarist/multi-instrumentalist, very unique. His albums blend multi- layered acoustic guitars with fiery leads, piano, ethereal female voices, throbbing bass and percussion. His guitar style could be described as early Larry Coryell (acoustic) meets Randy California (electric) with a strong middle-eastern influence. Le Desert Noir is a heavier guitar album which features drums on almost every track, overall very hendrix influenced. With Platock, there is more maturity in his sound, combining delicate acoustic guitars and more piano to his trademark sound, with less reliance on drums. Contemporus attempts to continue in the same vein, but fails to reach the same energy level, except possibly on the sidelong "Contemporus" suite. Start with Platock, which most will agree is his best. First two releases are very rare.

Visitor Parking (76), Industrial Sabotage (80)

On the Random Radar label.

[See Feigenbaum and Scott]

Marsupilami (70), Arena (71)

Weird early seventies British band that did the Nektar trick and transplanted themselves overseas (this time in the Netherlands.) The only band that I can compare them too would be East of Eden, and if you haven't heard them, than I can't really compare them with anyone else. Excellent and very ahead of its time progressive music, in the mid period Crimson ethic, with weird and oblique melodies and harmonies.

Marsupilami were a Netherlands (I believe they moved there from England) band from the very early '70s. The album revolves around organ, guitar and flute. There is a bit of a Camel feel in the melodies (particularly with the flute) but the lack of moog makes them sound quite different. There is also a strong folk feel in the vocal melodies and some of the music. The organ work gives a bit of a early '70s psych feel. Arena is a concept album but the songs on both albums run in the 7-9 minute range. Perhaps not essential but generally pretty nice if you like melodic prog with folk touches and a bit of a "early" feel.

A British 6-piece from the early seventies. Their sound reminds me of an upbeat Strawbs. They are more of a prog rock band with folk inflections here and there. I especially like the heavy keyboards and busy drumming. Their overall sound is somewhat typical of the period - full of late sixties influences - but unique enough to be worthwhile. They occasionally sound like In Search of Space era Hawkwind but with more emphasis on vocals and keyboards. The instrumental proficiency and variety will keep the average prog-head interested.

The opening track to Arena begins with singer Fred Hasson speaking: "I've come here today to rip the veil from your eyes, open your heads and PULL OUT YOUR BLOODY MINDS!!!" It only gets odder from there, as they display their twisted, satanic take on ancient Rome, complete with graphic descriptions of lion maulings, inverted crucifixions and other forms of ancient torture. Despite the dated (and amusing in a somewhat campy manner) quality of the lyrics, the music is surprisingly advanced for 1971. Keyboardist Leary Hasson was later in CMU, but the music here is less dated (well, less "hippie"). His playing is very strong, startling blasts of organ and ocean waves of Mellotron lurk round every corner. The whirling, often distorted flute of Jessica Stanley-Clarke adds an intriguing feel as well, as do her haunting harmony vocals. Fred's lead voice is similar to Cressida's Angus Cullen in general tone and pitch, though more highly strung and less accomplished. Good early prog. -- Mike Ohman

En Direct du Rock'n'Roll Circus (69), Acte II (70), Les Originaux (87)

French six piece. The first one is normal rock, slightly progressive because of flute and sax. But the second, a double LP called Acte II is nice. On this one they create a Jazzrock/Fusion style with dominant sax, flute and organ, so you may compare it to Canterbury bands (Caravan) or Supersister. But there are also some cabaret-elements in it, at least in the shorter pieces. Not extremely great but not bad. -- Achim Breiling

The Pillory (78)

"'The Pillory' is a major electro-acoustic orchestral work that is an intense and complex composition. The concept is a perpetual one which takes place not necessarily in our past, present or future, nor within our current perceptions of time, space reality or consciousness. The music is symmetrically scored to correlate with the metaphysical ideas. It's structured into nine movements in portmanteau form (all movements in one), which corresponds with the overall thematic idea: The metamorphosis of 'lusion' through nine points of an existence--lusion is a word I coined to express that which is real, the antithesis of an illusion." -- Jason Martz

Jasun Martz and the Neoteric Orchestra are fantastic! The Pillory is a 40 minutes long, very powerful, orchestral piece of music. Jasun Martz plays synthesizers, mellotrons and a lot of other instruments, Eddie Jobson plays solo violin and synthesizer, and there are 39 more people playing or singing in this piece of music. The Pillory was re-released on CD by the Swedish label Ad Perpetuam Memoriam in 1994. A must for all Mellotron Maniacs! If I should compare this work to something well-known, it will be Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" and King Crimson's "The Devil's Triangle" (from In The Wake Of Poseidon). -- Gunnar Creutz

Nuove Lettere (96)