Pablo "El Enterrador" (83)

Potentially the most incredible album from the Southern Hemisphere. Wow, they say, are you sure? YES!!!! For those of you that like the Locanda album (are there any of you that don't?) this is the Argentine answer, a truly refined and beautiful album that reminds me of Italian rock at its most classic. Closest to a cross between the beauty of Sagrado Coracao de Terra, the Argentine prog rock of Espiritu and the classical rock of Banco, this is a masterpiece in every sense of the word and became one of my favorites immediately. Lets hope Music Hall will reissue this on CD. Please!

Melodic symphonic progressive from Argentina with (limited) vocals in their native tongue. Not melodic in a Camel sense, but like lyrical Italian prog. It took several listens for me to get into this band. At first, I didn't think it was as good as people had claimed. After paying careful attention to the music, I realized there was a lot of interplay between the all musicians. Like the Italian Locanda delle Fate, the emphasis is on instrumental interplay and the overall atmosphere, not climactic solos. There are a couple of (thankfully short) tunes that have a somewhat commercial feel to them that leaves me flat, but most of the album is very, very good. I think it will grow on me more as I give it more air time.

Himalaia (86)

Brazillian guitarist. His album Himalaia features mainly acoustic guitar driven pieces with guest musicians providing synth, bass, percussion, violin/ viola, and flute. Compositions have a pronounced traditional folk influence, and a very classical feel about them. Nice stuff, but a little on the quiet side, may not rock enough for most.

Feelin' Free (70)

Prog.

Pacific Eardrum (77), Beyond Panic (78)

Forget Your Dream! (72)

Monstrous psych-prog.

Il Paese Dei Balocchi (72)

This LP has a pop sound and it isn't very good.

Paga (85), Haunted (88), Gnosis (93)

Paga is the band led by ex-Magma/Weidorje bass-monster Bernard Paganotti. The sound is a blending of thick fusion and bass-driven zeuhl, Paganotti plays bass, chapman-stick, and sings on the first album, which also features ex- Weidorje alumni Patrick Gauthier on keys and Yvon+Alain Guillard on horns and woodwinds. Claude Salmieri handles the drum kit on most tracks. Much of the material on the first album is stylistically close to Weidorje and Udu-Wudu/ Live period Magma, but more accessible. Vocals are in english, except for one track which has some japanese lyrics. Klaus Basquiz (longtime lead singer for Magma) is the vocalist on the second album Haunted, which also features Salmieri and Bertrand LaJudie on keys. This album takes the band in a more rock direction, with equal parts fusion and zeuhl influence. Once again, the playing is tighter than ever, powered by the solid rhythm section, and split about 50/50 between instrumentals and vocal tracks. Both albums are classics. Also not to be overlooked is the amazing 14 minute track titled "Urantia" which they contributed to the Musea sampler disc Enneade.

[See Cruciferius | Magma | Pinhas, Richard | Weidorje]

Mauro Pagani (78), Sogno Di Una Notte D'Estate (81)

Ex PFM.

[See Premiata Forneria Marconi]

La Mosaique De La Reverie (86), Kamen No Egao (87), The Pay For Dreamer's Sin (89)

The original lineup of this band included Hiroko Nagai (Vocals and Keyboards), Ikkou Nakajima on guitars, Mr.Sirius (Kazuhiro Miyatake) on acoustic guitar and flute, plus Bass and Drums. An early album titled La Mosaique de la Reverie sounds like a cross between Turn of the Cards period Renaissance and Little Queen period Heart: Just the right balance between power and symphonic. Vocals are in Japanese. A collection of EPs from that period is also available on a CD titled Kamen No Egao. Years later a reformed Pageant including Hiroko and the original drummer plus new musicians released The Pay For Dreamer's Sin, more hard-edged than the previous.

[See Mr. Sirius]

Paikappu (83)

If you've heard about this band at all, you've probably heard that their sound incorporates various traditional Japanese instruments. This is true, but it's not immediately audible at first; instead of using them as solo instruments they tend to act as part of the rhythm section and take their place among layers of guitar and synths. That said, what does Paikappu sound like? Well, on the one hand, they don't resemble any band in particular; on the other hand, they don't have a sound that I would recognize as unique (although the koto and similar instruments help). It's basically archetypal space-progressive, perhaps comparable to Camel or a much more restrained version of Ozric Tentacles. Not extraordinary, but certainly pleasant. -- Michael Walpole

Paladin (71), Charge (72)

Prog. Charge has cover by Roger Dean.

Newtopia (86)

This band was led by Motoi Semba, who later became the Keyboardist for Teru's Symphonia. I only know of one album titled Newtopia, of which about 50% of the songs have vocals. Their sound is heavy symphonic, classically influenced, like something between Renaissance and the Enid. Very strong and definitive, and highly recommended.

[See Teru's Symphonia]

Deep Water (80), Every Moment (82)

US fusion, very fluid, Palkovic is a guitarist primarily. Most tracks feature a full band, and offer a high energy mix of electric and acoustic work, with plenty of technical savvy, but still full of emotion and spirit. Both albums are exceptional.

Arrive Alive (81), The Sentinel (84), Knightmoves (85, mini-CD), The Wedge (86), Knightmoves to Wedge (92, Knightmoves and The Wedge on one disc), Sketches (??), several 12" singles released during the '80s, some of which have been combined onto The Sentinel and Knightmoves to Wedge.

Another struggling "Genesis-soundalike" band is Pallas. They have released one album, The Sentinel, and lots of E.P.s. (Have they been taking lessons from Marillion?) Their sound is less "tight," their musical ideas aren't flawlessly formed, but they have good ideas. They are reminiscent of older Rush, with their science-fiction-oriented lyrics and their eccentric rhythms.

Pallas are a Scottish band of the 80's whose first album The Sentinel was a concept album about Atlantis. It was kind of pomp-rock, and more rock-centred than many progressive bands, but they did go off on long musical wanderings. Their second (and only other?) album was more pop-rock, but had a couple of nice tunes. Their best work was on a mini-LP with a great track "Sanctuary" that has great lyrics, powewrful music. I wouldn't bother with The Wedge, the early stuff is much better.

On The Sentinel: If you throw out the two poppy tracks that open each side the balance of the album is pretty good, although it does tend to get kind of Yes/Genesis derivative at times. Still fairly worthwhile, though. There's an EP b-side called "Crown of Thorns" I recall hearing one time that was fairly impressive as well. I've heard that the later stuff (Knightmoves to Wedge) went downhill fast and became more poppy and less interesting.

Warning, this is written by someone who doesn't get into neo-prog as a general rule. Pallas' Knightmoves to Wedge is a good example of *why*. What is progressive about this album? Almost nothing, in my opinion. The songs are almost all in the 4-5 minute range and are hook-laden AOR, nay pop-styled songs. The vocals are in verse-chorus-verse format. Honestly, to me it sounds like Stadium Pomp Rock. These guys could tour with Asia. The two longer songs (8-9 min.) are a tad better as they allow room for some development. Unfortunately, the music is still loaded with catchy hooks making for radio-ready music, the antithesis of quality progressive rock in my book. Finally and for what it's worth, the two longer songs show strong Genesis influences. In particular, "Sanctuary," which I find far and away the most interesting song (not too bad, actually) draws a lot from both Gabriel and Collins-era Genesis, including some fairly nice "Hackettisms" near the beginning. The drumming behind the guitar solo in the middle leaves a lot to be desired which makes for an uneven song, though. The final song, "Just a Memory," owes quite a bit to Peter Gabriel's solo work. It's too bad the entire album doesn't sustain this style as I think it would be a much stronger effort though still far from the quality of other current bands such as Änglagård, Ozric Tentacles, Anekdoten or Tiemko. Even among neo-progsters, I find Twelfth Night, IQ or Jadis are lauded as better bands. I simply can't recommend it anyone for 15 minutes of half-way decent music out of 47 minutes. And finally, I have also heard a couple of Pallas songs from the SI compilation discs that highlight some of the many neo-progressive bands on that label. The two songs are both shorter songs, one along the lines of the stadium rock stuff and the other is a ballad sung against acoustic guitar, lush synth (obligatory string sounds) and occasional Moog Taurus pedal. Nothing to make me reconsider.

While it's true that their sound is rather reminiscent of Marillion ca. 1985, as you can see from the above dates, this is an entirely convergent sound. The Wedge was a real disappointment after The Sentinel and Knightmoves, although it's still an excellent rock album. The Sentinel is a classic prog album, although Euan Lowson doesn't really have the vocal range and power to carry it off convincingly. Their best work though, is the track "Heart Attack" which was released as a B-side,and which made it on to the CD of Sentinel. -- David Nash

[See Abel Ganz]

The Cycle is Complete (7?)

This was a solo project of Bruce Palmer (bass player from Buffalo Springfield). You will find on this one eight musicians (including bass, organ, flute, violin, oboe, piano and a lot of percussion). The three long pieces are very quiet meditative improvisations, comparison could be Third Ear Band (but its more melodic) or Richter Band. This is certainly an excellent record! -- Achim Breiling

Roxy Elephant (75), Out of the Ashes (77), No Illusions (79)

German ensemble with a different cast each time (except for the guitarist). All three albums are quite different.

No Illusions is supposed to be a classic of late-70s German prog. I've only heard their Out Of The Ashes album. There are two very long tracks that are very pleasing to listen to, with lots of that good German synth work. The rest of the album is bland and non-committal to any one style. Not essential. -- Mike Ohman

Ville Ouverte (79), Non Jamais L'Esperance (79)

French synth duo comparable to Tangerine Dream and early Kraftwerk.

Hymnemonde (96)

This band of five Quebecers includes bass/clarinet/guitar, keyboards, guitars, violin and drums/percussions. On Hymnemonde You can hear various prog and jazz influences but the format favours their integration. The long tracks as well as the lack of a rigid structure also opens the way for improvisation. But that doesn't translate into sustained soloing. The style is based on clever band interaction and ever present intensity, alternating between calm and more active passages. The guitar (some Robert Fripp influences) sets the tone throughout, but everyone else gets involved. They actually come close to pulling off something incredible but the modest production doesn't always do justice to the ambitious compositions. This bold effort deserves the attention it will get from demanding prog fans. -- Paul Charbonneau

Uno (71)

Similar to Errata Corrige yet a little heavier in parts, Panna Fredda's Floydian Italian progressive is a fascinating offshoot of the genre and is rather engaging. Recommended: Uno.

2000 BC Or AD (83)

Prog.

Panta Rei (1973)

Swedish Allman bros. Another band on the Harvest label. Gotta see the cover to believe it.

In the style of ELP from the early 70s (1974-?). This was a bunch of young physicists playing ELP-like stuff and developing a new computer-based instrument. They had many good Bartok transcriptions but never released them (story is that Barytok's son objected). The only album they did get out was a change from this so beware!

[See Karat]

Spongy Comestibles (9?)

Current psych. Reminiscent of Ozric Tentacles.

Alto (78)

Ex-Kraan sax player.

[See Kraan]

Narrenrock (??)

Ex-Satin Whale.

[See Satin Whale]

But Everything....Seems To Be Fading Away (91)

A Dutch three piece, Par Example is Erik Van Baaren (kybds,gtr), Paul Dolmans (drs) and Ton Haring (gtr,keys). Primarily instrumental (only 2 tracks have vocals as such), their sound sometimes reminds me of a spacy Camel (later period) with some dreamy synths thrown in, sometimes more heavily sequenced, occasionally aproaching the new-agey feel of 80's Tangerine Dream et al. Very electronic oriented.

Paradise Lost (89)

This band might not exist any more, and to my knowledge only released one album (do not confuse them with the Paradise Lost who still exist and who are quite a bit heavier). They have a particular sound, due partly to the vocals and partly to the guitar sound, which is quite unlike that of other groups. It's quite difficult to describe them, suffice it to say that there are some Rush influences, and maybe some King's X. The music is quite complex (at least in comparison to your average rock-band) and they have very nice melodic lines. Definitely recommended.

Live (78)

Prog.

Is A Friend (72)

Prog.

Tales of Mystery and Imagination (76), I Robot (77), Pyramid (78), Eve (79), Turn of a Friendly Card (80), Eye in the Sky (82), Ammonia Avenue (84), Vulture Culture (85), Stereotomy (88), Gaudi (87), Freudiana (90, not credited as APP but is Parson/Woolfson effort), Try Anything Once (9?, as Alan Parsons)

Although many people remember the Alan Parsons Project for its commercial successes such As Turn of a Friendly Card, the album I Robot may have been the crowning glory of the progressive movement. Its emotional story of machine intelligence awakening to realize that it was powerful but alone is a warning to us. Parsons combines music and lyrics to explore this topic, and it results in some of the best songs written. This is no surprise, since he played a major role in the creation of one of the other classics of this genre, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon (in fact, one can argue that with out Parson's production of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon would have been just another progressive band scratching out a living).

The first album Tales of Mystery and Imagination is pretty good, after that they get progressively worse, more derivative (of Floyd, Camel, and just about any other mainstream prog band) to the point of blatant rip-offs, Parsons became the "Steve Miller" of progressive pop, stealing ideas from anyone and everyone. After Pyramid he got so cheesy sounding it became unlistenable. Some of the later albums (Vulture Culture, Eve, Stereotomy) make excellent frisbees.

The Alan Parsons Project is slightly progressive at best. There are a few good tracks on Gaudi, Pyramid and Tales of Mystery and Imagination. And that is the order that I would recommend to anyone that wants a listen. All of the other albums are pretty weak in my opinion. One or two good tracks at the most. -- Steve Puccinelli

Tibetan Plateau (80), Sounds of the Mothership (82), Himalaya (89), Yatra (90), Dorje Ling (92)

The more and more I hear this absolutely genius in the field of electronic music, the more and more I'm impressed. If you want seriously cosmic electronic music that takes classic T Dream and Klaus Schulze, with a sound similar to Steve Roach and surpasses all of these guys, get anything by him. Himalaya is one of the serious pinnacles of e-music and if you didn't think it could get any better, than try his double CD opus Yatra. One of the best on this list.

Legend (71), BaRock (73), A German Rock Legend (75)

Baroque/rock crossover band starring violinist Walter Quintus.

Legend is a pioneering effort mixing classical instruments with rock. Violin, viola, cello and flute are used as well as typical rock instrumentation (organ, guitars, etc.). There's a psychedelic bent to this that tends to date it a bit (the predilection for lyrics about Vietnam and the like date it even more), but the chamber-music feel makes it seem fresh. With the exception of the self-indulgent, seemingly endless one-chord-for-sixteen-minutes jam "Groove Inside," this is a strong, individualistic debut. -- Mike Ohman

Passport - Doldinger (71), Second Passport (72), Handmade (73), Doldinger Jubilee Concert (74), Looking Thru (74), Cross-collateral (75), Doldinger Jubilee '75 (75), Infinity Machine (76), Iguacu (77), Ataraxia (78), Garden Of Eden (79), Lifelike (80), Oceanliner (80), Blue Tattoo (81), Earthborn (82), Man In The Mirror (83), Running In Real Time (85), Heavy Nights (86), Talk Back (88), Balance Of Happiness (90), Blues Roots (91)

Passport is a German progressive-jazz-rock band which had some fantastic years. Their leader Klaus Doldinger plays the sax and synthesizers. They had this knack of really sounding like a COMPLETE UNIT. They have a real jazz sensibility and drive, but use of lot of the open chording,suspended 4ths, and feeling that make their music throughout those albums "progressive." The two albums I most highly recommend are Looking Through and Infinity Machine. Both offer an awesome experience, with songs like "Morning Sun," "Ostinato," and "Ready For Take Off." The other albums unfortunately are hit and miss. Some like Cross-Collateral and Garden of Eden have a couple of great tunes on them (i.e., "Homunculus," "Gates of Paradise") but others have an "'80s funk" sound that, from what I've heard of them, is the mainstay of their later albums. But also to their credit is the fact that all their albums are beautifully recorded and produced. Looking Through, recorded in 1973, sounds as full and clear as the mid-period Beatles albums. -- Mike LaGrega

[See Orange Peel | Snowball]

Pataphonie (75), Le Matin Blanc (79)

Le Matin Blanc is a semi-experimental piece of underground French prog that lies somewhere between middle- King Crimson and Henry Cow. Nice fuzz-bass work reminds me of the Muffins. -- Mike Ohman

Seventies all-instrumental French band which inhabit the mid-period King Crimson/Heldon realm. They are more experimental than KC but more accessible than their compatriots Heldon. I like them better than Heldon but they are no KC! Certainly worth a listen. -- Juan Joy

[See Alpha Du Centaure]

Star Suite (??)

Paternoster (72)

One of the rarest from Austria. Dark, heavy progressive.

Pretty dark Krautrock ... the vocalist sounds like he's singing 10rpm slower than the music. This grew on me considerably although you may find the vocals unbearable at first. I'd say you should buy it if you see it. It was re-released around 91ish by Ohrwaschl.

Flightless (89)

Acoustic Guitarist/songwriter that emerged from the 80's UK neo-prog revival. he was a member of Coltsfoot and Twice Bitten. His solo album Flightless is lyric intensive and musically monotonous for the most part, like Dylan... very stark and under-arranged - acoustic guitar only for the most part. Still has some nice moments though.

Patto (70), Hold Your Fire (71), Roll 'Em Smoke 'Em Put Another Line Out (72)

Jazzrock band featuring Mike Patto and Olly Halsall (who later played with Tempest). The first one on Vertigo is quite good. The shorter tracks are more rocklike but then there is the ten minute "Money Bag", a great mahavishnulike guitar jam. There are also two more albums, but I don't know anything about them. -- Achim Breiling

[See Tempest (UK)]

Strange Please of Living (91), Minotaurus (91) (w/ Miroslav Vitous)

Guitarist and leader of Czechoslovakian prog-band Stromboli. He has a slew of albums, some solo, some with other musicians, ranging from electronic to pure jazz to fringeland. Of his album Strange Pleasure Of Living: Musically, it showcases Pavlicek's more electronic oriented side, although there is still plenty of blistering guitar work and the usual experimentalism. This is not your standard electronic-based fare, much of this is very avant, quirky and cutting, without being amelodic or ugly. No vocals as such, but apparently some vocal samples were used at various points (my guess). An interesting and very unique album, but may be too avant for some. Another album that Jazz purists might want to check out is Minotaurus, a soundtrack for a modern dance score he did with bassist Miroslav Vitous.

[See Stromboli]

Pampered Menial (75), The Sound Of The Bell (76), St. Louis Hounds (77)

American Rock band with some progressive tendencies, most noteworthy for lead singer David Surkamp, who I once saw described as sounding a little like "Marty Balin on helium," which seems to be a fairly accurate asessment. Their first album featured a seven piece lineup including violin and mellotron/ flute, plus guitar, bass, drums and keys. The sound was straight hard rock with inventive arrangements, with the violin taking a prominent role. By the second album the violinist and drummer had left, and the sound had changed somewhat, and in general had taken a slight turn in a poppier direction, but with Surkamp's bizarre voice, I don't think these guys could've expected a hit from it, although tracks like "Mersey" come pretty close; Bill Bruford was the guest drummer on this album. A third album was recorded but never released, until a few years ago when it surfaced as a bootleg.

Pazzo Fanfano di Musica (89)

Although it's an Italian name, and everything on the sleeve is written in Italian, this is Japanese. It is said to be of classical rigeur while being in the progrock realm. Much like the atmosphere in Le Orme's "Florian" and "Rapsodia piccola dell'ape" (as it is written). A chamber orchestra, really, with occasional drums and keyboards. Japanese musicians from bands such as Outer Limits, Mr. Sirius, Magdalena, Deja Vu, Vienna and others combine on this disc their efforts to create. a stunning oeuvre. A balanced work, with some sombre passages and it's share of niceties. Two piano players, violin, cello and bass, classical guitar, flute, mellotrons, harpsichord, drums and last but not least, the superb voice of Megumi Tokuhisa, also with Teru's Symphonia. She is singing here in a lower range, which may very well please people for who the high-pitched Japanese singing is like scratching a fork on a chalkboard. 10 musicians in all, from various Japanese bands, playing an evocative work that rocks at times, but that is mostly string-driven. -- Alain Lachapelle

[See Deja Vu | Magdalena (Japan) | Mr. Sirius | Outer Limits | Teru's Symphonia | Vienna]

Bley/Peacock Synthesizer Show (71), Revenge (7?), I'm the one (72), Dual Unity (73), Improvisie (73), X-Dreams (78), The Perfect Release (79), Sky-Skating (82), The Collection (83), Been In The Streets Too Long (83), I Have No Feelings (86), Abstract/Contact (87), Ironic GB Iron 4 (??)

Because she sang on Bruford's first solo album, I was tempted enough to buy two of her CDs. I didn't get what I expected. The two I have are very arty. Basically just her on an electric piano singing/speaking poetry. Not for your average prog fan.

Progressive jazz singer/songwriter/pianist/synthesist/poet. She was originally married to jazz bassist Gary Peacock, divorced him and married keyboardist Paul Bley. The two made a couple of albums together: The Bley/Peacock Synthesizer Show and Revenge. Bley continued to make guest appearances on her next three albums until their divorce. Albums from this period are very rare, the only one I've heard is the fabulous I'm The One. Peacock is experimenting with Moog synthesizers and early vocoder technology a lot, which is the explanation for the strange distorted scat-sung solos on the title track and "Pony". "Blood" includes multiple parts for synthesizer, other songs like the heartfelt "Seven days" include some more subtle use of Moog. Peacock's bluesy, soulful vocals and rich, original piano playing style are well spotlighted here, she also improvises well on the free jazz snippets "Did You Hear Me Mommy?" and "Gesture Without Plot", the latter featuring percussionist extraordinaire Airto Moreira. The best song is probably the bluesy "One Way", with a superb organ solo and great horn charts. Also of note: her jazzy interpretation of the Elvis song "Love me tender". Peacock and Bley divorced after Improvisie. X-Dreams is probably Peacock's most commercially-geared album. It's an attempt to present the dualistic side of her personality cohesively on the two sides of an LP, her naughty, saucy side on the A-side, and her softer, romantic side on the other. The A-side has a couple of really punchy blues-orientated numbers, especially the hilariously irreverent "My Mama Never Taught Me How To Cook" split between a long Caravan-like jamming number called "Real & Defined Androgens", which has Bill Bruford on drums. The B-side is composed of easy-on-the-ears jazz ballads, plus another version of an Elvis song done in a very jazzy style: "Don't Be Cruel". The Perfect Release finds Peacock sing-speaking her way through a bunch of political-statement type of songs long before it became trendy. Includes some good songs: "Solar Systems" and "Love's Out To Lunch" especially, but is marred by the overlong, overly wordy "Survival"; if you survive all 15 minutes of it, you ought to be commended. Sky-skating was the first album recorded on Peacock's independent Ironic label. It is the first really intimate album she's ever done, mostly just her and a piano, singing songs she's written over the years but never recorded. A very pleasant, contemplative album. Been In The Streets is a mixed bag, some of the tracks are new recordings of old songs a la Sky-Skating, others are tapes (live and studio) rescued from the vaults. Bill Bruford appears on one of these, the free-jazz "So hard, it hurts!", which also features Brian Godding on guitar. The all-guitar "No Winning/No Losing" is one of the other standout songs. I Have No Feelings is probably the nadir of her work, pretty much in the same style of Sky-Skating, but she hasn't grown as an artist since then. Abstract/Contact is her first album with a band since The Perfect Release, and seems to carry on in that style only better. Some of this could be classified as rap, but don't let that scare you away; Public Enemy this ain't. It's more like Todd Rundgren's No World Order with a jazzy bent, and of course she sings on some tracks: "Lost In Your Speed" and "Down In Blue" are very beautiful. Her best in years. -- Mike Ohman

Islands in the Stream (94)

Nick Peck, keyboard player for San Francisco Bay-area band Episode, has released a solo album completely unlike anything he has done in the group format. Billing himself as a "sound artist," Peck has, over a period created an incredibly interesting and explorative collection of music. A study of contrasts, Peck draws from the yin and yang of digital and analog instruments to create flowing streams connecting islands of solidarity. The connecting stream is, for the most part, brief snippets of abstraction, collages of disjointed timbres, filters and other electronics. Occasionally, the stream runs deep and Peck plunges headlong into the running waters of the six minute "The Stream (Diversions from a Natural Course)" and the 10 minute "The Stream (10 Feet from the Shore)." Residing as structured islands in the non-linear stream, songs such as "Imagining a Radio-Free Europe" and "The Rose Mirror" are more concrete ideas. Herein, the synth tones become more indentifiable, from "traditional" synth leads to chiming bell tones, and the rhythms are firm. Each song title in the nicely produced booklet is accompanied by a brief statement of the vision in Peck's mind that is the foundation for that song. Whether the song is "Mpathy," a tribute to Peck's Prog influences, or darting schools of fish in "The Stream (Dropping Stones in the Water)," Peck presents to you potential imagery. You are also free to use your own imagery. One very interesting piece is "A Fugue Made of Concrete." Peck explains the piece thusly:

The structure of a Bach fugure forms the backbone of this piece, with subject, countersubject, and episodic material represented by sounds rather than sequences of notes. The sounds are processed corresponding to Bach's manipulation of melodic material. For example, when Bach's subject material is inverted by pitch, my subject is pectrally inverted - the high and low harmonics switch position.

[See Episode]

Fusion band led by guitarist Max Suñé, the excellent guitarist behind another great Spanish fusion band, Iceberg. The bassist from Gotic also played in Pegasus.

Max Suñé and Kitflus (guitar and keyboards) founded Pegasus, a bit more jazzy than Iceberg, good, but inferior to their former band, losing a lot with the change of drummer. -- Manuel De Pinedo Garcia

[See Gotic | Iceberg | Suñé, Max]

Pegasus released an album under the name "Pegasonics." I believe it was called New New York and only released locally or regionally. The album cover showed the band in renegade garb, sitting on one of the Three Sisters Islands about 50 yards above Niagara Falls. The band and its individual members had somewhat of a cult status in the mid-to-late 70's. Their keyboard player, Steve Trecasse, went on to become the "band" on that wacky game show on MTV (can't remember the name). Bassist Kent Weber formed a trio called The Celibates, which also released an album. Lead singer Mark Freeland showed influences ranging from Gabriel to Bowie to Iggy Pop. Guitarist and drummer were both solid players - I think the guitarist was one of the most visible users of a double-neck guitar on the local music scene at that time.

Upptkenir (74), Litl Fluga (75)

Prog.

Marburg (72), From the New World (73), Rhapsody (76), Moldau (81)

Pell Mell's Marburg is one of the very best progressive albums ever. They are much more like Italian bands than German, and use violin and keyboards to stunning effect. Later albums pale.

Marburg contains some great music, of the post-psych proto-prog variety, with nice vocal harmonies which remind of some of the obscure late 60's bands like HP Lovecraft. Lotsa violin.

I'm not a big fan of Krautrock (yet). I've tried Grobschnitt and they've struck me as a Yes soundalike, though I'm told they have done some interesting work. So I'm trying to broaden my German space-rock horizons. Pell Mell has caught my fancy with their effort entitled Marburg. This seventies-style, heady offering is reminiscent of early Hawkwind with its heavy guitar and trippy feel, but the similarities stop there. Pell Mell includes violins, thick keyboard textures, and screeching vocals. While I wouldn't categorize this as a progressive classic, I think that Krautrock fans will eat it up. The main detraction is that the vocals are "too much" sometimes, with unbridled screaming that can get on your nerves. However, once I got used to the style, I began to appreciate Marburg. The best parts of the album for me are when the keyboards and violins exchanged leads and dual harmonies. It adds a pretty touch to an otherwise discordant and rough texture. If you're into Krautrock or heavy, dissonant music, I recommend this album. If not, I wouldn't rush out and buy it, though it's definitely worth a try.

Their album Moldau sounds like Oldfield going Kraut-rock, although it borders sappy at times. Then again, this was recorded in the eighties, the decade that taste forgot, so it is perhaps forgivable in light of their earlier work.

Wicked Ivory (72), Pigworm (74), Flat Broke (??), Party Upstairs (??)

Wicked Ivory released under the pseudonym Hot Thumbs O'Riley.

[See Wigwam]

Fly High, Fall Far (84), The Jewel (85), 9:15 Live (86), Kowtow (89), The Rest Of... (90), The World (91), The Very Very Bootleg (92), The Window Of Life (93), The Masquerade Overture (96), As Good as Gold (96, EP)

The Jewel is one of the very best neo-prog albums (albeit slighly commercial) and the second half of "Alaska" is a very high point of the eighties scene! Later albums (except The World?) pale, but credit must be given for The Jewel.

Much in the vein of Marillion, perhaps a bit watered-down. I have The Jewel, which has some excellent stuff on it. At their worst, they make good upbeat pop tunes, at their best, they exemplify the neo-prog genre. I like them, but then again, I like most of Asia's stuff, too. The Rest of Pendragon is a good cross-section of their stuff, as it includes a couple of more mainstream tunes as well as some more progressive songs.

Pendragon have an album called The Jewel and a number of tapes available from the band. They did release an album just before I arrived here, so maybe 1990-91 but again I don't know the name. They have some long, complex pieces, notably "The Black Night," and some more poppy tunes, like "Higher Circles," so they cross the line between progressive and pop-rock. They produce quite anthemic stuff and the lyrics are mostly pretty thoughtful. Another Genesis-type sound, but the guitarist is more fluid and dynamic than Rutherford.

These veterans from the "second wave" produce typical British music in the style of Marillion or Pink Floyd. Very melodic rock that uses fantasy and very tasty guitar solos. The compositions and arrangements on The Window of Life, fairly simple, involve rich keyboard textures, modest but efficient rhythms that make way for Nick Barrett's vocal and guitar work. The tracks often take the shape of long melancholic ballads that can feature more than one guitar solo. In fact, it can only be the length of the tracks that keeps this music off the FM airwaves. A rich production and catchy melodies make for an enjoyable mix of pop rock and symphonism. -- Paul Charbonneau

A completely over-rated British neo-prog band, very derivative and boring, they sound like watered down Marillion with a wimpy singer. The Jewel did show some promise that was unfortunately never hinted at again. All of their subseqent releases have been mostly simplistic pop with an occasional stolen neo-prog hook, and sappy wanna-have-a-hit-single-but-we're-not-good-enough-to- cut-it type love songs that are awful enough to make any progressive fan vomit.

Pendragon are a UK 80's progressive band, who combine elements of Genesis, Marillion, and Rush in their music. Recently, they opted for a more mainstream sound, with Kowtow, but, with The World, there is a return to their earlier style of Rush/Marillion-influenced progressive rock, with the emphasis on longer tracks, and more conceptual lyrics. With the demise of traditional prog rock from pop artists such as Genesis and Marillion, it may be well worth your while to look for bands such as Pendragon who keep that aspect of rock music alive. The Very Very Bootleg is an "official fan club CD" released by Pendragon, chronicling a 1992 performance in Lille, France. The recording quality is very good, though a mite low on the bass component (easily remedied with the Loudness switch, I might add). Five tracks span 52+ minutes, offering up a mixture of tracks from The Jewel and The World, their best two releases. Most of the tracks are augmented with instrumental passages, making this a good showcase for one of the better neo-progressive bands making music these days.

Pendragon is one of the better known of the neo-progressive bands, i.e., those bands of the mid-late 80's that were greatly influenced by Genesis, or worse, Marillion. I guess I just gave away the direction of this review. Most people have said their best work is The Jewel so that was the one I checked out. The opening cut is called "Higher Circles" and obviously must be the one designed for commercial radio airplay. It doesn't get much better either. Frankly, why listen to a band that is trying to sound like Genesis or Marillion when you could listen to Genesis or Marillion themselves? I admit I'm a big fan of old Genesis and don't really care for Marillion. The Jewel really doesn't hold a candle to either of them. By comparison to the originals, Pendragon's music lacks energy, dynamics, and any real variety. One of the better tracks is the long "Alaska" where they do their best to set up the jam, but it comes off sounding forced. "Circus" is actually fairly decent, with some good Hackett-like guitar playing. A couple of merely decent songs, however, does not make the album worth owning. Perhaps if I'd never heard Genesis or Marillion, I might like this better. But as it is, I have no interest in this at all.

[See Arena | Casino | Nolan, Clive | Shadowland | Strangers On A Train]

Penguin Cafe Orchestra (7?), Music From The Penguin Cafe (??), Penguin Cafe Mini-LP (??), Broadcasting From Home (??), Signs Of Life (87), When In Rome (??)

This is an odd sort of chamber-orchestra rock, with some jazzy and strong classical elements tossed into the mix. I find that listening to an entire CD of this stuff gets a bit tiresome, but considered one song at a time, it's really quite good. lots of violin, cello, piano, etc.

[See Quantum Jump]

Solomon's Seal (71), Basket of Light (??), Open the Door (??), Think of Tomorrow (91), So Early in the Spring (92), several compilations.

Considering the inclusion of Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, and others in the survey, it seems only fitting that Pentangle should also be noted. Although often categorised along with the aforementioned groups as folk-rock, The Pentangle really transcends attempts at categorisation, and they're definitely not rock. They formed in 1967 around the nucleus of guitarists Bert Jansch and John Renbourn and vocalist Jacqui McShee, with two session musicians providing upright bass and drums. The resulting music drew on traditional material, baroque (such as John Dowland), Eastern scales and instruments, blues, and of course jazz. The guitarwork is the biggest attraction, providing the kind of improvisational interplay that fusion fans should love. And both guitarists really are masters of the instrument, achieving more on wood in one song than most electric noodlers do in a career. These guys *are* hard to characterise, more so than I thought before sitting down to write this. If they sound interesting, and I'm sure they would be to at least some prog fans, then check out anything from their initial incarnation (1967- 1971). Shanachie's Early Classics is is a good compilation from this period.

Zero-7 (77)

A sound like PFM.

Out Of The Abyss (76, released 92), Pentwater (78)

American band, a 6-piece who played a complex progressive rock with very busy arrangements and lots of vocals. If comparisons need to be made, there is a definite early Yes feel (circa Time and a Word), with perhaps a touch of Gentle Giant, but despite this, they cover far more ground, especially via the use of violin and flute, and a few tracks like "Necropolis" and "The Journeys" that defy categorization and comparison.

A US band that operated in the Midwest during the seventies. The music is organ-keyboard-driven progressive rock that might recall bands such as Focus, and is reissued from a mid-70s private release. However, elements of the heydey of prog rock, such as Yes and Genesis are present in the instrumentation and the harmonies, and I detect a reasonable similarity with the obscure UK band, England.

Out of the abyss of obscure US seventies' bands Syn-Phonic brings to the light of day unreleased music by the Chicago band Pentwater. Pentwater recorded this music from 1973 to 1976 with the final song, Kill the Bunny, recorded live at CBGB's in New York City in November 1976. Pentwater released their self-titled LP with different songs in 1978 and then broke up by the end of that year. The combined talents of Pentwater produced songs that bought to my mind elements of Genesis (Selling England by the Pound), Gentle Giant, Jimi Hendrix, and Italian progressive rock ala Le Orme (Felona E Sorona). It is a true indicator of excellent music when it distracts you from what you are doing. I did not expect much when I first listened to this CD. Much to my surprise and pleasure I had to stop and take notice of Out of the Abyss. Each time I listen to it, the better I like it! The one weak moment on the disk is the song Necropolis, a bland ode to famous dead people, saved only by the instrumental break in the middle. The two longest songs on the CD, "Gwen's Madrigal" and "The Journeys," feature the best of Pentwater: Hammond organ and Mellotron, "Steve Hackett" guitar riffs, and pleasant vocal harmonies. To top off this CD, Syn-Phonic included a short band history, lyrics, and an artistic picture disk with a black sky and sunlit water. Kudos go to Syn-Phonic for releasing this excellent CD. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Simple Mortal (91), Music Film Scoring (??)

Serge Perathoner (keyboards, ex-Transit Express) and Jannick Top (bass, ex- Magma) have collaborated on several soundtrack albums. Simple Mortal also features drumming by Claude Salmieri (ex-Paga); the first half of the album is fairly "normal" sounding rock tracks with vocals and all, the second half is advanturous instrumental music that at times reminds of both of these guys' respective bands.

Percewood's Onagram (70), Lessons For Virgins (71), Tropical Brainforest (72), Ameurope (74), 1969-74 (84)

Weird German rock/folk, possibly like Witthuser + Westrupp or Hoelderlin.

The Modern Dance (78), Dub Housing (78), Datapanik in the Year Zero EP (79), New Picnic Time (79), The Art of Walking (80), 390 Degrees of Simulated Stereo (81)

Another strange band from Ohio. If you've had too much to dream this is the band for you. Some members from Red Crayola an equally strange band from the late '60s out of Texas.

[See Red Crayola]

En El Ombligo De La Luna (81)

Mexican new-age artist, very spacy synth music with help from prehispanic percussion instruments and like that. Not very interesting from my POV.

Azimut (72), Abbiamo Tutti Un Blues Da Piangere (73), Genealogia (74), La Valle Dei Templi (75), Non E' Poi Cosi' Lontano (76), Fata Morgana (76), Live in Italy (76), Alice (80), Effetto D'Amore (81)

Italian fusion ensemble.

A jazz-rock band whose best album is La Valle Dei Templi. From the LP Alice the band became more commercial.

Italian jazz-rock band with a very full sound, featuring bass, keyboards, drums, guitar and saxes. The style is pretty much straight fusion, tightly arranged with lots of dynamic stretch, driven by bassist Giovanni Tommaso. Most of their albums were originally released domestically, titles of the imports are different, but the music is identical.

[See Sidney, Toni]

Sunset Wading (76)

Bassist for Caravan in the period after Sinclair left. He released one solo album titled Sunset Wading in 76, sort of a roundabout attempt at fusion, involving Mike Giles, Roger Glover, Geoff Richardson, Morris Pert and others.

[See Caravan]

Constellation (81), Continents (83), Points of the Compass (86), Forlian (88)

Peru are a Dutch electronic group, consisting of three core members, augmented by a fourth in recent releases. Continents, Points of the Compass, and Forlian are their 3rd, 4th, and 5th releases respectively, and are very representative of the group's formative years. They have, to date, released 6 albums, all of which are available on CD. Continents, released in 1983, consists of five tracks, two of which exceed 10 minutes in length, seemingly influenced by Klaus Schulze of the late seventies/early eighties, with melodic arpeggios over minor chord backing, and then breaking out into the fuzz-guitar-like leads that Tangerine Dream used in the mid-to-late-seventies. Their influences are quite apparent, but the music is enjoyable in its own right. I should also point out that the first track sounds as if it would be at home on Double Fantasy's "hit," Universal Ave., and, in fact, similarities to that release show up at various points. Points Of The Compass was released in 1986, and showed a progression from Continents, in the use of more varied song structures and synth timbres. The music is similar in style to Tangerine Dream of the mid-eighties, circa Le Parc, and possibly the "Heartbreakers" soundtrack. The pace is much more uptempo, and melodic, making this probably the most accessible of the Peru releases. In 1988, Peru released Forlian, which combined the accessibility of their previous release with a slightly subdued mood, with a result that is reminis- cent of some of Johannes Schmoelling's solo works. This will be an enjoyable disc for those who like Schmoelling, and, to some extent, the early eighties version of Tangerine Dream.

Exclamation Mark (79)

[See Black Widow]

discog (??)

Ten-man Soviet band that combined White Russian folk music with prog. Supposed to have Jethro Tull, Yes and ELP influences.

Sunset Wading (76)

Caravan/Quantum Jump's bass player. His solo album is an intriguing combination of fusion, Canterbury prog and electronics/ tape-collage effects. Impressive list of guest musicians: Morris Pert (Brand X), Elio D'Anna, Corrado Rustici (Osanna), Roger Glover (Deep Purple), Rupert Hine (Quantum Jump) Geoff Richardson (Caravan), Simon Jeffes (Penguin Cafe Orchestra) and Mike Giles (King Crimson). -- Mike Ohman

[See Caravan | Quantum Jump]

Illustrative Problem (85), 279 (86?)

PFS are a trio of reeds, percussion and piano/keyboards/tapes, with help on violin and other instruments. Their music is a very colorful mix of avant-garde stylings, classical, bits of jazz and taped sounds. The sound varies in intensity, sometimes pleasant, sometimes very tense with no release, but always extremely creative and original. Be prepared for something wildly unusual and fairly experimental, and you shouldn't be disappointed. On the other hand, if things that are not metric and highly structured disturb you, then maybe PFS are not what you want to hear. PFS is home-based in San Francisco, and are former members of the group Cartoon. To date they have two releases on Cuneiform, the first from '85 is Illustrative Problems, and while it's a bit more lively, the second release 279 shows more refinement of style and technique. Both are excellent, recommended especially for those musically adventurous folks not bound by the requirement of a standard rock / progressive rock beat.

I saw this band live: a trio of piano, saxophones and drums. Though a small band, they posess a surprisingly large sound. Their style fits in perfectly among the other Cuneiform bands, so if you like that kind of music, you may well enjoy this band too. -- Mike Ohman

[See Cartoon]