Stackridge (71), Friendliness (72), The Man In The Bowler Hat (74, aka Pinafore Days), Extravaganza (75), Mr. Mick (76), Do The Stanley (78), BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert (92)

Witty folk/chamber-music/prog mix from England. This, their first album is probably best known for "Slark," one of the few 14-minute prog-epics which includes no synth, no mellotron, and no electric guitar, relying solely on violin, flute and acoustic guitar to carry it along. There is some electric guitar on the album, but the only keyboard-instrument on the album is piano, and this album includes one of the earliest known uses of an acoustic bass-guitar, at least that I know of, although most of the bass is electric. Augmented by cellos, trumpets and oboes on a few tracks, it's on these (notably the instrumental "Essence of Porphyry") that the band becomes a veritable mini-chamber orchestra. Add to this a cheery Caravan-esque attitude, and clever, silly lyrics that alternately suggest 10cc ("Grande Piano," "The Three-Legged Table") and the Bonzo Dog Band ("Percy The Penguin," "Marzo Plod"). A joy to listen to, and lots of fun. (A good deal more Stackridge albums followed. After the band broke up, the central writing/singing axis of Andrew Creswell-Davis and James Warren became the Korgis, who made three albums in the early '80s.)

The only Stackridge album I have heard is Pinafore Days. I can't say I'm very impressed, particularly from a progrock viewpoint. The album is an eclectic style of mix of basic '70s rock, with influences ranging from classical to country-rock to folk. About half the songs are in the 2-3 minute range and the other have are only 4-5 minutes long. There aren't any prog overtones on this album, and I found it boring even from a rock standpoint. This experience hasn't made me eager to check out their other albums. -- Mike Taylor

If any one phrase can be used to best sum up this West Country band it would probably be "King Crimson with a sense of humour". They were a group with a tremendously loyal following, "The Stackridge Rhubarb Thrashing Society", their fan club had sub-groups all over the country. Essentially Stackridge were a group with, what remains to this day, a unique line-up of guitars, drums, flute and violin. There was always Jethro Tull with flute, of course, and Curved Air and It's A Beautiful Day with violin, but no-one had combined the two instruments within the confines of a rock group. They remain a group who almost made it big; they had the essential loyal fan base already mentioned, their third album, "The Man in the Bowler Hat," hit the charts for one week at number 25 in early 1974 and was listed in Melody Maker as one of the month"s best albums on its release. In a Melody Maker "Brightest Hope" poll they finished fourth above Genesis, Wings and Beck, Bogart and Appice amongst others. They were also a great stage act and their recorded output does nothing to reproduce the tremendous sheer exuberance of their live performance.
The band was idiosyncratic, offbeat and humorous, eschewing the standard stage "uniforms" of the times and opting instead for an eccentric assortment of what looked like Oxfam cast-offs, (baggy trousers, tweed jackets, bri-nylon shirts, suit waistcoats, plimsoles and carpet slippers). "Early gigs were a bit ragged." according to guitarist James Warren, but they were spotted in their home base of Bristol and signed to MCA in 1971. Their first album, cunningly titled Stackridge soon followed. Despite receiving favourable reviews the album initially sold a mere 4,000 copies, largely due to delays concerning the cover artwork (which featured a flock of eyeless seagulls, whether they were intentionally eyeless remains a mystery to this day). At the time the band were receiving plenty of exposure touring as support to Wishbone Ash. A review in Bristol underground magazine "Pre-View" had the following comments to make. "It offers an amazing spectrum of sounds and lyric ideas...In all these songs the highly inventive music never swamps the simple tale-telling. The flute, fiddle, mainly acoustic guitar and tasteful percussion explore intelligently and with maximum light and shade...it's a fine record and will find favour with everyone with a liking for high grade pop."
The band set about building up a larger following through countless one-nighters and appearances on major UK tours as support. The results were favourable, though it took some time for the bands highly stylised approach to sink in with rock punters, particularly when they threw in such items as "She Taught Me How to Yodel" with vocals by Mike Evans which cause both amusement and bemusement at the same time. With Mike "Mutter" Slater as manic frontman dragging some amazing sounds from his ancient flute the band made a virtue out of their stage eccentricities. Dances, rambling stories by Mutter, long and meandering introductions by James Warren ("If you can't make out the words to the any of the songs it's probably because it's an instrumental.") and props such as dustbin lids (for banging) and rhubarb stalks (for "thrashing") were part of the repertoire and a growing number of dedicated fans turned up to gigs with their own lids and rhubarb. In December 1971 the band ran a wildly successful series of 15 "Christmas Parties" where during a 30 minute rendition of their magnum opus "Slark" violinist Mike Evans would emerge dressed as Father Christmas and drift into a chorus of "I'm Dreaming of A White Christmas" and distribute presents to all and sundry.
The traditionally "difficult" second album received critical praise in the music press with comments such as "...typical of Stackridge"s ability for combining the...hilarious with the musically stunning." Despite all this chart success seemed to elude the band. The Man In The Bowler Hat proved to be a tour de force for Stackridge. The producer turned out to be none other than George Martin, famous for his work on all the Beatles albums. Geoff Brown's "Melody Maker" review noted various similarities and influences ranging from the Beatles through Frank Zappa to English Classicism (remarking that "God Speed The Plough" was very evocative of Hardy"s Dorset). It seemed typical of Stackridge to go through a change of personnel just when hard won financial success was guaranteed (the album charted briefly soon after its release). It also saw a move to Elton John's new Rocket label.
The fourth album Extravaganza saw not only a new record label but also a change in direction for the band. Their quirky humour was still in evidence the highlights being the distinctly risque "The Volunteer", the Zappaesque "Who"s That Up There With Bill Stokes?" (the title being taken from an old joke about someone, Bill Stokes, who is recognised wherever he goes and eventually appears at the Vatican with the Pope, to be greeted by, the title of the song!) and "No One"s More Important Than The Earthworm", written by ex-King Crimson bassist and vocalist Gordon Haskell, who had joined the band very briefly. Once again the critical response was very positive. Geoff Brown in "Melody Maker" reviewed the album thus "...Theirs is a two tiered music. Outwardly the subjects are whimsical, rhythmically they plod like the archetypical jovial country copper - much of the time they sound like...all those lighter songs off Sergeant Pepper. Beneath the tunefully familiar surface however is a sly, smiling cleverness, which reveals itself as a fondness for cloaking the commonplace in a whimsical fog blurring the edges just enough to mark it as something extraordinary...." However the album failed to meet with the expected commercial success and it was next year that the fifth album hit the streets. Yet another lineup change included Dave Lawson (formerly of Greenslade) on keyboards.
It was probably no coincidence that Mr. Mick started with a Beatles song, the comparisons had been made for such a long time, but this was a reggae version of the old favourite "Hold Me Tight". The rest of the album was a concept built around the theme of an old man, Mr. Mick, who was cared for and loved by no-one. "Fish In A Glass," the last song on the album, contained the lines "So it's the end of the story, It's time for us to go, We"ve told you everything We want you to know," and that was just about it. There were no more public appearances and Stackridge disappeared. Two years later a compilation of album tracks, singles and a previously unreleased "live" crowd pleaser "Let There Be Lids" was released.
In many ways Do The Stanley was a fitting tribute to the demise of Stackridge, its release was unheralded, to describe it as low-key would cause accusations of hyperbole. It served the purpose of putting on an album, some tracks which were not available in that format, "Purple Spaceships Over Yatton", a real crowd pleaser at live gigs in the early years, their very own dance craze song "Do The Stanley," "C"est Lavie," the dustbin lid bashing, "Let There Be Lids" and the single, a stripped down and in many ways castrated version of "Slark". As the album notes so rightly pointed out, "They made you laugh, they made you dance, they overwhelmed you with the brilliance of their instrumental abilities, they made you sad, they made you think, they made you nostalgic for our vanishing culture. At all times they entertained you." Just when everyone thought they had finally heard the last of Stackridge in 1992 Winsong International released BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert which their fans never got to hear.
Success finally came the way of Davis and Warren when they teamed up to form The Korgis and had a number 4 hit single in the USA. They made four albums before splitting. Davis has to date issued one album Clevedon Pier under his own name, it contains a hauntingly beautiful rendition of "Woman of Ireland".
-- Gerry Prewett

Greenslade

Aquamarine (??), Moonstone (88), Songs Of The Heart (??), Medicine Dance (??)

Formed by Jim McCarty and Louis Cennamo, two of the main movers in the first Renaissance lineup. The music here is typically ethereal and drifty, mostly instrumental, with catchy melodic hooks, and very little edge. This is ostensibly new age music, although the presence of Jane Relf's voice and the keen melodic sense would make it appreciable to any fans of Illusion or the first edition of Renaissance. All albums are late '80's to present.

[See Armageddon (UK) | Illusion | Renaissance]

Andre' Sulla Luna (79), E Il Pavone Parlo' Alla Luna (87), Syriarise (92)

Syriarise is a solo instrumental effort by the keyboardist of Pierrot Lunaire, a pretty well regarded Itlaian prog outfit from the '70s. The keyboard/piano style on this is influenced by the French Romanticists.

[See Pierrot Lunaire]

Stanza Della Musica (78)

Very bad acoustic band.

The Sadness of Things (91), Revenge of the Selfish Shellfish (92), Musical Pumpkin Cottage (96)

The Sadness of Things and Musical Pumpkin Cottage are Steve Stapleton/David Tibet collaborations and Revenge is a Steve Stapleton/Tony Wakeford collaboration. These have classic Nurse With Wound touches and thus should appeal to Nurse With Wound fans.

[See Nurse With Wound]

Starcastle (76), Fountains Of Light (77), Citadel (77), Reel To Real (78)

A Yes clone. I bought their self-titled album on the recommendation of Yes-fans, but I never expected them to sound this much like Yes. Perhaps a bit more new-age flavored, hence the common nickname, "Yes-lite."

A six-piece band. The only one I have is the first, self-titled album. They sound quite a bit like Yes, and have very vocal music. The lyrics also are reminiscent of Jon Anderson. The lineup consists of two guitars, bass, organ/synth, drums, and vocals. The lead vocalist sounds a bit like Chris Squire. If you're really into Yes, then you have to check the first album out.

They started out as a pretty faithful Yes clone, but had, by their third album, Citadel, begun to develop some of their own unique idiosyncracies. None of their albums are bad, but the first one is very derivative for the most part.

While sounding at first listening like a Yes clone, careful listening will reveal these musicians were NOT Yes wannabees, and are very talented players in their own right. Comprised of two guitars, keyboards, bass, drums and a lead singer with an apparent bass-heavy sound due to bassist Gary Strater's melodic approach. Substantial poly-rhythymic and poly-chordal writing. Exceptional clarity of tone with all instruments, and a tremendous resource for those musicians studying this style of music. Well worth locating usable copies of all four albums. -- Andrew Woodard

I know it's been said before, but they're the ultimate Yes clone. The first album and Citadel even attempt to copy Roger Dean's distinctive cover art style. The only album I have is Fountains Of Light. Not original for a second. Keyboards are definitely patterned after Rick Wakeman, with ascending Moog runs a la "And You And I" (to which "Portraits" bears more than a passing resemblance). The inclusion of two guitarists presumably makes up for the lack of anyone as talented as Steve Howe. The singer, while he doesn't have Anderson's range, is clearly trying to impersonate his phrasing (too many examples to give, but "True To The Light" and "Portraits" are the best ones). Only if you've run out of Yes albums to collect and don't give a damn about originality. -- Mike Ohman

Trivia: Formed (possibly?) by Terry Luttrell, who was the original lead singer for REO Speedwagon.

Stardrive (73), Intergalactic Trot (74)

Synthesizer rock.

Vogt Dem For Efterligninger (78)

[See Burnin' Red Ivanhoe, Secret Oyster]

Wrong Line (??)

Hard-rock/prog with modern sound.

Curse Of The Pheromones (87), Lifepulse (91)

This album has no lineup listed, although it sounds like a four-piece of dual synthesizers, guitar, bass and possibly electronic percussion. No vocals. Hard to describe, electronic oriented and a little edgy, but essentially harmless. Reminds me of Kit Watkins and Coco Roussel, but less pretty and with guitar and bass added to the mix.

Reflection (69, aka Steamhammer, aka Mountains, both in 70), Mk II (69), Speech (71), This is Steamhammer (74), Pick Up (76)

Early British band that included future Tangerine Dream member Steve Joliffe. Classic UK rockers.

[See Mogul Thrash | Tangerine Dream]

Green Eyed God (75)

Grinding guitar hard rock.

Hark the Village Wait (70), Please to See the King (71), Ten Man Mop (71), Below the Salt (72), Parcel of Rogues (73), Now We Are Six (74), Commoner's Crown (75), All Around My Hat (75), Rocket Cottage (76), Storm Force 10 (77), Time Space (77), Live at Last (78), Sails of Silver (80), Back in Line (86), Tempted and Tried (89), Tonight's the Night... Live (92)

Who on Earth put them on this list? Ok, ok, they are a good band, and the "progressive"-minded will find some good syncopes here, and not forgetting the world's only heavy-metal track without drums, the amazing "Alison Gross" on their Parcel of Rogues. But seriously, this is folk rock, so be warned if you are a very conservative "progressive" fart who can't stand lyrics about broken love, because Steeleye has plenty of them. Of course, since their lyrics come a different era they are quite different from the standard rock cliches, so the lyrics are one more reason why they are fun to listen to from time to time.

Not prog. First albums are electric folk, later folk-rock. Good stuff, just not prog. I'd recommend Please to See the King to those interested. Maddy Prior has a great voice, but she had *better* not creep up in the next edition :-).

The Simon Lonesome Combat Ensemble (93), The Zombie Hunter (95)

If categories are necessary, Simon Steensland is easy to classify as a Univers Zero-lovin', Daniel Denis-diggin', Stravinsky-admirin', this-ain't-prog-it's-classical-music musician. Said only half tongue-in-cheek, The Zombie Hunter comes squarely from the Univers Zero/Daniel Denis axis of musical dimensions. Steensland cites influences of Zappa, King Crimson, Magma, Univers Zero, Art Bears, Stravinsky, Bartok, Ives and Schnittke. A percussioninst by nature, Steensland plays a variety of instruments, including guitar, keyboards, bass, harmonium, accordian and quadraphant, whatever that is. Of course, a variety of percussion instruments are heard. His work is supplemented to a small extent by additional musicians but most of the playing is largely his own, making The Zombie Hunter a solo effort rather than an ensemble cast. Still, with few solos, the effect is very much as an ensemble. Steensland has also focused on writing difficult compositions with a "contemporary classical attitude." Themes are stated, mutated and tortured into new existences as the compositions move from start to finish. I will say straight up that The Zombie Hunter is a great album chock-full of excellent compositions but I have two problems with it. At 60 minutes, I could rarely listen all the way through without the music getting somewhat tedious. This relates to my next problem. I always have to be in just the right frame of mind to get into Univers Zero properly. To me, this means that I'm only a passing fan of the style, not an ardent fan. As I already have all of Univers Zero's albums, and find enough diversity among them when I am in the mood, I don't really feel I need another album of the same style. Bear in mind that this is just my perspective. If you are an ardent fan of Univers Zero and Daniel Denis, then by all means, you will want to hunt zombies with Steensland. -- Mike Taylor

The Simon Lonesome Combat Ensemble is made by ex-Landberk drummer Simon Steensland and released by Musea. Steensland plays most of the instruments (drums, percussion, keyboards, programming; but also accordion, berimbau, cello, cittra, flute, fretless fuzzbass, machines, marimba, and tapes). He also get some help from, among others, the keyboardist Mats Öberg and the drummer Morgan Ågren (both have played with Zappa). It is an instrumental album, some kind of progressive fusion with occasional elements of electronic or industrial music. -- Gunnar Creutz

[See Agamon | Landberk]

Opening Act (83)

Prog.

Step Ahead (82)

A great band that will appeal to neo-prog fans and sounds like Marillion, but is much more talented that any neo-prog ensemble. Sort of like Marillion crossed with Drama-Yes. Get it.

Step Ahead is one of the better regarded progressive releases of the '80s, by a French band with an Irish vocalist. The music combines some of the aggressiveness of the early-eighties prog revivalists such as Marillion and mid-period Yes with a melodic and atmospheric style reminiscent of the '70s style. The LP was originally released in pretty limited quantities in Japan, but the Musea CD reissue surpasses that in all respects, with an extensive booklet (characteristic of most Musea products) and five additional tracks. The quality of the bonus tracks is variant, but they are included "as documents and for their musical value -- and for the benefit of all [their] fans...."

Step Ahead was one of France's best symphonic bands and their only release was a quite a rarity, not only in availability but also in quality. In the early '80s, few bands kept the progressive flame alive while all too many decided that sounding like Genesis was the best way to appeal to progressive music fans. Step Ahead managed to derive a certain amount from Drama-era Yes and some others but remains original in composition and atmosphere. Driven by Christain Robin's searing guitar work, the band created and pleasant yet powerful symphonic album that deserves a listen by prog-heads and neo-proggers alike. Keyboardist Claudie Truchi plays with a wonderful style -- she doesn't just bang chords during guitar solos or vocals lines -- instead she plays complex multi-threaded semi-classical lines. Her rhythm playing is fantastic. Perhaps the best since Keith Emerson. Vocalist Danny Brown has a high pitched, strong tenor, and the band is rounded out by a solid rhythm section, capable of making the album worth listening to for the bass and drums alone. This disc contains five extra tracks, two of which are previously unreleased, destined for Step Ahead's second album, which never was finished. These two and the three live tracks are mediocre quality and not worth buying the Musea pressing for if you already have the out-of-print Japanese pressing. However they do add a nice touch for completists. Step Ahead may have been a precursor to the Marillion sound that dominated the mid-eighties, but I maintain that they are the most worthwhile of all bands that adopted that sound. They were original, yet their music contains a familiar flavor, thoughtful lyrics and listenable groove that makes its underlying complexity almost deceptive.

This CD includes Step Ahead's only album recorded in 1982, three live tracks recorded at the Theatre de Verdure, Nice, November 1982, and two previously unreleased tracks recorded at Step Ahead's rehearsal studio in 1982. The additional five songs are not of the same technical quality as the rest of the songs. Step Ahead was Christian Robin (electric guitars), Danny Brown (vocals), Gerard Macia (Ovation Adamas acoustic guitar), Claudie Truchi (keyboards, Bosendorfer Imperial grand piano), Antoine Ferrera (bass), Jean-Yves Dufournier (drums), Alain Lejeune (keyboards), Philippe Recht (bass), and Emmanuel Riquier (drums). Together they produced symphonic progressive music along the lines of Yes, FM, and Rick Wakeman. Christian's voice sounds like Jon Anderson with more body. If you appreciate middle of the road progressive music, Step Ahead is an album to explore.

Step Ahead's self-titled album was released in 1982, the year generally credited as giving birth to neo-prog. Led by the fiery guitar of Christian Robin, Step Ahead represent what "neo-prog" should be: a tasteful blend of old styles with new ideas and technologies rather than a mere imitation like so many mid-'80s neo-prog bands. While there are arguably Genesis influences, Step Ahead show strong French tendencies and influences such as Asia Minor. The guitar work is very up-to-date (for 1982) and the keyboard work treads the narrow line between modern digital and mid-'70s analog. When the singing starts, the band falls into more simplistic rock rhythms that characterize the neo-prog genre but the instrumental passages are well-crafted blends of old and new ideas into very creative progressive rock. The Musea CD release contains five bonus tracks, three live versions of songs from the original LP plus two previously unreleased cuts. -- Mike Taylor

[See Carpe Diem]

Stern Combo Meissen (77), Weisses Gold (78), Der Weite Weg (79), Reise Zum Mittlepunkt Der Menschen (80), Stundenschlag (82), Taufrisch (85), Nachte (??)

Keyboard-heavy symphonic prog. Beginning with Stundenschlag, the quality of the music deteriorated until they were a pop band by Nachte.

[See Cosmic Jokers, The]

One of the foremost progressive keyboardists, you owe it to yourself to own at least one album from each band he has played with, from Arzachel to his work with Bill Bruford. Once you own one, you'll want the others. His Stewart-Gaskin collaboration with Barbara Gaskin, is well-crafted pop in its own right but not at all like his work for which he is most famous among Prog fans. Stewart was a master of the Hammond organ and its vast tonal palette. In comparison to Stewart, Emerson had no idea of what a Hammond was capable of sounding like. My personal favorites are National Health and Khan (which is essentially a Steve Hillage project), but his work with Egg and Hatfield are also essential. If, out of all the bands in this list, you have not heard works by Dave Stewart, you have indeed found the place to begin. -- Mike Taylor

[See Arzachel | Bruford | Campbell, Mont "Dirk" | Egg | Hatfield and the North | Khan | National Health | Stewart-Gaskin]

Up From The Dark (85), The Singles (86), As Far As Dreams Can Go (87), The Big Idea (90), Spin (91)

Adult-oriented, intelligent pop with a whimsical recall for the '60s. Not at all similar to his early Prog work for which Dave Stewart is most famous. Gaskin is Barbara Gaskin, one of the Northettes for Hatfield and the North, and a vocalist for the folky band Spirogyra. -- Mike Taylor

[See Hatfield and the North | National Health | Spirogira | Stewart, Dave]

Still Life (71)

Organ based prog w/ nice vocal harmonies.

Telenn Geltiek (59), Reflets (70), Renaissance de l'harpe celtique (71), À l'Olympia (72), Chemins de terre (74), E Langonned (74), À Dublin (75), Trema'n inis (Vers l'île) (76), Raok dilestra (Avant d'accoster) (77), Journée à la Maison (78), Tro ar Bed (International Tour) (79), Tir na nog (Symphonie celtique) (80), Terre des vivants (81), Légende (83), Harpes du nouvel âge (86), The Mist of Avalon (91), Again (93), Brian Boru (95)

A Breton harpist with a slew of albums of Celtic Harp music out. One of his albums may be of interest to prog fans, esp. fans of Celtic/folk progressive stuff like Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn, Rare Air, or Fairport Convention's early work. A symphonic work for 75 musicians in three movements, ranging from quiet harp and orchestra textures to fairly decent Celtic rock as well as some other very interesting elements. Hard to get into, and can sometimes be even cheesier than Yes' Tales from Topographic Oceans, but an interesting thing to check out nonetheless.

It's tempting to say that Alan Stivell was France's answer to British bands like Fairport Convention, Horslips, and Steeleye Span, but that would be incorrect. Stivell was fusing Celtic folk music and rock long before those guys, even though he did not release any full-length albums until the early 1970s. His earliest albums Reflets, Renaissance de l'harpe celtique, Chemins de terre, and the live À l'Olympia are widely considered to be his best, containing a compelling blend of rocked-up traditional music and original compositions ranging from hard-edged psychedelic folk to delicate acoustic pieces only lightly flavoured by the occasional organ or electric guitar flourish. Much of the music is instrumental, with Stivell playing harp and bombarde with a band that uses a mixture of rock and folk instruments, although Stivell does sing in Breton, English, and French on several tunes. Many other French prog-folk musicians, including Dan Ar Braz and Gabriel Yacoub (of Malicorne) and Dan Ar Braz, got their start playing with Stivell. The music from this period is highly melodic, tightly constructed, with rhythms and melodies clearly derived from Breton, Irish, and Scottish folk traditions. Towards the end of the '70s and in the early '80s, Stivell's music started to move into what would probably now be called "new age." Raok dilestra, a concept album about the history of Brittany, is still pretty rocking, as is Tro Ar Bed and parts of Symphonie Celtique, but Trema'n inis, Journee a la Maison, and especially Harpes du nouvel age are much softer-edged, featuring loosely constructed, mostly-acoustic harp pieces with a faint Celtic influence. It's pleasant enough, but a lot Stivell fans think it pales in comparison to his earlier work. Since the late '80s, Stivell has been returning to his Celtic rock roots. The Mist of Avalon has a definite rock feel, although it isn't quite as melodic or as Celticky as his earliest stuff. Again consists of a number of remakes of his classic material and is quite hard-edged. It also features a number of guest musicians, including Kate Bush and Shane McGowan (of the Pogues). A good introduction to Stivell's music would probably be one of the numerous compilation disks that are available. Currently, Polygram France has a CD on its Master Serie label that features a collection of Stivell's early material, including a number of pieces were only released as singles and do not appear on any of his studio albums, and I heartily reccomend this. Any of Stivell's three live albums would also be a good introduction for a prog fan who likes Celtic-influenced progressive folk. (Many people, including several Celtic rock musicians, feel that the three live ones are Stivell's three best releases.) Outside of France, Stivell's later work is generally a lot easier to find than his classic material, but it's definitely worth it to seek out the early stuff. One final discographical note: Stivell's albums have often been released with translated, or in some cases, completely changed, titles in different countries. For instance, in the UK and Australia, Chemins de terre was released under the title From Celtic Roots. A complete list of Stivells albums, and the different titles that each has been given is available in the discography on the Alan Stivell web server.

The Lonely Heartbeat (89), The Flower King (94)

The Flower King is a very good symphonic progressive album by ex-Kaipa guitarist Roine Stolt. "We believe in the light, we believe in love". This little portion of the lyrics sums the feeling of the whole album. Stolt believes in the Good Powers and the whole album is about love, peace and happiness in good Yes fashion. Hans Bruniusson (Samla Mammas Manna) play some of the drums. -- Gunnar Creutz

Stolt is a veteran of the Swedish scene with multiple talents. He is producer, engineer, composer, bassist, keyboardist, singer (in English) but most of all an accomplished guitarist. He is surrounded by excellent musicians on drums, bass, vocals, keyboards and saxophone. The style of the compositions (very melodic symphonic rock) is deceivingly simple but contains expert performances with rich, tasteful and meticulous arrangements. The Flower King is a superb production that serves the best elements of accessibility and virtuosity. Deserves a close ear by a large variety of listeners. -- Paul Charbonneau

[See Bodin, Tomas | Fantasia | Flower Kings, The | Kaipa | Triangulus]

Un Biglietto del Tram (77?), Macchina Macceronica (80), Al Volo (82)

Started as a left-wing political folksong group. But fortunately they met Henry Cow, and the music changed to a very interesting fusion between classical music, North Italian folk music and Henry Cow. Georgie Born appears on Macchina Macceronica which reminds me of Henry Cow's Concerts, but with a stronger melodic feel. Al Volo is more electric and compositions are less complicated, this was the last one. The singer Umberto Fiori has a strong interesting voice, maybe the result of classical training. Members of the band appears on a Recommended Records Quartely volume 1. nr 3. 1986, plaing one side live, together with Chris Cutler. -- Michael Bohn Fuglsang

Maida Vale (79), Figli dei Figli della Guerra (82)

Get Straight (78), My Time Hour Time (79), Flying Straight (81), 5 (83), Movin' Outside Movin' Inside (84)

German hard-rock band featuring ex-Streetmark vocalist Georg Buschmann who supposedly incorporated prog elements on early albums. My Time is supposedly the best. I only have 5, which includes no prog elements and really sucks. -- Mike Ohman

[See Streetmark]

9 Parts To The Wind (75)

Four-piece UK progressive band led by guitarist/songwriter Graham Ward. They released one album and faded into oblivion. Their music encompassed folk, rock, pop and classical influences, but could be conveniently categorized as none of the above. Each side of the album started off with an intelligent pop cut, rounded out by two longer progressive tunes featuring multiple parts with interesting changes, yet even these were fairly accessible in a lot of ways. For those who need comparisons, the Strawbs circa Ghosts could be a starting point, yet Strange Days folk element was not as obvious, residing just below the colorful melodic surface. Excellent lyrics and vocals. This is an outstanding album, one that appeals on many levels.

The Key (91)

This one-off project by a bunch of neo-pendragon dropouts isn't even remotely progressive. Only redeeming factor is Tracy Hitchings' vocals.

[See Casino | Hitchings, Tracy | Nolan, Clive | Pendragon | Quasar | Shadowland]

Metrodora (76), Cantare la Voce (78), Le Milleina (??), Recitarcando (78)

Stratos, singer in Area, recorded these four albums after he left Area (around 1976). He died of leukemia in New York in 1979. All four feature solo voice improvisations by Stratos, like he did to a lesser extent on some Area songs (e.g. "Cometa Rossa" on Caution Radiation Area). You will find no Area music or band members here! Only on Recitarcando (a live recording from 1978) he is accompanied by a violin player (Lucio Fabbri). Strange and difficult stuff!! -- Achim Breiling

I have Metrodora and Cantare la Voce. Both of these, on the Cramps label, are experiments in vocal technique, in which Stratos exhibits sounds which often do not sound vocal. At some points he gets diplo- and triplophonic (Cantare la Voce), and at others he will use an obstacle like a cigarette paper in front of his mouth in order to alter the sound to his liking (Metrodora). Paolo Tofani (of Area) contributes on Metrodora in an accompaniment that complements Stratos' voice. Both albums reflect the work that he was doing with John Cage at the time. You might wish to note that these two albums are VERY likely to be irritating and highly annoying to the uninitiated. -- Matthew

[See Area]

All Our Own Work (Sandy and the Strawbs) (67), Strawbs (69), Dragonfly (70), Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios (70), From the Witchwood (71), Grave New World (72), Bursting at the Seams (73), Hero and Heroine (74), By Choice (74), Ghosts (75), Nomadness (75), Best of (78), Deep Cuts (76), Burning For You (77), Deadlines (78), Don't Say Goodbye (87), Preserves Uncanned (90), Ringing Down the Years (91), A Choice Selection of Strawbs (92), In Concert (??, recorded '73)

I heard Deep Cuts, which isn't especially progressive but has gobs of nice mellotron work. Earlier albums are reportedly more prog orientated. -- Mike Ohman

The Strawbs started out as the Strawberry Hill Boys, a bluegrass trio, in 1966 with Dave Cousins, Tony Hooper and mandolin player, Arthur Phillips. By 1967, the name had been shortened to the Strawbs, Phillips had been replaced by Ron Chesterman on double bass and Sandy Denny had joined the band. The repertoire changed from bluegrass to a mixture of folk and originals written mainly by Cousins. Since then, the line-up has changed multiple times and the folk-based material has evolved into something a lot more like rock but Cousins remains the major songwriter.

The usual knocks are against Dave Cousin's vocals, but it doesn't take too much to get over them. An interesting folk/progressive blend, the Strawbs have gone though a lot of personnel changes, so every release brings something new. Grave New World is probably the most overt progressive release, but Rick Wakeman fans will probably want to pick up From the Witchwood or A Collection of Antiques and Curios. Antiques... is a live album which has a Wakeman solo - an interesting precursor of things to come.

These guys originally started out as a British bluegrass band back in the late '60s. In those days they were called the "Strawberry Hill Boys," but they soon adjusted their sound to a more traditional British folk style blended with enough rock to make the sound interesting, much like other bands of the time (most notably Fairport Convention), and shortened the name to the Strawbs. An early lineup featured Sandy Denny, who would later achieve fame with Fairport, Fotheringay and her Solo Projects before her untimely death. They have recorded over 15 albums through the years, with various lineups around the core of Dave Cousins, Who is the main driving force in the band and main songwriter. Keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman got his start with the Strawbs back in the early days before joining Yes on their third Album (he is featured on the albums Strawbs, Dragonfly and Just A Collection). Many other musicians have come and gone and some have come back again (Tony Hooper and Richard Hudson left for a long period from '72 to '82, but have since returned). Cousins has also released a couple of excellent solo albums. Because of all the personnel changes throughout the years, their sound has been in a state of constant evolution, from electric folk to a more progressive rock sound, then to an almost straight-ahead rock sound in the late '70s, then back to a more folk-rock sound which is where they are at today. Readers of this survey would probably enjoy the mid-'70s output the most, beginning with Grave New World, which still tends to be very folky, on to the overtly progressive Bursting At The Seams and Hero And Heroine, and finally Ghosts, which shows the band moving into a more accessible rock direction, but still contains some of the band's best work. Nomadness through Burning was a very commercial period for the band, although each of these albums contains a few hidden gems. With Deadlines they started to recapture their progressive past, but it also killed their record deal. The last two albums are more in-line with their pre-progressive sound, a folk-pop with strong melodic leanings. Oh yeah, one more thing: The 2CD live set Heroes Are Forever documents two excellent live shows in London in '73 and '74. I guess the really amazing thing is that these guys are still together after 25 long years !

Too many people approach the Strawbs, knowing that they were Rick Wakeman's first group, with the expectation that their music will a) sound like Yes b) sound like Wakeman's solo stuff, or c) feature lots of pyrotechnic keyboard stuff. In fact, Wakeman had very little impact on the Strawbs sound, and anyone buying their early stuff mainly to hear him will be disappointed. In fact, the Strawbs didn't really start their move toward a "progressive" sound until after he left. On the other hand, Strawbs would appeal to fans of bands like Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Pentangle, etc. who wish the sound of those bands were a bit more progressive. The Strawbs most interesting period began with Grave New World, and ended after Ghosts, the best probably being Bursting At The Seams.

The Strawbs have been around since the late '60s and Dave Cousins, the leader of the band, continues to release material under the Strawbs name. I have only one album, Grave New World. It's a very nice album of electric folk with some Progressive tendencies. For example, you'll hear mellotron, organ, acoustic guitar, dulcimer and autoharp. They even recorded parts of one song and played it backwards to record the vocals, mellotron and other parts (just one example), so there is a degree of experimentation here and there on this album. As a whole though, it's folk that wanders near the Progressive style here and there. Very nice if you are into the folk end of the spectrum such as Ithaca, Gygafo, Fairport Convention, etc. -- Mike Taylor

[See Fire | Intergalactic Touring Band, The | Lambert, Dave | Wakeman, Rick]

Nordland (75), Eileen (78, aka Wolfgang Riechmann with Streetmark), Dry (79), Sky Racer (81), Dreams (87, comp.)

[See Deutsche Wertarbeit | Riechmann, Wolfgang | Straight Shooter]

String Cheese (71)

Similar to It's A Beautiful Day.

String Driven Thing (72), The Machine That Cried (72), Keep Your 'And On It (73), Please Mind Your Head (74)

[See Smith, Grahame | Van der Graaf Generator]

Talk To The Wind (73)

Heavy underground jazzrock.

Strobe (9?), Maya (92)

Heavy psych.

Stromboli (87), Shutdown (90)

Czechoslovakian progressive rock band led by multi-instrumentalist Michal Pavlicek, with exceptional female vocals by the seductive Bara Basikova, who at once can belt out the lyrics with amazing power and intensity, or deliver shivers with whispered poetics. Michal Pavlicek's guitars have similar powers, influenced by mainstream rock, jazz, electronics, and a progressive ideology. The first album is a double: One disc studio, one disc live, all different material, with lyrics in czech. Shutdown, with lyrics in English, is a little more hard-edged in parts, but overall every bit as good as the first one. Both are excellent.

[See Basikova, Bara | Pavlicek, Michal]

Misterio (89), Primal Magic (91)

The acoustic guitar duo of Jorge Strunz and Ardeshir Farah play what might be called acoustic world gypsy music, pulling in influences from Strunz' native latin America and Farah's native Persia. They also add guest musicians on percussion, violin, etc. I Think a close comparison might be Al Di Meola, in fact the first time a friend played Primal Magic for me, I thought we were listening to a new Al Di Meola disc. The only thing bad I can say is that at first listen their music has a sameness throughout that wears thin over the course of a whole album, which upon repeated listenings disappears as you become more familiar with the subtleties of their music. Good Stuff.

Acoustic guitar-oriented fusion. Fans of Di Meola/McLaughlin/DeLucia will enjoy this. Dueling guitars with strong Latin and Arabic influences.

[See Caldera]

Steppin' Out (??)

Guitarist with Genesis' touring lineup. His solo album Steppin' Out is some fairly good fusion, although, like many guitarists (Allan Holdsworth comes to mind immediately) the material is more technically oriented than brilliant on a songwriting level.

[See Genesis]

In Concert (??)

Prog.

Subject Esq. (72)

Early progressive; similar to Out of Focus.

[See Sahara]

Keep On Drivin' (??), Fiddler on the Rock (70?), Sugarcane's Got the Blues (71), Cupful of Dreams (73?), I'm On Your Case (74?), Flashin' Time (7?), Sugarcane (7?), Don "Sugarcane" Harris (70?)

Sugarcane Harris did an excellent prog/blues album at the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1971 called Sugarcane's Got the Blues. It had: Robert Wyatt (drums), Wolgang Dauner (keyboards), Vollker Kriegel and Terje Rypdal (guitars) and Neville Whitehead (bass). With a lie-up like that, even tuning up would sound good. But this album just smokes. Five stars all the way. -- Kenneth Newman

[See Rypdal, Terje | Wyatt, Robert | Zappa, Frank

Pequenas Anecdotas Sobre las Instituciones (7?), Confesiones de Invierno (7?), Vida (7?), Adios-Live 1975 Part One (75), Adios-Live 1975 Part Two (75), Antologia (??, comp.)

Pequenas... is one of my favorite albums. It combines Italian style symphonic, a dash of jazz and South American folk with great results. Excellent Spanish vocals and intelligent lyrics (if you understand Spanish). This one I recommend highly. I cannot say the same of their other albums. I have listened to another of their albums (Vida?) and it was too pop oriented for my taste. Pequenas, however, is a must. -- Juan Joy

Sumut (??)

Prog Jazz/Rock concept album.

Other Way Out (91), Reflector (92)

One of the leading bands in the '90s UK psych scene. Long, mindbending tracks.

Zin-Zin (73)

Trio led by Morris Pert (percussion player, you may know from Brand X or Jack Lancaster's Marscapes). Here you find fusion/jazzrock ala Soft Machine or Nucleus. Good stuff! -- Achim Breiling

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

Moje Bube (77)

Prog folk.

The Sound Of Sunforest (71)

Prog.

Nomades (92)

Jazz/progressive (?) outfit by guitarist from excellent fusion outfit, Iceberg.

[See Iceberg | Pegasus]

Moral Alliance (89), Bright As Night (90), Timeshift (93), Superior (95)

First two cassettes are straight heavy rock, Timeshift cassette marks change in style to hard prog, Superior is first CD in same style.

Metaluna (78), Roboter Werk (79)

Crazy German electronics.

Present From Nancy (70), To The Highest Bidder (71), Pudding En Gistern (72), Superstarshine (72), Iskander (73), Spiral Staircase (73)

I have two Supersister albums, Present from Nancy and Iskander. I've also heard parts of To the Highest Bidder and Spiral Staircase. To the Highest Bidder and Present from Nancy are generally the recommended starting places. Showing strong Canterbury (e.g., early Soft Machine) and some Wigwam influences in the organ department (lots of organ), Supersister blend their own Dutch ideals and a touch of humor into a unique mixture of progressive rock. Plenty of flute or sax or both can be heard weaving in and out of the varied organ and piano. Sax is very prevalent on Present from Nancy. On this album, and the similar ...Highest Bidder, the music doesn't sit still very long, shifting constantly through different times and keys yet always developing. When the lyrics are present, they seem breezy and carefree, even playful, the melody often echoed by sax or flute. There is no guitar. Iskander steps down a small notch. The sound continues on in the vein of Present from Nancy but the sax is gone. This helps to give the band more of their own unique sound. The flute is much more prevalent now. However, some of the writing is a bit weaker. There are fewer time changes and so forth. There are many excellent moments but a few times I noticed I wasn't "into it' as much as I was with Present from Nancy. It's also more experimental and meditative (i.e., spacy) for about half the album. Based on what I've heard of Spiral Staircase is the weakest of their albums. It seems they ran out of good musical ideas and relied more on the humor. One song is based on a rhumba! Supersister doesn't play the most complex music you might hear, but the first several albums are very good none-the-less. Supersister is a good band for Canterbury/UK fans to break into the Dutch and Scandanavian scenes. Start with the first album and work your way forward.

[See Sweet'd Buster | Transister]

Supertramp (70), Indelibly Stamped (71), Crime of the Century (74), Crisis? What Crisis? (75), Even in the Quietest Moments (77), Breakfast In America (79), Paris (80), ...Famous Last Words (82), Brother Where You Bound (85), Free As A Bird (87), Live '88 (88), The Very Best of Supertramp (91), The Very Best of Supertramp 2 (92)

First two albums were financed by a Dutch millionaire. Fronted by the wistful, childlike tenor of bassist (later guitarist) Roger Hodgson, the debut album imitated the melancholy mood of other British progressives of the era (mainly Cressida). Lots of organ and acoustic guitar give it a familiar folky ambience, use of odd instruments like flageolet, balalaika and cello give it distinction. "Maybe I'm A Beggar" and the intense 12-minute "Try Again," the former being the only track featuring lead vocals by original guitarist Richard Palmer, are the finest songs here. Indelibly Stamped followed a lineup shift which found Hodgson moving from bass to guitar, and more important yet, the addition of sax/flute player Dave Winthrop (who sings lead on "Potter"). While the first album was mostly Hodgson's and Palmer's affair, this album spotlights the budding singing/songwriting skills of keyboardist Rick Davies (who only sang backup on the first). Obviously his roots are in blues and conventional rock (listen to "Your Poppa Don't Mind" or "Coming Home To See You" for examples), but he does contribute some of the better songs to the album. The minor-chorded "Times Have Changed" is probably the best of them. "Remember" is an infectious hard-rocker, while the catchy "Forever" presaged their hitmaking days of the future (Not surprisingly, it was their first ever single). Hodgson provides the two songs most like the first album: "Travelled" and "Rosie had everything planned." The seven-minute "Aries" is a nice acoustical jamming kind of tune with lots of flute. The band then broke up, it seemed for good. But three years later, Hodgson and Davies resurrected Supertramp with a totally new lineup (Bob Benberg--drums, Dougie Thomson--bass, John Helliwell--sax/clarinet). A&M was apparently impressed with their new sound, as they gave their new album, Crime Of The Century, a big push promotionally. They seem to be flirting with Pink Floydian conceptualism, what with songs about madness, school and such. The sound is a sort of melancholic yet melodic prog using lots of piano (electric and acoustic) and reed instruments. "School" and the seven-minute "Rudy" are the best songs, "Dreamer" the most popular (a top-ten hit in their native England). Crisis? What Crisis? is one of their best albums, one that flows well, like a concept album, yet isn't. Some of the songs are less dark ("Sister Moonshine," "Poor Boy") and it only helps to improve the overall tone of the music by adding different nuances. "Another Man's Woman" features great piano playing and a superb, crescendoing horn arrangement, while "Poor Boy" includes a nifty scat-sung impersonation of a trumpet and a jazzy clarinet solo backed by brushed drums. "A Soapbox Opera," with its very British-styled lyrics, voice-effects and orchestral arrangements, resembles Selling England-period Genesis. One of my favourites. Even In The Quietest Moments includes the band's first major American hit, "Give A Little Bit." Also another good album, the epic ten-minute "Fool's Overture" make this the most enticing for prog-heads. "Lover Boy" is a delicious Davies song with a terrific guitar solo, the intimate, folkish title song is another gem. Breakfast In America celebrated the band's emigration to the States, the title-song featuring lyrics about stereotypes/misconceptions about the United States in the U.K. It's the most commercial album to date, so odds are you've at least heard of it. Still, not a bad album. "Goodbye Stranger" is another ace track. -- Mike Ohman

English progressive pop band most famous for the 1979 hit "The Logocal Song" and Roger Hodgson's high, Jon Anderson-range vocals. Piano-driven, accessible, '70s classic rock with progressive tendencies. At their best, heavy with an edge and good arrangements. At their worst, lightweight pop. Founded in 1970 by keyboardist and singer Rick Davies, first album, Supertramp, featured Roger Hodgson (bass/vocals), Roger Millar (drums) and Richard Palmer-James (who would later go on to write lyrics for the Robert Fripp-Bill Bruford-John Wetton era King Crimson) on guitar and vocals. Self-produced and sounds like it. The usual blues influences, melancholy, but with some good organ playing and some progressive elements. Palmer-James was pushed out and Hodgson moved to guitar and keyboards for the 1971 Indelibly Stamped, more famous for its cover, a shot of tattooed breasts, than anything else. New cast: Kevin Currie (drums), Frank Farrel (bass), and Dave Winthrop (sax). More upbeat. An unsatisfactory blend of jazz and heavy metal. Hodgson and Davies ditched their sidemen once again and took on Dougie Thompson (bass), John Helliwel (sax) and Bob Siebenberg (drums). This line-up would last until 1983. Released a single ("Land Ho"/"Summer Romance") that has yet to appear on album or CD. Perhaps the most important addition was Ken Scott, who would produce 1974's breakthrough Crime of the Century. Superb sounding album and their most progressive. The poppy song "Dreamer" would find some chart success. Classic songs include "Hide in your Shell," "Asylum," "Rudy" and "Crime of the Century," all dark and featuring great arrangements. Songs from this album would dominate their live set till their eventual dissolution. The follow-up Crisis? What Crisis?, put together during their '75 tour, was a disappointment, featured few progressive ideas, was generally less coherent and the good songs lack the weight of those on Crime - "lost in the mix" Hodgeson would later say. Some orchestration. Having made good, they all moved to California and put together Even In the Quietest Moments, an uneven album featuring the pop hit "Give a Little Bit" but saved by the symphonic-prog epic "Fool's Overture" and the quiet folkish title track. The 1979 follow-up Breakfast In America was a radio-friendly smash with good pop songs but no progressive elements. An obligatory double live LP (Paris) followed in 1980, featuring seven songs from Crime of the Century, a clutch of hits from Breakfast and "Fool's Overture." Good sound, if a little overproduced. A long layoff followed until the very mediocre Famous Last Words. Worthwhile only for the two last tracks (neither would be out of place on Crime). Overall, lightweight (get The Very Best of Supertramp 2 instead, which has both tracks). Supertramp was always at their best when on the heavy side, something which Roger Hodgson in particular seemed to recognize less and less as time went on (analagous to late '70s Yes and Jon Anderson). Hodgson split to do two solo albums: In the Eye of the Storm, which starts off promisingly with the excellent nine minute "Had a Dream," but quickly descends into wretchedness and climbs out of the abyss only in time for the last track, and Hai Hai, a write-off. Supertramp, now solely in the hands of Davies, recovered some of its heavyness on 1985's Brother Where You Bound, which featured the 16-minute title track, a Pink Floydian extravaganza complete with David Gilmour guesting for some fine solos. Their final album Free as a Bird returned to straight ahead pop (the single "I'm beggin' you" topped the Billboard disco chart). Live 88, an unremarkable live album oddly recorded to 2-track was released the following year. Innumerable compilations followed. Recommended: Crime of the Century (get this first!), The Very Best of Supertramp 2 (features FoolUs Overture and the 2 great tracks from Famous, among others good and bad, 76 minutes), Brother Where You Bound.

Keyboard/Sax based band, good vocals (high pitched), good drumming, many sound effects in their music. Superior sound production. Founded in UK at late 1969 by Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies. Their debut album, Supertramp, is very strange and one of their more-sophisticated. At times it sounds like a King Crimson early album. Each member is using as many musical instruments as he can handle (a la Moody Blues), i.e., bass player (Hodgson) plays cello and flute and acoustic guitar., drummer plays harmonica, etc. On their next album only Hodgson (now lead guitar) and Davies (always keyboards and some harmonica) remained, and three new group members joined. The album is less progressive. After two more years Supertramp reformed with Hodgson, Davies, bass player Dougie Thomson, drummer Bob C. Benberg and sax player John Anthony Helliwell. This formation released six albums between 1974 and 1982. The most "artistic" album is Crime Of The Century which carries heavy influences of concept albums and is a unique progressive-pop album. Their next albums became poppier as they became famous. In Even In The Quietest Moments there is a well known musical piece "Fools Overture" which is quite long and mostly instrumental. Breakfast In America is their most commercialized album, and the less progressive of them all. Paris is a probably the best live record ever made (one should only listen to it for a couple of times, get to know it, and feel the intense emotions carried from this performance). They never lose their perfect sound when doing music live. Their next album showed the weight of the coming break-up of the band, and it is more artistic at times. After Roger Hodgson left the band in 1983 the band had three more albums. Brother Where You Bound has a 16 min. title track featuring David Gilmour on guitar solos, but it is not very strong. Their next albums don't relate to any progressive style. Roger Hodgson released two more albums, his first, In The Eye Of The Storm, is recommended, as a very moving pop album, with most songs over seven minutes long, but with (mostly) electric drums. His next one is purely pop, but features lots of well-known musicians in guest appearance. Most recommended as progressive are Crime Of The Century, Even In The Quietest Moments, and Paris. Supertramp is a good record which stands on his own, and really has nothing to do with the rest of the band's albums. This band is recommended for their sound achievements (great production on all their 1974+ records), and for those who like sax solos. For those of you who can't get to like sax-oriented bands (as Van Der Graaf Generator!) this is a good way to start (I heard it from many who did start with them). -- Ofir Zwebner

Zeeraude Klanken en Heel Nieuwe Gelurden (73)

Psych-prog.

Mutation (86)

Seraphim (88)

New age wimp that had Steve Howe featured on one of his albums. Jeez, this crud will put you to sleep, or worse. Really dreadfully boring synth crap. And after it's over, you'll ask yourself "where was Steve?."

Un Peu de Pass dans l'Avenir (77)

Prog.

[See Alice | Sandrose]

Human Carnage (79)

'70s melodic prog, fluid guitar & haunting vocals.

Sweet'd Buster (77), Friction (78), Gigs (79), Shot in the Blue (79)

R.J. Stips band after Supersister with all new members. Continues with a jazzy fusion sound.

[See Focus | Supersister | Transister]

Beyond The Ox (70), Child Of Light (71)

Prog.

Symphonic Slam (76), Timo Laine (78)

I have the self-titled release from this Canadian band. Killer stuff for good ol' rock, not bad for prog. Basically what you have is a three piece: Timo Laine on guitar, guitar synth and vocals; John Lowry on drums and vocals; and David Stone of keyboards and vocals. The keyboards are analog heavy with plenty of exciting moog work. That's what makes the album for me. In some ways, these guys could be thought of as a trio version of Mastermind. There are killer guitar riffs and solos and huge doses of moog, mellotron and maybe even Oberheim synths (I'm not positive of the latter). There are odd time signatures such as 5/4 and 6/4 but nothing overly complex. The songs are on the short side, ranging from just under three minutes to a little over six minutes. Most are in the four minute range. Basically, these guys ROCK with several progressive tendencies. There's a fair amount of vocals but nothing annoying. Lots of long instrumental passages. If you're looking for complexity and interplay, stay away. But if you want some jammin' prog with heavy moog work, ample mellotron and rockin' guitar, check out Symphonic Slam. They jam!

Spleen (92), Inca (93)

Syndone are a trio from Italy who carry on the tradition of ELP with a virtuosic gentleman named Nik Comoglio manning the keyboards. His lead lines and comping bring to mind the heydey of Keith Emerson. This is mixed in with a steady beat and strong bass, all of which combine to fine effect. Vocals are in Italian, which, to these ears, is preferable to delivering lyrics in a second language to reach a mass audience. The overall sound is almost unrehearsed, conveying a live energy that adds another dimension to the music. If I had to offer an opinion, I would rate this as one of the better releases of 1992.

Their sound is a mixture of modern prog, fusion, jazz, and high energy chaos, like Arti E Mestieri in overdrive. Vocals are excellent (in Italian), and the album covers a vast amount of territory in a three to four minute short-song format. Recommended.

Spleen is a mix of Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso and PFM.

This double-keyboards, bass and drums outfit is another production under the supervision of Beppe Crovella. The context of Inca is essentially the one of a ELP type "power trio" but here, two keyboardists share the spotlight. The composition show strong classic influences, symphonic arrangements, but the performance remains rock and sometimes pretty heavy. Numerous organ and synthesizer solos with intense rhythms are common but more relaxed passages with vocals (in Italian) are also present. Music for fans of keyboards with a sound from '70s. -- Paul Charbonneau

[See Empire]

Electronic Realizations For Rock Orchestra (75), Sequencer (76), Cords (78), Games (79), Audion (81), Computer Experiments (81), The Jupiter Menace (Soundtrack) (82), Metropolitan Suite (87)

Outstanding synthesizer instrumental work by wizard Larry Fast. His first album, Electronic Realizations for Rock Orchestra, is sheer genius. I'm not sure why he gave it that title, though, since there is neither rock nor orchestra involved. My other favorites are Audion and Sequencer. The Jupiter Menace soundtrack is pretty good too.

Synergy is the pseudonym of synthesist Larry Fast, who played with Nektar, Peter Gabriel and others. The Synergy albums are all besed entirely on electronics, and offer a wide scope of styles within the electronic realm, sometimes successful, sometimes not. Electronic Realizations and Audion are probably the best, both offering a colorful and melodic robust symphonic approach. Sequencer and Games are the weakest, more transparent and lacking emotion, but even these do have some great moments. Cords is a very stark and other-worldly album, and stands alone among his output, lacking any of the catchy classically inspired melodics, very minimal and dark at times. Computer Experiments is awful, lifeless and generally irritating. Metropolitan Suite is not bad, and is a good introduction to his stuff.

Synergy is one Larry Fast, who does all the composing, playing, and sequencing on his albums. You may recognize his name from sessions with other famous names, including Peter Gabriel. Synergy's music falls squarely into the electronic music and is generally well composed and involving. As with most electronic music, the emphasis is on the texture and atmosphere, to which I think he succeeds admirably, though each album varies in quality. Probably his most representative work would be the excellent Metropolitan Suite. Computer Experiments is an early experiment in computer (Apple II) composed music, and is rhythmically conservative, though interesting for what it attempts. Though not on a par with Klaus Schulze or Steve Roach, Fast is an important member of the electronic music community.

Synergy is Larry Fast. I've got Games and Sequencer. Games is very good; lively instrumental work, while Sequencer is more mellow and new-agey.

I own one album: Electronic Realizations.... It's an incredible tour-de-force of symphonic synth and mellotron. Among the original songs is a cover of the theme from "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue", which is one of the best. Synth fans take note. -- Mike Ohman

[See Intergalactic Touring Band, The | Nektar]

Slunecni Hodiny (81), Kridelni (84), Flying Time (85), Zrcadla (86)

Synkopy is a Czechoslovakian five-piece (2 keys, guitar, bass, drums, vocals) whose leader and primary songwriter, Oldrich Vesely, was once a member of another great Czech band: Modry Efekt. Many comparisons can be drawn between Synkopy and Modry Efekt, not the least of which is a penchant for experimentation and bringing other styles (hard rock, blues, powerful rock vocals) into the sound and giving them their own progressive twist. Of course, Synkopy, with two keyboard players (Vesely and Pavel Pokorny), are more keyboard driven than Modry Efekt. Slunecni Hodiny burns with powerful melodic vigor, but does suffer from a somewhat substandard production. Kridelini and Flying Time are Czech and English vocal versions of the same album, an outstanding one, maybe even their best: It's one of the few cases where a foreign band sings in English lyrics and really pulls the feat off without sounding shallow. Zrcadla is also a strong one, but far more direct than the others.

[See Modry Efekt]

Minuit Ville (79), Gamme (80)

Typical French prog band, lots of lush keyboards. Their first album is the best one. The band mentions Genesis as their basic influence, and it surely shows, but as most French bands, they're not derivative, and they build their own sound. Anyway, most French bands of this epoch (late '70s), developed a very characteristic sound, based on lush keyboards, romantic themes, etc. This band follows this rule, and due to the presence of two keyboardists, they made an amazing first album. My only gripe is with their vocalists. They had one for each album, and none of them were so good. Well, if you can stand other French vocalists, you won't be bothered with this one! On their second album, they changed the sound a bit, as the formation changed. They're still into prog, but now there's an emphasis on guitar, with some *amazing* solos. The overall of the album is not as positive as the first, as there are some real bad songs, but the best songs are sure to please you. -- Luis Paulino

Realm Time Tales (83)

Essentially the same band as Vail.

[See Realm | Vail]

Recent project by Steve Hillage. I've only heard one report and it was unfavorable.

[See Hillage, Steve]

Perspective (90)

A harder rocking progressive five-piece from the Pacific Northwest (Seattle area, I think) on the "for art's sake" label. The album Perspectives was a decent first effort, but not great. Their one-song contribution to the Beyond Rock compilation is another matter, though, a very stunning and powerful rock track by a band that seems to be defining itself on the harder edge of the progressive scene, along with Rush, Animator, and others.

Some Deaths Take Forever (80), Superficial Music (81), Brute Reason (83)

Heldon-like synth music.