Babylon (78), Night Over Never (89), Better Conditions for the Dead (89)

Very Genesis influenced Floridian band who put out a coveted album in the late seventies. This is album is extremely in the Genesis style (like Marillion) yet avoids the commerciality that this band eventually dived headfirst into.) Syn-Phonic also released two bootleg quality live albums from their heyday which show them in a rather muddy light.

Imagine an incredible dynamo of progressive energy in the mold of Nursery Cryme period Genesis, but with some slight punky undertones thrown in as well. Add to this the affected vocals of singer Doroccas, and you have a sound that, while not unlike a high energy version of early Marillion, pre-dated that band by five years. They only released one self-titled studio album around 1978, featuring four long cuts. Hopefully someday that fine album will be reissued on compact disc. A few years ago, two limited issue LPs of their live show were released, (Night Over Never and Better Conditions For The Dead) which included all of the songs from the original album, plus several other tracks not included on the studio LP. While the quality of the recording is no better than an average bootleg, the performance on both of these live albums is incredible.

Babylon, in some ways, is better than Nursery Cryme-era Genesis, although certainly not nearly as innovative, given that their album was recorded in '77. Detectable influences include peak-period Genesis, Gentle Giant, a bit of Zeppelin, even. The vocalist has a very high voice, Plant-like in tone, but phrased more like early Gabriel (if you can imagine that). There's some vague resemblance to Rush, but much more progressive and less metallic. I wish they'd been better recorded; the home-grown qualities of the studio album detract from its appeal, though it's certainly better than the "bootleg quality" ascribed to those live albums. If some really exceptional remastering (or remixing!) is done for the CD reissue, this could be a major winner!

[See Helicopter]

Babylon was reissued on CD. Contact Syn-Phonic for ordering information.

Discography

Depois Do Fim (83) Sete Cidades (01?, 02?)

Reviews

Depois Do Fim is a classic South American prog gem! Seven songs, all in the 5-7 minute range. Style-wise, Bacamarte are somewhat (and superficially) comparable to early Iconoclasta, with similarities in guitar style and synth tones, and an obvious Latin flair. Bacamarte's music is ever-changing through a variety of styles, shifting from jazzy flute to heavy, Italian-styled synth layers to blazing runs of guitar and flute. The arrangements are rich, complex and, most importantly, inventive. You never know what direction the band will next take. The musicians are also first rate, though the guitarist, drummer and bassist most catch my attention. The guitarist carries the melody with his non-stop riffing or his emotional solos, thrilling with his fills and trills. He's also quite a joy to behold on classical guitar. The drummer and bassist make an excellent rhythmic foundation. The synth is mostly dedicated to providing the layers of atmosphere and occasional fills. He does quite well, and on a couple of tracks he shows he definitely has the chops. Give or take, the album is about half vocal (in Portugese) and half instrumental. Highly recommended! -- Mike Taylor

A strange thing it is to hear music from 1982 that sounds more characteristic of a style of the mid-seventies. But wait! Before you think that Bacamarte is another derivative Yes or Genesis wannabe, let me extoll their virtues! Did you ever get an album, and upon the first listen you were extremely impressed, but not quite blown away? However, as you listened to it over the next few months, you realize that it's a classic, one of the best you've ever heard. This is my impression of Bacamarte's one and only album, Depois do Fim. Obviously, they were influenced by the British prog giants, Yes and Genesis, but the album comes across with more of an Italian or Argentinian style. In particular, PFM circa Per un Amico and Mia's Cornonistipicum. With a lead section of guitar, flute and keyboards that intertwine in complex, busy counterpoint, and a backdrop of wandering bass, Bacamarte creates a warm, rich sound. Combine this with absolutely stunning female vocals, mature writing style and a Latin feel. Like contemporary proggers Anglagard, there is little emphasis on solos, and much on composition. You can listen to each instrument individually without hearing much repetition, which, to these ears, is the highest point achievable in music; all players playing different parts that combine to become something greater. A few moments of the album make me laugh though. There's a 10 second ripoff of the opening riff of PFM's "Generale!," and a short keyboard theme that I'm sure I've heard Rick Wakeman do. Other than that, Bacamarte is very original. The guitar sound is akin to PFM's Franco Mussida, and the keyboards have the necessary "fat" analog sound of the vintage seventies. The LP is something of a rarity, but is one of the few that I would pay the exorbitant collector's prices for. I can't recommend this record highly enough to anyone into symphonic prog. It is a true masterpiece, and deserves categorization with Yes's Relayer, PFM's Per Un Amico, Celeste's Principo di un Giorno, and Änglagård's Hybris. Go get it. Now. -- Mike Borella

A nice Brazilian band, from the 80s, but with a definitely 70s sound. They use keyboards/guitars/bass/drums, but also adds a good female vocalist, flutes, accordion and percussion (don't worry, it's no ethnic music!) Their sound can be described as Italian-like, sounding amazingly like Semiramis in some parts, with a very dynamic and strong instrumentation, specially the interplay between guitars/keyboards. Almost no digital keyboards were used, so this adds to the '70s (Italian) prog feel of the whole record! -- Luis Paulino

[Editor's Note: A few years ago, I did some web research on Bacamarte and found that they were supposed to have released Sete Cidades in 1999, but I added the sentence, "but I have been unable to find any evidence that this occurred". Now a fan has written in to clarify this:] Hello, the Sete Cidades was released in a limited edition by Mario Neto, in 2001 or 2002 I'm not sure, the CD doesn't mention it. It has 8 tracks, very good indeed, words on 3 tracks, in Portuguese naturally, with very strong theme. It's also a concept album, about the rock formation of Sete Cidades, in the state o Piaui - Brazil, with prehistoric inscriptions, I believe they were the source of inspiration to Neto. There was a www.bacamarte.com.br but it is not available. -- Ricardo Martinelli

Links

There does not seem to be a functional web site available for Bacamarte

Bach Two Bach (71)

Discography

Lemmings (73) Stalingrad (78)

Reviews

Bachdenkel was a British band that lived in France. They recorded two albums on the independent Initial label. Stalingrad (title appears in the Cyrillic alphabet) was the second of those. Keyboards are in short supply, so the sound is pretty intimate, mostly just two guitars, bass, drums and vocals. The vocals strongly suggest John Wetton. The two-part title song is probably the best, part one being vocal, part two instrumental. Elsewhere there aren't any real standouts, most of the songs are short, and there's no real complexity to the music, but it's not a bad album. It's a pleasant enough album, but not spectacular. One interesting thing about the album is the back cover, which shows a mock crypt with a bunch of names on the gravestone. Some of the names include: Guy Boyer (vibraphonist who played on the second Moving Gelatine Plates album), Rory Gallagher, Peter Hammill, Patrick Juvet (French disco star), Mick Ralphs and Bernard Szajner (French synthesist and Initial label-mate).

Bachdenkel were a British band, led by vocalist/guitarist/keyboards-player Colin Swinburne. They released two album during the early 70's Lemmings and Stalingrad and vanished into oblivion until the recent "revival" of prog and the new interest that arose as a result of this [resulting in album] reissues [on CD], with some archive material as bonus tracks. Bachdenkel were located in France and as a result, they were not fully updated about the contamporary currents of British prog of the era, this worked in their favour as they used influences of the late 60's and updated them independently, they mix influences from the Beatles' Psychedelic era, singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell and Eastern and Hippie music and philosophy in a "Progressive" context. The result [Lemmings] is magnificent, great songs with beautiful and unusual lyrics, great music and Swinburne's unique and warm vocals makes this album a great listening experience, a true Masterpiece and highly recommended. -- Gil Keltch

Discography

Back Door (72) Eight Street Nites (73) Another Fine Mess (75) Activate (76)

Reviews

Sax/bass/drums jazz/blues trio who got lots of acclaim because of the bass player (Colin Hodgkinson), who played chords and treated his bass like a guitar. The two first albums had prog overtones and definitely had strong moments and original ideas. The group later faded completely into blues and lost appeal.

Back Door toured with Emerson, Lake and Palmer, in fact Carl Palmer was the producer of Activate. Bassist Colin Hodgkinson played with Jan Hammer among others after Back Door broke up in 1977. -- Fred Trafton

Planet Show (79)

Sky-label synthesist whose one album features members of Lake and Brainstorm.

Discography

The Bad Plus (01) Authorized Bootleg (02, Live) These Are The Vistas (03) Give (04) Blunt Object: Live in Tokyo (05, Live) Suspicious Activity? (05)

Reviews

The Bad Plus - Reid Anderson (bass), Ethan Iverson (piano) and David King (drums) It is quite possible that this progressive jazz trio of piano/bass/drums does not belong in the GEPR. So be it. But if you are interested in the larger realm of progressive music and are particularly fond of the reinterpretation and deconstruction of other artist's songs, you may want to look into this spirited ensemble's These Are the Vistas (Columbia, 2003). Angular, bold and sometimes startling, these top-notch players tear to pieces such hits as Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Blondie's "Heart of Glass", as well some great original compositions that are beautifully recorded. -- David Marshall

Links

Click here for The Bad Plus' web site

Back to Scales Tonight (82), Countryman (82), Echoes (84), Hi-Life (86), Chief Inspector (89), Words of a Mountain (89), So Why (97)

Progressive/new-age keyboard artist.

One Live Badger (73), White Lady (74)

An attempt by ex-Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye to form a progressive supergroup, Badger released two albums but failed to achieve any sort of popularity. Recorded live a couple of weeks before Christmas 1972, One Live Badger is comprised of long tracks that provide an opportunity to feature the keyboard playing of Kaye and more importantly the excellent guitar work of Brian Parrish. The music is kind of like Traffic meets Grand Funk Railroad with an emphasis on spiritual rhythm and blues. Most of the songs have a religeous theme but stay well shy of being preachy. This is not complex progressive, but it is a very nice album with lots of energy, power, and emotion. It has recently been reissued on CD and sports the great cover work by Roger Dean. Their second release, White Lady, has Jackie Lomax taking center stage and a shift from progressive to a more soulful sound. Not overly recommended.

Discography

Greeting from Nostradamus (03)

Reviews

Vladimir Badirov A really unique album from Uzbekistan. Badirov is a drummer, but has written and arranged all the songs on Greeting from Nostradamus. You probably won't find it surprising to hear that this is a very percussion-oriented album, with lots of ethnic-sounding drum influences (middle-eastern/oriental), though he has steered clear of the simple approach of using doumbeks and djembes to get that ethnic sound, instead mostly using a standard drum kit. There is also plenty of tasty guitar and keyboard work to go around along with traditional Uzbek ethnic instruments like ud (a relative of the saz), sato (violin) and nay (flute) to go with the usual rock instrumentation. What comes out of this combination is a unique synthesis of progressive rock, world music and Saturday Night Live jazz musical styles. The recording quality is perfect, as are all of Badirov's guest musicians, and this is an excellent release. My friend Vitaly Menshikov (of Uzbekistan's Progressor web site) sent me the first pressing of this CD from Uzbekistan. Obviously, I'm not the only one who thought this was a great album, because Greeting from Nostradamus was released for the world market last October [2004] on the Unicorn Records label. My advice: surf on over an order a copy quick! This is great stuff! -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Fromuz, The] Click here for Vladimir Badirov's web site Click here to order Greeting from Nostradamus from Unicorn Records

Soudain l'elephant (93)

baG, a new French band, is Musea's foray into world music. baG has traveled extensively over the past few years listening to and influenced by Oriental, Arabian, South American, African, and French folk music. Their debut CD Soudain l'elephant is an ethno-folk-progressive amalgam of finely crafted and recorded music. The opening song "Suerte" is a slick new-age piece along the lines of Weather Report without falling to the excess of Kenny G. The music significantly improves after "Suerte" alternating between bucolic guitar pieces evoking Pat Metheny and jazz fusion in the style of Chic Corea. Highlights of this album are the Arabic influenced "Udai", the slow moving and eerie "Little Desert Hotel", and the King Crimson experimental stylings of Le Chat Noir. Soudain l'elephant is another excellent Musea release and sure to please a wide audience. One little glitch in the packaging is a handwritten poem printed in reverse on the inside cover of the CD booklet. By scanning and inverting the page I was able to decipher most of the writing. I then ran my guess by the kind folk at Musea who helped me with the following French and English translation:

Comme un elephant son ivoire J'ai en bouche un bien precieux Poupre mort! J'achete ma gloire Au prix des mots melodieux.

Like an elephant's ivory I have something precious in my mouth Purple death! I buy my glory At the cost of melodious words. - Apollinaire

This poem is undoubtedly an explanation of the album title. baG is a band to watch.

Discography

The Aviary (91, Cassette) Hydrophony (92, Cassette) Bizaria (93, Cassette) Ephemeron (93, Cassette) The Aviary (97, re-release on CD) The Tulsa Project (99, as Squid Pro Quo) The Magic Empire Strikes Back... (99, as Jethro Tulsa) Transphoria (99, to be re-released in 2000 on Mellow label) Happy Hour for a Pack of Screaming Monkeys (00) Translator (00, 2CD) Ephemeron (01, re-released on CD with Hydrophony as bonus track) Welcome Back My Friends to the Gun Show That Never Ends (01, as Keystone Lake and Palmer) David Bagsby Live in London (02) The Lamb Fries Down on Broadway (02, as Turkey Mountain Öyster Cult) Scream in the Dark (02, as Ma-Hu Vishnu Orchestra) Gang Green Country (02, as Appalachia Bay City Rollers)

Reviews

David Bagsby with a couple of friends When I first read the GEPR entry on David Bagsby, I thought, "Hmm ... how did this guy get a review put in here by his publicist? Nobody is that good!" (See following review). But I was intrigued enough to order his Xen CD's, especially since I already knew I liked Kurt Rongey. I was really impressed with these, so I contacted Mr. Bagsby and he was kind enough to send me his entire in-print discography for review in the GEPR. I take it back. There is somebody that good. Bagsby is uncategorizable, but he is a master at whatever he decides to do. He's also got a very strange sense of humor, as you'll see later. There's no way to say "David Bagsby is like ... (fill in the blank)", because each CD is so different. So I'll have to tell you about each one in turn. The Aviary is one of those "experimental" CD's that's really fascinating for one listen. But you may not want to listen to it very frequently. Bagsby has taken recordings of bird songs from many different species, run them through some computer software which instantly analyzes the pitches being sung, then translates these to synthesized pitches which "sing" the same song as the birds sing. The birds actually "composed" the music, both the pitches and the cadences, but the sound is generated by synthesis. The result is eerie, beautiful and mostly atonal. If you know what it is you're listening to, you can still hear the bird song. But I've played it for a couple of people who were hearing it "cold" without knowing what it was, and they were unable to identify it, though in each case they said, "I dunno, there's something familiar about it, but I can't put my finger on it." If you're into melody and harmony, you probably won't really want this album. If you like the more experimental side of things, this is an incredibly cool recording. I guarantee you've never heard anything like it ... music not composed by humans or machines. The Tulsa Project is the first example of Bagsby's strange sense of humor. This CD is being marketed as if it's a local-interest recording for residents of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It's supposedly a nostalgic look back at Tulsa local TV shows and their theme music. In fact, this is really false advertising, and if I was some pot-bellied Tulsa redneck buying this album at a local store thinking this was what I was getting, I would be really ticked off. As Bagsby put it himself: "Jethro Tulsa: The Magic Empire Strikes Back and Squid Pro Quo: The Tulsa Project are primarily instrumental CD's, so you don't have to be from Tulsa to enjoy them. Actually I let my prog influences really blatantly hang out on those discs." I'll say! And not just Prog either. Also dissonant neo-classical chamber music and other classical influences like his send-up of Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite", orchestrated exactly like that piece, but using the melody from a cheezy Tulsa TV show to replace Stravinsky's melody. And if that's not enough, there are also pieces which sound like action/horror movie soundtracks, country/western songs, burlesque honky-tonk piano, and Devo-esque electro-punk music. Plus the 16:46 "The Tulsa Sound" which (despite the goofy subtitles) is actually a serious prog piece with Kurt Rongey (who also came from Tulsa). The bottom line is that if you can lay your hands on this CD, there's more than enough cool prog and related music on it to satisfy any progger. If you don't mind the silly aspects of Gong, for example, then you won't have any trouble with this either. (No, the music is nothing like Gong, just the silliness). Jethro Tulsa: The Magic Empire Strikes Back is more of the same craziness as The Tulsa Project. My favorite on this CD is the "Jethro Tulsa" medley of songs that Jethro Tull never wrote. The arrangements are obviously from Thick as a Brick, Aqualung and A Passion Play, though the melodies have been mutated so that they aren't Tull any more. This album also has "Thrifty Nickel", a tongue-in-cheek country/western tune which contains what may be the most tasteless lyric I've ever heard: "I advertised for a wife in the Thrifty Nickel. Times are tough and I need a jar for my pickle." Can you hear my eyes rolling from where you are? Still, if anything, this CD probably contains even more good progressive material than The Tulsa Project. As before, I recommend it if you can stand the silly parts of it. Transphoria is easily the most progressive of the bunch. It's an excellent piece of high-energy prog, mostly instrumental on synthesizers, but with some real guitars (or else some excellent synthesized simulations) and a couple of vocal tracks whose lyrics sound as if they were penned by Jon Anderson. In addition to just plain great progressive rock, there are also passages heavily influenced by modern classical composition and classical electronic music (no, not Tangerine Dream, I'm talking about Ussachevsky, Stockhausen and Subotnik). This CD is beyond recommended, this is an essential progressive album for anyone's collection. Bagsby originally released this on his own Esotericity Music label, but it is about to be re-issued by Mellow Records (as of this writing, 11/11/00), so get your order in! This is by far the best of Bagsby's in-print solo work. Happy Hour for a Pack of Screaming Monkeys: Can you guess that we're about to get into Bagsby's humorous side again? Well, yes, but this time it's not quite as silly as the Tulsa CD's. This is an album of the music of Raymond Scott, whose compositions have been used in over 120 cartoons since the 1930's. You'll be amazed when you hear these melodies and say "I know that song! I had no idea who wrote it!" This is another false advertising CD, since it sounds like a compilation of songs by various bands and was merely produced by David Bagsby. But don't be fooled ... this is really Bagsby with lots of friends as guest stars like Kurt Rongey and Bill Pohl of Underground Railroad and Ron Jarzombek of Spastic Ink, among others. This is a good CD. Not essential, but fun. Bagsby's double-CD release Translator is so-named, I suppose, because it is once again translating natural sounds into electronic realms. This one works better for me than The Aviary or Hydrophony (see below), both because the individual cuts are quite short, and so don't tend to wear out their welcome, and also because of the more orchestral sounding timbres being used. One will frequently get the impression that a melody has started to arise out of the chaos, only to have it evaporate before it becomes a hummable tune. Interesting stuff, though to be honest I can't listen to both CD's worth at one sitting. Once again, recommended for the adventurous. In 2001, Bagsby re-released Ephemeron on CD. This is another of Bagsby's more hardcore electronic and/or neo-classical releases, a bit like the Xen stuff. He claims it is a study in humanly impossible polyrhythms, but I can detect very little rhythmic content in a conventional sense. It's actually more like modern classical stuff like Varese to my ears. Excellent music. However, because of its short length, Bagsby added Hydrophony to this release as a bonus track. Hydrophony is another of the mutated natural sounds concept albums, this one electronically mutilating (excuse me, I meant to say "mutating", didn't I?) the sound of running water. It's an interesting piece, but for my taste goes on a bit too long. However, if you liked The Aviary or Translator, this is in the same vein. Towards the end of 2001, David released the third album in the Tulsa Trilogy, entitled Keystone Lake and Palmer - Welcome Back My Friends to the Gun Show That Never Ends. In spite of the snazzy title, I must say that this is the first Bagsby CD I've heard that really doesn't do that much for me. It feels like a series of musical brainstorming sessions that are completely unconnected. The entire CD is one 45 minute track but consists of numerous disjointed snippets of music which bounce around Bagsby's entire musical palette. In other words, there will be thirty seconds of synthesized noises followed by a minute of neo-classical oboe trio, then a few measures of guitar synthesizer musings, abruptly switching to the soundtrack of a horror movie for a minute, then on to a sampled voice repeating "I do not think therefore I am not" at several different speeds, etc. There are some musical jewels glimmering in this hodgepodge, but it's mostly disconnected, confusing and aimless. There is about a five minute period 36 minutes in with a nice section that lasts for five minutes or so reminding me of "The Voice of NECAM" from Steve Hackett's Please Don't Touch. Then there follows a couple of minutes of Zappa-like composition, but then it decays into chaos again. Due to the gems among the chaos, this album isn't a complete loss, but I would have to recommend any of his other albums before this one. If this is what Tulsa sounded like, I don't blame Bagsby for moving to Kansas. 2002 saw the release of several new Bagsby albums, though I must say they are of ever-declining quality. The first album (at least judging by the Esotericity Music catalog number) is David Bagsby Live in London which is a collection of solo acoustic guitar performances "captured in monophonic using no effects". The recording quality is tolerable and the performances aren't bad, and I must say I'm surprised at Bagsby's expertise on a guitar since his albums are much more synthesizer oriented. However, it's pretty difficult to say this album is progressive in any way ... it's just nice relaxing acoustic guitar music with a classical bent. The next three albums are part of the so-called "Tulsa Series" again, and seem to consist of ever-deeper scrapings of the bottom of the recording barrell. The Lamb Fries Down on Broadway has a clever album cover which looks like the cover of Genesis' Lamb Lies Down on Broadway album with the giant Tulsa "oil man" statue replacing Rael. But the cleverness is not reflected in CD, which has only two interesting cuts ... the opener "Fraidy Hole" made me think that Bagsby was back on his way up in quality again, only to have my hopes dashed by the ludicrous country/western parody "Shaved Palms" coming up next. The remainder of the album seems to be snippets of incomplete recording experiments ranging from avant-garde synth noises to spoken-word skits that sound like they were performed by a couple of guys who were very stoned at the time. After suffering through all this, however, the last cut (officially, there's an uncredited cut at the very end) of the CD is a complete version of Bizaria, which I assume is a re-release of the original cassette-only release. Here we get to hear again how interesting Bagsby can be when he's inspired ... which he doesn't seem to be for the rest of the album. The first and last cuts almost make this CD worth having. The next album, Scream in the Dark (this time allegedly by the Ma-Hu Vishnu Orchestra) is at least an album of complete pieces. Well, mostly. This album sounds like a demo CD that someone would send to a horror movie producer in hopes he'll hire them to do a soundtrack for his next movie. Or you could put it on at Halloween to scare the kids off. Rather uninteresting soundtrack-type compositions which start and end nowhere, but might be suitable themes for a movie if more work was done to bridge the sections together. Not Bagsby's best effort by any stretch of the imagination. And also pretty difficult to call "progressive". Finally, we come to what is by far Bagsby's most excruciating release, Gang Green Country (this one credited to the Appalachia Bay City Rollers). I thought that Welcome Back and Lamb Fries represented musical closet-cleaning exersizes. Stretching this metaphor, then, Gang Green Country is the dust bunnies, clumps of frayed carpeting, paper clips and stray scraps of paper left at the bottom of the closet after everything else is cleaned out. This album consists of 25 snippets of synthesizer noises, guitar scratching and a piece that sounds like it could be named "Super Mario Brothers Barnyard Adventure" full of cartoonish boings, sped-up chittering and animal sounds. Incomprehensible. I've decided that if the christians are right and I'm going to Hell for my beliefs, the Devil will play this album for me for the rest of eternity. I can't imagine worse torture. OK, the bonus track (live from 1979!) of "Marijuana" sung to the tune of "Oklahoma" gave me a chuckle. But in Hell, I'll probably have enough smoke anyway. In addition to the above, Bagsby can also be heard on Mellow's Canterbury tribute CD. He plays "Hell's Bell's", a medley of Dave Stewart / Bruford / National Health / Hatfield & the North tunes. He also worked with Ron Jarzombek on the 2nd Spastic Ink CD, Ink Complete. If that's not enough, he's also working with Kurt Rongey and Bill Pohl on a piece based on Tolkein's work. This is one busy and diversified guy! Buy just about anything by him (at least anything prior to Welcome Back ...) and you're in for at least a good surprise, and probably a whole lot more. I just hope he gets off his current "Tulsa" kick and gets back to composing real music again. Something else in the vein of Transphoria would be spectacular! -- Fred Trafton

Bizaria, the wonderful new Bagsby solo tape, is just the right mix of electronic, avant garde, and progressive music. Although there are individual track names, Bagsby's music is a nonstop sonic feast constantly changing and surprising the listener. Side one opens with the tubular analog sounds of the late sixties quickly replaced by an electronic symphony orchestra in the style of twentieth century classical music. David achieves on this tape what Klaus Schulze is only hinting at on his recent boxed set. The music mutates again to eerie cascading multi-sampled strings, bells, and brass. David knows what he is doing and he skillfully avoids the pitfall of tired sounds from not having enough samples. Suddenly the heavens let loose with a thunderstorm that clears the air only to be filled with the quiet nocturnal sounds of crickets and other feral creatures of the night. Transforming once again, Bagsby treats us to an electronic Indian Raga that could have only been played by a synthesized Ravi Shankar. Then closing out the side is a Ralph Lundsten influenced piece of cosmic jazz. That is quite a lot of territory to cover in 15 minutes! Not to be outdone is Side Two with its avant garde mixture of bells, vibes, and reverberating crystalline electronics that bend and glide all over the sonic spectrum. Curiously out of this sonic chaos the sounds coalesce into a melody with a heavy beat that develops into excellent ELP inspired progressive rock! Bizaria is one true bizarre listening experience not to be missed. Seek out this tape by this highly intelligent and talented composer. You won't be disappointed. Hot on the heels of Bizaria is another new Bagsby solo tape, Ephemeron. Mr. Bagsby is amazing in the musical breadth of his talent. Each tape is a unique experience from the mathematical experimentation of Hydrophony through the electronic amalgam of Bizaria to the intelligent avant garde compositions of Ephemeron. This electronic chameleon now presents an outstanding tape of Peter Frohmader and Art Zoyd influenced music: "More Nightmares of Science" (7:30), "Ephemeron 3" (6:12), "Ephemeron 4" (4:30), and "Automata" (8:50). "More Nightmares of Science" is a well crafted subterranean bit of electronic chamber music that can go up against the best of Peter Frohmader. The sinister "Ephemeron 3" with its sampled voices, strings, and bass could well have been used as the soundtrack to Psycho. "Ephemeron 4" is more of the same but not as dark. The final piece is "Automata." Pulsating electronics, rapid toy piano runs, and a gut wrenching bass contribute to the frightening experience of witnessing a robot gone berserk! Lamentably all too soon the tape is over. Is there no aspect of electronic or progressive music that stumps Bagsby? I don't think so. Give his music a try. David has something for everyone.

Links

[See Jarzombek, Ron | Pohl, Bill | Rongey, Kurt | Spastic Ink | Xen] Click here for David Bagsby's web site (Tulsa Project info) Click here for another David Bagsby web site (other projects)

Interstellar Chaos (??)

All you Hawkwind freaks probably remember Harvey as their keyboardist from 1978 to 1991. Interstellar Chaos is Harvey's new solo release and it is much more experimental than anything he ever did with Hawkwind. Here we have "the missing link" of electronic and space music. Harvey boldly goes where no one has gone before taking the legacy of early Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze and extending it to the nether reaches of the universe. I wish more musicians would follow his lead. This is music sorely missed with today's use of digital synths, drums, samplers, and sequencers. The music flows from one song to the next as one seamless journey though time and space. The song titles alone are enough to excite your imagination: "Mistiness in Orion's Head," "Gravitational Pull," "The Sun in Hydrogen Light," "Heading: Cygnus X-1," etc. The CD format is perfect for this music but here the cassette features an additional 10 minutes of music. Unfortunately the cassette has some distracting gaps of a second or so in the middle of some songs that are missing on the CD. If you spend money on no other CDs this year, buy Interstellar Chaos. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

[See Hawkwind]

A Rock Mass For Love (71), Memento (7?)

Prog, with psych touches on A Rock Mass....

Discography

Out of the Blue (76) Forward Flight (78)

Reviews

Jazz-rock band. The music on their only (?) LP (Out of the Blue) is very similar in style to several other German bands from the same era: Kraan, Passport, Release Music Orchestra, etc. No vocals. Pretty nice stuff, although nothing earth-shattering. I found them a bit lacking in the drum department. -- Dave Wayne

Discography

Devour My Evil Dream (07, CDR) Eris (07)

Reviews

Baku Llama - Rick Whitehurst (keyboards, vibes), Ann Bernath (drums, vocals, piano) and David Bernath (guitar, bass, nano-piano) [Editor's Note: This review was released for public consumption by the author, who originally wrote it for my buddies/competitors over at Progressive Ears, and you will see it in slightly different forms on the CD Baby site and their MySpace page among other places. I've added my own thoughts in the following section.] Baku Llama is a California-based trio releasing their debut album this fall. They have other releases to their name according to their MySpace page - but this release [Eris -Ed.] is what they themselves consider to be their first real release, according to the promotional info. Musically this trio seems to draw their influences from a lot of places. Many of the songs are structured in a way that makes me think that krautrock is a genre they are familiar with, whereas the guitar riffs in many songs are quite similar to what can be heard on Hawkwind's more psychedelic output in the 70's; slow, dark and at often gritty. Keyboards often have a jazzy feel to them, but are also used to create lush or symphonic atmospheres. The piano is used for more or less simple and often beautiful melody lines, but also for jazzy improvisations. Often in the same song. The overall soundscape in most songs here consists to a great extent of contrasts; beautiful melodies paired with dark and gritty sounds, repeated patterns paired with improvised playing. And the songs as such rarely have an average A4 development, the main thing on this release seems to be mood explorations, where a specific theme or mood is explored in as good as every detail. If I had to make a tag for this music, avant-garde fusion would probably be my best description, adding words like eerie, dark and dreamy to the tag. As for the songs here, they are a slightly mixed lot in my opinion. All the songs here have moments that really intrigued me, and most to the extent of me really liking them. What I see as the main weakness in some of the songs here, is that somewhat limited patterns and moods tend to get over-explored. The moods and patterns are interesting and intriguing; but after a certain amount of time there's really nothing else to explore, and these songs then get repetetive in my opinion. When the band gets it right though, as they do in most of the songs, the music is really captivating. My overall conclusion is that this is a good debut album. Fans of krautrock and fusion will perhaps be the ones who will easiest be attracted to this release, but I suspect that this music may have a much wider appeal as well. As the band has samples on their MySpace site, it should be easy to check out if you like this or not. -- Olav Bjornssen

Baku Llama is a odd name for an odd-sounding band. What does "odd" mean in the context of progressive rock? Oh, I don't know. I think it's the keyboard playing, which frequently sounds more like the algorithmic sequences I've heard coming from music composition software than what I usually hear humans playing. Still, when I mentioned this to Rick Whitehurst, who plays keys for the band, he promised, "The keyboards will make sense after a few listens". And he was right. They're still odd, but they do make sense. Eris is actually the second release for the band, but they consider it to be their first "real" album. The songs sound like they're heavily improvised, against an obviously composed underpinning. Guitar and drums form the rhythmic backbone over which piano and electric pianos weave their "odd" melodies and Ann Bernath sings spacily. (Is that a word?) Eris works for me because of the subject matter. The Goddess Eris, as it turns out, is one of my patron goddesses. She's the Goddess of Chaos and Discord. The chaotic oddity of the music compliments an album dedicated to Her perfectly well. Rick Whitehurst told me the album is inspired by the recently discovered "dwarf" planet Eris. Ha! That's the Goddess on the album cover, complete with golden apple. Hail Eris! All Hail Discordia! Excuse me. Got a little excited there. Let's get back on track here. Eris is a pretty cool album and very interesting, particularly for a debut effort. I'd recommend it to fans of krautrock, but maybe not fusion fans, at least not those who think flurrys of highly virtuosic fast notes define the genre. In other words, they don't have much in common with The Allan Holdsworth Band. I'll be interested to see where this trio goes from here. More interested than I am in AHB. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Baku Llama's MySpace page (which is also their main web site at the moment) Click here to order Devour My Evil Dream from CD Baby Click here to order Eris from CD Baby

Balance (73)

Private-label prog

Discography

Réflexions Futures (99) Existences Invisibles (02) Modified Reality (06)

Reviews

Franck Balestracci I've heard Balestracci's second release, Existences Invisibles. He is a solo artist, playing everything himself; keyboards, drums, percussion, voices and sound effects. How to describe this music? This is the sound of one hand clapping ... this is the sound of a tree falling in the forest when nobody is there to hear it ... this is the sound of Grand Central Station after eating too many pot brownies. In other words, this is the sound of something you never thought you would hear, but now you do. Although this music bears some resemblences to the tribal percussion experimentation of Alquimia or Peter Gabriel, to the symphonic dreamscapes of Vangelis or the visceral electronic textures of Michael Stearns, it also has parts that break into Brufordian fusion or Hermeto Pascoalish jazz while also managing to maintain the vaguely spiritual air of Clearlight. All this you should imagine being phased directly into your brain from a parallel dimension. Really. This is very cool stuff. Balestracci claims "no programations" which I assume means everything is played rather than sequenced. I must admit my first listen to this CD didn't reveal its charms to me. It took a few listens before I started liking it, but now I think it's just amazing. I highly recommend this one to fans of the spacey prog realms. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Franck Balestracci's web site (mostly in French, but with some English) Click here to order Existences Invisibles or Modified Reality from Carbon-7 Records

Discography

Sirio 2222 (70) YS (72) Trys (99, Live)

Reviews

Their first album Sirio 2222, a rather average album of Hendrix-esque psychedelic rock may be of no interest to progressive fans yet their second, the widely regarded as superb Ys is a no miss. If you like jams that climax in incredible splendor and keyboards that compare to some of Wakeman or Stewart's best works, I think you may like this one. Although incredibly haunting, if you like dark works don't miss this one. I offer these quotes in support: Audion (speaking of the Italian band, Semiramis) .".. in the genre only one album I can think of surpasses it - Il Balletto di Bronzo's Ys," Syn-Phonic of Ys: "may be the very best ever and who's to argue " and Wayside (speaking of Sirio 2222) ."..who would next record the classic Ys." If these leading lights of prog music ever influence your music buying tastes, than you can probably see where I'm coming from....

Their album Ys is an Italian progressive rock classic from the early seventies. The music itself is most reminiscent of ELP, with fast-paced keyboard and piano leads. The "moods" of the tracks vary from the diminished chord soundscapes commonly used in horror movies to very melodic keyboard and drum interactions, in the best traditions of the genre. The Italian vocals add another dimension to the music, and range from tortured solos to well-structured harmonies. Admittedly, this CD will not appeal to many, but, to those to whom the above description sounds appealing, it should be well worth the listening.

Their album Ys is without a doubt one of the best progressive albums to come out of the 70's Italian scene. Intense high-energy rock with some jazz and classical influences, dominated by keyboards and guitar, strong vocals, and brilliant, complex and sometimes chaotic instrumental passages.

Ys is a very beautifully dark sounding album. I listened to this for the first time in several months just for this review and it really impressed me more than it ever had before. Only part I don't like is the second to last song or part, the mellow one that has that repeating bass line that drags on forever. This album is very chaotic musically and but not too hard to listen to IMO.

The first LP was great (hard rock sound) but the problem was that the label did not publicise the album enough. The guitar and the drums sound good. The second LP was very different from the first, more jazz and classical, with good keyboards

YS is a dark and intense jam that, in my opinion, blows away the best King Crimson. If you like progressive rock dynamic and disturbing, go for it. A must have.

A heavy Italian classic, their album YS. Always with the lyricism that seems to be inherent in Italian progressive, the music spans the range from melodic to intense in this one album. Melodic Emerson-like keyboard is suddenly replaced by heavy guitar jams (which I can only compare to other Italian bands such as Semiramis and Osanna) and vice versa--there is never a dull moment. Lyrics are sung in Italian, but don't let that stop you from checking out this Italian classic.

My exposure to Il Balletto di Bronzo includes a particularly boring live performance at NEARFest a few years back and the extraordinary 1972 recording YS. In fact, I had a hard time reconciling that entirely forgettable 2000 performance with the disturbing genius of YS, given that Gianni Leone was still involved with the band. The music on YS is a curious blend of Egg's debut CD (1970); In the Wake of Poseidon (1970) (King Crimson); and ELP circa Pictures at an Exhibition (1972). However, despite the fact that much of YS actually sounds very "Egg-ish", this is unquestionably a unique work of dark progressive rock that boasts some extraordinary organ and synthesizer playing, and intricate ensemble work. What surprised me the most about YS was the delivery of the "dissonance", which consists of arrangements with a lot of half steps in them, blistering Hammond organ parts, heavy bass playing, thundering (and sometimes electronically altered) percussion, and distorted guitar. While "cacophony" might come to the minds of some, all of this bone-crushing dissonance is presented in a very polite manner. Specifically, politeness is suggested through the inclusion of haunting Mellotron, "spacey" and "ghostly" passages of multi-tracked voices, "jazz-like" walking bass lines, and Baroque period influenced keyboard parts. Unlike Egg's debut, there are no 10-minute "tone generator" solos (that could drive ANYBODY out of the room), just heavy prog sandwiched between "lighter" moments of great Mellotron work. The vocals (in Italian) although powerful, are never harsh or abrasive, and work well within the material. Although this is going to sound really silly, this is an incredibly "cool" CD! Highly recommended on the basis of its distinctiveness. -- Jeff Park

Links

[See Leone, Gianni]

Bambibanda E Melodie (74)

This is an album where the most important instrument is the guitar and the lyrics are reduced to the minimum. It's a rhythmical rock LP.

[See Fossati, Bambi | Garybaldi | Gleeman]

Aun Es Tiempo De Sonar (7?)

Banana is an Argentinian band whose sole release is a work of sometimes very good, sometimes average progressive rock. The music shows a variety of European influences from Yes to Nektar to Focus to Genesis to Camel. Though their sound is very melodic, the rhythm section is pretty basic which fails to elicit any emotional excitement from me. The keyboard work is usually relegated to the background and often limited to Fender Rhodes. Occasionally, some synth lines will burst forth which adds some dimension to the sound. However, the guitar is fairly prominent (almost all the solos are guitar) which is where I most hear the Nektar, Focus, and Camel influences. I'm also reminded of Nektar (from Recycled) in some of the synth/guitar combinations. In a way, it surprises me that the music fails to contain any latin influences like fellow Argentinians, Espiritu. Unfortunately, this lack tends to make the album sound less original that if it contained, for instance, some flamenco-styled acoustic guitar. The vocals (which are fairly abundant) are singularly uninspiring, sometimes sounding like AOR love-song crooning ala Styx. Overall, this isn't a bad album, one many of you would enjoy. Beware of some weaker moments, though.

Discography

Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso (72) Darwin! (72) Io Sono Nato Libero (73) Banco (75) Garofano Rosso (76) Come In Un'ultima Cena (76) Di Terra (78) Canto Di Primavera (79) Capolinea (80) Urgentissimo (80) Buone Notizie (81) Banco (83) ... E Va (85) Grande Joe (85) Da Qui Messere Si Domina La Valle (a 91 re-recording of their first 2 albums, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso and Darwin!) Il Tredici (94) Nudo (97, an "Unplugged" album of older material)

Reviews

Banco circa 2001 - I think that's Francesco Di Giacomo (vocals) and Rudolfo Maltese (guitars) on top, with Vittorio Nocenzi (keyboards) below. Originally known as Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso they released two albums on Manticore, Banco and As In A Last Supper. These however are merely English versions of their earlier release, the former being of songs from their first three albums Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, Darwin! and Io Sono Nato Libero. The latter is an English version of their fourth Come In Un'Ultima Cena. Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso's first three are definitely classics, with a strong baroque feel, dual keyboards, extremely complicated arrangements, and a strong vocal presence (you may like him or you may not.) They definitely take a little getting used to, although your patience will definitely reveal three beautifully crafted masterpieces. Garafano Rosso and ... Di Terra are mid period albums, almost all instrumental that delve into a more neo-classical realm and are best left for the more explorative. Later albums including Canto Di Primavera and the live Capolinea are rather poor, the latter including some horrible horn parts. I'd stick with the first three for starters.

I've only listened to Darwin! and Io Sono Nato Libero, and both are outstanding. Intricate and dense, sort of a keyboardish Yes/Crimson cross. Takes 2 or 3 listens to get used to but worth the effort.

The only thing I've heard from them is their 1975 Banco. It's a fairly decent piece of Italian progressive rock, certainly much more energetic than their often too folksy labelmates PFM. The highlight for me was the interplay between the bombastic keyboards and Rudolfo Maltese's nicely aggressive guitar work. Vocalist Francesco di Giacomo has operatic pretensions, which is sort of a downer, and occasionally the whole band veers off into a sub-par ballad shtick that Julio Iglesias would later make famous, but other than that this is quite solid. -- Doug Bassett

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, or Banco for short, along with PFM, Osanna and a few others, defined the early to mid seventies Italian progressive sound that so many after them would follow. That sound was equally influenced by folk themes, classical music, and the melodic and experimental british bands of the time, ie. Van Der Graaf, early Genesis, The Nice, and others. Banco, in particular also tended to have quite a bit of Jazz influence to their sound. In the 90's they reformed and re-recorded new versions of the first two albums. Their sound varies somewhat from album to album, but most feature excellent vocals (in Italian) by Francesco "Mr.Chubbs" DiGiacomo (Garafano Rosso is an instrumental album). All come highly recommended, except maybe Capolinea which was their farewell live album, and sounds more compromised.

During the '70s, only a few Italian progressive bands gained any noticeable mention in the United States. Banco was one of those bands (as was PFM). Like PFM, Banco remixed a few of their original albums with English lyrics on ELP's Manticore label. For example, Banco contained remixed selections from the band's first three albums. To my way of thinking, the reworking of the songs destroys their natural aura. Because of this, I recommend that you get the original Italian albums, particularly Io Sono Nato Libero and Darwin!. Both of these are excellent keyboard dominated symphonic progressive albums, along the lines of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, except more lyrical and less bombastic. The two keyboardists (piano, Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer) create some wonderful music, finely crafted and well executed. These albums should delight any keyboard fan. Classical influences abound; I'm not sure of this but to me they seem to draw more from the Classical and Baroque periods as well as the 20th century classical favored by Emerson. As indicated above, the lyrics are sung in Italian. The vocalist is a powerful singer, not harsh to my ears, dominating the sound when he does sing. Fortunately for us instrumental fans, the singing isn't as common as the incredible instrumental passages. Capolinea is a live album (from 1980) that fails miserably, despite the fact that it draws from these early albums. The sound is more commercial and the performance is uninspired. Start with the highly recommended Io Sono Nato Libero and Darwin! instead. -- Mike Taylor

Their first three albums are supposed to be their best. I only have the English-language Manticore-label reduction of these. It was enough to mesmerize me into their sound. If you like intricate progressive rock with great vocals, dual synthesizers and excellent guitarwork, you're gonna love them! The English vocals do sound rather awkward, the original Italian versions would probably cause me to turn my nose up at this album. I heard another album from around this time, Come In Un Ultima Cena, also excellent. Vocalist Francesco Di Giacomo sounds like an opera-trained Peter Gabriel. Two of the subsequent albums, Garofano Rosso and ...Di Terra are completely instrumental, neo-classical works. Di Terra is the better of these two, evocative, cinematic music. Highly recommended. I heard part of Canto Di Primavera which was nice, in line with their earlier works, yet not quite on that level. Capolinea is supposed to really suck. The other albums between 1980-1989 are also to be avoided. There's a 1990 or so release with a long Italian title which escapes me at the moment. It consists of updated versions of music from the first few albums. I heard some of it, nice, but doesn't add anything to the originals. -- Mike Ohman

For many fans, I suspect the Italian prog scene takes some getting use to. It certainly did for me. I still have aversions to much of the "foreign" progressive rock out there (and there's more now than ever) based simply on ignorance and prejudice, or because it's all I can do to afford the next English or American band on my list let alone Venezuela's latest Fusion sensation. But there was one time when I didn't let that stop me from shelling out the 25 dollar import cost and taking the "ethno-prog" plunge. On the recommendation of a veteran progger, I ordered Io Sono Nato Libero. What hit me initially is how strange this music sounds. It has a lithe delicacy that even early Genesis didn't explore* which is off putting and the Italian lyrics sound silly and contrived. The singer seems to want to turn the whole thing into some tragic operetta, moaning and reciting his way through a much too pastoral landscape of plinking tangerine dreamers. Not my cup of tea, man. But wait, there's more (you also get this folding chair, a $20 value!). You see, I -- as I often do -- forgot the amazing time-release power of good prog, and this CD grew on me, baby. By the second listen I was glad I had kept it. By the third listen I knew there was something good going on here, and by the fifth, I was convinced Banco were one of the best European progressive rock acts ever. Mind you, this was over the course of a year and a half, sparingly auditioning the album for a musically open-minded friend or two while I gave these boys another chance. There's a lesson here, and it made me want to hear more international Prog. Maybe someday I'll get to it for real. -- David Marshall * Editor's comment: Strange how a guy from San Fransicso calls an Italian band "foreign" while an English band isn't. Stranger still how I sorta feel the same way.

Links

[See Periferia del Mondo | Scenario] Click here for the official Banco web site

Cuestion De Tiempo (92)

Spanish instrumental trio, with a focus on guitar and synthesizers. When I listen I am reminded of The Guitar Orchestra at times, but LBL's sound is not as multi-layered and dense; they opt instead to inject their sound with flutes, mandolin, keys, and on a couple tracks, some fairly dark sounding electronics. Overall, this is music that is introspective and free spirited, full of rich emotions and romanticism. Not poppy.

Discography

Banda Elastica (85) Banda Elastica 2 (91) Los Awakates De Nepantla (94) Maquizcoatl (96) Catalogo Del Tiraderos (97)

Reviews

A very RIO sounding Mexican sextet, featuring guitars, drums, marimbas, bass, keyboards and sax/clarinet, with guests on violin/viola and flute. Their sound is a highly spirited blend of modern progressive, electrified jazz and ethnic influences. A few tracks feature vocals. They have two albums, a self-titled one from '85 and their second from 1991.

This elastic band is/was heavily Henry Cow influenced, but with Maquizcoatl they moved to even remoter and steeper slopes. Band iniated ghastly explorations of prehispanic era of Mexico, whose results could give uninitiated listener the creeps. Today they are another Mexico's band which is not inclined to emulate Belgian Art Zero school, but which managed to achieve astonishingly bleak atmosphere nevertheless. With tons of unknown (to me) ethnic instruments, such as (here all in plural) teponaztlis, huehuetles, sartales, etc. on one side and alto sax, flute, double bass, bass on the other, they managed to capture an atmosphere of Mayan bloodspilling rituals. While primarily acoustic, their creepy audions are unbelievably sable and baleful enough to provide a listener with feeling of leeches and grubs crawl all over him. Imagine that you are in pitch-dark cavity, where orientation depends on detecting of sullen surroundings, bespoken of only with deep echoes of turtle-shells and other percussion. Sparse instrumentation in the begining of tracks often portends something unpleasant, but in vain, because all of sudden, listener may find himself amidst phantasmal chaos of bloodthirsty Mayan spectres. Reverberating sounds of tuned-percussion are hovering above baneful-sounding strings or bass. In average instruments do not play intensely but unbelievable torrents performed by acoustic, promptly spanish, guitar can be heard on "Inamic". Occasionally detected Cow-isms protract into jammy guitar solos, as on "Espejismo". Otherwise, melodies are here more at home than on Decibel's Fortuna Virilis. At least "Nepanolli" is proof for that. Other tracks such as "El Rito" or "Teccizapan" are tuned percussion solo. While tuned percussion try to build melody, usual instruments veer into impro-waters (eg. "Xochiyoauh"; what a title; n. N.K.)). "Zoquitepuztehuiani" even adds synthesizer and sequencer and "Viaje Al Mictlan" synthesizer. Phew! Album fades out incredibly difficult, and it is a real challenger. Booklet boasts with Mayan paintings and "icons", painted with lurid colours (red predominates). If you're not bound to conventional prog-sounds, you'll probably want to check this out. -- Nenad Kobal

Galaxy My Dear (78), Ma, Dolce Vita (79), Heart (81)

Ex Biglietto per L'inferno. These album are electronic music.

[See Biglietto Per L'Inferno, Un]

Outline No. 12 (83)

NYC modern-classical/jazz/avant-garde violinist.

Discography

Two Sides of Peter Banks (73) Instinct (94) Self-Contained (95) Reduction (97) Can I Play You Something? (99)

Reviews

Original guitarist for 2 pretty good prog bands: Yes and Flash. Banks' all-instrumental solo album Two Sides of... is a strange patchwork of introspective, almost jazzy solo and multitracked guitar, guitar duets (w/Jan Akkerman of Focus), prog/fusion instrumentals (with Ray Bennett of Flash on bass and either Mike Hough of Flash or Phil Collins on drums) and some very loose, even sloppy, jamming (w/Bennett, Collins and Akkerman). I actually prefer the solo/duo guitar stuff. Steve Hackett and John Wetton also appear on one cut. Not an essential album, but not a bad one to have around. Akkerman sounds great. After Flash broke up, Peter Banks was in a band called After the Fire* through the late '70s, and then seemed to drop out of sight, although I recall him playing on a major-label (Capitol?) fusion record by an Icelandic keyboardist named Jakob Magnusson in the early '80s. Banks has made a comeback, and done at least one solo CD (titled Self-Contained) as of this writing (1996). -- Dave Wayne *Editor's Note: The Peter Banks who was a member of After the Fire is a different person with the same name. The other Peter Banks is a keyboard player. -- Fred Trafton

Original Yes guitarist who has to my knowledge released three solo albums. Two Sides Of Peter Banks is an early '70's entry with one excellent side-long instrumental suite (featuring contributions from Jan Akkerman, Steve Hackett, Phil Collins, and others) and one side of take-it-or-leave-it improvisation. Instinct and Self-Contained are entirely instrumental releases which showcase Banks' formidable but regrettably long-ignored chops. Purists may be put off by the programmed drums and low-budget production, but IMO Banks does the Yes legacy justice. Don't confuse Banks' solo work with his less-than-stellar, post-Yes groups Flash and Empire. -- J. Drake

Can I Play You Something? is subtitled "The Pre-Yes Years 1964-1968". It includes unreleased and rare recordings by Mabel Greer's Toyshop and Syn, bands in which Peter participated before the formation of Yes. Both sixties groups featured guitar/vocals by Peter Banks and bass/vocals by Chris Squire of Yes.

Links

[See Empire (UK) | Flash | Harmony in Diversity | Yes] Click here for a rather small Peter Banks home page on Notes From The Edge Click here for Voiceprint Records, where you can order Can I Play You Something?

Discography

A Curious Feeling (79) The Fugitive (83) The Wicked Lady (83) Soundtracks (86) Bankstatement (88) Still (91) Strictly Inc. (95)

Reviews

Banks was a founding member of the once progressive, once great band Genesis. His keyboard work is distinct and often imitated, and his compositional skill is what sets him apart from his contemporaries (Emerson, Wakeman, and others). A Curious Feeling is his 1979 Debut album, with vocals by Kim Beacon, ex-of String Driven Thing, and is generally recognized as his best. His later albums grow increasingly more commercial: Although The Fugitive has some nice moments, Bankstatement and Still are pretty disappointing. He has two soundtrack albums: The Wicked Lady and Soundtracks, both of which are ok, but not great.

Links

[See Genesis] Click here for Walls of Sound, a Tony Banks fan page

Discography

Hora Nata (72)

Reviews

Progressive, compared to early Genesis.

I found [in the GEPR], to my great surprise, the band Banzaï. When I was 16 years old I saw a concert of this talented band. I have also the LP Hora Nata with a photograph with very strange costumes. I live in Belgium and I must say that this band isn't a band from the Netherlands following the [former] information on your page but from Belgium. It was recorded at the "Reward Studio" in Belgium. I think that it was very exeptional that a Belgian band could make a LP with this sort of music in Belgium. That's why I remembered their name. -- Koen Dejonghe

Discography

Red Decade (82)

Reviews

New York-based guitarist who released an interesting EP on the Neutral label in the early '80s. Despite the presence of two saxophonists, Bill Obrecht and Fritz Van Orden (who later formed the Ordinaires), the music is not jazzy or fusiony at all, at least not in the typical way. Rather, Red Decade (also the name of the band) is a dark-sounding instrumental rock band with saxophones up front. The compositions owe a little to Devo, Peter Gordon, Philip Glass and Terry Riley, but are looser and more malevolent-sounding. What improvisation there is, is brief and noisy. Some aspects of the music on Red Decade found its way into the more conventional-sounding Ordinaires. Great stuff! -- Dave Wayne

Discography

Baraka (99) Baraka II (00) Bharmad (01) Baraka IV (02) Baraka (04, Note the 5th album does not use "V" in the title) Baraka VI (05) Baraka VII (07)

Reviews

Baraka - (not necessarily in photo order) Shin Ichikawa(bass, vocals), Issei Takami (guitar, vocals) and Max Hiraishi (drums, backing vocals) With influences as diverse as The Beatles, Queen, John Wetton, Hendrix, Zappa, Miles Davis, Toto and Led Zep, Baraka's music isn't easily categorizable as any particular variety of prog. Basically a power guitar/bass/drums trio, they might sound like anything from Red-era Crimson to Pat Metheny, instrumental or vocal, hard rocking or mellow and ballady. They're not even always "prog", with some AOR or jazz stylings creeping in occasionally, but I must say that they are always interesting, at least if Baraka VII (the only album I've heard) is any indication. The music is oriented towards the three-piece sound, but Baraka isn't above a guitar or synthesizer overdub (or those may be guitar synths ... whatever ...) if they think a song needs it. Baraka seems to play live in Japan quite a bit, but aren't usually heard much outside of their country. However, in April of 2008, they will be playing at the Madrid Art Music Festival (MAMFest) in Spain with several other interesting bands. Most of Baraka's albums are available from Syn-Phonic Music (see link below), though their latest is being distributed through Musea (also below). VII, at least, is worth your time to investigate. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Baraka's web site (in English or Japanese) Click here to order earlier Baraka titles from Syn-Phonic Music Click here to order Baraka VII from Musea Records

First Love (75), Barbarella? (76)

Durante O Verao (76)

Brazilian folky progressive band. Ok I guess, not worth that much trouble.

Discography

Barclay James Harvest (70) Once Again (71) Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories (71) Baby James Harvest (72) Early Morning Onwards (72) Everyone is Everybody Else (74) Live (74, Live) Time Honoured Ghosts (75) Octoberon (76) Best of Vol.1 (77) Gone To Earth (77) Live Tapes (78, Live) XII (78) Best of Vol.2 (79) Eyes Of The Universe (79) Mockingbird - The Early Years (80) Turn Of The Tide (81) Berlin - A Concert For The People (82, Live) Best of Vol.3 (82) Ring Of Changes (83) Victims Of Circumstance (84) Face to Face (87) Stand Up (??) Glasnost (88) Welcome to the Show (90) The Harvest Years (91?, Compilation) Caught by the Light (93) Alone we Fly (94, Compilation) Another Arable Parable (??, Compilation) River of Dreams (97)

Reviews

Barclay James Harvest are a British group that were spawned by the progressive rock movement of the late sixties. Their music tends to echo some of the more mellow Genesis output, but, despite being on the brink of mass popularity, they have not yet released the landmark LP that could put them over the top. They are extremely popular in Germany and to a lesser extent in Britain. They were one of the first groups (the first ?) to be picked up by the Harvest label. The name of the label, incidentally, is not derived from the name of the group.

The musicians are Lees, Holroyd, Wolstenholme, and Pritchard. They often, under the "conductor-ship" of Wolstenholme, use an orchestral backing to their songs. In their better moments, they sound like something between Pink Floyd and Genesis, but are quite uneven. On their live albums, though, they play their better numbers, so those would be fairly safe purchases. One of their staple live songs, is self mockingly called "Poor Man's Moody Blues," and that description may be valid too.

Prog rockers who incorporate the spirit of The Moody Blues and bands such as Genesis into their material. Short Stories and Baby James Harvest were their 3rd and 4th releases, representative of the now well-defined BJH sound, delivered atop the symphonic base laid down by keyboardist Woolly Wolstenholme. Each disc offers close to 80 minutes of vintage BJH, and is accompanied with a detailed insert, including lyrics. Welcome to the Show evokes the spirit of their older material.

Manchester, England-based band who have gone through a number of stylistic changes over the years. The first, self-titled album was recorded with a symphony orchestra on a few tracks. Strongly derivative of the Moody Blues, right down to the dramatic reading at the beginning of the 11-minute "Dark now my sky". By the time of Baby James Harvest, they are relying on the orchestrations less; the one track with the full orchestra, "Moonwater", is more like pure classical music than rock. Other than that, the only real outstanding track is "Summer Soldier", a Floydian piece with layered guitars, massed Mellotrons and clever use of sound-effects. Everyone Is Everybody Else ditches the orchestra altogether, as keyboardist Stuart Wolstenholme discovered synthesizers, used to stunning effect of the opening song, "Child of the Universe". "For No One" is another lush keyboard epic. The other high points are bassist Les Holroyd's two somber contributions to the album: "Paper Wings" and "Negative Earth". There is also a medley of folk-orientated songs, "Mill Boys" and "Poor Boy Blues". Octoberon finds them at the height of their popularity. It seems to be the apex of many of their acquired tendencies over the years. "Ra" seems to be one of their best keyboard-epics. "The World Goes On" is one of Holroyd's better moody pieces. They brought the orchestra back for "May Day", which also features a chorus. John Lees' vocals and the overall tone of the piece remind me of Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, but the sound reminds me more of Atom Heart Mother. "Suicide?" seems to be the culmination of the depressive tone that has been developing ever since Everyone.... Don't play it around your suicidal friends. There's many more where that came from, in fact, the band is still together! . -- Mike Ohman

The self-confessed "Poor Man's Moody Blues." I've only heard the album X11, and it is certainly similar to MB stuff from the early 80s. But not as good.

Links

[See Godfrey, Robert John | Mandalaband | Wolstenholme, Woolly] Click here for an excellent Barclay James Harvest fan web site

Discography

The Answer (70) Peter Bardens (71) Write My Name in Dust (71) Vintage 69 (76) Heart to Heart (79) Seen One Earth (87) Speed of Light (88) Watercolors (92) Big Sky (94)

Reviews

Bardens' first solo LP was The Answer It doesn't sound a thing like Camel, and in fact isn't progressive at all, but rather excellent heavy rock. Peter Green, who plays here under the pseudonym Arthur Gee, never sounded better. -- Doug Bassett

Bardens, In his tenure with Camel, produced some of the finest progressive music ever recorded. Since his departure, his music hasn't totally lived up to what I had hoped it would, but more often drifted into the new-agey realm. Seen One Earth is probably the most solid of the lot, brilliantly applying multi-layered keyboards and soaring guitars for a mostly instrumental vision reminiscent of DSOTM or his final days with Camel. Watercolors is his newest, and is very new-agey overall (read: Boring). White Magic is the soundtrack to a skiing film on cassette that he peddles at his live shows.

Played keys in Camel and in Keats. Great organ sound, at least on those albums. He put out a couple of solos prior to Camel, and several new-age efforts more recently, which don't really interest me.

Bardens early work don't impress me much. I think the Vintage 69 album is a remake of his two first solo albums, which was made in '69 and '70 I think. Heart to Heart is incredibly dull and fumbling compared to his brilliant work with Camel, but he came back much stronger with Seen One Earth and Speed of Light, which are much more in the Camel vein, bordering to New Age but definitely much more interesting.

Links

[See Camel]

Sconcerto (76), Trusciant (78)

One of the few bands with multiple keyboardists that I can stomach (although only just barely), the all-instrumental prog-fusion band Il Baricentro is led by keyboard-playing brothers Francesco and Vanni Bocuzzi. The Bocuzzis acquit themselves nicely on a variety of keyboards although they stray into the schmaltz zone a bit too often for my tastes. Their compositions range from Latin-tinged fusion, to jazz-funk, to a sort of "Italian prog lite." At its worst, the music takes on a florid cocktail-lounge cutesy feel. For me, the main appeal of Baricentro's music is the spectacular interplay of bassist Tonio Napoletano and drummer Piero Mangini. Mangini is a truly excellent drummer whose approach is a devilish blend of David Garibaldi's polyrythmic funk and Bill Bruford's precision timekeeping. Napoletano's bass playing reminds me a bit of Magma's Jannick Top. On Trusciant they are joined by percussionists Luis Agudo and Max Rocci. Of the two Il Baricentro albums I own, Sconcerto is more progressive while 'Trusciant' (...which is dedicated to Jim Morrison, of all people!) has a more jazz-fusion feel. Both records are good, but not essential, unless you are a drummer. -- Dave Wayne

Italian band that plays in the fusion style of the 70's. The music on Sconcerto is based on arrangements of double keyboards, bass, drums and percussions. Several synthesizers are featured, as well as electric piano (Rhodes) and Clavinet with its funky touch. They have a sound that was common to numerous bands from that era. Note that brass are not used here, despite the very funky grooves the music often takes. Deserves attention from fans of the style, especially where the keyboard work is concerned. An excellent complement to your Return to Forever discs. -- Paul Charbonneau

Orfeo 2000 (72), LP Di Primavera (73)

Their LP was very banal and bored. Not interesting.

Early psych, no prog elements.

Hex (94)

The best kept secret of 1994. Bark Psychosis released one of the most addictive and unique Progressive Rock albums of the '90s. On Hex, Bark Psychosis is covering uncharted territory. They cover ambient, minimalism, free-improvisation, space-rock, and have a real knack for gorgeous, catchy and dreamy melodies (rampant throughout). This is neither Symphonic, Fusion, Jazz, RIO, or Zeuhl. Similar to Tortoise and Cul de Sac, but more melodic. The vocals are very laid back, and the instrumentation is as follows: piano, Hammond organ, bass, samples and programming, trumpet, cello, viola, flute, vibes, drums, guitar (very minimal), djembe and Melodica. Bark Psychosis would appeal to fans of Tortoise, Rain Tree Crow, Cul de Sac, Porcupine Tree, & the ambient works of '80s King Crimson (such as "The Sheltering Sky" and "Nuage"). A highly recommended release to "dream by" or "chill out" to. Buy it!!! You won't regret it. Bark Psychosis' Hex is a '90s must buy. -- Julian Belanger

Discography

Clara Crocodilo (80) Tubarões Voadores (82) Cidade Oculta (84) Suspeito (86) Façanhas (92) Gigante Negão (98, Live, recorded 1992) A Saga de Clara Crocodilo (99, Live version of Clara Crocodilo)

Reviews

Arrigo Barnabé Arrigo Barnabé is a Brazilian artist who attempts to mix modern classical music with popular music. While not exactly prog, it is still recomendable and very interesting. Comparisons could be made to Frank Zappa, not because he is derivative, but because he studied and liked the same kind of atonal and serial composers, like Bartok or Schöenberg. Barnabé's work is also well-humoured, yet defying and tense. Clara Crocodilo could be pointed out as his most fine work, some kind of psychotic opera with narration, female chorus and a complete band with lots of horns. The whole album is excellent, highlights being "Sabor de Veneno", "Diversões Eletrônicas", "Clara Crocodilo", "Acapulco Drive-in", "Orgasmo Total". There is also a live version of the album, recorded in 1999, called A Saga de Clara Crocodilo. Although the music is the same, it has new arrangements (with strings included), and the names of the songs are changed, probably because of some kind of recording rights. It is also an excellent album. Some albums afterwards got more commercial, yet always having something interesting. Also good are Gigante Negão (live recording of what Barnabé called "pseudopera") and Tubarões Voadores, the latter having although some 80's keyboards and synth tones which upset me a little. -- Gabriel Costa

Links

Click here for a biography of Barnabé (in Portugese) or here (for English version). Barnabé's web site appears to be offline.

Sin Tiempo ni Espacio (??)

The Madcap Laughs (70), Barrett (70), The Peel Sessions EP (87), (recorded '70) Opel (89)

Syd was the original guitarist and mastermind behind Pink Floyd. He was tossed out of the band before the second album was recorded, being too spaced out to play due to his heavy diet of LSD. Waters and Gilmour worked with him in the mid 70's to produce a couple albums (The Madcap Laughs and Barrett) These sessions also produced enough outtakes and such that a third album was released (Opel). Some of the material is brilliant, some is pretty painful and tortured, but in the right frame of mind....

[See Pink Floyd]

Free Play (91)

Former keyboardist of South-American fusion supergroup Caldera, Eduardo Del Barrio's Free Play has to be one of the most challenging major label (A&M) releases we've had in years. Although most of the compositions were improvised, his unique blend of modern classical, rock, and jazz sounds anything but random. Highly recommended to the adventurous. (While this one defies categorization, it can usually be located in the jazz section.)

[See Caldera]

L'Alchemista (91), Oxian (95)

From Italy, this six piece is fronted by two female vocalists. The overall sound wanders between quasi-symphonic and rock, mixing fresh ideas with some more familiar ones, they seem to straddle the line between the seventies and the nineties; the musical breaks contain certain classically inspired ideas, while the vocal parts lean towards pop and folk, while not being overtly so. Some comparisons could be made to bands like Renaissance and Coracao Da Terra, but Barrock truly sounds like neither, seeming to be rooted more in the 70's Italian progressive scene, but with all the modern technological advances.

Discography

Pictures Of Earth & Space (87) Build Your Own Planet: (??, Recorded in early '90's, Limited edition of 100) Evolver (??, Limited edition of 100)

Reviews

A pleasing entry into the new-age instrumental synthesizer canon, a genre riddled with bad music and an even worse reputation. Jim Bartz' music is more intricate than many other new-age minimalists. Pictures Of Earth & Space is incredibly similar to Pete Bardens' Seen One Earth LP and the late seventies era Camel, albeit without the vocals. Despite their being a huge amount of digital technology used on the album, the production doesn't sound too clean or cold. All the tracks are instrumental and in the 5-8 min range and are on the mellow side. Bartz shows a remarkable inventiveness with certain sampled sounds but never degenerates into outright self-indulgence, retaining the listeners interest throughout. The beautifully layered music is soothing and relaxing in a good way and never becomes bland. Also Bartz happens to be a handy guitar player as well and (for an electronic artist) includes lots of guitar playing, especially acoustic. This sounds not unlike Trevor Rabin's acoustic work with Yes (Big Generator etc.). Overall a worthwhile purchase for anyone interested in the electronic rock scene. Fans of Ashra, Mike Oldfield, Manuel Gottsching and Gandalf (Austria) should be greatly impressed. -- David Abel

Links

Click here for Jim Bartz' web site

Bara Basikova (91)

Basikova is the singing seductress of the Czechoslovakian prog band Stromboli. Unfortunately, her self titled solo album is mostly just techno-pop of very little interest.

[See Stromboli]

Discography

An Outcast of the Islands (98) Colin Bass Live At Polskie Radio 3 (99) Colin Bass Live Vol. 2 - Acoustic Songs (00) In the Meantime (03)

Reviews

Colin Bass Colin Bass has for long handled the bottom four strings in Camel. On his solo album An Outcast of the Islands (Kartini Music KART 2) he is backed not only by Camel driver Andrew Latimer and the group's drummer at the time, but also a host of Polish musicians from Abraxas and Quidam, both bands with various amount of debt to the great humpbacked beast. Not surprisingly then the album (inspired partially by the eponymous Joseph Conrad novel, partially by Bass' own experiences as an expatriate Englishman) has lot in common with the orchestrated, folk-flavoured sound of Camel's Harbour of Tears, though Bass' music is generally more straight-forward, more eclectic in its choice of styles and melodically more lavish. Often he is doing straight-forward, strong songs where his soft, melodious voice and acoustic guitar are fleshed out with heavy keyboard arrangements and progressive-style solos (e.g. the synth and guitar work on "Holding Out My Hand"). He goes for the English folk influence especially on the pretty singalong "Goodbye to Albion", which is decorated with flute, penny whistle and a full chorus; shows a bit of gospel touch on "Reap What You Sew"; and gets even close to MOR on the almost Chris Rea-like "Denpasar Moon" (a re-recording of an Indonesian hit he had under his alias Sabah Habas Mustapha). This is balanced by instrumental numbers like "Macassar" with its tempo and mood changes and a great melody line developed alternatively by guitar and lead synth in the best Camel style, or the soaring "No Way Back", full of great guitar melodies and nimble piano and Hammond work. Finally, the album contains several moody, quasi-classical pieces played solely by the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra, creating, along with other reprises of material, a solid hour-along whole. In terms of harmonic and technical complexity, An Outcast of the Islands barely rates as progressive. But as a concept album full of finely-crafted melodies and beautiful symphonic arrangements it's a hard one to top. Camel fans should certainly investigate. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Links

[See Abraxas | Camel | Quidam] Click here for a Colin Bass web site

Parchesi Pie (78), Painting by Numbers (82)

With accomplices Dave Newhouse (reeds and keys: also in the Muffins), and Glenn Wiser (bass and guitars), percussionist / keyboardist Bass recorded one unrelentingly strange album for the Random Radar label (Cuneiform's predecessor). The music on Parchesi Pie comprises very modern-sounding, through-composed chamber pieces featuring mallet percussion, bass clarinet and piano, silly Bonzo Dog Band-inspired vocal bits, strange spoken word interludes which sound like outtakes from the Firesign Theater, some overtly Zappa-influenced ensemble pieces, some even stranger free-improvised interludes, and some Canterbury-inspired bits. Like everything else on the Random Radar label, Parchesi Pie is a great, challenging listen, hampered only by the rather low-fi recording quality. If you appreciate early Zappa, Henry Cow, the Fugs, or the Bonzos, you really must check out this wonderful release! Whatever happened to this guy? -- Dave Wayne

[See Muffins, The]

Filthy Sky (70)

Prog/Folk/Psych.

Discography

Voci (76) Cogli il Giorno (78) Frammenti Tonali (80) Arc-En-Ciel (82) Raccolta Vol. 1 (86) Raccolta Vol. 2 (90) Azygos Quartet (93) Notturni (97) Fogli d'Album (02)

Reviews

Luciano Basso Regarding Voci: Basso is a keyboardist whose music is typical of the Italian symphonic rock tradition. His mastery of the piano, organ, Mellotron and harpsichord is complemented by the addition of violin, drums, cello, bass and guitar. Although his highly classical approach reminds one of Keith Emerson, arrangements are usually more subtle and rhythms are not as furious. In fact, virtuosity relies here on a lighter and more subtle sound that's very Italian. A quality production, keyboard based compositions and a sound typical of the place and time. It makes you wonder how this classic has gone 15 [make that almost 30 now -- Ed.] years without being noticed. -- Paul Charbonneau

Links

Click here for Luciano Basso's web site

Discography

Sitar Power (86) Sitar Power #2 (95) Om Shanti Meditation (??) Others, see web site

Reviews

This guy (from Santa Cruz, CA) produces sort of a synthetic techno-rock using synthesizers and traditional Indian instruments. Interesting for a couple listens, but gets lame and cheesy sounding very quickly.

Batish's primary instrument is Sitar. He and his family run a Cassette, Video and CD duplication service in Santa Cruz, CA. So, he's his own recording label, featuring himself and his father with other guest musicians, playing mostly traditional Indian devotional/inspirational music, along the lines of Ravi Shankar. He has also produced a number of "How-to" tapes on playing the Sitar, with names like Introduction to Sitar and Beginning Sitar Exercises. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Batish Recording Enterprises web site

Discography

Fetus (72) Pollution (73) Sulle Corde Di Aries (73) Clic (74) M. Elle Le Gladiator (75) Franco Battiato (aka "Za") (77) Juke Box (78) L'Egitto Prima delle Sabbie (78) L'era del Cinghiale Bianco (79) Patriots (80) La Voce del Padrone (81) L'arca di Noé (82) Orizzonti Perduti (83) Mondi lontanissimi (85) Fisiognomica (88) Giubbe Rosse (89) Come un Camello In Una Grondaia (91) [This may belong with "Classical" releases] Caffé de la Paix (93) Unprotected (94, Compilation) Lómbrello e la macchina da cucire (95) Studio Collection (96, Compilation) La Imboscata (96) Gommalacca (98) Fleurs (99) Modern Classical releases: Genesi (87, Opera) Benbenuto Cellini (90, Soundtrack) Gilgamesh (92, Opera) Messa Arcaica (94, Classical piece) Shadow, Light (96, Contains Messa Arcaica plus some of Come un Camello) Campi Magnetici (00)

Reviews

Franco Battiato is one of the most successful singers in Italy. He began his career as a "light" singer, recording a few singles. In 1971 he started his particular journey through experimental music, recording his proggiest issues: Fetus and Pollution. Lots of keyboards and sounds effects for a pair of records that complement one another. Some very atmospheric parts and some very melodic songs make these records worthwhile, along with musical references to the arabic culture and italian folk that will surface from time to time in all of his following output. Sulle Corde di Aries is calmer and more ethereal, and the songs are in a similar vein to Pollution. His next records are gradually more and more experimental, exploring minimalism and culminating with Le Egitto prime delle Sabbie, with two long pieces based on hardly one note and its harmonics. Very difficult, I canīt recommend this period to anyone but music scholars or any Stockhausen students. After this, came a great change of direction. From L'era del Cinghiale Bianco to Mondi Lontanissimi, these are pop-rock records, but very interesting (and even commercially successful) ones. Especially the lyrics, sometimes very deep, sometimes ironic, full of references. He starts singing in many different languages, even within one song. Not prog, or very little prog at best, but interesting. With Fisiognomica, Battiato started walking towards classical music, using orchestra on some songs and composing a couple of operas. L'Imboscata and Gommalacca are rockier than any of his previous works. The latest