Discography

Plastic Maailma (71) others ...

Reviews

Woodwind-player Seppo "Paroni" Paakkunainen has had a long career as a session musician, band leader and arranger, with a stylistic spectrum encompassing rock, pop, jazz, folk and classical. On the progressive front he has been the driving force behind the progressive folk group Karelia, while his horns have graced the albums of, among others, Wigwam, Jukka Tolonen and Pekka Pohjola. His first bonafide solo album, Plastic Maailma (LP Scandia SLP 559), is a kind of sweep through those many styles, progressive in the sense that styles are juxtaposed and explored with little prejudice. Four instrumentals join six vocal numbers where the gruff vocals of Harri Saksala alternate with the purer voice of pop-chanteuse Arja Saijonmaa, criticising consumerism, poking fun at contemporary sexual mores or singing praises to Nordic egalitarianism with the kind of sincerity that makes it hard to distinguish seriousness from levity. Throughout, the "Baron" acts as an old-style band leader, tastefully adding his saxophones and flutes to the normal flow of guitars, organs, pianos and rock rhythm section, resulting in some very colourful arrangements. He goes to East with the quasi-raga sitar/flute duet "Mango", grapples some hung-over blues-rock with "Laulajan blues" ("Singer's Blues") and takes delight in lightweight vocal pop with jazzy arrangements and a few progressive touches (e.g. sudden textural and dynamic shifts) in the likes of "Kun elämä alkaa" ("When Life Begins"). More obvious homages to prevalent progressive role models appear too: The flute carries the swaying main melody of "Ennen nyt" ("Before Now"), taking to Jethro Tull-like hoarse riffing and soloing during the instrumental interlude, while "Beat Bolero" has Coltraneish saxophone stabbing riffs in unison with the guitar and wailing over gloomy organ chords and the martial drumbeat, very much out of the Crimson cookbook. The end result is a slightly dated, but charmingly odd-ball collection that can be of interest to fans of early progressive. It is still best remembered for its surrealistic cover painting. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Links

[See Karelia Pohjola, Pekka | Tolonen, Jukka | Wigwam]

Discography

Timeloss (02) Kallocain (04) Silence Of Another Kind (06)

Reviews

Paatos Recipe: Break an Ägg and take its drummer and keyboard player. Filter through the remains of Landberk for a guitarist and a bassist. Mix the four together, then add a female vocalist whose voice combines Björkish pixy with the child-like languor of Stina Nordestam or Portishead's Beth Gibbons. What do you get? Well, pathos at least, as the band name suggests, of the dark, melancholy and potentially volatile kind that Landberk, Anekdoten and Morte Macabre have previously excelled in. But Timeloss (Stockholm Records 066 147-2) amends the winning formula with new and stimulating elements in many places. Never better than on the opening song, "Sensor", as an exhilaratingly busy drum groove, harsh guitar chords and Johan Wallen's hard-fusion organ solo vie for supremacy under Petronella Nettermalm's vigorous suicide wail. But the song only quantum jumps when the band cut to a half-time feel and the Mellotron spreads out from the wings to form a glistering backdrop for guitarist Reine Fiske to doubletrack a short, brilliantly melodic solo of just a few sustained notes. The song returns to the original tempo and blasts itself apart with no meandering, leaving the stage free for the more atmospheric material. "Hypnotique" has breathy, close-miked vocals, muffled electric piano and a smoky, semi-jazzy atmosphere all borrowed from the trip-hop vocabulary popularised by Portishead eight years earlier. But again the build-up of flute, cello, Mellotron and Fiske's subdued but resonant chords and melodies brings back the shadow of Morte Macabre's dark progressive sound. This, "They Are Beautiful" and the lullaby "Téa" (the only song with Swedish lyrics) are wonderful and fresh-sounding additions to the moody, soothingly melancholy tradition that has run in Swedish progressive rock from the 1990s on. The final track, drummer Richard "Huxflux" Nettermalm's solo composition "Quits", however, falls away from the parking orbit round planet Progressive. Its first part is actually a mainstream pop-friendly, breaking-up-is-hell vocal number with loops, played and programmed drum'n'bass rhythms, and loungey electric piano. Once free of the vocals, however, the song lets the horns in to primal scream it into dissonance and destruction, Nettermalm's amok drum-flailing and Stefan Dimle's deep and disturbingly calm bass line impelling its sonic inferno to a final meltdown. It frankly sounds contrived and bit out of place - but no less powerful a statement. Still, with or without it, those who like the dark symphonic approach with emphasis on melody and atmosphere rather than fast soloing or harmonic complexity can't really go wrong with this album. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Links

[See Egg (Sweden) | Landberk] Click here for Paatos' web site

Discography

Pablo "El Enterrador" (83) 2 (98, aka Sentido de lucha)

Reviews

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

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

Himalaia (86)

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

Feelin' Free (70)

Prog.

Pacific Eardrum (77), Beyond Panic (78)

Discography

Forget Your Dream! (72)

Reviews

This album is sometimes described as "killer psych" or whatever. Which it isn't. Not quite. And the relevance to progressive rock is small as well. But it's not without merit or interest. The album has a vintage heavy organ sound that is immediately appealing. Despite the raw edges, this band could get into a real groove - though it's a pity that there are more two and a half minute singles than extended jams. The band and the songs date as far back as 1970. Which may explain why the overall vibe is so 60's. It's got more in common with West Coast rock or the British R&B groups of the 60's than anything else. On the prog rock side of things, one might discern small touches of early Pink Floyd in the organ style. But really more in common with The Animals, Procol Harum and Iron Butterfly. Even a dash of Pacific Gas and Electric (which might have been an inspiration for this band's name). "The Green Eyed Girl" sounds a bit like "A Whiter Shade Of Pale". "Gyli Gyli" consists entirely of laughter in place of singing. "Erotic Blues" is a fairly good, extended track with spaced out organ in a blues progression (as the title suggests). The organ is the dominant instrument throughout. Unfortuneately, the music is most let down by heavily accented and poor english vocals. The album has some decent musical moments but, considering where many bands were at in 1972, this comes off as clumsy and dated. I find nothing that really justifies its reputation amongst some collectors. Best advice to serious prog collectors is FORGET THIS ALBUM! -- Tharsis

Discography

Il Paese Dei Balocchi (72)

Reviews

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

I have their self-titled album which is unique! Quite complex early 70's sound: bass, guitar (acoustic, electric), lots of Hammond organ and at times it has a chamber orchestra or is it the band playing ? The musicians are excellent. Nothing amateurish here. The vocals are in Italian and excellent. Overall quite dark early gothic!? Closest sounding bands are Procession and The Trip. -- Jean-François Cousin

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

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

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

Discography

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

Reviews

Ex PFM.

[Regarding debut album], a very different approach to music than the one made with PFM (so don't expect something similar), this time in a mediterranean folk feel mixed with heavy fusion. Not all the themes include a huge display of this violin virtuoso, but in the other hand, the personnel includes Area members (two tracks with Demetrio Stratos outstanding "singing"). Highly recommended for fans of fusion, folk-fusion, Italian progressive. "Europa Minor", the first title makes the whole CD worth a try. -- Marco Antonio Gómez Urbina

Links

[See Premiata Forneria Marconi]

Discography

La Mosaïque De La Rêverie (86) Kamen No Egao (87, aka Abysmal Masquerade) The Pay For Dreamer's Sin (89)

Reviews

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

La Mosaïque De La Rêverie is another example of the strong symphonic albums Japanese bands kept releasing throughout the 80s. Pageant marry up the delicate symphonism of Renaissance, complete with prominent acoustic guitar and gorgeous female vocals, with an edgier electric guitar driven rock style reminiscent of British neo-prog at the time. Their music is driven by the excellent guitar work of Ikkou Nakajima and the keyboards and vocals of Hiroko Nagai, not forgetting the beautiful flute melodies provided by Kazuhiro Miyatake (aka Mr Sirius). Nagai's voice can be both sensitive and powerful and lacks the stratospheric shrill which is the boon but also the bane of many Japanese female vocalists. The best of the album's seven songs are probably "Vexation", which begins with just a dreamy voice and ringing acoustic guitar, then slams into an up tempo instrumental part full of synth and guitar soloing, only to conclude with a majestic vocal section complete with stirring synth fanfares, and the closing track "Epilogue", which is full of mournful flute, passionate vocals, emotional guitar soloing and extremely lush keyboards. The band's rockier side is best represented by "Echo", a song whose chorus has a quite unique and memorable, bouncy melody. All things considered La Mosaïque De La Rêverie is an excellent symphonic album and along with Mugen's Symphonia della Luna and Magdalena's sole album it represents the very best of Japanese scene in the 80's. Pageant second release Abysmal Masquerade in 1987 seems to be a compilation of re-worked and remixed songs from the first album, some live recordings and some new material, making for a less cohesive but still strong album. It seems that the album's Japanese CD re-release is known as Kamen no egao, though I don't know if it differs from Musea's version. A reshuffled line-up released a third album The Pay for Dreamer's Sin in 1989, a more guitar-driven and uneven album that lacks the depth of the earlier efforts. A couple of the tracks are very neo-proggy, and the funk-bass-and-shrieking-digital-stabs overkill of "Alkaloid" would almost be more in place on a disco album, but two of the three 9-10 minute tracks have dynamics, melodic depth and power that comes close to the majesty of the first album (they are also the only ones to feature Miyatake). Throughout the album Nagai's voice brightens things up and elevates even the more mundane moments. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Links

[See Ie Rai Shan | Mr. Sirius] Order from Cranium and Netbeat

Paikappu (83)

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

Paladin (71), Charge (72)

Prog. Charge has cover by Roger Dean.

Discography

Newtopia (86)

Reviews

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

Yet another one-shot symphonic aspirant from Japan's eighties scene, Pale Acute Moon was largely a vehicle for the compositional and playing talents of keyboard player Motoi Semba. Newtopia (note: the original Monolith LP release is titled Looking for Newtopia, but all subsequent versions use the abbreviated title) is an album-length suite of lavishly orchestrated rock compositions that draw shamelessly from Romantic-era classical music, the closest comparison being Mugen or, slightly more obliquely, The Enid. Semba is the album's focus and fulcrum, saturating the arrangements with his filter-sweep fanfares, swirly monophonic solos and elegant piano work. In contrast, guitarist Masahiro Imamura pitches in with melodic leads and fills, but is increasingly side-lined in the mix, while drummer Ryoichi Terashita and bassist Katsunori Hamada come across as anonymous linemen. Shinji Akahori's vocals, present on five of the nine tracks, are confident enough without being terribly distinctive. Her voice moulds itself quite readily to the melodic contour typical of many Japanese symphonic bands: stately and gliding on the one hand, rascal and child-like on the other. A few of the synthesizer sounds used and the occasionally heard electronic toms suffer from the mid-1980's kitsch syndrome and things are not helped by the mix that rarely finds a proper balance between instruments. Musically, however, this is top-notch classical symphonic rock where themes are reprised and developed even as new melodic material is introduced, creating an effective symphonic montage. Only "Time Trip" deviates from the party line, its clear verse-chorus format, staccato rhythm guitars and Tony Banks-like synth bubbling marking it down as neo-progressive. _Newtopia_ doesn't quite reach the level of Mugen's Sinfonia della Luna in either writing, performance or production, but is still highly recommended to the fans of lush, romantic sympho. Pale Acute Moon disintegrated in 1988, when Semba joined Teru's Symphonia. After leaving the band the next year, he recorded a demo tape which remained unreleased until Musea added the material as a bonus on their version of Newtopia (FGBG 4308.AR). This makes sense from a historical standpoint, but none whatsoever from a musical one, as the eight short songs are worlds apart from Newtopia's symphonic rock, being very slavish imitations of David Sylvian's solo work instead. The melodic material exhibits strong Asian flavour, in the manner of Sylvian's occasional collaborations with Ryuichi Sakamoto, and the mumbling male vocals try unsuccessfully to imitate Sylvian's husky, intensely musical voice. The pastiche-like approach to writing throws in a few engaging moments, but generally fails to capture the impressionistic mood of Sylvian's best works, and the production is truly of demo-quality, with only pedestrian synth work and electronic percussion serving as backing tracks. However, this should not stop you from seeking out Newtopia, though if you have the rare Japanese original release, this release won't be of much extra value. Those interested in Motoi Semba's later exploits should explore the albums of female pop trio Shonen Knife, many of which feature his keyboard and production contributions. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Links

[See Teru's Symphonia]

Deep Water (80), Every Moment (82)

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

Discography

Arrive Alive (81) The Sentinel (84) Knightmoves (85, mini-CD) The Wedge (86) Knightmoves to Wedge (92, Knightmoves and The Wedge on one disc) Sketches (92, Compilation) Beat the Drum (99) The Cross and the Crucible (01)

Reviews

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

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

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

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

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

Links

[See Abel Ganz | Strangers on a Train] Click here for the Pallas web site

Discography

The Cycle is Complete (70)

Reviews

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

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

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

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

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

French synth duo comparable to Tangerine Dream and early Kraftwerk.

Discography

Liquid Placidity (95, as Artica) The Rite of Passage (97) Welcome to the Theatre ... (98) A Time and a Place (02)

Reviews

Pangæa is a Houston-based band, and their third release A Time and a Place was produced by Robert Berry (3), and bears the mark of his typical over-production. Don't take that as a negative, I love over-produced albums if the music is good, and Pangæa's stuff's not bad at all. I would definitely categorize this album as Arena Rock, with possible comparisons to Styx, Foreigner and the like, but with (neo-)proggier leanings and a guitarist who obviously likes Dave Gilmour (Pink Floyd)'s guitar style, since his solos are frequently in the same vein (they actually do a cover of Floyd's "Time" on this album ... I like the original much better, though). They also do a lot of very smooth vocal harmonies bringing to mind some of the vocal overdubs of Freddie Mercury in Queen or Todd Rundgren and the others in Utopia, though Pangæa's vocal harmonies aren't quite as interesting as either of them to my ears. Once again, don't take that too negatively ... I did enjoy A Time and a Place and would recommend it to those who like the styles of the bands I've mentioned. Oh, yeah, and I should mention the cool cover art too. I just love flying galleons, and this one is nicely done. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Pangæa's web site (doesn't seem to be functional at the moment ...) Click here to order A Time and a Place from Musea Records

Hymnemonde (96)

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

Uno (71)

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

2000 BC Or AD (83)

Prog.

Panta Rei (1973)

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

Discography

Bartok (77, Unreleased?) Pop songs (~79) Panta Rhei (80) p.r. computer (83) Epilogus (98)

Reviews

Panta Rhei - (L to R) Alex Szalay (guitar), Eniko Acs (vocals), Csaba Beke (drums). Not Pictured - Kalman Matolcsy (keyboards), Andras Szalay (bass) In the style of ELP from the early 70s (1974-?). This was a bunch of young physicists playing ELP-like stuff and developing a new computer-based instrument. They had many good Bartok transcriptions but never released them (story is that Bartok's son objected). The only album they did get out was a change from this so beware!

A GEPR reviewer for the East German band Karat had identified Panta Rhei as East German also. This is incorrect, they are Hungarian. The statement that Karat is a spinoff from Panta Rhei is either wrong, or possibly there were two bands by this name. I've listened to the MP3 of their "Peer Gynt Suite" on the web site listed below, originally recorded in 1976 ... the music is excellent, much like what ELP might have done with this material. The MP3 quality leaves a lot to be desired (there are a lot of really nasty compression artifacts), however this stuff looks to have been out of print for a long time, so this may be the only way you'll ever get to hear any of it. -- Fred Trafton, thanks to Betta Note added 7/20/04: Panta Rhei's Alex Szalay has refurbished and moved their web site. The link below points to the new location. The MP3's have been re-encoded, so you might want to download them and see if they sound better now.

Links

[See Karat] Click here for the official Panta Rhei web site, with MP3 files to download

Discography

Orion (72)

Reviews

Dutch band Pantheon released just one album in 1972 titled Orion, which is a predominately instrumental affair featuring symphonic keyboards and airey instrumental passages. At times remininscent of bands such as Focus or Trace, the liberal use of a variety of keybords (organ, piano, synth) along with flute, sax, guitars, bass and drums, provides for some dazzling progressive rock. The CD contains all the original five album tracks, plus three singles, one titled "Masturbation", which at the time of the songs original release was renamed "Master Basion" as to not offend the public. The band really hits some high spots on two of the albums epics, "Apocalypse" (with some fierce flute and keyboard blasts) and "Orion." The title track just happens to be an almost twenty minute tour-de-force of epic proportions. Vocals are used very sparingly, and have an almost Jon Anderson with a Gentle Giant twist to them. Those who love symphonic rock that has lots of classical flourishes mixed with complex progressive bursts should enjoy this band immensely. Too bad they fizzled into oblivion after just one album. -- Peter Pardo

Discography

Ticket to Trauma (86) Land Without Fences (87) Music to Trash (88) Improvised My Ass (89)

Reviews

Paper Bag - Greg Segal, Kenny Ryman, M. Segal and George Radai Photo © 1987 by Naomi Peterson. Paper Bag from California played improvised music (they [sometimes appended] : Improvisational Music Co.). The band consisted of M. Segal (drums, percussion, toys and junk) Greg Eric Segal (guitars, bowed device, processed screams), Kenny Ryman (keyboards, loops, tapes, turntables, percussion) and George Radai (bass). All their music was completely spontaneous and improvised (at least that's stated in the liner notes!). One has not to fear that this would degenerate into aimless noodling, endless experimental noises or long boring monotonies. This music is not as crazy as one would expect and one might describe it as progressive guitar meanderings, quiet jazz, industrial noise blasts, rock, experimental tape loops, a lot of percussion and spoken word/poetry. Some tracks, for example "Mr. Id" or "Origin" from Improvised are wonderful spacy jams á la Gong (Continental Circus, You). Some tracks make you think of British RIO or of best fusion/jazzrock. The best buy may be their Music to Trash CD with more than 70 minutes of great music. -- Achim Breiling

Former Paper Bag drummer M. Segal and bassist and George Radai are now gigging in the L.A. area as Bag:Theory. They are still using the Paper Bag method of improvisation. See the Paper Bag web site for more details. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Paper Bag's web site

Discography

Spongy Comestibles (92)

Reviews

Current psych. Reminiscent of Ozric Tentacles.

Alto (78)

Ex-Kraan sax player.

[See Kraan]

Discography

Narrenrock (82)

Reviews

Ex-Satin Whale.

Links

[See Satin Whale]

Discography

The Corner of my Room (97?) Afterlifecycle (98) The Time Capsule (98) No More Travelling Chess (99, originally released about 1991 under the band name Gold Frankincense and Disk Drive) Unbranded: Music from the EEC Surplus (00, also available in a live VCD version) Enjoy Your Own Smell (02, Compilation of MP3's offered free on the Po90 web site) More Exotic Ways to Die (02)

Reviews

As of this writing, I've heard only Po90's compilation album Enjoy Your Own Smell, downloadable for free from their web site, complete with jewel case and CD artwork for you to burn your own copy at home. The MP3's are all excellent quality, and the song selection is a great overview since it contains cuts from each of their studio albums. Po90 is not your typical prog band. The idea of "sounds like Yes, Genesis or King Crimson" never enters one's mind while listening to this compilation. You may, however, hear parts that sound like Pink Floyd or particularly like Van Der Graaf Generator, but they probably owe even more of their musical mix to more modern bands like Nine Inch Nails or Porcupine Tree. Their sound relies heavily on the vocal stylings of band leader Andy Tillson Diskdrive, whose range and style varies from very Peter Hammill-like to Jim Morrison-ish ... and also takes off in several other odd directions from there. The fact that Po90 is influenced by Hammill is not mere conjecture ... No More Travelling Chess is an album of Van Der Graaf Generator covers, and Hammill was actually consulted for clarification of some of the lyrics, and this album was released with his knowledge and blessing. And yet, Po90 is not basically a cover band, they have their own unique style. It took me several listens to Enjoy Your Own Smell before I "got it", but now that I have, I find the music to be captivating and unique, with incredible melodies that get stuck in your head and you can't get rid of them. The lyrical content tends to be rather dark and depressing (what can you expect from an album titled More Exotic Ways to Die?), but the music goes from sparse, muted guitar with nearly-whispered vocals to full-band richness in the space of a heartbeat, and that combined with emotional and unexpected lyrics hit a strong resonance (for me at least). I really like this band, which I can't say about some of their influences (in particular Porcupine Tree, though I'm not that big of a VDGG fan either). [As of 6/4/03, when I wrote this article], Andy Tillson Diskdrive tells me the band is working hard on a new release at the moment, and this is why their web site is a bit stale (last updated in August 2002!), but the band is still active and will have new material out soon. He has promised me some other Po90 material for review, so I hope to expand on this entry sometime in the future. In the meantime, I would advise downloading Enjoy Your Own Smell and checking it out while it's still available. You may find a new favorite band! -- Fred Trafton

Parallel or 90 Degrees have come to be one of the most amazing surprises in the world of contemporary prog. Led by vocalist/organist/keyboardist/main writer Andy Tillison, who makes a perfect tandem with keyboardist/occasional guitarist Sam Baine, the band is completed by a lead guitarist, a bass player and a drummer: several changes have occurred throughout the years in these roles - currently, Dan Watts, Ken Senior, and Alex King, respectively. Their style incorporates much of the electronic avant-garde and modern psychedelia that comes around these days in the most interesting side of contemporary pop, but all of this is encapsulated in a clearly progressive frame: PO90D's taste for long compositions and multiple part suites, sophisticated arrangements, odd time signatures, all these are things that they don't particularly care to hide, but actually exhibit in full splendor. As a result, their material turns out to be, IMHO, much richer and varied than Ozric Tentacles', Radiohead's or Porcupine Tree's (bands that I honestly enjoy, by the way), just to put some other examples of bands that are categorized as prog or near-prog "with a modern sensibility", or something like it. As it was stated somewhere else, their sound and compositional style are very influenced by Van Der Graaf Generator (75-76 era), and I may add, 78-80 Peter Hammill, as well as some Pink Floyd touches. The lyrics are properly "Hammillesque", that is, approaching an existentialist view of the self, life, death, and a critical attitude toward modern society and politics. Their second album, Afterlifecycle (1997), was the one that put them on the map, drawing the attention of potential fans and prog critics. The opening namesake 21 minute-suite is superb, full of intensity, contrast, lots of synthetic textures, well adjusted sections. Another suite, "Ithinkthereforenothing", is also very inspired, though shorter, and therefore, with less room for variations, while "Run in Rings" is an angry, breathtaking manifesto of disappointment. Their following album, The Time Capsule, released one year later, explores the same territory as its predecessor, with more emphasis on keyboard textures, and a more dense, obscure overall sound. Tracks like "Encapsulated", "Blues for Lear" and "Unforgiving Skies" are well constructed, and at the same time, genuinely emotional. The most notorious number is, once again, the 22-minute namesake suite, which condenses the major musical virtues of PO90D. Their 2002 release More Exotic Ways to Die, finds them leaning toward a harder edge, with a major presence of the electric guitar, very distorted and metallic in many passages of the album. There is also a notorious enhancement of the electronic side of the band, bordering on trance style, and also occasional ethereal, somber landscapes a-la krautrock (in fact, one of the pieces is entitled "The One that Sounds like Tangerine Dream"). The number that opens More Exotic Ways to Die is the 34-minute namesake suite, which is more like a sequence of several well differentiated songs and instrumental pieces; on the other hand, the closing 11-minute number, "Petroleum Addicts", comes to show that PO90D's ability to create and perform long imaginative compositions remains intact. -- Cesar Mendoza

Links

[See Manning, Guy | Secret Green | Tangent, The] Click here for Po90's web site Click here to order Po90 titles from GFT-Cyclops

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

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

Paradise Lost (89)

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

Discography

Paradox (97, released as Dave Russell solo album) Ecliptic (00)

Reviews

Paradox - Dave Russell and some other psychedelic images Paradox began as a solo album by Dave Russell, formerly the leader of a band named Zakir. When Dave put together a band to tour and play this music, the band became Paradox, and have since released a second CD, Ecliptic. Although I've only heard the sound samples on the Paradox web site, these are very high quality, and there are two full-length songs to audition. The sound is very much like Ozric Tentacles or You-era Gong, lots of Tim Blake style synthesizer washes. The guitar work here is more interesting (to me) than Ozric Tentacles, though. Dave Gilmour and Steve Hillage come to mind as influences, and maybe even a little jazzy Jeff Beck too. A very enjoyable listen ... check them out! -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Paradox's web site, you can hear sound samples here

Discography

Constant Fear (88) Start a New Race (93) Private Power (99) ISHQ (01) Mawwal - Live at Artspace (02, Live, as Acoustic Paranoise)

Reviews

Paranoise, 1999 Private Power line-up (also ISHQ) Top: Geoffrey Brown (Drums/Percussion), Jim Matus (Guitar/Composer) Middle: Rohan Gregory (Electrified Violin) Bottom: Thorne Palmer (Lead Vocal/Lyricist), Bob Laramie (Bass) Tribal World Ethno-Prog Techno-Metal? Nah. The Ancient Ecstatic Brotherhood of Paranoise really defies categorization. Composer/Arranger/Guitarist Jim Matus and friends have created something unique with this band. They are not only musically stimulating, but intellectually too. Permeating their music (and sometimes threatening to overwhelm it) is the fact that they create political CD's, with a definite agenda the musicians would like you to think carefully about. Paranoise uses audio samples of people from all over the world, mostly the "Third World", as the backbone for many of their songs. By weaving their own melodic lines with these folk songs, rhythmic chantings and prayer calls, Paranoise creates harmonies which were probably never dreamt of by the original singers/chanters, and also creates rhythms which counterpoint and interplay with the original. In fact, it is sometimes impossible to tell whether the drumming or vocalizing is part of the original samples, was added by Paranoise, or is some combination of the two. I've heard two of Paranoise' releases. Their third album, Private Power features cover art of indigenous people using tools which sport corporate logos on them ... a comment on how our ideologies influence (infect?) people from all over the world. Giving the CD a spin, Paranoise provides a haunting and manic musical backdrop for recordings of such luminaries as Noam Chomsky and Richard Hoagland to speak their minds about the rise of Corporate Power, the people of America willingly becoming isolated, mindless "atoms of consumerism", and hyperdimensional geometries (!?). The guitar work is sometimes reminiscent of Lark's Tongues in Aspic-era King Crimson, especially when Matus and Gregory get going together, sounding like Fripp and Cross from bygone days. Other times the guitar is more like angry Punk Rock (The Sex Pistols?). It is always blistering, abrasive and nervous, which meshes perfectly with the mood of the CD. The bass, non-sampled vocals and drumming accentuate this mood with dark pulsations, dire warnings and barely-restrained thrashing. This isn't a "standard" Progressive CD at all, and it's not a "feelgood" ethnic CD either. Their fourth album, ISHQ (it's pronounced, "ishk", not an acronym) continues along the same lines as Private Power, but is much more mature in its melding of recordings of traditional ethnic folk and spiritual songs with rock instruments. Much of the harshness is gone, and with it the King Crimson feel. This album still has plenty of power and drive, but the recording is better and the guitars not as completely distorted. The weaving of ancient and modern sounds here is more seamless and less strained than on Private Power. They're really getting the hang of how to make this concept work. Political and spiritual philosophers quoted on this album include Terrence McKenna, Vandana Shiva (the text of her speech is here) and more from Noam Chomsky. Of course, philosopher Jim Matus also contributes his own words of wisdom to the album. Paranoise had been quiet as far as advertising for new music for awhile, so I recently visited their web site to see what was up. Well, they don't have a new album of the same variety as Private Power or ISHQ, but they do have a new (2002) album that you can download from their web site, complete with artwork for a CD jewel case. Recorded live at ArtSpace in Northern California [I don't know where I got this idea ... Artspace is Matus' studio in Connecticut -- Ed.], this is an acoustic version of Paranoise, featuring Jim Matus on Laouto (similar to a Lute), Geoffrey Brown (percussion and vocals) and Rohan Gregory (acoustic violin) from the electric version of the band, joined by tabla player Greg Rogrove. Musically, this is a world apart from Private Power or ISHQ, being basically instrumental Indian/Middle Eastern music, though there are some chanted (Indian-style) vocals, particularly on Track 4, "Helalisa". Whether you like or despise Private Power or ISHQ will have nothing to do with what you think of this album, it is entirely different in every way. The recording is excellent, the performances virtuosic and melodic without any hint of the anger and raspiness of Private Power or ISHQ. Very good stuff, and well worth the price (free). You gotta love these guys. If you want more anger, check out Jim Matus' "Bush Rant", also available on the Paranoise web site. Or even more inflammatory (if possible) is "God Take Bush", a pseudo-sermon followed by a fervent plea for God to take Bush (as a reward for the wonderous deeds he's done, of course. It sounds a bit like an old Firesign Theater skit ... only nowadays, people take such political satire much more seriously than they did in the '70's.) After the publication of these rants, I think I'll e-mail Mr. Matus to be sure he hasn't been arrested and detained at Gitmo Bay without any charges under the PATRIOT act. I'm only sorta kidding. Paranoise, particularly on Private Power or ISHQ, are trying to challenge you musically, politically and even spiritually. They do so, to my mind, very effectively. I recommend both of these CD's very highly, ISHQ even more than Private Power. Just don't blame me if they make you want to go out and demonstrate at the next World Trade Organization convention. Maybe I'll see you there. We can all sing "God Take Bush". And while we're cooling off in jail, we can meditate to Mawwal. Here's a band that supplies everything you need to start a political action. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Mawwal] Click here for the Paranoise web site

Live (78)

Prog.

Is A Friend (72)

Prog.

Discography

Tales of Mystery and Imagination (76) I Robot (77) Pyramid (78) Eve (79) Turn of a Friendly Card (80) Eye in the Sky (82) Ammonia Avenue (84) Vulture Culture (85) Ladyhawke (85, Soundtrack) Stereotomy (88) Gaudi (87) Freudiana (90, not credited as APP but is Parson/Woolfson effort, comes in "white" Studio and "black" Soundtrack versions) Try Anything Once (93, as Alan Parsons) The Very Best Live (94, Live/Compilation) Gaudi: Erlebniswelt der Phantasie (95, Soundtrack) On Air (96) Gambler: Das Geheimnis der Karten (97, Soundtrack) The Time Machine (99)

Reviews

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

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

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

A one-time recording engineer for The Beatles who later helped to deliver the aural lunarscape of Dark Side of the Moon from Pink Floyd's imagination to the world, Alan Parsons made the transition from producer to recording artist in his own right with the Alan Parsons Project, which basically comprised himself, singer/songwriter Eric Woolfson (who did, at least initially, most of the writing and conceptualising), orchestral arranger Andrew Powell and a number of studio musicians and vocalists. This outfit reaped considerable commercial success, especially in the United States where the soft rock sound of their later works particularly struck chord, but they also had their often underappreciated progressive side. Tales of Mystery and Imagination is an embryonic and, perhaps as a result, the most daring and conceptually whole incarnation of the Alan Parsons Project approach, a collection of songs and instrumentals each based on a poem or short story by Edgar Allan Poe. The opening instrumental, "A Dream with a Dream", has a moderate and boxy 4/4 rhythm, Rick Wright-like jazzy electric piano riffs and very good imitations of Gilmour's lead guitar repertoire. Most of these would see the Alan Parsons Project throughout its lifecycle, and certainly do throughout this album. The first side consists of short, somewhat interwoven (with segues and minor thematic recycling) tracks that include baroque pop, funk and hard rock, all filed suitably smooth to a middle-of-the-road palate. Yet sudden instrumental interludes, Powell's stylish orchestral and choral arrangements and Parsons' expertly produced soundscapes lend the songs progressive sheen, drama and complexity. The use of real orchestra and choir instead of synths or Mellotron distinguish this album somewhat, but there is also one of the pioneering uses of digital vocoder on the lead vocals on "Raven". The use of several different vocalists works too, thanks to a good casting: there are few better voices to express the psychodrama of "The Tell-tale Heart" than Arthur Brown's madman scream. The second side's multi-movement suite, "The Fall of the House of Usher", starts off clumsily with an orchestral "Prelude" that reminds of the empty pseudo-classical bombast of too many mediocre Hollywood epics, but by the time it hits a reprise of "A Dream within a Dream", it has become a kind of ambient, orchestral version of Pink Floyd and ambles admirably on to its crashing conclusion, its textures nicely thickened by the use of kantele and cimbalom. After this, the airy ballad "To One in Paradise" is just relaxing lulling, a total recall of the mellower days of the 1960s. Tales of Mystery and Imagination remains Parsons' most experimental and progressive work, but falls somewhat short of his best. Parsons later remixed the album for CD re-release, but showed very good taste by limiting this process to a couple of added solos and synthesizer textures, which fit seamlessly in with the original recordings, and the restoration of Orson Welles' Poe recitations, recorded during the album sessions but omitted from the original mix. It was with I Robot that Parsons' formula found its mature and most successful form. More song-oriented and conceptually looser (supposedly about the simultaneous emergence of a sentient machine and the dehumanisation of the human race, but this interpretation is just one offered by sleeve notes and song titles, not so much by the ambiguous lyrics full of prosaic depictions of alienation and neurosis), the album is an almost perfect mixture of soft rock, largely electronic instrumentals and Powell's atonal Ligeti pastiche "Total Eclipse". From tinkling 12-string guitars and classical keyboard arpeggios to thick vocal harmonies and real and synthesized orchestral textures, Parsons and Woolfson quite shamelessly pillage progressive vocabulary to decorate what are often quite uncomplicated and even nostalgic pop songs. The fact is that it works brilliantly most of the time, thanks to the quality of songs and the confident way in which the arrangements enhance or upset their smooth flow (compare the ponderous symphonics and trumpeting guitar interludes of "Some Other Time" to simply otherworldly Floydian instrumental parts that frame the almost reggae-like vocal lines of "The Voice"). This kind of symphonic pop proved both chart friendly, yet progressive enough at a time when the big names of the genre were starting to grapple with the need to make their music more accessible to the casual listener. The electronic pieces mix the undulating and washing synthscapes of Pink Floyd or Jean-Michel Jarre with the kind of funky, clavinet-driven grooves borrowed from contemporaneous jazz-rock vocabulary. The pulsing instrumental became a regular feature in subsequent Project albums, and some of this spawn would grace many a greatest synthesizer hits compilation. These often dark and ethereal pieces provide additional depth and contrast to warrant calling I Robot a progressive rock album. It is an off-the-wall concoction, but entirely successful - so much so that Parsons has never matched it again. Pyramid largely reproduced the winning formula of I Robot, only in a slightly diluted and less inspired form. The adherence to simple pop beats is ever greater, but the arrangements still have depth and detail that defy the structural conservatism of the compositions. Still the trend was towards more straight-ahead songs and the success of the short tongue-in-the-cheek pop ditty "Pyramania" was indicative of things to come. Yet despite the abundance of pop accessibility, there is also the dramatic instrumental "In the Lap of the Gods", which throws alternatively haunted and hunted, quasi-Wagnerian choral work at the listener. Eve was the real dilution of Parsons' progressive tendencies, almost Abba-like in the melodies of "Winding Me Up", stripped in arrangements and increasingly conservative in compositions. The album's songs deal with various aspects of women, but mainly in terms of male stereotypes and pop cliches, either as idealised objects of desire or unfaithful tormentresses of the fragile male ego. The opening instrumental "Lucifer" proved popular, but the only truly haunting melody on the album comes at the end on "If I Could Change Your Mind". The gambling-themed Turn of a Friendly Card, while squarely on the road to popdom, was better written and more symphonic in its sound. It culminates in the multi-part title-track whose fusion of hymnal melodies, quasi-classical symphonism and haunting pop tunes is excellent and represents perhaps the pinnacle of Parsons' creativity and certainly the last time he could balance his pop and progressive tendencies so well. The album's biggest hit "Time", on the other hand, was a right throwback to the mellow psychedelic pop of "Fat Old Sun", complete with the dreamy vocals and Gilmour's trademark echoing slide guitars. Parsons and Woolfson obviously took heed of its chart performance, because from here on the scale tipped from its finely balanced position in favour of the short-and-sweet pop formula. Eye in the Sky was perhaps the most popular of Parsons' albums, and in retrospect it is the last strong work in his back catalogue. It is bookended by two gems: the instrumental "Sirius" leading into "Eye in the Sky", one of the best pop songs in the 1980's "eight-note-pumping-bass" format, which became Project's biggest hit, and the rhapsodic ballad "Old and Wise", sung with breathy melancholy by the ex-Zombies vocalist Colin Blunstone. Prog fans are catered to by "Silence and I", which breaks the classically-influenced ballad format with an up-tempo middle section featuring some jubilant but all-too-brief orchestral revelry. Progressive is mainly a gesture here, though, as is the "concept" idea, which is now confined mainly to packaging (by Hipgnosis, as with most other Project albums). Imperfect as it is, Eye in the Sky saw Parsons' popularity peak, and he duly capitalised on it with a Best Of compilation. Unfortunately, the album would prove to be a watershed as far as quality and creativity went, because, as with most capitalisations, profit bluntly started overriding all other concerns. Ammonia Avenue and Vulture Culture are both workman-like efforts based increasingly around the instrumental core of bassist David Paton, drummer Stuart Elliot and guitarist Ian Bairnson (who, along with Blunstone and ex-Camel keyboardist Peter Bardens, formed a short-lived and musically insipid group Keats, whose single album Parsons produced) supporting Parsons and Woolfson. Both feature an inferior remake of "Eye in the Sky" ("Prime Time" and "Sooner or Later"), as well as a host of pop tunes ranging from good to disposable, with only the fiendishly infectious "Let's Talk About Me" with its hints of prog-style stop-time arrangements holding up as an untarnished jewel; a few more echoes of prog can be heard in some of the synth parts and grandiosity of arrangements, though only Ammonia Avenue's title-track really qualifies as prog. Vulture Culture even saw Powell leave temporarily, taking the spice provided by real orchestral arrangements with him. It seemed that complacency had trapped the Project in its finely-crafted yet ungiving formula, the only progression now being the steady analog degradation of quality, even as digital technology allowed Parsons ever greater control of his soundscapes. On Stereotomy's title-track, the robotic beat laid down by jarringly punchy drums is pushed to the front of the soundstage, perhaps to distract from the fact that despite an impressive use of dynamics and a few echoes of progressive-style textural shifts the writing is pretty uninspired. The album is redolent of lack of inspiration, as there are no less than three instrumentals of increasing insipidity filling the spaces between generic rockers ("In the Real World") and humdrum ballads ("Light of the World"). Finally, more than any other Parsons album, this one is embroidered with the jingly, then-state-of-the-art FM synth sounds, which very soon became state of the crap, and though some orchestral tones were reintroduced, Stereotomy's arrangements sound more austere than Vulture Culture's Fairlight-based symphonic tones. It's not all monotony, but Stereotomy still ranks among Parsons' weakest studio works. Gaudi was an inevitable step up, more lavishly written and arranged, less immersed in the more plastic production values of the mid-1980s, and even featuring an extended track "La Sagrada Familia", whose orchestral sweep tries to conjure up the ghost of progressive rock. However, like just about everything else on the album (including its concept about the life of Antonio Gaudi), it remains half-baked. Gaudi is a gaudy album with too little depth to make it really memorable. Even though the Alan Parsons Project albums continued selling, all was not well behind the scenes. Freudiana was originally begun as just another Project album, this time based on the life and works of Sigmund Freud, but when it eventually came out as a record and a musical, it was credited solely to Woolfson and no mention of APP was made. Musically, it was more of a musical-style material, even if the APP soundscapes were largely in place and songs like "I Am a Mirror" had some flair (a straight soundtrack version of the stage production with different arrangements and German vocalists was also released under the same title). And soon enough the Project was no more, as conflicting musical and personal aspirations drove Parsons and Woolfson into dissolving their partnership. Parsons would not lie down, however. In 1993 he dropped the Project moniker and released Try Anything Once, an exuberantly packaged album which saw him doing just that. The hole left by Woolfson was filled with mixed success by a large number of contributors old and new, but mainly by Bairnson, Powell and David Pack. By far Parsons' longest album at that point, Try Anything Once suffers from inconsistencies in qualities and style, embracing the slick world of AOR closer than ever, while still reworking the old funk, orchestral and even progressive mannerisms. Pack's AOR-mannered songs like "I'm Talkin' to You" and "Oh Life (There Must Be More)", while not the most original tracks, seem to work best. It's actually Powell whose input is the most interesting, notable on the orchestral folk of "Jigue"/"Re-Jigue" and the album's most formally progressive tune, "The Three of Me". Vocal contributions from Eric Stewart and especially the Manfred Mann alumnus Chris Thompson brighten up this patchy collection of tunes. After this Parsons finally took his music out of the studio and on the road. A self-explanatory The Very Best Live emerged as a by-product. Surprisingly, in most cases the band succeed in turning Parsons' studio marinated pop tunes into leaner but still cooking live numbers, in a couple of cases even improving on the originals. One of the key elements is Thompson, whose singing energises two of the more mundane numbers, "Limelight" and "You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned". The US edition also included three studio bonus tracks, but the two original compositions are absolutely forgettable. However, the new version of Thompson's anthemic "You're the Voice" (originally a hit for John Farnham) does offer a good three minutes of fist-pumping stadium singalong. There is still only "The Raven" to remind of Parsons' progressive past. On Air is not the last album Parsons ever released, but it is the last I have heard. It marked the return to the concept, aviation in this case, and backed it with a lavish multimedia bonus disc. If only as much care had gone into the compositions (now mostly by Bairnson), which run a gamut from acceptable but second-hand pop (the Police-like "I Can't Look Down") and syrupy ballads ("Brother Up in Heaven") to an update of the inevitable pulsing synthesizer instrumental with metal guitars and techno rhythms ("Apollo"). "Too Close to the Sun" has more crystalline surface than actual musical content, and "One Day to Fly" sounds nothing more than a tired rehash of Parsons' previous orchestrated quasi-prog songs. Tellingly, the most interesting tracks, the plain but tasteful ballad "Blown by the Wind" and the synth-assisted acoustic guitar space-out "Blue Blue Sky", are the ones most obviously using the familiar Floydian vocabulary. It goes to remind just how derivative Parsons musical roots are, and, for all his technical mastery, how little he has done to extend them into something more original. While Parsons' story is largely peripheral in the history of progressive rock, prog fans open to simpler, more accessible strains of the genre could do worse than try his first two releases. The rest are best approached as pop-rock albums of highly shifting quality - or as a case history of 1970s progressive rock's absorption into the corporate rock machine of the 1980s. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Links

Click here for the Alan Parsons Pipeline, home page to the Alan Parsons Project web ring

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

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

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

Baroque/rock crossover band starring violinist Walter Quintus.

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

Discography

Passport - Doldinger (71) Second Passport (72) Handmade (73) Doldinger Jubilee Concert (74, Live) Looking Thru (74) Cross-collateral (75) Doldinger Jubilee '75 (75, Live) Infinity Machine (76) Iguacu (77) Ataraxia (78) Garden Of Eden (79) Lifelike (80) Oceanliner (80) Blue Tattoo (81) Earthborn (82) Man In The Mirror (83) Running In Real Time (85) Heavy Nights (86) Talk Back (88) Balance Of Happiness (90) Blues Roots (91) Down to Earth (93) Spirit of Continuity (95, 2CD Compilation) Passport to Paradise (96) Passport Control (97) Move (98) Passport Live (00, Live) RMX Vol. 1 (01, Live)

Reviews

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

As it says in the liner notes to Blue Tattoo, although they are "customarily pigeon-holed as a jazz/rock group, Passport defies accurate classification, totally resists stereotyping, and refuses confinement to one specific musical area." Quite apt. For indeed, Passport can, and does, everything... thankfully, and alternately, unfortunately. Formed by German jazz saxophonist Klaus Doldinger, Passport is one of the first true fusion bands in the sense that they did it all: AM jazz/rock, real j/r, funk fusion, etc. Whatever it is they're playing, however, will include plenty of influences from just about anything Doldinger can get his hands on. A real plus, for it makes the music so varied and interesting. In the beginning, they had a more listener friendly AM jazz/rock sound to them, in the vein of Chicago or Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Fortunately, Doldinger quickly outgrew this. Not that that style of music is bad, necessarily, but when you have the incredible examples of Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, and Joe Zawinul & Wayne Shorter looming large, and if you consider yourself a serious jazzer, you'd better move beyond the superficial. Still, while I don't own their first two albums (hard to obtain in the US as they're out of print or exorbitant), I've gotten an idea of their style from the '97 compilation release, Passport Control. This is an essential release for any fan of the early band as it contains from their first two albums the excellent "Lemuria's Dance," as well as "Madhouse Jam," and "Registration O". And even though these tracks have that AM j/r orchestration to them, they're still a cut or two above the rest. It is with their '73 release, Hand Made, Doldinger really begins to show his mettle. The band really hits their stride with a wonderful blend of jazz, rock, ethereal psych, funk, and even quasi-muzak, as they continue in this fashion with Looking Thru (which contains the best title track, in my view), Cross-Collateral, and Infinity Machine. These four albums are considered (by every fan I've talked to) as the period when Passport was at its zenith and I agree, culminating with the masterpiece Cross-Collateral. The band moves from jazz to rock to prog and back again with an ease you find rare. This is due entirely, I believe, to the fact that Doldinger had collected his most stable line-up with the excellent drummer Curt Cress, the more than adequate Wolfgang Schmid on bass & guitar, and the wonderful Kristian Schultze on mostly electric piano, as well as other keys. Indeed, as it states at the All Music Guide, "Cross Collateral is the album that shows how well this jazz band can rock and how well this rock band can play jazz." I've contemplated what it is about this particular incarnation of Passport that pulls me back again and again. What I've come up with is that (a) Doldinger is at his most melodic and (b) the supporting musicians may not make any top 10 lists, but are so incredibly capable that they sound like a perfect unit that I can only relate to Steely Dan. Perhaps, that's the way to describe Passport: Germany's answer to Steely Dan, but with a true jazz base, better jazz chops, and more fusion influences. Just listen to the first 3-4 minutes of the 13 minute epic "Cross-Collateral" and tell me you're not reminded of the McLaughlin/Cobham "duets." Or listen to the live version of "Yellow Dream" from Passport Control and tell me you don't hear King Crimson's Mellotron laden etherealness of "Journey to the Center of the Cosmos" from The Great Deceiver. And now the unfortunate part. It is with Infinity Machine, or more specifically the 1st track "Ju-Ju Man", that contains the writing on the wall: Passport, unfortunately, was heading the way of disco/funk fusion that became so nauseatingly popular on easy listening jazz radio. Still, the rest of the album does contain plenty of that Passport magic. After this album, though, the hit or miss factor increases dramatically. If you'd like to only dabble in Passport first, I recommend the aforementioned compilation Passport Control, which should be easy to find in the US. It is with this album you can get an idea of Doldinger's sensibility as a composer and wonderful sax player. In addition to the previously mentioned tracks, it also contains the title tracks "Hand Made" (live) and "Cross-Collateral" as well as the excellent Philip Catherine track "Angel Wings," from the live album Jubilee '75, with Catherine in the line-up playing lead guitar. It should be noted that Passport didn't really tour in the sense that other bands toured. Doldinger was fond of recruiting well known musicians to supplement the band as they played dates. The two live albums featured Brian Auger, Pete York, Alexis Korner, Philip Catherine, Buddy Guy, and Les McCann. It should also be noted that Doldinger took a Miles Davis approach to his band: he always recruited different musicians through Passport's career. Included are Jimmy Jackson, Olaf Kübler and Lothar Meid of Amon Düül II, John Mealing who's worked with The Strawbs and appears on John Entwhistle's album Mad Dog, Bryan Spring who ended up in Nucleus, and the aforementioned Cress, Germany's most recorded drummer, who ended up in Triumvirat. And lastly, I would be remiss in not mentioning Doldinger's propensity for ending his albums with a ballad that showed how truly melodic, and often poignant, he could play. I cannot say enough about his talent as a musician. -- Kirk Sandall

Links

Click here for a Passport web site Click here for Klaus Doldinger's web site (in German) [See Nucleus | Orange Peel | Snowball | The Strawbs | Triumvirat]

Discography

Pataphonie (75) Le Matin Blanc (79)

Reviews

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

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

Le Matin Blanc is one the most intriguing discs I have ever listened to. And another example of music which doesn't want to be described. But I'll venture into that despite the sonic "threats" that emanate from the album. Think of broodiest King Crimson circa Starless and the Bible Black or Red, the broodiest Soft Machine era 3rd, heavily meshed with spikiest of the Henry Cow, and all together filtered through Heldon / Lard Free synthronic ambience. Perhaps more Lard Free than Heldon, cause the music itself isn't that jagged. The improv parts last very long (remind me of Tanz der Lemminge-era Amon Düül II.) and the implied balance between tension and resolution is fairly in favor of the former, itself being carried along for long seconds of time, aiming to get answered the question how tense can things get before they explode due to sheer overload. I don't know exactly, but this is how I hear the majority of the proceedings on the album. Otherwise this is welcome addition to prog/avant-prog explorator's rooster of unusual sounding goodies. Very, very good with every long second. -- Nenad Kobal

Links

[See Alpha Du Centaure]

Discography

Star Suite (77)

Discography

Paternoster (72)

Reviews

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

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

A dark and moody album, most songs on Paternoster are built on gloomy organ chords over which we get vocals, steady rhythm section and swirling, psychedelic lead guitar. The sound and the restrained tempos remind of early Pink Floyd at their gloomiest, while the vocalist sounds like Procol Harum's Gary Brooker with a very, very bad hangover. There is not much variation but the music still manages to be surprisingly intense and captivating. In lack of the original master tapes, the CD transfer was made directly from an LP, but the sound quality is still quite good. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Flightless (89)

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

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

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

[See Tempest (UK)]

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

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

[See Stromboli]

Discography

Pampered Menial (75) The Sound Of The Bell (76) St. Louis Hounds (77, also known as Third, never released except by band members as bootleg) Lost in America (91) Pavlov's Dog 2000 - End of world (00)

Reviews

Pavlov's Dog in 1976 - David Hamilton, Steve Scorfina, Rick Stockton, Doug Rayburn, David Surkamp and Tom Nickeson American Rock band with some progressive tendencies, most noteworthy for lead singer David Surkamp, who I once saw described as sounding a little like "Marty Balin on helium," which seems to be a fairly accurate asessment. Their first album featured a seven piece lineup including violin and Mellotron/ flute, plus guitar, bass, drums and keys. The sound was straight hard rock with inventive arrangements, with the violin taking a prominent role. By the second album the violinist and drummer had left, and the sound had changed somewhat, and in general had taken a slight turn in a poppier direction, but with Surkamp's bizarre voice, I don't think these guys could've expected a hit from it, although tracks like "Mersey" come pretty close; Bill Bruford was the guest drummer on this album. A third album was recorded but never released, until a few years ago when it surfaced as a bootleg.

I bought Pampered Menial on LP from a cutout bin back when I was in college (maybe 1977-78?). It's been years since I listened to it, but near as I can recall, I wouldn't characterize them as having "progressive tendencies" at all, they were a prog band. Lots of Mellotron, Surkamp's Geddy Lee-ish high-pitched vocals and odd, melancholy arrangements put them as much in the prog category as anyone else. They didn't do anything super complex, actually they remind me a bit of early Nektar, prog but also accessable in a '70's sort of way. The album listed above, Pavlov's Dog 2000 - End of the World, is not the original band, but a new band put together by Pavlov's Dog drummer Mike Safron. A fan has put together a nice Pavlov's Dog web site and you can link to it below. There's lots of great info there (including what I just told you about PD2K). See also the links to Pavlov's Dog 2000 and David Surkamp's band listed below. -- Fred Trafton

Pavlov's Dog originally founded in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, developed a more British–oriented prog rock style, influenced from bands like Roxy Music, Curved Air, Genesis and Focus (Holland), but with an occasional additive flavor of Southern Rock rhythm and guitar riffs. The standard Group set -- Drums, Bass, Guitars, Keyboards, enriched with flute, violin and viola, provided the melodic and sensitive sound of Pavlov's Dog. Group's focal point is David Surkamp (lead vocals, guitars), the main lyrics writer and song composer, marking their sound with his unique high-vibrato tenor voice, sometimes reaching unbelievable octave levels. The original line-up for the first 2 albums, included Steve Scorfina (lead guitar), Rick Stockton (bass), Doug Rayburn (Mellotron, flute) and David Hamilton (keyboards), while impressive collaborations occurred on At The Sound Of The Bell, from Bill Bruford on drums (Yes, King Crimson, UK) and Andy Mackay on sax (Roxy Music) expanding group's sound ability. Pampered Menial and At The Sound Of The Bell are, by far, the best works of the Group, with the latter, to my opinion, one of the Prog Rock Masterpieces; a real MUST have for every Prog Rock listener. Pampered Menial opening track "Julia", a sensitive ballad, performed by Surkamp's sensational voice with a crystal piano sound and acoustic guitar, is the Group's trademark and most famous hit song. "Episode"'s piano-violin guided melody is magic, while "Preludin" alternations from rhythmic to slow with excellent flute passages, refer to Jazz-Rock likes. At The Sound Of The Bell is a complete set of artistically arranged strong compositions-songs succeeding wonderfully one another, creating alternate feelings and soundscapes. A perfect use of melodic keyboards, strings, saxes and flute, based on a solid rhythm section and occasional fast classic rock guitar outbursts, allow Surkamp's dramatic voice crescendo to be revealed. "Did You See Him Cry", strongly influenced from Genesis and (Yes motifs, is the epic symphonic highlight of this exceptional Album. Third and Lost In America are fairly rare TRC releases in Europe, but issued on CD as well. Neither are at all considered progressive rock works. Third, recorded back in their motherland Missouri, contrast to the first two, recorded both in New York, is a collection of mostly conventional Southern blues-rock songs, with a little melodic blend enriches from keyboards and strings. Surkamp's sensitive touch is still present, but the magic is gone. Only for fans! Finally, Lost In America, their 90's comeback, with Surkamp and new personnel, has no connection to the previous three 70's albums. Excluding the homonymous opening track, a nice urban soft rock song, the rest vaults between R&B tunes, soft rock, electro-pop and new wave sort of styles. Only for Collectors! -- Kimon Danielidis

Links

Click here for Pavlov's Dog's Official (fan-created) web site Click here for the Pavlov's Dog 2000 web site Click here for the David Surkamp Band web site

Pazzo Fanfano di Musica (89)

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

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

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

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

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

Discography

Ebondazzar (83)

Reviews

Innovative Communications' promo material for this Australian trio's only release spent a lot of ink recommending it to fans of King Crimson and Genesis. This should be taken with about half a ton of salt, for Ebondazzar (LP KS 80044) is really about something else. Granted, "Encounter" may open the album with some Red-influenced rapid-fire guitar-synth flailing, before turning into a bittersweet symphonic synthesizer largo, while "Ocean of Dreams" uses a web of slightly Genesis-like synthesizer ostinati to weave out its dreamy melody. However, these excellent pieces represent just one minor piece in the musical mosaic that makes up the album. The sequencer-driven "Nightmist" is like a melodically better structured excerpt from [TD's] Rubycon, while the intertwining guitar and synthesizer lines on the first part of "Along for the Ride" and the synthesized power-trio rock of "The Hunt" would not be out of place on Ashra's Belle Alliance. In fact, Ashra might be the paragon of the whole album. However, the presence of the free-time synthesizer abstract "The Abyss" on the one hand and the pseudo-Baroque guitar heroics far removed from Manuel Göttsching's space-blues style on "Agent's Lunch" on the other belie such easy comparisons. While short of spectacular, Ebondazzar is quite a novel take on the Berlin-school electronic rock that unfortunately has got buried under a pile of lesser acts in the IC back catalogue and the history of Australian rock. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Islands in the Stream (94)

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