S/T (75), Moj Svet (78), Paviljon G (79)

Prog.

Crystallization (78)

Discography

Angel's Dream (97) Missa Univeralis (Music for the Modern Mass) (99?) Sob Todos Os Aspectos (00)

Reviews

Mr. Saba sent me a very nice sampler including several cuts from each of his albums. This is a great way to hear samples of all of an artist's output! I'll review each one as if I've heard the entire album, but be aware that I've only heard the individual cuts I mention. Saba's first album is Angel's Dream, and it's a (nearly) solo effort. Saba plays guitar and keyboards, plus a guitar controller for his synthesizers. The compositions use electronic drums. This is obviously recorded in a bedroom studio. It's a mishmash of different styles, with prog or fusion elements in most of the songs. The compositions aren't bad, but the cheezy "toy keyboard" sounds and synthesized drums make this album hard to listen to. There are also many errors in timing and synchronization while doing the overdubs. But mostly, it sounds too much like "one person in a studio". I keep thinking, "Man, this guy needs a band bad!" The cuts on the sampler are "Dick Tracy", "Amanhecer", "Suite - The Cicada and he Ant", "Angels Can't Sleep (but they can fly)", and "The Untold Story of Arthur the King" (since this is an instrumental album, I suppose the story will remain untold). Saba's second album, Missa Universalis, is a far superior release, though it's arguably less "Progressive" and more into the "World Music" genre. This is a suite intended to be performed at a Catholic mass. The instruments are very varied in this work, and the performance is much tighter than in Angel's Dream. Saba has all but abandoned the guitar for this album (except for one acoustic guitar track). "Consagração" is almost oriental sounding with its wood flutes and gongs, but also uses tablas and tympani for percussion and tubular bells for harmonies. Saba melds these cross-cultural sounds together perfectly into a very nice piece. "Comunhão" somehow manages to fuse a Pierre Moerlin-style marimba and a Philip Glass counterpoint arpeggio into another excellent composition. The other piece of this album on the sampler is "Encerramento", not quite as memorable as the other two cuts, but also a good piece. Based on these samples, I would definitely recommend this album, though not if you're only looking for '70's symphonic prog. It's definitly not that. But as much as I liked Missa Universalis, my favorite selections are from Saba's third album, Sob Todos os Aspectos. This is music for a theater piece written by Brazilian playwright Luiz Horácio. This play contains a treatment of 6 emotions, of which Saba includes "Anguish", "Anger", "Despair" and "Paralysis" on the sampler CD. "Anguish" is a solo electric guitar piece, very improvised and non-melodic. It's heavy distortion and crying pitch-bends very well portray the emotion. "Anger" is a flamenco piece, complete with castañets and acoustic guitar, but with an electric guitar solo being played over the top of it. I personally find this one to be a strange choice ... Flamenco has always been about joy and eroticism to me, not anger. As with all of Saba's guitar solos, it sometimes tends to ramble on a bit. Still, this is a really interesting piece of music, reminding me of the band Carmen. "Despair" is texturally similar to "Anguish", but the guitar is being played backwards. Also a cool piece. The final cut is "Paralysis" which is a pipe organ piece. It's an ominous chord over a droning bass pedal with very little movement in the notes. It is joined by a spacey synth drone towards the end of the piece. This definitely sounds like paralysis. So, a mixed review, but mostly positive. For prog fans, I recommend you start with Sob Todos os Aspectos and then move on to Missa Universalis if you like it. The music is all instrumental, so if you're concerned about it being too preachy, don't be. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Alex Saba's web site (in English and Portugese)

Sadistic Mika Band (74), Black Ship (75), Hot! Menu (75)

Black Ship has four true progressive songs on it, but what songs they are! The nine-minute "Sumie No Kuni E" moves through three discrete sections. It opens with carefree solo electric piano resembling the tolling of wind chimes. Next is a ballad-like section featuring a man singing and narrating the same text simultaneously. The track concludes with a heavy section with some amazing soloing, ending finally with an echo of the e-piano intro. Fantastic! But even this is overshadowed by the great "Black Ship (Second June, Third June, Fourth June)," which starts off as a fine prog epic with good guitar and Mellotron which gives way to some hot rock jamming with guitar and piano punctuated by wild shouts and then climaxes with a dramatic Floydian/symphonic postlude with some guitar playing that will have you screaming "Encore! Encore!" There are two more tracks worth mentioning, "Four Seasons"-- a keyboard-heavy kitchen-sink slab of symphonic prog-- and the sleepy, minor-chorded album-closing "Sayonara." If only all the songs on this album were like this, but... Well, to be fair there are only two tracks on the album which are really bad, the proto-disco of "Suki Suki Suki" and the unbelievably tacky Japanese rock of "Time Machine," both the only two tracks to feature vocals by Mika Katoh, who gets top billing here. Mika comes to deserve her status as star on the third album, Hot! Menu, performing lead vocals on two tracks and duetting with husband Kazuhiko Katoh on three more. (he sang on most tracks of the first album) Surprisingly, it begins with two instrumentals: "Time To Noodle," a jumping fusion type of jam session with a bit in 15/8 (!) and "Mummy Doesn't Go To Parties Since Daddy Died," which is centred around harpsichord-like arpeggiated piano and blissfully plucked guitar with a constant background of kindergarten-sounds. The band takes its first stab at English lyrics on "Hi Jack (I'm Just Dying)" and "Style is Changing," the former uses the old Western "Oriental music" cliche as its central riff, the latter is a heavily phased guitar-rocker. "Funkee Mahjong" is a much more credible stab at funk than "Suki Suki Suki" from the first album. And I really don't know what to make of "Tokyo Sunrise," for which Mika gets sole songwriting credit. In it, an obviously stoned Mika mumbles about how she wants to make a "tequira sunlise" to a background of a Japanese music-box, two guitars (acoustic and electric) and stand-up bass. Weird. Start with the first album, in spite of its peccadilloes it's worth it. Although Hot! Menu avoids the embarrassing low points of the first album, it likewise fails to include the stunning high points which made the first one so essential. -- Mike Ohman

Sadistic Mika Band doesn't have much in the way of "progressive rock". A few tunes are hard pop-rock with strange interludes, like "Typhoon" on Black Ships, while the rest is straight-ahead pop with country, reggae and rock'n'roll influences here and there. Probably best to skip it and go straight to Black Ships. -- Michael Walpole

[Black Ship was released in the US without a title. So, if you find an album by them with a pink cover on the UK Harvest label showing the band in samba outfits posing before a tropical backdrop, it's Sadistic Mika Band. If it has a blue cover on either US or UK Harvest showing the band members in apparent free-fall, it's Black Ship, the one you want.]

Discography

Illusions (88) Swallowed In Black (90) A Vision of Misery (92) Chemical Exposure (92, Illusions reprinted) Elements of Anger (97) Chronicles of Chaos (97, Compilation)

Reviews

Not prog, perhaps sharp and hectic "extreme fusion" without a trace of heart and soul, but perhaps worth a listen (A Vision of Misery) at least because of the monster bass player Steve Di Giorgio (usually plays six string fretless bass), who has helped Death’s Chuck Schuldiner to accomplish finest recordings of his band. For those who play bass, essential listening. As performing glissando-style on his bass, Steve could be perceived as a (diametrical) reflection of bright glissandoers (Allen, Hillage) in Qlippoth (from the prog standpoint o.c.). And I’m not joking. -- Nenad Kobal

Links

[See Death]

Saffron (74)

Discography

Saga (78) Images at Twilight (79) Silent Knight (80) World's Apart (82) In Transit (82) Heads or Tales (83) Behaviour (85) Wildest Dreams (87) Beginner's Guide to Throwing Shapes (89) The Works (91) Security of Illusion (93) Steel Umbrellas (94) Generation 13 (95) Pleasure And The Pain (96) Detours (98)

Reviews

Canadian band who got off to a great start, and have tailed off quite a bit recently. Saga, Images at Twilight, Silent Knight and Worlds Apart are all classics combining multiple keyboards and great lead guitar work. Later albums are more pop based or straight rock and often cliched. Wildest Dreams is especially cliched. Security of Illusion reunites the orignal lineup, but the results are still in the AOR vein. Steven Negus does some *excellent* drumming on this album, BTW.

Saga was/is possibly the first neo-prog band. Their music has two distinct faces - a progressive sound derivative of Yes and perhaps a little Genesis, and a fairly unique pop sound which seems to be their own. The early albums balance these two sides nicely, offering songs that are both accessible and interesting. This balance held until the overtly low key Behaviour, which followed some personnel changes. With Wildest Dreams they were down to a three piece and sporting a new, punchy techno-metallic sound, which carried through to Beginners Guide, which is where I lost interest in them. The new album Security Of Illusion allegedly features the original five piece lineup. Best albums -Silent Knight, Worlds Apart, Heads Or Tales.

The Works is a double-disc compilation of this Canadian progressive rock group. Also featured are three new tracks, all of which are, thankfully, a return to their earlier sound in terms of style. One of these is a cover of Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill"! This is the only Saga compilation that I know of, and covers their career quite well, without emphasis on any particular period. All their staples, including "Humble Stance," "Wind Him Up," etc. are featured, and this could well serve as a good introduction to the band.

The band's debut may be classified as the first neo-prog album. Marred by two disco-ish songs, still, there's some fine German-styled synth work here though. The track "Ice Nice" may be one of the band's best songs ever. Michael Sadler's faux-Anglo voice may get on some people's nerves. Silent Knight is probably the best, opening with the memorable "Don't Be Late". Their albums are solidly in the neo-prog mould, but the playing and writing are of high quality. -- Mike Ohman

The Canadian group is back with Generation 13, an ambitious production that marks a return to a more progressive development of themes. The five piece band is the same as the one we were used to. The G13 concept, developed in 25 scenes, is inspired by a book dealing with the anguish related to the turn of the century. Musically, the sound is much the same as the one we knew except for a heavy production, with numerous effects, that adds quite a bit of drama to the treatment of the concept. A strong comeback that will please those who knew them and surprise those who didn't. -- Paul Charbonneau

The quality of Saga´s albums fluctuated wildly in the 90s. Their first new studio album The Security Of Illusion, though at times influenced too much by AOR and normal hard rock, had good songs, excellent instrumental work (especially by drummer Steve Negus) and at least occasional glimpses of the spirit of their heydays. However, Steel Umbrellas, the album that came out a year later, was a miserably failed attempt at a middle-of-the-road, commercial rock album. It played down guitars, keyboards, instrumental sections and good compositions, leaving only smooth surface, monotonous drumming and some vague funk, blues and pop ideas. There were a couple of good tunes, but they were more than balanced by the irritating quasi-funk of "Feed The Fire" and "Say Goodbye To Hollywood", a ballad so sickly sweet you need a complete dental overhaul after listening to it. After this fiasco Generation 13 was quite a surprise. A dark, longish and somewhat obscure concept album about alienated youth, Generation 13 explored a wealth of instrumental colours from guitar-driven hard rock to abstract keyboard-texture pieces, from neo-classical orchestral songs to hip-hop influences! Though not completely successful (there is a shortage of really good compositions, leading to unnecessary repetition and overuse of slim themes that are not that interesting), the album was a bold move and definitely the most progressive thing they had done since the early 80's. Unfortunately the only ideas from Generation 13 to pop up on the next album Pleasure And The Pain were the screechy guitars and the hip-hop influences; things like keyboards or progressive ideas were buried deep in the mix. Tellingly, the best track was a new version of their old classic "You´re Not Alone", hardly deserving of the treatment it got on this album. Their next release was a live album called Detours which gives a good overview of the band’s output (though there is no material from the mundane Wildest Dreams or the mediocre Beginners Guide to Throwing Shapes), but fortunately focuses on their first four studio albums. Sounding more aggressive than the studio albums and featuring two multimedia tracks, Detours is two hours worth of Saga at their best - even if it contains no new material. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Discography

Sagittarian (84)

Reviews

Sagittarian (CD Mellow Records MMP 133) is one of the more obscure Japanese symphonic bands, perhaps because the original Aries Records pressing of their sole album was only of a few hundred copies. It is also one of the least remarkable Japanese releases, in good and bad alike. A line-up of drums, bass and two guitarists and keyboardists plays the kind of melodic, straight-forward symphonic rock that has its influences in prime Camel, Genesis and Novalis without actually nicking anything from any of them. The timbral palette is geared more towards early-1980's electronics than those of their paragons and especially rhythmic complexity is somewhat diminished in comparison. Yet the emphasis is on instrumental work, not extended pop song structures, as with the neo-progressive rock (there are some politely neutral vocals on couple of the tracks). The playing and writing are good, just not terribly original or stirring. Occasionally the music does take nicely to flight, especially when they overlay two solo lines, usually on synthesizer and guitar, and use the interplay to build up to a satisfying instrumental climax (e.g. "Twilight Lament"). It's a nice album overall, just not for those who measure the quality of music by its offensiveness. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Discography

Sagrado Coração Da Terra (85) Flecha (87) Farol Da Liberdade (91) Grande Espirito (94) A Leste do Sol, Oeste Da Lua (00) Sacred Heart of Earth (01)

Reviews

I heard great things about Sagrado Coração De Terra from numerous people, so was obviously looking forward to hearing them. Their leader, Marcus Viana is an absolutely excellent violin player and is also good on keyboards and vocals as well, but I was less than impressed on first listens. These guys are very accessible and melodic, almost to the point of sounding close to soft rock. Further listens, and they grew on me extremely and are now hard to get of the record player! I think everyone here would appreciate them - the blend of classical and cultural elements with Viana's knack for songwriting make their LPs Sagrado Coração De Terra and Flecha musts for prog fans of all sorts. Beautiful and haunting, gliding and ethereal, I can't get enough of them.

Their sound is very symphonic with allusions to South American folk and pop. Driven by the violin of leader Marcus Viana, the music is very emotional in a very classical sort of way, with many dynamic interludes. Female/male vocal harmonies make for some truly beautiful passages. BTW, they are from Brazil and most of the vocals are in Portuguese.

About Grande Espirito, it's a new style, with a excellent singer named Bauxita (male), with a powerful voice. Grande Espirito is aimed for the foreign market, since two songs are in English, one in Tupi (Indian language) and an instrumental song, plus four songs in Portuguese. Most of Sagrado's song lyrics are about counciess (?), forest preservation, and spiritual uplift (kind of New Age).

Yes, they have a violin player. No, they don't sound like PFM! I find their music very commercial sounding and lackluster. I would suggest trying some of the other bands from Brazil before these guys. -- Mike Ohman

This band, led by the excellent violinist (keyboards, vocals and arrangements) Marcus Viana, that also includes keyboards, guitars, bass, drums, flutes and choir. Flecha is a light melodic rock that relies on rich symphonic arrangements. The tracks are usually text-based (in Portuguese) and show classical influences through violin and keyboard arrangements. The sustained use of electric instruments (violin included) insures a rock sound but the music often shows a soft romantic touch. For fans of soft, light symphonism. The line-up on Farol da Liberdade also includes guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, flutes, voice (in Spanish) and choir. In fact, the participation of the various instruments is well balanced and their rich symphonic arrangements dominate. The style stays true to rock with a mostly electric sound (violin included), solid rhythms and simple writing. On the other hand, melodies and arrangements show classical influences that are commonly associated with Italian bands. -- Paul Charbonneau

The listing for Sagrado Coração da Terra [made] reference to the "late" Marcus Viana. I know I've heard that from numerous quarters, so it isn't just the GEPR. However, he does seem quite active for a dead man [see link below]. -- Nathan-Andrew Leaflight [Editor's note: This embarrassing mistake has now been fixed. Thanks, Nathan-Andrew, and apologies to Marcus Viana!]

Links

Click here for Marcus Viana's web site, including information on Sagrado Coração da Terra

Discography

Sahara (73) Subject (73) Sunrise (74) For All the Clowns (76)

Reviews

Free-flowing electronic prog, compared to Novalis.

There is something schizophrenic about Sunrise, as the album’s four songs run a gamut of musical styles without much attempt at cohesion. For example, the 27-minute title track features free-form improvisation with prominent bass guitar; some spacey organ vaguely reminiscent of Novalis; fusionesque synth soloing; a brief symphonic burst of Mellotron and a rocking section with an organ riff that could have come from The Yes Album. Elsewhere they can sound a bit like Traffic or even some Nashville band! Definitely a unique mix of styles, but not one that I found terribly engaging. For All the Clowns is much more concise and enjoyable a work. There is still a host of influences, but they are now better integrated into tighter and well-composed song structures. During the course of the album, the band tackle an Emersonian piano étude ("Prélude"), Tull-like guitar riffs and flute-sneezing ("Dream Queen"), a pleasant acoustic guitar fragment ("Fool the Fortune"), and just your basic German string-synths-and-rich-minor-key-guitar-melodies symphonic rock in the style of Novalis and Rousseau ("The Source"). The highlight must be the title-track, however, which flows from "I Get Up, I Get Down"-style keyboard soup through jazzy vocal sections into a steadily-building weave of synthesizer and guitar solos that is at the same time hypnotically spacey and intensely symphonic. The quality of the tunes drops somewhat towards the end, but overall this is another solid German progressive album. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Links

[See Subject Esq.]

Sailor (74), Trouble (75), Third Step (76), Check Point (77), Greatest Hits (78), Hideaway (78), Dressed To Drown (81)

Roxy Music-soundalike.

[See Affinity]

Discography

Sailor (74)

Reviews

Symphonic Prog from US, I think very rare and pressed in few copies, was issued on white cover and pasted a picture not unlike '70 bootleg !!!!!!! Mainly instrumental, line up: Sidney Gasner (bs) Mark Wenner (dr) Michael Mc Glynn (kb) Reynold Philipsek (gr) Private press 1974. -- Antonio Ceruso

Sailor Free (92), The Fifth Door (94)

Sailor Free is a current Italian act delivering heavy acid rock in the vein of Black Sabbath, Jericho and so forth. A four-piece of guitar, bass, drums, vocals and keys, the focus is on the heavy hooks of the guitarist, known simply as The Hook. The first of the 11 songs on the 51 min. The Fifth Door is quite deceiving. Called "Intro II," it's an atmospheric mix of synths, Mellotron and a variety of percussion. (Sonically, this disc is *very* nicely recorded. This is demonstrated by the percussion of "Intro II," which have real impact.) I knew that these guys were supposed to be hard rock/psych but when I heard "Intro II," I thought they might go off like a heavy dose of Tangle Edge. That idea is put to rest when The Hook goes "Wild," the second song. This sets the stage for the next few songs, hard rock with a touch of the psychedelic. Vocalist/keyboardist David Petrosino lyric delivery alternates between smooth and gritty, depending on what the music calls for. Though the heavy hand and wah-wahed solos of The Hook dominate, Petrosino's use of Mellotron, organ and even VCS3 add extra depth, particularly in the later tracks. "Safe Havens," one of the hard rockers ends with a contrasting violin solo played by guest Barbara Barbatelli. This end heralds the arrival of the stronger psychedelic presence, as the band lays back on the heavy hooks. But first, the band gives one more dose of heavy riffing, sustained power chords and a mind-bending wah-wah solo on "Revolution is at Hand." Then comes "The Fifth Door," replete with tabla, Vox organ and guest vocalist Devi harmonizing with Petrosini. The psychedelic flower come to full blossom with this track, reminding me of an incredibly heavy version of The Moody Blues' "House of Four Doors." The Mellotron is put to use against a sax solo and a heavy-handed guitar solo on "Fairy Queen," extending the lysergic journey. The remainder of the songs balances the hard rock and psychedelic acts. There is an unlisted eleventh track, a variation on the opening introduction, to close the disc. If you're heavy into the heavy acid rock scene of the late '60s, Sailor Free should not fail to please.

Discography

Saint Just (73) La Casa Del Lago (74)

Reviews

I had La Casa Del Lago. Very good Italian classical progressive. More acoustic and folk sounding than rock. There is a problem though: the feminine vocals are just terrible and destroys everything. Reminded me of Tale Cue's vocalist but worse. But if you like Tale Cue ... -- Jean-François Cousin

Links

[See Sorrenti, Jenny | Verde, Antonio]

Icarus (78)

Icarus may not be one of the best CDs I have acquired recently, but it is certainly one of the most interesting/surprising ones from the standpoint of my expectations prior to hearing it. Purportedly an offshoot of the band Celeste; I think these guys are in reality Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy recording another solo album under a pseudonym :-). But really, St. Tropez is indeed an offshoot of Celeste, formed by synthesist/percussionist Ciro Perrino with the help of Giorgio Battaglia and Francesco "Bat" Dimasi on bass and drums respectively. Icarus was recorded in 1977/1978, and for the recording they recruited a guitarist, Alex Magazzino, and a female vocalist named Lady Mantide, who is credited with "space voices." If that sounds suspiciously like the "space whisper" of Gong, then you are starting to get an idea of their sound. But to call this simply a Gong or Hillage sound-alike album is not entirely accurate. The CD clocks in at a healthy 75 minutes, and as there is no mention of bonus tracks anywhere, I assume this was originally a double LP. Thus the 10 songs found here provide Perrino and Co. a bit of room to move beyond the spacey synth/modal guitar sound that dominates the album. The guitarist does sound more like Steve Hillage than Hillage himself at times, and the synths are very much in the Tim Blake/Miquette Giraudy vein, but as the album progresses the sound takes on a more recognizeably Italian character. At times this evokes the sound of their fellow countrymen Sensations' Fix, with droning synths and acoustic guitar ostinatos supporting psychedelic vocals or instrumental soloing. There are even a few moments where the sound aproaches that of someone like Banco or PFM. Nevertheless, the music of St. Tropez is pretty much your Canterbury variety of space-rock/electronic-psychedelia, with passing similarities to not only Gong/Hillage but also bands like National Health or Camel. And though I have so far been unsuccessful in acquiring Celeste's Principe Di Un Giorno album, I had the impression that Celeste, and therefore St. Tropez, would sound something along the lines of PFM or Locanda Delle Fate; needless to say Icarus came as a bit of a surprise! So thats what they sound like, but is it any good? Well, to continue the comparison to Hillage, Icarus stands perhaps a notch below the classic Fish Rising, but better than anything else the Octave Doctor created after leaving Gong. The length of the album might tend to make it susceptible to excessive repitition and "sameness," but St. Tropez do a surprisingly good job of varying the sound enough within and between songs to make the entire 75 minutes engaging. This may not be one of *the* essential Italian progressive albums, but it is certainly a unique anomaly of the Italian '70s scene that might be a welcome respite if you've had too much PFM or Osanna styled prog. Icarus was rereleased by Mellow Records in 1992 and is available from Syn-Phonic.

[See Celeste]

Bitzitako Gauzak (78)

Basque prog band whose sound is different from most. There's no real folk influence, and it's primarily keyboard-based rather than guitar based. The sound is something more akin to Castilian bands like Bloque, Asafalto or Goma. It's sort of symphonic prog with keyboard and guitar jams here and there. Sometimes average, but often exciting, reaching a sort of peak with the climactic closing track "Bilatzea," which has a most memorable theme, one of many on this excellent album. -- Mike Ohman

Discography

Gikyoku Onsou (91) Beyond the Beyond (96) Shining the Holy Ark (96) Force of Light (99) ... several more soundtrack and game-music releases

Reviews

Motoi Sakuraba Sakuraba was the keyboardist for the japanese trio Deja Vu. His solo album [Gikyoku Onsou] is an instrumental smorgasbord of keyboard wizardry, with bass and drums backing. The overall style leans toward fusion, with some symphonic, and ELP influenced tendencies; the overall spirit of the music here often reminds me of Edhels, especially on the more "orchestrated" sounding cuts. Excellent.

Motoi Sakuraba was the keyboardist for Deja Vu. He also contributed his keyboard talents to the excellent King's Boards collaboration of several Japanese Prog keyboardists. His solo album, Gikyoku Onsou is a trio of drums, bass and, of course, keyboards. Sakuraba's keyboard arsensal consists of piano, organ and a battery of synthesizers. Despite the keyboard trio format, Gikyoku Onsou rarely compares to ELP, Le Orme, etc. Sakuraba's style is more refined than Emerson's "in your face" aggressiveness. Sakuraba, like Emerson, shows many classical (and sometimes jazz) influences but I think Sakuraba draws from a different body of classical material than does Emerson. Whereas Emerson draws a lot from 20th century composers, Sakuraba's refined style sounds to me like he draws more from classical or romantic periods. Whatever, Sakuraba certainly has a flair for the keyboards. The drummer draws the same analogy to Carl Palmer. He's very good but shows more restraint than Palmer. There are no vocals or guitar. If you like keyboard Prog but find ELP a little too pompous or bombastic, check out Sakuraba's release.

Links

[See Deja Vu | King's Boards] Click here for Motoi Sakuraba's web site (in English)

The Ten Commandments (71)

From the opening strains of "Prelude," you'll be reminded of the Moody Blues, except not as good. Salamander is an early UK psych band that attempts to create symphonic progressive by using a rock quartet with an orchestra, ala Moody Blue's Day's of Future Passed or Deep Purple's Concerto For Group and Orchestra. I don't think Salamander succeed as well as either of them. Organ abounds, as does guitar and vocals. The Ten Commandments, as the title suggests, is a conceptual album with each song dedicated to one of the commandments. For me, the orchestra detracts from their musical statement. It might have been better served had they focused on the interplay between guitar and organ. There are a few nice moments, but alas, they are few and far between. Mediocre.

Discography

Salem Hill (92) Different Worlds (93) Catatonia (97) The Robbery of Murder (98) Not Everybody's Gold (00) Puppet Show (03, 2CD, Live & Unreleased material) Be (03) Mimi's Magic Moment (05)

Reviews

Salem Hill is headed up by guitarist/vocalist/primary writer/keyboardist Carl Groves. Influences can be heard (the usual culprits - particularly Pink Floyd, Kings X, Kansas, Rush, Yes, and Crimson) - but Salem Hill goes beyond their influences and definitely has a sound of their own. While there first 2 CDs can be said to be progressive or at least have progressive leanings, depending on how you evaluate such things (and in any case are very good in their own right), it's their later three that are most worth checking out. Catatonia is a concept album. The songs tell the story of a guy disillusioned with life with some peculiar characteristics and I'll leave it to the reader to inquire further about the story if interested. Musically, it's primarily guitar oriented prog - with some keyboards added by Groves and Michael Ayers (who later joined Salem Hill). The Robbery of Murder is shows more musical growth and diversity, as well as a more intriguing story. Ayers joined Salem Hill so there's more going on between the guitars and keyboards. Not Everybody's Gold is not a concept album, but it contains the best music Salem Hill has put out (in my opinion). The keyboards are more integrated on this CD. The gem among all the tracks is "Sweet Home Suite" which is over 20 minutes long and is rich in instrumentation, complex time changes and polyrhythms, advanced harmonies, etc. - beyond that - it is truly orchestrated, not just arranged for a rock band. This track alone is worth buying the CD for. The rest of the CD contains some excellent progrock as well. -- Mike Tennenbaum

Addendum 12/31/02 Rumor had it after the release of Not Everybody's Gold that the band was on the verge of breaking up. This has been confirmed by the band, and in fact they had decided to call it quits. They called the recording of NEG everything from "not much fun" to "excruciating". Michael Ayers in particular wanted to dissolve the band. However, the original four members of the band (Michael Dearing - guitars, Carl Groves - vocals, guitars, keys, Kevin Thomas - drums, vocals and Patrick Henry - bass) got back together to do one more recording to fulfill a contractual agreement with Cyclops and suddenly discovered they were having a great time again. So, they are back together and working on a new album, tentatively titled Be, and they are shooting for a mid-2003 release date. It is supposed to Be another concept album. -- Fred Trafton

Addendum 9/28/07 Be was released in 2003, along with a 2CD album of live and unreleased material entitled Puppet Show. The band's latest release is another concept entitled Mimi's Magic Moment, which many fans have called their best to date. Glass Hammer keyboardist Fred Schendel played as a guest on Mimi's Magic Moment, and now Salem Hill's Carl Groves is the lead (male) singer for Glass Hammer. He appears on the newest Glass Hammer DVD, Live at Belmont, and is vocalist for their upcoming new album Culture of Ascent. Salem Hill have also released a DVD called Mystery Loves Company in 2007. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Glass Hammer] Click here for Salem Hill's web site Click here to order Catatonia through Not Everybody's Gold from GFT-Cyclops

Seduto Sull'Alba A Guardare (74), Dopo Il Buio, La Luce (78)

[See Salis, I]

Sa Vita Ida Est (71)

A family band and a little commercial.

[See Salis, Antonello]

Saluki (76)

Norwegian fusion band.

Discography

Samadhi (74)

Reviews

Easier to the ears, and related to RRR ... Samadhi created a very interesting style of progressive and at times tends to be very symphonic. Again, a variety of styles are experimented with and again it flows very well. This one I found much easier to get into than RRR.

A vangard-jazz album with a great singer.

Samadhi's line-up includes the ex-guitarist and the ex-vocalist of Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno, but their album has little in common with the concise barbed wire sound of triple-R's Per... Un Mondo Di Cristallo. Instead Samadhi (Warner Fonit 3984 28260-2) is one of those Italian prog albums that contains a range of fairly heterogenous tunes unified primarily by their allegiance to bel canto-ish vocal melodies that seem to permeate Italian popular music. The first side of the album is full of short, bright and direct tunes full of acoustic guitar, sprightly keyboards and youthfully enthusiastic vocal harmonies. The melodic gravity is of the same magnitude as Blocco Mentale's, but without that band's volatile complexity to balance it. The instrumental "Passagio di Via Arpino" throws in kitschy horn stabs and indulges in even kitschier fusion noodling. However, the last two songs delve deeper into rich symphonic arrangements, and the album climaxes with the rumbling instrumental ride-out of "L'Ultima Spiaggia" that uses semi-operatic male and female vocals to flesh out the closing bombast. Samadhi's melodic splendour makes it very worthwhile, but not quite eligible to the pantheon of Italian progressive. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Links

[See Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno | Teoremi, I | Uovo Di Colombo, L']

Sameti (72), Hungry For Love (74)

Prog, w/members of Amon Düül II and Between.

[See Amon Düül II | Between]

Discography

Samkha (93)

Reviews

For all I know, this is the only Samkha album released on CD, though I've never heard of other works released under the name of Samkha on any kind of "media", including LP and even Cassette. The CD's booklet doesn't contain any information on the band, so all we have here are the details that concern only this very album, apart from the strange name. Samkha is a Hindu word whose roots are hidden behind the wall of centuries in the ancient Sanscrit language. Somebody from the band explains the meaning of Samkha in the booklet. As they put it, Samkha is "an Indian musical shell which also has religious significance". (One of the Indian music styles that also has a religious sense, i.e. it is also used in religious rituals?). Well, let's better talk about Samkha's music. I'm inclined to let you know my final opinion on Samkha's only self-titled album right now. Actually, even now I think this album deserves to be rated as a masterpiece yet "officially" I've decided to rate it a bit lower and that's the reason why. Compositionally, "Samkha" is one of the most original and colourful instrumental works I've heard in years, but stylistically, the album is kind of intentionally divided into two relatively equal parts. According to the explanation of one of the band members about what they perform, "this is some kind of Indian music that also has a religious sense". Yes, all the first five compositions briefly and generally can be described this way. But the remaining tracks 6 to 9 stylistically are of a slightly different weight category; and although it's obvious that all the nine album's instrumentals could be played by a band whose approach to composing and arranging musical material is very own and specific, Samkha represents the band's "progressive approach" to composing, arranging and performing not only the Indian music. Well, "Kolyadka" (by the way, it's the name of a Russian Christmas song), "Pilgrim", "Yoke", "Crane's Dance", and "Camel" are full of various Indian raga-like melodies and female vocalizes that are really similar to some Indian religious (or ritual) singings. All this Indian distinct and colourful stuff, typical for each of the first five pieces, doesn't prevent the both leading players - guitarist and flautist (though, there is the sax instead of the flute on "Camel") - from adding to an Eastern palette some Slavonic, but most often West European obviously medieval minstrel strokes. I've found even a few comparable episodes in always virtuosic and almost everywhere original solos and roulades of the guitar / banjo player and flautist. As for the guitarist, there is an obvious similarity with Jimmy Page's playing the acoustic guitar. Igor Kaim did it on "Kolyadka" very close to the way Jimmy did on "The Battle of Evermore" (Led Zeppelin-IV). Eugene Zhdanov's playing the flute has a clear resemblance with Ian Anderson's (Jethro Tull) immediately recognizable style on two compositions - "Yoke" and "Glass". Few minstrel-like guitar passages surrounded by a strong Indian musical atmosphere can be heard for the first time on Pilgrim. "Yoke", standing right in the middle of the Indian Five, is one of the two fully instrumental compositions here. No vocalizes on this one, female or male, though the latter is heard only on the album's last track. "Yoke" is also probably the most complex, diverse and interesting, hence the best composition here. "Crane's Dance" also differs a bit from the other first five pieces: there are more Arabian than Indian flavours on it, and on "Camel", the fifth piece of the album, Zhdanov for the first time put aside his flute in favour of the sax. That way, there are no similar pieces (at least in the overall sound) among even those five ones that have an obvious Indian musical nucleus in the structures, and that's a good thing (at least for an album of our beloved Progressive). The second "half" of the compositions represent a more mixed overall picture than the previous one. But, the main thing is, all these (6 to 9) pieces, unlike the first five tracks, aren't based on Indian music. Each of them contains no more than just slight traces of Indian flavours that turn up more or less obviously just in the vocalized parts. It's really hard to call rich and always varied percussive arrangements Indian when all parts of the soloing instruments (guitar, banjo, flute, sax) are by no means Indian. Particularly, "Flame" was named that as if on purpose because basically this is nothing but Spanish Flamenco. Yes, when both soloing and especially rhythmical parts of the acoustic guitar play Flamenco the percussionist automatically switches to the according rhythmical structures. Call them "samba" or "rumba" - whatever, they sound here like the Spanish percussion. With quite a long (at 1,5 minutes) percussion intro, with all the soloing parts of guitar, flute and sax (closer to the end) which are rather of European than of some Eastern origin, and especially with regular inflammatory female ejaculations "Glass" gives the impression of hot Spanish women dancing to the accompaniment of a Prog'n'folk ensemble from some other European country. In this ("second") category, "Lake" is the only composition that has some Indian feel, but its obvious presence here is only due to the female vocalizes while all the varied musical parts, including sax solos, are of the European origin once again. On the whole, this is one of few compositions where a melancholy mood dominates all over. As if on the contrary to "Lake", "Capricorn" is the shortest yet the most lively, jolly and fast instrumental here. Stylistically, it represents a slightly unusual yet unique type of a progressive instrumental: this is a blend of medieval holiday music with Gypsy playful soloing. The album's closing track is the only on which you'll here a male vocalize, apart from female. And Gypsies, by the way are Eastern people. So, I just described the compositions from the second "half" (category) of the CD. As you see, all of them are even more different from each other than the first five. Which is good, again. Actually, this is one of the most unique, interesting and diverse instrumental Prog-Folk albums I have ever heard. Though now, I can't even remember another one that, being based almost totally on structures of Indian and other kinds of music of the East would be brave enough to add there rich and tasteful arrangements of contemporary and medieval European music, apart from few others. It would be better if the band didn't lead a potential listener in advance to an idea that their album is wholly based on Indian music as stated in the album's booklet. Finally, I have to notice that a traditional way of labeling the band's music within the same frames that are used by Boheme up to now doesn't apply too often. Once again, in music of Samkha I have found no Jazz nor (especially) "world music", though the label present the band's music as a blend of Jazz and world music, of all things. -- Vitaly Menshikov

Links

Click here for Boheme's web site You can mail order Boheme titles by e-mailing to boheme@iol.cz

Discography

Samla Mammas Manna (71) Måltid (73) Klossa knapitatet (74) Snorungarnas Symfoni (76) Kaka (99) As Zamla Mammaz Manna: För äldre nybegynnare/Schlagerns Mystik (78) Familjesprickor (80) As von Zamla: Zamlarannama (82) No Make Up! (84) ... 1983 (99, Live from 1983)

Reviews

This pioneering Swedish band combines folk melodies with hard driving rock improvisations and Zappa-like humor. Their first LP in 1970 (on the Silence label) gives few clues to their eventual direction. With the addition of the talented guitarist Coste Apetrea, their second LP, Måltid (1973), is a mix of hot, guitar-led improvisations, with short, folky tunes. Klossa Knapitatet (1974) expands on their improvisational side, and may be their best. After a mostly mediocre collaboration with Greg Fitzpatrick, Snorungarnas Symfoni (1976), they reemerged as part of the RIO crowd. SMM turned into Zamla Mammas Manna when Coste Apetrea left, to be replaced by Eino Haapala. This line-up's first release was the two record set För äldre nybegynnare/Schlagerns Mystik. One LP contains live improvisations more in line with Henry Cow than the hard-rock and jazz of earlier releases. The other LP is wild Swedish folk craziness and a long, rambling rock jam. I must admit I love this collection, but be warned, this is not for the faint of heart. Their final release as ZMM was Familjesprickor (1980), their final LP on Silence. A little darker than prior releases, Familjesprickor is, nonetheless, an excellent place to start. Von Zamla features the keyboardist Lars Hollmer and guitarist Eino Haapala with two different line-ups. Zamlaranamma (1982) features Jan Garret (bass) and Denis Brely (bassoon, oboe, sax) from Albert Marcoeur's band. No Make Up! (1984) features Michel Berckmans (oboe & bassoon) from Univers Zero fame. In 1999, Cuneiform Records released a live set from this line-up, the excellent 1983. In 1999, the original band, featuring Coste Apetrea, reformed for a one-off release, Kaka. While very good, the band's early energy and creativeness is hard to recreate some 25 years later. -- Doug Hebbard

Band that was always experimenting with silly voices, fast, odd beats, improvised song parts, unusual instruments, and occasional blazing guitar solos. Worth to check out is their drummer* Lars Hollmer's (hope I got his name right) solo work, especially the album Tolv sibiriska cyklar (Twelve Siberian Bikes) which is loaded with wacky virtuoso world music. * Lars Hollmer was, in fact, the keyboard player. -- thanks to Doug Hebbard

Ah, one of the best Swedish bands. One of the few bands the Swedish "prog" from the 1970s who really deserved the label. Playful, humouristic music, mainly instrumental with occassional vocal numbers. You might want to be careful with For aldre nybegynnare which contains only improvised numbers which is not easy digestable. Samla Mammas Manna became Zamla Mammaz Manna which derived into von Zamla. The later von Zamla album is a bit wilder than the rest. A year ago the "classical" combo of Samla rejoined, although I don't think a new album is in the works. However, their second album has been released on CD.

Ostensibly a Swedish folk band, their sound quickly picked up rock, jazz, classical and RIO influences and blended them all together into a unique sound totally their own. On their second Maltid, these widely diverse influences are not yet fully integrated into one cohesive sound, and thus the album is a little patchy, but nonetheless enjoyable. Snorungarnas Symfoni is a collaboration with composer Gregory Allan Fitzpatrick, an album of four long pieces, all extremely diverse with very complex yet melodic arrangements, the result being a positively brilliant album that defies categorization yet defines the word progressive. Familijsprickor was their final album, and by far the most intense, both for its edginess and general chaotics. Warning - these guys can get pretty bizarre at times, and may not be for everyone. Start with S. Symfoni. Von Zamla was keyboardist Lars Hollmer's attempt to resurrect the band in the mid-80's.

I love asking people how to pronounce this band's name. I highly recommend Maltid for the experimental listener. It falls well into the "progressive weirdness" category that Gong, Area, and Pell Mell are part of. While some of the many short tracks have a considerable about a "noise" (screechy vocals, strange sounds), the band has, not unlike Gong, a killer musicianship that makes Maltid a listenable (and enjoyable) offering. From Sweden (I think) Samla put out a bunch of albums in the early to mid seventies. Supposedly Maltid is one of the worst, which really makes me look forward to hearing the rest. The bassist and drummer are enormously talented, while the guitarist shreds through songs with a unique, distinct style. I can't say much else. Fans of the Radio Gnome era of Gong will love this. The rest of you should approach with a certain amount of caution.

I've only heard the first album, which with its silly voices, jazzy soloing and heavy use of electric piano sounded like something from the German or French jazzrock underground. Not unlike early Magma or Moving Gelatine Plates, but with more of a sense of humour. -- Mike Ohman

Links

[See Apetrea, Coste | Bodin, Tomas | Ensemble Nimbus | Flower Kings, The | Marcoeur, Albert | Triangulus | Univers Zero] Click here for the Samla Mammas Manna web site (last updated Nov. 25, 1998) Click here for a pretty good Samla fan site

Are You Samson? (71)

Organ/guitar dominated prog/psych.

Discography

Samurai (71)

Reviews

Prog with Dave Lawson pre-Greenslade.

For whatever reason the British band Web changed their name in 71 to Samurai. The line-up is the same than on Web's I Spider, except the addition of a second sax player. Their single release is quite similar to I Spider. It features an intense jazzrock with a certain Canterbury-feel. Samurai is a bit less heavy than I Spider and goes more in the direction of Caravan (e.g.. "Saving It Up For So Long" sounds like a more sax dominated version of Caravan). This is certainly a fantastic record, highly recommended to all Canterbury fans! -- Achim Breiling

Links

[See Greenslade | Web, The]

Discography

Golem (74) Ultrasonic Seraphim (96)

Reviews

Sand, 1974 - (Not in photo order) Ludwig Papenberg (guitars, organ, electronic drums, chorus), Ulrich Papenberg (bass guitar, percussion, chorus), Johannes Vester (lead vocals, VCS3, chorus) Very strange, unconventional music from this trio. Golem was produced by Klaus Schulze and the music is slightly folky with very heavy doses of electronic cosmic weirdness, swirling synthesizers and bizarre sounds, and long stretches of electronic minimalism, even some eerie processed voices on tracks like "Sarah." The double CD Ultrasonic Seraphim (released by David Tibet of Current 93 and Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound, no strangers to strange music) contains the entire Golem album, several alternative takes, some of which are even weirder than the Golem versions, and some non-Sand related material that's more conventional and not as interesting. -- Rolf Semprebon

Links

[See ALU | Current 93 | Nurse With Wound | Steven Stapleton] Click here for the Sand web site

Head In The Sand (76)

Prog.

Discography

Live (83, w/ Sa Vidare) Damp (85) In a Body (87, w/ Sa Vidare) Now Or Never (88) Strings and Hammers for Fingers and Nails (89) Music From A Waterhole (91) Frames (94) Under Oknar (96, w/ Simon Steensland) many others with different artists from academic camps

Reviews

Now and then associated with Bauta label, Sandell "heartworks" within similarly sinister moods as other Bauta members (Jonsson, etc.), as well as travelling through much more difficult and stranger realms. Contemporary classically trained, he appreciates to experiment with different ethnic and folk music, including his native Swedish or working strictly with C-C or improv "names". I have three of his albums and all three can satisfy in different areas (of study, -:)). All three may be very difficult to put down for certain reasons and they may be not very difficult to put down for certain others. For example, I find Now Or Never quite difficult due to low-key-ness, timbral and textural research while-not-seek-for-constancy, which can produce very chaotic results. On the other side I find that apparently sounding chaos quite relaxing. Tracks are of rather short measure, but despite of their brevity, instruments are allowed to work extensively. Keyboards and samples seek for new sounds, manipulated tapes provide some new, too, drums are producing crash and bang at the »crashest and bangest«, while saxes, if present, screech and whine in best Parker / Zorn vein. Few tracks have a slight angular ethno-folky melody, are well constructed and therefore most listenable. But whether melodic or not NON leaves good "taste" in my ears. Music From A Waterhole is more melodic, the role of keyboards is more stressed (Sten plays piano, organ, harmonium and provides some samples and receives some help from girls and guys on drums, percussion, voices, electric guitar and one Peter Soderberg add timbres of lute and theorb). Sometimes the complete "installation" rocks to the point of evil metallurgy (awesome sounding middle Eastern themes on "Procession" pt. 1 and 2), and has fairly modern production. Very interesting feature of all Bauta releases (I have listen to) is a mixing of middle Eastern, far Eastern themes with Swedish / Scandinavian ethno-folk ones. MFAW is no exception to this "rule". Frames is Sandell solo, playing pieces mostly written for piano, harmonium, percussion and voice. No samples, synths or tape manipulation! Very individual and not a little odd. Number "Frames in Frames" would be especially annoying to uninitiated, for this is percussion solo which exposes the differences between (a) beat(s) and silence. More of low-key percussion is to find on "The Hunt II". Other tracks are either piano studies of rhythms, studies of timbral effects of piano, etc., all exemplifying different techniques of piano-playing, blending dodecaphony with more common "phonies" or vice versa, and employing minimalistic approach also (some tracks are quite repetitive). Track "The Hunt I" is harmonium solo, and unfortunately the only one written for that instrument. I haven’t heard Under Oknar, which is said to be quite listenable and somewhat comparable to Area. Whether this is true me can not tell. All of described (well as much as I can describe 'em) releases are not really musical terrain suitable for landing (for average prog-fan) but, of course, this doesn’t mean that one may not try. One should definitely try to land after one have swallowed down a lot, a lot of progressive and new music. -- Nenad Kobal

Links

[See Songs Between | Steensland, Simon]

Sandrose (72)

Sandrose's debut and last is one of the best French prog albums. Similar to Earth and Fire, they play a great prog variant with lots of Mellotron, a superb guitar player in Jean-Pierre Alarcen and an overall very beautiful sound. A must.

Early French progressive band featuring guitarist Jean Pierre Alarcen and powerful female vocalist Rose Podwojny. lots of Mellotron and lengthy instrumental passages, this is one of the better of the classic early French progressives, one not to be missed.

Outstanding French one-shot whose self-titled release was an excellent album for 1972. The guitar work and atmospheric development is top-notch. There are also plenty of organ solos and washes of Mellotron. The female singer sings in English but the long instrumental sections are the norm. Comparable to later, symphonic Earth and Fire, both in singing and style. Singer Rose Podwojny's voice is very similar to Jerny Kaagman of the Netherlands band. Musically, the strong presence of guitar, organ and Mellotron in both bands gives them a similar feel. Definitely worth having!

[See Alarcen, Jean-Pierre | Eden Rose | Suzan, Alain]

Discography

Take Off (78)

Reviews

Keyboard player Antonio Sangiuliano made one of the more unusual Italian progressive albums, starting from his teenage-goth-Fabio-wannabe cover pose that gives the title a whole new meaning. Many times during the three tracks that make up Take Off (LP RCA PL 31361; CD Si-Wan Records SRMC 1006 or BMG 74321-98209-2) one is reminded of Tangerine Dream's Phaedra, as synthesizers bubble across aquatic soundscapes and ghostly Mellotron voices rise out of the foam. That's only part of the story, however: more often Sangiuliano plays thundering baroque runs or brooding melodies that occasionally twist and turn to more Modernist harmonic territories. On the first side, an opera-style soprano voice briefly melodises during his meditative moments and matches with his Orffian strides, but it is really Sangiulaino and his keyboards that knit this whole shifting musical fabric together - piano, Mellotron and the shrill Polymoog being the most prominent instruments. Drums also appear a couple of times on side two for a few very ELP-like licks, but here too Sangiuliano's keyboards retain the kind of orchestral, occasionally contrapuntal style, rather than trying to emulate Emerson's scattershot virtuosity. This is really a classical-style development and contrasting of themes in alternatively furious and laidback sections stretching throughout the album's length, with the stereotypical Italian "lyricism" subdued in favour of instrumental electronica, while still retaining symphonic arrangements and some rock-style accessibility. A mixed success but an interesting album all the same. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Discography

Fecula bi Corporea (97) Ejecucion (00) 570.Kyhtera (03)

Reviews

Sarax - Juan Pablo Velasco (drums/keys), Marcelo Larenas (guitar), Demetrio Cifuentes (bass) The first word that comes to mind when describing Sarax is "heavy". The second would probably be "intense". This three-piece from Chile has a distorted guitar-dominated sound that ranges in style from Starless / Lark's Tongues-era King Crimson to Progressive Metal like Dream Theater and right on into thrashing crunching headbanging punk rock like the Sex Pistols. About 95% of the album is heavy, intense and metallic though there are some quieter sections. Ejecucion ("Execution") is a musical representation of the emotions being felt by a man in jail awaiting execution. Judging from the music and sound effects, this includes anger, defiance, screams of anguish (torture?), quiet reflection, and perhaps a final descent into madness (that's what I get from the harpsichord part which sounds like something Lurch would have played on "The Addams Family"). There are no lyrics, but there are some spoken parts in Spanish. The music is not very melody-oriented, but more about painting mental pictures by the use of tension and release, contrasting crunching guitar riffing with softer almost classical sounding piano sections. I would almost rather call this album "Art Rock" than "Progressive Rock". Sarax just calls it "Experimental Rock", which it certainly is. The fact of no English being spoken on the album doesn't bother me at all, though I might wish for a translation of what those spoken parts mean. Normally, I don't really get into albums this metallic-sounding, but I really liked this one. There are some great breaks from the metal sections, including some parts that are very fusion-y. But even the heavy guitar sections are very cool ... lots of diversity, paranoia, crazed soloing and attitude to go along with fast note runs and odd time signatures. This is a great album, though you may need a doctor's note to buy it if you're clinically depressed ... the subject matter here won't help your condition a bit. -- Fred Trafton

Originally formed as a trio in Santiago de Chile 1995 by bassist Demetrio Cifuentes, Sarax was first completed with Marcelo Larenas (guitarist) and Juan Pablo Velasco (drummer and keyboardist). Sarax became a quartet in 2003 with the incorporation of lifelong friend and collaborator Nicolás Figueroa (guitarist) as an official member during the writing sessions for 570.Kyhtera, the band's third album. Their manifesto in their web page reads: "Our main interest is to create music that is defiant, innovative and, why not, insulting!". Their strategy is mostly based on the use of diverse musical sources in the context of rock: psychedelia, metal prog, jazz-rock, Crimsonian stuff (similarly to their illustrious compatriots Tryo), electronic ambiences, weird adornments (both instrumentally and vocally) that may well remind us of Mr. Bungle and Primus' sickly humorous avant-garde hard rock. Their debut album Fécula Bicorpórea is a collection of musical ideas gathered across 11 pieces, which were recorded in several times during the mid 90s. The next two albums were more focused; in fact, they both are concept-albums that revolve around Juan Pirrón's cycle of death and rebirth. This character represents the half-anarchist, half-existentialist philosophy of Cifuentes and Velasco (the band's most recurrent writers). In Ejecución, Pirrón is a rebel in jail, awaiting for his execution, scheduled for the next morning; in 570.Kythera, this same character is reborn into the namesake asteroid together with another anarchistic friend named Zirok, only to find out that their new environment is about to meet its final cosmic collapse. The sense of confusion and despair that the tyranny of reality provokes in the mind of man suits Sarax's music perfectly well, which is full of anger, irony and rebellious moods. Nowadays the band’s activity is scarce, since drummer Velasco resides in LA and other members are involved in other musical projects; anyway, according to an interview he and Cifuentes gave to a Latin American e-zine in early 2004 [Progresiva70s], there is the possibility of releasing yet another chapter in this peculiar Pirrón saga somewhere in the future. Guess we'll have to wait and see. -- Cesar Mendoza

Links

Click here for Sarax' web site

Desert Places (74), Lost Mankind (75), Whalecome Live (77), As a Keepsake (77), Die Faust in Der Tasche (79)

Good German semi-progressive that border pop when they aren't jamming.

[See Pappnas]

Discography

Soul Grooving (68, Merl Saunders Trio and Big Band) Heavy Turbulence (72) Fire Up (73) Live at the Keystone (73, w/ Saunders, Garcia, Kahn, Vitt) Merl Saunders (74) You Can Leave Your Hat On (76, w/ Aunt Monk) Do I Move You (79) San Francsico After Dark (82) Meridien Dreams (88) Keystone Encores Vols 1 & 2 (88, w/ Saunders, Garcia, Kahn, Vitt) Live at the Keystone Vols 1 & 2 (88, w/ Saunders, Garcia, Kahn, Vitt) With His Funky Friends (88) Blues From The Rainforest (90, Merl Saunders and the Rainforest Band) Save The Planet So We'll Have Someplace to Boogie (91) Fire Up Plus (92) It's In the Air (93) Still Having Fun (95) Keepers (97) Fiesta Amazonica (98) Struggling Man (00)

Reviews

Merl Saunders Merl's a fixture on the S.F. R&B scene, and has played keyboards in the Jerry Garcia Band, but this particular album [Blues From the Rainforest] will blow you away. (He was surprised when it topped the New Age charts). While his other work excels, it ain't "progressive."

Links

Click here for Merl Saunders' web site

Savage Rose (68), In The Plain (68), Travellin' (69), Your Daily Gift (70), Refugee (72), Pop History Vol. 15 (72), Dodens Triumf (72), Babylon (73), Wild Child (73), I'm Satisfied (7?), En Vugge Af Stal (??), Solen Var Ogsa Din (77)

Savage Rose are a Danish band from the late '60s and early '70s. Apparently they released several albums but I only know of two, which are the two I have. In the Plain, released in 1968, is drenched in the psychedelia typical of that time, though there is some foreshadowing of the progressive revolution that was to begin full-force the following year. There are three keyboard players who play piano, organ and harpsichord. There's also recorder, accordion and steel guitar in addition to acoustic and electric guitar. Lead vocals are provided by Annisette who somehow manages to sound like a sexy and diminuitive wildcat! Actually, I'm reminded just a bit of Cindy Lauper. Her vocal styling gives the music drive and energy as she gives her all. There are also some softer moments of piano and vocals giving a folkish quality to some songs. Your Daily Gift follows along the same lines but is both more mature in style and folkier in influence. Annisette's voice is also more powerful than ever. Highly recommended if you are a psych fan but I don't think the Sympho/Prog crowd would like this very much.

This Danish band was quite popular in Scandinavia. It's said their first album was outsold only by the concurrent Beatles release. They certainly posessed a sound all their own, and while the overall style of In The Plain is definitely psychedelic, it has elements that can be described only as progressive. Masterminded by brothers Thomas and Anders Koppel, and starring the soulful voice of the diminutive Annisette, who has been stylistically compared to Janis Joplin but really sounds like no one I've ever heard before. Her high-pitched voice may sound grating and shrill to the uninitiated, but one would hardly expect to hear such an impassioned singer in a Scandinavian band. The band had a very distinctive line-up, bass, guitar, vocals and drums along with piano and organ, played by Thomas and Anders, and harpsichord played by Thomas' wife Ilse. The sound created by the three keyboards interacting is quite original. The band also experiments with auditory landscapes on the dreamy "God's Little Hand" and the beautiful "I'm Walking Through The Door." The rest of the album is psychedelic rock-soul of the highest order, with the odd folkie touch; as on "Evening's Child," which has Thomas playing a Persian santour (hammer-dulcimer). The closing track, "A Trial In Our Native Town" with its laborious Vanilla Fudge tempo, gurgling cathedral Hammond organ, roaring guitar and Annisette's aching vocals, is one that is sure to make psych fans salivate. The other album I have, Your Daily Gift, is more folk-prog than psych-prog. Ilsa Koppel took maternity leave from the band, reducing the line-up to a six piece. Some of the tracks are pretty lame and dated sounding, like "Listen To This Tune From Mexico," with its inane lyrics and Vegas-lounge organ. But "Speak Softly" is a beautiful R&B oriented ballad, one of Annisette's best vocals performances. "Tapiola" is a seven-minute free improvisation, pretty interesting stuff. "Unfold" is a sort of country-rock-folk mix with slide guitar joined by harpsichord! The title song closes the album appropriately, the bright, optimistic lyrics neatly contrasting with the sad, gloomy tone. The minor-chorded piano, and brushed drums work well for this song, the use of accordion adds a creepy element.

Discography

Waiters on a Dance (73)

Reviews

Savarin is a British multi-instrumentalist. Waiters on the Dance, apparently based on the book of the same name (subtitled "Lemmus: A Time Trilogy") also penned by Savarin, is surprisingly progressive sounding for 1969 [see Kai Karmanheimo's entry below -- Ed.]. The sound is dominated by fuzztone-guitar and some fine Hammond organ, but is also spiced with Mellotron and some lovely piano. The sound is rounded out by some supplemental string-arrangements. This album is often recommended to Renaissance fans on account of female vocalist Lady JoMeek, who sings on all tracks but one (the instrumental "Dance of the Golden Flamingoes") and has been compared stylistically to Annie Haslam. I can't really think of who to compare this album to, perhaps like a heavy version of Cressida with female vocals, although that doesn't really describe it adequately. (I think I did that already, anyway.) Savarin apparently played all the instruments (except strings) himself, even bass and drums. He made an album under the name Julian's Treatment entitled A Time Before This the following year, which is also supposed to be worth searching out.

Julian Jay Savarin was (is?) a British science fiction writer. In 1969, [see Kai Karmanhenheimo's entry below -- Ed.] he released Waiters on a Dance which, along with King Crimson's In the Court of the Crimson King and Colosseum's first two albums, stands as the earliest progressive rock albums. Parts of this album (five songs) were released on the CD issue of A Time Before This by Julian's Treatment. These five songs are similar to the Julian's Treatment album. Savarin plays nearly all the instruments and organ (occasionally guitar) is the primary instrument. A female vocalist handles the singing. She reminds me of Jerny Kaagman (Earth and Fire) or Silvana Oliotta (Circus 2000), kind of a medium or high tenor, I suppose. I believe this album is also based on some of Savarin's writings. Waiters on a Dance sounds a bit dated now but is essential for progressive rock historians interested in following the development of the genre.

Contrary to what is often reported as a fact, Savarin's solo album did not precede his release with Julian's Treatment, but instead appeared nearly three years after it, as the second part of his Lemmus trilogy. The years between are not evident in musical progress, as Waiters on the Dance mostly continues along the psychedelic, proto-progressive lines of A Time Before This, with Savarin's Hammond holding sway over the proceedings. Spatters of Mellotron and strings colour the sound here and there, and the wailing fuzz guitar sounds a bit more dynamic in the mix this time around. Also, vocalist Jo Meek, while sounding less possessed than Cathy Pruden [on A Time Before This], gives a strong and pleasant performance, coming across as something like Annie Haslam without her top-most register. However, the music is pretty simple and straightforward organ progressive, with decent, though by now dated-sounding melodic writing, and some jamming. Certainly for 1973 this is in no way innovative, though quite pleasant. The two-part "Child of the Night" and the instrumental "Dance of the Golden Flamingoes" stand head and shoulders above the rest of the album, but despite the richer arrangements and less filler, I find Waiters on the Dance slightly inferior to A Time Before This. The third part of Savarin's Lemmus trilogy was never set to music. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Links

[See Julian's Treatment]

Discography

SBB 1 (74, aka Gruppa SBB) Nowy Horyzont (75) Pamiec (76) Ze Slowem Biegne do Ciebie (77) SBB (77, aka "Slovenian Girls") Follow My Dream (78) SBB (78, West German, different from 1977 title) Welcome (78) Memento z Banalnym Tryptykiem (80) Live 1993 (93) Live in America (94) Nastroje (02)

Reviews

SBB came into being in 1971 as Silesian Blues Band founded by Jozef Skrzek. (Skrzek was classicaly educated as a pianist but by the time of Silesian Blues Band he was a bassist renowned for his work with Breakout, the famous (in Poland, of course) Polish blues group.) The other members of the band were Jerzy Piotrowski (drums) and Apostolis Antymos (guitar). The trio made some radio recordings but it was very hard for them to break through into the Polish musical market. However, they were noticed by Czeslaw Niemen. (Nieman was sort of "king" of Polish rock. He became extremely famous in Poland in 60's, when he was performing pop and soul songs. In early 70's he turned to the experimental, progressive music balancing on the edge of rock and jazz. I can heartily recommend his 70's stuff. It is a truly progressive and original music). As a result, they joined him in the NIEMEN group, taking part in his artistic explorations and making music, which can be best described as 'impressionistic' and 'aleatoric' . Together they recorded Requiem dla Van Gogha (Requiem for Van Gogh) and Marionetki (Puppets), two records with truly unforgettable music. In 1974 they parted with Niemen and begin to play on their own. They shortened the name of the band to SBB, which they explained as Szukaj, Burz, Buduj (Search, Break & Build). It was their musical credo: to search for the new possibilities in music, break the barriers and build the new music. They became very popular, mainly because of their concerts which were without any parallels in Polish rock of 70's. Suites with lots of improvisations incorporated hard jazz-rock Mahavishnu or Hendrix-like pieces as well as more soft classical ELP-like Skrzek's piano entries and masterful drumming from Piotrowski (which can be compared to that of Billy Cobham). They were surrounded by a cult of fans, became a symbol of young generation revolt (Apostolis had at that time probably the longest hair in Poland :-). Their first longplay (SBB 1) is a recording of a concert from April 1974 and is an impressive document of early live SBB. The second album,Nowy Horyzont (New Horizon), is a kind of musical manifesto, a sort of musical collage, combining bits of modern harmonies and Ravel with strongly rhythmic guitar and synth improvisations and naturalistic dissonance effects together with masterful piano cadenzas. "The music is everywhere," Skrzek was saying, "in Bach fugue, rock song or whistling. We like to play music, that's all. We don't care for borders and barriers, they are artificial. We want our music to be free, that's why we are never playing according to any program." Their third album,Pamiec (Remembrance) is much more stylistically clear than the first two. One may say that the logic and construction is joining the musical freedom here resulting in (in my opinion) the best SBB longplay. Skrzek's dreamy vocals are at their best. (The lyrics are writtem by the poet Julian Matej - full of metaphores and mystery). The fourth album, Ze slowem biegne do ciebie (I am coming to you with a word]), is quite different from the previous album. It is more symphonic-rock like and 'spacy' (one may think about Gong as a parallel) with lots of synths (although Apostolis guitar is still here and well). There are only two pieces on this LP, each one about 20 minutes and a good example of music played by SBB at this time. During concerts they created a sort of a 'continous form,' music with no ending or beginning, full of fragmentary impressions, different paraphrases and frisks with sound. In 1976-79 SBB was trying to conquer foreign audiences. They played in Austria, West Berlin, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, West and East Germany and Hungary. They recorded 4 LPs abroad, two in West Germany, one in East Germany and one in Czechoslovakia. The two released in West Germany were Follow My Dream and Welcome. The music presented here is much more compact and clearly SBB is trying to make their compositions more accesible for the listener. They are producing shorter forms (songs than suites), the music is a bit more commercial and poppier. Lyrics are in English and are not written by Julian Matej any longer (which is a shame, as far as I'm concerned). Nevertheless their music remains to be very unique and its still full of new musical ideas and innovations. Despite all these efforts, SBB failed to conquer western markets; after all the disco and punk era in West was beginning. So, for Memento z Banalnym Tryptykiem (Memento with a banal tryptych), there was no more the desire to attract Western listeners. Julian Matej is back again with his mystical lyrics and Skrzek returned to the ideas from before Welcome. The record sounds in a way like a continuation of Pamiec, although some new elements are here, as well as an additional guitarist, Slawomir Piwowar (who played before with the jazz group Paradox as well as with Czeslaw Niemen). This album could well be a good beginning of a new phase in SBB history, but it turned out to be their last album before the breakup in 1981. Since then, Skrzek continued to compose and perform. It is impossible not to mention here the album Ojciec Chrzestny Dominika (Dominic's Godfather) - his absolute opus magnum. Skrzek is playing over 30 instruments here as well as singing (Matej's lyrics, of course) and, in my opinion, it is one of the best Polish LPs ever recorded. His other works include, among others, music for Piotr Szulkin's film "Wojna Swiatow" (The War of the Worlds), the heaviest album that he ever recorded; Jozefina [Josephine], with English lyrics and original SBB lineup; and Pamietnik Karoliny (Caroline's Diary). He has never stopped performing and I will always remember his light-and-sound shows at Silesian Planetarium. The other SBB ex-members were very active too. Piotrowski became the most wanted drummer on Polish musical market and played with several groups, Apostolis turned to jazz and in mid 80's moved to NYC, where he worked as a session musician, recording with many jazz and rock bands including Pat Metheny as well as composing his own music. It didn't seem very probable that they will ever play together again so it came as a great surprise when it was annouced that they will give a charity concert in 1993. It was a great show (documented by the album Live 1993) and after it they decided they would try to reactivate SBB. "We told each other that we have to play, because there is still some potential inside us. And, besides, we simply like each other," Skrzek said in an interview. The new SBB lineup features, apart from Skrzek, Piotrowski and Apostolis, Hryniewicz (vocal and acoustic guitar) and Rusek (bass). In this new incarnation Hryniewicz became a kind of new frontman and Skrzek is singing less, concentrating on his keyboards. They gave several concerts in Poland, which were in a good old SBB style featuring mainly the old material with some new pieces and, of course, lenghty improvisations. This year they went to USA, where they toured and recorded an album Live in America. -- Piotr Szymczak

Szkuaj, burz i buduj, or Search, Breakup and Build isn't that a name that suits a "progressive" band? Still this Polish trio is not so fantastic. Well, they are not that bad, but their music is a bit generic, even though they are in the "progressive" vein. Like other bands they became straighter with time, but SBB got more disco-like. They started their career in Czeslaw Niemen's band which is not a bad start on the Polish scene.

Mahavishnu and Nucleus with vocals? Best ones are Nowy Horyzont and Pamiec. Lyrics are in Polish except for Follow My Dream and Welcome. The first album is very jazzy.

Polish progressive outfit with several albums to their credit. Welcome is the only one I've heard, and while good, I could easily think of a lot of stuff that's much better.

Polish prog trio, regarded by many as the apex of progressive music in Poland. The band consists of keyboards, guitar and drums, the bass parts all being synthesized. Ze Slowem Biegne Do Ciebie, apparently their fourth album, (no date appears anywhere on the LP) consists of two 19-minute tracks. The basic sound consists of spacy multiple synthesizers highlighted by fusoid guitar and drums. I hear many different influences: Gong, Le Orme, Magma, Kraan, Mahavishnu Orchestra and others are hinted at, but the band has a sound uniquely its own. Fans of the aforementioned should have no trouble enjoying this album.

I have one SBB album, Ze Slowem Biegne Do Ciebie, that is their best by most accounts. The music on this album is best described as spacy fusion. My first comparative thought was to the Danish band Secret Oyster without the sax, or maybe the French Carpe Diem. Other comparisons would be to Mahavishnu Orchestra without the energy and violin, a bit of Gong circa You or Shamal and even a hint of Pink Floyd. Occasional vocals are sung in Polish, naturally. For a trio, these guys create a spacious rather than stark atmosphere. Instruments are moog, Mellotron, piano, clavinet, guitar and a variety of percussion instruments. "Bass" chores are handled by the moog which makes for a nice, fat analog bottom end. Not bad though check with Secret Oyster or Carpe Diem first. -- Mike Taylor

Links

[See Niemen, Czeslaw | Skrzek, Jozef]

Discography

Uuteen aikaan (80)

Reviews

Uuteen aikaan (LP Kompass Records KOLP 22) can be seen as the last bright pearl to emerge from the first wave of Finnish progressive rock, at the time already drowned by the mightier New Wave. Out of time and condemned to near-instant obscurity upon release, it somehow manages to sum up in seven shortish tracks much of what was best in the melodic, folk-influenced progressive rock as purveyed by Camel and Jethro Tull particularly. "Valmiina heräämään" ("Ready to Awaken") starts with gentle electric piano and the meditative voice of flautist/keyboard player Pia-Maria Noponen, crashes into a faster rock section with a prominent, lyrical solo guitar flanked by a bubbling flute, calms down for some magisterial organ and new vocal melody harmonised by Noponen and woodwind player Ismo Järvinen, then reverses its steps and is over in less than four and a half minutes. Lot of what is attractive about the album is presented right here: the sonorous male/female vocal harmonies, strong and underivative melodies, and studied use of solos and keyboard textures that never lets the music become too top heavy. Unusually in the officially egalitarian but in truth boys' own world of seventies progressive rock, Noponen not only sings and plays but also composed both this song and the ruminative acoustic piece "Tuuleen kaiverretut portaat" ("Stairs Carved in the Wind"). "Salaisuuksien satiiniverhot" ("The Satin Curtains of Secrets") is a simpler song jogging along to a sprightly guitar and Järvinen's languid voice, but punctuated with precision bursts of flute, electric guitar and keyboard solos for symphonic colour. In some way this song can be seen as an intermediary between the symphonic pop music of Barclay James Harvest and some aspects of the neo-progressive sound of the 1980s - it just has more energy than the former and more subtlety than the latter. The most haunting melody comes in the rather simple title track, orchestrated in a Moody Blues combination of delicate flute and acoustic guitar behind the halo of vocal harmonies, then soaring upwards upon repeat with Eero-Pekka Kolehmainen's Hammond and full rhythm section, a short piece of slightly melancholic beauty (in a grim contrast to its lyrics about nuclear apocalypse). The longest tracks, "Mikä aamu" ("What a Morning") and "Askel ylöspäin" ("A Step Upward"), give the most room to at times even fusion-flavoured solo exploration, particularly for Timo Seppänen's electric guitar, saxophone and the flute morphing effortlessly from classical clarity to Andersonian dirtiness. However, the soloing isn't extended extemporising over vamps but a series of dexterous and compact cues tieing in melodically with the changing background and serving more as elements in the instrumental interplay than as virtuoso spotlights. The lurching riff thrown between Asko Ahonen's fretless bass, saxophone and guitar on the latter track is the closest the group come to jamming. The one instrumental, "Koi" ("Moth"), is a "Rhyader"-goes-to-Benefit number with a buzzing, breathy solo flute tracing a folky melody over an intricate acoustic guitar riff punctuated by Leevi Leppänen's busy but driving drumming that helms the piece through the tricky metrical waters at brisk pace. Compact and accessible as much progressive rock at the time, yet without the unjustified pomposity, mawkish tiredness or desperate pandering to prevailing pop formulas which blighted it, Uuteen aikaan (Into a New Age) is one of the few real and unconditional classics to come out of the Finnish progressive scene and highly recommendable, except to the more ardent champions of dissonance and extreme complexity (because there is little of either). Its title did get it right, though: the musical world had already moved into a whole new age where Scapa Flow and their album were a ridiculous anachronism. However, that it still languishes in obscurity nearly quarter of the century later, when once even more ridiculous novelties have been exhumed and rehabilitated, is simply shameful. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Discography

Psykedeelisiä Joutsenlauluja (03) Valheista Kaunein (06)

Reviews

Scarlet Thread (Valheista Kaunein line-up, not in photo order) - Erja Lahtinen (violin), Sami Hiltunen (guitar), Jani Timoniemi (guitar), Jukka Jokikokko (bass), Jere Nivukoski (drums). Not pictured guests: Juha Sutela (flute) and Essi Suikkanen (flute) Original entry, 9/30/06: Well, Scarlet Thread probably isn't a band suitable for all GEPR readers ... I don't think there is such a band, to tell the truth. But I really like them. They're all instrumental, and the heavy use of violin and flute among the more traditional rock instrumentation gives them a real "celtic rock" feel, which is a form of music I hear a lot of because my wife really likes some of the modern Irish bands. Scarlet Thread, however, is more interesting to me because the music is more melodically and rhythmically complex and not verse/chorus oriented. But there's enough of a "folky" feel still laced through this music that my wife likes it too. It's emotional and not intellectual, yet still has enough complexity (and even a few spacey parts) to keep a prog rocker like me interested. Really nice stuff, and if the description didn't turn you off, I suspect you'll enjoy them too. Scarlet Thread recorded an earlier album on the Mellow Records label in 2003 with a very different line-up. I can't comment on it since I haven't heard it. John "Bo Bo" Bollenberg's review at Progressive World is linked above, and he had some issues with the production on this first album. I hear no such problems with Valheista Kaunein, it's quite a nice recording with a well-orchestrated blend of instruments and good recording quality. However, one of the songs from Psykedeelisiä Joutsenlauluja ("Pimeästä Pohjolasta") ended up on the Colossus/Musea compilation album Kalevala: A Finnish Progressive Rock Epic, which I have heard. I can't say I found any problems with the production quality on the Kalevala version, though it's possible it's been remixed to improve it. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Scarlet Thread's web site Click here to order Psykedeelisiä Joutsenlauluja from Mellow Records Click here to order Valheista Kaunein or Kalevala: A Finnish Progressive Rock Epic from Musea Records

Discography

A Fearful Symmetry (01)

Reviews

A Fearful Symmetry appears the be the debut album from Scenario. It is one of the heavier releases from the Musea label, an album of excellent Progressive Metal. The album features Banco del Mutuo Soccorso alumnus Filippo Marcheggiani, whose guitar not only chugs and shreds throughout the album, but also lays back for some power ballad type songs, with the obligatory acoustic guitars strumming cleanly alongside incredibly distorted electrics. Comparisons with Dream Theater are inevitable, and Scenario compares much better than other bands I've heard compared to DT, in all areas; the quality of composition and playing, plus the fantastic studio production. This album's production is as clean and precise as DT's Awake, which to my mind is one of the finer examples of how to record a Metal act. In addition to the smoking guitar work is complex, punchy bass, quite a few nicely screaming synthesizer solos, and an excellent singer of the James LaBrie school whose Italian accent is slight enough to not get in the way of enjoying the all-English vocals. In fact, overall, this band doesn't sound very Italian at all, they could be an American Metal act with a singer who just has a bit of an accent. This is just an all-around pro band that deserves to get lots of recognition in both the Progressive and Metal musical circles. An album of exciting music, I recommend it highly to fans of the genre, and even to the more symphonic fans ... this may be the album that finally makes you say, "Maybe Prog Metal isn't so bad after all ..." One warning: don't fall into the trap set for you by an "unlisted" 10th track ... DO NOT turn up the volume wondering why you can't hear anything. Actually, about 5 minutes into track 9, the song evidently ends, and there's about one minute of silence. Beware: there'a a speaker shredder waiting for you after that minute! The psychedelic phase-shifting and ring modulation of the guitars and vocals may convince you your stereo is blown anyway, but don't worry; it's just a (very cool) studio trick. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Banco (del Mutuo Soccorso)] Near as I can tell, Scenario has virtually no web presence at all. Click here to order from their label, Musea Records.

Janne Schaffer (73, aka The Chinese), Andra (75, aka 2nd Album), Katharsis (77), Earmeal (79), Traffic (86)

Swedish guitarist operates in a fusion frame, sometimes in a more acoustic low-key mode, other times with a full electric band, often all within the same album. Generally melodic, structured, sometimes goes for the dramatics; comparisons might be made with Tolonen, Almqvist, and others. The best I've heard is his 76 LP Katharsis. His last CD Traffic is not bad, either.

Discography

Tales (80)

Discography

Scheherezade (92)

Reviews

Japanese harder-rock progressive. Very good, very heavy at times. The vocalist reminds of Ian Gillan sometimes. One CD for sure, plus they appear on a lot of the compilation discs.

Scheherezade is the reformed (one off) version of original Scheherezade and features the guitar, vocal and keyboard of Novela. In addition, Gerard is the band formed by T. Egawa (the keyboard player of Novela and Scheherezade). -- Hideki Konno (lifted from his Novela entry)

Links

[See Gerard | Novela | Starless]

Discography

Le Carnival des Animals (78) Heart Of The Universe (84)

Reviews

Ton Scherpenzeel Primarily Kayak's keyboardist in several incarnations of that band, Scherpenzeel also played with Camel for their studio albums Stationary Traveller (1984), Dust and Dreams (1991) and Rajaz (1999), and can also be heard on the live Pressure Points (1984). In addition, he played keyboards for Earth and Fire for several years, including the albums In a State of Flux (1982) and Phoenix (1989), and was a guest synth player on Ayreon's Into the Electric Castle. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Ayreon | Camel | Earth and Fire | Kayak]