Exposé Staff Picks —
The Best of 1996
We don't always do end of year "best of" lists, but when we do, you can bet they'll be diverse. Here's a look back at how our writers felt about the year 1996.
by Mac Beaulieu,
Published 1997-02-01
Mike McLatchey
New Releases
- Steve Roach — The Magnificent Void I
- Deus Ex Machina — Diachronie Metronomiche
- Bondage Fruit - II
- Roach/Kent/Newby — Halcyon Days
- Iona — Journey into the Morn
- Miriodor — Jongleries Élastiques
- Tipographica — God Says I Can’t Dance
- Raison de Plus — Au Bout de Couloir
New Releases of Older Material
- Ash Ra Tempel — The Private Tapes
- Premiata Forneria Marconi — 10 Anni Live 1971-1981
Reissues
- Malicorne — Live en Public aux Montréal
- El Reloj — II
- Shylock — Île de Fièvre
- Arachnoïd — Arachnoïd
- Malicorne — La Bestiere
- John Coltrane — Friendship
- Alas — Alas
- Conventum — L’Affut d’un Complot
- Agitation Free — 2nd
- Magma — Inédits
Dan Casey
New Releases
- Tipographica — God Says I Can’t Dance
- Deus Ex Machina — Diachronie Metronomiche
- Miriodor — Jongleries Élastiques
- Echolyn — When the Sweet Turns Sour
- Anekdoten — Nucleus
- Ars Nova — The Goddess of Darkness
- Änglagård — Buried Alive
- Kit Watkins — Beauty Drifting
- Camel — Harbour of Tears
Reissues
- Shylock — Île de Fièvre
- Jean-Paul Prat — Masal
- Area — Gioia e Rivoluzione
- Island — Pictures
Peter Thelen
New Releases
- Dweller at the Threshold — No Boundary Condition
- Miriodor — Jongleries Élastiques
- Yun — Mobius Strip
- Rattlemouth — Walking a Full Moon Dog
- Bondage Fruit - II
- Heretic — Yayoi Dream
- Iona — Journey into the Morn
- Dr. Folamour — Dr. Folamour
- Attila & Dave Project — Songs of Innocence & Experience
- Darling — Darling
- J.Arif Verner — A Vision beyond Light
New Releases of Older Recordings
- National Health — Missing Pieces
- Various Artists — Supernatural Fairy Tales
Reissues
- Frank Zappa — Läther
- Riccardo Zappa — Celestion
- French TV — After a Lengthy Silence
- Rhesus O — Rhesus O
- Finnforest — Finnforest / Lähtö Matkalle
- Nirgal Vallis — Y Murio la Tarde
- Rascal Reporters — Happy Accidents
- 5uu’s — Point of Views
- Už Jsme Doma — Uprosted Slov (In the Middle of Words)
- Magma — Inédits
Jeff Melton
New Releases
- King Crimson — ThrakAttak
- Richard Thompson — You? Me? Us?
- Soundgarden — Down on the Upside
- Yes — Keys to Ascension
- Adrian Belew — Op Zop Too Wah
- Peter Hammill — X My Heart
- Altura — Mercy
- Trance Mission — Head Light
- Attila & Dave Project — Songs of Innocence & Experience
- Rush — Test for Echo
Steve Robey
New Releases
- moe. — Meat
- Änglagård — Buried Alive
- Magma — Concert 1971 Bruxelles - Théâtre 140
- Soft Machine — Spaced
- Porcupine Tree — Signify
- moe. — No Doy
- Surrender to the Air — Surrender to the Air
- Camel — Harbour of Tears
- King Crimson — ThrakAttak
- Rivendel — The Meaning
Reissues
- Hampton Grease Band — Music to Eat
- Jukka Tolonen — The Hook / Hysterica
- Frank Zappa — Läther
- Magma — Inédits
- Muffins — <185>
- Amon Düül II — Live in London
- Red Krayola with Art & Language — Kangaroo?
- Yochk'o Seffer / Neffesh Music — Ghilgoul
- Agitation Free — 2nd
- Espiritu — Espiritu
Mike Grimes
New Releases
- Už Jsme Doma — Pohádky Ze Zapotrebí
- Ars Nova — The Goddess of Darkness
- Cast — Beyond Reality
- Deus Ex Machina — Diachronie Metronomiche
- Finisterre — In Limine
- Solaris — Live in Los Angeles
- The 3rd & the Mortal — Painting on Glass
- The Flower Kings — Retropolis
- Allan Holdsworth — None Too Soon
New Releases of Older Recordings
- National Health — Missing Pieces
Reissues
- 5uu’s — Point of Views
Mike Ezzo
New Releases
- Art Zoyd — Faust
- Present — Live!
- King Crimson — ThrakAttak
- Jon Anderson — Toltec
- Jan Garbarek — Visible World
- Gentle Giant — Out of the Woods - The BBC Sessions
- Pustit Musíš (Iva Bittová / Dunaj / Pavel Fajt) — Pustit Musíš
- Roedelius — Pink, Blue & Amber
- Mike Oldfield — Voyager
Reissues
- Frank Zappa — Läther
- Maxophone — Maxophone
- Popul Vuh — Aguirre
- Bernard Xolotl — Last Wave
- Roedelius — Selbsportrait I/II
- Moebius / Plank / Neumeier — Zero Set
- I Pooh — Un Po’ del Nostro Tempo Migliore
- Anthony Phillips — New England
- Cluster — Grosses Wasser
- 5uu’s — Point of Views
- Kansas — Audio Visions
Alain Lachapelle
New Releases
- Finisterre — In Limine
- Philharmonie — Rage
- Deus Ex Machina — Diachronie Metronomiche
- Miriodor — Jongleries Élastiques
- Dr. Folamour — Dr. Folamour
- The Flower Kings — Retropolis
- Exclusive Raja — Insubmersible
- Änglagård — Buried Alive
- Patrick Gauthier — Le Morse
- Premiata Forneria Marconi — 10 Anni Live 1971-1981
Filed under: Archives, Issue 11
Related artist(s): Anekdoten, Ars Nova, Adrian Belew, Cast, Echolyn, The Flower Kings, Robert Fripp, Iona, King Crimson, Magma, The Muffins, Mani Neumeier, Anthony Phillips, Porcupine Tree, Steve Roach, Rush, Soft Machine, J. Arif Verner, Yes, Ash Ra Tempel / Ashra, Yochk'o Seffer, Mike Oldfield, 5uu's, Area, Gentle Giant, Allan Holdsworth, Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM), Present, Richard Thompson, Änglagård, Agitation Free, Amon Düül I / II, Deus Ex Machina, Camel, Patrick Gauthier, Kit Watkins, Arachnoïd, Art Zoyd, Finisterre, Exclusive Raja, Kansas, Shylock, John Coltrane, National Health, Frank Zappa, Bondage Fruit, Miriodor, Raison de Plus, Tipographica, French TV, Philharmonie, Jean-Paul Prat, Heretic / Hiro Kawahara, Iva Bittová, Cluster / Kluster / Qluster, Už Jsme Doma, Alas, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Dave Bainbridge, The Third and the Mortal, Dieter Moebius, Rattlemouth, Moe, El Reloj, Malicorne, Island, Nirgal Vallis, Hampton Grease Band, Dr Folamour, Finnforest, Dweller at the Threshold, Trance Mission, Rivendel, Altura, Frédéric l'Épée, Pekka Tegelman