Exposé Online » Reviews of releases for 1993

Items found : 235

Gamelan Sekar Jaya - American Works for Balinese Gamelan Orchestra

The tiny island of Bali in Indonesia carries over a thousand years of rich musical tradition, originally founded in the collision of Javanese, Hindu, and indigenous cultures, the music of Bali is...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-08-01)

Evan Ziporyn - Animal Act

Not exactly a household name, this young American composer’s name was previously only known to me as a member of the San Francisco area’s “famous” — relatively...

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(Posted by Mike Ezzo 1999-04-01)

Iona - Beyond These Shores

Three albums on now, Iona's latest release shows a higher degree of maturity and refinement overall. Still solidly in the Celtic folk-rock vein, they are in many ways comparable to bands like...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-07-01)

Space Streakings - First Love Remastered, 7-Toku & Shakuhachi Surprise

The band called Space Streakings didn’t last very long, with three years or so between their beginnings and splitting up, but the two albums they released, plus a collaboration with the...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2018-10-20)

Bernard Xolotl with Daniel Kobialka - Procession

Bernard Xolotl is a French synthesist who has worked with Clearlight's Cyrille Verdeaux, which could give some indication of his stylistic direction. Daniel Kobialka is a well known violinist...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-08-01)

Various Artists - Fafnir

Fafnir is an Italian compilation of new talent roughly orbiting the symphonic progressive axis, and as with many other compilations, it's a mixed bag, encompassing neo-drivel to mind...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-08-01)

Thistle - Thistle

What a pleasant surprise I had the day when I found this treasure in my mail box! Thistle is the latest release of mysterious-cosmic-eerie female vocal-electronic music from Ventricle. Up...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 1997-05-01)

Jack Lancaster & Robin Lumley - Marscape

Lancaster is the former sax player in Blodwyn Pig, but this album is better-known for its side-players: Robin Lumley, John Goodsall, Percy Jones, Phil Collins, Morris Pert... in short, Brand X!...

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(Posted by Mike Ohman 1994-10-01)

Banabila / Saka - 1993

At Peter Gabriel’s UK Womad Festival in 1992 Michel Banabila and Yaşar Saka performed together as an “East Meets West” performance. They then went on to record and release two...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2018-09-26)

Discipline - Push & Profit

Discipline are a young five-piece band from Detroit, Michigan, whose instrumentation includes the usual bass / drums / keys / guitars with the fifth and front man doing vocals/violin/keys/guitar....

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(Posted by Dan Casey 1994-02-01)

Dream Theater - Awake

Over the past few years, Dream Theater has become one of the most talked about bands in several music circles. It's is a band about which most people have a strong opinion. If you like heavy...

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(Posted by Mike Grimes 1995-03-01)

Dream Theater - Awake

Judging by the various opinions that I had heard concerning this album, Awake was either the best album released so far this decade, or a worthless piece of tripe. I opted for believing...

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(Posted by Mike Borella 1995-03-01)

Dream Theater - Awake

The second album by this part-prog, part-metal outfit with vocalist Jamie LaBrie follows in the footsteps of its predecessor Images and Words without changing much. LaBrie tries to sound...

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(Posted by Dan Casey 1995-03-01)

Kehell - Arrow of Time

I first heard of Kehell on the Made in Japan label's "Jazz-Rock Sampler" from 1989, which was graced by the track "Triton" – among the album's best. Four Japanese...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Anekdoten - Vemod

Anekdoten is a new four piece from Sweden. This album was recorded early this year, and from what I've heard, they have been highly revered by, among others, their countrymen...

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(Posted by Rob Walker 1994-02-01)

The Muffins - Chronometers

A strange release at first glance. One CD, 70 plus minutes, 21 tracks, one track is 23 minutes long. Hmmm. This is a compilation of outtakes and general weirdness from 1975. The Muffins are often...

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(Posted by Mike Borella 1993-10-01)

Chainsaw Jazz - DisConcerto

Using guitars, bass, synthesizer, violin, reeds and drums, this five-piece creates an extremely potent jazz rock with roots in the NY downtown free-jazz sound, the Canterbury scene, and perhaps the...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Kingston Wall - II

A band whose career was tragically cut short by the death of leader, vocalist, and guitarist Petri Walli, Kingston Wall had at least a couple of faces. Live the band was something of a classic rock...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2018-02-01)

Kingston Wall - Kingston Wall I, II & III

Kingston Wall is a Finnish power trio who seem to operate outside the normal "progressive rock" distributors, yet would certainly be a crossover group of great potential. While the band...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-11-01)

Anyone's Daughter - First Five Reissued

Anyone's Daughter was one of a group of late 70s German symphonic bands who brought forth a highly melodic rock, colorful and saturated with emotion. Their vocal harmonies were strong, and...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1993-10-01)

Anyone's Daughter - First Five Reissued

Anyone's Daughter was one of a group of late 70s German symphonic bands who brought forth a highly melodic rock, colorful and saturated with emotion. Their vocal harmonies were strong, and...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1993-10-01)

Anyone's Daughter - First Five Reissued

Anyone's Daughter was one of a group of late 70s German symphonic bands who brought forth a highly melodic rock, colorful and saturated with emotion. Their vocal harmonies were strong, and...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1993-10-01)

Anyone's Daughter - First Five Reissued

Anyone's Daughter was one of a group of late 70s German symphonic bands who brought forth a highly melodic rock, colorful and saturated with emotion. Their vocal harmonies were strong, and...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1993-10-01)

Dzyan - Time Machine

Sometime during the cosmic period of German rock, when bands like Ash Ra Tempel, Amon Düül and Tangerine Dream flourished, there was Dzyan — who were busy forging their own cosmic...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Dzyan - Time Machine

Sometime during the cosmic period of German rock, when bands like Ash Ra Tempel, Amon Düül and Tangerine Dream flourished, there was Dzyan — who were busy forging their own cosmic...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Hawkwind / Astralasia - Spirit of the Age - Solstice Remixes

"Your android replica is acting up again. That's no joke. When she comes she moans another's name." The tune "Spirit of the Age" from the Hawkwind album Quark,...

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(Posted by Alain Lachapelle 1995-11-01)

Kalaban - Resistance Is Useless

The long-awaited second release by this Utah based five piece is well worth the waiting; they have produced an outstanding album that is at once very forward looking, while also being reasonably...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1993-10-01)

New Trolls - Tempi Dispari & L.I.V.E.N.T.

The New Trolls always only seemed to flirt with the progressive genre, only in the early 70s and then not always consistently. To sum up their career with a mere description doesn't do them...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-05-01)

Alpha III - Voyage to Ixtlan

Amir Cantusio Jr's Alpha III project has been a Brazilian mainstay since the early 80s. Voyage to Ixtlan is Cantusio's eighth album under this name and has gone from independent...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1996-08-01)

Kenso - Overview of Pre-1996 Releases

If Japan has the equivalent of a Happy the Man, Kenso is it. Their sound encompasses everything, from polished symphonic prog, to fusion, Canterbury, even touches of Japanese traditional music. The music is (with a couple of exceptions) entirely instrumental, melodically rich, highly spirited, and completely energized. They've been together since the late 70s, off and on, and the lineup has changed over time, but has always centered around guitarist Yoshihisa Shimizu. In addition to guitar, the lineup typically features dual keyboards, bass, and drums — and early on included a flautist as well.  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1996-03-01)

Kenso - Overview of Pre-1996 Releases

If Japan has the equivalent of a Happy the Man, Kenso is it. Their sound encompasses everything, from polished symphonic prog, to fusion, Canterbury, even touches of Japanese traditional music. The music is (with a couple of exceptions) entirely instrumental, melodically rich, highly spirited, and completely energized. They've been together since the late 70s, off and on, and the lineup has changed over time, but has always centered around guitarist Yoshihisa Shimizu. In addition to guitar, the lineup typically features dual keyboards, bass, and drums — and early on included a flautist as well.  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1996-03-01)

Procession - Frontiera

Processions are another in the tangled Italian family tree, being related to Raccomandata con Ricevuta di Ritorno and others. This album was their first and best of two (Fiaba was reissued...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-07-01)

Robert Fripp String Quintet - The Bridge Between

Robert Fripp's latest release, The Bridge Between, is credited to 'The Robert Fripp String Quartet,' comprised of Fripp, Trey Gunn on Stick, and The California Guitar Trio. The...

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(Posted by George Allen 1994-08-01)

Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother

Back in the heyday of symphonic rock, it was natural for Pink Floyd to take an occasional stab at "serious" composition, their most assiduous attempt being this 1970 album's daringly...

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(Posted by Michael Draine 1994-05-01)

Pink Floyd - Total Eclipse

Sometime last year Pink Floyd released some sort of 25th anniversary collectors box set, the title eludes me at the moment, but the content does not: it was simply a bunch of their regular albums...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

Embryo - Embryo's Rache

This is one of three Embryo albums in this tier, I had previously written about Steig Aus. Embryo could...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2017-08-24)

Riccardo Sinigaglia - Dimensions

At hand are five compositions in a category somewhere between interesting and magical, originally recorded around 1993, remastered ten years after that, with a couple of the pieces (a purely...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2017-02-19)

Ulysses - Neronia

A German five piece, Ulysses play a neo-prog style that is far more interesting than most. Lyrically ambitious, they occasionally remind of Twelfth Night, although their style gravitates more...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-08-01)

Various Artists - Progressive & Melodic Rock Vol. 1 - 3

Can you say Neo? Do you enjoy the music of bands like Marillion, Rush, Saga and Tears for Fears? Do Univers Zero, Area, Etron Fou and Il Balletto di Bronzo give you nightmares? If the answer to the...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-08-01)

Strangers on a Train - The Key Part 1: The Prophecy & The Key Part 2: The Labyrinth

Strangers on a Train was a short-lived project whose two albums were originally released on the infamous SI label. The band pretty much launched the careers of several notable musicians in the...

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(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-03-18)

Pihasoittajat - Hattukauppiaan Aamu

These two discs contain material culled from three albums released in the early 70s. The earliest album, Kivinen tie Dublinniin (Rocky Road to Dublin), was released in 1972, and finds this...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2000-10-01)

Zamla Mammaz Manna - För äldre nybegynnare / Schlagerns mystik / Familjesprickor

For my money, SZamla incarnation number two was their prime and despite the fact we have to pay Japanese prices for Swedish CDs (all done by Silence) these are extremely well worth the...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-05-01)

Zamla Mammaz Manna - För äldre nybegynnare / Schlagerns mystik / Familjesprickor

For my money, SZamla incarnation number two was their prime and despite the fact we have to pay Japanese prices for Swedish CDs (all done by Silence) these are extremely well worth the...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-05-01)

Camel - Never Let Go

The subtitle of this live album from one of the original progressive rock bands is "official Camel bootleg." The term bootleg can conjure up some sore memories, mainly of a sound quality...

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(Posted by Alan Gunnison 1994-05-01)

Deus Ex Machina - Deus Ex Machina

Stylistically, Deus Ex Machina is very unique and not without their share of quirkiness and idiosyncracies. Some moments remind me of a heavier Gentle Giant, others make me think of both...

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(Posted by Dan Casey 1994-02-01)

Ain Soph - Hat and Field

Ain Soph are a post-Canterbury Japanese quartet who have certainly paid their dues, and whose Hat and Field album marks their return to the progressive/jazz scene from a six year hiatus...

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(Posted by Dan Casey 1994-05-01)

Ain Soph - A Story of Mysterious Forest

Breathtaking instrumental progressive from Japan. From the really short, Mahavishnu-type fusion rifferama of "Crossfire" which opens the album, you know you're in for an enjoyable...

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(Posted by Mike Ohman 1994-02-01)

Djam Karet - The Ritual Continues

Imagine a sound with the force and power of mid-period King Crimson, the fluidity and spaciness of Pink Floyd, and the percussive power of Peter Gabriel's Security. Throw into that mix...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1993-10-01)

A Bôlha - Um Passo a Frente

A Bôlha (The Bubble) were one of Brazil's first progressive bands, back in a time when progressive meant something more fundamental than the keyboard drenched symphonics and complicated...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1997-02-01)

Som Nosso de Cada Dia - Snegs

This three-man band is apparently well-remembered in their native Brazil. One look at the line-up will have the average listener thinking "ELP-clone" before the CD even starts playing,...

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(Posted by Mike Ohman 1997-02-01)

Alas - Alas

No big surprises here, just another keyboards / bass / drums (plus occasional guitar) trio working in a well-worn style. What Alas brings to the style that is new is a jazzy bent. I'm reminded...

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(Posted by Mike Ohman 1997-02-01)

Tellah - Continente Perdido

One of the few bands from Brasilia, Brazil's capital, Tellah recorded one legendary album in 1980, then disappeared. A three-piece band of guitar, bass, and drums, two members of whom also play...

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(Posted by Mike Ohman 1997-02-01)

Terreno Baldio & Recordando o Vale das Maçãs

Certainly an argument for "truth in advertising," Terreno Baldio released their first, self-titled album in 1976. In spite of the use of the same artwork as the LP, this is not the same...

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(Posted by Mike Ohman 1997-02-01)

Terreno Baldio & Recordando o Vale das Maçãs

Both of these are grouped in a single review, not simply because both were classic 70s Brazilian progressive bands, or because they both happen to be on the PRW Label (Progressive Rock Worldwide...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

Sophia Domancich & Simon Goubert - Treize Lunes & Couleurs de Peaux

Jazz. For some reason, this genre of music tends to send many "prog" fans screaming for cover. I've always found this strange considering a lot of jazz (especially from the 60s) was a...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1996-03-01)

Christian Vander Trio - 65!

Don't be fooled by the title of this one. It's the second (and latest) album by the Christian Vander Trio and not a re-release of Vander out-takes from 1965 (although that in itself would...

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(Posted by Dan Casey 1995-11-01)

Christian Vander / Offering - A Fiièh

The third and most recent Offering album appeared in 1993, with a line-up more full than the previous two Offerings. It should be no surprise that Stella Vander, Isabelle Feullebois, Philippe...

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(Posted by Dan Casey 1995-11-01)

Various Artists - Caged / Uncaged - A Rock / Experimental Homage to John Cage

Produced by John Cale, Caged / Uncaged was created as the 'soundtrack' for the exhibition "Il Suono Rapido delle Cose" in Venice in 1993, and is – as the subtitle...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-07-01)

Fish - Five Official Bootlegs

Bootlegs of live shows are often a mixed bag for both artists and their fans... how many times have you shelled out $25 or more for a bootleg CD only to find that it was pressed from either a...

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(Posted by Eric Brooks 1994-10-01)

Fish - Five Official Bootlegs

Bootlegs of live shows are often a mixed bag for both artists and their fans... how many times have you shelled out $25 or more for a bootleg CD only to find that it was pressed from either a...

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(Posted by Eric Brooks 1994-10-01)

Romantic Warriors, Tower & Secret Cinema

These titles are all combined as these are all projects either including Beppe Crovella or being one of his projects. Crovella was Arti e Mestieri's keyboard player and is the resident producer...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-07-01)

Kristoff K.Roll - Corazón Road

Corazón Road is the musical diary of a trip to the Yucatán peninsula and Central America. Using tapes he made during this trip, Kristoff K.Roll processes them and combines...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2016-11-17)

Various Artists - Seven Days of a Life

Seven Days of a Life is a concept album of seven unreleased songs representing a different day of the week progressing from birth to death. The seven bands on this compilation are Kerrs...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 1993-12-31)

Various Artists - Seven Days of a Life

This compilation has obviously been real late in the making, as all of the tracks were recorded between 1989 and 1991. While the concept of this album is explained in greater detail in the CD...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-02-01)

North Star - Triskelion

Sometimes I wonder what I am missing about a band or album Musea reissues. North Star is a case in point. They are a derivative neo-progressive band from Pennsylvania best described as a Genesis /...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 1993-12-31)

Syd Barrett - Crazy Diamond

With the exception of some live sessions recorded for the John Peel show, this 3CD box set purportedly contains all of the surviving post-Pink Floyd recordings of their one time bandleader Syd...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

B.A.G. - Soudain, l'Éléphant

baG, a French band, was Musea’s foray into world music. baG traveled extensively in the 80s and 90s listening to and influenced by Asian, Arabian, South American, African, and French folk...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 1994-12-31)

Guru Guru - Seven Reissues

Guru Guru is one of the better known Krautrock bands from the 70s. In Spring 1973 they released their fourth album Guru Guru, engineered by the legendary Conny Plank, featuring drummer...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2008-01-01)

Area - Gioia e Rivoluzione

Plenty of words have already been written on this outstanding Italian jazz-rock band in the pages of Exposé‚ so anyone wanting the historical background or a detailed synopsis...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1997-02-01)

Team Metlay - Bandwidth

Back in the summer of 1990 Mike Metlay formed Team Metlay from among fellow participants in the electronic music discussion sessions on the Internet. For those of you not yet on the information...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 1994-05-01)

Minimum Vital - La Source

On this, their fourth outing in nine years, les frères Payssan and company continue moving boldly into new territory, while retaining the essence of the sound that makes them unique among...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1993-10-01)

Minimum Vital - La Source

La Source is Minimum Vital’s third CD and marks a break from the baroque and medieval flavor of their earlier releases. Although the CD artwork contains photos of medieval statues,...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 1993-12-31)

Various Artists - Puissance 13+2

This exceptional live set was taken from a series of live performances at Le Parc du Chateau d'Herouville. Again, it must be remembered that this album is a cross-section of French rock at the...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Brunnen - Swoon

<crickets> — that’s either the typical response to the question “Any Brunnen fans in the audience?” or an accurate description of the third track on this CD. Brunnen...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2011-06-01)

Various Artists - Puissance 13+2

Puissance 13 + 2 presented an assortment of French bands on this interesting and varied compilation. The first song is Ergo Sum’s "All’s So Comic" that is the same...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 1993-12-31)

Zabu - My Coffin's Ready

This is a highly unusual Musea release. The bulk of the music on My Coffin’s Ready is blues rock! Even though Zabu’s band consisted of his Magma cohorts, most of the music on...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 1994-12-31)

Zabu - My Coffin's Ready

Lucien Zabuski, aka Zabu, was the original vocalist for Magma, prior to the enlistment of Klaus Blasquiz. This is his first post-Magma solo album, which showcases his unique gravelly voice in a...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Jade Warrior - Distant Echoes

For the uninitiated, Jade Warrior's recorded history began around 1970 as a three-piece, integrating east Asian themes, introspective jazz-rock ideas, some elements of folk, and a lot more into...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Alpes - Patrice Moullet - Rock sous la Dalle

Haven't heard much from Patrice Moullet since he and singer Catherine Ribeiro fronted Alpes, the premier French underground band, in the late 60s and early 70s. Yet apparently he's been...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Mantra Sunrise - Mantra Sunrise

Another brainchild from John Miner of Art Rock Circus. The bulk of the sound ekes in time with the style of 80s album-oriented rock and a leaning towards tuneful new wave vocalization. Overall,...

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(Posted by Cesar Montesano 2006-05-01)

Treatment - Cipher Caput

Apparently this was first available as a vinyl item, and then recently issued as a CD. Treatment is a British five-piece lineup of psychedelic explorers that operate somewhere along the Hawkwind /...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1996-08-01)

Rocket Scientists - Earthbound & Brutal Architecture

I wouldn't call the first CD by the Rocket Scientists progressive. It is a collection of songs, predominantly vocal. There is a lot of talent here. RS is Eric Nordlander on keyboards and...

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(Posted by Dane Carlson 1996-08-01)

Bruno Heuzé - Eurasie

Heuzé's stunning electro-acoustic music belongs in the broadest swath of progressive music and can be roughly categorized as techno-tribal, an eclectic mix of eastern exoticism, ambient...

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(Posted by Dean Suzuki 1996-08-01)

Percy Jones - Tunnels

Jones, who is probably best known for his impeccable and highly energized fretless bass work in Brand X, brings that pedigree to this, his newest project band. Also featured in the lineup are...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

Schicke Führs Fröhling (SFF) - The Collected Works of Schicke Führs Fröhling

During their brief yet productive career from 1976 to 1978, the trio of Ede Schicke (drums), Gerd Führs (keys), and Heinz Fröhling (guitar, Mellotron) produced three outstanding albums on...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Network - Corroded Path

This five-piece fusion outfit hails from the British Isles, led by guitarist Tim Crowther and drummer Steve Clarke. The band is rounded out by Ted Emmett (trumpet), Pete Jacobsen (keys) and...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Exclusive Raja - Off the Map

Off the Map is the debut release by a new French band on Musea's Musea Parallele series. Picture if you will a musical blend of Robert Fripp, Richard Pinhas, Alain Markusfeld, and...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 1994-05-01)

Dice - Dice, Four Riders of the Apocalypse & Live Dice

During their short career, which spans the late seventies, Swedish band Dice (never to be confused with the Swiss neo-proggers Deyss) released only one self-titled album, an excellent testament to...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1996-03-01)

Fromage - Ondine

Cheese jokes aside, this band was active throughout the eighties, and released two regular albums. Their approach was symphonic, featuring guitar, bass, keys, drums and flute, and female vocals,...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1996-03-01)

Ain Soph - Special Live 1 - 3 (Ride on a Camel, Mysterious Triangle & Quicksand)

Together in one form or another since the mid-70s, Ain Soph is one of Japan's premier instrumental progressive bands, drawing their influence more from the Canterbury scene than the usual...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1996-03-01)

Satori - Tick

This is one of those albums that seems rather irrelevant in the scheme of things. Not that it's bad, but there are tons of ambient albums even with prominent guitar that are much better. This...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1996-03-01)

Robert Berry - Pilgrimage to a Point

Robert Berry has been making music around the San Francisco Bay Area for about 20 years now – maybe longer. Probably his only national attention came during the late 80s when he teamed up...

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(Posted by Mike Grimes 1995-11-01)

Tristan Park - At the End of the Day

Hailing from the New England area, this six piece band is pushing for the arena rock sound that the late 70s and early 80s bands like Kansas and Rush made famous. Not exactly neo-prog, not exactly...

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(Posted by Dan Casey 1995-11-01)

Richard Bone - X Considers Y, Ambiento & Vox Orbita

Although Richard Bone may be best known for his forays into the alternative techno-pop realms in the mid 80s, his work of late, while still being very electronic based and often poppy, has been far...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-11-01)

Contrevent - Terre de Feu

Canadian fusion at its smokin' best, Contrevent are a five piece of drums, bass, guitar, cello, and vibraphone/keyboards. Their style is energetic and complex, yet very accessible. One might be...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-11-01)

ZNR - Barricade 3

Made up of the duo team Joseph Racaille and Hector Zazou, ZNR were pushing the fringe with this release in '77. Even by today's standards, this music is very avant garde. The formula is...

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(Posted by Dan Casey 1995-11-01)

The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - The Gift of Tears & Le Liturgie pour le Fin du Temp

RAIJ are a mysterious ensemble of musicians whose music is genuinely unclassifiable. Operating somewhere near the 4AD / Dead Can Dance axis, the music by this fascinating combo is transfixing,...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-11-01)

Atoll - Musiciens-Magiciens, L’Araignée-Mal, Tertio & Rock Puzzle

I always thought of Atoll as being the number two French symphonic rock band in the 70s, after Ange. Like Ange, they applied the ideals and techniques of progressive rock to French culture and came...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2005-09-01)

Court - And You'll Follow the Winds Rush 'Till Their Breath Dwells

From the opening notes of "Rising the Tale" – a short instrumental interlude that opens the disc, it's apparent that this new Italian neo-progressive band has traveled a...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

Machiavel - Machiavel

Here, finally, is the long awaited reissue of the first album by this renowned Belgian symphonic-rock band, who would go on to release two more excellent albums (Jester, Mechanical...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

Dialog, Crystal Maze & Mad Puppet - Cry of the Hawk, Forever & King Laurin

Three recent albums by three different unrelated bands on Music Is Intelligence. All three released very promising debut albums in the early/mid-80s, these being somewhat belated follow-ups (to be...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-07-01)

La Pentola di Papin - Zero-7

This obscure band released this album in 1977, but you wouldn't guess it from listening to it as it's in the beat classical rock vein that are a good portion of Vinyl Magic's roster,...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-07-01)

Syndone - Inca

I reviewed Spleen in the New Italian article some issues back. Inca is the dual keyboard follow up to Spleen and is a big step up in terms of vision and quality. My...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-07-01)

Alluminogeni - Geni Mutante & Green Grapes

On the Fonit-Cetra label, Vinyl Magic reissued Scolopendra, an album from 1972 led by Patrizio Alluminio in the well-known keyboard-trio format. Gli Alluminogeni's music on that album...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-07-01)

Hawkwind - It Is the Business of the Future to Be Dangerous

The latest incarnation of Hawkwind comprises Dave Brock, Alan Davey, and Richard Chadwick. It Is the Business... takes all but the most open-minded Hawkfan by surprise for one reason:...

 » Read more
(Posted by Anatole Gordon 1994-08-01)

Glass Hammer - Journey of the Dunadan

This debut album from a Floridian duo of multi-instrumentalists leaves a host of unanswered questions. First, after the '90s have already proven to be a prolific breeding ground for new and...

 » Read more
(Posted by Dan Casey 1994-05-01)

Ash Ra Tempel - Le Berceau de Cristal

Remember Tangerine Dream's Green Desert? Many a time have I discussed its legitimacy as a long lost album with people. Hailing from 1985, yet claiming to be from 1973, it just...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-08-01)

Univeria Zekt - The Unnamables

A Magma album in disguise, The Unnamables was designed to ease listeners into the musical world of Magma. Recorded by essentially the same lineup as on 1001 Centigrades, the album...

 » Read more
(Posted by Rob Walker 1995-11-01)

Adrian Marcator - Eiderland Suite

Eiderland is strongly rooted in German traditional folk music stylings, although all of its twenty tracks are original material. In summary it could be said by comparison, that...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1993-10-01)

Baba Jam Band - Kayada

This is only roughly new, I suppose, being a CD from five years back. Probably wouldn't have bothered with the review except that this is a remarkably good album, one that should have gotten...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1999-04-01)

Caryn Lin - Honour the Rain

Caryn Lin is a violin player who plays on one track of the Project Lo disc. Here, on her solo album, we find overdubs of echoed pizzicato and such over which a rather spatial violin flies....

 » Read more
(Posted by Alain Lachapelle 1996-03-01)

The Big Wu - Tracking Buffalo Through the Bathtub

The Big Wu is a Midwest quintet who focuses on the amusing swing jazz groove vibes of Zappa or the Grateful Dead. This is the kind of group who can channel a happy vibe and break off into a heavy...

 » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2000-05-01)

Wind - Morning

Somewhere between their debut, Seasons, and this album, Wind seem to have gone through an abrupt and drastic personality change. That album was quintessential German heavy rock with an...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike Ohman 1995-11-01)

The Moor - Every Pixie Sells a Story

Well, you gotta wonder about a band that (literally) pays homage to themselves in the liner notes. Hmmm...

Okay, take a deep breath and then belt out the lowest note you possibly can. That...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike Grimes 1996-03-01)

Celeste - Second Plus

Celeste's debut album is one of the very best of the Italian progressives, and was highly regarded enough to have been reissued in three countries. Meanwhile, this CD is supposedly a lost...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1996-08-01)

Corte dei Miracoli - Dimensione Onirica & Live at Lux

Corte dei Miracoli only released one album on the short lived Grog label in 1976 (reissued on Vinyl Magic) and like Museo Rosenbach, left a series of poorly recorded demos, of which Dimensione...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1996-08-01)

Runaway Totem - Trimegisto

This was a new release on independent vinyl just two years ago, in fact we covered this in part two of our 'New Italian Rock' series in issue #3. Last year Black Widow reissued it as a CD...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1996-03-01)

High Wheel - 1910 & Remember the Colours

High Wheel is a relatively new German outfit with two albums solidly in the neo-progressive vein. While both are private releases, the band would fit very comfortably on the SI label as the music...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1996-03-01)

Michael Zentner - Present Time

Formerly of the Muffins, Michael Zentner and his solo release drifted into obscurity over ten years ago, from which they have just been rescued. The lineup on this album differs from track to...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike Borella 1994-10-01)

Bon - Full Circle - Coming Home

Though guitarist Bon Lozaga may be remembered by some for his contributions to Gong's Expresso II album, and bassist Hansford Rowe was indeed a prominent member of Pierre Moerlen's...

 » Read more
(Posted by Rob Walker 1995-07-01)

Sincronia - Odisea del Tiempo Eterno

I'm not much for programmed synths and drums in a classical rock/symphonic format, and there seems to be a lot of these coming out. Our dear Editor requested that I review this album with full...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-07-01)

Amazing Blondel - Englische Musicke

Amazing Blondel existed throughout the early 70s, originally formed by John Gladwin and Terry Wincott after leaving another even more obscure band called Methuselah. This compilation is drawn from...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

Episode - Starlight Tales

I've been listening to Episode for quite a while and patiently awaiting this disc. They live in the Bay Area, so I see them around at shows, and have been asking them for the last year and a...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike Borella 1994-02-01)

Earcandy, Mynd Muzic & T-H-C Roller - Space, Time, Imagination & a Joint

Poor Person Productions is an admittedly amateur label dedicated to psychedelic music heavily influenced by the contemporary British scene (Ozrics, Mandragora, Magic Mushroom Band, Freakbeat/...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-07-01)

Magellan - Impending Ascension

The title of this album neatly fits this group in a certain genre that often verges on a pretentious, overly technical "prog rock" – music somewhere between Rush, Pendragon, Dream...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-07-01)

Kaipa - Kaipa, Inget Nytt Under Solen, & Stockholm Symphonie

In their early years, the Swedish band Kaipa were a quartet playing music in the symphonic rock vein as typified by Yes or Genesis. Vocalist/Keyboardist Hans Ludin is nearly a dead ringer for a...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-05-01)

Kaipa - Kaipa, Inget Nytt Under Solen, & Stockholm Symphonie

In their early years, the Swedish band Kaipa were a quartet playing music in the symphonic rock vein as typified by Yes or Genesis. Vocalist/Keyboardist Hans Ludin is nearly a dead ringer for a...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-05-01)

Garmarna & Hedningarna reissues

Over the last few years, I’ve had several occasions to gush about how wonderful Garmarna is, namely the release of each of their three American CDs (the first two on Omnium, the third on...

 » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2001-07-01)

Mani Neumeier - Privat

Guru Guru drummer Mani is still going strong, to which two recent Japan visits will attest. Through the 80s and 90s he has kept busy with projects such as L.S. Bearforce, and Tiere de Nacht. This...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike Ezzo 1998-07-01)

Cul de Sac - Ecim

This four-piece from Massachusetts offers a free-wheeling neo-psychedelic sound that finds itself at home somewhere between current bands bands like Porcupine Tree, and the experimental music of...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Mellow Candle - Swaddling Songs

McLatchey's Top Tier #18

This album was created by a very young band, which is amazing when you think that nearly every song on it is flawlessly executed. It's a perfect example of...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2015-04-23)

Robert Dick - Third Stone from the Sun

Robert Dick is probably the world's leading proponent of avant-garde flute techniques. His recordings and teachings, including the well-known The Other Flute have opened up literally a whole...  » Read more
(Posted by Rob Walker 1995-07-01)

Ramses - La Leyla / Eternity Rise

This CD release collects the first two of three albums by this German band led by brothers Winfried (keyboards) and Norbert (guitar) Langhorst. The band's music is in the spacy symphonic mould,...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike Ohman 1995-03-01)

Zzaj / Kissinger / Kramtones - Critical Mass & Emotional Circus

Rotcod Zzaj is a do-it-yourself musician who produces his own cassettes, right down to the home-made packaging and the handwriting on the labels. Working in collaboration with other musicians, he...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-03-01)

Zzaj / Kissinger / Kramtones - Critical Mass & Emotional Circus

Rotcod Zzaj is a do-it-yourself musician who produces his own cassettes, right down to the home-made packaging and the handwriting on the labels. Working in collaboration with other musicians, he...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-03-01)

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - Live & Papagayo Club 1972

Unlike the recently released PFM shows (Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-03-01)

Frank Zappa / Ensemble Modern - The Yellow Shark

One of Zappa's complaints through the years was the difficulty of getting an orchestra to play his pieces the way he wanted them to. Enter the Ensemble Modern, a Frankfurt-based, self-sustained group...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike Borella 1995-03-01)

Mestari - Mestari

Recorded in 1993, this four-piece jazz quartet featuring Yochk'o Seffer on various saxes was a logical precursor to the new Zao album, and while the latter more closely approaches progressive, Mestari...  » Read more
(Posted by Dan Casey 1995-03-01)

Present - C.O.D. Performance

This is the latest release from guitarist Roger Trigaux's post-Univers Zero project. Trigaux and son Reginald are the only musicians listed, both are credited with playing guitar, vocals, and...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike Ohman 1995-03-01)

Madden and Harris - Fools Paradise

There is absolutely no information provided in the liner notes to this CD, so all I can tell you is that it is a reissue of an album originally released in Australia in the early 70s. Actually, I'm...  » Read more
(Posted by Rob Walker 1994-10-01)

Fromage - Ondine

Fromage. That's French for 'cheese.' This Fromage, however, are not French at all, but rather they are a Japanese five piece (g/k/d/b/v+flute) from the '80's. The keyword here is 80s. A very dated...  » Read more
(Posted by Dan Casey 1994-10-01)

Lard Free - Gilbert Artman's Lard Free, I'm Around About Midnight & Third

Artman's Lard Free project has received considerable amount of documentation in progressive periodicals, so I won't bore you with the details. Here's a quick overview; all are essential listens —...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-10-01)

Lard Free - Gilbert Artman's Lard Free, I'm Around About Midnight & Third

Artman's Lard Free project has received considerable amount of documentation in progressive periodicals, so I won't bore you with the details. Here's a quick overview; all are essential listens —...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-10-01)

Urban Sax - Urban Sax, Fraction sur le Temps & Spiral

Legend has it that the idea for Urban Sax came into being around 1973, when the town of Menton in the south of France commissioned Gilbert Artman to reverberate the town with four amplified fixed...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-10-01)

Von Zamla - Zamlaranamma

Von Zamla is another incarnation of the zany Samla Mammas Manna, who recorded two albums under the name for Urspar (this one being the first) before breaking up in the early 80s. Von Zamla's four...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-10-01)

Soft Machine - Third

For those not familiar with Soft Machine, this is probably the best place to start; this marks the major turning point in the band's career, a shift from a more song-oriented style, through a phase of...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-10-01)

Renaissance & Illusion - Scheherezade, Turn of the Cards & Madonna Blue

[Note: This review from 1994 refers to reissues on the TRC label. The albums involved have since been legitimately issued, and those releases are listed at the end of this...

 » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-10-01)

Thule - Frostbrent

Frostbrent is the third album by the now three-man Norwegian outfit Thule. Again, here's an album esoteric enough that it could only find its market in the underground progressive scene, yet...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-10-01)

Asturias - Cryptogam Illusion

The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and composer Yoh Ohyama, Asturias has a sound that could be called an instrumental symphonic fusion (in the vein of Kenso, Happy the Man, Pekka Pohjola or...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-10-01)

Delta Cyphei Project - Virtual World

Did you ever listen to a CD and after hearing the first song, the second song starts and you think that someone has switched CDs on you? That's precisely what happens with Delta Cyphei Project's (DCP)...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike Grimes 1995-03-01)

Lightwave - Tycho Brahé

The duo of Christoph Harbonnier and Christian Wittman, otherwise known as Lightwave, have been active since the mid-80s. Composing electronic and synthesized music along the lines of early Tangerine...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike Borella 1995-03-01)

Matter - Matter

If you like quirky psychedelic guitar-rock drenched with Mellotron, read on... Matter is pretty much the two man project of Joe Albarran (Chapman Stick, bass, Mellotron and guitar) and Mike Madden...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Kit Watkins - Kinetic Vapors

Perhaps because of his classical training or his background in the rock world, Kit Watkins' music tends to have a real sense of purpose and direction when approached from the progressive rock...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-10-01)

Original Outer Limits - Outer Mania

Outer Limits were one of the mainstays of the Japanese 80s symphonic scene and perhaps one of the most accomplished of their peers (Teru's Symphonia, Pageant, Mr. Sirius and others). They released...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-10-01)

Enchant - A Blueprint of the World

An American band, and another in a long line of neo-progsters produced (in part, at least) by Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery. Someday, someone ought to make a compilation of Rothery's productions....  » Read more
(Posted by Mike Ohman 1994-10-01)

Mauve Sideshow - Meet Me in the Wasteland

Meet Me in the Wasteland is the latest and final musical chapter of Treva (voice, electronics) and Dusty Lee (Mellotron, keyboards, sound collage). Like their self titled CD of two years...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1994-10-01)

Annexus Quam - Beziehungen

German group Annexus Quam was one of the many experimental fusion groups that emerged from the early German "cosmic rock" scene. They quietly released two albums on Ohr (alongside giants like...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-08-01)

Tea & Symphony - An Asylum for the Musically Insane

There's not two albums like this in the world (with the possible exception of the band's second album, Jo Sago, not yet out on CD). Tea and Symphony were a trio of Jef Daw (guitars, flutes,...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike Ohman 1994-08-01)

La Rossa - A Fury of Glass

Yet another obscure symphonic band brought to us by Musea, La Rossa's A Fury of Glass is a welcome reissue for the fan of Yes/ELP influenced rock. Featuring excellent keyboard playing in the...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike Borella 1994-08-01)

Cargo - Cargo

Cargo was a Dutch band that released this apparently now highly sought after album in 1972. Their 4 piece lineup featured dual guitars along with bass and drums. Sounding quite similar to countrymen...  » Read more
(Posted by Rob Walker 1994-08-01)

Etna - Etna

Out of the undiscerning mass factory of Mellowland every once in a while comes an album well worth waiting for. From 1975, Etna's sole album is a gem for jazz rock/fusion fanatics. What's really...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-08-01)

Arkus - 1914

I'm not sure how many times I've had to listen to this to review. It seems like I forget about it after every time I listen to it. Arkus is a Dutch symphonic group and this album is from the early...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-08-01)

Blacklight Braille - Seachange

Blacklight Braille is a name I've been seeing for years but only recently decided to check their music out. So for any seasoned BB fans out there, please keep in mind this is this writer's first...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-08-01)

Everon - Paradoxes

Getting me to review an SI release is somewhat analogous to trying to get Rolling Stone to review a Zamla Mammaz Manna album. Both would have their fair share of negative comments. I am...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-08-01)

Bloque - Bloque & Hombre, Tierra y Alma

There really was some great music coming out of Spain in the late 70s, and unlike a lot of their Spanish contemporaries, Bloque actually stayed together long enough to record more than one album!...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike Grimes 1995-07-01)

Sahara - Sunrise & For All the Clowns

Formed from the ashes of Subject Esq., Sahara got lost among the mass of other mid-70s German prog groups (Grobschnitt, Novalis, SFF, et al.) in spite of their good distribution, though they didn't...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike Ohman 1995-07-01)

Ruins - Graviyaunosch

Ruins is a contemporary Japanese band that represents the harsh, aggressive side of zeuhl music. They are compared equally often with Magma and the hardcore band The Boredomes - that should give you...  » Read more
(Posted by Steve Robey 1995-07-01)

Gulââb - Veils of Mystery

Rarely do I receive a recording that makes me stand up and take notice. My jaded and tired ears perked up as I flew my astral plane while playing Veils of Mystery. What's this you ask, a...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1994-08-01)

X-Legged Sally - Killed by Charity

How to categorize a mix of jazz-fusion, funk, and experimental punk rock? Don't bother! Pigeonholing X-Legged Sally is like trying to convince Bob Fripp to play 12-bar blues. It probably could be...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike Borella 1994-08-01)

Electric Orange - Electric Orange

Although this is a new release, Dirk Jan Muller and company (aka Electric Orange) have faithfully turned the clock back almost 25 years, trapped in time around 1970. Indeed, this album evokes the...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-08-01)

Attempt to Restore - Alpha Collection I

Most new German groups these days seem to have forgotten their musical ancestry from the high psychedelic days of the Ohr and Brain years. Practically all you see is bands like Chandelier, Bel Air,...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-08-01)

Mellow Candle - Swaddling Songs

I think this one may have been repressed again, since I have seen many copies poke their heads out recently. This album in my opinion is the pinnacle of English progressive folk a la The Trees,...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1993-10-01)

Ergo Sum - Mexico

In the late sixties the French progressive rock scene started to explode with bands. However the major French record labels gave these bands a rough deal. Recognizing this problem after his...

 » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1994-02-01)

Tony Scheuren - Gaining on You

Scheuren began his recording career back in the late 60s with the band Chamaeleon Church, and was later, along with Ted Myers, one of the principal songwriters in the final edition of Boston based...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2003-08-01)

Howard Riley & Keith Tippett - Interchange

A rare live duet performance from December 1993 was captured on tape between two of the foremost jazz pianists and improvisers in the world. Riley and Tippett had collaborated twice before, taking...  » Read more
(Posted by Jeff Melton 2003-08-01)

Zao - Z=7L

It appears that Musea is reissuing Zao’s albums at the rate of one per year. This year they present Z=7L, the debut album by this Magma offshoot. While strongly rooted in the zeuhl...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1993-12-31)

Realm - The Path

Wait a minute! Do my ears deceive me or is this a long lost Yes release? No, it is the debut release by the mid-western group Realm and could easily be the best Yes release they never recorded....  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1994-12-31)

Montefeltro - Il Tiempo di Far la Fantasia

Montefeltro, an incredible Italian duo, writes and plays songs with a symphonic instrumentation that sounds like a large ensemble. Their music and lyrics embody the best of 70s Italian progressive...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1993-12-31)

Univeria Zekt - The Unnamables

Laurent Thibault conceived of the Univeria Zekt project as a way to introduce Magma to a wider audience. The idea was to ease people into the complexities of Magma’s music by the music on side one...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1993-12-31)

III Milenio - Aliança dos Tempos

Aliança dos Tempos is a reissue of the 1990 debut release by this marvelous Brazilian band. True to progressive rock, Aliança dos Tempos is a concept album telling the story, in...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1993-12-31)

Kaipa - Kaipa

Here we have another CD in a long line of excellent Musea progressive rock reissues. Kaipa was a Swedish band that released their self-titled debut album in 1975. Kaipa, the album, by...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1993-12-31)

David Bagsby - Ephemeron

Hot on the heels of Bizaria is another new Bagsby solo tape, Ephemeron. Mr. Bagsby is amazing in the musical breadth of his talent. Each tape is a unique experience from the...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1993-12-31)

Atoll - Rock Puzzle

Rock Puzzle is the long awaited CD reissue of Atoll’s fourth album recorded in 1979. True to their practice of releasing high quality CDs, Musea included an extra 33 minutes of six...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1999-12-31)

Jörg Thomasius / Lars Stroschen - Tonart Drei

Drei is the third avant garde electronic collaboration between Lars Stroschen (AKA Propeller Island) and Jörg Thomasius. Whereas Ein also included Conrad Schnitzler’s playful...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1993-12-31)

Blim - Zero / No Frills

Way back in the heady days of the early ‘90s British space-rock jam band scene there was Blim, regrettably and unfairly overshadowed by bands with bigger names who got an earlier head-start, but...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-10-27)

Progres 2 - Dialog S Vesmírem

This is a solid 76 minute live set from one of the better Eastern European prog bands. Progres 2 recorded several albums in the late 70s/early 80s featuring a rather dark and aggressive symphonic...  » Read more
(Posted by Rob Walker 1994-08-01)

Red Jasper - A Midsummer Night's Dream

From the acoustic guitars and tin-whistle that open the first track, I knew this wouldn't be your standard SI neo-prog fare. Vocalist Davey Dodds picks up about a minute in, with a deep and thick...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-08-01)

Hugh Hopper Band - Alive!

After his glory days with Soft Machine, Hugh Hopper went through some lean times (musically at least), until the mid to late 80s, when he hooked up with a crew of Dutch musicians for a number of tours...  » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 1999-11-01)

Emily Bezar - Grandmother's Tea Leaves, Moon in Grenadine & Four Walls Bending

I read a review of Moon in Grenadine some time ago which described it as what you might get if Sarah McLachlan’s band indulged itself in a King Crimson fetish, so of course I had to have...

 » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2000-10-01)

Zao - Z=7L

For those not familiar with Zao, they were the first true Magma spin-off band, formed by reedsman Yochk'o Seffer and pianist Francois "Faton" Cahen, at a time when their creative role within that band...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

Richard Johnson and Jud Martindale - Creatures of Habit

For those interested with tracking down the roots of master acoustic fret bender, Richard Leo Johnson, look no further! Uncovered from the independent release catacombs is a 1993 gem from Johnson and...  » Read more
(Posted by Jeff Melton 2000-05-01)

Ain Soph - Five Evolved from Nine

This Japanese band has been around for a while and has put out some pretty damn good music. Unabashedly Canterbury influenced (album titles: Hat & Field, Ride on a Camel), it...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1993-10-01)

Ain Soph - Marine Menagerie & Five Evolved from Nine

The line between fusion and fuzak can be a very fine one, and Ain Soph walks that line like a drunken goat, stepping first on one side, then on the other, back and forth with dizzying frequency. I...  » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2006-05-01)

L'Ensemble Rayé - Quelques Pièces Détachées

The core of L'Ensemble Rayé is Cédric Vuille (guitars, bass, clarinet, keys, ukelele, bandurria, percussion), Jean-20-Huguenin (guitars, mandolin) and Pierre Kaufmann (saxes, clarinets, piano,...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-08-01)

Sangiuliano - Take Off

An amazing album from 1978. Tony Sangiuliano was a one man keyboard show, assisted only by a drummer and female soprano; he could well be thought of as Italy's answer to Heaven and Hell...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

Myrbein - Myrornas Krig

Myrbein's 1981 album Myrornas Krig is the latest re-release from the Swedish Ad Perpetuam Memoriam label, which also brought us Kultivator's Barndomens Stigar. Perhaps not...  » Read more
(Posted by Rob Walker 1994-05-01)

Blocco Mentale - POA

Here's an Italian band from 1973 that, instead of taking their cue from the keyboard driven sound of ELP, have more in common with the sound of Jethro Tull, early PFM, maybe Blodwyn Pig, and perhaps...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

Rebekka - Phoenix

Phoenix was the first release by the German band Rebekka, whose brand of progressive music featured tablas and tamboura besides the standard guitar, flute, sax, keyboards, bass, and...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1994-05-01)

Ivory - Sad Cypress

Ivory was an obscure German band that recorded and released this album in 1979. What made Ivory unique was their leader Ulrich Sommerlatte, a 65 year old musician! At the ripe old age of 22 Ulrich...  » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1994-05-01)

Koniec - Silenci en Bla

Koniec is a Spanish instrumental four-piece of drums, keys, bass and saxes, whose music could best be described as free-jazz-rock, along the same axis as folks like Curlew, Doctor Nerve, and others....  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

Realm - The Path

Realm is not a new band: well over ten years ago a nearly identical lineup produced an almost unlistenable (due to the muddy mix and horrible vocal arrangements) keyboard album under the name System,...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

Garden Wall - Principium

Garden Wall are an Italian neo-prog four-piece who have recently released this, their first album. If the name of the band sounds familiar to you, recall Garden Wall was one of the names Genesis...  » Read more
(Posted by Dan Casey 1994-05-01)

Paga Group - Gnosis

Paga today is: Bernard Paganotti, former monster-zeuhl bassist with Magma and Weidorje, Klaus Blasquiz, former Magma lead vocalist on all their best albums, Bertrand Lajudie on keyboards, and new...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

The Spacious Mind - Cosmic Minds at Play

The Spacious Mind is the latest band to emerge from the burgeoning progressive scene in Sweden. Abandoning the more symphonic influences of countrymen Änglagård, Manticore, and Landberk, The...  » Read more
(Posted by Rob Walker 1994-05-01)

B.A.G. - Soudain, l'Éléphant

This French instrumental five piece of guitars, bass, keys, winds and drums plays music in a somewhat jazzy vein, yet with a rock flair and a multitude of influences ranging from world jazz and Arabic...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

Indigo - Silent Memories

One cannot listen to Indigo's latest album without acknowledging that, while, good as some of these musical compositions might be, they tend to be spoiled by powdery and derivative lyrics sung in a...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

Christopher Franke - Klemania

Apparently a special recording to celebrate KLEM day, an electronic music festival in the Netherlands, Franke's Klemania album is both a pleasant surprise and a disappointment. I hate to...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Dubiel 1994-05-01)

Roots of Consciousness - Roots of Consciousness

On first listen I wasn't sure what to make of this debut release from Atlanta's Roots of Consciousness, a four piece of guitars, keys, bass and drums, with vocals by all. After a few listens those...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

III Milenio - Aliança dos Tempos

Here's an example of where vocals can be quite innovative and then subsequently make you wince. The album is obviously a concept album and in the vein of Ange, the vocals are theatrical often being...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-02-01)

Mezquita - Recuerdos de mi Tierra

Spain's late 70s "progressive rock" scene was flowing in the abundance of new and creative talent and this short lived band was practically at the zenith of this genre's adherents. A heavily folk...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-02-01)

Progres 2 - Tretí Kniha Džunglí - Third Jungle Book

This was originally a double album released in 1981, and on CD it clocks in at a few seconds shy of 80 minutes! From Czechoslovakia, Progres 2 is at times symphonic, at times more electronic, at...  » Read more
(Posted by Rob Walker 1994-02-01)

Ergo Sum - Mexico

Ergo Sum was an early French progressive band, a six-piece featuring flute and violin, as well as the standard guitars, bass, drums and keyboards, plus a vocalist (Lionel Ledissez) who sounds...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Amon Düül II - Surrounded by the Bars

Actually, this is not a true reissue, in that these remixed versions of the band's better songs from their classic early seventies period have never appeared together on a compilation before....  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Sfinx - Zalmoxe

This one caught me completely off guard. I'd never even heard of this excellent Romanian band before the CD reissue - which made it for all the nicer surprise. One has to be somewhat impressed when...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Crack - Si Todo Hiciera Crack

While in countries like England, Italy and the United States, the outlook for progressive rock by the late seventies was practically at its bleakest; Spain's scene was at its most prolific stage. ...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-02-01)

Univeria Zekt - The Unnamables

This is, for all intents and purposes, a Magma album recorded under a different name. The original intent by producer Laurent Thibault was to create an album that would be sort of like an introduction...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Tarántula - Tarántula

Tarántula was part of the first wave of Spanish progressive bands from the 70s. This first album from 1976, heretofore a difficult find, has just been reissued on CD in Korea. A five-piece of...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Marc Anderson - Timefish

Usually prog fans expect a certain level of complexity in their music, and a quarter-century's worth of artists have pushed the level of complexity in rock music in many ways: structurally,...  » Read more
(Posted by Dan Casey 1994-08-01)

Omnia Opera - Omnia Opera

From the first few power chords at the beginning of "Space Bastard" it becomes fairly obvious that this British six-piece have Hawkwind as one of their major...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)

IQ - Ever

After two almost-completely duff studio albums and a long hiatus, it's good to see that the leading purveyors of the neo-Genesis sound are again living up to their good reputation. What does that...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Patrick Gauthier - Sur les Flots Verticaux

It's been a while since we've heard from Patrick Gauthier (ex-Heldon, Weidorje, Magma) in a solo capacity, maybe ten years or more since he cut his now-legendary Bébé Godzilla....  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Golgotha - Symphony in Extremis

Once a full band, by the first release - Unmaker of Worlds (1990), Golgotha had already scaled down to being the singlehanded project of one Karl Foster. That release, with its four lengthy...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Ancient Future - Asian Fusion

Around 1980, Ancient Future released two excellent albums of acoustic world-music, the second of which (Natural Rhythms) remains a landmark of the genre, with its surreal eccentricity and...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Roots of Consciousness - Roots of Consciousness

These guys inhabit that area of progressive rock that tends to make me cringe. Influences? Rush, Marillion, maybe even Be Bop Deluxe. This type ofmusic is more in an "art rock" vein - very vocal...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-02-01)

Dashiell Hedayat - Obsolete

Aahhhh! Here's another Gong album no one seems to know about, as this is basically Gong plus poet/musician Dashiell Hedayat (otherwise known as Melmoth). Evidently the lyrical content...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1993-10-01)

Montefeltro - Il Tiempo di Far la Fantasia

Montefeltro is essentially the duo of Piergiorgio Ambrosi (keyboards) and Attilio Virgilio (guitars and vocals), with guest musicians rounding the sound out on bass and drums. Their approach is rooted...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1993-10-01)

Asgard - Imago Mundi

This, Asgard's fourth album, covers plenty of new territory, recaptures some of the lost ground from their original sound, and offers a quite a bit more accessibility - while maintaining a generally...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Providence - Rare Tracks

In their brief career, Providence only released one album, ...And I'll Recite an Old Myth From..., and graced at least one of MIJ's sampler discs. Their sound is a powerful neo-progressive...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1993-10-01)

Ozric Tentacles - Jurassic Shift

First opinion was certainly a "Wow" as it seems like Ozrics have returned to what they do best as typified on Erpland. But this album is too much like Erpland to the point...  » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1993-10-01)

Marc Ceccotti - M.A.S.C.

I heard that this was the new Edhels album all the way up to the time that I got it. Anyway, Ceccotti was more or less the brains behind Edhels, and his first solo album is definitely in the vein...

 » Read more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1993-10-01)

Vander / Top / Blasquiz / Garber - "Sons" Document 1973 - Le Manor

With the relase of AKT I - Les Voix de Magma, Christian Vander launched his new label to release live and unreleased studio material to all the eager Magma fans around the world, following...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Klaus Schulze - Silver Edition

Silver Edition is a limited edition of 2000 boxed sets of 10 CDs sold on a subscription basis with the unsold sets finding their way to the mail order houses like Eurock and Ultima Thule at a much...

 » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 1994-02-01)

Solstice - New Life

Throughout their career, Solstice has consistently eschewed the commercial interests shared by most other bands of the 80's UK scene, favoring instead to concentrate on live performances and a very...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Tangle Edge - Eulogy

If one doesn't count all the bootlegs of this that have been floating around for the last few years, then it's really not a reissue - as it's never been legitimately available before. This is Tangle...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-02-01)

Kenso - Kenso II

Another welcome reissue, prices for original LPs of Kenso's extremely rare first and second albums have been soaring skyward in the last few years, beyond the reach of the average progressive music...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 1993-10-01)