Titles are arranged alphabetically with the latest additions highlighted
in yellow. Some of the newer or more popular British artists are on Page 1, 2 or
3 of the store rather than here, otherwise this page would be even longer than
it is.
These are bargain-priced sampler CDs from the British Cyclops label. (They’d be even more of a bargain if the U.S. dollar wasn't so weak.) The 75-minute Sampler 2 covers earlier Cyclops releases by Robert Berry, Credo, Epilogue, Ezra, Fruitcake, Grace, Grey Lady Down, Lands End, Sphere, Tristan Park, and Vulgar Unicorn. Almost all of the releases covered by this CD are now out-of-print.
Sampler 5 is a double-CD and all the tracks are unique to this collection: 20 exclusive, alternate, and rare tracks, over two hours of music from Rob Andrews, Flamborough Head, Guardian’s Office, Henry Fool, Karda Estra, Lands End, Manning, Mostly Autumn, Mysterkah, Nice Beaver, Odyssice, Parallel or 90 Degrees, Pineapple Thief, Saens, Sphere3, Transience, Tr3nity, Twelfth Night, and Vulgar Unicorn.
Sampler 6 is the latest, a double-CD containing
140-minutes of exclusive, alternate and rare tracks from Cyclops-label bands.
For the first CD of the set, Abarax have created a new 14-minute track
showcasing their great guitar work. Rob Andrews gives us a brand new track,
while Discipline provide a live version of their epic Canto IV. Drama,
The Gift and Lands End provide alternate versions of tracks from their albums.
Flamborough Head’s entry is a live version of Mantova and Karda Estra’s
is a brand new track. The second CD opens with a Mostly Autumn track from the
deleted Prints in the Stone EP, the improved 2000 reprise of Heroes
Never Die. Nautilus give us a different take of their Dark Room, Nice
Beaver show us that Saturday Night Beaver is the best kind, while
Pineapple Thief fans will want the superb 13-minute epic produced especially for
this collection. Product provide the previously-unreleased Stranger and
Kiroshi. Sensitive To Light give us a radical reworking of one of their best
tracks, followed by an excellent new track from Trion. Sampler 6 is brought to a
close with a new rendition of an epic track by Tr3nity.
Abbfinoosty
- The Storm ($8.99)
SALE!
SALE!Heavy British neo-prog. Future is from 1994, The Storm from
1996.
Shirley
Collins and the Albion Country Band - No Roses ($10.99)This 1971 album is a milestone in English folk-rock and the first album by
Ashley Hutchings’ Albion Band. It combines a traditional English singer in
Collins with 25 musicians, some from a folk background, some from rock, and some
from early music. The list of musicians reads like a who’s who of the scene,
including Richard Thompson, Maddy Prior, Simon Nicol, Barry Dransfield, Dave
Mattacks, and John Kirkpatrick. Shirley Collins and Ashley Hutchings were in the
first year of their marriage when the album was recorded, with Hutchings having
already helped found Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. The confluence of
the full electric rock sound with Shirley’s enchanting balladry was adventurous
at the time and still compelling today. This is the 2004 remastered edition on
Castle/Sanctuary.
Martin
Ansell - The Englishman Abroad ($12.99)
This album recorded in the 1980’s was one of the first on Island Records. It
is easily grouped with Rupert Hine’s progressive pop albums of the same decade.
The reason is obvious. Rupert Hine produced, plays keyboards and adds backing
vocals, while Hine’s cohorts Trevor Morais (drums) and Phil Palmer (guitars) are
also in the band. Howard Jones is credited with “impressive keyboard solos”.
Hine’s stamp is all over this album. High quality bonus tracks take the total playing time up
to 73 minutes. Note there are also RealAudio clips at the Windows Media link above.
Arena
- Pepper’s Ghost ($13.99)
Arena play heavy neo-progressive rock. They celebrated their 10th anniversary with the album Pepper’s Ghost
(2005), which is quite possibly their best to date. The concept of the album must have something to do
with the comic book in the booklet, but have a magnifying glass handy if you
intend to read the text. There’s still plenty of heavy guitar on this one, but
it’s all in service of epic symphonic prog tracks with huge vocal choruses and
lots of keyboard leads. Arena may have begun as an offshoot of early Marillion,
but with the current stabilized lineup, they have clearly come into their own. Check our DVDs page for
Arena’s DVDs.
Be
Bop Deluxe - Drastic Plastic ($11.99)
Be Bop Deluxe - Futurama ($11.99)Be Bop Deluxe was a 1970’s art-rock band led by guitarist/singer/composer Bill
Nelson, who was and is an exceptional talent. Be Bop Deluxe is a tough band to
describe because some people don’t consider them to be a progressive rock band,
and Bill surely would be horrified to have to come to terms with the prog label,
but a lot of progressive rock fans who were around when these albums came out
did think of Be Bop Deluxe as a progressive band. For instance, Be Bop Deluxe
toured the U.S. with Nektar, and Be Bop Deluxe headlined. The prog rock label
certainly applies to Modern Music (1976), which to progressive fans is
undoubtedly their masterpiece, and an album we would take to a desert island,
depending on what the baggage allowance was. Live! in the Air Age,
originally released as an LP+EP, is one of the great live albums of the decade.
They changed their style somewhat on their final album, 1978’s Drastic
Plastic, playing shorter, quirkier songs. After all, new wave had taken
over, but these songs were filled with Nelson’s intelligence and adroit lyric
writing. Sunburst Finish (1976, currently out-of-stock) and Futurama (1975) are also very
good albums, and the bulk of the material on the live album is drawn from these
two, though the live versions are superior. These are all the latest editions
with bonus tracks. Many of the bonus tracks are excellent; Quest for the
Harvest of the Stars, which appears on Modern Music, is sublime. They
must have left it off because the title suggested prog rock pretension.
Bruford -
The Bruford Tapes ($16.99)
Bruford - Feels Good to Me ($16.99)There are all the 2005 remastered editions on Bill Bruford’s Winterfold Records label. Feels Good to Me contains an unreleased version of Joe Frazier as a bonus track. One of a Kind contains the previously unreleased bonus track Manacles. Gradually Going Tornado contains the bonus track 5G, while The Bruford Tapes contains the bonus track The Age of Information. The Bruford Tapes is actually a double-CD, adding a sampler CD of Bruford’s Summerfold Records label, including an interview with Bruford. Summerfold exists to reissue remastered and expanded versions of Bruford’s post-1987 output (his jazz work), while Winterfold exists to reissue remastered and expanded versions of his CDs up to 1987 (his rock work).
Following his brief tenure with Genesis, Bill recorded his debut album Feels Good to Me in 1978. It predates the official start of the band “Bruford” although it features performances from many of the musicians who would go on to work with Bill full-time in that group. The album features vocalist Annette Peacock, keyboardist Dave Stewart, bassist Jeff Berlin, guitarists Allan Holdsworth and John Goodsall (Brand X), and flugelhorn player Kenny Wheeler. After the first version of UK split-up, Bruford and Holdsworth teamed with Dave Stewart and Jeff Berlin for the first official Bruford album One of a Kind (1979). Easily Bruford’s best studio album, this is also one of the best albums of progressive jazz-rock ever recorded. Some of the tracks were being played by UK on their first tour, and Dave Stewart’s stamp is all over this album. The Bruford Tapes is a live album recorded in 1979, featuring two tracks from Feels Good to Me and the rest from One of a Kind. It perfectly captures the atmosphere of the gig, and the versions here are even better than the studio versions, making this the definitive Bruford album. The final Bruford album Gradually Going Tornado (1980) sees guitarist John Clark replacing Allan Holdsworth, but the band loses little. This album features four shorter vocal songs, with Jeff Berlin handling the vocals. The long tracks Q.E.D. and Land’s End are outstanding. As good as the first UK album is, the split into Bruford and the Wetton/Jobson/Bozzio UK gave us twice as much great music, with each band free to do the style its members did best. The Bruford style might be summarized as a combination of the Canterbury style (Dave Stewart’s contribution) with jazz-rock.
Bill Bruford’s two collaborations with keyboardist Patrick Moraz, Music for
Piano and Drums (1983) and Flags (1985), have also been remastered
and each now has three bonus tracks. Check our DVDs page for
Bruford’s Rock Goes to College DVD.
Robert
Calvert - Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters ($17.99)Eclectic Discs have done their usual superb job with this 24-bit remastered
2007 reissue, rendering the older BGO reissue obsolete. Captain Lockheed
and the Starfighters (1974) was the first solo album by Hawkwind poet,
lyricist, frontman, and formerly-alive person Robert Calvert. Featuring Hawkwind
and guests Paul Rudolph (Pink Fairies), Vivian Stanshall, Brian Eno,
Arthur Brown and Jim Capaldi, the album is a conceptual work of dark wit.
Remastered from the original master tapes and with fully restored artwork, this
reissue adds three bonus tracks including a previously-unreleased extended
version of The Right Stuff. The liner notes
are written by Hawkwind’s Nik Turner.
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Channel
Light Vessel - Excellent Spirits ($14.99)Automatic is the 2006 edition (with one bonus track) of the 1994 first album by Channel Light Vessel, a group
comprised of Bill Nelson (Be Bop Deluxe), Roger Eno, Kate St. John,
percussionist Laraaji, and Japanese cellist Mayumi Tachibana. Often described as an “ambient supergroup”,
that may be a bit misleading as many of the tracks contain drums/percussion, and
a few include vocals from Nelson and St. John. Some of the tracks are similar to
Nelson’s solo work, only these sound like highly-textured finished tracks,
whereas many of Nelson’s sound like demos that he didn’t care to finish before
moving on to the next song. The Channel Light Vessel style overlaps with Karda Estra,
especially when St. John plays oboe or cor anglais. “A record
so lovely and transporting it is physically painful to have it end.” [Billboard]
Excellent Spirits is the 2006 edition of their even better 1996
follow-up. “Excellent Spirits is
well-played, ethereal prog rock with substance.” [Alternative Press]
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Colosseum
II - Strange New Flesh expanded edition (2CD, $17.99)The 2005 expanded 2CD edition of this classic album adds 10 previously
unreleased studio tracks plus a complete BBC In Concert session from 1976
and extensive new liner notes. Strange New Flesh was Colosseum II’s first
album, recorded not long after they formed in 1975. Drummer Jon Hiseman formed
this band with ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore, keyboardist Don Airey,
bassist Neil Murray and singer Mike Starrs. This version of Colosseum was a
jazz-rock band but heavier and more rock-oriented than the earlier Colosseum,
though not as hard rock oriented as Hiseman’s immediate predecessor band
Tempest. Colosseum II would go on to record two more excellent albums as well as
form the nucleus of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s orchestra on his album Variations.
Credo
- Rhetoric ($13.99)
SALE!Eleven years after their debut Field of Vision, British neo-prog band Credo return with Rhetoric (2005). This 70-minute album is a big
improvement over Field of Vision but is still solidly in the early Marillion
vein, with Mark Colton’s very Fish-like vocals. It also resembles Grey Lady Down, early Arena, and Pallas
and is of comparable quality. Note Field of Vision is deleted, but a
re-recorded version may be in the works.
Billy
Currie - Accidental Poetry of the Structure ($15.99)
Billy Currie is best known as the keyboardist and viola player for Ultravox.
He is classically-trained and clearly the most progressive-minded musician to
emerge from that band. Accidental Poetry of the Structure (2006) is an
extrovert electronics album in which Currie’s Ultravox heritage is easily heard.
Currie plays synths, percussion, piano, violin and viola. Warm, melodic,
sometimes with fast rhythms, this is for those who like to listen to electronic
music wide awake, electronic music for prog rock fans.
Pieces of the Puzzle is a bargain-priced compilation CD consisting of tracks taken from four of Currie’s solo albums (Transportation, Stand Up and Walk, Unearthed and Keys and the Fiddle), tracks from the two early-1990’s Ultravox albums (Ingenuity and Revelation), two new songs Theremin and High Climb, and a previously unreleased live track Can’t Stay Long. This last track, a 1989 recording by Humania, is a version of the Ultravox track from their 1978 album Systems of Romance. Audio samples at amazon.co.uk.
Humania is the band Currie put together in late 1988
after Ultravox split up (Currie later used the name Ultravox for his band) and
in between his first and second solo albums. The band sounds a lot like Ultravox
except that Humania’s singer, whose pitch center is sometimes dodgy, is no Midge
Ure.
Audio samples at amazon.co.uk.
Decameron -
Parabola Road: The Anthology (2CD, $17.99)This is the 2005 domestic issue of a 2CD set that includes in their entirety Decameron’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th albums:
Mammoth Special (1974), Third Light (1975), and Tomorrow’s
Pantomime (1976), plus an array of bonus tracks including rarities and
contemporary live performances. All are remastered from the original master
tapes. Decameron was a prog-folk band whose music shows similarities to early
Strawbs, Steeleye Span, and Fairport Convention, plus bigger production numbers
with rock guitar and string arrangements. All the band members were
multi-instrumentalists and vocalists.
Demon - The Plague (2CD,
$15.99)
Demon was one of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands, but on their 1983 concept album The
Plague, the band changed musical direction and became a symphonic progressive
rock band. By today’s standards, there is no metal here at all. In fact, The
Plague compares favorably with Pallas, with a slightly harder edge perhaps,
but the keyboards hold their own against the guitars. This set includes a 2nd CD
with the original first mix of the album. Demon went even further in the
progressive rock direction on 1984’s British Standard Approved,
approaching Pink Floyd and leaving their metalhead fans behind. This is the 2003
remastered U.S. edition, which contains three bonus tracks: live versions of
New Ground and Only Sane Man and an acoustic version of Wonderland.
Different Trains - On the Right Track ($14.99)This is the only album by the quartet led by Damon Shulman -- the son of Phil
Shulman of Gentle Giant -- released on IQ’s GEP label back in 1994. It is very
good progressive rock with pop overtones but also a quirky originality and
eccentric genius, incorporating a myriad of musical styles blended into a most
complex and individual piece of work. It seems to fit in well with labelmates Jadis
without sounding particularly like them. There are a couple Gentle Giant-ish
moments, though that’s not primarily what this is about. 70-minutes.
Dransfield - The Fiddler’s Dream expanded edition (2CD, $17.99)This is the 2005 reissue of one of the most important British
folk-rock CDs, originally released in 1976 and remastered from the original
master tapes. This edition adds a 2nd CD of previously unreleased BBC Sessions
containing 13 tracks from two John Peel sessions and one In Concert session,
from 1975-76. The album features Barry Dransfield on electric and acoustic
fiddles, electric dulcimer, cello, guitar and zither; brother Robin Dransfield
on guitar; Brian Harrison on bass, organ and piano; and Charlie White on drums,
with the first three all singing. On a par with Fairport Convention and Steeleye
Span and from the same scene, though it doesn’t sound like either of those
bands. You can find audio samples at
amazon.com.
East of Eden - Mercator Projected ($17.99)
SALE!These are the latest remastered editions of these classic prog albums. Mercator Projected (1969)
is on the Esoteric label, Snafu (1970) is on the Eclectic label. Esoteric
is the same people as Eclectic; the latter went under. These are the first two
albums by East of Eden, a British early progressive band. Their sound fused
rock, jazz, psychedelia, and Eastern-influenced world music, lead by violin and
hard-rock guitar. (Their violinist Dave Arbus later played the famous violin
solo on The Who’s Baba O'Reilly.) Both albums have been taken from the
original master tapes and have extensive booklets. Mercator Projected
features three bonus tracks totaling nearly 25-minutes, while Snafu has
seven bonus tracks totaling 34-minutes!
Egg -
The Civil Surface ($17.99)Egg was Dave Stewart’s first band with a recording contract, a trio with Mont
Campbell on bass and Clive Brooks on drums. Initially drawing inspiration from
The Nice and early Soft Machine, Egg were more adventurous. Stewart had already
worked on the first Hatfield and the North album when, in 1974, Egg reformed to
record their third and final album
The Civil Surface for the newly-established Virgin Records label. Steve
Hillage, members of Henry Cow, the Northettes (Barbara Gaskin, Amanda Parsons,
Ann Rosenthal), and a wind quartet guest on what is the most “Canterbury” of the
Egg albums. This is the 2007 edition on the Esoteric label, 24-bit remastered from the original master tapes.
The
Enid - In the Region of the Summer Stars ($15.99)
The Enid are symphonic rock masters, with the emphasis on the symphonic.
Their brand of romantic classical progressive rock has never been duplicated,
except perhaps by Craft (see the Kinesis-label section), but Craft was formed by
ex-Enid members. These are the first two Enid albums, both instrumental, and for
many still their best. In the Region of the Summer Stars was first
released in 1975 and reworked in 1984. Aerie Faerie Nonsense was first
released in 1977 and reworked in 1998. It now contains a reconstructed version
of The Enid’s epic tone poem Fand.
Brian Eno - Another Day on Earth ($15.99)
This 2005 CD is Brian Eno’s first vocal and song-based album in two decades.
It’s not exactly another Before and After Science though, as all that
work in ambient music has taken it’s toll. This is a low-key album with some
electronic percussion loops but no real drums. A welcome return, but more
soundscapes than rock. To find the audio clips, click the mp3 icon above, click
Enter Site, then click the dot over the western U.S. on the world map in the lower left.
Epilogue
- Hide ($7.99)
SALE!This 1994 CD is, in addition to their self-titled cassette, the only output
of this British neo-prog quartet, influenced most by early Marillion and in the
same general style as Galahad, Iluvatar, and Pendragon.
Esquire - same ($11.99)
Esquire was the band fronted by Nikki Squire, Chris Squire’s wife at least at the time of
their 1987 self-titled debut. This is the stronger of their two albums, and Yes
personnel are involved: Alan White plays drums, Chris Squire sings backing
vocals, and Trevor Horn mixed some tracks.
John
Etheridge & Ric Sanders - 2nd Vision ($16.99)This is the 2000 CD issue of a 1980 recording that was never released.
Originally the band name was 2nd Vision and the album was to be named First
Steps. Before Ric Sanders became Fairport Convention’s fiddler, he was the
violinist in a later edition of Soft Machine with guitarist John Etheridge.
Sanders seems to have been the prime mover in 2nd Vision, putting together the
band with a keyboardist, bassist and drummer in addition to himself on electric
& acoustic violins and Etheridge on electric & acoustic guitars. 2nd Vision is
similar to Soft Machine of that era, with a few more influences. It’s an
excellent but overlooked album of instrumental symphonic jazz-rock and
progressive, finishing off with a short Celtic tune.
Ezra
- Songs from Pennsylvania ($14.99)
Price reduction. Welsh progressive rock band Ezra has been around since the beginning of the
1990’s and released two CDs on the Cyclops label during that decade. Their 2006
3rd CD Songs from Pennsylvania is on the F2 label (Magenta and others),
and like the band Credo, their new album on F2 is a huge improvement over their
earlier CDs. Ezra have some similarity to IQ and Jadis at times, a
noticeable Pink Floyd influence, a strong Yes influence on one song, and a pop
sensibility that manifests as terrific melodies that few besides the British can
create. Ezra also have great harmony vocals, which may remind the listener of
Echolyn on occasion, though that could just be the power of suggestion. (Echolyn
is from Pennsylvania.) At other times, the vocals have the melancholic feel
prevalent in many of today’s bands, and overall this album has a contemporary
feel along the lines of RPWL. The tracks vary enough that influences present in
one track are absent from others, but all seven tracks are proggy and all are
exceptional.
Fair Weather - Beginning from an End ($17.99)Following the demise of Amen Corner, Andy Fairweather Lowe and musical
cohorts Blue Weaver, Clive Taylor and Dennis Byron transitioned into the band
Fair Weather. Heading in a more progressive direction, the band adopted a harder
edge and were the first act to sign to RCA’s progressive imprint Neon (an
attempt to rival Philips’ Vertigo label). Perhaps the most successful Neon
signing, the band had a UK top ten hit in Natural Sinner (included here
as a bonus track) before releasing their sole album Beginning from an End
in 1971. Though the album was a success in Europe, Fair Weather lasted a mere 13
months before disbanding. This 2008 Esoteric edition adds six bonus tracks, the A & B
sides of three singles, to comprise this definitive edition remastered reissue.
Five
Hand Reel - Five Hand Reel / For A’ That / Earl O’Moray (2CD, $19.99)The reissue of 2006 for folk-rock fans. This 2CD set, packaged in a
slipcase, is the first time on CD for the first three albums (1976, 1977, 1978)
from Celtic rock band Five Hand Reel, who were led by Scottish singer/guitarist
Dick Gaughan. The band had Scottish, Irish, and English members, and most of
their repertoire was drawn from Scottish and Irish sources. Like Fairport
Convention (who they most closely resemble), Steeleye Span, and early Horslips, Five Hand Reel arranged
traditional songs for electric rock band. The instrumentation generally included acoustic & electric guitar,
fiddle, keyboards, bass and drums. The 24-page booklet includes the lyrics and
extensive liner notes.
Flash
- Flash / Out of Our Hands ($13.99)This 2003 CD combines the albums Flash (1972) and Out of Our Hands
(1973) on one CD. These were the first and third albums of Peter Banks’ post-Yes
band, who continued the style of The Yes Album. On the first album, Tony
Kaye is on keyboards, though he was never officially a member and never toured
with them. Kaye left after the first album and Flash continued as a quartet,
their sound becoming more guitar-oriented. The first album is the best, with
each subsequent album tailing off a little. Flash then morphed into the band
Empire, and Banks continued the slow but steady downward trend. This CD however
is fairly essential for fans of early Yes. The sound quality is improved over
the first CD releases on One Way Records.
Gentle Giant - In a Glass House: 35th Anniversary Edition ($13.99)This is the latest remastered edition of In a Glass House (1973), containing
one bonus track, a live version of Experience recorded in Düsseldorf in
1976. In a Glass House (1973) is a classic album, and as Gentle
Giant is one of the premiere progressive rock bands, those unfamiliar with this
album should be able to turn up a wealth of information on the Web.
The
Gift - Awake & Dreaming ($15.99)The debut by London quintet The Gift is a 71-minute neo-prog opus consisting of two long song
suites. The music relies heavily on the vocals of Mike Morton, which are front
and center, very clear in the mix, while instrumentally it is mainstream
symphonic (neo-)prog along the lines of Galahad, Tr3nity, Landmarq, etc., with just a touch of heavy riffing to let you know it’s a
modern record. It may be too tame for the hardcore prog fans, and while Cyclops
is over-hyping it to call it the best prog album of 2006, it is a fine album
that will probably require a few listens to get under your skin.
Gordon
Giltrap & The Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra - At the Symphony Hall,
Birmingham (Dual Disc, $17.99)Giltrap’s rock days are behind him, and he now focuses on acoustic guitar.
Giltrap has a signature style that is a clear influence on Ritchie Blackmore in
Blackmore’s Night. This release employs the DualDisc format with a CD on one
side and a DVD-Video on the other side. The DVD was recorded in March 2005 at
the Birmingham Symphony Hall during one of Gordon’s many live concert
appearances. Gordon is joined on this concert date by the
Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra and guests Raymond Burley, Rod Edwards, Gilly
Darbey and Rick Wakeman. The concert saw the performance of Gordon’s rhapsody
The Eye of the Wind, which was written between 1978 and 1980 to commemorate the
400th anniversary of Sir Francis Drake’s circumnavigation of the world. The CD
includes the complete 49-minute studio version of The
Eye of the Wind, recorded in 2004 with The Sheffield Philharmonic. Fans will
recognize some of the themes from Giltrap’s band albums. It’s great to hear
Giltrap’s music adapted for symphony orchestra. Note playback of DualDiscs
cannot be guaranteed on all CD or DVD players as the disc thickness exceeds the
spec for CDs and DVDs, though problems are not common.
Gordon
Giltrap - Visionary ($16.99)
Gordon Giltrap - Airwaves ($16.99)With the exception of Drifter, these are Gordon Giltrap’s band albums, easily the best albums in his extensive catalog. Giltrap is as unique a British music talent as they come, not only for the acoustic guitar technique that he developed, but for the style of instrumental progressive rock heard on these albums that is also unique. After beginning his career in the late 1960’s as a folkie, Giltrap switched to a bounteous, symphonic instrumental rock style more classical than folk, beginning with 1976’s Visionary and continuing with Perilous Journey (1977), Fear of the Dark (1978), The Peacock Party (1981), Airwaves (1982), and his 1979 (Live at Oxford) and 1981 live CDs. While acoustic guitar is his favorite, he does play some electric on these albums. He actually plays a lot of electric on The Band Live 1981, which was recorded live in the studio specifically for radio use and features 14 tracks of Giltrap’s best material. One constant in his band was keyboardist Rod Edwards. His band on Visionary and Perilous Journey also included John G. Perry and Simon Phillips. His rhythm section on Airwaves switched to Chas Cronk (Strawbs) and Clive Bunker (Jethro Tull), and so Giltrap surrounded himself with excellent musicians, some of whom went on to Steve Hackett’s band. Giltrap’s band albums are an essential part of any progressive rock library.
Visionary (53-minutes) contains the bonus tracks On Wings of Hope, Jerusalem, and the original version of the title track. Perilous Journey contains several valuable bonus tracks that take the total playing time up to 73-minutes. There is the original recording of Heartsong, Quest performed with an orchestra, and excellent audio quality acoustic guitar & piano demos of much of the album.
The double-disc Drifter
contains a 2004 studio CD and a 2003 live performance. Many of the tracks on the
studio disc feature the violin of John Bradbury, and the combination of
Giltrap’s acoustic guitar and Bradbury’s virtuoso violin is sublime. The live CD
is the audio from Giltrap’s Live at Huntingdon Hall DVD and contains 20
tracks. Using one acoustic guitar, Giltrap is able to fill the sonic spectrum
almost like an orchestra. Our favorite acoustic guitarist.
Gizmo
- Victims ($13.99)Gizmo is a British progressive rock band known for their 1979 LP Just Like
Master Bates, one of the most homemade-looking LPs ever. Their second album
Victims was recorded in 1981 and later released on this CD by the defunct
French UGUM (MSI) label. It is long out-of-print. Gizmo existed in those awkward
years when progressive rock was moribund in the UK, disappearing just before the
progressive revival led by Marillion. There is a quirky, lo-fi, synth-pop aspect
to the earlier tracks on this CD. The music becomes more symphonic on the
later tracks, which are longer and feature some violin, concluding with a
version of Holst’s ever-popular Mars.
Gnidrolog - Live 1972 ($11.99)Gnidrolog
were a full-blown progressive rock band from Wales who were contemporaneous with and
similar to Van der Graaf Generator, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, and King Crimson. One could also compare aspects of
their style to Traffic, Audience, Catapilla, Still Life, etc., blues-based rock
bands with progressive tendencies, but Gnidrolog was proggier. Live 1972 is a 70-minute official live album
with decent audio quality, released in 1999.
Gong
- You ($12.99)This is the remastered digipack reissue on Charly/Snapper of Gong’s 1974 album You, the final part of their Radio Gnome trilogy and for many their best album. When Ozric Tentacles burst on the scene, their sound didn’t come out of nowhere -- it traces to this album. You marked an important turning point for Gong. “By 1974, the psychedelic hippie folk-rock element of the sound that was leader Daevid Allen’s most important contribution was beginning to disappear. In its place was a more sophisticated musical vision that owed as much to jazz-rock fusion as to fellow space rockers like Pink Floyd or Hawkwind. Ironically, this is Gong’s most spacey album, full of extended, ethereal passages that would inspire future generations of space rockers. The sound was equally defined however by the jazzy flights of saxophonist Didier Malherbe and the sinuous rhythms of bassist Mike Howlett and drummer Pierre Moerlen. Allen’s songs still provide a crucial link to the rest of the trilogy, though the conceptual/mythological aspect is less crucial to You.”
Angels Egg (1973) was the 2nd album in the Radio Gnome trilogy. This is the remastered reissue on Charly/Snapper, which comes in a jewel case. While You is much more instrumental, Angels Egg is full of Daevid Allen’s whimsical, quirky lyrics. Angels Egg is a transitional album, having much in common with the previous two albums but with the more refined sound and the synths that would characterize later albums.
This is the remastered digipack reissue on Charly/Snapper of Gong’s 1973
album Flying Teapot, the first part of the Radio Gnome trilogy.
This is the first appearance of
Tim Blake (synthesizers) and
Steve Hillage (guitar), who make this album sonically richer than previous Gong
albums. One has to be as stoned as Daevid Allen was to make much sense of the
Gong mythology, but it’s all part and parcel of Gong’s psychedelic
space/art/jazz-rock.
Grace - Poppy ($7.99)
SALE!
SALE!Superb progressive rock and progressive pop with a subtle folk influence, hard not to like these guys.
Poppy (1996) is Grace’s 3rd album. Gathering in the Wheat is a
2CD live album recorded in 1997 that serves as an excellent retrospective
covering all three of their studio albums.
Greenslade -
Feathered Friends (2CD, $13.99)Greenslade was a fine second-tier English prog rock band based around the
dual keyboards of Dave Greenslade and Dave Lawson. They released four albums
during the 1970’s, plus a few solo albums by Dave Greenslade. Blend ELP, The
Nice, Argent, and Procol Harum and you’d be in the ballpark. The first disc of
this bargain-priced 2CD set reissues the Greenslade Live CD, which
features four tracks recorded live in 1973 and five tracks from 1975. Greenslade
reunited circa 1999 with original members Dave Greenslade and bassist Tony
Reeves, plus John Young on vocals & keyboards and a new drummer. The 2nd disc of
this set includes Greenslade’s 2000 comeback studio album Large Afternoon, a fine addition to their body of work,
plus four tracks from Dave Greenslade’s 1999 solo album Going South.
Grey Lady Down - The Time of Our Lives/Live (2CD, $11.99)
Grey Lady Down is a British band formed in 1992 who took their cues from the
earliest Marillion sound and developed from there, becoming more original with
each album and probably ending up closer to IQ. The Time of Our Lives
is a document of what was at the time (1998) to be the last GLD gig. It includes
material from their first three studio albums plus one new song. Great
performance, great sound. Fear
(1997) is their third and is now out-of-print. There
are numerous reviews to be found by following the mp3 icons above.
Steve
Hackett - Wild Orchids special edition ($14.99)Wild Orchids is Hackett’s 2006 studio album with his electric
band. The band again includes Roger King, Rob Townsend, and Gary O’Toole, with
Nick Magnus back on keyboards and brother John on flute. Also featured is The
Underworld Orchestra, the five-person classical ensemble with whom Hackett
recorded Metamorpheus. As such, Wild Orchids seems to combine the
styles of To Watch the Storms and Metamorpheus while also adding
some world music elements, resulting in a very fine album. The special edition adds four bonus tracks (14:38
total) and a slipcase for the jewel box.
Read
reviews here.
Steve Hackett
- Metamorpheus ($14.99)
Steve Hackett - Live Archive 70s, 80s, 90s (4CD box, $28.99)
Steve Hackett - Spectral Mornings
remastered ($12.99)In addition to his work in progressive rock, Steve Hackett has shown remarkable dedication to his classical side. To date he has released five acoustic/classical albums and has appeared as the featured soloist with the London Chamber Orchestra, earning the respect of both rock contemporaries and classical figures. Metamorpheus is his latest classical project, the natural successor to 1997’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (which spent several weeks in the UK classical charts). It combines Steve’s nylon guitar with a number of orchestral musicians. Some of the tracks are “small” pieces revolving around Hackett’s guitar, while others are large orchestral pieces. There are even times during the latter when Hackett is not playing, the point being that this album really showcases Hackett as a classical composer and orchestral arranger. Beautiful work.
Though not the equal of the albums from the first half of his career, Hackett’s To Watch the Storms (2003) is a return to form and his strongest album in quite a while. The special edition adds four tracks and comes in the hardcover digibook format plus slipcase. The book is full of Kim Poor’s artwork.
The 4CD Live Archive boxset includes a 40-page booklet. The first two CDs contain the complete two hour 1979 performance at the Hammersmith Odeon. The 3rd CD is a 1981 outdoor concert recorded at Rome’s Castel Sant’ Angelo, which Hackett describes as “possibly the best this line up ever performed”. The 4th CD is a 1993 show at London’s Grand Theatre with the Hugo Degenhardt/Doug Sinclair/Julian Colbeck lineup.
This is the 2003 digipack edition of Genesis Revisited on Snapper Classics, the CD originally released in 1996. This contains Steve’s remakes of Watcher of the Skies, Dance on a Volcano, Valley of the Kings, Déja Vu, Firth of Fifth, For Absent Friends, Your Own Special Way, The Fountain of Salmacis, The Waiting Room, I Know What I Like, and Los Endos. Déja Vu is a song started by Steve and Peter Gabriel in 1974 and only completed circa 1995. Featured musicians include John Wetton, Bill Bruford, Ian McDonald, Paul Carrack, Chester Thompson, Tony Levin, Colin Blunstone, members of various editions of The Steve Hackett Band, and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
These are the remastered and expanded editions of Steve Hackett’s
early albums Please Don’t Touch, Spectral Mornings, and Defector. They were remastered in 2005 at Steve Hackett’s studio by engineer
Benedict Fenner, in direct collaboration with Steve. Each has new liner notes.
For bonus tracks, Defector contains the track Hercules Unchained
plus live versions of Sentimental Institution, The Steppes,
Slogans, and Clocks - The Angel of Mons. Spectral Mornings
contains alternate mixes of Every Day, The Virgin and the Gypsy, Tigermoth,
The Ballad of the Decomposing Man, the single version of Clocks - The
Angel of Mons, a live acoustic medley of Etude in A Minor/Blood on the
Rooftops/Horizons/Kim, and a live version of Tigermoth.
Please Don’t Touch contains a version of Narnia with John Perry on
vocals, another alternate version of Narnia, and a live version of
Land of a Thousand Autumns / Please Don’t Touch. Please Don’t Touch (1978) features Steve Walsh and Phil
Ehart of Kansas as well as Richie Havens. Spectral Mornings (1979) and Defector
(1980) are the albums on which Hackett established his own voice apart from
Genesis and should be considered his classics. Check our
Bargain CDs page for more Steve Hackett CDs.
John
Hackett - Checking Out of London ($14.99)
John Hackett of course is Steve’s younger brother and longtime sideman.
Checking Out of London (2005) is John’s first rock album, a collection of
twelve songs on the commercial side of progressive rock. That’s not meant to be
a negative. John proves himself an excellent composer (most of the lyrics are
written by Nick Clabburn), and many of these songs show a similarity to Steve’s
songs, especially in the glorious choruses with great vocal harmonies. John
plays lead and acoustic guitar, bass, occasional keys, and sings lead on most of
the tracks. Tony Patterson, frontman of Genesis tribute band ReGenesis, sings
lead on three tracks and provides backing vocals on most of the rest. He has a
Gabriel-like voice. Steve plays lead guitar on four tracks and harmonica on a
fifth, while Nick Magnus takes care of drums and keyboards on all tracks. So the
connection to Steve Hackett and Genesis is pretty strong, but this is far from a
clone of either. What else can we say – we like it a lot!
Read reviews
here.
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Hatfield and the North - The Rotters’ Club ($12.99) The Rotters’ Club (1975) is the 2nd of Hatfield and the North’s two
classic progressive rock albums, virtually defining the Canterbury style. This
edition includes five bonus tracks.
Henry Fool - same ($14.99)
Henry Fool is an eclectic band comprising the unlikely pairing of drummer
Fudge Smith (Pendragon, Steve Hackett) and singer Tim Bowness (No-Man, David Torn) on guitar and vocals, along with Steve Bennet (LaHost)
on keyboards, Peter Chilvers (bass), Michael Bearpark (additional guitar) and
jazz session ace Myke Clifford on woodwinds. Creating a distinctive combination
of 1970’s progressive influences (King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Soft
Machine), contemporary textural experiments (Rain Tree Crow, Labradford), and
hard-hitting group improvisations (King Crimson, Faust), Henry Fool have created
one of the most original progressive blends of the last few years. King Crimson
is evoked often, both the Mellotron & flute symphonics of the first
incarnation as well as the angular progressive of the Red-era and the
1990’s band. Also including mixes by
Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Henry Fool’s 2001 eponymous debut album will appeal
to those into No-Man, Porcupine Tree, and King Crimson. Note the label has
deleted this title, so it won’t be around forever.
High
Tide - Sea Shanties ($17.99)These are the 2006 remastered editions on Eclectic. Both CDs include a ton of
bonus studio tracks, taking Sea Shanties (1969) up to 75-minutes and
High Tide (1970) up to 68-minutes. Both have expansive booklets and come
with slipcases. High Tide was an English band whose two albums are between hard
rock and progressive, based upon the double attack of Tony Hill’s electric guitar
and Simon House’s electric violin. Hawkwind is a reasonable reference point.
They were ahead of their time, and might have been more so had they not been so
intonation-challenged.
Steve Hillman -
Opener of the Ways ($7.99)
SALE!With over a dozen albums to his name, Steve Hillman has been a leader in the
electronic music genre since the early 1980’s. Opener of the Ways (2002) contains Steve’s take on the
1970’s Tangerine Dream style. There are a few abstract tracks, and a lot of
sequencer-driven rhythmic tracks. Hillman recorded new versions of some of the
best of his earlier works, even replacing drum machine with drum kit, and this
is what distinguishes his music from Tangerine Dream. The drums kick the energy
level up a notch and make this electronic rock. 74-minutes. After ten cassette-only releases of Tangerine
Dream-style electronics, Hillman recorded Matrix in 1994, in
which he adopted a more rock-oriented approach, with electric guitar leads, drum
programming, and his wife Linda adding some flute. Cyclops followed in 1996 with
the 75-minute Riding the Storm, a compilation of remastered
tracks from Hillman’s cassette releases.
Simon
House - Spiral Galaxy Revisited ($16.99)
Simon House with Spiral Realms - Crystal Jungles of Eos (2CD, $16.99)Spiral Galaxy Revisited is a 2001 solo album from the violinist of High Tide, Hawkwind, The Third Ear Band, and David Bowie. This is fantastic electronic/symphonic space rock with House’s trademark violin, lots of keyboards, and programmed drums, including new masterpieces such as Gothyk and Glencoe (19-minutes) and new versions of Hawkwind tracks Hall of the Mountain Grill, The Forge of Vulcan, and Chronoglide Skyway. Yassasim (1994, 63-minutes) is House’s debut solo album. Spiral Realms is House assisted by keyboardist Len del Rio. Trip to G9 (1994) and Crystal Jungles Of Eos (1995) both come with a 2nd CD of remixes of the original album tracks, and both are somewhat more cosmic and abstract. All of these have elements of Hawkwind but are so much more symphonic and refined. It’s a beautiful combination of symphonic/spacey electronics, soaring violin, and programmed drums (which fit perfectly with the music). Aside from the violin, the music is sometimes close to the early Fonya style, though House tends to go for a sonic stew with less separation of instruments. Sometimes the sonic stew is impenetrable. (You’d think the remixes on Trip to G9 and Crystal Jungles Of Eos would be less murky than the originals, but they aren’t.) To the extent that Spiral Galaxy Revisited and Yassasim can be considered electronic music, they are some of the best albums we’ve heard in that genre in a long time.
Solar Wind was originally released in 1996 and was the 2nd album to be
recorded under the name Spiral Realms. It was recorded live during The Space Ritual
1995 U.S. tour and contains a selection of Simon’s work as a solo
artist, the Hawkwind song The Forge of Vulcan, and the Syd Barrett
composition Interstellar Overdrive. Del Dettmar plays on a number of
tracks. It’s the style of symphonic space rock we’ve come to expect from House,
and though his favorite reverb setting is still “aircraft hangar”, this one is
actually clearer sounding than some of his studio recordings. All the CDs in this series are the 2005 remastered editions on Hawk
Records, personally remastered by Simon House.
Steve
Howe - Spectrum ($13.99)
Steve Howe -
Turbulence ($11.99)Spectrum (2005) showcases Steve Howe's unique talent and a style that continues to evolve. His band this time is Tony Levin on bass, Oliver Wakeman on keyboards, and sons Virgil and Dylan on Moog synth and drums, respectively. This one is just a lot more satisfying that Howe’s previous couple albums. Recorded in Switzerland during the winter of 2004/2005, it nevertheless has a very sunny, summer feel. The title is probably meant to imply that Howe covers a wide range of styles and influences, but to the extent that he does, it’s all integrated into a cohesive set of instrumentals. It isn’t the usual case of one song of jazz, one song of blues, one acoustic song, etc., that rarely produces a great album. Instead we have one of the tastiest albums of instrumental guitar rock around, songs fused with optimism, natural energy, and self-confidence. 61-minutes, digipack. Skyline (2002, digipack) is a mellow album, yet extremely tasty.
Turbulence (1991) is probably Howe’s best album
and is entirely instrumental. Bill Bruford handles the drums and Billie Currie
(ex-Ultravox) plays keyboards and violin. The Grand Scheme of Things
followed in 1993 and is similar to Howe’s first solo album Beginnings,
evenly split between instrumentals and songs featuring Steve on vocals.
Unfortunately, few people give him high marks for his singing. The Grand
Scheme of Things has been out-of-print in the U.S. for some time now.
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Jonesy -
Masquerade: The Dawn Years Anthology (2CD, $19.99)Recently cited by Classic Rock magazine as “The Best Prog Band You’ve Never
Heard”, Jonesy were one of the most innovative British bands of the early 1970s.
Placing a Mellotron at the center of their sound and taking influences from the
worlds of jazz, rock, classical music and folk, Jonesy recorded a single and
three albums (No Alternative, Keeping Up, and Growing) for
Pye’s progressive Dawn imprint, all between 1972-73. Drawing comparisons to King
Crimson and Yes, Jonesy were more than that. Beginning with their second album,
they added Alan Bown on electric trumpet and electric flugelhorn, further
distinguishing their sound. This 2CD set on the Esoteric label gathers all of Jonesy’s recorded output for
Dawn Records: all three albums and both sides of the single, all 24-bit
remastered from the original master tapes.
Julian’s
Treatment - A Time Before This ($17.99)These are the 2008 editions of these CDs on the Esoteric label, known for
their superb remastering jobs. Esoteric’s description: “A Time Before This
and Waiters on the Dance are lost classics of the progressive era.
Released on the short-lived Youngblood label in 1970, the double album A Time
Before This was the first vinyl outing for science fiction author Julian Jay
Savarin, who assembled a group of musicians to record this conceptual work. Savarin’s
second album Waiters on the Dance was released on the Youngblood label imprint Birth in
1973. It was based on the first book of his
Lemmus trilogy and was conceived as the first of three telling the
musical story of his literary creation. Officially unavailable for many years,
these Esoteric reissues have been remastered from the original tapes and feature
fully restored artwork.”
Jump -
Home Songs ($7.99)
SALE!
Jump - The Freedom Train ($10.99)Matthew (2000), On Impulse (2001), and Home Songs
(2003) are the 6th, 7th, and 8th studio albums respectively from this 6-man UK band. All
rely heavily on the vocal talents of John Dexter Jones, powerful contemporary lyrics, and strong melodies.
Jump is a hard-working band playing a vocal-oriented rock music with
progressive touches, close at times to The Oysterband (without the fiddle or
folk overtones) or some recent Marillion or Fish (both of whom Jump has
supported in the past). Their songwriting well seems in no danger of running
dry, and Jump only improve with age, probably because of their regular touring. The Freedom Train
is the 74-minute live album covering Jump’s first nine years and five CDs and
including four tracks never before available on CD. Jump excel in the live
environment and do the champion-of-the-British-working-class thing very well. And All the King’s Men
(1994) is their 3rd album; this attracted the attention of Marillion’s Mark Kelly, who
produced their 4th album.
Karda Estra -
The Last of the Libertine ($15.99)
Karda Estra - Voivode Dracula ($14.99)
Karda Estra is a unique hybrid of progressive and classical music, using both rock and orchestral instruments. Assisted by several musicians and employing classical & electric guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion, oboe, flute, violin, cor anglais, and heavenly wordless female vocals, Richard Wileman achieves a surreal melancholy and poignant beauty that has few parallels. One band that comes close to Karda Estra is In the Nursery, though ITN tend to be more electronic. Another is Channel Light Vessel (check for their CDs above). Or imagine the best of the 4AD label taken much further into progressive/symphonic/classical realms.
Voivode Dracula (2004) is based on the Dracula legend and is the darkest of the Karda Estra albums. Constellations (2003) is centered around a haunting and powerful suite inspired by six constellations. The suite runs a vast emotional range, from gentle melancholy passages featuring classical guitar and woodwind, to expansive bursts of sound and color. The album concludes with a beautiful interpretation of the Steve Hackett instrumental Twice Around the Sun, and one can detect an affinity for Steve Hackett’s music in many of the Karda Estra pieces. Eve (2001) is inspired by the story The Future Eve and combines symphonic rock and classical elements to create a hauntingly beautiful and atmospheric music. Gorgeous stuff. Alternate History is a low-priced sampler containing 11 tracks spanning 1998-2004: eight tracks from the Karda Estra albums and three rare tracks from the now deleted Land of Ghosts compilations.
The Age of Science and Enlightenment (2006) is the sixth CD from Karda
Estra. It’s hard to say whether this is Karda Estra’s best work, but we can say
that it is almost unspeakably beautiful. As a rough guide, think of Hackett &
Rutherford’s Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers extrapolated into a more
serious classical work. However one looks at it, this is exquisite. The Last of the Libertines is Karda Estra’s 2007 studio album.
This is the most rhythmic of their albums, and one can again hear the dark side
of Steve Hackett at times. “Richard Wileman is one of the best
progressive, contemporary classical music composers to grace the planet today.”
[Hairless Heart Herald]
Lives and Times - There and Back Again Lane ($16.99)Lives and Times was Richard Wileman’s band prior to Karda Estra. Lives and
Times is more of a rock/pop band than Karda Estra. There and Back Again Lane is the
6th Lives
and Times album and is now out-of-print along with all the others. The dark, suspenseful soundscapes foreshadow Karda Estra,
especially on the 11-minute instrumental that concludes the album, while the
female vocals hint at Cocteau Twins, though even colder and more
indifferent.
Karnataka -
Strange Behaviour (2CD, $22.99)
Karnataka is a Welsh band who won the 2000 British Classic Rock Society Award for Best New Band, while lead vocalist Rachel Jones also garnered Best Female Vocalist honors in 2000 and 2001. The strength of Karnataka is undoubtedly their vocals, with Rachel joined by Anne-Marie Helder on backing vocals and flute, and the fact that the lovely vocals come from two lovely women did not hamper their stage presence. Instrumentally, the band often shows a Marillion-derived neo-progressive lineage, with keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums, but the combination of their different elements makes them unique. Because of the vocals, Karnataka can be compared to Iona, though they are not as Celtic as Iona. There is no denying their appeal, which should include fans of modern Clannad, Renaissance, and October