Prog Rock Trailers, Prog Rock Films

If you scour Youtube for Prog videos and documentaries, you'll find some interesting trends. There are a number of films out there supposedly on "Prog Rock" that basically focus on just Yes, ELP, Jethro Tull, and perhaps Genesis. Weirder still, I've seen an art rock doc give a full 10 minutes to Roxy Music without even mentioning Tull, Yes, or ELP. Other then the BBC's excellent Prog Rock Britanna, the more minor bands seem to get barely any recognition on film, despite their ability to finally reach a wide audience in the Internet age. Why do the directors streamline?

There always is the film itself, as most directors only get an hour or an hour and a half to tell the story. If you're going to cover Pink Floyd thoroughly, its going to have to come at the expense of Goblin and Catapilla. Secondly, for the films to get to a mass audience, the film will need to stay relatively within the normal spectrum of musical tastes (no Henry Cow or The Residents). Additional, due to narration and interview snipits, it's tough to put in a full length prog rock epic, only a piece can be played. A major factor of success for the most major bands was their ability to make an occasional single worthy cut, which can be translated well to the film arts.

Yet, if you dig deep, there are some nice documentaries out there. Every last little thing the Floyd did has some kind of documentary, and there's some nice Cantebury Scene and Modern Prog films out there. Perhaps this is all just rambling, but I think that some dedicated film makers should get on out there and make some wonderful documentary material on the less lauded Prog bands before the musicians head to the Great Gig in the Sky.

Jukebox #2

Here's some November goodies.

Bored?

It seems to me that one of the major complaints about Prog Rock is that is boring. It's a strange point, seeing a prog has more creativity than most other genres of music. What's with the boredom?

Perhaps it's just fear of the unknown. For just about anyone born after 1975, Prog rock is a fairly underground genre that you discovered only by checking out bands that sound like Pink Floyd. Most people are used to 4/4 pop trite. This may very well dull the response to prog simply because it's too different and causes dissonance. In effect, trying prog becomes like trying an exotic food, and often it takes many tries to get rid of the shock with the experience. Many people may simply not have that kid of patience.

Or, alternatively, what about the length? Once again, most people grow up with 2 to 4 minute pop songs. Trying to break into Progressive rock might be a challenge for them, seeing as it takes a lot more mental effort to truly appreciate a 20 minute work over a 3 minute sugar coated piece of pop. This same effects hurts classical and jazz, too. Length is taboo?

Ultimately, I suppose that for Progressive rock to appeal to the masses, there would need to be a critical shift in the perception of music. An avant garde revolution, similar to the perception of visual arts around 1910, would need to occur. Possible, yes, likely, no.

Klause Schulze- X

I'm tackling a triple album for the first time ever. A member of Tangerine Dream in its earliest incarnation, then with Ash Ra Temple, Kaluse Schilze has some serious Prog Electronic chops before he made his solo debut in 1972. Just 6 years later he had hit his 10th. It's a semi-concept album, wherein six lengthy tracks are supposed to represent famous Germans. Most of the works run close to one half hour long, eons in the vinyl era.

The album begins with a work called "Friedrich Nietzsche" after the great philosopher. Like the implications of the man's work. the song is sterile. The high pitched twang of some keyboards leads the music along for 24 minutes of a ghoulish pace. There's some heavily distorted organic sounds (vocals and an orchestra) layered down deep within the music, and there is a lot of drum machine. Georg Trakl follows, and it is less creepy but just as minimalistic. Schulze really digs into the Berlin School of near ambient music. There are a couple of 10-14 minute pieces that contain some nice synth waving, but the true gem is the 29 minute "Ludwig II Von Bayern", one of the most incredible prog-electronic works of all time. It combines the orchestra with ARP synthsizers to go fll circle, enfusing the classical traditions with the fururisim that progressive rock truly embodies.

Scenic. Ethereal. Breathtaking. Too damn long. Grade: A-

Pink Floyd- Obscured by Clouds

Having previously worked with French Film Director Barbet Schroder, The Floyd made another for the film La Vallé. The 1972 soundtrack became their seventh studio album, and their last before really hitting it big with Dark Side. It is some of their least active and most droning work.

There is a continuous mood of air, space, and eternity over the album's tracks. There's not too much merriment, although the work does have some lighter moments. The duo of David Gilmour's guitar and Rick Wright's keyboards sets the main instrumental makeup of the record. In all honesty, this record may have the nicest vocal performances of any Pink Floyd record. Highlights include the wistful "Wot's.... Uh the Deal", and the rainy "Mudmen". The problem with this album is it lacks any sort of wow factor. It does competent prog rock, but it lacks the philosophical bent of later prog works to make a huge staying mark.

A dress rehersal for better days. Grade: B.

Jukebox #1

Hey, friends. My life is very swamped with schoolwork and sending out college applications, so until further notice I'm switching over to a 4 articles a month schedule instead of 5. However, I'm going to start linking in music for you to enjoy every month, rather than just writing about it, which will take up that 5th spot. Enjoy!

Jethro Tull- A Passion Play

After Thick as a Brick made a monumental statement, J-Tull fol owed it up with a second album long song in 1973's A Passion Play. With the Anderson/Barre/Hammond/Barlow/Evan lineup firmly in place, the group was at the height of their musical power. Another concept album, A Passion Play chronicles the journey of a man who is taken first to heaven, and then to hell, only to ultimately decide that the best place to live is the material earth.

Jethro Tull's medieval sounding chops are in full swing here, with abundant harpsichord, flute, and guitar sounds to give the album a true feeling of fantasy. Part one deals with the trip to heaven, while part two deals with hell. Neither really sounds that different, heaven at times menaces, and hell can show serenity. Like any good tale, there's lots of room to interpret the lyrics, and every prog fan will have an opinion. The real hero of the proceedings is John Evan, who's keyboard patterns (mostly ARP synths and grand piano) provide the main musical leitmotifs throughout the work.

There's a little catch, the work is cut in two by a little fairy-tale like turd called "The Hare who Lost his Spectacles". It breaks up the flow and is ridiculous beyond belief. Avoid it at all costs.


Fit for a minstrel, fit for a Prog Head. Grade: A

Prog Video Sampler

Here's some great old time videos of live Prog Performances:

Tangerine Dream- Phaedra

Tangerine Dream started out making complete space music, and their first 4 record on the German Ohr label are all key. However, after DJ John Peel named their album Atem best import of the year in 1973, they switched to Mike Oldfield's new Virgin label. Here, they changed things up, adding a bit more melodic structure while continued that open, minimalistic feel. The result is 1974's Phaedra often hailed as one of the electronic genre's first masterpieces.

The record contains a 16 minute long title track, two 9-10 minute pieces, and wraps up with a 2:20 meletron flute. That title track has a very airy feel, using Meletron extensively. It slowly transitions between a number of melodic structures, never actively gripping the listener but merely showering sound through their mind in a light manner. The whole record speaks of this: gentle, docile, and ambient. All but a few little sprinkles of guitar chords is done on electronic instruments. The two mid length tracks, are also very pleasing. "Mysterious Semblance at the Strands of Nightmares" is soft and cloudlike, while "Movements of a Visionary", one of TD's most famous tracks, is more analog sounding, and conjures up images of water. The quickie "Sequent C" is a very sweet overlaying on the Meletron's Flute sound.

This was indeed the future of E-music. Phaedra came out the same year as Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" and Brian Eno's debut album. These three set the new bar: no longer reserved for experiments, purely electronic music can have melody, and be enjoyable. A Progressive work in every sense of the word.

A fantastic indicator of things to come, Tangerine Dream had reached their peak which would last several albums longer. Grade: A

I Need Your Help!

Every 4th month gets dedicated to a different international Prog Scene on this blog, and I've hit a bit of a roadblock. While the Italy, France, USA, and Germany months went well, it was mostly because I had easy access to albums from those countries. Sadly, I'm running dry on music from outside those 4 and The UK. Here's where I want to ask of your help, dear viewers. I can see from my convenient people counter that I've got people reading from every corner of the earth on here, from Israel to Japan, Finland to Argentina. My guess is that each of you know a hell of a lot more about your local classic Prog scenes than I do. In essence, I really would love your suggestions about those scenes. Don't feel shy, even if your from one of the countries that I've already done- I can always review the album separately, and eventually must double up. If you have the album and I can't access it, I'd be more than happy to have some guest reviewers. Please help me to spread some fantastic music across the globe!

Catapilla- Catapilla

Ever wanted to know what happens when you mix prog, blues, and jazz? You get Catapilla. This 1971 debut album (first of two) came from a British conglomerate featuring Robert Calvert (Saxophone), Grahm Wilson (guitar), Dave Taylor (Bass), Malcolm Firth (Drums), Hugh Eaglestone (Saxophone), and the distinctive rasp of Anna Meek (Vocals). Though their albums had some critical success and influenced peers, commercial success eluded the group.

Things kick off with the steamy "Naked Death", which is driven by frenetic saxophone and drum work for 15+ minutes of work. The guitar is aggressive as hell, and Meek's vocals are totally deranged and very creepy. They grate the ears, and she's going to be one of those love them or hate them things. The wah-wahs and jamming get cumbersome after a while. The much shorter "Tumbleweed" comes after all the meandering, which is really nothing but a rather well done blues rock number. The following "Promises" then shifts over into a short Jazz fusion song. The saxophone led melody is very catchy, and this song transitions well between several movements. The 24 minute epic "Embryonic Fusion" takes up side B, and it spends a long time with a monotonous bass beat underlying some sax jamming. Afterwards it starts going into that jazz and blues hybrid, and it drags on way too long.

Quite a bit of musical motifs take place here. On one hand, Catapilla wants to be a bluesy jam band record. On the other, it wants to do jazz fusion. Both turn out well when isolated from each other on the two shorter songs, but when blended together the whole affair becomes a meandering mess. I do like Meek's vocal though, it's a really weird Janis Joplin type voice. She adds a shock factor to the record, which can pull it through some of its lows.

A stew of genres and ideas, dragging things out too long hampers the work. Grade: C+

Pell Mell- Marburg

I'm going to change things up a bit this week, with a German album that's far from Krautrock. Pell Mell was a band from the town of Marburg, Germany, and they titled their 1972 debut after their hometown. There were 4 more over the next decade, and then they disappeared into rarity, with only very limited availability for their albums. Members were Thomas Schmitt (vocals, violin, flute, Mellotron), Otto Pusch (piano, organ), Bruno Kniedmeijer (drums), Rudolf Schön (vocals, percussion, guitar), and Jörg Götzfried (bass).

The opening is called "The Clown and The Queen", with some guitar riffing and ARP keyboards getting aggressive right off the bat. Unfortunately, as soon as the vocalist comes in, he delivers a poor, forced performance. It's a shame, as the music is a pretty good fusion of ELP with blues rock guitar (and it works surprisingly.) The next track, "Moldau", actually samples Israel's national anthem for a few bars of flute music. Otherwise, it's a nice instrumental flute piece, nothing wrong there. "Friend" keeps things going, and it's really more of the beginning of this album. Bad vocal, great keyboards and guitar. There's a healthy mix of violin and flute too. Really, I have no need to write about the B side tracks "City Monster" and "Alone" as their more of the same.

Bleh. This album has many sources to draw upon, from blues to symphonic prog to classical to Israeli anthems. Sadly, they just don't work all that well. The album is well made, with a few cool passages, but lacks any reach out and grab you elements. Marburg meets the minimum, and is nothing more than that.

This one is alright, but remained obscure for a reason. Grade: C

How Krautrock Came to Be

For something often so sparse and inorganic, Krautrock has odd roots. Most of the inspiration came out of the Psychedelic seen of the late 60's, like most Prog Rock. Germany had as much of a counterculture as anywhere at the time, and American and British Psych groups got wide recognition. Where the Krautrockers began to split off (circa 1970) was their incorporation of a distinctly German identity in the music. Having been twice robbed of a national feeling after the two world wars, German youths were ready to forge something new.

Politics played a role in the making of Krautrock. Many of the best known groups and the most obscure tangents were socialist, communist, or even anarchist in nature. While Krautrock genraly de-emphasizes lyrics, this is reflected in the music. Atonal, irregular, and jarring, Krautrock often grates at the ear due to its rejection of many traditional parts of music theory. As a result, Krautrock became amongst the more liberal and anti-establishment of the music scenes of the 70's.

Additionaly, like many other Prog hotbeds (Italy, Spain), the Germans put a bit of their own music heritage into the music. For centuries some of the most revolutionary composers including Beethoven, Brahms, and Wagner were German nationals. This tradition is both upheld and subverted. On one hand, there was a rejection of the old ways to achieve a new form of art, a German tradition. On the other hand, these prior episodes were emotional and romanticist, this time the revolution was far from it. Krautrock, in essence, is a post modern spiritual successor to prior achievements from the country.

The mutli-layered origins of Krautrock often worked in conjunction to make some truly unique music. Though the genre was effectual killed of by Punk in the late 70's, a resurgence in the CD age has benefited the old groups well. Due to the lack of synthesizers and lyrics, Krautrock is amongst the freshest and least dated pieces of classic prog.

Faust-Faust IV

Faust are a group of well known Krautrock eccentrics. Their style combined minimalism with rawness, displaying lots of fuzzy guitars and heavy rythym. Their first 3 albums were acclaimed by listeners, but sold piss poorly. With Rudolf Sonsa (Guitar, Keys, Vocals), Hans Joachim Irmler (organ), Jean-Hervé Péron (Bass), "Zappi" Diermaier (Drums), and Gunter Wüsthoff (sax, synths) this band of Germany's headed to England to record their 1973 Faust IV. The result is often considered one of the best Krautrock albums of all time.

The first track is and ode to their music, entitled "Krautrock". This song is the EMBODIMENT of minimalism, with a repeated guitar riff and keyboard for 7 whole minute before the drums even show up. Over it's 12 minute run, the track takes you into a trance like state and is one of the most enveloping works of music I've ever heard. Afterward is the humorous "The Sad Skinhead", which is a quick song that has a circus feel to it. The two contrast nicely. This is followed by the low key, "Jennifer". This song is a drone like trip, driven by the bass with a little guitar riff on top. After a while, it decays into noise. It's a strange part of this album, but one of it's highlights due to the spaciness.

Flip the album over, and we have an instrumental medley called "Just a Second" / "Picnic on a Frozen River, Deuxième Tableau", with is sort of a funk-Krautrock, as unlikely as it sounds. Electronic bird sounds abound. Then there's the bouncing "Giggy Smile", which is irreverent, bass heavy, and every minimalistic. It's the best track on the album due to it's combination of the minimalism with accessibility. "Läuft...Heißt das es läuft oder es kommt bald...Läuft" follows, which is really a violin riff with some fake french on top. The weirdness of this album just keeps coming and coming, with the finale "It's a Bit of a Pain" capping things off as an accoutic ballad on this album of tangents. It's then subverted with an ear-destroying noise in the chorus.

Faust IV is quirky. Less avant garde than its predecessors, the album finds strength by making the strange accessible. There's groove, even dancebility, to many of the parts. Not many prog rock albums have that quality. It's got all sorts of twists and changes of mood, but what it lacks in consistency it makes up for in charm.

This album is a bit like that cool old man that lives next door. Grade: A

Can- Future Days

After several albums of all out weirdness, for the fifth effort, Krautrock kings Can took a drastic change in direction. They eschewed the avant garde and fuzzy elements of their music and made an ambient album. 1973's Future Days took the band's prior minimalism and made it the focal point of the music, Czukay, Karoli, Leibezit and Schmidt make their instruments recede into nothingness. Damo Sazuki features less prominently, and he would leave the group after the album to become a Jehovah's Witness.

The album fades in with some very distorted symbols for the title track. There is almost no formal instrumentation here, just some strange effects layered on each other and a wispy vocal. Can defiantly sees the future as a fairly sterile, orderly place. Afterward comes the aptly titled "Spray", with an ocean like feel conveyed via the washed out keyboards and rhythmically pounding drums. ?It's a bit more active, but it still has that empty and power full feel. Juxtaposed in the mix is the three minute (the rest are all 9+) little pop dity "Moonshake." It's a nonsensical song, and although it's not to bad, it kills the mood of the album. This should have been a single.

On the B side is the side-long suite "Bel Air", which has many shorter movements instead of one long one. It starts of similarly to the title track, with even matching maracas. Then all of a sudden the rhythm section seals the show, with some layered keys and guitar chords to liven the mix. All goes quiet for a heavily fuzzy middle, then farm sounds, and afterwards there's cycle back to the beginning. This is a far cry from their prior side longers, and even casual fans might enjoy this. Good background music/

This is one of the first ambient albums ever created. Ahead of its time in many ways, Future Days is one of a handful of blueprint albums for electronic music. With just light sprinklings of lyrics, guitar, and even formal keyboards, the sparseness is the entirety of the album's embodiment. That does make it difficult to get in to the record until several listens, but there's a lot on offer. Not quite a Tago Mago, though.

This album is like a cloud, an interesting and beautiful object that passes by with so little fanfare it barely goes noticed. Grade: B+

Krautrock: Germany's Strange Experiment

Barring the UK, no nation on this earth produced more classic progressive rock than Germany. In addition, their particular brand of Prog rock is quite different from any other, distinguishing itself by the weird. This month, Germany will be the country of honor.

"Krautrock" is a term coined by the British Press and is often rejected by the bands the label applies to. It's not a very specific tag, with a vast variety of artists under the genre. It it's most pure sense, the term means prog rock from Germany, but there is much German prog that isn't Krautrock. There are three main indicators of something fallin into this genre. First, there is a raw, underpoduced feel to the Krautrock albums. Secondly, minimalism, whether in the sound itself or in the composition itself, often features. Lastly, there is a large electronic element to the music. The organic mood of many symphonic prog or folk prog albums will be absent from Krautrock almost without exception.

This still leaves room for a great deal of variety. This is Krautrock:


As is this:


The first kind, exemplified by bands like Neu!, Kraftwerk, and Popol Vuh, is what I call "Soft Krautrock", and beat Brian Eno to the creation of Ambient Music by a good 6 or 7 years. The latter by bands like Gila, Amon Duul II, and Guru Guru, is "Hard Krautrock", which is more guitar driven. To complicate it, a great number of the bands did some of both.

Some of the most wacky, avant garde, and silly progressive rock came from Germany. With just three album reviews, I can just barely scrape the surface of all the wonderful music the country has to offer.

Pink Floyd- Meddle

Pink Floyd started out as a psychedelic rock band in the mid 60's, and remained so for a while. After their guiding light, Syd Barret, went insane and was replaced by guitarist David Gilmour, the group noddled around for a few years. While they made some good music, they lacked the focus and drive to make a really good album during that period. Everything changed for this 6th album, 1971's Meddle. Though there were hints of a change on the proir album, Atom Heart Mother, here the Floyd jumps with two feet into progressive rock and they don't look back.

The affair starts off with the six minute instrumental "One of These Days". It's all atmosphere, with distorted bass, fuzzy guitar, and lots of sound effects. This creates an awesome brooding effect, and rocks out more than most prog pieces. Also of note is the one line ultra-distorted vocal. The track is juxtaposed with " A Pillow of Winds", which is a soft acoustic guitar piece. It floats by, and isn't nearly as fun but is admitably quite enjoyable. The rest of the A side has mostly forgettable tracks with different influences: the folksy "Fearless" (well liked by many, but not my favorite), the jazzy "San Tropez" (fun, but not substantial), and the bluesy "Seamus" (terrible). However, the side long "Echoes" makes up for anything that those three songs lack. From the opening electric pulse, everything about this song is right. The music is so completely somber, and the emotion is what makes the track. It also is an early entry in Pink Floyd's existentialist catalogue, and the live version is even better.Very few pieces of Progressive Rock capture so much raw feeling with music. A classic.

The early Pink Floyd albums, especially their debut The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, weren't at all bad. But most of those albums are just good, the kind of things that would be forgotten today if not for the later fame that the Floyd gained. Meddle is not like that. Led by Roger Waters, Pink Floyd took their roots and mixed them into a Prog Rock format, allowing them to really start reaching the post Barrett musical vision the group had. Though not a Dark Side, Wish, or Animals, the door was now open to high achievement.

The real Pink Floyd starts here. Grade: A-

Genesis- Selling England by the Pound

Coming off of Foxtrot, the classic genesis lineup had high expectations upon them. In 1973, the delivered. Selling England by the Pound, the group's 5th album, is widely considered not only their best but is a candidate for best Prog album of all time. It sports their particular style fantastically, and at close to a hour on one vinyl record, is a value deal.

The record commences with "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight." This is one of many medieval themed pieces that Genesis did, and it is reflected in the harpsichord like keyboards, bombastic grand piano, and subtle acoustic guitars. Though it starts of with quiet instrumentation a Gabriel dominating, it slowly builds up into a very active and intricate second half. It uses many quick musical phrases to keep the excitement going. Afterwards comes the pop-prog oddity "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)". It's very catchy, with some nice keyboard work, and also provided Genesis with a minor hit. Then comes the breathtaking "Firth of Fith", which in my opinion is the best Genesis song, and one of the best all time songs, ever. From the opening piano to the pounding drums to the subtle, barely there guitar for atmosphere, everything works so well. With not a wasted note, it is a bona-fide Progressive Rock masterpiece, showing every thing that is great about the genre. Side A closes with the very quiet and subtle "More Fool Me", with Phil Collins on his first Genesis Lead vocal. He sounds very high pitched and weak though, but not quite in Geddy Lee territory. There's almost no instruments, and although very understated, it's a very nice ballad.

That breather exists as a lull before the next 11 minute epic: "The Battle of Epping Forest". Although its a little bit duller than other parts of the album due to the over-reliance on the same musical patterns for sections of music rather than constant shifts, it's pretty good. Gabriel is the driving force, and Banks' keyboards are in top form. "After the Ordeal" is an instrumental in the same vain as "Battle", but with a guitar solo. Then yet another 11 minute track comes on called "The Cinema Show". Another long form, subtle piece, it ahs a healthy dose of flute over the keyboards, and that makes up a lot of the music. Medieval sounding, but the lyrical themes deal with other things. The work wraps up with "Aisle of Plenty", a reprise of parts of "Moonlit Knight".

Selling England by the Pound just feels right. Through all of the tracks there's so many musical phrases, patterns, measures, and dynamics that you'll find so many parts of it will stick with you. All of the instruments are great (especially keyboards), and Gabriel does his best work with the group here. You'll be hard pressed to find an album that's better than this one.

Symphonic Prog's codifying album, the one which hits all the switches and then makes something wonderful. Grade: A+

The Ultimate Prog Rock Band

This kind of thing pops up all over the place. If you could make a band with any musicians, who would they be? Here's mine:

Vocals- Robert Wyatt
Such an awesome guy. His vocal styling is so quintessentially British, and no one puts prog rock so firmly on that island as he does. I'd like that feel, to add that perfect strangeness to my prog band.

Guitar- Steve Howe
I need this man's versatility in my lineup. He can do almost any subgenre well, giving some more depth.

Bass- Chris Squire
I feel a little bad including two members of Yes in my lineup, but it's just the way things have to be. With such a distinctive slap-bass style, how can I say no to Chris?

Drums- Carl Palmer
This guy plays the drums with so much energy, gusto, and creativity. What more can you ask? Also, I won't get any "Jeremy Bender"s from him.

Keyboards- Peter Bardens
I quite like the fluid style he used with Camel, and I think If I were making my dream album, that's what would fit in best with my tastes.

Assorted Woodwinds- Ian McDonald
Gotta have some flute in there, and I can't think of anyone better than they guy who was there at Prog's birth, breaking down the doors for lots of flute to come. He can do some Saxophone too if need be.

Synthesizers

There's a bunch of synthesizers that Prog bands used back in the day. But what's the difference between them?

First off is the Moog synthesizer:


This one has a very artificial, almost Atari-esque sound to it. It's a perenial progressive rock favorite, as it fits right into the space operas and sci-fi themes often found on the concept albums.

Next is the ARP:


Similar to the Moog in sound, the ARP is a better sequencing synthesizer (repeated patterns), while the Moog functions much better as an ordinary keyboard. They both have their advantages.

Another major synth is the Mellatron:


Pionered as early as the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper, this synth is the lead choice for Prog Electronic musicians, for it's etherial qualities. Some models were designed specifically to replicate orchestral sounds. This video isn't a great example, but it also sounds more organic than ARP or Moog.

There is also the Hammond Organ:


This is the most well known to the general public, with the "Take me Out to the Ball Game " Vibe. Not quite as frequently used in prog as the others, but still a good name to know.

Curved Air- Second Album

Curved Air were a sympho prog group with a double hook: a violinist and a female vocalist. With Sonja Kristina (vocals), Darryl Way (Violin), Francis Monkman (Guitar, Keyboards), and Florian Pilkington-Miksa (Drums) constant for the first few albums, the bass spot rotated, here under Ian Eyre. On this 1971 Sophomore effort, the band attempted to deploy all these strengths. The result is baroque symphonic prog.

Things kick off with "Young Mother", a synthesizer heavy rocker. Kristina's vocals are mixed very loudly and dominate the proceedings. The violin also plays a large role in the melodic development of the music, with a strong classical feel. Afterwards comes "Back Street Luv (Sic)", which was a #4 hit in the UK and got Curved Air on Top of the Pops. This is a great example of how progressive rock can be accessible, with some complex interplay between the instruments, but a 4/4 beat and no wild experimentation. Again, this one is all Kristina's, with a powerful mezzo-soprano. Next up is the violin ballad "Jumbo", which is very serene and features no guitars. However, the instruments repeat the same short cycle over and over again, and Prog is not meant to be vocal driven. As a result, the song meanders. Next up is "You Know", a track with a strange mix of pop, prog, and Hendrix-esque guitar. If not phenomenal, it is at least interesting. This side of the record closes with the eerie "Puppets", a minimalistic piece with piano and a creepy vocal section.

On the flip side of the record, we have "Everdance", which slaps you in the face with energy after "Puppets". It's very frenzied, with crazy percussion and violin work. This is much more progressive than anything on side A (due to Monkman writing, rather than some mix of the other members.) Up next is "Bright Summer's Day '68", which is similar but with more vocal parts and with a harpsichord thrown in for good measure. The final track is the 12 and a half minute "Piece of Mind", which fuses all of the instruments together into a constant thunder to back up Kristina on the vocals. The work feels brooding, and in the middle it suddenly speeds up and goes insane. A very interesting progressive rock song.

Second Album is almost a great record. It's got a phenomenal vocalist, a swirl of ideas, and a good variety of pieces to chose from. Yet, in comparison to a lot of other albums in the genre, it just don't have quite as much staying power. Still, it uses what it's got very well, and over repeated listens it endears itself to the listener, especially side B. This is a good introduction to the work of Curved Air and defiantly an album worth having.

This is a progressive rock fruit salad: everything is separable from the others, but taken together they really shine out. Grade: B+

Camel- The Snow Goose

After Mirage, the classic Camel lineup of Laitimer, Feurgeson, Bardens, and Ward wanted to tackle their most ambitious project yet. The Snow Goose is based on the novel of the same name by Paul Gallico, a romance novel set in world war two that's evidently very popular in Britain. However, the band decided to make a completely instrumental work. In essence, it's a rock opera without a spoken story (a rock ballet, perhaps?), leaving the listener to be absorbed by Barden's Keyboards and Laitimer's guitars and flute.

With 16 small tracks, it would be pointless to try and do my usual by-the-song style review for The Snow Goose. This album has a very beautiful, serene feel to it. From the opening of "The Great Marsh" forward, this album if planted firmly in the steamy, ethereal keyboards from Pete Bardens. With warm Hammonds and icy grand pianos, the emotional depth of the work is firmly planted here. The flute work here is also great, especially on "Rhayader", layering on further emotion. The guitar stays mostly in the background, but when they come out the action is wonderfully advanced. Its often acoustic in nature. As for the rhythm section, they don't really get a whole lot to do.

This album is a textbook example of symphonic prog, with a good deal of classical influence while still managing to remain firmly in the rock camp. Packed with virtuoso playing and lots of heart, The Snow Goose offers a lot of stuff for the proghead to love. Try to find a live version online- it's a lot more aggressive and has it's own distinct feel!

Everything here blends together, and it's a great piece of symphonic prog work. Grade: A

5 Great Pink Floyd Philisophical Moments

There are just so many Pink Floyd songs with deeply intellectual bent. More than just about any Prog artist, the Floyd are always ones to make you think a bit. Here are 5 of the best examples.

"Echoes" (Meddle)
Seeing as its parent album was a dress rehearsal for the greatness ahead, its fitting that its side long crowning achievement is also. Echoes has many themes about isolation, degradation of society by time, and just going through life without really living it. A perfect piece to all of the existentialism to follow suit.

"Time" (Dark Side of the Moon)
The message is pretty strait forward, and has been done over and over again in all forms of the arts, but it's a true as ever. Make the most of your time so you don't end up looking back and regretting things.

"Brain Damage" (Dark Side of the Moon)
This song is narrated by a lunatic, going through how he's not himself and not everything adds up within his head. If we think hard enough, however, we realize there's a bit of a madman in every one of us, and they really aren't that mad after all. Great little piratical joke by Waters here.

The Animals Album

I've already outlined a lot of the philosophy going on here in my review of the album, but there's just so much depth here. It's defiantly the most cynical and abrasive Floyd album, jamming us all into negative stereotypes and picking them apart.

"The Trial" (The Wall)

The culmination of the middle of the road rock opera this album is defiantly drives home some points. More or less, they're all variations of "Be an individual, but don't shun the rest of society."

Yes-Relayer

It's been ages since I've done a Yes album on here. Let's fix that. Due to the major personality clashes within the band, Rick Wakeman decided to leave Yes after the prior album, Tales from Topographic Oceans, leaving the much more permanent fixtures of Anderson, Howe, Squire, and White to find a new keyboardist. The lucky individual turned out to be Patrick Moraz, a Swiss keyboardist. In 1974, the band created Relayer, yet another album with all of those Yes touches, but with its own little quirks.

This album has a side-long epic on the A side, called "The Gates of Delirium." Anderson supplies lyrics with a lot clearer message than regular, and this track is clearly a war epic. The song starts out with a two minute keyboard workout. Moraz' style is a bit more modest than Wakeman's, but is just as good. Then the vocal comes in, and all of the Yes elements come together in good old fashion. Squire does the best at leaving an impression in here, but they keyboard Bridges do a fine job also. There are many movements during this song, and they all have a 4/4 or 6/4 time signature and similar chord structures, but the melody varies vastly. After about the 8:00 mark, Anderson stops, and the song goes into an instrumental powerhouse. Howe really does the shining here, and his ever adaptable guitar has one of a few career highs here. The style of this section is all about going for a massive wall of sound. At the 15 minute mark, everything screeches to a halt and becomes a slow, "after the battle" type song. This section was originally a separate song called "Soon." Anderson sings some sappy vocals, and it all draws to a close. While it ends with a whimper, the beginning sure is a bang.

Side B has pair of nine-minute tracks, starting with "Sound Chaser", which gets so crazy that it more or less lacks a time signature in parts off the song. The title is apt. The keyboard work here is terrific, and very frenzied. "Sound Chaser" also has a nice bouncy rhythm, and Howe has a very nice guitar solo. The finale is called "To Be Over". This song is much slower in tempo, and is very simplistic. It almost reminds me of a lullaby at parts. There's some tacky 70's production and touches. The musicians don't stand out, and overall this is just not all that good. It fails to live up to the other two tracks on this album.

Relayer is something of a schizophrenic record. Between the chaos of the beginnings of the record sides and the sereneness of the second portions, Relayer struggles to find that consistent grove that can be seen on Close to the Edge or Fragile. However, there is a lot to like here, with a variety of strong players (especially the underrated Moraz, who unfortunately was not a good live keyboardist), just doing what feels right at the time. Each ones gets their fair share of space, and takes their performances to a great level of proficiency. After this album, Yes went on a 3 year hiatus, and all the members released solo albums.

While not the best Yes album out there, Relayer has much to offer and is an album you should have in your Prog collection. Grade: B+

Arcadium- Breathe Awhile

Here we have a lost gem from the proto-prog era. Arcadium was a British psych/prog band, and besides a single that was included as bonus tracks, this 1969 album is their only piece of work. Its lineup consisted of Miguel Sergides (12-string guitar, vocals), Graham Best (bass, vocals), Allan Ellwood (organ, vocals), Robert Ellwood (lead guitar, vocals), and John Albert Parker (drums). Breathe Awhile straddles the fence between the heavy psychedelic rock bands like Cream or Spirit and a heavier version of symphonic prog.

Things kick off with the 11 minute "I'm On My Way". It starts out with twangy, airy guitars, before heading into a long section led by distorted guitar and keyboard effects. The whole thing is a little dizzy, but captures a fairly epic feel. The vocals don't come in until 6 minutes into the song, and they're pretty typical late 60's psychedelic rock fare. Overall, the song is addictive due to its trance-like beat. Next, "Poor Lady" provides the listener with an ahead of its time short-form Prog song. The bass beat is very catchy, and this stuff would rub off and become used by many prog bands like Birth Control and Magma in years to come. The last track on side A is "Walk on the Bad Side", which is a psychedelic jam. It's good stuff, and it's a sort of prog with no classical or jazz influences.

Continuing on, "Woman of a Thousand Years" is a quick psychedelic rock track. It's a bit forgettable. "Change Me" is similar to "Poor Lady", but not quite as memorable. Afterward, the pop-prog song "It Takes a Woman" makes a nice impression. This is the only track with standout drumming, and the guitar is also very strong. The album wraps up with "Birth, Life, and Death". This track is the most progressive on the album, with some a fusion feel, and many elements in common with the heavy prog bands from '70-'72. The guitar solos here remind me a bit of Wishbone Ash on a single guitar. This one appeases both psych ad prog fans, and is defiantly a grand finale for this record.

Breathe Awhile is a solid proto-prog album. It's got lots of progressive feel, especially in the keyboard sections. You can defiantly feel the impending transition to Prog going on here. However, the production quality on the album is rather poor, sounding too claustrophobic and fuzzy. Additionally, the averageness of many B-Side tracks hold the record down. Despite this, Arcadium does an admirable job, and this album is strong enough to warrant attention.

Psychedelic and Progressive rock are like two peas in a pod, and this album displays that very effectively with much to offer. Grade: B+

Prog Rock Britania

Hey everyone. I'm really busy working on final papers and tests for school right now, so I don't have time to write a decent review or article this week. Instead, I'm going to link you to a fantastic Prog Rock Documentary the BBC recently released. It focuses a lot on Proto-Prog, and only covers Britain, but it's got a nice who's who of British Prog and I hope you enjoy it!

Chris Squire- Fish Out of Water

Between 1974 and 1977, Yes released no albums. Instead, all of their members put out solo albums. Bassist Chris Squire, unlike some of the others, would never produce another. However, this 1975 album is more than enough to rest a reputation on. The title comes from Squire's nickname, "Fish", and Bill Bruford handles the drums.

This one kicks off with "Hold Out your Hand". Right from the get-go, we're treated to Squire's signature bass style, over top of keyboards. His vocals are surprisingly good for someone who only sung backup to this point. The song has a prog-funk sort of feel, and that bass is what really makes it an excellent song. This segues into "You by my Side", a prog love song. Thought the lyrics are a bit tacky, under all the layers of bass and piano they're not very noticeable. The song gets very grand and fleshed out by and orchestra towards the end (most of this album's tracks feature it.) Up next is the epic "Silently Falling", which I can't quite find the words to describe stylistically, but I guess it's a bit like a darker sounding version of Yes' sound. Keyboards and flute feature prominently, and there are many cool vocal effects. There's also a time switch from 4/4 to 5/4. Absolutely Fantastic.

On the other side of the record is a peice called "Lucky Seven" in 7/8 time. With the whole darker mood and the addition of the saxophone, this track has a funky, urban feel to it. A fine song, and it couples well with the 14 minute climax, "Safe (Cannon Song)". This goes for a Phil Spector-ish wall of sound production wise, and everything from latin percussion to horns can be hard in the mix. This song is the only one on the album to feature regular guitar prominently, but the bass still dominates, and even solos on this track. Bruford's drumming adds a special touch as well.

I often wonder why this album has remained mostly a Yes fan collector's item. Everything about this thing is immaculate, from orchestral touches, the vocals, and time switches to the atmosphere and piano. Yet, Squire dominates this thing entirely with his bass guitar, his style truly unique in the world of music. This is one that just can not be missed, and is one of my favorite albums of all time.

If you like the bass guitar and you like Prog rock, this album will give you an orgasm. Grade: A+

Richard Vimal- Transparence

This is far and away the rarest album in my collection. I've tried to search the Internet for information on Richard Vimal, and there's almost nothing about him. He's from France, but that's about all I can get on his background. What I was able to dig up was that this is the first of 3 albums he put out, and the only one with vocals. Transperance was released in 1977, and is one of the many sonic, atmoshpereic electronic prog albums released during the mid to late 70's.

The first track is called "Intro + âme soeur" (Intro + Soul Mate). It kicks off with a gentle acoustic guitar melody accompanied by a background synthesizer, and then transfers into a soft vocal of a man serenading his soul mate. In a similar vein, "Metomorphoses" involves some synthesizers (I believe they're ARPs) under the guitar, this time as an instrumental. The whole feeling of the album is very open and fresh, like mountain air.This album has a particularly strong melodic patterns, some of which repeat them selves. Song three is "Joli papillon" (Joyous Butterfly), another ballad about paying attention between lovers. "Léa" is the next song, and it's more of the same. This time however, Vimal includes some grand piano along with the mix. "L'ange des terres brûlées" (The Angel of the burnt earth) is the next track, and it's got some cool wah-wah synth effects to make it rather ethereal. I've been unable to detect where the side break is, but I think this is the time.

Side two begins with "De l'autre côté du miroir" (The other side of the mirror), and it's a creepy instrumental piece with lots of minor chords, unlike the first half of the record. Afterwords, "Tu es douce comme un fruit" (You are sweet like a fruit) is another piano heavy ballad, this time featuring very little synths except buried deep in the mix. "La clef des songes" is the next one, and it has a dark aura also. This song's lyrics deal more with rejection than happiness in love. "De ce côté du miroir" (This side of the mirror" accompanies "De l'autre côté du miroir" and has the same basic melody. Everything wraps up with "Derrière moi " (Behind me), one last little upbeat love ballad to end on a sweet note. This song also is the only one on the album to feature violin.

Transperances doesn't feel like a prog album. With an abundance of simple love ballads (great for French learners like myself) and a light feel, it doesn't seem like it would leave an impression. However, it has just the right amount of chill and intrigue to be infectious, addictive, and enjoyable. The tracks aren't very different, but they blend into one beautiful sonic trip. This album was never re-issued, so your only options are trying to track down the hard-to find vinyl or downloading it (also difficult to find).

This album is a gentle lulluby, a kiss goodnight. Not your everyday progressive rock album, but still a fantastic addition to your Prog collection. Grade: A-

The Artwork of Progressive Rock, Part 2

When things really got going for Prog illustration in about 1972, there were many wonderful designs with varied topics. The album covers emphasized form heavily, as many highly mathematical and geometric patterns adorned the album sleeves. This didn't actually take hold with many of the biggest bands, but is common with Krautrock sleeves, accompanying the jagged music. When they weren't mathematical, there were some very interesting selves, such as the see through hand X-Ray cover of Faust's self titled album.

Paintings, instead of photographs, became the norm. From Amon Duul II to Genesis to PFM, the paint and brush was very in vogue. In the pre-photoshop age, this was the only real way to truly express the visions of fantasy and wonder many of the Prog rockers had in mind. While many of Hipgnosis's studios famous Pink Floyd Covers were photographs, many of their outside jobs were painted. Of course, the king of Progressive rock painters was Roger Dean, who's Maxfeild Parish -esque landscapes brought light to many bands, most notably Yes.

Speaking of those landscapes, nature was a big topic of interest on the album covers. There's a very high percentage that emphasize the outdoors, have the band pictured outdoors, or have landscapes as their focus. Water in particular was a favorite. Additionally, outer space and astronomy themes were rather common. If progressive rock had official colors, green, blue, and black may very well be the choices.

As the era drew to a close, the album art calmed down somewhat. There images became starker and more subdued in color, although the imagery was defiantly still there. As the 80's as a whole relied much more on the old photo of the band or singer tricks, this form of Progressive Artwork went underground for a while. However, by the mid 90's, a resurgence in the progressive inspired album sleeve came about. To this day, a number of notable artists draw upon the late 60's through mid 70's album art for inspiration and direction.

The Artwork of Progressive Rock, Part 1

A large part of Progressive Rock's character and finesse comes from the album sleeves that go along with it. This month, we'll be taking a look at what goes into those album covers. A cursory glance at a group of prog albums will reveal a few patterns. For one, there's either going to be an abundance of color or very little color at all. Secondly, nature plays heavily into the artwork. Last but not least, unlike pop genres, little emphasis is placed upon the name of the group or the album title on the cover.

Much like the music itself, the panache of the prog cover traces back to its mother genre, late 60's psychedelic rock. As well chronicled in Strom Thorgoson's Classic Album Covers of the 1960's, around 1966 there was a sudden explosion of vibrant, experimental and colorful album covers which replaced the boring, run-of-the-mill endless array of men in suits that had dominated 50's and early 60's covers. Just look at the difference between the covers of Early Rolling Stones albums and the holographic Their Satanic Majesty's Request and you can see that sudden burst of energy in action. The new art matched the new music with its sense of daring and adventure. Then, it disappeared just as suddenly as it came in around 1968 or 1969, with covers going back to the basics. This is a little harder to explain. I think it might have to do with the return to minimalism of the Beatles and the Stones covers in 1968, since they were always trend setters.

Prog artwork took a bit longer right out of the gate. Dark colors or heavily altered photos or cartoons of the band donned a lot of the albums in the 69-71 period. However, there were many exceptions, including King Crimson's Medieval and Mythological themed Lizard and In the Wake of Poseidon, as well as some psychedelic throwbacks. One of the most interesting is Van Der Graff Generator's H to He Who am the Only One, with it's time on strings theme. It was during the next couple of years following that things really took off, with Roger Dean landscapes and Hipignosis studio photographs making their powerful statements.

To be Continued

King Crimson- Larks' Tongues in Aspic

King Crimson is always best remembered for In the Court but right along side that masterpiece stands 1973's Larks Tongues in Aspic. By this time guitarist Robert Fripp was the sole remaining member of both the Original King Crimson and the most recent lineup. After mutating from Sympho-Prog to Jazz Prog, Fripp decided to reinvent King Crimson as a Hard Prog band. To do so, he recruited Bill Bruford of Yes (drums), John Wetton of Family (Bass/Vocals), David Cross (violin), and Jamie Muir (mixed percussion) to create the new sound. As with the prior member Peter Sinfield, lyricist Richard Palmer James is credited as a member but does not play on the album. The results of this experiment were something nearly as revolutionary as the first record.

The album starts out with the first of a two part instrumental Title Track, divided up into 13 and 7 minute segments. Marimba opens the album in a very low key and peaceful way, before a section of menacing violin takes over. Then, out of nowhere, one of the most bad ass riffs in rock music period drops on you like a brick, only to withdraw just as suddenly. From there, things go nuts with all kinds of percussion, guitar and bass riffs and assorted effects rapidly changing melody, harmony, tempo, chord, and timbre. This is pure musical chaos, and is strikingly beautiful. Then, it all calms down and fades away. "Book of Saturday", the next song, is a prog quickie, it's just a nice melodic rock song (with lyrics this time), calm after the storm of sorts. Afterwards, we have the great "Exiles", which revisits the Medieval themes seen on the In The Court and Lizard albums. This time, however, it is more subtle and soundtrack like, fleshed out wonderfully by Cross's violin. This piece is, in my opinion, the best of Crimson's entire career, which is a very big accomplishment.

Side B opens with "Easy Money", the last of the 3 tracks featuring Wetton singing. As you can probably guess, this song attacks money and greed in society. As far as the structure, it's not all that progressive, though its lack of a chorus means it's firmly not pop. The guitar dominates the instrumentation with some repeated riffs. Afterwards comes "The Talking Drum". If the album has a weak spot, this is it. While not bad, the endless percussive rhythms that are the entire song do get a little tiring sometimes. Last up is "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Pt 2." This section has more structure than the first, but is just as insane and aggressive. Here, the guitar and drums just smash up everything in a barrage of notes.

Between the two parts of the title track, King Crimson mange to do so many different progressive things in the hard rock context it's incredible. Once again the leaders, this album is the first step towards the eventual rise of Prog Metal. In addition to that, there's some subtlety and melody that juxtapose and work wonderfully together. Larks' Tongues in Aspic is one of the most intelligent and creative prog albums I've ever heard, and to these ears it trumps even In the Court of the Crimson King by the thinnest of margins.

Overall, this is a phenomenal piece of experimentation and rhythm, and shows many of Prog's great extremes without sounding jumbled or overwrought. Do not miss this one. Grade: A+.

Sweet Smoke- Just a Poke

Although Sweet Smoke ended up as exiles in Germany, this band hailed from Brooklyn, and therefore is best considered an American Band. They started up as one of the 1967 slew of summer of love bands, and never really left the genre in their 7 years of existence. However, they did have a nice bit of Prog-Rock in their mix. With a lineup of Andrew Dershin (bass, percussion), Jay Dorfman (drums, percussion), Marvin Kaminowitz (lead guitar, vocals, percussion), and Michael Paris (saxophone, flute, alto recorder, vocals, percussion,) this group put out a nice slice of proto prog with their first of two albums, Just a Poke, in 1970.

This is one of those albums that just has two side long tracks, both 16:34 in length. Depending on whether you have the German Vinyl/CD or the USA/UK/French Vinyl, they are swapped in order. This review is for the former.

Side A's piece is called "Baby Night", which starts with a flute intro and typical psych-pop vocal. This track's defining feature is it's nice bass groove, as well as the extreme amounts of flute that is used. This creates a mood that's actually a bit reminiscent of Native American music, which is a rare move for prog, but a pleasant one. Later on there's some typical late 60's guitar jamming. Not the most complex of songs, this one meanders a bit, but it's got lots of good influences mixing together. A nice piece.

The other side of the record has "Silly Sally", which uses saxophone instead of flute. On here, they go for an ambitious combo of psych rock, prog rock, and jazz rock. The vocals are very much the latter, with a near scat like tone. The guitar plays the same riff over and over for a long part of this song, but it changes in volume. There's many drum solos, some with Latin percussion. Additionally, "Silly Sally" uses keyboards while "Baby Night" does not.

Overall, this album is unique yet somewhat mediocre. Prog Rock was new in 1970, and it's clear they don't really understand the genre and end up falling back on tried and true but somewhat stale psychedelic rock and jazz rock patterns. The saving graces here are the heavy use of woodwinds and the Native American feel on "Baby Night", which prove this album did have some serious creative drive. Still, I feel their other album, Darkness to Light, is the better package.

While it's not going to wow you, this is a great album to see the transition between the Psychedelic late 60's and Progressive early 70's at work. Grade: B-

Frank Zappa- Hot Rats

With a man like Frank Zappa, it's impossible to pick a single album to represent the entire body of work. For our purposes, we'll pick his best regarded and fairly accessible 1969 release Hot Rats. At this point in his career, Zappa has dissolved the first lineup of the Mothers of Invention, and wanted to move on. He did so by ditching his short, satirical bites of sound and opting for a nearly instrumental mix of Early Jazz Fusion and Early Progressive Rock. He has many guests assisting him here, including ex-Mother Ian Underwood on sax and Captain Beefheart on the record's only vocal. Another notable thing about this album is it's one of the first to use a 16 track recording system, furthering the complexity of the music industry.

The first song is the short but sweet "Peaches in Regalia", a jazzy track with horns and guitar distortion. It has lots of little phrases that work together to form an extremely catchy melody. There even seems to be a bit of Indian influence in the rhythm structure. After that, there's the sensational 9-minute hard rock song "Willie The Pimp", which starts off with Beefheart's raspy, gritty vocal (the only one on the album) and a fiddle. From there, things get (more) intense, and Zappa ends up giving us a phenomenal seven minute guitar solo. That's about it. This track is one that absolutely must be heard in its full glory. Rounding out the A side is another 9 minute song, "Son of Mr. Green Jeans". This one is a much more mellow, with more horns ans a jazz rock feel. The track was actually a reworking of the earlier "Mr. Green Jeans" on the Uncle Meat album.

Another quickie starts of side B, "Little Umbrellas." It's got stacks ans stacks of overdubs by Underwood, and is a mellow lounge-jazzy track. Not the album's best, but nice nonetheless. Next up comes another one of the album's long centerpieces, "The Gumbo Variations". For this cut, there's lots of guitar and saxophone doing work, and the mix of jazz fusion and blues rock influences is quite apparent. It meanders over its 16 minutes, but it's got some good structural developments. Lastly, "It Must Be a Camel" plays, and it follows a similar pattern to "Peaches" and "Umbrellas". The most notable feature is the jumps in melody, which create "Camel Humps" in the sheet music.

Hot Rats is a record that goes all over the place. Zappa plays around with all kinds of instruments, melodies, and harmonies, and out of it comes something that is quite unique. While there may be a dud section here and there, almost all of the experiments are successes, with hours and hours of fun for a music theory student to pick apart. Though it's a bit lopsided, with a stacked A side and a just-good B-Side, it doesn't suffer from record fatigue. Defiantly a 7 on the complexity scale. One word to the wise: the CD and Vinyl mixes of this album are different, and there's big debate as to which is superior.

This one is one of those albums that pulls you in and keeps you enticed through many many listens, with some new feature every time. Grade: A+

The Midwest Clump

The United States, despite being the third largest nation in the world, has a pretty noticeable clump for Prog fans. That clump is the American Midwest. It seems like a great majority of U.S. Prog came from the Midwestern United States, which seems a bit strange. Usually, progressive rock was both a socially and politically liberal movement (there's an exception here and there), which would point to the Northeast and the West Coast as the expected Prog grounds. So, why is it that the track of land roughly stretching from Cleveland to Wichita make so much progressive music.

There's no good answer to this question. The only other area of the U.S. where Prog seemed to be a really major scene was the New York Metropolitan area, which makes sense due to the great amounts of political liberalism and the fact that New York City is so cosmopolitan. The Midwest, however, had a great number of conservatives, and also had a much more uniform population of white protestants. Yet, the diverse and very blue West Coast saw little to no action.

I personally think that the fact that a great deal of large cities exist in the Midwest would have led to lots of word-of mouth spreading. A few very good prog bands probably started a trend in individual cities, and it went from there. This seems to be backed up by more specific slices of America, because some Midwestern cites like Chicago, St. Louis, and Minneapolis had lots of Prog rock, but others like Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Kansas City were silent. Likewise, this may be why Prog caught on in New York City but failed to take of in Philadelphia or Boston. There just wasn't enough people to spread the word in the pre-Internet age.

More to the point, however, the clump is just an oddity. The Midwest made its fair share of good and bad Prog, and the Northeast, South, Mountain West, and Pacific Coast made contributions that were lesser in quantity but equal in quality.

Kansas- Song For America

Certainly the most successful of the American Progressive Rock bands, Kansas hailed from Topeka, Kansas (surprise surprise), and incorporated some of that American heartland into their music for a unique sound. Song for America, their sophmore effort, came to store shelves in late 1974. They featured a lineup of Rich Williams (guitar), Phil Ehart (drums), Kerry Livgren (guitar/keyboards), Steve Walsh (vocals/keyboards), Dave Hope (bass), and Robby Stienhardt (violin). While combination of country music and prog does seem a bit strange, the result is quite interesting, and quite varied.

The album opens with "Down the Road", which really doesn't have much progressive about it at all. It's just straight country rock, and if that strikes our fancy, it's a decent song. Otherwise, you can skip it. The real goods start with the title track. Over the course of 10 minutes, it moves through some symphonic rock structures, but with a strong presence from the violin. The vocals leave a little to be desired, but it has some nice chord shifts and progressions. The following track, "Lamplight Symphony", is the most progressive one on the album. Bass dominates the track, and the keyboard melody reminds me of a alternate reality Genesis. After that, it's time to flip the record over.

Next up is "Lonely Street", which again is little more than a straight up rocker. It's more heavy metal than country rock, though. "The Devil Game " is really just more of the same, and both tracks aren't of great interest to the Prog fans. However, Song for America comes back for the grand finale with all jets on. "Incomudro / Hymn to the Atman" consists of 12 minutes of The American take on Yes. There's bombastic keyboards à la Rick Wakeman, distinctive bass à la Chris Squire, and a general fantasy feel. There's also strangely some 80's sounding synths, and I'm not sure how that happened.

As mentioned before, although always labeled Progressive Rock, I don't see this record as really fitting the mold. While its got some Prog songs, there's tracks on here that wouldn't be out of place on a Lynyrd Skynyrd record. I don't mind Country Rock, but I don't like misleading labels. Then of course, there's the issue that compared to many many other albums in the genre, The Prog tracks are a bit bland, retracing old territory but with violin added.

Not a bad album per se, but Song for America would appeal more to country rock or hard rock fans than hardcore progsters. C- as a Prog Record, B- as an overall record.

Proging the USA

It's time for the 3rd entry in the international scene series: The United States. Unlike France or Italy, the per capita production of Prog in the USA was rather low. As a more conservative nation, the general ability of prog to come to fruit was lower to begin with. However, the prog from the United States is by no means a slouch, as a good mix of bands played rock both in a British-Emulating style and with their own flare.

One of the signatures of American Prog was a tendency towards the weird. The nation's most famous progressive rock icon is the witty Frank Zappa, who created some of rock music's greatest social commentary delivered through whimsical and confusing non-sequittuers. Additional bands like the Residents and the Muffins practiced avant garde music to the tee, creating some of the least accessible but most interesting progressive rock of the period. Other bands, particularly from the New York area, continued the psychedelic tradition of the 60's with a progressive touch, such as Sweet Smoke. Even the great Jimi Hendrix himself was in talks with Emerson, Lake, and Palmer about moving into Prog before his untimely death.

On the flip side of the coin, some of the most melodic and accessible Prog came from the USA. Known for their radio hits "Carry on Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind", Kansas led this movement. Their music was a mix of English symphonic prog and American Country music into a unique blend. Other groups like Pavlov' Dog, Starcastle, and even the earliest incarnations of the bland arena rock group Journey were progressive pop leaders.

Until death by Disco, American Prog was a steady presence in influence. While it may not have been as productive as The UK, the quality is just as strong. Like the nation itself, one of the best ways to describe U.S. Prog is "diverse."

Can- Tago Mago

Can is possibly the most acclaimed of the Krautrock groups, and Tago Mago their Magnum Opus. The ambitious group of Holger Czukay (Bass) Irmin Schmidt (Keyboards), Michael Karoli (guitar) and Jaki Liebezit (drums) formed in Cologne, and started out with African American vocalist Malcolm Mooney. After their debut album Monster Movie in '69, however, mental health issues prompted Mooney's return to the states. His replacement, Damo Sazuki, was a Japanesse man who screeched and yelled as much as he sang, giving lots of shock value to the group. After a 1970 release of soundtrack work, the band recorded Tago Mago, an epic double album, sent to stores in 1971.

The record begins with "Paperhouse", which is a nice mix of both the heavy and mellow schools of Krautrock. Suzuki's vocal rolls out very easily, and the guitar riff carries the song forward though open air. As the song goes on, it starts to get faster and more frenzied, and then slows down. This leads into the jarring transition into "Mushroom", where Sazuki goes ape with unintelligible screaming, but then the music gets quiet and filled with guitar drone. A very weird song that grows on you with repeated listens. Next up is "Oh Yeah", which is just an absolute masterpiece of the genre. Its 7 minutes of repeated guitar riffs, backmasked vocals, steady 4/4 beat, and wind sound effects are sublime and enchanting. After those 3 songs, it's time for the side long "Halleluwah". Compared to the A side songs, this one relies much more heavily on the rhythm section. It's got a central grove that the vocals and guitar overlay on top of for minutes and minutes on end with only brief breaks, and strange sounds go overhead continually. It's not quite "Revolution 9" weird, but it's not the kind of stuff you want to introduce people to Krautorck with. However, for the fans, it's an absolutely essential piece of minimalism.

Sides C and D, however, do take the weird up to level eleven, to the point where they've left Krautrock entirely and become straight avant-garde. Another side long track, "Aumgn", is a sound collage of guitar & bass feedback, ambient strings (including violin scratching), sitar, pure electronic sounds, and what sounds like heavily distorted animal noises that take the listener for an 17 minute trip into some of the most far out music I've ever heard. I like this, although though this piece divides fans of Progressive Rock heavily. "Peking O." on the D side adds 11 and 1/2 further minutes to the trip, and it's even more intense with Sazuki's screams, and some broken pseudo melodies. The record finishes up with "Bring Me Coffee or Tea", a nice, quiet song that parallels "Paperhouse" to give the album a cycle. After the last two tracks, it's a welcome cool-down.

The only thing that everyone can agree on about this record is that it is strange. Some people will think this is a pile of crap, and others will think it's pure genius. I, for one, fall in the latter. During the height of "Aumgn", the rhythm takes me to places where not even Pink Floyd or Neu! dare tread. It's truly one of a kind, as even Can never released another album like Tago Mago (their next release, Ege Bamyasi, plays like a watered down version.)

While Tago Mago is not for the faint of heart or the fans of classical structure, it stands up with the very best of Progressive Rock albums. Grade: A