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+