This album is a return to form by Gazpacho after two somewhat mediocre albums like Molok and Soyuz. It's their best album since Demon, and a step in the right direction for a band with great albums in their discography (Night, Tick Tock, March of Ghosts, Demon). It's almost 20 years for Gazpacho of making splendid music. This album grows on you and is a pleasant twist to their traditional atmospheric sounds, which are in full force in this one. The highlight of the album is "Space Cowboy," which is a masterwork, to put it plainly, while the smaller songs ("Hourglass", "Fireworker", and "Antique") fit greatly with the two longer songs. The final epic is called "Sapien", which a great tranquil song to end what is overall a great album. A solid 4.5 for me.

The peak album by Focus delivers a delicate mixture of classically influence progressive rock with updated sound, especially for keyboards (moog, ARP synthesizer). Playing is very tasty, advanced and refined. Singing is fine and joddling is well repeated on the long title track but in a more dramatic scenario.

Light aperitif is served with flute and acoustic guitar, balsam for the ear. More typical Focus territory with rocking rhythm, not so good singing but delicious accordion and jamming guitar/keyboard follows in the second track. "La Cathedrale De Strasbourg" is more elegant, laid-back, rhythm sounding like bells. The introduction has great symphonic chords and church organ - a powerful and strong symphonic moment with poetism in the air. Sweet and melting music.

"Birth" is a very good example how guitar player and keyboard player can complement themselves with various colours, instruments and motives. Flute is an added dessert.

The magnificient "Hamburger Concerto" can, despite being based on Haydn's piece, one of the best pieces of classical music in progressive rock based on the these criteria: arrangements, taste in playing, expressiveness and composition. Classicism can sound as light as flute with harpsichord but also have guitar riff and organ to demonstrate power. Music is flowing effortlessly, motives keep changing and the nuances like quiet guitar decorations or decent Hammond soloing make you wonder. Flute playing and high- pitched vocal improve the impression even higher. Sweet guitar soloing is light but suits the 20-minute epics. After the mass-like singing by Leers in Dutch follows the emotional peak with mellotron, organ, piano - absolutely stunning moment with a memorable guitar solo first and then equally monumental ARP solo, a bit untypical of Focus. These 2-3 minutes almost always bring tears in my eyes for the sheer beauty and feeling of darkness. If you want to see the complexity of various layers of instruments, look for the video of international collaboration that re-recorded the epic song with slightly changed sound.

This is a must-have album and together with Finch first two albums and Supersister first two albums, a unique Dutch contribution to the upper echelon of progressive rock.

So, a disclaimer to begin this review: I do not actually have this DVD, but the DIGITAL version of all the songs. No video. Conjure you're own conclusions as to how I may have acquired them...

But the music here is superb. I was so excited to see that most of the members of the classic EAST lineup were able to reassemble in 2012 and play so much of their past catalog, and then release it on this DVD. The quality of the recording is fantastic, and the performances are surprisingly fresh-sounding and vibrant.

This is an excellent place to go if you are interested in discovering some great Hungarian prog. It will have you checking out their back catalog soon after.

Mother Mary Comes to Me

No Earthly Help

That is to say lyricist/guitarist/vocalist/impresario Perry Merritt and ZIP TANG side-kicks bassist Andrew Bunk plus drummer Fred Faller see little hope for lost souls in this day, in this age.

If I'm reading this concept album correctly, and hearing it for what it offers (a lot!), sweet Marie born to an abandoned addict mom careens from danger to disaster to death- unwatched, uncared for, unimportant.

ZIP TANG

Here's an ace outfit from Chicago, USA creating eclectic progressive music, laying down four albums from 2007 through 2015, losing then finding a bassist (who really punches up the energy here)...and devoting some years to writing and perfecting this creative tour de force.

COLD COMING

It reminds me of the ominous statement "Winter is coming..." from a certain epic series (books, TV)- the cold of public apathy, shelters that aren't, families in name only, predators waiting the young and vulnerable, a shredded safety net.

So this album, utilizing poetry of brutality, neglect, and heedlessness- yet with the loveliest imagery, conveys the tragedy and horror of being seen as subhuman, or worse, invisible.

Music

Somehow ZIP TANG welds together these poetic images with sometimes biting, sometimes hard driving, sometimes melancholic, sometimes symphonic progressive music.

And that gutsy, punchy bass guitar just propels it along.

Not to slight the guitar and synthesizer wizardry or the beautifully complementary, tasteful drumming. NO programmed drums can compete with a flesh and blood drummer using an acoustic drum-kit.

Plus the saxophone that wistfully, moodily weaves in and out bringing jazzy textures to the mix.

Synthesizers and keyboards bring sweetness and fullness.

Vocals

Near as I can make it, Perry does the vocal work, utilizing his sometimes tender, sometimes raspy lead voice, then utilizing distance and closeness, and some fine harmonies as well.

It all works so well together. The tempo and mood changes. The flow of tunes. The images of dank bridges, menace, pimps and pushers and prostitutes, the little ones forced to survive no matter what.

Mother Mary

An apparition? A kindly spiritual presence that does not rescue but is always present and encouraging? A hazy drug dream?

Regardless of how you hear it, she's key.

We are allowed to believe- to hope- that sweet Marie, punching bag, orifice, and human refuse, finds a home in the vast multiverse, the glimpse of stars in her eyes.

In Sum

Just all around wonderful eclectic progressive music with a conscience and a heart.

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 poetic aspirations

2002 saw the collision of many talents from the progressive rock scene, in the formation of what was supposed to be a one-off project, a form of a supergroup consisting of half the members of Parallel or 90 Degrees and half of The Flower Kings with a few more special guests. Happily, The Tangent turned out to be one of prog's most frequent venturers and a really exciting band.

This first album is really a collection of all that The Tangent would go on and explore more in depth on future releases. The various backgrounds of all the seven members that appear here provides for an eclectic and original collection of great memorable tunes. The prog afficionado can appreciate band leader Andy Tillison on keys and vocals, Roine Stolt on guitars and vocals, David Jackson on sax and flute, Jonas Reingold on bass, Zoltan Czorsz on drums, Sam Baine on piano and synth, and Guy Manning on acoustic guitar and backing vocals.

As for the music, the musicianship and writing really deserve high praise, as the album feels very concentrated in its direction, and also very well executed. The music is expressive and nostalgic, something that will become a signature for The Tangent.

Opening track 'In Darkest Dreams' is an 8-movement epic and one of the band's all-time highlights. Going through different tempos, beautiful guitar work, very well placed sax parts and a little synth-fest by Tillison, this is an amazing 21st century epic tale of self-reflection.

'The Canterbury Sequence' is Andy Tillison's love poem to the Canterbury scene, a very catchy and quite jazzy track that contains a cover of Hatfield and the North's 'Chaos at the Greasy Spoon' from their second album. Witty and playful lyrics in the first part, groovy madness in the second and a mandolin-infused third part all make this a very good number.

'Up Hill From Here' is an upbeat song with fantastic instrumental section, more lighthearted in nature but very joyous.

'The Music That Died Alone', an epic in four movements and a muscle track from the band where as in the opening one, everyone gets to be in the spotlight, with lovely piano melodies, sax and flute interplay, and crushing bass.

This is a tremendously good debut, quite pleasing and just the beginning of a great prog story!

I have probably half of Phillips' albums from the earlier days, up through the "New England" album that came out in 1992, and I too am one of those people who love the diversity, songwriting skills and level of technical ability that this man displays across most of those albums. Personally, he sort of started to lose me a bit with the more cinematic-sounding albums ("Tarka", "Slow Dance", even the later "Dragonfly Dreams"). Not bad albums, but not what I was primarily coming to Ant Phillips for...

But when he came back in 2005 with "Field Day", I took a dive in the deep end again. He even notes in the liner notes that "this is a lot" - yeah, over 60 songs of a shorter nature, all acoustic, using numerous guitars from his collection. It IS a lot. But it's not too much.

Listening to this album again today, I was surprised at HOW GOOD most of these songs are. He somehow keeps us from being bored by a similar phrase or guitar sound with endless originality here. Really nice, and really surprising given the number of pieces here. If this is to be considered "prog", it would have to be under the most pastoral and simplest of definitions. But the more important point is that it is great music.

Before I played this today, I noticed that I rated this 4-1/2 stars on my RYM page many years ago - the only AP album I have rated that high since his 1979 "Sides". I raised an eyebrow; could this really be that good with so many songs, and short ones at that, and all acoustic?...

Uh, yup.

"A Question of Balance" is The Moodies album that opened up the new decade being the album that they released in 1970. It is interesting that the album's intention was to focus more on songs that could be played easier in concert, thus it strips away a lot of the psychedelia that was heavily present on their previous albums. As such, it stands out more among the many albums that the band released during this time, their "classic seven", which seem to almost melt together, almost making it difficult to discern one from another, yet all containing some excellent music, though much of it seems to sound dated after all of these years.

This album stands out among their early albums for a couple of reasons. First of all, there is a noticeable amount of variety among the tracks and each track stands out even though the music flows from one track to another most of the way through. The variety present on this album stems from the fact that each and every member seems to contribute songs evenly throughout the album with the exception of Justin Hayward who contributes 3 songs out of the 10 total tracks. This variety however, does not take away from the cohesiveness of the album as , for the most part, it has a warmer tone that seems to connect better to an audience, not buried in the usual synths and orchestral layers that many of their previous albums had.

But, that is the thing with "A Question of Balance" and is the thing that sets it apart from these albums even though it fell in the middle of these classic albums that the band is famous for. Starting off with their big hit "The Question", you instantly hear the difference as the song is quite acoustic sounding. Another thing you might notice is if you have their amazing collection "This is the Moody Blues", you will notice that the version on this album is quite a bit different from the one on that collection. This version was made for this album as the mellotron and orchestra are taken out of the mix making it even more acoustic and concert-friendly. The other, more familiar, version was the version used for the single that was released before this album. I love both versions of this song and it remains one of my favorite tracks from the band.

The first side of the album features a song written by each member of the band. "The Question" is from who has pretty much become the lead man of the band, Justin Hayward. After this, Mike Pinder's "How Is It (We Are Here)" which brings the mellotron back in, but manages to keep the track simple and interesting. Another familiar track follows, "The Tide Rushes In", Ray Thomas' contribution for the first side of the album. This one is a distinctive Thomas track, more of a nostalgic sounding track and one that also fits well on the album, melancholic, yet a nice tempo. The flute laden "Don't You Fell Small" which is Graeme Edge's song, is a bit closer to the previous album's sounds, but still all performed by the musicians without any orchestra, and allowing a bit more instrumentatlism to come into play. All of the members participate in the vocals on this song. The last track on the first half is John Lodge's contribution "The Tortoise and The Hare". The lyrics are based around the famous story, the song is the most upbeat on this side with the guitars being allowed to shine through.

There is no doubt that you are listening to a Moody Blues album here, but you will notice a difference in the sound as you get into the 2nd half of the album. This continues with Hayward's 2nd contribution "It's Up to You" which has a strong rock feel to it that borrows heavily from the sound of the time, specifically The Beatles and others. A nice, smooth track follows, Lodge's "Minstrel's Song", which has the folk-ish sound to it as hinted at by the title, but also retains a sing-a-long, nice rock attitude in the chorus, though it does get a bit repetitive at the end. Quite a lovely track though. Hayward returns one last time contributing his 3rd track "Dawning of the Day", a more complex, yet acoustic- based track that adds in some great flute, mellotron and piano flourishes during the instrumental break. Mike Pinder's somewhat famous track "Melancholy Man" follows this. This track flows along quite smoothly and softly and is a fan favorite and also the longest track on the album at almost 6 minutes. It has a nice melody that will stick with you as you become familiar with it, you'll find it playing over and over in your head, but not in an annoying way. This is another personal favorite of mine, and for me, it embodies the warm and safe sound of the band, but adding in that folk element among the lovely instrumentation that at time gets pretty thick along with the descending wordless vocals and layers of warm musical sound. The last track "The Balance" is written by both Graeme Edge and Ray Thomas and contains the expected poetry/spoken word that you hear in their early work. The music is light and mostly acoustic accented by the usual psychedelic vocals, but kept in the background. The verses are spoken and the chorus is sung. The track fades out as levels of vocals and instruments build. This track is probably the one that hasn't aged as well as the others on this album.

The music on this album does have more heart than previous albums and the listener will feel more connected to the sound. However, it is still undoubtedly The Moody Blues, you still have the nice soft and cozy sound that envelops you like a warm blanket, but this time, unhindered by the over-produced sounds and hoopla of previous albums. Ray Thomas doesn't contribute the amount of songs that he usually does and his presence seems to be less this time around, but that probably also accounts for the warmer and less busy sound of the album. It probably also accounts for the fact that most of the music on this album has aged a lot better than most of the music on their other albums from this period of time. In the end, this album, to me, stands out better than the others in this early part of their career as it seems to be less busy and more focused. There are parts of it that haven't aged that well, but for the most part, overall, the album has aged much better than many of their other albums. To me, this album comes in as the 2nd best of their early career, not far behind their classic "Days of Future Past". This ends up as a solid 4 star album, which at time even creeps into 4.5 star territory. The Moody Blues thus prove they can fit into a new decade, yet mostly still retain their signature sound, just without so much of the "needless" orchestration that they usually heap on.

FSB II is the follow-up to what is arguably Bulgaria's most important and successful rock band's peculiar debut, consisting entirely of covers of prog bands. This time the album consists of original material only and is severely better than its predecessor. Once again, the sound is focused around the two keyboardists ' Rumen Boyadzhiev and Konstantin Tsekov, and the interplay between the two whose chemistry is also improved. Moreover, bassist Aleksandar Baharov is on top of his game, too. Their Gentle Giant-influenced early sound is very well articulated on this record, as one can hear the funky instrumental compositions, bits of prog and soul are also not absent. As with their previous album, this one is mostly instrumental with a few vocal songs.

A good balance between the groovier funky sound I already mentioned, a jazzy inclination on a few tracks, and their signature double-keyboard prog rock all give this album a versatility that not many Bulgarian bands ever achieved. The album is quite enjoyable and an easy listen, I have to say, clocking in at circa 33 minutes. FSB II is without a doubt a very good album from a band that never achieved significant success outside their homeland, and also my all-time favorite from them!

Review Nº 376

'Essential Jethro Tull' is a compilation of Jethro Tull and was released in 2007. This is a compilation album that comprises tracks from seven original albums of Jethro Tull. This compilation covers the years between 1969 till 1974. So, here we have two tracks from 'Stand Up', one track from 'Benefit', two tracks from 'Aqualung', two tracks from 'War Child' and one track from 'Living In The Past'. It has also two very small extracts, 'Thick As A Brick' from 'Thick As A Brick' and 'A Passion Play' from 'A Passion Play', besides a track which was never released on their albums.

The line up on the compilation is Ian Anderson (vocals and flute), Martin Barre (electric guitar), John Evan (keyboards), Glenn Cornick (bass), Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond (bass), Clive Bunker (drums) and Barriemore Barlow (drums).

'Essential Jethro Tull' has eleven tracks. The first track 'Teacher' is from 'Benefit'. However, this is only true in relation to the US version. On the UK version, despite it has also the same eleven tracks, the order of the tracks is different and on the UK version 'Teacher' was replaced by 'Alive And Well And Living In'. 'Teacher' is a good pop rock song of a single with good melody and composition, as usual with all their songs. The second track 'Aqualung' is from 'Aqualung'. It's one of the most complex songs to be found here. This is one of the best Jethro Tull's songs. It's a very well known song, very heavy and dark with many acoustic elements. This is a great track that is almost played out as a mini suite with several different parts. It's a timeless composition where the changes in time and signature are great. Everything functions perfectly here. The third track 'Thick As A Brick' is from 'Thick As A Brick'. The version on this compilation is a very short edited version of the theme. 'Thick As A Brick' is simply their greatest magnum opus with more than 40 minutes. So, is absolutely ridiculous to reduce it to so shortly. The fourth track 'Bungle In The Jungle' is from 'War Child'. This is a melodious song well orchestrated composed in a pop commercial style. It's very simple, very humorous and nothing pretentious, a typical hit song made to sell an album. The orchestration is the key word here, since are David Palmer's arrangements that really make the song. The fifth track 'Locomotive Breath' is from 'Aqualung'. It has a beautiful jazz pianistic start, really remarkable, and then it develops too predictably and ends in a kind of a decline. It has some dark guitar chords, slow soft acoustic parts alternated with heavy fast rock and great rhythms. It's a Jethro Tull's legendary track with great piano, guitar and excellent flute work. The sixth track 'Fat Man' is from 'Stand Up'. It's a happy and fast song where the use of the balalaika gives to it a very special atmosphere. This is typically a classic Jethro Tull's folk rock song with a very unique sound and with lots of tempo changes and fabulous rhythms. The seventh track 'Living In The Past' is from 'Living In The Past'. It has a great bass line, haunting flute and cool lyrics. It's a hit song from a rock group led by a flute. This is one of the highlights of Jethro Tull's career. It was a bit revolutionary at the time, especially for a single, one of the best prog rock singles ever. The eighth track 'A Passion Play' is from 'A Passion Play'. The version on this compilation is a very short edited version. As happened with 'Thick As A Brick', 'A Passion Play', which has also more than 40 minutes, was also cut too shortly. Once more this option remains incomprehensible and inexcusable. The ninth track 'Skating Away (On The Thin Ice Of The New Day)' is from 'War Child'. It's a great acoustic song with nice orchestral arrangements, which gives to it a very interesting and pleasant touch. It's one of the favourite songs of the band. It's usually performed live on their live venues. The tenth track 'Raibow Blues' was never released on any of their studio albums. It's a leftover track from 'War Child' recording sessions. It was issued for the first time on this compilation. It was also issued as a bonus track on the remastered edition of 'War Child', in 2002. 'Rainbow Blues' is a good rocker with great orchestration, with some good guitar, flute and organ parts. The eleventh track 'Nothing Is Easy' is from 'Stand Up'. It's another classic Jethro Tull's song. This is a fantastic rock track with several musical sections and with an incredible musical performance. It has fine drumming and the interaction between the flute and the guitar is perfect. The balance between the power and elegance is great.

Conclusion: So, 'Essential Jethro Tull' is a compilation album that covers the first six years of the career of Jethro Tull. It has tracks from almost all their albums released in that period of time. The only exception is their debut studio album 'This Was' where non of their tracks were included. It has also one track from their compilation album 'Living In The Past', because as we well know, 'Living In The Past' is almost more an original album than a compilation album because it brings to us many tracks that were never released on any of their studio albums. Thus, apparently we can think that we are in presence of a great compilation very well representative of the band. Still, as happened with some other compilations of them, the reducing of 'Thick As A Brick' and 'A Passion Play' to two very short versions, can be seen as a criminal thing and I can't rate it with more than 2 stars. So, this is a compilation for collectors and fans only.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Not the actual events is the third release in a proposed trio of extended plays released by Nine inch nails, with the other two being Add violence and Bad witch. Not the actual events is a more straightforward industrial rock and industrial metal album, similar to the Broken EP, but Not the actual events sounds more like the Fragile album instead of the Broken album. Trent Reznor's wife and West Indian girl singer Mariqueen Maandig makes a guest appearance on the third song, She's gone away. The songs Branches/Bones and The idea of you are more industrial metal sounding while the songs Burning Bright (field on fire) and Dear world sound more like the industrial rock Nine inch nails is famous for. Overall the album is great, even though it isn't even a full length album, and Not the actual events is worth a listen as it is a very enjoyable album.