Paradox One

WEARING MY REVIEWER’S HAT-

RECOMMENDED ALBUMS 2008

MAY/ JUNE 2008

HEAVY ROCK

DIVINE BAZE ORCHESTRA- Once We Were Born: Intriguing name for a band that cooks up a treat for lover of heavy organ and guitar riff based music in the vein of Uriah Heep and Deep Purple with some jazz incursions (with comparisons to Mahavishnu Orchestra) and great originality in the lyrics. (Transubstans)

www.thedbo.com www.recordheaven.net

JAZZ ROCK WITH A BIT OF THE BLUES!

KEEF HARTLEY BAND- LITTLE BIG BAND

While I have really enjoyed listening to the first four albums by the Keef Hartley Band (thanks, Esoteric!), the pinnacle for me is definitely the live recording ‘Little Big Band’.

With liner notes once again by Keef himself recalling the tumultuous events of 1971 and the eventual recording of live shows at the Marquee Club in London with an 8-piece horn section and guest percussionist Pete York.

Words began to fail me in my review for www.progressiveears.com

All of the Esoteric Keef Hartley reissues are recommended and summarised on the Blues in the South website.

Buy at Amazon

IMPROVISATIONAL/ ELECTRONIC

RADIO MASSACRE INTERNATIONAL - “Rain Falls In Grey”

Named after a line from Syd Barrett’s ‘Baby Lemonade’, ‘Rain Falls In Grey’ is a welcome release from electronic improvisational trio RMI whose ‘Emissaries’ (2004) was such an inspiring example of free form space rock etc. Contact: www.cuneiformrecords.com

Buy at Amazon

CLASSIC PROGRESSIVE ROCK

WEB - “I Spider”

In 1970, Dave Lawson, formerly of Episode Six and later of Samurai and Greenslade replaced John L. Watson as the singer of The Web and led them into a bold new direction. Esoteric has now released for the first time on CD and remastered the only Web (as opposed to The Web) album with a well produced booklet including photos of memorabilia provided by sleeve note writer Dave Lawson. He writes everything on ‘I Spider’ from the ambitious multi-part suite ‘Concerto for Bedsprings’ to the powerful, slightly chaotic bittersweet, fuzz encrusted hard rocker ‘Love You’......... Go to www.progressiveears.com for the full review.

www.esotericrecordings.com

Buy at Amazon

CATEGORIES- WHO NEEDS THEM?

“Take one electric violin which blows rock and Bartok, add one flute from the East, mix in Sumerian saxophones, bass, drums, guitar and liquid word pictures.”

EAST OF EDEN’S ‘Mercator Projected’ made the top 30 of the recent progressive ears 1969 albums of the year poll. It’s been reissued on ESOTERIC, purveyor of beautifully packaged classics of the underground.

An in depth look at ‘Mercator Projected’ and ‘Snafu’ and a more comprehensive look at the career of East of Eden including an interview with Ron Caines and Geoff Nicholson, original members of the band, is coming up in the next edition of ‘Acid Dragon’, the small but friendly prog fanzine. Please support Thierry Sportouche by taking out a subscription (at modest cost) to this under supported champion of progressive rock. Buy at Amazon.

BEYOND THE BLUES

LOVE SCULPTURE - “Forms and Feelings”

“Love Sculpture made an amazing leap forward in a relatively short space of time from their album of raw blues and soul covers (‘Blues Helping’) to the much more advanced psychedelic pop and quasi classical structures of ‘Forms and Feelings’.” (Read the full review on progressive ears).

Another gem from Esoteric. Buy at Amazon.

HEAVY ROCK/ JAZZ/ A BIT OF THIS..

JACK BRUCE - “Can You Follow? A Six CD Retrospective 1962-2003

Following his heroic reunion with Cream at the Royal Albert Hall in 2005, Esoteric has paid this most talented and influential musician and writer the ultimate compliment of issuing a comprehensive box set with a 68 page booklet featuring an exclusive interview with the great man, familiar and unreleased music spanning five decades and unpublished photos documenting Jack Bruce’s extraordinary career. Go to progressive ears for review and discussion thread.

(Esoteric) Buy at Amazon

ANOTHER TRIP ON THE UNDERGROUND

MAN - “Back Into the Future” (3 CD box)

‘Back Into the Future’ especially the second LP is probably my favourite album among the prestigious Man catalogue.

Superlatives fail me listening to the live recordings Mark Powell has unearthed for Esoteric. (Review and discussion thread on progressive ears).

MORE TRIPS ON THE UNDERGROUND

SUPERSISTER - “Present From Nancy”

Championed by DJ John Peel and one of Holland’s most prodigious answers to the burgeoning progressive rock movement in the UK, Supersister combined all the classic elements of the genre: classical structures, pastoral shades demarcated by flute, complex time signatures associated with jazz, taking on influences like early King Crimson, Focus and The Nice (in the piano and reverberated organ) during the two instrumental opening pieces, veering towards Egg on tracks like ‘Memories Are Now’ (a 3 part suite) and ‘Metamorphosis’ (the centre piece of another 3 part suite). Read the full review on progressive ears and don’t miss their ‘Music for Ballet’ on ‘Pudding and Yesterday’, one 4 Supersister albums given some TLC by Esoteric. Buy at Amazon

MERTHYR TYDFIL MEETS SF

MAN - “Maximum Darkness”

Man’s final album for the United Artists record label was a live one and made a ‘dream come true’ (Deke Leonard’s own words) for them in the form of the appearance of their guitar hero John Cippolina of Quicksilver Messenger Service on guitar, immortalised by the Man guitarists for his ‘growl’ sound. Now near CD length with addition of some more great live music including a 30 minute ‘C’mon’. Man! (Esoteric) Buy at Amazon

BLUES ROCK

STORM WARNING - “Something Real”

Storm Warning is a band that has obviously absorbed a lot of influences mostly rooted in classic blues- as it says in the promotional flier a lot of the numbers on ‘Something Real’ sound like standards. Fans of Rory Gallagher etc. will enjoy this. Buy at Amazon

www.stormwarning.co.uk

JANUARY 2008

First of all, one I forgot about in my 2007 list. In fact, one of the best surprises of the year- how could I forget?
RUSH- SNAKES AND ARROWS
A total return to form. Up there with their best!

BLUES ALBUMS:

JANUARY, 2008
LARRY MILLER- OUTLAW BLUES

Great blues rock with real attitude. Think Rory Gallagher, Peter Green and further back.
www.larrymiller.co.uk

FEBRUARY, 2008
DANI WILDE- HEAL MY BLUES

Dani Wilde is a phenomenal young talent. How do Ruf keep coming up with these extraordinarily talented women? Forget Amy Winehouse and all the rest. Listen to ‘I Love You More Than I Hate Myself’ to hear Janis Joplin is alive and well. My blues album of the year already- sorry, Jeff Healey!
(Ruf Records)

MARCH, 2008
JEFF HEALEY BAND- MESS OF BLUES

8 years in coming but worth the wait. Jeff Healey has the touch of a genius and his band are no slouches either- The brilliant version of ‘Sitting On Top of the World’ finds ace piano player Dave Murphy giving Jeff a run for his money! A collection of ‘audience’ picks- cover versions (including Neil Young’s ‘Like A Hurricane’, four of them recorded live
Contact: www.rufrecords.de
(RUF 1126)

PROGRESSIVELY INCLINED
‘JAZZ ROCK’
JANUARY, 2008
SAMURAI- SAMURAI

Taking their lead from innovators like Miles Davis and rock and soul, Samurai’s achievement is to produce an overlooked album that should earn the respect of jazz prog fans. Pointing the way to Greenslade and every bit as good this Esoteric re-master includes a generous booklet with notes by Dave Lawson himself.
Web contacts are www.esotericrecordings.com and www.davelawson.org
Reviews on progressive ears.com and in more details in next Acid Dragon.
(Also recommended: WEB- I SPIDER also featuring Dave Lawson)

JAZZ/ JAZZ FUSION
FEBRUARY, 2008
DELTA SAXOPHONE QUARTET
- “Dedicated to You…But You Weren’t Listening: The Music of Soft Machine”
The five things that are writ large on this record are Jazz, Bach, Minimalism, English Pastoral Music and The Soft Machine’.
The atmosphere created by the Delta Saxophone Quartet is simply mesmerising, breathing unique new life into Soft Machine’s music and encouraging the listener to once again check out the original pieces that provided the inspiration. Highly recommended.
(MJR 017) www.moonjune.com
Read the full review in the next Acid Dragon
(Also recommended THE WRONG OBJECT “Stories from the Shed”
The Wrong Object brings a vital and vibrant edge to modern electric jazz.
Read the full review in Acid Dragon.
(Released February, 2008 on Moon June).
and
SIMAK DIALOG- PATAHAN
A live album recorded in Jakarta in 2005, this Indonesian group is filed under fusion, jazz rock, ethno jazz and progressive rock. Mainly influenced by Pat Metheny there’s also a touch of Magma there and of Indonesian percussion.
(Moon June Records)

PROGRESSIVE ROCK
MARCH, 2008
EGG- THE POLITE FORCE

One of my all time favourite bands, always a criminally underrated album in my book so Esoteric remaster with booklet is more than welcome!
Reviews coming up on progressive ears and in Acid Dragon.
(Also recommended: THE DIVINE BAZE ORCHESTRA- ONCE WE WERE BORN
Organ/ mellotron/ guitar riff based Swedish heavy prog rock with a touch of psychedelia much more and an original twist in the lyrics. The DBO is comparable to Deep Purple and Uriah Heep but quite different.
(Transubstans Records) www.thedbo.com and www.recordheaven.net

MARCH 2008
SINGER/ SONGWRITER ALBUM OF THE MONTH
BILL FAY- BILL FAY

Where has this guy been all my life? It’s hard to disagree with Mark Powell’s statement that ‘Bill Fay’ is a ‘sumptuous and delicately melancholic album’.
Personally ‘endorsed’ by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco you can hear exactly why here- way ahead of his time- an absolutely brilliant album! (Also recommended Bill Fay- Time of the Last Persecution) (both available remastered with bonus from Esoteric Recordings)

‘INTELLIGENT POP’
DAVE DILL- FOLLOW THE SUMMER

My review in Zeitgeist concludes: “This soaring, triumphant music charts the development of a pheonomenal musician and songwriter”. Better still though check Dave’s music out for yourself- should be top of everybody’s pops!
(Pickled Sun Music)
Contact: www.davedill.net

‘LOST’ PROGRESSIVE ROCK CLASSIC
MELLOW CANDLE- SWADDLING SONGS

So much has been written about this album it has become the stuff of legend. Is all the hype justified? You bet! Once again those nice people at Esoteric have come up trumps. Read the review on www.progressiveears.com

BEST JAZZ ROCK ALBUM
KEEF HARTLEY BAND- OVERDOG

‘Overdog’ is an excellent sonic and visceral experience for anyone into classic jazz rock with obvious similarities to the musical direction taken by bands like Colosseum and also, in the introduction of a more ‘funky’ element, the music of Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express on albums like ‘Closer to It’. If you need any convincing start with ‘Theme Song’ and take it from there- terrific stuff! (ECLEC 2048) (Also recommended: Keef Hartley Band ‘The Time is Near’ also on Esoteric)

APRIL, 2008
PROGRESSIVE ROCK ALBUM
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR- TRISECTOR

I’m finally getting around to reviewing this one. More consistent than ‘Present’ the remaining band members go out of their way to compensate for the absence of Dave Jackson. Full review coming up in Acid Dragon. (Virgin) (Also recommended for those who missed the 2005 tour- the double CD ‘Real Live’) (FIXD 01)

PROGRESSIVE ROCK ‘REISSUE’
KHAN- SPACE SHANTY

I eulogise at length in a forthcoming Acid Dragon about why ‘Space Shanty’ is one of the prog rock albums of all time. If you don’t want to read all that then please take my word for it. Telepathic interplay between Dave Stewart and Steve Hillage this is a sizzling album with Hillage’s best rhythm section ever. Remastered with previously unreleased bonus tracks on Esoteric.

SINGER/SONGWRITER
DANNY GERARD- SINISTER MORNING

“High Tide (Tony Hill, Simon House and a brilliant rhythm section of Pete Pavli and Roger Hadden).are in fine form on ‘Sinister Morning’ which is an essential purchase for anyone liking great songs with a timeless feel, searching lyrics, well played and produced.” So concludes my ‘spiel’ for progressive ears. Another Esoteric masterstroke!

COUNTRY ROCK
THE BELIEVERS- LUCKY YOU

‘Lucky you effortlessly blends 1970’s pop hooks and harmonies while keeping one root firmly planted in American roots. Think Fleetwood Mac (Stevie Nicks’ version) meets Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris’ says the flier. Golly at Go For It Promotions recommended this album to me and, while it took a few listens, I finally got it. A class act with something to say. (CORAZONG CRZ 255 106)

A BIT OF THIS AND A BIT OF THAT
ANALOG MOON- AM RADIO

One of the most ‘complete’ albums I’ve heard in a long time, it holds its length well and once I’m not criticising a band for overstretching themselves. It could be progressive rock, it could be Steely Dan, it could be The Grateful Dead or Phish in places. Or it could be none of these! Whatever it is it’s utterly compelling! Thanks, Tim and Terri for sending me a copy!




RECOMMENDED RELEASES OF 2007

RECOMMENDED RELEASES OF 2006

RECOMMENDED RELEASES OF 2005

RECOMMENDED RELEASES OF 2004

RECOMMENDED RELEASES OF 2003

RECOMMENDED RELEASES OF 2002 / 2001



 

Please e-mail me at phil@paradoxone.co.uk for further information on any of these albums

 

 

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