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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