quarta-feira, 9 de janeiro de 2008
Smashing Pumpkins – Gish (91)
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01 - I Am One
02 – Siva
03 – Rhinoceros
04 - Bury Me
05 – Crush
06 – Suffer
07 – Snail
08 – Tristessa
09 - Window Paine
10 – Daydream
Shiva – Firedance (82)
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Download01 - How Can I
02 - En Cachent
03 - Wild Machine
04 – Borderline
05 - Stranger Lands
06 - Angel Of Mons
07 - Rendezvous With Death
08 – User
09 - Call Me In The Morning
10 – Shiva
11 - Rock Lives On
12 – Sympathy
Heavy Metal
John Hall (G,K,V)
Andy Skuse (B)
Chris Logan (D)
Rick Wakeman - Tapestries (96)
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Download01 Fremiet's Cat
02 Time Will Tell
03 Fountains Of Love
04 A View From A Window
05 Les Vendanges
06 Summer's End
07 Clair De Lune
08 A Brighter Dawn
09 The Blue Lily
10 Tapestries
11 The Garden Party
12 Portraits In A Gallery
13 The Daydream
14 The Storyteller
This is the second of Rick and Adam's albums for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the CD booklet features images from tapestries in the museum's collection.
Like the first, Romance of the Victorian Age, this is a piano-based collection, though there are slightly more other instruments added here.
Also like the first, Rick and Adam's compositions alternate, but this one also features a classical adaptation, a version of Debussy's "Clair de Lune" arranged by Rick.
Again like the first, the album begins with its liveliest piece, here Rick's "Fremiet's Cat," and thereafter features mainly slower and more contemplative music, with simpler and more restrained pieces (mainly Adam's) contrasting with more complex ones (mainly Rick's).
And finally, like the first, this one features fine playing by both men. But overall, the first one is better.
Rick Wakeman - Softsword (91)
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Download01 Magna Charter
02 After Prayers
03 Battle Sonata
04 The Siege
05 Rochester Collage
06 The Story Of Love
07 March Of Time
08 Don't Fly Away
09 Isabella
10 Softsword
11 Hymn Of Hope
Based on music Wakeman wrote for the finale of a Dickens Festival in Rochester-upon-Medway, England, this is an unclassifiable melange of an album, stylistically similar to Phantom Power or Time Machine.
If the songs fit into a storyline, this is not explained in the liner notes.
There are songs based on historical topics (but with lyrics grounded in modern idiom), sad and pleading love songs, and several instrumentals, a couple of which feature some good keyboard playing.
Rick Wakeman - Silent Nights (85)
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Download01 Tell 'Em All You Know
02 The Opening Line
03 The Opera
04 Man's Best Friend
05 Glory Boys
06 Silent Nights
07 Ghost Of A Rock 'N' Roll Star
08 The Dancer
09 Elgin Mansions
10 That's Who I Am
Wakeman's first of many albums for President Records, this was recorded with a rock band featuring Rick Fenn of Mason-Fenn on guitar, ex-Strawbs bass player Chas Cronk, and perennial Wakeman sideman Tony Fernandez on drums.
Seven tracks feature lead vocals by Gordon Neville, who is less strident than the average Wakeman vocalist.
Wakeman himself sings/narrates on the comical "The Dancer."
With Wakeman's career on the skids as it was, the lyrics to "Ghost of a Rock n' Roll Star" ("He's an aging man without a future plan / He was a star but now they've all forgot") sound autobiographical.
There's no bombast here, but no excitement either. Wakeman's own performance is good, especially on the delicate instrumental "Elgin Mansions."
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Reaction – Reaction
Download01 Mistreated
02 What's Going On Around
03 Time
04 The Mask
05 Funeral March Of A Marionette
06 My Father's Son
07 Live Is A Wheel
08 Keep On Trying
09 On The Highway
Ad Infinitum - Ad Infinitum (99)
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Download01 - Ad Infinitum
02 – Immortality
03 – Waterline
04 - Physician Heal Thyself
05 - A Winter's Tale
06 - Rain Down
07 – Overland
08 - All Hallows Eve
09 - Neither Here Nor There
10 - Ad Infinitum (reprise)
Sounding very much like an album from 20 years previous, Ad Infinitum's debut is filled with such staples of the progressive rock sound as time shifts, intellectual lyrics, and layers of intricately played guitars and Mellotrons. There is even the cover art by Roger Dean.
The result is an album that while far from original is nonetheless a strong addition to the prog-rock canon.
At times, the group does hover a bit close to sounding like a cover band, but it's usually only for a brief period such as the introduction to the title track that sounds uncomfortably similar to Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond."
For much of the album, the fact that the band melds together the styles of various progressive artists means that the music comes across as an interesting hybrid rather than simply a carbon copy.
"Overland" in particular sounds like a meeting of the members of the classic lineups of Yes and Genesis and like the rest of the album is recorded far better than those bands ever were.
Progressive fans wary of new releases that falsely claim to be throwbacks to the golden age of prog-rock should have no complaints about this one.
Yes/ABWH - An Evening Of Yes Music Plus (89)
Disco 101 - Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra
02 - Time And A WordOwner Of A Lonely HeartTeakbois
03 - The ClapMood For A Day
04 - Gone But Not ForgottenCatherine ParrMerlin The Magician
05 - Long Distance Runaround
06 – Birthright
07 - And You And I
08 - Starship Trooper
Disco 2
01 - Close To The Edge The Solid Time Of ChangeTotal Mass RetainI Get Up I Get DownSeasons Of Man
02 - Themes SoundSecond AttentionSoul Of The Warrior
03 - Brother Of Mine The Big Dream Nothing Can Come Between UsLong Lost Brother Of Mine 04 - Heart Of The Sunrise
05 - Order Of The Universe Order ThemeRock Gives CourageIt's Hard To Grow The Universe
06 – Roundabout
Burdened by all sorts of legal proceedings regarding the name Yes, Anderson-Brufod-Wakeman-Howe embarked on their one and only tour in 1989.
It was billed as "An Evening of Yes Music Plus," which provided the title to this live set, and also embroiled the group in much of their legal battle.
The CD here represents a live return to form for this lineup.
They were essentially the Yes of old, while the "YesWest" lineup were off doing their more pop-oriented approach to music.
This double disc really does hold up well, even as a Yes album.
The recordings here are quite well-done and focus more on the prog side of the musical structures.
The material chosen is based mostly on classic Yes material, but includes quite a few cuts that were featured on ABWH's studio release.
The only major complaint on this disc is that Tony Levin (who performed on the studio CD and most of the tour) was ill during the recording of this show, and therefore not featured here.
However, Jeff Berlin certainly does an admirable job of filling his shoes.
V. A. - Sensory Sampler #1
Download01 – Clockwork / Secrets Of Centuries
02 - Behind The Curtain / Artificial Trance
03 - Gordian Knot / Singularity
04 - Divided Multitude / Inner Self
05 - Wuthering Heights / Too Great Thy Giff
06 - Mind's Eye / In Chase Of Time
07 – Wyzards / PhantomsLizards
Compilação interessante de bandas de prog-rock pesado.
U Totem - Strange Attractors (95)
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Download01 - No Mo Ippon
02 - Daikon Batake
03 - Ginger Tea
04 - Another June Sky
05 - Karucha Shokku
06 - January Sky
07 - Purple Smoke
08 - Tipps' 911
09 - Agent White Fox
10 - Chen's Gate
11 – Postcard
12 – Redskin
13 - Another Ginger Tea
Of all of James Grigsby's productions, whether it is with the Motor Totemist Guild or U Totem, Strange Attractors is the work he will be remembered for.
This album, weaved on a complex story line jumping back and forth from 1957 to 1985 to 2012, contains some of the best music avant-prog had to offer in 1990s.
The lineup for this album is mostly Sanjay Kumar (keyboards), David Kerman (drums), Eric Johnson (bassoon), Emily Hay (flute, singing), Steve Cade (guitar), and Grigsby (guitar, bass, computer, tapes), with a few guests.
The music takes the complexity and symphonic side of Canterbury progressive rock and perverts it in a Henry Cow meets Art Zoyd kind of way, blending into it free improv and atonal classical music elements. Although very complex and hard to get into, Strange Attractors remains a rock record (unlike some of Motor Totemist Guild's later works).
The playing is stellar, surprises abound, the more avant-gardist pieces ("Daikon Batake") being balanced by high-octane prog rock numbers ("No Mo Ippon").
"Ginger Tea" and "Another Ginger Tea" are two of the most accomplished pieces of progressive rock's most avant-gardist ensembles, turning this album into a classic.
U2 - Best Of 1980-1990 (98)
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Download01 - Pride (In The Name Of Love)
02 - New Year's Day
03 - With Or Without You
04 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
05 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
06 – Bad
07 - Where The Streets Have No Name
08 - I Will Follow
09 - The Unforgettable Fire
10 - Sweetest Thing
11 – Desire
12 - When Love Comes To Town
13 - Angel Of Harlem
14 - All I Want Is You
Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever (89)
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Download01 - Free Fallin'
02 - I Won't Back Down
03 - Love Is a Long Road
04 - A Face In The Crowd
05 - Runnin' Down A Dream
06 - Feel A Whole Lot Better
07 - Yer So Bad
08 - Depending On You
09 - The Apartment Song
10 - Alright For Now
11 - A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own
12 - Zombie Zoo
Although Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) found the Heartbreakers regaining their strength as a band and discovering a newfound ease at songcraft, it just didn't sell that well.
Perhaps that factor, along with road fatigue, led Tom Petty to record his first solo album, Full Moon Fever. Nevertheless, the distinction between "solo" and "Heartbreakers" is a fuzzy one because Full Moon Fever is essentially in the same style as the Heartbreakers albums; Mike Campbell co-wrote two songs and co-produced the record, and he, along with Benmont Tench and Howie Epstein, all play on the album.
However, the album sounds different from any Heartbreakers record due to the presence of former Electric Light Orchestra leader Jeff Lynne.
Velvet Underground – Loaded (70)
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Download01 - Who Loves the Sun
02 - Sweet Jane
03 - Rock And Roll
04 - Cool it Down
05 - New Age
06 - Head Held High
07 - Lonesome Cowboy Bill
08 - I Found a Reason
09 - Train Round the Bend
10 - Oh! Sweet Nuthin'
After The Velvet Underground cut three albums for the jazz-oriented Verve label that earned them lots of notoriety but negligible sales, the group signed with industry powerhouse Atlantic Records in 1970; label head Ahmet Ertegun supposedly asked Lou Reed to avoid sex and drugs in his songs, and instead focus on making an album "loaded with hits."
Loaded was the result, and with appropriate irony it turned out to be the first VU album that made any noticeable impact on commercial radio — and also their swan song, with Reed leaving the group shortly before its release.
With John Cale long gone from the band, Doug Yule highly prominent (he sings lead on four of the ten tracks), and Maureen Tucker absent on maternity leave, this is hardly a purist's Velvet Underground album.
Strawbs - Hero And Heroine (74)
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Download01 – Autumn
02 - Sad Young Man
03 - Just Love
04 - Shine On Silver Sun
05 - Hero And Heroine
06 - Midnight Sun
07 - Out In The Cold
08 - Round And Round
09 - Lay A Little Light On Me
10 - Hero's Theme
The group's ballsiest album to date, a surging, hard-rocking follow-up to Bursting at the Seams, which debuted a new lineup, Richard Hudson, John Ford, and Blue Weaver having left to form their own group.
In their places, ex-Nashville Teens keyboardman John Hawken and the more muscular rhythm section of Rod Coombes and Chas Cronk make their debut, on what is the Strawbs' first fully electric album.
Dave Cousins' songwriting (augmented by Dave Lambert, who also contributes some slashing electric lead guitar) is still as romantic as ever in various spots ("Shine On Silver Sun," "Deep Summer's Sleep"), but also boasts dark visions ("Round and Round") which, coupled with new band's muscular playing, made the Strawbs one of the hardest-rocking progressive bands in the world.
Strawbs - Heartbreak Hill (96)
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Download01 - Something For Nothing
02 - Another Day Without You
03 - We Can Make It Together
04 - Heartbreak Hill
05 - Starting Over
06 - Two Separate People
07 - Desert Song
08 - Let It Rain
This is a rather peculiar and disjointed collection of tracks culled from 1988's reunion album Don't Say Goodbye along with other late period recordings.
Only fleeting moments of the Strawbs' patented progressive folk and rock gets uncovered, which is no surprise since their final albums leading up to their late '70s demise were also bereft of those key ingredients.
With only eight tracks, continuity is definitely lacking here, other than the familiar and unique voice of Dave Cousins.
The Strawbs are neither pop hitmakers nor schmaltzy romantics so why was this compilation necessary?
Strawbs - Burning For You (77)
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Download01 - Burning For Me
02 - Cut Like A Diamond
03 - I Feel Your Loving Coming On
04 - Barcarole (For The Death OF Venice)
05 - Alexander The Great
06 - Keep On Trying
07 - Back In The Old Routine
08 – Heartbreaker
09 - Carry Me Home
10 - Goodbye (Is Not An Easy Word To Say)
The Strawbs' second and final album for their new label starts off promisingly with the moody and expansive "Burning for Me"; Dave Cousins sings with restraint over a somber repeating theme on piano and strings, and it ends with a hint of a Moog solo.
Alas, later numbers like "Keep on Trying" turn out to be a limply insincere sort of "positive pop," which is all the more grating given the sincere moodiness of the band's earlier work.
"Back in the Old Routine" is a patronizing mimicry of the working bloke, a sort of folky watering down of their old hit "Part of the Union."
Cousins at least gets back a bit of his old bile in "Alexander the Great," where he gives a sour kiss-off to music critics — who, at this point, probably weren't listening anyway.
Spock's Beard - Live At The Whisky And NEARfest [Limited Edition] (99)
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Disco 101 – Introduction
02 - In the Mouth of Madness
03 – Gibberish
04 – Skin
05 - Go the Way You Go
06 - Distance to the Sun
07 - Crack the Big Sky
Disco 2
01 - The Doorway
(Recorded at The Whisky in Los Angeles, May 11, 1999)
02 - The Light
(Recorded at The Whisky in Los Angeles, May 11, 1999)
03 - June
(Recorded at The Whisky in Los Angeles, May 11, 1999)
04 - Waste Away
(Recorded at The Whisky in Los Angeles, May 11, 1999)
05 - Squonk
(Recorded at Nearfest, Moravian College Bethlehem Pa. June 27 1999)
06 - Walking On The Wind
(Recorded at The Whisky in Los Angeles, May 11, 1999)
Sinkadus - Aurum Nostrum (98)
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Download01 – Snalblast
02 – Manuel
03 – Agren
04 – Attestupan
One of the best prog rock groups to hit the scene in years, Sweden's Sinkadus delivers 60 minutes of 70's styled symphonic rock.
Aurum Nostrum, which is Latin for Our Gold is a stunning album with brilliant guitar and bass work woven with acoustic interplay of guitar, flute and cello.
Samurai - Samurai (71)
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Parte 1Parte 2
01 - Saving It Up For So Long
02 - More Rain
03 - Maudie James
04 - Holy Padlock
05 - Give A Little Love
06 - Face In the Mirror
07 - As I Dried the Tears Away
08 - Give A Little Love (live)
09 - Holy Padlock (live)
10 - More Rain (live)
11 - Concerto For Bedsprings (live)
12 - Love You (live)
In 1971, British band Web abruptly changed its name to Samurai and released this self-titled set, its sole contribution to the prog rock canon.
Adding a second brass player and somewhat lightening its sound, the band still continued down many of the same jazzy pathways as its predecessor.
However, across seven tracks Samurai meanders down rather diverse byways.
"Saving It Up for So Long," for instance, bundles along like Caravan, its bluesy guitar inflections offset by the brass' improv jazz stylings.
Even more R&B-inflected is "Give a Little Love," boasting wah wah guitar, a stomping riff, and some quite sassy sax.
In contrast, "More Rain" is as soft, warm, and shimmering as a summer drizzle, and gives credence to the group's inclusion in the Canterbury scene.
Saecula Saeculorum - Saecula Saeculorum (96)
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Download01 - Saecula Saeculorum
02 - Acqua Vitae
03 - Eu Quero Ver O Sol
04 - Constelação De Aquarius
05 - Rádio No Peito
This CD is a result of a big effort made by all the members of Saecula Saeculorum.
They all had demo tapes recorded from several rehearsals made between 1974 and 1977.
Of course, these tapes were found to be in poor condition.
So, a dedicated studio and lab work were made.
Five songs were recovered and remastered and the final result was this CD.
With hard rock elements (mainly by the bass, guitar, and drum work), Brazilian lyricism (remembering Os Mutantes and O Terço), plus a classical touch provided by the violin and piano, the songs flow — and your first thought when you hear them will be that you are back in the '70s. A true and original (and almost lost) work of Brazilian progressive rock.
Robert Fripp - A Blessing of Tears - 1995 Soundscapes - Volume Two - Live in California (95)
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Download01 - The Cathedral Of Tears
02 - First Light
03 - Midnight Blue
04 - Reflection I
05 - Second Light
06 - A Blessing Of Tears
07 - Returning I
08 - Returning II
When Robert Fripp's mother passed away in 1993, he chose the new age sounds of his soundscape series to serve as a tribute to her.
The liner notes in the CD booklet contain a beautifully written eulogy (by Fripp himself) about the interesting life of his mother Edie. Fripp does an excellent job of conveying his grief in the eight selections that comprise A Blessing of Tears, while his sorrow is evident in some of the tracks' titles ("The Cathedral of Tears," "A Blessing of Tears," etc.).
All of the tracks were recorded live during a week-long U.S. West Coast tour, and it differs from the preceding Soundscapes release, Radiophonics, because its sole purpose is obviously not to test his audience's "listening capabilities."
Fripp has once again successfully put his most personal and heartfelt feelings into his music, the proof being heard throughout the beautiful A Blessing of Tears: 1995 Soundscapes, Vol. 2.
Rainbow - Black Shadows
Parte 2
01 - Too Late For Tears
02 - Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
03 - Hunting Humans (Insatiable)
04 - Wolf To The Moon
05 - Black Masquerade
06 – Ariel
07 - Since You've Been Gone
08 - Perfect Stranger
09 - Hall Of The Mountain King
10 – Burn
11 - Smoke On The Water
01 - Too Late For Tears
02 - Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
03 - Hunting Humans (Insatiable)
04 - Wolf To The Moon
05 - Black Masquerade
06 – Ariel
07 - Since You've Been Gone
08 - Perfect Stranger
09 - Hall Of The Mountain King
10 – Burn
11 - Smoke On The Water
R.E.M. - Fables Of The Reconstruction [UK Bonus Edition] (85)
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Download01 - Feeling Gravity's Pull
02 - Maps And Legends
03 - Driver 8
04 - Life And How To Live It
05 - Old Man Kensey
06 - Can't Get There From Here
07 - Green Grow The Rushes
08 – Kohoutek
09 - Auctioneer (Another Engine)
10 - Good Advices
11 - Wendell Gee
12 – Crazy
13 - Burning Hell
14 – Bandwagon
15 - Driver 8 (Live)
16 - Maps And Legends (Live)
Queen - Made In Heaven (95)
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Parte 2
01 - It's A Beautiful Day
02 - Made In Heaven
03 - Let Me Live
04 - Mother Love
05 - My Life Has Been Saved
06 - I Was Born To Love You
07 - Heaven For Everyone
08 - Too Much Love Will Kill You
09 - You Don't Fool Me
10 - A Winter's Tale
11 - It's A Beautiful Day (Reprise)
12 – Reprise
13 – Reprise
02 - Made In Heaven
03 - Let Me Live
04 - Mother Love
05 - My Life Has Been Saved
06 - I Was Born To Love You
07 - Heaven For Everyone
08 - Too Much Love Will Kill You
09 - You Don't Fool Me
10 - A Winter's Tale
11 - It's A Beautiful Day (Reprise)
12 – Reprise
13 – Reprise
Queen - Greatest Hits III (99)
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Parte 2
01 - The Show Must Go On
02 - Under Pressure
03 – Barcelona
04 - Too Much Love Will Kill You
05 - Somebody To Love
06 - You Don't Fool Me
07 - Heaven For Everyone
08 - Las Palabras De Amor
09 - Driven By You
10 - Living On My Own
11 - Let Me Live
12 - The Great Pretender
13 - Princes Of The Universe
14 - Another One Bites The Dust
15 - No-One But You
16 - These Are The Days Of Our Lives
17 - Thank God It's Christmas
02 - Under Pressure
03 – Barcelona
04 - Too Much Love Will Kill You
05 - Somebody To Love
06 - You Don't Fool Me
07 - Heaven For Everyone
08 - Las Palabras De Amor
09 - Driven By You
10 - Living On My Own
11 - Let Me Live
12 - The Great Pretender
13 - Princes Of The Universe
14 - Another One Bites The Dust
15 - No-One But You
16 - These Are The Days Of Our Lives
17 - Thank God It's Christmas
terça-feira, 8 de janeiro de 2008
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