Strawbs - Hero And Heroine (74)

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01 – 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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01 - 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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01 - 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)

Disco 1

01 – 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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01 – 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)

Parte 1
Parte 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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01 - 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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01 - 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 1

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

R.E.M. - Fables Of The Reconstruction [UK Bonus Edition] (85)

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01 - 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)

Parte 1

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

Queen - Greatest Hits III (99)

Parte 1

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

Pink Floyd - Top Gear - BBC Live Session – 09/30/1971

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01 - Fat Old Sun
02 - One of These Days
03 – Echoes
04 – Embryo
05 – Blues

Pink Floyd - Just Warmin' Up (Rehearsals In Tampa)

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01 - Shine On You Crazy Diamond
02 - High Hopes
03 – Breathe
04 – Time
05 - The Great Gig In The Sky
06 - Loss For Words
07 - Wish You Were Here
08 – Money
09 - Us And Them

Peter Gabriel – So (86)

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01 - Red Rain
02 – Sledgehammer
03 - Don't Give Up
04 - That Voice Again
05 - In Your Eyes
06 - Mercy Street
07 - Big Time
08 - We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37)
09 - This Is The Picture (Excellent Birds)

Paul Rodgers - Muddy Water Blues (93)

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01 - Muddy Water Blues (Acoustic Version)
02 - Louisiana Blues
03 - I Can't Be Satisfied
04 - Rollin' Stone
05 - Good Morning Little School Girl (Part 1)
06 - I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man
07 - She's Alright
08 - Standing Around Crying
09 - The Hunter
10 - She Moves Me
11 - I'm Ready
12 - I Just Want To Make Love To You
13 - Born Under A Bad Sign
14 - Good Morning Little School Girl (Part 2)
15 - Muddy Water Blues (Electric Version)


Paul Rodgers' tribute to Muddy Waters is not a return to Waters' electric Chicago blues, but a continuation of the blues-rock of Rodgers' old bands, Free and Bad Company.

Taken on those terms, Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters works only when Rodgers is matched with a good blues-rock guitarist.

Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, and Gary Moore all play well, while Richie Sambora, Neal Schon, and Trevor Rabin all sound a bit lost; the rest, including David Gilmour and Brian May, fall somewhere in between.

Nektar - Dream Nebula (Best Of 1971 To 1975) (98)

Disco 1

01 – Prelude
02 - Astronauts Nightmare
03 - Warp Oversight
04 - The Dream Nebula (Part 1)
05 - It's All In the Mind
06 - A Tab In The Ocean
07 - Do You Believe In Magic (Single Version)
08 - New Day Dawning
09 - Wings (Single Version)

Disco 2

01 - Cast Your Fate
02 - King Of Twilight
03 - Remember The Future (Part 1)
04 - Oop'S (Unidentified Flying Abstract)
05 - Fidgety Queen
06 – Recycle
07 - Cybernetic Consumption
08 - Recycle Countdown
09 - Auomation Horroscope
10 – Recycling
11 - Flight To Reality
12 - Unendless Imaginations

Progressive rock is one of the most misunderstood and maligned styles of popular music.

Its sound has been defined by a few of the most popular artists of its brief early-'70s heyday, including Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and Genesis.

This has not only caused prog-rock to become a love-it-or-hate-it subgenre, but also overshadowed the contributions of many less commercially successful groups who created their own distinctive sounds.

Mathematicians - Irrational Numbers (95)

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01 - Spanish Main
02 - Dance Of The Nile
03 - Orlando Furioso
04 – Quadari
05 – Frontiers
06 – Rain
07 – Shellshock

╝╗

This Midwestern quintet leans toward the rock side of jazz-rock fusion on Irrational Numbers.

Lana Lane - Garden Of The Moon (02)

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01 - River Of The Stars
02 - Destination Roswell
03 – Season
04 – Moongarden
05 - Evolution Revolution
06 - Under The Olive Tree
07 - Eternal Waters
08 - Dream Of The Dragonfly
09 - Garden Of The Moon

Born in Concord, CA, Lana Lane is both a solo artist and a guest on projects by quite a few other musicians. She works closely with husband Erik Norlander on many of his projects.

Lane's main instrument is her remarkable voice, but she also plays guitar.

Aside from her solo work and work on Norlander's album, she has appeared on albums by such artists as Ambeon, Ayreon, and Rocket Scientists (Norlander's band).

She first began her solo career in 1995 with Love Is an Illusion.

The following year she released its successor, Curious Goods. 1998 would prove to be the next year that the world would see releases from Lana Lane, and it would be a virtual avalanche of music.

Jethro Tull - Living In The Past (72)

Parte 1

Parte 2

01 - Song For Jeffrey
02 - Love Story
03 - Christmas Song
04 - Living In The Past
05 - Driving Song
06 - Sweet Dream
07 - Singing All Day
08 - Witches Promise
09 – Inside
10 - Alive And Well And Living In
11 - Just Trying To Be
12 - By Kind Permission Of [Live]
13 - Dharma For One [Live]
14 - Wond'ring Again
15 - Hymn 43
16 - Life Is A Long Song
17 - Up The 'Pool
18 - Dr. Bogenbroom
19 - For Later
20 – Nursie

Jean-Luc Ponty – Storytelling (89)

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01 - In The Fast Lane
02 - Tender Memories
03 - Spring Episode
04 - Pastoral Harmony
05 - The Story Teller
06 - The Amazon Forest
07 - After The Storm
08 - A Journey's End
09 - Prelude No. 20, Op. 28

When this CD came out, it was violinist Jean-Luc Ponty's strongest in several years.

Most of the originals have dense ensembles full of rhythmic patterns set by the keyboards for Ponty to play over.

With the exception of "Chopin Prelude No. 20" (a violin improvisation in which the violinist is backed by just Clara Ponty's sober chordal piano), this date falls into the funky fusion area.

The enthusiastic high energy playing, colorful solos (Ponty is in splendid form) and catchy melodies make this a very worthwhile session; Grover Washington (on soprano) and keyboardist Patrice Rushen make guest appearances.

Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (68)

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01 - Most Anything You Want
02 - Flowers And Beads
03 - My Mirage
04 – Termination
05 - Are You Happy
06 - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

With its endless, droning minor-key riff and mumbled vocals, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is arguably the most notorious song of the acid rock era.

According to legend, the group was so stoned when they recorded the track that they could neither pronounce the title "In the Garden of Eden" or end the track, so it rambles on for a full 17 minutes, which to some listeners sounds like eternity.

But that's the essence of its appeal — it's the epitome of heavy psychedelic excess, encapsulating the most indulgent tendencies of the era.

His Name is Alive - Ft. Lake (98)

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01 - Don't Glue the World
02 - Everything Takes Forever
03 - The Waitress
04 - No Hiding Place Down Her
05 - Can't Always be Loved
06 - Wish I Had a Wishing Ring
07 - Red Haired Girl
08 - Spirit Needs a Spirit Tool
09 - Up Your Legs Forever
10 - How it's Gotta Be
11 - Always Turn Me On
12 - Rock 'n' Roll Girl from Rock 'n' Roll City
13 - Last American Blues

His Name Is Alive's fifth 4AD release, Ft. Lake, is their most complex and accomplished, pulling together the dreamy experimentalism of their early work with the poppy, soulful tendencies of Stars on E.S.P and Nice Day, and adding a few new twists.

"The Waitress" adds drum machines and keyboards for a new wave sheen, while the slinky "No Hiding Place Down Her" has enough soul for a dozen Top 40 R&B singles.

As on the Nice Day EP, Lovetta Pippen's voice sounds wonderful, whether she's dueting with Karin Oliver on "Everything Takes Forever" or taking center stage on the epic, Hendrix-inspired "Wish I Had a Wishing Rin.

Grand Funk Railroad - On Time (69)

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01 - Are You Ready
02 - Anybody's Answer
03 - Time Machine
04 - High On A Horse
05 - T.N.U.C.
06 - Into The Sun
07 – Heartbreaker
08 - Call Yourself A Man
09 - Can't Be Too Long
10 - Ups And Downs

Grand Funk Railroad's 1969 debut is a wildly uneven affair.

Although the exuberant energy and power-trio theatrics that would fuel their 1970s hits are in place, the group's songwriting and arranging abilities are very much in their infancy.

The biggest problems in terms of songwriting are the often-amateurish lyrics: "Anybody's Answer" is a sincere but muddled attempt at a message song that expends a lot of energy without ever focusing on a particular target and "Heartbreaker" is a love lament that is content to trot out a series of well-worn heartbreak clichés.

Gillan & Glover - Accidentally On Purpose (88)

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01 - Clouds And Rain
02 - Evil Eye
03 - She Took My Breath Away
04 – Dislocated
05 - Via Miami
06 - I Can't Dance To That
07 - Can't Believe You Wanna Leave
08 - Lonely Avenue
09 - Telephone Box
10 - I Thought No
11 - Purple People Eater
12 - Cayman Island
13 – Chet

Anyone that hadn't paid close attention to the post-Purple careers of Ian Gillan and Roger Glover may have been shocked by the sound of their 1988 reunion, Accidentally on Purpose.

In fact, many Purple fans might be shocked as well, since Accidentally on Purpose is hardly reminiscent of any of the group's records, relying almost entirely on synthesizers, pop melodies, introspection and breezy rhythms.

It's state-of-the-art album-rock for 1988 that manages to incorporate homages to their roots while illustrating that they had a broader stylistic sweep than anyone expected — a hat trick that is the last thing most observers would have expected from two dyed-in-the-wool hard rockers.

What's even more surprising is that it's easily one of the most charming recordings either musician has made, especially in the latter half of their careers.

Deep Purple - Deep Purple In Rock (70)

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01 - Speed king
02 – Bloosucker
03 - Child in time
04 - Flight of the rat
05 - Into the fire
06 - Living wreck
07 - Hrad lovin'man

The cacophony of sound (spearheaded by Ritchie Blackmore's blistering guitar solo) introducing opener "Speed King" made it immediately obvious that the band was no longer fooling around, but the slightly less intense "Bloodsucker" did afford stunned listeners a chance to catch their breaths before the band launched into the album's epic, ten-minute tour de force, "Child in Tim.

Anyone's Daughter - Neue Sterne (83)

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01 - Der Plan (... Und Das Eis Zerschlagen)
02 - Neue Sterne (Des Poppers Unglückliche Liebe)
03 - In Zerbrochenem Glas
04 - Wieder Weiter
05 - Das Puppenspiel
06 - Viel Zuviel
07 – Konsequenzen
08 - Illja Illja Lela
09 - Cafi Einstein
10 – Reprise

Anyone's Daughter was a late-'70s, early-'80s symphonic prog rock band heavily influenced by Genesis as well as by German bands such as Elroy and Grobschnitt.

After breaking up in the mid-'80s, the group reformed in 2000.

Annie Haslam - Blessing In Disguise (95)

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01 - Blessing In Disguise
02 - Pool Of Tears
03 - Love Lies Love Dies
04 - Can't Turn The Night Off
05 - In Another Life
06 - Raindrops & Leaves
07 - Whisper From Marseilles (for Julien)
08 - I Light This Candle
09 - What He Seeks
10 - See This Through Your Eyes
11 - The Sweetest Kiss
12 - The Children (of Medellin)
13 - A New Life
14 - After The Oceans Are Gone

10,000 Maniacs - MTV Unplugged (93)

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01 - These Are Days
02 - Eat For Two
03 - Candy Everybody Wants
04 - I'm Not The Man
05 - Don't Talk
06 - Hey Jack Kerouac
07 - What's The Matter Here
08 - Gold Rush Brides
09 - Like The Weather
10 - Trouble Me
11 – Jezebel
12 - Because The Night
13 - Stockton Gala Days14 - Noah's Dove

When it was recorded, nobody knew that MTV Unplugged would be 10,000 Maniacs' last album with Natalie Merchant.

As it stands, it's a quiet, gentle way for her to bow out, offering no new revelations but several solid versions of the group's signature songs (mainly concentrating on Our Time in Eden) and a cover of Patti Smith's "Because the Night."

It's nothing new, but for fans it's a graceful way to say goodbye.

Ozric Tentacles – Arborescence (94)

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1 Astro Cortex
2 Yog-Bar-Og
3 Arborescence
4 Al-Salooq
5 Dance of the Loomi
6 Myriapod
7 There's a Planet Here
8 Shima Koto


Ozric Tentacles carries its mainly instrumental version of the Gong experience forward to new heights with 1994's Arborescence.

Instrumental prowess abounds.

Ed's guitar can best be described with two adjectives: swirling and Hillage-esque.

Drummer Merv and bassist Zia lay down odd-meter rhythms with confidence and energy, and the way they mutate some of these long grooves is one of the most entertaining things about this record.

In fact, this is one of the things that Ozric Tentacles does best in general: creating legitimate, memorable song structures out of very little purely melodic material.

On only a few occasions on Arborescence does the band provide the listener with some sort of melodic hook, with one notable occasion being the Arabic-themed melody to "Al-Salooq."

Rather, they prefer to insinuate grooves under your skin while guitars, flutes, and synthesizers dance gleefully around the rhythms.

It is ambient music crossbred with alien dance music, and it is marvelous stuff.

If any complaint can be mustered against this record or Ozric Tentacles in general, it can be said that some of the drum patterns become a bit tired and repetitive.

One tom-tom fill in particular really must have the love of Merv, because he uses it every four bars (this is admittedly hyperbole, but not as much as you might think).

The Gong nods also may be a bit too obvious for some but, to those who don't mind, the OT experience is a trippy one indeed.

Spicy, evocative, and hypnotic, Arborescence is an unpredictably joyous record.