New/Improved PROG/KRAUT/SPACE/PSYCH ROCK Listening Club - New albums every Friday!

A few people were expressing interest in having this whole thing continue... I know a few people were introduced to rad stuff last time so it does have merit. Thought this time around we could widen the scope a bit. So after this Friday, today, future weeks are available and you can post an awesome album for us to all listen to and discuss!

I'll start things off with a band we all love, but don't afraid to get weird and obscure! Here is:

Magma - Mythes Et Ledgendes
http://www.squidco.com/miva/graphics/products/misc4/magmaMythesCD.jpg
http://open.spotify.com/album/1lmhPPUSsxbnL24hKF0dJP

This is supposedly "vol. 1" but the tracklist on AMG doesn't match up with the one on Spotify, not exactly sure what this album is! I think it's a newer compilation of older music... hopefully someone who knows this band better than I do can explain. Anyway, it's really good!!

And now's your chance to get in early on this new/old listening club!

I'll have a go next friday!

btw you need to put in the spotify link too for use in search as just clicking that only opens the web player

it's yours

8/29/013 - AG

spotify proper link for that album above: spotify:album:1lmhPPUSsxbnL24hKF0dJP

er spotify:album:1lmhPPUSsxbnL24hKF0dJP

it's from a cd box set that was originally released in 1985 - according to progarchives. There was a video compilation of the same name, but the track listings are different

I will try a week

So this is like a greatest hits compilation with talking on top?

Pretty sure they are just introductions to the pieces... similar to what the Alan Parsons Project did a bunch.

like they're not talking over the whole thing, just right at the beginning.

8/29 -- AG
9/05 -- DaM

a lot of these are excerpts from longer songs

godamnit looks like I screwed up. Should we just pretend I never chose that and we start things off right with a proper album?

No, it's actually an interesting choice because I haven't heard these versions of the songs, only the album versions.

It's actually a pretty good selection of tracks. But if you like this stuff you'll like all of the albums they're from too.

Actually...
Kobaia & Stoah are from the first album
Riah Sahiltaahk - from 1001º Centigrades
Klaus Kombalad - I don't know this one, seems to be from a 12" single? I dig the mellow mood on this.
The other 3 all seem to be live tracks?

I know "klaus kombalad" from their weird simples comp that compiles short 7" tracks. it's good.

I've never heard this album before but I'm guessing these are from the same series of small club dates that ended up on the mythes et ledgendes dvds? the version of "de futura" that appears on one of em is definitive:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cqFuYMv-rk

or maybe this is just something called mythes et ledgendes? their discography gets pretty confusing outside of the studio stuff.

Yeah it's an earlier thing, the Mythes et Legendes series of gigs were named after the albums maybe? I was at that show from the above video! As was Steve Davis!

whoa!!

I'll take a week if y'all will have me :)

also - this comp is actually quite interesting. my Grandma knows I'm into a lot of freaky music (she's always been big into a lot of prog and jazz) and always asks me what I'm listening to. I gave her this to listen to on Spotify and her first comments were, "what an amazing drummer this band has!" and "what language is this?"

"what an amazing drummer this band has!" fantastic

yeah, 100% awesome grandma imo

I'll do a week too if that's cool

from seventh records:

An introduction to the universe according to MAGMA, MYTHES ET LEGENDES highlights the themes composed by Christian VANDER at the beginning of the 1970s. Extracts are found here from KOBAIA, 1001 CENTIGRADES and the three movements of the trilogy THEUSZ HAMTAAHK, including, for the first time, KLAUS KOHMBALAD, the long version of the coda of RIAH SAHILTAAHK. Nicely blended into the music, the speaking voices of Christian and Stella VANDER and Guy KHALIFA link the different titles to give us the keys which enable us to go deeper into this totally original music. Their presence breathes a life and warmth into the record which is diametrically opposed to the insipid succession of disconnected titles so often heard on compilation albums..

yeah, she's a real trip - I remember when I got a record player she brought all her bongwater-stained Moody Blues records - "I want you to have these", kind of oblivious to how many $1 copies of them were floating around. It was a nice gesture! (and I never thought I'd enjoy them but they were really good!)

as for Magma I didn't want to scare her away with 20- or 40-minute songs so I figured this comp would do. I hadn't actually heard it before. It's a little odd.

xp http://seventhrecords.com/MAGMA/REX14/cdmytlegendeuk.html

So is this just going to be a spotify listening club?

lol i thought the grandma was the drummer for a second there and my heart leapt
still cool though!

so someone is going to need to translate these spoken introductions for us. unfortunately I only speak Kobaïan.

I'm listening

http://www.furious.com/perfect/magma.html

Kobaia iss de hundin!

So is this just going to be a spotify listening club?

― emil.y,

If you dont use spotify you can look for the albums in other *ahem* places if you dont own it.

if you want

stoked for this, sign me up for a week

note: mine will probably be some obvious thing everyone who might look at this thread has seen so caveat lector

ok so:

8/30 -- AG
9/06 -- DaM
9/13 -- frogbs
9/20 -- balls

can i get in on this? i have one not totally obscure but still overlooked album in particular that i'd like to share. 9/27?

9/27 -- ZS

looks like we got a good lineup!

i better make sure the one i'm thinking of wasn't featured last time around! that would be embarrasking

dont think it matters. it was what 3 or 4 years ago?

true, and in any case it wasn't mentioned. looking forward to it!

the funk/soul/black acid rock/jazz-funk club will be relaunched monday btw if anyone wants to volunteer for it

I've been excited about and researching Rock In Opposition bands a lot lately, especially stuff like Art Zoyd, Univers Zero and Present; tonight I stumbled upon mention of a documentary called Romantic Warriors II: About Rock In Opposition. I'm amazed I've heard nothing about this before, I had been thinking weeks ago that a film about this would be a great thing and it actually exists! The reviews sound promising and I'm looking forward to getting it.

Then I see the first film is about current mostly American bands with some Mexican, Italian and Japanese thrown in, and I've only heard of 3 of the bands (Cheer Accident, Deluge Grander, Phideaux). From the trailers I'm more sceptical of some of these bands. But I'd like to see it too.

The third film is a concert of current Rock In Opposition bands. Has anyone here been to the RIO concerts?

The site has plenty of trailers and options for buying.
http://www.progdocs.com/Progdocs.com/Home.html

anyway - to talk about this Magma comp - many of these tracks seem to be not taken from the studio versions, so that's definitely a plus!

Klaus Kombalad! I could have used about 4 times the length on that one.

Sign me up!

done!

08/30 -- AG
09/06 -- DaM
09/13 -- frogbs
09/20 -- balls
09/27 -- ZS
10/04 -- dronestreet

I wonder what Mr. Goalie will put up for us to listen to tomorrow.
Note: you can post it Friday *your time* so if it's Friday where you live put 'er up.

http://i.imgur.com/XNsR9Rs.jpg
http://open.spotify.com/album/141Ss6mGivtZpTMt4eN4Q8
spotify:album:141Ss6mGivtZpTMt4eN4Q8

Review by Rolf Semprebon [-]

Cottonwoodhill is one of the trippiest records ever made, capturing the intensity of the peak LSD experience far more successfully than any Timothy Leary recording, and even today, when many such documents from that era can sound silly and dated, Brainticket's fascinating debut still holds hallucinogenic potency. The record has only two proper songs, "Black Sand" and "Places of Light," with a side and a half of the album taken up by the three-part "Brainticket." "Black Sand" opens the disc with a driving funk beat and powerful organ and guitar interplay, adding in vocals distorted beyond coherency. "Places of Light" begins in a slightly lighter vein as a flute leads the proceedings, a looser jazzier piece that throws in some of Dawn Muir's odd spoken word vocals. Before one realizes what has happened, the piece has faded out and there is suddenly a crashing sound, car horns, and engines starting up. "Brainticket" is a bizarre roller coaster ride through weird sound effects and electronics, an endless organ riff, and Muir's acid-rush ramblings from hushed whisper to urgent screams, as any coherency she had earlier becomes lost to mind-expanding visions. Rather than the laid-back mellow groove of some psychedelic music from this era, Cottonwoodhill has a hyper energy in the frenetic organ riff and Muir's voice, like an acid trip out of control, while at times the various sound effects take over completely.

Oh man I love this album! Excellent choice.

yup, this is a good one and it's been a while.

can you put me down for a week, viceroy?

you got it!

09/06 -- DaM
09/13 -- frogbs
09/20 -- balls
09/30 -- ZS
10/06 -- dronestreet
10/13 -- Alan N

forget some of those earlier dates I was looking at my calendar wrong.

thanks!

How do I get in on this?

I have a recommendation or two which some might like.

Also, how far can we stretch the definition of prog/kraut/space/psych rock? Because I have some which throw in some folk in there, as well.

just request a week, it'll be late next month so you have plenty of time to decide on an album. Then on Friday, post the name of it, with a picture possibly a little blurb about it if you can find it. If you don't use spotify that's ok, we can post the spotify link. If the full album is up on youtube you can post the link to that.

As far as stretching the definition... I am very flexible, straight up "folk" probably doesn't fit but if it's 'out there' with sound effects/long complicated passages/prominent synthesizer passages then I think it fits just fine.

Do you want a go?

Anyway though, to talk about the album this week -- man I love how the vocalist shouts stuff out in this kind of scared/tense way, and says contradictory stuff, like "Stop! No! YES!! Of course not, of course you can..." etc, like she's responding to stuff during a really heavy acid trip or something. It's kinda creepy but totally awesome.

Dawn Muir. She rules.

Coming soon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtwJSAEh7Uc

Sorry to crash in. Just sharing. Please carry on as you were :)

nice choice AG, need to listen to that more. I would like a week please!

This is one of the few real psychedelic freak out albums that actually wound up being as insane as the description makes it sound. I wonder how much of Muir's ranting and raving was scripted, it's just so totally ridiculous and almost terrifying, like you'd think after the recording she went straight to the hospital (or the loony bin!)

Can't say I could listen to this often (that groove does kick some ass though), but it's definitely a singularity

I listen to it a lot actually.

Uh, sacrilege I know, but the vocals are what put me off this otherwise very fine recording!

i like the nurse with wound cover with jim foetus on vocals.

Braintickets please!

Cottonwoodhill = so f'in rad!

Thanks for reminding me about Brainticket

Oh, Muir's ranting/raving is totally scripted to me

Yeah, it's all a bit Home Counties am dram, though tbf, the Radio 4 continuity announcer accent doesn't help.

The material that most of the players on taht lp cut as Toad is pretty great too. I'm not sure if I've heard any of the other Brainticket stuff, have heard it was more spacerocky though I think. So neither party actually makes music exactly similar to that elsewhere. Quite a good combination on there though.

Well Brainticket is really just Joel Vandroogenbroeck (sp?) and whoever else he's playing with at the time

OK, I'm tuning in. Could I have a week?

So I was really into the first couple of songs on the Brainticket album but this is starting to feel a little interminable when they're just repeating this one riff. Admittedly, I'm listening on laptop speakers while unpacking so I'll reserve final judgment until I can listen on better headphones or speakers.

09/06 -- DaM
09/13 -- frogbs
09/20 -- balls
09/27 -- ZS
10/04 -- dronestreet
10/11 -- Alan N
10/18 -- Sund4r

hope I finally got the dates right this time.

Sund4r- Headphones are great for this album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjw6jEPgSHg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT3E2iWjVyw

Since Drugs A. Money hasn't turned up how about asking Drugs B. Money to take his shot?

Good idea! Drugs? You around?

Sorry about forgetting! I cant do this until tomorrow morning

But I have an album picked out and can get to it then...

Cool!

OK, Brainticket is sounding a WHOLE lot better on headphones.

Mine is gonna veer more drone/freak rather than prog/kraut, but it still fits I think....

And wow, that was great, actually. And that was just on mediocre headphones. Now I'm eager to listen to this with my good headphones after I set up my audio interface. I like the theatrical 'scripted' nature of the vocals: it's a great performance imo. In a weird way, it actually made me think a little bit of some of Crass's stuff that came later. But, more obviously, the influence of 60s sound collage stuff is handled well, I think.

Glad this thing is a thing again (the new listening club).

Where are the download links??

How do you listen to spotify without signing up? I am not a facebook user.

well, the album I wanted to pick out--Angus MacLise's The Invasion of Thunderblt Pagoda--is not available on Spotify, or on Grooveshark, and apparently Grooveshark has fallen victim to both the social networking format and current insane copyright issues, and it's v risky business to just upload shit to it now, or at least so it seems...album is way cool tho and worth checking out; lots of acid trip flutes and bongos

so here is an album on Spotify that is really cool too that a few people on here may not know, even though I discovered it from the whole John Peel's record collection exhibit or w/e

C.A. Qunitet - Trip Thru Hell

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S5Fy7tmHhso/UbTGJ5cw5fI/AAAAAAAAAC0/ehEjR8wL1ac/s320/C.A+Quintet.jpg

can somebody help me out with the Spotify links?

not a spotifier but the whole album's available on youtube ~

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfJ-P-GP7XA

http://open.spotify.com/album/13S4y1iJkLrDnhJu5VWv35

spotify:album:13S4y1iJkLrDnhJu5VWv35

Starts off sounding like something from The Secret of Monkey Island or something -- wandering the graveyards to rockin' fartybass keyboardgothicisms. Yeah, this sounds good. Never heard of it during my brief period of exploring "protoprog" or whatever (most of which basically was hardrock albums of the late 60s early 70s)
extended drum section kinda lost me -- guessing that zooming in'n'out effect is the sorta thing that might work when you're stoned.
Oh, but the screeching guitar bit was badass. (god, I'm a liveblogger.) Bummed that "Colorado Mourning" is more like the theme song to a bad ghost cowboy western TV show -- curious but lame. Gotta go, but will try posting later when I've actually listened to the album a couple of times. Can't wait to find out what a song called COLD SPIDER sounds like!

(hooray for this thread btw! Perhaps a Spotify playlist compiling all the featured albums would be a good idea?)

who is doing todays album?

Froggie?

He's in space afaik

I was gonna up this somewhere but my car went kaputt and well, Spotify will have to do

Anyway, my selection is Echolyn - As the World. If you don't know who Echolyn are I'm not surprised, they are a sort of neo-prog group (formed around 1990) from PA that never quite made it. They're still doing awesome stuff today, in fact they're now maybe better than ever, but ATW is really a great album and the one I'm really into now. Basically the band's first album tanked, but their second (Suffocating the Bloom) sold alright and caught the attention of Sony records, and they were offered a major label deal. Now the thing about Echolyn is that they're very passionate about the music, and ATW is really an attempt for the 5-piece to give everything they've got on the platform they're given. It's over 70 minutes, full of all sorts of hidden connections and the kind of songs that take many many listens to really unravel. This isn't like a long Yes or Crimson album though, it's pretty much all ensemble playing and awesome 3-part harmonies. I mean they've got the talent to be a band like that and they've definitely got the compositional skill but they're more akin to Gentle Giant, they're not afraid to bring in outside players when it suits the song, and they're more interested in compositions that reveal themselves over time rather than doing tricky things for the sake of it (there is some flashiness on this album but it's the kind of thing they really tried to reduce over time)

As legend has it the album sold well for its genre but they were dropped anyway, which split them up for a good while. You can probably hear why on this album - in my opinion it's really great because it's as good as a lot of the classic prog albums but it maintains that quality for much longer (Suffocating the Bloom was like this too, including a 30-minute suite that is quite similar to "Supper's Ready"). So they gave it their best and ultimately failed, got real jobs, reformed the band in 2000 and are still great, though they work at a slower pace. But ATW is their attempt at taking the world by storm and it's one of those albums that I listen to a ton now. Enjoy!

open.spotify.com/track/6j3YSd6ZJhpNnGMLskbGgN‎

Has anyone heard of Alexander Gradsky? I first heard him on a Russian science fiction animation called the Passage and was fascinated by the proggy sounds and his tense passionate voice ((lots of European and soviet animation from 70s to early 90s has weird avant-garde music)).
It turns out Gradsky is a superstar in Russia. A singer-songwriter, rocker, soundtrack guy for films and ballet, and does lots of full blown classical and opera. Huge discography.
I've had difficulty finding his proggier stuff on youtube but lots of it is said to exist ((but I did find duets with John Denver and his proposed new Russian national anthem)).

I couldn't find The Passage soundtrack by itself but I did find this amazing thing...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DOFeLuYKc8

I've been looking at these insanely comprehensive lists...

http://rateyourmusic.com/list/honganji/
http://rateyourmusic.com/list/groonrikk/progressive_music_artists_worldwide___indexed_by_region/

...and a little worried about how far I should research.
In most genres I feel I know the tell-tale signs of what to look into and what to ignore, but hundreds of generic prog bands have fascinating and unusual cover art.
Cover art for books and films is totally unreliable but I feel bad bands generally have bad cover art. I've heard it said that album cover art often reflects the tastes and efforts of the bands.
I think it's difficult finding a reliable critic for the outer reaches of the genre.

anyone heard the most recent carrie underwood?

http://www.theonion.com/articles/carrie-underwood-releases-complex-multipart-prog-r,33847/

BALLS

wow I think my suggestion killed this thread

that is an awesome description of echolyn whom i've never warmed up enough to listen to compulsively but i hear enough there (their hour long "song" mei is ridic) that i make a point of checking them out on occasion. so if no one wants to offer a little friday something something, maybe we can go with the viola crayola?

http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7346

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7DTAJTM2PM

they are a weird weird band way ahead of their time

derp!

i can't pretend this is my fave soft machine but it's somehow close to my most played, scratches a weird number of itches for me:
http://www.moderndrummer.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Seven.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ1WbFIwzdY

https://play.spotify.com/album/0VJhbStEOCLWNBMQNuetwI

Very into this week's albums. I'm not sure why I didn't explore the Soft Machine catalogue beyond Third. This is the sort of thing I could myself listening to a lot.

oh man, where's this thread been my whole life. this soft machine album is super interesting.

Oh man I almost picked this for my week... this album is great!

The studio stuff on "Six" is my favourite post-"Third" Soft Machine

Here's some other Soft Machine related material I just discovered that I think people should know about
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyPNZiFJyS0&feature=share

think its a track each from their first 2 lps.

Catching up with Echolyn: on one listen, it hits my Yes/Genesis buttons enough that I enjoy it but so far, it hasn't jumped out that much beyond that. I could see it being something I'll replay and get into, though. "Never the Same" is nice.

Never would've checked out this Soft Machine, but I am digging on it a little.

Echolyn is....not my bag. Well, I guess "Prog" is the first descriptor in the thread title, so I should've expected something like that. Can't take those vocals or the sound of the recording. :)

I will say the album's a grower, it took me several listens to really get into, it really reveals itself piece by piece. If you dislike prog altogether this definitely isn't up your alley ;)

oh boy, I got a good one for next time

balls, that soft machine album is sick. much prefer it to the more static (and way more celebrated) third

Love that Soft Machine album. Did not expect it to be that solid the whole way through.

yeah, this one's a winner. and I've also never listened past third before, so I guess I have some catching up to do.

I just watched the Romantic Warriors II: About Rock In Opposition dvd. Profiles of loads of bands, but the film is 98mins so they don't get to go over albums or anything like that. Lots of concert footage, mostly from recent times but also some 70s stuff. Chistian Vander(Magma) and Chris Cutler(Henry Cow) probably talk more than anyone, aside from one guy who I think was a record label guy, maybe a critic too because he seems like a historian for the genre. Talks a lot about the diy element of concerts and record labels; bands sharing members across very long distances. Quite a number of women in a lot of these bands. A crazy drum solo from Yoshida Tatsuya (Ruins)but no real profile of him aside from some peoples comments and a very quick word from him. Something I noticed is the only the French and Belgian groups in the 70s-80s seemed concerned with having an image, a lot of those guys dressed in black but pretty much everyone else dresses how they would on the street. A few of the bands were totally new to me.

Pretty good but sometimes I thought some of them didn't sound all that distinct but I will surely try and investigate as many as I can, I really don't have much of this music yet.

concerned with having an image

my impression of bros like robert fripp and steve hillage (and a lot of the prognoscenti) is they cared a lot more about how technically skilled they were at their instruments than how they appeared, their hair, their clothes, etc. that turns off shallow insecure people, more concerned with image than listening pleasure, who say prog's too 'serious' and stupid shit like that

I think an image can be worthwhile but not necessary at all. I think Univers Zero and Art Zoyd looked pretty cool in all that black with their "THIS IS SERIOUS DARK ART!" image but even without it they would be great.

The photos of bands like Bongwater and Katie Jane Garside's bands really drew me in and I think their music satisfied what I thought I was going to get. But I suppose Bongwater never really dressed up though, they just looked like my type of people. I should mention that neither of these bands are prog to anyone not familiar with them, tho I think Bongwater sampled Yes.

Fripp used to have crazy hair, he might have cared about what people thought, I don't know. I think the cover of Red may have had some image conscious element to it.

and yes maintains an image aligned with roger dean's weedy spacescapes. image and spectacle trumping musicianship is the great rock & roll swindle, though

hope it's ok if i go ahead and post mine, because i'm not sure i'll have much time to do it tomorrow.

i'm a little nervous. i had something in mind a few weeks ago but now i feel like everyone's just going to be bored by it, or already familiar with it. (for the record, it was Edgar Froese’s Aqua, from 1974, and i especially wanted to highlight the middle section of NGC 891, which is one of my favorite new-to-me pieces of music of the year.

so i decided to go with something else, and i’m still a little nervous because i think it’s something a lot of people might already be familiar with (although i checked the older listening club thread as well as threads for the band to make sure that it wasn’t filled with posts from people who frequent this thread, and there didn’t seem to be any cross-germination):

Les Rallizes Dénudés - Heavier than a Death in the Family (mostly 1977, a little 1973)
http://open.spotify.com/album/79KhezvyjiFwFKC3AmsQ9L

http://i.imgur.com/cW6RWaT.jpg

warning: i’m no sort of expert on this band, so what follows is a really amateurish overview, from memory, with little factchecking, based mostly off of ILX threads (see bottom of this post) and semi-random internet excursioning, that will still hopefully pique your curiosity. some of this may be totally false.

but adding more sorta true sorta false information to the internet re: Les Rallizes Dénudés would be completely appropriate for this band. they are THE legendary underground avant experimental psychedelic Japanese band. they’ve been around since 1962 in some form or another, and have never formally released a studio album.

http://i.imgur.com/v9KJxou.jpg

their recorded output is almost exclusively in the form of bootlegs of live recordings. this, combined with the nature of their music (incredibly feedback heavy at times - the kind that is so overwhelming that you can identify island states of feedback within the greater sea of feedback) means that their recordings will not likely supplant Dark Side of the Moon as a hi-fi sonic testing standard anytime soon.

they have a ton of bootlegs, and they seem to drift in and out of availability and have different covers and tracklistings (sometimes in japanese characters, sometimes in poorly translated english) - no one knows what the fuck is going on. here’s one version: http://www.discogs.com/artist/Les+Rallizes+Denudes

http://i.imgur.com/JJFVNLF.jpg

still, the single release that seems to be the most widely referenced and praised to death is Live ‘77. the audio quality is better than most of their other bootlegs, and it also captures an incredible appearance. the aforementioned feedback is in full swing. i hate to bring the obvious references in, but think the darker parts of White Light/White Heat, only extended much longer, and much darker. the bass lines are rigidly (look how i didn’t say angular!) bluesy and repetitive, the vocals emerge every once in a while (like neil young in down by the river) to remind you that human beings are behind this thing, always distorted and occasionally overwhelmed with echoey fuzz, the drummer sounds like s/he is tripping hard, and the guitar player…i’m not sure how to do it justice. it’s difficult to directly compare them to anyone, because they go so much FARTHER than anything you can reference. if they would have played in Max’s Kansas City in 1968, they would have overshadowed the Velvets, and freaked them out too. there aren’t too many bands you can say that about.

Heavier than a Death in the Family is basically most of Live ‘77, in a different sequence, and with the addition of a song from 1973 (“People Can Choose”). Live ‘77 has been available for a while, but this one just came out in 2010. i enjoy the opener “Strung Out Deeper Than Night”, but if you’re just starting out, try “Night of the Assassins” (track 3) for a slightly more accessible entry point. do yourself a favor don’t listen to this at work or the like. here’s no point. you’ll need to turn it up really loud and anger your neighbors.

Also see:

les rallizes denudes rfi
Today My Life Changed (RFI: Rallizes Denudes)
Can we have an inept, trainspotter discussion of Lez Rallizes Denudes?

I had a hard time with the track(s?) that came up in the 70s rock poll tbh but I'll give this a try this week.

Ooh, I didn't know they were even mentioned in the 70s poll so it's possible they've already been discussed to death, whoops.

don't buy the phoenix records LRD reissues, cos the LRD guys don't get a penny from them and the phoenix guy is largely renowned for such swindling taking a risk on the fact that old guys in Japan probably can't afford to launch an international lawsuit in a different language.

welp

Stil a fuckin killer album, Z S. Brainticket got discussed some in the 70s poll as well.

P sure lots of this is on youtube...?

yeah, definitely! i'll find some links.

A Strung Out Deeper Than The Night
B1 The Night Collectors
B2 Night Of The Assassins
C1 Enter The Mirror
C2 People Can Choose
D Ice Fire

as for the phoenix records owner being a terrible asshole thing, yeah, i get that. i'm not sure how much of money ever goes to the band anyway, considering that their entire output appears to be really sketchy bootlegs. but i understand not wanting to send money to phoenix records, even if that comes in the form of the $0.000000000000000000000000000001 per play that they would receive per song play on spotify.

check out Live '77 instead, which features almost the same tracks and has been released (unofficially, of course) by a number of labels

I prefer '77 live to this simply because they cut my favorite track! that screeching monster of a solo on "a memory is far" is one of my all-time faves:
http://youtu.be/w_GV74hlPO0

the part where that wailing distortion pedal finally gets stomped, man, what a heavy moment

I am very familiar with this album but I don't think it's ever a bad thing when LRD gets mentioned anywhere. Love these guys.

wha'happen?

whose turn was it?

Here I am! 3 days late, apologies! I think I slept all day Friday after working 24 hrs straight.

Paris 1942 - Paris 1942

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/couldyoudefine/Paris1942Cover_zps78c23131.jpg

Sun City Girls + Mo Tucker = Paris 1942. Maybe I was the only one who missed out on this; but the aforementioned mathematical equation is about all you need to understand what's going on here. Thin & tinny production just makes this as scuzzy as it needs to be. From yowled, wounded ballads ("Long Gone") to what-coulda-been post-VU burners ("Move Out Of Wichita") to noisy, skronk workouts ("Exit", "Headhunter"); this one really does it for me. Primitive yet still a little brainy, garage-y but distinct, a measured, dark wildness. It's not kraut, but it definitely enters a zone.

http://www.mediafire.com/?i13us8xgys3o3bz

Hat-tip to FM Shades, I think that's where I first heard this: http://fm-shades.blogspot.com/

Here's the first track for the curious:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1w1yAYiv38

Never heard this before but it's great and a very appropriate follow up to LRD. Very crappy recording but it seems to suit these guys very well. Lots of good tracks on here. "Hex" was a standout for me.

http://youtu.be/Stl6jsvJXf4

nice one. I can't say I like it it all but the stuff that hits is nice. and I like the recording a lot, actually. definitely suits the material and gives emphasis to the fun, tossed-off, skuzzy vibe. "smoke filles room" is very pretty.

i'll take yesterday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_124160&feature=iv&src_vid=UICq6qserG8&v=jv8cK_MO1bY

hey, whoops. I think it's my turn now?

so, I choose... the first shizuka lp 天界のペルソナ

this is a recent discovery for me but it hit real hard. as you might guess from the PSF connection, it's sorta like fushitsusha (and they share band members). but as much as it pains me to say and as incredible an achievement as fushitsusha are, I'm not always up for an intense journey into the haino-san null space. much like swans, I gotta be in a specific mood. this one goes down a little easier but it's still potent stuff. not unlike "ここ" off the first double live lp reconfigured to play like a more trad downer psych record. and much like that one - the solos on here!! so beautiful.

seems to me like their live ep is the one that gets written up the most but I lean towards this one due to the production. sparse but everything sounds as it should. the levels are right, the guitar tones are gorgeous, and the noisy parts pack a whallop.

sadly, miura shizuka took her life a few years ago. a real shame. r.i.p. at least we have this beautiful record.

well this is odd, Swans reference is right on

I took me a few listens but I'm really getting into this Shizuka record. The Fushitsusha connection is pretty obvious in the sound. The trad side sounds a lot like Les Rallizes Denudes.

To me, a Fushitsusha/LRD/Swans similarity would make for a pretty great record in most cases.

glad people are digging this.

yeah, the fushitsusha connection is undeniable but I don't see shizuka as a straight copy either. it's a gentler sound. obviously, the vocals are also different and I think they're pretty powerful in their own way. and yeah, can def hear LRD in the mix too.

an embarrassment of riches

http://nursewithwoundlist.blogspot.com/2009/03/introduction.html

can't wait to get home for this one. sounds right up my alley.

no relation to steven?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8E9kQg9gCU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyGHcLrknEo

Are we out of people? I can't remember. If anybody wants a go or to go again let me know!

I will :)

I'll do one, if required

ok great!

so then how about:
11/01 - frogbs
11/08 - Tom D

Figured I'd get mine up a little early. I debated between two albums and figured, why not do both?

The first one is from a band called Setna. They are a modern Zeuhl fusion group out of France, led by their drummer (sound familiar?). Their first album, released in 2008, seemed to be widely acclaimed, but they didn't release their follow-up until this year. For my money I like this one better, it's a little more upbeat than Cycle I (which struck me as being quite similar to Third-era Soft Machine). This one is still rather laid back but the melodies strike me as being better and a little goofier. It is rather close to say, "Kohntarkosz". The music definitely seems ripped straight from the 70's, but there's some really great production here. This is the kind of music that simply isn't made that often anymore, sad to say. If you like it, definitely check out Cycle I, along with the side project Xing Sa which is very similar.

Setna - Guerison

Second one is an album called Switched-on Lotus by Susumu Hirasawa, a dude I post about an awful lot. Considering his main style is closer to techno-pop I wondered if it really belonged in a thread like this, but I feel it fits the description well. This really is not an electronic album - it's Hirasawa at his most theatrical, with lots of strings and a big, larger-than-life sound. It's really one of those albums that explodes over and over again - kind of a mindfuck at times. The compositions themselves are mostly beefed-up versions of songs from his Thailand-inspired albums, Sim City and Siren, but there are also some earlier ones. This is something I've been listening to a lot lately. Enjoy!!

Susumu Hirasawa - Switched-on Lotus

never heard of em but setna sounds right up my alley. thanks!

don't think I've heard that hirasawa either.

"archetype engine" is kind of unbelievable

OK you can probably get both of these on Spotify, because they're not that obscure (you might even get the extended version of the Residents' album with longer versions of the songs (cripes)).

Lard Free - s/t (1973)
Debut album for the French band led by drummer, Gilbert Artmann. Prior to this Lard Free seem to have been a sort of Henry Cow-like avant skronk amplified bassoon in 7/4 type band, but they'd dropped all that by the time of this album. Instead this album is admirably minimalistic - in fact, in the era of "Tales of Topographic Oceans" (or whateva) it was pretty ballsy to put out an album as sparse as this (frinstance, the last track is just some low grumbly synth lurking around menacingly before being joined at the end by a piano tinkling off distractedly in the distance). Later albums are good but different again. Great gatefold sleeve too (inner and outer)!

The Residents - Not Available (1978)
This is their "prog album", meaning there's some sort of vague concept about something or other and there's multi-part 'suites' as opposed to songs and there's pseudo classical pianos and blaring string synths and mincing mediaeval woodwinds etc. Supposedly recorded in 1974 (if you believe the Residents - which I don't) but instead probably old recordings tarted up to fill in the gap while they finished the "Eskimo" album. Oh yeah, prog, did I mention a mock portentousness - though not ironic or sarcastic like (their erstwhile hero) Frank Zappa but more cock-eyed knock-kneed bandy-legged - with words that hint at profundity before collapsing into dadaist rhymes. Like a lot of the best of the Residents, the aggressive absurdity is undercut by a strong sense of melancholy. (The usual sticking point for the Residents is the vocals, but if you can live with the track, "Ship's A-Goin' Down" then you can deal with anything the Residents can throw at you).

nice to hear "Not Available" again. I've kind of soured on the Residents even though I remain oddly curious about them. "Aggressive absurdity" is damn right! For me this is linked with Wyatt's Rock Bottom as the yin and yang of 70's nightmarish oddness.

listening to Lard Free now - really hard to classify thus far

I love Not Available. I'll always remember the first time I heard "Making Of A Soul" and I wouldnt be surprised if nothing else of theirs ever topped that for me. That was years ago and I still only have that album.

Loving that Lard Free album which led me to their other albums which are all pretty great. It's some weird stuff that can fall into some pretty fantastic grooves.

This one is from a different album but totally sucked me in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z_c3JcbVhY

that song is awesome, like a krautier GONG, or a GONGier HELDON

end of the year approaching, i'm curious about people's current favorites. motorpsycho/supersilent's death defying unicorn was my 2012 favorite (best symphonic prog album since the '70s?) and steven wilson's way up on the list this year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4ZqgOnhFT0

Yeah that Steven Wilson album is so terrific.

remastering all those king crimson albums seems to have rubbed off nicely on SW

I haven't kept up with much modern music as exploring the treasure trove of the past keeps your hands full; but Field Music's Plumb is great. Previous albums had tiny bits of prog sprinkled around but this one seems like a conscious attempt at a prog album.

I suspect the upcoming Frost album might be a favourite. The first time I heard them, the pop plasticity of it totally put me off (the lead member has a day job as a producer of singles chart pop) but they seriously grew on me and "Milliontown" became one of my all time favourite prog "epics".

Mew also might have an album out soon. They need a b-sides/rarities compilation urgently.

whoa, I am SUPER into that lard free track! big heldon fan, so I suppose I would. have to investigate further!

steve wilson one seems cool too and I rarely go for modern prog

http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/11/19/special_prog_rock_programming_note.html

Not sure about those articles, he says "This is what fascinates me about prog. The music is relentlessly futurist, with no nostalgia for anything in rock", which doesnt sound accurate in the slightest and his comments on Lisztomania dont sound entirely positive (it's one of my favorite films).

Dave Weigel wtf? What a bizarre convergence of two spheres of my daily reading material

just happy's someone's got something to say about the good stuff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHML3RX7O0g

so museo rosenbach's back

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tBqmYt-k_Q

Love for Supersister?

I've been checking around the forum and there are a few mentions but mostly for a hit song (did they really have a hit?) included in a Joy Division film.
I've been meaning to listen to them for years. I heard some fabulously complex samples of them years ago. I heard they were very young too, like Semiramis were young.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JxN5yP9SwA

awesome. love supersister. greg weeks of espers turned me onto them in this interview

http://www.amoeba.com/blog/2009/01/all-the-news-that-s-fit-to-sing/greg-weeks-of-espers-and-language-of-stone-records-chats.html

Thanks for the link, Saint Just sounds very interesting.

Supersister has loads of offshoots and it looks like some members did lots of new wave and pop. I'm curious about how proggy these other efforts are, but as usual I'm reading extensively into side projects of bands I've barely even listened to yet.

Some of The Enid's new stuff sounds incredible and I listened to samples of Robert John Godfrey's new piano music which sounds really lovely.

Been listening to Moody Blues - Days Of Future Passed. Just wonderful. I really think Moody Blues and Procol Harum deserve to take away the standard story of King Crimson having the first prog album. Sgt Pepper is important but I just don't feel comfortable calling it the first somehow.

Just saw a clip of Robert Fripp and Toyah on a husband and wife gameshow quiz on youtube! They just refer to him as "Robert", talk about the bands he has played with but don't mention King Crimson.

I dunno if I'd even call the Moodies "prog" - hard to explain why exactly but IMO they're a different kind of band than the Crimsons and Genesises of the world.

The "first prog album" as far as I can tell is the Nice's Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack. Which, of course featured Keith Emerson himself.

Personally, Days Of Future Passed fits my idea of the genre very well. It does the symphonic orchestral stuff beautifully mixing with the rock elements, a concept album too. I havent heard them yet but dont the later albums sound more like the genre?
I remember the first time a heard them was actually in one of the prototype Prog magazine issues and they were featured at the start and I think the writer was trying to establish they at the beginning of the canon. At the time I was put off by their Austin Powers costumes, but then heard some of their tunes and watched a long documentary on Sky Arts about them which was very good.

Although I listed being a concept album as a qualifier, I dont think there are really that many prog concept albums; more albums like ELP's Tarkus and Rush's Hemispheres and 2112 are mistaken for concept albums beause of the vinyl sidelong track represented by the cover art.

Real prog concept albums? Is Yes's Close To The Edge a concept album? I dont think a bunch of ideas running through or unified mood or all tracks being inspired by a particular thing makes a concept album, otherwise most ambient albums would be concept albums. I'm not sure Tales Of The Topographic Oceans really has much more than a few ideas holding it together. Rick Wakeman's Six Wives Of Henry VIII and The Enid's In The Region Of The Summer Stars are both (great) instrumental albums linked by a story but you wouldnt know it by just listening to the music without the song titles or art or sleeve notes.

I'll see how many I can remember that are blatant concept albums that you can easily tell by listening with no song titles or art or notes to help you.

Moody Blues - Days Of Future Passed
Genesis - Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime
Voivod - Dimension Hatross
Camel - Snowgoose
Porcupine Tree - The Incident
Vangelis - Heaven and Hell (maybe)
Jon Anderson - Olias Of Sunhillow
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (havent heard The Wall)

I've read that Guided By Voices - Mag Earwig was a concept album but it sounds nothing like it. I'm tempted to put in Aphrodites Child - 666 because it has a lot of stuff you'd expect from a concept album but I'm still not sure I would have guessed by just listening to it.

If anyone wants to join in, please only list stuff you have heard and think fits the bill from sounds alone (including lyrics you can descipher).

When I said "including lyrics you can decipher" I dont mean it has to include them; Snowgoose certainly doesnt.

robert, have you heard the crane wife, by the decemberists? there's a concept there

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuEQxhP-Zmo

I really think Moody Blues and Procol Harum deserve to take away the standard story of King Crimson having the first prog album

Can I mention "Music in a Doll's House" by Family now? Family were a great band but I don't really know what they were tbh, I wouldn't know how to describe them.

I havent heard that Decemberists stuff but I like Family's Music In A Doll's House. Peter Gabriel mentions that album as a formative influence but I never felt it was quite as prog as Moody Blues, Procol Harum or The Nice. "Mellowing Grey" is a stunner. I've heard they become proggier later when John Wetton was in them.

666 definitely plays out like a concept album to me. As does "Nursery Cryme" by Genesis, even though it maybe isn't intended as one.

I'm up for doing one of these whenever the next date is open.

I think that would be...this Friday :)

Ha. OK time to get thinking / make sure I don't pick an album someone else has already done.

http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/1813/cover_44512217102008.jpg

Quiet Sun - Mainstream
I'm unsure of whether this record is universally loved & known or if I've just played it so damn often that it amazes me when others haven't heard it. If it's the former then allow me to prattle on a little...
Ostensibly an early Canterbury scene band that split up in 72 (tho these recordings were made 3 years later). The line up is Phil Manzanera (pre-Roxy), Charles Hayward (pre-This Heat), Bill McCormick (pre-Matching Mole) & Dave Jarrett (who I don't think had a career in music). Interestingly Bill's brother Ian sings on a couple of tracks and is also partly responsible for the column in the NME that popularized the term Krautrock. Oh and Eno unsurprisingly drops in.
Musically it sounds pretty much exactly what you'd expect it to sound like. I get the feeling that Hayward kept everyone in check a little so while it stretches out and touches on jazz fusion in places it never feels too bloated or indulgent. Although I feel like retrospectively it's been marketed more as a Manzanera vehicle it's remarkably democratic. Everyone gets a chance to shine especially when Hayward gets on the mic in Rongwrong. Nicely pre-figuring a melodic and lyrical approach he'd frame VERY differently in later bands.

Spotify links...
http://open.spotify.com/album/6WUzJONHD1qkuMhbqJfgsD
spotify:album:6WUzJONHD1qkuMhbqJfgsD

youtube link...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKiOZKX7GKg

yeah love this album

80/100

http://www.listchallenges.com/top-100-prog-bands-of-all-time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDBDmLcMgwU

I only scored 32 in that list; but in my defense, I only included bands I've heard a whole album by and there is quite a lot of bands I don't think are worthwhile when bands that didn't get listed like PFM, Goblin, Devil Doll, Supersister, Art Zoyd, Univers Zero, Ruins, Renaissance and many others would have constituted more of an achievement as a high scoring listener.

yeah that list is pretty seriously flawed. only reason i've heard so much on it is my (quixotic) search for someone finally living up to the bigshots of the '70s. so though much of the recent-ish stuff is pretty much unlistenable (over-emotive singing of unintentionally-silly lyrics; hyper-virtuosic noodling recorded with abrasive sheen; softer interludy moments that could double for soft core porn soundtrack music) i keep giving the newbies a hearing because you never know, and occasionally the less awful albums have enough of a hint of what makes prime crimson/yes/floyd/tull/rush etc rule i catch a contact high

I do like Cairo quite a bit, glad to see them there. Need more of their albums. Some people think they suck but I think they are like ELP (but better) with post-rock style build ups.

cairo's one of the dozen or so i haven't heard. i'll keep an eye out. haken is the latest of the recent bands on that list that i'm trying to appreciate. they're a weird hybrid of prog metal and gentle giant, which doesn't work for me well enough to fall in love, but i still haven't given up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m73sUhuOPmg

..here's a track from Conflict And Dreams (their only album I have; they only have 3 albums). I remember one track having a really amazing buildup into this gorgeous serene soundscape.
I can imagine the vocals reminding people of yuppies and gillette adverts somehow but I really do love this album.
Weirdly one of the most prolific prog reviewers on rateyourmusic gave it a low rating because the lyrics scared him!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EMkZe1AIEw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivqKPi9I6YY

I listened to these videos a couple of years ago and they prompted me to get into Renaissance, Vangelis, Procol Harum, Devil Doll and Cairo, so I'm grateful to the guy who made them.
The first two videos have all the albums listed in the description box if you cant see them on the artwork.
There was actually a video before these two but youtube wouldn't allow it because of infringements. It was on another video site but now that is gone too sadly, but it covered the basics and some more obscure bands too.

Eloy - Ocean was the one album I didn't like from those selections that I actually bought.
Saga get a lot of flack (or do they?) but I really love that song "On The Loose", fantastic fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cygIk3acYk
This third video has far less but more lengthy and clearly labelled albums samples.
I love that Ayreon song, so over the top.

I listened to Cairo's Conflict And Dreams again. Quite a few songs are too long but they still do that dense multi-layered buildup stuff better than most and that does require lengthy tracks. All tracks have great moments (first two tracks in particular), there are several really good vocal harmonies.

just checked out that cairo song. thanks. good call on the vocals, but the swirling keybs and the "dense multi-layered buildup" do start working for me around the sixth minute. i'd be interested in hearing more. they're a lot more listenable imo than like dream theater. my problem with a lot of neo-prog and prog-metal (besides the hyper-precise production values) is they seem to be compensating too much for their belatedness, substituting complexity for originality. all too often that wrecks the mood for me. i think these guys get it right -- the build is a slowburn, but the payoff is majestic. there's also a preference for vibe over technique during the middle section i am way into

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uj4Q4zbtfM

http://cdn.tradebit.org/usr/mp3-album/pub/9002/514/514867/51486703.jpg

maybe this is an album that everyone who reads this thread will already be familiar with, but I just found this via fogotify and I'd never heard it before (I was vaguely aware of the name from bands you should check out type lists, but didn't know anything about them really) and I wanted to talk about how amazing this is, and this looked like it might be the best place?

oh, the album is Checkpoint Charlie by Checkpoint Charlie, the reissue seems to be titled Die Durchsichtige, that's how it appears on spotify

Never heard of them at all, need to check this out soon

Finished listening to Chris Squire's Fish Out Of Water.
I recently read Mark Eitzel saying it was an old favourite and that hurried it up my list a bit. It was a bit scarcer and more expensive than I expected but not unreasonably priced (CD copy).
Nothing like what I imagined (tracks of nothing but crazy fast bass) but they are full blown songs similar to Yes.
Adore the first 3 tracks, they have some really gorgeous moments; the remaining 2 tracks are a bit too long. I can see why some would regard it as a classic but I wouldn't go quite that far.
I think Squire only has one proper solo album, while the rest of the main members have loads. I kept thinking about Julian Cope calling him something like a "psychedelic visionary" and me previously not knowing Squire beyond his fantastic bass sound. Is that him singing on Magnification? He sounds totally different on this album.

I once read a fan talking about how he Squire spoiled Yes but I've never heard what bad things he supposedly did.

Anderson's debut is better than all but the very best Yes albums and I like a few of his other things. I love Wakeman's Six Wives (and I'm curious about the quality of his later infamous discography). So I'm quite eager to check out the early Howe solo albums. I doubt Bruford solo is anything like Yes.

I can't find much chat on Anderson/Bruford/Wakeman/Howe or any of the 90s albums. I'd like to hear some opinions from this generally reasonable forum and not people who only listen to progressive rock.

i'm with you about anderson's first solo album (which is one of the most underrated records there is imho), but i've never been able to get into 'fish out of water'. i don't particularly hear the "yes"ness, although lots of people over the years have said the same things you're saying, so the problem is probably me

howe's first two albums are okay, playing-wise, but the dude can't sing

'anderson bruford wakeman howe' is really only for diehard yes fans, and so is pretty much everything they've released (i'd say) since 90125, besides odd tracks here and there (about half of 'union'; "real love," on 'talk'; some of the longer songs on the 'keys to ascension's), with two exceptions: 'the ladder' and 'fly from here.' 'the ladder' is killer. they got some crazy russian keyboard player and a new producer (bruce fairbairn) and the long songs ("homeworld" and "new languages") rip in classic yes style. there's some cornball shorter songs, but most of them are alright, and "lightning strikes" is something i'd bet animal collective listened to before recording 'merriweather post pavilion.' 'fly from here' is therir last album (not 90s - 2011) and features a jon anderson impersonator (benoit david) and the return of the buggles, if trevor horn is only back in the production chair. not everything works, but when it does, they hit the same eerie sweet spot between prog and new wave 'drama' nailed back in the day

In a Yes documentary, some members gave the impression that the Union material was some of their best work ever before the producer (in their opinions) completely ruined it. I think for that reason, recently a collection of live Union songs came out and I think I'd maybe rather getting that before the supposedly ruined studio version.

there's some good stuff on that album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDHftJzkk74

I have the title track of "The Ladder" and yes it is fantastic, like maybe one of my favorite ten Yes tunes ever. I've heard the rest of the album wasn't as good. Though I do like that keyboard player in the live stuff I've heard; apparently he got sacked for hitting on a security guard. Too bad because he was definitely one of the best they'd had (outside of Wakeman and Moraz I guess).

Lately I've been voyaging out into the later Yes. Drama is underrated as everyone says. 90125 is way too slick and corporate for my tastes; though it has some better individual tracks, for my money Big Generator is a little better. I have the AWBH album; despite the tracklisting I don't think it's a "return to prog" at all, it's rather lightweight and a lot of talented players are nearly inaudible (or, like Bruford, not really playing to their strengths). I think it's a little similar to the "Emerson, Lake, and Powell" album. May have to give it another shot but I don't think you're missing a whole lot.

Just checked out the track listing for Union Live. Only ONE track from the studio album! Screw that then.
I wonder if a remix/remaster is possible because the band really did hate the way it sounded.

Any solo or Yes related stuff anyone wants to recommend? I'm quite fond of some Jon & Vangelis. Friends Of Mr Cairo has some really good stuff, the title track has some quite distracting movie star impressions and I can imagine some people finding it too cheesy but I think it is kind of unique. I still need 2 more albums of that pair.

Kind of tempted to buy the 12 Yes albums I don't have and a few solo albums in one go. But if I do that I'll be tempted to do that with several other bands I've neglected.

you ever hear the Refugee album? its way more an offshoot of The Nice than Yes, but it's definitely one of my favorite one-offs

refugee is pretty good. so is mainhorse. patrick moraz is cosmic. peter banks' post-yes band, flash, isn't bad, either. never could get into tony kaye's badger, though

http://thequietus.com/articles/14936-henry-cow-unrest-review

Thanks for the article.

I saw this Chris Cutler interview a while ago...
http://www.mitkadem.co.il/RIO_interview.html
"Personally, I have to say that I never had much time for King Crimson. I disliked their first album and, apart from a track here and there, didn't find much I cared for on later albums either. To make things harder, they were contemporaries of Henry Cow and we were often pointlessly compared with them (especially Fred Frith who got foolishly compared/confused with Robert Fripp). But we never saw the connection really; they were working in a much narrower musical field than we were. And when they began to make big statements about their originality for improvising (around Jaimie Muir/Larks Tongues time) we found that frankly rather pathetic. But that was their way - after all Fripp claimed to have invented 'frippertronics', which is either a mark of ignorance on his part or outrageous arrogance, since every guitarist 'invented' that obvious procedure"

I never knew what Frippertronics meant.

I have to say again how fantastic the first three tracks of Chris Squire's Fish Out Of Water are. Really love them.

ram, have you listened to much john zorn?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpDNNKQP-Rs

I wouldn't say that every guitarist was using tape delay by the mid-70s but, yeah, I also find it a bit ridiculous that Fripp basically used reel-to-reel tape delay and named it after himself. Frippertronics obv = some of my favourite music ever though.

cutler makes some fair points. on the other hand, henry cow never, to the best of my knowledge, opened for black oak arkansas, so i'd take what he has to say on the topic with a grain of salt.

Thanks for the Zorn clip, one of many artists who have been on the shopping list for years but I haven't got around to yet.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51hPbJWEaiL.jpg

North Sea Radio Orchestra - s/t

http://open.spotify.com/album/6eu8FXY7tCL7u4O1cVOUxg

standout track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX2rUUcs0G4

This album overwhelms me. It's enormous, sprawling and unutterably ambitious without once going above speaking volume. No fuzz, no sonic gymnastics - but in its pastoral/neoclassical psychpop it locates something I can't get anywhere else. There are no original lyrics - all non-instrumental tracks are adaptations of English poetry. The melodies are spry and astounding, as you'd expect from a band firmly located in the post-Cardiacs fallout. However good the ensemble musicianship (mostly classical, with acoustic guitars and synths) is, the composition is the main draw (along with the voice of singer Sharon Fortnam, whose husband Craig is the principal songwriter). The whole thing is like Kenneth Grahame trying to remember his childhood in a slightly overgrown rose garden as dappled sunlight catches a butterfly's wing. It's airy, sublime and complete. Its arc is leisurely but yearning; one feels one can make a home within its folds - cling to these truths before all is obliterated. It's a London album, in fact - written in and about the capital, as the Fortnams discovered something in the city that more than resembled the most idyllic and untainted wilds of bucolia - a synthesis, indeed, that works more convincingly the longer the album progresses - the longer the dream elaborates.

Anyway, none of you (well, barely any of you) have heard them and they're astonishing, so I post them here in the hope someone latches on.

anyone want to get this doggie going again?

listen to that NSRO album, it's one of the best things ever

http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?showall=true&bookmarkedmessageid=6139812&boardid=77&threadid=81522

(For Michael B)

Lol sorry nm

awww i thought this had been revived to start over again

Lmao no...my bad, folks

Shall we?

yes

The youtube algorithm came through with this French band Meule, two drummers + guitarist/modular dude:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnvJVKw7xCc

I too latched on to that North Sea Radio Orchestra album.