Abel Ganz - Back from the Zone ($13.99)
British Isles really, lest we offend any Celts. Titles are arranged alphabetically with the latest additions highlighted in yellow. Some of the newer or more popular British artists are on Page 1 or 2 of the store rather than here, otherwise this page would be even longer than it is.
Abel Ganz - Back from the Zone ($13.99) Abel Ganz were the other Scottish neo-prog band during the 1980’s progressive revival, Pallas being the better known of the two. Abel Ganz’s singer Alan Reed became Pallas’s second singer. Abel Ganz’s 1980’s albums were initially only available on cassette before being reissued on CD by a now-defunct French label. Back from the Zone, now available at a reduced price, features five remastered tracks from their first three albums, finally sounding the way they should, plus one of their old tracks re-recorded in 2001, plus a new 2001 track, for a total of 65-minutes of music. This is melodic symphonic prog that ranks with Pallas, Twelfth Night, Haze, Galahad, and Castanarc.
Affinity - Affinity ($17.99) This 1970 early prog album was the only one for Affinity, a British band fronted by singer Linda Hoyle and comparable to Sandrose, Analogy, Julian’s Treatment, and Curved Air. This is the Angel Air edition, which adds a mere eight bonus tracks and is the best of the CD reissues. Lots of reviews and an mp3 at ProgArchives.
Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band - No Roses ($11.99)This 1971 album is a milestone in English folk-rock and the first album by Ashley Hutchings’ Albion Band. It combines a traditional English singer in Collins with 25 musicians, some from a folk background, some from rock, and some from early music. The list of musicians reads like a who’s who of the scene, including Richard Thompson, Maddy Prior, Simon Nicol, Barry Dransfield, Dave Mattacks, and John Kirkpatrick. Shirley Collins and Ashley Hutchings were in the first year of their marriage when the album was recorded, with Hutchings having already helped found Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. The confluence of the full electric rock sound with Shirley’s enchanting balladry was adventurous at the time and still compelling today. This is the 2004 remastered edition on Castle/Sanctuary.
Daevid Allen - Good Morning ($17.99)This is the 2008 edition on the Esoteric label. In 1975, following his departure from Gong, Daevid Allen sought musical solace on the island of Mallorca. Here he began a collaboration with a group of Catalan musicians called Euterpe. Recorded in Mallorca, the album Good Morning was released by Virgin Records in 1976 to great acclaim. It is a unique work that was regarded by fans and critics as being as good as anything Allen recorded with Gong, if not better. Allen created a work that for the most part eschews drums and heavy percussion. It has more charm than any Gong record, and while some of it is Gong-like, there is a Genesis-like pastoral quality in spots, one track that presages what Peter Gabriel and King Crimson would do years later, and touches of folk. The 11-minute track Wise Man in Your Heart features Gong colleagues Mike Howlett and Pierre Moerlen. Good Morning appeared briefly on CD in the early 1990’s but vanished quickly. 24-bit remastered with one bonus track.
Also Eden - It’s Kind of You to Ask ($16.99) Also Eden are one of the best of the latest crop of British neo-prog bands. It’s great that there is a crop at all. Prog rock isn’t exactly popular in the UK, yet each year new prog bands emerge. What usually distinguishes the British prog bands today is not only that they actually write songs and put melody first, but they have quality singers whose vocals are up in the mix where vocals normally are and who can carry a song. Also Eden’s Huw Lloyd-Jones is such a singer, his voice having a slight John Wetton character. Along with Lloyd-Jones, the other core member of this quintet is keyboardist Ian Hodson, so keyboards occupy their rightful place in the arrangements, with many nods to Tony Banks. About Time (2006) and It’s Kind of You to Ask (2008) are symphonic rock, free of modern metal ugliness, in the vein of Abel Ganz and, to a lesser extent, Marillion, Pallas, and IQ. The distinguishing characteristic of Also Eden’s music is an emotional warmth that makes them the coziest of the British neo-prog bands. Put the kettle on. Read the review at JerryLucky.com.
Jon Anderson - 3 Ships: 22nd Anniversary Edition ($17.99)3 Ships is once again available following a long period of unavailability. In 1985, Jon Anderson decided to record a seasonal album and thus 3 Ships was born. The album contains several traditional Christmas songs: Three Ships, Ding Dong Merrily on High, The Holly and the Ivy, Oh Holy Night, and Jingle Bells (no, really). The album proper also includes seven original Jon Anderson compositions plus the Vangelis-penned Easier Said than Done. This remastered edition adds five bonus tracks. The many musicians on this album include Trevor Rabin on guitar, an orchestra, a gospel choir and a childrens choir.
Jon Anderson - Live from La La Land (2CD, $16.99)
Jon Anderson - The Mother’s Day Concert ($15.99)These CDs were released previously as part of the 7 (and counting) CD The Lost Tapes boxset. Watching The Flags That Fly is a collection of songs recorded in 1990, intended for the second ABWH album. Some of these went on to become well-known, such as Take the Water to the Mountain, which appeared on Yes’ Union album. These songs have been traded amongst fans in much lower sound quality under the title Dialogue/We Make Believe.
The story of The Mother’s Day Concert CD is that in 1996, Jon Anderson and his six-piece band plus guests took to the stage in a California winery to perform a unique set of Yes, Jon & Vangelis, and Jon’s solo songs. Jon’s recollections of the show form the basis of the liner notes and are accompanied by color pictures. The show wasn’t recorded officially, but thanks to hours of tireless investigative work, recordings were found in private hands. This CD has been mastered from a superior source than the bootlegs of this concert, so the sound quality is the best available. Voiceprint says that the audio quality is comparable to an FM broadcast. The track listing: Intro, I’ll Find My Way Home, Wondrous Stories, Charlie Brown Theme, Children of Light, Time and a Word/Soon, Owner of a Lonely Heart, Longwalker Speaks, Change We Must, Time Has Come, One More Time, And You and I, State of Independence, The Revealing Science of God, I’ve Seen All Good People.
Searching for the Songs is a collection of 14 songs recorded in 1986, some of which went on to become better known songs on other releases such as The Meaning of Your Love, which became The Meeting on the ABWH album. Low sound quality versions of many of these songs have been traded freely among the Yes and Jon Anderson fan base under the name Preparation for the Songs. The sound quality of this release is far superior.
Live in Sheffield 1980 is a double-CD at a single CD price. After recording the album Song of Seven, Jon embarked on a tour with a nine-piece band called The New Life Band. The 42 song track list includes many Yes songs (usually abbreviated versions) as well as solo songs. These recordings are recently discovered tapes and the quality is far better than any of the previous tapes of this show that have been traded between fans. Disc Two also contains numerous bonus tracks recorded during tour rehearsals.
The double-CD Live From La La Land features Jon on his 2006 tour at the Roxy in Los Angeles. Half the 20 tracks are Yes songs, and the rest are Jon’s solo or Jon & Vangelis songs. Jon’s between-track stories and anecdotes from the concert are preserved.
Martin Ansell - The Englishman Abroad ($12.99) 
This album recorded in the 1980’s was one of the first on Island Records. It is easily grouped with Rupert Hine’s progressive pop albums of the same decade. The reason is obvious. Rupert Hine produced, plays keyboards and adds backing vocals, while Hine’s cohorts Trevor Morais (drums) and Phil Palmer (guitars) are also in the band. Howard Jones is credited with “impressive keyboard solos”. Hine’s stamp is all over this album. High quality bonus tracks take the total playing time up to 73 minutes. Note there are also RealAudio clips at the Windows Media link above.
Arc - ...At This ($17.99) This 2009 edition on Esoteric is the first official UK CD release of this 1971 album, remastered from the original master tapes. The DPRP review also provides some biographical info; there’s much more in the booklet. Like many of Esoteric’s rescued relics, Arc’s album is proto-prog or early prog, that is, it lies between the mundane rock of the era and the full-blown progressive rock that King Crimson, Yes and Genesis were already producing. But as proto-prog albums go, Arc’s is quite good. They have a piano/organ player, and it’s really only the heavier tracks that sound dated, because of the primitive lead electric guitar tone and blues-rock elements. The lighter tracks fare better.
Neil Ardley - Harmony of the Spheres ($16.99) This 2008 edition on Esoteric is the first official UK CD release of this 1979 album, remastered from the original master tapes. Neil Ardley was known as a jazz composer, and the musicians on this album were drawn from the top echelon of British jazz musicians (many from Nucleus). But this album was a departure for Ardley, as the music has more appeal to progressive rock fans, while probably irritating many jazz fans. Ardley plays synthesizers throughout, and the music is symphonic, structured, and sometimes spacey, with many melodies that have little to do with jazz. There are sections of jazz-rock, other sections that are merely a little jazzy, and much that isn’t jazz at all. Bass guitar is way up in the mix, and there are some ethereal wordless female vocals. Notable among the musicians on this record is folkie John Martyn on guitar. Read the DPRP review.
Peter Banks - Two Sides of Peter Banks ($17.99) This is the 2009 edition on Esoteric Recordings, known for their superb remastering jobs. Guitarist Peter Banks left Yes following the release of Time and a Word and formed the progressive band Flash. That band enjoyed a degree of success in the U.S., affording Banks the opportunity to record this 1973 instrumental solo album with guest musicians that include Jan Akkerman (Focus), Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, and John Wetton, as well as Flash members Ray Bennett and Mike Hough. Akkerman has the largest role. Read the reviews at Ground and Sky. Check our Bargain CDs page for more Peter Banks CDs.
Colin Bass - In the Meantime +5 ($15.99) Colin Bass has been the bass player and singer for Camel since 1981’s Nude. He lives in Berlin and has established himself in Poland, where he tours. His CDs all get released there and he often uses Polish musicians. In the Meantime (2003) is very much a songwriter’s album. Bass demonstrates that he is a very capable songwriter with an impressive depth of style. While most of the songs are not overtly proggy, there is still a clear difference between these songs/arrangements and what a mainstream singer/songwriter would produce. A couple songs bear a resemblance to Camel, and several are folky-prog in a Strawbs sort of way, with acoustic guitar at the foundation. Two of the songs are near the 9-minute mark, so the progressive aesthetic is never far away. Several other musicians lend their talents, the lineup varying song-by-song. This is the new version that adds five bonus tracks: Gently Kindly (previously only available as a single) and four songs recorded live on his 2005 tour of Poland.
Be Bop Deluxe - Drastic Plastic ($11.99)
Be Bop Deluxe was a 1970’s art-rock band led by guitarist/singer/composer Bill Nelson, who was and is an exceptional talent. Be Bop Deluxe is a tough band to describe because some people don’t consider them to be a progressive rock band, and Bill surely would be horrified to have to come to terms with the prog label, but a lot of progressive rock fans who were around when these albums came out did think of Be Bop Deluxe as a progressive band. For instance, Be Bop Deluxe toured the U.S. with Nektar, and Be Bop Deluxe headlined. The prog rock label certainly applies to 1976’s Modern Music (currently out-of-stock), which is undoubtedly their masterpiece, and an album we would take to a desert island, depending on the baggage allowance. Live! in the Air Age, originally released as an LP+EP in 1977, is one of the great live albums of the decade. They changed their style somewhat on their final album, 1978’s Drastic Plastic, playing shorter, quirkier songs. After all, new wave had taken over, but these songs were filled with Nelson’s intelligence and adroit lyric writing. Sunburst Finish (1976, currently out-of-stock) and Futurama (1975) are also very good albums, and the bulk of the material on the live album is drawn from these two, though the live versions are superior. These are all the latest editions with bonus tracks. Many of the bonus tracks are excellent; Quest for the Harvest of the Stars, which appears on Modern Music, is sublime. They must have left it off because the title suggested prog rock pretension.
Bruford - The Bruford Tapes ($16.99)
Bruford - Feels Good to Me ($16.99)There are all the 2005 remastered editions on Bill Bruford’s Winterfold Records label. Feels Good to Me contains an unreleased version of Joe Frazier as a bonus track. One of a Kind contains the previously unreleased bonus track Manacles. Gradually Going Tornado contains the bonus track 5G, while The Bruford Tapes contains the bonus track The Age of Information. The Bruford Tapes is actually a double-CD, adding a sampler CD of Bruford’s Summerfold Records label, including an interview with Bruford. Summerfold exists to reissue remastered and expanded versions of Bruford’s post-1987 output (his jazz work), while Winterfold exists to reissue remastered and expanded versions of his CDs up to 1987 (his rock work).
Following his brief tenure with Genesis, Bill recorded his debut album Feels Good to Me in 1978. It predates the official start of the band “Bruford” although it features performances from many of the musicians who would go on to work with Bill full-time in that group. The album features vocalist Annette Peacock, keyboardist Dave Stewart, bassist Jeff Berlin, guitarists Allan Holdsworth and John Goodsall (Brand X), and flugelhorn player Kenny Wheeler. After the first version of UK split-up, Bruford and Holdsworth teamed with Dave Stewart and Jeff Berlin for the first official Bruford album One of a Kind (1979). Easily Bruford’s best studio album, this is also one of the best albums of progressive jazz-rock ever recorded. Some of the tracks were being played by UK on their first tour, and Dave Stewart’s stamp is all over this album.
The Bruford Tapes is a live album recorded in 1979, featuring two tracks from Feels Good to Me and the rest from One of a Kind. It perfectly captures the atmosphere of the gig, and the versions here are even better than the studio versions, making this the definitive Bruford album. The final Bruford album Gradually Going Tornado (1980) sees guitarist John Clark replacing Allan Holdsworth, but the band loses little. This album features four shorter vocal songs, with Jeff Berlin handling the vocals. The long tracks Q.E.D. and Land’s End are outstanding. As good as the first UK album is, the split into Bruford and the Wetton/Jobson/Bozzio UK gave us twice as much great music, with each band free to do the style its members did best. The Bruford style might be summarized as a combination of the Canterbury style (Dave Stewart’s contribution) with jazz-rock.
Bill Bruford’s two collaborations with keyboardist Patrick Moraz, Music for Piano and Drums (1983) and Flags (1985), have also been remastered and each now has three bonus tracks. Check our DVDs page for Bruford’s Rock Goes to College DVD.
Tim Burness - Vision On ($12.99) Tim Burness has been at this since the mid-1980’s with his band Burnessence, who released two LPs and played gigs with IQ, Pendragon, Pallas, and Solstice, and he continued to record under his own name during the 1990’s. Finding New Ways to Love (2004) is his most substantial release to date, a blend of his progressive-pop vocal tracks and progressive rock instrumentals. Tim is joined by several musicians on this album, notably Fudge Smith (Pendragon, Steve Hackett) on drums. The vocal tracks are inspired by Peter Gabriel, Sting, and Tears for Fears, while you can spot the influence of early Steve Hillage in the instrumentals, also a little Steve Hackett and Robert Fripp. The hammered dulcimer on two of the instrumentals is a great addition; only Nigel Mazlyn Jones has done something similar.
Vision On (2008) continues the mix of progressive-pop vocal tracks and prog rock instrumentals, with more of a band vibe as Tim leads the same group of musicians from the previous CD. Some tracks feature a combination of Steve Hillage-style spaciness and neo-prog that is unique, and in fact this CD includes a track dedicated to Hillage and Gong. Tim feels this album represents a return to his prog rock roots.
Caamora - She studio digipack 2CD ($18.99) She (2008) is the huge giant epic rock opera from Caamora, the project keyboardist Clive Nolan (Pendragon, Arena, Neo) had been laboring on for two years with Polish female singer Agnieszka Swita and guests Alan Reed (Pallas), Christina Booth (Magenta), Mark Westwood (Neo), John Jowitt (IQ, Neo), Scott Higham (Pendragon), Richard West (Threshold), Hugh McDowell (ELO), and others. It’s a rock opera all right -- Nolan has made Jesus Christ Progstar for the 21st century. One can hear the seeds of Caamora in Nolan’s Strangers on a Train and Shadowland albums, but Nolan has matured as a writer in the interim. His real forte is orchestrating, where he has few peers among active progressive rock musicians. Read the excellent DPRP review for much more detail, and follow the mp3 link above to the Caamora website for more info on the She project.
The studio digipack 2CD contains the full studio version of She plus one bonus track that is not available on the jewel box version. Counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping.
The DVD contains the live premiere of She, filmed on 31 October 2007 in Poland, with almost all of the same musicians that appear on the studio recording and then some. A Making of She featurette is included as a bonus. Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio, 160-minutes. The Limited Edition includes the DVD plus the double-CD live version of She in a lavish digipack DVD case. Counts as 2 CDs for shipping. (Compare to amazon.com’s price, which has generally been around $40.)
The double-CD digipack set Journey’s End: An Acoustic Anthology is a follow-up to She, featuring over 130 minutes of acoustic live performances from around the world, as well as a selection of previously unreleased demos and bonus tracks. In the buildup to the release of She, Clive Nolan and Agnieszka Swita performed approximately 30 concerts in England, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Poland, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Canada. Journey’s End features recordings of some of these performances. Some of the guests on this CD such as Magenta singer Christina Booth also participated in She, while there are new guests such as keyboardist Claudio Momberg from the Chilean band SETI. Beyond the live material, there are three demos that were made over the past few years, and three bonus songs. The set concludes with a short radio interview with Nolan and Swita, providing insight into the world of Caamora. View the track and guest list on Caamora’s site. Read the DPRP review.
Robert Calvert - Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters ($17.99) The Eclectic/Esoteric team have done their usual superb job with this 24-bit remastered 2007 reissue (reprinted in 2009 without the slipcase under the Esoteric banner), rendering the older BGO reissue obsolete. Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters (1974) was the first solo album by Hawkwind poet, lyricist, frontman, and formerly-alive person Robert Calvert. Featuring Hawkwind and guests Paul Rudolph (Pink Fairies), Vivian Stanshall, Brian Eno, Arthur Brown and Jim Capaldi, the album is a conceptual work of dark wit. Remastered from the original master tapes and with fully restored artwork, this reissue adds three bonus tracks including a previously-unreleased extended version of The Right Stuff. The liner notes are written by Hawkwind’s Nik Turner.
Camel, A Tribute to - Harbour of Joy (2CD, $23.99)This 1996 Camel tribute 2CD set contains 22 Camel tracks, some of them medleys. The participating bands include Glass Hammer, Cast, Fonya, Aton’s, Zauber, Finisterre, Galahad, CAP, and others. 2CD set in fat case, counts as 2 CDs for shipping.
The Neil Campbell Collective - Particle Theory ($13.99) Particle Theory (2008) is the second CD for the English band led by composer, virtuoso classical guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist Neil Campbell. The Collective includes some of the best musicians in Liverpool, who contribute vocals, drums, bass, cello, horns, and Celtic harp, while Campbell himself plays all manner of guitars, keyboards, and more. The music is predominantly instrumental, with some male lead vocals and occasional ethereal female vocals, but is not song-oriented. Bands such as the NCC with an original style are not as easy to describe as bands who sound like so-and-so. The first thing that is apparent is that these are musicians with classical training. At times the NCC sound like a chamber orchestra playing rock, more rock-oriented than Karda Estra, more melodic and warm than Univers Zero. While they don’t strongly resemble any of the 1970’s progressive bands, the NCC share the same true progressive ethos and the same desire to incorporate several centuries of western musical development into rock. Follow the mp3 icon above to the NCC MySpace page for more information.
To Canterbury and Beyond: A Tribute to the Canterbury Scene (2CD, $23.99)This 1999 tribute 2CD set contains covers of 21 tracks, some medleys, by bands associated with the Canterbury scene: Caravan, Gong, Hatfield and the North, National Health, Egg, Camel, Soft Machine, Robert Wyatt, Hugh Hopper, Bruford, and Fred Frith. The participating artists include Patrick Forgas, Hostsonaten, Notturno Concertante, The Underground Railroad, Tilion, Mary Newsletter, Nostalgia, Algebra, Dono Celeste, Trama, and more.
Caravan - Better By Far ($15.99)Hopefully Caravan need no introduction, as they are one of the most important progressive rock bands. In 2005, the last Caravan studio album left to be released on CD finally was, by Eclectic Discs. It isn’t the equal of their early classics, but Better By Far (1977) is still a good album that has been overlooked, probably because it was never that easy to find in the U.S. and hadn’t been available at all for 20 years. In addition to fine examples of Pye Hastings’ songwriting such as Nightmare (still a favorite of the band’s live act), Better By Far and Behind You, this album also features the Geoffrey Richardson classic The Last Unicorn and Jan Schelhaas’ Man in a Car. Digitally remastered of course, with extensive liner notes and unseen photographs. Now deleted, last copies.
Carmen - The Gypsies / Widescreen (2CD, $21.99) |   |
Channel Light Vessel - Excellent Spirits ($15.99) Automatic is the 2006 edition (with one bonus track) of the 1994 first album by Channel Light Vessel, a group comprised of Bill Nelson (Be Bop Deluxe), Roger Eno, Kate St. John, percussionist Laraaji, and Japanese cellist Mayumi Tachibana. Often described as an “ambient supergroup”, that may be a bit misleading as many of the tracks contain drums/percussion, and a few include vocals from Nelson and St. John. Some of the tracks are similar to Nelson’s solo work, only these sound like highly-textured finished tracks, whereas many of Nelson’s sound like demos that he didn’t care to finish before moving on to the next song. The Channel Light Vessel style overlaps with Karda Estra, especially when St. John plays oboe or cor anglais. “A record so lovely and transporting it is physically painful to have it end.” [Billboard] Excellent Spirits is the 2006 edition of their even better 1996 follow-up. “Excellent Spirits is well-played, ethereal prog rock with substance.” [Alternative Press]
City Boy - The Day the Earth Caught Fire ($13.99) out-of-stock 
City Boy - Dinner at the Ritz ($12.99) out-of-stockCity Boy were an English progressive pop or art-rock band along the lines of 10cc and Stackridge, to a lesser extent Quantum Jump, early Queen, Supertramp, and ELO. They released seven LPs between 1976-1981. Like Supertramp, City Boy had two lead vocalists, one high-pitched and the other low-pitched. They added a third lead vocalist (also their new drummer) on their fourth album. Prior to their first LP, they had been a folk band, and this carries over slightly onto their self-titled 1976 debut, where there are some more acoustic-flavored tracks, especially the gorgeous Haymaking Time. This first album was City Boy’s best: it shows the strongest identification with progressive rock, and has a couple longer tracks that are outstanding. Dinner at the Ritz (1977) displays a bit of the English music hall influence, as Queen did early on, and also includes excellent hard rocking songs (Queen were pretty good at that too).
Beginning with Young Men Gone West (1977), the albums became less arty, more a set of quirky and sophisticated rock/pop songs. Like every band operating during the late 1970’s, pressure increased every year to produce hit singles and more commercial rock. In City Boy’s case, they were probably also pressured to make music insipid enough to break them in the USA. Book Early (1978) yielded the band’s first hit single, and while we’re sure there are a lot of pop fans who consider this album City Boy’s best, none of those people ever shop at this site. The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1979) is actually something of a return to form; the title track is one of City Boy’s best. You can watch the promo video for it on YouTube. (Be forewarned that the other City Boy songs on YouTube are skewed toward their more commercial output.) Steve Broughton, one of their principal songwriters and vocalists, had left before Heads Are Rolling (1980), and it was like Supertramp after Roger Hodgson departed. The City Boy fan site has a good overview of their albums on the who tab, actually taken from the Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock.
Clouds - Scrapbook / Watercolour Days ($19.99)This BGO 2-on-1 CD reissues Scrapbook (1969) and Watercolour Days (1971), the first two albums by Scottish band Clouds, both remastered for this CD. (Their third album Up Above Our Heads was only released in the U.S. and was only partially new material.) Scrapbook is period pop, influenced by The Beatles and The Moody Blues with only flashes of progressive rock coming from the keyboards. Watercolour Days is an excellent proto-prog album dominated by Hammond organ. See the transition from 1960’s pop to progressive rock happening before your very ears!
CMU - Space Cabaret ($17.99) These are the 2009 editions on Esoteric, remastered from the original master tapes. (The now-deleted 1993 See for Miles 2-on-1 CD reissue omitted Open Spaces’ lengthy tour de force, Chanticleer.) Space Cabaret adds two bonus tracks. “CMU (Contemporary Music Unit) were a unique fusion of progressive rock, jazz and folk influences. In keeping with the mood of the times, Open Spaces (1971) evokes the work of contemporaries Affinity or even Arthur Brown. In Larraine Odell, CMU had one of the few female vocalists of the progressive era, a fine vocalist supported by a fine band. For their second and final album Space Cabaret (1973), CMU changed lineup and recruited Leary Hasson on Mellotron from labelmates Marsupilami.” [Esoteric] Read the DPRP review.
Colosseum II - Strange New Flesh expanded edition (2CD, $17.99)The 2005 expanded 2CD edition of this classic album adds 10 previously unreleased studio tracks plus a complete BBC In Concert session from 1976 and extensive new liner notes. Strange New Flesh was Colosseum II’s first album, recorded not long after they formed in 1975. Drummer Jon Hiseman formed this band with ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore, keyboardist Don Airey, bassist Neil Murray and singer Mike Starrs. This version of Colosseum was a jazz-rock band but heavier and more rock-oriented than the earlier Colosseum, though not as hard rock oriented as Hiseman’s immediate predecessor band Tempest. Colosseum II would go on to record two more excellent albums as well as form the nucleus of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s orchestra on his album Variations.
Credo - Rhetoric ($14.99) Eleven years after their debut Field of Vision, British neo-prog band Credo return with Rhetoric (2005). This 70-minute album is a big improvement over Field of Vision but is still solidly in the early Marillion vein, with Mark Colton’s very Fish-like vocals. It also resembles Grey Lady Down, early Arena, and Pallas and is of comparable quality. Note Field of Vision is deleted, but a re-recorded version may be in the works. Check our DVDs page for Credo’s This Is What We Do DVD.
Cressida - Cressida / Asylum ($20.99) This 2009 2-on-1 CD on the BGO label is the latest CD reissue of the two albums by Cressida, a British or possibly Scottish early-progressive band in the vein of Spring, Fantasy, Gracious, Cirkus, etc. These albums appeared in 1970 and 1971 respectively on the Vertigo ‘spiral’ label. Read the ProgWeed reviews.
Cruachan - The Middle Kingdom ($12.99) 2000 album mixing Irish folk and instrumentation with metal.
Curved Air - Live ($17.99) This is the 2008 remastered edition on Esoteric of Curved Air’s 1975 live album, remastered from the original master tapes and including a booklet with new essay and photographs. This live album includes most of the classic tracks from Curved Air’s first three albums, performed by the lineup of Sonja Kristina, Darryl Way, Francis Monkman, Florian Pilkington-Miksa, and Phil Kohn.
This is a bargain-priced sampler CD from the British Cyclops label. The 75-minute Sampler 2 covers earlier Cyclops releases by Robert Berry, Credo, Epilogue, Ezra, Fruitcake, Grace, Grey Lady Down, Lands End, Sphere, Tristan Park, and Vulgar Unicorn. Almost all of the releases covered by this CD are now out-of-print.
Decameron - Parabola Road: The Anthology (2CD, $17.99) This is the 2005 domestic issue of a 2CD set that includes in their entirety Decameron’s second, third, and fourth albums: Mammoth Special (1974), Third Light (1975), and Tomorrow’s Pantomime (1976), plus an array of bonus tracks including rarities and contemporary live performances. All are remastered from the original master tapes. Decameron was a prog-folk band whose music shows similarities to early Strawbs, Steeleye Span, and Fairport Convention, plus bigger production numbers with rock guitar and string arrangements. All the band members were multi-instrumentalists and vocalists.
Demon - The Plague (2CD, $15.99) Demon were one of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands, but on their 1983 concept album The Plague, the band changed musical direction and became a symphonic progressive rock band. By today’s standards, there is no metal here at all. In fact, The Plague compares favorably with Pallas, with a slightly harder edge perhaps, but the keyboards hold their own against the guitars. This set includes a second CD with the original first mix of the album.
Different Trains - On the Right Track ($14.99) This is the only album by the quartet led by Damon Shulman -- the son of Phil Shulman of Gentle Giant -- released on IQ’s GEP label back in 1994. It is very good progressive rock with pop overtones but also a quirky originality and eccentric genius, incorporating a myriad of musical styles blended into a most complex and individual piece of work. It seems to fit in well with labelmates Jadis without sounding particularly like them. There are a couple Gentle Giant-ish moments, though that’s not primarily what this is about. 70-minutes.
East of Eden - Snafu ($16.99)These are the latest remastered editions of these classic prog albums. Mercator Projected (1969) is on the Esoteric label, Snafu (1970) on the Eclectic label. Esoteric is the same people as Eclectic; the latter went under. These are the first two albums by East of Eden, a British early progressive band. Their sound fused rock, jazz, psychedelia, and Eastern-influenced world music, lead by violin and hard-rock guitar. (Their violinist Dave Arbus later played the famous violin solo on The Who’s Baba O'Reilly.) Both albums have been taken from the original master tapes and have extensive booklets. Mercator Projected features three bonus tracks totaling nearly 25-minutes, while Snafu has seven bonus tracks totaling 34-minutes!
Egg - The Civil Surface ($17.99)
These are the latest remastered versions of these classic prog albums on Esoteric. All have been mastered from the original master tapes and feature extensive liner notes. Egg was Dave Stewart’s first band with a recording contract, a trio with Mont Campbell on bass and Clive Brooks on drums. Initially drawing inspiration from The Nice and early Soft Machine, Egg were more adventurous. Stewart was already fond of the odd meters that would characterize his later work in Hatfield and the North, National Health, and Bruford. Organ dominates, except for the occasional Mellotron abuse. Their self-titled debut (1970) now features three bonus tracks, The Polite Force (1971) has two.
Stewart had already worked on the first Hatfield and the North album when, in 1974, Egg reformed to record their third and final album The Civil Surface for the newly-established Virgin Records label. Steve Hillage, members of Henry Cow, the Northettes (Barbara Gaskin, Amanda Parsons, Ann Rosenthal), and a wind quartet guest on what is the most “Canterbury” of the Egg albums.
ELP, A Tribute to - Fanfare for the Pirates (3CD, $29.99)This 1998 Emerson Lake & Palmer tribute 3CD set contains 27 ELP tracks performed by mainly lesser-known bands including Zauber, Hermetic Science, Prowlers, Mary Newsletter, House of Usher, Nostalgia, Trama, Rivendell, and many others. 3CD set in fat case, counts as 2 CDs for shipping.
Keith Emerson - At the Movies (3CD, $21.99)At The Movies is a 3CD collection of pieces from seven films scored by Emerson between 1981 and 2004. Most of this music is rare and much of it is making its official U.S. CD debut. Disc 1 includes the complete soundtrack to the 1981 Sylvester Stallone suspense thriller Nighthawks. Music from 1986's Best Revenge ends the first disc, including Boston vocalist Brad Delp guesting on Playing For Keeps. Disc 2 covers three Italian movie scores starting with the 1980 Dario Argento horror film Inferno. Four tracks from director Michele Soavi's 1988 film La Chiesa (The Church) follows. The disc closes with nine tracks from 1986‘s Murderock. Disc 3 includes the scores for two Japanese films: 1985’s animated feature Harmageddon and 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars, a remake of the classic original monster movie. Counts as 2 CDs for shipping.
This is the 2005 remastered edition of Honky with detailed liner notes and photos, originally released on LP in 1980. It’s Emerson’s first solo album, an eclectic one, and one of his few that is not a soundtrack. Emerson was in a playful mood during these recording sessions in the Bahamas, using local musicians.
The Enid - Tears of the Sun ($14.99) The Enid are symphonic rock masters, with the emphasis on the symphonic. Their brand of romantic classical progressive rock has never been duplicated, except perhaps by Craft (see the Kinesis-label section), but Craft was formed by ex-Enid members. Tears of the Sun is a 13-track compilation celebrating The Enid’s 25th anniversary, though the 9:27 title track was composed specifically for this release. Two of the tracks are different versions than appeared previously. Most of the tracks are from the Enid’s classic phase, making this a very good introduction to the band.
Brian Eno - Another Day on Earth ($15.99) This 2005 CD is Brian Eno’s first vocal and song-based album in two decades. It’s not exactly another Before and After Science though, as all that work in ambient music has taken it’s toll. This is a low-key album with some electronic percussion loops but no real drums. A welcome return, but more soundscapes than rock. To find the audio clips, click the mp3 icon above, click Enter Site, then click the dot over the western U.S. on the world map in the lower left.
Erasmus - Voyage ($13.99) Erasmus’ Voyage (2002) is an excellent album between prog and prog-metal. One of the two main members of Erasmus is Matthew Cohen, the leader of The Reasoning. We’re not exactly fans of metal, but we like this album, as the prog rock always maintains the upper hand, the melodies are strong, and the vocals are fine prog rock vocals. (Metal vocals seem to adhere to a different aesthetic.) Magenta’s Rob Reed produced, mixed, helped arrange and played on the album.
Esquire - same ($11.99) Esquire was the band fronted by Nikki Squire, Chris Squire’s wife at least at the time of their 1987 self-titled debut. This is the stronger of their two albums, and Yes personnel are involved: Alan White plays drums, Chris Squire sings backing vocals, and Trevor Horn mixed some tracks.
John Etheridge & Ric Sanders - 2nd Vision ($16.99)This is the 2000 CD issue of a 1980 recording that was never released. Originally the band name was 2nd Vision and the album was to be named First Steps. Before Ric Sanders became Fairport Convention’s fiddler, he was the violinist in a later edition of Soft Machine with guitarist John Etheridge. Sanders seems to have been the prime mover in 2nd Vision, putting together the band with a keyboardist, bassist and drummer in addition to himself on electric & acoustic violins and Etheridge on electric & acoustic guitars. 2nd Vision is similar to Soft Machine of that era, with a few more influences. It’s an excellent but overlooked album of instrumental symphonic jazz-rock and progressive, finishing off with a short Celtic tune.
Ezra - Songs from Pennsylvania ($14.99) Welsh progressive rock band Ezra has been around since the beginning of the 1990’s and released two CDs on the Cyclops label during that decade. Their 2006 third CD Songs from Pennsylvania is on the F2 label (Magenta and others), and like the band Credo, their new album on F2 is a huge improvement over their earlier CDs. Ezra have some similarity to IQ and Jadis at times, a noticeable Pink Floyd influence, a strong Yes influence on one song, and a pop sensibility that manifests as terrific melodies that few besides the British can create. Ezra also have great harmony vocals, which may remind the listener of Echolyn on occasion, though that could just be the power of suggestion. (Echolyn is from Pennsylvania.) At other times, the vocals have the melancholic feel prevalent in many of today’s bands, and overall this album has a contemporary feel along the lines of RPWL. The tracks vary enough that influences present in one track are absent from others, but all seven tracks are proggy and all are exceptional.
Fair Weather - Beginning from an End ($17.99) Following the demise of Amen Corner, Andy Fairweather Lowe and musical cohorts Blue Weaver, Clive Taylor and Dennis Byron transitioned into the band Fair Weather. Heading in a more progressive direction, the band adopted a harder edge and were the first act to sign to RCA’s progressive imprint Neon (an attempt to rival Philips’ Vertigo label). Perhaps the most successful Neon signing, the band had a UK top ten hit in Natural Sinner (included here as a bonus track) before releasing their sole album Beginning from an End in 1971. Though the album was a success in Europe, Fair Weather lasted a mere 13 months before disbanding. This 2008 Esoteric edition adds six bonus tracks, the A & B sides of three singles, to comprise this definitive edition remastered reissue.
Fire - The Magic Shoemaker Live ($17.99) Fire is known as the first band of guitarist/singer Dave Lambert, who later joined the Strawbs where he remains to this day. Fire’s 1970 concept album The Magic Shoemaker was one of the earliest concept albums, a fairy tale set to rock music. It is primarily a psychedelic rock album similar to early The Who, though given the year, one can hear the transition from psych to progressive rock happening. Fire disbanded in 1971. In late 2007, Fire reconvened to perform this album live; this CD is The Magic Shoemaker in its entirety. The three original members Dave Lambert, Dick Dufall and Bob Voice were joined on stage by Shoemaker producer Ray Hammond to narrate the story. Lambert partially rewrote the story so as to include some live favorites such as Father’s Name Is Dad, so the CD duration is now a hefty 74-minutes. Read reviews on StrawbsWeb.
Fish - 13th Star ($16.99)13th Star is the 2008 studio album from the ex-Marillion front man. It’s one of Fish’s very best albums, and a very personal one, reinforcing the notion that the best art is borne of pain. Read reviews on the official Fish site to get the whole story.
Communion is a semi-acoustic live double-CD recorded at St Mary’s Church, Haddington on the acoustic night of Fish’s fan club convention in August 2006. In addition to Fish’s seven-man band, there are guests Heather Findlay and Angela Gordon from Mostly Autumn on backing vocals, flute and whistles, and Anne-Marie Helder (ex-Karnataka) and Fish’s daughter Tara on backing vocals. The 19-track set features some songs never performed live before -- see the track list and reviews at Fish’s site. Note this new edition comes in a jewel box and the cover has been changed from the original black one.
Fish - Return to Childhood 2CD ($16.99) 
This is the Snapper label’s 2007 digipack reissue of Fish’s 1994 album Suits, which is the 1998 remastering with the bonus tracks Black Canal and Out of My Life.
In 2005, Fish embarked on the Return to Childhood tour across Europe and South America, performing Marillion’s 1985 masterpiece Misplaced Childhood in its entirety. The concert was divided into two halves, with the first half consisting of songs from Fish’s solo career: Big Wedge, Moving Targets, Brother 52, Goldfish and Clowns, Raingods Dancing, Wake Up Call (Make It Happen), Innocent Party, Long Cold Day, Credo. The second half is a performance of the complete Misplaced Childhood album plus Marillion favorites Incommunicado, Market Square Heroes and Fugazi. The Return to Childhood 2CD set was recorded on the same tour but at a different concert than the companion DVD. Beautiful fat 2CD digipack, 125-minutes. The DVD includes a backstage interview with Fish and a running time of 192 minutes. Unlike the 2CD, the DVD is the complete show including Fish’s stage banter. The current edition of the DVD comes in a standard Amaray case. There are usually a few more Fish CDs on our Bargain CDs page.
Flash - Flash (Esoteric) ($17.99) The first title is the 2009 definitive CD edition of the first Flash album on Esoteric Recordings, known for their superb remastering jobs and extensive booklets. It contains the rare single version of Small Beginnings as a bonus track. Flash / Out of Our Hands is the 2003 Friday Music edition that combines the albums Flash (1972) and Out of Our Hands (1973) on one CD. These were the first and third albums of Peter Banks’ post-Yes band, who continued the early Yes style. On the first album, Tony Kaye is on keyboards, though he was never officially a member and never toured with them. Kaye left after the first album and Flash continued as a quartet, their sound becoming more guitar-oriented. The first album is the best, with each subsequent album tailing off a little. Flash then morphed into the band Empire, and Banks continued the slow but steady downward trend. The Flash CD however is fairly essential for fans of early Yes.
Flood - Tales from the Four Seasons ($9.99) This 2009 release is the debut CD by an Englishman known only as Flood. As Flood says: “My debut album Tales from the Four Seasons is an instrumental album. It began life as a short piece entitled Summer written whilst on holiday in Dorset five years ago. I liked the feel of the arrangement and therefore decided to write a suite of four pieces based on the four seasons. Although typically drawn to more heavy arrangements in terms of the use of synthesizers, bass pedals and electric guitars, I felt it was important to keep the orchestration and choice of instruments the same as had been used on Summer. Each season is made up of individual movements linked together using short linking passages. The music was inspired by the sights and sounds of the English countryside.” This is a very pastoral and relaxing work, nearly 80-minutes in length, influenced by the English classical composers. There are passages with drums and/or synths and organ, but they’re in the minority. Acoustic 6 & 12 string guitar and piano form the backbone of the album, augmented by flute, clarinet, cello, and upright bass. When the guitar is present, the feel is close to Gordon Giltrap’s later work, while Mike Oldfield and Anthony Phillips are other possible reference points. Very nice.
Frost - Experiments in Mass Appeal sp. ed. (CD+DVD, $16.99) Frost is a UK progressive rock band featuring Jem Godfrey, John Mitchell (Kino, Arena), John Jowitt (IQ,...), Andy Edwards (IQ), and (on the second CD) Declan Burke (Darwin’s Radio). It does seem that the same core group of musicians is shuffled around to form as many bands as possible, with the one requirement that Jowitt be the bassist. But Godfrey, who made a name for himself as a writer and producer in the pop music field, is the sole writer in Frost, and as he says: “I’ve always been into progressive rock music and so I decided to do exactly that, writing an album to my kind of taste”. Frost’s 2006 debut Milliontown is a blend of classic prog and very modern, heavier prog. The classic stuff happens mainly during the instrumental passages, of which there are plenty. These instrumental passages sound like what Genesis would produce today in an ideal universe (in which the five of them were together, had their youthful energy and then some, and forgot everything that happened after Duke). The keyboards especially remind one of Tony Banks. The album opens with a killer 7:30 instrumental and concludes with the 26:35 title track, which is the highlight. In between there's a 10-minute song, and the remaining shorter songs showcase the modern side of the band.
It looked for a time as though Frost would be one-and-done, but they returned in 2008 (2009 in the U.S.) with Experiments in Mass Appeal, which is a completely contemporary-style progressive rock album, meaning guitar-oriented, darker, heavier, and employing some modern production techniques. This is as good as Porcupine Tree or any of the other practitioners of the modern prog style you care to name. And even though it is guitar-dominated, keyboards still play a more important role than in most other such bands. This is the digipack special edition, which adds an NTSC DVD containing a documentary, informal studio renditions of two songs from Milliontown, and an instrumental remix of the entire EiMA album as 192kbps mp3 files. Read reviews at ProgArchives.
Fruupp - Modern Masquerades ($17.99) 
Fruupp - Future Legends ($17.99)These are the 2009 remastered editions on Esoteric of the four albums by the Belfast-based symphonic prog band Fruupp, Northern Ireland’s great contribution to 1970’s progressive rock. Amazingly, these four LPs were originally released within a span of less than 18 months in 1973-1975. Fruupp opened for Genesis many times, and their open admiration for Genesis probably influenced them, as their music is sometimes similar to pastoral 1970’s Genesis. The DPRP history and review of Fruupp and these four CDs will tell you all you need to know. Future Legends has one bonus track, The Prince of Heaven’s Eyes has two. All have extensive booklets with previously unseen photographs and new liner notes.
The Fyreworks - same ($14.99) The Fyreworks’ 1998 album is conceptually similar to Ad Infinitum, a successful attempt to create a purely 1970’s style vocal progressive rock album. Keyboards are intentionally limited to Hammond, Mellotron, Moog, and piano. The main difference is that, in addition to the 1970’s Genesis and Yes stylings, The Fyreworks add a substantial Jethro Tull feel (circa Thick as a Brick) and perhaps a little Van der Graaf Generator. Magenta’s Rob Reed plays keys, co-wrote and produced the album, but the main force behind this quintet is Danny Chang, who has been playing and recording since the early 70’s.
Galahad - Empires Never Last ($17.99) 
British neo-prog band Galahad have been at it for a while, with their debut CD being released in 1991 and, prior to that, cassettes dating back to 1985. There is a correlation between longevity and quality. Empires Never Last (2007, 62-minutes) is worth the wait of five years since the previous CD. This is Galahad’s heaviest, darkest and most intense album. If their earlier albums were comparable to Pendragon, ENL is more in the direction of Arena, IQ at their heaviest, and Fugazi-era Marillion. There is more guitar and a metal influence, though it stops short of being prog-metal, staying in the heavy symphonic realm. Galahad also make good use of samples and electronic effects to enhance the proceedings. The album was recorded at Thin Ice Studios and engineered and mixed by Karl Groom, so the shift toward the huge Arena and Threshold sound is not surprising. Groom, Clive Nolan, and Tina Booth (Magenta) guest. Check our DVDs page for Galahad’s Resonance DVD.
Sleepers (1995) is Galahad’s third studio album, which made great strides from their previous albums. This is the 2005 reissue. Following a number of cassettes, Nothing Is Written (1991) was Galahad’s debut CD. This is the 2007 reissue on the Polish Oskar label, which adds one bonus track. Reviews of all Galahad CDs can be found here.
Galliard - New Dawn ($17.99) These 2009 editions on Esoteric are the first official CD releases of two 1970 albums from Decca’s Deram label. Both are remastered from the original master tapes, with booklets containing previously unseen photographs and new liner notes. Strange Pleasure includes two bonus tracks. Galliard were an English proto-prog band that augmented their sound with brass arrangements. The brass arrangements are sometimes in the jazzier style of early Chicago, sometimes in the British brass band style a la Home Service. The DPRP reviews are required reading; Mark Hughes hits the nail on the head when he writes that Strange Pleasure “...perfectly encapsulates the musical freedom of that era. Jazzy without being jazz, psychedelic without being trippy, pop without being limp-wristed and progressive without being indulgent, the songs stand out for the ease of which the different styles blend together, carefully encased with perfectly executed brass arrangements.” There is also some trad folk influence as well as a bit of baroque in what are two underrated gems of the formative era of British prog.
Genesis, A Tribute to - The River of Constant Change (2CD, $23.99)This 1996 Genesis tribute 2CD set contains 27 Genesis tracks, almost entirely from the 1970’s. The participating bands are mostly Italian and include Moongarden, Finisterre, and Submarine Silence, while British bands Final Conflict and Galahad also contribute tracks. See Prog Archives for the complete list of songs and bands as well as reviews. 2CD set in fat case plus slipcase, counts as 2 CDs for shipping.
Gilgamesh - Another Fine Tune You’ve Got Me Into ($17.99) This is the 2009 24-bit remastered edition on Esoteric Recordings, known for their superb remastering jobs. The 1978 second album by Gilgamesh is a Canterbury classic. Gilgamesh was centered on keyboardist Alan Gowen, who had been a member of National Health, and Gilgamesh is often thought of as closely-related to National Health / Hatfield and the North. Gilgamesh’s music is jazzier and less idiosyncratic than either of those bands, Gowen’s and Dave Stewart’s contrasting compositional and playing styles largely accounting for the difference. Gowen succumbed to leukemia in 1981. National Health’s D.S. al Coda album contained all Alan Gowen compositions and was a tribute to him.
Gordon Giltrap & The Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra - At the Symphony Hall, Birmingham (Dual Disc, $17.99)Giltrap’s rock days are behind him, and he now focuses on acoustic guitar. Giltrap has a signature style that is a clear influence on Ritchie Blackmore in Blackmore’s Night. This release employs the DualDisc format with a CD on one side and a DVD-Video on the other side. The DVD was recorded in March 2005 at the Birmingham Symphony Hall during one of Gordon’s many live concert appearances. Gordon is joined on this concert date by the Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra and guests Raymond Burley, Rod Edwards, Gilly Darbey and Rick Wakeman. The concert saw the performance of Gordon’s rhapsody The Eye of the Wind, which was written between 1978 and 1980 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Sir Francis Drake’s circumnavigation of the world. The CD includes the complete 49-minute studio version of The Eye of the Wind, recorded in 2004 with The Sheffield Philharmonic. Fans will recognize some of the themes from Giltrap’s band albums. It’s great to hear Giltrap’s music adapted for symphony orchestra. Note playback of DualDiscs cannot be guaranteed on all CD or DVD players as the disc thickness exceeds the spec for CDs and DVDs, though problems are not common.
Gordon Giltrap - Drifter (2CD, $16.99) 
Gordon Giltrap - The Peacock Party ($15.99) With the exception of Drifter, these are Gordon Giltrap’s band albums, easily the best albums in his extensive catalog. Giltrap is as unique a British music talent as they come, not only for the acoustic guitar technique that he developed, but for the style of instrumental progressive rock heard on these albums that is also unique. After beginning his career in the late 1960’s as a folkie, Giltrap switched to a bounteous, symphonic instrumental rock style more classical than folk, beginning with 1976’s Visionary and continuing with Perilous Journey (1977), Fear of the Dark (1978), The Peacock Party (1981), Airwaves (1982), and his 1979 (Live at Oxford) and 1981 live CDs. While acoustic guitar is his favorite, he does play some electric on these albums. He actually plays a lot of electric on The Band Live 1981, which was recorded live in the studio specifically for radio use and features 14 tracks of Giltrap’s best material. One constant in his band was keyboardist Rod Edwards. His band on Visionary and Perilous Journey also included John G. Perry and Simon Phillips. The Peacock Party includes Bimbo Acock, Richard Harvey (Gryphon), Ian Mosely (Marillion), John Gustafson, Morris Pert, and Ric Sanders (Soft Machine, Fairport Convention). His rhythm section on Airwaves switched to Chas Cronk (Strawbs) and Clive Bunker (Jethro Tull), and so Giltrap surrounded himself with excellent musicians, some of whom went on to Steve Hackett’s band. Giltrap’s band albums are an essential part of any progressive rock library.
Visionary (53-minutes) contains the bonus tracks On Wings of Hope, Jerusalem, and the original version of the title track.
The double-disc Drifter contains a 2004 studio CD and a 2003 live performance. Many of the tracks on the studio disc feature the violin of John Bradbury, and the combination of Giltrap’s acoustic guitar and Bradbury’s virtuoso violin is sublime. The live CD is the audio from Giltrap’s Live at Huntingdon Hall DVD and contains 20 tracks. Using one acoustic guitar, Giltrap is able to fill the sonic spectrum almost like an orchestra. Our favorite acoustic guitarist.
Gizmo - Victims ($13.99)Gizmo is a British progressive rock band known for their 1979 LP Just Like Master Bates, one of the most homemade-looking LPs ever. Their second album Victims was recorded in 1981 and later released on this CD by the defunct French UGUM (MSI) label. It is long out-of-print. Gizmo existed in those awkward years when progressive rock was moribund in the UK, disappearing just before the progressive revival led by Marillion. There is a quirky, lo-fi, synth-pop aspect to the earlier tracks on this CD. The music becomes more symphonic on the later tracks, which are longer and feature some violin, concluding with a version of Holst’s ever-popular Mars.
Gnidrolog - In Spite of Harry’s Toenail / Lady Lake ($19.99) The first title is BGO’s reissue combining Gnidrolog’s two 1972 albums on one CD. Gnidrolog were a full-blown progressive rock band from Wales who were contemporaneous with and similar to Van der Graaf Generator, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, and King Crimson. And Gnidrolog sometimes reached the same level. One could also compare aspects of their style to Traffic, Audience, Catapilla, Still Life, etc., blues-based rock bands with progressive tendencies, but Gnidrolog were proggier. Lady Lake is their best. Live 1972 is a 70-minute official live album with decent audio quality, released in 1999.
Gong - Angels Egg ($12.99) Angels Egg (1973) was the second album in Gong’s Radio Gnome trilogy. This is the remastered reissue on Charly/Snapper, which comes in a jewel case. While the following album You is much more instrumental, Angels Egg is full of Daevid Allen’s whimsical, quirky lyrics. Angels Egg is a transitional album, having much in common with the previous two albums but with the more refined sound and the synths that would characterize later albums.
Grace - Gathering in the Wheat (2CD, $7.99) out-of-stock SALE! SALE!Superb progressive rock and progressive pop with a subtle folk influence, hard not to like these guys. Poppy (1996) is Grace’s third album. Gathering in the Wheat is a 2CD live album recorded in 1997 that serves as an excellent retrospective covering all three of their studio albums. Read the DPRP review.
Greenslade - The Full Edition: Live 2001 ($17.99)Greenslade was a fine second-tier English prog rock band based around the dual keyboards of Dave Greenslade and Dave Lawson. They released four albums during the 1970’s, plus a few solo albums by Dave Greenslade. Blend ELP, The Nice, Argent, and Procol Harum and you’d be in the ballpark. They reunited circa 1999 with original members Dave Greenslade and bassist Tony Reeves, plus John Young on vocals & keyboards and a new drummer. They were a hit at Baja Prog 2002, showing the younger bands a thing or two about composing and songwriting. The Full Edition: Live 2001 includes live renditions of most of their best 70’s tracks plus a few tracks from their comeback album Large Afternoon, all on one 75-minute CD. Since John Young has a better voice than Dave Lawson did, and recording technology has improved, this is a great way to hear a classic progressive rock band at their finest. This is the reissue on the Angel Air label.
Steve Hackett - Wild Orchids special edition ($14.99)Wild Orchids is Hackett’s 2006 studio album with his electric band. The band again includes Roger King, Rob Townsend, and Gary O’Toole, with Nick Magnus back on keyboards and brother John on flute. Also featured is The Underworld Orchestra, the five-person classical ensemble with whom Hackett recorded Metamorpheus. As such, Wild Orchids seems to combine the styles of To Watch the Storms and Metamorpheus while also adding some world music elements, resulting in a very fine album. The special edition adds four bonus tracks (14:38 total) and a slipcase for the jewel box. Read reviews here.
Steve Hackett - Metamorpheus ($14.99)
Steve Hackett - Live Archive 70s, 80s, 90s (4CD box, $28.99) 
Steve Hackett - Please Don’t Touch remastered ($12.99)In addition to his work in progressive rock, Steve Hackett has shown remarkable dedication to his classical side. To date he has released five acoustic/classical albums and has appeared as the featured soloist with the London Chamber Orchestra, earning the respect of both rock contemporaries and classical figures. Metamorpheus is his latest classical project, the natural successor to 1997’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (which spent several weeks in the UK classical charts). It combines Steve’s nylon guitar with a number of orchestral musicians. Some of the tracks are “small” pieces revolving around Hackett’s guitar, while others are large orchestral pieces. There are even times during the latter when Hackett is not playing, the point being that this album really showcases Hackett as a classical composer and orchestral arranger. Beautiful work.
Though not the equal of the albums from the first half of his career, Hackett’s To Watch the Storms (2003) is a return to form and his strongest album in quite a while. The special edition adds four tracks and comes in the hardcover digibook format plus slipcase. The book is full of Kim Poor’s artwork.
The 4CD Live Archive boxset includes a 40-page booklet. The first two CDs contain the complete two hour 1979 performance at the Hammersmith Odeon. The third CD is a 1981 outdoor concert recorded at Rome’s Castel Sant’ Angelo, which Hackett describes as “possibly the best this line up ever performed”. The fourth CD is a 1993 show at London’s Grand Theatre with the Hugo Degenhardt/Doug Sinclair/Julian Colbeck lineup.
This is the 2003 digipack edition of Genesis Revisited on Snapper Classics, the CD originally released in 1996. This contains Steve’s remakes of Watcher of the Skies, Dance on a Volcano, Valley of the Kings, Déja Vu, Firth of Fifth, For Absent Friends, Your Own Special Way, The Fountain of Salmacis, The Waiting Room, I Know What I Like, and Los Endos. Déja Vu is a song started by Steve and Peter Gabriel in 1974 and only completed circa 1995. Featured musicians include John Wetton, Bill Bruford, Ian McDonald, Paul Carrack, Chester Thompson, Tony Levin, Colin Blunstone, members of various editions of The Steve Hackett Band, and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
These are the remastered and expanded editions of Steve Hackett’s early albums Please Don’t Touch and Defector. They were remastered in 2005 at Steve Hackett’s studio by engineer Benedict Fenner, in direct collaboration with Steve. Each has new liner notes. For bonus tracks, Defector contains the track Hercules Unchained plus live versions of Sentimental Institution, The Steppes, Slogans, and Clocks - The Angel of Mons. Please Don’t Touch contains a version of Narnia with John Perry on vocals, another alternate version of Narnia, and a live version of Land of a Thousand Autumns / Please Don’t Touch. Please Don’t Touch (1978) features Steve Walsh and Phil Ehart of Kansas as well as Richie Havens. Spectral Mornings (1979) and Defector (1980) are the albums on which Hackett established his own voice apart from Genesis and should be considered his classics. Check our Bargain CDs page for more Steve Hackett CDs.
John Hackett - Checking Out of London ($14.99) John Hackett of course is Steve’s younger brother and longtime sideman. Checking Out of London (2005) is John’s first rock album, a collection of twelve songs on the commercial side of progressive rock. That’s not meant to be a negative. John proves himself an excellent composer (most of the lyrics are written by Nick Clabburn), and many of these songs show a similarity to Steve’s songs, especially in the glorious choruses with great vocal harmonies. John plays lead and acoustic guitar, bass, occasional keys, and sings lead on most of the tracks. Tony Patterson, frontman of Genesis tribute band ReGenesis, sings lead on three tracks and provides backing vocals on most of the rest. He has a Gabriel-like voice. Steve plays lead guitar on four tracks and harmonica on a fifth, while Nick Magnus takes care of drums and keyboards on all tracks. So the connection to Steve Hackett and Genesis is pretty strong, but this is far from a clone of either. What else can we say – we like it a lot! Read reviews here.
Claire Hamill - Love in the Afternoon ($17.99) |       |
Annie Haslam - One Enchanted Evening ($14.99) SALE! SALE!
One Enchanted Evening (with one of Annie’s oil paintings on the cover) was recorded live in 2001 with superb fidelity in the intimate setting of a church in Pennsylvania. It isn’t Renaissance or progressive rock, but it is Annie Haslam, she of The Voice. Annie’s voice has never been this exposed on record, backed as she is only by Rave Tesar’s keyboards. These are some of Annie’s favorite songs by other composers. Among the 15 are several show tunes (Rodgers & Hammerstein, Gilbert & Sullivan, Leonard Bernstein), four classical pieces (Handel, Fauré, Satie), one Beatles and one Joni Mitchell song.
Live Under Brazilian Skies was recorded live in 1997 and features seven Renaissance songs, seven songs from Annie’s solo albums (including her cover of Mike Oldfield’s Moonlight Shadow), and the Yes song Turn of the Century. Blessing in Disguise is her 1994 studio album featuring 14 new songs.
Hatfield and the North - The Rotters’ Club ($17.99) These are the 2009 Esoteric Recordings remastered editions of two classic progressive rock albums that virtually defined the Canterbury genre. Hatfield and the North comprised former Caravan member Richard Sinclair, keyboardist Dave Stewart, guitarist Phil Miller and drummer Pip Pyle. Their self-titled 1974 debut album features guest appearances by Geoff Leigh of Henry Cow and Robert Wyatt who sang on the track Calyx. This reissue has three bonus tracks: both sides of the band’s first single, and Your Majesty is Like a Cream Donut incorporating Oh What a Lonely Lifetime featured on the Virgin sampler album V and previously unreleased on CD.
The Rotters’ Club (1975) features guest appearances by such luminaries as Jimmy Hastings and Mont Campbell. This reissue adds three bonus tracks from the 1980 compilation Afters and the 1975 live album Over the Rainbow. Both booklets feature restored artwork, notes by Sid Smith and a Dave Stewart interview.
Hawkwind - Levitation deluxe edition (3CD, $29.99) 
Hawkwind - Quark Strangeness and Charm (2CD, $21.99) 
These are all the 2009 editions on Esoteric’s Atomhenge label, all remastered from the original master tapes. Hawkwind’s 1980 album Levitation features Ginger Baker on drums and was well-received. Although Baker’s tenure with Hawkwind was brief, a concert at Lewisham Odeon in December 1980 was recorded by a mobile unit. Remixed from the original multitrack masters, this 3CD deluxe edition includes the entire concert (during which sci-fi author Michael Moorcock guested) on Discs 2 and 3. Disc 1 adds eight bonus tracks, including five from the Hawklords 1979 Rockfield sessions. This 3CD edition is limited to 3000 units and will then be reduced to just a single CD. Counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping.
PXR5 (1979) adds eight bonus tracks, five previously unreleased. This is the first CD edition of PXR5 to be mastered from the original tapes.
Originally released in 1977, Quark Strangeness and Charm saw Dave Brock and Robert Calvert deftly incorporating the influence of new wave to deliver one of the most effective albums released during Calvert’s tenure with Hawkwind. This 2009 2CD remastered expanded edition on Esoteric’s Atomhenge label includes 13 bonus tracks, nine previously unreleased. Read the detailed DPRP review.
Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music (1976) marked the return of Robert Calvert, who would be a major influence on the creative direction of the band as lyricist and vocalist. This edition adds four bonus tracks, two previous unreleased, and is the first CD edition to be mastered from the original tapes.
This is the 30th Anniversary 2CD edition of the Hawklords album on Esoteric, not only newly remastered from the master tapes, but with a bonus disc featuring 10 previously unreleased tracks (mostly alternate versions) and five 1977 live tracks from The Sonic Assassins (same band, different name), a 24-page booklet, and a slipcase. There are also three bonus tracks on Disc 1, all single mixes. This was very much a Hawkwind album, the name alteration probably due to contractual reasons, as Hawkwind had briefly blinked out of existence. The lineup includes Dave Brock, Robert Calvert, Harvey Bainbridge, Steve Swindells, Simon House (on three tracks), with the drums split between original drummer Simon King and Martin Griffin. The sound is close to the Astounding Sounds and Quark Strangeness and Charm albums, taking cues at times from the new wave music that had overrun Britain at the time. Few liked the cover art, but some great songs. Read the detailed DPRP review.
The first disc of the 2CD Space Ritual Sundown V.2 (2008) is a reissue of the 1985 album that was itself a reissue of the 1973 Space Ritual album, except that two of the songs are here in their unabridged versions. They were abbreviated on the LP. The second disc is titled Masters of the Universe, but it isn’t the 1977 compilation of that name. It is apparently a collection of live-in-the-studio performances recorded for radio stations in the 1970-71 period.
Check above for Robert Calvert’s CDs.
Haze - 30th Anniversary Shows (2CD, $14.99) 
Haze were one of the bands responsible for the progressive revival in Britain in the 1980’s, and their members carry on making music in one form or another (usually several forms) to this day. Back in 1992, the Haze compilation CD In the End: 1978-1988 was released on the hoary Kinesis label, and by following that link, you’ll find more info about Haze and their music. Stoat & Bottle (1987) was far and away Haze’s finest hour, and In the End drew heavily from it. Cyclops have now reissued Stoat & Bottle in a standalone version with new liner notes by Chris McMahon and five bonus studio tracks that Haze recorded as demos during August 1987 but never released. Most of these demos were re-recorded for the first World Turtle CD. The album has been remastered by Chris but not remixed. As Chris notes, remixing was impossible due to the state of the multitrack tapes.
Haze celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2008 and recorded two shows at The Peel, Kingston and The Boardwalk, Sheffield to produce the 2CD commemorative live set, which is priced as a single CD. For these gigs, the band tried to avoid playing too many of the obvious choices that had already been captured live on their 10th and 20th Anniversary CDs (not that those CDs were widely available) by including several new songs, some of their oldest (Turn Around, Portrait, Unto the Dawn, Mirage)), and two tracks first played with Treebeard, in addition to Haze classics such as Ophelia, Last Orders, Seven Stones, and The Vice. In all there are 26 songs totaling 133 minutes. The trio of Paul Chisnell and brothers Paul and Chris McMahon are joined on many tracks by flautist Ceri Ashton and by Rog Patterson for a cover of Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb.
The McMahon brothers, two-thirds of Haze, went on to form World Turtle, a slightly more pop-oriented version of Haze. Whether this CD should be under the name Haze or World Turtle is unclear. It is really the first World Turtle CD, but includes songs that would have appeared on the third Haze LP plus a few re-recorded Haze tracks. 69-minutes. Now deleted, last copies.
Steve Hillman - Opener of the Ways ($7.99) SALE! SALE!With over a dozen albums to his name, Steve Hillman has been a leader in the electronic music genre since the early 1980’s. Opener of the Ways (2002, 74-minutes) contains Steve’s take on the 1970’s Tangerine Dream style. There are a few abstract tracks, and a lot of sequencer-driven rhythmic tracks. Hillman recorded new versions of some of the best of his earlier works, even replacing drum machine with drum kit, and this is what distinguishes his music from Tangerine Dream. The drums kick the energy level up a notch and make this electronic rock.
The 75-minute Riding the Storm (1996) is a compilation of remastered tracks from Hillman’s cassette releases. Now deleted, last copies.
After ten cassette-only releases of Tangerine Dream-style electronics, Hillman recorded Matrix in 1994, in which he adopted a more rock-oriented approach, with electric guitar leads, drum programming, and his wife Linda adding some flute.
Spiral Realms - Trip to G9 (2CD, $16.99) 
Spiral Realms is Simon House, the violinist of High Tide, Hawkwind, The Third Ear Band, and David Bowie, assisted by keyboardist Len del Rio. These CDs feature electronic/symphonic space rock with House’s trademark violin, lots of keyboards, and programmed drums. Trip to G9 (1994) and Crystal Jungles Of Eos (1995) both come with a second CD of remixes of the original album tracks; both are on the cosmic and abstract side. These albums have elements of Hawkwind but are more symphonic and refined. It’s a beautiful combination of symphonic/spacey electronics, soaring violin, and programmed drums (which fit perfectly with the music). Aside from the violin, the music is sometimes close to the early Fonya style, though House tends to go for a sonic stew with less separation of instruments. Sometimes the sonic stew is impenetrable. (You’d think the remixes on Trip to G9 and Crystal Jungles Of Eos would be less murky than the originals, but they aren’t.)
Solar Wind was originally released in 1996 and was the second album to be recorded under the name Spiral Realms. It was recorded live during The Space Ritual 1995 U.S. tour and contains a selection of Simon’s work as a solo artist, the Hawkwind song The Forge of Vulcan, and the Syd Barrett composition Interstellar Overdrive. Del Dettmar plays on a number of tracks. It’s the style of symphonic space rock we’ve come to expect from House, and though his favorite reverb setting is still “aircraft hangar”, this one is actually clearer sounding than some of his studio recordings. All the CDs in this series are the 2005 remastered editions on Hawk Records, personally remastered by Simon House.
Steve Howe - Spectrum ($13.99) 
Spectrum (2005) showcases Steve Howe's unique talent and a style that continues to evolve. His band this time is Tony Levin on bass, Oliver Wakeman on keyboards, and sons Virgil and Dylan on Moog synth and drums, respectively. This one is just a lot more satisfying that Howe’s previous couple albums. Recorded in Switzerland during the winter of 2004/2005, it nevertheless has a very sunny, summer feel. The title is probably meant to imply that Howe covers a wide range of styles and influences, but to the extent that he does, it’s all integrated into a cohesive set of instrumentals. It isn’t the usual case of one song of jazz, one song of blues, one acoustic song, etc., that rarely produces a great album. Instead we have one of the tastiest albums of instrumental guitar rock around, songs fused with optimism, natural energy, and self-confidence. 61-minutes, digipack. Skyline (2002, digipack) is a mellow album, yet extremely tasty.
The Grand Scheme of Things (1993) is similar to Howe’s first solo album Beginnings, evenly split between instrumentals and songs featuring Steve on vocals. Unfortunately, few people give him high marks for his singing.
Humania - Sinews of the Soul ($16.99)Humania is the band Billy Currie put together in late 1988 after Ultravox split up (Currie later used the name Ultravox for his band) and in between his first and second solo albums. The band sounds a lot like Ultravox except that Humania’s singer is no Midge Ure.
Jadis - Photoplay ($14.99) out-of-stock |     |
JEBO - Sinking Without You ($17.99) Sinking Without You (2006, digipack) is the debut CD by British quintet JEBO, who are on the melodic rock or classic rock side of progressive. Their music is built around the passionate and thoughtful songwriting of guitarist Rob Allen and the lead vocals of James Hollingsworth, both of which are first-rate. Keyboardist Nicholas O’Neill concentrates on organ and piano which, along with a fair amount of acoustic and clean guitar tones, gives JEBO an organic sound. Excellent production on this album courtesy of John Burns (Genesis) and Ben Findlay (Peter Gabriel). By “classic rock”, we don’t mean to suggest that JEBO sound like a 1970’s band. Their sound is contemporary, but the lineage of all the great British rock bands can be heard on this CD.
Jonesy - Masquerade: The Dawn Years Anthology (2CD, $19.99)Recently cited by Classic Rock magazine as “The Best Prog Band You’ve Never Heard”, Jonesy were one of the most innovative British bands of the early 1970s. Placing a Mellotron at the center of their sound and taking influences from the worlds of jazz, rock, classical music and folk, Jonesy recorded a single and three albums (No Alternative, Keeping Up, and Growing) for Pye’s progressive Dawn imprint, all between 1972-73. Drawing comparisons to King Crimson and Yes, Jonesy were distinct from them. Beginning with their second album, they added Alan Bown on electric trumpet and electric flugelhorn, further distinguishing their sound. This 2CD set on the Esoteric label gathers all of Jonesy’s recorded output for Dawn Records: all three albums and both sides of the single, all 24-bit remastered from the original master tapes. Here are audio clips and All Music Guide reviews of No Alternative, Keeping Up, and Growing.
Julian’s Treatment - A Time Before This ($17.99) These are the 2008 editions of these CDs on the Esoteric label, remastered from the original tapes and featuring fully-restored artwork and new essays. Released on the short-lived Youngblood label in 1970, the double-LP A Time Before This was the first vinyl outing for science fiction author Julian Jay Savarin, who assembled a group of musicians on guitar, bass, and drums to record this conceptual work. The music is classic proto-prog, dominated by Savarin’s spacey organ and the vocals of Australian singer Cathy Pruden, whose singing is similar to that of Annisette of Savage Rose. This is the more psychedelic of the two albums.
Savarin’s second album Waiters on the Dance was released on the Youngblood imprint Birth in 1973. A lot happened to progressive rock between 1970 and 1973, but Waiters on the Dance doesn’t reflect most of those advances. It is still more closely related to proto-prog bands such as Rare Bird, Cressida, Mainhorse, Jonesy, etc. It is superior to A Time Before This, though much shorter, dropping the more psychedelic elements and increasing the grandiosity. It features great Hammond work and even adds a little Mellotron. Aside from the bassist, the other supporting musicians are new, including singer Jo Meek from Catapilla, though this album is more instrumental than the first one. Overall these albums come closest to those of Sandrose and Earth & Fire.
Jump - Home Songs ($7.99) SALE! 
Jump - And All the King’s Men ($7.99)Matthew (2000), On Impulse (2001), and Home Songs (2003) are the sixth, seventh, and eighth studio albums respectively from this six-man UK band. All rely heavily on the vocal talents of John Dexter Jones, powerful contemporary lyrics, and strong melodies. Jump are a hard-working band playing a vocal-oriented rock music with progressive touches, close at times to Oysterband (without the fiddle or folk overtones) or some Marillion or Fish (both of whom Jump has supported in the past). Their songwriting well seems in no danger of running dry, and Jump only improve with age, probably because of their regular touring. And All the King’s Men (1994) is their third album; this attracted the attention of Marillion’s Mark Kelly, who produced their fourth album. Matthew is now deleted, one copy left.
Kandina Jane - Move Forward / Back to Lillie ($13.99) If Welsh singer-songwriter Kandina Jane doesn’t make you think of Kate Bush, then you haven’t heard Kate Bush. Like Kate, Kandina Jane transcends the pop and singer-songwriter genres and creates her own magical universe. The music also has similarities to Cocteau Twins but is much warmer. This CD combines Kandina Jane’s independently-released 2005 debut Move Forward with her 2007 follow-up Back to Lillie on one CD, over 72-minutes total. She plays piano and other keyboards and multi-tracks her vocals, backed by other musicians on guitars, keys, bass and drums. These are soft symphonic rock songs centered on her breathtaking vocals, songs with depth and a full, lush sound palette, but with feminine energy and mystique. Here are full-length mp3’s of the songs Move Forward, Cariad, and Maria.
Kara - Kara ($14.99) “Fans of Iona, October Project, Clannad, Mostly Autumn and Magenta will now be able to add the name Kara to the fold of Celtic-inspired progressive folk-rock bands that have become increasingly popular recently.” Thus begins the review of Kara’s 2005 debut CD at the Sea of Tranquility review site. We would add Karnataka to the list. On this CD, Kara is a trio of Colin Mold (guitars, keys, vocals), Kirsta Johnston (lead vocals, recorders, flute, keys), and Steve Barfoot (drums, vocals). They have the sound of a larger ensemble, and the band have since expanded to a quintet with a new female lead singer. The term “folk” is often used in reviews, but Kara are no more folk than Mike Oldfield or Renaissance, which most folkies don’t recognize as folk music. Mike Oldfield is an especially good reference for Kara, because of the excellent electric guitar leads as well as acoustic work of Colin Mold, while the atmospheric synth pads that underpin it all are reminiscent of Clannad. Yes, Kara does cover one English traditional song, the ever-popular She Moved Through the Fair, but Kara’s arrangement is instrumental and would have fit well on the Robin of Sherwood soundtrack. Wonderful music hidden beneath a pedestrian cover. “This is an excellent album, all the members are multi-instrumentalists, and of the nine tracks on the CD, there really is not a weak one among them. As a musical reference, think early Mostly Autumn with their Celtic influence but without the longer epic tracks.” [Classic Rock Society Magazine] Read the in-depth review at Musical Discoveries.
Colin Mold’s first solo CD Water of Divinities (2007) is every bit as good as the Kara CD and has many similarities. It began as a collection of instrumental pieces designed around the story of Saint Alban and has ended up as a mix of vocal pieces and instrumentals. Mold sings and plays acoustic and electric guitars and synths. Jo Marriot plays flute on two tracks and Steve Barfoot plays drums on one, meaning the rest of the drums are programmed, but this detracts little from the music. It is soft progressive rock with similarities to Camel, Gordon Giltrap, Mike Oldfield, Steve Hackett, Clannad and others. This is one of the loveliest and most seductive soft progressive CDs we’ve heard in some time. Here are mp3’s excerpts of The Dying Tree and Beautiful Place and a Windows Media file of A Life Through New Eyes.
Karda Estra - Weird Tales ($14.99) 
Karda Estra - Alternate History ($7.99) 
Karda Estra - Eve ($13.99)Karda Estra is a unique hybrid of progressive and classical music, using both rock and orchestral instruments. Assisted by several musicians and employing classical & electric guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion, oboe, flute, violin, cor anglais, and heavenly wordless female vocals, Richard Wileman achieves a surreal melancholy and poignant beauty that has few parallels. One band that comes close to Karda Estra is In the Nursery, though ITN tend to be more electronic. Another is Channel Light Vessel (check for their CDs above). Or imagine the best of the 4AD label taken much further into progressive/symphonic/classical realms.
Eve (2001) is inspired by the story The Future Eve and combines symphonic rock and classical elements to create a hauntingly beautiful and atmospheric music. Gorgeous stuff. Constellations (2003) is centered around a haunting and powerful suite inspired by six constellations. The suite runs a vast emotional range, from gentle melancholy passages featuring classical guitar and woodwind, to expansive bursts of sound and color. The album concludes with a beautiful interpretation of the Steve Hackett instrumental Twice Around the Sun, and one can detect an affinity for Steve Hackett’s music in many of the Karda Estra pieces. Voivode Dracula (2004) is based on the Dracula legend and is darker than most of the other Karda Estra albums.
Alternate History is a low-priced sampler containing 11 tracks spanning 1998-2004: eight tracks from the previous Karda Estra albums and three rare tracks from the now deleted Land of Ghosts compilations.
The Age of Science and Enlightenment (2006) is the sixth CD from Karda Estra. It’s hard to say whether this is Karda Estra’s best work, but we can say that it is almost unspeakably beautiful. As a rough guide, think of Hackett & Rutherford’s Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers extrapolated into a more serious classical work. However one looks at it, this is exquisite. The Last of the Libertines (2007) is the most rhythmic of their albums, and one can again hear the dark side of Steve Hackett at times.
Weird Tales (2009) is something like the eighth Karda Estra CD, a bit darker than most of their other albums, but no less spellbinding. There isn’t much we can add to what we’ve written already other than to remark that Richard Wileman has created a pretty good working environment for himself, employing female musicians almost exclusively! “Richard Wileman is one of the best progressive, contemporary classical music composers to grace the planet today.” [Hairless Heart Herald]
Keats - same ($11.99) Keats was more or less a studio project offshoot of the Alan Parsons Project, featuring Colin Blunstone (ex-Zombies) on vocals, Pete Bardens (ex-Camel) on keys, and APP members Ian Bairnson (guitars), David Paton (bass, vocals), and Stuart Elliott (drums). Alan Parsons produced. First released in 1984, it’s fairly mainstream stuff close to APP with some Camel influence by way of Bardens. This is the Renaissance Records edition, which includes the track Hollywood Heart which was left off of the U.S. LP, plus a 26-minute interview with Parsons and Bairnson. Here’s a promo video on YouTube.
Khan - Space Shanty ($17.99) This is the 2008 Esoteric label edition of this classic prog album, basically a repressing of the remastered version released earlier on Eclectic Discs, mastered from the original master tapes and featuring extensive liner notes. Best known as the album that first brought the talents of guitarist Steve Hillage to prominence, Khan also featured Dave Stewart (Egg, National Health, etc.). Khan’s sole album is a splendid example of a fusion of Canterbury style rock with jazz and space rock influences. Originally released in 1972, this expanded edition includes two previously unreleased bonus tracks.
Landmarq - Thunderstruck: Live ($15.99) Landmarq were a popular British neo-progressive band with the typical Thin Ice Studios sound, a style associated with Arena and Pendragon keyboardist Clive Nolan, who produced and engineered. All their CDs are recommended to fans of Pendragon and Clive Nolan’s various projects. Thunderstruck is the 1999 live album which drew on the band’s full repertoire from each of their first four studio albums (all of which are out-of-print). Aftershock is a live CD recorded during the band’s 2000 and 2001 tours. It’s interesting to hear how Tracy Hitchings’ vocals change the tone of the early works originally sung by Damian Wilson. Both titles are now deleted, last copies. Check our DVDs page for Landmarq’s Turbulence DVD.
Jim Leverton & Geoffrey Richardson - The End of the Pier Show ($16.99) This is a 2006 studio album by two ex-Caravan members in a charming, laid-back, folky style. Leverton provides vocals, acoustic guitar, and some bass, organ and piano. Richardson provides vocals, violin, viola, cello, acoustic guitar, bass, drum programs and samples, percussion, and hedgeclippers. Two other musicians help out on double bass and harmonica. We’re reminded of the band Decameron at times. On Eclectic Discs.
Jon Lord - Sarabande ($21.99)This is the Purple Records CD reissue of Jon Lord’s Sarabande, his classical-rock fusion album recorded in September 1975. Sarabande was first released on CD in 1999. This edition has some 2006 copyrights on it and is being treated as a 2009 release by its U.S. distributor. (Why this is a $25.98 list CD is a good question though.) The label description: “On Sarabande, Jon Lord (of Deep Purple fame) based his material on a set of dance suites, interpreted with a string orchestra and modern rock instrumentation. The guitar was played by Andy Summers, just prior to his joining The Police. This edition has been remastered from the original masters discovered at Abbey Road. This reissue contains comprehensive liner notes, backed by contemporary reviews, pictures and memorabilia as well as a discography, with all original artwork intact.” The lineup: Jon Lord (piano, Clavinet, Hammond B-3 organ, synthesizer); Andy Summers (guitar); Paul Karass (bass); Pete York (drums, gong, sleigh bells, shaker); the Hungarian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Eberhard Schoener.
As Lord wrote in the liner notes, “The theme behind the music on this album is that of a baroque dance suite; a form of music which was brought to its highest level by Bach. The title of each track is the name of a dance used in one of these dance suites, and I have tried to use the same tempo and feel as an original Sarabande, Gigue, etc.” “The wholly instrumental work includes both purely orchestral/symphonic passages and some fusiony rock chunks, as well as parts where the two forms merge to some extent.” [All Music Guide] Here are mp3 excerpts of the tracks Sarabande and Bouree.
Maestoso - Caterwauling ($17.99) SALE!
Woolly Wolstenholme - Maestoso ($12.99) SALE!All the CDs here are on the Eclectic/Esoteric label, known for their meticulous remastering jobs and extensive booklets. And as the Eclectic label is no more, the older titles are now out-of-print. Woolly Wolstenholme was the keyboardist and Mellotron man in Barclay James Harvest and was responsible for their more epic and symphonic pieces. He left BJH in 1979, and in 1980 released his first solo album Maestoso. Wolstenholme is joined by several other musicians, and later he used “Maestoso” as the name of this band. This is a quality album that will please most fans of early BJH. This CD edition adds two bonus live tracks.
Fiddling Meanly (2005) is a live CD recorded at The Mean Fiddler in London in 2004, recorded straight to DAT from the mixing desk. It features a mix of Wolstenholme’s solo material and BJH material. The warts and all recording actually gives the listener more of a feeling of being there, especially with the between song banter left in, and the increased energy of the live performance makes some of the versions on this disc superior to the studio versions.
Grim (2005) is a sometimes dark and sometimes humorous tale of a fictitious Northern England town and its strange inhabitants. (No, not Royston Vasey.) With only a change in drummer, Grim picks up where One Drop in a Dry World left off and goes further, ranging from Mellotron splendor to dark orchestral to delicate to humorous and generally just clever. This is symphonic rock that doesn’t sound overly retro, but it could only have been created by someone who was making music in the early 1970’s and understands the aesthetic from the inside. It’s more progressive than any BJH album, and probably Wolstenholme’s best to date.
The latest Maestoso studio album is Caterwauling (2007, 59-minutes). Perhaps tired of being pushed around and labeled “soft”, Wolstenholme and his band open with a loud blast of something resembling Red-era King Crimson. But the soft, pastoral, and majestic stuff is what Wolstenholme does best, and that’s what the other 98% of the album is, evoking the classic BJH sound. Geoffrey Richardson (Caravan, Penguin Café Orchestra) guests. As the All Music Guide says, “Wolstenholme’s recorded work with Maestoso is not just the best of any BJH side projects, but is equal to any work by BJH in their prime.” More info on all these CDs at Woolly’s site.
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band - Solar Fire ($14.99)
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band - The Roaring Silence ($14.99)Manfred Mann’s Earth Band frequently get overlooked in discussions of progressive rock, perhaps because they’ve had a long career that has covered more styles than just prog rock, and their commercial success came from doing covers. Mann himself should at least be mentioned alongside the other pioneering prog rock keyboardists. These CDs are the latest remastered editions with bonus tracks.
Solar Fire and The Good Earth, both originally released in 1974, are the two proggiest MMEB albums. They will surprise those only familiar with the MMEB radio hits. Solar Fire has two bonus tracks, the hit single Joybringer, which was based on Holst’s Planets suite and did not appear on the European vinyl release, plus an alternate 45 edit of Father of Day, Father of Night. The Good Earth has three bonus tracks which are single versions of album tracks.
Nightingales & Bombers (1975) kicks off with the hit Spirits in the Night, the first of several Bruce Springsteen covers for MMEB. At its best, the album is true progressive rock, and at its worst, it’s still pretty good, a blend of progressive and blues-based rock. The two bonus tracks include the single edit of Spirits in the Night and the cover of Bob Dylan’s Quit Your Low Down Ways, which was only on the U.S. vinyl release.
The Roaring Silence (1976) gave MMEB a whole new level of fame, opening with the 7-minute Blinded by the Light, another Springsteen cover and one of only a handful of progressive rock songs to become classic rock radio staples. The rest of the album is on the same level. The two bonus tracks include Spirits in the Night sung by Chris Thompson (he first appears on this album) and the single edit of Blinded by the Light.
The MMEB sound generally changed with the times, so Watch (1978) is still fairly proggy but more song-oriented. The songs here are really strong, as this album is the best-selling of Mann’s career. It contains the UK hit Davy’s on the Road Again and a reworking of the big hit The Mighty Quinn. The four bonus tracks are single versions of three of the album tracks, plus one non-LP. One of these bonus tracks is the single version of The Mighty Quinn, which is a different recording than the album version.
Chance (1980) again sees MMEB updating with the times to a more high-tech pop sound, with lots of keyboards. Lies (Through the 80’s) was a hit, as was the cover of Springsteen’s For You. Both are terrific if forgotten songs that are great to hear again. Trevor Rabin was the associate producer and contributed some guitar. The four bonus tracks include a rare B-side and three single versions. The booklets are generally excellent, with extensive liner notes.
Manning - Number Ten ($15.99) |        |
Phil Manzanera - 50 Minutes Later ($15.99) SALE!
Phil Manzanera should be well known to most prog fans, as a member of Roxy Music, Quiet Sun, and 801, and for his numerous solo albums and collaborations from the 1970’s to the present. Vozero was Manzanera’s first solo album in 10 years. It was released in 1999 in the UK in a jewel box, and that is the edition offered here. All the tracks were written by Manzanera, and in addition to Phil’s distinctive and eclectic guitar work, Vozero also prominently features Robert Wyatt, a guest spot for Andy Mackay on oboe, and a cast of other musicians and singers. Despite the passage of time, this album seems to logically follow 1977’s Listen Now and 1978’s K-Scope, a bit mellower perhaps (something to do with aging) and with a more multi-cultural sound as is the fashion of late. (Manzanera did spend his childhood in South America, so Latin touches come naturally to him.)
6pm (2004) includes contributions from Brian Eno, Robert Wyatt, Chrissie Hynde, David Gilmour, Bill MacCormick, Andy Mackay and more. Manzanera feels that this album is unconsciously allied to his first solo album, 1975’s Diamond Head. Yet you could package 6pm and Vozero together as a 2CD set and they would sound like they belong together. This is the U.S. digipack edition.
50 Minutes Later (2005, digipack) completes this trilogy. It also features fellow Roxy Music members Paul Thompson and Andy Mackay plus Robert Wyatt and Brian Eno. The songwriting and the richly-textured instrumental work are superb, with the second half of the album the more progressive-rock oriented. There is an experimental attitude throughout, and the positive vibe of the early hippy era is often present. Whether or not these albums are progressive rock is a moot point. If they aren’t prog rock, then they’re what rock should be. 61-minutes. Check our Bargain CDs page for more Phil Manzanera CDs.
Marillion - Happiness Is the Road Vol. 1: Essence ($12.99) 
Marillion - Marbles ($12.99)Marillion’s 15th studio album is actually a 110-minute double album split into two separate CDs. Happiness Is the Road Volume 1 is subtitled Essence while Volume 2 is subtitled The Hard Shoulder. Both contain all new material. A new creative streak of writing and producing music was captured in the studio and fans will not be disappointed. Read reviews here. We’ll just quote from the review in Classic Rock magazine: “They still sound like Marillion but, dare we say it, a better, bolder Marillion... All in all then, it’s beautifully rendered, touching and telling. Happy days.”
This is the U.S. edition of Marillion’s 2007 studio album Somewhere Else. Beginning in the late 1990’s, a string of increasingly dull albums caused many of Marillion’s original progressive fans to lose interest. But Marillion began a resurgence with Marbles (2004), and Somewhere Else continues with similar strengths. This is the U.S. edition of Marbles with the bonus video of Don’t Hurt Yourself. Check here for Marillion DVDs.
Marsupilami - Arena ($17.99) These are the 24-bit remastered editions on the Esoteric label. Initially folk-based, the British band Marsupilami evolved into one of the most adventurous if unsung bands of the early 1970’s, producing two of the best British proto-prog albums. Marsupilami drew comparisons to contemporaries such as Gracious or East of Eden, but the "proto" qualifier is not as necessary with Marsupilami as it is for many bands of that era, as Marsupilami’s albums are truly progressive rock.
Their self-titled 1970 debut features lots of flute and organ in addition to guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Arena (1971), their second, adds more instruments including Mellotron, but still relies heavily on organ. This ambitious concept album was produced by Peter Bardens (Camel).
Matching Mole - On the Radio ($16.99)Robert Wyatt formed Matching Mole in 1972, shortly after he left Soft Machine and prior to embarking on his solo career. Matching Mole released two classic albums before Wyatt disbanded the group, but it is this CD that Wyatt now calls the definitive Matching Mole album, and bassist Bill MacCormick concurs. On The Radio (2006) contains rare BBC recordings, including three 1972 John Peel studio sessions and a 1972 BBC Radio One Live in Concert recording. This is a digipack featuring an original cover photograph by Wyatt. The 12-page booklet features extensive liner notes by MacCormick, rare period photos and comprehensive recording details.
Mellow Candle - Swaddling Songs ($17.99) This is the 2008 edition of this CD on the Esoteric label, known for their superb remastering jobs. Mellow Candle are legendary in the psych-folk world, and their 1972 sole LP is often considered to be the psychedelic progressive folk-rock album. The album had just enough trad-style folk to appeal to fans of Fairport Convention, Fotheringay, Steeleye Span, etc, but the album is dominated by mystical, medieval atmospheres and a progressive rock aesthetic, a thing of beauty. Mellow Candle featured the young female Irish singers Clodagh Simonds and Alison Williams, who had moved from Dublin to London when the album was recorded. They toured in support of Thin Lizzy (Simonds appeared on Lizzy’s album Shades of a Blue Orphanage) and Horslips, but their existence was short-lived. Clodagh Simonds went on to work with Mike Oldfield and Jade Warrior. This release makes one wonder what could have been had Mellow Candle continued. The people at Esoteric would probably like to at least break even on their CD reissues, but what they are really doing is preserving music for posterity with the best sound possible within the restrictions of the CD format. Too much is in danger of being lost. Read the DPRP review.
Mentaur - Darkness Before Dawn ($13.99)Mentaur was a British heavy neo-progressive band who released several albums on cassette between 1989-1993. This CD compiles material from all their albums, remixed for this release. Now deleted, last copies.
Mermaid Kiss - Etarlis ($16.99) out-of-stock 
Mermaid Kiss is a British band comprised of Jamie Field on guitar (mostly acoustic) and backing vocals; Andrew Garman on keys, bass and drums; Nigel Hooton on electric and acoustic guitar; and at the center of their sound, singer Evelyn Downing, who also adds flute. On Etarlis (2007, 60-minutes), Kate Belcher sings on three songs, Troy Donockley (Iona) guests on uilleann pipes, and Jonathan Edwards (ex-Karnataka) guests with a keyboard solo. Etarlis is their masterpiece, a stunning, epic album that often sounds as if Loreena McKennitt had turned her talents to symphonic rock. Some tracks are pure symphonic progressive, most are full of mystical atmospheres and sophisticated textures, and there are Celtic and folk elements. With guest Wendy Marks adding cor anglais, oboe, and recorders, some tracks brush up against Karda Estra. All told, it is absolutely spellbinding and gorgeous. Recommended to fans of Kate Bush, Iona, Karnataka, Kara, October Project, and Clannad. Read the review from Fireworks magazine. This album has its own website, separate from the band’s.
Salt on Skin (2006) contains seven tracks totaling 30-minutes, so call it an EP or a short album. The lead vocals here are split between Evelyn Downing, Kate Belcher, and Kate Emerson. Most bands would be fortunate to call any one of these singers their own. Unlike Etarlis, Salt on Skin has few of the Celtic or real folk elements, nor is it as epic and progressive, but it is still heaven for those who love beautiful female vocals. The variety of singers is a big part of the pleasure of this album. Paul Davies (ex-Karnataka) guests. Read the Sea of Tranquility review.
The Mermaid Kiss Album (2003, 53-minutes) is their debut. It features Evelyn Downing’s vocals throughout. It’s not really a debut because the trio of Downing, Field, and Garman had previously recorded albums under Evelyn’s name. The Mermaid Kiss Album is again more conventional than Etarlis but is still a beautiful album of softer music that transcends genres, mixing progressive, pop, ambient, acoustic, and singer-songwriter styles. Mermaid Kiss simply don’t sound like any of the many other bands that features female vocals. Obviously start with Etarlis and then try either of the first two.
Francis Monkman - 21st Century Blues ($16.99)Don’t be too misled by the title. This album, recorded in 1997/98 by the former keyboardist for Curved Air, 801, Sky, and others, is a rock album, some of which is progressive and some of which is blues-based. But most early-1970’s rock was blues-based, and that's the style Monkman goes for here. The liner notes are sparse and Monkman isn’t saying who if anyone else plays on this album, but Monkman is also a guitarist, and here he concentrates on electric guitar. That’s Monkman singing too; the vocals are gruff and wisely buried in the mix most of the time, and sometimes intentionally distorted. At nearly 80-minutes, the album has room to be inconsistent, but there is at least one normal length album of good material here.
Morgan - Nova Solis ($17.99) This is the 2009 remastered edition on Esoteric Recordings, known for their superb remastering jobs. Morgan was a band formed in 1971 around keyboardist Morgan Fisher, who went on to Mott the Hoople after Morgan broke up. The band signed to RCA Records in Italy and recorded their 1972 debut Nova Solis in a state-of-the-art studio in Rome. This is a classic early 1970’s progressive rock record, but not well known, as Morgan were virtually unknown in Britain. Yet in Italy, Morgan became a successful group alongside compatriots ELP, Van der Graaf Generator, and Genesis. This newly remastered edition features notes from Morgan Fisher and restores the original album artwork for the first time on a UK CD release.
The Morrigan - Masque ($14.99) 
Colin Masson - Isle of Eight ($14.99)In the realm of lesser-known bands, The Morrigan are one of our favorites. As the band overview on Prog Archives reads: “The Morrigan’s music is a lively mixture of traditional [Anglo-]Celtic folk with prog rock, sometimes leaning heavily in either direction. Their sound is distinctly original and full of magic vocals, their music made up of warm melodies wrapped up in rich arrangements (sometimes of their own composition, sometimes rearranged traditional folk songs). Imagine a heavier Steeleye Span and then move them up a notch on the prog scale... The Morrigan’s music is accessible and leans on the harder, rockier side of folk with full-blown prog structures, complex arrangements and excellent musicianship.” It’s important to make the distinction between what The Morrigan do and the music of Fairport Convention or Steeleye Span. The latter combine trad folk and rock, but The Morrigan combine trad folk with progressive rock, and they do both styles convincingly. As such, they are nearly a unique band. The Spirit of the Soup (1985) is from the band’s early days as a trio with no drummer, recorded on a Portastudio and remastered in 1999. Wreckers (1996) was their first album recorded for the English Garden label, followed by Masque (1997). Visit The Morrigan’s site for reviews and mp3’s and read reviews at Prog Archives.
Multi-instrumentalist Colin Masson is one of the founding members of The Morrigan. On his 2001 solo CD Isle of Eight, he is assisted by The Morrigan’s singer Cathy Alexander. The album combines the styles of The Morrigan and Mike Oldfield. Read reviews at Prog Archives and Ground and Sky. These are all the MALS label editions.
National Health - Of Queues and Cures ($17.99) These are the 2009 24-bit remastered editions on Esoteric Recordings, known for their superb remastering jobs. National Health was the continuation of Hatfield and the North, with keyboardist Dave Stewart assuming more control. Both their 1978 self-titled debut and Of Queues and Cures, which followed soon after, are essential progressive rock records, two of the most revered albums to come out of the Canterbury scene.
Nautilus - Fathom ($14.99) Nautilus are a British progressive quartet (guitars/keys/bass/drums) with a distinctive style. What Colours the Sky in Your World? is a reissue of their 2004 debut, which the band had originally released themselves. This one is entirely instrumental, the music somewhere between progressive rock and space rock, somewhat dark and somewhat quirky, with the keyboards usually remaining subtle while the guitars do the heavy lifting. There are slight similarities to 1970’s King Crimson and Pink Floyd, the former for the angular guitar and the latter for the spaciness. But while space rock is known for monotony, Nautilus’ music often changes mood and tempo within each track. Read the DPRP reviews.
Fathom (2009) is their second and includes some songs with vocals featuring guest singer Peter Straker. Straker has an early-70’s style voice, not surprising since he’s been singing professionally since the late 60’s. This album is a step up in all aspects. The keyboards (mostly organ) are more prominent, filling out the sound, and the vocals add another dimension. The album seems less spacey but is still dark and quirky, with some suggestions of early British hard rock. Often it feels close to 70’s King Crimson with the addition of organ. An excellent early-70’s sounding album that retains a distinctive style.
Neutrons - Black Hole Star / Tales from the Blue Cocoons ($18.99) Neutrons were an offshoot of Welsh band Man and included Gentle Giant drummer John Weathers in their lineup. They released only these two albums in 1974 & 1975, reissued by BGO on one CD with one bonus track. While Man was a guitar-based psych band, Neutrons made some real progressive rock and placed more emphasis on keyboards. Black Hole Star is the proggier of their two records, with some Gentle Giant mannerisms and Renaissance-style folkiness. Tales from the Blue Cocoons has more female vocals and moves closer to the clever art-pop of City Boy or 10CC.
Tom Newman - Faerie Symphony ($17.99) SALE!Originally released in 1977 by Decca Records, Faerie Symphony was the third album by Tom Newman, founding member of the psychedelic group July as well as engineer and producer on many albums by Mike Oldfield, including Tubular Bells. Faerie Symphony is Newman’s classic, an unconventional instrumental suite featuring Oldfield on acoustic & electric guitars and piano, Jon Field (Jade Warrior) on flutes and bagpipes, Neil Innes (Bonzo Dog Band, Monty Python) on Hammond organ, and several other musicians. A cross between early Oldfield and Jade Warrior describes this almost perfectly. This is the 2009 remastered edition on Esoteric. Read Sid Smith’s review.
Ozymandias is another of Newman’s progressive works. (He has albums in his catalog that are not progressive.) “From 1986, Tom Newman’s Ozymandias is something of a lost masterpiece. Featuring a variety of inspired settings incorporating neo-classical, ambient and rock motifs, Tom provides a musical backdrop for the powerful and much acclaimed work of Percy B. Shelley.” [Voiceprint] The album is instrumental save one track. The music often has a feel similar to Bo Hansson, also Mike Oldfield at his spaciest.
The Nice - Ars Longa Vita Brevis ($11.99) This is the remastered digipack edition on Charly/Snapper, featuring four bonus tracks: America (2nd Amendment), Diamond Hard Blue Apples of the Moon, Daddy Where Did I Come From (early version), and Brandenburger (demo). The Nice of course was Keith Emerson’s pre-ELP band and one of the most important proto-prog bands. This 1968 album was their second, quite pioneering for its time. The Nice were always pulling in different directions, mainly psychedelic pop versus Emerson’s rock arrangements of classical pieces. Of the latter, Sibelius's Intermezzo from The Karelia Suite is the highlight of the album proper, and the arrangement of Leonard Bernstein’s America is a classic.
Oceansize - Frames (CD+DVD, $16.99) This is the 2009 North American edition of Oceansize’s 2007 album Frames (66-minutes), which includes the 2-hour Frames Live DVD (NTSC, all-region) containing a performance of the full album plus bonus behind-the-scenes footage. Oceansize are one of them young, modern arty rock bands who are sometimes considered progressive, depending on which track is playing and where one is standing. A clue to their sound (and where their progressive credentials can fall short) is that they have room for three guitarists but no true keyboardist; a guitarist and the bassist add keyboards when they’re not too busy. Certainly most of Frames is outstanding modern prog along the lines of Radiohead and later Porcupine Tree: complex, dense arrangements; a richly-textured, sometimes lush sound palette; plenty of inventiveness. If the band eliminated a couple tracks that are little more than post rock or heavy rock, there would be little argument. What else to do but head to Prog Archives and read what the people say? (One prediction though: the processing on the vocals that creates the disconnected, distant feel will eventually date this just a surely as gated reverb on drums dates 1980’s rock. Also congratulations to the band and label on the most useless CD booklet we’ve ever seen.)
Mike Oldfield - Music of the Spheres ($11.99) One of the giants of progressive rock, Mike Oldfield’s albums now go virtually unnoticed in the U.S., an indictment of the music industry (if one was needed). Music of the Spheres (2008, Super Jewel Box) is Oldfield’s first completely orchestral album (no synths or electric guitar). It was written by Oldfield, orchestrated and conducted by Karl Jenkins (Adiemus), and performed by the Sinfonia Sfera Orchestra (which includes a choir), with Oldfield playing classical guitar. Oldfield revisits themes from Tubular Bells on a couple songs, while others sound like an Adiemus album, but then again, Oldfield actually did the signature Adiemus style before Adiemus did. So it seems fitting that Oldfield and Jenkins have now worked together. You can find videos for most of the songs from this CD on YouTube (most are unofficial). These official videos of the premiere (Part 1, Part 2) are good starting points.
Mike Oldfield - Heaven’s Open ($11.99)
Mike Oldfield - Discovery ($11.99)
Mike Oldfield - Exposed (2CD, $16.99)These are all the latest HDCD remastered editions. It would take a small book to adequately cover the work of this incredibly creative musician, so we won’t attempt to describe each album. The two or three people unfamiliar with Mr. Oldfield should Google him and investigate the wealth of resources on the web. Suffice to say Mike Oldfield belongs in the progressive rock Hall of Fame. Check our DVDs page for some of Oldfield’s DVDs.
The Othello Syndrome - The Shadow of Dreams ($14.99) From 1999, The Othello Syndrome’s only album is exceptional, mixing the Marillion and IQ styles with Van der Graaf Generator and Genesis. Integrated into the cover art are some rather famous prog rock LP covers. Magenta guitarist Martin Rosser is one of the core members, while Magenta’s Rob Reed is listed as a guest contributor, though his contributions are substantial.
Ozric Tentacles - The YumYum Tree ($15.99) The YumYum Tree (digipack) is the Ozric’s 2009 studio CD.
The Floor’s Too Far Away (60-minutes, digipack) is Ozric’s 2006 studio CD. Ed Wynne is the only original member now, and he’s the primary creative force here. It’s another very good album for the band. It’s hard for Ozric Tentacles to break a lot of new ground as they’ve been doing the same style of music for something like 23 years to this point, but their sound does evolve due to personnel changes at least. There are some tracks on The Floor’s Too Far Away that are nearly fusion! There are many more Ozric Tentacles CDs on our Bargain CDs page.
Paladin - Charge ($17.99)This is the 2008 edition on the Esoteric label. Originally released in the summer of 1971, Charge was Paladin’s second and final album. Formed the previous year by Keith Webb and Pete Solley (both ex-members of Terry Reid’s band), Paladin fused rock with jazz and ethnic Cuban music. Charge was both more progressive and harder-edged than their debut, with less of the Latin influence, a mix of period hard rock and progressive rock. The record also became known for its Roger Dean cover. Recorded at The Beatles’ Apple studios and engineered by Geoff Emerick, Charge was Paladin’s finest hour. 24-bit remastered and with seven bonus tracks, this CD is over 73-minutes long. After skipping the tracks that have little progressive about them, you’re left with a solid album of normal length.
Pallas - The Dreams of Men ($14.99)
Pallas are a Scottish band usually mentioned in the same breath as Marillion, IQ, Pendragon, and Twelfth Night as leaders of the 1980’s progressive revival in the UK. On their 73-minute opus The Dreams of Men (2005), Pallas have pulled out all the progressive stops and have created what is probably their best album since The Sentinel, even exceeding The Cross and the Crucible. Their sound is more contemporary (heavier mainly) than when they began of course. They still crank out the power and the glory though, and as one astute reviewer noted, Pallas leave a logical space for the vocals within their otherwise bombastic songs, something that similarly bombastic prog bands often fail to do. Great to see Pallas, Pendragon, and IQ, bands that have been around rather a long time now, releasing such ambitious works.
The original master tapes of the two River Sessions CDs were remastered by Niall Mathewson, and the artwork is based on images from the same time periods. The first volume was originally recorded for Radio Clyde in 1982, before Pallas were signed to EMI, and features original vocalist Euan Lowson. The tracks: Queen of the Deep, Arrive Alive, Crown of Thorns, The Ripper, A Little Bit Of Culture. The second volume was originally recorded for Radio Clyde in 1985 as part of the last Rock Gig at the famous Glasgow Apollo. It features Alan Reed on vocals. The tracks: Shock Treatment, Crown of Thorns, Imagination, Dinosaur, Sanctuary, Stranger in a Strange Land, Eyes in the Night. See our Bargain CDs page for more Pallas CDs and our DVDs page for their DVDs.
Kevin Peek - Life and Other Games ($17.99)Australian guitarist Kevin Peek is best known for having formed the classical rock band Sky with John Williams, Francis Monkman, Herbie Flowers and Tristan Fry. Peek was also an in-demand session musician; notably he plays on the first Alan Parsons Project album, Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds, at least two Sally Oldfield albums, and Francis Monkman’s The Long Good Friday soundtrack, to name just a few. The Beyond the Planets album with Rick Wakeman is primarily Peek’s album. Awakening (1981) and Life and Other Games (1982) were the second and third of three solo albums for Peek. Both were recorded while he was still a member of Sky, and while Peek’s first solo LP did not receive wide distribution, these two did because of Sky’s prominence at the time. Both albums includes performances from fellow session musicians on bass, drums, keyboards and guitar. They are instrumental and close to the style of Sky as well as Gordon Giltrap’s band albums. We’ve always been fond of these two albums where melody is king, albums that make it clear that Peek had a lot to do with Sky’s style.
John G. Perry - Sunset Wading ($17.99) This is the 2008 edition of this CD on the Esoteric label, known for their superb remastering jobs. Esoteric’s description: “Sunset Wading was the first solo venture for former Caravan bass guitarist and vocalist John G. Perry. By 1976 he had left Canterbury’s finest band and had ploughed a furrow as a noted session musician and a member of Quantum Jump with producer Rupert Hine. Sunset Wading saw Perry reunited with Caravan viola player and flautist Geoffrey Richardson as well as recruiting such notable musicians as Mike Giles (King Crimson), Rupert Hine and Roger Glover (Deep Purple). A fine example of mid-70’s progressive rock, this reissue has been remastered from the original master tapes and features fully restored artwork.”
Anthony Phillips - Private Parts and Pieces I & II (2CD, $15.99)
Anthony Phillips - The Geese and the Ghost 2CD ($17.99)These are the 2008 remastered 2CD Voiceprint editions of Anthony Phillips’ classic early albums. Details can be found on Voiceprint’s site for The Geese and the Ghost, Wise After the Event, and 1984. The Geese and the Ghost was released in 1977, but the recordings for it had begun several years earlier and are representative of the pastoral early Genesis sound. As most Genesis fans know, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins play on this album, with Phil singing on two tracks. Ant took over vocals on Wise After the Event (1978), while the guest musicians include Michael Giles, Mel Collins, John G. Perry, and Rupert Hine (who also produced). Sides (1979) has been skipped for now at least.
1984 was released in 1981 and finds Ant playing keyboards and only occasional guitar. Morris Pert and Richard Scott assist, but it’s mostly Ant. He uses the Roland CR-78 CompuRhythm, which was also used by Genesis, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Mike Oldfield and many others. It was never intended to sound like real drums, which is its appeal. 1984 is instrumental and bursting with great melodies, and perhaps Oldfield is not a bad reference point for some of it. All three of these titles include a second CD full of rarities, demos, alternate mixes, etc., providing great insight into the making of each album. The booklets include extensive new liner notes, including background information on each bonus track. Also, The Geese and the Ghost and Wise After the Event were two of the best album covers ever, though the larger format of the vinyl LP is really required to see the clever details.
The first two albums in Phillips’ long-running Private Parts and Pieces series are the best. The first volume was released in 1978 and contains almost all acoustic material that had been written between Ant leaving Genesis and the release of The Geese and the Ghost. Private Parts and Pieces Volume 2: Back to the Pavilion was released in 1980, with Phillips assisted at times by Mike Rutherford, Mel Collins (flute), Rob Phillips (oboe), and Andy McCulloch (drums). This double-CD on Voiceprint combines the two albums and adds three bonus tracks.
Anthony Phillips & Joji Hirota - Wildlife ($17.99)
Anthony Phillips & Harry Williamson - Tarka ($16.99)On Invisible Men (1983), Anthony collaborated with Richard Scott, and the album includes guests such as Morris Pert, Bimbo Acock, and Joji Hirota. It is an album of ambitious pop songs, the most pop-oriented of the Anthony Phillips catalog. But Phillips has the same knack for writing catchy songs that runs through the Genesis family, and many of these are very good, perhaps comparable to Camel’s The Single Factor released the previous year, which Phillips played on.
Tarka is one of the most beautiful instrumental albums period. The music was written and recorded with Harry Williamson, whose father Henry wrote the novella Tarka the Otter upon which the album is based. The music is primarily orchestral and features the National Philharmonic Orchestra, with acoustic guitar and keyboards from Phillips and Williamson, and a long list of soloists that includes Didier Malherbe, Guy Evans, and Lindsay Cooper. Though the album was released in 1988, the music had sat in the vaults for a decade.
Gypsy Suite was another collaboration with Harry Williamson that, when it was released in 1995, was already 20 years old. The main part of the CD is the four-movement Gypsy Suite, which was begun before Tarka but not finally recorded until 1978. The music is an ambitious piece based on 6 and 12 string guitars, with some organ, piano and percussion, romantic and pastoral in the same way as The Geese and the Ghost. There are also 1975 demos of Tarka on the CD.
Field Day is a beautiful double-CD digipack containing 61 pieces and over two hours of acoustic instrumentals on various 6, 10, and 12 string guitars, English bazouki, cittern, charanga, and mandolin. Phillips had been ignoring his guitars in favor of his keyboard-based TV work, so it’s good to hear him work his magic again. Most of Field Day was recorded between 2001-2004. The pieces are short, the moods varied, and Phillips switches instruments before it can become too much of the same sound. This is English poetry performed on stringed things, by a founding member of Genesis whose integrity remains uncompromised.
If memory serves, Anthony Phillips first worked with Joji Hirota on 1983’s Invisible Men album. The two later collaborated on music for television wildlife programs mostly in the British Survival series. Wildlife (2008 on Voiceprint) contains highlights of that music, recorded by Ant and Joji between 1994-2003. The CD contains 45 tracks from 11 programs.
The Pineapple Thief - 3000 Days (2CD, $15.99) The Pineapple Thief (TPT) is the band led by Bruce Soord, a very creative musician who was the guitarist in Vulgar Unicorn. The Pineapple Thief combine 1970’s progressive styles and sounds (Mellotron, Rhodes, analog synths, orchestral instruments) with a mélange of modern pop/rock styles, recommended to fans of Radiohead (though TPT are much proggier) and especially Porcupine Tree, though TPT generally avoid the heavy elements that Porcupine Tree have gravitated to of late. TPT have more in common with the bittersweet, song-oriented side of Porcupine Tree, and have a similarly spacious sound and that sensual melancholy.
After a half dozen CDs on the indie prog label Cyclops, TPT signed with Snapper’s K-Scope label, so now they are label-mates of Porcupine Tree. Tightly Unwound (2008, digipack) has much in common with the previous album What We Have Sown, as both albums were written during the same session. The foundation of TPT’s sound here is strummed acoustic guitar mixed with electric leads, while the keyboards are generally Mellotron strings and synths used as pads. Much of the material is in atypical time signatures, frequently seven, but TPT pull it off without drawing attention to it, adding a layer of complexity without sounding contrived. Tightly Unwound can only add to the reputation of this remarkable band. 60-minutes.
3000 Days (2009) is a double-CD compilation of material from the six TPT CDs that preceded Tightly Unwound, in a Super Jewel Box with slipcase. All tracks have been remixed and remastered, and some alternate versions/mixes included.
Pink Floyd tribute - Return to the Dark Side of the Moon ($14.99)This is a 2006 recreation of Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon featuring an amazing pool of talent including Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, John Wetton, Billy Sherwood, Tony Kaye, Bill Bruford, Alan White, Pat Mastelotto, Geoff Downes, Gary Green, David Sancious, Larry Fast, Tommy Shaw, Edgar Winter, Steve Porcaro, (and the list goes on). The CD includes one original song as a bonus track.
Poisoned Electrick Head - The Hanged Man ($13.99)This British band has been making psychedelic progressive rock with punk influences since 1986. The Hanged Man (1996) is their third CD and is between the styles of Hawkwind and The Cardiacs, but PEH have always been better live than on their studio recordings.
Quantum Jump - same ($15.99)The 1975 album is the first of two great albums by Rupert Hine’s funky/jazz-rock progressive-pop band, also featuring John G. Perry. Includes five bonus tracks.
RA - Rising ($7.99) RA is the new project of Rob Andrews (bass) and Steve Hillman (keyboards) along with David Groves (guitar) from Rob Andrews’ band, and Dai Rees (drums). Violinist Phil Morgan guests on one track on Wake (2007, 57-minutes), which contains high-caliber instrumental progressive rock in the British 1970’s style, superior to any of the progressive rock albums Andrews or Hillman have done on their own. Influences vary by track, but the strongest is early Camel, followed by Focus and then Steve Hackett. Ah, it takes one back.
Rising (2009, 60-minutes) is a budget-priced CD intended to entice prog fans to give this overlooked band a listen. Some of the tracks are new, others are reworked, restructured versions of tracks that appeared on earlier albums: two from Wake, others from Hillman’s and Andrews’ solo albums. The quartet is assisted by six guest musicians.
Rare Bird - As Your Mind Flies By ($17.99) Rare Bird was the first band with an album released on Tony Stratton Smith’s Charisma label, also home to Genesis, The Nice, Van der Graaf Generator and others. These are Rare Bird’s first two albums, on which they were a quartet with two keyboardists (mostly organ, also electric piano and harpsichord) but no guitarist. Singer Steve Gould later auditioned for Genesis after Gabriel had left; a guy named Collins got the gig though. Rare Bird’s self-titled debut album was released in 1969. This album includes their single Sympathy, which was a hit in the UK and Europe (though it probably never cracked the U.S. charts). Marillion later covered it. As Your Mind Flies By followed in 1970, featuring the 20-minute epic Flight. These two are Rare Bird’s best albums, classics of the formative days of progressive rock. Two members left after these, and the later albums didn’t measure up. These are the 2007 Esoteric label editions, which are 24-bit remastered. The first album has two bonus tracks, As Your Mind Flies By has three.
The Reasoning - Dark Angel ($15.99) The Reasoning are a Welsh prog band formed by ex-Magenta and ex-Erasmus bassist Matthew Cohen and featuring former Karnataka singer Rachel Cohen (née Jones). In addition to Cohen, the band have two excellent male vocalists. Their 2007 CD Awakening is a great debut with strong songs. It was mixed by Dave Meegan (U2, Marillion), while Steve Rothery (Marillion) guests. Dark Angel (2008) fulfills the promise heard on their debut, with the band sounding more confident, and the songwriting and production both taking a step up. All those vocalists The Reasoning have stockpiled are paying dividends in the form of some of the best vocals and vocal interplay in progdom. New guitarist Owain Roberts adds more metal stylings. It works well enough, as the band can also be as lush, delicate, warm and melodic as Karnataka and Magenta, something few prog-metal bands could claim. Easily recommended to fans of Karnataka and Magenta, the progenitors of the current south Wales progressive bands, but The Reasoning’s appeal extends beyond that as well.
Refugee - Live in Concert 1974 ($17.99)Refugee was seen by the British music press as an attempt to revive the The Nice, Keith Emerson’s pre-ELP band. Refugee took two-thirds of The Nice (Lee Jackson and Brian Davison) and added Patrick Moraz, who ensured that Refugee had a different style than The Nice. In fact, Refugee’s sole album (1974) is one of the great progressive rock albums, one that probably too many current prog rock fans don’t know about. Had Moraz not been recruited by Yes, one wonders what Refugee would have gone on to achieve. In any event, Moraz has the distinction of having replaced both Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson.
The 64-minute live CD was recorded at Newcastle City Hall in 1974. The audio has been restored with the full cooperation of the band members and sounds significantly better than any existing bootleg recordings. The tracks include Ritt Mickley, Someday, Papillon, and Grand Canyon Suite from their studio album, a version of The Nice’s Diamond Hard Blue Apples of the Moon, a 9-minute version of Bob Dylan’s She Belongs to Me, the previously-unreleased Refugee Jam, and One Left Handed Peter Pan, which was slated for the second album. Extensive sleeve notes and period photos tell the story of the band.
Regenesis - Live ($14.99)Regenesis is a British Genesis tribute band focusing on material from Trespass through Wind and Wuthering. Live was recorded in 1996 and includes two studio recordings. The band’s website is here.
Renaissance - Dreams & Omens: Live at the Tower Theatre, Philadelphia PA 1978 ($14.99)
Renaissance - Live at Carnegie Hall (2CD, $18.99)Tuscany is Renaissance’s 2001 comeback album, with Mickey Simmonds replacing Jon Tout (who guests) on keys. Jon Camp is absent, but Annie Haslam, Michael Dunford, and Terrence Sullivan are all here. A good album though not up to their classic material; mainly it lacks extended instrumentals. In the Land of the Rising Sun is an excellent live 2CD recorded in Japan in 2001 with the Tuscany lineup and featuring several songs from Tuscany along with many Renaissance classics.
Renaissance’s magnificent 1976 double live album Live at Carnegie Hall captured the band at their peak, playing with a symphony orchestra in a city where they were probably more popular than in their home country. This is the 2009 Deluxe Anniversary Edition on Friday Music, remastered from the original Sire Records vault tapes and including new recollections and artwork from Annie Haslam.
For the Dreams & Omens CD, Renaissance have delved into their archives and located this pristine 1978 concert recording at Philadelphia’s most famous venue, The Tower Theatre. The tracks included here are Can You Hear Me, Carpet of the Sun, Day of the Dreamer, Midas Man, Northern Lights, and Things I Don’t Understand. The package includes new liner notes and photos from the band as well as cover artwork by Annie Haslam. More Renaissance CDs can usually be found on our Bargain CDs page.
Renaissant - South of Winter ($15.99)Renaissant is the Renaissance spin-off created by drummer (and here, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist) Terry Sullivan, with keyboardist John Tout helping out, plus several other musicians including a guest appearance by Martin Orford (IQ). Betty Thatcher Newsinger wrote lyrics for four of the songs, while Terry’s wife Christine handles most of the vocals. Of course Christine is not Annie Haslam, and no one can possibly replace Annie in the hearts of Renaissance fans. But the music is true to the Renaissance style. Like the last Renaissance album Tuscany, South of Winter lacks extended instrumental excursions, and the energy level is somewhat subdued. So this concentrates on Renaissance’s symphonic folk style, and while naturally it falls short of classic Renaissance, it’s nice to see Terry trying to keep the spirit of Renaissance alive. Read the review at Musical Discoveries.
Room - Pre-Flight ($17.99) Recorded at Decca studios in the summer of 1970, Room’s Pre-Flight was an ambitious blend of rock, blues, jazz and classical influences that became a sought-after item for progressive rock collectors. Their only recorded work was critically well-received, but like many of Deram’s releases in this genre, did not achieve the hoped-for breakthrough to greater commercial success. Room had a female lead singer; her voice is in that range where it could almost be a male with a high tenor voice. The music is early British prog, much further along than the ordinary rock of the time, but not as advanced as King Crimson, Yes or Genesis were. Room did not have a keyboard player, but a large ensemble of session musicians added strings and brass arrangements, filling out the sound and giving the music the necessary complexity. The album has been remastered from the original analog tapes and is now presented in this definitive 2008 edition from Esoteric Recordings. Read the DPRP review. Lots more reviews and info at Room’s website/blog.
Samurai - Samurai ($17.99) 
These are the 2008 editions on the Esoteric label, known for their superb remastering jobs. Samurai and I Spider are two closely-related CDs. The English band The Web began life as a jazz, blues and soul-influenced outfit, fronted by singer John L. Watson, enjoying top ten hit singles throughout Europe. By the time of Theraphosa Blondi (1970), the band had undergone a metamorphosis, their music taking on more jazz and progressive influences, resulting in an album mostly in the British early jazz-rock style while also displaying The Web’s earlier styles. This CD edition contains two previously-unreleased bonus tracks.
After three albums, their American lead singer left and the rest of the band decided to change direction. They dropped the definite article from their name, but more importantly, they brought in keyboardist/singer Dave Lawson. Lawson not only took over the vocals, he took over all the writing. I Spider was originally released by Polydor Records in 1970, an innovative album that continues to draw comparisons with the work of Van der Graaf Generator of that time. The band renamed themselves Samurai and released their eponymous album on the short-lived Greenwich Gramophone label in 1972. (Bassist Tony Reeves was A&R director for the label.) Both albums are classics of early British progressive rock. The musicianship was excellent, and Lawson’s compositions were groundbreaking and memorable. If “Canterbury” is taken to refer to the jazz-influenced branch of British prog (as opposed to the symphonic branch), then these are Canterbury albums. In addition to Lawson’s organ, piano and (a little) Mellotron, both albums feature sax and flute. The sax is most important. It is played melodically and, as these are structured songs with no improvisation, the jazz influence is felt primarily harmonically. This style of jazz-rock has very little to do with the style exemplified by Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, or Return to Forever. A better reference is some of the music created many years later by the American band However.
Sadly, Samurai disbanded shortly after the release of the record, resulting in limited sales. However, the influence of the album was not lost, as both Dave Lawson and Tony Reeves soon joined Dave Greenslade to form the group Greenslade, and though Greenslade was less jazz influenced, one can hear many similarities. These Esoteric reissues are remastered from the original master tapes, and their booklets contain previously unseen photographs and an interview with Dave Lawson. I Spider features two bonus tracks recorded live in Sweden in 1971. Read the DPRP reviews of I Spider and Samurai.
Lee Saunders - A Promise of Peace ($13.99) Saunders’ 1995 World War II-themed anti-war concept album has been popular among Pink Floyd fans, as there does seem to be a lot of Pink Floyd/Roger Waters influence. With Saunders aided by ten other musicians, A Promise of Peace is comparable to The Final Cut, though many also think of it as a poor man’s The Wall. This is the U.S. version of the CD, released in 1999, for which the music was remastered. 76-minutes.
Jan Schelhaas - Dark Ships ($17.99) Dark Ships (2008, 64-minutes) is the first album for Jan Schelhaas, whose has been a member of both Caravan and Camel, writing as well as playing. Jan plays most of the instruments and sings, while Doug Boyle plays guitar on most tracks, and Jimmy Hastings adds some flute and soprano sax. The music is reminiscent of Peter Bardens’ post-Camel albums in that it is a mellow symphonic rock bearing some resemblance to Camel. Many of the songs here follow a similar pattern of beginning quite soft, with vocals, then opening up into proggier instrumentals later in the track.
Schloss Adler - Music for Survival Horror ($9.99) SALE!Schloss Adler is a pseudonym for Vulgar Unicorn’s Neil Randall. Perhaps inspired by Goblin’s soundtracks for Dario Argento’s films, Randall has created a soundtrack for an imaginary horror movie. He plays piano and synths and is assisted by three other musicians on acoustic guitars, cello, and percussion, creating eerie soundscapes, melancholy ensemble pieces, and ambient tracks that do resemble some of Goblin’s work. Now deleted, last copies.
Shadowland - Edge of Night Ltd. Ed. (DVD+2CD, $21.99) Shadowland is one of Clive Nolan’s (Pendragon, Arena) many projects. Nolan handles the vocals as well as the keys in Shadowland, which also features Karl Groom on guitar. Shadowland released three CDs during the nineties: Ring of Roses (1992), Through the Looking Glass (1994), and Mad as a Hatter (1996). The music is fairly typical 1990’s neo-prog, close to Arena’s less aggressive style, with more emphasis on vocals and songs.
Edge of Night (2009) is Shadowland’s first DVD (NTSC, all-region). This is the Limited Edition, which adds the audio double-CD and comes in deluxe packaging. Shot at the first edition of the Prog Rock festival in Katowice, Poland, the lineup here is Nolan, Groom (Threshold, Strangers on a Train), Mike Varty (Landmarq, Credo, Jannison Edge), Mark Westwood (Caamora, Neo), and Nick Harradence (NW10). Songs from all three Shadowland albums are performed. Bonus features include an interview with Nolan and Groom, and the video Shadowland Live in Holland 2009. DVD playing time 200-minutes, CDs 110-minutes total. Dolby Digital 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio, 16:9 widescreen. Counts as 2 CDs for shipping.
The gorgeous boxset Cautionary Tales (2009) contains the entire Shadowland discography to date. It includes the Edge of Night DVD and 2 CDs as above, and it includes remastered editions of the three Shadowland studio CDs. These CDs have been out-of-print for a long time. Additionally, each of the studio CDs includes bonus tracks, eight total. These include the bonus tracks from the Japanese editions. The set also includes a booklet with biography, discography, lyrics to all songs, and photos from the archive. Make some shelf space. Counts as 4 CDs for shipping.
Pete Sinfield - Still (2CD, $21.99)This is the 2009 2CD expanded edition on Esoteric Recordings, known for their superb remastering jobs. Pete Sinfield is best known as the lyricist for King Crimson and ELP. His classic 1973 solo album was one of the first releases on ELP’s Manticore label and features contributions from Greg Lake, Ian Wallace, Mel Collins, John Wetton, Keith Tippett, and many more musicians. The album has a strong early King Crimson flavor. The second disc includes nine previously-unreleased early album mixes plus two bonus tracks. The deluxe package (jewel box + slipcase) restores the album’s artwork, while the booklet includes an interview with Sinfield. Read reviews at Prog Archives.
Solstice - Silent Dance def. ed. (2CD, $21.99) 
Solstice - The Cropredy Set def. ed. (CD+DVD, $21.99)These are the 2007 Definitive Editions on the Festival Music label, most expanded to two-disc sets, all with new booklets and new liner notes by Oz Hardwick (which have been purloined for some of the descriptions below). While part of the same British 1980’s scene that featured Marillion, IQ, Pendragon, Twelfth Night, Pallas, Haze, etc., Solstice stood apart. They featured female vocals (they went through several different singers) and violin, and in many ways had a stronger connection to the 1970’s -- there was still a hippie vibe to their symphonic prog. They blended Yes and Renaissance with touches of psychedelic folk and a little jazz.
By the time their debut album was recorded, Solstice were already seasoned veterans of countless gigs throughout Britain. It is striking, then, that Silent Dance (1984) is so emphatically a studio album. From the staccato opening of Peace to the jazz-tinged coda of Find Yourself, the album has a glacial quality. The rough, folky edges were replaced by a sleek ambience, sometimes intimate (Earthsong), elsewhere thrillingly expansive (Sunrise). Mark Elton’s violin was reigned in as atmospheric keyboards gained prominence, generally leaving center stage to Sandy Leigh’s vocals and Andy Glass’ guitar. Dynamic foundations are provided by Martin Wright’s percussion and Mark Hawkins’ bass, though the one criticism of the album is that the bass lacks presence in the mix. The 70-minute bonus disc includes the tracks from Solstice’s cassette releases First Light (1982), Pathways (1982), and The Peace Tape (1983); a 1983 demo recorded at BBC Maida Vale with Shelley Patt on vocals; and their 1983 appearance on BBC Radio 1’s Friday Rock Show, 15 tracks total.
New Life, their second, was recorded in 1992, eight years after their first, but featured songs from the 1983-85 period when Solstice gigged extensively. The album features a crisper, fuller sound than their debut and better captures the grandeur Solstice was capable of, the fuller dynamic doing justice to bassist Craig Sunderland, adding depth and power to the stage favorites that hadn’t made it onto the debut. The lavish swathes of keyboards are still present, but Marc Elton’s violin is more prominent, blending with Andy’s guitar to frame Heidi Kemp’s commanding vocals. A stunning album throughout, the cornerstones are the two epics, Guardian and Journey, tapestries of mood and color which move from the meditative to the exuberant with a confidence that encompasses all the diverse elements which make Solstice’s music unique. The 70-minute bonus disc includes 1985 demos with Barbara Deason on vocals, a 1984 bootleg, and two 1985 bootlegs, 13 tracks total.
Circles (1997) featured all new material. Framed by two meditative instrumentals, Salú and Coming Home, Circles is perhaps the most impassioned Solstice album. Fronted by Emma Brown, perhaps their strongest vocalist to date, the band had never sounded so powerful on disc. Bolstered by ex-Jethro Tull drummer Clive Bunker, the sound produced is full, dynamic and committed. This new edition is a single CD with four bonus tracks taking the time up to 63-minutes.
Thirteen years after the brace of sell-out farewell concerts at London’s legendary Marquee club, it was finally time to release a live album. The venue was Cropredy 1998, Fairport Convention’s annual outdoor festival of the finest in folk, rock, and the hybrid beasts in between. (For those who’ve never been to a Cropredy, 25,000 people attend, dwarfing any of today’s prog festivals.) The sun shone on a huge crowd as Solstice, now augmented by Jenny Newman on violin, Robin Phillips on bass and Steve McDaniel on keyboards, took the stage for a set that began with a sequence of old favorites before concentrating on material from the then-recent Circles album, but there was also space for a band version of Awakening from Clive Bunker’s solo album, along with the new instrumental Ducks on the Pond. Unfortunately, problems with sound rendered the recording unusable. Resilient to the end, the band set up in the studio the following day and replayed the set – live without an audience – which is what you hear on this album. The show was captured on film. The technical problems with the sound led Andy Glass to initially veto its release, though now after remastering, it is available on DVD. The Cropredy Set Definitive Edition includes both the CD and the DVD (NTSC, all-region). Here are video excerpts of Morning Light, Thank You, and Sacred Run in mpeg format. (These are big files.)
Space Ritual - Otherworld ($17.99) The Esoteric label’s description: “A band formed by founding members of Hawkwind, Space Ritual are true exponents of space rock, performing sold-out concerts drawing on classic Hawkwind repertoire written by Nik Turner, Dave Anderson and Terry Ollis. Now Space Ritual deliver a stunning 2007 studio album of original material that takes their music into a new dimension that is both contemporary yet still aware of its heritage and roots. Also featuring poems by sci-fi author Michael Moorcock, Otherworld has been described as ‘more Hawkwind than Hawkwind’ by one commentator, but Space Ritual are more than that. They are a band in their own right, with their own style and future.” Read the DPRP review.
Spirogyra - St. Radigunds ($14.99) This British progressive folk-rock band featured Barbara Gaskin on vocals, who later sang for Hatfield and the North and teamed with Dave Stewart on three progressive pop albums under the name Stewart/Gaskin. Dave Mattacks played drums on all three Spirogyra albums but was never a member. St. Radigunds (1971) and Old Boot Wine (1972) are excellent albums that can be grouped with Trees, Comus, and Spriguns. In fact, their progressive content exceeds that of almost any of the 1970’s folk-rock and psych-folk albums.
Chris Squire - Fish Out of Water expanded edition (CD+DVD, $13.99)Chris Squire’s 1975 solo album Fish Out of Water was arguably the best of the first round of Yes solo albums, maybe the best Yes solo album period. The presence of Bill Bruford and Patrick Moraz, not to mention Mel Collins, Jimmy Hastings, and an orchestra, ensures that this is the most Yes-like of those solo albums. This remastered digipack Deluxe Expanded Edition adds a DVD (NTSC, all-region) containing promo videos for the tracks Hold Out Your Hand and You By My Side featuring the London Symphony Orchestra. Squire was personally involved with this project, and the DVD includes a recent interview with Squire and his track-by-track commentary. The CD contains one bonus track, the U.S.-only single version of Lucky Seven.
Stackridge - Mr. Mick (2CD, $22.99) 
Stackridge - Friendliness ($17.99) 
Stackridge is an eccentric English progressive-folk-pop band from Bristol who released five LPs between 1971-1976, a comeback album in 1999, a mini-CD in 2003, and another comeback album in 2009. Their music is in the vein of 10cc, City Boy, and to some extent Supertramp, a quirky, humorous, exceedingly clever and very English music featuring innovative arrangements that can trace its lineage to The Beatles. These are the latest remastered editions on Angel Air.
The self-titled CD is their 1971 debut plus two bonus tracks. Friendliness (1972) is their second, with four bonus tracks. Their third album The Man in the Bowler Hat was produced by George Martin and released early in 1974. Extravaganza, their fourth, was released at the beginning of 1975.
Mr. Mick (1976) was their fifth. Their record company at that time didn’t like the finished result and ordered the removal of most of the dialogue. As the album was based around a poem, this wholesale remodeling didn’t please the band much. This 2007 2CD edition on Angel Air includes the original album in its entirety on CD1 (first released in 2000 as The Original Mr. Mick) and the remastered album released to the public in 1976 on CD2.
Purple Spaceships Over Yatton is a 2006 compilation featuring 15 tracks, all remastered; the title track is a new recording. Check for Stackridge’s The Forbidden City DVD on our DVDs page.
Strangefish - Fortune Telling ($16.99) Fortune Telling (2006, 65-minutes) is the second album for this British neo-prog band who were voted Best New Band of 2003 by the Classic Rock Society, though most of the band members had been playing together for 14 years prior. Which has to have something to do with the maturity on display here. This is a very accomplished album, particularly for a band whose members all have day jobs, and is warm-sounding and well-produced. Weak vocals, the bane of many modern prog bands, has rarely been a problem for British bands, and the superb lead vocals of Steve Taylor (who has a touch of Sting in his voice) immediately put Strangefish in the professional class. Taylor was named Best Male Vocalist for three consecutive years by the UK’s Classic Rock Society. Strangefish don’t copy anyone too closely, but their music is familiar in a good way. They add enough originality to make the music their own, such as the occasional jazz guitar, or the violin, viola, and mandolin from the bassist. For those who have tired of bands attempting a technical showcase without having developed much in the way of composition and songwriting, Strangefish will be a breath of fresh air. Read the review at Sea of Tranquility.
Stud - Stud ($17.99) This is the 2008 edition of this CD on the Esoteric label, known for their superb remastering jobs. Esoteric’s description: “Stud were formed in 1970 by Richard McCracken and John Wilson (from the recently disbanded Taste) and Jim Cregan (of Blossom Toes and later Family). The album they recorded for Decca’s Deram label was an amalgam of rock and jazz and was an outstanding progressive album of its time. The sessions also featured guest appearances by Poli Palmer (Family) and John Weider (Eric Burdon & The Animals, Family). Although Stud never achieved the acclaim they deserved, their debut album remains highly sought after by aficionados of progressive rock.”
The Tangent - Down and Out in Paris and London ($13.99) |       |
Tantalus - Lumen et Caligo I ($14.99) Tantalus may be the most overlooked of the British neo-prog bands. Jubal (2000, 72-minutes) is their third album, about which Jurriaan Hage wrote: “Generally the music sounds like a mix of a bit of the optimistic Yes sound with typical English nineties neo-progressive, like Pendragon and maybe a bit of Primitive Instinct and Mostly Autumn without the female vocals and the folk. This album would have fit very well on the Cyclops label.” Also read the DPRP and ProgressiveWorld reviews.
Start with their fourth album Lumen et Caligo I (2002, 74-minutes). Read reviews at Prog Archives, Progressor, and DPRP. These are both the MALS label editions. Lumen et Caligo I is the redesigned, remastered version.
Thieves’ Kitchen - The Water Road ($12.99) |     |
Thinkman - Life Is a Full Time Occupation ($15.99) Thinkman was essentially a fictitious band name Rupert Hine used for his three albums released between 1986-1990. This had to do mostly with Hine wanting to hide his name from mainstream critics, feeling that his success as a producer for Top 20 acts such as The Fixx, Howard Jones, Chris de Burgh, and Tina Turner was responsible for the negative reactions to the albums he had released under his own name. (The actual reason was the same reason the mainstream critics were vehemently anti-progressive rock, that is, they had musical IQ’s in the single digits.) For those who don’t know Rupert Hine, you may have seen his name as a producer for Nova (on Blink), Camel, Rush, Saga, Anthony Phillips, or Café Jacques, but he is also a very creative musician and a singer with an unmistakable voice. After two albums under his own name in the 1970’s, he was the main force in Quantum Jump (two albums in the mid-70’s), after which he released three albums under his own name in the early 1980’s, the Better Off Dead soundtrack in 1985, then the three under the Thinkman name in the late 80’s, and another album under his name in 1994. Hine began using the exceptional lyricist/poet Jeannette Obstoj on some of the Quantum Jump songs. The lyrics on his albums from 1981 on are all the work of Obstoj. His music from 1981 on is progressive pop, very intelligent and modern (for its time), often utilizing well-known British musicians (Phil Collins for one). Life Is a Full Time Occupation (1988) is generally dark and aggressive and is primarily a Rupert Hine solo project. Hard Hat Zone (1980), though not hugely different, is probably where prog fans should start. Other musicians help out here, including Geoffrey Richardson on electric & acoustic guitar, bass, electric & acoustic viola, violin, and ukulele; and Phil Palmer on electric guitars.
The Timedivers - Timedivers ($11.99) We haven’t heard the earlier albums of this Shropshire band, but from their website, The Timedivers appear to be a pub band who got more ambitious. If the cover art on this 2007 CD looks like Pawn Hearts, it is by Paul Whitehead, and the band does list Van der Graaf Generator as one of their influences, also Genesis, Jethro Tull, Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, and a host of bands from other genres. The music could be termed ‘semi-progressive’. It sounds straight out of the British early 1970’s scene, and The Timedivers sometimes sound like a proggier version of the 70’s prog-folk-rock band Decameron. If you don’t know Decameron, Strawbs is the next best approximation.
Trinity - Precious Seconds ($16.99) This band want to spell their name with a numeral, i.e., Tr3nity. Either way, Precious Seconds (2004) is an even better second album for this British neo-prog band who play melodic progressive primarily in the Pendragon and Pallas veins, with touches of Pink Floyd and Camel (well, the same can be said of Pendragon). Each of the five tracks exceeds 10 minutes, allowing room for the catchy songs to evolve through long instrumental sections that feature great guitar and keyboard work. In the wake of the 1980’s British bands that defined neo-prog, recent years have given birth to few exceptional bands in that style; Tr3nity is one of them. This is especially recommended to those who appreciate lyrical lead guitar a la the bands mentioned above. Now deleted, last copies.
On their 2001 debut The Cold Light of Darkness, this British quartet plays melodic prog primarily in the Pendragon style, with a Pink Floyd feel on one track. The Pendragon-like tracks are their best material, comprising the first half of the CD. The CD concludes with a 20-minute epic that, while not spectacular, does build effectively from introspective to anthemic, closer to the style of Pallas.
Twelfth Night - Smiling at Grief def. ed. (2CD, $17.99) Hopefully most of you are familiar with this British band who, along with Marillion, IQ, Pallas, Pendragon, and Haze, spearheaded the progressive revival of the 1980’s. The double-CD Voices in the Night (2007) contains unreleased recordings featuring all the vocalists associated with Twelfth Night. CD 1 is a collection of studio rarities including three tracks with Electra from the Twelfth Night Early Material album. A rare track with short-tenure singer Ian Lloyd Jones is followed by three with Geoff Mann and four with Andy Sears. The track with Axe is the only recording with him on vocals. The last vocalist, Martyn Watson, contributes four tracks. CD2 is a live disc. The first two tracks have been repeatedly requested by fans as they are the lost encores from Geoff’s final Marquee show, which were captured on Live and Let Live but space did not permit inclusion there, so this is their first release on CD. Tracks with Andy Sears and Martyn Watson follow before a version of Love Song with both Geoff and Andy singing. The package includes sleeve notes by band members Brian Devoil and Electra, plus a collection of rare photos.
The first Twelfth Night LP was the instrumental Live at the Target (1981), and the next vinyl release was Fact and Fiction, but in between was the 1982 cassette-only Smiling at Grief album, which was the first album with Geoff Mann on vocals. It was released on CD in 1997 by the French MSI label, but that label has been out-of-business for years. This new double-CD Definitive Edition contains the original album and the bonus tracks that appeared on the MSI CD, plus a second disc containing the archive release Smiling at Grief Live. The latter is the only known live recording of the four-piece line-up, from a concert recorded a month or so after the studio album. This set also includes three previously-unreleased tracks, including the original demo of Eleanor Rigby and a very different early version of This City. Smiling at Grief Definitive Edition sports new artwork, sleeve notes and previously unseen photographs. Check our DVDs page for Twelfth Night’s Live from London DVD.
Geoff Mann - In One Era ($6.99) SALE!Geoff Mann was the much-loved singer for Twelfth Night. After his departure from that band, he pursued a more personal rock music, first releasing three albums under his own name with various musicians but no real band, then two albums with his band The Bond. In One Era (74-minutes) combines both of Geoff’s solo albums I May Sing Grace (1984) and Psalm Enchanted Evening (1985) on one CD and features artwork for the booklet and cover that he completed just before his premature death in February 1993, and a disc design that Geoff had painted but never used.
Marc Catley & Geoff Mann - Fine Difference ($13.99)This 1992 CD includes Geoff Mann and Marc Catley’s 1988 collaboration album In Difference plus four tracks from Geoff Mann’s 1984 Chants Would be a Fine Thing LP, three tracks from Catley’s 1987 The Peel Tower Hop EP and one track from his 1986 mini-album This is the Birth of Classical Acoustic Rock. The style is mainly-acoustic progressive rock songs. 75-minutes total. Here are mp3 samples from the tracks The Calling and Closer to You.
Mannerisms: A Celebration of the Music of Geoff Mann ($14.99) This 74-minute CD, originally released in 1994, is a tribute to Geoff Mann, who passed away in 1993 at age 36. It includes performances by Pallas, IQ, Galahad, Eden Burning, Pendragon, Jadis, Twelfth Night, Clive Nolan & Alan Reed, and more, performing Geoff Mann and Twelfth Night songs. The fact that all the performers were friends of Geoff makes this all the more heartfelt. The detailed 24-page booklet is full of photos and info on Geoff Mann. This is the 2001 Verglas edition.
Van der Graaf Generator - Live at the Paradiso (2CD, $17.99)Hopefully Van der Graaf Generator need no introduction. Their albums should be in any progressive rock collection. This is the 2005 remastered edition of World Record with bonus tracks, new liner notes and photos. The bonus tracks on World Record (1976) are versions of When She Comes and Masks recorded for BBC Radio One’s The John Peel Show in 1976.
The double-CD Live at the Paradiso was recorded in Holland in 2007. It features the three-man lineup of Peter Hammill, Hugh Banton and Guy Evans performing Lemmings; A Place to Survive; Lifetime; (In the) Black Room; Every Bloody Emperor; All That Before; Gog; Meurglys III, The Songwriter’s Guild; The Sleepwalkers; Man-Erg; Scorched Earth. Peter Hammill wrote the sleeve notes.
Rick Wakeman - G’olé ($15.99) |          |
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Waking the Witch - Boys from the Abattoir ($17.99) Here’s something a bit different. Yorkshire’s Waking the Witch have been getting a lot of support from Britain’s Classic Rock Society, who voted them Acoustic Roots Performer of the Year in 2006. This folk-rock band consists of four female singer/songwriter/acoustic guitarists. They all write, and they take turns on lead vocals with the others singing some to-die-for harmonies. This 2007 CD is their third, and with help from a new producer and other musicians, this one has a fuller, more rock-based sound. In addition to the acoustic guitars and mandolin, there is bass, drums, some electric guitar, violin and cello, brass on one song, Mellotron on another. The variety of divine lead vocalists goes a long way to making the songs distinct, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see Waking the Witch garner national and even international attention with this album. Guys: your wife will stay in the room when you play this one.
The DVD (NTSC, all-region) was recorded in January 2007 at the City Varieties in Leeds. The ladies were joined on stage by Jon Short (bass), Mick Bedford (drums), and Fluff (strings), all of whom played on Boys from the Abattoir. The DVD contains performances of 11 songs plus a bonus band interview. 73-minutes, stereo.
Walking on Ice - No Margin for Error ($6.99) SALE!1994 British neo-prog.
Darryl Way - Concerto for Electric Violin ($17.99)This is the 2009 edition on Esoteric Recordings, remastered from the original master tapes. The label says: “Concerto for Electric Violin was recorded by Curved Air and Wolf violinist Darryl Way for Island Records and was the subject of much critical acclaim and a feature on ITV’s South Bank Show upon its release in 1978. A unique fusion of rock and classical music, the album made full use of synthesizer technology to produce a truly unique work of classical progressive rock. For the recording sessions, Way was joined by former Curved Air colleague Francis Monkman and drummer Ian Mosley (formerly with Wolf, later to join Marillion).”
Darryl Way’s Wolf - Night Music ($17.99) 
These 2008 editions on Esoteric are the first official UK CD releases of these albums, remastered from the original master tapes. Canis Lupus (1973) has two bonus tracks, Saturation Point (1973) has three. Night Music (1974) was the final Wolf album. Wolf was the band formed by violinist/keyboardist Darryl Way after Curved Air first broke up. The band was full of musicians who would go on to become well-known: Ian Mosley on drums (later Trace, Steve Hackett, Marillion), John Etheridge on guitar (later Soft Machine), and Dek Messecar on bass (later Caravan). Ian McDonald produced and guested on the debut Canis Lupus, while former IF vocalist John Hodgkinson had joined the band on Night Music.. These are three excellent albums from an often overlooked British progressive rock band.
John Wetton - Rock of Faith ($14.99)Rock of Faith is Wetton’s 2003 album, while Sinister is from 2001. Read the ProgressiveWorld.net reviews of Sinister and Rock of Faith.