0.720 Aleacion - same ($9.99)
Titles marked [co] have slots or holes punched in the case, or in some cases, just a hole punched in the barcode area of the traycard. Titles are arranged alphabetically with recent additions highlighted in yellow.
0.720 Aleacion - same ($9.99)This 1986 Mexican instrumental progressive album is an excellent one, featuring violin and flute and emphasizing pre-Hispanic Mexican music. Here is a RealAudio excerpt courtesy of Zoltan’s Progressive Rock Webpage. At ProgArchives you’ll find another audio sample as well as several in-depth reviews.
21st Century Schizoid Band - Live in Italy ($9.99)21st Century Schizoid Band is a group of ex-King Crimson musicians from the early lineups, initially Michael Giles, Peter Giles, Ian McDonald, Mel Collins, and Jakko M Jakszyk. Michael left, replaced by Ian Wallace (who passed away in 2007). Their repertoire includes not only Crimson tracks but a few tracks from the members’ solo/duo albums and the odd new track.
Live in Japan was recorded in Tokyo in November 2002. The CD includes the tracks Schizoid Intro, A Man A City, Catfood, Let There Be Light, Progress, In the Court of the Crimson King, Formentera Lady, Ladies of the Road, I Talk to the Wind, Epitaph, Birdman, 21st Century Schizoid Man. The Live in Italy CD was recorded in March 2003 and includes the tracks Schizoid Intro, A Man A City, Let There Be Light, Court of the Crimson King, Ladies of the Road, Improv - Sailors Tale, Birdman, Epitaph, Catley’s Ashes (studio version). Both CDs come in a jewel box plus slipcase.
Alias Eye - A Different Point of You ($8.99)A Different Point of You (2003) is the second album from a very good German neo-prog band that shares lead singer Philip Griffiths with the band Poor Genetic Material. Philip’s father Martin was the singer for Beggars Opera, a Scottish early-70’s prog band. The music has some of the laid-back Pink Floyd atmosphere, also a bit of Kansas, Saga, and Spock’s Beard, and like the great 1970’s prog bands, the musician’s skills serve the song rather than a technical exercise. A Different Point of You is particularly well recorded and is quite arty and finely crafted. Because both Alias Eye and Poor Genetic Material rely heavily on Griffiths’ excellent voice, fans of one band will probably like the other as well. Alias Eye is a bit more mainstream than PGM, but the appeal is similar.
Amazing Blondel - Restoration ($8.99)1997 reunion album following a 22 year break. This is the original trio plus two guests, playing genteel acoustic minstrel music on guitars, flute, recorders, woodwinds, harpsichord, organ, dulcimer, mandolin, percussion and occasional drums, with all three members singing. Amazing Blondel update English traditional music in a very different manner than Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span, taking courtly renaissance music as their source as opposed to folk songs.
Amon Düül II - Vive La Trance ($7.99)Amon Düül II was one of the pioneering Krautrock bands. Even when singing in English, they were uniquely German, playing a light progressive style with avant-garde elements. Vive La Trance (1974) was their 6th studio album and saw the band turning to more song-based structures and mostly shorter tracks, reining in their excessively avant-garde and psychedelic tendencies. It’s still unconventional enough to belong in the progressive realm, as even the more straightforward material tends to have a veneer of electronic or psychedelic effects. This is the 2002 edition on Repertoire, with one bonus track.
Ankh - Ziemia i Slonce ($9.99) 
This is the 2004 re-edition of the 1995 second Ankh CD, with two bonus tracks. Ankh is a Polish band featuring violin, guitar, bass and drums, plus male in Polish. They released three albums during the 1990’s that should be of great interest to King Crimson and Anekdoten fans and to fans of rock violin. Their sound is often dark, with the much more active violin a more than adequate replacement for Anekdoten’s Mellotron. It’s the contrast between the heavy rock of the guitar, bass & drums and the sweetness of the violin that gives them their appeal and their uniqueness. Classical and folk elements are introduced by way of the violin. More Ankh CDs here.
David Arkenstone - Robot Wars ($6.99)This 1993 album is synthesist David Arkenstone’s original score to the movie Robot Wars, which is presumably a film about robots not being able to work out their differences. Aside from one track of light rock, the music is very good orchestral simulation in the Hollywood epic soundtrack style. 54-minutes.
Art in America - same ($6.99)An overlooked 1983 progressive pop/rock album from a trio of family members including a harp player. Eddie Offord produced and Steve Morse co-arranged the songs with the band (and contributed a guitar solo), while the session keyboardist was T Lavitz (The Dixie Dregs). This ends up in the vicinity of The Alan Parsons Project with some Genesis and Yes influences.
Art Rock Circus - Heaven’s Café Live ($9.99) 
Mantra Sunrise - same ($9.99) These are all related projects centered around the talents of guitarist and composer John Miner. If you’ll dig out your copy of Progression Magazine issue 46, you’ll find a feature article on Heaven’s Café and an interview with Miner. Heaven’s Café is a musical theater production that has been staged in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and Art Rock Circus is the progressive rock band providing the music for it. Probably because of the theatrical production, Heaven’s Café Live has been the label’s best seller, though here Art Rock Circus is a trio with no keyboards. It definitely has that rock opera style, and Miner’s guitar playing frequently recalls Roye Albrighton of Nektar, though Art Rock Circus is not as symphonic nor as clever as Nektar on Nektar’s better albums.
A Passage to Clear has some keys and female vocals throughout and a generally languid feel. The double-CD Tell a Vision is the most fully-realized of the Art Rock Circus CDs, with even more keys and several guest musicians. Mantra Sunrise was Miner’s band prior to Art Rock Circus, though it’s unclear when this CD was recorded – no dates appear on any of the CDs. Mantra Sunrise is also a predominantly languid album, fairly psychedelic, with male vocals that suggest Jim Morrison/The Doors. The 20-minute suite Land of Sprinagar may remind one of the first Nektar album. At times the production on these CDs is not exactly state-of-the-art, though that makes these CDs sound even more like the product of an early 1970’s band. Most though not all of the music falls within the boundaries of progressive rock, and as mentioned, there is a degree of psychedelia as well. There is so much music here that it is difficult to summarize it, but there are extensive audio samples provided.
Autumn People - same ($11.99)This is the legit CD reissue of a hyper-obscure 1976 album by a guitar/keys/bass/drums quartet from Arizona. Little is known about the band. The music is progressive rock that, apart from a cheesy string synth, actually sounds several years earlier than 1976, with a hippy vibe and basement production, charming in its lack of pretension. There are elements of the American rural rock sound of the era. Collectors of rare early-70’s prog will enjoy this.
Banco - Il 13 ($9.99)Banco are, along with PFM, one of the two pillars of Italian progressive rock. Il 13 (1994, 64-minutes) is from Banco’s pop phase, but as Banco weren’t otherwise producing any new studio work, it’s either this or nothing. The album has its moments and occasionally harkens back to the 70’s, but most prog fans probably pick this up only because they’re curious to hear what Banco sound like as a pop band.
Peter Banks - Reduction ($8.99) 
Reduction, recorded in 1997, is the fourth solo album from the original guitarist of Yes. It is a wonderfully creative instrumental album of guitar and guitar synth embellished with loops and samples, certainly Banks’ most contemporary sounding album, and nothing like Yes. It’s a good showcase for the man’s talents and is very much a composer’s album rather than a pointless display of technique. Banks’ second, Instinct (1994), is also instrumental and displays those same qualities.
The band Empire was led by Peter Banks and was the continuation of his band Flash but with his ex-wife on lead vocals. Mark I, the first and best of three Empire albums, was recorded in 1974. Phil Collins had initially been involved, but when it came time to record the album, Collins’ commitments with Genesis kept him from being a full band member, though he does appear as a guest on drums and backing vocals. The band was fleshed out with British sessions musicians with prog credentials, including John Giblin on bass and vocals, who went on to Brand X.
Tony Banks - Still ($7.99) [co]While this 1991 album is one of Tony Banks’ bland pop albums, with no instrumentals, it does feature Fish singing two of the songs, of which the 9-minute Another Murder of a Day is quite good and is the highlight of the album. Nik Kershaw is among the other singers handling the vocals on the other songs, while Daryl Stuermer takes care of the guitars, with other musicians on bass and drums. Note these CDs are unsealed. The reason is that this CD actually comes in a shrinkwrapped longbox. (Longboxes were phased out shortly after). We’ll save you the trouble of discarding the longbox, but if you really want it, use this link instead to buy this CD with the longbox -- it’ll cost you an extra CD’s worth of shipping.
Barclay James Harvest - Welcome to the Show ($12.99)These are the 2006 Eclectic Discs editions remastered from the original master tapes, with Eclectic’s usual superb sound quality. Barclay James Harvest are a British band who released their first album in 1970. They are known for creating a unique brand of soft symphonic pop.
BJH’s 1987 studio album Face to Face was praised by critics as a return to form. This reissue adds three bonus tracks, including a rare German extended 12-inch single remix of Panic. Welcome to the Show is their 1990 studio album with the addition of three bonus tracks recorded live in 1992.
Alfy Betz - Imaginary Orchestra ($7.99)Imaginary Orchestra, the debut CD by Al “Alfy” Betz, is a fine 74-minute CD consisting of two long suites of instrumental symphonic rock and classical, dominated by Betz’ grand piano. Other musicians add guitar and bass. The rock passages are stately and elegant rather than high-energy, leading some reviewers to describe this as ‘Enid-lite’. Here is a RealAudio excerpt from the track Allegro con Fuoco.
Brother Ape - On the Other Side ($8.99) On their debut On the Other Side (2005), Swedish band Brother Ape are a quartet (guitars/vocals, keys, bass, drums). The band describe themselves as a unique blend of progressive rock and fusion and mention Weather Report and Brand X. The truth? Brother Ape are a mainstream progressive rock band with excellent vocals in English. They are somewhere between Saga/Rush and Genesis/Yes, but don’t take that too literally as Brother Ape don’t sound much like any of those bands, except for the title track that ends this album. This 8-minute track is the highlight, a wonderful slice of Yes and Genesis-inspired euphoria. Interestingly, this track was recorded ten years earlier than the others and excavated from the vault for this CD. Are there any others like this in there? As for the fusion, in a few spots they integrate chord changes and sounds that derive from 1970’s fusion bands. It’s a great idea that they execute well, but it’s really a minor aspect of their sound, and at no point are they actually playing jazz-rock. But who cares. Brother Ape are another great Swedish prog band that don’t sound like any of the other Swedish prog bands. Read reviews here. Check out Brother Ape’s other CDs.
Caravan - Cool Water ($9.99)
Cool Water contains songs recorded in 1977 for inclusion on the follow-up album to Better By Far but never used. They are all Pye Hastings songs. Pye found the 2" multitracks and had the songs mixed for this 1994 CD. The final four songs are from a different source and have lesser sound quality. All Over You and All Over You...Too are two CDs of classic Caravan songs re-recorded by the band in the late 1990’s.
Celtus - Live 2000 ($9.99) Celtus are an Irish Celtic-pop ensemble consisting of John McManus on vocals, low whistle, bodhran & bass; Pat McManus on guitars, fiddle, bouzouki & backing vocals; and Dan Axtell on synthesizers and backing vocals. The songs are usually driven by programmed percussion. Live 2000 is a live greatest hits, the songs compiled from various concerts throughout that year, plus two bonus studio tracks. Celtus combine Irish folk and rock in a manner similar to later Clannad, though with excellent male vocals rather than female. Some songs feature the Celtic instruments prominently and other not so much. Celtus are much more about top-notch songwriting than Irish folk per se, and all the electronic textures and drum loops should keep the trad folkies away. Those into Karnataka and Iona may find much that they like here, as these guys are good!
Chain - Reconstruct ($8.99) Chain appears to be a German quintet, though their singer is probably American. Their band leader is Henning Pauly, also responsible for the Frameshift albums and who now resides in the U.S. Chain is a band that does play progressive metal at times, but there is so much pure prog rock on their albums that it would be unfair to saddle them with the prog-metal tag. Chain’s debut Reconstruct (2003) is notable not only for being 79-minutes long but for featuring lines from Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy throughout, and in fact the album is dedicated to Adams. It’s a powerful prog-rock/prog-metal blend that also strikes us as being very clever. Recommended especially to fans of Ayreon.
Cross - Playgrounds ($8.99)Cross is a Swedish neo-progressive/neo-symphonic band with excellent English vocals and an accessible style. Playgrounds (2004) further develops the style heard on Secrets (2000) but relates even more closely to the Spektrum CD, and all the Spektrum members guest on Playgrounds. The mid-to-late 1970’s Genesis influence is present, particularly in the keyboards, and Cross’ style is now close to Galleon as well as Jadis and other melodic symphonic prog bands. Here is a 4.6 MB mp3. Read reviews here. More Cross CDs here.
Drama - same ($11.99)French band Drama began as a very good symphonic progressive band in the Edhels vein. This is their 1996 debut.
Eden Burning - Mirth & Matter ($3.99) [co]1994 CD by an English progressive, folky rock band who make frequent use of Celtic instruments and melodies. There is a weight and air of seriousness to most of their songs, analogous to latter-day Marillion; it’s part of what gives them progressive credibility. Which is not to say Eden Burning sound like Marillion; they don’t. The band had a cut on the Geoff Mann tribute CD Mannerisms.
Finisterre - Storybook ($9.99)Finisterre are one of the very best Italian progressive bands to emerge during the 1990’s, with loads of flute, guitar, and keyboards crafting compelling melodies and romantic atmospheres. Storybook (digipack) is an excellent-sounding live CD recorded at the 1997 ProgDay festival, drawing from the first two albums. This is the same concert originally released as Live at ProgDay ’97 with the addition of the ten-minute Altaloma, Finisterre’s cover of the PFM piece. Read the ProgWeed review. More Finisterre CDs and more info on our Italian page.
Fish - Yin ($6.99)Yin and Yang are companion CDs, compilations spanning 1980-1995, but most of the songs have been re-recorded. Yin features two Marillion songs recorded by Fish’s band while Yang includes four. Yin also includes Time and a Word recorded with Steve Howe (despite the fact the song predates Howe’s joining Yes).
Focus - 8 ($9.99)Against all odds, a new Focus album appeared in 2002. The original Focus disbanded at the end of the 1970’s with the departure of their famous guitarist Jan Akkerman. The story of this incarnation of Focus begins with three young musicians who decided to pay tribute to their idol and form a Focus tribute band called (of course) Hocus Pocus. After perfecting their cover versions, they invited keyboardist/flutist/madman Thijs Van Leer to a jam session. Thijs was not prepared for such devotion to the original group’s spirit, nor this high a quality level. The combined band was so good that Thijs jumped on the opportunity to reform Focus with fresh blood. And that’s exactly what Focus 8 is about. This is vintage Focus, played with enthusiasm, renewed vigor, and Van Leer’s unique sense of humor. And yodeling.
After several releases on the Kinesis label, Upper Level Open Space (1999) was released on the French Musea label and is now sale-priced. Details here.
Fraktal - Ask the Rabbit ($9.99) Fraktal is an Argentine quartet singing in English. Their 2005 debut Ask the Rabbit is in the Radiohead vein. With its pervading melancholic mood, it is also reminiscent of Porcupine Tree or Anekdoten’s Gravity, though Fraktal’s sound generally lacks symphonic elements. Their guitar-dominated sound is closer to that of Brazilians Violeta de Outono. Read the Proggnosis and DPRP reviews. There are videos and more reviews on Fraktal’s site. Mini-LP sleeve.
French TV - 1: French TV ($9.99)French TV is an instrumental band from Louisville, Kentucky that has been around in various incarnations for quite some time now. This is the CD reissue of their debut album, which was released on vinyl in 1984. Their music is complex, blending Canterbury-ish progressive rock, fusion, and some avant rock stylings. Recommended to fans of Grits, However, A Triggering Myth, Happy the Man, and The Muffins, all American bands of a similar persuasion, not to mention Frank Zappa, Samlas Mammas Manna, and Univers Zero.
Grace - Gathering in the Wheat (2CD, $7.99) out-of-stock Superb progressive rock and progressive pop with a subtle folk influence, hard not to like these Brits. 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.
Gratto - Anakin Tumnus ($6.99) Gratto is a 2002 release from the Progressive Music Management label (Mythologic, Leger de Main, Andeavor, RH Factor, Jupiter). The Rodler brothers (the core of Leger de Main) handle guitars and drums here, but this album is the brainchild of a singer/keyboardist who calls himself Gratto. This album sounds like it could have come straight out of the 1970’s. Dark, intricate, and energetic, there are elements of Van der Graaf, Genesis, and Yes, but the sound is perhaps closest to some of the obscure American 1970’s prog bands such as Netherworld. There is also a touch of Echolyn. The album is on the short side (36:22) and consists of three long tracks. Read the reviews at Prog-Nose, Axiom of Choice and DPRP. The CD comes in a printed cardboard sleeve and counts as only one-half CD for shipping.
Steve Hackett - Guitar Noir / There Are Many Sides to the Night (2CD, $14.99) [co] 
Guitar Noir / There Are Many Sides to the Night is a 2CD set combining two Steve Hackett albums at a single-CD price. Guitar Noir was originally released in 1993, one of Hackett’s full electric band, vocal albums. The version here has been remastered and the previously-unavailable recording Theatre of Sleep added. There Are Many Sides to the Night is an acoustic live album recorded at the Teatro Metropolitan in Palermo, Sicily in December 1994, with Hackett joined by keyboardist Julian Colbeck. It presents material from Hackett’s two acoustic albums together with some Genesis favorites, plus acoustic versions of other Hackett songs and a selection of previously unheard material.
Time Lapse (1991) is a live album drawn from shows in New York City and Nottingham which span ten years and two band lineups. Bay of Kings (1983) is Steve’s first acoustic album, a beautiful work with help from John Hackett on flute and Nick Magnus on keys. This is the 2003 edition on InsideOut, which includes three bonus tracks plus additional mp3 tracks. Check our British CDs page for more Steve Hackett CDs.
Claire Hamill - Voices ($6.99)English vocalist Claire Hamill released her first album at the age of 17, toured the U.S. with Procol Harum and Jethro Tull in 1972, and has worked with Mike Oldfield. On her album Voices, from the 1980s, she multitracks her voice in a manner similar to Enya, though without as much supporting instrumentation. The basis of the sound is the layering of Claire’s voice to form cascades and textures of music, with some rhythmic accompaniment. The result is a beautiful and unique sound. The music featured in a BBC program called The Domesday Book. This is the Pickwick label edition.
Annie Haslam - Live Under Brazilian Skies ($9.99)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.
Iconoclasta - Soliloquio / Suite Mexicana ($9.99) Iconoclasta are a Mexican progressive band and one of the most important from that country. In the 1980’s, they were the leading Mexican prog band, and though they continued throughout the 1990’s, the quality dropped off. Iconoclasta blend symphonic prog, usually with similarities to the Italian 1970’s bands, with some fusion and traditional Mexican music. The Soliloquio / Suite Mexicana CD combines Iconoclasta’s third full-length album Soliloquio with the Suite Mexicana EP that preceded it, both from 1987, plus four bonus tracks. Soliloquio and Suite Mexicana are arguably the best things Iconoclasta have done. This CD was first released on the Art Sublime label in an LP-size jacket. This is the Sol & Deneb edition, which comes in a standard jewel box. Check for more Iconoclasta CDs on our Mexican page.
The Illustrated Band - The Forever of Now ($9.99)This 2004 CD is the debut from The Illustrated Band from Austin, Texas. They have a very American sound palette similar to Phish and the other jam bands, but they aren't a jam band. Well, on one track at least they are, but the rest of the album is highly composed. Their music is littered with progressivisms, with touches of Rush, Genesis, and Yes (more so the acoustic side of the last two) here and there. There is a pop/rock element, but the same can be said of Echolyn, whose style they sometimes brush up against. There are some psychedelic flavors, and above all, well-defined melodies. It’s all a very creative mix that draws the listener in and doesn’t let go. 63-minutes. There are listener reviews and audio samples at CDBaby.
iX - Ora Pro Nobis ($11.99) This is the 2006 debut by a Venezuelan project led by Giuglio Cesare Della Noce, the keyboardist of Tempano. The rest of the Tempano members also play on the album, as well as a number of other musicians, but the album was composed by Della Noce. This is a symphonic rock album that fuses so many influences and covers enough ground that it’s no easy task to describe it. It is deliberately paced and usually has a serious air about it; some of it is hypnotic and soundtrack-y. There are some experimental passages with samples and voices integrated, and a contemporary classical influence. And there is some sophisticated symphonic rock with both electric guitar and keyboards, occasionally spiced with brass. The album is mostly instrumental but there are two songs with conventional vocals (male and female), as well as some wordless vocals that are operatic or abstract. An ambitious work that is more arty and less accessible than Tempano, and there may not be another album like it to come out of South America.
Kvazar - A Giant’s Lullaby ($11.99)A Giant’s Lullaby (2005, 64-minutes) is the second album for this Norwegian progressive band, and it is a huge improvement over their first: more original, more diverse, more imaginative. The core trio employ a number of other musicians here and feature a lot of Mellotron, plus Rhodes, flute, sax, 12-string guitar, and mandolin. There are elements of Pink Floyd, early King Crimson, Anglagard, Camel and others, with a few jazzy sequences. This sounds like a lost gem from the early 1970’s, a beautiful symphonic progressive album balancing lively instrumental interplay with an overall dreamlike or hallucinogenic feel. Vocals in English. Read the ProgPlanet and DPRP reviews. Here is a video of the track Choir of Life.
Laserdogs - Frankenclown ($9.99) Laserdogs is largely the work of Greg Lounsberry, who on Frankenclown (2005) handles vocals, electric & acoustic guitars, bass, mandolin, and drum programming, with the assistance of a drummer on one track. Lounsberry says that he tried to avoid any sounds or effects that occurred after 1974, using mainly tremolo, Leslie, and Echoplex. The multitracked vocal harmonies are noteworthy. The result is a progressive rock/pop with an early 1970’s sound that resembles Haze on their guitar-dominated tracks, especially since Lounsberry’s voice is so close to Paul McMahon’s. Or think of Phil Manzanera circa Listen Now and K-Scope teaming with Todd Rundgren. There is a sense of humor in the songs, one of which is 18-minutes long.
The Rocket4357 Project is Lounsberry’s band circa 1998, with other musicians on guitar, bass and drums, and Lounsberry playing guitar-synth in lieu of keyboards. It’s a most enjoyable progressive rock album with some pop flavoring, with superb songwriting and excellent warm vocals, driven by electric & acoustic guitar and guitar synth. This is reminiscent of Phil Manzanera’s best works, with touches of later Marillion (one song is entitled Mr. Hogarth) and 1980’s King Crimson. Seven tracks, the odd-numbered tracks are instrumentals. This one is a shrinkwrapped CD-R with the label thermally-printed directly on the disc and inkjet-printed graphics on photo paper. Short length (32-minutes), hence the low price. Click for streaming (lo-fi, mono) RealAudio excerpts from the tracks Mr. Hogarth and Flower Pot Hat.
Levellers - same (3rd) ($4.99) [co]The Levellers are an English quintet playing Celtic folk-rock with the emphasis on the rock. Recorded in 1993, mostly at Real World Studios, this is the band’s third album. The Levellers sometimes get associated with punk, but that’s only because the singer’s English working class accent is sometimes apparent, otherwise there is little here besides the energy level that has much to do with punk. These guys can play their instruments. The fiddle and their full sound make them attractive to progressive rock fans, and they can write songs.
Lord of Mushrooms - same ($11.99)Lord of Mushrooms are part of the rebirth of French progressive rock. Their guitarist Laurent James was a student of Frédéric l’Epee of Shylock and Philharmonie, and drummer Volodia Brice participated on the fifth and last Philharmonie album. This quintet began as a cover band playing tracks by Spock’s Beard, Genesis, Rush, Marillion, and Dream Theater before creating their own music, so those influences are present in their music to varying degrees. The approach on their 2002 debut album is quite American: the tracks are both complex and catchy, the melodies simultaneously pleasant and ambitious, and they are as adept at playing heavy rock as they are jazz-rock. They have instrumental chops to spare, the English vocals are clear (a bit similar to those of Jadis or Enchant), and the production is excellent. Here is a short mp3 excerpt from the track The Man Outside, courtesy of Jurriaan Hage’s review site. Note Lord of Mushrooms left the Musea label and turned into more of a prog-metal band for their second CD Seven Deadly Songs, which we don’t stock.
Maestoso - Grim ($12.99)These CDs are on the Eclectic/Esoteric label, known for their meticulous remastering jobs and extensive booklets. 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.
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. More Maestoso and Woolly Wolstenholme CDs here. More info on all these CDs at Woolly’s site.
Magna Carta - In Tomorrow (2CD+DVD, $7.99)This folky British band, formed in 1969, is familiar to many fans of 70’s progressive for their early 70’s albums, the best of which blended folk and progressive elements and featured such sidemen as Rick Wakeman and Nic Potter, among many others. For the last 20 years, Magna Carta has been Chris & Linda Simpson and a variety of supporting musicians. This is a rather good price on this 2005 set consisting of two CDs and a DVD in a fat digipack and containing all previously-unreleased material. The first CD (68-minutes) consists of mainly studio material and includes contributions from a wealth of musical talents, including Wakeman and drummer Paul Burgess (Camel). The second CD (61-minutes) is mostly live and is mainly Chris & Linda Simpson, two voices and two guitars, although some tracks also feature violin and bass. The DVD contains four songs from the 2001 Magna Carta concert DVD Ticket to the Moon. Those who enjoy Acoustic Strawbs will find similar music here. Counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping.
Phil Manzanera - Vozero UK edition ($11.99)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 (1999) was Manzanera’s first solo album in 10 years. This is the UK (jewel box) edition. 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.)
The Wasted Lands CD (1999) was compiled from the soundtrack of the film of the same name. It’s Manzanera’s most ambient and relaxing album, but that’s not to suggest the music is of the abstract, boring sort. It remains melodic and often rhythmic and easily stands on its own apart from the film. 74-minutes.
Bob Margolis - Impetus ($9.99)This instrumental guitar CD is the third release from Baltimore/Washington-area guitarist Bob Margolis, and his best to date. Margolis is backed on most tracks by a bassist and drummer. Primarily in the jazz-rock vein, the disc opens with the dreamy urgency of the title track, followed by a rendition of Jeff Beck’s classic Freeway Jam. Impetus offers a wide array of guitar sounds, from fat, distorted electric tones and punchy Strat licks to silky nylon classical and steel-string acoustic colors. All the cuts display Margolis' innate sense of melody and compositional prowess. A great admirer of Pat Metheny, Margolis avoids the pointless shredding of so many guitar albums, and so with the ample clean tones and acoustic textures, this is perfect Sunday morning fare.
Marillion and The Positive Light - Tales from the Engine Room ($7.99)Interesting remixes of six songs from This Strange Engine in the electronica style.
Mastermind - Angels of the Apocalypse ($7.99) Mastermind is an American heavy progressive band but, at least originally, not a metal band. They are very bombastic and ELP-like on the early albums, with Bill Berends’ guitar synth playing the role of Keith Emerson’s keyboards. Their debut Volume One is from 1987.
Mastermind changed their style on Excelsior! (1998), which is entirely instrumental and was the first to feature keyboardist Jens Johannson (Stratovarius). This is a superb album that adopts the Mahavishnu Orchestra fusion style while retaining some of Mastermind’s former melodic bombastic symphonic style. After that, Bill Berends must have decided that metal was where the money is, as Angels of the Apocalypse (2000, 70-minutes) changes style again. Mastermind added singer Lisa Bouchelle, and this album combines progressive rock, fusion, and metal. Mostly metal. Apparently drummer Rich Berends got a double pedal for Christmas because he uses it seemingly non-stop. Every song. Every bar. (There’s a reason drummers rarely use a double pedal outside of the metal genre...) The CD features a cover of ELP’s The Endless Enigma (12:18) as one of two bonus tracks. The double pedal intrudes even into this song. Someone please confiscate it.
Men of Lake - Music from the Land of Mountains, Lake and Wine ($11.99) Men of Lake are an Italian progressive band emphasizing a nostalgic style and vintage Hammond organ sound on their earlier albums such as Men of Lake (1991) and Out of the Water (1994), closer to British bands such as Cressida and Gracious than to the Italian symphonic bands. Music from the Land of Mountains, Lake and Wine (1998) is more adventurous and diverse than their previous albums, featuring wind instruments (sax, flute, brass) on some tracks. The organ sound is now accompanied by modern keyboards and there is more room for guitar.
Metabolisme - Tempus Fugit ($11.99) One of the lesser-known gems of French progressive rock, Tempus Fugit (1977) was the only album by Metabolisme, but it’s one of the best French progressive rock albums of all time. The band was influenced by Genesis, Yes, and PFM, and due to the French vocals, they have been compared to Mona Lisa. Instrumentally that’s accurate enough, but the vocals eschew the dramatic and theatrical style of Ange and Mona Lisa in favor of a more melodic style, with sophisticated vocal harmonies the likes of which you rarely hear today. Better French references are Pentacle and Memoriance.
Metaphor - Entertaining Thanatos ($9.99) Maybe all you need to know about this San Francisco-area band is that Metaphor spent two years as a classic-era Genesis tribute band. Their second CD Entertaining Thanatos (2004, 57-minutes) is a finely-crafted 1970’s-style symphonic prog album with Genesis as the primary influence, replete with vintage keyboards (including Mellotron) and long dramatic tracks. Relative to their debut, the music incorporates a wider range of proggy influences (Gentle Giant, for one), expanding beyond the Genesis base. Fans of the Ad Infinitum CD especially should take note. Check here for the other Metaphor CDs.
Mikromidas - Faunus ($11.99)Here is a Norwegian band singing in Norwegian and exploring retro-prog similar to the Swedish band Landberk and, to a lesser extent, Anekdoten and Anglagard. Mikromidas use a lot of Mellotron and Hammond organ. Their arrangements lack the extreme dynamics of Anekdoten and Anglagard though. Faunus (2005) is their second and is a more accomplished work than their debut. The compositions and playing here show greater maturity, and thus the emotional impact is greater. Read the DPRP review.
Musica d’Repuesto - aV abuC (Variaciones en la Cuerda Vol. 5) ($8.99)This is a very good, mostly-instrumental King Crimson style band from Cuba, also reminding one of the French band Tiemko at times. There are also touches of Present or Univers Zero. The album is a 53-minute collection of their best music, recorded in 1993. Read the review at Progressor.
Naranja Mecánica - 1993-1995 ($9.99)A surprisingly good album out of Cuba. Naranja Mecánica play a 1970’s style progressive rock sounding closest to a mix of Jethro Tull and Banco, with influences of King Crimson, Van der Graaf Generator, and various other 70’s Italian and South American bands. There are vocals in Spanish but instrumental passages dominate. In addition to the standard keys/guitars/bass/drums lineup, they use flute extensively. Read the reviews at Progressor and Tarkus.
Negative Zone - same ($11.99) This is the 2005 debut by a French quartet who share their rhythm section with the band Eclat. Negative Zone leave no doubt that their inspiration is middle-period Pink Floyd. And yet, Negative Zone don’t really sound like anyone else. Except perhaps for the English lyrics, everything is executed with such panache that this in effect adds to the Floyd canon rather than simply mimicking the original. Read the DPRP review.
Nektar - Man in the Moon ($9.99) Man in the Moon (1980) was Nektar’s final album until reforming in 2001. Roye Albrighton had left Nektar and was absent on Magic Is a Child, then Roye assembled “Roye Albrighton’s Nektar” including keyboardist Taff Freeman and two new musicians. The LP was not released in the U.S. though the band did tour here, so with the striking cover, the LP was sought by American Nektar fans. This is the weakest of the Nektar albums, featuring more AOR / commercial hard rock than prog. Roye was doing what was necessary for a band to survive in 1980, but the album does have its moments, and the Nektar feel is often there. This is the 2002 Voiceprint edition (now deleted), which contains two bonus tracks and was remastered from the original master tapes by the team behind the Eclectic and Esoteric labels. The rest of the Nektar CDs are here.
Tom Newman - Ozymandias ($9.99) Tom Newman was a founding member of the psychedelic group July as well as engineer and producer on many albums by Mike Oldfield, including Tubular Bells. “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.
Nodo Gordiano - Alea ($9.99) Alea (2005) is the second CD for this Italian prog band, released on Mellow Records. Here Nodo Gordiano is a trio, with bass player Andrea De Luca the only person in common with the lineup that recorded their 1999 debut. Alea is a collection of instrumental improvisations for synthesizers, bass and drums. The tracks are generally spacey, using electronic-sounding analog synth patches, and evolve in a linear fashion as most jams do.
Oblivion Sun - same ($9.99) Oblivion Sun is the continuation of Frank Wyatt and Stan Whitaker’s Pedal Giant Animals project. The band is headed up by Wyatt (keys, sax) and Whitaker (guitar, vocals), now the core of Happy the Man, with Chris Mack (Iluvatar, Puppet Show) on drums, bassist Dave DeMarco and keyboardist Bill Plummer. The music on their 2007 debut is close enough to Happy the Man that they could have slapped “HTM” on the cover, and only the other Happy the Man members would have complained.
Mike Oldfield - Five Miles Out ($5.99)These are the editions released in 1996 on the Dutch Disky label. More Mike Oldfield CDs here.
Omni - El Vals de los Duendes ($9.99) El Vals de los Duendes (The Waltz of the Little Elves) is the 2002 second CD from Omni, an instrumental Spanish band who played at both Baja Prog 2001 and 2002. Omni play 1970’s Camel-style progressive rock, flowing and melodic, neither heavy nor demonstrative, with nods to various 1970’s Spanish bands such as Iman or Iceberg, plus a touch of Santana. Their star is Michael Starry, a very expressive and melodic guitarist a la Andy Latimer. Behind him are flute, sax, keys, rhythm guitar, bass and drums. While their studio albums can’t capture the energy of their live show, their CDs do recapture the spirit of 1970’s Camel while adding some Spanish touches.
Ozric Tentacles - Pyramidion ($9.99) 
Ozric Tentacles - Floating Seeds Remixed ($9.99)
Ozric Tentacles - Curious Corn ($9.99)
Ozric Tentacles - Live Underslunky ($9.99)
Since they began in the mid-1980’s, Ozric Tentacles have been the premier progressive psychedelic space-rock band. They have a large discography. This is the jewel box edition of The Hidden Step (2000) on the defunct Phoenix Rising label. Arborescence (1994) is the 1999 jewel box edition on Snapper. The rest are the digipack reissues on Snapper Classics: Erpland (1990), Strangeitude (1991), Live Underslunky (1992), Jurassic Shift (1993), Curious Corn (1997), Spice Doubt (1998), Waterfall Cities (1999), Floating Seeds Remixed (1999), Swirly Termination (1998-2000), and Pyramidion (2001). Floating Seeds Remixed contains Ozrics tracks remixed by various people who do that sort of thing. An Ozrics discography is here. Check our British page for more Ozrics CDs. Check our DVDs page for Ozric Tentacles’ DVDs.
Pale Beneath the Blue - Hologram ($6.99)We’re aiming this CD-EP (26-minutes) squarely at Kate Bush fans. Pale Beneath the Blue is the moniker used by Rhonda Everitt (voice, piano), helped by other musicians, primarily the Human Factor production team of Blake Althen and Paula Bellenoit. Rhonda has six great songs here, with all the hallmarks of Kate Bush’s eccentric style, including the clever backing vocals. As he has shown on the Human Factor CD, Althen is quite adept at using the tools of modern music production (loops, samples, software) and making the end result not just palatable for prog fans, but full of subtle and tasteful details (such as guitar samples from Peter Maunu of Group 87 fame.) OK, the final song is targeted for radio and is danceable, but even that one’s pretty interesting with its twisting bass line. Best place to find audio samples is at CDBaby.
Pallas - The Wedge ($7.99) [co] [co] Pallas is 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. Arrive Alive is the CD reissue of their 1981 first LP (which was live) plus bonus tracks, plus their later 3-track studio EP Paris is Burning. For no apparent reason, the CD omits the song Heart Attack from the Arrive Alive LP. After the shorter title track, the Arrive Alive LP consisted of epic progressive tracks that, while a bit rough, were Pallas’ best material aside from The Sentinel.
The Wedge (1986) was the follow-up album to The Sentinel and the band’s last for EMI. The CD includes the 3 songs from the preceding Knightmoves EP plus a CD-ROM section that includes a TV performance of an early version of Win or Lose. This album and EP were the first to feature Alan Reed on vocals. With a new producer, the Pallas sound changed with this album, less symphonic than The Sentinel, but there are still many fine songs here. These cutouts have a slot sawed through the jewel box spine. Check our British page for more Pallas CDs. Check our DVDs page for Pallas’s DVDs.
Perfume de Mujer - El Monólogo de él Carocol ($9.99)El Monólogo de él Carocol is the latest from this long-lived Cuban progressive band, recorded between 1997-2000, continuing their blend of progressive rock and avant-garde tendencies, mostly instrumental, with some decent vocals. Actually, if you ignore the 21-minute improv toward the end of the disc, most of this is no more ‘difficult’ than King Crimson or Gentle Giant, both of which are influences, but the level of originality here is very high. Perhaps surprisingly for a Cuban band, there’s very little here that could be called Latin, and the arrangements are as sophisticated as the best European prog bands. With a playing time of 70-minutes, there’s still an album’s worth of quality progressive rock here. The material on Pollos d’Granja (75-minutes) was recorded between 1995-1998 and uses Spanish vocals, violin, keyboards, guitars, bass and drums. Surprisingly good! Read the ProgressiveWorld.net review of Pollos d’Granja.
Popol Vuh - City Raga ($5.99) [co]City Raga is the 1994 CD by Florian Fricke, Daniel Fichelscher, and new collaborator Guido Hieronymus. Fichelscher is only on one song here. Fricke is primarily writer and producer, while Hieronymus is responsible for much of the new sound. It’s certainly different from Popol Vuh’s 1970’s albums, but still very good. This is Popol Vuh’s attempt at a Deep Forest or Cirque du Soleil style. Each song is driven by drums loops and programmed rhythms, with female vocals on most tracks from Maya Rose. Her voice is used as an instrument. The world music here suggests the Mayans or Aztecs. The sound is much more synthetic than earlier albums, reflecting the ambient dance music popular at the time in Europe.
Progday 2001 (2CD, $9.99)This is a double-CD containing live recordings from the 7th annual Progday festival in North Carolina. The featured performers are Yeti, Sigmund Snopek III, The Muffins, Polydactyl, Azigza, and Ars Nova.
Renaissance - Greatest Hits Live Part Two ($8.99)
Renaissance - The Other Woman ($9.99)Greatest Hits Live Part One and Part Two are reissues of the King Biscuit CDs previously titled Renaissance at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Part 1 & 2, with new artwork. (Part One is no longer available.) This is all classic material recorded live in 1977 and may be even better than the Live at Carnegie Hall album. The track listing on Part Two: Running Hard, Midas Man, Mother Russia, Touching Once (Is So Hard to Keep), Ashes Are Burning, Prologue, You (a great previously unreleased studio recording).
Songs from Renaissance Days is a collection of previously unreleased studio tracks mostly from the 1980’s, after the classic period of the band, when commercial pressures had effectively ended their golden age. At this point, Terry Sullivan and John Tout were gone, appearing here on only one 1979 song. Included are a new version of Northern Lights, a cover of Paul Simon’s America, and the very fine 8-minute track You which is in the classic Renaissance style. There are several other musicians playing on these tracks, including Peter Gosling and members of Gordon Giltrap’s band: Ian Mosely, Rod Edwards, and Bimbo Acock. This is the U.S. edition.
The Other Woman (1995) and Ocean Gypsy (1997) are the two CDs by Michael Dunford’s Renaissance. With Annie Haslam living in the U.S., both she and Dunford used the name Renaissance at times, though neither version had any other Renaissance members participating. Dunford’s UK-based Renaissance featured singer Stephanie Adlington, who has more of a theatrical voice, and Betty Thatcher contributed to the lyrics. Aside from a new arrangement of Northern Lights, The Other Woman features new compositions, while Ocean Gypsy has only a couple new songs, the rest being new arrangements of classic Renaissance songs.
Ring of Myth - Unbound ($9.99)This 1996 Kinesis-label CD is now mid-line priced. More information here.
Rockenfield/Speer - Hells Canyon ($9.99)This is the out-of-print Dutch edition of the 2000 collaboration between Queensryche’s Scott Rockenfield (drums, keys) and multi-instrumentalist Paul Speer (guitar, bass, keys), who previously collaborated on the TeleVoid video album. This edition has the far superior cover art courtesy of Mattias Noren and one bonus track. Hells Canyon is a progressive rock album that combines electric guitar-based instrumentals generally in a Jeff Beck style with lots of synths and samples providing dark atmospheres and textures.
Rose Among Thorns - Highlites ($7.99)Rose Among Thorns was the 1990’s band centered around singer Elaine Morgan, who has worked with The Albion Band, Fairport Convention, Alan Stivell, and more recently in Dar Ar Braz’ Heritage des Celtes. But Rose Among Thorns (hopefully not a reference to her band mates) is proggier as well as more ethereal, with Elaine’s beautiful voice backed by electric & acoustic guitar, keyboards, bass and drums. Jimmy Hastings and Ric Sanders make guest appearances on flute and violin, respectively. This 66-minute compilation includes 10 tracks from the Rose Among Thorns albums plus five tracks comprising The Cottage Demo Tapes.
The Seasons of Wither - Under the Spell of a Sting Moon ($11.99)This 1998 CD is the only known output of this Greek band singing in English and playing dark, hallucinogenic progressive rock with classical influences. The only touch of metal here is on the first track, so you can tell how much those who classify this album as metal actually listened to. The music is primarily the Pink Floyd-influenced psychedelic progressive that the Greek prog bands all seem to have in common. The vocals are infrequent, not at all the focus. Not sure what a “sting moon” is though.
Dave Sinclair - Moon Over Man digipack ($11.99)This is the 2006 Eclectic Discs digipack reissue of Moon Over Man, recorded originally in 1976-1977 by ex-Caravan keyboardist Dave Sinclair after he left the band for the second time. Originally released on CD in 1993, this edition combines newly commissioned packaging, bonus tracks, and greatly enhanced sound quality. Moon Over Man is mostly performed by Sinclair himself (on drums as well as keyboards and occasional vocals) but features the contributions of two vocalists and several other musicians. The band that recorded this album morphed into the band The Polite Force. While Sinclair was known for writing Caravan’s long, keyboard-dominated suites, the music here shows many of the hallmarks of the song-oriented, progressive-pop side of Caravan. It is also influenced by the commercial music of the time (thankfully not punk), particularly some funky songs a la Quantum Jump, but always colored by Sinclair’s Englishness and prog rock background. It’s a worthwhile album for the Caravan fan and demonstrates that Pye Hasting wasn’t the only songwriter in the band. The five bonus tracks are alternate versions of album tracks and take the CD length up to 78-minutes. This CD is now deleted as with all CDs on the defunct Eclectic label.
Svann - Granica Czerni i Bieli ($9.99) Svann is a Polish progressive rock band formed by ex-Abraxas members, with a very good female singer named Anja who apparently also sings for a gothic rock band and owns the title “The Queen of Polish Gothic Rock”. This 2003 album, whose title translates as The Boundary of Black and White, reminds us a bit of the Czech band Stromboli, but Svann are at once more progressive, more symphonic, and more contemporary. Svann play modern progressive rock, more linear and urban (as opposed to pastoral) than classic prog, but still very romantic, ambitious, and texturally rich. Gabriel-esque atmospheres and rhythms, some creative use of percussion loops, and a few heavy passages characterize their music. 64-minutes, vocals in Polish.
Tangerine Dream - Architecture in Motion ($6.99)The Dream Mixes (1995) contains 67-minutes of Tangerine Dream tracks from the albums Tyranny of Beauty, Rockoon, and Turn of the Tides remixed by Jerome and Edgar Froese, plus four new tracks in a similar style. To quote the back panel, this album energizes the famous TD sound with an infectious beat. This is actually one of our very favorite wide-awake-listening Tangerine Dream albums. The rhythms are not the monotonous thump-thump of techno but rather tasteful rhythm patterns that change every few bars. Perhaps TD had listened to the high-energy EM of Mark Shreeve and Andy Pickford and thought they’d better not let these upstarts eclipse them.
Architecture in Motion (1999) is the soundtrack to the film What a Blast. This is the U.S. edition on Miramar. Read the ProgressiveWorld.net review.
Ten Jinn - As on a Darkling Plain ($6.99) Ten Jinn was an American band led by keyboardist/singer John Paul Strauss. After a debut of more commercial rock, Ten Jinn returned in 1999 with As on a Darkling Plain, the album they really wanted to make. Although Ten Jinn don’t sound much like Spock’s Beard, there were similarities between the two as they existed in 1999. Besides being Los Angeles bands, both were led by a confident front man on keyboards and lead vocals. Ten Jinn have fewer pop and more dramatic elements than Spock’s Beard, as well as more of a Genesis and Jethro Tull slant. Other influences they cite are Rush and ELP. The many instrumentals are particularly impressive, and Stan Whitaker (Happy the Man) guests on the album. 72-minutes. Check here for Ten Jinn’s Alone CD.
John Tesh - Ironman Triathlon ($7.99)For those only familiar with John Tesh’s later, overly romantic output, his early material composed as soundtrack material for various television sports programs is actually kinda proggy. These are intense rock instrumentals suitable for workouts or driving, the only fault being that they can be a bit over the top in that regard. These two CDs are both from 1992. The first contains music composed for the Ironman Triathlon, while The Games contains music composed for the Barcelona Olympics. Tesh has a full band with him on both recordings, including a violinist.
Twelfth Night - Live from London DVD ($11.99)This DVD (NTSC, all-region) comes from the British television program Live from London and captures one of the most important neo-progressive bands near the height of the 1980’s progressive rock revival in the UK. In March of 1984, Twelfth Night played three gigs over three weeks at London’s Marquee Club with new singer Andy Sears. For the third date in the series, the band was captured for Live from London. The film was eventually released after the broadcast as the Creepshow video in late 1984. The band performed excellently, as the Marquee had become almost a second home for the band. The songs performed are: The Ceiling Speaks, Human Being, We Are Sane, Fact and Fiction / The Poet Sniffs a Flower, Creepshow, Art and Illusion, Love Song. The Twelfth Night CDs are here.
Under the Sun - Schematism ($8.99) 
Under the Sun is known for their 2000 debut on Magna Carta. They play an accessible, hard progressive rock that occupies the middle ground between Kansas and Rush. The 71-minute Schematism: On Stage With Under the Sun is a live album recorded at NEARfest 2001 and mixed by producer/engineer Brad Aaron (of Kansas fame). It includes the previously-unreleased 13-minute epic track Souljourner. The producer makes a point of how the album was mixed: “This recording is unlike any other stereo live disc you’ve heard before. The stereo imaging of the traditionally-recorded live setting has been reversed. This album is not one of those live CDs that puts you in the crowd, away from the stage. This CD is different. There is much more stereo detail here, all the detail of being onstage with the band.” Well, that goal could have been accomplished much more effectively in a surround format such as DVD-Audio or SACD. Nevertheless, this is a great sounding live recording and features original cover art by Kerry Livgren (Kansas). Note some of the audio clips for this album are in Ogg Vorbis format. If you don’t have a player for this format, the free Winamp will work.
Venegoni & Co. - Mosaico ($9.99) Venegoni & Co. was the band of guitarist Gigi Venegoni after his time in Arti + Mestieri and became one of Italy’s foremost jazz-rock bands. Mosaico was recorded in 1982 and should have been the third Venegoni & Co. album but was not published until this 2001 CD release, with two bonus tracks added. It is melodic, upbeat jazz-rock from these consummate professionals.
Chad Wackerman - The View ($6.99)Ex-Zappa drummer Chad Wackerman’s 1993 CD The View is instrumental fusion in the Allan Holdsworth vein, not surprising given that Wackerman and Holdsworth are long-time collaborators, and Holdsworth is the guitarist on six of this album’s 13 tracks. Wackerman is among the elite of modern day drummers.
Rick Wakeman - Stella Bianca ($8.99) [co]This 1999 album is one of Wakeman’s best post-1970’s albums, his second collaboration with singer Mario Fasciano. It blends Wakeman’s style with the Italian symphonic prog style. More Rick Wakeman CDs here.
Yes - Greatest Video Hits DVD ($8.99)This NTSC Region 1 DVD is a collection of Yes music videos spanning 1977-1987 (Going for the One through Big Generator) with two live tracks from 9012 Live. The videos are not the only attraction here, as the audio is Dolby Digital 5.1, currently the only way to hear these songs in surround. Furthermore, there is commentary from Yes members introducing each video. The songs are: Wondrous Stories, Don’t Kill the Whale, Madrigal, Tempus Fugit, Into the Lens, Hold On (live), Leave It, It Can Happen, Owner of a Lonely Heart, Rhythm of Love, Love Will Find a Way, I’ve Seen All Good People (live).
Yes - The Ladder ($7.99) [co] [co]
Yes - Beyond and Before (2CD, $10.99)Friends and Relatives (Vol. 1) is a double-CD set consisting of some classic Yes material but mostly a compilation of tracks by Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Wakeman with Wakeman, Steve Howe, Bill Bruford’s Earthworks, and Esquire. Beyond and Before is a double-CD set plus poster in a slipcase, subtitled The BBC Recordings 1969-1970. All the tracks are from the first Yes lineup and include the tracks from Yes’ very first recording session, BBC sessions, and some television performances.
House of Yes: Live from House of Blues was recorded during Yes’ 1999 tour and is the soundtrack to the DVD of the same name. It includes many Yes classics including Awaken, plus five songs from The Ladder. Not the first Yes live album most people would reach for, but a good price for a 2CD. The Ladder is Yes’ 1999 studio album, which is a respectable album, but much of Yes’s output from Union on sounds more like a Jon Anderson solo album than classic Yes.
Zen Rock and Roll - The Birthright Circle ($8.99) End of the Age (2002) is the debut CD from Zen Rock and Roll, composed and recorded in the spirit of the British symphonic rock movement of the early 1970’s. It reminds us a bit of the American band Netherworld, who were similarly inspired. There are just three long tracks spanning the album’s 45-minute length, but Zen Rock and Roll are able to sustain interest throughout the compositions, with plenty of twists and turns and good instrumental interplay, while themes are well developed and pleasant melodies recur. Full of Mellotron and flute and the usual symphonic goodies. The Birthright Circle (2004) is another fine CD in the same vein, with only four tracks spanning 45-minutes, culminating in the 23-minute Circle.