Review by ianjferris@gmail.com — So (pun intended), here we have it. This is Peter Gabriel releasing his inner Phil Collins in this magnificent double vinyl disc (single cd) album. It was after his parting from Rosanna Arquette that PG released this, one of his finest albums, with several oblique references to the breakup (break down?) of his relationship with the said RA. While certainly not as explicitly painful as PC's expressions on the same subject, Gabriel does get his point across in some of his compositions here, "Come Talk To Me", "Love to be Loved", "Blood of Eden", "Only Us" and "S ..read more

Review by sgtpepper — Gentle Giant really started to cut down on their ambitions and aspirations on the deceivingly ambitiously titled "The missing piece". Music gets less complex, somewhat more accessible but in the end, none of the audience may be happy. It's not that the band cannot produce memorable radio friendly cuts - listen to "I'm turning around", the band seems awkward at merging pop with prog unlike Genesis, Yes and Camel did it, more naturally. Vocals were already an acquired taste and even more so for the pop material. The only mastermind who still deserves high praise is the key ..read more

Review by mickcoxinha — More on the psychedelic/experimental side than the prog side, Gracious debut is a mixed bag of what has been done during the late sixties and early seventies. It is one of those ecletic mixes of songs that could only be made during those days were recording companies and producers were willing to let the bands record their ideas without much constraint. If, to a certain degree, it was a great thing for artists willing to explore their creativity, on the other hand you have a very unfocused effort where the best and the worst ideas are sometimes mixed in the same song ..read more

Review by kev rowland — Ahleuchatistas (AH LOO CHA TEES TAS) were formed in 2002 by Shane Parish (guitar), Derek Poteat (bass), and Sean Dail (drums), and by the time of this recording they had already released three incredibly uncompromising and experimental albums. For the curious the name comes from two words, "Ah-leu-cha" (a Charlie Parker song) and "Zapatistas" (a revolutionary movement which started in Mexico in 1994). Cuneiform Records owner Steve Feigenbaum was blown away when he saw them play a midweek gig at the end of 2004, and soon signed them for their third release. This live al ..read more

Review by kev rowland — I was not the only person to be someone stunned when Acqua Fragile returned in 2017 with the excellent 'A New Chant'. Although they had recorded some albums in the Seventies, the departure of singer Bernado Lanzetti to PFM had been the death knell, and no-one thought that more than 40 years later that Bernard, along with bassist Franz Dondi and drummer Piero Canavera would record a new album with some guests. Fast forward a mere six years from the last album and the trio are now back with a full band, plus guests (including none other than David Jackson, surely one of ..read more

Review by Mellotron Storm — 3.5 stars. This one did grow on me but I still prefer the compilation of unreleased material from this era that was an archival release in 2003. They are from Denmark and they formed in 1967 so it took some time to get this debut out in 1972. A hard rocking band with the organ dominating along with the guitar and vocals. Very much of it's time but these guys were talented and adventerous, maybe not so much on this record but some of that unreleased music shows how talented they were. So we get seven tracks over 42 minutes and this is a five piece band with some gue ..read more

Review by BrufordFreak — An early fan-favorite from Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). 1. "Glas sa obale boje" (4:27) except for the two tracks devoted to THIN LIZZY-like "twin" guitars, this song sounds like a song from a GRAND FUNK RAILROAD album of this time. Nothing Jazz-Rock Fusion about this bombastic prog-related song. (But it may have been popular in Yugoslavia). (8.5/10) 2. "Put na istok" (14:20) (26.66667/30): - Prvi dan - more solid proto-prog like blues-rock sounding like something coming from Latin America at the same time. (8.5/10) - Drugi dan - shifting a bit into slightly mo ..read more

Review by sgtpepper — One of the most complex 70's prog rock live albums out there? Possibly. GG proved to be compelling live players (I would love to have a single camera on the keyboard player who must have done a lot of context switching). The choice of material is great, focusing on the the material before 1977 and preferring variety rather than full length. There is also a good level of improvisation on the drum/guitar solo pieces. Naturally, vocals aren't overdubbed and thus more down to earth but still impressive. The band succeeds in creating a dense yet music friendly atmosphere. The ..read more

Review by siLLy puPPy — One of the many SIGIL bands out there, this one comes from Calgary, Alberta, Canada and has been around since 2009 and only released a handful of of EPs and albums. The first full-length "Mutagen" came out in 2013 and the sophomore effort NETHER didn't emerge until 2021. This four piece that features Riley Marion (bass), David Horrocks (drums), Peter Tyukasz (guitars) and Clennon Aranha (vocals) delivers a strange mix of dissonant black metal along with atmospheric sludge metal and a rhythmic post-hardcore steadiness. Fortified with rampaging tracks on the shorter sid ..read more

Review by BrufordFreak — Former Weather Report bassist has definitely oriented himself toward pop music and the popular melodic disco-funk world now despite the remarkable variety of song styles represented here. A1. "Love's The Way I Feel 'Bout Cha" (4:43) jazz pop from Philip Bailey with wonderful vocals from Diane Reeves. Nice bass play as well. A rather powerful song that should have charted as a single on the R&B or Dance charts. (9/10) A2. "As Little As You" (3:23) a funky instrumental (8.75/10) A3. "Scapegoat" (5:10) an upbeat disco-funky instrumental over which lyrical saxes pe ..read more