Classic: Genesis, Trespass, 1970
Being one of modern history´s most successful bands, it is of course neigh impossible to choose the one album that says it all about Genesis. So instead of that route, I choose this, their second album.
Why you ask? Well first because this already shows the charisma Peter Gabriel has. His voice cuts through the music like a knife through butter. His delivery already as capturing as the stage theatrics the band was developing.
Second because the nexus of Tony Banks (keyboards) and Mike Rutherford (guitars and bass) are already in place and developing their skills. On this album Ant Phillips played guitar and John Mayhew handled drums. After this release they were replaced by Steve Hackett and Phil Collins and the rest, as they say, is history.
Third: in the 6 lengthy songs much of the band´s sound is already rearing it´s head. Mellotron, acoustic guitar, flute, various time signatures, dynamic arrangements, you name it. So from here the band went to create some timeless classics and sold a whole bunch of records. With the follow ups of songs like Looking For Someone, Visions Of Angels or The Knife, that is more than fair. Maybe not their best, and probably not their most successful. Yet a testament of things to come. And things were often stunning…
Classic: Fish, Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors, 1990
For those of you who are not familiar with Fish, he is the guy that sang Kayleigh with the band Marillion. After leaving them, he started a solo career, and this was his first, and to some best effort. Luckily for him he got off on a good start as the song A Gentleman´s Excuse Me was a bit of a hit here and there. And rightly so as it is a beautiful ballad like song with a great lyric. Which is common to Fish, as he takes big pride in writing those.
Another track on here that was heavily rotated on MTV at the time (when it was still a rock channel, where are those days) is Big Wedge. Uptempo, upbeat and overall a cool symphonic rock track showcasing the man´s talent. But there is more on here worthy of your undivided attention. Opener Vigil starts atmospheric and then develops in a sound akin´his former band. It´s chorus is catchy as autumn flu! State Of Mind is a slow brooding song with fabulous bass courtesy of once Simple Mind John Giblin. On drums we find Big Country´s Mark Brzezicki, on keys Micky Simmonds and the guitars are handled by Frank Usher and Hal Lindes. Other guests are Janick Gers, Tessa Niles and Kick Horns.
The track The Company would later be the name giver to Fish´s fanclub. Tracks like The Voyeur, View From The Hill and Cliché are other examples of a Fish at his symphonic and rocking best. Family Business is another slow song with a lot of feel, and as chilling as Gentleman’s Excuse. An album to own and a great joy to revisit every once in a while…
XII Alfonso, Charles Darwin, 2012
In case you were wondering about new updates, this CD is the reason. Actually, we are speaking of 3 CD´s here.
XII Alfsonso were an unknown force to me, yet this turns out to be their seventh release already. And still this French quartet sought after a topic to sink their teeth real deep into. Coming in a lavish digibook, with a 76 pages book the bar is raised high. In total 52 songs of which 30 are instrumental and a list of guest far beyond anything you have seen before. Some names: Iain Bairnson, Tim Renwick, Maggy Reilly, John Helliwell, Francis Dunnery, Mickey Simmonds and David Paton are among them. So with people involved that have ties to bands like Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Mike Oldfield, Alan Parssons Project and Genesis, you get a little grasp of what is to be expected.
It is of course impossible to talk you through this lengthy work. It could never do this justice. I have a deep admiration for the band to even set out to do this. 3 years of recording 3 hours of music. All over the world. It must have been a logistic nightmare. And to keep your eye on your goal during all that time of writing and recording must have been daunting to say the least. Add to that the booklet. All lyrics, credits, and photo´s of everybody. And also a detailed insight in the story used. To top things off, all the instruments that were used, from bass, to acoustic guitars, to strange phenomenons like a dolphinophone, dan bao, or shekere, to a collection of recorders, mandolin and flutes. It is all there. If this stuns you, we have not yet talked music…
But that I will keep fairly short this time. Like I said, words could never do this justice. Believe me when I say this is a mind-blowing adventure that anyone into sophisticated pop, symphonic rock, world, and or folk should delve into. This is something you have to undergo yourself. Never matter what anyone says, just track it down and start exploring. It will not leave you untouched!
D´AccorD, Self Titled, 2009
The Norwegians of D´AccorD were so kind as to send me their 2 albums they released so far. Their first one, only bearing the band´s name, was released in 2009 and contains 5 songs that together give us almost 45 minutes of seventies symphonic rock.
That means some long songs, mellotron, hammond, flute, vintage guitars and that warm analogue sound. First impression is they must be into bands like Jethro Tull, Queen, Genesis and cohorts, because that is what it reminded me of at first play.
First song is Play By The Hall Rules and manages to capture the listeners attention the whole 12 + minutes. Not bad! Lots of dynamics of course, with Mellotron playing centre stage with haunting sounds. Next up is This Is The One that has a lot of early Jethro Tull references. Of course any band with a flute will hear that. But I don´t think they copy. It is more of an inspiration I think. So the song still stand on it´s own and does not resemble anything by Tull. Next is Bin, a slow song at first that builds into another Tull reference, with flute breathing and all. Still many good ideas, with fun instrumental parts where sometimes a little freaky guitar is unleashed. Time To Play opens with a Fender Rhodes like sound before the band kicks in. Many sides to this again, and another one that proves they know how to keep their audience interested. Last one is called Capitale Venditio and with over 13 minutes is the longest track on offer.
A band that carries their influences on their sleeves, but still write good original songs that provide a good listening experience. For anyone who still loves the seventies to death, a safe buy! I am looking forward to their recent release Helike, which you can expect the coming weeks.
Fish On Friday, Shoot The Moon, 2010
Out of the blue came Fish On Friday on my radar. Big thanks to Progstreaming! The band members are William Beckers on Keyboards and Frank van Bogaert on keyboards and vocals. For the album they got plenty of guests, but those names also did not ring a bell. But consisting of unknown names does not mean we get an album that is limited quality wise. In fact, I think the band delivered big time with this album!
A very pleasant discovery whose style I would like to describe as a tad of New Wave with Progressive Rock. Sounds strange maybe, but it just tastes good! But there are more sides to them. Opener 9,1 Surround and Listen are best described with what I said before. A track like Don’t Go Knocking Me Off My Feet shows pop sensibilities in a progressive environment. But the melancholic feel stays apparent. And lyrics with a tongue in cheek as well.
It all sounds good, with many details in the keyboards (reminding me a bit of Pure Reason Revolution). Lead vocals are very versatile, despite being more wave and less rock oriented overall. Almost as if there are more lead vocalists. Vocal harmonies are very worth listening to. Recommended CD to hunt down and really beautifully packaged as well!
Classic: The Violet Hour, The Fire Sermon, 1991
The wonderful Doris Brendel album I posted about earlier, reminded me to pick up this album. Quite logical really, as she is the singer for this band. As well as plays flute (flageolet) and guitar. By the way that flute gives the music a folkish vibe at time. Like it does for Jethro Tull for instance. And like with Tull sometimes, it is quite an undertaking to label this album. That is why I choose the symphonic rock tag.
First song Dream Of Me is a beautiful gentle piece with flute and violin (keyboard probably as no player is mentioned). and of course the soaring vocals of Doris hit home also. Very tasty melodies, both instrumentally as vocally. Piano is another instrument often heard. The Spell starts with it and the song slowly builds. The use of brass here is also a nice feature. Again a track with great use of dynamics. By A River gives us some more rocking guitar, whilst still being a calm piece. Could Have Been is another showcase of the instrumentation put to effective use. I must mention the fabulous bass playing as well. In all the tracks by the way. And again the melodies strike the right chord.
Next is Offertory Song, which follows the same route as before. Yet develops in more rocking moments again. Though the constant switching of light and dark continues. Falling has more tempo to it, and impresses with it´s clever arrangement again. The finale is appealing and reminded me of Kansas. More upbeat tracks are Ill Wind Blowing and Better Be Good, but also other tracks have some quicker moments.
So an inspiring album with stunning melodies and rich in colours. Hunt it down!
Echoes, Nature | Existence, 2010
If my memory serves me right, this is the first Venezuelan band to make it into my record collection. And what an entry it is. This is easily the surprise of the week!
Strictly speaking I don´t believe this is a 100% Venezuelan effort, as almost all vocalists are guesting. And if Kamelot ever need to replace Roy Khan, they should lay their hand on Tobias Jansson, who sings the formidable Unfair. And there are some others that blow you away.
Echoes, with 3 guitar players (sometimes on nylon stringed guitars, great) and a keyboardist who also plays slide guitar, have managed to record an impressive album. While most of the moods are symphonic or progressive, sometimes there is so much guitar it borders into metal. But I have nothing against that at all, it actually gives the album some extra spirit. Not that the symphonic parts are bland, no not at all.
This album is filled to the brim with excellent songs and musicianship, so anyone into progressive music with a bite and some very good vocalists, should add this to their collection. You won´t be disappointed!
Personal play tips: just hit play…
Classic: Yes, Fragile, 1972
It is a little step from the previously discussed classical guitar work to this, the Fragile album album by Yes. After all, it is about the same instrument opening this wonderful album. I have a remastered edition, which does full justice to the musicianship and the timeless sound of this classic.
That first song, Roundabout, is of course one of the more known tracks from Yes and this album in particular. It can also serve of a perfect example what Yes is about. After all we hear trademarks like classical guitar and electric guitar solo´s (Steve Howe) lightning fast keyboard wizardry (Rick Wakeman), angelic vocals (Jon Anderson) and also heavenly vocal harmonies. And let´s not forget the masterful bass playing and drumming, courtesy of Chris Squire and Bill Bruford.
The various members of the band all get their moment to shine. Tracks like Cans And Brahms, We Have Heaven, Five Per Cent For Nothing and The Fish were purposely recorded for that very reason. But we also get prime symphonic tracks like South Side Of The Sky and Heart Of The Sunrise. Or that brooding track Long Distance Runaround.
Yes knew how to keep things fresh and tie in the fans. So they not only excelled at their instrument of choice, but also managed to write and record numerous classic albums. This being one of them…
Classic: Gentle Giant, Civilian, 1980
I am guessing this first Classic Album will raise a few eyebrows already 
This is actually the first Gentle Giant album I ever heard and I immediately fell in love with it. And I said it before, albums you grow up on, tend to stick with ya and get that aura of being fantastic due to all the memories attached.
Even for the time it was rather short, but I just kept playing the LP at the time. For it´s wonderful choruses, the great use of Hammond by Kerry Minnear, the inventive guitar licks by Gary Green, and the somewhat hoarse voice of singer Derek Shulman. (and to complete the list of musicians involved: Ray Shulman played the bass, and John Weathers drummed). And a lot of singing of course.
And yes, this has little to do with their previous output. So imagine my surprise checking out albums like Octopus, Free Hand or Missing Piece. From where I was coming from (hard rock) that was not an easy task. But I grew into it and have since also developed a taste for quality symphonic music.
But this was close to perfection according to me. On it´s own I regard it a classic melodic rock album with some symphonic influences. In hindsight I understand some of the older fans as well. they thought it was a sell out and hated the band for it.
For me, I still enjoy playing this (meanwhile upgraded to CD) All Through The Night…
Ajalon, This Good Place, 2009
This is the first album I hear of this American band. Based on this, it will not be the last! Excellent symphonic rock. But before I get ahead of myself, a step back.
When the disk started I was somewhat confused. I really thought it sounded kinda plastic, especially the guitars. But it didn´t take long to get sucked into listening. Though I still feel that they can improve in some aspects, this has turned out to be a very versatile and upper class disk. The overall sound suits the music just fine, so forget my earlier whining.
The most important member seems to be Randy George, who also plays with Neal Morse live. That gives the direction away a little. But understand me right, Ajalon are no copycats. In fact, most does not resemble Neal, or his former band mates SB at all. Here a lot of material focusses on the excellent vocals and the sometimes incredible guitar shredding. As is standard in this type of music, there is a lot of feel and light and dark in the album. And the inevitable epic track is present here also .
I am sure it will get better with every play. Love this stuff!
Personal play tips: just push play en then repeat.
