What I am listening to right now

Prog Head

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ENGLAND - 'Garden Shed' (special edition).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pPlfkFNCkA


Garden Shed (art cover).jpg


That's a quotation from the article.


[FONT=&quot]."..one of the last touchstone albums of British symphonic prog makes it to CD. Oh, there was a bad vinyl transcription on the Japanese Edison label a few years ago, but now the master tapes have been found, so good sound and an affordable price have been assured. A friend of mine once described them as "the English Locanda delle Fate" and... well... that's not far off the mark. Both bands came after the prog rock scene in their respective countries was in its death throes. And while LDF drew on P.F.M. and Banco as influences, England takes its cues from Genesis and Yes. But England does display on their masterwork [/FONT]Garden Shed[FONT=&quot] a "refined" veneer usually reserved for Italian bands (and if you don't believe me, listen to the layered synth work at the beginning of "Midnight Madness," which is similar to classic Banco). The band's name is perfect, as the music is so quintessentally English in that no one could possibly mistake them as hailing from anywhere else; bouncy melodies, pristine high-pitched vocal harmonies, lyrics about neighborhood markets, etc. It's the little things about this album that make it such a delight: the dramatic guitar themes in the opening section of "Three Piece Suite" and its vivacious falsetto coda, the vibes and tympani in the middle of "Midnight Madness," the Mellotron / 12-string / lead electric instrumental combination in "Yellow," and so forth... As counterpoint, the album closes on a melodramatic note, with the modern Dorian Gray adaptation "Poisoned Youth," the spirited themes of which are never less than breathtaking. A real treat, not one to be missed, and one of the best prog-rock releases of 1977 (not that there was much competition)".[/FONT]
 

Prog Head

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ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - 'Zoom' (2001).


Zoom (front cover).jpg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0enx_dbo_SQ&list=PLIlCnyDKQpDBAnET4lHbs9QoDLsMQTOsb


Jeff Lynne.jpg


"Few of 'Zoom's songs feature the grand orchestrations that defined the group; the superstar producer and former Traveling Wilbury plays almost every instrument himself. And aside from keyboardist Richard Tandy, who appears on only one cut, Lynne's the sole ELO-er here.But unlike the band's synth-heavy early-Eighties output, this non-reunion at least sounds like ELO. George Harrison's weepy slide guitar and Ringo Starr's steady drumming on four tracks bring Lynne that much closer to the Beatles sound ELO emulated. Although boogie-minded ditties like "Easy Money" suggest old outtakes, "Moment in Paradise" and other dreamy ballads evoke the twilight sadness of "Telephone Line." Lynne shouldn't claim ELO is once again a "livin' thing," but 'Zoom' is nevertheless the next-best entity".

BARRY WALTERS (Rolling Stone zine - August 16, 2001).



 

Prog Head

Member
DRUID - 'Fluid Druid' (1976).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsTkEPQZYMs&list=PLC67DCCFE9EBAF703


It brings back the feel of glory days of prog rock.


 Fluid Druid (front cover).jpg


"Formed in 1971 by old schoolmates Dane Stevens and Cedric Sharpley, along with local bass player Neil Brewer, DRUID spent years playing clubs as a trio before winning a competition by Melody Maker for the best unsigned band. At this point they added Andrew McCrorie-Shand, a recent London College of Music graduate. The Melody Maker prize included new instruments and a recording contract. Later, this band was an opening act at a number of Yes concerts. The Yes comparison, though an obvious one, is not entirely accurate".
 

Prog Head

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ULTRAVIOLET DAYDREAM - 'Redshift' (2011).


Redshift.jpg


https://www.reverbnation.com/ultravioletdaydream/songs


What I said almost ten years ago.

... ‘Redshift’ is an album that's very pleasant to listen to, with tons of 'classic progressive’ moments. Definitely YES-ish in nature but with some Genesis thrown in. The musicianship and vocals are excellent, the atmosphere is fantastic. There is a wide degree of diversity in all tracks, keeping things fresh and bright from start to finish. There's the perfection of balancing in mood, melody, passion and adventure. The things considered UVD have done an amazing job. These guys have a potential to attract much more attention"...


 UVD.jpg
 
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