Concert Review: Renaissance and Steve Hackett in Toronto - Summer 2010

This unique concert could have been billed as Prog Night in Toronto. It may have been a cold day in hell, but it was hot and humid on College Street as these legends of Progressive music made a rare visit to Canada. The surreal event was made stranger by the sights and sounds of Spanish flags being pulled in honking automobiles in the heart of Toronto's Little Italy. If anything, it made for an interesting distraction from the heat, as patient Prog fans waited in a curving line that queued the length of the ramp to the Mod Club and down College Street. The general consensus in the line was that while the honking cars were quite loud, if it was Italy who just won a semi-final game in the World Cup, it would have been much noisier.

There was some confusion leading up to the Wednesday night's show. Originally booked for a splendid seated venue by the waterfront in Toronto's Exhibition Place, the show was moved at the last moment to the much smaller standing-room-only Mod Club. While I don't have any confirmation as to why this change was made, I can only assume it was due to a lack in ticket sales. Considering how rarely Mr. Hackett and Mrs. Haslam treat our fair city to a concert, this lack of interest disappoints me, although hardly surprises me. Toronto's no Montreal when it comes to appreciation of Progressive music. The change in venue did, fortunately, allow my girlfriend and I to secure a prominent place right in front of the stage.

The audience was made out of, unsurprisingly, mostly older Prog fans; the kind that enjoyed albums like Turn of the Card and Spectral Mornings when they first came out in the 70s. There were some other younger fans in the crowd, although we were definitely in the minority. As a veteran of many a Prog-show in Toronto, I would describe it as the typical "Prog Crowd".

As the lights dimmed and the classical intro filled the PA system, the crowd warmly welcomed Annie Haslam, Michael Dunford and the new look Renaissance. Despite only two members of the classic line-up still present, the younger musicians did a spot on job recreating some old classics and even a brand new composition. Turns out this line-up is currently busy putting together a new album that should, according to Mr. Dunford, be out some time next year. The set-list consisted mainly of tracks from Turn of the Cards. The highlight for me personally was the encore: Mother Russia. Always an epic track in any setting, the symphonic textures really transformed the Mod Club to another level of sophistication and class that it probably rarely experiences. Yes fans may have recognized one Tom Brislin from the Yes Symphonic DVD. He did an excellent job filling in the orchestral textures that make Renaissance sound like Renaissance.

It would be a bit of an oversight to not mention little Annie Haslam. While she does indeed look much older then the iconic cover photo on Ashes are Burning (obviously, time ages even the brightest talents) her voice is still in prime form. From the opening track Prologue, her voice was yet another class above your typical Rock concert and was truly a wonder to behold. She really seemed to get a kick out of some of the rowdy audience members ("Don't be cheeky!"). Despite one strage remark about not being satisfied with the symmetry of the venue (she stood on a bit of an angle for most of the show) she was easily the biggest person on stage (despite being the shortest). She said she would love to perform in Toronto more, but we need to create more demand. Ideally, she said, they would come back and perform with an orchestra. That would be the day.

After thirty minutes of equipment swap, it was time for Hackett and his band to take the stage. My respect for Steve Hacket probably ranks amongst the highest of any former Genesis member. Despite seeing his previous concert in Toronto, (the acoustic-trio lineup, literally in a High School theatre in the suburb of Markham) being able to be front row for a full-on electric set blew away all expectations. The band exploded into the Crimson-like Mechanical Bride, strobe lights blaring. The rest of the set consisted of mainly new tracks from Mr. Hackett's latest work, reviewed here, and a smattering of Genesis classics. Hackett also played some of his own material from the 70s including Every Day, Ace of Wands and my personal favorite Spectral Mornings. (Doesn't the ambiant mid section of Spectral morning remind you of Yes' The Remembering?)

The lineup was mostly the same as the DVD releases of this passed decade. Gary O'Toole once again provided excellent drumming and pretty good vocals on all the Genesis songs including Blood on the Rooftops, Fly on a Windshield and Firth of Fifth. I'd take him of Phil Collins on vocals any day. Roger King was again the master of bringing all the right sounds and textures to the evening. He even has apparently mastered all of Tony Banks' parts to Firth of Fifth, something that has been lacking from most of Steve's renditions of the song up to now. Rob Townsend had some pretty roaring sax solos during the evening, bringing some much needed Jazz to the mostly symphonic sounds of the concert. There were some new members I didn't recognize. The new, cross-dressing, bass player was quite the impressive figure onstage. He played all of the most complex bass lines with ease and was a very large and commanding shape (despite the dress and pig-tailed wig). To counter the sight the cross-dressing bassist, there was a female vocalist/guitarist. I'm not sure who she is and where she comes from. She did some nice in-harmony soloing during Every Day, but otherwise she seemed to mostly provide backup vocals. Can anyone shed some light on who this person is?

As the Hackett band was taking it's final bow, I couldn't resist yelling out "Steve! Come back soon!". He acknowledged my outburst with a slight nod. As I've said, we don't see much of Mr. Hackett on this side of the world. Having him in Toronto was a unique privilege. The fact that the concert was moved to a smaller venue at the last minute probably confirms that there aren't really that many fans in Toronto. The fact that trio-Genesis can come to town and sell out a stadium while (my opinion) the better tallent can't even fill a modest sized theatre speaks volumes on how music is perceived and appreciated by most. Phil Collins will always be the bigger name in comparison to Steve Hackett, but one of them is a cheap commercial-whore and the other is a real honest and talented musician who deserves better. Perhaps Mr. Hackett will fulfill his promise to me and return sooner rather than later. When he does I hope that all the real Genesis fans come out and show their support.

Review: Mike Oldfield's Amarok (1990)

Tubular Bells is overrated. I'm not saying it isn't any good. It's pretty amazing actually, considering the age of young Mr. Oldfield when he recorded the album, not to mention how commercially successful it was. However, scarcely in my own observations has the commercial acceptance of an album had any relationship to the actual quality of music it contains. Since he recorded Tubular Bells, Mike Oldfield has been unable to shake his reputation being tied solely to that work. Well, you should be thanking me Mike, I'm going to set the record straight. While Tubular Bells is alright, it isn't even close to being the best Oldfield album. Not by a long shot. In fact, the real highlight of Mike's long and bloated career has to be Amarok.

What? Amarok? What's an Amarok? Well that depends on who you ask. If you ask the Inuit, Amarok is a wolf. If you would ask a German car company, it's a type of pickup truck. If you ask a computer geek they'd probably say it's an open source alternative to iTunes. Us Prog Rock fans, (aka you and me) should know it as one of the greatest instrumental albums of all time. (Also the name of a Spanish Folk Prog band, but we'll save them for another day) Apparently, Mike named his album Amarok simply because he liked the sound of the word.

When Mike Oldfield released Amarok, the world seemed to be entirely devoid of a musical soul. In 1990 we were still reeling from the musical abomination that was the 1980s and the best answer mainstream music had was the shallow and simplistic world of grunge rock. In the midst of all this, Mike Oldfield was in the middle of a bitter battle with his record label. In case you didn't know, Tubular Bells was once the first pride and joys of Richard Branson's Virgin Records label. While I'm sure things were all happy in Virgin land in the early 70s, but as time went on things turned sour. As Richard Branson's empire grew, the demands placed on Oldfield to continue to release commercially popular albums grew. As we all know, Mike's heart and soul was in the long instrumental works he did in the 1970s. Virgin's continual pressure on Mike to deliver 'hit singles' did yield some successes (remember Moonlight Shadow?), but you can't help but feel Mike was manipulated.

As his contract with Virgin began to come to an end, poor old Mike Oldfield had enough. He couldn't wait to get out of there. Unfortunately, he still had to release a few more albums to fulfill his contratual obligations. With Amarok, he decided it was time to get payback. The album was constructed by Mike to be Richard Branson's worst nightmare. His basic goal was to piss Branson off as much as possible. How did he go about doing this? Well, for starters, he decided to make the album one long 60 minute track. An hour long instrumental track on its own would probably be bad news for any record label, but Mike took it a step further. Due to the dynamic and constant shifting nature of the album, it would be impossible to cut out any given section and isolate it as radio-friendly single. Now you can just imagine how frustrating all this was for Richard Branson and Virgin records, but Oldfield didn't stop there.

- Hidden within the album is a secret morse code message. If you're able to decode the message you'll find it translates to "Fuck Off RB" (guess what RB stands for).

- This was also one of Mike's first albums that was designed to be released on CD. One of the many advantages of the format was the ability to have a wider dynamic range. This meant you could have a huge difference in volume in between the quietest moments and the loudest. There are moments on the album, specifically near the beginning, where the music seems to be really quiet. Apparently Oldfield pictured Richard Branson driving down the highway in his convertible listening to the album and turning it up loud to hear this quiet section. Then, just as he was comfortable, Mike hits a loud synth "BLAM" at full volume. This, I imagine, would blow Richard Branson's ears out. (Side note, modern CDs that are victims of the "loudness war" don't have any dynamic range)

- The album packaging came with a "Health Warning" on the back which read as following: "HEALTH WARNING - This record could be hazardous to the health of cloth-eared nincompoops. If you suffer from this condition, consult your Doctor immediately "

- While Virgin wanted Mike to release the next "Tubular Bells" and Mike does play them on Amarok, they are listed in the liner notes as "long thin metallic hanging tubes". Good luck marketing that!

While all these little trivia points are interesting, I don't want to undermine how good this album is in its own rights. You can forget that this album was made by "Mike Oldfield of Tubular Bells fame" and just enjoy it for what it is. In my own opinion it stands the test of time as one of the best instrumental albums ever recorded, Prog Rock or otherwise. Throughout it's entire run time you never feel as though Mike is stretching things out. Its constantly shifting and always melodic. There are so many interesting ideas presented here and the structure is so dynamic and innovative that I find it imposible to stop this album once it starts. Oldfield's abilities as a musician also seem greatly improved since the days of Tubular Bells as his command of the guitar and piano are at an all time high.

I can't recommend this album enough. The musical ideas, the instrumental skill and the production values represent the real peak of Mike Oldfield as an artist. Despite all the politics that went on behind the scenes of this album's creation, nothing takes away from just how amazing this album is to listen to. It's pure ear candy. If you don't own this album, then your Prog Rock collection has a giant hole in it that needs to be filled immediately.

DVD Review: Porcupine Tree's Arriving Somewhere... (2006)

There's a new Porcupine Tree DVD/Blu Ray in the works. Since it won't be out for a while I decided to dig out PTree's first and only other concert DVD to date. Filmed during the Deadwing tour of 2005 (wow, 'Time Flies' indeed) it shows the band at the peak of their abilities. While you can find plenty of reviews elsewhere focussing on content of the disc, I'm going to do things a bit differently and focus on the production values. I really appreciate Steven Wilson's style and taste in surround sound mixing, and his work on his first concert DVD does not disappoint. The direction of album art designer Lasse Hoile is first-rate and the editing is artsy yet tasteful. The package is also loaded with an extra disc of bonuses that give you plenty of value for the reasonable price of the disc.

The best thing about this disc, and with pretty much anything Mr. Wilson has done in the last five years or so, is the audio mix. I've reviewed many of his DVD-Audio mixes already, and it's safe to say that the guy has proven himself to be the master of multi-channel rock mixes. This DVD-Video is no exception. The DTS 5.1 mix is demo quality and great to show off your surround system to friends (or enemies). There are a few different approaches one can take when it comes to doing a surround mix for a concert video. Most often, one might try to create the ambiance of sitting in the venue, with the band and music in front and the audience behind. Mr. Wilson prefers the more adventurous route. For the opening ambient introduction Revenant you are instantly surround with music. The rears often feature instrumental solos and keyboard pads. It's an engrossing experience that recalls some of efforts 70s Prog bands took to surround the audience with music.

The highlight musically speaker would personally have to be the back to back epic punch of Hatesong and Don't Hate Me. Gavin Harrison has established himself as the king of modern drummers, and you will not miss a single cymbal tap thanks to Wilson's perfect mix. In another highlight, Wilson's guitar in Hatesong swirls around the room as he screeches and soars on some of his most atonally ambitious solos. Buying New Soul is always an emotional high point of any Porcupine Tree concert, and the performance on this DVD doesn't disappoint. Heartattack in a Layby features the vocal harmonies emerging from every corner of the room. It's a beautiful moment. The concert comes to an end with Trains. Always a fan favorite, it features the only error musically on the whole disc. Steve gets a bit too excited for the big chords of the song's mid-section and breaks a string on his guitar. "We were all doing so well..." he says in a funny moment that probably has already gone down in PT folklore. He gets a backup from his roadie and continues playing to a rousing conclusion.

Lasse Hoile's editing has been the subject of some criticism. The DVD is ripe with digitally added effects that include artificial film grain and colour adjustments. While normally overloading a concert video with special effects is not a good idea (see Yes' Keys To Ascension), I feel it all works pretty well here. The pace is quick, and there are plenty of cuts, but it all seems to work because it always compliments the music. Cutting to Gavin Harrison for a split second might be a silly idea until your realize you get to see one of his massive fills before the focus switches back to Wilson's solo. You never at any point feel that the cuts are made just for the sake of it, and it always goes with the music perfectly. Any music fan knows how irritating it is when the focus is on the keyboardist when the guitarist is soloing. That never happens here. If I have one complaint it would be that, while all the artificial film grain compliments the music visually, it often gets caught up in the MPEG2 compression of the DVD and ends up looking blocky. This is a very small detail that I'm sure most viewers won't even notice. The next PTree concert video will be released on Blu Ray, which will probably not suffer from this.

This DVD is a must for any fan of Porcupine Tree, period. Even if you don't have a fancy TV or surround sound system, you'll get plenty of enjoyment out of performances. The disc does a great job of capturing the feel of a PT concert perfectly. Every member is in top form, and any fan of drumming will be completely floored by the skill of Gavin Harrison. His original composition Cymbal Song is featured on the bonus disc and is a great showcase for the guy's originality and creativity with cymbals of all sorts. The bonus disc also features complete footage of the on-stage projected films used during the concert. It's a great classic performance that will surely keep you entertained until the new DVD comes out in a month or two.

A Prog Rock Guide to the Project/Object - Apostrophe (') (1974)

1974 was the year that critics began to turn on Prog Rock. You see, up until that point Prog was generally considered a good thing. Critics appreciated the creativity and musicianship that was growing out of the scene up until that point. It was all happy and cheery and lovely for all... until Yes released Tales From Topographic Oceans. "That's it! They've gone too far! This is the most pretentious overblown piece of self-indulgence in the history of music bla bla bla" It went slowly but surely downhill from there.

There is an album that came out right around the same time that shows the other side of what Progressive Rock could be. Apostrophe(') has just as much musical skill on display as Tales, but instead of the serious 'high-art' that Yes were presenting, Zappa brought his silly sense of humour and irreverent satirical style to the table. When people are quick to harp on Prog's excessiveness and cite Topographic Oceans as example, I quickly 'whip-out' this sucker as counter argument. It has everything that any Prog fan wants: insanely jaw-dropping instrumental and compositional creativity, a complex and surreal concept and even an extended suite of continuous songs. What it lacks is the self-important arrogance that some listeners perceive when they dismiss Progressive Rock. (I have a hard time picking up on such things personally, Tales is pure fun to my ears) Zappa brings so much excitement to his compositions that an unknowing listener may not even realize just how complex things are instrumentally.

The album starts with the infamous tale of Nanook the Eskimo. The suite of four tracks that starts things off is really so bizarre and funny that it really couldn't be by anyone except Frank Zappa. I won't get into the details because, well, frankly (heh) it's hard to explain. Just know that you must "Watch out where the huskies go and don't you eat that yellow snow". As absurd as that line is, you only really realize the true silliness of it all when you find out that the backup singers are Tina Turner and the Ikettes. No foolin'.

But the Ikettes are hardly the main attraction of this album. The gigantic lineup assembled to play here is quite amazing. Who else but Frank Zappa could bring names like George Duke, Jack Bruce, Don 'Sugar-Cane' Harris, Sal Marquez and Jean-Luc Ponty to play on an album with songs titled "Nanook Rubs It" and "St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast"? The level of musicianship on display is simply mind-boggling. Ruth Underwood's percussion alone is worth the price of admission. Please watch this video:


So while you are laughing away at the silly lyrics, keep in mind that there is really serious complex music happening here. Zappa's compositional skills were out of control by this point of his career. Take Cosmic Debris for example, a fairly simple and straight forward attack on the 'self-help' gurus that were popping up around that time in the States. Not only are there beautiful backup harmonies by the Ikettes, but the constant shifting rhythm section is superbly tight. The guitar solo is one of Frank's most classic and the tempo shift is so well executed that it almost appears seamless. The instrumental title track is a super professional jam session with Jack Bruce and Zappa on bass and guitar respectively. Imagine Cream but with Zappa taking the lead. Bruce's fuzzy bass tone goes so insanely well with Frank's lightning fast yet completely melodic lead guitar solo.

George Duke co-wrote Uncle Remus with Zappa. The gorgeous piano underlying the song is probably a direct result of this collaboration. The Ikettes are again very prominent here as Zappa's lyrics take on racism and civil rights. The final track "Stink-Foot" is probably an attack on advertising agencies who make up "imaginary diseases" to push products you don't really need. It features more interesting time changes and ends with one of Zappa's most explicit explanations of "Conceptual Continuity". We'll get into that whole subject in another post, on another day.

This is an album that works on so many levels. From the instrumentation to the silly and yet often poignant lyrics, this is Zappa at the peak of his abilities and is required listening to anyone who like Prog and Zappa - best served together.

Vintage Vinyl - Jethro Tull's Thick As A Brick

One of the most original album art designs in the history of the format, Thick As A Brick still stands out today in the used record bin. I give you my take on the album: its cover and music as well. Don't forget this album went to the top of the US charts in 1972!

Review: Pekka Pohjola - Harakka Bialoipokku (B The Magpie) 1974

The one thing I love about Progressive Rock in the 1970s is the sheer amount of music created, most of which is still virtually unknown to most of us even to this very day. It seems as though you could really keep discovering amazing obscure music from all over the world made during that decade and never run out of new music to hear for the rest of your life. Take, for example, Pekka Pohjola. This Finnish born musician/composer could have become recognized as one of the all time greats in a parallel universe. In our currently reality, however, he is probably best known to us in the English speaking western world as a member of Mike Oldfield's 1978 touring band. To others he is known as the bass player in the Finnish Prog band Wigwam in the early 70s. For my own interests, it is his work as a solo artist which strikes me as his true claim to fame.

This album was released in the UK under the title B The Magpie. B, I assume, stands for Bialoipokku. This instrumental album probably does recall another vocal-less Prog album that follows the trials and tribulations of a bird. It actually beat Camel's Snow Goose to market by a year and, in my mind, while similar in certain regards is actually far superior to its better known counterpart. You would be surprised to know that this was only Pohjola's second album as a solo artist. The jazzy brass arrangements and jaw dropping bass playing sound like the work of a seasoned pro.

The story, as far as I can tell, follows Bialoipokku the magpie from his birth, through some sort of great battle, to a kind of upbeat post-war conclusion. I really don't know. It's an instrumental album after all. It really doesn't matter. The music is the real charm here. The album opens on an almost melancholy note with some sad piano chords. Pohjola, while later on proving to be an excellent and varied multi-instrumentalist, handles the piano and bass playing on this album. The second track introduces the brass section. The tempo increases as the main theme of the album plays, and my goodness, what a theme it is. Catchy and uplifting. Anyone who is even remotely interested in the fusion of rock and jazz must check this out.

The real instrument-star of the album is Pohjola'a bass guitar. The guy has some real skill in laying down some thick and lush rhythm throughout, driving the album forward. Just listen to the bass under the sax solo on the album's centrepiece track: Bialoipokku's war. It's jazzy. It rocks. The bass steps into the spotlight on The Madness Subsides. Any doubt that this guy is a master bassist just need to check out the places he is able to take the instrument during the solo. Very very impressive stuff.

If there is any flaw in this album, in my mind, it would have to be that it all ends much too soon. Clocking in at just under 37 minutes, I always feel the need to start the album again once it comes to a conclusion. If you're a fan of the aforementioned Snow Goose and you don't have this album, you have a void in your collection that needs to be filled immediately. Harakka Bialoipokku is a charming, catchy and impressive album that really needs to be heard by just about any fan of instrumental Prog Rock.

Sadly, Pekka Pohjola passed away in 2008 at the tragically young age of 56. While he is considered a bit of a legend in some areas of Europe, I don't think the guy got the recognition he deserved here in North America. Thanks to the internet, we all have the ability to right this wrong. Take my word and not only track down this album, but explore the vast and varied solo works of an underrated master.

A Prog Rock Guide to the Project/Object - Burnt Weeny Sandwich

By the time this album had been released, Frank Zappa had already dissolved the original lineup of The Mothers Of Invention. You might then consider this album a collection of leftovers from that lineups late 60s recordings. It is exactly that...to a certain extent. The material on this LP was recorded over a wide timespan and is a bit of a collage. Some pieces were taken from here, others were picked up from there. Yet, somehow, Zappa was able to pull in all these various recordings and create an album that works as a whole just as well as any album by the original Mothers. That's no small achievement considering just how well all of those records were assembled. As I said in my review of Absolutely Free, Zappa and The Mothers were really insanely ahead of their time when it came to the use of The Album as a united whole as opposed to a collection of unrelated tracks.

What makes this album work so well as a whole? Well, the vast majority of it is entirely instrumental so it sure isn't unified by a lyrical theme. What makes this album work so well is the structure and order of the tracks. You really feel that you go on an adventure with this album. The album begins deceivingly with a simple doo-wop song. WPLJ is actually a cover of a song originally recorded by the Four Deuces in 1956. Zappa performs this song completely straight. It is essentially a heartfelt tribute to a song that clearly had an impact on a young Zappa and if it wasn't for the comical Spanish rambling near the tracks end, it is performed with honest sincerity. After the track fades out you should strap yourself in because you are about to enter a completely different world.

Igor's Boogie must be a tribute to Igor Stravinsky, another one of Zappa's childhood heroes. The short quirky instrumental is performed by the members of The Mothers who could actually read music. Zappa, in case you didn't know, was composing chamber music before he even considered becoming a rock and roll song writer. With many of the tracks on side one of Burnt Weeny Sandwich, Zappa creates a little chamber ensemble with the 'talented' members of the group. This chamber ensemble really shines on both movements of Holiday in Berlin. The track was composed after a Mothers of Invention concert in Berlin in which a riot broke out. The whole event was really dangerous for the members of the band and the playful feel of the music really doesn't quite reflect the nature of the event that inspired it. Nevertheless this is Frank the composer at his best.

Zappa's guitar is naturally present here and really shines not only on the Theme from Burnt Weeny Sandwich, but also on the 'Full Blown' movement of Holiday in Berlin. The guy really has a knack for some skilled yet tuneful lead guitar. The first side of the LP closes with Aybe Sea, a classically fused piece with lots of appealing layered keyboard and moving acoustic guitar. The sound of the piece is almost Baroque with its harpsichord. The piano and guitar shift gears and the whole piece trickles out like the tide. This is really one of Frank's more beautiful and underrated instrumental.

Side two opens with more piano. Zappa is really shining here as the great classical composer that he is often not given credit for being. The 18 minute epic Little House I Used To Live In has just about a bit of everything, from its soaring main theme to the extended live solos. In fact, you never know which bits are live and which were recorded in a studio. The track encompasses the collage theme of the album into a piece that has bits from all over the place and yet never feels disconnected. The highlight of the song might just be the extended violin solo that really burns the house down. It smokes. It rocks. It flies and soars. As the piece ends, many themes from side one are repised and the whole thing ends and a huge cacophony. The crowd arrupts with applause and then you hear some member of the audience shouting his lungs off. Zappa replies "Everybody in this room is wearing a uniform and don't kid yourself".

After the crazy instrumental adventure, the album comes full circle with yet another classic doo-wop cover. This time it's Jackie and the Starlites' Valerie. I'm not sure why, but it's almost an emotionally moving way to conclude the disc. It probably has to do with the album's amazing structure. Starting and ending the album with such simple and serious doo-wop songs creates a perfect circle. You start your adventure on firm familiar ground before being taken on a tour of the unknown before being brought home.

As vast and wide as Zappa's discography is, I really think that this album deserves much more recognition. It usually gets buried as being experimental and difficult, but this couldn't be further from the truth. This album has some of Zappa's most accessibly beautiful melodies. The unique and brilliant structure of the album means that you never feel it get too out of hand. It all fits together perfectly. I highly recommend this to any Prog fan who is looking for an early glimpse of instrumental Frank Zappa: the composer and producer. A real unappreciated work of art.

Vintage Vinyl - Tales From Topographic Oceans by Yes

I stake my reputation as a music critic and opinion-generator-thing and throw all my support behind one of the most controversial Rock albums ever made. Simply put: I adore this thing. From the album art down to the music itself. (Yes, I even think The Remembering is genius and not at all padded)

Review: Steve Hackett - Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth (2009)

I have an endless amount of respect for Steve Hackett. How could I not? While I do tend to take many-a-shot at old timers who have spent the vast amount of their careers cashing in on past successes, there are some old dudes that seem to continually push themselves well into their autumn years. Steve Hackett is one such example. In fact I'd go as far to say that the last decade has easily been his most consistently excellent since the 70s. Starting with 1999's Darktown, Hackett has churned out a succession of brilliant albums in both his moving Classical and eclectic Progressive Rock style. He seems content to consistently put his former Genesis band-mates to shame with not only his continued artistic integrity, but also in the sheer pace of production.

The most astonishing fact is that with each release he is only improving as a songwriter. His latest collection of compositions, Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth, continues in much the same vein as his previous Prog Rock outings. 2006's Wild Orchids was, at that time, an album I proclaimed to be one of his most consistently enjoyable in decades. It didn't take many listens to his latest creation to come to the conclusion that this is indeed his best since Spectral Mornings. Of all the legendary Progressive greats, there is no doubt that Steve Hackett is the only one who just keeps getting better and better with age. Don't believe me? Listen to the two-part epic Emerald And Ash. The first half, a beautiful ballad (perhaps the Emerald), transforms effortlessly into the second-half rocker with guitars ablaze (clearly the Ash). This is a sign of a mature composer who isn't afraid to toy with the structure of his songs and use the power of contrast to aid in his storytelling. This advanced craftsmanship in the art of building music in the boundlessness world of Progressive Rock is a sign of a master at the peak of his game.

While fans of Steve's frantic licks will relish in the hard-rocking fusion-esque Tubehead (you know he was fret tapping years before Van Halen), fans of the complete Hackett package will soak up every second of the extend length of Sleepers. Beginning with yet another shining example of his classical guitar prowess, the song shifts and grows through just about every style the man has been perfecting all these years. The album's finale, Last Train To Istanbul, fusses huge violin riffs and powerful drumming in a way that very much reflects the song's title perfectly.

As I'm known to be rather picky when it comes to sound quality and production in music, you'll be happy to know that this album gets full marks in my books. The production is lush and very dynamic. I applaud Hackett's continued resistance to do like so many of his contemporaries and overuse compression and limiting during the mastering process. (For an example of the worst of this, see the recent Genesis remix/remasters. Yugh. Steve had little involvement in those. Damn you Tony Banks!) The album alternates in between the gigantic and the intimate. You would never know the fact that this was recorded in Steve's living room! This is the perfect example of how modern recording technology can be utilized tastefully. Sadly, at the present time you can only purchase this excellent album from Steve's very own website. As you may know, his recent separation from his wife has caused all sorts of legal problems with his former label, leading Hackett to produce this album very much independently. This shouldn't stop you from ordering it, by the way. If anyone deserves enormous success going the independent route, it surely is Steve Hackett. While the big bucks in the music industry continue to flow the way of cheap talentless hacks (no pun intended), Mr. Hackett is most deserving of every penny he earns for being the model of artistic integrity. Bravo Steve.

Surrounded By Prog - Genesis' Selling England By The Pound SACD DTS 5.1

I hate the Grammys. What a load of baloney. If you happen to frequent this blog I'm sure you'd have no difficulty imagining my reasoning behind this. I'd rather get whacked in the face with Chris Squire's triple necked bass that he uses during Awaken then get a dirty little Grammy award. That being said, I do tend to get minutely interested when the list of nominations comes around every year for the Surround Sound category. Mainly because this is a category that Porcupine Tree usually has a chance at winning. I know for a fact that Deadwing won in 2005 and Fear Of A Blank Planet was nominated, among a few others, I believe. I was quite disappointed when Mr. Wilson's solo album Insurgentes was not on this year's list of nominations. What were they thinking? I think that it might be one of the most amazing 5.1 presentations I've ever heard. Fools! Not 'mainstream' enough for the narrow-minded jerks, I suppose. (cynical cynical cynical I am)

What has been nominated this year, however, are the new surround sound mixes of the Peter Gabriel-era Genesis albums. In honour of this fact I'm going to take a look at one of those mixes: Selling England By The Pound. I'm sure this album needs no introduction as it is synonymous with Progressive Rock. It's usually battling it out for top spot on Prog Archives' top album of all time charts, and rightfully so. A well deserved classic by all accounts. Yadda yadda yadda... Despite my praise for the album itself, I just can't give the same glowing review of these new mixes. Genesis' sound engineer of choice, (at least since We Can't Dance in the early 90s) Nick Davis, and Tony Banks himself were mostly involved with this project and quite frankly what they churned out is very disappointing on many fronts. The notion of going back to the original recordings and remixing old albums of this nature is a dicey proposition. In an ideal situation, running the old multi-track tapes through modern digital mixing equipment should provide the opportunity to bring enhanced sound quality. Despite this, there is always a danger of making too many changes to the album and as a result rewrite history (in a George Lucas and Star Wars kind of way). The approach that Nick Davis took on these Genesis reissues is pretty upsetting.

This album, Selling England By The Pound, was a warm and lush sounding record. On the new 5.1 mix (and new stereo as well) things sound significantly louder and much harsher. The more I listen to these DVDs (I don't have the SACD version, which was only released in Europe and Japan and was outside of my budget to order as imports) the more I think this is a huge wasted opportunity. In comparison with Steven Wilson's treatment of the King Crimson catalogue so far, these discs are a sonic mess. I find it hard to crank these albums to a level of loudness that I'm accustomed to with the original vinyl version without having my ears start to bleed. To use audiophile terminology, these are harsh and bright sounding discs. The low end (the bass effects) are severely lacking. Where Mike Rutherford's bass used to shake the room, it now sounds as though its been castrated. It's wimpy sounding in 5.1. Us Prog fans should be thankful though, the Phil Collins era albums are treated far worse. In fact, I never listen to the new mixes of Trick Of The Tail and Wind And Wuthering anymore simply because they sound terrible. The original vinyl versions beat the snot out of them every time. Just compare the new Foxtrot with Wilson's treatment of Lizard and see what I mean. No comparison.

It's not all doom and gloom however. The use of surround sound and its additional speakers is very entertaining. The added separation does give additional insight into just how all the individual elements come together to make this album what it is. There are many instances of discrete sounds coming from the rear of the sound stage. During moments like in Cinema Show, the acoustic guitars are spread around the room in a way that lets you hear how all those weaving 12-strings come together. Backup vocals usually stand near the rear to counterpoint the leads in the front. The marching band at the beginning of The Battle Of Epping Forest marches around the room. The mellotrons, while having lost some of its majesty due to the sound quality remarks in the previous paragraph, are easy to hear coming from the rear. Going to the original recordings brings out many new details such as the sound of Peter Gabriel pressing the buttons on the flute during the solo in Firth Of Fifth. There also seems to be some different vocal takes used in comparison to the original, such as the "here comes the cavalry" cry during Epping Forest. All these aspects should appeal to all fans of Gabriel-era Genesis so these will probably be of interest despite the sound quality criticisms.

To be fair to Nick Davis and Tony Banks, the use of compression and equalization on the Genesis remixes are very much in step with current trends in music mastering. Personally the constant loud volume detracts from the dynamic nature of these recordings. If you aren't particular about such things then I have no doubt that the Selling England By The Pound 5.1 remix will entertain and amuse. If I'm in the mood to really listen to this album at a loud volume, I tend to reach for my vinyl copy. That being said (I love saying that), I do hope the box-set takes home the Grammy award for no other reason than having more Progressive Rock albums recognized by the mainstream (for what it's worth). If I had the choice, however, I'd easily pick Steven Wilson's Insurgentes to be nominated and win this year's award. It may be the best of its kind, ever. Hmmm, perhaps the next instalment of this column should explain exactly why I think this. How's that for a teaser?

A Prog Rock Guide to the Project/Object - Absolutely Free

This album was released in 1967! I really think history has almost forgotten just how innovative and ahead of their time The Mothers of Invention were. Zappa's first band were clearly breaking just about every rule in the book and doing so with style and class. Just to put into perspective how important the release date of this album is, consider that this is the same year The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper's, the Moody Blues released Days of Futures Past and Jimi Hendrix released Are You Experienced. There is little doubt that these are important and innovative albums in the overall picture of Rock music, but with Absolutely Free I do believe that Frank Zappa and The Mothers were making full blown Progressive Rock years before King Crimson apparently launched the genre properly with In The Court Of The Crimson King.

Hear me out. While The Beatles take a lot of the credit for inspiring the legions of Progressive bands that followed, The Mothers were really laying the blueprint for Prog in a much firmer way than Sgt Pepper's ever did. Firstly, The Mothers were pretty good musicians. In fact, one of the reasons Zappa wanted to join these guys was that they had better musicianship then most of the other bands in the L.A. music scene at the time. While future lineups of Zappa bands were clearly much more polished in this regard, these early Mothers of Invention could certainly play their instruments at a level that was pretty advanced for Rock n' Roll in the late 60s. Just listen to all the shifting tempos and styles that this album possesses. In addition to the musical chops, Zappa was experimenting with the form of composition in ways that other bands wouldn't try for another couple of years at least. The original vinyl consists of two "Underground Oratorios", each of which took up a side of the LP. The first side was simply called Absolutely Free and was a flowing suite of music revolving around the subject of vegetables. The second side was called "The M.O.I. American Pageant" and revolved around the boring plastic nature of Americans at the time. Zappa's social satire is pretty clear, Americans and vegetables are pretty much interchangeable in many regards. This may seem like an obvious statement in our post-modern satirical era, but in 1967 these were pretty daring statements.

So we basically have two side long suites. That's a staple of what was to come as the Prog bands of the 70s pretty much took this format to the extremes. The humour in the lyrics is pretty apparent, if the constant giggling doesn't point that out. Zappa and The Mothers create a fun almost circus-like atmosphere but then, almost casual, toss off really perfectly played high-brow classical music references almost seemingly. Check out Status Back Baby. This is a fairly straight forward parody of late-sixties bubblegum pop music, but then suddenly during the instrumental break Zappa starts playing a phrase from Igor Stravisnky's Petrushka on his guitar and then the full band joins in and nails the big ending of the famous bombastic section from the same ballet! A whistle blows and then they go seamlessly back into bubblegum mode to finish off the song. Need I remind you that this is 1967? How incredible is that? Considering the influence Stravinsky had on the Prog bands of the early 70s, this is yet more proof that Zappa nailed the genre before it was even created.

From the musical complexity to the 'out-there' subject mattered covered on epics like Brown Shoes Don't Make It, I can't think of another album from 1967 that pushes the boundaries of Rock music like The Mothers of Invention did with Absolutely Free. Of course it may be these very factors that has caused the album to be largely ignored by mainstream audiences of the day and subsequently its lack of appraisal today. Regardless, many Zappa fans consider this album to be among the most concise examples of his genius. There is little doubt that this is an essential album for any Zappa collector and fan of Progressive music. It's an important historical document and shines today with its music and social satire resonating as strongly as ever.

Vintage Vinyl - Emerson Lake and Palmer's Tarkus

The first in a brand new series as a guide to the beginner used vinyl collector. I decided to attempt to make this a video series. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Vintage Vinyl - Giant Armadillo Tank!!! Emerson Lake and Palmer - Tarkus - The Prog Rock Blog from Paul Di Meglio on Vimeo.

Review: Comus - First Utterance (1971)

Sigh, to be around in the early 70s. You old farts have no idea how good you had it. Or maybe you did? I can only imagine a time of such creative freedom to be a fantasy beyond my wildest dreams. So much exciting and innovative music coming from those years. It was an era when a record label would actually take a chance with seemingly any oddball group, regardless of how noncommercial they might sound. The ideas flowing out of bands of the time seemed so wild and innovative and yet so logical and progressive. I mean, it makes sense doesn't it? Rock music had been around for at least a few decades already, bands like the Beatles seemed to have not only exhausted the possibilities of the genre but have also taken it to new heights. Let's experiment. Let's see what else we can do. Let's mix it up and try to incorporate other influences. The logic is seamless. On reflection it only makes the Punk backlash of the late 70s appear more ass-backwards than ever.

I couldn't imagine a year more ripe for a band like Comus than 1971. When else in the history of contemporary music could you envision a band so original, so creative, so unlike anything else to be allowed a chance to release an album of this nature? First Utterance seems to be an anomaly. It was apparently dismissed upon its release, garnering little commercial success. The sands of time could have easily lost this album forever. I can only describe its recent success in the online Progressive community as the quintessential example of music ahead of its time. This is folk music taken to heights that I can't see even remotely reached anywhere else. The overall feel of the music is dark, violent and often disturbing. Performed all on acoustic instruments, the darkness achieved here is remarkably unsettling considering the time period it was written in. It's no wonder that Progressive Death Metalers Opeth consider this to be an influence.

If I had to highlight one song that best showcases what made these guys so unique, it would probably have to be the violent Drip Drip. This is Progressive Folk music taken to bloody extremes. The chugging rhythm that breaks down midway through the song is effortlessly replaced with an equally sinister rhythm that showcases what you can achieve when traditional song structures are ignored in favour of more adventurous songwriting. The manic violin playing and woodwind instruments betray the evil lurking in the lyrics with an almost pastoral beauty. The line: "As I carry you to your grave, my arms your hearse" is not only quoted by Opeth, but could almost be a blueprint for the Death Metal genre, still decades away from the composition of this masterpiece.

In First Utterance we have a perfect example for my thesis on the impact of the internet on Progressive music. Since the album's first appearance on CD in the mid-90s, Comus have had a revival of sorts. They have since reunited and have even recorded a live DVD, sold through their website. As I highlighted in a previous post, they have even written new material and hopefully will be releasing a new album some time in the future. Considering this band was dormant for over thirty years, this is no small miracle.

If you consider yourself a Progressive Rock connoisseur, someone who knows even the most obscure act of the early 70s, and don't have this album in your collection... you are sorely missing out. A forgotten and dismissed masterpiece, revived through the power of free communication that is the internet. Slowly but surely Comus is getting the recognition they deserve. While the mainstream continues to elevate mediocre and redundant commercial acts to the plateau of super-stardom, the true creative geniuses of times long ago are beginning to get some well deserved respect.

Surrounded By Prog - Porcupine Tree's Lightbulb Sun DVD-A 5.1 Review

I've already reviewed one of Steven Wilson's 5.1 mixes in the form of King Crimson's Lizard. There is little doubt that Steven is the king of Surround Sound. If my glowing recommendation of Lizard wasn't enough to prove this, I'm going to take a look at one of his own band's albums in the form of Lightbulb Sun. This album has already been hailed as a modern masterpiece by many Progressive fans out there, so I'll assume that this material needs no introduction. If you've only heard this album on regular CD or as a digital download (or even vinyl for that matter), you really haven't heard it to its full potential. Mr. Wilson has been a huge fan of 5.1 since the release of Porcupine Tree's In Absentia in 2003 on the DVD-Audio format. For a true artist like Wilson, the idea of a format that required the listener to sit down and really take in the full breadth of an album was an ideal platform for his music.

There is usually a confusion whenever I mention the idea of surround sound music. For those who have never experienced an album in this fashion, it may be difficult to imagine what it sounds like. The point of this series is to attempt to explain why I think this is the way for serious music listeners to experience their favourite recordings. The real key in understanding why this is, simply go step outside of your house for a moment. Focus on what you are hearing. Close your eyes. While it is true that we only have two ears, you should quickly realize that you are very able to hear sounds coming from all directions. 360 degrees of sounds. If someone were to snap their fingers behind your head, you wouldn't say that the sound is coming from your left or right. Our brains are able to quickly take the information coming from our ears and process it in a way that can help us locate the sounds very precisely.

There really are no rules when it comes to how one might use the extra speakers in a 5.1 setup. If you've ever had the pleasure of watching a concert DVD in surround sound, you might have noticed how well those speakers behind you help create the ambiance of the venue where the show is taking place. You hear the roar of the crowd and the sound of the instruments echoing off the back wall. A good concert mix can really make the effect of 'being there'. Some studio album recordings in 5.1 use this approach, putting you in the recording studio with the band. Steven Wilson, however, takes a more creative style to his 5.1 mixes. What I believe he does is create a 3D sound painting.

Sounds pretentious? Nah... I think that this idea comes from the notion that music can really transcend from being just simply background noise or, as I like to call it, aural wallpaper. Music can, and should be as immersive, as gripping and as emotionally engaging as a movie. By using the home theatre systems that are increasingly common these days, artists like Steven Wilson are creating audio entertainment that parallels movie soundtracks in quality of sound. Lightbulb Sun, which in fact can only be purchased at this time in a set that features the CD along with a DVD-A, is one of the best examples of how effective a 5.1 mix can be.

Take, for example, the album's second track: How Is Your Life Today. This simple little track, clocking in at under three minutes, is a true example of a 3D sound painting. Picture a dark shadowy chamber, a piano in front of you and the longing lyrics of Steven Wilson front and centre, reverberating off the walls of the chamber all around you. Then the first line of the chorus "How is your life today?" fades in from a disembodied voice over your right shoulder. The next line "How is your life?" emerges from a second voice over your left shoulder. The two voices sing the final "How is your life tooooday?" in harmony and fade to darkness. The spotlight focuses again on the echoey vocals front and centre for the second verse. "And the cat its been staring at me, all this time" is heard as the last word, "time", whooshes away as the protagonist disappears, leaving just the piano in the dark chamber. Then suddenly the room is full of harmonizing Wilsons "la la la"-ing from all directions. Things seem to be getting a bit brighter as the harpsichord joins the piano and the chorus repeats again with lush warm voices surrounding you. The light takes a sinister colour, as an evil circus-like sound takes over the chamber. As the last chord decays, everything fades to black. The pianist takes his foot off the pedal and disappears into the darkness.

Despite the flowery language, none of this at any point seems gimmicky. None of the effects scream out "look at me! I'm in surround sound! Whoosh Bang ain't that neat?". Instead one gets a real sense that there is an increased meaning and purpose in the sound placement to help tell the story of the song. This description is naturally just one man's interpretation. I implore you to seek yourself out a copy of this disc and draw your own conclusions. While this one track is definitely a standout, the entire disc is just as engaging and imaginative. I should also add that this DVD-A is a sonic masterpiece. On first listen you may find it to be on the quiet side, but that is simply a sign of excellent mastering. Use your volume knob and turn it as loud as you desire. Unlike the majority of modern CD releases, Lightbulb Sun sounds better the louder you make it. Simply put, this is audio perfection.

A Prog Rock Guide to the Project/Object - One Size Fits All (1975)

There are a few reasons why I believe the best way to experience this album is by tracking down a copy of the original vinyl:

1. The cover design is really something to behold. It's so full of tiny intricate detail that the tiny size of the CD jewel case simply cannot do it justice. You can spend hours staring at the Zappa-fied map of the cosmos trying to just understand the meaning of it all. It's really so overflowing with imagination that you can keep yourself entertained for hours without ever taking the record out of its sleeve.

2. The sound quality of it all. For whatever reason, Zappa on CD is a messy affair. It seems that he created the digital masters for the CDs at a time of very primitive digital technology. Frank simply couldn't resist all the bells and whistles and trappings of over using them. Although this album is hardly one of the worst examples, very early-80s digital reverb is dumped all over his catalogue. There is an excellent (albeit dated looking) website that you can spend the rest of your life going over, that boldly attempts to make heads and tails of each and every Zappa release. The original vinyl version is, however, one of the best sounding releases of its day. It's warm, lush and brimming with the full breadth of frequencies that your human hearing is capable of hearing.

But wait, what about the actual music? Hmm, just give me 40 minutes or so to listen to this sucker and I'll get back to you...

Wow, just....wow! I had to stop listening after just the first side because I was so overwhelmed by it all, and I've heard this thing countless times! Where to begin? How about the beginning? Inca Roads! An undisputed Zappa classic in every sense. Originally composed as an extremely complex instrumental, the lyrics about flying saucers landing in the Andes are certainly amusing but hardly the main attractive. Did I mention that this lineup features one of the most talented ensembles ever assembled by Frank Zappa (or anybody for that matter)? Well I should have. The percussion throughout this album is a marvel to gawk at, but nowhere is this more apparent than Inca Roads. Ruth Underwood and Chester Thomson are on fire here. Zappa was always writing the most complex marimba parts for Mrs. Underwood to tackle and she seemingly could handle it all and make it look easy at the same time! And then there is the guitar solo. You can think of this as a song within a song. It's so perfectly constructed and played you'd think Zappa worked on its composition for days, except he didn't. It was improvised live at a concert in Helsinki and pasted on here. Inspirational stuff.

While Inca Roads is the main attraction on side one, the quality throughout never drops. Can't Afford No Shoes is the least Progressive item on the menu, but its lyrics concerning the economic hardship of recession will probably ring truer today then they even did in the volatile 1970s. Sofa #1 may be one of Zappa's grandest instrumentals. You'd think it would have some sort of serious epic meaning behind it if it were not for the reprise that occurs at the end of the album (we'll get there later). Po-Jama People, Zappa's tribute to all those boring dull folks in the world (and boy, are there ever plenty of them) is another guitar showcase. I really can't think of another guitarist that was playing like that in the 70s. The licks here cover the full range from the dirty bluesy intro to the rousing solo in the second half of the track. If you don't have the ending coda stuck in your head for days after hearing it (Wrap 'em up, Roll 'em out, Get 'em out of my way, Hoy Hoy Hoy!) then you simply aren't human. Period.

(Takes a deep breath) Alright, give me another 20 minutes while I indulge in side 2...

Pffffff.....Jeez. Somehow the second side is seemingly more rampant with musical ideas than the first, and it's a whole minute shorter! This is unbelievable stuff. It's the kind of album that conflicts me as a potential aspiring musician and composer. On one hand, I feel so inspired by the sheer amount of musical ideas presented here, and the seamless skill on display executing said ideas, that I feel that there is just so many possibilities to create something likewise. On the other hand, I'm just so intimidated by the fact that all of this came out of one man's head that even trying to create something similar would certainly pale so much in comparison, it's not even worth attempting.

Take, for example, Florentine Pogen. In its first two minutes or so you hear sooo many musical ideas and riffs. How does he do it? They are all catchy and complex yet it flows seamlessly. In fact, the recording on the album was taken directly from this TV performance. That's right, it's all done live! This band was a well oiled machine. They make it look so easy and appear to be having fun while doing it to boot. Chester Thomson was completely wasted during the 80s playing with Phil Collins' Genesis. This is impressive playing. And how about Napoleon Murphy Brock on vocals? You know Zappa discovered this guy playing in some corny night club in Hawaii?

The second last track, Andy, is another contender for 'most musical ideas crammed into a delightful six minute package'. It's Progressive, yet has a bluesy soulful charm that makes it simply addictive to listen to. A masterpiece without a doubt. San Ber'dino is another track that, were it written by anyone else and included on any other album, would be hailed as an all time great song. Sadly, it's packed into an album with so many great pieces and composed by the most prolific artist of its time. It seems almost forgotten in time. And then the album closes with Sofa #2. Reprising the melody of the instrumental from side one, it lyrically is based on the idea that (and I'm not making this up folks) God is singing an ode to a giant maroon sofa that happens to be floating in space, in German! Just look at the album cover! There is the sofa, and there is God's hand, holding a cigar (of course).

You think that putting such silly concepts onto such beautiful melodies may have diminished their impact? You bet. By doing this time and time again throughout his career, Frank Zappa has proven that you can make music that is complex, challenging and progressive without taking yourself at all seriously and being pretentious. Why isn't this album, and many others by Zappa, considered the out-and-out classics that they are? The humour contained in his lyrics are so disarming that you might not even bother to appreciate the musical ideas that he kept churning out throughout his tragically short life.

This album is not the easiest one to get into. It's a dense work that is brimming with some of the best music of the time. My recommendation is to take your time. You'll need to listen to it a few times over before you start to appreciate its genius. Once you do, once you 'get' it, you will undoubtedly regard this album as an all time classic of Progressive Rock. It's Progressive Rock in the truest meaning of the term. Oh yeah, it's fun and catchy too!

On the next instalment, I'm going to take a look at one of the earliest examples of real Progressive Rock, The Mothers of Invention's Absolutely Free.

Review: Klaatu - Hope (1977)

The Prog Rock Blog is now proud to present a short dialogue in between a disillusioned hippie in 1976 and myself in the present.

Man From 1976: Hey Dude, check it out! The Beatles are back together.

Me in the Present: No, no they aren't.

Man: Dude! They are! Check out this album. It's the Beatles reunited under the name Klaatu!

Me: Why would the Beatles secretly reunite under the name of a character from the film The Day The Earth Stood Still. Trust me, it's not them.

Man: Ya! It so is! (takes large amount of drugs) I'm telling you man, it's like a conspiracy dude.

Me: Nah, it's just three random dudes from Toronto. I should know, I'm from the future. I went to high school with the drummer's son!

Man: (passes out from all the drugs)


Me: From the perspective of hindsight, you might wonder exactly how desperate people were in the late 70s. Listening to Klaatu's debut album, you would really have to stretch your imaginations just a bit to see where anybody might get the idea that this was the Beatles in disguise. Besides the sugary pop harmonies, these Canadians only kinda sound like Lennon/McCartney. In any case, the lack of any liner notes detailing who exactly was in the band was enough to have most people thinking along these lines. Klaatu may have been trying to milk this illusion when they also released their second album without revealing their true identities. The problem with that was Hope is even farther removed from the Beatle-esque pop of the first album.

The album is a cautionary tale of a civilization on another planet who, despite their arrogance, were lay to waste. The first track is so clearly an attempt to milk the Beatles illusion as far as one could take it. It's so derivative of the kind of sound the Beatles had in the late-sixties that maybe - just maybe, you might have believed the rumours. Unfortunately as the album continues, the band shows much more diversity. Wait, it's not unfortunate at all! In fact, this album turns out to be one of the great examples of late 1970s Canadian Progressive Rock. Klaatu really flex their musical muscles here showing that they can provide the musical chops to back up this ambitious story. In fact, they even employ the London Symphony Orchestra on a few of the more epic tracks.

The plot line appears to me as a sort of condemning of American egotism. It was easy, I suppose, to see just how the American way of life could lead to disastrous consequences from up here in the great white north. Basically Klaatu used the guise of science fiction in much the same way Rush used Trees. I'm not quite sure why this sentiment seemed so rampant amongst Canadian bands at the time. I guess since we're too polite to ever criticize anyone directly, we'll do it through song.

Musically speaking, this album is an absolute joy to listen to. Tracks like Long Live Politzania and Prelude just sparkle from the speakers full of musical ideas and excellent orchestration. As a matter of fact, this album won the Juno (Canada's cheapo imitation Grammy awards) for Best Engineered Album and it's easy to see why. The original vinyl sounds so lush and full, using the full reach of the dynamic range available to the format to dramatic effect. They cram so many ideas into the instrumental track Prelude, yet it never sounds too busy or cluttered. Clearly an example of some of the best production values to come out of Canada in the late 70s. Did I mention that this album is full of catchy melodies? No? Well I should have! It is! You'll be humming the bouncy chorus to The Loneliest of Creatures for days on end after hearing it.

All in all this album is a forgotten classic in my opinion. Klaatu's legacy sadly seems to be nothing more than 'the band everyone thought was the Beatles reunited". It should actually be the achievement of this fantastic Progressive concept album. Coming at the start of the Punk movement this album was sadly ignored. So do yourself a favour and try and hunt this one down in a used record store. It may be worth it for the stunning cover art depicting the crumbling decays of a once mighty civilization, and the lighthouse beam scanning the cosmos.

Sadly, this album would be the first and last masterpiece for Klaatu. They instead went into a more pop-rock generic simple song vein over their next few albums, even putting a picture of themselves on the sleeve or their next LP, thus putting an end to all Beatle rumours once and for all.

Surrounded By Prog - Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon 5.1 SACD

I believe I'm right in saying that this is the highest selling SACD of all time. This is hardly surprising considering it's Dark Side of the Moon, the gateway of so many into the ambitious and aurally dense world of Progressive Rock. It also happens to be the most overplayed album on FM radio to this very day. Seriously, just try tuning into your local Classic Rock station and odds are you are going to hear tracks like Time, Money and Us and Them over and over and over... Well let me tell you now that listening to this classic album on the radio is really the wrong way to go about it. In fact, listening to it on Vinyl or CD may even be considered a second-rate way of enjoying this classic. The fact of the matter is this: Dark Side of the Moon was made to be heard in surround sound.

Firstly, this album was mixed in Quadraphonic sound (that is the four channel surround system that failed to gain any traction in the 70s) by Alan Parsons. This release is considered by many to be the definite version of the album. Although never released on any digital format, if you are clever enough you can find a bootleged DVD-Audio version online that sounds simply amazing and can be listened to on any DVD player with a surround sound setup. In 2003, Dark Side of the Moon was released on the then new format SACD. Instead of releasing the original Quad mix, the band elected to do a brand new 5.1 mix. This is the version I will be focusing on now.

The fact that this SACD sold as well as it did may come down to the fact that it was released as a hybrid SACD/CD. This meant that it could be played on any regular old fashioned CD player. There is a slim chance that you have this SACD and don't even know it! All you need to do is get a multichannel SACD player to be able to enjoy the surround sound layer of the disc. Sound complicated? Well, this confusion was probably something that doomed the format in the end.

Before I start up the disc and describe some of the surround effects, I want to start out by saying that this is one of the finest sounding music releases I've ever heard in my life. The sonic quality is just "melt-into-yourself" quality. All those analog purist who claim that digital recordings will never have the depth or warmth of vinyl have clearly never listened to this SACD. It is pure sonic bliss. Alright, let us begin.

Speak To Me: The heartbeat begins in the front, clocks begin to tick all around the room. Voices from all corners of the room! You immediately get the feeling that all these layers of sounds and voices were really meant to surround you in this fashion. The screaming lady sound from behind/overhead brings us into...

Breathe: The bulk of the music appears to be coming from the front left and right. Those who heard the much more aggressively mixed Quad mix may be disappointing here. Gilmour's vocals really sound amazing and the real charm of this track is revealed with the clarity of the SACD.

On The Run: Ok, now the real fun begins. The whirling sounds circle the room. The low synth bass runs shake the room with amazing presence. The running man actually runs right around the room! The various helicopter-like sounds shoot over your head in an exciting and startling manner. The synth sounds sound soooo warm and lush you would be surprised to know they were recorded almost 40 years ago. Again, the sound effect work on tracks like this were completely cheated in plain old stereo. The manic laughter from behind sends shivers down the spine. A loud boom at the end and the running man takes another lap around behind your head... Uh oh, suddenly you are in a room filled with ticking clocks!

Time: All the alarm clocks go off at once from all directions! The loud angry chords surround the room and Nick Mason's drum fills are just as enveloping as they dance around the sound field. When the singing starts you get a "being in the room with Floyd" sensation with some of Rick's keyboards coming from just behind. The choral backup singers are given way more room in this presentation. Once again, the real shining element here is the outrageously good sound quality of it all. Roger's bass is not at all overpowering and very distinct. The mix in Breathe reprise is again focused in the front with Rick's organ bringing the song to a conclusion from the right rear.

Great Gig In The Sky: I adore the way Rick's piano sounds in this song. I feel that the mix, however, is a bit cheated from not enough use of the rear channels. In comparison to Alan Parson's Quad mix, this is a tame beast. At the very least, the sound has been really opened up and the "you are there" factor is really high with the reverb in the rears giving you a sense of space. The female vocals sound so lifelike that you might think this was recorded yesterday. "I never said I was frightened of dying" chimes in from the rear left channel (it caused my dog to jump!).

Money: The first cash register sound is anchored in the centre channel. The remaining ones emerge from all four corners. one at a time. Roger's bass takes over the centre channel and sounds simply amazing. The guitar chords emerge from the rear. The sax solo is featured right in the centre of the sound field while those clangy guitar chords hammer out behind you. This section is real audio 3D. The time signature change into the guitar solo brings a little more 'oomf' to the proceedings in those low tom fills by Mason. The drum sound is really something to be amazed by. Again, I can't help but feel that this song could have used more adventurous use of the rear channels. The talking voices emerge from all different corners of the room. Rick's organ in the front right channel transitions us into...

Us and Them: I love the way the bass sounds here. Roger may have not been the most technically gifted bass player, but he made sure his bass was well recorded. Again the sax appears to be front and centre. The echoing vocals start out in front and decay slowly behind you. Very cool. The choral backup singers fill out the rear of the room quite nicely during the powerful chorus section. It's impossible to deny the whole track is a simply sonic joy to hear. You know that really emotional section when the choral backup singers join in with the sax solo? It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. This is what I mean by "melting" good sound.

Any Colour You Like: Rick's echoey synth fills the room and echoes from everywhere. The effect never quite was this convincing in stereo only. Dave's guitar solo starts in the centre but slowly expands to the point you have one part in the front left and an overdub in the left rear of the room. This track may have the best surround mix of the album so far! This is a real showcase of how a good mix can bring a layered instrumental track to life.

Brain Damage: The rhythm guitar is focused in the front and those little lead lines kind of come from over your right shoulder. Roger's vocals sound like they are coming from just about everywhere. A whirling organ from behind introduce the backup singers who also seem to emjoy hanging out in the back of the room. (Maybe they're chilling with Rick and his organ?) The lunatic is in my head, or in the left rear speaker, either way that manic laugh has never been creepier. The moog synth during the instrumental break circles around the room while that crazy guy laughs back and forth in the rear.

Eclipse: Oooooooo in the rear, Roger in the front (mostly). This track seems to really fill the sound field as it climaxes. The female backup singers anchored all over the place. "There is no dark side of the moon really..." is quietly muttered behind you as the heartbeat slowly fades out.

All in all, I can't say this is the best 5.1 music mix I've ever heard. It is far too tame and I find it hard to pick out discrete elements the way I can in some of my other favorites (check out my Lizard review). I'm quite sad that this is considered by many to be the best surround sound album as it's really a "stereo+effects" mix. Alan Parson's Quad mix is, in my opinion, much better in terms of giving the layered nature of the music its deserved space with the rear channels employed far more often. Given his work with King Crimson's albums recently, Steven Wilson should be given the task of doing similar treatments to Floyd's catalog. If this album was released with a more ambitious mix you may have to wonder if the SACD/DVD-Audio formats would have been taken more seriously. Oh well...mere speculation on my behalf really.

I will, at some point, give a similar review to Alan Parson's mix of this album. Considering that you can get that version "illegitimately" online, and the fact that it is on the DVD format (one you can probably play without purchasing additional equipment) makes it an ideal choice for the surround beginner to enjoy a 'free' sample. (I'm not encouraging piracy here, only that Parson's mix was never officially released on a digital format, so going through so-called "pirate" channels is the only way to hear it)

Until next time, keep your ears open and

Keep The Prog Alive!