Category Archives: Prog Rock
CATAPILLA-CATAPILLA AND CHANGES.
Catapilla-Catapilla and Changes. Label: Trading Places. Format: LP. The story of Catapilla is another case of what might have been. They were formed in West London around Christmas 1970, and signed to Vertigo Records and released two ambitious and innovative albums where they combined progressive rock with experimental fusion. Sadly, neither their 1971 debut album …
HEDVIG MOLLESTAD-EKHIDNA.
Hedvig Mollestad-Ekhidna. Label: Rune Grammofon. Format: CD. In May 2018, award-winning Norwegian guitarist, vocalist, bandleader and composer Hedvig Mollestad was thirty-six and one of the leading lights of the vibrant Nordic music scene. Her band the Hedvig Mollestad Trio had already released five albums and had already recorded their sixth album Smells Funny. Despite the …
BOB STANLEY AND PETE WIGGS PRESENT OCCASIONAL RAIN.
Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs Present Occasional Rain. Label: Ace Records. As the sixties gave way to the seventies, psychedelia prepared to kiss the sky and say goodbye as it exited stage left. However, all wasn’t well despite all the groundbreaking music released during the last few years. After Woodstock and the Altamont Free Concert …
KING CRIMSON-LARK’S TONGUES IN ASPIC.
King Crimson-Lark’s Tongues In Aspic. Lable: Panegyric. Release Date: ‘12th’ June 2020. In October 1969, King Crimson announced their arrival when they released their critically acclaimed debut album, In The Court Of The Crimson King. This future progressive rock classic reached number five in the UK, and was certified gold in America, when it reached number twenty-eight. Following the success of In The …
AKSAK MABOUL-FIGURES.
Aksak Maboul-Figures. Label: Crammed Discs. Nowadays, there aren’t many bands that are still together and releasing new albums after five decades. The same can be said of record labels founded in the seventies. Sadly, bands and record labels aren’t enjoying the same longevity in the modern music business. All too often, bands release a couple …
CULT CLASSIC: MACARTHUR-MACARTHUR.
Cult Classic: MacArthur-MacArthur. Having completed a tour of duty with the United States Marine Corps, Ben MacArthur returned home to Sagina, Michigan in 1977. By then, jobs were few and far between, and it looked as if a recession was about to hit the rustbelt. It was hardly the welcome home he had envisaged. The …
LOST ALBUM FOUND: TAPIMAN-HARD DRIVE.
Lost Album Found: Tapiman-Hard Drive. During the seventies, the hard rocking Spanish power trio Tapiman, released a trio of albums between 1972 and 1979. This includes Tapiman, which is a cult classic, that nowadays, changes hands for over £800. It was, without doubt Tapiman’s finest hour. Sadly, these three albums amount to everything that Tapiman …
LOST CLASSIC FOUND: HEAT EXCHANGE-REMINISCENCE.
Lost Classic Found: Heat Exchange-Reminiscence. Heat Exchange’s root’s can be traced to a Toronto high school, in the late-sixties. That was when four school friends decided to form a blues band, which they named Cloud. Just a couple of years later, and Cloud were one of the top bands in Toronto. Several record labels were chasing …
CULT CLASSIC: AUDIENCE-FRIEND’S, FRIEND’S, FRIEND.
Cult Classic: Audience- Friend’s, Friend’s, Friend. In October 1969, Audience were offered the opportunity to support Led Zeppelin at the Lyceum in London. For Audience, this was the opportunity of a lifetime as Led Zeppelin had just released their eponymous debut album on 12th of January 1969. It was well on its way to selling …
CULT CLASSIC: JADE WARRIOR-FLOATING WORLD.
Cult Classic: Jade Warrior-Floating World. All too often, musical innovators don’t get the credit they deserve. That was the case with Jade Warrior. Their fourth studio album, Floating World was released in 1974, and pioneered both ambient and world music. Floating World was the most ambitious album of Jade Warrior’s career and almost wasn’t released. …
TEA AND SYMPHONY-AN ASYLUM FOR THE MUSICALLY INSANE.
Tea and Symphony-An Asylum For The Musically Insane. Label: Magic Box. When the original lineup of Tea and Symphony was founded in Birmingham, England, in the late-sixties, they were an acoustic group who have since been compared to Marc Bolan’s Tyrannosaurus Rex. The group was founded by Jeff Daw, James Langston and Nigel Phillips, but …
PIRANA-PIRANA.
Pirana-Pirana. Label: Magic Box. Although Australian progressive rockers Pirana were together for just over three years, they played live over 600 times and released two albums on Harvest Records. This included their 1972 debut album Pirana, which has just been reissued on vinyl by Magic Box. It’s a cult classic and a reminder of a …
LOCOMOTIVE-WE ARE EVERYTHING YOU SEE.
Locomotive-We Are Everything You See. Label: Magic Box. By 1965, all over Britain, new groups were being founded every day. They had watched as The Beatles and the rest of the British Invasion groups took America by storm. The new groups watched enviously, hoping and dreaming that one day soon, they would be signed …
PAVLOV’S DOG-PAMPERED MENIAL.
Pavlov’s Dog-Pampered Menial. Label: Music On Vinyl. In the history of progressive rock, Pavlov’s Dog’s 1975 debut album Pampered Menial is regarded as a genre classic. That was despite the album’s commercial failure. It was released initially by ABC-Dunhill. The initial commercial failure was totally unexpected as the label had given Pavlov’s Dog a large …
BREAD, LOVE AND DREAMS-AMARYLLIS-VINYL.
Bread, Love and Dreams-Amaryllis-Vinyl. Label: Magic Box. When Scottish acid folk trio Bread, Love and Dreams appeared at the 1968 Edinburgh Festival, David McNiven, Angie Rew and Carolyn Davis had no idea that the concert was going to transform their lives. In the audience that night, was Ray Horricks, a Decca Records staffer, who nowadays, …
CULT CLASSIC: RUPTURE-ISRAEL SUITE/DOMINANTE EN BLEU.
Cult Classic: Rupture-Israel Suite/Dominante En Bleu. Over the last fifty years, bands and artists have penned ambitious concept albums about all manner of subjects. No subject matter it seems is off-limits when it comes to the concept album. There’s been concept albums about bureaucracy and censorship, death and dreams, evolution and revolution, heaven and hell, …
CULT CLASSIC: PAUL MARCANO AND LIGHTDREAMS-10,001 DREAMS.
Cult Classic: Paul Marcano and LightDreams-10,001 Dreams. In 1981, British Columbian band LightDreams released debut album Islands In Space. It was a captivating psychedelic sci-fi odyssey where LightDreams explored cosmic ideology. Normally, an album like Islands In Space would’ve found favour with fans of psychedelia and progressive rockers who embraced cerebral, innovative and epic albums. …
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