In a crazy coincidence, three of the golden era of prog's leading guitarists are all not only named Steve, but also have the last initial H.
Today was dedicated to Hackett, Hillage, and Howe
Steve Hackett - Highly Strung Subgenre(s): Symphonic Prog
Score: 65
Year: 1982
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 30th
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There are some Hackett solo albums I like as much as his Genesis work. Highly Strung, so thoroughly steeped in 80s production and style, isn't one of them. This album has it's moments, and when Hackett allows his incredible guitar to come to the fore, the result is most excellent. However, the guitar is oft buried among the sea of synth, and it ends up not sounding at all like a Hackett album. To top it off, the vocals are rather bland. I definitely like the instrumentals best on this album, both because of the relatively weak vocals and because the larger role of the guitar seems to temper the 80s production excesses. Dude, you're Steve Freaking Hackett.... it's okay to show off a little bit on your solo album!
Steve Hillage - Fish Rising Subgenre(s): Canterbury Scene
Score: 90
Year: 1975
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 10th (only that low because 1975 is for me an absolutely brutal year to try to compete in)
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Unlike Highly Strung above, I like this Hillage album even better than anything he did with his alum group, Gong (and I do like Gong!). This is an absolute masterpiece of sometimes spacey, sometimes heavy, but always intriguing, brilliantly evolved and eclectic Canterbury Scene prog. Hillage's guitar exceeds his Gong work, and the compositions here are exceptional, morphing, building, climaxing.... always evolving, masterfully executing transition after transition; tempo, key, mood, orchestration... an altogether incredible feat across the entire breadth of songwriting and music making.
Steve Howe - The Steve Howe Album Subgenre(s): Crossover Prog
Score: 90
Year: 1979
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 11th
Speaking of eclectic, Steve Howe is all over the place on his second solo album. He is playing multiple genres, but he is always Howe. And you can always hear how meticulous he is in his creation. You can hear the love of music across varieties as the album moves from song to song. That variety is generally good, but there are times Howe colors outside the lines I personally prefer; that is more a statement on me than it is on Howe. This is a great album by a master.
After my three Steve Hs project, I decided it was time for another theme. This time I would spend one evening each workday with one of the five members of the classic Yes lineup.
Monday: Jon Anderson
Tuesday: Bill Bruford
Wednesday: Steve Howe
Thursday: Chris Squire
Friday: Rick Wakeman
There aren't many groups where every member has a solid catalog of solo albums with a high probability of me liking them (the Who comes close and the only other one I can think of that clears the bar is The Moody Blues).
Jon Anderson - Toltec Subgenre(s): Prog Related, Folk Prog
Score: 80
Year: 1996
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 11th
Definitely off to a good start here. This album was new to me and was a very pleasant surprise. I know this is going to sound horrible to many, but I generally think of Jon Anderson as the closest thing classic Yes had to a weak link. The airy, high pitched vocals never really resonated with me. I appreciate him as a songwriter, but relative to other Yes members, I appreciate his contribution to the sound of the group less. I have some other Anderson albums which I like, but I still approached Toltec with no real expectations. To be honest, I only picked this album because I've had some interest in the Toltec people, largely due to my appreciation for Toltec author and spirutalist Don Miguel Ruiz. Now had I had high expectations, they still would have been exceeded! I found this to be an excellent listen. There's lots of native flute sounding synth, which comes across quite well. In my ear, Anderson's employment of that sound is more successful than any number of New Age artists who supposedly specialize in this sort of thing. The occasional spoken word, while not always on point for me, does not detract from the album, the music is quite interesting, and the sung vocals (Anderson employs a wide array of talented singers) are also highly interesting. Overall, my first listen to this album was most satisfying and I look forward to more.
Bruford - One of a Kind Subgenre(s): Jazz/Rock Fusion
Score: 90
Year: 1979
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 2nd
While Yes did not start of as a supergroup with all members coming from famous careers, they all did have diverse and highly successful outside careers after/during Yes, so I think of Yes as a sort of supergroup after the fact. In putting together this album, Bill Bruford assembled another dream team of incredible musicians, and it most definitely shows. In particular, Bruford's employment of, and interaction with, guitarist Allan Holdsworth is off the hook fantastic. Of course Bruford's drums are both highly musical and incredibly technical. The musicianship on this album is positively stratospheric. The only drawback of this album is that it is ahead of its time; that is to say it was released in 1979 and yet somehow manages to reach forward into 80s production. That quibble aside, this is a truly seminal (and highly listenable) album which is essential for both prog and fusion fans.
Steve Howe - Turbulence Subgenre(s): Crossover Prog
Score: 85
Year: 1991
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 6th
Turbulence often gets lost in the Howe catalog, and that's a shame. I know a lot of folks find it uninteresting, but I find it fascinating, and also a damn fine listen. Each and every song has a unique and interesting melody delivered with Howe's unique style and impeccable technique. Howe employs a wide array of guitars on the album, each one selected for the unique tone it would bring to match that particular song's melody. These are detailed in a table in the liner notes so they're a great source for equipment geeks. But the music's the thing, and the music is, at least to my ear, interesting and pleasing. The whole album has an organic feel and you can hear the meticulous care put into every aspect of it. Another big winner. But this was nothing new for me as I've loved it ever since I picked it up immediately upon its release in 1991. Incidentally, Bill Bruford plays drums on the album.
Chris Squire - Fish Out of Water Subgenre(s):Symphonic Prog
Score: 80
Year: 1975
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 15th
I continue to be amazed at how many truly amazing albums came out of 1975, especially in the prog and fusion realms. Yes bassist Chris Squire definitely holds his own with Fish out of Water. Just as I think of Anderson as the least essential member of Yes, to me Squire is the essence of Yes; the one member without whom it simply can not be Yes. Still, I was surprised how Yes-like this album is. Most amazing is how much Squire's vocals seem like Anderson's! This may as well be a Yes album, or maybe at lest Yes-light. All the elements are there in terms of composition and sound, but it ever so slightly lacks that classic Yes magic. Still, I would call it essential prog, and definitely enjoy listening to it periodically.
Rick Wakeman - Journey to the Center of the Earth Subgenre(s):Symphonic Prog
Score: 80
Year: 1974
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 14th
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This is one of those divisive prog albums that people either think of as amazingly brilliant or amazingly bloated. Mike DeGagne of Allmusic declares it one of "rock's crowning achievements." Others call it a hot mess. In setting the Jules Verne novel, complete with occasional narration which may or may not appeal to any particular listener, this is somewhat similar to Jeff Wayne's War of the worlds (with the hit "Forever Autumn" sung by the Moody Blues' Justin Hayward). In another Moodies parallel, like Days of Future Passed, Wakeman employs a full symphony, The London Symphony Orchestra. However, he then adds another layer by bringing in The English Chamber Choir. Yeah, this is big. In another key difference, there is no initial studio album; this is a live performance only. Most importantly here, one of prog's greatest keyboardists is himself in top form. The keyboards are dazzling and the classical support is well arranged and delivered. Clearly, I fall into the first camp who thinks very highly of this album.
Last edited by Fischman on 05/20/2023 01:28; edited 1 time in total
Agusa - Agusa Subgenre(s): Folk Prog
Score: 85
Year: 2017
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 6th
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How 'bout a little all instrumental acoustic-electric neo-pagan folk-prog with lots of flute? If that sounds good to you, then you'll love the 2017 self titled album from Sweden's Agusa. If not, then maybe not so much. It does branch out into the psychedelic/space prog that Agusa is more known for, but for the most part, this is heavy folk prog. I for one love it. Now when the rock organ gets chiming in, then things do pick up as in the wickedly good "Sagor Från Saaris." I don't buy as much physical media these days, but this was a must.
Colosseum - Valentyne Suite Subgenre(s): Progressive Jazz/Rock Fusion
Score: 80
Year: 1969
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 8th
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Colosseum - The Grass is Greener Subgenre(s): Progressive Jazz/Rock Fusion
Score: 75
Year: 1970
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 37th
Mogul Thrash - Mogul Thrash Subgenre(s): Progressive Jazz/Rock Fusion
Score: 90
Year: 1971
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 12th (only because 1971 is my #1 year and the competition is insane; and it still may move up with further listens)
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Little turn of the decade binge here. I wanted some Colosseum, and hadn't heard The Grass is Greener, so that's where I started. This is solid early progressive fusion with a strong blues base; imagine if Cream went progressive and you get a pretty good idea. From there, I went to Valentyne Suite from the previous year and quickly noticed a few common songs across the two albums. At first glance, it seemed an extreme version of that whole different UK/US releases thing that was so common back in the sixties. They even have the same album cover. But not only are more than half the cuts unique to each album, there is even different personnel. Very confusing. And as was so often the case with those split releases, the UK version is noticeably superior in song choice, although the latter US album does have its moments.
In researching these albums, I stumbled upon the group Mogul Thrash. Same era, same style, and as an avid advanced downhill skier who loves to thrash moguls, I had to check this out.... plus it has John Wetton! This ended up being the find of the day! It's the most progressive of the batch, but it also grooves like mad, and those horns! At times reminiscent of classic Chicago, but again with that progressive bent. The drumming is fantastic throughout, and there are times where drummer Bill Harrison gets jamming with guitarist James Litherland in such a frenzy that it's almost hard to comprehend. And though it predates most of his distinguished career, this is easily some of Wetton's best bass work ever. A fantastic album and a rare new to me find that ends up being a real thrill.
The Grass is Greener (from Colosseum - The Grass is Greener)
Gryphon - Red Queen to Gryphon Three Subgenre(s): Prog Folk
Score: 85
Year: 1974
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 10th
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This is an instrumental masterpiece right here; Prog Folk taken to its most realized musical destination. This is earthy instrumental Jethro Tull crossed with renaissance polyphony, and it works like a charm. Instrumentation is all over the place electric and acoustic, modern and medieval, ending up eclectic as heck and totally fresh and joyous to listen to. This group does counterpoint like few others this side of the great baroque masters. There are transitions and changes galore, and it's all in good fun rather than pretentious prog posturing. Only four cuts, each around ten minutes, interpret a fanciful chess game, but the programme is unimportant with regard to enjoying the exceptional level of creativity, compositional skill, and musicianship all on display here. High marks indeed for this one.
Lord Only - Fear and Trembling Subgenre(s): Heavy Prog
Score: 85
Year: 2003
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 1st
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Lord only is maybe the group I lament most not having broken through to greater recognition. This is absolutely brilliant Heavy Prog. The bass alone (brilliant virtuoso magnificence and superb song support delivered via 7- and 8-string fretless!) is more than worth the price of admission. This should appeal to heavy prog fans of everything from Rush to Haken to Porcupine Tree. The compositions are ambitious and clearly reach the pinnacle of that ambition. A truly amazing musical and sonic experience I simply could not be without.
Flying Colors - Flying Colors Subgenre(s): Prog Related, Eclectic Prog
Score: 85
Year: 2012
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 3rd
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I've always had a few favorites from this album, which I added to a playlist and pretty much ignored the rest. Today, I listened anew to the album in its entirety and very much enjoyed the whole thing. Yes the album is a bit uneven, maddeningly so I thought upon first acquisition, but it turns out the whole album has something of value. Much of the album barely skirts the edge of prog, often opting for more commercial hooks and melodies, much as you might expect from a group like Asia. Also like, Asia, this is a bona fide supergroup made up of acknowledged masters of the genre including Mike Portnoy on drums, Steve Morse on lead guitar, Dave LaRue on bass, Neal Morse on keyboards and occasional vocals, and Casey McPherson as primary lead vocalist. Like many, my appreciation for this album was initially less than it could have been with McPherson on vocals, as to my ear, Neal Morse's voice is better suited to most of this material. But since 2012, I've made peace with McPherson and this album now sits very highly on my appreciation scale.
Fates Warning - Paralells Subgenre(s): Progressive Metal
Score: 100
Year: 1991
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 1
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This is the only other album that I ever dare to think of other than my fave, Dream Theater's Images and Words, when asked what the best progressive metal album out there is. It's perfectly consistent; 8 cuts, every one a winner and almost all are perfect 10s. This is an album that I can listen to when I'm not in the mood for prog, not in the mood for metal, not in the mood for prog metal, not in the mood for this album, and as soon as I start listening, this album puts me in the mood for this album. This is a sure fire winner any time of day, any day of the week.
So what makes this album so over the top fantastic? A whole lot of things:
First, it seamlessly integrates both heavy progressive elements (especially frequent time signature changes) and accessibility. This album is progressive metal through and through, but is loaded with hooky riffs and catchy choruses.
Second (not at all surprising for a progressive album), the musicianship is top notch. The twin guitars of Jim Matheos and Frank Aresti are as good as ever. Mark Zonder may be music's most underappreciated drummer, and he certainly shows why on this album. Bassist Joe DiBiase doesn't go off on flights of speed or tapping fretboard pyrotechnics, but rather engages less showy but equally demanding techniques in perfectly sympathetic support of the songs.
Third, this may be vocalist Ray Alder's finest performance across the groups expansive and august catalog. Powerful or subdued, soaring or understated, outgoing or introspective, he does it all and nails it in every regard.
Fourth, the production of Terry Brown here is totally on point here. I have always appreciated Brown's work, and this may be his pinnacle. Everything is in balance, and he gets Fates Warning to sound better than ever, but still 100% like Fates Warning.
Lastly (at least for this diary entry), this album is loaded with the most thoughtful lyrics you are likely to find in prog, metal, or definitely prog metal. And yes, there are some parallels in the lyrics; parallels I might not have thought of on my own, but which make perfect sense. These are real human stories and language is employed to maximum effect to deliver those stories, and they match that challenging progressive music like hand in glove.
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