Pazzo Fanfano di Musica - Pazzo Fanfano di Musica Subgenre(s): Symphonic Prog
Score: 75
Year: 1989
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 35th
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Despite the group name and the album cover, this is not Rock Progressivo Italiano.... its not even Italian at all. It's actually mostly acoustic symphonic prog, heavy emphasis on the symphonic, not so much on the rock..... from Japan. The 10 piece group, composed mostly of members of various Japanese prog outfits does manage to capture some of the spirit of the Progressivo Italiano movement and express it in their chamber music kind of way. But overall, the album is a slightly folk-progish take on Italian renaissance music, complete with flute, violin, and harpsichord.
Still despite being very different from what I expected, I'm enjoyed this very much. When present, the female vocals are beautiful.... prog could definitely use a little more of that.
Yezda Urfa - Boris Subgenre(s): EclecticProg
Score: 85
Year: 1975
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 27th
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This long lost obscurity is a fantastic example of classic era eclectic prog. Upon listening, most folks jump to an automatic Yes reference, which is understandable given that vocalist Rick Rodenbaugh has an airy upper registier voice. But while Yes remained (at least up until this time) very much in the symphonic prog vein, the American Yezda Urfa blended in multiple other prog subgenres into a brilliantly eclectic mix. This album, while a sometimes roughly produced DIY kind of effort (the band could not get major label support at the time) should still appeal to fans or Yes, King Crimson, and Gentle Giant.... or really anybody with an interest in unique, creative, classic era progressive rock.
Rush - Permanent Waves Subgenre(s): Heavy Prog
Score: 95
Year: 1980
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 2nd
I had a hankering to hear Freewill. But this is such a great album, it was an easy decision to spin the whole thing. I'm going to indulge in a longer post today with a full song-by-song (fear not too much though, the album has but six songs).
The Spirit of Radio
This is one of music's great openers (also became a great concert opener). Anyone who thinks Rush or prog can't be full of hooks hasn't paid attention to this great hit. Like a great Yes song, we have hooks existing simultaneously with wicked, next level technical brilliance. Also, this song is a little brighter; cheerier in presentation than the music the band had been associated with up to this point, and the result is a sort of refreshing Rush. Here, Alex LIfeson starts to show some of his Zappa influence and again the result is special. A great song through and through on every level, although I don't necessarily take to it to the same degree I did when I first picked up the album way back in the day.
Freewill
Like Spirit of Radio, I loved Freewill right from the first listen. However, as the years have caused Spirit of Radio to fade, if ever so slightly, in my hear, those years have only enhanced my appreciation for Freewill.
1. It's a little more proggish than Spirit of Radio, a little more challenging, and a little less mainstream sounding, although accessible enough to get airplay. It's a really nice blend there.
2. This is one of the greatest Geddy songs. The bass line is killer throughout, and the solo is one for the ages. Really and truly, this is a Geddy showpiece and considering he's the best to begin with, that's really saying something. And the way his vocal soars after the bridge is awesome.
3. Alex's solo shows a new level of expression for him. The interspersing of the frenzied, almost Zappa-esque bits between the riffs makes for a great contrast that fits well with the theme of the song. Our boy Alex keeps growing!
4. This is the first of Neil's great treatises against blind faith and organized religion. Sure it's going to be controversial, but only to the most fundamentalist of folks. Many Christians actually appreciate the song because they still believe that they have free will and bear responsibility for their acts, and that things can't all be blamed on randomness, nor can they transfer accountability for their acts to the Church or God. The message actually helps bridge a fundamental philosophical gap for many.
5. The song is so well constructed, that when it all comes to a final resolution, it is just so satisfying... as though every note and phrase was built with an eye toward leading to and supporting the final musical phrase and the last few words. It really is brilliant.
Not much to complain about here, at least for me. Well, especially for me. Philosophically and musically, this song is a great fit for me (remember... this is largely a Geddy song, and I spent a lot of my life playing bass).
Jacob's Ladder
The song has a kind of minimalist mindset with repeated motifs gradually modulating through its length. As an intellectual exercise, it's kind of intriguing both musically and lyrically. I thought it was cooler when I bought the album than I do now. It no longer really grabs me. It just.... well..... plods.... too much. I don't often have the ability to hang with plodding songs.
This song brings the return of the Zeppelin comparisons made early in Rush's career.... This is Rush's Kashmir (another song I sometimes tire of before it runs its course).
Entre Nous
I was very impressed with this song back in the day, and have only come to appreciate it more, especially lately. One of the things I love about Neil as a lyricist is his ability to deal with relationships that aren't the standard lovey dovey on one side or fractured love on the other side. He puts relationships in a practical context, but without making them antiseptic. All that over the top love and obsession stuff is part of the human experience and certainly has its place in music, but everyone does that. In real life, we all need to be able to take a step back and understand what's really going on here.
This early example of that is maybe Neil's best foray into that milieu. There are a lot of lines here that, in the hands of a lesser lyricist, would come off as cliche; there are some closely mixed metaphors which could be a recipe for disaster, but somehow, Neil manages to string them together in a meaningful way. What's more, he manages to address a variety of tangential aspects of relationships simultaneously.
The greatest coverage here, and an aspect of relationships that people rarely face, and almost never gets coverage in song, is the balance between being part of a pair and maintaining a healthy level of individuality. There's almost always a tension there in relationships and Neil faces that very nicely in these lyrics.
Spaces in between leave room for you and I to grow
One of Peart's all time greatest one liners (and he has many). Combine that with the concepts of bonds being slender threads, what we do and don't share with out partners, what we hide (sliding panels) and what we show falsely (illusion show), the ephemeral aspect of relationships (brief eclipse), and our individual islands yearning to build bridges to one another, and you've covered a very lot of ground in a very concise manner (so much for prog being overindulgent all the time).
Musically, it works just as well, being a great match for the words. It's not Rush's most ambitious composition by any stretch, but it's just the rightt fit. The staccato riff that accompanies the verse perfectly reflects the tension between the individual and couple, and then the smoother verse matches the understanding achieved when "we realize...." The change in mood after the first chorus delivers the mystery associated with the words in that verse.
This song is one of Rush's greatest accomplishments. The more I analyze it, the more floored I become.
Different Strings
The Rush ballad lineage up to this point:
Rivendell - 》Tears - 》 Madrigal - 》Different Strings; the evolution of the Rush ballad continues.
An improvement on previous attempts musically and especially lyrically. Also an improvement in Geddy's ballad delivery.
Still not a fave, but not a skip either.
I find the sequencing interesting. I see the decision to throttle back before the coming challenging epic closer. However, lyrically, having this immediately follow Entre Nous is curious. This seems to be a more in depth treatment of one of the relationship aspects introduced in Entre Nous, so maybe it's an example moving from the general to the specific. But the earlier song feels like it leaves a more complete and satisfying topic resolution.
Natural Science Tim after time we lose sight of the way
Our causes can't see their effects... (one of Neil's most brilliant one liners)
I remember after the initial euphoria of Tom Sawyer wearing off, moving on to The Camera Eye becoming my favorite Rush song. Then, after a couple more years, it struck me that Natural Science was cut from a similar bolt of intellectual and musical cloth.... and I found it to be even more intricate, both musically and lyrically, and so Natural Science became my favorite Rush song. (and still is)
There is so much lyrically going on here. Neil's ability to identify and express connections and interrelationships between living systems, and life itself, is phenomenal. Wheels within wheels in a spiral array, pattern so grand and complex A great summary of the layers of interrelationships expressed in the song.
The music is equally intricate, layered, and varied. From the gentle swoosh of the tide pools to the frenetic interactions that follow in the various busy systems of living creatures, the soundscapes are perfectly constructed to match the systems being described. And of course this is all delivered with Rush's fantastic level of musical acumen, technically and expressively.
At almost 10 minutes, it's easy for folks to dismiss this as one of those overindulgent prog epics, but the opposite is actually the case. There is so much going on here that, when you think about it, this song is actually incredibly dense, and concise. There is no rambling wankery here; every word and every note are essential, and perfectly placed.
At this point, I feel like Rush has so many Perfect 10 songs, that it's impossible to pick a single favorite. But gun to my head, I'd probably still go with this one.
So while there are a couple songs on the album I'm not as enamored with as the rest, I still score it a brilliant 95. The highs are many, and they are sooooo high, and even the two weaker tunes become essential parts of the album as a whole. It seems unbelievable that the band would actually scale even greater heights on their next album!
Spin - Spin Subgenre(s): Jazz Rock / Fusion
Score: 75
Year: 1976
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 37th
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More Jazz Rock/Fusion than actual prog, this 1976 Dutch album also gets funky from time to time.
Nothing earth shattering, but a fine listen if you're into jazz-rock/fusion/progressive instrumentals of the era.
The Moody Blues - In Search of the Lost Chord Subgenre(s): Crossover Prog
Score: 95
Year: 1968
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 2nd
It'd been a long time since I listened to any Moody Blues album from end to end, and I have to say breaking this out today was quite a thrill. I even upped my previous rating of 90 to 95. The variety on this album is excellent and still it has amazing coherence. While it is not a concept album, it flows much like one and most songs are individually excellent but still the whole definitely exceeds the sum of its parts.
While not core prog, this album is certainly prog-ish enough to include here. The compositions progress well outside the pop/rock mainstream and the instrumentation employed is incredibly diverse. Add to that the concept-ish nature of the album and you have a progressive-ish masterpiece. Also, each individual member of the group makes excellent contributions from composition to lyrics and in excellent vocals across the board.
I discovered The Moody Blues with the release of Long Distance Voyager in 1981 and fell in love. I immediately set out visiting used record stores to track down something from their back catalog. This was the first album I came across and I fell in love all over again. Two very different animals but both utterly compelling to my 17 year old self. After that, I solidified my determination to hunt down the rest. So while I'm not old enough to have nostalgia for the time of release, I did get a great sense of nostalgia for that period in my life and the musical discovery that was taking place at the time.
Triumvirat - Mediterranean Tales (Across the Waters) Subgenre(s): Symphonic Prog
Score: 75
Year: 1972
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 15th (1972 is an extremely competitive year)
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With their long form, keyboard driven symphonic prog, the lesser known Triumvirat often get tagged as a sort of poor man's ELP. For some of their albums, this one included to some degree, a surface listen might lead to that conclusion. But deeper exploration reveals a unique progressive voice here. This is one of prog's all time great debuts, showing advanced compositional chops and the technical facility to pull it all off. It's amazing how much catchiness they can incorporate into a 16 1/2 minute epic like the opening "Across the Waters." But they're not all indulgent epics here. There are standard length, more mild mannered, almost pop songs as well. Great composition, great musicianship, and great variety. Much to love here.
JAZZ DIARY OVERLAP POST Often when looking for jazz, I stumble upon some great prog (and sometimes vice versa).
For sake of completeness in this prog diary, I'm pasting in the prog entries from my jazz diary.
Accordio dei Contrari - Kinesis Subgenre(s): Prog, Fusion, Jazz Rock
Year: 2007
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 31st
One of my discoveries while hunting for new-to-me prog. Accordio dei Contrari are generally listed as fusion or jazz rock, but they're very much on the progressive rock side of jazz. This is virtuoso all instrumental work of the highest order. The requisite amount of melody or even compositional development may or may not be there for some listeners. I enjoyed it overall and will look to more recent albums by the same outfit both because I appreciate this for what it is and to see if they evolve in the area of songcraft to go wit their chops.
Jan Akkerman - Passion
Subgenre(s): Classical Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Guitar Jazz
Year: 1999
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 31st
Not so much prog, but nice jazz coming from a prog master, Jan Akkerman, guitarist for the progressive rock group Focus.
This is a beautiful solo acoustic guitar album. It is a perfect example of not needing to set the fretboard on fire with lightning speed and finger pyrotechnics to demonstrate complete mastery of the instrument. This should appeal to fans of Joe Pass. There is melody, harmony, flow, tone, multiple genre influences; everything you could hope for in a solo guitar album.... except variety. Every song is slow to mid tempo, and while it's all tastefully understated, I think I would have hung with it better if there was a little more punctuation. In the right mood, I'm sure I'd hang better. It's still a keeper.
Area - Maledetti (Maudits) Subgenre(s): Progressive Rock, Free Jazz
Year: 1976
Score: 75
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 35th
Area are an Italian Progressive Rock outfit. But this album has, in addition to the regular Area membership, free jazz stalwarts Steve Lacy and Paul Lytton. Much of it ends up being a crazy prog rock/free jazz fusion, which can be extremely interesting. I could do without the spoken parts, and there's also some other freaky vocalizations, but the music is stunning. Overall, it's not a problem sitting through the most odd parts in the context of the larger album. This is a standout.
Dick Heckstall-Smith - A Story Ended Subgenre(s): https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41IMYvrOmvL.jpg
Year: 1972
Score: 80
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 19th
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I guess there's enough improvised (or at least improvised-sounding) sax here that one could label this jazz, or at least fusion, but in reality, this album sits squarely in the progressive rock realm. Fortunately, it's an absolutely superb prog album and not a single second of my time was wasted, even if I did start out looking for some jazz.
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Ambrosia - Ambrosia Subgenre(s): Prog-related
Year: 1975
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 52nd
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Later purveyors of smash pop hits like "How Much I Feel" and "Biggest Part of Me," SoCal hit makers started off with significant prog elements in their music. The cuts on this album, like the numbers of Beethoven Symphonies, has its most interesting listening in the odd numbers. The opening "Nice, Nice, Very Nice," provides a fine introduction to this brand of pop with progressive hints. The third song, "Holdin' On to Yesterday," is a radio friendly lament that reached #17 on the US charts. The fifth song, "Make Us All Aware" returns to more prog leanings, with even a hint of art rock. The seventh cut, "Mama Frog," is the one full on prog cut on the album, epic in composition and fanciful in story. With only eight cuts on the album, there is no ninth to complete the Beethoven link, but 1, 3, 5, and 7 are more than enough to recommend this album to either pop or prog fans.
Yes - Drama Subgenre(s): Symphonic Prog
Score: 85
Year: 1980
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 4th
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There seems to be a lull in the Yes career between that golden era of the early 70s and the commercial popularity of the early 80s. The albums that lie in that gap are seldom discussed except as an example for people to complain that they aren't as good as the early classics or 90125. Well, I'm here to tell you that Drama is not only worthy as a Yes album, but an excellent album in any right. Trevor horn may not be Jon Anderson, but musically speaking, the great songs on this album have me missing Jon Anderson not one bit. The musicianship here is classic yes, the songwriting every bit as good as it needs to be, and the end product has me placing this album first in the catalog after the classic 5 run album of The Yes Album through Relayer.
This is a real bookends album, starting and finishing especially strong. The opening "Machine Messiah" is an epic multipart suite that rocks hard, has Christ Squire propelling the song with wicked bass lines much as he did in the classic "Roundabout," and guitarist Steve Howe's licks are as tasty as ever, as is his tone and expression. However, you could tell the group (or at least the label) was veering the group into different territory for better or worse (I think worse) as the first single, sitting centrally on the album, to get promoted from the album was the unimpressive "Into the Lens," the only song on the album that is not truly Yes-worthy. But it's over soon and it's quickly back on to some great music, ultimately closing with "Tempus Fugit," a song that stands with the best of this amazing group's catalog.
Wigwam - Being Subgenre(s): Progressive Jazz/Rock
Score: 85
Year: 1974
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 27th
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Catching up with an old classic I never got to hear back in the day.
Even without much guitar, I love the instrumentation on this album. In addition to overall sound, there's tons of great melody throughout all this very complex music and killer musicianship. Often satirical political lyrics which may or may not be a good thing depending on your bent, but the music is just so darn good, in the end the words may not matter much. If only the vocals were as good as the keyboards, this would be a truly top tier album.
Last edited by Fischman on 07/22/2023 17:33; edited 2 times in total
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