Guybrush

Introduction :

Members on this album :

Gary Green - Guitars, percussion
Kerry Minnear - All keyboards, vibraphone, percussion, cello, Moog, lead and backing vocals
Derek Shulman - Lead vocals, alto saxophone
Phil Shulman - Saxophones, trumpet, mellophone, lead and backing vocals
Ray Shulman - Bass, violin, guitar, percussion, vocals
John Weathers - Drums, percussion, xylophone

The very much celebrated Gentle Giant are much loved here on MB and should require no introduction with the prog crowd, but here's one just in case. They're an early british prog band that started when the multi-instrumentalistic Shulman brothers joined up with the also multi-instrumentalistic Gary Green and Kerry Minnear - and then drummer Martin Smith (see members). Gentle Giant are renowned for their virtuosity, complexity, creativity and somewhat unique style. Basically, they were a bunch of guys talented with a wide range of instruments who had a knack for making music with odd hooks, twists and turns™. According to a proclamation in their second album Acquiring the Taste's album sleeve, the band wanted to "expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of becoming very unpopular". Unfortunately, that goal was lost when they buckled under pressure after the punk wave, but despite some sad efforts to appeal to the masses later on in their discography, their first 7 albums are all widely regarded as prog gems.

Octopus from 1972 is their fourth album and their last as a sextet. It also featured a change in lineup from the previous album, changing drummer Malcolm Mortimore for John "Pugwash" Weathers who would stay with them for the rest of their discography. Weathers is one of prog's ugliest men, but still quite charming and strangely iconic. Aside from a diversity in instruments, all members except Mr. Pugwash do vocals on this album. The album name "octopus" is a play on words combining "octo" meaning eight and "opus" which means musical composition, reflecting the 8 tracks on the album. The UK cover art seen above was done by Roger Dean for great prog justice.


Song for Song Review :

Advent of Panurge comes on without warning, delivering the first lyrical line as soon as you press the play button. "There coming over Charaton Bridge" - then some strange noodlings before the second line is delivered. If you're new to Gentle Giant, this may already weird you out a little. The song continues to bring some awesome vocal performances before it dives headfirst into an tight, jammy groove as Weathers comes in with the drums, building up suspense through twists and turns™ until it reaches what might be the refrain. Describing every song in detail will have me writing a bigger wall of text than I think anyone would enjoy reading, but this song is amazing and possibly my album favourite. It has several little themes that work well together for dynamic perfection. The song is about the friendship between Pantagruel (a giant king) and Panurge, two characters from François Rabelais novel series "The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel" from the 16th century. If you like GG and this sounds familiar, it's not their only song to be inspired from these works - as is f.ex the opening track of their second album "acquiring the taste".

Raconteur Troubadour is a more medieval-inspired song where lead singer Derek basically takes the role as a troubadour come to the village square. It is a perhaps just a little bit more straightforward than the opening track, but still sure to confuse first-time listeners. However, loveable as it is, it's another top track from this album.

I Cry for Everyone is a rock song with drums and a guitar riff from the get-go. Of course it has all of the Gentle Giant creativity thrown in. When I first got to know this album, I thought of it as a bit of filler, but the more I listen to it, the more I love it. The song is inspired by the work and beliefs of the absurdist Algerian-French author and philosopher Albert Camus.

Knots is gods-damned brilliant! It opens with some amazing vocals and the whole thing is just splendidly catchy. This might be the strongest contender for the best track on the album for me. It's based on the book "Knots" by psychiatrist Ronald David Laing who wrote about mental illnesses, particularly psychotic experiences. I found a live performance where they play the song which I will embed here for your enjoyment, but beware that the version they play here is not like the studio version from the album. There's a lot left out and a lot thrown in, such as a bit from "Edge of Twilight" which is a song from their second album. The vocal parts are all Knots though!




Despite crappy sound quality and Pugwash not doing much - If that's not awesome, I don't know what is.

The Boys in the Band won't let anyone down either. It starts off with someone laughing and a coin being spun on a table before it bursts into life with an instrumental piece that has more twists and turns™ than a bucket of eels. Aside from the frantic first theme, there are more relaxed parts with moog, saxophone and more. Excellent!

Dog's Life is the shortest on the album and is a lovely, slightly melancholic song about a dog's life which I guess is quite a departure from some of the other topics touched upon.

Pat him on the head, give the dog a bone;
Use a friendly tone, he won't leave you alone.
No one understands like old faithful.

The verses in particular are quite enjoyable and all in all, another excellent tune.

Think of Me With Kindness is a piano ballad which my GF loves. I love it too and of all the songs on the album, this is perhaps the most emotionally evoking piece. However, it's not this kind of stuff Gentle Giant is most famous for. Yet it's still accomplished and beautiful with occasional GG twists™.

River grabs a hold of me from the start. It's arguably the rockiest song on the album and has a great violin riff before sung lyrics join the mix. It also contains a fleeting middle part with some lovely singing and a blues-rocky last half with accompanying guitar. It is not a contender for favourite for me, but still a good track and a nice way to end a great album.


Review Summary :

I'll start with the negative first. The only thing I can find to really complain about is that Octopus seems to lack focus or wholeness. My other prog sixes reviewed so far, Caravan's For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night and Yes' Close to the Edge, have songs that are conceptually similar and sound like they belong on their respective albums. Gentle Giant's discography doesn't seem quite as conceptual in general and their sound didn't change that much so some of the songs on Octopus sound like they could just as well have been on one of their other albums. Also, they generally don't evoke the kind of emotions and imagery some of the other classic prog albums do.

However, this is made up for by Gentle Giant's unique, delightful and fun sound. They were amazingly creative and many of the catchy hooks in this album (there's a lot of them) are so weird and so unique, yet so effective. All the tracks are good and there are more ideas floating around than you can shake a very large stick at - and they're all good! Generally speaking, GG must be a wealth of inspiration for young proggers today and Octopus is often viewed as having been released at the start of their peak period.

However, this is not for the prog-squeamish. If you don't like progressive rock, I'm sure you're gonna hate this and if you don't like albums you have to listen to a few times before they start to stick, then you might as well steer clear of this and likely the rest of GG's discography. However, as usual with great prog albums, once you get into it, it will just keep giving and giving .. and this is one of the best! It is an altogether brilliant and fun album.


Toretorden's Treasure Trove score : 6/6


Favourite tracks : Advent of Panurge, Raconteur Troubadour, Knots, The Boys in the Band, Dog's Life


Additional Notes :

This album has also been reviewed by Boo Boo in Boo Boo's Prog Stash thread and was mentioned in Comus' thread Comus' 1001 albums you should listen to before you die. Also, if you like Octopus, check out Anteater's review of Gentle Giant's second album Acquiring the Taste from 1971 in his journal.

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Something Completely Different

Guybrush

Introduction :

Members :
Steinar Børve: saxophone and keyboards
Trond Gjellum: drums and percussion
Anders Krabberød: bassguitar and Chapman stick
Jarle G. Storløkken: guitars and accordion

Panzerpappa is a prog act from from Oslo, Norway. In their own words, the band plays "progressive rock with a friendly face" but is more accurately described as RIO/Avant-Prog with influences stretching back to 70s bands like Henry Cow, King Crimson and Samla Mammas Manna with a dash of Canterbury like Hatfield and the North.

The band was started up by drummer Trond Gjellum in 1996 and then gained members, most notably Steinar Børve on Saxophone and keyboards. Their debut "Passer Gullfisk" was released in 2000, but the original lineup was not to last. After a lineup change in their second release, the band lost both then guitarist and bass player at the start of 2002. However, lost members are quickly replaced when Trond plays with guitarist Jarle G. Storløkken and bassist Anders Krabberød in a backing band for Canterbury-legend Richard Sinclair during march that same year. Both are offered a place in the band and since, that lineup has produced two more albums, "Farlig Vandring" released in 2004 and "Koralrevens Klagesang" (lament of the coral fox) from 2006.

My own relationship with Panzerpappa doesn't really stretch that far back. All the members are academics and as a group, they sport competance in musicology, theoretical astro physics, social anthropology, philosophy and biology. It was actually during my own biology bachelor that I got to know Anders Krabberød, their current bassist. We both started our biology studies in 2005, but ironically, I didn't really know Panzerpappa before I listened to their last album late last year. That last is the 2006 album "Koralrevens Klagesang" which offers a guest appearance by our much beloved Richard Sinclair (Caravan / Hatfield and the North / Camel) and it got some highly favourable reviews after it's release. However, avant-prog's lack of mainstream appeal keeps it a somewhat hidden treasure whose riches are mostly available for those with a specific interest in the genre.


Detailed Review :

The album starts with what feels like an intro. Koralrevens Klagesang I opens with some mysterious sounds but eventually, brass fades in to a mournful tune lasting for a couple of minutes until Koralrevens Klagesang II comes on. Prog looms as the music turns more chaotic and unpredictable, but it's full of energy and buried within here are some amazingly effective hooks. It's overall feel is mysterious and perhaps slightly sinister. Kantonesisk Kanotur (cantonesian canoe trip) is immediately immersive with a gentle start on keyboards and guitar before a wonderful little earwig flute melody weaves it's way into the music. Not long after, we get the first thematic shift and what follows is a little prog epic where structures shift from tangible to untangible and various melodies and hooks come and go. It feels strong yet quite subtle at the same time and features many hair-raising moments of delight. Excellent!

Apraxia continues the mysterious mood in a slightly more serene direction and, probably because it's so fresh in memory, actually reminds me just a little a bit of Crystal Silence from Return to Forever's debut. What I guess might be vibraphone, guitar and bass form a structure with a more free and slightly melancholic saxophone layering melodies on top. Acoustic guitar join in towards the end for a delightful result, making this song the most relaxing of the bunch. Snill Sang på Bånd is a departure from it's predecessors and is cheerful and full of energy like a prog version of your kid's 10th birthday. It reaches some kind of epic climax before we get a thematic shift to something more noir-jazzy and it suddenly sounds more like your theme to browsing clubs in New Orleans. I love this part! Before it's over, we get a quick return to the fun at the start. Overall, there's a lot of contrasts in this song and it's a little more in your face than what comes before it, but they somehow make it work very well.

Yet more mystery awaits on Etyde which opens with guitar and keyboard alternating on a little picky riff of sorts which along with drums and bass serves as a platform for more saxophone on top. When the song is nearly midway, it becomes more sinister and sounds like it could be a theme to something called "Attack of the giant mutant space slug". Sax and a wonderful flute (I love flute) chase the spooky bits away before it's over for a happy ending .. although a return of the mysterious guitar just at the very end may hint at the possibility of a sequel.

Vintervake is the only song with lyrics and they are sung by none other than Canterbury's Richard Sinclair. The track makes for such a delicious listening, I get shivers everytime I listen to it. Richard does not steal the show entirely, Panzerpappa's performance on the track is confident and it's definetly their song you're listening to. However, there are some different themes flying around here, but the best are still the parts with sung lyrics. If I knew what they were, I'd sing along. Vintervake has a subtle beauty that is rare and canterbury appreciaters should definetly look this one up.

Frenetisk Frenologi (For Nybegynnere) (Frenetic Frenology for beginners?) is the album's longest track and is of the more playful and fun sort. There's certainly a lot going on in different layers, you have the sax doing much of the melody with drums and bass forming a solid foundation, but you also have guitar, keyboards and other percussion instruments making their appearances somewhere in the middle of it all. It's a rich listen and you might have to close your eyes and tap your foot to soak it all up. Thematic shifts make the song much more chaotic and we even get some aggressive sounding moments with distorted electric guitar building up to a climax about halfway after which everything becomes quiet .. Then sax comes back in to a background of what sounds like wind and some strange distortive noise. At this point, the song has a somewhat mournful post-apocalyptic feel and in my mind's eye I see dust blowing around empty concrete buildings. It doesn't take too long before the playful theme from the start makes it's return. More thematic shifts happen with some lovely performances on guitar, flute and piano before it's all over.

Like nr. 1 serves as an intro to the album, Koralrevens Klagesang III serves as an outro although it's a wonderful little song that would stand confidently also outside of this album. It plays somewhat on the theme of the first, but this time with a lot of acoustic guitar and with a more medieval folky flavour than the first. It's a melancholic and serene little guitar tune that could lull you to sleep if you let it. Lovely!


Review Summary :

At first, I didn't really want to review this one because my friendship with one of the band members might put my credibility as a reviewer at stake and there's also the chance he might read this which scares me a little bit. However, after a chat with Anteater who also suggested I do this, I realized I'm not the only one who thinks the album is worthy of praise around here and, seeing as it has all the weird norwegian names and so on, it made sense that I would be the one to do it.

Stepping back a bit and looking at Koralrevens Klagesang in it's entirety, it's main impressions to me are melancholy, mystery, moments of beauty but also the odd sinister, spooky sounds like you'll find in other RIO acts like Univers Zero. True to their own friendly description, there's also a sprinkling of cheerfulness and fun. Performances are superb all round and the album sounds amazing with rock-solid production. There's a lot of instruments being played over the tracks but they all stand out as clearly as they should in the mix and to me, it all sounds right. There's plenty of warm sounds and lush reverberations floating around. One thing that strikes me as weird is that listening to it again with a slightly more analytical approach, I'm surprised at how vivid some of the imagery the album conjures up is. It makes me wonder a bit why several of the songs have such nonsensical titles (frenetisk frenologi is a good example). However, their slightly whimsical approach is part of Panzerpappa's charm and it's nice to see again that something that sounds so accomplished doesn't have to be 100% serious all the time.

As an avant-prog album, I think it's quite accessible. A lot of it's appeal will be subtle and may take a few listenings to get, but where some albums in the genre may feel exclusive, this one will probably have an instant appeal which will only grow over time. No, I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but for those who like a little prog and know a little RIO, Koralrevens Klagesang is a little treasure just waiting to be discovered.

Panzerpappa is a group with highly skilled and competent musicians and Koralrevens Klagesang is (as far as I know) their finest moment yet. This is actually the best norwegian album I've heard in a long time.


Toretorden's Treasure Trove score : 6/6

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Something Completely Different

Guybrush

YES! I'm finally done reposting all my old reviews. All I'm missing now are the old comments

Anyways, expect more new reviews in the future!

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Something Completely Different

Anteater

Congrats on getting one of my favorite journals back in its entirety, and I'm very much looking forward to what you shall be reviewing next!

Guybrush

Thanks I'd already written my next but I managed to lose it during the posting process. Such a rookie mistake! Anyways, since the next will be a bit of a new start, I'll try a new format. I think I'll give up the detailed review and rather focus on a few tracks to represent the albums like you do yourself.

Anyways, expect a review soon .. I just have to write it - again

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Something Completely Different

Dr_Rez

Tore, I think you need to be told how awsome you are.

You're awesome.

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*Best chance of losing virginity is in prison crew*
*Always Checks Credentials Crew*
*nba > nfl crew*
*Shave one of my legs to pretend its a girl in my bed crew*

Schizotypic

Seconded.

Thanks for all the reviews Tore. Keep em commin I'm likin' it so far.

Guybrush

Thank you all for the nice words of encouragement! It's criminal how long I've gone without writing up anymore reviews, but with awards and comps and other things to do around here, I've needed a period of calm to reignite my passion for doing reviews. Anyways, I think I've rekindled the flame and from now on, I'm going to try and shorten down my reviews and not describe every track. We'll see how it goes. After a few months hiatus, I give you my review of :




Introduction

Members :
Mark Andes - Bass, Vocals
Randy California - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
Ed Cassidy - Percussion, Drums
Jay Ferguson - Percussion, Keyboards, Vocals
John Locke - Keyboards

Spirit first emerged in 1967 from a different band called The Red Roosters which had the members Mark Andes, Jay Ferguson and the semi-legendary guitarist Randy California in it. Randy, who was born in 1951, was really just a kid at the time, but had already done things now considered big like playing with Jimi Hendrix in the band Jimmy James and the Blue Flames in 1966 when he was 15.

Anyways, with the addition of Ed Cassidy (drums) and John Locke (keyboards), Spirits Rebellious was born, soon to be shortened down to just "Spirit". Their first self-titled album was a jazz flavoured psychedelic rock record which became an underground hit. Their second album was released the same year and featured their best selling hit, I Got A Line on You. The band then started touring and were supported by Led Zeppelin. Spirit is regarded as a major influence on LZ, from the playing of Jimmy Page to the making of songs like Stairway to Heaven. In 1969 after the release of their third album Clear, they were offered a spot right before Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock, but they turned it down because they thought it would be smarter to tour more and promote their latest album. Had they played at Woodstock that year, Spirit could've been a household name today. Who knows?

This review is about their second album, The Family That Plays Together. At their core in the 60s, they are a psychedelic rock band, but their second release goes well beyond the artistic boundaries of their first. We get jazz and bluesy jam rock influences with a large song to song variety. The album also has rather good production value and lush instrumentation, from guitars to pianos, trumpets, lush strings and flutes. The album has been rereleased with bonus track and while I do have a rerelease, as a rule I leave bonus tracks out of my reviews. Here we go!


Detailed Review :

The opening track is one of their biggest hits, I Got A Line On You. While it was a selling point, it's not the most interesting track on the album. Rather, it's an uncomplicated rock song with a lot of catchy refrain. While it is certainly enjoyable, the music turns much more compelling as the song reaches it's end and slides gently onto the second track, It Shall Be. It's a jazzier and slower song where the wide instrumentation of the band really shines. The verses are mysterious sounding with flute and piano while the refrains are warm, catchy and feature horns. Check it out!



My girlfriend has no particular love for it, but I used to listen to this while spending a lot of time by myself up in the arctic winter and it's one of those songs that take me back to that time and place, walking through the freezing cold and dark while listening to Spirit with my little mp3 player. Associations or not, I think it has a lot to offer.

While the next couple of songs are enjoyable, the next highlight for me is the song Drunkard, a sad song about a poor lowlife who doesn't get the meaning of it all. It has a couple of sad verses before it descends into an outro.

Darlin' If is a more upbeat thoroughly enjoyable love song and another high point that lightens the mood after it's slightly depressing predecessor. While we're now leaving my album favourites behind, the rest of the tracks are all mostly good and bring more jam, blues and psychedelic rock to the table. The only track I don't like on the whole album is the song "Jewish" which I can't help sounds a lot like pretentious drivel. By the way, Aren't You Glad, the last track on the album, sounds a bit like a good natured and lusher Stranglehold Is this where Ted Nugent's inspiration for his classic song comes from?


Review Summary :

Aside from one song which I don't particularly like, Jewish, this album is all good. I would still not call it a brilliant record because it has a couple of flaws. First of all, many of the songs are just too short. The whole album clocks in at about 34 minutes and half the tracklist is under 3 minutes long. The other problem is that while there are occasional glimpzes of brilliance, most of the songs by far don't quite achieve that level of quality. They are good, but that's it.

Still, there's a lot to recommend about this one. What I love is just the sound of Spirit on this album. Compared to later albums, they sound slightly unpolished, but definetly more unique and organic. As mentioned before, the wide instrumentation gives a lovely flavour to most of the tracks here. I also like the variety between the songs. The album keeps you interested from start to finish which, alright, admittedly is only about half an hour.

It was either gonna be a 5 or a strong 4. If there had been just one more song approaching awesome on this one, I would've gone for the 5er, but it's gonna be a 4 for me. Still, if you have an interest in this kind of stuff, you should get this album. It's a truly interesting album, highly regarded by many and a worthy addition to any music collection.

Toretorden's Treasure Trove score : 4/6

Favourite tracks : I Got A Line On You, It Shall Be, Drunkard, Darlin' If, Dream Within a Dream

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Something Completely Different

Guybrush

Introduction :

The band :
Crispian Mills - Lead Vocals/Guitars
Alonza Bevan - Bass
Paul Winterhart - Drums
Harry Broadbent - Keyboards

When I first signed up here, I got just a little heat in my own introduction thread because I'd written somewhere that I liked Kula Shaker. Actually, I still do and while I may not think their 90s albums are amazing start to finish, they certainly know how to put together some brilliant tunes.

But let's start by taking a few steps back. In case you've never heard of them before, they are a multi-platinum selling psychedelic rock band to come out of the english 90s britpop scene. Their brand of psychedelic retro rock is flavoured with cultural and musical influences from India - instrumentically, thematically and sometimes linguistically as they've written a few songs in sanskrit. They're not entirely uncomparable to some of Finland's 90s space rock band Kingston Wall's output, but with a little more variation and a more polished and poppy sound*. Their debut album K was released in 1996 and was followed up by their second album Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts in 1999. Both albums sold rather well and had multiple singles and the band got to enjoy a bit of success and controversy†. However, they still decided to call it quits and disbanded before the end of the century.

In 99, I got Peasants, Pigs and Astronauts as a gift from my sister and I enjoyed it so much I went and got K as well. For this reason, I was quite bummed when I found out the band I'd just gotten into had disbanded right after I found out I liked them. Oh well, that's the way it goes - and I thought that was that until late 2007 when I found out they were back together. Not only that, they had released their third album that same year!

So - Strangefolk from 2007 was released 8 years after their second album. Helping them produce the album was a star-team of hit makers and grammy winners, yet it has been met with mixed reception since it's release. What do I think of it?


Detailed Review :

Kula Shaker's previous album openers have been good‡ and Strangefolk is no different. It starts off fresh with pop rocky Out on the Highway, a feelgood guitary song with bucketloads of catchyness and hit potential. To people familiar with the band, it's perhaps a bit simpler than you've come to expect but it's still a brilliant track and has become one of my favourite songs from the group. What's also enjoyable perhaps especially on the first spin is that thankfully, they still sound like Kula Shaker - the band they were in the late 90s.

I don't think there is an official video for the song, but I had no trouble finding it on youtube. Check it out!



Second Sight is also rather good, although not as immediate as the first. Like it's predecessor, it's tight with drive, has enjoyable guitar and while the verses are a little sedate, the refrains are nicely hard rockin'. It's the kind of song which suits them well. Even Crispian Mills nasal vocal style really shines.

Die For Love sounds like it was made by a hit-maker. There's nothing wrong with it, but compared to their better songs it's somewhat unoriginal and sounds slightly like it was placed there for soppy single potential. Dictator (Of the Free World) sounds like an inspired attempt at Cool and playful but unfortunately also comes across as quite silly.

The title track Strangefolk is a monologue with some indian instrumentation which is there likely and simply for concept, but it is followed by quite a curiosity, Song of Love/Narayana. Am I crazy or did I just hear an instrumental cover of two Prodigy songs smacked into one? I think I did. Maybe you know the excellent Climbatize and Narayan from The Prodigy's third album The Fat of the Land? Seems Kula Shaker thought they'd be good if you mixed them together and played them with real instruments. The reason for this turns out to be less coincidential than it might first seem. Actually, Crispian Mills helped write the song Narayan for The Prodigy .. The result here is enjoyable, but it's appeal comes mostly from the fact it's a curiosity.

Shadowlands is a slower, more sombre song which is good, but not very memorable. Fool that I am however is quite the little earwig. It's melodic, soothing and strangely remorseful and the brightest gem on the album since we left the first couple of tracks. It is followed up by another remarkably charming and marine inspired Hurricane Season, a song in 5/4 which is roughly about a sailor caught by the sea.

He was hanging in the darkness holding to the line
Faces in the water of folks he'd left behind
Saying 'boy you must be crazy should have stayed at home
Stuck with what you'd started, stuck with what you know'
And the sea had come to take him and snuff him like a light
In the black and heavy water, in the black and heavy sight

Add some lovely guitar and organ solos reminiscent of rock's golden age's Deep Purple and you got the best track on the record. Again, it's not as immediate as the others - it's a grower - but it's easily the most memorable song on the album. Here it is :



The next three tracks are not exactly bad, but on the numerous listens I've had, they haven't really grabbed my attention. They're actually all enjoyable, but that's it for me. Kula Shaker's goodbye for now, the last track Super CB Operator, is perhaps the most fun of the bunch and is a rockin' feelgood party track.


Review Summary :

Strangefolk I think is a good album, nothing more and nothing less. The production value is rather good and for the most part, they sound like their old self and I get the feeling they're comfortable and have fun with what they're doing. This comeback probably won't blow anyone's minds as it contains quite a bit of mediocrity in it and even a dose of embarassment. Still, there are fortunately also a few moments of brilliance and they may be worth checking out. The quality of the album is not however entirely consistent. It's a bit hit or miss.

Those who really like the band should of course check it out. I'm sure they'll find quite a bit to like here. Those who don't know the band and/or are just sceptical should consider getting the album, but only for those few really good songs that hopefully will appeal to them. Essential for people who like the band and recommended to those who like what they hear in the youtube vids above, but non-essential to the rest!

Toretorden's treasure trove score : 4/6

Favourite tracks : Out on the Highway, Second Sight, Fool That I Am, Hurricane Season


*Kingston Wall of course have other redeeming qualities

†Frontman Crispian Mills' admittant and outspoken love for the swastika, which among other things is an important symbol in Indian culture, led some people to believe he was a nazi. The same people probably thought the swastika was something Hitler came up with in his spare time. Mills' added admitted liking for dandy uniforms probably didn't help matters further.

‡Particularly the track Hey Dude from their 1996 debut K

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Something Completely Different

Big Ears

I read your reviews with interest, particularly, although not exclusively, the progressive rock reviews, like Tarkus and Close to the Edge. I liked the introduction to the Journal. Is it possible to add one of these, and to keep updating it, in retrospect?