The Prog & Fusion Album Club

Guybrush · 06-14-2010, 08:08 AM

Winner of the poll was Jon Anderson's "Olias from Sunhillow" from 1976 with an astonishing twice as many votes as there were for Return to Forever's album.

So, you've now got your homework

If you don't have the album, well .. Try sending me a PM and I can help you out.

Noone's suggested any homework for next week and we should have a poll up by wednesday or latest thursday, so then I will propose this one :

Jean-Luc Ponty - Enigmatic Ocean (1977)

This is an excellent album from the french virtuoso jazz-rock violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. Before this solo record, he played with Frank Zappa on various albums like f.ex Over-Nite Sensation and Apostrophe ('). He was also a member of the much acclaimed fusion band Mahavishnu Orchestra led by John McLaughlin where he played on albums like Apocalypse and Visions of the Emerald Beyond.

About Enigmatic Ocean, well .. what to say? It's generally regarded as one of Ponty's finest efforts and, according to the Wikipedia article, it reached #1 on some jazz billboards 1977. Having listened to it, I can see why. Unlike some fusion out there, Ponty composes and plays with a style which is pleasant, easy to like and easy to get into. If jazz rock and fusion is your thing, you will like the album from the first listen on. Although there are no guarantees in life, this one comes pretty close.

More suggestions please!

debaserr · 06-14-2010, 06:36 PM

ooo, posting for bookmark.

Guybrush · 06-16-2010, 07:28 AM

Okay, if there are no other suggestions by friday when I come to work, then it's gonan be Jean-Luc Ponty's Enigmatic Ocean.

Otherwise we won't have enough time to do a vote!

The Bullet · 06-16-2010, 08:01 PM

...Does prog-metal count?

The board is going to hate what I'll nominate if the answer's yes.

Guybrush · 06-17-2010, 02:52 AM

Sure, prog metal can count. Anyone who hates a suggestion can choose to not vote for it in the the poll

Guybrush · 06-21-2010, 04:53 AM

Homework assignment for week 25 is Jean-Luc Ponty's Enigmatic Ocean from 1977!

I've made a discussion thread for Olias of Sunhillow

Guybrush · 06-28-2010, 08:56 AM

So now I've made a thread for Jean-Luc Ponty's album Enigmatic Ocean from 1977.

http://www.musicbanter.com/jazz-blue...an-1977-a.html

Noone's suggesting albums to do, so then I'll simply decide on this week's album and hope that people will suggest some albums for next week instead!

This week's homework assignment will be Moving Waves" by the dutch prog-band Focus.

Focus - Moving Waves (1971)

This is the second album by Focus. It spawned a peculiar hit song, Hocus Pocus, which featured yodeling and crazy facial expressions from singer/keyboardist/flutist Thijs Van Leer. This release lifted them them to the height of their popularity in the early 70s and Jan Akkerman was voted the world's greatest guitarist in 1973 by readers of the UK magazine Melody Maker.

The album is known for being somewhat experimental but having achieved popularity nevertheless and contains among other things the 23 minutes long epic "Eruption" which is an adaptation of Jacopo Peri's opera Euridice, which tells the tale of Orpheus and Euridice.

So let's listen to some Focus!

boo boo · 06-29-2010, 08:17 PM

AWESOME.

Focus are great. Though MW isn't their bestest work, it is their most accessible though.

I also need to check out that Ponty album still.

Anyway I have a rec for next week. Lizard by King Crimson, by far one of the most underrated albums of early KC.

Guybrush · 06-30-2010, 05:01 AM

Great! A suggestion

I'd like to suggest Leg End by Henry Cow, but perhaps I can push that suggestion to the week after. There are so few participants after all.

~~James~~ · 06-30-2010, 05:52 AM

I'm halfway through writing a suggestion now, expect it in here by tonight.

06-14-2010, 08:08 AM	#21 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	Winner of the poll was Jon Anderson's "Olias from Sunhillow" from 1976 with an astonishing twice as many votes as there were for Return to Forever's album. So, you've now got your homework If you don't have the album, well .. Try sending me a PM and I can help you out. Noone's suggested any homework for next week and we should have a poll up by wednesday or latest thursday, so then I will propose this one : Jean-Luc Ponty - Enigmatic Ocean (1977) This is an excellent album from the french virtuoso jazz-rock violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. Before this solo record, he played with Frank Zappa on various albums like f.ex Over-Nite Sensation and Apostrophe ('). He was also a member of the much acclaimed fusion band Mahavishnu Orchestra led by John McLaughlin where he played on albums like Apocalypse and Visions of the Emerald Beyond. About Enigmatic Ocean, well .. what to say? It's generally regarded as one of Ponty's finest efforts and, according to the Wikipedia article, it reached #1 on some jazz billboards 1977. Having listened to it, I can see why. Unlike some fusion out there, Ponty composes and plays with a style which is pleasant, easy to like and easy to get into. If jazz rock and fusion is your thing, you will like the album from the first listen on. Although there are no guarantees in life, this one comes pretty close. More suggestions please! __________________ Something Completely Different

06-16-2010, 07:28 AM	#23 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	Okay, if there are no other suggestions by friday when I come to work, then it's gonan be Jean-Luc Ponty's Enigmatic Ocean. Otherwise we won't have enough time to do a vote! __________________ Something Completely Different

06-16-2010, 08:01 PM	#24 (permalink)
The Bullet Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 454	...Does prog-metal count? The board is going to hate what I'll nominate if the answer's yes. __________________ http://soundcloud.com/zachary-steuer

06-17-2010, 02:52 AM	#25 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	Sure, prog metal can count. Anyone who hates a suggestion can choose to not vote for it in the the poll __________________ Something Completely Different

06-21-2010, 04:53 AM	#26 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	Homework assignment for week 25 is Jean-Luc Ponty's Enigmatic Ocean from 1977! I've made a discussion thread for Olias of Sunhillow __________________ Something Completely Different

06-14-2010, 06:36 PM	#22 (permalink)
debaserr eat the masters Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 5,470	ooo, posting for bookmark.

06-28-2010, 08:56 AM	#27 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	So now I've made a thread for Jean-Luc Ponty's album Enigmatic Ocean from 1977. http://www.musicbanter.com/jazz-blue...an-1977-a.html Noone's suggesting albums to do, so then I'll simply decide on this week's album and hope that people will suggest some albums for next week instead! This week's homework assignment will be Moving Waves" by the dutch prog-band Focus. Focus - Moving Waves (1971) This is the second album by Focus. It spawned a peculiar hit song, Hocus Pocus, which featured yodeling and crazy facial expressions from singer/keyboardist/flutist Thijs Van Leer. This release lifted them them to the height of their popularity in the early 70s and Jan Akkerman was voted the world's greatest guitarist in 1973 by readers of the UK magazine Melody Maker. The album is known for being somewhat experimental but having achieved popularity nevertheless and contains among other things the 23 minutes long epic "Eruption" which is an adaptation of Jacopo Peri's opera Euridice, which tells the tale of Orpheus and Euridice. So let's listen to some Focus! __________________ Something Completely Different

06-30-2010, 05:01 AM	#29 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	Great! A suggestion I'd like to suggest Leg End by Henry Cow, but perhaps I can push that suggestion to the week after. There are so few participants after all. __________________ Something Completely Different

06-30-2010, 05:52 AM	#30 (permalink)
~~James~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Scotland Posts: 4,483	I'm halfway through writing a suggestion now, expect it in here by tonight.