To see a talented musician starting out full of potential and then to watch his career rise and rise, striving towards that point of perfection somewhere down the road that lies ahead, is a remarkably fulfilling thing for a reviewer and I’ve been charting the guy’s progress, highs and lows, for a long time now. The cliché that each album has been better than the last has not always applied here, but the one before this was a very satisfying symphonic instrumental work. Quite often there have been leaps between works, but musical maturity has been slow and steady for a while, still coming up with the ideas but all within a similar framework. So, for his first of 2001, this musician’s point of perfection is coming closer a lot quicker than you might think, for this is a totally class work of largely instrumental prog-rock, but this time with a few vocals (solo and harmony) that fit the music like a glove. This time around the guitar work has all the sound and quality of early Mike Oldfield with hints of Gilmour/Fripp in there too. The organ / synth work is as towering and layered as ever, with some fantastic passages and solos. The compositions sound more structured than ever, and more like real songs, with the dynamics of each piece working to a tee. But it is the sound and overall musical definition of the album that really is the icing on the case, with string synths, guitars, percussion, synths, organ, Mellotron and bass laying down many combinations of great moods and melodies. It’s one of those albums that must be enjoyed in its entirety, and as such, it’s pointless singling out particular moments or passages or tracks. If this had been around in the 70’s, it would have now be in the Prog Hall of Fame, but as it is, it’s getting there, so if you’ve not tried this multi-talented Elegant Simplicity out before, and you are into the likes of Pink Floyd, Genesis, Steve Hackett or Camel, then now is the time.

484994
Weight: 150.00 g

Classic, classic, classic... incredible album alert! This sixty-three minute CD is really a prog-rock symphony split into 4 tracks. The opening piece is a short flute introduction track that serves as an introduction to the epic title track, which comprises of 8 movements spread over a massive forty-two minutes, and this track is the centrepiece of the entire album. ‘Remember You’ and ‘The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner’ are song-based and form the 3rd and 4th tracks, clocking in at about five and seven minutes respectively. Dealing with the first 2 tracks: It is predominantly instrumental save for the odd bit of low-key, Floyd-like vocal, it features Mellotrons (and plenty of them) and other keyboard, electric and acoustic guitars, flutes, bass and drums. The most incredible thing is that, while it obviously has its roots firmly embedded in the 70's, it's a good deal more varied than you might expect with a wide range of moods, atmospheres and paces as it goes way beyond most prog clichés and the “heard it all before” syndrome. This is a very mature, incredibly well composed, played and constructed track that covers the whole gamut from pastoral elegance to gracious symphonic power. You get intricate passages of acoustic guitars and flute, sections with piano allied to gorgeous Mellotron sounds, spiralling electric guitar solos, fragile and serene acoustic fills, magnificent ensemble playing and it really does come out as one of the all-time classic tracks to be held in the same breath as similar things from the 1970's supergroups only twice as long as twice as good (in some cases). ‘Hostonaten’ will have you transfixed throughout and it sustains many repeat playings. The final two tracks are more obviously powerful and dynamic prog rock, more vocal oriented, but still with plenty of exciting instrumental work, plus they are absolutely right in the context of the rest of the album as a whole, and the only way you could possibly follow the mammoth title track. Overall, this is a sensational album in the field of symphonic prog, so just trust us, and cop a listen to it – We promise you will not be disappointed, if you like your prog symphonic.

382923
Weight: 150.00 g

This Austrian musician is one of CD Services biggest selling artists of all-time. His brand of instrumental symphonic prog is the ultimate in musical escapism, and clearly influenced by late 60’s/early 70’s progressive bands like Genesis and the Moody Blues. His 80’s album ‘From Source To Sea’ continues to sell by the box-load, and you only to experience the opening ten minutes on that album to realise why! Now this 2001 double CD set is rapidly following in its footsteps. For those new to the man; If you can just imagine a cross between Mike Oldfield, Enya (without most of the vocals) and classic Hackett era Genesis (or just Steve Hackett) that might give you some idea of what this, and most other Gandalf albums are about. Disc 1 alone is a continuously flowing, seventy-six minute symphonic prog composition themed around Tolkien’s legendary ‘Lord Of The Rings’ story. This is a landmark recording, and one that has a huge crossover potential, with all the symphonic touches that expose his musical roots. Disc 2 is a bonus limited edition, full-length album of ‘Rare & Precious Pieces’, containing some new arrangements and rare mixes selected from the last 20 years of his celebrated recording career, so it’s a kind of ‘Best Of’ with a difference, and a nice intro for the Gandalf novice. One track features Steve Hackett on guitar, and there’s also a previously unreleased piece, but most of the selected tracks are entirely different versions of tracks from the original albums. To complement the music on this album, the label have produced beautifully lavish, triple fold-out digi-pak packaging, with a matching full-colour booklet housed in the centre portion between the two disc holders – a classy piece of packaging to match the sheer musical class of Gandalf.

441812
Weight: 250.00 g

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Henry Fool is a surprising and eclectic new band comprising of: Stephen Bennett (keyboards), Tim Bowness guitar and vocals), Peter Chilvers (bass), Michael Bearpark (guitar), Myke Clifford (woodwind) and Pendragon /ex Steve Hackett Band member Fudge Smith (drums). Henry Fool's music is a distinctive combination of 60's/70's Progressive influences (Gabriel-era Genesis / Pink Floyd / Soft Machine), contemporary textural experiments (Rain Tree Crow / Passengers) and hard-hitting group improvisations (King Crimson / Radiohead / Tortoise). The album features 16 tracks and runs for almost fifty-two minutes. Fans of the unique sounds made by that old warhorse of progressive keyboards will also be pleased to note that this album is pretty much dominated by the instrument.

559750
Weight: 150.00 g

It took Spock's Beard two albums before the third came along as a classic and a landmark in prog music, and although they sound nothing like S.B. I predict that this band will do it in two. This debut is just so superb, so classy and, as the Beard before them, positively rewrites the prog-rock rulebook. With a more studied outlook and less of the wall-of-sound approach used by S.B. this is a set of 10 songs that are taken at a variety of paces, but with instrumental playing of the highest order, retaining space to solo at carefully controlled levels, so that when they blow, they blow with passion and fire. The songs and vocals are the sort to which you keep returning, good at first, but getting better with each new airing. The arrangements are gorgeous, and the mix of reflective and dynamic prog has warmth, depth and emotion in volumes, with sublime work from the keyboards, synths and guitars. It has lots of elements of great ‘proggers’ of the past but nothing you can pin down at any time and say: “sounds like...”, which is why it sounds so good on first hearing, and then improves with every play. The sound is full without being bombastic, the production excellent and the rhythm section as solid as required. With more maturity yet to come and possibly more of a chance to let the instruments really open up a notch, they have it in them to produce a killer second album – Only time will tell, but this is more than good enough for now.

514697
Weight: 150.00 g

Well – the band are back – at least one half of them anyway, as there are now two bands called Jane, one being these guys, and the other called Mother Jane, and that’s all to distinguish both bands from another entirely unconnected band called simply Jane who nipped in when the others weren’t watching and nicked the name! That said, never judge a book by its cover – I looked at this and said, “Well, this is going to be crap, isn’t it”. With track titles such as ‘Give Me Your Feeling’, ‘Someone’, ‘Someone (Single Version)’, ‘Seasons of Love’ and similar, all around the five to six minute mark, and seemingly at odds with a line-up including two guitarists, two synth / keyboard players, a bassist and a singing drummer. But I was wrong  - One listen to this fifty-minute album’s opening spiralling Moog led intro will lead you straight into ‘proggy’ heaven, and from there it’s more of the same with 10 tracks filled with a huge keyboards-dominated sound with great production, great songs, great vocals, great harmonies, superb production and fantastic use of guitars and synths as lead instruments (economic yet effective to the max). There is an air of modern Eloy and moments of classic ‘Momentary Lapse’/’Division Bell’-era Pink Floyd dripping from every pore, right down to several sound-a-like songs scattered over the album (just check-out the two versions of the track ‘Someone’ for a sample of this. Believe me - This album must not be missed if you like big towering keyboard sounds, singing guitars and memorable choruses in your prog songs. Not only a total surprise, but also a veritable treat to my ears I’m amazed to hear myself saying. Absolutely brilliant and then some!

156147
Weight: 150.00 g

This followed their superb ‘Close To The Fire’ comeback album in 2001. You get 14 hook laden tracks from the pens of Ton Scherpenzeel & Irene Linders, with keyboard, guitar, bass & drums arrangements to die for, although this one tends to rock a bit more in places. Kayak have existed as a band for almost three decades, so that tells you something about how popular they are in their native Holland!  This album, like all their others, provides a good balance between the pop and progressive music fields of play – It’s a quality melodic rock album that straddles the outer edges of the prog genre on the longer pieces, reverting to pure pop on others, and these are the songs tend to be instant qualifiers, where as the longer, ‘progier’ pieces need a play or two to get to grips with, which is as it should be. They are a professional unit that really can ‘play’ - Scherpenzeel’s keyboard talents are endless, creating themes and lead lines that can send shivers down the spine at the turn of a chord. The emphasis is always on melody and solid structure, whether it be a ballad or a rock song, there is always a hook, always a memorable melody line and lyrics that seem to fit perfectly within the feel of the instrumental backings created around them.

694592
Weight: 150.00 g

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