Record Reviews
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  | ARTHUR BROWN / KINGDOM COME ~ GALACTIC ZOO DOSSIER (EXPANDED EDITION)
ESOTERIC 2179 (Barcode: 5013929727922) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1971 Released: 2010
1st album by brilliant British Prog band Kingdom ComeFind albums by this artist led by singer Arthur BrownFind albums by this artist. Following the collapse of The Crazy World Of Arthur BrownFind albums by this artist (soon after drummer Drachen TheakerFind albums by this artist was fired and replaced for a brief time by Carl PalmerFind albums by this artist, who together with Vincent CraneFind albums by this artist left the band to start the great Atomic RoosterFind albums by this artist) Brown started to put together his new band. Eventually he was joined by guitarist Andrew DalbyFind albums by this artist, keyboardists Julian BrownFind albums by this artist and Michael HarrisFind albums by this artist, bassist Desmond FisherFind albums by this artist and drummer Martin SteerFind albums by this artist, creating a superb outfit capable of playing outstanding music. Combining elements of Art-Rock, Prog, Psychedelia, Avant-Garde, Jazz and even Classical, this was music eons ahead of its time. This music is revolutionary and outrageous, intelligent and funny, full of complex compositions with frequent rhythm shifts and multi-melodic themes; in short dazzling every step of the way. Brownīs unique vocal delivery adds another dimension to the already multifaceted package. Sadly the music was not appreciated at the time of its release and only decades later discovered as a true gem, as rightly deserved. Brilliant stuff and a must for every Prog fan!
| | Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: | CD 1 Oversampling Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ~ BRAIN SALAD SURGERY
SONY 783013 (Barcode: 886978301321) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1973 Released: 2011
This is the 5th album by the supergroup Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist, which was definitely one of the most important, innovative and revolutionary groups to emerge on the Rock scene as leaders of the Progressive / Art Rock genre by the early 1970s. The group arrived on the scene a bit later than their "accomplices" (YesFind albums by this artist, GenesisFind albums by this artist, Jethro TullFind albums by this artist, King CrimsonFind albums by this artist and others), since keyboardist Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, guitarist / bassist / lead vocalist Greg LakeFind albums by this artist and drummer Carl PalmerFind albums by this artist were already prominent members of early / proto Prog bands before the trio combined forces and merged into this formidable ensemble. They definitely were the best fit as far as the simplistic definition of Prog is concerned (i.e. an amalgam of Rock and Classical music), allowing Emerson to fulfill his fascination / obsession with Classical music pieces and even contribute some of his own music set to a similar (i.e. classical) framework. It also allowed Lake to write some of the most memorable Rock ballads and Palmer to beat the hell out of endless drum sets, all of which seemed to delight hordes of Rock (and I mean Rock as opposed to Prog) music listeners the world over. They were all monster musicians, they were at the top of their youthful peak of creativity and they kicked ass, big time! It was great while it lasted, and it did last for about half a decade and six albums, and the legend went sour when these gentlemen failed to realize that itīs over and pressed on, seemingly endlessly, damaging the image of their glorious achievements in the process. But in retrospect, wiser and older by 40 years, I still find this music fascinating and powerful, imaginative and bold, and above all artistically sound. Considering the fact that these recordings were off the market due to some corporate music industry bullshit, itīs great to see it back on the shelves, this time released by SonyFind albums on this label Music, which hopefully will keep them alive for a while.
| | | CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ~ EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER
SONY 783007 (Barcode: 886978300720) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1970 Released: 2011
This is the 1st album by the supergroup Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist, which was definitely one of the most important, innovative and revolutionary groups to emerge on the Rock scene as leaders of the Progressive / Art Rock genre by the early 1970s. The group arrived on the scene a bit later than their "accomplices" (YesFind albums by this artist, GenesisFind albums by this artist, Jethro TullFind albums by this artist, King CrimsonFind albums by this artist and others), since keyboardist Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, guitarist / bassist / lead vocalist Greg LakeFind albums by this artist and drummer Carl PalmerFind albums by this artist were already prominent members of early / proto Prog bands before the trio combined forces and merged into this formidable ensemble. They definitely were the best fit as far as the simplistic definition of Prog is concerned (i.e. an amalgam of Rock and Classical music), allowing Emerson to fulfill his fascination / obsession with Classical music pieces and even contribute some of his own music set to a similar (i.e. classical) framework. It also allowed Lake to write some of the most memorable Rock ballads and Palmer to beat the hell out of endless drum sets, all of which seemed to delight hordes of Rock (and I mean Rock as opposed to Prog) music listeners the world over. They were all monster musicians, they were at the top of their youthful peak of creativity and they kicked ass, big time! It was great while it lasted, and it did last for about half a decade and six albums, and the legend went sour when these gentlemen failed to realize that itīs over and pressed on, seemingly endlessly, damaging the image of their glorious achievements in the process. But in retrospect, wiser and older by 40 years, I still find this music fascinating and powerful, imaginative and bold, and above all artistically sound. Considering the fact that these recordings were off the market due to some corporate music industry bullshit, itīs great to see it back on the shelves, this time released by SonyFind albums on this label Music, which hopefully will keep them alive for a while.
| | | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ~ EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER (DELUXE EDITION)
SONY 886919379723 (Barcode: 886919379723) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1970 Released: 2012
This is the debut eponymous album by the British supergroup Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist, one of the great pioneering Prog outfits, which achieved wide popularity way beyond the Prog genre, being also one of the most popular Rock bands in the 1970s. Keyboardist Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, bassist / vocalist Greg LakeFind albums by this artist and drummer Carl PalmerFind albums by this artist were superb musicians and their cooperation created some of the finest Prog moments, which are everlasting.
It would be truly superfluous to write anything more about this album, as it already is a commonly accepted masterpiece and universally acclaimed milestone of Prog in particular and Rock in general. So let´s talk about this specific new edition and its valor or lack of thereof.
This edition comprises of two CDs and a DVD-A. The first CD is the original remastered stereo mix of the album, which was released by SonyFind albums on this label a year earlier. The second CD is a new stereo mix, called the "alternate" album, which is based on the existing master tapes. It lacks three tracks of the original album, (the master tapes of which are missing), but adds several new previously unheard pieces, which are either new tunes or alternate versions of existing tunes. The DVD-A includes the 5.1 surround sound mixes of the original album (less the missing tracks) and a hi-res stereo (what the hell is this?) version of the entire material on the second CD. Confused? I´m not surprised
All the additional material, i.e. the second CD and the DVD-A were created by Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist, leader of Porcupine TreeFind albums by this artist and in recent years quite a busy "studio wizard", creating new re-mixes of many classic Rock (and Prog) masterpieces, like this one.
So what do we have here?; a superb classic album and two additional pieces of plastic containing very little new material, which should have been added as bonus tracks on the a.m. remastered edition of this album. Seriously, who listens to music in 5.1 surround sound anyway? What was the word we used to have for this kind of releases? Oh yes, rip-off!
Mr. Wilson, please leave those great classic masterpieces alone and go back to you own music, in the audio format of your choice
| | | 2CD+DVD 3 Digipak DVD-A Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ~ PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
SONY 783011 (Barcode: 886978301123) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1971 Released: 2011
This is the 3rd album (although recorded live and before the 2nd album and initially intended to be a bonus LP to be paired with the 2nd album) by the supergroup Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist, which was definitely one of the most important, innovative and revolutionary groups to emerge on the Rock scene as leaders of the Progressive / Art Rock genre by the early 1970s. The group arrived on the scene a bit later than their "accomplices" (YesFind albums by this artist, GenesisFind albums by this artist, Jethro TullFind albums by this artist, King CrimsonFind albums by this artist and others), since keyboardist Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, guitarist / bassist / lead vocalist Greg LakeFind albums by this artist and drummer Carl PalmerFind albums by this artist were already prominent members of early / proto Prog bands before the trio combined forces and merged into this formidable ensemble. They definitely were the best fit as far as the simplistic definition of Prog is concerned (i.e. an amalgam of Rock and Classical music), allowing Emerson to fulfill his fascination / obsession with Classical music pieces and even contribute some of his own music set to a similar (i.e. classical) framework. It also allowed Lake to write some of the most memorable Rock ballads and Palmer to beat the hell out of endless drum sets, all of which seemed to delight hordes of Rock (and I mean Rock as opposed to Prog) music listeners the world over. They were all monster musicians, they were at the top of their youthful peak of creativity and they kicked ass, big time! It was great while it lasted, and it did last for about half a decade and six albums, and the legend went sour when these gentlemen failed to realize that itīs over and pressed on, seemingly endlessly, damaging the image of their glorious achievements in the process. But in retrospect, wiser and older by 40 years, I still find this music fascinating and powerful, imaginative and bold, and above all artistically sound. Considering the fact that these recordings were off the market due to some corporate music industry bullshit, itīs great to see it back on the shelves, this time released by SonyFind albums on this label Music, which hopefully will keep them alive for a while.
| | | CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ~ TARKUS
SONY 783008 (Barcode: 886978300829) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1971 Released: 2011
This is the 2nd album by the supergroup Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist, which was definitely one of the most important, innovative and revolutionary groups to emerge on the Rock scene as leaders of the Progressive / Art Rock genre by the early 1970s. The group arrived on the scene a bit later than their "accomplices" (YesFind albums by this artist, GenesisFind albums by this artist, Jethro TullFind albums by this artist, King CrimsonFind albums by this artist and others), since keyboardist Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, guitarist / bassist / lead vocalist Greg LakeFind albums by this artist and drummer Carl PalmerFind albums by this artist were already prominent members of early / proto Prog bands before the trio combined forces and merged into this formidable ensemble. They definitely were the best fit as far as the simplistic definition of Prog is concerned (i.e. an amalgam of Rock and Classical music), allowing Emerson to fulfill his fascination / obsession with Classical music pieces and even contribute some of his own music set to a similar (i.e. classical) framework. It also allowed Lake to write some of the most memorable Rock ballads and Palmer to beat the hell out of endless drum sets, all of which seemed to delight hordes of Rock (and I mean Rock as opposed to Prog) music listeners the world over. They were all monster musicians, they were at the top of their youthful peak of creativity and they kicked ass, big time! It was great while it lasted, and it did last for about half a decade and six albums, and the legend went sour when these gentlemen failed to realize that itīs over and pressed on, seemingly endlessly, damaging the image of their glorious achievements in the process. But in retrospect, wiser and older by 40 years, I still find this music fascinating and powerful, imaginative and bold, and above all artistically sound. Considering the fact that these recordings were off the market due to some corporate music industry bullshit, itīs great to see it back on the shelves, this time released by SonyFind albums on this label Music, which hopefully will keep them alive for a while.
| | | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ~ TARKUS (DELUXE EDITION)
SONY 886919379624 (Barcode: 886919379624) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1971 Released: 2012
This is the second album by the British supergroup Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist, one of the great pioneering Prog outfits, which achieved wide popularity way beyond the Prog genre, being also one of the most popular Rock bands in the 1970s. Keyboardist Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, bassist / vocalist Greg LakeFind albums by this artist and drummer Carl PalmerFind albums by this artist were superb musicians and their cooperation created some of the finest Prog moments, which are everlasting.
It would be truly superfluous to write anything more about this album, as it already is a commonly accepted masterpiece and universally acclaimed milestone of Prog in particular and Rock in general. So letīs talk about this specific new edition and its valor or lack of thereof.
This edition comprises of two CDs and a DVD-A. The first CD is the original remastered stereo mix of the album, which was released by SonyFind albums on this label a year earlier. The second CD is a new stereo mix, called the "alternate" album, which is based on the existing master tapes. It adds just three previously unheard pieces, which are two new tunes and one alternate version of an existing tune. The DVD-A includes the 5.1 surround sound mixes of the original album (with just one bonus) and a hi-res stereo (what the hell is this?) version of the entire material on the second CD. Confused? Iīm not surprised
All the additional material, i.e. the second CD and the DVD-A were created by Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist, leader of Porcupine TreeFind albums by this artist and in recent years quite a busy "studio wizard", creating new re-mixes of many classic Rock (and Prog) masterpieces, like this one.
So what do we have here?; a superb classic album and two additional pieces of plastic containing very little new material, which should have been added as bonus tracks on the a.m. remastered edition of this album. Seriously, who listens to music in 5.1 surround sound anyway? What was the word we used to have for this kind of releases? Oh yes, rip-off!
Mr. Wilson, please leave those great classic masterpieces alone and go back to you own music, in the audio format of your choice
| | | 2CD+DVD 3 Digipak DVD-A Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ~ TRILOGY
SONY 783012 (Barcode: 886978301222) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1972 Released: 2011
This is the 4th album by the supergroup Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist, which was definitely one of the most important, innovative and revolutionary groups to emerge on the Rock scene as leaders of the Progressive / Art Rock genre by the early 1970s. The group arrived on the scene a bit later than their "accomplices" (YesFind albums by this artist, GenesisFind albums by this artist, Jethro TullFind albums by this artist, King CrimsonFind albums by this artist and others), since keyboardist Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, guitarist / bassist / lead vocalist Greg LakeFind albums by this artist and drummer Carl PalmerFind albums by this artist were already prominent members of early / proto Prog bands before the trio combined forces and merged into this formidable ensemble. They definitely were the best fit as far as the simplistic definition of Prog is concerned (i.e. an amalgam of Rock and Classical music), allowing Emerson to fulfill his fascination / obsession with Classical music pieces and even contribute some of his own music set to a similar (i.e. classical) framework. It also allowed Lake to write some of the most memorable Rock ballads and Palmer to beat the hell out of endless drum sets, all of which seemed to delight hordes of Rock (and I mean Rock as opposed to Prog) music listeners the world over. They were all monster musicians, they were at the top of their youthful peak of creativity and they kicked ass, big time! It was great while it lasted, and it did last for about half a decade and six albums, and the legend went sour when these gentlemen failed to realize that itīs over and pressed on, seemingly endlessly, damaging the image of their glorious achievements in the process. But in retrospect, wiser and older by 40 years, I still find this music fascinating and powerful, imaginative and bold, and above all artistically sound. Considering the fact that these recordings were off the market due to some corporate music industry bullshit, itīs great to see it back on the shelves, this time released by SonyFind albums on this label Music, which hopefully will keep them alive for a while.
| | | CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ~ TRILOGY (DELUXE EDITION)
SONY 888750049025 (Barcode: 888750049025) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1972 Released: 2015
This is the fourth album by the supergroup Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist, which was definitely one of the most important, innovative and revolutionary groups to emerge on the Rock scene as leaders of the Progressive / Art Rock genre by the early 1970s. The group arrived on the scene a bit later than their "accomplices" (YesFind albums by this artist, GenesisFind albums by this artist, Jethro TullFind albums by this artist, King CrimsonFind albums by this artist and others), since keyboardist Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, guitarist / bassist / lead vocalist Greg LakeFind albums by this artist and drummer Carl PalmerFind albums by this artist were already prominent members of early / proto Prog bands before the trio combined forces and merged into this formidable ensemble.
They definitely were the best fit as far as the simplistic definition of Prog is concerned (i.e. an amalgam of Rock and Classical music), allowing Emerson to fulfill his fascination / obsession with Classical music pieces and even contribute some of his own music set to a similar (i.e. classical) framework. It also allowed Lake to write some of the most memorable Rock ballads and Palmer to beat the hell out of endless drum sets, all of which seemed to delight hordes of Rock (and I mean Rock as opposed to Prog) music listeners the world over.
They were all monster musicians, they were at the top of their youthful peak of creativity and they kicked ass, big time! It was great while it lasted, and it did last for about half a decade and six albums, and the legend went sour when these gentlemen failed to realize that it´s over and pressed on, seemingly endlessly, damaging the image of their glorious achievements in the process. But in retrospect, wiser and 45 years older, I still find this music fascinating and powerful, imaginative and bold, and above all artistically sound.
This Deluxe Edition spread over two CDs and a DVD-A is sadly another rip-off scheme, which basically adds nothing to the original album. The first CD is the original album; the second CD adds a single alternate version track and offers a new stereo mix of the original album, which is completely redundant. The DVD-A offers the same material in other higher resolution formats, including lossless and 5.1, in short a complete waste of time and plastic, not to mention money. God only knows why these monstrosities are being produced again and again?
| | | 2CD+DVD 3 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ~ WELCOME BACK, MY FRIENDS, TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS
SONY 783014 (Barcode: 886978301420) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1973 - 1974 Released: 2011
This is the 6th album (recorded live during the 1973/74 world tour and released originally as a 3 LPs set, a summary of the glory days and the last great one) by the supergroup Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist, which was definitely one of the most important, innovative and revolutionary groups to emerge on the Rock scene as leaders of the Progressive / Art Rock genre by the early 1970s. The group arrived on the scene a bit later than their "accomplices" (YesFind albums by this artist, GenesisFind albums by this artist, Jethro TullFind albums by this artist, King CrimsonFind albums by this artist and others), since keyboardist Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, guitarist / bassist / lead vocalist Greg LakeFind albums by this artist and drummer Carl PalmerFind albums by this artist were already prominent members of early / proto Prog bands before the trio combined forces and merged into this formidable ensemble. They definitely were the best fit as far as the simplistic definition of Prog is concerned (i.e. an amalgam of Rock and Classical music), allowing Emerson to fulfill his fascination / obsession with Classical music pieces and even contribute some of his own music set to a similar (i.e. classical) framework. It also allowed Lake to write some of the most memorable Rock ballads and Palmer to beat the hell out of endless drum sets, all of which seemed to delight hordes of Rock (and I mean Rock as opposed to Prog) music listeners the world over. They were all monster musicians, they were at the top of their youthful peak of creativity and they kicked ass, big time! It was great while it lasted, and it did last for about half a decade and six albums, and the legend went sour when these gentlemen failed to realize that itīs over and pressed on, seemingly endlessly, damaging the image of their glorious achievements in the process. But in retrospect, wiser and older by 40 years, I still find this music fascinating and powerful, imaginative and bold, and above all artistically sound. Considering the fact that these recordings were off the market due to some corporate music industry bullshit, itīs great to see it back on the shelves, this time released by SonyFind albums on this label Music, which hopefully will keep them alive for a while.
| | | CD 2 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ~ WORKS VOLUME 1
SONY 784863 (Barcode: 886978486325) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1976 Released: 2011
This is the 7th album by the supergroup Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist, which was definitely one of the most important, innovative and revolutionary groups to emerge on the Rock scene as leaders of the Progressive / Art Rock genre by the early 1970s. It marks the beginning of the second phase in the groupīs career, which is often dismissed as extravagant and exhibitionist by critics and fans alike, but in retrospect produced some remarkable music overall. This album, which was originally released as a double LP, spotlights the three individual musicians, giving each of them a separate vinyl side with only the last 4th side included music made by the trio. Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, as usually obsessed with Classical music, presents his "Piano Concerto No. 1", Greg LakeFind albums by this artist the "romantic dreamer" produces several great ballads with lyrics written by ex-King CrimsonFind albums by this artist cohort Peter SinfieldFind albums by this artist and Carl PalmerFind albums by this artist comes up with more incredible drum pyrotechnics on his side. The trio side features more of the trioīs familiar mixture of Classical and Rock. Overall, excessive or not, this is still great music, any way wants to look at it (or listen to it), and the heck with the critics.
| | | CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | CARL PALMER / PM ~ 1 PM
MANTICORE 005 ~ UK ~ Classic Rock
The P of ELP here as a leader of his own band PM. Not what one would expect from Palmer, as this album is quite a rocker, with two lead guitarists and a fast paste. Remastered and first time on CD after being unavailable for many years.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
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