Record Reviews
22 Reviews Found. Use search to find more reviews or follow the links in the review text.
  | ATOMIC ROOSTER ~ ON AIR: LIVE AT THE BBC & OTHER TRANSMISSIONS
REPERTOIRE 1336 (Barcode: 4009910133620) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1970 - 1972 Released: 2018
This is an archival album by the British Progressive Rock group Atomic RoosterFind albums by this artist, founded by keyboardist / composer Vincent CraneFind albums by this artist. The album offers a collection of live material, recorded for the BBC Radio 1 and German and Belgian TV. The two CDs present all the audio material and the DVD presents the TV video material, which means that the audio tracks are duplicated as the soundtrack of the video material. Altogether this package offers eighteen audio tracks, most of which were composed by Crane, and fourteen video tracks (two of them duplicated as different camera positions). The majority of the material was captured in 1972 with just two songs recorded in 1970 and another two in 1971, by older lineups of the group. Most of the material is performed by the lineup that features Chris FarloweFind albums by this artist on lead vocals, Crane on Hammond organ and other keyboards, Steve BoltonFind albums by this artist on guitar and Ric ParnellFind albums by this artist on drums, the lineup that recorded the "Made In EnglandFind albums with this title" album. All the music was meticulously remastered and offers a superb sound quality.
Crane was undoubtedly one of the absolute top British Prog keyboardists of the time (late 1960s and early 1970s), every bit as good as Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, but without the bloated pretentiousness, and stylistically close to Brian AugerFind albums by this artist. His work with Arthur BrownFind albums by this artist was absolutely light years ahead of the time and his Atomic Rooster years established also his position as a composer, who managed to come up with some of the most impressive Rock riffs ever. His imagination and inventiveness were absolutely unique.
Farlowe, who as my readers know already, I consider as one of the top Prog vocalists ever, offers the entire range of his sensibilities from Soul, Rhythm And Blues, Rock and Jazz, and his performances here are the best support to my claims as to his importance. Bolton and Parnell also perform spotlessly and with great energy, precision and above all god taste.
Overall this is a superb opportunity to revisit some of Prog´s best moments, which still offered bold statements and iron balls, before the genre went completely into self-pity, lethargic excursions into nowhere and above all everlasting boredom. This music is full of zest, ingenuity and nontrivial musical adventures and is a wonderful time capsule preserving these moments for posterity.
Early British Prog enthusiasts will find this collection essential and filling a gap in the Atomic Rooster story with material that is not readily available. As usual with the RepertoireFind albums on this label label, this album is excellently packaged and offers knowledgeable liner notes by their resident music historian Chris WelchFind albums by this artist. Wholeheartedly recommended!
| | Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 30/06/2018 | 2CD+DVD 3 Slipcase Remastered 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 it´s 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, it´s 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 it´s 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, it´s 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 ~ LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL
SANCTUARY 0351 (Barcode: 5050749503510) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1992 Released: 2007
The Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist reunions have been quite a regular event since the group broke up originally in 1979 (or perhaps they never did?), meeting with various degrees of success. The first reunion (in 1991) resulted in recording of the Black MoonFind albums with this title album and a tour. They were all in top form, as can be witnessed by this concert at London’s famous Royal Albert Hall. The concert includes just a couple of tracks from the a.m. new album and most of the material is a selection of their previous material, which is what the crowd was really looking for. Slightly rearranged, classic ELP (and a bit of NiceFind albums by this artist) material sounds as good as ever and any ELP fan will surely find this DVD a pleasure to watch. Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist (as usual) performs some of his stage theatrics, which are always fun to watch and Karl PalmerFind albums by this artist’s virtuoso drumming is a revelation. This is classic Prog stuff and perhaps the best live ELP material available on film. 88 minutes.
| | | DVD 1 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 it´s 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, it´s 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 it´s 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, it´s 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 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 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? 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 ~ 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 it´s 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, it´s 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 it´s 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, it´s 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 group´s 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 trio´s 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 |
  | HARDIN & YORK ~ CAN`T KEEP A GOOD MAN DOWN: THE ANTHOLOGY
GRAPEFRUIT 089 (Barcode: 5013929188907) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1969 - 1974 Released: 2021
This wonderful 6CD Box Set compiles the recorded legacy of the British duo Hardin & YorkFind albums by this artist, comprising of keyboardist / vocalist / composer Eddie HardinFind albums by this artist and drummer Peter YorkFind albums by this artist. It includes the five albums recorded by the duo: “Tomorrow TodayFind albums with this title” (1969), “The World`s Smallest Big BandFind albums with this title” (1970), “Hardin & York LiveFind albums with this title” (A German bootleg from 1970), “For The WorldFind albums with this title” (1971) and “Hardin & York With Charlie McCrackenFind albums with this title” (1974), as well as a plethora of studio outtakes, live recordings and radio broadcasts.
Hardin and York met as members of the legendary British Pop / Rock outfit Spencer Davis GroupFind albums by this artist, which they left together to pursue more ambitious musical plans. Both participated on dozens of album by other British artists and released many solo projects. Hardin & York was a highly unusual undertaking, producing music by just two musicians with only occasional help from guests or studio musicians. They combined elements of Rock, Prog and Jazz-Rock Fusion into a superb amalgam typical of the period, with Hardin in charge of writing most of their material.
Hardin, who passed in 2015, was one of the greatest British Rock keyboardists, especially a superb Hammond organ player of the class of Brian AugerFind albums by this artist or Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, as well as an outstanding composer and excellent vocalist. York, still with us at the time of writing, is a highly skilled and sensitive drummer, esteemed by his peers, with a unique approach and musicality. Together, as a duo, they were able to create music often richer and more complex than ensembles with much bigger lineups. Strangely Hardin & York achieved much more success on the continent, especially in Germany, than home, and they were of course not the only band that experienced that phenomenon.
Overall, this Box Set is a sublime time capsule preserving the incredible versatility, creativity and “out of the box” musical thinking, which characterize this unique period in British music, and which left such vast legacy, never to return. For fans of early British Prog and Jazz-Rock Fusion this Box Set is an absolute must of course, especially since it presents so much previously unreleased material and excellent remastering. What a jewel!
| | Updated: 21/12/2021Posted: 21/12/2021 | CD 6 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | HARDIN & YORK ~ THE WORLD`S SMALLEST BIG BAND
ESOTERIC 2090 (Barcode: 5013929719026) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1970 Released: 2008
2nd album by the great British duo: keyboardist / vocalist Eddie HardinFind albums by this artist and drummer Peter YorkFind albums by this artist. Hardin was a superb keyboards player and his abilities were often compared to those of Steve WinwoodFind albums by this artist (whom he replaced in the Spencer Davis GroupFind albums by this artist) and even Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist. His vocal abilities and his songwriting skills were also second to none. York, a Jazz influenced drummer (also from the Spencer Davis Group), was a perfect partner for Hardin´s extended keyboards (mostly the Hammond organ) explorations and the Jazzy atmosphere, which prevails throughout the album, which was recorded with just the duo and a string section. In retrospect this album stands against the tides of time perfectly, sounding today every bit as good as it did at the time of its recording, emphasizing the greatness of the British Prog and early Jazz-Rock Fusion in the late 1960s / early 1970s. Absolutely brilliant stuff!
| | | CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | NICE ~ ARS LONGA VITA BREVIS (DELUXE EDITION)
CASTLE 0791 (Barcode: 5050159179121) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1968 Released: 2003
2nd album by NiceFind albums by this artist, this time as a trio, which was to be its format till the group disbanded. Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist expands the classical influences by including music by composers like Sibelius and Bernstein, those of course in his wild and masterly improvised versions, adding extended compositions of his own. All together an excellent companion to the debut album. This edition adds fabulous previously unavailable material, both studio and live. A must!
| | | CD 2 Slipcase Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | JOZEF SKRZEK ~ KOLEDY 81-82
VIATOR 003 (Barcode: 5901549197679) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1981 - 1982 Released: 2016
This is an archival album presenting the unreleased solo album recorded by the Polish bassist / keyboardist / composer Jozef SkrzekFind albums by this artist, primarily known as the leader of the legendary group SBBFind albums by this artist. This album presents Skrzek´s interpretations of Christmas Carols, performed by a plethora of keyboards and bass. The album offers thirteen tracks, twelve of each are traditional compositions presented in their instrumental form and only the last track offers an original composition by Skrzek which also includes vocals.
The music is a typical synthesizer drenched music, which dominated the 1980s, with occasional solo piano pieces, which are much more lyrical and enjoyable. Although the melodic background is familiar, Skrzek takes the Carols into the Prog fantasy world, to the delight of his many fans. As a result this is only marginally a Christmas album, if at all, but rather a Progressive Rock venture, which emphasizes Skrzek´s virtuosity as a synthesizer Master and a bass virtuoso. Fans of the late Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist will find this album a pure delight.
The fact that this music was unreleased for such a long time is a pity and the fact that it is finally available is a relief. The continued effort by Skrzek to present his musical archives on his own ViatorFind albums on this label Records label is definitely worth checking out.
| | Updated: 21/03/2017Posted: 21/03/2017 | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
|
