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Progressive Rock 101: Why PROG is essential for the Evolution of Mankind.


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As promised, here is my list of acquisitions from 2020.

 

It includes CDs / downloads I am replacing from older copies / LP / etc for digital copies at higher resolutions (MP3 at 320bps)

 

There's probably 2 dozen released in 2020 with the rest being updates as mentioned above but still obtained this year.

 

Here goes:

 

Pangee — Hymnemonde - 1995

David Younger — Here & Now - 2018

Renaissance — The Mystic And The Muse - 2010

Myrath — Tales Of The Sand - 2011

Gary Husband — Dirty & Beautiful Vol. 2 - 2012

Spirogyra — Bells, Boots And Shambles - 1973

Spirogyra — St. Radigunds - 1971

Spirogyra — Old Boot Wine - 1972

Soft Machine — Volumes One (Remastered 1989)

Subterranean Masquerade — Suspended Animation Dreams - 2005

Spaced Out — Eponymus II - 2001 (Features Antoine Fafard) ***

Karmakanic — Wheel Of Life - 2004 ***

Jonesy — Masquerade: The Dawn Years Anthology - 2007

CODA — What A Symphony - 1996  ***

Mirthrandir — For You The Old Women - 1976

Fusioon — Fusioon 2 - 1974  ***

Fusioon — Minorisa - 1975 ***

Banzai — Hora Nata - 1974

Sinkadus — Cirkus - 1999 ***

Medwyn Goodall — In The Stillness Of A Moment - 1989

Harmonium — Si On Avait Besoin D'une Cinquieme Saison - 1975 ***

 Pablo El Enterrador — Threephonic - 2016

High Wheel — Back From The Void - 2002 ***

Mary Newsletter — Distratto Dal Sole - 1998

Il Paese Dei Balocchi — Il Paese Dei Balocchi

Cittа Frontale — El Tor - 1975

Róbert Erdész — Meeting Point - 2000

The Enid — Tripping The Light Fantastic 1994

Ezra Winston — Ancient Afternoons - 1990

Alphataurus (Remastered 2010) ***

Il Volo (Prog-Rock) — Essere O Non Essere - 1975 ***

John Elefante And Mastedon — Revolution Of Mind - 2009

Secret Garden — Storyteller - 2019

Frank Marino — The Power Of Rock And Roll - 1981

On The Virg — Serious Young Insects - 1999 (Virgil Donati from Australia)

Opeth — Heritage (Deluxe Edition) - 2011

Fourplay — Energy - 2008

Fourplay — Heartfelt - 2002

IQ — A Show Of Resistance Live @t The Colos-Saal Aschaffenburg - 2020 **

The Enid — Journey's End - 2010 **

Minimum Vital — Pavanes - 2015 ***

Lesoir — Luctor Et Emergo - 2014 ***

Kayak — Cleopatra The Crown Of Isis 2014 ***

Lands End — An Older Land - 1996 ***

Mary Newsletter — Nuove Lettere - 1996

Mark Gillespie — Only Human (Remastered 2010)

Moon Safari — Live In Mexico - 2014

Mystery — Second Home - 2017 ***

Overhead — Haydenspark - 2018

Machines Dream — Black Science - 2017

Angel Ontalva — Tierra Quemada - 2015

Regal Worm — Pig Views - 2018

Weend'o — Time Of Awakening - 2018

Karibow — Monumento - 2018

Oysterband — Deserters - 1992

Oysterband — Rise Above - 2002

Oysterband — The Oxford Girl And Other Stories - 2008

 Hartmut Zinn — Heiles Land - 1982

Homunculus Res — Limiti All'eguaglianza Della Parte Con Il Tutto - 2013

La Zona — La Notti Difficili - 2003

Cantina Sociale — Caosfera - 2017

 

 

Current Releases

 

 

Antony Kalugin (Karfagen) — Marshmallow Moondust - 2020

Robert Reed (Magenta) — Cursus 123 430 - 2020

Solstice — Sia - 2020

The Samurai Of Prog — Beyond The Wardrobe - 2020

The Samurai Of Prog — The Demise Of The Third King's Empire - 2020

The Samurai Of Prog — Gulliver - 2020 ***

Millenium — The Sin - 2020 ***

Kimmo Porsti — Wayfarer - 2020

Bernard & Porsti — La Tierra - 2020 ***

The Flower Kings — Islands - 2020 ***

Wobbler — Dwellers of the Deep - 2020

Into The Open — Destination Eternity - 2020

Days Between Stations — Giants - 2020

Fish — Weltschmerz - 2020 ***

Ayreon — Transitus - 2020 ***

Fleet Foxes — Shore - 2020 **

La Maschera Di Cera — S.E.I. -2020 **

Chimpan A — The Empathy Machine - 2020

Derek Sherinian — The Phoenix - 2020 ***

Gazpacho — Fireworker - 2020 **

David Minasian — The Sound Of Dreams - 2020 ***

Rick Wakeman — The Red Planet - 2020 ***

Rikard Sjoblom's Gungfly — Alone Together - 2020

Neal Morse — Sola Gratia - 2020

Tiger Moth Tales — Still Alive (EP) - 2020

Fish On Friday — Black Rain - 2020

Haken — Virus - 2020 ***

Abel Ganz — The Life Of The Honey Bee And Other Moments Of Clarity - 2020

Apogee — Endurance Of The Obsolete - 2020

Kayak — Live 2019 - 2020

Khymera — Master Of Illusions - 2020

Different Light — Binary Suns (Part 1- Operant Condition) - 2020

Kansas — The Absence Of Presence - 2020

Moon Halo — Chroma - 2020

Red Sand — Crush The Seed - 2020

Magenta — Masters Of Illusion - 2020 ***

 

 

As I have had so little time to wade through all of these recently, I'll highlight a few standouts with an asterisk or 3. It should be noted however, that I have probably only played 15-20% of these 2020 releases so far so an omission of an asterisk does not mean the album is no good, just that I haven't played it often enough to form an opinion. The older ones from updates still hold up well to this day, despite their earlier vintage.

 

I hope you guys might be inspired to pick up on a few of these if you are of the adventurous type. Prog never disappoints these ageing ears! (95% of them are either prog or Neo prog)

 

Cheers

 

Greg

Edited by progladyte
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Rick Wakeman's synths for sale

https://www.matrixsynth.com/2020/10/yes-rick-wakeman-synths-for-sale.html

 

< A peek at some of the actual synths used by Rick Wakeman starting with his keyboard mixer below.

"We are happy to offer the following items from the personal private collection of iconic keyboardist and synth collector Rick Wakeman. Rick career has spanned over 50 years including his time with The Strawbs and YES through to his session work with David Bowie, Black Sabbath and countless others. Alongside this, Rick's own solo career has pushed the boundaries of possibilities in terms of his use of the synthesiser including his albums Journey to the Centre of the Earth and the Six wives of Henry VIII. Rick is now pleased to be offering his fans the chance to owns some of the pieces which have sculpted his sound across his extensive career. Please find details of these pieces as below: Rackmounted Keyboard Mixer Used to mix 6 of Ricks Keyboards from the late 70s/Early 80s Each item will come with written verification direct from Rick Wakeman to confirm his ownership and use of the items. Pricing All items have been in storage many since the 1970s and will require servicing by the purchaser. This costing is reflected in the pricing of each item." >

 

 
<  We are happy to offer the following items from the personal private collection of iconic keyboardist and synth collector Rick Wakeman. Rick career has spanned over 50 years including his time with The Strawbs and YES through to his session work with David Bowie, Black Sabbath and countless others. Alongside this, Rick's own solo career has pushed the boundaries of possibilities in terms of his use of the synthesiser including his albums Journey to the Centre of the East and the Six wives of Henry VIII.

Rick is now pleased to be offering his fans the chance to owns some of the pieces which have sculpted his sound across his extensive career. Please find details on the following link

Click here >

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On 19/12/2020 at 8:44 AM, progladyte said:

 

 

Great post Ken.

 

When I get some spare time I might list what I have bought , played the most and rated the best from both 2020 releases and titles from earlier years but still bought in 2020.

 

Mind you, as always with me, there will be heaps I have bought but not had time to play enough times to choose.

 

 

Thanks Prog.

Sorry for late reply. Went away for 4 days. No WiFi so didn't check these posts, as l have limited phone data. While l l have been away, 7 CDs turned up. So have a bit of a back log my self to listen to.  Some great prog stuff in there, so will post in the near future.

 

Too all my prog buddies out there. Have the best of Christmas and a happy and safe New Year. 2021 will be an improvement...hopefully.

? Ken.

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On 20/12/2020 at 2:51 PM, betocool said:

I got Airbag "Disconnected". The singer's voice grates me a bit, but the Gilmouresque guitars make up for that. I'll have to give "A Day at the Beach" a listen I guess.

 

Porcupine Tree.... Mhhhh... I confess to never having heard them. What sort of prog direction do they go to? I'm very much into the Transatlantic, Flying Colours, later Steve Hackett, Flower Kings, that sort of thing. Probably a good resolution for the new year: Listen to PT.

 

Too much prog, too few hours in a day...

 

Cheers,

 

Alberto

PT have a harder edgier sound. Just have a listen for yourself Alberto. Steven Wilson is the lead guitar/singer of the band. He also has solo albums a a few side project bands. A lot of us on this site love him.

? Ken.

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22 hours ago, progladyte said:

As promised, here is my list of acquisitions from 2020.

 

It includes CDs / downloads I am replacing from older copies / LP / etc for digital copies at higher resolutions (MP3 at 320bps)

 

There's probably 2 dozen released in 2020 with the rest being updates as mentioned above but still obtained this year.

 

Here goes:

 

Pangee — Hymnemonde - 1995

David Younger — Here & Now - 2018

Renaissance — The Mystic And The Muse - 2010

Myrath — Tales Of The Sand - 2011

Gary Husband — Dirty & Beautiful Vol. 2 - 2012

Spirogyra — Bells, Boots And Shambles - 1973

Spirogyra — St. Radigunds - 1971

Spirogyra — Old Boot Wine - 1972

Soft Machine — Volumes One (Remastered 1989)

Subterranean Masquerade — Suspended Animation Dreams - 2005

Spaced Out — Eponymus II - 2001 (Features Antoine Fafard) ***

Karmakanic — Wheel Of Life - 2004 ***

Jonesy — Masquerade: The Dawn Years Anthology - 2007

CODA — What A Symphony - 1996  ***

Mirthrandir — For You The Old Women - 1976

Fusioon — Fusioon 2 - 1974  ***

Fusioon — Minorisa - 1975 ***

Banzai — Hora Nata - 1974

Sinkadus — Cirkus - 1999 ***

Medwyn Goodall — In The Stillness Of A Moment - 1989

Harmonium — Si On Avait Besoin D'une Cinquieme Saison - 1975 ***

 Pablo El Enterrador — Threephonic - 2016

High Wheel — Back From The Void - 2002 ***

Mary Newsletter — Distratto Dal Sole - 1998

Il Paese Dei Balocchi — Il Paese Dei Balocchi

Cittа Frontale — El Tor - 1975

Róbert Erdész — Meeting Point - 2000

The Enid — Tripping The Light Fantastic 1994

Ezra Winston — Ancient Afternoons - 1990

Alphataurus (Remastered 2010) ***

Il Volo (Prog-Rock) — Essere O Non Essere - 1975 ***

John Elefante And Mastedon — Revolution Of Mind - 2009

Secret Garden — Storyteller - 2019

Frank Marino — The Power Of Rock And Roll - 1981

On The Virg — Serious Young Insects - 1999 (Virgil Donati from Australia)

Opeth — Heritage (Deluxe Edition) - 2011

Fourplay — Energy - 2008

Fourplay — Heartfelt - 2002

IQ — A Show Of Resistance Live @t The Colos-Saal Aschaffenburg - 2020 **

The Enid — Journey's End - 2010 **

Minimum Vital — Pavanes - 2015 ***

Lesoir — Luctor Et Emergo - 2014 ***

Kayak — Cleopatra The Crown Of Isis 2014 ***

Lands End — An Older Land - 1996 ***

Mary Newsletter — Nuove Lettere - 1996

Mark Gillespie — Only Human (Remastered 2010)

Moon Safari — Live In Mexico - 2014

Mystery — Second Home - 2017 ***

Overhead — Haydenspark - 2018

Machines Dream — Black Science - 2017

Angel Ontalva — Tierra Quemada - 2015

Regal Worm — Pig Views - 2018

Weend'o — Time Of Awakening - 2018

Karibow — Monumento - 2018

Oysterband — Deserters - 1992

Oysterband — Rise Above - 2002

Oysterband — The Oxford Girl And Other Stories - 2008

 Hartmut Zinn — Heiles Land - 1982

Homunculus Res — Limiti All'eguaglianza Della Parte Con Il Tutto - 2013

La Zona — La Notti Difficili - 2003

Cantina Sociale — Caosfera - 2017

 

 

Current Releases

 

 

Antony Kalugin (Karfagen) — Marshmallow Moondust - 2020

Robert Reed (Magenta) — Cursus 123 430 - 2020

Solstice — Sia - 2020

The Samurai Of Prog — Beyond The Wardrobe - 2020

The Samurai Of Prog — The Demise Of The Third King's Empire - 2020

The Samurai Of Prog — Gulliver - 2020 ***

Millenium — The Sin - 2020 ***

Kimmo Porsti — Wayfarer - 2020

Bernard & Porsti — La Tierra - 2020 ***

The Flower Kings — Islands - 2020 ***

Wobbler — Dwellers of the Deep - 2020

Into The Open — Destination Eternity - 2020

Days Between Stations — Giants - 2020

Fish — Weltschmerz - 2020 ***

Ayreon — Transitus - 2020 ***

Fleet Foxes — Shore - 2020 **

La Maschera Di Cera — S.E.I. -2020 **

Chimpan A — The Empathy Machine - 2020

Derek Sherinian — The Phoenix - 2020 ***

Gazpacho — Fireworker - 2020 **

David Minasian — The Sound Of Dreams - 2020 ***

Rick Wakeman — The Red Planet - 2020 ***

Rikard Sjoblom's Gungfly — Alone Together - 2020

Neal Morse — Sola Gratia - 2020

Tiger Moth Tales — Still Alive (EP) - 2020

Fish On Friday — Black Rain - 2020

Haken — Virus - 2020 ***

Abel Ganz — The Life Of The Honey Bee And Other Moments Of Clarity - 2020

Apogee — Endurance Of The Obsolete - 2020

Kayak — Live 2019 - 2020

Khymera — Master Of Illusions - 2020

Different Light — Binary Suns (Part 1- Operant Condition) - 2020

Kansas — The Absence Of Presence - 2020

Moon Halo — Chroma - 2020

Red Sand — Crush The Seed - 2020

Magenta — Masters Of Illusion - 2020 ***

 

 

As I have had so little time to wade through all of these recently, I'll highlight a few standouts with an asterisk or 3. It should be noted however, that I have probably only played 15-20% of these 2020 releases so far so an omission of an asterisk does not mean the album is no good, just that I haven't played it often enough to form an opinion. The older ones from updates still hold up well to this day, despite their earlier vintage.

 

I hope you guys might be inspired to pick up on a few of these if you are of the adventurous type. Prog never disappoints these ageing ears! (95% of them are either prog or Neo prog)

 

Cheers

 

Greg

Jeez Greg. No half measures with you buddy. Another excellent informative post from the prog maestro. Reckon it might take me the most of 2021 to wade through that lot.

? Ken

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10 hours ago, Ian McP said:

Rick Wakeman's synths for sale

https://www.matrixsynth.com/2020/10/yes-rick-wakeman-synths-for-sale.html

 

< A peek at some of the actual synths used by Rick Wakeman starting with his keyboard mixer below.

"We are happy to offer the following items from the personal private collection of iconic keyboardist and synth collector Rick Wakeman. Rick career has spanned over 50 years including his time with The Strawbs and YES through to his session work with David Bowie, Black Sabbath and countless others. Alongside this, Rick's own solo career has pushed the boundaries of possibilities in terms of his use of the synthesiser including his albums Journey to the Centre of the Earth and the Six wives of Henry VIII. Rick is now pleased to be offering his fans the chance to owns some of the pieces which have sculpted his sound across his extensive career. Please find details of these pieces as below: Rackmounted Keyboard Mixer Used to mix 6 of Ricks Keyboards from the late 70s/Early 80s Each item will come with written verification direct from Rick Wakeman to confirm his ownership and use of the items. Pricing All items have been in storage many since the 1970s and will require servicing by the purchaser. This costing is reflected in the pricing of each item." >

 

 
<  We are happy to offer the following items from the personal private collection of iconic keyboardist and synth collector Rick Wakeman. Rick career has spanned over 50 years including his time with The Strawbs and YES through to his session work with David Bowie, Black Sabbath and countless others. Alongside this, Rick's own solo career has pushed the boundaries of possibilities in terms of his use of the synthesiser including his albums Journey to the Centre of the East and the Six wives of Henry VIII.

Rick is now pleased to be offering his fans the chance to owns some of the pieces which have sculpted his sound across his extensive career. Please find details on the following link

Click here >

 

 

Wow! Some nice vintage gear there.

 

Just a few observations:

 

If he is selling so much gear of this calibre, what is he actually keeping.

 

Those Taurus bass pedals are probably one of the nicest and rarest things being offered. Not too many bands ever used them so seeing them second hand is kinda special.

 

If you look at the yellowing of many of the ivory keys, you would have some major surgery to perform to bring them back to their best.

 

A lot of those units, despite their appeal, would be hard to repair as parts would be scarce and if available, pricey.

 

You would really be paying a super premium price for the provenance.

 

No warranty

 

Shipping

 

No spare parts in Australia

 

Who is Rick Wakeman anyway? ☺️

 

 

 

 

Edited by progladyte
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1 hour ago, needlerunner said:

Jeez Greg. No half measures with you buddy. Another excellent informative post from the prog maestro. Reckon it might take me the most of 2021 to wade through that lot.

? Ken

 

 

You're right Ken. It's getting ridiculous with all the prog stuff that I acquire.

 

I advised a lot of the labels, magazines, band managers, record companies etc that I no longer submit reviews but they still keep sending me stuff from time to time.

 

Now if they sent me red wine or chocolate.....................

 

 

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Hi fellow progsters.

Hoping your Christmas was as enjoyable as mine.

 

Two albums that arrived Thursday. Only awaiting one more to come, then have caught up.

Be perfect it it comes before the year is out.

 

Going to try and ease up next year (yer, l know: think l said that last year). But what an extraordinary year. I think l bought around 100 CDs this year.

 

Anyway back on topic. Sleep Token are an English prog metal band. But this album is quite melodic and l quite like it. Album is called Sundowning.

 

The other is Souvenirs by Dutch prog band The Gathering. So this is possibly the last album l will receive this year (hard to find too).

But quite possibly the best prog album l have heard this year. It has kicked Airbag from top spot.

Have been flogging it to death on Spotify. But man does it go to a whole new level on a decent system. The female vocal is some of the best l have heard. Very comparable to Lee Douglas from Anathema in terms of tugging at your heart strings and sonic goodness. This cd has not left my player since Thursday. And l can't see it leaving it for awhile yet. It is one of those albums whereby you hear something different each listen.

Ken. ?

16090405236955151382534552407861.jpg

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Thanks for the link Pat. I just checked some of those bad boys out.

 

For the benefit of anyone that does not use the excellent Dutch progressive rock website, check this one out

 

https://www.dprp.net/index.php

 

I've been using this site for ever and have found their reviews to be generally excellent, albeit a little long winded in some places but overall. their opinions often match my own thoughts on new albums and bands.

 

They have just released their top 10 writers list of prog albums for 2020. I have quite a few of them already and can vouch for the need for many of them to be included.

 

Check it out for some seriously worthwhile rekkids.

 

 

top%2Bwriters.jpg
 
 


To wrap-up this year, we asked 19 of the prog-scribes at DPRP.net to select their Top 10 albums of the year. This is the list of each reviewer's selections.

Scroll down to see what your favourite reviewers have selected (in reverse-alphabetical order), and to see how many of your top albums have made our lists!

Showing the strength-in-depth of the current progressive genre, no less than 136 different albums were selected. Only one album made it to the top of more than one list.

Our main feature, listing the overall Top 10 Progressive Rock Albums of 2020 can be read here!





 
 
wobbler.jpg
 
Thomas Otten
 
1. LogoS - Sadako E Le Mille Gru Di Carta
2. Wobbler - Dwellers Of The Deep
3. Briand Boursin Rohr - The View Inside
4. Melting Clock - Destinazioni
5. Different Light - Binary Suns Part 1
6. Kansas - The Absence Of Presence
7. Zopp - Zopp
8. Magenta - Masters Of Illusion
9. Pattern Seeking Animals - Prehensile Tales
10. SoundDiary - Anamnesis - Letter In A Bottle




 
 
Magenta.jpg
 
Theo Verstrael
 
1. Marillion - With Friends From The Orchestra
2. Magenta - Masters Of Illusion
3. Kaprekar's Constant - Meanwhile
4. Kansas - The Absence Of Presence
5. Magenta & Friends — Acapela 2016 & 2017
6. John Holden - Rise And Fall
7. Les Penning With Robert Reed — Return To Penrhos
8. Realisea — Mantelpeace
9. IO Earth — Aura
10. Steve Hackett — Selling England By The Pound & Spectral Mornings: Live At Hammersmith 
 
 


 
 
NDV-Invisibl.jpg
 
Stefan Hennig
 
1. The Cyberiam – Forging Nations Live
2. My Arrival - Satur9 & Indigo
3. Chimpan A – The Empathy Machine
4. DarWin – A Frozen War
5. Nick D’Virgilio – Invisible
6. Pallas – Close To The Wedge
7. Ayreon – Transitus
8. ReFrame – Reaching Revery
9. Chandelier – Live At Loreley
10. Lonely Robot – Feelings Are Good




 
 
Fish%2B-%2BWeltschmerz%2Babum%2Bcover.jpg
 
Patrick McAfee
 
1. Fish - Weltschmerz
2. The Pineapple Thief - Versions of the Truth
3. Kansas - The Absence of Presence 
4. Frost - Others EP
5. Marathon - Mark Kelly’s Marathon 
6. Pure Reason Revolution - Eupnea
7. Lonely Robot - Feelings are Good
8. Days Between Stations - Giants
9. Nik Kershaw - Oxymoron 
10. Magenta - Masters of Illusion





 
nicolas-meier-dewa-budjana-group-flying-spirits_orig.png
 
Owen Davies
 
1. Nicolas Meier, Dewa Budjana Group - Flying Spirits 
2. Dusan Jevtovic - If You See Me
3. Markus Reuter featuring Fabio Trentini and Asaf Sirkis - Truce
4. EH3 - Erland Helbø Trio - Improve Reality 
5. Zopp - Zopp
6. Sonata Islands Kommandoh - Quasar Burning Bright 
7. Sara Serpa - Recognition
8. Uç Uç - The Constant Fear of Being Judged By 
9. Das Rad - Adios al Futuro 
10. The Physics House Band - Metropolis
 
 
 


 
pendragon-love_over_fear.jpg
 
Matt Nevens
 
1. Pendragon - Love Over Fear
2. Kansas - The Absence Of Presence
3. Thomas Bergersen - Humanity Chapter II
4. Kyros - Celexa Dreams
5. Thematic - Skyrunner
6. Inner Odyssey - Into The Void
7. Caligula's Horse - Rise Radiant
8. Lee Abraham - Harmony/Synchronicity
9. Lonely Robot - Feelings Are Good
10. Chaos Divine - Legacies





 
Wire%2BMind%2BHave%2BCover%2BArt.jpeg
 
Martin Burns
 
1. Wire - Mind Hive
2. Elder - Omens
3. Motorpsycho - The All Is One
4. Lesoir - Mosaic
5. Annie Barbazza - Vive
6. The Tangent - Auto Reconnaissance
7. Odessey & Oracle - Crocorama
8. Pendragon - Love Over Fear
9. Snowdrops - Volutes
10. Ontologics - Heading To The Outer Realm





 
 
That%2BJoe%2BPayne%2B-%2BBy%2BName%2BBy%2BNature.jpg
 
Mark Hughes
 
1. Bill Fay - Countless Branches
2. Valerie Gracious, Steve Unruh, Phideaux - 71319 Live At Monforti Manor
3. Jakko M JakSzyk - Secrets & Lies
4. Haze - Back To The Bones
5. Richard Wileman - Arcana
6. Mariana Semkina - Sleepwalking
7. Phideaux - Lysogenic Burnt Offerings
8. That Joe Payne - By Name, By Nature
9. Jonathan Hultén - Chants From Another Place
10. A.A. Williams - Forever Blue




 
 
Fireworker.jpg
 
Jerry van Kooten
 
1. Yuri Gagarin - The Outskirts Of Reality
2. Dreamwalkers Inc - A Night At The Theatre
3. Nektar - The Other Side
4. Gazpacho - Fireworker
5. Pallas - Arriving Alive!
6. Vulkan - Technatura
7. Döda Havet - Tid och rum
8. Pure Reason Revolution - Eupnea
9. Slift - Ummon
10. Sólstafir - Endless Twilight Of Codependent Love



 
 
 
 
different%2Blight.jpg
 
Jan Buddenberg
 
1. Blue Öyster Cult - The Symbol Remains
2. Different Light - Binary Suns Part 1
3. Course Of Fate - Mindweaver
4. Soul Secret - Blue Light Cage
5. Subsignal - A Song For The Homeless (Live In Rüsselsheim 2019)
6. ZIO - Flower Torania
7. Dreamwalkers Inc - A Night At The Theatre
8. Chandelier - Live At Loreley
9. Kansas - The Absence Of Presence
10. TDW - The Days The Clock Stopped 




 
 
zio.jpg
 
Ignacio Bernaola
 
1. Briand Boursin Rohr - The View Inside   
2. Lucid Planet - II
3. Pure Reason Revolution - Eupnea.  
4. ṘO - Athalase
5. Pain Of Salvation - Panther
6. Chimpan A - The Empathy Machine
7. Mesmerising - The Clutters Storyteller
8. Zio - Flower Torania
9. That Joe Payne - By Name. By Nature
10. Inner Odyssey - The Void





 
 
elder%2Bomens.jpg
 
 
Hector Gomez
 
1. Pure Reason Revolution – Eupnea
2. Lunatic Soul – Through Shaded Woods
3. Pendragon – Love Over Fear
4. The Flower Kings – Islands
5. Fish – Weltschmerz
6. Elder – Omens
7. Zombi – 2020
8. The Pineapple Thief – Versions Of The Truth
9. Fates Warning – Long Day Good Night
10. Derek Sherinian – The Phoenix





 
 
Lee%2BAbraham%2BHarmony%2BSynchronicity.jpg
 
Geoff Feakes
 
1. Tiger Moth Tales - The Whispering of the World    
2. Steve Hackett - Selling England By The Pound & Spectral Mornings: Live At Hammersmith 
3. Lee Abraham - Harmony/Synchronicity
4. John Holden - Rise and Fall 
5. Pendragon - Love Over Fear  
6. Robert Reed - Cursus - 123 430   
7. Ayreon - Transitus  
8. Chimpan A - The Empathy Machine 
9. Nightwish - Human :II: Nature   
10. Magenta - Masters Of Illusion






 
 
soft%2Bmachine%2Blive%2Bpotato.png
 
Craig Goldsmith
 
1. Ozric Tentacles - Space for the Earth 
2. Redemption - Alive in Color
3. Fish - Weltzschmerz
4. Soft Machine - Live at the Baked Potato
5. Frost* - Others
6. Crippled Black Pheonix - Ellengaest
7. Pendragon - Love over Fear
8. Motorpsycho - The All is One
9. Maria Schneider - Data Lords
10. Cloudkicker - Solitude





 
pattern_seeking_animals-prehensive_tales.jpg
 
Chris Haggstrom
 
1. Fish - Welschmertz
2. Pendragon - Love Over Fear
3. Pattern-Seeking Animals - Prehensile Tales
4. Abel Ganz - The Life of the Honey Bee and Other Moments of Clarity
5. Kansas - The Absence of Presence
6. Novena - Eleventh Hour
7. Dave Brons - Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
8. John Holden - Rise And Fall
9. Caligula's Horse - Rise Radiant
10. Fish on Friday - Black Rain
 
 
 



 
katatonia%2Bcity%2Bburials.jpg
 
Calum Gibson
 
1. Katatonia – City Burials
2. Paradise Lost - Obsidian
3. My Dying Bride – Ghost of Orion
4. Solstafir – Endless Twilight of Codependent Love
5. Enslaved - Utgard
6. Mykur - Folkesange
7. Utilitarian – Fight War, Not Wars. Destroy Power, Not People
8. Dream Theater – Distant Memories
9. Ulver – Flowers Of Evil
10. The Ocean Collective - Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic/Cenozoic






 
 
Tangent.jpg
 
Bryan Morey
 
1. Pain of Salvation - Panther
2. Neal Morse - Sola Gratia
3. Haken - Virus
4. The Tangent - Auto Reconnaissance 
5. Glass Hammer - Dreaming City
6. Dave Brons - Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
7. Caligula’s Horse - Rise Radiant
8. Kansas - The Absence of Presence
9. The Flower Kings - Islands 
10. Nick D’Virgilio - Invisible




 
green%2Bcarnation.jpg
 
Andy Read
 
1. Green Carnation - Leaves of Yesterday
2. Lucid Planet - II
3. Into The Open - Destination Eternity
4. Vulkan - Technatura
5. Solstafir - Endless Twilight of Codependent Love
6. Pain of Salvation - Panther
7. Judicator - Let There Be Nothing
8. Jump - Breaking Point
9. Cryptex - Once Upon A Time
10. Outside In - Karmatrainh





 
jargon.jpg
 
André de Boer
 
1. Jargon - The Fading Thought
2. JPL - Sapiens chapitre 1/3 : Exordium
3. Abel Ganz - The Life Of The Honey Bee And Other Moments Of Clarity
4. Tiger Moth Tales - Still Alive
5. AYNO - 111
6. Built for the Future - Brave New World
7. Grandval - Descendu sur Terre
8. Arcade Messiah - The Host
9. Profuna Ocean - Continuation
10. Long Earth - Once Around The Sun
 
 


Our main feature, listing the overall Top 10 Progressive Rock Albums of 2020 can be read here!
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22 hours ago, needlerunner said:

Hi fellow progsters.

Hoping your Christmas was as enjoyable as mine.

 

Two albums that arrived Thursday. Only awaiting one more to come, then have caught up.

Be perfect it it comes before the year is out.

 

Going to try and ease up next year (yer, l know: think l said that last year). But what an extraordinary year. I think l bought around 100 CDs this year.

 

Anyway back on topic. Sleep Token are an English prog metal band. But this album is quite melodic and l quite like it. Album is called Sundowning.

 

The other is Souvenirs by Dutch prog band The Gathering. So this is possibly the last album l will receive this year (hard to find too).

But quite possibly the best prog album l have heard this year. It has kicked Airbag from top spot.

Have been flogging it to death on Spotify. But man does it go to a whole new level on a decent system. The female vocal is some of the best l have heard. Very comparable to Lee Douglas from Anathema in terms of tugging at your heart strings and sonic goodness. This cd has not left my player since Thursday. And l can't see it leaving it for awhile yet. It is one of those albums whereby you hear something different each listen.

Ken. ?

16090405236955151382534552407861.jpg

 

 

@needlerunner

 

Ken,

 

Here's an extract from rateyourmusic.com which will give you an unbiased number of ratings for the various albums by The Gathering.

 

As you can see, Souvenirs rates very well as does most of their middle period output.

 

If you are never sure about which albums to look at buying, checking out RYM first can often be a good means to see what other fans think.

 

As you can see from the clip, any title from Mandylion (1995( through to Home (2006) are probably worth getting.

 

As a general rule, any album that scores above 3.5 is pretty well assured to be a good if not excellent release while anything approaching or exceeding a 4.00 will be definitely worth having. I have found that concentrating on those albums that exceed 3.5 first, means I rarely score anything I would need to consider ditching later.

 

I'm not sure if you have got stuck into some other similar bands but have you tried any of these guys:

 

Bling Guardian

Kamelot

Epica

Anglagard

Anubis (Australia)

Apogee

Arena

Ayreon

Barock Project

Big Big Train

Brighteye Brison

Citizen Cain

Collage

Cosmograf

Eccentric Orbit

Enchant

Erik Norlander

Fates Warning

Flying Colours

Frost*

Galahad

Glass Hammer

High Wheel

I.Q.

Introitus

Haken

Izz

Jadis

Janos Varga Project

Karfagen

Kayak

King's X

Knight Area

Kotobel

Lands End

Like Wendy

Liquid Scarlet

Little Atlas

Little Tragedies (Russian)

Magic Pie

Magnum

Mastermind

Maxxess

Millenium

Mindgames

Missa Mercuria (Wow!)

Moon Safari

Mystery

Nad Sylvan (Steve Hackett's singer)

Neal Morse

Nemo

Nexus

Nightwish

Opeth (non growls only)

Paatos

Pendragon

Phideaux

Rick Miller

Resistor

Riverside

Rocket Scientists

Lana Lane

RPWL (Germany's Pink Floyd - excellent band)

Salem Hill

Satellite

Solaris

Shadow Gallery

Steve Thorne

Steve Unruh

The Samurai of Prog

Transatlantic

Vanden Plas

Unitopia

United Progressive Fraternity

Wobbler

Within Temptation

X-Panda (Wow!!!!!)

Stratovarious

The Tangent

The Watch

Threshold

The Flower Kings

 

I haven't included any retro prog material from Italy as that sits in another dimension altogether.

 

Also if you like female vocalists with some seriously worthwhile bands try these guys out but be aware some fall into the Celtic Rock sub-genre. Be overwhelmed with some gorgeous melodies too:

 

Clannad

October Project

Iona

Loreena McKennitt

Karnataka

Blackmore's Night

Renaissance

Magenta

 

plus heaps more......including a great band from Australia called Anubis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the most melodic guitarists you will ever hear. If you enjoy Sebastian Hardie, you need Wings of Revelation II - a truly stunning album

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tg.JPG

Edited by progladyte
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2 hours ago, progladyte said:

 

 

@needlerunner

 

Ken,

 

Here's an extract from rateyourmusic.com which will give you an unbiased number of ratings for the various albums by The Gathering.

 

As you can see, Souvenirs rates very well as does most of their middle period output.

 

If you are never sure about which albums to look at buying, checking out RYM first can often be a good means to see what other fans think.

 

As you can see from the clip, any title from Mandylion (1995( through to Home (2006) are probably worth getting.

 

As a general rule, any album that scores above 3.5 is pretty well assured to be a good if not excellent release while anything approaching or exceeding a 4.00 will be definitely worth having. I have found that concentrating on those albums that exceed 3.5 first, means I rarely score anything I would need to consider ditching later.

 

I'm not sure if you have got stuck into some other similar bands but have you tried any of these guys:

 

Bling Guardian

Kamelot

Epica

Anglagard

Anubis (Australia)

Apogee

Arena

Ayreon

Barock Project

Big Big Train

Brighteye Brison

Citizen Cain

Collage

Cosmograf

Eccentric Orbit

Enchant

Erik Norlander

Fates Warning

Flying Colours

Frost*

Galahad

Glass Hammer

High Wheel

I.Q.

Introitus

Haken

Izz

Jadis

Janos Varga Project

Karfagen

Kayak

King's X

Knight Area

Kotobel

Lands End

Like Wendy

Liquid Scarlet

Little Atlas

Little Tragedies (Russian)

Magic Pie

Magnum

Mastermind

Maxxess

Millenium

Mindgames

Missa Mercuria (Wow!)

Moon Safari

Mystery

Nad Sylvan (Steve Hackett's singer)

Neal Morse

Nemo

Nexus

Nightwish

Opeth (non growls only)

Paatos

Pendragon

Phideaux

Rick Miller

Resistor

Riverside

Rocket Scientists

Lana Lane

RPWL (Germany's Pink Floyd - excellent band)

Salem Hill

Satellite

Solaris

Shadow Gallery

Steve Thorne

Steve Unruh

The Samurai of Prog

Transatlantic

Vanden Plas

Unitopia

United Progressive Fraternity

Wobbler

Within Temptation

X-Panda (Wow!!!!!)

Stratovarious

The Tangent

The Watch

Threshold

The Flower Kings

 

I haven't included any retro prog material from Italy as that sits in another dimension altogether.

 

Also if you like female vocalists with some seriously worthwhile bands try these guys out but be aware some fall into the Celtic Rock sub-genre. Be overwhelmed with some gorgeous melodies too:

 

Clannad

October Project

Iona

Loreena McKennitt

Karnataka

Blackmore's Night

Renaissance

Magenta

 

plus heaps more......including a great band from Australia called Anubis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the most melodic guitarists you will ever hear. If you enjoy Sebastian Hardie, you need Wings of Revelation II - a truly stunning album

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tg.JPG

Thanks again mate. You are a Godsend for this site. Always value and enjoy your posts.

 

I don't always go by reviews. A case in point is Fish's new album. A lot of people rate it. I don't like it. I think it is one of his worst albums. I have had numerous listens. I just find it dull and uninspiring. But hey, that's just my view. Power to all that love it.

 

Find reviews helpful and useful at times, but l like to hear them for myself (streamed) then l purchase if l like.  If it doesn't gell after a couple of listens, then its a no go.

Most of my purchases get me in first listen, and usually by the 3rd song. Works for me. Have bought way too many albums based on reviews, never to grace the cd player again. Thank you Spotify. You have saved me a lot of money the last couple of years.

 

Time for a beer, me thinks.

? Ken

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1 minute ago, needlerunner said:

Thank you Spotify. You have saved me a lot of money the last couple of years.

 

Definitely agree.

It has certainly  saved me money but at the same time it has also cost me money, but I am getting what I like and not what I think I may like.:)

 

Bandcamp has the same effect.

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6 hours ago, rantan said:

 

Definitely agree.

It has certainly  saved me money but at the same time it has also cost me money, but I am getting what I like and not what I think I may like.:)

 

Bandcamp has the same effect.

Money well spent mate.

Just like a fine malt whiskey.

Never wasted, or undervalued....always appreciated.?

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Boxing Day special from Discrepancy records 

Updating one of my favourite records in my collection 

 

I decided to get myself a present 

Heard and read some great praise on this release of a favourite record


It’s the 2 LP remix of King Crimson- In the Court Of The Crimson King 


Quote

Lp1: All New 2019 Mixes By Steven Wilson Lp2: Alternate Album Featuring Tracks Mixed By Steven Wilson And David Singleton Packaged In Original Gatefold Sleeve 

 

https://www.discrepancy-records.com.au/king-crimson-in-the-court-of-crimson-king-50th-ann~978680
 

 

 

Edited by Full Range
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Evening fellow progsters,

 

Well having been a bit quiet on this forum for a while I thought I'd throw a few words together and give you a heads up on a site I have also been using for many years.

 

The site is called progstreaming.nl and was basically formed as a streaming site for prog bands to have their music exposed to the world via a user friendly medium. Nowadays it operates in conjunction with Spotify and Bandcamp. The motto of the idea is Hear, See, Like, Buy, Go

 

While a lot of the content featured on the site looks and sounds interesting, it can take forever to wade through all the potential albums one might like to acquire. This site allows you to play, (but not download unless you buy it), an album an unlimited amount of times via one of the embedded streamers, until the title is finally removed, some weeks or months after its initial release. Any title appearing on the site at the bottom of the page will be the oldest and hence may be removed soon so listen to those at the bottom first if they look interesting to you.

Some of the bands and artists may well be familiar to you already while some may be totally unknown. This post hopes to help wade through the riff raff and direct you towards the better albums or indeed, direct you to an earlier release by that band if it is better than the current one being offered. If I have not specifically included a band below, you may as well not bother with any of the others being offered as their ratings on RYM are pretty average or not even listed (yet).

Starting from the top of the list:

 

Il Bacio Della Medusa (Italian prog) - go to their earlier album from 2008 called Discesa agl'inferi d'un giovane amante .

 

Il Rovesco della Medaglia - Contaminazione 2 - (pick their earlier album from 1973 called Contaminazione. It's brilliant

 

Rick Miller - I have about 10 of his excellent titles but have opted to skip this one as it does not rate as well on RYM - refer to the attached list to pick a better title - there are plenty!

 

Lunatic Soul - Through Shaded Woods - Not a bad release and almost as good as their earlier ones. See the attached list for other potential ones. I might pick up their second album when time permits but will pass on the others, only concentrating on the ones that score better than 3.5 / 5.00

 

Millenium - The Sin - Very good and accessible Neo prog. Go fetch!!!

 

Wobbler - Dwellers of the Deep - Another excellent album from this consistently good band - Also refer to the attached list for others you might like.

 

Days Between Stations - Giants - Another good title almost as good as their other 2 - See list

 

John Petrucci - Terminal Velocity - 2nd solo album from Dream Theatre's excellent guitarist

 

Ozric Tentacles - Space For The Earth - I have opted to skip this one as I have a dozen or so earlier ones that rate better - See list

 

Isobar - Isobar - Just listened to this band for the first time as I type and I'm impressed. Members of America's Metaphor are on board. Great instrumental prog.

 

Il Balletto Di Bronzo - Bootleg - Skip this and get the excellent album called Ys from 1972

 

La Maschera Di Cera - S.E.I. - This band includes the excellent bass player and chief song writer, Fabio Zuffante,  for a lot of Italian prog bands including Hostsonaten, Aries, Finisterre and a heap of others.  S.E.I. is another decent album from the band but I prefer their earlier ones - See the list

 

Gazpacho - Fireworker - Another decent release from this prolific Norwegian band but not quite as good as their middle period output - See list for other recommendations

 

Pixie Ninja - Colours Out Of Space - Haven't tried this one but reviews seem OK at 3.47 / 5.00

 

David Minasian - The Sound of Dreams - His third and best album so far - His 2nd, Random Acts of Beauty,  is also excellent but you can skip the debut.

 

Ulver - Flowers of Evil - I have skipped on this one as earlier albums rate better.

 

Rick Wakeman - The Red Planet - Whoa! Where did this bad boy come from - Just get this OK?

The Pineapple Thief - Versions Of The Truth - This guy, (Bruce Soord), while quite prolific, has a style you either like or hate. I have also opted not to get this one as his middle period material rates higher. See list

DAYS BETWEEN STATIONS.png

Gazpacho.jpg

LA MASCHER DE CERA.jpg

Lunatic Soul.jpg

MILLENIUM.jpg

OZRIC 1.jpg

OZRIC 2.jpg

PINEAPPLE THIEF.jpg

RICK MILLER.jpg

RICK WAKEMAN 2.jpg

RICK WAKEMAN 3.jpg

RICK WAKEMAN.jpg

ULVER.jpg

WOBBLER.jpg

 

While you're at it, you can always check out probably the best site for music reviews and ratings in general for just about every album ever released (from every country)

 

Here's a link to the site for the band Il Balletto Di Bronzo

 

https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/il-balletto-di-bronzo/ys/

 

I hope this helps in your quest for some nu toons

 

Cheers

 

Prog

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As an adjunct to my previous post, I have included a snip for a Norwegian prog band called Pymlico.

 

As you can see, I have wish-listed one title from 2012 but as the rest of their catalogue has turned out to not score all that well since, (i.e. less than 3.5 / 5.00), I may simply delete this band altogether from my wants list as I have more than enough to keep me going anyway.

 

Similarly with a band called Telergy, their ratings have not been too inspiring so along with any prog reviews I may stumble across that might be more supportive of this band, I would err on the side of caution and go with what the majority feels. Sure, there are some, (many), exceptions to the rule and what impresses one listener may really not appeal to another and vice versa.

 

I have also been a strong supporter of the Dutch progressive rock page who offer some very extended reviews from a vast variety of reviewers and whose understanding of the music, matches my own beliefs and needs. That said, however, there are some titles that get a rave review from them but get dismissed by a lot of other people who rate their titles on RYM.

 

With many years under my belt of listening to prog music, I have found that with regard to reviews, the majority rules with just about most of the music I prefer. I simply don't have enough time to listen to all the albums I have so I certainly don't want to waster time listening to anything that is less than average.

 

Turning to Fish's latest album called Weltschmerz, I have only played this 3 times so far and am a bit underwhelmed. A few more spins should confirm this one way or another.

 

 

 

 

cheers

 

Prog

 

Telergy.jpg

pymlico.jpg

Edited by progladyte
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I have been listening to The Flower King's "Island" from 2020 and "Waiting for Miracles" from 2019, and those records rock my boat early on.

 

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Frockhard.de%2Fimgs%2F7949165_366130143a.jpeg&f=1&nofb=1

 

https://progreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/waiting-for-miracles.png

 

I may have to go to Inside Out music and order me some.... Amazing how they got the Elephant to balance on cards....

 

Cheers,

 

Alberto

 

 

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5 hours ago, progladyte said:

As an adjunct to my previous post, I have included a snip for a Norwegian prog band called Pymlico.

 

As you can see, I have wish-listed one title from 2012 but as the rest of their catalogue has turned out to not score all that well since, (i.e. less than 3.5 / 5.00), I may simply delete this band altogether from my wants list as I have more than enough to keep me going anyway.

 

Similarly with a band called Telergy, their ratings have not been too inspiring so along with any prog reviews I may stumble across that might be more supportive of this band, I would err on the side of caution and go with what the majority feels. Sure, there are some, (many), exceptions to the rule and what impresses one listener may really not appeal to another and vice versa.

 

I have also been a strong supporter of the Dutch progressive rock page who offer some very extended reviews from a vast variety of reviewers and whose understanding of the music, matches my own beliefs and needs. That said, however, there are some titles that get a rave review from them but get dismissed by a lot of other people who rate their titles on RYM.

 

With many years under my belt of listening to prog music, I have found that with regard to reviews, the majority rules with just about most of the music I prefer. I simply don't have enough time to listen to all the albums I have so I certainly don't want to waster time listening to anything that is less than average.

 

Turning to Fish's latest album called Weltschmerz, I have only played this 3 times so far and am a bit underwhelmed. A few more spins should confirm this one way or another.

 

 

 

 

cheers

 

Prog

 

Telergy.jpg

pymlico.jpg

 

 

I said from the get go that the new Fish album was sub-standard (my opinion only). Glad someone else agrees. Not knocking people that love it. From my perspective, l thought that this might be his defining glory. Sadly for me it wasn't, therefore disapointed. It might be his last, but not his best. Most of his albums are very good. He is also one of these artists who are brilliant live. For me, his best albums are his life ones. Sadly, never got to see him live (has he ever toured Australia)? His next tour (probably Europe only) will be an absolute cracker. Deserves a knighthood...Sir Fish ( but probably Sir Derek William Dick).

Absolute Legend.

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How many times have you played the new Fish CD Ken?

 

If you've played it more than 4-5 times, it should have sunk in by now so perhaps another spin in a week or 2 might alter your opinion. There have been so many times I played an album at least 3-5 times, put it away for a while and finally enjoyed it a few weeks later..

 

It will be interesting to see if it works for you as well.

 

Keep us informed.

 

 

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