Tag: progressive rock

atila - the beginning of the end
Vinyl

Atila: El Principio Del Fin (1975)

Blind buys are always a crapshoot, and any criteria you use to make a judgement on a band or album will always only take you so far. Case in point: I read about the debut album from Spain’s Atila on the LaserCD website, and admit I was taken in by lines like “Originally released in 1975 by the obscure New Promotion label in an alleged tiny pressing of 100 copies the album has reached “monster” status among die-hard collectors worldwide, sometimes reaching the 1500€ tag.” So the idea of grabbing El Principio Del Fin (or The Beginning Of The End) in a remastered reissue with liner notes and a bonus CD of an alternate cut of the album sounded great. And…it’s fine? Also I could have just grabbed the digital version on Bandcamp for about $10? Oh well, it still sounds pretty good.

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uriah heep - salibury
Vinyl

Uriah Heep: Salisbury (1971)

Despite my love and recent purchases of the later, most current iteration of Uriah Heep – Living the Dream and Into the Wild are killer modern rock records – there’s nothing like that classic, early 70s incarnation. Like their debut, sophomore record Salisbury has a different track order depending on if you have the UK or the US version, and while the original UK would have been a better selection (you can’t beat opening with “Bird of Prey”), you can’t throw a rock in a record store here without hitting at least three copies of the US pressing for under $8. On the upside, wicked cover art, though.

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steve hackett - please don't touch
Vinyl

Steve Hackett: Please Don’t Touch (1979)

If Voyage of the Acolyte was anything, it was the expected thing from Steve Hackett. A synthesis of his progressive rock chops honed from his time in Genesis and his penchant for more pastoral, classical arrangements. And beautiful guitar playing, of course. So the surprise of the left turn he takes on his sophomore solo album makes Please Don’t Touch perhaps makes the album more of a delight than I anticipated. Hackett recorded in the United States, working with a number of incredible vocalists and a killer’s row of backup musicians, and the variety of styles on display makes this a delight, my current go-to record for lifting the spirits.

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steve hackett - voyage of the acolyte
Vinyl

Steve Hackett: Voyage of the Acolyte (1975)

It was a difficult walk. We had a fight just before then, and because I wasn’t sure if it was going to continue I kept my headphones off in case I needed to listen and respond. She put hers on first, and I I did the same, reaching for something to get lost in. I’d been so enamored of Steve Hackett and his live series of discs covering large swaths of the Genesis catalog I had largely foregone his actual solo output. I found a great 1st US pressing of his debut Voyage of the Acolyte on Discogs, spun it up (virtually) and proceeded to get lost.

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quella vecchio locanda - quella vecchio locanda
CD

Quella Vecchio Locanda: Quella Vecchio Locanda (1972)

When in Rome…you get an afternoon to yourself, put your headphones on, and roam the streets looking for records stores. It wasn’t long before I found myself in front of Discoteca Laziale, a gorgeous marbled floor sanctuary for all manner of CDs and vinyl. My goal was some Italian progressive rock (again, when in Rome…) and was not surprised that Rome, like everywhere else, treats progressive rock like an unwanted step-child, relegating the vinyl to two unmarked boxes in the back and a small corner for CDs. Still, I grabbed the eponymous debut from Quella Vecchio Locanda (translated as “That Old Inn”) for just €9, and its blend of Jethro Tull-inspired folk rock with a heady dose of classical elements and symphonic arrangements made for a great travel companion throughout the first part of my trip to Italy.

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cargo - cargo
CD

Cargo: Cargo (1972)

Another fast review of a “lost” band, this time the Dutch progressive rock band Cargo, forming in 1970 under the name September, releasing a few singles, changing personnel and name, recording a single album and breaking up shortly thereafter. I’m sure that’s a trajectory hundreds if not thousands of bands fell victim to during the same period, and truth be told Cargo the eponymous album doesn’t sound like progressive rock to my ears. Sure, it’s only four tracks with two going over the 10-minute mark, but musically this falls into a Wishbone Ash classic hard rock vein to my ears, so if that’s more your thing than twisty time changes and copious keyboards Cargo might fit the bill as a lost gem.

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