Europeans - Recurring Dreams (1984)

Europeans - Recurring Dreams (1984), Intact Records

    Believe it or not this band's music and I go wayyyyyy back.  Many moons ago I snagged the vinyl of their first 2 albums and an EP (remember EP's?).  I bought these of course as Marillion new member at the time Steven Hogarth was on the vocals and I had just really got into Season's End album and needed more Hogie !  I sold off my vinyl years later and kicked myself for letting this album slip thru my fingers....but then I was delighted to see that this album was re-released and the rest is history.   The Europeans are not Marillion nor are they all that purely progressive...more of a mix of Level 42 meets XTC meets Big Country.   The sound is definitely 80's sounding but the music is quire excellent and the album offers a pretty solid listen.  Fans of Marillion I think will like this as it features Hogarth on a good chunk of the album on vocals.  

Alphataurus (1972)

Alphataurus - 1973, Vinyl Magic (2011 Remastered)

  I have been a huge fan of the 70's Ital-prog scene for a long time with this debut album still remaining one of my favs of the genre!   This 5 piece band from Milan created one of the great progressive rock albums IMHO with a magical mix of heavy and symphonic elements.  It was a shame that they only got to release really one album in their lifetime from this golden era.  The folks at Vinyl Magic have remastered this album finally from the original tapes and the album sounds like nothing you have heard before from them. 

The Wakami Wailers - Waltz With The Woods

  For those of you who have spent time camping in Ontario's Provincial Parks, you may have heard of The Wakami Wailers. They have been performing their wonderful folk tunes depicting life in Ontario from times gone by for 30 years. They have recorded 3 CD's, of which this is the 2nd from 1993. Their other two releases focus around the life of Ontario's logging camps in the 1800's. Their versions of traditional logging songs are combined with some original tunes that highlight their exquisite playing and vocal harmonies.

Waltz With The Woods is inspired by the natural beauty and stories of Ontario's Provincial Parks. It was recorded at Northumberland Studios in Campbellford Ontario. The sound is dynamic, clear, and detailed and showcases these beautiful songs wonderfully. The Wailers are superb multi-instrumentalists and consist of...
Robert Hollett - guitar, vocals
Michael Bernier - fiddle, mandolin, vocals
Mark Despault - guitar, banjo, concertina, vocals
Jeff Allen - spoons, raconteur
They are supplemented on this recording by Andy Thompson (bass, accordion, keyboards & effects) and Bernie Martin (accordion, bodran).

To reminisce about what life & music was like back in the pioneering days of the 1800's, and for some feel good music played by four musicians devoted to their craft, you can do no better than listening to The Wakami Wailers! If you are lucky enough to be in one of Ontario's Provincial Parks in the summer when they are performing, make sure you don't miss them.

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (2004)

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral - deluxe edition (SACD)

  There should be 2 warnings on this album cover.......one that there is some offensive lyrics and secondly that there is some offensive music !    I will tell you that this music is not for the faint at heart!  And for many this many sound like a whole lot of noise vs music.  Ok so symphonic music it isnt!   But there is something deeply moving for me about this album and I find myself coming back to it still with a degree of regularity.  NIN's is the genius of Trent Reznor who virtually singlehanded wrote and performed a lot of the instrumentation on this album with guest appearance by Adrian Belew (King Crimson) .   The end result is a huge wall of mayhem soundscape that ebbs and flows from heavy and dark gutteral chunks to light and delicate passages.   Song by song we are strung along to the beat of Renzor's industrial nightmares and dreams.   Wow this album is truely mean ! 
  Be careful with this one but for those adventurous enough to take the plunge into the Downward Spiral I think you will find the truth !

Nick Drake - A Treasury ('70 - "72) SACD

Nick Drake - A Treasury (1970 - 1972) Island Records (SACD)   
  The music of Nick Drake is somthing that lives within you.   Although I have all his albums I had to pick up this SACD compilation of 15 tracks coded in 5.1 with great care.   Of course most of his fav's are here and it is a real pleasure hearing these songs in SACD with even better clarity and tone that on the standard CD layered releases.  Brilliant music !

Cheap Trick - Heaven Tonight (1978)

Cheap Trick - Heaven Tonight, 1978 CBS Records Epic

   Cheap Trick were a band I was into during my highschool days !  Dream Police and Heaven Tonigjht are absolute classic albums of powerpop.  Title song "Heaven Tonight" is one of my personal favourite powerpop rock songs of all time.  

Colin Blunstone - One Year (1971)

Colin Blunstone - One Year , 1971 Epic Records
  
  Colin Blunstone has the voice of an angel !   And while this album is miles away from Odyssey and Oracle it is still an excellent album.   Colin was of course of the soft caressing voice behind the Zombies and managed post psych era to release a couple of excellent albums....Ennismore and Journey also are well worth picking up !  One Year is a softer album that focusses on Colin's vocals as the centrepiece with some great vocal harmonies and interesting songs. 

Isaac Hayes - Black Moses (1971)

Isaac Hayes - Black Moses, 1971 Stax Records

 Black Moses is one of the true defining moments of soul music !   A double album full of some of the most soulful singing moments ever caught on vinyl  !   With `Black Moses``, Hayes had firmly established himself as a progressive soul artist with his stretched out and well-developed R&B jams, as well as his husky-voiced sexy spoken "raps" that essentially became the key component of his signature sound.  

The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies (1971)

The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies, 1971 Konk Records

  Yes......if it wàs not for Lola I dont think this album would have ever seen the light....but thank god for Lola !    Muswell Hillbillies was the follow up to 1969`s controversial concept album ``Lola vs. the Powerman & the Money-Go-Round, Pt. 1` and was an album that remains to this day one of my personal favourite Kinks albums and is an album that does not boast a hit or a true single for the kinks!  Each song undoubtedly like the whole albums itself shares a similar theme, namely the lives of the working class which is conveyed thru Davies music and lyrics.  In classic Ray Davies style the whole album reflects the mood and theme of working class and carefully blends American and British roots music.

Ambrosia - Somewhere I`ve Never Travelled (1978)

Ambrosia - Somewhere I`ve Never Travelled (1978), Warner Bros. Records  
    After the release of their sensational debut album Ambrosia decided to enlist Alan Parsons as a producer and Andrew Powell to help create a bigger symphonic progressive rock album as follow up album....and that is exactly what they did.    Somewhere I`ve Never Travelled is a truely wonderful album full of both pop and prog genres with wonderful vocal harmonies and melodies that you can only dream of. 
  Somewhere I`ve Never Travelled is a magical album that I treasure like the early Alan Parsons albums ! 
 

Mansun - Attack Of The Grey Lantern (1997)

Mansun - Attack Of The Grey Lantern,  1997 EMI Records

   "Attack of the grey lantern" is one of those albums that you won't believe !    Very few new bands can deliver on a debut album the kind of punch, sting and depth that Mansun were able to do !   "Attack of the Grey Lantern" is a grandiose concept album which reaches heights that few bands can muster!  This album is a dark yet highly seductive blend of new wave, '90s indie rock and even PROGRESSIVE ROCK ! (happy Jimmy).  Fans of Kula Shaker, Blackfield and Marillion will love this album with it`s heavy lyrics, phased guitar work and excellent song writing.
  Mansun is the genius of Paul Draper who wrote all the music and lyrics to this modern day epic album !
  Oh yeah...I almost forgot.............this album even has some mightly mellotron !

The Nazz (1968)

The Nazz - S/T , 1968 Rhino Records

  When I was just a kiddy boo boo I picked up Utopia's "Deface the Music" mostly because of the album cover that was reminiscent of The Beatles.  Years later I started to track down Rundgren albums and more and more from Utopia.....until my uncle introduced me to his first real band called The Nazz.  I love all of the 3 Nazz albums but the debut is still my favourite of the lot!   Psychy and Beatles'esque with a good tinge of Garage Psych (Which I am a huge fan of).   The thing that will really surprise you are the great vocal harmonies and excellent melodies this band created.  It was a time of exploration musically and this album rises to the top of the US 60's psych albums for me.  Essential album !

Marshmallow Coasting (2000)

Marshmallow Coast - Coasting, 2000 Kidercore Records
  
  Marshmallow Coast is the genuis of avant-garde popster Mr. Andy Gonzales who may be best known for his work as a guest musician with Texas Psychonauts "Of Montreal".   But 'the Mallow' are really their own beast folks and this album is just killer !  Wildly original and bong-tastically psychedelic album with a folksy twang not unlike the Fleet Foxes actually in many ways.
  Coasting is a wonderfully creative album that after a few listens will become one of this summers great hits !    

NIghtmares On Wax - Mind Elevation (2002)

Nightmares On Wax - Mind Elevation (2002), Warp Records

  Nightmares On Wax (NOW) are the duo of George Evelyn and Robin Taylor-Firth and would be best known fo their house-techno fusion work from the late 90's.  Mind Elevation was the fifth album by this band and my favourite of the lot........Great bass and drum riff's and a huge wall of electronica without sounding overtly electronic.   Fans of Stereolab will love this stuff....a guess less Krautrock'ie and more soulful sounding though.   I love the hypnotic beats and wide range of tunes on this gem of an album.   I played this album last night as we sat around the pool enjoying a cocktail or two.....it really worked !