As I sat down to do a retro review of the single of "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes," I realized that I've never reviewed this album. I decided to resolve that issue.
This anthology of songs from John Wetton is quite strong. It’s not all progressive rock, and for the most par even when it lands there, it’s more in the AOR end of the spectrum.
Asia - Asia Review by Gary Hill When this group rose from the ashes of a dying Yes it seemed like a dream come true for progressive rock fans. Take two parts Yes (OK – one and a half maybe since Geoff Downes was only on one Yes album) in the persons of Geoff Downes and Steve Howe, one third of Emerson Lake and Palmer (Carl Palmer) and add in John Wetton (King Crimson, UK) and make a band. More...
UK - Danger Money Review by Bruce Stringer This being the only studio album from the scaled down, three-piece lineup of Eddie Jobson, John Wetton and Zappa alumni Terry Bozzio, there is so much to live up to and the obvious question is: does it? More...
Alan Simon consistently creates compelling music. It's generally of the prog rock variety, but lands more along the lines of rock opera or even musical theater.
Asia - Fantasia – Live In Tokyo Review by Gary Hill Yes fanatic and general prog head that I’ve always been, when Asia released their debut disc, I was all over it. They were the progressive rock supergroup of the time and they delivered with a killer disc. More...
Asia - Fantasia - Live in Tokyo DVD Review by Gary Hill Asia fans rejoice, the reunion tour is now presented in DVD. I covered the CD release in detail, so you might want to check that out for the specifics about the music. Let’s just say that we get treated to a killer performance of Asia classics, King Crimson, ELP and Yes songs.
King Crimson - In the Court of King Crimson written by Sid Smith Review by Steve Alspach Few bands in progressive rock have a more colorful past than King Crimson. As Sid Smith says in the preface, the history of King Crimson is the "triumph of spirit over adversity. And sometimes the triumph of adversity."
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This new album showcases a lot of cool Beatles covers from a number of artists. It's actually compiled of tracks previously released on a number of albums.
John Wetton's known in some circles mostly for his prog rock work in bands like UK and King Crimson. His solo career, though, has a lot of AOR mainstream rock in it.
UK - Live In Boston Review by Bruce Stringer As one of the hardest working live acts in its day, it comes as no surprise that there were a number of radio show broadcasts made during UK’s short-lived existence. Besides featuring a stellar line-up of some of the best progressive rock musicians of the day (including ex-King Crimson and Yes members), the dominance of multitasking musical prodigy Eddie Jobson advanced the group into creative areas that pushed the envelope years ahead of its late ‘70s contemporaries.
Asia may not have been the first band to tour Russia but they certainly made their mark during this concert that was captured in 1990.By this time, the band had lost Steve Howe and replaced him with Mandy Meyer for the Astra album.
UK - Night After Night Review by Gary Hill The third, and final album by what was probably the first prog rock super-group (OK, other than ELP), this is a live album. Although Bill Bruford had left the band after the first album, his presence is still felt in the composition of a few of these tracks, but Terry Bozzio brings in his own style as the replacement. More...
Now this is more like it!I enjoyed the Payne fronted version of Asia also but if you are a purist, then Omega will certainly satisfy those cravings for original Asia material.
Wetton Manzanera - One World Review by Gary Hill In the late 1980’s two prog rock greats in the personage of John Wetton and Phil Manzanera recorded this disc. Let’s make one point clear here. This is included in the prog section based on who these guys are (and what the rest of their catalog is like).
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Asia - Phoenix Review by Gary Hill Unless you’ve been living in the proverbial cave for the last few years you probably know that the original lineup of Asia (Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and John Wetton has reunited). This is their first studio CD of the 21st Century.
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King Crimson - Red Review by Gary Hill For my money, Red is King Crimson's most consistent and powerful album. The disc combines the hard edged sound that I think works the best for Crimson with both highly accessible and very creative song writing to produce an album that holds up exceptionally well. More...
For me Red has always been King Crimson’s ultimate album. I know, there are those who will point to Larks’ Tongues…, but personally I think this one is more cohesive and to the point.
King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black Review by Gary Hill King Crimson have always been one of the most creative and innovative bands out there. When you expect them to jab they dodge and when you think they are going to dodge you’d better duck. More...
One of the cool things about these vintage Asia singles is that the song on the flip side is typically not included on the album. That makes these worth having.
Steve Hackett - Tokyo Tapes Review by Steve Alspach 1999 was a busy year for Steve Hackett. He saw the Original Masters releases of "Guitar Noir," "There Are Many Sides to the Night," and this CD, a 2 disc set recorded from a 1996 concert in Tokyo. More...
Peter Banks - Two Sides of Peter Banks Review by Steve Alspach The initial string-slinger in Yes, Peter Banks appears to have been overlooked in progressive rock annals in favor of his successor, but his work in Flash has stood up quite well to the years. On this album, Peter assembles an extremely strong group of progressive rock musicians, and the CD explores a wide range of musical styles. More...
