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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Sky

Sky

Review by Gary Hill

This was the debut album from Sky. It really set a high bar. The instrumental blend of sounds on the disc ranges from Alan Parsons like music to fusion and more. There are musical references I can make to everyone from Al Di Meola to Pink Floyd. This is quite a strong set.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2018  Volume 3. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2018.

Track by Track Review
Westway
The opening of this is sort of a cross of a Pink Floyd kind of thing and funk. It's basically just the rhythm section. As melodies start to emerge over the top I'm reminded a bit of Mike Oldfield. The cut gets into some almost King Crimson like moments, too.
Carillon
Mellow elements start this, basically piano and acoustic guitar. It grows outward gradually from there. It gets a bit more powered up right near the end, but overall remains a mellower piece.
Danza
With some definite old world music elements at play, this rises up into a cool folk prog styled number. It works through some shifts and variants of its main musical themes. There is some killer melodic guitar soloing over the top further down the road.
Gymnopedie No. 1
Sedate and slowly moving, this is quite a pretty piece of music. It has an element that makes me think something like Synergy quite a bit.
Cannonball
A much more energized and rocking number, this is such a cool jam. There are things here that make me think of Alan Parsons Project. Other parts have more fusion built into them. The guitar soloing is all rock music, though. There are some unusual shifts and turns built into this thing.
Where Opposites Meet

Taking up a full side of the original vinyl, this multipart suite is the epic of the album. This rises up gradually with an Alan Parsons meets fusion kind of vibe. That works through and things drop back for a while to a mellower motif that's still rooted in the same musical genre mix. A more rocking guitar rises up slow lines of sound. Eventually there is a shift to a cool section with intricate guitar and harpsichord. This movement again makes me think of Alan Parsons to a large degree. There are also elements that make think of Al Di Meola. This thing works through so many cool shifts and changes. I love mellower movement after the ten minute mark. It has some exceptional guitar work built into it. Before it gets to the eleven minute mark they have taken us into some more powered up stuff to move it forward. It turns into more of a mainstream rock mode further down the road. As it expands outward from there it gets into more of that Alan Parsons like territory. An acoustic guitar section around the seventeen minute mark makes me think of Steve Howe a bit. A false ending is heard after that. Then some keyboards rise up in a pattern that calls to mind Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells." They shift out to more rocking territory, again feeling a bit like Alan Parsons as they drive onward. That segment eventually takes this to its close. This is a dynamic and intriguing piece of music from start to finish.

 
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