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February 2021 - Issue 146
Progressive Rock CD Reviews
Susan Alcorn Quintet - Pedernal
Review by Gary Hill
Fans of Rock in Opposition will find this to be familiar territory. The music is definitely freeform and strange.
Anyone - On the Ending Earth...
Review by Gary Hill
I struggled with where to put this release. The music here is dark and leans toward techno or industrial.
Vasko Atanasovski - AdrabesaQuartet - Phoenix
Review by Gary Hill
This is an unusual and intriguing album. It might not fit under the progressive rock heading.
Banging Colours - Hallucinogenic Treasures from the Convolution of an Imaginative Brain
Review by Gary Hill
This is pretty amazing. If you believe the story behind this (more about that shortly) this is a band that played famous clubs like the UFO in London on this 1960s.
Bass Invaders - Bass Invaders
Review by Gary Hill
As you might guess, I hear a lot of new music. It takes a lot to really excite me.
Xavier Boscher - Waterscapes
Review by Gary Hill
The latest set from Xavier Boscher, this is truly a solo effort as he does everything here.
Chest Rockwell - Ghost of a Man Still Alive
Review by Gary Hill
I am sure a lot of people will argue with this being put under the progressive rock heading. If you are looking for old-school 70s prog, you'll be disappointed.
Culpeper's Orchard - Mountain Music: Polydor Recordings 1971-1973
Review by Gary Hill
This is a compilation of music from a Danish progressive rock act that went by the name "Culpeper's Orchard." I really like this double disc set a lot.
The Cyberiam - Forging Nations LIVE!
Review by Gary Hill
This live set from The Cyberiam was recorded at ProgStock 2019.
Pablo Embon - In Your Skin
Review by Gary Hill
This upcoming digital release from Pablo Embon will be available on February 27th. It's definitely the kind of quality release I've come to expect from Embon.
Hawkwind - 50 Live
Review by Gary Hill
This new live disc from Hawkwind was recorded on their 50th Anniversary tour. Having seen Hawkwind live several times, I can tell you that I don't think there is ever a disappointing Hawkwind show.
Helmet of Gnats - Travelogue
Review by Gary Hill
This album is an instrumental set. This quartet hails from Connecticut and create a brand of music that has plenty of fusion built into it, but also plenty of hard rock, pure prog, space rock and more.
Illuminated Minerva - Enigma Adamantine
Review by Gary Hill
This new set is an instrumental one. That said, there are voices, but they are spoken ones, coming from sound bites of interviews and such.
The JCA Orchestra - Live at the BPC
Review by Gary Hill
"JCA" stands for "Jazz Composers Alliance." That fact should tell you that this live performance will include plenty of jazz.
Brent Magstadt - Fuse
Review by Gary Hill
This instrumental set is dramatic and intriguing. It has quite a wide range of sounds from jazz oriented to more pure prog and even some other things.
Tim Morse - The Archaeology Project: 2005-2020
Review by Gary Hill
This compilation set from Tim Morse is classy. I like the mix of sounds here.
Procol Harum - Something Magic: Remastered & Expanded Edition
Review by Gary Hill
This new edition of Procol Harum's Something Magic album is all class.
The Rick Ray Band - Acrylic Charlie
Review by Gary Hill
I have reviewed quite a bit of music from this band. Their sound, with its almost raw garage-band edge applied to jazzy progressive rock concepts is unique and entertaining.
The Reformation - Power Trip
Review by Gary Hill
We've reviewed several releases from The Reformation in the past at MSJ.
The Residents - Cube-E Box: The History Of American Music In 3 E-Z Pieces pREServed
Review by Gary Hill
This new box set celebrates an interesting era in the history of the Residents. With three albums they brought their own flavor to three types of American music - or perhaps movements.
The Residents - In Between Dreams: Live In San Francisco
Review by Gary Hill
The Residents' brand of sonic strangeness is not for everyone. I like it, but I completely understand why people don't.
Silverback Colony - I Want More (digital single)
Review by Gary Hill
This is just one song, so it's a single, but given the epic length of the piece, over eleven-minutes, it almost feels more like an EP.
These Curious Thoughts - A Decade in the Shadows
Review by Gary Hill
I have reviewed several discs from this act in this issue of Music Street Journal. This is a disc from 2015, and it showcases their usual blend of prog angles from psychedelia to alternative rock and more.
These Curious Thoughts - Inventing Dr. Sutherland and His Traveling Hospital
Review by Gary Hill
This is an intriguing set, but you can pretty much say that about everything from this act. This 2014 release is apparently a concept album that almost qualifies as musical theater.
These Curious Thoughts - Making Friends with the Universe
Review by Gary Hill
I'm reviewing a number of releases from this act in this issue. That is in addition to some others I reviewed in the past.
These Curious Thoughts - Xrays of the Imagination
Review by Gary Hill
You might notice that I have done quite a few These Curious Thoughts reviews for this issue. In fact, I think, with the ones already in the archives included, we might now have all their albums reviewed.
Trapeze - Medusa (3 CD Edition)
Review by Gary Hill
This is a classy set. I used to own the Medusa album on vinyl many years ago. I don't remember being all that impressed with it.
Various Artists - Living On The Hill: A Danish Underground Trip 1967-1974
Review by Gary Hill
This collection of music is very cool. Not everything here is prog, but the vast majority is at least proto-prog.
Metal/Prog Metal CD Reviews
Death Angel - The Enigma Years 1987-1990
Review by Gary Hill
I have to admit that I never heard this band before I got this box set. Sure, I had heard of them, but I never actually heard them.
Dos Cobros - Synesthesia
Review by Gary Hill
I've landed this under metal, but that is only so accurate. I could just as easily have put this under non-prog.
Manowar - Black Wind, Fire & Steel: Atlantic Albums 1987-1992
Review by Gary Hill
This collection of three albums from Manowar is classy. It includes a poster and a booklet along with all three CDs (in separate cardboard album cover sleeves) in a cardboard clamshell box.
Warlock - True as Steel
Review by Gary Hill
Warlock may be no more (at least in name), but the music they created has really stood the test of time. It's a strong metal that fits well under the power-metal heading.
Non-Prog CD Reviews
The Adolescents - Russian Spider Dump
Review by Gary Hill
This is a new album from this vintage band. Part of the 1980s hardcore movement, Adolescents broke up for a while before getting back together in 2001.
Back Street Crawler - Atlantic Years 1975-1976
Review by Gary Hill
Back Street Crawler is an interesting act, that is perhaps almost more a music history footnote than anything else. That said, their music is strong enough that they deserved better.
Billion Dollar Babies - Battle Axe: Complete Edition
Review by Gary Hill
Long ago Alice Cooper was a band. The lead singer, Vincent Furnier took the name Alice Cooper as his own, but the first few albums were recorded by the band Alice Cooper.
Joe Bonamassa - A New Day Now (20th Anniversary Edition)
Review by Gary Hill
This is an intriguing disc. It's a re-master of Joe Bonamassa's first album.
The Burrito Brothers - The Notorious Burrito Brothers
Review by Gary Hill
The Burrito Brothers were one of the original country rock acts. It's good to know that they are still keeping the musical concept alive in the 21st century.
The Coasters - Rock
Review by Gary Hill
I would not call myself a fan of The Coasters. The kind of old-school vocal music they do is not a musical form that I like enough to make me a fan of these guys.
Dirty Box Nine - Radio Fiction
Review by Gary Hill
This set comes from a southern California outfit.
Gabriel Douglas - Darker Still
Review by Gary Hill
This new set is somewhat moody and dark, but I suppose you'd expect that given the title.
Duran Duran - Dreaming of Your Cars - 1979 Demos Part 2
Review by Gary Hill
This is a four-song EP that runs about 12 minutes or so long. These tracks were recorded by an early lineup of the band.
Fuzztones - NYC
Review by Gary Hill
This new album is so cool. It features covers of songs from the New York scene.
The Guilty Lenses - Somewhat Romance, Somewhat Poetry
Review by Gary Hill
This is an intriguing alternative rock set. It's often rough around the edges.
Stephen Jacques - Charmed to Death
Review by Gary Hill
This is a good album, but there are some songs that definitely miss the mark for me. The music is largely in the singer-songwriter vein, but lean toward classic rock and country a lot of times.
Ben Lang - Modern Man EP
Review by Gary Hill
This short collection of songs is perhaps more effective than it is consistent in terms of style.
Jerry Lee Lewis - The Ballads Of Jerry Lee Lewis
Review by Gary Hill
Bear Family Records really delivers quality. This new collection of Jerry Lee Lewis tunes is no exception.
Jack Spann - Jesus of New Orleans
Review by Gary Hill
This new CD single includes two versions of the same song. The tune has an intriguing sound that leans toward proggy art rock in some ways.
The Tea Set - Back in Time for Tea
Review by Gary Hill
This is an unusual album. It has a lot of varied elements and leanings that come together to create something cohesive and unique.
Various Artists - Bear Family Presents: The Shadow Knows More - 35 Scary Tales From The Vaults Of Horror
Review by Gary Hill
This collection of old music with spooky concepts is a class act. Then again, everything from Bear Family Records is class.
Various Artists - Right To Rock - The Mexicano And Chicano Rock'n'Roll Rebellion 1955-1963
Review by Gary Hill
The subtitle on this pretty well tells you what you need to know about the content of the compilation. It comes from Bear Family Records.
Various Artists - Talking On The Telephone - Rock 'n' Roll And Teen Pop
Review by Gary Hill
This collection of songs about telephones and telephone calls is a mixed bag. That's generally common of something like this, so it's not a big surprise.
The Vibrators - And Chris Spedding - Mars Casino
Review by Gary Hill
This new set from The Vibrators includes Chris Spedding on guitar. I bet you get that from the cover and title, right?
DVD/Video Reviews
Def Leppard - Historia – In The Round, In Your Face DVD
Review by Greg Olma
I’ll admit it, I was a huge Def Leppard fan back in the 80s.  When I first heard On Through The Night on the radio, I was hooked, and I was a first day purchaser of their records up until Hysteria. 
Evergrey - A Night to Remember DVD
Review by Greg Olma
Evergrey is one of those bands that I (unfortunately) got into later (when they released The Inner Circle). 
Outlaws - Live At Rockpalast 1981 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This new DVD/CD combo features a 1981 concert from The Outlaws. I guess you probably can gather most of that from the title, right?
Rush - Music In Review – The Essential Music Of The Seventies – Rush 1974-1981 DVD
Review by Greg Olma
Rush is one of those bands that seems to have gotten more popular through the years, but their most beloved music was created and released in the 70s and very early 80s. 
Interviews
Jon Anderson
Interview by Gary Hill

Interview with Jon Anderson from 2020

Iron Savior
Interview by Mike Korn

Interview with Piet Sielck of Iron Savior from 2020

Øresund Space Collective
Interview by Gary Hill

Interview with Scott Heller of Øresund Space Collective from 2020

 
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