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June 2011 - Issue 88
Progressive Rock CD Reviews
Jon Anderson - Survival and Other Stories
Review by Gary Hill
This album, featuring collaborations Jon Anderson made with various independent musicians, was originally released last year, in a very limited release. 
Angelica - Angelica
Review by Larry Toering
In late 1997 (released in 1998) a thing of beauty was recorded between opera singers and rock guitarists called “Angelica.”
Ant-Bee - Electronic Church Music
Review by Gary Hill
Ant-Bee is basically the pseudonym for Billy James. 
Base 3 - Live from Earth
Review by Gary Hill
Those who enjoy instrumental prog that borders fusion and space rock will enjoy this release.
Jon Butcher - Pictures from the Front
Review by Larry Toering
Jon Butcher is a true talent of rare proportions, and this is a masterpiece of the AOR / prog variety which cannot be quite compared to anything he's recorded prior or since.
Cue - Five Steps to Happiness
Review by Gary Hill
A theatrical disc, this is a rock opera.
Djinn - Last Wish
Review by Gary Hill
When you’ve got an album with both Alan Davey and Bridget Wishart as the main contributors, comparisons to Hawkwind are obvious.
Glen Drover - Metalusion
Review by Gary Hill
Glen Drover is perhaps best known for his work with Megadeth and King Diamond along with his band Eidolon.
Emerson, Lake and Powell - Emerson, Lake and Powell
Review by Larry Toering
When Keith Emerson and Greg Lake enlisted Cozy Powell because Carl Palmer wasn't available at the time, I thought it was a strange idea.
David Gilmour - About Face
Review by Larry Toering
About Face is not your average run of the mill piece of work from David Gilmour, but that was the intended purpose, as he said when he released it.
Jeff Green - Jessica
Review by Gary Hill
Jessica is Jeff Green’s still-born daughter and this album is really a tale of coming to grips with that loss.
Todd Grubbs - Return Of The Worm
Review by Larry Toering
After his last outing Time, Space and Electric, Todd Grubbs returns with a strong and very playful concept. 
Guill and Jem - Two Signals
Review by Gary Hill
Putting together an album of purely instrumental music and having it work start to finish isn’t easy.
Steve Hackett - Out of the Tunnel's Mouth
Review by Gary Hill
This is the two CD edition of Steve Hackett’s Out of the Tunnel’s Mouth.
ing - Dial: An Operock
Review by Rick Damigella
It is safe to say that if you are an avid reader of Music Street Journal, then you are not only a fan of recorded song, but of live performance as well.
Jethro Tull - A
Review by Scott Prinzing
When Jethro Tull’s iconic singer/songwriter/flutist, et al, Ian Anderson set out to record this album, it was intended to be his first solo project.
Jethro Tull - Nightcap
Review by Scott Prinzing
Proving that Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson is one of the most prolific and consistently superior songwriters in rock, this double-disc collection compiles the entire abandoned album, dubbed the Chateau D’Isaster Tapes, recorded at the Chateau D’Herouville near Paris in 1973. 
Jethro Tull - Stand Up
Review by Dan Fredrickson
Unlike its predecessor, This Was, this album sounds like Jethro Tull.
Jethro Tull - This Was
Review by Dan Fredrickson
According to Jethro Tull’s website, This Was got its name from Ian Anderson who wanted to make a statement that the record's blues sound reflected a temporary nature of the band's sound.  
Jethro Tull - War Child
Review by Greg Olma
Jethro Tull really switched gears with this 1974 release.  
Lisa LaRue/2KX - Fast and Blue
Review by Mark Johnson
2KX is the permanent band formed from the recent international prog endeavor, Lisa LaRue Project 2K9.
Kerry Livgren - /AD - Timeline
Review by Scott Prinzing
After Kerry Livgren’s excellent solo debut in 1980, he waited a few years before his second.
Marillion - Live From Cadogan Hall
Review by Gary Hill
Marillion are included in the progressive rock section of Music Street Journal because in the beginning they were very definitely prog. 
The Memorials - The Memorials
Review by Rick Damigella
The debut from The Memorials is the kind of album that fans of heavy, complex music who are thirsting for something new and original with which to fill their ears will definitely appreciate.
Jeremy Morris - Alive
Review by Gary Hill
Although there’s no question that not everything here fits as progressive rock, there’s a lot of prog throughout and Jeremy’s other music is prog, so this one’s getting included in that category.
Musica Cthulhiana - Fragment
Review by Gary Hill
While this is really more like dark electronic music, I’ve included it in the progressive rock section because it really isn’t that far removed from some stuff by other electronic groups that get set in prog.
Nektar - A Tab in the Ocean (Deluxe Edition)
Review by Gary Hill
This is a reissue of the classic A Tab in the Ocean album from Nektar. 
Nektar - Remember The Future (Deluxe Edition)
Review by Larry Toering
This is the fantastic deluxe edition of one of Nektar's best.
Phideaux - Snowtorch
Review by Gary Hill
I’m going to make a bold statement here and say that Phideaux is arguably the best new progressive rock band on the planet.
Pilgrim Speakeasy - A Ruff Guide To..Pilgrim Speakeasy
Review by Gary Hill
Pilgrim Speakeasy albums are always cool.
Planet P Project - Planet P Project
Review by Larry Toering
Tony Carey spent some time putting together these tunes to have an outlet for a side project between solo albums.
Queen - Queen
Review by Greg Olma
The Queen catalogue is finally getting the deluxe treatment so I feel it is only fitting to take things all the way back to the beginning.  
The Rick Ray Band - Can’t Lie Hard Enough
Review by Gary Hill
Although this disc isn’t necessarily a tight fit into progressive rock, it really kicks and virtually every song has some prog built into it.
Childe Roland - At The Mountains of Madness & Other Strange Songs
Review by Gary Hill
While Child Roland’s Underground disc wandered near to progressive rock, this one truly crosses the line into that genre.
Klaus Schulze - Big in Japan
Review by Gary Hill
Apparently there is truth in advertising as Klaus Schulze is big in Japan.
The Society of the Yellow Sign - The King in Yellow
Review by Gary Hill
Coming from many of the same people who brought us Strange Aeons, and it resembles that release in a lot of ways, although the story here seems more coherent. 
Matt Stevens - Ghost
Review by Gary Hill
It can be difficult to create an entirely instrumental disc and maintain a real sense of vitality.
Chris Taylor - Nocturnal
Review by Gary Hill
Fusion is, by definition, a combination of rock and jazz sounds.
Eric Woolfson - Eric Woolfson Sings the Alan Parsons Project That Never Was
Review by Scott Prinzing
For such a successful songwriter, keyboardist and sometimes vocalist, Eric Woolfson was relatively anonymous as essentially one-half of the Alan Parsons Project. 
Eric Woolfson - Poe: More Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Review by Scott Prinzing
After the Alan Parsons Project called it a day, primary songwriter Eric Woolfson went on to produce several works for musical theater.
Metal/Prog Metal CD Reviews
Black 'N Blue - Hell Yeah
Review by Larry Toering
Black 'N Blue have come a long way after all this time, and this long awaited release did not come easily or quickly at all. Jaime St. James is revitalized, as are the whole band. 
Degradation - Juggernaut
Review by Travis Jensen
When you think of thrash metal, bands that naturally come to mind are probably Slayer, Sepultura and Biohazard just to name a few.
Electric Wizard - Black Masses
Review by Gary Hill
You kind of know what you’re going to get when the new Electric Wizard album arrives.
Evergrey - Glorious Collision
Review by Gary Hill
When they released Monday Morning Eclipse, Evergrey took to pulling their sound a bit toward numetal, and I’d say that was a mistake.
Ian Gillan with Tony Iommi and Friends - Who Cares (Single)
Review by Larry Toering
This is the first time Ian Gillan and Tony Iommi have done any recording on the same project since 2006 when Iommi guested on Gillan's Inn, a career retrospective dual disc of re-recorded classics of Gillan's.  
Hell - Human Remains
Review by Mike Korn
Around 1985, I was a huge fan of the British fanzine "Metal Forces.”
Inquisicao - Reborn
Review by Larry Toering
This review lacks somewhat in details because they're from Brazil and my Portuguese is much worse than my Spanish.
Jag Panzer - The Scourge of the Light
Review by Gary Hill
Hearing this album without consulting information on the band, I thought they would be European. 
The Rods - Vengeance
Review by Mike Korn
In the opinion of many, The Rods should have been one of the biggest metal bands of the 1980s and beyond.
John Tapella - Excalibur
Review by Gary Hill
This album is good, but a bit uneven.
Thunderdikk - Magnum Love
Review by Rick Damigella
When was the last time you had fun listening to a band? I’m talking about real fun.
Non-Prog CD Reviews
Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding
Review by Mark Johnson
Beady Eye includes singer Liam Gallagher, guitarist Gem Archer, and bassist Andy Bell, who were once the core members of Oasis from 1999-2009.
Danielle Bloom - Meet Me in the Middle
Review by Mark Johnson
Nashville based Danielle Bloom, describes herself as a “kick-a**, hard driving, rock-n-roll goddess,” on her MySpace page.
Creepersin - The Rise Of Creepersin
Review by Gary Hill
The whole genre of horror influenced punk is pretty cool.
Christopher Cross - Doctor Faith
Review by Gary Hill
Christopher Cross certainly had a string of hits way back when.
Pee Wee Ellis - Tenoration: from jazz to funk and back
Review by Gary Hill
As the sub-title of this album (and the separate disc titles) suggest, this album works in a jazz motif that at times (on the first CD) is quite funky.
Fairport Convention - with Sandy Denny - Ebbets Field 1974
Review by Larry Toering
Fairport Convention with Sandy Denny are captured in what might not be their exact finest hour.
Rory Gallagher - Irish Tour...
Review by Gary Hill
This is a reissue of a live recording of Rory Gallagher.
Jeff Healey - Get Me Some
Review by Larry Toering
After a blessed life for its creator, Jeff Healey's music will never die.
Kingdom Come - Rendered Waters
Review by Gary Hill
When Kingdom Come first emerged way back when, I remember being drawn to them because of the Led Zeppelin-like sound.
Lez Zeppelin - Lez Zeppelin I
Review by Gary Hill
How does one go about reviewing a disc like this?
Duff McKagan’s Loaded - The Taking
Review by Gary Hill
Duff McKagan is best known as a founding member of both Guns N Roses and Velvet Revolver.
Nazareth - Big Dogz
Review by Gary Hill
One look at the cover of the new Nazareth disc gives the impression that the band is looking to get back to their roots. 
Brian Robertson - Diamonds and Dirt
Review by Gary Hill
Brian Robertson is best known for his work with Thin Lizzy (and a very brief stint with Motorhead), and this is his first solo album.
Childe Roland - Underground
Review by Gary Hill
Childe Roland’s music sits in the territory of psychedelic music, but also garage band sounds and David Bowie type glam.
Yvonne Schmidt - Foolproof
Review by Lisa Palmeno
Buffalo’s fabulous Miss Y is back with a new CD sure to please all blues lovers, some who love country, and even gospel fans.
Michael Stanley - Just Another Night
Review by Larry Toering
After many years without a thought about Michael Stanley it's nice to be reminded with such a quality product.
Tower of Power - 40th Anniversary
Review by Eric Meli
Tower of Power has been creating their unique brand of soul since Emilio Castillo and Stephen "Doc" Kupka met in 1968. 
Various Artists - Sin-Atra
Review by Gary Hill
Featuring hard rocking adaptations of Frank Sinatra songs, this is kind of a mixed bag.
Ben Waters - Boogie 4 Stu – a Tribute to Ian Stewart
Review by Gary Hill
What an amazing set this is.
DVD/Video Reviews
Rory Gallagher - Irish Tour ’74 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Jimi Hendrix was once asked in an interview what it was like to be the greatest guitarist in the world.
Heaven and Hell - Live Radio City Music Hall 2007 BluRay
Review by Gary Hill
When this was originally released on DVD, Greg Olma reviewed it for Music Street Journal.
Lemmy - 49% Motherf**ker 51% Son of a B***h DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Fans of Lemmy should definitely dig this DVD. And, really, who can possibly know who Lemmy is without being a fan of Lemmy?
Various Artists - A.I.M.S Gala - One Night Only - Live At The Royal Albert Hall DVD
Review by Gary Hill
If you like rock and roll, this is a DVD to have. It’s a 1998 performance for Bill Wyman’s A.I.M.S. (Ambitions, Ideas, Motivation, Success) project.
Rick Wakeman - Made in Cuba DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Fans of Rick Wakeman don’t often get to see him performing solo live.
Wishbone Ash - A Rockumentary...This Is Wishbone Ash DVD
Review by Gary Hill
The very first thing that should be mentioned in regard to this DVD is that it’s a PAL release. That means that standard DVD and BluRay players in the US can’t play it.
Interviews
Ant-Bee
Interview by Gary Hill

Interview with Billy James of Ant-Bee from 2011

Black 'N Blue
Interview by Larry Toering
Interview with Jaime St.James of Black ‘N Blue from 2011
Clutch
Interview by Gary Hill

Interview with Jean-Paul Gaster of Clutch from 2011

Sevendust
Interview by Peter Lizano

Interview with Clint Lowery of Sevendust from 2011

Concert Reviews
Amon Amarth - Live in Chicago, April, 2011
Review by Peter Lizano

What was billed as “An Evening With Amon Amarth” started the first stop on the tour in Chicago for a sold- out show at the Bottom Lounge. 

Degradation - Live in Dekalb, Illinois, April 2011
Review by Travis Jensen

If you have ever been to The House Café in downtown Dekalb, then you are probably aware that it is a great place to see live music, as well as an atmosphere that welcomes bands that aren’t your typical bar-bands.

Rush - Live In Chicago, IL, April 2011
Review by Greg Olma

I have seen Rush in concert many, many times but these last couple of shows in Chicago have been among their best. 

Thin Lizzy - Live In Chicago, IL, April 2011
Review by Greg Olma

There have been countless discussions on whether Thin Lizzy should be out there doing tours without Phil Lynott. 

UFO - Live In Milwaukee, WI, May 2011
Review by Greg Olma

I have always been a UFO fan.  The guitarists that have collaborated with Phil Mogg have always been top notch. 

 
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