Cosmic Dreams:
This "concept" album related to an infamous rock'n'roll habit! Unfortunately the album sleeve didn't list the line-up, but it seems likely that Ken Hensley of Uriah Heep fame had a leading role. He recorded the Weed album during March 1971 in between the Uriah Heep albums Salisbury and Look At Yourself. Some members of the 1970/71 Virus line-up were also involved, Bernd Hohmann and Werner Monka at least and possibly their rhythm section as well. All six tracks were composed by the concert promoter Bobo Albes and Phillips' household producer Rainer Goltermann made sure the sessions in the Windrose Studios in Hamburg were preserved for posterity. The album comprised straight-forward heavy progressive blues-rock with twin guitars and organ to the fore, culminating in the excellent, long instrumental title track. Weed can be compared to other German heavy progsters of the era, such as Zarathustra, Blackwater Park, Epitaph and Armaggedon, as well as Ken Hensley's similarly obscure (Head Machine) album Orgasm dating from 1969 or 1970. The sleeve of the Weed album is quite noteworthy - a somewhat disgusting, middle-aged house wife is pictured, offering some 'weed' of an unknown nature! A fine album, but very rare and accordingly high priced at the collector's market.
ItalianProg:
Usually described as a "supergroup", Il Volo was a studio band formed by very popular musicians all coming from famous bands: Alberto Radius and Gabriele Lorenzi from Formula Tre, Mario Lavezzi from Flora Fauna Cemento and Camaleonti, Bob Callero from Osage Tribe and Duello Madre, Gianni Dall'Aglio from Ribelli, along with composer Vince Tempera who also had his own band Pleasure Machine.
With such a pedigree it's obvious that both albums are very well played, and enjoyable but not memorable, lacking originality.
An obvious similarity with Formula Tre is evident, along with a certain jazz-rock feel present throughout both albums, whose only distinctive element is the voice, missing on Essere o non essere?
The group disbanded soon after the second release.
genre: heavy country: uk quality : lossless (ape, cue, log, scans) time: 40'05" size: 225 mb issue: 1990
David Byron (vocals) Iain Clark (drums) Ken Hensley (keyboards) Mick Box (guitars) Paul Newton (bass)
side A: "Look at Yourself" (Hensley) – 5:10 "I Wanna Be Free" (Hensley) – 4:01 "July Morning" (Byron, Hensley) – 10:32
side B: "Tears in My Eyes" (Hensley) – 5:01 "Shadows of Grief" (Byron, Hensley) – 8:39 "What Should Be Done" (Hensley) – 4:15 "Love Machine" (Box, Byron, Hensley) – 3:37
01. Itch In My Brain 4:32 02. Love With A Thinker 3:18 03. Bring Me My Longbow 3:21 04. If I Didnґt Try 4:15 05. Too Much Water 4:46 06. Maybe I Could Change 4:17 07. Cry Baby 4:25 08. Wellcome To My Revolution 5:08 09. Winston Smith Takes It On The Jaw 3:21 10. I Will Wait - Todd Rundgren / vocals, guitar - Kasim Sulton / vocals, bass guitar - Roger Powell / vocals, keyboards - Willie Wilcox / vocals, drums
genre: neo heavy with harmony vocal country: us quality : lossless (wavpack, cue, log, booklet scans) time: 46'12" size: 329 mb issue: MFSL Gold
ProgArchves: UTOPIA was initially an ensemble, formed by TODD RUNDGREN as a counter-point to his solo work. Various musicians came and went, but the main stays of the band were ROGER POWELL (keyboards), KASIM SULTON (bass), and JOHN "willie" WILCOX (drums), and of course TODD himself handling the guitar work, all four members supplied both lead and harmony vocals.
Their first album "Todd Rundgren's Utopia" consisted of only four tracks! This was at the height of prog/fusion, and so the quality of musicianship was undeniably high. Between this and "Ra", the line-up was amended, until the four members noted were "the band". Further albums were forthcoming, with a more democratic look to the songwriting credits, but it was always Todd's band. Lead guitar, and most of the lead vocals, plus the major chunk of songwriting were his, this was not to the detriment of the other members, but the boss was always pre-eminent.
For your further listening pleasure, find the following albums. "Another Live", "Oops! Wrong Planet", "Adventures In Utopia", "Deface The Music", and "Swing To The Right". You may find the last couple too "poppy", but you have to realise that Todd Rundgren has always been, and still is, one of the best writers of the infamous "three minute ditty". However, if your taste is for ten-thirty minute, multi-part epics, you won't find many better than on the first two quoted albums.
Take half an hour out of your day, and listen to "The Ikon", the track which takes up the entire second side on the vinyl version of "Todd Rundgren's Utopia", I guarantee you will come away impressed.
From ProgrtessiveRock :
Violinist Darryl Way left Curved Air earlier in the year to form Wolf and assembled a remarkable collection of talent: a young John Etheridge had his professional start here on guitar, while Ian Mosley had previously drummed for Walrus. American Dek Messecar joined on bass and vocals, and King Crimson’s Ian McDonald produced the ensuing debut album. Needless to say, expectations were high. Way carried on his brand of Progressive rock, predictably mixing classical elements with heavy rock. The first side contains vocal numbers, though unfortunately Messecar’s voice proves non-descript. "The Void" clicks along and "Isolation Waltz" gets down right heavy; there’s a slightly psychedelic and spooky feel they’re aiming at and ultimately achieve. The second side is instrumental (with fairly democratic composition credits) and proves more successful. "Cadenza" is a regular hoot, highlighting Way’s acoustic violin and some nice clean guitar lines from Etheridge, while "Chanson San Paroles" features Way’s considerable keyboard skills. The band recorded a second album, Saturation Point, shortly after, as it was also released by Deram the same year. Wolf then added John Hodgkinson from If on vocals and cut what would be their final album, Night Music. In mid 1974, Way returned abruptly to Curved Air, ostensibly for a reunion tour to pay off an outstanding VAT bill. Ultimately he stayed on, bringing Wolf to an end. There’s a happy ending though: Etheridge joined Soft Machine and Messecar went on to Caravan. Mosley recorded an album with Dutch progressives Trace before winding up a founding member of neo-prog heavyweight Marillion in the 1980s.
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