Basil Francis

Opeth – The Last Will And Testament

As a longtime Dream Theater fan, Opeth has always been on my periphery (pun slightly intended). From the start, they were billed to me as “more metal than Dream Theater” which put me off exploring them, as I’m more interested…

Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band – Still Barking (20 Disc Boxset)

Dear reader, I’m Bonzoed out. When I took the reins in reviewing this mammoth twenty-disc boxset, I fully intended to explore every facet just as I did with Keith Emerson’s similarly-sized Variations. But after stumbling through five bizarre LPs and…

Various Artists – Lazy Days: The British Progressive Pop Sounds Of 1975

At the beginning of this year, I reviewed Patterns on the Window, which chronicled the year 1974 in terms of British prog, pop rock and pub rock. While I was disappointed that very little of the compilation could be deemed…

Dream Theater

Arena Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Tuesday, 29th October 2024 A year (almost to the day) before this very gig, Dream Theater announced the return of founding drummer Mike Portnoy. This wasn’t news I took happily as I was upset by the…

Alphataurus – 2084: Viaggio Nel Nulla

Of all the Italian progressive rock bands of the 70s, Alphataurus was one of them. Not blessed with the chops of Area, the creativity of PFM or the unique musical talent of Banco, this Milanese band produced one perfectly decent…

Eyes Of Blue – The Light We See: The Recordings 1969-1971 [3CD Box Set]

How often have you wished that obscure, short-lived band you once enjoyed had just made one more album? It doesn’t count when they reunite several decades later, of course, because their energy and influences will have changed completely. For some…

Rick Wakeman – Yessonata

It’s understandable that one could be sceptical of a release such as this. After all, Mr Wakeman has cashed in on his Yes connection as well as his own back catalogue more times than I can possibly count. Yessonata certainly…

Stackridge – Lost And Found: The Reunion Years 1999-2015 [4CD Box Set]

Esoteric’s Stackridge collection is finally complete after their string of (mostly 2CD) reissues of the band’s 70s albums last year, as well as the live 2CD+DVD of The Forbidden City released in April this year. It might seem like a…

Anubis – The Unforgivable

Early in my days as a prog rock reviewer, Anubis’s sophomore album A Tower of Silence fell into my lap and I was instantly smitten. While it only got an 8/10 from me at the time, I found that it…

Jade Warrior – Borne On The Solar Wind: The Vertigo Albums

Jade Warrior – a name that has cropped up many times in my exploration of 70s prog, but a path I’ve not had the courage nor motivation to travel down until now. By reputation, they’re a more psychedelic, experimental group…

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Author: Basil Francis