In 1974, Camel were at a turning point. Their first album had not sold enough for MCA to retain them, but they were establishing a growing fanbase and were already creating a distinctive melodic/symphonic progressive sound. They were too good…
View More Camel – Earthrise: Live At The Marquee 1974
The Prophets introduce their new album with a statement of intent: this is “a mind’s journey to places where conflicts are overcome.” What’s more: “Those who give their time will be truly blessed.” If you’re going to make a record,…
View More The Prophets Of Zarquon – Galleon Ascending
Thea Gilmore has made 21 albums, and counting, across a diverse range of genres we can summarise as folk rock. The first, Burning Dorothy, was released in 1998, and a further six followed before we reach the period covered by this…
View More Thea Gilmore – My Own Private Riot 2008-2015 (7CD Boxset)
Concept albums taking mental health as their theme abound in progressive rock. The most well-known must be Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, and there are many more. Albums such as Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,…
View More Kindred Spirit Band – The Journey Within
Spriggan Mist are specialists in progressive folk rock. More specifically, they are a pagan folk rock band, as can be heard in their rich lyrics and seen in their stage presence – no more so than in the costume worn…
View More Spriggan Mist – The Glare
Gary Brooker, of course, will always be associated with Procol Harum. Starting with A Whiter Shade of Pale and continuing with a series of classic tracks and albums, they went their own way in progressive and, at times, classical rock,…
View More Various Artists – Remembering Gary Brooker (Boxset)
2022 was a seminal year for the current version of Tangerine Dream. They released a ‘new’ album, Raum, their second studio album since the death of founding member Edgar Froese in 2015. It was created with access to Froese’s Cubase…
View More Tangerine Dream – From Virgin To Quantum Years: Coventry Cathedral 22
A ‘melomaniac’ is defined as having ‘an inordinate liking for music or melody’ by Merriam-Webster. As Jamie Robertson tells his life story, it is anchored in the music he was listening to at the time – the records he bought,…
View More Jamie Robertson – Music Measures Memories: The Diaries Of A Melomaniac
Celeste is a project devised by Ciro Perrino, an Italian musician and composer. The project has a deep backstory, making an impact with their only official album in 1972. That prog rock essential, the mellotron, was a key part of…
View More Celeste – Anima Animus
When I first discovered Robert Reed’s albums, I thought they were a joke perpetrated by Mike Oldfield. Surely these must be Oldfield albums, somehow lost and now put out under a nom de plume? Reed’s albums sound as good as…
View More Robert Reed – Sanctuary IV