Reviews

Top Ten Albums of 1998

While you have probably seen top-ten lists posted on rec.music.progressive and elsewhere this month. The Reels of Dreams Unrolled top-ten list is probably different in that it does not focus on new albums. The truth is that I simply don't buy new albums that much. It is not a conscious effort, it is just that there is still so much old stuff out there that interests me a lot more. So what's the point of the list? Or as Robert Fripp would ask, "What is its aim?" Well, it is three-fold. 1. To alert my readers to some great old albums they may not have yet. (I bet almost everyone reading this will find at least one album here they do not yet have.) 2. To satisfy my own ego in convincing myself people actually care what I think about prog rock. 3. To make some sort of ripple on the often motionless HTML sea that is Reels of Dreams Unrolled. So, without further ado, here are my favorite albums of the year and a few words about each of them:

TILT 1. Arti & Mestieri
Tilt
Cramps
1974
Four months after receiving it as a gift, I am still listening to this album a couple of times a week! The seamless melding of lyrical, symphonic Italian prog mixed with some furious jazz fusion may very well put this album in my top-ten of all time!
See full review.

2. Genesis
Archive 1967-75
Atlantic
1998
Maybe it's not fair to put a box set on this list, but this four-CD set of live and unreleased material from one of the biggest of the big boys of prog when they were in their prime is all that it should have been. The complete live rendition of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway alone is something Genesis fans have ached for for over 20 years. Absolutely essential for all prog fans.
See full review.

3. Echolyn
As The World
Sony 550
1995
I thought these guys sounded like weak, neo-prog pansies when I first heard them a couple years ago, but a more recent impulse buy in a local used CD store changed my mind. At first, the '90s keyboard sounds and somewhat sensitive lyrics distracted me from appreciating what is actually some seriously challenging and original music. Very complex vocal arrangements a la Gentle Giant, good song writing and some darn catchy tunes played by some great musicians make As The World one of the very few worthwhile prog albums ever to come out of the United States. Too bad the band no longer exists, thanks largely to their record company (Sony, believe it or not!) canceling their contract.
Dinosaurs and copycats take note: This is what prog should sound like in the '90s.

4. Camel
Moonmadness
1976
London
This album really changed my view of Camel. I thought The Snow Goose was their only good album until I heard Moonmadness. This is the best and most energetic I have heard of Camel's brand of mellow, melodic prog rock. The nine-minute instrumental "Lunar Sea" alone is worth the price of the album.

5. Edgar Froese
Electronic Dreams
Brain
?
      From the leader of Tangerine Dream comes this wonderful compilation of the best material from his two most popular solo albums, Epsilon in Malaysian Pale and Aqua.
      This material is extremely similar to the Moog and Mellotron space-outs found on the definitive Tangerine Dream albums Phaedra and Rubycon.
      Unfortunately both Electronic Dreams and Epsilon in Malaysian Pale are out of print.
See full review of Epsilon in Malaysian Pale.

6. Van der Graaf Generator
Maida Vale
Band of Joy
1994
Van Der Graaf Generator finally clicked with me this year, largely due to this career-retrospective album of riveting performances recorded for BBC radio.
Van Der Graaf Generator's blend of crunchy organ, wailing saxophone and, most importantly, the gut-wrenching vocals of Peter Hammill, made for a band that sounded like none other. Here, Hammill and company alternately march triumphantly or careen drunkenly through the chaos and catharsis of pieces like "Darkness," "Man-Erg" and "Scorched Earth" like never before.

7. Island
Pictures
The Laser's Edge
1977
Thank goodness The Laser's Edge brought this one-time obscurity into the digital age!
This one-album Swiss band was unique for a number of reasons, but mostly for their ultra-technical, keyboard-dominated music mixed with a serious flair for dark dramatics. Hints of Van Der Graaf Generator, Gentle Giant, Univers Zero and a dash of National Health may be heard, but for the most part, Island lived up to their name by sounding like no one else.
See full review.

Soft 8. Soft Machine
Volume Two
One Way Records
1969
This album really surprised me. I would have never guessed that the same guys who made 5 (the only Soft Machine album I owned before Volume Two and one of the least listened-to records in my collection) could have created this post-psychedellic jazz rock masterpiece.
Crazy, distorted organ, nasty fuzz bass and high-pitched, scratchy vocals make up the sonic palette for this unique album. Add the juxtaposition of some seriously cutting edge musicianship with some of the (intentionally) silliest lyrics in prog, and you have one unique listening experience.

9. Apoteosi
Apoteosi
Mellow Records
1975
      Add Apoteosi to the list of great bands who sadly only did one or two albums in the '70s, then vanished into obscurity, only to become more famous than ever due to the prog revival of the '90s.
      The music on Apoteosi's one and only album is very energetic and vibrant at one time, then very mellow, melodic and beautiful at others. I think they sound a little like an Italian Camel with a female vocalist and more sophisticated compositions.
      This album has five tracks ranging from two minutes to nearly 15 minutes in length. They all flow pretty well together, so the album tends to sound as if it is one piece of music and passes by quickly. There are plenty of great analog synth and guitar solos to keep it interesting.
      This is a must for fans of Itaprog.

David 10. David Cross
Exiles
Purple Pyramid
1997
      Due to his under-appreciated role as violinist in King Crimson between 1972 and 1974, I have had a soft spot for David Cross in my heart for a few years now. I'm happy to say that Cross might finally gain some much deserved respect with this surprisingly excellent solo album from 1997.
      Exiles features an all-star roster of guest musicians who augment Cross' regular band. Cross' old King Crimson band mates Robert Fripp and John Wetton add guitar and vocals respectively, and Peter Hammill of Van Der Graaf Generator puts in some typically unique vocalizations as well. Even ex-King Crimson/PFM/ELP lyricist Pete Sinfield wrote a song for this album.
      Aside from the star-studded guest list, this album has some genuinely great music in its own right. Of course, Cross plays the nostalgia card with the title track, a wonderfully re-done version of the King Crimson classic, complete with vocals from Wetton (naturally). Other highlights include the brutal "Tonk" and the beautiful "Duo," an instrumental duet between Fripp and Cross which is almost as beautiful as its 1974 King Crimson predecessor, "Trio."
      Cross' electric violin tends to remain in the background a lot on this album, but when it does take center stage it really does sound excellent.
      The diverse nature of this album means it should appeal to proggers of all kinds.