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Birth of Progressive Rock
It all started in 1966 with the "Revolver" of The Beatles can be regarded only as "embrionic" period. The year was a turning point for the band, when, so tired of the Beatlomania, they gave up the concerts, and the studio works has showed their gigantic growth in comparison with the semi-pop period in the first half of of the '70s. All right, the merits of the Beatles should not be underestimated, for it was them who opened the door to a more complex music. In the second half of the decade the Beatles' style can be marked as an excellent Hard'n'Art, for sure, quite real Protoprogressive, but exactly the true Progressive Rock, two years earlier before the appearance of that genre as a separate flow in Rock Music, was performed by Pink Floyd. How much Syd Barrett, a drug addict, has paid for the creation of the new music, you're knows well. But it has happened. What was it - the will of Heaven? At all, this musician must have a serious Karma, though maybe this just is what his "earthly" design for? At any rate, it's a pity that Barrett's role in the genesis of Prog Rock is paid almost no attention to.
Within the atmosphere of the albums of that time "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" looks like an alien body, so unusual is the music of the album. The "Planetary Mistycizm" intended by Barrett, or confided in him carried in itself something unearthly, mysterious, enigmatical. Up to now I listen to this disc with a great pleasure, and as time goes by it is loses none of its attractive power. The readers must excuse me, but I personally take "The Dark Side of the Moon" - "the Rock album of all times" for a rather simplified Hard'n'Bluese album with a very bright, but there are a psychedelic was typical for the first two albums, is reduces to a skillful usage of the sound effects only, but it is not so inhered in the construction of compositions. Strictly speaking, a psychedelic as it is was disappeared already after "A Saucerful Of Secrets" album mostly composed by Roger Waters under a strong influence of the debut album, and partially of Barret's ideas. A psychedelic looks partially through again on "Animals", though, on the whole, this is the most progressive album from Pink Floyd.
I don't insist, but merely advise, suggest: turn your look back, listen the first two albums once more. Can't such things as Interstellar Overdrive (1967) and the title track of 1968 to strike one's imagination? And who're else from the surrounding performers has approached then such a subtle compositions? The "Animals" and both these debut albums are remains for me till now the most valuable their works, although I would not to dispute a powerful impact of the beautiful albums of 1971,1973, 1975, and 1979 years, and also consider them almost a masterpieces. Each of them sounds symphonic ally yet very differently than previous one, with those the band has opened up a new horizons for Prog, as well as the new facets of its talents. Last year Prog turned 30... Now it's a grown-up and clever man, that experienced his hard transitional period in the '80s, now standing on his strong feet.
Besifring eller noter?
Det er to grunnleggende måter å angi at flere toner skal spilles samtidig.
Noter:
På et noteark kan det eksempelvis angis at tonene F Ab C Eb skal spilles. Det skal kun være en av hver. Disse skal spilles samtidig og ligge på hver sin helt bestemte tonehøyde.
Besifring:
Ved bruk av besifring angis tonene F Ab C Eb med et symbol system, og
akkordens grunntone F legges i bassen. Antallet samt hvor i tonehøyden
disse tonene legges er derimot ikke angitt.
Besifring symbolet for dette eksemplet er: Fm7.
Akkorder
Akkorder deles inn i grupper etter hvor mange samtidige toner akkorden består av. Det minste antall samtidige toner en akkord kan bestå av er tre, vanligvis: 1. 3. og 5. skalatone. Dette kalles en treklang.
Intervallet fra grunntone til ters og fra ters til kvint utgjør hver sin ters, og slik fortsetter videre oppbygning av akkordene. Akkorder bygges med andre ord opp av tersforhold. Det teoretiske utgangspunkt er følgende:
Treklanger er dur og moll:
1. skalatone, grunntone
3. skalatone, ters
5. skalatone, kvint
Firklanger er septim akkorder:
1. skalatone, grunntone
3. skalatone, ters
5. skalatone, kvint
7. skalatone, septim
Femklanger er none akkorder:
1. skalatone, grunntone
3. skalatone, ters
5. skalatone, kvint
7. skalatone, septim
9. skalatone, none
Seksklanger er undecim akkorder:
1. skalatone, grunntone
3. skalatone, ters
5. skalatone, kvint
7. skalatone, septim
9. skalatone, none
11. skalatone, undecim
Syvklanger er tersdecim akkorder:
1. skalatone, grunntone
3. skalatone, ters
5. skalatone, kvint
7. skalatone, septim
9. skalatone, none
11. skalatone, undecim
13. skalatone, tersdecim
Akkordomvendinger
En akkord angir også hvordan tonene ligger i forhold til hverandre. Eksempelvis kan en C dur, som består av tonene C E G, ha følgende stillinger:
C (1. skalatone) i bassen
E (3. skalatone) i bassen
G (5. skalatone) i bassen
Grunnstilling:
Akkorden er i grunnstilling når grunntonen (1. skalatone) er den dypeste
tonen i akkorden. Eksempelvis tonen C i C dur. Består av følgende toner,
lest nedenfra: C E G.
Første omvending:
Akkorden er i første omvending når tersen (3. skalatone) er den dypeste
tonen i akkorden. Eksempelvis tonen E i C dur. Består av følgende toner,
lest nedenfra: E G C.
Andre omvending:
Akkorden er i andre omvending når kvinten (5. skalatone) er den dypeste
tonen i akkorden. Eksempelvis tonen G i C dur. Består av følgende toner,
lest nedenfra: G C E.
Beste progalbum gjennom tidene.
Argentina
Her er de åtte utvalgte albumene fra leserne til progarchieves.com, som representerer mye virkelig god musikk, men en og annen viktig og betydelig utgivelse er utvilsomt ikke kommet med. Likevel er det ikke så "hakkende galt" annet at det gir en liten smakebit på hva gauchoenes hjemland har skapt av stor prog opp gjennom årene, selv om mye mer helt klart skulle ha vært med.
1.Bubu – ” Anabelas” - 1978
2.Crusis – ” Kronologia” – 1995
3.Nexus – ” Metanoia” – 2001
4.Crusis – ” Los Deliros Del Mariscal” – 1976
5. Nexus – ” Détras del Umbral ” – 1999
6.Nexus – ” Perpetuum Karma” – 2006
7. La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros – ” La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros” – 1976
8. Amagrama – ”Ciclotima” - 2004
Black Mountain
In The Future
Second album from this up and coming band from the Canadian Northwest.
Black Mountain pay homage the spirit of 70s psychedelic hard rock. The
music has some prog moves and the band is at their best when they jam it
out like on the 16 minute "Bright Lights". Hey they aren't afraid to
toss in lots of Mellotron either! Tangentially related to the
retro-school that bands like Wolfmother are mining but frankly these
guys are even better." - Ken Golden. Favorite psych-and-prog-spiritual
pioneers BLACK MOUNTAIN are back with "In The Future", their second
full-length album that resonates with the same epic ring, beloved deep
rock touchstones and genuine folk fragility that made their self-titled
debut full-length an instant classic. The new album possesses immense
breadth, seamlessly showcasing short and classic folk-pop gems along
with driving modern rock masterpieces, peaking with "Bright Lights", a
seventeen-minute multi-dimensional opus that gives Pink Floyd's "Echoes"
a run for its money.
The new album also demonstrates a compelling evolution. Black Mountain's first self-titled album was like being in sixth grade, when there's a few new kids in class who you know you're supposed to hang with. You're out of the gates, but you still stumble and shake when the teachers yell at you. "In The Future", ninth grade and summer vacation are over. You're heading back to high school to hang in the hallways with those same kids who now have wispy and dirty moustaches, long hair and breasts. The teachers don't scare you. The jocks are boring, and your record collection is more important than the prettiest girl at school. It's the first real taste of independence in the quest for absolute freedom.
Black Mountain is Matt Camirand, Stephen McBean, Jeremy Schmidt, Amber Webber and Joshua Wells. The band hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, and have been making music together since 2004. Their debut album garnered an impressive amount of critical acclaim, including Pitchfork's prestigious "Best New Music" tag, as well as being deemed by Uncut magazine as the 4th best album of 2005. The band has toured the world, playing the smallest of rock clubs and the largest of outdoor amphitheaters. And the broad appeal of their musical work is unique, in that even though they are championed by the more underground-minded record-collector type of music fan as well as by high-profile musicians such as Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, Black Mountain's live performances and recordings also retain a very universal appeal, sticking readily to the ribs of most any garden-variety music fan.
Perhaps Black Mountain strive to make music that is uncompromising but inclusive. "In The Future", mostly produced by Black Mountain, was recorded at three different studios, and all but one song was mixed by John Congleton, known for his work with Explosions in the Sky, Modest Mouse, R. Kelly, the Polyphonic Spree and Erykah Badu, amongst others. "Stay Free" -- borrowed previously for inclusion on the Spiderman III soundtrack -- was recorded, mixed and produced by Dave Sardy, who has done work with the Rolling Stones, Wolfmother, Oasis and LCD Soundsystem.
Band Of Rain
Garlands
01) Ghost Town
02) Test Pilot
03) Voyager
04) All Moonlit Through .....The Trees
05) Magnetic South
06) The Flying Sorcerer
07) Lady Evening Star
08) Beneath My Tree
09) Sun On The ......Mountain
10) Garlands
11) Clouds
Produced by Chris Gill for Hollowhill Music. Music and lyrics by Chris Gill. Swiss Navy Productions artist Management, represaentation and Media Relations.
The Band Of Rain has a big heavenly orchestral sound and another example of pure Music - played and written at its heart. The guys on the band play an incredible Symphonic Progressive Rock music, adorned with Hard Rock textures, blending elements from many sources such as Electronic Space Rock, Heavy Metal and Classic Rock, and even modern chamber music into a cohesive whole. The musical elements are extremely well balanced, all the instruments are clear, audible, with delicate arrangements, the main highlights on the songs are the killer guitar sounds, sometimes symphonic and sometimes heavy, driven by precise and very dynamic rhythms, while the floating synthesizer and orchestral keyboards add a touch of symphonism to all songs. In fact, the members on the band are highly talented musicians, who do not focus on one style, but show on their works how versatile they are. It´s hard classify the influences from Band Of Rain but, I can say that, they sounding like a hybrid of "Pink Floyd", "Mike Oldfield", "Yes", "Flamborough Head" and "Porcupine Tree". Band Of Rain is definitely recommended to Progressive Rock fans around the world. Brilliant and magnify absolutely recommended discovery, highly recommendable...
The musicians on the Band Of Rain are:
Chris Gill - Writer, Multi Instrumentalist and Lead Guitar
Graham Elks - Lead Guitar and Multi Instrumentalist
Billy Fleming - Drums and Multi instrumentalist
Sarah Smith - Electric Violin, Guitar and backing vocals
Genever Morgan - Vocals and Multi Instrumentalist
Katrina Gill - Flutes and Keyboards
Melissa Jayne Smith - Multi Instrumentalist
Andy Fisher - Guitar and Vocals
Chris Gill - Writer - Multi Instrumentalist - Lead Guitar.
Chris Gill began playing guitar at 13, and learned like so many playing along to Hendrix and Cream records. He really got in to it after seeing The Groundhogs and more specifically Tony T.S.McPhee. It wasn't long before he had a school band together called "Gondolin" performing Groundhogs/ King Crimson/Free covers. Inevitably they split up after leaving school, and Chris played with various different bands in the then thriving Bedford U.K. music scene.Prowl, and The Eyes of Eleanor being 2 of them. He got invited to a Bath Arts workshop which was to introduce him to the world of improvisation. Chris, Mike Westbrook - Lol Coxhill (Kevin Ayers - National Health) and the mighty George Khan (Robert Wyatt) and members of the Global Village Trucking Company played non stop for about 6 hours, even through a Hawkwind gig that was going on in the next room, without playing the same thing twice. In fact when the Hawkwind gig finished, they came on stage and jammed along too. Chris saw a whole new way of making music through improvisation. He tried for a few years to recreate the magic of Bath but it never really worked. Chris played on the fringes of festivals such as Stonehenge (before it was stopped) Bath and occassionally Glastonbury jamming along with as many different types of musician he could find. This was where Chris preffered to be, as that was where "raw" music was being made, and, there were so many different influences. It was to prove a very fortunate learning curve. About this time the UK music scene had moved in to Punk, and so like many others he decided to try the USA. Having moved to Houston Texas he eventually found a club there called Carnabys in the bohemian Montrose area. Here he met a whole bunch of like minded musicians. They soon put a band together, and found themselves playing at various universities and clubs across the southern states. However after an accident at The University of Arizona in Tuscon, Chris stopped playing for a while as he had broken most of his fingers.He drifted in to Los Angeles, and made some "pocket money" coaching an actress (who will remain nameless) to talk with an English accent. However, he still found time to work with new bands that were trying to get off the ground. But it was no substitute for playing.He decided to move back to the UK and start again. He bought himself another guitar, and got his fingers working properly again. Add to this he found new inspiration after talking to Nick Mason and Adrian Belew, Chris put together what we know as Band of Rain. Because he wanted to try to make a new kind of music, he decided to take on the debut album "Deep Space" as a solo project, as he really wasn't sure which direction it would go in. Except for some help with vocals from good friend Andy Fisher, he played all the other instruments himself. His wife Katrina who is also a musician played the flute on "Casanova of the Cliff Dwellers". Deep Space has been out since September 2004, and has been very well received. There are already fans all over the world and word is spreading fast. 2005 will see another CD as well as the formation of a live band. Progressive Soundscapes Radio USA calls the music: "Incredibly complex and mesmerising..."
Graham Elks - Lead Guitar/Multi Instrumentalist.
Graham Elks has a vast array of experience with a range of instruments,
as well as being a sound recording engineer.He has written and recorded
4 prog albums of his own called : Kingdom of Rock - Time Traveller - 7th
Generation - and Meltdown. Plus another album with his fellow musician
Phil Crewe who played together for 5 years under the name of G2.
His lead guitar style is very much in the laid back but loud style of
Band of Rain, and we know that he will fit in seamlessly with the band
and will be a writing contributor in the future. His guitar work has
been described as " Breathtaking" so they are very happy to welcome him
in to the fold and hope that you will grow to like him as we will.There
will be more info here soon regarding Graham, and they should have some
pictures too.
Billy Fleming - Drums/Multi instrumentalist.
Billy Fleming was a professional drum technician from 1980 to 1994
working for such people as Denise Dufort [Girlschool], Simon Wright [AIIZ,
AC/DC ], Phil Taylor [Motorhead], Pete Gill [Saxon, Motorhead], Ginger
Baker [Cream], Peter Vanhook [Mike & the Mechanics], Danny Thompson [Hawkwind],
& Rod Morgenstien [Steve morse, Dixie dreggs, & Winger] and many more.
During this time Billy played live on occasions with Girlschool,
Hawkwind & toured with Dumpys Rusty Nuts. Billy retired from the music
business in 1994 & moved to Norfolk to settle down to family life, but
also picked up his drumsticks again & helped form DOGWOOD with Pat Rolf
which lasted until 1999. Then in 2000 Old friend Paul Samson was tired
of London & moved up to Norfolk asking Billy to find a bass player to
form a blues trio which became “METALLIC BLUE”featuring Nick Mallet on
bass. During this time Billy was to join the new line up of “SAMSON”&
record what was to be the final album for the band, as sadly Paul passed
away on the 9th of August 2002. Since then Billy has played for a
variety of bands including THE BARRY HOMAN BAND, EGYPT [Ex Groundhogs],
THE STONKING BLUES BAND, featuring Pete Cruikshanks [Groundhogs], The
Sean Webster Band [Blues Matters], & Gregg Wright [Ex Micheal Jackson
Guitarist]. Billy started THE MUSIC OUTPOST in 2002 teaching drums &
passing on the knowledge which he has gained over the years.
Sarah Smith Electric Violin/Guitar and backing vocals.
Sarah grew up on board her Moms tour bus, therefore Music has always
been a major part of her life. Sarah is a classically trained Violinist.
She holds improvisation workshops as well as being a Violin teacher.
She has toured Canada and Europe extensively, and now brings her special
talents to Band of Rain. Sarah can also be seen playing in a folk band
called "String Thing " with her husband Tim. In Band of Rain she will be
performing electric violin solos as well as playing some of the guitar
parts. We welcome Sarah in to the fold. "Best Young Performer" North
Country Magazine.
Genever Morgan - vocals/Multi Instrumentalist.
Genever is a trained musician which is a bit unusual for the Band of
Rain set up! Gen plays with various jazz bands around Wales as well as
perfoming classical music pieces. Her voice lends itself very well to
the kind of music we produce here, and Gen has agreed to come in to the
studio to do more vocals with us. It will remain to be seen if she plays
live with us, as she does have other commitments.We would really like to
get her on board as a full time member, but she has put her education
first and has gone to University. (they have no problem with that) and
so they will have to work together when they can.
Katrina Gill - Flutes/Keyboards.
Katrina as well as being a good photographer, plays some keyboard and
flute. She has also taken up Irish pipes and whistles. The haunting
flute at the start of "Casanova of the Cliff Dwellers was improvised by
Kat, and she will be featured more on the third album which has begun,
but as yet remains untitled. Katrina is married to Chris.
Melissa Jayne Smith - Multi Instrumentalist.
Melissa is a very talented trained musician who will be playing with us
quite a bit in the future. Melissa is also a multi instrumentalist, but
specialises in Double Bass and Guitar Bass. She has played with most of
the Jazz bands from our area, as well as sharing the same bill as Jackie
Dankworth, which if you know anything about Jazz, will also know that
the Dankworth name is like Royalty. Melissa has worked at Foel Studios.
Where some serious legends have been through the doors! She has also
recorded with Band of Rain. Currently studying bass and piano at The
Royal Welsh College of Music.
Andy Fisher - Guitar/Vocals.
Andy did some vocals for us on the Deep Space album. He performed "Search
for my Forgiver" and "A room where time stands still."
Andy came from Reading in the UK originally and having passed through
many bands along the way, found himself here in mid wales. Chris heard
him singing and invited him along for some sessions which ended in Andy
performing these songs. There may be more vocals from Andy in the future.
Big Big Train
The Difference Machine
Review one
Big Big Train seem to have been floating around prog circles without making that dramatic an impact for eons; I remember picking up their From The River To The Sea cassette way back in the early 1980s when the so-called new wave of progressive rock was at its peak. Over the years they have released four proper albums to various degrees of critical acclaim/disdain, a couple of which were on the Giant Electric Pea label where they were stable mates of IQ. This began a long association with IQ sound engineer supremo Rob Aubrey, a connection which continues to this day. Based around core members Gregory Spawton (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Andy Poole (bass), Steve Hughes (drums) and Sean Filkins (vocals) the group is supplemented by the appearance of some high ranking guests (and fans), namely Dave Meros and the ubiquitous Nick D'Virgilio from Spock's Beard, Pete Trewavas from Marillion, Tony Wright who was last heard of on a couple of IQ albums and Becca King who plays viola throughout the album and, as far I know, hasn't played with any other bands (sure it won't stay that way for long though!).
Previous BBT albums have all had their moments but have never quite managed to elevate the band to the next level or provide a thoroughly consistent reaction to draw widespread attention to their music. As someone who owns all their albums, along with several collections of demos, I have to admit that the albums are all an accomplishment in their own right but none have struck me as essential listening, that one is eager to return to again and again. However, the band have followed an upwards curve with each album being an advancement on the previous. With The Difference Machine, BBT may finally have made the album they have been promising all these years.
The album is basically four songs with three instrumental pieces linking or introducing the longer songs, the first of which, Hope This Finds You, perfectly combines Wright's alto sax, King's viola and Spawton's keyboards and occasional guitar in a mood setting and delicate beginning. The extended sustained ending is shaken away by some cutting guitar chords that hails the arrival of Perfect Cosmic Storm. Featuring the Beard's rhythm section only two of BBT actually appear on this track, yet it still maintains a lot of the characteristics of the BBT sound - dynamism, variety and a signature keyboard sound. However, this is BBT in an angrier and more adventurous mode. Wright's initial sax bursts bring forth memories of King Crimson at their most curious and even Van Der Graaf Generator in full flight. However, this approach could not be interestingly maintained over fifteen minutes and thankfully the band don't try to. With immense variety, the track proceeds, Spawton employing a whole range of classic keyboard sounds, D'Virgilio proving once again that he is a great drummer (and adding some fine backing vocals to boot) and the sax and viola providing more delicate moments that bridge the more intense moments. The Perfect Cosmic Storm certainly sets a high standard for the rest of the album to maintain as it is unquestionably one of the best, if not the best, pieces of music to be released under the BBT name to date.
The aptly named Breathing Space, a soundscape to clear the audio palette, leads into Pick Up If You're There featuring the same musicians as Storm with the exception of Pete T replacing Dave M on bass. Initially a simpler structure and more reminiscent of earlier BBT material, one wonders if the initial quality can be maintained. Fortunately it can. With some intricate weaving about, changes in mood and tempo, the song slips between time signatures driven by more great work from the rhythm section, Trewavas laying down his most intricate bass line in years towards the end of the song. Again Wright shines with his sax and flute adding textural emphasis and the brief appearance of King's viola being entirely complementary. I am sure there is also an un-credited female backing vocalist adding high harmonies, unless one of the male singers was wearing particularly tight pants that day!
Again, Spawton adds atmospheric linkage on From The Wide Open Sea into Salt Water Falling On Uneven Ground, a title that David Sylvian would be proud of! For the first time the whole of BBT appear together with Hughes and Poole proving to be every bit the match of their more illustrious guests. A more difficult piece to get to grips with, it is only on repeated listening that the nuances of the song reveal themselves. The only criticism is that perhaps, like with some of their earlier material, a degree of editing would have been of benefited in order to make the song rather more succinct. Being of a much calmer nature the piece is fairly slow with periods of minimal instrumentation allowing the vocals more room. Consequently the song does seem longer than the more energetic numbers. A minor criticism, and maybe not justified as overall the song is eminently enjoyable.
Summer's Lease starts as if it is a refined reprise of Salt Water with a gently picked guitar, prominent vocals and nice sax line. However, when the piano/vocal section starts one realises there is a different underlying melody with a higher degree of melancholic and regret at the ending of summer. With a reprise of the musical theme from Hope This Finds You, the album closes as it opened, having come full circle.
With the band already back in the studio recording material for the next album, English Electric, a collection of new and re-recorded older songs, and Nick D'Virgilio once again lending a hand, it looks like BBT's time might have come. If you have not heard any of BBT's previous albums or have been disappointed by what you have heard, then perhaps now is the time to discover this resilient band of English Boy Wonders.
Review two
The prog community has always had difficulty liking Big Big Train, especially on their first three albums Goodbye To The Golden Age Of Steam, English Boy Wonders and Bard where they mixed progressive rock with pure pop. These albums showed that BBT’s main man Gregory Spawton was a very talented composer still trying to find the right direction. But prog lovers seemed to find it a bit dull. With their fourth album Gathering Speed the Bournemouth based band made a step forward. The album told the story of a British fighter pilot during the battle of Britain. On the album they mixed their love for Genesis (circa Trick Of The Tail and Wind And Wuthering) with more modern influences like Oceansize and Mew. And now, three years after Gathering Speed they release The Difference Machine.
In the months before its release The Difference Machine was hyped somewhat on the internet. First there were the comments on the web log of Jem Godfrey (of Frost fame), who predicted that BBT could well be the 2007 dark horse of prog on the basis of what he heard of the new album on BBT’s MySpace site (see link aboove). And secondly there were rumours of Spock’s Beard and Marillion members guesting on the album. And now the album is released, is it any good? Yes it is! It is a very good album.
First; the album cover looks great with the beautiful paintings of Jim Trainer (Check out his myspace site), whilst lyrically the album is about, and I quote Gregory Spawton:
“The overall concept is influenced by the butterfly effect, which is used to illustrate chaos theory. All the songs take place within a moment of time where seemingly small events can have monumental effects”.
I did not get the concept - I thought that the lyrics dealt with more personal matters - but then; English is not my native language.
The album’s opener Hope This Finds You introduces the albums first two guests; Becca King on violin and Tony Wright (guest on various IQ albums) on alto saxophone and these two play an important role on this album. Hope This Finds You is a beautiful little instrumental with next to the two guests only Gregory Spawton on keyboards and guitars. The song reminded me a bit of Bowie’s Berlin period and Japan’s Quiet Life album. It’s a deceiving opening because after that the foot is on the gas and we enter full on prog territory with the brilliant Perfect Cosmic Storm.
An edgy guitar motif with distorted vocals opens the song and then we’re off with Perfect Cosmic Storm which has an incredible drive and, as the rest of the album, sounds confident. Dave Meros and Nick D’Virgillo of Spock’s Beard guest on bass and drums, with Tony Wright who plays an important role on the song, delivering a mad Van der Graaf Generator sax solo at one point in the song while playing a beautiful melody next. Vocalist Sean Filkins has a good voice while Gregory Spawton sings back up vocals, which results in some beautiful harmony parts. The song is a rollercoaster ride of moods. For instance; after nearly twelve minutes a Hammond driven section is followed by a jaw dropping edgy guitar section followed by beautiful harmony vocals. Wow. It’s BBT’s first perfect mix of old progressive rock and modern alternative rock music. It’s an instant classic!
After that we need some breathing space and the short instrumental with the same title provides just that. Then it’s time for the second longer song of the album to take centre stage; Pick Up If You’re There. This time, next to the other already mentioned guests, Pete Trewavas of Marillion replaces Dave Meros on bass. Pick Up If You’re There follows the same route as Perfect Cosmic Storm, less spectacular, but still there is plenty to enjoy, especially the extended instrumental break near the end.
Following the very short instrumental From The Wide Open Sea we come to Saltwater Falling On Uneven Ground, (Jem Godfrey raved about this song on his web log), and it’s the first song that features the other band members Andy Poole (bass) and Steve Hughes (drums). Keyboard player Ian Cooper doesn’t appear to be part of the band any more, leaving Gregory Spawton as the sole keys man. ‘Saltwater’ is a very modern sounding song and with its guitar effects, use of reverb and heavy and quiet passages, sounds very much like the earlier mentioned Mew and Oceansize. The album finishes very nicely with Summer’s Lease in which the first half shows BBT’s poppier side. A track that could have been a song off English Boy Wonders. After three minutes the song speeds up, finally returning to the melody of opening track Hope This Finds You.
The album has a great modern sound (producer Andy Poole did a great job with Rob Aubrey mixing), but what really draws the attention is the fact that BBT sound confident on this album as if they finally found their sound and direction. And that is giant step forward. And you know what; Jem Godfrey was right, with The Difference Machine, BBT have made a damn good album. One of the best progressive rock albums this year, at least for me.
Tracklist: Hope This Finds You (3:12), Perfect Cosmic Storm (14:40), Breathing Space (1:47), Pick Up If You’re There (13:39), From The Wide Open Sea (1:20), Saltwater Falling On Even Ground (12:38), Summer’s Lease (7:34)
Bedtime Stoty
Bedtime Story was established on January 2003 by Lior Havkin and Orpaz
Agranov in Tel Aviv, Israel. Acording some press, the band plays
eclectic rock music in English. Mainly influenced by 60’s-70’s
psychedelic rock, through Jazz, Classic, Ethnic and updated electronic
music and sound techniques.
Lior Havkin has been learning and playing music since He was 14 years old, performing from the age of 16 and writing music since He was 17. He was a member of a several unknown bands through the years which gave hin a lot of experience. He was influenced mostly by rock and blues of all kinds. He was always interested in other kinds of sounds which led hin to search and discover folk and ethnic music. He discovered other instruments like: sitar, tabla, mandolin and others. As He was searching for more – He ran into electronic music which He’s still exploring. He must admit it really made a great influence on his sound and music writing. He started using devices such as e-bow, talk-box and lots of effects which sometimes have very strange parametric settings. This genre also made hin change his keyboard playing habits and increased his interest in electronic sounds and programming. At the present he main studies are jazz and classical music. While Orpaz and Lior Havkin were working on “Bedtime Story’s” music and sitting so many hours in the studio while recording, editing, thinking and experimenting, He developed a deeper understanding about the meaning of production, which he really like to deal with (apart from writing and playing music). The final conclusion is: there is always more to learn, search for and more to discover.
Orpaz Agranov in retro-perspective, the event which changed his life, as weird as it sounds, was when a good friend of mine, Idan, gave hin King Crimson's 'Red' album and 'Close to the edge' by Yes. He kept feeding hin with good 70's classics, and opened my mind. In the year 2002 He moved to Tel Aviv, while He had no clue concerning his future. He started to explore music, getting into Jazz, Fusion, Progressive Rock and even Metal. Suddenly, He realized that music is the most precious thing life. His first piece of gear was the wonderful Korg-Triton-Rack module, which forced hin to become more professional. In the year 2003, He naturally knew that He want to be a Sound Engineer, to design sound and turn it into visions, with no limitation. He called Danny Koryto, the man behind "Record" sound engineering school, signed in, and started to suck knowledge. During that time, He met Lior. One day, He don't even remember why and how, he came to his apartment in order to record a few sketches. One thing led to another, and somehow, they started to work together every weekend, for 3 years. Slowly, step by step, He started to purchase necessary studio equipment, and built his own recording and production studio. "Pearl" was his first Mix. It took them 9 months to complete the creation. He continue to explore different genres of music and productions methods. Now, when He´s living in the music scene, He get excited almost every day by new musical discoveries. His ear became sharp enough, in order to divide what He hear, and learn from the conclusions. These days, He has a new studio, located in Tel Aviv.
Or Argash was born on October 15th 1981, in Israel. He started out playing the Piano and moved on to Drums when he was 15. Ever since then Drums became his main interest. Since He was 13 his music has been influenced by Queen and as He grew older He became influenced by more musicians and bands such as Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Kate Bush, Primus and then at the age of 17 He discoverd Chick Corea who opened a new musical world for hin. At that point He suddenly started being aware of the creative side of Drums and started listening to Jazz music. Since then He´s really into it. Throughout his life He didn't have too many interests besides listening to music and Drums were his main passion. At the age of 17 his parents bought hin his first Drum Set "Tama Rock Star". It was a cute one. He played in a few Bands and some Recording Sessions that really hepled hin learn about "playing discipline" and He became a more experienced Musician. He met Leon in the army and met Lior in a Cover Band of Queen. Lior asked hin if He know any singers for the band and Leon was perfect because of his great 70's style voice and some material of his that really fits the style. They played some jams together and then started working together too. These days most of his drumming influences are drummers like Virgil Donati, Tim Alexander, Dennis Chambers, Frank Zappa (and the drummers that played with him throughout the 70's)...etc. He plays as much as He can and He teach Drumming Techniques and Progressive Drumming.
Leon B was born on March 12, 1982 (Yud Zain be-Adar 5742) in Alma-Ata, Kazakstan. His relatives were mostly musicians and He was strongly influenced by classical music since his early childhood. At the age of 6 He has entered a musical school on violine and He had finished it when he was 13. That time his schoolmate have introduced hin a wonderful world of The Beatles and He has fallen in love with their beautiful melodies. Mostly He like George and his "Here comes the sun". Magnificent... In about a year a wave of Nirvana came to our place. Smells like teen spirit was the song that just "got" hin and He completely changed his mind about music. So powerful, so exciting it became... At the age of 16 He have moved to a Holy Land. He wanted to discover that "something" that had always pushed hin to come. And it took a while before He has opened and learned things that lead hin through his modern life. Meanwhile, He continued his studying music. He have entered the "Youth Aliyah Orchestra" conducted by Lev Arshtein as a viola player. First time in his life He has tried a guitar. He also started listening to more intelligent music, as "ELP", "King Crimson" and "Jethro Tull". After finishing his hi-school He have started practising Bass guitar. He was just playing along with his Bass greatest as Tony Levin and Flea and trying to catch their "feel". He was deeply influenced by King Crimson, and his favourite albums were THRAK (1996) and Absent Lovers (1984). It was a real pleisure for hin to play all those brilliant bass lines and to learn from them. He have met Or Argash, his good friend and excellent drummer, during his service in IDF. They used to play together here and there, and finally he had introduced hin to Lior Havkin and Orpaz Agranov. And then the Bedtime Story started.Now days I am studying at Jerusalem Academy of Music and dance, at the course of Jazz and modern music. Musical influences: His favourite band for today is "Yes" (Relayer, Tales From the Topographic Oceans). He passed through "King Crimson", "Genesis", "Jethro Tull", "Anglagard", "Porcupine Tree" and many many others. He also found of classical music (especially Bach and Beethoven) and Jazz (Miles and Chick Corea Electric Band). His favourite musicians are John Patitucci (The Electric Band), Tony Levin (King Crimson), Bill Bruford (King Crimson), Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Alan White (YES), Eric Johnson (just Eric).
Comments:
Bedtime Story plays a kind of Progressive Rock using a variety of
musical styles and sources, combining elements from Symphonic Prog
Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Classic Rock and Jazz also, adding touch of
symphonism, strongly influenced by many old artists and bands from
60’s-70’s. Their music is very progressive, somewhere in the middle
between "Pink Floyd" (Meddle, Atom Heart Mother and Dark Side of The
Moon), using the symphonism of "Yes" adding the spacey and psychedelic
ingredients which are commonly found on the bands like "Hawkwind", where
the musicians don't hesitate to adventure themselves around hypnotics
instrumental passages, creating a sublime progressive music. Bedtime
Story have done a fantastic job with this album, all songs have the best
instrumental ingredients, the main attraction are, the strong melodic
vocal and also all atmosperic guitar solos, with beautiful keyboards
textures, where everything is done to lead us through this very special
musical universe full of rich, sweet and amazing melodies. You must
listen "Little Magic Mushrooms", "Land of the Dreams", "Pearl Chapter
I" and "Pearl Chapter II", there is something unreal and wonderful on
these songs. "Close your eyes.... put on your headphones.... Get ready
for a Bedtime Story". Brilliant, amazing, great, a fantastic band and
album, highly recommendable...
The musicians on the Bedtime Story are:
Lior Havkin - Guitars, keyboards and Ethnic instruments
Orpaz Agranov - Sound engineer, programming and Psychedelic effects
Leon B - Vocals, Bass, Viola and Cello
Or Argash - Drums and Darbuka
"Bedtime Story"
01) Little Magic
......Mushrooms
02) In A Cage
03) Land of the Dreams
04) The Irremovable
......Mask
05) Pearl Chapter I
06) Pearl Chapter II
Total playtime of 42 minutes. Arranged by Bedtime Story. Produced by Lior Havkin and Orpaz Agranov.
Also, you can read more informations about the musicians at the Band´s MySpace Site.
Would like any other information, questions or feedbacks about the band, please send e-Mail to Bedtime Story
Bjørn Lynne
Bjørn Arild Lynne (født 31. desember 1966) er en norsk komponist og musiker, tidligere kjent som Dr. Awesome. Han er bosatt i Stavern, Vestfold.
Bjørn Lynne viste en tidlig interesse for musikk. Hans musikkutdannelse er begrenset til å ha lært grunnleggende musikkteori og noter da han spilte i skolekorps («guttemusikken») i sine tidlige skoleår. Hans interesse nådde nye høyder da han i 1988 kjøpte en Amiga 500 hjemmedatamaskin, som han begynte å bruke til å skape egen musikk ved bruk av «Soundtracker»-systemet, som bestod av en slags programmering av sekvenser med lyd, som ble gjengitt av 4 lydkanaler med 8-bits samples.
Som skaper av musikk på Amiga computer ble han aktiv i den såkalte Amiga demo-scene hvor grupper av kreative utøvere (grafikere, programmerere, designere, animatører og musikere) skapte «demos» som hovedsakelig gikk ut på å imponere hverandre med sine kunnskaper og få datamaskinen til å fremføre mest mulig forbløffende multimedia-show. Det var vanlig å bruke pseudonymer, og Bjørn kalte seg på denne tiden for «Dr.Awesome» og var med i gruppen Crusaders, som bestod av kreative Amiga-eiere fra Skedsmo-distriktet. Dr. Awesome ble en av de mest kjente figurene i datidens data/musikk-kultur og i dag kan man enda finne hundrevis av Dr. Awesome-musikkstykker liggende fritt tilgjengelig på internett i soundtracker-format (MOD).
I denne perioden ga han også ut sin første CD-utgivelse. I samarbeid med finnen Seppo Hurme ble CD-en Hobbits & Spaceships selvfinansiert og selvutgitt i september 1992. Bjørn fulgte opp med musikk til et lokalt teaterstykke (Brave New Virtual World) og ga også denne musikken ut på en kassettutgivelse med samme navn. Deretter fulgte CD-en Montage, igjen selvfinansiert og selvutgitt, denne gang av Bjørn Lynne alene, i januar 1994.
I tillegg til alt dette spilte han også keyboards og sang i det progressive rockebandet Ab Intra. Bandet gjorde én profesjonell innspilling som ble med på CD-en This Is An Orange, en samle-CD over skandinaviske progressive rockeband i 1994. Bandet hadde også en konsert på Chateau Neuf i Oslo og gjorde en mengde amatøropptak av sine egne låter.
Bjørn Lynne flyttet i april 1995 fra Oslo til Wakefield i Storbritannia, og begynte der i stilling som komponist, musikkprodusent og lydprodusent for spillutviklerselskapet Team17 Software Ltd. Der ble en av hans første oppgaver å skape musikken og lydeffektene til det populære spillet Worms.
Samtidig var han heldig nok til å kunne bruke lokalene og utstyret til Team17 Software til sine egne private musikkprosjekter. Han fikk sitt neste soloalbum Dreamstate utgitt av Centaur Discs, et lite, uavhengig britisk plateselskap, i 1995. Deretter fulgte flere andre soloalbum, tidvis med noen gjestemusikere, men stort sett med Bjørn Lynne på alle instrumenter. Disse ble utgitt på forskjellige små plateselskaper, blant annet Mellow Records, Cyclops og Proximity Records.
I årene 1995–2005 skapte han musikken til et stort antall spill til PC, Playstation, Nintendo og XBox. Han ga også ut en hel del CD-er med musikk innenfor genrene progressive rock, elektronisk musikk, ambient, fantasy-musikk, avslapningsmusikk og techno-trance.
I år 2000 hadde Bjørn Lynne grunnlagt og startet den internett-baserte musikktjenesten Shockwave-Sound.Com[1]. Her tilbød han sin musikk til salg med «royalty-free» lisens, det vil si at et firma kan kjøpe musikken for rundt 200 kroner per sang, og denne prisen inkluderer en lisens til å lovlig bruke musikken i kommersiell sammenheng (for eksempel internett-side, video, tv-program, multimedia presentasjon, firma-CDROM, telefonsystemer, reklame, messefremføring, og så videre). Typen musikk som Bjørn hadde jobbet med viste seg å være godt egnet til dette formålet, og Shockwave-Sound.com oppnådde etterhvert nok suksess til at Bjørn kunne forlate sin jobb i Team17 Software og leve utelukkende av sin egen musikk, via CD-salg og lisensering av sin musikk til mediabruk.
Veien var dermed åpen for å kunne flytte tilbake til Norge, og Bjørn valgte å flytte til Stavern, etter å ha vært der på et lengre besøk i 2004. Han jobber nå i et eget studio i sitt hjem i Stavern, der han produserer musikk til royalty-free lisensering gjennom Shockwave-Sound.Com, sine egne solo-album og til andre små og store prosjekter.
Dreamstate (Centaur Discs, 1995)
Witchwood (Mellow Records, 1996)
The Void (Cyclops, 1997)
Wizard of the Winds (Cyclops, 1998)
Wolves of the Gods (Cyclops, 1999)
Revive (Cyclops, 2000)
The Gods Awaken (Proximity Records, 2001)
Offisielle, selvfinansierte utgivelser
Hobbits & Spaceships (1992)
Montage (1994)
Accelerator (2001)
Colony (2002)
Return to Witchwood (2003)
Soothe CD-versjon (2004)
Soothe 5.1 Surround Musikk DVD-versjon (2004)
Beneath Another Sky (2006)
Offisielle utgivelser under band-navnet Divinorum
Isms (1998)
Talisman (2000)
Power Liquids (2003)
Uoffisielle, «personlige» og mindre utgivelser
Alien Breed 3D Soundtrack (1995)
X2 Soundtrack (1996)
Decade (1997)
Seven Kingdoms Soundtrack (1997)
Seven Kingdoms II The Frythan Wars Soundtrack (1998)
Pig Detective Soundtrack (1998)
Worms 2 Soundtrack (1998)
Worms Armageddon Soundtrack (1999)
Statement (2004)
Bootlegs, kassett-utgivelser, begrensede utgivelser for spesielle formål, et cetera
Bjørn Lynne Demo-Tape #1 (kassett, 1991)
Hobbits & Spaceships, The Extras (kassett, 1992)
Brave New Virtual World (kassett, 1993)
Acoustic Adventures (samle-CD for promotion-bruk, 2001)
Ambient Sea (for lokal promotion, 2006)
Musikk til data- og videospill
Brat (Amiga, 1991)
Cubulus (Amiga, 1992)
Airline (Amiga, 1992)
Escape from Colditz (Amiga, 1992)
Fantastic Voyage (Amiga, 1992)
Project-X (Amiga, 1993)
Qwak (Amiga, 1994)
Worms (Amiga, PC, Mac, Playstation, Sega Saturn, Gameboy, SNES, 1995)
Dominion Storm (PC, 1996)
X2 (Playstation, 1996)
Dark Corona (Mac, 1996)
Seven Kingdoms (PC, 1997)
Addiction Pinball (PC, 1998)
Worms Pinball (Playstation, 1998)
Worms 2 (PC, Playstation, 1998)
Nightlong: Union City Conspiracy (PC, 1998)
Seven Kingdoms II: The Frythan Wars (PC, 1998)
Worms Armageddon (PC, Playstation, Gameboy, Sega Dreamcast, 1999)
Virtual U (PC, 1999)
Arcade Pool II (PC, 1999)
Phoenix: Deep Space Resurrection (PC, 2000)
Spin Jam (Playstation, 1999)
Siege of Avalon (PC, 2000)
Ford Racing (PC, 2000)
Stunt GP (PC, Playstation2, Sega Dreamcast, 2001)
Bomberman (PC, 2001)
Worms World Party (PC, Playstation, Sega Dreamcast, 2001)
Capitalism II (PC, 2001)
Worms Blast (PC, Playstation 2, Nintendo Gamecube, Nintendo Gameboy Advance, 2001)
Maximum Capacity: Hotel Giant (PC, 2001)
Restaurant Empire (PC, 2003)
Worms 3D (PC, Playstation 2, X-Box, Nintendo Gamecube, 2003)
Worms Forts: Under Siege (PC, Playstation2, 2004)
Blox Forever (PC, 2004)
Multiplayer Solitaire (PC, 2004)
Icy Spell (PC, 2004)
Blotto Lotto (PC, 2004)
Worms 4: Mayhem (PC, Playstation 2, X-Box, 2005)
Rock Around the Slots (PC, 2004)
Turbo Spirit XT (PC, 2005)
Bumpcopter 2 (PC, 2005)
Midnight Strike (PC, 2005)
Spinning For Gold (PC, 2005)
Worms Open Warfare (Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, 2005)
Lemmings (Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, 2006)
De fleste av disse er ikke bestillingsverk, men produsenten har kjøpt lisens til allerede eksisterende musikk komponert av Bjørn Lynne, og brukt i blant annet disse produksjonene:
BBC Meet the Ancestors
CBS 60 Minutes
Vampire Sisters (film)
The Oracle (film)
Granada Television UK: Uncovered
«Alwaleed - Businessman Billionaire Prince» (dokumentar)
«The Crashes that Changed Flying» (dokumentar)
«Power and Precision - an Introduction to Explosives» (dokumentar)
Virtual Van Cordtland Park og Virtual Chicago (treningsvideoer)
It Itches, It Burns, It Kills (uavhengig filmproduksjon)
Fordi Bjørn Lynnes musikk ligger tilgjengelig for hvilket som helst firma å kjøpe en lisens til å bruke hans musikk kommersielt, har den blitt brukt i bokstavelig talt tusenvis av produksjoner verden over, av store og små selskaper. Noen av de mer nevneverdige som har brukt Bjørn Lynnes musikk i sine produksjoner er:
MBNA Bank, Plc (musikk til telefonsystem)
London Planetarium
AOL, Microsoft, IBM, Yahoo, Prudential og andre (musikk til online reklame)
Raffles Hotel, Singapore (musikk til intern TV-informasjons kanal)
Starbucks
BBC, Granada Television, CBS (TV bruk)
«The Pocket and the Pendant» (lydbok)
Plasma Aquarium, Plasma art, Plasma nature, etc. (DVD'er for dekorativ bruk av flatskjermer)
Sky Television (bruk i interaktiv digital TV)
Blackmore
For de som vil lese mer om Ritchie Blackmore er dette siden http://www.blackmoresnight.no/
Siden er på norsk, og inneholder mye annet som bør falle i smak for de fleste musikkelskerne.
Brutal Prog
"Brutal Prog" was a term coined by Flying Luttenbachers leader Weasel Walter on the "avant-progressive" listserve in 2000 to delineate an aesthetic within the general idiom of progressive rock which is more focused on dissonance and intensity than traditional "prog". Brutal Prog is not an organized movement in anyway, but rather a term to delineate newer, more extreme bands from the traditional trappings of what is known as progressive rock. The posting from march 28, 2000 follows:member of avant-progressive: "I could also recommend the last Gorguts album, calle (sic) "Obscura", I've only heard one song off it, but is sounds interesting enough."response by weasel walter: "This gorguts album IS progressive rock from HELL. It is 60-minutes of total abstraction and incredibly (almost unbearably) intense. I don't think there's a bar of 4/4 on the whole album. The band acheives some really startling new timbres on the guitar - - this is no average death metal album. Not for the weak!!!! Highly recommended. I'm a fan of the more, uh, "brutal" prog a la Magma, Univers Zero, prime-Heldon, Massacre, Shub Niggurath, King Crimson 'Red'- era, Ruins, etc., so take it from me..."
The so-called brutal prog bands seem to have strong roots in or a likeness to one or more of the following historical aesthetics: DIY/punk attitude and aggression; the deconconstructivist/nihilistic "no wave" ethos; characteristics of the Rock in Opposition (RIO) movement from Europe; musical influence from some of the darker traditional progressive rock bands such as Magma, Present, King Crimson, Univers Zero; or the music of Japanese cult band Ruins (led by influential musician Tatsuya Yoshida). Other bands that predated the tenets of Brutal Prog include Cheer-Accident, Molecules, Dazzling Killmen, Doctor Nerve, The Muffins, Massacre
Ahleuchatistas
Despite adventurous attitudes towards structure and meter, many classic "prog" bands like Yes or Genesis focused on harmonic consonance, with diatonic tonality prevaling. Brutal Prog bands are generally more challenging harmonically, often engaging sophisticated approaches to dissonance. For many of the groups there is also an emphasis on speed or sonic extremity for its own sake. Audio fidelity is sometimes sacrificed in the name of rawness or urgency.
Major Bands:
The Flying Luttenbachers, Orthrelm, Upsilon Acrux , Grand Ulena , Zs, Yowie, Behold...The Arctopus, Hella,Cheval de Frise, Lightning Bolt, Ahleuchatistas, Ruins
Bloodbound
Nosferatu
Just a brief mention for this disk as it will undoubtedly be of interest to anyone who has followed the fortunes of Swedish band Tad Morose. Having been a great fan of that band's recent albums and especially having had the pleasure to meet and interview them after a festival performance in Sweden a couple of years ago, I was hugely disappointed when I heard that vocalist Urban Breed had quite the band earlier this year. The oft-quoted 'musical differences' being given as the reason.
New Swedish band Bloodbound was his chosen destination, which at first caused a bit of alarm. Image-wise they all dress up in gory costumes, painted faces and stand around crucifixes - more death metal than what I'm used to. Thankfully appearances can be misleading and the music on offer on their debut album is top-quality, melodic metal that owes a heavy debt to Iron Maiden. The guitar work is breathtaking in its simple effectiveness and each and every song has an instant lovability. Needless to say Urban's vocal performance is fantastic, showing again why he has a reputation as one of the best metal vocalists around. This will be an instant hit with fans of Tad Morose's last two albums, as long as you don't mind that there's not a progressive twiddle in sight.
As a rather ironic footnote - Urban Breed has now left Bloodbound - along with several other members. The irony is that his repl