DAVILD SYLVIAN

DAVILD SYLVIAN
GONE TO EARTH (1986)
320 KBPS

Haunting, romantic, and ultimately self-indulgent, David Sylvian's Gone To Earth is two albums in one. The first is a collection of gossamer adult pop with jazz, world beat, and atonal influences. Sylvian's world-weary voice quavers with emotion, and the tone of the disc's first half suggests Bryan Ferry doing some serious dream-journaling. Standouts are the brief but lulling "Laughter and Forgetting," the ethereal "Before the Bullfight," and "Silver Moon."
After that, things get a bit murkier with a set of nondescript instrumentals that seem ill-placed after 25 minutes of Sylvian's urbane vocal mysticism. If you're a fan of Eno's "Music for Airports," this section should appeal to you greatly. Otherwise, it will put you to sleep. If ambience is your thing, however (and, really, why would you be considering buying a David Sylvian CD if it wasn't?), this is a true classic.

1. Taking The Veil
2. Laughter And Forgetting
3. Before The Bullfight
4. Gone To Earth
5. Wave
6. River Man
7. Silver Moon
8. The Healing Place
9. Answered Prayers
10. Where The Railroad Meets The Sea
11. The Wooden Cross
12. Home
13. Upon This Earth

UNIVERS ZERO

UNIVERS ZERO
RELAPS (2008)
320 KBPS

Founding members of the Rock In Opposition movement, Univers Zero have continued to change and grow and develop over their entire career, while still keeping a ensemble sound and spirit that is easily recognizable. Relaps presents something that Univers Zero's fans have been hoping for for decades; a peek into the recorded archives of one of the greatest avant-rock ensembles since mid 1970s! This CD documents the final 1980s line-ups of Univers Zéro before the band's long sabbatical from recording and touring. The live sound is excellent throughout and the CD features a 16 page booklet with a informative history of the band during this time period as well as rare, never-seen photos. The line-ups featured on Relaps are the quintet who recorded UZED and the septet who recorded Heatwave. The material is drawn from those two albums, with the live setting providing some different arrangements and even greater fire to the pieces; I found the pieces taken from Heatwave to be particularly inspiring and outrageous. There is also a short, otherwise unheard composition included here. While UZ continue to play truely awesome gigs and develop the material that will be found on their next studio album, Relaps provides a chance for the listener to catch up with some never-released and exciting recordings from a truly classic band!

1. L'Etrange Mixture du Docteur Schwartz
2. Presage
3. Parade
4. Ligne Claire
5. Emanations
6. Heatwave
7. The Funeral Plain
8. L'Etrange Mixture du Docteur Schwartz (free-style version)

ALAN PARSONS

ALAN PARSONS
A VALID PATH (2004)
320 KBPS

Five years after The Time Machine, Alan Parsons returned to the producer's chair refreshed and ready to go with an arsenal of new songs. The immediate standout is Parsons' highly updated super-polished sound, and to expect less from Parsons would be an insult to his legacy and reputation as one of rock's most respected producers and engineers. As usual for a Parsons project (pun intended), guest appearances once again run the gamut. The Crystal Method, David Gilmour, John Cleese, Nortec Collective, and Orson Welles all make contributions, with some most definitely faring better than others. The Crystal Method seem downright out of place on "Mammagamma 04," and so do their driving breakbeats and filtered basslines. Evidence of overreaching to keep up with the current chillout trends and Middle Eastern influences du jour are also present in "Return to Tunguska," which sounds like Pink Floyd's classic "One of These Days" in its mid-forties sipping a café latte. But those are mere distractions from Valid Path's overall haunting beauty, especially for those who have been loyal to Parsons over the duration of his career. While the changes may not appeal to some or even lure any new listeners, die-hard fans will revel in this and its replay value over and over again with great delight.

1. Return to Tunguska
2. More Lost Without You
3. Mannagamma `04
4. We Play the Game
5. Tijuaniac
6. L'Arc En Ciel
7. A Recurring Dream Within A Dream
8. You Can Run
9. Chomolungma

[RE-UP] CENTENAIRE

CENTENAIRE
CENTENAIRE (2007)
320 KBPS

Quite different from other Chief Inspector releases (Rigolus, Besson Rifflet, Camisetas, Collectif Slang, etc.) which are more jazz oriented, Centenaire debut album is a goldly surprise. Musicians included are, usually, to be found in either electronic, experimental or pop formations: Damien Mingus (My Jazzy Child), Axel Monnaud (Orval Carlos Sibelius), Stéphane Laporte (Domotic) and Aurélien Potier (Section Amour, Concertmate).
Centenaire appeared following the Orval project that already included Sibelius, Mingus, Monnaud and Potier, nethertheless, it's a real new step in those eductated musicians’ career. Here, they all gather in a rather different universe made of English folk, psychedelic pop and progressive rock.
With guitars, a cello, a clarinet, an organ, a drum set and a mini-guitar (the "charango"), they’ve build their music from many improvisation sessions. With influences such as Robert Wyatt, Pentangle and other Brittish musicians from the 70’s there was no doubt they will come out with something that could have been released 30 years ago yet still possesses the "air" of today’s expression (you can sometimes think of Espers or Animal Collective).
The four musicians have deliberately kept things simple, nourrishing their old-fashioned psychedelic folk as seminal and beautiful as can be. The result is quite easy to the ear yet possesses hidden treasures to those who will take the time to discover it. A very good album.

1. Norway
2. Le Retour
3. Castle
4. Take me Home
5. Swan
6. The Day Before
7. Bugatti
8. Heavy for everyone
9. The Dress
10. Masquerade
11. Riverside
12. Ending Fast
13. You
14. Strong

[RE-UP] SIGUR ROS

SIGUR ROS
MED SUD I EYRUM VID SPILUM ENDALAUST (2008)
320 KBPS

The fifth studio album from Iceland's supremely inventive dreamscapists is their poppiest outing to date.
A happy album from Sigur Rós sounds like an unlikely concept.
The band specialise in music that is about as sunny as an Arctic winter - vast tundras of sound, dark with melancholy and loneliness. So their fifth album comes as a surprise.
The brisk opener, "Gobbledigook", all jumped-up drums and manic vocals, sets the tone: its poppy energy crackles on through much of this collection.
But then along comes a song that changes everything. From innocuous beginnings - Jónsi Birgisson's fragile voice, a lone piano - "Ára Bátur" swells into an epic, swallowing a whole choir and the London Sinfonietta.
It is so ambitious and successful a piece of music that it threatens to overwhelm the surrounding tracks, making what came before seem frivolous and what follows, almost inconsequential.
No matter: for this one uplifting, goosebump-raising moment, it is worth checking the whole album.

1. gobbledigook
2. inní mér syngur vitleysingur
3. góðan daginn
4. við spilum endalaust
5. festival
6. með suð í eyrum
7. ára bátur
8. illgresi
9. fljótavík
10. straumnes
11. all alright

[RE-UP] LOST TRIBE

LOST TRIBE
SOUL FISH (1994)
320 KBPS

Lost Tribe's provocative mix of jazz, funk, progressive rock, heavy metal, and hip-hop is well represented on this 1994 disc. There are moments during "It's Not What It Is" when the '80s rock stylings of Living Color come to mind. Other tracks, such as "Second Story" and "Fuzzy Logic," recall the frenetic, rap-influenced sound of early Steve Coleman and Five Elements. Guitarist Adam Rogers and saxophonist David Binney seem to be the resident metalheads -- witness Rogers' crushing "Steel Orchards" and Binney's avant-thrash composition "H." Former Five Elements guitarist David Gilmore joins Rogers throughout the disc, making for some hot dual guitar work. Bassist Fima Ephron lays down rap vocals on his own "Walkabout," as does drummer Ben Perowsky on his own, less convincing "Daze of Ol'." On a mellower note, "Room of Life" and "La Fontaine" feature a more harmonically colorful side of the band.

1. Walkabout
2. Whodonit
3. It's Not What It Is
4. Daze of Ol'
5. Room of Life
6. Steel Orchards
7. Fontaine
8. Second Story
9. Planet Rock
10. Fuzzy Logic
11. H

FAUST

FAUST
IV (1974)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Coming on the heels of the cut-and-paste sound-collage schizophrenia of The Faust Tapes, Faust IV seems relatively subdued and conventional, though it's still a far cry from what anyone outside the German avant-garde rock scene was doing. The album's disparate threads don't quite jell into something larger (as in the past), but there's still much to recommend it. The nearly 12-minute electro-acoustic opener "Krautrock" is sometimes viewed as a comment on Faust's droning, long-winded contemporaries, albeit one that would lose its point by following the same conventions. There are a couple of oddball pop numbers that capture the group's surreal sense of whimsy: one, "The Sad Skinhead," through its reggae-ish beat, and another, "It's a Bit of a Pain," by interrupting a pastoral acoustic guitar number with the most obnoxious synth noises the band can conjure. Aside from "Krautrock," there is a trend toward shorter track lengths and more vocals, but there are still some unpredictably sudden shifts in the instrumental pieces, even though it only occasionally feels like an idea is being interrupted at random (quite unlike The Faust Tapes). There are several beat-less, mostly electronic soundscapes full of fluttering, blooping synth effects, as well as plenty of the group's trademark Velvet Underground-inspired guitar primitivism, and even a Frank Zappa-esque jazz-rock passage. Overall, Faust IV comes off as more a series of not-always-related experiments, but there are more than enough intriguing moments to make it worthwhile. Unfortunately, it would be the last album the group recorded (at least in its first go-round).

Disc 1
1. Krautrock
2. The Sad Skinhead
3. Jennifer
4. Just a Second (Starts Like That)
5. Picnic on a Frozen River
6. Giggy Smile
7. Läuft...Heist das Es Läuft Oder Es Kommt Bald...Läuft
8. It's a Bit of Pain

Disc 2
1. The Lurcher [BBC Session]
2. Krautrock [BBC Session]
3. Do So [BBC Session]
4. Jennifer [Alternate Version]
5. The Sad Skinhead [Alternate Version]
6. Just a Second (Starts Like That) [Extended Version]
7. Piano Piece
8. Läuft...Heist das Es Läuft Oder Es Kommt Bald...Läuft [Alternate Version]
9. Giggy Smile [Alternate Version]

MARILLION

MARILLION
ANORAKNOPHOBIA (2001)
320 KBPS

This is one of those Marillion albums that can neither be described as amongst their best, nor amongst their worst. It is, in fact, an average album. Better than recordings such as Radiation, This Strange Engine or Brave, but not as good as Afraid Of Sunlight, Marbles, or the earlier Fish-led works. The opener, 'Between You And Me' is excellent; an uptempo, melodic song that is, indeed, catchy. The band work well here, showing they have been together a long time. 'Quartz' is another strong song. Again, it is quite uptempo, but has a lovely quieter interlude in the middle, with Mark Kelly's keyboards sounding particularly effective. One of my favourites this one. 'Map Of The World' is a little too much on the popish side for me, but is still built around a decent melody. The sort of song you would never have caught Fish performing! 'When I Meet God' slows the tempo right down, and is another favourite of mine. Hogarth sounds in fine form here, as does Trewavas. In fact, it has to be said that Trewavas is maybe the most consistent player throughout the album. The song has quite poignant lyrics too. 'The Fruit Of The Wild Rose' is also good, but not quite up there with the best as far as I am concerned. It is another quite slow, dreamy piece, mixed with another strong melody. 'Separated Out' raises the tempo again, but is not amongst my favourites. Nice musicianship again, but, as on the whole album, not much soloing. (Oh for the days when Rothery would let rip, or Kelly would play a Banks-inspired solo!) 'This Is The 21st Century' is a slow to mid tempo song, and another good one. Nice vocals from Rothery on this one, and an atmospheric background to compliment him. Unfortunately, the album finishes with the weakest track on it, the not very impressive 'If My Heart Were A Ball...'. Rothery sounds ok, but the song itself is quite weak. A pity really. I don't have the two disc version, so cannot comment on the bonus material, but the one disc version is certainly worthy of a listen or two. I don't play it often, but it is nice to hear now and again.

1. Between You And Me
2. Quartz
3. Map Of The World
4. When I Meet God
5. The Fruit Of The Wild Rose
6. Separated Out
7. This Is The 21st Century
8. If My Heart Were A Ball It Would Roll Uphill

GENESIS

GENESIS
1970-1975 (2007)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

The third & final studio box set returns to the beginning, covering the band's more adventurous, experimental & ground-breaking years with lead singer Peter Gabriel. Each original album has been remastered and, maybe because the original recordings weren't up to today's standards, it's the more spectacular of the studio box sets.
I don't feel I need to comment any further on how essential this music is, just get it and enjoy.

TRESPASS (1970)
1.Looking for Someone
2.White Mountain
3.Visions of Angels
4.Stagnation
5.Dusk
6.The Knife

NURSERY CRYME (1971)
1.The Musical Box
2.For Absent Friends
3.The Return of the Giant Hogweed
4.Seven Stones
5.Harold the Barrel
6.Harlequin
7.The Fountain of Salmacis

FOXTROT (1972)
1.Watcher of the Skies
2.Time Table
3.Get 'Em Out by Friday
4.Can-Utility and the Coastliners
5.Horizons
6.Supper's Ready

SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND (1973)
1.Dancing with the Moonlit Knight
2.I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
3.Firth of Fifth
4.More Fool Me
5.The Battle of Epping Forest
6.After the Ordeal
7.The Cinema Show
8.Aisle of Plenty

THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY (1974)
Disc One
1.The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
2.Fly on a Windshield
3.Broadway Melody Of 1974
4.Cuckoo Cocoon
5.In the Cage
6.The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging
7.Back in N.Y.C.
8.Hairless Heart
9.Counting Out Time
10.The Carpet Crawlers
11.The Chamber of 32 Doors

Disc Two
1.Lilywhite Lilith
2.The Waiting Room
3.Anyway
4.Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist
5.The Lamia
6.Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats
7.The Colony of Slippermen
8.Ravine
9.The Light Dies Down on Broadway
10.Riding the Scree
11.In the Rapids
12.It

BONUS
EXTRA TRACKS 1970–1975 (2008)
1.Happy the Man
2.Twilight Alehouse
3.Going Out to Get You
4.Shepherd
5.Pacidy
6.Let Us Now Make Love
7.Provocation
8.Frustration
9.Manipulation
10.Resignation

HATFIELD AND THE NORTH

HATFIELD AND THE NORTH
THE ROTTERS' CLUB (1975)
320 KBPS

Together with Caravan's "In the Land of Grey and Pink", this is possibly the masterpiece of the so-called Canterbury sound. More accomplished than the band's self- titled debut album, it shares most of its basic features, but the level of musicianship is even higher, with Dave Stewart's stunning keyboards more in evidence at the expense of The Northettes' vocalising (which is, in my opinion, less brilliant here than on its predecessor). The four musicians form an extremely tight unit, their instruments blending seamlessly in a harmonious whole, further enhanced by the (unfortunately few) vocal interludes, courtesy of Richard Sinclair's golden voice. The presence of horns and other wind instruments is strong, though less improvisational-sounding than on the debut, adding to the more sophisticated feel of this album.
"The Rotters' Club" opens with one of the most infectious, hummable songs ever, the delightful "Share It" - living proof of how you can have a song which is at the same time accessible and intelligent. The lyrics by drummer extraordinaire Pip Pyle may not be deeply meaningful (although I have read somewhere that they are about sex), nevertheless they are very entertaining and superbly interpreted by Richard Sinclair - which is no mean feat, as all the songs on this album require quite a bit of technical skill. Pure instrumental bliss follows, with the interplay between the four musicians quite stunning in its smoothness and ease. The rythm section of Pyle and Sinclair is among the tightest, more inventive I've ever heard, giving such luminaries as Squire and Bruford a run for their money. "The Yes-No Interlude" flows into the quirky "Fitter Stoke Has a Bath", complete with funny underwater effects and Sinclair's deadpan delivery, which in turn fades into the wistful, melancholy "Didn't Matter Anyway", accompanied by Jimmy Hasting's sweetly mournful flute.
The album's pièce de resistance is, however, the 20-minutes-plus Dave Stewart epic "Mumps", a complex, meandering composition which features wordless vocal harmonies from The Northettes, monumental keyboard work from Stewart and a shorter vocal section with whimsical, nonsense lyrics, known as "The Alphabet Song". The five bonus tracks (which first appeared on the band's posthumous album "Afters") include the energetic instrumentals "Oh, Len's Nature" and "Lying and Gracing" and Sinclair's beautiful "Halfway Between Heaven and Earth", another vocal tour de force for prog's great unsung hero. Why he is always forgotten in "best vocalist" polls is really beyond me.
Some people have berated the album's sleeve, though I must admit to liking it - and it also goes very well with the music. I don't think a Roger Dean cover would have suited the musical content at all.... As to the lyrics, they're funny and uplifting, squarely in the tradition of English nonsense verse. Like its predecessor, "The Rotters' Club" is not the kind of album that everybody will like immediately, but there's no doubt that it's one of the best examples of what prog is all about. Get hold of it and enjoy - you won't regret it.

1. Share It
2. Lounging There Trying
3. (Big) John Wayne Socks Psychology on the Jaw
4. Chaos at the Greasy Spoon
5. The Yes No Interlude
6. Fitter Stoke has a Bath
7. Didn't Matter Anyway
8. Underdub
9. Mumps
a) Your Majesty is Like a Cream Donut (quiet)
b) Lumps
c) Prenut
d) Your Majesty is Like a Cream Donut (loud)
Bonus Tracks
10. (Big) John Wayne Socks Psychology on the Jaw
11. Chaos at the Greasy Spoon
12. Halfway Between Heaven and Earth
13. Oh, Len's Nature!
14. Lying and Gracing

GENESIS

GENESIS
1976-1982 (2007)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

If the grouping of albums on this 2007 box set initially seems a little odd — it is neither a collection of the band's early work, nor all of their albums after Peter Gabriel's departure, nor is it their most popular work — it soon becomes apparent why these five albums are grouped together and reissued as remastered double-disc sets, with one disc containing a CD of the album, the other a DVD with a 5.1 mix and extra video material (in the U.K., the first disc contains hybrid SACDs of the albums, raising this question why they aren't in this format in the U.S., especially since the bonus disc in this box is a hybrid SACD in all territories). These are the key art rock albums from the Phil Collins-fronted lineup of Genesis, the ones that the fans value, certainly more so than the pop-oriented Genesis and Invisible Touch. Collins, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford reunited in 2007 for a tour, so it made sense to box up their key texts as a deluxe reissue, because this is indeed the music that the fans will want to hear on the tour. If the remastered sound wasn't enough of an incentive for hardcore fans (although it often is), the set also includes plenty of supplemental material, highlighted by a bonus disc containing 13 rarities and B-sides, including the single "Paperlate." That's not the end of the bonus material, though: there's also a 48-page book, and each DVD is packed with extra material, including promotional videos, TV appearances, replications of tour programs, and new interviews with the band about the making of the albums. Of course, to get all these juicy bonuses, you'll have to buy the real thing but, until then, you can still sample the exquisite sound quality of these remasters.

A TRICK OF THE TAIL (1976)
1.Dance On A Volcano
2.Entangled
3.Squonk
4.Mad Man Moon
5.Robbery, Assault and Battery
6.Ripples...
7.A Trick of the Tail
8.Los Endos

WIND & WUTHERING (1976)
1.Eleventh Earl Of Mar
2.One For The Vine
3.Your Own Special Way
4.Wot Gorilla?
5.All In A Mouse's Night
6.Blood On The Rooftops
7."Unquiet Slumbers For The Sleepers...
8....In That Quiet Earth"
9.Afterglow

...AND THEN THEY WERE THREE (1978)
1.Down And Out
2.Undertow
3.Ballad Of Big
4.Snowbound
5.Burning Rope
6.Deep in the Motherlode
7.Many Too Many
8.Scenes From A Night’s Dream
9.Say It’s Alright Joe
10.The Lady Lies
11.Follow You Follow Me

DUKE (1980)
1.Behind the Lines
2.Duchess
3.Guide Vocal
4.Man Of Our Times
5.Misunderstanding
6.Heathaze
7.Turn It On Again
8.Alone Tonight
9.Cul-De-Sac
10.Please Don’t Ask
11.Duke’s Travels
12.Duke’s End

ABACAB (1981)
1.Abacab
2.No Reply At All
3.Me and Sarah Jane
4.Keep It Dark
5.Dodo/Lurker
6.Who Dunnit?
7.Man On The Corner
8.Like It Or Not
9.Another Record

BONUS
EXTRA TRACKS 1976–1982 (2007)
1.Paperlate
2.Evidence of Autumn
3.Pigeons
4.You Might Recall
5.Naminanu
6.Inside And Out
7.Vancouver
8.Me And Virgil
9.It's Yourself
10.Match Of The Day
11.Open Door
12.The Day the Light Went Out
13.Submarine

[RE-UP] YES

YES
TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS (1973)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

I might as well wade in on this controversial album and place my two cents down on the progressive rock counter. It's a flawed masterpiece, to be sure, but what an aural adventure! After CTTE I think they couldn't help themselves but to follow the side-long opus trail that they had been so encouraged to follow by the voracious audience that was eating up everything they put out. Me and my friends included. By then we all worshipped at the Yes altar with good reason. Their music was innovative, courageous and inspiring at a time when top 40 radio was still in command of the biz. When this came out we couldn't wait to plop it on the turntable. It was, with the help of mellowing agents (If you know what I mean and I think you do), a religious experience. When I think of this album I recall driving through the Rockies in a funky Audi with a friend on the way to a gig in Estes Park and this cassette blaring through the speakers. If this music is pretentious then so are the mountains in Colorado. All I know is that it fit the scenery (and age) perfectly. Was Yes full of itself? Probably. Did they do the best they could? Definitely. Did they go too far and veer "over the edge?" Well, that's up to the individual listener. To me it's light years better than Tormato, which is when I lost interest in what they were doing, but that doesn't redeem it totally. That being said, the reissued version from Rhino is excellent and makes up for many of the original pressing's shortcomings on vinyl and fans might want to invest in it if they haven't already. "The Ancient" grates on my nerves a bit but once you get through the strange first half of the song it mellows considerably yet it still remains the weakest of the four. But there are moments on "The Revealing Science of God," "The Remembering" and "Ritual" that continue to amaze my ears even after all these decades. TFTO still pales in comparison with the three albums that preceded it and doesn't hold up as good as Going for the One or Relayer but it will forever hold a place in my prog heart as being the right album at the right time.

Disc 1
1. The Revealing Science Of God - Dance Of The Dawn
2. The Remembering - High The Memory
3. The Ancient - Giants Under The Sun
4. Ritual - Nous Sommes Du Soleil

Disc 2
Bonus tracks
1. Dance of the Dawn (studio run-through)
2. Giants under the Sun (studio run-through)

[RE-UP] YES

YES
BIG GENERATOR (1987)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

The four-years-in-the-making follow-up to Yes' comeback album, 90125, Big Generator was also a million-selling hit, although not as successful as its predecessor, probably because the singles "Love Will Find a Way" (number 30) and "Rhythm of Love" (number 40) couldn't match "Owner of a Lonely Heart" from the previous LP, even if they were favorites on AOR radio at the time. Actually, it was the title track that was a carbon copy of "Owner," so maybe that was the problem. More likely, though, "Owner" was a one-shot (courtesy of producer Trevor Horn), and as Yes asserted itself more here, the band reverted more to its old style, making for some confusion. Nevertheless, this album was Yes' last major hit.

1. Rhythm Of Love
2. Big Generator
3. Shoot High Aim Low
4. Almost Like Love
5. Love Will Find A Way
6. Final Eyes
7. I'm Running
8. Holy Lamb (Song for Harmonic Convergence)
Bonus Tracks
(Japanese Remaster 2009)
9. Love Will Find A Way (Edited Version)
10. Love Will Find A Way (Extended Version)
11. Rhythm Of Love (Dance to the Rhythm Mix)
12. Rhythm Of Love (Move to the Rhythm Mix)
13. Rhythm Of Love (The Rhythm of Dub)

[RE-UP] YES

YES
9012: LIVE, THE SOLOS (1985)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Definitely a Yes afficionado album...but well worth the listen. Jon Andersons solo of "Soon" is truly amazing. And Trevor Rabin's guitar solo is equally appealing...Too bad one cannot find more of Trevor's material in recorded format. The last tune "Whitefish" the band gets really rockin! I would still recommend this album even to the casual Yes fan and even more in the japanese remastered form displayed here.

1. Hold On
2. SI (Tony Kaye)
3. Solly's Beard (Trevor Rabin)
4. Soon (Jon Anderson)
5. Changes
6. Amazing Grace (Chris Squire)
7. Whitefish (Squire & White)

GENESIS

GENESIS
1983-1998 (2007)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

The long-awaited high-fidelity overhaul of the Genesis catalog began with a multi-album box set spanning 1976-1982 — the first half of Phil Collins' reign as lead vocalist, otherwise known as the prog years of when the group was a trio. Instead of moving backward to cover the band's early, arty years with Peter Gabriel, the next release in this series moved forward, covering 1983-1998, otherwise known as the "pop years" for the trio. To their credit, Genesis doesn't try to write the 1998 post-Collins Calling All Stations out of their history: it's right here, alongside 1983's Genesis, 1986's Invisible Touch, and 1991's We Can't Dance, plus a bonus disc with eight rarities. Going forward to these albums makes sense for two reasons: first of all, there's the fact that this is the reunited lineup that was touring the world in 2007, but it's also true that these digital-era productions are better showcases for 5.1 Surround mixes and they're the records that have loads of video and multimedia material to fill out these DVD-As (in the U.K., this set is available as Hybrid SACDs as well). The video section of each of the albums contains all the video clips from the record, plus new interviews with the bands about the record, then there's multimedia press kits added to the mix.
Anyway, all you've got here is the music from the stereo mixes which are an improvment on those of the original cds from 1983 and 1986 and a little less for We Can't Dance and Calling All Stations. As for the 5.1 mix and DVD part, you'll have to buy the box to get it.

GENESIS (1983)
1. Mama
2. That's All
3. Home By the Sea
4. Second Home By the Sea
5. Illegal Alien
6. Taking It All Too Hard
7. Just a Job To Do
8. Silver Rainbow
9. It's Gonna Get Better

INVISIBLE TOUCH (1986)
1. Invisible Touch
2. Tonight Tonight Tonight
3. Land Of Confusion
4. In Too Deep
5. Anything She Does
6. Domino
Pt.1: In the Glow Of the Night
Pt.2: The Last Domino
7. Throwing It All Away
8. Brazilian, The

WE CAN'T DANCE (1991)
1. No Son Of Mine
2. Jesus He Knows Me
3. Driving the Last Spike
4. I Can't Dance
5. Never a Time
6. Dreaming While You Sleep
7. Tell Me Why
8. Living Forever
9. Hold On My Heart
10. Way Of the World
11. Since I Lost You
12. Fading Lights

CALLING ALL STATIONS (1997)
1. Calling All Stations
2. Congo
3. Shipwrecked
4. Alien Afternoon
5. Not About Us
6. If That's What You Need
7. Dividing Line, The
8. Uncertain Weather
9. Small Talk
10. There Must Be Some Other Way
11. One Man's Fool

BONUS
EXTRA TRACKS 1983-1998 (2007)
1. On the Shoreline
2. Hearts On Fire
3. Do the Neurotic
4. Feeding the Fire
5. I'd Rather Be You
6. Anything Now
7. Sign Your Life Away
8. Run Out Of Time

THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT

THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT
TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION (1976)
DELUXE EDITION
320 KBPS

Tales of Mystery and Imagination is an extremely mesmerizing aural journey through some of Edgar Allan Poe's most renowned works. With the use of synthesizers, drums, guitar, and even a glockenspiel, Parsons' shivering effects make way for an eerie excursion into Poe's well-known classics. The instrumental "Dream Within a Dream" has Orson Welles narrating in front of this wispy collaboration of guitars and keyboards. The EMI vocoder is used throughout "The Raven" with the Westminster City School Boys Choir mixed in to add a distinct flair to its chamber-like sound. Parsons' expertise surrounds this album, from the slyness that prevails in "(The System Of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Feather" to the bodeful thumping of the drums that imitate a heartbeat on "The Tell-Tale Heart." "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a lengthy but dazzling array of musicianship that keeps the album's persona intact, while enabling the listener to submerge into its frightening atmosphere. With vocalists Terry Sylvester, John Miles, and Eric Woolfson stretched across each track, this variety of different singing styles adds color and design to the album's air. Without any underlying theme to be pondered upon, Alan Parsons instead paints a vivid picture of one of the most alluring literary figures in history by musically reciting his most famous works in expert fashion.

Disc 1
1976 Original Album
1. A Dream Within A Dream
2. The Raven
3. The Tell-Tale Heart
4. The Cask Of Amontillado
5. (The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether
The Fall Of The House Of Usher
6. Prelude
7. Arrival
8. Intermezzo
9. Pavane
10. Fall
11. To One In Paradise
Bonus Tracks
12. The Raven (Original Demo)
13. Edgar (Demo Of An Unreleased Track)
14. Orson Welles Radio Spot
15. Interview With Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson (1976)

Disc 2
1987-Remix
1. A Dream Within A Dream
2. The Raven
3. The Tell-Tale Heart
4. The Cask Of Amontillado
5. (The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether
The Fall Of The House Of Usher
6. Prelude
7. Arrival
8. Intermezzo
9. Pavane
10. Fall
11. To One In Paradise
Bonus Tracks
12. Eric's Guide Vocal Medley
13. Orson Welles Dialogue
14. Sea Lions In The Departure Lounge - Sound Effects And Experiments
15. GBH Mix - Unreleased Experiments

GENESIS

GENESIS
LIVE BOX: 1973-2007 (2009)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

The last in a series of four deluxe box sets reissuing the entirety of Genesis' catalog (excepting their all-but-disowned debut recordings, produced by Jonathan King), Live 1973-2007 contains four of the group's five live albums — 1973's Live, 1977's Seconds Out, 1982's Three Sides Live, and both volumes of 1992's Genesis Live: The Way We Walk, sequencing the two into concert order — adding an empty slot for 2007's Live Over Europe, which is not included in this set. Some longtime fans will be disappointed over the decision not to include the version of "Supper's Ready" that was deleted from Live, owing to the extra LP side it would have entailed (that particular concert album was intended to fill the gap between studio recordings, but a three-sided double LP didn't make economic sense at the time) — as is explained in the wonderfully extensive annotation, this collection is less a vault-raid than a re-configuring of the group's live history, cleaning up the sound and placing it all in coherent order, so there were no alternate takes chosen, or expansions of existing established recordings; and it was felt that the "Supper's Ready" from Live at the Rainbow — a concert already partly released in excerpts on previous sets — was superior to the long-missing rendition in question. As is explained in the notes, in addition to polishing up the audio on everything (especially Live, which does sound better than ever) the producers endeavored to release 5.1 surround sound mixes on DVD of anything not otherwise available that way and already on DVD (which is why Three Sides Live and The Way We Walk are here only as CDs). There are still limitations on the 1973-vintage material in terms of resolution, but the DVD versions of those concerts are worth acquiring — you get a real sense of stage ambience and spatial relationships on Live, and the presence of everything is enhanced in a way that fulfills what longtime fans have long known was there, waiting to be brought out. And the DVD versions of Seconds Out is every bit as impressive — what's more, the makers haven't been afraid to push the volume, which is good and loud for a change. The only complaint, apart from not seriously considering the "lost" "Supper's Ready" — which is more than made up for by the complete Rainbow show, in phenomenal sound and good photographic accompaniment on each song — is the packaging; was it really necessary to put the DVD of Seconds Out in a sleeve so tight that it will likely be scratched over time from normal use, no matter how careful the owner is? Otherwise, a lot of this will be a dream-come-true, omissions aside, for longtime fans.

LIVE (1973)
1. Watcher of the Skies
2. Get 'Em Out by Friday
3. The Return of the Giant Hogweed
4. The Musical Box
5. The Knife
Bonus Tracks
(taken from "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" 1974)
6. Back in New York City
7. Fly on the Windshield
8. Broadway Melody of 1974
9. Anyway
10. The Chamber of 32 Doors

SECONDS OUT (1977)
Disc 1
1. Squonk
2. Carpet Crawlers
3. Robbery, Assault and Battery
4. Afterglow
5. Firth of Fifth
6. I Know What I Like
7. The Lamb Dies Down on Broadway
8. The Musical Box (Closing Section)

Disc 2
1. Supper's Ready
2. The Cinema Show
3. Dance on a Volcano
4. Los Endos

THREE SIDES LIVE (1982)
Disc 1
1. Turn It On Again
2. Dodo/Lurker
3. Abacab
4. Behind the Lines
5. Duchess
6. Me and Sarah Jane
7. Follow You, Follow Me

Disc 2
8. Misunderstanding
9. In The Cage/Cinema Show/Slippermen
10. Afterglow
Bonus Tracks
11. One For The Vine
12. The Fountain Of Slamacis
13. It/Watcher Of The Skies

THE WAY WE WALK (1992)
Disc 1
1 Land of Confusion
2 No Son of Mine
3 Driving the Last Spike
4 Old Medley:
Dance on a Volcano/The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway/The Musical Box/Firth of Fifth/I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
5 Throwing It All Away
6 Fading Lights
7 Jesus He Knows Me
8 Home by the Sea/Second Home by the Sea

Disc 2
1 Hold On My Heart
2 Domino:
In the Glow of the Night/The Last Domino
3 The Drum Thing
4 I Can't Dance
5 Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
6 Invisible Touch
7 Turn It On Again
Bonus Tracks
Tracks not performed on the We Can't Dance Tour
8 Mama
9 That's All
10 In Too Deep

LIVE OVER EUROPE (2007)
Disc 1
1. Duke's Intro
2. Turn It On Again
3. No Son Of Mine
4. Land Of Confusion
5. In The Cage/The Cinema Show/Dukes Travels
6. Afterglow
7. Hold On My Heart
8. Home By The Sea
9. Follow You Follow Me
10. Firth Of Fifth (Excerpt)
11. I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)

Disc 2
1. Mama
2. Ripples
3. Throwing It All Away
4. Domino
5. Conversations with 2 Stools
6. Los Endos
7. Tonight, Tonight, Tonight (Excerpt)
8. Invisible Touch
9. I Can't Dance
10. Carpet Crawlers

EXTRA TRACKS:
LIVE AT THE RAINBOW (1973)
1.Dancing with the Moonlit Knight
2. The Cinema Show
3. I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
4. Firth of Fifth
5. More Fool Me
6. The Battle of Epping Forest
7. Supper's Ready

THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT

THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT
STEREOTOMY (1985)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

The Alan Parsons Project, being as they were a studio based "project" led by Eric Wolfson and Alan Parsons, had the luxury of being able to call upon guest vocals whom they felt would be appropriate for a particular track. This gave their albums the potential for great diversity, a facet they did not always exploit to the full. Too often, the various singers end up sounding similar to each other, overwhelmed by the everything but the kitchen sink approach adopted during production.
"Stereotomy" however is different. The chosen vocalists are individually strong, including as they do John Miles, Chris Rainbow, and the great Gary Brooker (Procol Harum). There is still the familiar APP pop sound, particularly on the lightweight tracks such as "Beujolais" and "In the real world" There is also the obligatory couple of instrumentals which always seem to sound the same, but there are also some more adventurous, well constructed pieces too.
The title track is a great upbeat opener, with the single word title being used to great phonetic effect (similar to the way Russ Ballard used to do so well on Argent tracks like "Liar" and "Tragedy".)
"Limelight", the track featuring Gary Brooker's voice stand head and shoulders above the other tracks. It is truly one of the APP's defining moments. Admittedly Brooker could make any lyric sound emotional, but when he gets the right song, as he does here, the results can be stunning.
For those wishing to discover the APP, this would make a good early choice.

1. Stereotomy
2. Beaujolais
3. Urbania
4. Limelight
5. In The Real World
6. Where's The Walrus?
7. Light Of The World
8. Chinese Whispers
9. Stereotomy Two
Bonus Tracks
10. Light Of The World (Instrumental)
11. Rumour Goin' Round (Demo)
12. Stereotomy (Guide Vocal)
13. Stereotomy (Reprise)

Click on track 1 to get the working mp3.

THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT

THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT
GAUDI (1987)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Final album under the ALAN PARSONS PROJECT name (Alan PARSONS would later on simply record as Alan PARSONS). I find this album a notch better than "Vulture Culture" and "Stereotomy", but of course, this is no "I Robot" either. The music is about Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, the guy who created truly bizarre and unusual buildings and structures (despite his very conservative political and religious views), such as the Sagrada Familia cathedral, Casa Milà apartments (with some truly bizarre chimneys and ventilation shafts on the roof, making going up on the rooftop of the Casa Milà an absolute must), and Güell Park. Pretty much, the music on this album is as you expect from The ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, heavily orchestrated pop-rock, but there are some more '80s synth-pop type numbers such as "Too Late", "Standing on Higher Ground" and "Money Talks".
Nice to see two of their key vocalists, Eric Woolfson and Lenny Zakatek make a return here (they seemed oddly absent on "Stereotomy"). There are two Eric Woolfson ballads, "Closer to Heaven" and "Inside Looking Out". It might not be the best thing APP ever done, but it could've been a lot worse.

1. La Sagrada Familia
2. Too Late
3. Closer To Heaven
4. Standing On Higher Ground
5. Money Talks
6. Inside Looking Out
7. Paseo De Gracia (Instrumental)
Bonus Tracks
8. Too Late (Alternate Version - Eric Woolfson Guide Vocal)
9. Standing On Higher Ground / Losing Proposition (Vocal Experiments)
10. Money Talks (Chris Rainbow / Percussion Overdubs)
11. Money Talks (Rough Mix Backing Track)
12. Closer To Heaven (Sax / Chris Rainbow Overdub section)
13. Paseo De Gracia (Rough Mix)
14. La Sagrada Familia (Rough Mix)

RICHARD THOMPSON

RICHARD THOMPSON
WALKING ON A WIRE: 1968-2009 (2009)
256-320 KBPS

Richard Thompson has never had a for-real hit record (at least not in America) over the course of a career that's spanned five decades, but there are few musicians who are better respected by their peers or have a more devoted fan base, and not without reason — he's a fine singer, a superb, inventive guitarist, and a truly masterful songwriter. This may explain why Thompson, a man who could best be described as a "cult figure," is being honored with his third multi-disc box set. The 1993 set Watching the Dark was a brilliant overview of Thompson's body of work that included classic songs from all phases of his career along with rare live material, unreleased studio sessions, and even a few new songs. Released in 2006, RT: The Life and Music of Richard Thompson took a very different approach, instead collecting five discs' worth of unreleased material drawn from Thompson's own tape archives, which seemed designed to please obsessive fans at the expense of those who wanted a reasonably clear picture of the arc of his career. And now, Walking on a Wire: 1968-2009 takes the opposite extreme — it's a four-disc set that offers a carefully edited and intelligently compiled chronological summary of Thompson's recorded repertoire, from his early recordings with Fairport Convention to his 2007 solo album, Sweet Warrior. However, it doesn't feature a single recording that hasn't been released before, and the few tracks that could pass as rarities come from "authorized bootlegs" Thompson has released through his fan club and website (nearly all still easily available).
For many artists, this wouldn't be quite such a severe failing, but with rare exceptions a four-disc box set is most likely to be purchased by an artist's most loyal fans, and there's almost nothing on Walking on a Wire that wouldn't already be in the collection of a serious Richard Thompson aficionado, making this anthology seem both beautiful and redundant. But if you're looking for a convincing argument for Thompson's status as one of the great treasures of British rock and folk, Walking on a Wire succeeds beautifully. The programming gleans many of the most satisfying and significant moments from Thompson's recordings, and the material flows beautifully from one great track to the next, clearly reflecting the path his music has followed. The remastering is excellent, particularly on the earlier solo material, and Patrick Humphries' liner notes offer a superb thumbnail sketch of Thompson's life and music, while the booklet is filled with great rare photos. As the biggest and most comprehensive "Best of Richard Thompson" album ever, Walking on a Wire succeeds beautifully, and it's a wonderful and loving presentation of his art. But if you're already a fan, this will all seem very familiar, and while this is a splendid starting point for the uninitiated, persuading them they should start their Richard Thompson collection with a four-disc box set will probably be an uphill battle — though it's hard to imagine anyone who appreciates music that speaks honestly to the heart and soul not falling in love with this.

Disc 1
1. Time Will Show The Wiser - Fairport Convention
2. Meet On The Ledge - Fairport Convention
3. Genesis Hall - Fairport Convention
4. Crazy Man Michael - Fairport Convention
5. Sloth - Fairport Convention
6. Roll Over Vaughn Williams
7. The Poor Ditching Boy
8. The Angels Took My Racehorse Away
9. The Great Valerio - Richard & Linda Thompson
10. When I Get To The Border - Richard & Linda Thompson
11. Withered And Died - Richard & Linda Thompson
12. I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight - Richard & Linda Thompson
13. Down Where The Drunkards Roll - Richard & Linda Thompson
14. The Calvary Cross - Richard & Linda Thompson
15. I'll Regret It All In The Morning - Richard & Linda Thompson
16. Old Man Inside A Young Man - Richard & Linda Thompson
17. For Shame Of Doing Wrong - Richard & Linda Thompson
18. Night Comes In - Richard & Linda Thompson

.

Disc 2
1. Dimming Of The Day/Dargai - Richard & Linda Thompson
2. A Heart Needs A Home - Richard & Linda Thompson
3. Don't Let A Thief Steal Into Your Heart - Richard & Linda Thompson
4. Strange Affair - Richard & Linda Thompson
5. Sunnyvista - Richard & Linda Thompson
6. Sisters - Richard & Linda Thompson
7. Rockin' In Rhythm
8. Did She Jump Or Was She Pushed - Richard & Linda Thompson
9. Man In Need - Richard & Linda Thompson
10. Shoot Out The Lights - Richard & Linda Thompson
11. Wall Of Death - Richard & Linda Thompson
12. Walking On A Wire - Richard & Linda Thompson
13. Tear Stained Letter
14. How I Wanted To
15. Hand Of Kindness
16. Beat The Retreat (Live)
17. I Ain't Going To Drag My Feet No More

Disc 3
1. Little Blue Number
2. She Twists The Knife Again
3. Valerie
4. Turning Of The Tide
5. I Still Dream
6. Waltzing's For Dreamers
7. Read About Love
8. I Feel So Good
9. I Misunderstood
10. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
11. Put Your Trust In Me
12. From Galway To Graceland (Live)
13. I Can't Wake Up To Save My Life
14. MGB-GT
15. Mingus Eyes
16. Beeswing
17. Taking My Business Elsewhere
18. King Of Bohemia
19. Don't Roll Those Bloodshot Eyes At Me (Live) - Richard Thompson with Danny Thompson
20. Razor Dance

Disc 4
1. Hide It Away
2. Last Shift - Richard Thompson and Danny Thompson
3. Big Chimney - Richard Thompson and Danny Thompson
4. Lotteryland - Richard Thompson and Danny Thompson
5. Persuasion (Live
6. Cooksferry Queen
7. Bathsheba Smiles
8. Hard On Me (Live)
9. G ethsemane
10. A Love You Can't Survive
11. A Legal Matter (Live)
12. Main Title From Grizzly Man
13. Al Bowlly's In Heaven (Live)
14. I'll Never Give It Up
15. Dad's Gonna Kill Me
16. She Sang Angels To Rest