Theme Week: Progressive - Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel - A Song Without Words
Peter Gabriel - Humdrum
Peter Gabriel - Modern Love
[Recorded Live April 9, 1977]
[The Roxy - Los Angeles, California]
I'm back for a bit, though still in-and-out until the first week of January. Hope you're all having a great holiday break. Our hearts go out to those lost and still suffering from the tsunami. It feels like the end of the world. Here is Peter Gabriel live from April 9, 1977. I'm not including "Here Comes The Flood" as it would be in poor taste I think. This recording comes from a bootleg CD which I assume has been recorded elsewhere in better quality. My version has the classic "bootleg" sound, maybe there's a pristine version out there somewhere, but I sort of like the sound this show has. I've read a review which mentions Robert Fripp on guitar, but during "Modern Love" Peter introduces the band without Robert Fripp, however an audience member shouts out, "What about Robert Fripp man?". Was he there or wasn't he? A mystery to ponder. Enjoy!
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Theme Week: Progressive - Aphrodite's Child
Aphrodite's Child - Babylon
[From The Album "666"]
Where Ya' Been? This is a busy time of year for me so I'll be in and out sporadically until the big day hits - Christmas. Until then,
here's a mystery track - tell me who it is and I'll send you a disc, a Christmas treat from Blogalive. This trio was fronted by a one-named greek artist who later wrote the soundtrack to the classic sci-fi movie adapted from "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by a favorite author of mine, Philip K. Dick. This track opens the bands' swansong double disc number-of-the-beast. Give me the band, album and track name. Cheers!
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Theme Week: Progressive - Grobschnitt
Grobschnitt - Solar Music
Grobschnitt - Food Sicore
[From The Album "Solar Music Live" 1978]
If you're not a fan of German progressive rock of the seventies, click on over to another blog for today. While searching around the 'net for information regarding the band Grobschnitt (English translation: "Rough Cut"), I came across this little gem of a review for their classic live album "Solar Music Live":
"A progressive rock milestone. "Solar Music" evokes a perfect harmony between strong lyrics and heavy repertoires of long drum solos"
Ah yes, the marriage of strong lyrics and long drum solos... just what you've been looking for. (I also came across this comment: "Some call this the best live album of all time, and I would be tempted to agree"... huh? I don't know about that...) These guys eventually find themselves mired in the dreaded "symphonic rock" rut - the pedestrian cousin to progressive rock. But here they're proudly wearing their pointy hats, mixing effects-heavy vocal solos with Keith Emerson keyboard sweeps and showing off just how familiar they are with their better known English counterparts. They even convinced Roger Dean to design an Album cover. Grobschnitt may be a bit derivative, but this album is a well respected and classic prog / kraut performance from 1978. Take a listen and decide for yourself... [the two tracks run together]
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Soft Machine - BBC Radio 1971
Soft Machine - Out Bloody Rageous
Soft Machine - Eamonn Andrews
Soft Machine - All White
[Live - BBC Studios 3/11/71]
[From The Album "Soft Machine Live"]
What do Daevid Allen from planet Gong, Robert Wyatt (Shleep, fantastic album BTW), William S. Burroughs, policeman Andy Summers and the instrumentalists Kevin Ayers and Mike Ratledge have in common? They've all spun around the hub of the Soft Machine wheel - except for Mr. Burroughs of course who's cranky ravings in "The Soft Machine" gave the band it's name. There are two distinct periods in the bands history: first was a brief Daevid Allen influenced trippy psychedelic machine, followed by a longer jazz inspired progressive period. I like both and consider them two different bands which happen to share the same name and a few members. These tracks obviously come from Soft Machine's jazzy, progressive, fusion period and were recorded live at BBC studios. The accompanying video is expectedly trippy (water & oil swirling on overhead projectors behind the band) but you can't deny these guys their chops. A handful of Jazz, a pinch of psychedelic fusion - light up and enjoy. [the three tracks run together]
These tracks come from an unauthorized CD. Other BBC sessions have been officially released:
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