
There's
a mixture of the old and new in this edition of The Progressive Zone.
On Live From The House Of Blues, Yes delivers a two-CD set
combining tracks from their recent (and critically acclaimed) CD The
Ladder with old favorites such as "And You And I" and
"Roundabout." Porcupine Tree follows up their masterpiece
Stupid Dream with the new Lightbulb Sun. While there
are two extended tracks ("Hatesong" and "Russia On
Ice"), the emphasis this time around is on shorter songs, most
clocking in at five minutes or less. The Inside Out America label
(home of The Flower Kings) brings us the latest effort from Enchant,
a band that combines intelligent and tuneful songwriting with a powerhouse
delivery. If you like "New School" Prog (as in the aforementioned
F-Kings, Spock, etc), give Juggling 9 Or Dropping 10 a listen.
The final recording from Roxy Music Mach II (the Eddie Jobson era),
Viva is a live set featuring the talents of John Wetton on
bass, most notably on the sledgehammer version of "In Every Dream
Home A Heartache" from their second album For Your Pleasure.
The good folks at Purple Pyramid bring us the double CD Hawkwind:
The Stonehenge Collection. While the band has a well-deserved
reputation for having one of the worst sounding catalogs in history,
The Stonehenge Collection is a rare and welcome exception. Compiling
two previously released albums (Zones and Do Not Panic:
This Is Hawkwind), both discs feature key members Dave Brock and
Nik Turner. Finally, Raingods With Zippos is a strong effort
from former Marillion frontman Fish. The opening track "Tumbledown"
sounds vaguely reminiscent of Peter Gabriel's swagger on "Lillywhite
Lilith," but Fish is far from derivative. He displays a sense
of renewed vigor and conffidence on this CD, making it a must-have
item.
The
above images are copyright © Inside Out America Records (Enchant),
Roadrunner Records (Fish), Purple Pyramid Records (Hawkwind), KScope
Records (Porcupine Tree), Beyond Records (Yes), and Virgin Records
America (Roxy Music). All rights reserved. Any other use of these
materials--including reproduction, modification, distribution, or
republication--without the prior written permission of the companies
listed is strictly prohibited.
Copyright
2001 Mike DeAngelis, SMF Productions. All rights reserved.