As usual, I came to this party late.  While the States was enjoying a folk revival in the mid-sixties that led to a range of new sounds from artists like Bob Dylan, the UK folk scene developed a little differently. Joe Boyd, who is credited with helping Dylan “plug in” at Newport, was working the London club scene with bands like Pink Floyd and managed to sign this new folk group—Fairport Convention– to capture some of that American folk sound: what resulted was eventually quite different, and led to a series of albums that saw the band develop a far more distinctive sound... Read More

  Tull was, even in its heyday, an acquired taste. The band achieved international acclaim with Aqualung, which got radio play and brought the piped-piper of rock to the fore as a sort of mad minstrel of arena rock. But Tull started as a blues band and Ian Anderson’s flute playing was not always at the forefront on the earliest albums. Stand-Up is one of my favorites because it captures the band at its bluesy best, with elements of the medieval minstrel stuff nicely worked in; listen to ‘We Used to Know’ and appreciate that the medieval and the blues can co-exist.... Read More

The band that Daniel Lanois put together with Trixie Whitley showcases her voice and multi-instrumental talent. It may now be out of print on vinyl as a U.S. pressing  but sealed copies are still floating around online. Well worth the price of admission. Who said there is no good ‘new’ music? Three sides of vinyl bliss- “I Believe in You,” “Last Time” and “Silverado” are all catchy, kick-ass tunes that combine Trixie’s marvelous voice with a driving rhythm section- the ever versatile Brian Blade on drums, solid production values... Read More

I promised a review of this album even though I’m tempting you with an expensive record that has no easy, cheap substitute, like the band’s first, self-titled album on Vertigo. Unlike their first album, the U.S. Vertigo pressing of “Hold Your Fire” doesn’t come close to the sound of the UK pressing, which is unfortunate, as is the fact that there do not appear to be as many contemporaneous ex-UK pressings, which are often a cheaper alternative in Vertigo-land. Given the substantial difference in price, the U.S. pressing may be acceptable even though the U.S.... Read More

If you haven’t heard of this band, or this record, don’t feel bad. The best way I could describe it is early ELP meets King Crimson on the way to new age: tuneful pop, heavy on the keyboards and extremely high production values. This is apparently one of those records that was done with little overdubbing, and does have all the earmarks of what we now think of as “progressive” rock- elaborate, big, complex, Mellotron-infused,  classical music styled-soundscapes that morph into pop riffs, and merge back into larger motifs. It’s also not one of the cheaper... Read More

I knew that this album, and Linda Hoyle’s later solo album on Vertigo, “Pieces of Me” were highly regarded. I did not know that the self-titled Affinity album would be so eclectic- ranging from a jazzy, almost Brazilian-influenced “lounge” act, to atonal vocal parts back by “prog” rock, to ballsy rock reminiscent of Grace Slick, with horns and a big Hammond B-3 organ sound. Hoyle has a great voice- and the diversity of styles of music allows her to shine. The album is a little uneven but overall, it’s compelling enough to make me go back to... Read More

This band was never on my radar until I started to dig into the Vertigo Swirl catalog. They recorded two albums on Vertigo, both of which were produced by Muff Winwood. The first, self-titled album is a strong rocker with a front and center vocalist, Mike Patto, and stunning guitar work by Ollie Halsall, who brought a vibraphonist’s touch and sensibility to his stringed instrument playing. The tracks don’t necessarily light up listening to them over a digital stream but the vinyl can be marvelous. And, there is a relative bargain to be had here. Unlike many of the Vertigo Swirls... Read More

I’m going to bite the bullet here and suggest that there are few records that can put a guitar power trio into the room with the immediacy of the second track on side one, entitled “I Don’t Know.” This was power rock at its best, and the guitar work is only part of the story; the band was held together by Tony Newman, a well-known drummer who went on to work with Jeff Beck and a long list of name-brand talent. I think the original UK Vertigo is the one to buy, and you may find one on the cheaper side of expensive if you are willing to suffer a tatty cover, a missing... Read More

I never thought of myself as a fan of “progressive” music, although I certainly listened to some of the bands (Crimson, Tull and early ELP, along with YES and a few others, back in the day) . More than 40 years later, the concept seems dated, and the term seems to apply to a range of music that didn’t fit neatly into one easy to define genre. At its best, it reflected music that followed an almost “classical” form, but drew from jazz, pop and more contemporary influences, including the use of Mellotron, synthesizers and other keyboard instruments, along with... Read More