What does it sound like?:

First up, let me say there’s no bigger fan of Pink Floyd than me, but even I would have to concede that the period covered by this huge box set isn’t really their finest hour. When Roger Waters departed, he took with him not only the grand concepts and ideas but also the lyrics, leaving a massive hole in the band which for me they never managed to fill. I’ve had access only to the cd content of this box, none of the blurays were available, nor the sundry other bits and bobs that you get if you shell out for it. It strikes me as rather odd that The Division Bell, Pulse and The Endless River are all only on the dvds/blurays rather than also being included on cd, and that the content of the five dvds is all duplicated on the blurays. Be that as it may, what you do get on cd is an updated and remixed AMLOR, the two cd Delicate Sound of Thunder live set from the subsequent tour (now including the tracks that were omitted from the original release so you get the full show), the set from » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

The final four remasters of The Maiden’s epic catalogue, covering the years 2003 to 2015, are here just in time for Christmas – well, the first three use the 2015 remasters created for the vinyl reissues, while The Book of Souls, only having been released in that year, is simply presented in digipack format to bring it into line with the rest of the catalogue.

I always thought Dance of Death was a bit of a let down after the excellent Brave New World set, on which the classic line up of the band was first reunited. Wildest Dreams is a strong way to kick off the album, but I find a lot of the songs rather Maiden by numbers. Paschendale is the strongest piece, while the closing Journeynan was an admirable attempt to do something different – an acoustic number, although I much prefer the electric version that was subsequently available on the No More Lies ep.

Fast forward three years to 2006’s A Matter of Life and Death – one of my favourite albums, and the start of something for an Indian Summer, with the band sounding revitalised and honed by their » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

If you think of the very top echelon of prog bands that really made it big, you perhaps bring to mind Floyd, Yes, Genesis, ELP, Crimson, Tull and the like. Gentle Giant never quite made it to that level, or anywhere near it to be fair, really they were much more of a Championship rather than Premiership band. That’s not to say they didn’t produce some very good, interesting and complex music though; have a listen to the Steven Wilson remix efforts of a few years back on Octopus and The Power and The Glory, or the Three Piece Suite set, but consistency and that big breakthrough ultimately proved frustratingly elusive. This huge box set comprises no less than thirty cds, pretty much every note the band ever recorded in the studio or on stage, alongside a whole lot of other goodies, but alas the only review material provided is a six track sampler cd, which is not a lot to base an opinion on. It’s fine as far as it goes, all the tracks being taken from the numerous previously unreleased live cds, and the sound quality, although not perhaps up to today’s » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

The Stones continue to raid their vaults for this archive release of another show from their Bridges To Babylon world tour, with this, the follow up to the Bridges In Bremen set. Recorded on the final night of a five night residency at the huge River Plate Stadium in April 1998, the set list unsurprisingly bears many similarities to its predecessor, but as well as the old favourites such as Satisfaction, Let’s Spend The Night Together, Gimme Shelter, Miss You and It’s Only Rock n Roll, the band showcase some of their better songs from that period like Flip The Switch and Saint of Me. There’s also the traditional twosome from Keith mid-show, this time Thief In The Night and Wanna Hold You. The USP of this show though is the appearance of Bob Dylan to duet on Like A Rolling Stone, covered by the band on their 1995 Stripped album. The band really reveals their full majesty though with the closing fusillade of Sympathy for The Devil, Tumbling Dice, Honky Tonk Women, Start Me Up, Jumping Jack Flash, You Can’t Always Get What You Want and Brown Sugar. Another great show, well filmed » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

‘Let’s make a hit waxing….’ Thus spoke Robert Fripp in June 1969 in the sessions for this seminal recording. Well, in the event they achieved something far better, producing music that is still as valid fifty years later as it was on the day he spoke those ironic words. But wait, wasn’t there a fortieth anniversary Steven Wilson edition of this ten years ago? Indeed there was, but as technology and Wilson’s skills have progressed, what better time to revisit this masterpiece. So what’s different about this new set, comprising three cds plus a bluray disc I hear you ask? Well, for a start there are completely new mixes by Wilson, in both stereo and 5.1 (including bonus material), plus a full set of very revealing instrumental mixes, that really highlight the intricacies and complexity of the playing.(Incidentally, this is the debut of this album in bluray format, and the disc’s capacity means all the three cds plus lots more material in various mixes is easily accommodated, along with the lone surviving film fragment of their debut Hyde Park show.) There’s also an alternate album with some different versions of the familiar….a hybrid 21st » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

I must confess I thought Ant Phillips had slipped quietly into retirement as it’s been seven years since his last album. However, here he is with a new 2 cd (plus dvd) set, showcasing 24 new compositions. All are instrumental of course, and as you’d expect mainly guitar based. The overall feel is of well played music that at the same time , technically good as it is, doesn’t really grab and hold your attention for any length of time. I suppose the best description is ambient really, a sort of musical massage, nice to have on in the background while you’re doing something else. There’s no doubting Phillips’ talent and ability, both as composer and player, but this will appeal mainly to his devoted coterie of followers, which is probably just how he prefers it to be, low key without too much fuss and fanfare.

What does it all *mean*?

The whole thing is available in surround sound on the accompanying dvd, and sounds very rich and luscious.

Goes well with…

Relaxation and contemplation as the music washes over you.

Release Date:

24 October

Might suit people who like…

Guitar based » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

Originally released in 1999, this album is now getting the almost obligatory 20th anniversary makeover, being reissued as a two cd set with twenty previously unheard tracks. Recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, this was the first time the band had self produced, and the result is a kaleidoscopic variety of material as they found their way round the mixing desk. It’s one of those albums with a hidden track before the opening song, and there’s also another lurking after the last song just for good measure. It’s an upbeat, positive, playful sounding record with the band revelling in their new found freedom – check out Northern Lites and Do or Die for example. The original album is augmented by half a dozen B sides of variable interest, while the second cd is the treasure trove for hardcore fans with a a generous mixture of demos from the previous year, together with a handful of early mixes. Overall, it’s something of a curate’s egg of an album. a curious but joyous listening experience which attempts, not always successfully, to cover a lot of bases.

What does it all *mean*?

A heady mixture of » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

I first saw The Cure at a show at my Student Union in 1978 I think, and I last saw them at Bestival a couple of summers back. Odd to think that Robert Smith, now pushing sixty, still goes for the same look, the scarecrow hair, the smeared lipstick, etc after all those years. This live set showcases two quite different shows from last year, both spanning the band’s four decade career. The first, from Meltdown, saw the band playing one track from each of their albums in chronological order until they reached ‘now’ with the debut of two new songs, then working their way in reverse back to the beginning again. The second gig, from Hyde Park, is a more traditional set, in similar vein to this year’s Glastonbury show. The sound is very much dominated by Simon Gallup’s bass, which is very high in the mix, but is none the worse for that. The band are often associated with a rather dark and gloomy type of music, but there are also plenty of joyous moments such as Friday I’m In Love, Close To Me, Inbetween Days and the like. Overall, I think » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

Finally, after what seems a very long wait, we have the deluxe edition of Stormwatch, the final instalment in Tull’s so-called folk rock trilogy of the late seventies. As you’d expect, it comes in the now familiar format, with 4 cds and two dvds, alongside the usual excellent informative book. Originally released in 1979, this was the last album to feature Tull’s classic line up, and Steven Wilson’s remix really breathes new life into theses songs, making them sound vibrant and contemporary without sacrificing any of their original spirit. In fact, you could say that although the album hasn’t changed, it has certainly been improved. The second disc is the real treasure trove here though, showcasing a wide selection of top quality songs, some of which have appeared on previous rarities sets and as bonus tracks on reissues, but a good number of which are being heard for the very first time. It’s amazing just how prolific the band was at this time, and that they had the luxury of discarding completely finished pieces that didn’t fit in with the album’s themes of ecology and matters maritime, while others such as Kelpie were simply » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

With the recent sad passing of lyricist Robert Hunter, it seems an appropriate time to have a listen to this latest live release from the Grateful Dead’s seemingly inexhaustible supply of concert tapes. This one is a complete show from Giants Stadium recorded in the summer of 1991, and unusually for the time recorded on 48 track. This tour showcased my favourite line up of the band, with the addition of Bruce Hornsby’s piano and vocals really adding something to the band’s onstage sound. Kicking off with a super Eyes Of The World, the band then kick straight into Brown Eyed Women, before the first slice of a three part rendition of Dark Star makes its appearance. Other high spots include a cover of Dylan’s When I Paint My Masterpiece and a jaunty run through of Cassidy and Might As Well, while the second part of this three disc set showcases a great section encompassing Truckin’, New Speedway Boogie and Uncle John’s Band. I’m not a lover of the Drums/Space segments of their shows, which can drag on seemingly interminably, but disc three climaxes with extended workouts of China Doll, Playing In The Band » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

A first vinyl release (five albums plus a download code) of this set that originally appeared as a cd/dvd in 2013, being put together from two 2012 shows on Rush’s US tour. Live albums seem to have appeared thick and fast during the latter stages of the band’s career, this set originally appearing only a couple of years after 2011’s Time Machine release. Nevertheless, this is a good album, with the band being accompanied by a nine piece string ensemble for the second half of the show. That’s not always an experiment that works, with the volume of the band often drowning out the strings, but on this occasion the sound is well balanced, although whether that reflects what is was like on the night is perhaps a different matter! The first half of the show focuses on the band’s less guitar-centric eighties albums, such as Power Windows, Signals, Grace Under Pressure and Hold Your Fire. Need I say the performances are spot on, although I do detect a change in Geddy Lee’s voice, his range being noticeably lower these days. The second half of the show features ten songs from the band’s final » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

Whitesnake’s ‘1987’ album was not only one of their finest, it was also a massive worldwide seller (8 x platinum in the US alone) in a year that also yielded classic rock albums such as Hysteria and Appetite For Destruction. Its streamlined hard rock sound was a far cry from the original band’s roots in the UK blues-rock scene, and it broke the band in a big way in the lucrative US market. By unceremoniously dumping the core of the original line-up and replacing them with more photogenic, if highly talented, musicians David Coverdale alienated a huge chunk of the band’s UK audience, but was no doubt laughing all the way to the bank. The 1989 follow up set, Slip Of The Tongue, given a deluxe thirtieth anniversary reissue here in this huge set of six cds plus a dvd, had a tough act to follow, but took the band’s new line-up, look and direction a stage further. Steve Vai handled all the guitar parts after co-guitarist Adrian Vandenberg sustained a hand injury that put him out of action for the duration, giving the songs the requisite classic hair metal sheen that ensured maximum » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

I made the point in a recent piece that it’s hard to imagine nowadays that some artists, who are now such familiar household names, were once looked on as serious musicians, whose new albums were eagerly awaited by fans and critics alike. A prime example is Rod Stewart, a man whose commercial fortunes seemed to rise in inverse proportion to the quality of his albums. This set covers the fourteen alums he released between 1975 and 2001, thus sadly omitting his first five albums, which were by far his best, presumably for licensing reasons. Having said that, the first few of the albums collected here aren’t bad at all – a bit patchy, a bit too much filler, but with some good individual songs, well written and performed. Atlantic Crossing, probably still his best selling set (with the exception of the much later Great American Songbook releases) has Drift Away, I Don’t Want To Talk About It and Sailing for example, while subsequent efforts have You’re In My Heart, First Cut Is The Deepest and Tonight’s The Night among others. The problem is that for every good song like The Killing of Georgie, you » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

With The Moody Blues seemingly on indefinite hiatus, founder member John Lodge has taken the opportunity to release this ‘best of’ set, which combines Moodies songs with the cream of his solo material, covering the period from his Natural Avenue debut record from forty odd years ago right up to 2015’s 10,000 Light Years Ago and the subsequent live album. He’s remixed a couple of songs from his 1977 set to give them a more contemporary feel, and rerecorded completely his 1980 (then) non-album single Street Café. The rerecording also extends to new versions of the Moody classics Legend Of A Mind and (Evening) Time To Get Away, while a further four of their songs appear in faithful live recreations of the originals, ending with a rousing Ride My See-Saw. There’s even room for something from the Blue Jays album recorded with Justin Hayward in the mid seventies in a break from the day job, although sadly it’s not the lovely Blue Guitar. Although there is seemingly little prospect of any new Moodies music, efforts like this go some way to filling the void. I’m not sure it will draw in too many new » Continue Reading.