Top Albums of the Year 1988: Masterpieces and More

Though Prog Is Alive and Well in the 21st Century, I have decided to go back and "fill in" the years upon which the 21st Century is built--and not just the "classic" years of 1967-76. Each year will be given its own page, containing reviews of the albums I determine are worthy of recognition (both positive and negative). As usual, these pages will be works in progress, to which I'll be adding information as it comes my way.

My Favorite Albums from 1988:

1. EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL Idlewild
2. LOVE AND MONEY Strange Kind of Love
3. COCTEAU TWINS Blue Bell Knoll
4. SADE Stronger Than Pride
5. LES NEGRESSES VERTES Mlah!
6. THE STYLE COUNCIL Confessions of a Pop Group
7. WIM MERTENS Whisper Me
8. BRUCE COCKBURN Big Circumstance

9. MARK ISHAM Original Soundtrack Music for the film Les Modernes

10. JANE SIBERRY The Walking

11. PREFAB SPROUT From Langley Park to Memphis

12. GALADRIEL Muttered Promises from an Ageless Pond

13. BOBBY BROWN Don't Be Cruel
14. OFRA HAZA Shaday
15. TALK TALK Spirit of Eden
16. DEAD CAN DANCE The Serpent's Egg

17. GIPSY KINGS Gipsy Kings

18. FRANK ZAPPA You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 2
19. JOHNNY HATES JAZZ Turn Back the Clock
20. SUGARCUBES Life's Too Good

Honorable Mentions:

CARDIACS A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window

THOMAS DOLBY Aliens Ate My Buick
MIDAS Beyond the Clear Air

TONI CHILDS Union
HOTHOUSE FLOWERS People
JULIA FORDHAM Julia Fordham

ASTURIAS Circle in the Forest

Five Star Prog Masterpieces 

(Ratings of 100 to 93.34) 

None

The "Minor" Masterpieces

(Ratings of 93.33 to 90.0)

1. GALADRIEL Muttered Promises from An Ageless Pond 

An extraordinary album of reverence and nearly-religious respect coming out of Spain, an uncommon combination of the pastoral sides of both YES (especially Wakeman and acoustic Howe) and GENESIS (all of the extraordinary diverse skills and sounds of Mssrs. Phillips, Hackett, and Rutherford) fronted by a most unique vocal talent in Señor Jesús Filardi.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Jesús Filardi / lead vocals, percussion (5,8)
- Manolo Macia / electric & acoustic guitars
- Manolo Pancorbo / electric, acoustic (5) & Classical (2,5) guitars, bass (1,4), percussion (5)
- David Aladro / Yamaha organ, Korg MS20/Poly 800, Akai S900, Ensoniq Mirage, Roland JX-8P, Yamaha CS80, piano (3,7)
- Alcides "Cidon" Trindade / drums (5,7), percussion (3-5,7)
With:
- Alfredo Garcia / violin (1)
- Pablo Molina / bass (5-8)
- Angel Romero / backing vocals & percussion (5)
- Ernest Filardi / spoken voice (5)

- The Day Before The Harvest :

1. "Lágada" (8:59) Prog Folk?! Not what I was expecting, but very delicate, pastoral soundscapes open this song and proceed to kind of lazily meander across the countrysides, first with vocal and later with electric guitar lead. At 2:15 the music switches to more of a YES pattern with fast-strummed acoustic guitar with Moog-like synthesizer, organ, and electric guitar working their way within and between vocal sections. Odd staccato vocal "da-da-da"s in the fourth minute before a Moog-like solo. Hackett-like guitar and Wakeman-sounding keyboard work with English choirboy-like vocal textures. Interesting! Then violin and wonderful multiple voice harmonies in the eighth minute. This Jesús Filardi is quite a vocal find! (19.5/20)   

2. "Virginal" (2:26) pure Hackett-era multi-guitar Genesis bliss! (5/5)

3. "To Die In Avalon" (10:00) opens with weird sound and weird vocals over classically-oriented piano flourishes but leads into a sparsely populated middle section with some cool piano versus Robert Fripp-like electric guitar interplay. This turns into a little more pensive time keeping in the fifth minute. Then piano takes it solo for a jazz-and-classical styled solo for the sixth minute. Peter Hammill meets Doroccus and Keith Emerson to form an early version of After Crying. Interesting and unexpected. (18.5/20)

- The Year of The Dream :
4. "Limiar (Winter's Request)" (1:26) two arpeggiated electric guitar chords are soon joined by drums and bass and keys, all performing a kind of polyrhythmic weave for the song's duration. (5/5)

5. "Landahl's Cross" (20:04) an early-GENESIS-styled epic with quite the strong BABYLON-like sound palette. The creative instrumental inputs are quite inventive and unique--like no one else in prog. How can one deny the extraordinary freshness of these compositions? Not a perfect or always fully-engaging song, but a definite piece of quality. (36/40)

Total time 42:26

The vocalist, Jesús Filardi, with his English Choir sound and style, is truly an exceptional and noteworthy talent--one who's style and sound is, in fact, unlike anything I've ever heard in progressive rock music except for the Scottish singer Matthew Corry of the 2018-debuting band EMPEROR NORTON from York. The music is highly sophisticated and complex, with extraordinary musicianship and quite confident and highly creative compositional skills. 

92.22 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; despite the poor sound engineering I consider this a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music as well as a truly unique and masterful debut album. I have to say that I would absolutely consider this an "essential" album for prog lovers to hear--a listening experience that absolutely represents all of the experimental eclecticism imagined by the original "prog rock" artists of the 1960s and early 1970s.

I can only surmise that these musicians were both classically trained and highly skilled before forming this band and that they worked long and hard honing these very unusually complex songs before trying to set them to vinyl. It is unfortunate that the sound recording and engineering is not up to the levels of high quality set by the musicians and to which they deserved. Still, I feel so blessed, as if I've just entered a sacred monastery in which progressive rock music is the highest form of devotional homage. 

4.5 Star Near-Masterpieces 

(Ratings 89.99 to 86.67)

2. VOIVOD Dimension Hatross

Québec's leaders in the progression (and creation) of the new metal sub-genres return a year after the stunning breakout album, Killing Technology, to take another step toward the creation of the post-punk Tech/Extreme metal scene. 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Denis Bélanger "Snake" / vocals
- Denis d'Amour "Piggy" / guitar
- Jean-Yves Thériault "Blacky" / bass

- Michel Langevin "Away" / drums

- Prolog :
1. "Experiment" (6:10) surprisingly slow and clean as the bass and drums chug away beneath Piggy's technically-inventive guitar. (In all honesty, it sounds a bit like the hard rock metal music beneath Cheech and Chong's Alice Bowie performance in "Earache My Eye".) But then the music shifts as Snake gets ready to sing: drums and bass doubling (or tripling) up the bottom end. Snake's vocal performance is more like an all-night punk rocker becoming introspective in his late-night fatigue. The guitarist here is the most impressive; the rest is far more tame than I was expecting (after the previous year's breakout album, Killing Technology). (8.667/10) 

2. "Tribal Convictions" (4:52) sounds like a combination of Black Sabbath and King Crimson. Far tamer than I was expecting--and almost melodic. A little Clashiness in the vocal but far less than their previous album. The band certainly feel as if they're all very much on the same page: Impressive cohesion. (8.875/10)

3. "Chaosmongers" (4:39) after a brief and interesting little introduction, the band shifts into Drive and takes us through a very-punk-reminiscent song--until, that is, the 1:35 mark when it sounds like The early Who pumped on amphetamines. The guitarist is again very impressive--even when he's double tracked in the instrumental solo section. And, again: the band's unity is quite astonishing. (8.875/10)

4. "Technocratic Manipulators" (4:35) more subdued Helno-like vocals from Denis Bélanger over some technically impressive music. Again, the guitarist (Denis d'Amour) is quite impressive (not that bassist Jean-Yves Thériault and drummer Michel Langevin are not). (8.875/10)

- Epilog :
5. "Macrosolutions to Megaproblems" (5:33) another surprisingly accessible musical foundation over which some interesting CLASH- and LES NEGRESSE VERTES-like group choral shouts pepper Snake's almost-as-calm-as-David Bowie vocal. The punk style and ethic is still so very much alive in Snake's vocal styling. Cool and even inventive. (9/10)

6. "Brain Scan" (5:08) a fairly simple yet hard-driving background over which Snake calmly talk-sings in a lower register. Then he ramps up to his usual punk half-shout, but then the band turns down a fairly demanding terrain--one that has many little bumps and obstacles that demand full concentration and coordination. With all these shifts and changes one almost loses touch with Snake's performance. Fascinating! Denis "Piggy" d'Amour is definitely one creative guitarist! (8.875/10)

7. "Psychic Vacuum" (3:49) opening with Piggy's guitar already screaming chords from its high registers over the fast-driving rhythm section, the music shifts and morphs through several cycles of several motifs while Snake performs in his most Helno voice style. (8.75/10)

8. "Cosmic Drama" (4:54) back to a simpler, more Sabbath-like aural field while Snake punk-rocks his vocal performance; there's even quite a little theatric "devil"ishness in his performance. The music morphs in and out of several time signatures and some interesting stylistic motifs with a weird "bass" sound expressing a bit of low end drama in the fifth minute. (9.25/10)

9. "Batman" (1:45) using a metal treatment of a Dick Dale version of the famous theme, Snake stays pretty true to the original vocal melody--until the very end when he screams our hero's name. (4.75/5)

Total Time: 41:25

The two things I find most remarkable with this album (after their previous album, Killing Technology) are the fairly accessible musical foundations and the change in Denis "Snake" Bélanger's vocal style (less Joe Strummer than before). While the rhythm section shows remarkable cohesion, it is in Denis "Piggy" d'Amour's guitar phrasing and song-travel routes that I see the most progress. He is definitely exploring terrains and textural flows that no man (that I know of) has explored before. Otherwise, I find myself surprised that the "walls of sound" created by the band are still very much founded in sounds and works of past musics (Sabbath, The Clash, punk rock) and that the ear- and bone-crushing tech metal soundscapes have not yet fully taken over. Right now, it's more the adventurous creativity of lead guitarist Denis "Piggy" d'Amour that continues to propel the band into new dimensions. Tech/Extreme Metal is still not here.

89.32 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you're interested in the historical progression of the metal scene toward/into Tech/Extreme Metal. 

3. IRON MAIDEN Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

This is apparently the end of a string of seven classic albums from one of the 1980s progenitors of the prog metal scene.

P.S. I know that a 1998 remaster and 2015 remix exist but I've made the effort, as always, to go back to the original version(s) when and where possible in order to be sure I'm reviewing the year-appropriate music (with its original production values).

Line-up / Musicians:
- Bruce Dickinson / vocals
- Dave Murray / lead & rhytm guitars
- Adrian Smith / lead & rhythm guitars, synth
- Steve Harris / bass, string synth
- Nicko McBrain / drums

1. "Moonchild" (5:39) the album intro sets the scene but also establishes the sound and performance commitment to the material. Some very RUSH like sounds to the opening, but things kick into gear in the second minute, a pretty cool gradual transition into full speed. Bruce Dickinson makes quite the theatric effort for the get go. It's pretty good (even if I dislike that 4/4 rock drum beat). (8.75/10)

2. "Infinite Dreams" (6:09) a HENDRIX-like blues-rock musical base over which Bruce does more of his iconic magic. He's so convincing! Musically, it's rather derivative (and boring) though the performances are all great--especially those of the bass and guitarists. (8.75/10)

3. "Can I Play With Madness" (3:31) machine gun guitar riffing over an AC/DC musical foundation shifts to boring standard chorus delivery. Bruce feels like he's phoning it with a Roger Daltry performance in on this one. (8.5/10)

4. "The Evil That Men Do" (4:34) straightforward Thin Lizzy style intro turns into a fast-paced rocker over which Bruce gives a top notch performance with plenty of impressive high notes and great dramatic  Richard Burton-like allocutions in between. A top three song for me. (9/10)

5. "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" (9:53) opening with a fairly original intro weave, by the second half of the first minute the band falls into line within a repeating Led Zeppelin-like chugging bass-and-guitar riff while Bruce sings. At first Bruce's performance is a bit lackluster, but then the chorus comes with Bruce's repetition of the song title is quite impressive. Unfortunately, there is very little else remarkable about this over the course of the first half of this song other than Bruce's impressive wordless vocalise after each verse and chorus. At 3:55 occurs the first shift, and, after it, some of the album's more proggy music: Mellotron-like banked vocal chord play within quiet, delicate instrumental contributions from the rest of the band members. This cinematic space is then dispelled at 6:55 and then  smashed to smithereens by a supercharged (and impressive) metal instrumental passage until the song's end. Quite impressive! (18.25/20)

6. "The Prophecy" (5:05) delicate electric guitar arpeggi with synth wash chords below in support are soon joined by two more electric guitars (more in the metal sound palette). But this is just the 45-second intro. A pause precedes the launch into the full-band power metal music over which Bruce Dickinson provides another great vocal performance (sounding, at times, quite a bit like 1970s vocalist . Very impressive skills put on display from the band in the lightning-fast instrumental passage and the delicate acoustic finish. (9/10)

7. "The Clairvoyant" (4:27) for this song the bass gets a brief solo intro (impressive!) before the rest of the band joins in to establish the fabric for the rest of the song. The bass continues to impress as the melodic guitar play over the top supports Bruce's subdued vocal. At 2:02 there is a shift into a "there's a time to live, and a time to die" section before returning to the original two-step for a brief guitar solo. The "time to live, …" sections feel quite incongruous with the rest of the flow of the song: the motif being force-spliced in against the nature of the song. (8.667/10)

8. "Only The Good Die Young" (4:42) opens with a sound that seems to conjoin some Blue Öyster Cult and AC/DC sounds and ideas. The chorus is kind of let down, as if Bruce and the band only thought to put it in there as an afterthought, but it is followed by a nice instrumental passage. The lyrics may make this song a fan favorite, but the music is, to my ears, nothing to write home about. A bit of a let down; a disappointing way to end the album. (8.667/10)

Total Time: 43:57

I like the production of this album better than that of the Queensrÿche albums I've just listened to. Plus, Bruce Dickinson's vocal performances just feel more authentic, less play-acted than those of the uber-talented Geoff Tate. 

Apparently this album gets (some of) its inspiration from Orson Scott Card's Seventh Son /Alvin Maker series--a fantasy series that I love and devoured back in the day. It's a connection that I fail to hear or feel.

88.43 on the Fishscales = B+/a high four stars and an excellent addition to any prog metal loving music collector's album collection. A metal band that actually convinces me that this should fall under the umbrella of "progressive rock music."

4. ASTURIAS Circle in The Forest 

A group of obviously-classically-trained Japanese musicians gather under the leadership of Yoh Ohyama to create some smooth jazz lite using keyboard sounds and computer technologies common to the 1980s New Wave and Neo Prog scene.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Yoh Ohyama / computer programming, synthesiszer, acoustic & electric guitars, bass, percussion, composer
- Haruhiko Tsuda / guitar
- Akira Hanamoto / keyboards
- Kazumi Sakurai / drums, percussion
With:
- Yoko Ueno / voice
- Hiroshi Ochiai / guitar
- Hiroko Tsuda / piano

1. "Ryu-Hyo" (4:59) classically influenced beautiful music which is a little too busy for New Age relaxation music. Gorgeous melodies from Yoh Ohyama's violin are met with amazing piano play from Hiroko Tsuda. The buildup and crescendo near the end definitely disqualify this for the New Age category. So, then, what do we call it? "Prog Lite"? (9.25/10)

2. "Clairvoyance" (5:20) synth bass line at the opening gives this song a 80s R&B feel, like a Michael Jackson "Smooth Criminal" sound and feel. The drum line that soon enters does nothing to diminish this effect. But then some other instruments enter presenting a kind of Celtic ABC "Poison Arrow" sound and feel. The smooth atmospheric passage in the third minute is pretty awesome, but then we jump back into the 80s barrage of gumball synth lines. In terms of progressive rock, this one is kind of embarrassing--despite the high quality of engineering and musicianship that it takes to render it. (7.75/10)

3. "Angel Tree" (4:53) descending "arpeggio" of synth chords prefaces a sickly sweet classical guitar solo. Synth strings join in support, enriching the syrup a notch or two. Nice display of guitar play. (8.25/10)

4. "Tightrope" (6:55) a whole-band weave that once again postures itself more in the realm of smooth jazz with world music flair. The keyboard-led melody is rather ridiculous in its simplistic familiarity. In the third minute there is a slowdown and two-chord acoustic guitar arpeggio base over which Zamfir-like keyboard "piccolo" solos. Piano and bass rejoin, which is actually pretty cool, and then, in the fifth minute, drums and electric guitar, bringing the sound for the first time into a prog relam. Pretty great electric guitar solo and jazz bass play. (13/15)

5. "Circle in the Forest" (22:21) Several New Age-y synth sounds weave a gentle if simple and over-repeated melodic section for the first four minutes. A shift occurs at the end of the fourth minute in which one of the lead synth sounds ("harp") changes chords and melody of its arpeggi and is joined in a new weave by a lute-like sound. At the 5:00 mark a full band joins in with chunky bass and Lord of the Dance-like Celtic drums beating away to create a heavy section. This is then cycled around for the next four minutes with a softer, stripped down theme until the eighth minute when some NORTHETTES-like vocalese joins in. Around the 8:00 mark a different movement is initiated with a single bass note repeated around 110 beats per minute as classical celestina/12-string sounding chords progress with the drums playing off the established melody. It's a nice sound palette if a little "MacArthur's Park" like, simple, and Mike Oldfield-repetitive. Also, the drums' toms are a little early Simmons-like. Just after the 12:00 mark a fast-strumming acoustic guitar enters to guide a bridge to the next stripped down, piano and synth-based sentimental weave. Once again, some of the synth sounds used in this section are so New Age dated. (think of the brothers Steve & David Gordon's albums of the 1980s.) fifteen and a half minutes in and there is a single arpeggio to signal the shift to the next movement--this one softer but just as engaging. The new weave gets enhanced into a Incantations-era MIKE OLDFIELD-meets-UNITOPIA section for a rousing multi-instrumental weave of sophisticated complexity--perhaps the best passage of the album in both complexity and raw engagement (even if it is so very MIKE OLDFIELD-like). (41/45)

Total Time 44:28

88.06 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music.

5. TALK TALK Spirit of Eden

The transition continues: from the cerebral Glam Rock of their early days toward more experimental song sounds and structures of their previous album, their third, 1986's The Colour of Spring, with it's two major international hits, "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World." 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Mark Hollis / vocals, piano, organ, guitar
- Paul Webb / electric bass
- Lee Harris / drums
With:
- Tim Friese-Greene / harmonium, piano, organ, guitar, producer
- Robbie McIntosh / dobro, 12-string guitar
- Mark Feltham / harmonica
- Henry Lowther / trumpet
- Andrew Stowell / bassoon
- Michael Jeans / oboe
- Andrew Marriner / clarinet
- Christopher Hooker / cor Anglais
- Nigel Kennedy / violin
- Hugh Davis / "shozygs"
- Simon Edwards / Mexican bass
- Danny Thompson / double bass
- Martin Ditchman / percussion

- Chelmsford Cathedral Choir / chorus vocals (5)

1. "The Rainbow" (9:09) stripped down, even stark, musical landscapes with very little, very subtle shifts and changes make Mark Hollis' whisper-sung lyrics and things like a swamp-blues harmonica solo and even guitar strums, organ chords, and bass drum and tom hits distinctive (almost irritating) highlights. (17.33/20)

2. "Eden" (6:34) after the bleak austerity of the previous song, the far more active foreground of organ chords, grating guitar strums, occasional loud drum play, and loud bursts of voice from singer Mark Hollis make for a sometimes jarring listening experience. Interesting and definitely unconventional. Quite an unusual and often awkward experience for the nervous system. (8.33/10)

3. "Desire" (6:57) with two and a half minutes of very quiet, subtly nuanced piano, bass, and trumpet play to open this song, the sudden burst of full-band rock loudness at 2:39 is quite harsh and unsettling. A swift return to the quiet, stark motif of the opening by 3:05. This soft, build, and outburst pattern repeats itself with the second entry into the full-band cacophony being continued to the end of the song with the participation of several other instruments in the final minute. I have to admit, this is a memorable, life-altering song. (13.25/15) 

     This soft-starting, slow-building to a crashing climax pattern (with repetition) is what would eventually become the template for the Post Rock song.

4. "Inheritance" (5:23) an unconventional, dissonant, disorganized-sounding, multi-instrumental, polyphonic weave opens and accompanies Lee's brushed snare, Paul's spacious bass, Tim Friese-Greene's sustained harmonium chords, and Mark Hollis' discordant, almost-melody-less vocals. Interesting and challenging. (8.667/10)

5. "I Believe in You" (6:10) within the stark, subtly populated polyphony lies a fairly likable song. Mark sings over the top in a more standard Western style over this more-Western-standardly-constructed and formed song. The contribution of the Chelmsford Cathedral Choir is delightful--even heavenly. This, then, is contrasted to the DAVID SYLVIAN/HOLGER CZUKAY-like odd instrumental additions injected into the second half of the song. (8.875/10)

6. "Wealth" (6:43) an interesting return to the stark, very subtly populated and subtly-shifting songs of the album's opening. This could almost be a song played during a funeral home viewing/visitation. As sparse and somber as this song is, I do, however, happen to really it. (9/10)

Total Time: 40:56

I understand the historical significance that this remarkable collection of very unusual songs has for the evolution (progress) of rock music but, at the time, it was not the kind of music you really wanted to play at a party or to elevate your mood after work or on the weekend. Even now, as fascinating as the journey is, I really don't find myself liking the songs--wanting to get up and dance or write socially-inspiring mottos to. 

87.28 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very interesting and, ultimately, rewarding musical listening experience that could be a challenging listen for many prog and music lovers but I highly recommend to any self-proclaimed prog lovers--especially those who have found a way into/affinity for the Post Rock world. 

6. QUEENSRŸCHE Operation: Mindcrime

The highly-acclaimed "prog" masterpiece from one of the 1980s' iconic hairbands.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Geoff Tate / vocals, keyboards, whistles
- Chris DeGarmo / guitars (electric, acoustic, lap steel & GK1 synth), backing vocals
- Michael Wilton / guitars (electric, 6- & 12-string acoustic, Stereo Ripley), backing vocals
- Eddie Jackson / bass, backing vocals
- Scott Rockenfield / drums, percussion, keyboards (10)
With:
- Michael Kamen / orchestral arrangements, cello & choir direction
- "The Moronic Monks of Morin Heights" / chorus vocals (The Gang)
- "Snakemeister" / choir conductor
- Anthony Valentine / voice (Dr. X)
- Debbie Wheeler / voice (Nurse)
- Mike Snyder / voice (News Anchorman)
- Pamela Moore / voice (Sister Mary)

- Scott Mateer / voice (Preacher)

1. "I Remember Now (1:17) a hospital-based radio play that sets the scene for this concept album.

2. "Anarchy-X" (1:27) one forgets the advantages of having two guitarists--and a good drummer. (4.25/5)

3. "Revolution Calling" (4:42) too bad the drummer's been housed in such a poor sound from the 80s-influenced engineer. Coming from listening to Voivod all morning I'm quickly reminded that Queensrÿche is no punk rock holdover much less a Tech/Extreme Metal wannabe; these guys are full on 80s hairband with half of their focus on looks/appearances and theatricity. Musically this is not a very special song, just solid. It must be in the lyrics that the this song and album have their value. (8.5/10)

  
4. "Operation: Mindcrime" (4:43) solid song with a surprising amount of space and sloth-like speed. Again, it must be the words and vocal performance skill of Geoff Tate that earns this song and album such a solid fan (and critical) base. It's a well-performed, well-produced song with a memorable chorus hook. (8.75/10)

5. "Speak" (3:42) Geoff Tate gives quite a remarkable vocal performance on this one. A nice controlled song with some well-constructed shifts between motifs and a couple of inventive entertainment hooks--including the male choir's repeated bass chant. Again, too bad about that 80s drum sound. (8.875/10)

6. "Spreading The Disease" (4:07) The 80s drum sound is especially annoying in a straightforward rock 4/4 beat. Very interesting ending with an effected drum fadeout. (8.25/10)

7. "The Mission" (5:46) multiple guitar arpeggi over which Geoff sings in a very theatric pleading voice. At 1:23 the whole band shifts into drive with some pretty standard hairband rock riffing and singing. Aside from the interesting syncopation in the chorus and some nice harmonized guitar twinning around the three-minute mark, this could literally be any hairband from the 1980s. Still, this is very well done; I can see why this song could become a fan favorite. Definitely a top three song for me. (8.875/10)

8. "Suite Sister Mary" (10:41) the plot thickens--a murder plot; a coven of religious zealots chanting their angry truth, the crime committed. Again Geoff starts off with a very theatric vocal . The presence of the choir must geek a few people. But then a guitar throws down a riff of power chords to signal a shift into a more MEAT LOAF-like passage (which then turns RUSH at 3:48). The drummer's disco foot pedal drives the song forward until the shift into the choral-infused section. Back and forth the band switches from motif to motif, extending this (unnecessarily?). Entertaining but forgettable. (17.25/20)

9. "The Needle Lies" (3:08) It's, it's, it's the Ballroom Blitz! (How any band wants to replicate this monotonous shuffle--especially with the 80s engineering choices--I can't figure out. It must be a drummer thing.) It's all I can hear! (8.25/10)

10. "Electric Requiem" (1:22) interesting (until the awful sound of the snare hit accosts). Develops nicely but then suddenly ends. Why? What was the purpose? (4.5/5)

11. "Breaking The Silence" (4:34) A very nice 80s song with a kind of ROBIN TROWER remnant guitar riff in the forefront; even the stereotypic hairband power chords can't totally destroy this one. A top three for me. (8.875/10)

12. "I Don't Believe In Love" (4:23) another very nice 80s sounding song--with great rolling bass play and FIXX--like sound to the guitar strums. My final top three. (One last question: Is the Mindcrime story over? Has the concept album story finished? This song doesn't seem to fit the story line.) (8.875/10)

13. "Waiting For 22" (1:05) nice guitar étude. (4.5/5)

14. "My Empty Room" (1:28) ticking clock, guitar arpeggi, and Geoff's plaintive vocal sound awesome, but then all hell breaks loose at the very end. (4.75/5)

15. "Eyes Of A Stranger" (6:39) opens with a collage of PINK FLOYD scenes (from both The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon) but then turns into a solid heavy rock song--one that is, again, unfortunately, quite typical of the "metal" scene of the 1970s and 80s. Great performance from Geoff Tate. The dude has really grown. Too bad that one of the main musical hooks of the song seems to come straight out of AC/DC's "Hell's Bells." (8.875/10)

Total Time: 59:16

Unfortunately, my criticism of this album is biased by my tendency to lump all hairband music from the 1980s into one category, but, in my defense: it does all sound very much the same to me. 

87.21 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a nice addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you're into the 1980s classic hard rock/"metal" scene.

7. DEAD CAN DANCE The Serpent's Egg

Brendan and Lisa turn more to the East (especially the Middle East) for their inspiration and goals. Lisa's voice has certainly matured and strengthened.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Lisa Gerrard / vocals
- Brendan Perry / vocals, hurdy gurdy
With:
- David Navarro Sust / vocals
- Alison Harling / violin
- Rebecca Jackson / violin
- Andrew Bessley / viola
- Sarah Buckley / viola
- Tony Gamage / cello

1. "The Host of Seraphim" (6:18) there is no denying the vocal virtuosity on display in this song, but the instrumental bed on which it lays is equally mesmerizing. A true gut-wrenching masterpiece of music. One for the ages. (10/10)

2. "Orbis de Ignis" (1:35) a multi-voice medieval chant/weave with an Eastern European feel. (4.75/5)

3. "Severance" (3:22) organ giving Brendan a turn. A little too monotonous; nothing very exciting or innovative here. (7.75/10)

4. "The Writing on My Father's Hand" (3:50) (Anna Von Hausswolff: I've found your inspiration! Also, Katharine Blake/Mediæval Bæbes.) (8.75/10)

5. "In the Kingdom of the Blind the One-Eyed Are Kings" (4:12) Brendan's turn over the first and only incidence of "dated"-sounding keyboards I've yet experienced by this band's output in the 1980s! Too bad. (8.5/10)

6. "Chant of the Paladin" (3:48) like a slave work song! Wow! Don't beat us to death! (8.5/10)

7. "Song of Sophia" (1:24) a cappella Lisa in some Middle Eastern language. (4.25/5)

8. "Echolalia" (1:17) male pagan chanters with tympanic drums are soon joined--alternating with call-and-response-like form--with female chorus. Interesting if not very engaging. (4.25/5)

9. "Mother Tongue" (5:16) instrumental African-like drum weave which is slowed down and joined by breathy synth flute and occasional female chants in the second half. I'm a sucker for African drum circles. (8.75/10)

10. "Ullyses" (5:09) employing a sound palette that Lisa and Brendan will return to (with great success) for the duration of their musical partnership. Brendan's turn in the lead. Unfortunately, his voice is mixed far too far in the back. (8.5/10)

Total Time: 36:15

Once again, I am astounded that these two could get the "authentic" and realistic sound blends with the electronic instruments they were using.

87.06 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of world folk-eclectic progressive rock music. 

Other Excellent Albums

(Ratings of 85.0 to 87.0)

8. MIDAS Beyond The Clear Air 

The debut album by a Japanese quartet who were obviously inspired and informed by GENESIS but moreso it would seem, by the short-lived progressive rock scene in Italia in the 1970s. (What was it about the late 1980s that caused several Japanese artists to lock into the Italian rock progressivo sound and styles?)

Line-up / Musicians:

- Eigo Utoh / vocals, 5-string electric violin
- Eishyo Lynn / piano, synthesizers (Roland S-50, D-50, SH-3A, JUNO-6, KORG Mono/Poly, M1, AKAI S-900, Sequential Six-Tracks, CASIO CZ-3000)
- Katsuaki Mishima / bass
- Kazuo Katayama / acoustic & electronic drums, percussion

1. "Sham Noctiluca" (8:07) a rather long intro in which synths, cymbals and violin make their presences quite known. Once the song is finally settled into a rhythmic flow in the third minute the flaws in sound quality, instrumental simplicity, and singer's lack of melodic connection become too obvious. The singer can sing, and the violinist and bass player can definitely play, but the construction is lacking in sophistication and/or originality (or something). (12/15)

2. "The Slough Of Despond" (15:33) opening with a New Age Celtic weave, it could be something from a CLANNAD soundtrack album. After 90 seconds there is a musical shift into a faster, more rock passage with some fiery violin riffs but then there is an odd and unexpected shift for the arrival of the vocals. Nice bass and drum play. The thickly instrument-supported vocal melody line beginning in the fifth minute is quite reminiscent of some modern RPI bands like UNREAL CITY, INGRANAGGI DELLA VALLE or LA COSCIENZA DI ZENO. This similarity holds true for the entirety of the rest of the song: this could easily have been lifted to create the La notte anche di giorno album that came out in 2015--27 years later! Impressive song. (27/30)

3. "Mortuary" (4:46) synth and violin go back and forth, sometimes doubling up on the melody line for the first movement and then an accordion joins in on the action in the second movement! Very impressive musicianship! The vocal enters well into the second minute, almost squeezing into the complex weave of instruments as if not wanting to disturb them! My favorite song on the album and the one deserving of the most praise. (9.25/10)

4. "Beyond The Clean Air" (18:45) slow Genesis/Tony Banks-like pseudo-classical intro which is joined by nice violin play before the music spreads out to allow space for Eigo Utoh's impassioned vocal. Except for the fine violin play, the music sounds like it comes right off of the BABYLON album: twists and tempo turns allowing for different displays of the leader's prowess as both vocalist and violinist. And the instrumental passage in the second half is way to drawn out and single-minded. (34/40)

Total time 47:11

I'm sorry but, despite the fine musicianship and artistry of Eigo Utoh and company, adequately complex song compositions, and fairly clean sound reproduction, the music on this album sounds too dated and too imitative of others that have come before. Those late 1980s keyboards are embarrassingly cheap and outdated! The bass playing is excellent, the drumming very good but so rotely Neo Prog.

86.58 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a fine first album of Neo Prog for these accomplished musicians. Tune in to their next albums: they get even better!  

9. ARAGON Don't Bring The Rain 

A Marillion-inspired band of multi-nationals that formed and recorded in Australia that shows tremendous potential--greatly due to the wonderfully passionate vocal performances of lead singer Les Dougan.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Les Dougan / vocals
- John Poloyannis / guitars, mandolin, drum programming
- Tom Behrsing / keyboards, bass programming
- Tony Italia / drums
With:

- Rob Bacon / bass

1. "For Your Eyes" (4:44) opens with harpsichord-sounding guitar picking before a pulsing bass-and-drum structure is established for the singing to join in. The vocalist is dramatic, theatric, but not very impressive or winning--kind of like a weak GEDDY LEE trying to sing with the power and emotion of AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson. The music during the choruses is too standard rock, it's the down time subtleties that are interesting and engaging. (8.25/10)

2. "Company Of Wolves" (9:22) (16.5/20)
- a) Under the Hunters' Moon (3:30) babeling brook water sounds are soon joined by keys and percussives giving the soundscape a very fairy-like feeling. Barking and then heavy bass tom play enter providing quite a contrast to the delicate fairy sounds. (8/10)
- b) In the Company of Wolves (5:51) more background sounds from the fairy world before a cheap keyboard begins adding a pattern of chords. At 1:25 heavy, pounding drums re-enter before singer Les Dougan enters with a FISH- or OZZIE OSBORN-like vocal performance. The vocal dominates despite the tinny music's attempt to thicken and become more complex. Fairly impressive vocal performance. (8.5/10)

3. "The Cradle" (5:32) gentle prog start with pretty late-80s heavily chorused guitar strums over which the odd voice and stylings of Les Dougan sings. He gives it quite an impassioned try and it almost works. The background "harmony" vocals are pitiful. (8.25/10)

4. "Solstice" (3:40) opens with a fairly flagrant attempt to recreate a classic GENESIS. The metal voicings of Les Dougan soon arrive and not long thereafter the lead guitar (sounding more like BABYLON's David Boyko or MIREK GIL than Steve Hackett). Decent BABYLON-like song. (8.25/10)

5. "Cry Out" (5:33) An interesting mélange of sound as each and every musician here seems to be drawing from different eras and styles of GENESIS or classic rock sounds, riffs, and styles. Les Dougan's singing gives it its own unique stamp (though there he uses a very familiar "St. Elmo's Fire" melody). (7.75/10)

6. "Gabrielle" (3:30) pure FISH theatrics in this vocal over acoustic guitar finger picking. Easily the best song on the album. (10/10)

7. "The Crucifixion" (15:39) (27.5/30)
- a) Part 1 (7:38) synth strings and pregnant New Wave-like bass line with straight time drum beat provide the sole backdrop for the first four minutes of Les's impassioned vocal. It works. Then there is a major softening--with only guitar and Les's whispering voice--before a burst forth into a speedy swinging pseudo-Rocky Horror-like section. At 5:50 there occurs another stop and slow down, this time for a low keyboard bass note over which spacey flanged synth strings slowly twist and snake their way to the end of this Part. (13/15)
- b) Part 2 (8:11) again the FISH and MARILLION comparisons are unavoidable. Les opens with singing over synth washes--which continue for a few minutes while eventually being joined by simple electric guitar "solo" arpeggi, bass, and drums. Les rejoins in the fourth minute to deliver an amazingly passionate "I'm still waiting" vocal before the band rises up to the album's first truly proggy instrumental passage, complete with multiple keyboard sounds and searing electric guitar soloing all at the same time. Impressive! Why they didn't do more like this I don't know. (14.5/15)

8. "For Your Eyes (Reprise)" (1:14) interesting outro. (4.5/5)

Total Time: 49:14

Odd that there are so few instrumental solos, that the songs are so reliant on a single theme and singer Les Dougan's impassioned vocals. The instrumentalists here are competent and do an admirable job of creating cohesive song constructs but their proficiency on their respective instruments seems to be under-confident and, perhaps, "under progress." Still, thanks to the stellar second half, this is an album that introduces to the world a band with tremendous potential.

86.67 on the Fishscales = B+/four stars; an excellent debut for this multi-national Neo Prog band.  

Other Highly Recommended Prog Albums

(Other albums recommended by prog lovers)

CARDIACS A Little Man and a House and The Whole World Window

Line-up / Musicians:

- Tim Smith / guitar, flute, recorder, lead vocals, producer
- William D. Drake / keyboards, vocals
- Sarah Smith / saxophone, clarinet, recorder, vocals
- Jim Smith / bass, vocals
- Dominic Luckman / drums
- Tim Quy / marimba, percussion, synth

1. A Little Man And A House (5:05)
2. In A City Lining (5:52)
3. Is This The Life (5:37)
4. Interlude (0:47)
5. Dive (4:09)
6. The Icing On The World (4:02)
7. The Breakfast Line (4:55)
8. Victory (3:08)
9. R.E.S. (5:16)
10. The Whole World Window (5:56)

Total time 44:47

on the Fishscales = / stars; 

Albums on the Fringe of Prog World

COCTEAU TWINS Blue Bell Knoll

The reliance on cheezy rhythm tracks has devolved even further but there can be no denying that Robin, Elizabeth, and Simon still know how to create truly gorgeous music.

1. "Blue Bell Knoll" (3:25) (8.75/10)
2. "Athol-Brose" (2:59) (9.25/10)
3. "Carolyn's Fingers" (3:08) (9.5/10)
4. "For Phoebe Still a Baby" (3:16) (8.5/10)
5. "The Itchy Glowbo Blow" (3:20) (8.75/10)
6. "Cico Buff" (3:49) (10/10)
7. "Suckling the Mender" (3:36) (9.25/10)
8. "Spooning Good Singing Gum" (3:52) (8.75/10)
9. "A Kissed Out Red Floatboat" (4:10) (9.25/10)
10. "Ella Megalast Burls Forever" (3:38) (8.5/10)

90.50 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of boundary pushing, progressing music and, of course, a signpost for the Dreampop/Shoegaze movement. 

STYLE COUNCIL Confessions of a Pop Group

In my opinion, the last of the great Style Council/Paul Weller albums, the unusually (for Paul) rich sound, diverse styles, and experimental compositions are to be lauded and revered. This is the first Style Council album on which Paul's then-wife, singer Dee C. Lee, was credited as a full member of the band. Drummer Steve White (who I LOVE) chose to leave the band during the recording sessions but still appears on four songs, "Changing of the Guard," "The Gardener of Eden," "Why I Went Missing," and "Confessions 1, 2 & 3."

SIDE ONE ("The Piano Paintings")
1. "It's a Very Deep Sea" (5:32) very pretty but drags and meanders a bit. (8.75/10)
2. "The Story of Someone's Shoe" (3:40) a very interesting a capella (despite the occasional input of xylophone) song in the Bacharach and Manhattan Transfer traditions. Could've been one minute long. (8.5/10)
3. "Changing of the Guard" (2:49) jazzy, orchestrated, alternating vocals from Paul and Dee, has that Parisian feel of several of his previous masterpieces. (9/10)
4. a. "The Little Boy in a Castle / b. A Dove Flew Down from the Elephant" (3:01) two piano soli perhaps based on a similar theme or chord base, both more classical feeling than usual. (8.5/10)
5. "The Gardener of Eden" (10:29) beautiful use of harp, orchestra, and the lovely (though too-heavily-treated) voice of Dee C, Lee. Great horn vamp starting at the 7:00 mark beneath which the other instruments go crazy--but then gorgeous piano outro followed by the odd blank space and then the surprise barbershop quartet a capella. (19/20)
     a. In the Beginning
     b. The Gardener of Eden
     c. Mourning the Passing of Time
SIDE TWO ("Confessions of a Pop Group"--"consummate white funk"; more upbeat and guitar oriented.) 
6. "Life at a Top People's Health Farm" (4:18) catchy bass roll and programmed rhythm track with horns and Paul singing. Very UK-centric lyrics. (8.5/10)
7. "Why I Went Missing" (4:43) sounds like a mellow Terry Lewis & Jimmy Jam song. Not the greatest Style Council song. (8/10)
8. "How She Threw It All Away" (4:17) Two in row. (8/10)
9. "Confessions 1, 2 & 3" (4:43) incredibly rich and gorgeous, just drags a bit. (9.5/10)
10. "Confessions of a Pop Group" (9:26) (20/20)

89.79 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of boundary pushing eclecticism--such a stretch for classical white funk jazz rock!  

BRUCE COCKBURN Big Circumstance

This may be Bruce's most skillful, consistent, and ambitious record of them all--and contains two of my favorite songs of his. I always liked this album despite Bruce's return to his country-folk roots (a greater degree of "countrification"). The last album with genius musicians Fergus and Hugh Marsh and Jon Goldsmith (though Hugh and Jon [or "Jonathan"] would return on a few albums in the future).

1. "If a Tree Falls" (5:43) (8/10)
2. "Shipwrecked at the Stable Door" (3:38) (7.75/10)
3. "Gospel of Bondage" (5:45) (8.25/10)
4. "Don't Feel Your Touch" (4:48) (8.25/10)
5. "Tibetan Side of Town" (6:59) perhaps the greatest song Bruce ever created. (15/15) 
6. "Understanding Nothing" (4:26) gorgeous and super powerful despite it's familiarity ("Hoop Dancer") (9.5/10)
7. "Where the Death Squad Lives" (4:28) Fergus is on fire! (8.5/10)
8. "Radium Rain" (9:22) using an old blues-rock style to great effect, but, nine minutes? (17.25/20)
9. "Pangs of Love" (5:18) gorgeous interplay between Bruce's acoustic steel string and Fergus' Chapman Stick. (9/10)
10. "The Gift" (6:04) (8.25/10)
11. "Anything Can Happen" (4:31) (8.5/10)

86.04 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent addition to any music lover's collection.

Special Mention:

MARK ISHAM Original Soundtrack Music for the film Les Modernes

Not long after my discovery of tango sensation Astor Piazzollo (thanks to the birth of Kip Hanrahan's Pangaea Records) I was this amazing film--and fell in complete love with its soundtrack. Definitely a music scene I would love to have been a part of!

Line-up / Musicians:

CharlElie Couture - piano, vocals

Rich Ruttenberg - piano, arranger

Dave Stone - acoustic bass

Suzie Katavana - cello

Michael Barsimanto - drums

Patrick O'Hearn - bass,  acoustic & electric

Ed Mann - vibraphone, marimba, snare drum

Sid Page - violin

Peter Maunu - violin, mandolin, electric guitar

Mark Isham - trumpet

1. "Les Modernes" (6:00)

2. "Café Selavy" (4:25)

3. Paris La Nuit/Selavy" (3:32)

4. "Really the Blues" (3:37)

5.  "Madame Valentine" (5:50)

6. "Dada Je Suis" (1:10)

7. "Parlez-moi d'amour" (2:55)

8. "La valse moderne" (2:49)

9. "Les peintres" (2:24)

10. "Death of Irving Fagelman" (1:53)

11. "Je ne veux pas de tes chocolats" (2:14)

12. "Parlez-moi d'amour" (moderne) (8:28)