Sunday, February 8, 2009

Prog Mix CD: The Pass To...

HI STAIEVE!!!

Hey man, I got a new Prog disc for you! Yep, I cooked this up over the weekend, and it is a dandy! Great symph sh*t that will tickle your toes! More obscure bands for sure, all from back in the great day when Men were Men, Prog was Prog, and Synths were Real Analog Meaty Sweaty VVVVZZZZZSSSSSing humbuckers that would make any Grandma proud! I know you will dig this. In fact, I think you had a hand in it yourself.

Here is the track listing, with the band name linked to a web page where you can learn more about 'em, and possibly hear some more songs. The download links are after the track list.

Band/Song/Time/Album/Year/Country

1. Morse Code - La Marche Des Hommes 11:14 - "La Marche Des Hommes" <1975> (Canada)
2. Pollen - La Femme Ailee 10:26 - "Pollen" <1976> (Canada)
3. Grobschnitt - Ernie's Reise 11:04 - "Rockpommel's Land" <1977> (Germany)
4. Eloy - Poseidon's Creation 11:40 - "Ocean" <1977> (Germany)
5. Anyone's Daughter - Anyone's Daughter 9:10 - "Adonis" <1979> (Germany)
6. Crack - Descenso En El Mahellstrong 5:28 - "Si Todo Hiciera Crack" <1979> (Spain)
7. Fruupp - Old Tyme Future 5:41 - "Future Legends" <1973> (Ireland)
8. Kaipa - Korstag 5:23 - "Inget Nytt Under Solen" <1976> (Sweden)
9. Tantra - Partir Sempre 9:21 - "Misterios E Maravilhas" <1977> (Portugal)

Download Part One

Download Part Two

So STAIEVO, here's the rundown... The disc kicks off with two great Symphonic tracks from Canadian bands, Morse Code and Pollen. And no, Geddy Lee is nowhere to be found! These guys had a nice Genesis influence, but no Petey Gabrieley vox. Then we get three wonderful German mini-Epics, in true Germanic style. No it ain't Krautrock, but good stuff with real strong German accents for extra spice. I am now a huge Grobschnitt fan (try and say Grobschnitt 15 times real fast!), and I love their humour. It is much more desirable than "trailer park pathos!" Eloy are legends, we all know that. Ultimate Space/Psych stuff! Anyone's Daughter materialized late in the game, but their Prog is pure. They are now one of my favorite "little" bands, although I have no idea how tall they actually were!

We then move out of this Canada/Germany thingy to get some more European variety. Crack are from Spain, made one great album, and POOF! And their name is not a drug reference! The almighty Fruupp from Ireland are here as well, and no STAIEVE, it is not a band of mutant Robert Fripp's! Kaipa give the disc a bit of Scandanavian flavor, and also possess the most 8 cent progger of all-time, the ridiculous Roine Stolt who is a MO-FO of a guitar player. Lastly, we have Tantra from Portugal, who know how to play their instruments real well, but also know how to craft a good song. Enjoy the drummer, STAIEVE, because I know you love drummers! BANG, BOOM, CRASH!

An interesting thing to note is that most of the music was created and released in the mid to late 70's, which was when Prog started to slack, and the stupid little punkheads got so self-important (how indulgent!). The key thing to remember is that outside of the U.K. and Italy, the rest of the world ran a but behind in their creation of Prog masterpieces, and it took a while for some of these bands to get off the ground. Still, the late 70's factor of this disc is kind of hard to fathom. But trust me STAIEVE, it is the goods! It would sound great out back this summer, and we can shake our Prog stix at it!

Give Me 8 Cents,
STAIEVE (aka Rudo)

P.S. I post this disc for two reasons: 1) to share the listening experience 2) to expose you to these bands, and their music, which is far, far, far from the mainstream. SUPPORT THE BANDS! BUY THEIR MUSIC! Follow the links to their web sites! They deserve your attention! Here’s a link to the great online "Synphonic" Prog store where you can buy their music!

http://www.synphonic.8m.com/

1 comment:

k.papai said...

All I can say is Fuck yeah man! Hell's-a-breakin; loose. *KJP*