Tag Archives: progressive rock

My 200 Favorite Rock and Pop Albums

July 11, 2023 bradbirzer

Over at my substack (just a few months old now), I posted my top 100 albums. I got some great responses there and on Facebook as to what I was missing (and some kind words about my choices as well). As such, I decided it would be best to expand my list to my favorite albums of all time–so I went for 200! I know a few things are missing, such as the Beatles. I was a huge fan of the Beatles back in college, but my enthusiasm for them died after reading a few biographies of the band. I realize that Sgt. Pepper’s and Magical Mystery Tour are both extraordinary, but I won’t go back to those album unless I’m preparing for something academic.

So, this list, is obviously deeply personal. But, these are the 200 albums I go back to, over and over again. I’ve tried to be faithful to my life as a 55-year old, recognizing what I’ve loved continuously. So, for example, I was a huge ELO fan as a kid, but that’s not stuck with me, even though I recognize the brilliance of Jeff Lynne.

So, I’m not trying to dismiss anything by their absences, only praise what I love. Another caveat–I’m leaving off surf bands (The Madeira and Lords of Atlantis) and jazz acts (Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis). I’m also leaving out The Shadows–of whom I’ve only recently become a fan.

One last note, I typed these out in Microsoft Word, and, for some reason, Word failed to alphabetize them or align them perfectly. I’m not sure how to fix the latter problem. The former problem just sort of cracks me up–so I’m leaving as is.

The List:

ABC, Lexicon of Love

Airbag, All Rights Removed

Airbag, Disconnected

Anathema, We’re Here Because We’re Here

Anathema, Weather Systems

Astra, The Black Chord

Ayreon, The Human Equation

Ayreon, Universal Migrator

Beach Boys, Pet Sounds

Big Big Train, English Electric

Big Big Train, Grimspound

Big Big Train, Second Brightest Star

Big Big Train, The Difference Machine

Big Big Train, The Grand Tour

Big Big Train, The Underfall Yard

Blackfield

Blackfield II

Bryan Ferry, Boys and Girls

Catherine Wheel, Happy Days

Chicago, Chicago Transit Authority

Chris Squire, Fish Out of Water

Cosmograf, Capacitor

Cosmograf, Man Left in Space

Dave Kerzner, New World

Dave Kerzner, Static

Dave Matthews Band, Before These Crowded Streets

Dave Matthews Band, Crush

Days Between Stations, In Extremis

Echo and the Bunnymen, Heaven Up Here

Echo and the Bunnymen, Ocean Rain

Enochian Theory, Life and All it Entails

Flower Kings, Flower Power

Flower Kings, Paradox Hotel

Flower Kings, Space Revolver

Frost*, Day and Age

Frost*, Experiments in Mass Appeal

Frost*, Milliontown

Galahad, Beyond the Realms of Euphoria

Galahad, Empires Never Last

Gazpacho, Fireworker

Gazpacho, Night

Gazpacho, Tick Tock

Genesis, A Trick of the Tail

Genesis, Duke

Genesis, Foxtrot

Genesis, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

Genesis, Selling England by the Pound

Glass Hammer, At the Gate

Glass Hammer, Dreaming City

Glass Hammer, Inconsolable Secret

Glass Hammer, Valkyrie

Haken, The Mountain

Iamthemorning, Lighthouse

Icehouse, Measure for Measure

INXS, The Swing

IZZ, Crush of Night

IZZ, Everlasting Instant

IZZ, I Move
Laura Meade, Most Dangerous Woman in America

IZZ, The Darkened Room

Jethro Tull, Benefit

Jethro Tull, Minstrel in the Gallery

Jethro Tull, Thick as a Brick

John Galgano, Real Life is Meeting

Kansas, Leftoverature

Kansas, Point of No Return

Kansas, Song for America

Kate Bush, Aerial

Kate Bush, Hounds of Love

Kevin McCormick, Squall

Kevin McCormick, With the Coming of Evening

King Bathmat, Overcoming the Monster

Led Zeppelin I

Led Zeppelin II

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy

Love Spit Love

Lush, Spooky

Marillion, Afraid of Sunlight

Marillion, Brave

Marillion, FEAR

Marillion, Marbles

Mew, And the Glass Handed Kites

Moody Blues, Days of Future Passed

Muse, Origin of Symmetry

My Bloody Valentine, Loveless

NAO, Fog Electric

NAO, Grappling Hooks

NAO, Grind Show

NAO, The Third Day
NAO, United Wire

Natalie Merchant, Leave Your Sleep

Neal Morse, Testimony

Neal Morse, Testimony II
No-Man, Love You to Bits

New Order, Low-life

No-man, Schoolyard Ghosts

Nosound, Lightdark

OAK, False Memory Archive

Oceansize, Effloresce

Oceansize, Everyone Into Position

Oceansize, Frames

Ordinary Psycho, The New Gothick
Ordinary Psycho, Volume II

Pearl Jam, Vs.

Peter Gabriel III

Peter Gabriel, Security

Peter Gabriel, SO

Phish, Billy Breathes

Pink Floyd, Animals

Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon

Pink Floyd, Meddle

Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here

Porcupine Tree, Fear of a Blank Planet

Porcupine Tree, Lightbulb Sun

Porcupine Tree, Sky Moves Sideways

Pure Reason Revolution, The Dark Third

Queen II

Queen, A Night at the Opera

Radiohead, Kid A

Rhys Marsh, October After All

Riverside, Love, Fear, and the Time Machine

Riverside, Out of Myself

Riverside, Second Life Syndrome

Riverside, Wasteland

Roxy Music, Avalon

Rush, 2112

Rush, A Farewell to Kings

Rush, Clockwork Angels

Rush, Grace Under Pressure

Rush, Hemispheres

Rush, Moving Pictures

Rush, Permanent Waves

Rush, Power Windows

Rush, Snakes and Arrows

Sanguine Hum, Diving Bell

Sarah McLachlin, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

Simon and Garfunkel, Bookends

Simple Minds, New Gold Dream

Simple Minds, Sons and Fascination

Simple Minds, Sparkle in the Rain

Sixpence None the Richer

Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream

Sound of Contact, Dimensionaut

Steven Wilson, Grace for Drowning

Steven Wilson, Hand Cannot Erase

Steven Wilson, Insurgentes

Steven Wilson, Raven That Refused to Sing

Stone Temple Pilots, Tiny Music

Talk Talk, Laughing Stock

Talk Talk, Spirit of Eden

Talk Talk, The Colour of Spring

Tears for Fears, Elemental

Tears for Fears, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending

Tears for Fears, Songs from the Big Chair

Tears for Fears, The Hurting

The Connells, Boylan Heights

The Cure, Blood Flowers

The Cure, Disintegration

The Cure, Head on the Door

The Cure, P-ography

The Cure, Wish

The Fierce and the Dead, Spooky Action

The Fierce and the Dead, If It Carries On Like This

The Sundays, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic

The Tangent, A Place in the Queue

The Tangent, Auto Reconnaissance

The Tangent, Le Sacre du Travail

The Tangent, Proxy

The Tangent, The Music that Died Alone

Thomas Dolby, Golden Age of Wireless

Thomas Dolby, The Flat Earth

Tim Bowness, Butterfly Mind

Tim Bowness, Flowers at the Scene

Tim Bowness, Late Night Laments

Tim Bowness, Lost in the Ghostlight

Tin Spirits, Scorch

Tin Spirits, Wired to Earth

Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes

Tori Amos, Under the Pink

Traffic, John Barleycorn Must Die

Traffic, Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

Traffic, Mr. Fantasy

Traffic, Traffic

Transatlantic, SMPT:e

Transatlantic, The Whirlwind

U2, October

U2, The Joshua Tree

U2, Unforgettable Fire

Ultravox, Rage in Eden

Ultravox, Vienna

Vertica, The Haunted South

XTC, Black Sea

XTC, Skylarking

Yes, 90125

Yes, Close to the Edge

Yes, Drama

Yes, Fragile

Yes, Relayer

Yes, The Yes Album

Republic of Letters

Spirit of Cecilia Progcast 3

June 29, 2022 bradbirzer

A special (MEGA!) progcast, featuring Tad Wert, Kevin McCormick, Dave Bandana, and Brad Birzer. Nearly 3 1/2 hours long, we play Tin Spirits, SAND, NAO, Oak, Nosound, No-man, Memories of Machines, Sanguine Hum, The Tangent, Big Big Train, The Flower Kings, and The Bardic Depths. All of the music was chosen to impress Kevin, and we find out his reactions to it all. Additional bonus feature: Dave talks a lot about the making of the most recent The Bardic Depths album, Promises of Hope.

Art, History, Music

COSMOGRAF – ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM – HEROIC MATERIALS

June 16, 2022 bradbirzer

We are really pleased to announce that Cosmograf returns with their ninth new studio album, Heroic Materials to be released on 9^th September 2022.

William ‘Billy’ May looks back on his life at the age of 99 and realises the world has completely changed since he was a young man put into an impossible scenario, defending his country from the air. He no longer recognises much of the modern world but understands that the human race must live in a different way in the future.

“This album is really about change, our refusal to accept it, but also recognising that it’s essential to our survival”, says Cosmograf’s Robin Armstrong. “The story centres on a WWII Spitfire pilot who laments a lost golden era, but reflects that the human race must change its ways in order to preserve our existence on the earth.”

Robin is joined once again by drummer, Kyle Fenton, and there is a special guest appearance from ex-Big Big Train keyboard player Danny Manners, who plays piano on the 13 min title track, set in three parts.

The lead track from the album, British Made is released on our Bandcamp page today, and the video for the track is available to view on YouTube now.
“British Made is really a nostalgic throw back to a golden era of motoring where design and craftsmanship was more important than carbon footprints. I think it’s incredibly sad that we are coming to the end of this present journey with the motor car, as we reject fossil fuels for electric power, even if it’s for good reasons” says Robin.

The album sees the character wrestling with his memories of the war, and harbouring nostalgia for a past era but he realises that change is essential if we are to avoid climate catastrophe.

Heroic Materials will be available in CD, Deluxe Media book edition, Vinyl and Digital formats and pre-ordering is now live on the Gravity Dream Music website.

Heroic Materials Pre-order link: https://bit.ly/2YObrzH

The new single ‘British Made’ on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Lqj40KJLrtA

Art, Biography, Music

Neil Peart: Cultural Repercussions REVISED AND EXPANDED

June 1, 2022 bradbirzer

Coming, June 14, 2022, from WordFire Press

Thanks to Kevin J. Anderson and Wordfire Press, I had the opportunity to revise and expand my intellectual biography, Neil Peart: Cultural Repercussions, originally published in 2015.

On June 14, Wordfire will release an ecopy as well as a trade paperback. To preorder the ecopy, go here: https://books2read.com/b/3LwEA1.

I’ve had the chance to write about many of my heroes during my professional career, including J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Dawson, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, and Russell Kirk. Peart, though, remains at the top of the list. The man combined integrity, intelligence, and action. It was such an honor to write about him and spend time in is mind and in his soul.

His words meant a great deal to me at 13, and they remain a great deal to me at 54. Peart has been, I believe, one of the most influential figures of the last half century–shaping the lives of many non-conformists, and unleashing the power of the individual spirit and mind.

Republic of Letters

SOC Progcast #2

May 17, 2022 bradbirzer

Hello everyone, welcome to the Spirit of Cecilia Progcast #2. Tad Wert and I host, and we’re thrilled to feature music by The Flower Kings, IZZ, Lifesigns, Tin Spirits, Kevin McCormick, The Tangent, Nosound, NAO, and Airbag. Enjoy!

Republic of Letters

Gazpacho’s Fireworking at St. Croix

May 3, 2022 bradbirzer

The deluxe edition available from burningshed.com

The trajectory (that is, the insanity) went something like this.

I bought the Gazpacho cd, Fireworking at St. Croix, and I was so taken with it, I ordered the blu-ray of the same title, which also includes a Soyuz (previous album) concert, three interviews, and some extras. This wasn’t enough, however. I was so taken with the blu-ray that I ordered the deluxe edition earbook which includes the CD (now expanded to two discs), the DVD, the blu-ray, all in a specially-packaged hardback book.

Ok, let me be totally honest. To be sure, the trajectory didn’t go just “something like this,” it went exactly like this. Now, I proudly own three versions of the same release. My home office just reeks of Fireworking at St. Croix!

My Gazpacho intensity actually goes back to 2007 when the band released one of the most epic of all third-wave prog releases, Night. I have no idea how many times I’ve listened to Night. It numbers well into the 100s, ranking up there with listens of Talk Talk, Big Big Train, and Rush. Since 2007, I have happily bought and collected every single Gazpacho album, studio as well as live, past, present, and, it seems, future.

I’ve listened to each album multiple times—too many to be counted, really—and I’ve somehow absorbed this Norwegian art-rock band into my very self. They actually refer to themselves as an anti-band, but, nonetheless, a band they are.

As it turns out—as I learned from the interviews on Fireworking at St. Croix—the band sees all of its release since Night as a single whole, each a part of a connected universe, a “Gazpacho-verse.” Combining Christian, pagan, and Darwinian imaginary and themes, the band seems to revel in a sort of mystic Gnosticism (lyrically speaking) and delightfully complex musical structures.

Fireworker (the studio album) and its live release, Fireworking at St. Croix, follow the story of the Fireworker, a sort of demon that both animates and dominates man. He, the Fireworker, is a sort of parasite as well as a lifeforce, guiding as well as riding evolution.

As noted above, the band’s lyrics tend to be rather Gnostic (but in a fun way). They’re also always mythic and thoughtful.

I’ve had Fireworking at St. Croix (in one form or another) since its release in the U.S., and I’ve been listening and watching it almost non-stop. There is a lot of great music out there, but this is really some of the best of the best.

Now, if I can only get to Europe and watch the band live. . .

To order the deluxe version, go to Burningshed.com.

Music

The Tangent News

February 6, 2022 bradbirzer

Hello everyone!

First and most importantly we would like to wish you a happy and healthy 2022, we hope that you are safe and well and we send our love and good wishes to all of you wherever you may be.

We are absolutely delighted to announce that the 12^th album from The Tangent “Songs From The Hard Shoulder” is now available for “special” pre- pre-ordering and is due for release on InsideOut in June 2022

This newsletter is being sent to fans of the band who have ordered Tangent albums directly from the band’s website previously or added their details to our mailing list.

There are 2 important things to note

1) Regular pre-ordering will be available nearer to the release date.
2) All Pre-orders made from fans in mainland Europe will be posted FROM WITHIN mainland Europe.

You can find out more about the album and different options for pre-ordering here at www.thetangent.org

There is plenty of information over on the website but Andy wanted to add a message especially for fans who are subscribed to this mailing list:

“We are so happy to be bringing you our twelfth album, now in our 20th year! Keyboards, Drums, Saxophones, Flute and vocals recorded by Steve, Theo and myself here at my studio in Yorkshire, Guitars recorded at Luke’s studio in Trowbridge UK and bass recorded in Jonas’ studio near Vienna in Austria. As usual it’s been a great ride and we look forward enormously to you hearing this very human feeling recording which is among our most emotional and heartfelt pieces yet. The album is involved and deep, and highly “composed” with three pieces over the 15 minute mark – one of which is an instrumental. We tie it all off with the bounciest of retro pop songs – and all copies pre-ordered will be the “special edition” which features a short bonus track which is our third cover version in our 20 year history. And it’s a prog classic.”

You can listen here to just over 5 minutes of an EARLY preview of tracks in progress for the new album. Rough mixes only with incomplete instrumentation here:

https://soundcloud.com/andy-tillison/the-tangent-work-in-progress-trailer

Those of you who buy the “Mega Fan” and “Pay the wages” pre-ordering packages will be given access to a drop box link which already contains substantially updated versions of some of the music and Andy would like those who have already pre-ordered to know that there is a new update to the drop box coming very soon so keep checking!

If you haven’t already, please consider joining The Tangent Facebook group

We are aware that many don’t enjoy the various social media sites but for bands, particularly during these socially distanced times, it is the easiest way to connect with fans, for musicians and fans to connect with each other and to enable people to help spread the word about their favourite music – We have a very friendly and active (but not annoyingly so) Facebook group for The Tangent and everyone is very welcome, Andy is around regularly to answer questions and join in general banter and from time to time the rest of the band pop in to add comments or answer particular questions. Facebook is generally the first place where you will get to hear about new music, get to be the first to check out links to new stuff and even get involved in/make suggestions for new ideas and plans for future Tangent and Andy related musical projects…he really does take people’s ideas on board. So, please don’t be shy we’d love to hear from you all! https://www.facebook.com/groups/alltangentmembers

(PS We never add anyone to our Facebook group unless they request membership themselves, please do not add friends without their permission thank you).

Bandcamp

Don’t forget that apart from the web site Andy has his own Bandcamp page – The Tangent albums are on InsideOut/Sony music so not available on Band Camp but people who like Andy Tillison’s solo ambient electronica and Multiplex projects and his previous bands PO90 and GFDD might like to check out his band camp page… there are also a couple of Tangent fan releases and a live album or two that collectors and completists might be interested in….

https://andytangent.bandcamp.com/

Please support your favourite artists by buying from Bandcamp particularly on the first Friday of every month “Bandcamp Friday” when all fees and commission are waived. Bandcamp is one of the best platforms for buying music if you want to be sure of your hard earned cash going to the artist.

And finally thank you!

A huge thank you to everyone who purchased albums from The Tangent, Andy Tillison solo albums such as the new Kalman Filter album “Moons of Neptune” (we have very few copies left so be quick if you want one) and in particular the brand new Tillison Reingold Tiranti (TRT) Italian Prog album “Allium Una Storia”, the response was absolutely fantastic and so delighted were the guys with the enthusiasm from fans and fantastic media reviews that plans are in place for a second album, keep checking the website for updates and we will write again soon!

Thank you all as always for your loyal support of The Tangent and all its subsidiaries in whatever form that might take. We realise that the last couple of years have been hard on many of you and so even if you aren’t able to buy a special pre-order, or any pre-order at all, just knowing that you are out there, telling friends about the band or sending us messages of support, posting questions or reviews on the Facebook group, commenting on forum threads, joining in discussions etc. etc. really does make a huge difference to the band’s visibility and reach online.

Every little bit of action you take to give your support, in whatever way you are able, gives the band members a huge confidence boost which in turn feeds into their ability to create, write and play at the top of their game. Every little positive action counts and makes YOU a part of the music and a reason to keep making the records.

Love to you all from all of us at Tangent HQ

Stay well, stay safe!

~ Andy, Jonas, Luke, Steve, Theo and Sally x

www.thetangent.org

www.tillisonreingoldtiranti.com

Music

Velcrocranes, forthcoming

February 2, 2022 bradbirzer

InsideOutMusic announce signing of Russian progressive rockers VELCROCRANES

InsideOutMusic are pleased to announce the signing of Russian progressive rock newcomers Velcrocranes. The band’s debut album ‘What If I Die’ will be released on April 29th, 2022 via their new label home. Watch a teaser here: https://youtu.be/Fn1V07X1n5w

Started out as a small jazz ensemble created originally for practice, it wasn’t until they discovered the music of Porcupine Tree and the malleable world of progressive rock that their true sound came into focus. This new, expansive direction was the future of Velcrocranes.In 2017, the band would begin playing live shows for fans in their local music scene, which, at that time, still largely consisted of covers – mixed in with new material that the group was diligently working on. In 2018, the band release d their debut EP, ‘Afterlife’, which featured the songs “Hold Your Breath” & “Afterlife”. The tracks would bring the stirring and ethereal vocals of Efim Kolitinov into the forefront, as well as the harmonious guitar leads of Liza Kotova, who serves as a primary songwriter for the group, and the intricate arrangements from Alexander Papsuev. On their debut full-length, ‘What If I Die’, Velcrocranes remain true to the foundation that they’ve carefully laid in recent years – while showing little restraint for reaching into the bag of tricks to delight their listeners. Speaking about the creative drive behind the themes explored on the LP, the band says, “We imagine the main idea of the album as changing as the listener goes along. Our goal was to draw a parallel to the way your understanding of life’s meaning, your values and choices, and your perception of death change during your lifetime.” The debut album also features keyboard contributions throughout from Adam Holzman (Miles Davis & Steven Wilson): “We’d been trying a lot of different options until at some point we got desperate enough to take a chance and write to Adam … which was totally worth it because he just hit the spot! He managed to keep our original ideas, embellish them and beautifully highlight the genre features.”The artwork for the band’s forthcoming debut was created by Carl Glover of Aleph Studio, known for his work with Steven Wilson, Frost*, Marillion & more. The band comment: “The idea behind the cover artwork is as simple as it is effective. It seems to emphasize the focus on the intellectual and metaphorical vs concrete and corporeal – this, together with the minimalistic color scheme, blends in just perfectly and echoes the music.”

‘What If I Die’ will be released as Limited CD (with bonus track), Vinyl LP + CD & as Digital Album. Pre-orders will begin on February 25th. 2022.

Velcrocranes are:
Efim Kolitinov – vocals
Liza Kotova – guitars, backing vocals
Alexander Papsuev – guitars, keyboards
Nikita Sarukhanov – drums, percussion
Bogdan Defo – bass

VELCROCRANES Online:
https://www.facebook.com/velcrocranes/
https://www.instagram.com/velcrocranes/?hl=en
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE2O4Jgvfev-5u57bf15mRA

INSIDEOUT MUSIC online:
www.insideoutmusic.com
www.youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV
www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic
www.twitter.com/InsideOutUSA
www.insideoutmusic .store
Spotify – Prog Rock Playlist
Spotify – Progressive Metal Playlist

Music

The Flower Kings–A Million Stars

January 18, 2022 bradbirzer 1 Comment

Music, SOC Radio Progcast

Spirit of Cecilia Radio Progcast 1

Image January 5, 2022 bradbirzer

This is the first of our Spirit of Cecilia Radio Progcasts, episode one–featuring music by Big Big Train, The Flower Kings, Galahad, IZZ, The Bardic Depths, Kevin McCormick, NAO, No-man, Wobbler, and The Tangent. All songs used by kind permission of the artists/labels.

And, with the fiery and enthusiastic commentary of Dave Bandana, Brad Birzer, and Tad Wert.

Among our topics: how much we miss David Longdon (RIP); if the Flower Kings are diverse in their musical offerings; if disco can be prog; just what the number 42 is about; if The Tangent simply rocks; what kinds of instruments Wobbler uses; how McCormick, NAO, and No-man owe something to Mark Hollis of Talk Talk; and just how much we love prog.

Enjoy!