Popol Vuh's Seligpreisung is another essential work from the band, ushering in the classic middle period for which they are best known. The album represents the reconvening of the band after Fricke had contributed to Gila's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, after which he brought former Amon Duul II drummer turned guitarist Daniel Fischelscher into the fold of his main band. Fischelscher would become Fricke's main collaborator for what is essentially Popol Vuh's most intensely brilliant period, reaching a possible culmination in the subsequent classics Letzte Tage, Letzte Nächte and Einsjager & Siebenjager. In light of those later achievements, Seligpreisung still stands as a solid addition, if slightly more tentative.

This is the beginning of one of the big names of the Krautrock movement. This is one album you can't go by from their better-known piano-dominated albums like Hosianna Mantra” and those following. Instead this dates back when Florian Fricke had little problems messing around with synthesizers, and this, their debut, proves.

This is an excellent debut record that also includes their early singles, outtakes, etc. The move were an incredible band, among the best of their era. These early recordings are a lot poppier than their later excursions into psychedelia, heavy metal, classical rock etc. I think the stuff that they did on Shazam, Message From the Country, etc. is their best, but it is all great. I would probably give both Shazam and Message From the Country an A+, and this debut and Looking On an A or A- for a grade, quite simply, this band's entire output is essential.

This album by Steve's new part-time band is wonderful. He has his 2 sons Virgil on keys and Dylan on drums, and the music is a real mixture of bluesy rock, jazz, experimental guitar synth, and closes with a spacey solo guitar that really belongs on a "stress-relieving" CD. There are some vocals here, but it's mostly instrumental, and to top it all, it has Roger Dean artwork.

This album sounds a bit like Tangerine dream's "White Eagle", "Hyperborea" and some of their soundtracks of the corresponding years. There is omnipresent, varied and lively beat sequencers and many discrete keyboards layers. There are melodic keyboards and background floating streams of keyboards. All is recorded in very interlocking multi- sequenced patterns; it is mostly repetitive, but never dull.

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Wikipedia wrote: The Move were one of the leading British rock bands of the 1960s from Birmingham, England, and were among the most popular British bands to not find any success in the US. The Move were led by guitarist, singer and songwriter Roy Wood (although Chris "Ace" Kefford was their original leader), who composed all the group's UK singles and from 1968 also sang lead vocal on many of them (although Carl Wayne was their lead singer). They were extremely successful in Britain in their early career, scoring nine Top 20 UK singles in five years, but they were not as well known in the United States, mainly because they did not tour there until the latter part of their career. Nevertheless, they have been credited as an influence on many later groups on both sides of the Atlantic. The group evolved from several mid 1960s Birmingham based groups, including Carl Wayne and the Vikings, the Nightriders and the Mayfair Set. Strongly influenced by The Beatles, Motown and the emerging American 'West Coast' sound, The Move quickly established a reputation as one of the most accomplished and exciting live acts of the period. The group's name seems to refer to the move various members of these bands made to form the group. Beside Wood, the original members of The Move in 1966 were drummer Bev Bevan, bassist Chris "Ace" Kefford, vocalist Carl Wayne and guitarist Trevor Burton. The concluding members in 1972 were the trio of Wood, Bevan and guitarist-pianist Jeff Lynne, who transitioned the group into The Electric Light Orchestra.

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As the post-millennium, post-punk revival seems to be slowly grinding to a halt, now is as good a time as any to remind people of one of the lesser celebrated (at the time anyhow) but no less influential bands of that era, The Sound. The Dutch Radio Recordings consists of five CDs recorded between 1981 and 1985, each containing a full concert that landmarks an important phase in both The Sound's development and ultimate demise.

2008 two CD archive release from the popular UK Prog Rock popsters, often compared to the Moody Blues. On January 2nd, 1974, Barclay James Harvest made one of the most significant moves of their long and illustrious career by signing to Polydor Records. The band would prove to be one of the longest signings to the label and the ensuing six years would see BJH rise to superstar multi-platinum selling status in Europe. The recordings featured in this collection were made for the BBC between 1974 and 1976 and show one of Britain’s most enduring bands at the peak of their creative power; superb renditions of Les Holroyd’s 'Sweet Jesus' and John Lees’ 'Hymn For The Children' alongside gems such as 'Summer Soldier', 'Medicine Man', 'After The Day' and 'She Said'. Artwork features extensive liner notes from Mark Powell.

This album is a unique document of the early Wakeman-era. If you ever asked yourself if he could play his complex compositions live, well, he certainly can. How? Well, buy this album and find it out yourself. Although this is a very 'pure' recording, including some 'bum'-notes and other things going wrong, it's a very enjoyable record. Loads of great music for a nice price!

If I had a pound for every time Rick Wakeman released an album (or every time they show Geoff Hurst’s 1966 world cup goal on UK television), I’d be a very rich man. I have to say though, I think “1984” is close to being the best of the lot. Actually made prior to 1984 (in 1981), this is of course a concept album, based on the George Orwell novel. Tim Rice (co-writer of many fine musicals) was drafted in to write the lyrics, and a great job he does too. Wakeman of course contributes the music score throughout. Wakeman’s keyboards, while ever present, are not nearly as dominant here as they are on most of his albums, Indeed, he is joined by a veritable host of musicians, including a medium sized orchestra.

In 1975 Rick accepted a commission from lunatic film director Ken Russell to produce the soundtrack for his latest piece of madness, Lisztomania. The soundtrack is composed almost entirely of music by Liszt and Wagner, played mostly by Rick, and is as endearingly bonkers as you might expect.

"White rock" is an early collection written for a documentary film on winter sports. The tracks stand up well in their own right, with Wakeman in good form both composition wise, and in terms of performance. The album is almost entirely just Rick performing on keyboards, with basic rhythm section support There’s no orchestration, and very little vocals, certainly no songs as such. Synthesiser takes central stage throughout...

25 years after the original members of Asia splintered off, leaving Geoff Downes to reassemble the band in a variety of lineups, Wetton, Howe, Palmer and Downes are back together for a tour, live album, and a possible studio album. For those who griped that 4 guys who came from such keystones in progressive music went completely pop should give this a listen. Sure, you have the usual hits and what not; however, Asia dives back into the vault and perform prog classics flawlessly. I know the majority of those who came down hard on Asia back in the 80's for not being prog enough won't buy this...which is a shame. Asia did target the pop market, but the songs are still fun to listen to even though I'm much older than when they first came out. I bought this the day it came out and the songs still take me back. Maybe I'm swept up by nostalgia, but it sure is good to see the original Asia back together and playing beautifully.

Now on to his third line up of the band in as many albums, Bill Nelson managed to stabilize the ship here, essentially retaining the same members who had made the previous "Futurama". Keyboard player Andrew Clark is brought in to fill out the sound, but it is Nelson's guitar which remains the lead instrument. The result is what is generally regarded as the finest album made in the Be Bop Deluxe name. While the songs here are essentially pop based with new wave overtones, to simply dismiss them as such is to overlook some fine compositions and musicianship.

Calamitous,” the dragon croaked, “and cold. It doesn’t do a dragon well to stay in such an inhospitiable place. And so I left the west for east; tale told.” Except there’s more to it than that, and some. The battle lines had hardly just been drawn when Wetton-san, John asiatic flew. He took with him the tomes of two or three bands well revered among the rising sons: king crimson, asia, uk and the sum of scribblings that he’d jotted in between. Their rendezvous? Osaka, Tokyo, lands long synonymous with dragon’s lairs. The lure? Of lucre green, so too the crew; It Bites and thus the hook stays in secure. As for the bonnie bits, that’s splitting hares. Of course the tracks from Asia tend to shine since, after all, this is their native clime. You came to hear UK you say? Well done. (Grayed Briton is the operative pun.) If Crimson I might ‘ember diff’rently, the Battle wares are better tendered warm; a Crime of Passion or a Hold Me Now better befit, I think, the dragon’s form. I wouldn’t say Japan is Wetton wild and yet they love their old kings and their ghosts. The old kings slumbering, sleep centuries, and rise anew as dragons in the east. The old ghosts need to make a living too, in light of which John Wetton live will do.