Song Of the Day by Eric Berman – “On The Air” & “Moribund The Burgermeister” by Peter Gabriel (Live from Rockpalast, 1978) By the time of the broadcast from this 1978 Rockpalast show, Peter Gabriel was three years past his Genesis days and was out on the road promoting his second solo record, Peter Gabriel (which also goes by the names Peter Gabriel II and Scratch because of its album jacket image). I’ve already written several pieces on Peter Gabriel’s second album and its unique relationship with two other Robert Fripp productions, Sacred Songs by Daryl Hall and Fripp’s own Exposure , but a nice pro-shot concert from this era is a real find worth sharing. The video...

  Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Reasons For Waiting” by Jethro Tull By the time of their second album, Stand Up, original guitarist Mick Abrahams was out of the band over a dispute over the future direction Tull’s music would take. Abrahams wanted them to remain solidly a blues rock band as they were on their debut album, This Was, while Ian Anderson wanted to branch out, adding acoustic elements to their sound. Replacing Abrahams was new guitarist, Martin Barre, who has been in every other incarnation of Jethro Tull ever since. Stand Up saw the development of the classic Tull sound as we know it today. By adding the influences of classical music via the...

      Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Easy Money” by King Crimson – Nothing can match the rush you get from hearing a newly remastered version of a record you’ve lived with for nearly 40 years, especially if the remastering job is done right. It’s all about the nuances you never knew were there that magically appear, making something that had been so ingrained in your memory sound brand new again. Such was the blissed out rush I experienced this morning on my way to work when I listened to the just re-released King Crimson album Lark’s Tongue In Aspic. In the ever changing world of Crimson lineups, this one came to be after the...

  Rush 2112: Super Deluxe Edition on Limited Edition CD + Blu-Ray + Comic Book Featuring 5.1 Surround Sound Mixes, Unreleased Live Tracks and the First Ever Rush Comic Book!           ————————————- Originally issued in 1976, Rush’s epic landmark release 2112 was their collective and commercial breakthrough as well as one of the band’s most highly regarded releases among both fans and critics alike. With lyrics written by Neil Peart, and influenced by author Ayn Rand, opening title track “2112″ kicks off with the ambitious seven-suite title track (side one), set in a futuristic world run by the “Priests of the Temples of Syrinx” who regulate “every single facet of every life,” which includes books, music, work...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#806 in the Series) is Yes, Drama I feel it necessary to give a disclaimer at the beginning of this review. Yes always has been and always will be my favourite band. Further, I believe Jon Anderson is not only the greatest singer of all time, but also my favourite songwriter and musician. I didn’t say he is the best, though I can’t think of a better harp player, but I’ve long felt that Steve Howe is the best guitarist. But if you listen to his body of work and include his solo releases, starting with Olias of Sunhillow, there are few artists that can fly so close to the sun. The...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day is (#803 in the Series) is Scorpions, Fly to the Rainbow. Fly to the Rainbow was the 1974 album from German metal band Scorpions. It was their second album following up, Lonesome Crow. This was not just a straight ahead metal album. It was far from it. It definitely had a good layer of prog-rock in its sound.  I usually don’t include track times to the listings. I did so here for a reason. Look at the lengths. 7:42, 9:40 etc.  Those lengthy times are a clear point to something different. Lonesome Crow was the only album that had Michael Schenker as full time lead guitarist.  He did appear here but in a...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#801 in the Series) is 801, Listen Now Some times you have to pull one out that I bet many of you have not  listened to in years!  I’m guessing that’s true for 801. When was the last time you pulled this one off the shelf?  There even a good chance that you never even heard of this one. Then again, I’m betting many of you have as well since we do have a large number of audiophiles that frequent the site. 801 is a band put together by Phil Manzanera, Phil is best known as lead guitarist for the legendary band Roxy Music. Roxy would take time off now and then and like most bands,...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#780 in the Series) is Eternal Essence, A Light in the Distance. I don’t know a lot about Eternal Essence and I bet you don’t either, but you should. They could be one of a million best kept secrets, known only to their geography of audiophiles (in this case, Jersey and the East Coast), but gain tremendous popularity and respect for their over the top musical skills in places far and wide. I am guessing, but that could well be the hidden meaning behind the title of this A Light in the Distance, their 6th record, the first five which were all instrumental, the first 3, piano bass and drums. I mean...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#740 in the Series) is Crucis, Los Delirios del Mariscal  It was, I remember, 1977 or 1978… And I was a very young teen, listening to radio in the wee hours. The sadly departed Juan Alberto Badía, a well known local radio deejay and journalist, launched to the air a piece of music of mesmerizing quality: dark, atmospheric… a very slow and subtle crescendo, full of drama, that ended up in a climax of supreme, powerful musical quality. It was Crucis.  And it was a piece called ¨Los Delirios del Mariscal¨ (¨Marshall´s Delirium¨, or something like that). One of the masterpieces of Argentinean prog rock and, in my humble opinion, on par...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#725 in the Series) is Squackett, A Day Within a Life. This is a project that goes back to 2008 when longtime Yes bass player Chris Squire was planning another solo record. His first and only previous release was 1975’s Fish Out of Water, though he did another project with Yes part-timer Billy Sherwood, and a Christmas record Chris Squires Swiss Choir in which Steve Hackett was the other main half of the band. Hackett was the guitar virtuoso of Genesis who survived the Peter Gabriel departure to write and perform on two post-Gabriel records, one of which Wind and Wuthering is in my opinion his greatest work. He also has released...