New Listening for October

Been a while since the last blog, again. Been listening to lots of stuff, some of it new! The last few months have been very quiet on the prog front, new music wise. But there’s lots just been released or about to. Getting ready for the Christmas market!! More on those later.

One of the major releases has been the deluxe edition of Emerson, Lake and Palmers “Brain Salad Surgery”. The remastered sound of the album is actually very good. This, for me is the best BSS yet available on CD. The bonus tracks on disc 2 are made up of early mixes and material recorded at the same sessions. Some interesting stuff, but nothing too exciting. The third disc is a hybrid SACD, with a 5.1 mix which may be taken from the DVD-A mix which was released back in 2000. The notes state that this is the first time this has been released in the UK and as the DVD-A was a US based release then we can assume the mix is from that. Not sure the origin of the CD portion of this disc. To me is sounded the same as that on disc 1, but someone at Steve Hoffmans forum has done a comparison and it looks like a different mastering. The problem with this edition is there are so many typo mistakes everywhere and the notes are confusing on what is actually on the discs. It’s a shame as the sound is really good and with some proof reading and details on the contents this edition would be considered deluxe.

Here’s some recent stuff I have been liking.

Abel Ganz ~ Shooting Albatross
Some excellent Scottish prog. A bit like early Genesis but darker. The four lengthy tracks showcase some excellent synth and guitar playing.

It Bites ~ The Tall Ships
With John Mitchell on board this should be a winner and it is. Refreshingly poppish in some ways, but thoroughly enjoyable

Pendragon ~ Pure
I wasn’t 100% enamoured by their last “Believe”, but with the ever busy Clive Nolan fully back on board, this is such a strong and powerful set. The big surprise of the last few months.

Neal Morse ~ Lifeline
Neal doing what Neal does best. His sound is unmistakeable and he never disappoints. Lyrically maybe not my cup of tea, but I admire his convictions. I particularly liked the Crimson like “Leviathan”.

Lunatic Soul ~ Lunatic Soul
Evocative and atmospheric solo set from Riverside frontman Mariusz Duda.

To come: Marillion, Martin Orford, Keith Emerson Band, Frost*, Karmakanic, Steven Wilson and Unitopia. Hopefully a new one by Manning before the year is out. As for re-releases, how about the classic Pavlov’s Dog and the re-done “English Boy Wonders” by Big Big Train. Oh and that box set by Genesis!