What Are You Listening to Now 7.0

[Bramblethorn]

They Dream Of Starfish - Deep Six Nachtschicht

Partner asked "Tangerine Dream?" so I think that's a vote of confidence...

 

[HordHolm]

The first Stone Roses album. Loud.

 

[Handley_Page]

Babe, Styx

 

[jaF0]

My Cosmic Lover -- The Flower Kings

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Yo Zeb...

I like your playlist, but I wouldn't call Demi Loves Auto or Knuckledrag "Oldies".

Well, you got me there.

Thunderstruck - AC/DC Just to get the blood flowing.

 

[Haulover]

My Cosmic Lover -- The Flower Kings

I have difficulty with The Flower Kings.

They're very good - no question but I wish:
- Roine would not sing, and they'd find a vocalist with a stronger delivery
- They'd find an editing pen. Those double CDs would be stronger if they were shorter, and more concentrated. I love well-constructed epics, but I'm not a fan of songs that can't seem to find the end-point, or albums that include songs that a stronger editor would relegate to the cutting room floor.

 

[Haulover]

French TV : Pardon Our French


First time I've spun this in many years.

I'm still not a big fan

 

[Haulover]

Marillion : Fugazi


The grand-daddies of neo-prog. This was in their earlier incarnation - very good.

 

[Haulover]

Porcupine Tree : Stupid Dream


A modern-day classic. Excellent. I haven't spun any of the earlier-catalog Porcupine Tree albums for years. I need to do so more often!

 

[Blind_Justice]

Marillion : Fugazi


The grand-daddies of neo-prog. This was in their earlier incarnation - very good.

Too bad I never really clicked with anything past "Afraid Of Sunlight". Call me a heathen, but I think "Holidays In Eden" was the best Hogarth album. Yes, "Brave" exists, but I like "my" Marillion pop-adjacent and "Brave" was more movie soundtrack than anything else. IMHO, of course.

 

[Blind_Justice]

They Dream Of Starfish - Deep Six Nachtschicht

Partner asked "Tangerine Dream?" so I think that's a vote of confidence...

We were trying to capture the more electronic side of Ayreon with that particular one, but ended up somewhere in an '80s action/sci-fi soundtrack.

 

[Haulover]

Too bad I never really clicked with anything past "Afraid Of Sunlight". Call me a heathen, but I think "Holidays In Eden" was the best Hogarth album. Yes, "Brave" exists, but I like "my" Marillion pop-adjacent and "Brave" was more movie soundtrack than anything else. IMHO, of course.

I think the best of the Hogarth era is Marbles. It's worth a listen.

I've been lucky to spend a long time with Steve Rothery and Pete Trewavas. Both were interviews, and both ended up with us just shooting the breeze - with Pete, we chatted for about an hour.

Here's my review of Marbles (I mention your 'Brave' near the end):

The prodigal son has returned, and with biblical magnanimity, all is forgiven.

Marillion, the granddaddies of the British neo-progressive rock movement of the '80s and the early '90s, was widely credited with saving prog from the brink of extinction. Albums like Misplaced Childhood and Script for a Jester's Tear were masterpieces of their new style of prog, and in the decades to come, they will doubtlessly be recorded alongside the best of the big-5 of the 1970s. But after the departure of charismatic frontman Fish, Marillion's releases were good for one or two releases then fell into a slowly descending spiral until it plunged into the mediocrity of Anoraknophobia � and the band seemed doomed. Marillion had left home to seek its fortune, and in the collective opinion of much of the prog community, they failed.

So there were low expectations for Marbles, released in 2004 to the accompaniment of much pre-release marketing hype.

But behold the return of the prodigal! After floundering in the wilderness the band has finally found its new identity and with Marbles, they have delivered an excellent body of work. The music on Marbles is softer and more atmospheric than on their Fish-era works, almost spacey in parts, elegant and relaxing. The impeccable rhythm section is omnipresent but never in the way. Some songs are very approachable and a few are even (shock-horror) radio friendly! But despite those occasional pop overtones, each piece contributes significantly to the overall opus and you will find that this very cohesive record starts out sounding good, and improves with each listen.

Marillion's guitar work and keyboards were always excellent and that tradition continues � in fact Steve Rothery may be at his best ever here, sounding Gilmour-esque in places. There are long instrumental passages which occasionally build into lush walls of sound, yet at all times, there's enough space for each instrument to shine. Dave Meegan's production work is simply excellent.

We've read comments saying that the singing sound strained. Not so. Expressive, perhaps. Steve Hogarth's vocals have evolved into a relaxed but emotional delivery which is the diametric opposite of Fish's dark and angry timbre. The songs are still moody � some are deep � but Fish's desperate anxiety has left the band and they now come across as an altogether more confident act, comfortable with their impressive musicianship. A friend used the description "more ethereal and sublime than their earlier work". He's right, and he could have added more "sophisticated, mature, dreamy, stirring or plaintive",

Some of the song structures are sophisticated, all are deeply textured, constantly shifting, yet consistent to their message. Three of the 15-or-so songs are over 10 minutes long. There are 4 songs called Marbles I", Marbles II" and so on, each of which is a short 2-minute piece. You could program your system to play them one after the other, they form a sort of suite, sharing common threads, building up and pulling back and building again until "IV" ends exactly as "I" started. Dispersed as they are across the album, they add an elegant touch of sophistication. And then there's "Ocean clouds", a 17-minute piece that may be one of the better prog epics released in years. But beware: If you don't get the double-CD, you won't get this track. And you do want this track, so be sure to order the right version of Marbles.

Most of us were expecting Anoraknophobia Mark-II, and thank goodness, we didn't get it. Marbles isn't quite up to the standard of Misplaced Childhood, and it sounds nothing like Fish-era Marillion. It is close, in quality, to Brave or Afraid Of Sunlight. But judge this double-CD on its own merits � you will be pleasantly surprised.

Welcome home to the prog world, Marillion. You've changed but you're back � now stay put and don't leave us again!

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Barracuda - Heart

 

[ChloeTzang]

Staan My By - Radio Kalahari Orkes

Nirvana in Fire

 

[Handley_Page]

Flanders & Swann: The Gas man cometh

 

[Haulover]

Staan My By - Radio Kalahari Orkes

Nirvana in Fire

"Staan by my" (perhaps obviously) means "stand by me", and "orkes" is "orchestra" - in Afrikaans, which is a Dutch derivative language.

 

[AMYJB1972]

I have difficulty with The Flower Kings.

They're very good - no question but I wish:
- Roine would not sing, and they'd find a vocalist with a stronger delivery
- They'd find an editing pen. Those double CDs would be stronger if they were shorter, and more concentrated. I love well-constructed epics, but I'm not a fan of songs that can't seem to find the end-point, or albums that include songs that a stronger editor would relegate to the cutting room floor.

I have to agree, my ex would disagree.

 

[AMYJB1972]

Too bad I never really clicked with anything past "Afraid Of Sunlight". Call me a heathen, but I think "Holidays In Eden" was the best Hogarth album. Yes, "Brave" exists, but I like "my" Marillion pop-adjacent and "Brave" was more movie soundtrack than anything else. IMHO, of course.

Heathen... Brave is the best Hogarth era release. but I do like Holidays in Eden, not nearly a bleak (or as good) as Brave.

ok, not a fan of Misplaced Childhood.... runs away now.

 

[Lady2020]

She Will Be Loved. Maroon 5.

 

[jaF0]

Cosmic Messenger -- Jean Luc Ponty

Progressive jazz violin.

 

[Lady2020]

Under the Bridge. Red Hot Chili Peppers.

 

[Lady2020]

Bad Things. Jace Everett.

 

[Blind_Justice]

Marillion - Marbles (album)

Yay for the soaring guitars and louder moments. "Ocean Cloud" and "Neverland", some parts in ""The Invisible Man".

Not a fan of all the slow, brooding stuff.

And Hogarth pisses me off like few people have in recent memory. He sings like I play darts. Aim, pray and hope for the best. He mumbles way too much and the screaming at the end of "Invisible Man" made me sit up and nearly drop my tea cup. There's "emotional" and then there's "you gotta be joking".

After enduring this record twice in a row, I'm utterly depressed. I think I'll limit myself to pre-"Brave"-Marillion from now on.

 

[MetalRabbit51]

Hell To Pay- Boz Scaggs and Bonnie Raitt.

What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding- Elvis Costello

T Bone Shuffle- Doug Sahm version of the great T-Bone Walker joint.

Getting ready for a big jam next weekend, with some old bandmates. Me, I'm not old.

 

[ChloeTzang]

"Staan by my" (perhaps obviously) means "stand by me", and "orkes" is "orchestra" - in Afrikaans, which is a Dutch derivative language.

Baie dankie, Neil. We had a bit of a discussion on my Facebook page about the translation of the words, but I never looked up Orkes - makes a lot more sense now.

And for this morning's music....

Nothings Gonna Change My Love For You - Shania Yan

Nothings Gonna Change My Love For You - Feng Timo

Nothings Gonna Change My Love For You - Khalil Fong

Yuki No Hana (Snowflower) - Jisoo (BlackPink)

Wild Mountain Thyme - Liam Clancy

Angel with a Shotgun - The Cab

Hurt - Johnny Cash

Suikerbosse - Radio Kalahari Orkes

Bloedrivier Gelofte - Adam Tas, Appel, Chris Chameleon, Juan Boucher, Ghapi