Gentle Giant - "The Missing Piece" (1977)

Within the progressive genre, Gentle Giant has always been one of my favorite bands. They've had a talent to create complex and interesting pieces, which haven't become too complicated and academic. A delicate balance, which the band has managed well. However, The Missing Piece is none of their better moments.

The punk had arrived, the music scene had changed, and the progressive music was the great villain, according to the new loud bands. Gentle Giant was one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, but had lost some of their fan base. So there was certainly a sense of wanting to find new fans, while also reconnecting with old ones. They also had a desire to bring their live music closer to how the studio music sounded (it could differ a lot due to the complexity of the studio versions), so the songs were created with the thought of being possible to perform live without major changes. So on The Missing Piece, the band takes a lot of new paths, with mixed results, to say the least.

The album opens with Two Weeks In Spain. A fun pop-progressive song, which promises big for what to come. But it's unfortunately the A-side's only interesting song. What follows is the band shocking the listener by playing a cheesy ballad, punk, blues and hard rock. Other bands could do this better, and the the first side gets pretty confused and unfocused. Their attempt at humor with the song (title) Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It, a song where they play straight hard rock, is not very fun. On the side B, however, the band finds its way back to its former sound, with mischievous progressive music. Here, too, the opening song is the best, As Old As You're Young. Then you'll get a longer ballad, which I find a bit bland, with two following songs in classic Gentle Giant style. However, they have done this better on previous albums, and it's only the opening song of each side that really is of higher quality. My recommendation is rather to listen to Gentle Giant's earlier albums, which generally are better.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Two Weeks in Spain 3:07
2. I'm Turning Around 3:59
3. Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It 2:25
4. Who Do You Think You Are? 3:35
5. Mountain Time 3:20

Side B
1. As Old as You're Young 4:21
2. Memories of Old Days 7:18
3. Winning 4:18
4. For Nobody 4:05

Steve Hackett - "Spectral Mornings" (1979)

This was the third solo record from the former Genesis guitarist. Due to a somewhat ambivalent teenage history with his album Till We Have Faces, I have an instinctive skepticism toward Hackett's solo works. Add to that, the cover is not really to my taste, so my expectations on the LP were not very high. It could possibly be a helping factor to why I actually think it's pretty good.

The musicians participating on the album would become Hackett's band for a number of years, the classic lineup, many believe. One of these was his brother John Hackett. Most of the song is done by Pete Hicks, the other musicians were Nick Magnus, Dik Cadbury and John Shearer. The album opens nicely with Every Day, an anti-drug song. Apparently Hackett had had a former girlfriend with drug issues. This song became one of his standards throughout his career, the other song that became a standard is the instrumental title song that finishes the record. Of these two, I like Every Day the best.

One thing I like about the album is its variety. Each song is pretty unique, which makes it fun to listen to. There is singing, instrumentals, Japanese music, horror film moods, acoustic, electric, etc. It could have been unfocused, but it's not. Instead, each song becomes its own little experience. What I don't like is that many songs contain a lot of synths, which sometimes create a bit cheap and thin sound. In 1979, synths could result in just about anything. There are a bunch of different synths used, and the sound of them is often the 80s pop, or even new age music from that decade, with a lightweight feel. When Hackett's solo guitar is added to that, some songs almost touch the easy listening genre. Here I think mainly of the title song. Despite this, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and overall I like the album. The music is defined as progressive, maybe that's correct, that definition feels so unspecific so I'm not even going to discuss it.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Every Day 6:14
2. The Virgin and the Gypsy 4:27
3. The Red Flower of Tachai Blooms Everywhere 2:05
4. Clocks - The Angel of Mons 4:17
5. The Ballad of the Decomposing Man "(featuring" The Office Party ") 3:49

Side B
1. Lost Time in Córdoba 4:03
2. Tigermoth 7:35
3. Spectral Mornings 6:33

Genesis - "Wind & Wuthering" (1976)

Genesis eighth album, and the last where guitarist Steve Hackett participated. At this time the band was a quartet consisting of Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks and Hackett. But apparently Hackett was not satisfied with the direction the band's music started to take, and even more unhappy that his song ideas were not used enough. So he left the band some time later, and has had a relatively successful solo career afterwards.

Some claim this was the last prog rock album from Genesis, and that they were increasingly orienting themselves towards pop music. This development did not happen overnight, but was rather a process, e.g. the latter record ... And Then There Were Three ... still contains some prog, but with a clearer element of pop. However, I can't  deny the surface of Wind & Wuthering feels more polished, produced and commercialized than on previous LPs. Sometimes almost lightweight. Maybe it's because of the synths.

Initially, I had a hard time getting through the wall of polish, the music felt pretty shallow, and passed by without leaving any traces. But as usual, the album grew with the amount of visits on the turntable. It's a pretty good album, with some really nice compositions, mixed with some more boring ones. Generally I don't like the instrumentals, for me they do not fill any real purpose, except as fillers. The songs with vocals are more interesting. In these, Genesis offers the more epic and sweeping creations, which can be likened to musical journeys. However, the songs Your Own Special Way and Afterglow are no masterpieces. Especially the former I avoid, a cheesy love ballad, far from anything called prog. This song hints what is to come (perhaps most regarding Collins).

I have a problem with the record, Phil Collins singing. Throughout my childhood and much of my adult life, I have associated Phil Collins with a bunch of cheesy 80s hits. He was huge in this genre in the 80s. So still when I hear his voice, I instinctively think that's the kind of music I'm hearing. This connection is obviously difficult to break, it's a pity, cause it negatively affects my experience. If I imagine it's Peter Gabriel singing the songs, the quality is suddenly is raised a snap. Even so, a pretty good record, still prog, I suppose, as there are some relatively long and complex pieces. But the more commercial version of Genesis is beginning to emerge.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Eleventh Earl of Mar 7:45
2. One for the Vine 10:00
3. Your Own Special Way 6:19
4. Wot Gorilla? 3:21

Side B
1. All in a Mouse's Night 6:39
2. Blood on the Rooftops 5:28
3. Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers ... 2:20
4. ... In That Quiet Earth 4:54
5. Afterglow 4:11

Genesis - "Trespass" (1970)

Genesis' second album, the last where guitarist Anthony Phillips participated, and the only record with drummer John Mayhew. Anthony Phillips began a relatively successful solo career afterwards, while Mayhew disappeared from the music scene, moved to Australia and worked as a carpenter. Phil Collins then took over the drumming role in the band. But all this happened after this record had been released. During the recording, the band, apart from the two mentioned, consisted of Peter Gabriel, Anthony Banks and Michael Rutherford.

Lots of people believe that this record hints towards the band's direction to be, with longer, relatively complex, theatrical compositions. And that's probably true. Most songs clock in at 7-8 minutes, Peter Gabriel's singing gives the songs an extra emotional level, and it is rarely a verse-verse-chorus structure. I like it. Although the music is defined as progressive music, it's not particularly difficult, there are often beautiful harmonies, quite fragile compositions, and none of the progressive element of sometimes overly strange, complex 7-beat parts, with weird musical instruments most created for the musicians' own sake. Much of Trespass caresses the listener, it's a friendly sound.

Another reason why I like the record is that the music contains a few bombastic parts, which causes your inner roof to come off. And Gabriel is playing flute on many songs. These two ingredients are enough for me to like an LP. Peter Gabriel reminds me a little of Peter Hamill (Van Der Graaf Generator) in his attitude towards the singing, where in addition to the melody and words, one level is added, which would be the theatrical element, I suppose. An emotional level, more present than with most other singers. It's not always that I like that in general in music, it can get a little too much, but Peter Gabriel does it well. He never crosses the line. It makes me sometimes think of the the music of Trespass as a rock opera, or musical if you like. The band made compositions like this later on, i.e the album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, which has a clearer concept. The mellotron that is heard on the album also makes Moody Blues haunt my mind when I hear Trespass. In any case, I think it's a good album.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Looking for Someone 7:06
2. White Mountain 6:45
3. Visions of Angels 6:51

Side B
1. Stagnation 8:45
2. Dusk 4:15
3. The Knife 8:55

Å - "Ånyo" (2017)

My brother has a nice tradition, to give me records with local Uppsala bands as gifts on birthdays. This was the latest one. The band is a trio consisting of Joel Öhlund, Milovan Fredriksson and Erik Wallin. Also participating on the album on flute, is Roland Keijser, a Swedish progressive music legend. Released on their own label, and recorded in the mythic Silence Studio. Is that a hint of the 70's I smell?

This is the band's second LP, and released in only 200 or 300 copies (details vary online). Owning such a limited edition album is always extra fun in my world. There is no doubt that the music should be awarded the epithet progressive music, with a very clear touch of the 70s. Think bands like King Crimson, Gentle Giant, etc. And a song as Satan På Gatan could have been performed by Caravan, if they had sung in Swedish. Jazzy, melodic prog.

It's a groovy album. On Side A, the music is somewhat more lightweight, with a nice cover of the old Swedish traditional song Uti Vår Hage as the closing number (although some parts of the opening song En Orm can be experienced as anything but lightweight, for sure). Side B is generally heavier, with more distorted guitars and parts consisting of almost prog metal. In the long run it could have been too much, but it's nicely mixed up with some calmer parts as balance. As usual with progressive music, you can hear beats that are not the usual four-beat, with songs of up to 12 minutes. All singing is in Swedish. Many songs wind their way along roads that are a bit more winding that what you hear on the radio's top-10 list. Put all this together and you'll get a fun and interesting album. If you like qualitative 70's progressive music, with a slightly more modern sound, the album can definitely be recommended.


Tracklist

Side A
1. En Orm
2. Satan På Gatan
3. Uti Vår Hage

Side B
1. Följer Du Med Mig?
2. Rustem