Record Reviews
11 Reviews Found. Use search to find more reviews or follow the links in the review text.
  | BLACKFIELD ~ NYC: BLACKFIELD LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY
K-SCOPE 055 (Barcode: 636551505574) ~ ISRAEL ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 2007 Released: 2007
1st DVD release by BlackfieldFind albums by this artist, the cooperation band of Israeli singer / composer Aviv GeffenFind albums by this artist and Porcupine TreeFind albums by this artist’s leader Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist. Following the release of their 2 first albums (2003 & 2006) the band achieved wide international acclaim and became one of the most successful performing acts in Europe and the US. Geffen’s unique talent as a composer of deeply lyrical songs and Wilson’s skills as guitarist and arranger turned their music into a highly sophisticated Rock with strong ties to Prog and Alternative Rock. As good as their studio work is, Blackfield’s true forte is the power the band displays on stage, as documented here. The early lineup of the live Blackfield included sometimes Porcupine Tree’s players, but in time a steady all Israeli (except Wilson of course) lineup emerged, which is featured here. As Israel is truly blessed with a whole new generation of extremely talented musicians, this is hardly surprising. Just watch the excellent work by keyboards player Eran MitelmanFind albums by this artist, bassist Seffy EfratiFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomer ZFind albums by this artist to confirm this. The music includes mostly a selection of material from the two albums, with Alanis MorisetteFind albums by this artist’s “Thank You” being the only non-Blackfield song included. The performance is overall electrifying and extremely well done, so both hardcore Blackfield fans and all newcomers to the band’s music should enjoy this DVD immensely. Bonus material includes the wonderful 3 clips filmed for the 3 singles from the debut album, directed by Lasse HoileFind albums by this artist. Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and DTS, 107 minutes. NTSC
| | | DVD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | CARAVAN ~ IN THE LAND OF GREY AND PINK (40TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION)
DERAM 533316 (Barcode: 600753331613) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene
Recorded: 1970 - 1971 Released: 2011
This is the 3rd album by CaravanFind albums by this artist, the ultimate Canterbury Scene band which defined the Prog sub-genre and laid out its musical boundaries. Guitarist Pye HastingsFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Dave SinclairFind albums by this artist, bassist Richard SinclairFind albums by this artist and drummer Richard CoughlanFind albums by this artist were not only superb players but also revolutionary composers, creating music which was new and completely different from anything else on earth. Aided by flautist / saxophonist Jimmy HastingsFind albums by this artist, the band recorded this masterpiece, which remains their best effort in a long and illustrious career. The original album is an iconic singularity as far as giant steps in music development are concerned and it still is an absolutely essential listening experience. This new edition expands even further the 2001 expanded edition, including BBC sessions, previously unreleased demos and alternate versions and a DVD with 5.1 Surround Sound mixes of the album by Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist (of Porcupine TreeFind albums by this artist and BlackfieldFind albums by this artist fame) and TV video material. If any album deserves such a royal treatment, this is it, so enjoy every minute of it as there are certainly many minutes to be enjoyed. Beyond essential!
| | | 2CD+DVD 3 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | DJAM KARET ~ ASCENSION
HC PRODUCTIONS 012 (Barcode: 747014432020) ~ USA ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 2000 - 2001 Released: 2001
Ascension is a companion album to New Dark AgeFind albums with this title (subtitled New Dark Age Vol.2) and includes outtakes of the New Dark Age sessions, which were not included on the album. The concepts and musical ideas of the album are further explored and expanded here, with the entire range of Djam KaretFind albums by this artist’s technical vocabulary. The atmosphere is more ambient than on the original album, with many world music accents and long contemplative passages, making this an ideal late-night listening favorite. Pink FloydFind albums by this artist and Porcupine TreeFind albums by this artist fans should find this particularly interesting, although this music is slightly more demanding.
Limited Edition of 750 copies
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ~ EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER (DELUXE EDITION)
SONY 886919379723 (Barcode: 886919379723) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1970 Released: 2012
This is the debut eponymous album by the British supergroup Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist, one of the great pioneering Prog outfits, which achieved wide popularity way beyond the Prog genre, being also one of the most popular Rock bands in the 1970s. Keyboardist Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, bassist / vocalist Greg LakeFind albums by this artist and drummer Carl PalmerFind albums by this artist were superb musicians and their cooperation created some of the finest Prog moments, which are everlasting.
It would be truly superfluous to write anything more about this album, as it already is a commonly accepted masterpiece and universally acclaimed milestone of Prog in particular and Rock in general. So let´s talk about this specific new edition and its valor or lack of thereof.
This edition comprises of two CDs and a DVD-A. The first CD is the original remastered stereo mix of the album, which was released by SonyFind albums on this label a year earlier. The second CD is a new stereo mix, called the "alternate" album, which is based on the existing master tapes. It lacks three tracks of the original album, (the master tapes of which are missing), but adds several new previously unheard pieces, which are either new tunes or alternate versions of existing tunes. The DVD-A includes the 5.1 surround sound mixes of the original album (less the missing tracks) and a hi-res stereo (what the hell is this?) version of the entire material on the second CD. Confused? I´m not surprised…
All the additional material, i.e. the second CD and the DVD-A were created by Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist, leader of Porcupine TreeFind albums by this artist and in recent years quite a busy "studio wizard", creating new re-mixes of many classic Rock (and Prog) masterpieces, like this one.
So what do we have here?; a superb classic album and two additional pieces of plastic containing very little new material, which should have been added as bonus tracks on the a.m. remastered edition of this album. Seriously, who listens to music in 5.1 surround sound anyway? What was the word we used to have for this kind of releases? Oh yes, rip-off!
Mr. Wilson, please leave those great classic masterpieces alone and go back to you own music, in the audio format of your choice…
| | | 2CD+DVD 3 Digipak DVD-A Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ~ TARKUS (DELUXE EDITION)
SONY 886919379624 (Barcode: 886919379624) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1971 Released: 2012
This is the second album by the British supergroup Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist, one of the great pioneering Prog outfits, which achieved wide popularity way beyond the Prog genre, being also one of the most popular Rock bands in the 1970s. Keyboardist Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, bassist / vocalist Greg LakeFind albums by this artist and drummer Carl PalmerFind albums by this artist were superb musicians and their cooperation created some of the finest Prog moments, which are everlasting.
It would be truly superfluous to write anything more about this album, as it already is a commonly accepted masterpiece and universally acclaimed milestone of Prog in particular and Rock in general. So let´s talk about this specific new edition and its valor or lack of thereof.
This edition comprises of two CDs and a DVD-A. The first CD is the original remastered stereo mix of the album, which was released by SonyFind albums on this label a year earlier. The second CD is a new stereo mix, called the "alternate" album, which is based on the existing master tapes. It adds just three previously unheard pieces, which are two new tunes and one alternate version of an existing tune. The DVD-A includes the 5.1 surround sound mixes of the original album (with just one bonus) and a hi-res stereo (what the hell is this?) version of the entire material on the second CD. Confused? I´m not surprised…
All the additional material, i.e. the second CD and the DVD-A were created by Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist, leader of Porcupine TreeFind albums by this artist and in recent years quite a busy "studio wizard", creating new re-mixes of many classic Rock (and Prog) masterpieces, like this one.
So what do we have here?; a superb classic album and two additional pieces of plastic containing very little new material, which should have been added as bonus tracks on the a.m. remastered edition of this album. Seriously, who listens to music in 5.1 surround sound anyway? What was the word we used to have for this kind of releases? Oh yes, rip-off!
Mr. Wilson, please leave those great classic masterpieces alone and go back to you own music, in the audio format of your choice…
| | | 2CD+DVD 3 Digipak DVD-A Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | AVIV GEFFEN ~ LIVE
HELICON 8287 (Barcode: 7293627828727) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 2007 Released: 2008
11th album by Israeli Rock legend Aviv GeffenFind albums by this artist (13th if one counts the two BlackfieldFind albums by this artist albums), and his first edition of live material, which in many respects serves as a summary of his 15 years on the scene. Geffen, much as his father Jonathan GeffenFind albums by this artist before him, was always at the epicenter of both the Israeli musical and political scenes. His early-days rebel behavior, anti-establishment protest and mannerisms created a huge public debate in Israeli in the early 1990s, but his popularity with the Israeli teens was sky-high. The peak of Geffen’s political involvement was reached when he publicly reconciled with Israeli Priminister Itzhak RabinFind albums by this artist, following Rabin’s dramatic peace efforts, which unfortunately happened shortly before Rabin was assassinated. In time Geffen withdrew from political involvement and public life (other than concerts) and in parallel also became more introvert as musician and lyricist. The themes of his songs changed from protest and rebellion to soul-searching and metaphysical journeys. Since 2003 Geffen lives mostly in London, where he met and befriended Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist (Porcupine TreeFind albums by this artist), which led to the creation of their group Blackfield, and where he tries to develop his international career free from the restrictions imposed by the local Israeli scene. This Box Set includes two CDs recorded live during the summer of 2007. The songs – all written and composed by Geffen – span his entire career, with the older material appropriately rearranged and updated musically. Accompanied by a great band, which includes some of Israel’s best rockers, Geffen delivers his songs with passion and great stage presence. Although not a refined singer (some might even say a poor singer), his charisma and musicality transcend his limitations, as it does in many other cases in Rock music. Overall the delivery is very effective and these two disks summarize Geffen’s career to date perfectly. A couple of new songs, previously unrecorded, are also featured. The enclosed DVD is a great treat to Geffen fans, as it includes 21 video clips and live performances filmed between 1992 and 2008, none of which were previously commercially available. A beautiful booklet with the lyrics of all the songs (in Hebrew) and some nice photographs is also included. I can hardly imagine a better tribute to an artist’s career than this Box Set, which should delight all his numerous fans in Israel as well as abroad.
| | Updated: 26/01/2019Posted: | 2CD+DVD 3 Recommend To A Friend |
  | AVIV GEFFEN ~ WITH THE TIME (SPECIAL EDITION)
HELICON 8266 (Barcode: 7293627826624) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 2005 Released: 2006
10th album by Aviv GeffenFind albums by this artist (son of Jonathan GeffenFind albums by this artist, who is a prominent figure in Israeli music as well), the Israeli “rebel” poet, songwriter and singer. His lyrics are provocative and sharp like a knife and he does not eschew any controversy, slaughtering “holy cows” by the herd. He is a gifted composer, able to write both rocky songs and beautiful lyrical ballads. He became an instant star with the Israeli teenagers, but as the years passed by his message sank deeply in the Israeli society, mainly due to the many political issues he touches upon. The music becomes much more refined over the years. Since 2003 Aviv co-leads with Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist (Porcupine TreeFind albums by this artist) the group BlackfieldFind albums by this artist, which managed to achieve huge international success, following the release of their debut album in 2004. Over four years since his last solo album Aviv finally unveils his new material, which is a direct continuation of his previous work Memento MoriFind albums with this title. Deeply lyrical and rather somber, but with excellent melody lines and a well developed artistic approach. Wilson provides some backing vocals and a strong cast of musicians supports the singer. The Special Edition includes a 10-songs bonus CD assembled especially for this project.
Limited Edition
| | | CD 2 Slipcase Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | PORCUPINE TREE ~ IN ABSENTIA (DVD-A)
DTS 01111 ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
The most accessible ever Porcupine Tree album, with relatively short tunes and a much stronger song oriented material. Although still very much connected to Prog, this could be considered as sophisticated Pop by listeners who never heard Prog before. Nevertheless Mr. Wilson manages to craft yet again some very memorable melodies and play some amazing guitar in the process. These Surround Sound mixes add even more ambience and power to the oroginal release, with 3 video clips added as bonus tracks. PT fans heaven!
| | | CD 1 DVD-A Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | PORCUPINE TREE ~ LIGHTBULB SUN (DELUXE EDITION)
K-SPACE 827 (Barcode: 636551284127) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock
Although criticised by veteran PT fans as being more `commercial` in comparison to the earlier releases, this 2000 album by the group is in fact one of their best and most consistent offerings. Great composition and perfect performances make this relaxed and somewhat melancholic album a delight to listen to. The bonus CD offers some additional great and rare audio stuff, as well as some rare video material. Not to be missed!
Available ONLY in Israel! Out Of Print Collectors` Item!
| | | CD 2 Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
|
