Record Reviews

	ARENA ~ WELCOME TO THE STAGE VERGLAS 009 ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock 4th album by this group, this one presents all the electricity and excitement of Arena live on stage. Good one!
	CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER ~ WELCOME BACK, MY FRIENDS, TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS SONY 783014 (Barcode: 886978301420) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1973 - 1974 Released: 2011 This is the 6th album (recorded live during the 1973/74 world tour and released originally as a 3 LPs set, a summary of the glory days and the last great one) by the supergroup Emerson, Lake & PalmerFind albums by this artist, which was definitely one of the most important, innovative and revolutionary groups to emerge on the Rock scene as leaders of the Progressive / Art Rock genre by the early 1970s. The group arrived on the scene a bit later than their "accomplices" (YesFind albums by this artist, GenesisFind albums by this artist, Jethro TullFind albums by this artist, King CrimsonFind albums by this artist and others), since keyboardist Keith EmersonFind albums by this artist, guitarist / bassist / lead vocalist Greg LakeFind albums by this artist and drummer Carl PalmerFind albums by this artist were already prominent members of early / proto Prog bands before the trio combined forces and merged into this formidable ensemble. They definitely were the best fit as far as the simplistic definition of Prog is concerned (i.e. an amalgam of Rock and Classical music), allowing Emerson to fulfill his fascination / obsession with Classical music pieces and even contribute some of his own music set to a similar (i.e. classical) framework. It also allowed Lake to write some of the most memorable Rock ballads and Palmer to beat the hell out of endless drum sets, all of which seemed to delight hordes of Rock (and I mean Rock as opposed to Prog) music listeners the world over. They were all monster musicians, they were at the top of their youthful peak of creativity and they kicked ass, big time! It was great while it lasted, and it did last for about half a decade and six albums, and the legend went sour when these gentlemen failed to realize that it´s over and pressed on, seemingly endlessly, damaging the image of their glorious achievements in the process. But in retrospect, wiser and older by 40 years, I still find this music fascinating and powerful, imaginative and bold, and above all artistically sound. Considering the fact that these recordings were off the market due to some corporate music industry bullshit, it´s great to see it back on the shelves, this time released by SonyFind albums on this label Music, which hopefully will keep them alive for a while.

CD 2 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

ADAM MAKOWICZ ~ WELCOME BACK, ADAM FOR TUNE 0164 (Barcode: 5906395808786) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is a solo piano album by Polish Jazz pianist / composer Adam MakowiczFind albums by this artist, who left Poland in 1977 and settled in NY, where he released his first American album on ColumbiaFind albums on this label, simply entitled “AdamFind albums with this title”. Later on Makowicz moved to Canada, where he currently resides, visiting and performing occasionally in Poland. This album, recorded 45 years after his American debut, is a closure of sorts, as the title suggests. The album presents seventeen tracks, eight of which are original compositions by Makowicz and nine are standards. The music was splendidly recorded at the Nowa Miodowa concert hall in Warsaw. The music is a delightful recital of relaxed and virtuosic performance, which presents Makowicz at his most melodic and elegant self. There seems to be no distinction between the original music and the well-known standards, which speaks volumes about his compositional abilities. Makowicz fully embraced the American Jazz tradition and his music sounds completely authentic and spiritually akin to the music composed in America almost a Century earlier by its best composers. Makowicz is blessed with a very personal touch on the keyboard, which is blissfully elegant and often somewhat humorous, which invokes an immediate smile of “familiarity” on the listener’s lips. The excellent sound quality and atmosphere of the recording adds an aura of “class” and grace, which makes the virtuosic performances completely accessible and natural sounding, which of course is a great gift of the Artist. Overall, it is an absolute delight to hear the Master at such form and dexterity, not to mention the fact that fact that the album offers a generous amount of new compositions, which are always most welcome. The album definitely summarizes the American chapter of the pianist’s career at a most affirmative way, and the fact that this time the album was recorded and released by a Polish record label certainly closes the fate’s circle. Side Note: This is the 100th album released as part of the “magenta” Jazz Series by the fabulous Polish For TuneFind albums on this label Records label, and the 164th overall release. The innovative label releases also World Music, Classical Music and other ambitious projects and earned a distinguished position on the market in the last decade, since its inception in 2013. Congratulations, my Friends!

Updated: 02/07/2023Posted: 02/07/2023

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

MOEBIUS ~ WELCOME TO THE WORLD: COMPLETE STUDIO RECORDINGS 1979-82) CHICKADISC 004 (Barcode: 5901549197853) ~ USA ~ Electronic & Ambient Recorded: 1979 Released: 1982 This is a reissue, first time on CD, of the two albums recorded by the short-lived American group MoebiusFind albums by this artist, founded by synthesizer enthusiasts / pioneers Brice RobbleyFind albums by this artist and Doug LynnerFind albums by this artist. They were joined on the first album by the iconic Steve RoachFind albums by this artist and on the second album by Bill BoydstunFind albums by this artist and the three synthesizers lineups were supported by guests playing a plethora of other instruments. The music is almost entirely original, composed by the group´s members except for a couple of covers of Pop songs by The DoorsFind albums by this artist and The SeedsFind albums by this artist. The music is everything one can expect from an all-synthesizers lineup playing electronic Pop, which is a precursor of the New Wave explosion of the 1980s. The tunes are all well crafted and superbly executed and the theatrical vocals add another layer to the wonderful mayhem. Surprisingly the music lost nothing of its freshness and uniqueness over the years is an absolute fan to listen to. The multilayered ambient sounds superimposed one on top of another, mimic melodic and rhythmic elements, previously known to be performed by "real" instruments, but of course considering the limitless possibilities the synthesizers offer, the overall result is very impressive and unusual. For lovers of electronic / ambient music, this album is a fantastic blast from the past, which again proves that much of what we hear today was already achieved much earlier, and usually much better. This inspired and in many respects visionary music is finally available again, which is a good reason to celebrate. As usual the remastered music and excellent liner notes make this reissue a must have. The ChickadiscFind albums on this label label is a subsidiary of the excellent Polish GADFind albums on this label Records, which by now is a trademark of quality.

Updated: 09/02/2018Posted: 09/02/2018

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

SBB ~ WELCOME GAD 109 (Barcode: 5903068120510) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1978 Released: 2019 This is a reissue of the album recorded by the iconic Polish Prog / Fusion band SBBFind albums by this artist (bassist / keyboardist / composer / leader Jozef SkrzekFind albums by this artist, guitarist Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist and drummer Jerzy PiotrowskiFind albums by this artist) released on the West German SpiegeleiFind albums on this label label, being their second album released beyond the Iron Curtain. This is also the second album that features lyrics in English language, two written by Pawel BrodowskiFind albums by this artist and four by Paul DraschFind albums by this artist. The music, as usually all composed by Skrzek, presents seven shorter songs, leaving behind (al lest for a while) the extended suites format preferred by the group and their fans. Some additional drum parts were played by Zbigniew WiatrFind albums by this artist. This reissue adds four bonus tracks, one of which is a radio recording, two are alternate tracks from the album and the last one is from a writing session by Skrzek. Although stylistically SBB continue their modus operandi, on this album they move further away from the early days and slowly approach commercially oriented material. The music is completely drenched in endless synthesizer doodling with the guitar parts sadly being pushed away almost completely. As a result this album is even weaker than its predecessor and almost completely lacks focus and most of the initial charm SBB was able to infuse into their music. With the 1970s nearing the end of the decade Prog and Fusion were losing their sense of existence and SBB were definitely not alone in the creative predicament. Sadly the genres refused to adopt new directions and the creative magic that characterized the idioms a decade earlier were slowly dying. SBB were still an awesome live band, but their recordings lost the impetuous. Even their next, this time Polish album "Memento Z Banalnym TryptykiemFind albums with this title", the last before the group disbanded in 1980 (to be reunited several times later), although returning partly to the suites formula, failed in retrospect to save the day. Overall this is still an important part of the great SBB legacy, definitely worth revisiting, and of course owning in your collection, simply for the reason that nobody makes music like this today. This album still holds water today and with the bonus tracks is certainly a statement worth revisiting.

Updated: 13/03/2020Posted: 13/03/2020

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend