A great cover drawing from the days when musicians really cared about their cover art.
I suppose that now that everything is digital and/or online, it's impossible to under-think it, anyways. Yet another aspect of the past we've lost in our rush to 'progress' technologically.
I was thinking yesterday I should classify all the albums on this blog in one of 5 categories, in order of their importance to me. This would also satisfy my wife's constant complaint that 'your music always sounds the same.'
The first would be classic progressive rock such as Genesis was I guess everyone's number one. Unfortunately, there isn't much in that style still left to discover, though I might have one or two up my sleeve in that dept. OK, maybe just one which you've already heard. The second would be through and through progressive fusion, such as National Health. Luckily there is still more in that vein, it was definitely a very popular style back in the day. The third and fourth categories are rock with progressive moves, which often is AOR or hard rock with some inventiveness but not permeating throughout, and jazz or jazz-rock with progressive moves. The fifth category is everything else, including progressive folk and library. I should probably separate those 2 since library deserves its own solitary confinement cell. Make it categories 5 (progressive folk like Comus) and 6 (Alan Hawkshaw still my favourite).
So from now, instead of describing an album, I'll just say something along the lines of:
UHF- Timeless Voyager (USA 1981),
Category III, 42.4 percent progressive.
Category III, 42.4 percent progressive.
Overall rating: 169730
Information here.
Best track (that is, don't expect much better), Don't Look Over your Shoulder:
An impressive try-out for the instrumental progressive guitar composition meet.
Incidentally, I really love this album, its rough hard rock sound is really appealing to me.
As it was indeed to Tom Hayes, who made us aware of it ages ago on the ol' cdrwl and then moved the review to unencumbered here.
It was a priority 2 at that time, and it still is for us today.
And does everyone out there remember what UHF TV was?
https://www96.zippyshare.com/v/eHuDXmMo/file.html
ReplyDeletehttps://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/oyqjiz
Your schema for categorization gets a 97.4% approval rating from Me!
ReplyDeletethanks for the 93.4 % vote of confidence!
ReplyDeleteI think this is an outstanding example of that peculiar late 70s / early 80s American styled private press hard rock with progressive elements. I can't get enough of this stuff. It reminds me of all the garage bands back then when I was a teen.
ReplyDeleteWhat? No more credit to the CDRWL? Aw mannnn.
repaired
DeleteHere another one for you to seek in this genre (double meaning here BTW): http://unencumberedmusicreviews.blogspot.com/2019/07/message-itll-be-awhile-1981-usa.html
DeleteAnd yes, of course, we had 2 UHF stations growing up in Dallas (channels 33 and 39). They were pretty much all I watched - great reruns and oddball movies/shows...
some years back finally found that one, more in the heavy metal direction and less proggy, but still as you said that classic seventies sound is oh so delicious for us
Delete(despite it being from 1981!)
DeleteYea, a lot of these bands had that early metal sound. Early Manilla Road was like that too.
DeleteHere's another one for you (more 70s sounding, and it's from the 70s!) - and right in your backyard!
http://unencumberedmusicreviews.blogspot.com/2019/03/starchild-children-of-stars-1978-canada.html