Jul 112020
 

Back after a break! Here’s our review of the first half of 2020 – the oddest six months of most of our lives, but there’s been some great music released nonetheless. So, sucks to you, Covid-19!


Magenta – Reach For The Moon (09:27) from Masters Of Illusion, 2020
Chimpan A – It’s So Real (08:08) from The Empathy Machine, 2020
The Dowling Poole – Made In Heaven (03:49) from See You See Me, 2020
The Sunchymes – Masquerade (04:16) from The Sands Of Time, 2020
Glass Hammer – Cold Star (07:30) from Dreaming City, 2020
Offramp – Vertical Up (07:20) from Turbulence, 2020
CHEER-ACCIDENT – Plea Bargain (04:10) from Chicago XX, 2020
Magic Bus – New Day (05:14) from The Earth Years, 2020
Orange Clocks – Miles Away (06:22) from Metamorphic, 2020
Haken – The Strain (05:24) from Virus, 2020
Arabs in Aspic – Madness and Magic (06:48) from Madness and Magic, 2020
Dim Gray – The Wave We Thought We’d Ride Forever (04:38) from Flown, 2020
Lazuli – Mers lacrymales (05:04) from Le fantastique envol de Dieter Böhm, 2020
Caligula’s Horse – Valkyrie (05:09) from Rise Radiant, 2020
Hibernal – Deep Down (06:10) from Beyond, 2020
Notion Blue – Keeping Apart (05:41) from The Son, The Liar, and The Victor, 2020
I Am The Manic Whale – Build It Up Again (07:02) from Things Unseen, 2020
Zio – Erwin’s Opera (06:49) from Flower Torania, 2020
Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate – Nostalgia For Infinity (07:00) from Nostalgia For Infinity, 2020
Paul Mallyon – Warning Shot (03:59) from Promise of Light, 2020
Once And Future Band – Andromeda (04:07) from Deleted Scenes, 2020
Haze – To Us All (09:21) from Back To The Bones, 2020

Progradar’s Picks
Pendragon – Truth And Lies (08:26) from Love Over Fear, 2020
Airbag – Into The Unknown (10:28) from A Day at the Beach, 2020
Abel Ganz – One Small Soul (05:52) from The Life of the Honey Bee and Other Moments of Clarity, 2020
The Tangent – Life On Hold (05:34) from Auto Reconnaissance, 2020
Blue Rose Code – The Wild Atlantic Way (05:19) from Will Healings Of The Deepest Kind, 2020

Godsticks – Relief (05:04) from Inescapable, 2020
Psychoyogi – Sooner Than Now (04:16) from Dangerous Devices, 2020
Long Earth – Summer (07:41) from Once Around the Sun, 2020
Different Light – Two Faces (07:40) from Binary Suns (Part 1), 2020
Toundra – Akt VI (10:05) from Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, 2020
Pure Reason Revolution – Ghosts & Typhoons (08:46) from Eupnea, 2020
Jargon – Time Is Running Out (06:54) from The Fading Thought, 2020
Fren – Heavy Matter (06:24) from Where Do You Want Ghosts to Reside, 2020
Kavus Torabi – Radio To Their World (04:10) from Hip To The Jag, 2020
Nick D’Virgilio – Where’s the Passion (06:50) from Invisible, 2020
The Bardic Depths – Depths Of Soul (06:40) from The Bardic Depths, 2020
Frost* – Exhibit A (05:35) from Others, 2020
Zopp – The Noble Shirker (09:19) from Zopp, 2020

 Posted by at 3:50 pm
Jun 072020
 

Wilf is joined again by Jon Hunt and James Hendry for the final part of their review of the career of one of the true greats of British music, Mike Oldfield.


Mike Oldfield – In The Beginning/Let There Be Light (6:22) from The Songs Of Distant Earth, 1994
Mike Oldfield – The Song Of The Sun (4:33) from Voyager, 1996
Mike Oldfield – Mike’s Reel (3:54) from Women Of Ireland, 1997
Mike Oldfield – Secrets/Far Above The Clouds (8:50) from Tubular Bells III, 1998
Mike Oldfield – Serpent Dream/The Inner Child (7:42) (live, 1998)
Mike Oldfield – Out Of Mind (3:47) from Guitars, 1999
Mike Oldfield – Lake Constance (11:22) from The Millennium Bell, 1999
Mike Oldfield – Return To The Origin (4:39) from Tr3s Lunas, 2002
Mike Oldfield – Blues/Thrash/Jazz/Ghost Bells/Russian/Finale (13:59) from Tubular Bells 2003, 2003
Mike Oldfield – Tears Of An Angel (5:38) from Light + Shade, 2005
Mike Oldfield – Cook’s Tune (3:15) bonus track from Light + Shade, 2005
Mike Oldfield – Moonlight Shadow (extended version) from Platinum Collection, 2006
Mike Oldfield – Aurora (3:42) from Music Of The Spheres, 2008
Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells/In Dulci Jubilo (11:26) from Isles Of Wonder: Music For The Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, 2012
Mike Oldfield – Man On The Rocks (6:11) from Man On The Rocks, 2014
Mike Oldfield – Ommadawn Part 1 (live) (21:58) from QE2 deluxe edition, 2012
Mike Oldfield – Return To Ommadawn Part II (extract) (13:07) from Return To Ommadawn, 2017
Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells Part 2/Sailor’s Hornpipe (11:09) from Exposed, 1979

 Posted by at 9:29 am
May 312020
 

Jon, James and Wilf regroup for the second part of their Mike Oldfield extravaganza, celebrating the music released by the great man in the Eighties, culminating with his leaving Virgin Records and releasing Tubular Bells II in 1992.


Mike Oldfield –Five Miles Out (4:23) from Five Miles Out, 1982
Mike Oldfield –Mistake (2:58), single, 1982
Mike Oldfield – Waldberg (The Peak), B-side of Mistake, 1982
Mike Oldfield – In High Places (3:34) from Crises, 1983
Mike Oldfield – Crises (live) (23:15) from Crises, deluxe edition released 2013
Mike Oldfield – The Lake (12:14) from Discovery, 1984
Mike Oldfield – In The Pool (3:42), B-side of To France, 1984
Mike Oldfield – Evacuation (5:14) from The Killing Fields OST, 1984
Mike Oldfield – Mount Teide (live) (4:33) from The Complete Mike Oldfield, 1985
Mike Oldfield – Pictures in the Dark (4:16), single, 1985
Mike Oldfield – The Wind Chimes (extract) (6:23) from Islands, 1987
Mike Oldfield – Far Country (4:25) from Earth Moving, 1989
The Sallyangie – Branches (6:52), from Children of the Sun, originally released 1969, reissued 2002
Mike Oldfield – Amarok (extract) (7:05) from Amarok, 1990
Michael Oldfield – No Dream (6:01) from Heaven’s Open, 1991
Mike Oldfield – Sunjammer/Red Dawn/The Bell (11:22) from Tubular Bells II, 1992

 Posted by at 10:12 am
May 202020
 

“I sentence you to listen to progressive rock for a period of twenty years, or one Transatlantic album. It amounts to the same thing”.

There’ll be more Mike Oldfield-related shenanigans next time, but while you’re waiting for that, I’m back with another selection of top tunes, and Martin drops in with his Progradar’s Picks!


Suns of the Tundra – Each of Us (04:59) from Murmuration, 2019
I Am The Manic Whale – Into The Blue (06:21) from Things Unseen, 2020
Long Road Down – Blood Red Skies (03:49) from 2020 – EP, 2020
Kavus Torabi – You Broke My Fall (07:03) from Hip To The Jag, 2020
Chimpan A – It’s So Real (08:08) from The Empathy Machine, 2020
The Dowling Poole – The Light Dies Down (03:57) from See You See Me, 2020
Homunculus Res – Mentre dormi (04:17) from Della stessa sostanza dei sogni, 2018

Twelve From Twelve – the USA
The Mars Volta – Goliath (07:16) from The Bedlam In Goliath, 2008
Phideaux – Gift of the Flame (06:58) from Number Seven, 2009
Glass Hammer – Beyond, Within (11:46) from If, 2010
Neal Morse – Time Changer (06:08) from Testimony 2, 2011
Echolyn – Past Gravity (07:11) from (untitled), 2012
Jolly – You Against the World (05:11) from The Audio Guide To Happiness Part 2, 2013
Dream the Electric Sleep – To Love Is To Leave (08:01) from Heretics, 2014
The Dear Hunter – The Old Haunt (04:36) from Act IV: Rebirth In Reprise, 2015
The Neal Morse Band – Breath Of Angels (06:32) from The Similitude Of A Dream, 2016
Brett William Kull – My House is Loud (05:23) from Open Skies Exploding, 2017
3RDegree – Olympia (05:16) from Ones & Zeros: Vol. 0, 2018
Bent Knee – Hold Me In (04:50) from You Know What They Mean, 2019
Cheer-Accident – Life Rings Hollow (05:41) from Chicago XX, 2020

The Tea Club – Creature (27:46) from If/When, 2019
Orange Clocks – Floating Temple (04:59) from Metamorphic, 2020
A Formal Horse – Lonely Doe Young Doe (03:47) from Here Comes The Man From The Council With A Flamethrower, 2019
Thieves’ Kitchen – Mirie It Is (08:52) from Genius Loci, 2019
Cheeto’s Magazine – Outflow (07:10) from Amazingous, 2019
Nick Magnus – A Widow In Black (05:08) from Catharsis, 2019
IQ – Rise (06:49) from Resistance, 2019

Progradar’s Picks
Psychoyogi – Dangerous Devices (04:48) from Dangerous Devices, 2020
Haken – Prosthetic (05:58) from Virus, 2020
Airbag – Machines And Men (10:48) from A Day at the Beach, 2020
Mothertongue – Blooper’s Theme (04:02) from Unsongs, 2016

Marillion – This Strange Engine (16:18) from With Friends from The Orchestra, 2019

 Posted by at 1:41 pm
May 122020
 

After literally years of talking about it, Wilf gets together in a socially distanced, responsible fashion with two old friends of The European Perspective, Jon Hunt and James Hendry, to present an extravaganza of music by one of their favourite composers and musicians, Mike Oldfield. In this first show they look at the first ten years of his remarkable career, with a few rarities mixed in with the major releases. There’ll be a second installment in due course!


Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells Part 1 (extract) (05:54) from Tubular Bells, 1973
Mike Oldfield – Mike Oldfield’s Single (03:57), 1974/
Mike Oldfield – Hergest Ridge Part 2 (extract) (05:34) from Hergest Ridge, 1974
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by David Bedford, featuring Mike Oldfield – The Orchestral Tubular Bells Part 2 (extract) (04:24) from The Orchestral Tubular Bells, 1974
Mike Oldfield – Ommadawn Part 1 (extract) (12:08) from Ommadawn, 1975
Mike Oldfield – The Path (03:31) from B-side of Shine, recorded 1976, released 1986
Mike Oldfield – Argiers (04:00) from Boxed, 1976
Mike Oldfield – Pipe Tune (03:30) from B-side of Cuckoo Song, 1977
Mike Oldfield – Incantations Part 4 (17:04) from Incantations, 1978
Mike Oldfield – Wrekorder Wrondo (02:37) from Take Four EP, 1978
Mike Oldfield – Guilty (live) (06:22) from Exposed, 1979
Pierre Moerlen’s Gong, featuring Mike Oldfield – Downwind (06:58) from Pierre Moerlen’s Gong Live, 1979
Mike Oldfield – Sally/Punkadiddle (09:55) from Platinum, 1979
Mike Oldfield – Platinum (live) (14:25) from The Complete Mike Oldfield, 1985
Mike Oldfield – Taurus 1 (10:17) from QE2, 1980
Mike Oldfield – Taurus 2 (24:44:00) from Five Miles Out, 1982

 Posted by at 8:44 am
May 032020
 

Martin was slowly coming to realise that getting involved with TEP wasn’t a great move.

In celebration of the release of a new, all-singing, all-dancing edition of Marillion’s debut album Script For A Jester’s Tear we take a look back at the early days of the New Wave Of British Progressive Rock.


Marillion – Script For A Jesters Tear (08:43) from Script For A Jester’s Tear, 1983
Marillion – Market Square Heroes (04:18) from Market Square Heroes, 1982
Twelfth Night – We Are Sane (10:23) from Fact And Fiction, 1982
IQ – The Last Human Gateway (20:21) from Tales From The Lush Attic, 1982
Pendragon – Oh Divineo (06:50) from The Jewel, 1985
Solstice – Return of the Spring (07:26) from Silent Dance, 1984
Pallas – Rat Racing (08:10) from The Wedge, 1986
Marillion – Garden Party (07:20) from Script For A Jester’s Tear, 1983
Twice Bitten – Endplay (05:02) from Late Cut, 2015

Progradar’s Picks
Genesis – Turn It on Again (03:52) from Duke, 1980
Yes – Hold On (05:18) from 90125, 1983
Asia – Heat Of The Moment (03:55) from Asia, 1982
Rush – The Spirit Of Radio (04:59) from Permanent Waves, 1980
Marillion – Heart Of Lothian (04:05) from Misplaced Childhood, 1985
IQ – Awake And Nervous (07:57) from Tales From The Lush Attic, 1982
Pendragon – Leviathan (06:14) from The Jewel, 1985
Abel Ganz – Little by Little (07:47) from Gratuitous Flash, 1984
Pallas – Heart Attack (08:00) from The Sentinel, 1984

Pallas – Ark of Infinity (07:07) from The Sentinel, 1984
Haze – The Vice (07:33) from Stoat & Bottle, 1987
Marillion – Forgotten Sons (08:26) from Script For A Jester’s Tear, 1983
Marillion – Grendel (17:17) from Market Square Heroes, 12”, 1982

 

 Posted by at 5:27 pm
Apr 182020
 

It all got a bit chaotic!

The general idea here was to play some cheerful music. And most of it is. There’s a really tiny bit of swearing – twice, in fact, with the first one being near the start of the show.

Thanks to Martin for joining me for the whole show once again!


Hatfield and the North – Share It (03:03) from The Rotters’ Club, 1975
Mike Oldfield – Platinum (19:13) from Platinum, 1980
P.F.M. – Celebration (06:59) from Paper Charms: The Complete BBC Recordings 1974 – 1976, 2014
Mike Keneally – Click (03:56) from Pup, 2004
Steve Hillage – The Salmon Song (08:29) from Fish Rising, 1974
Genesis – I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) (04:10) from Selling England by the Pound, 1973
Moon Safari – Yasgur’s Farm (08:06) from Blomljud, 2008
Chasing The Monsoon – Into The Light (06:01) from No Ordinary World, 2019
Henry Cow – Ruins (12:11) from Unrest, 1974
Discipline – The Nursery Year (05:20) from Push & Profit, 1994
Gilgamesh – One End More/Phil’s Little Dance/World’s Of Zin (10:22) from Gilgamesh, 1975
Jellyfish – Joining A Fan Club (04:03) from Spilt Milk, 1993
Gandalf’s Fist – Supplies for the Festivities (05:34) from The Clockwork Prologue, 2019
Ezra – Summer Again (08:18) from Songs from Pennsylvania, 2006

Progradar’s Picks
Glass Hammer – The Dreaming City (07:15) from Dreaming City, 2020
Long Earth – We Own Tomorrow (08:06) from Once Around the Sun, 2020
Ms Amy Birks – Jamaica Inn (04:14) from All That I Am And All That I Was, 2019
The Tangent – A Spark In The Aether (04:20) from A Spark In The Aether, 2015

Knekklectric – Vi e mindre (05:17) from For Mange Melodia, 2017
Peter Hammill – Imperial Zeppelin (03:39) from Fools Mate, 1971
I Am The Manic Whale – Valenta Scream (07:10) from Things Unseen, 2020
Hasse Fröberg & Musical Companion  – Parallel Life (21:46) from Parallel Life, 2019
Pure Reason Revolution – Eupnea (13:23) from Eupnea, 2020
Zopp – V (06:37) from Zopp, 2020
Guranfoe – Night’s First Light (09:04) from Sum of Erda, 2019
Gracious – The Dream (17:00) from Gracious!, 1970
Haken – Manifolds (07:35) from Enter The 5th Dimension, 2008
Lazuli – Dieter Böhm (05:32) from Le fantastique envol de Dieter Böhm, 2020
Big Big Train – Hedgerow (08:54) from English Electric: Full Power, 2013

 Posted by at 3:41 pm
Apr 082020
 

The only time you’ll ever see Emerson, Lake & Palmer mentioned in this show.

In this episode of the European Perspective, Martin and Wilf ramble on about progressive rock, and play some very long tunes. It’s far more enjoyable than it sounds.


Tinyfish – Rainland (06:54) from The Big Red Spark, 2010
Pendragon – Water (07:58) from Love Over Fear, 2020
Anathema – Dreaming Light (05:44) from We’re Here Because We’re Here, 2010
Big Big Train – The Underfall Yard (22:54) from The Underfall Yard, 2009
Abel Ganz – Thank You (06:57) from Abel Ganz, 2014
Marillion – Fantastic Place (06:12) from Marbles, 2004
Phideaux – Micro Softdeathstar (11:16) from Doomsday Afternoon, 2007
Echolyn – When Sunday Spills (08:48) from Echolyn, 2012
Southern Empire – Crossroads (29:15) from Civilisation, 2018
The Tangent – GPS Culture (10:08) from A Place in the Queue, 2006
Wobbler – The River (10:04) from Rites At Dawn, 2011
The Gift – The Willows (12:01) from Land of Shadows, 2014
Fish – 13th Star (05:55) from 13th Star, 2008
Sky Architect – The Campfire Ghost Song (10:01) from A Dying Man’s Hymn, 2011
IQ – The Province (13:42) from Frequency, 2009
Big Big Train – Curator Of Butterflies (08:44) from English Electric Part Two, 2013
jh – Making Tea Is Freedom (18:25) from Truth & Bullshit, 2008
Frost* – Milliontown (26:24) from Milliontown, 2006
Transatlantic – Duel With The Devil (26:44) from Bridge Across Forever, 2001
Karmakanic – Send A Message From The Heart (19:32) from Who’s The Boss In The Factory, 2008

 Posted by at 3:42 pm