Missionaria Protectiva

  ROGER WATERS  Amused To Death  (Columbia,1992) - Progressive rock       After two solo albums of varying success, Waters didn’t release anything for five years before  Amused To Death , and it’s maybe because of this break that instead of spitting missives in the way of his ex-Floyd bandmates Dave Gilmour and Nick Mason, he actually sat down and wrote a solid piece of work. From the genuinely haunting opener, ‘The Ballad of Bill Hubbard’ - which features a heartbreaking interview from a WW1 solider, forced to abandon a wounded, barely-alive Bill Hubbard in no-man’s land, to the bluesy swagger of the ‘What God Wants’ trilogy, the record sets Waters’ stall out from the off - not afraid to pull at heart strings, or pummel them into cartoonish oblivion, he has a way around both. TRACKLIST : The Ballad Of Bill Hubbard                           What God Wants I         ...

  ESQUIRE  Esquire  (Geffen,1987) - Progressive rock       Esquire is a band led by Chris Squire's wife (at the time) Nikki Squire and is of some interest to fans of Yes because of the contributions of Chris Squire on backing vocals and bass. Chris is also credited as co-producer of the opening track To The Rescue while Trevor Horn is credited for the mix. Also, Alan White is one of several drummers credited on the album (though unclear on which tracks he plays). Yet, any similarities with the music of Yes are superficial as Esquire is primarily a Pop group and not a progressive Rock band. However, imagine an emasculated version of 90125-era Yes or Asia without any muscular guitars and you might get an idea. Perhaps The Buggles is a better comparison. TRACKLIST : To The Rescue                        Sunshine                        Knock Tw...

  ALAN PARSONS PROJECT  I Robot  (Arista,1977) - Progressive rock       T his album is much more light hearted when compared to the project’s debut album which isn’t a surprise as we all know Tales was a musical interpretation of the horror stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Still Parsons kept the mystery from Tales on I robot. Listening to the amazing space sounds and the futuristic artwork, the main theme on this album must be progress but it isn’t really coming through in the lyrics, so I don’t believe this really was meant to be a concept album. Although “Genesis ch 1 V 32” recaptures the atmosphere of the opening track, it adds some wonderful keyboard melodies which do sound typical seventies if you ‘re familiar with the music of Jean Michel Jarre and Pink Floyd.   TRACKLIST : I Robot                    I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You                    Som...

  EELA CRAIG  Hats Of Glass  (Vertigo,1978) - Prog/Art rock       This third album (1978) is the successor of the highly acclaimed One Niter (1976), a treat for the vintage keyboard aficionados, from Hammond and Mellotron to Minimoog and Hohner clavinet, a real Austrian symphonic rock gem! The line-up still features the 3 keyboard players but one of them, Frits Riedelberger does now also some lead vocals, and Eela Craig welcomes a new member, singer Will Orthofer. TRACKLIST : A Spaceman Came Travelling                       Hats Of Glass                       Chances Are                       Heaven Sales                       Holstenwall Fair                       Caught On The Air ...

  JUNIPHER GREENE Communication  (ON,1973) - Progressive rock      A fter a good debute 2 years earlier, tha band that was a quintet , remains on this album a trio, but they manage to pull a realy solid heavy prog album all the way. reminescent of Host, Uriah Heep with some psychedelic touches, Communication was for many a step down from the debute, I wonder why because to me was a nice surprice and a pleasent listning. The title track for instance is excellent, nearly 13 min of great musicianship and good ideas , like it was in the glory days of prog. A fairly good album, while is nothing groundbreaking or innovative here, this second and aswell their swansong worth to be investigated. TRACKLIST : Communication                        Standby                        Biscuit                     ...

  SOLUTION  Divergence  (Harvest,1972) - Prog/Jazz rock        Solution's second outing "Divergence" sees the band replacing the eclectic, innovative excursions on their debut with a smoother variety of jazz rock. Competent and accomplished musicians add a number of refined, subtle details to the proceedings to elevate it above the plain and ordinary, and occasionally the band showcases an inclination towards a more experimental expression. But by and large this disc appears to have the jazz rock crowd as its key audience, and in particular the section of it that doesn't mind an occasional flirt with mainstream oriented music. TRACKLIST : Second Line                          Divergence                          Fever                          Concentration  ...