Note: there are going to be a fair few videos in this thread, especially the playlist part. I'm not going to be spoilering them, so be prepared if you're coming in on, oh I don't know, maybe a crappy Chromebook or something... 
PLAYLIST FOR MONDAY APRIL 2 2018
“Islands of the Orient” – Vangelis – Oceanic, 1996
Genre: Electronic/Ambient
I first got into the music of Vangelis when I watched the BBC astronomy/history programme
Cosmos (which ties in weirdly with Occulthawk's posts in the
What Are You Reading thread about Carl Sagan) and heard “Heaven and Hell” and “Alpha”. I bought his greatest hits and then
Spiral and later
Direct. This remains one of my favourite albums of his though, a musical travelogue over, beneath and along the sea. Great music to relax to.
10/10
“School” - Roger Hodgson – Classics Live, 2010
Genre: Prog Rock
The very first Supertramp song I ever heard, both studio and live, as it opens both
Crime of the Century and the double live
Paris, this is ex-founder member Hodgson's version of it played live. It's almost as good as the Supertramp version, but then, he did co-write and co-sing the original, after all.
10/10
“Silent Path” - Dreamtale – Beyond Reality, 2002
Genre: Power/Symphonic Metal
One of those albums I obviously downloaded, as it's there, but I don't remember when or why I got it. Basic power/symphonic metal from Finland. I won't rate it as, to be honest, it made no impression on me, to the point that I can't recall what I thought of it, but it's certainly not memorable, on first listen at least. Your basic power metal ballad. Yawn.
“Queen of the Night” - Eloy – Planets, 1981
Genre: Prog/Symphonic Prog Rock
Interesting thing about Eloy: I'm not really what you'd call a fan. I used to spend my weekends hanging out in a record shop (as most of us around my age probably did) and it was great, but you did tend to get the hard sell, and you'd be generally not allowed (in the nicest possible way) to leave unless they sold you something. So when Tommy, the owner, heard I was into prog he foisted
Performance on me. It was okay, and I bought
Metromania as well, but I've never really been that bothered about Eloy. This track didn't do anything to change that. Again, no rating as it just passed me by.
“Fatboy” - Gary Moore – A Different Beat, 1999
Genre: Rock/Electronic
My least favourite Moore album, on which he, for some reason I've never been able to understand, thought he'd try his hand at dance music, leaving his fans bemused and those who weren't familiar with his work baffled and apathetic. This song consists of him singing “Let's hear it for the fatboy!” over and over against a thumping electronic beat. Yeah. Should have stuck with the blues, mate.
3/10
“Arcana” - Edenbridge – Arcana, 2001
Genre: Symphonic Metal
I mentioned before that I like Edenbridge, and well I do, but this song kind of passed me over, though that might have been due to the extractor fan going as I was cooking dinner. Either way, can't give it much of a rating.
5/10
“See Who I Am” - Within Temptation – The Silent Force, 2004
Genre: Symphonic Metal
I like Within Temptation too, and this song generally wasn't bad, but I've heard better from them.
6/10
“Blind Curve” - Fish – Return to Childhood, 2005
Genre: Prog rock
Nearly twenty years after leaving Marillion, Fish played a live tour in which he revisited all the work he had created with Marillion, including one of my favourites of theirs in its entirety,
Misplaced Childhood. This is the full “Blind Curve” suite from that album, which consists of “Vocal Under a Bloodlight”, “Passing Strangers”, “Mylo”, “Perimeter Walk” and “Threshold”. Needless to say, I love it.
10/10
“El Codor Pasa (If I could)” - Simon and Garfunkel – Greatest Hits, 1972
Genre: Folk
An unassailable classic. Nothing more to say.
10/10