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Album title: Sounds that can't be made
Artiste: Marillion
Nationality: British
Year: 2012
Subgenre: Neo-Prog
Player(s): Steve Hogarth (Vocals), Mark kelly (Keyboards), Steve Rothery (Guitars), Pete Trewavas (Bass), Ian Mosley (Drums)
Familiarity: Know all the Fish albums and probably around 50% of all the Steve Hogarth era material.
Favourite track(s): "Gaza" “Pour Your Love” "Power"
Why? "Gaza" The best lengthy track on the album and despite its politically based lyrics, the song actually sustains itself really well and it's a great album opener. "Pour Your Love" is basically a great song that proves how well Marillion can do a modern day AOR track and Steve Hogarth's voice is well suited here. "Power" was my favourite track with its subtle mood and vibe and loved Steve Hogarth's voice on the track.
Least favourite track(s): None, but the album does nosedive in its second part.
Why? If I had to pick one then "Montreal" which just didn't do anything for me.
Any preconceptions prior to listening, whether good or bad?
Everything that I've listened to by Marillion with Steve Hogarth on vocals has normally been very good to downright outstanding at times and it's strange that I should say this, as I don't classify myself as a Marillion fan really. Maybe deep down and without realising it I really am a Marillion fan with Steve Hogarth and therefore should listen to them more. I say Steve Hogarth as with Fish I have to be in the mood to listen to early Marillion.
Factoids you'd like to share? Said to be the band's most politically charged material and when reading about the album, I was surprised at how many Marillion fans view this as a poor album overall.
End impression: Need to revisit the Steve Hogarth discography real soon!
Comments: Always great to see a quality release by such a mature band that have a lot of albums in their discography. The first four tracks were great but without doubt the lesser four tracks were pushed towards the back of the album and therefore I struggled a bit with them towards the end. The album's accomplished and was certainly a breath of fresh air with its more pragmatic prog than the overtly and pointless kind of prog heard of the ELP album. Overall this is a strong album though, but could've done with being around 20 mins shorter, but then again I have this issue with a lot of modern albums as they try to give the public more value for their money!

Rating: 4.0 (Hate to put the same mark as everybody else, but even before I'd seen the other reviews this was the mark I had in my head)

As I said to you by mail, this is all just interactive fun and writing a quick review doesn't need to be taken seriously! The whole point of the club is to review what's on the list whether you like it or not and that's where the rating system comes in. If you hate an album just why in a few lines and give the rating.

As Trollheart said, if you don't want to review an album then there is no need to actually say so and this is not an opt in opt out club. We have just three core members that are required to review, that could grow of course but for anybody else like yourself come and go as you please and remember bad reviews are just as important as good ones;)

As for the Area album I'm looking forward to this and see that it's Italian Prog from the early 70s, which threw me as the album name is in German!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...acht_frei.jpeg
Album title: Arbeit macht frei
Artiste: Area
Nationality: Italian
Year: 1973
Subgenre: Rock Progressivo Italiano, though I would say more jazz fusion (ugh)
Player(s): Demetrio Stratos (Vocals, Organ, Steel Drum), Giampaolo Tofani (Guitars, Synth), Patrick Djivas (Bass)Guilio Capiozzo (Drums), Eddie Busnello (Sax), Patrizio Faraselli (Piano)
Familiarity: None at all
Favourite track(s): None at all
Why? I hate this album
Least favourite track(s): Everything, though the closer really annoys me
Why? Led Zepellin? No wonder they were fired when they played this at a local club instead of the requested “Whole lotta love”!!
Any preconceptions prior to listening, whether good or bad? Did not expect this much jazz and experimentalism. I mean, I have a lot of RPI albums lined up in my queue in the Progarchives Top 100, and some of them are a bit annoying but none come anywhere close to as teeth-grindingly pissing me off as this.
Factoids you'd like to share? Nah
End impression: Bloody awful
Comments: To paraphrase Marvin the Paranoid Android from “Hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxy”, the first time I heard this album was awful. And the second. The third I didn't enjoy at all. After that I went into something of a decline. I mean, bloody hell! It starts off with some woman talking in what I assume is Italian and ends with what is laughingly termed some sort of cover of or tribute to Zep, which sounds nothing like the band I know. There are only six tracks on it, which is a blessing, and none of them too long, but holy crap! I do not like jazz as you all know and this reeks of it. Ant probably loves it.

If there's one thing that sets my teeth on edge more than a fork scraping another fork it's the sound of a horn going on at top octave for minutes, and this has that in spades. I've listened to it four times now and I still couldn't pick out anything I like or could even tolerate. The annoying moans and screams, the ghostlike vocal passages, the opening diatribe. And then the title, which put me off from the beginning, being the legend wrought above the infamous concentration camp Auschwitz, the tragically ironic “work makes you free”, which always chills me. Knowing they were Italian did not put me off but this is like listening to Aphrodite's Child, which is not an experience I ever wish to repeat. Nor, indeed, is this album. Terrible, just terrible.

Rating: Sorry, can only muster a lowly 1.5 (And even that's pushing it!) :(

If the title is Arbeit Macht Frei then the title is a reference to the sign Nazis posted above the entrance to concentration camps. It would be a phrase known to non-German speakers from general knowledge of events that took place during WWII. I would highly doubt if a German band would use such an album title.

A point I made in my review. I guess it's like someone using the phrase "Liberte, egalite, fraternite" but not necessarily being French. As you say, it's a phrase recognised (and shunned, for its connotations) around the world.

I'd never heard of it and asked a few people today and they hadn't either.

Wow! That really surprises me! Were these older or younger people? Almost everyone I know --- hmm, come to think of it maybe not --- but it is a very well-known phrase in connection with WWII... Maybe you have to watch those programmes on History.... ;)

Would it be in bad taste for me to say I'd rather be in one of those camps than listen to this album again? Yes. Yes, I think it would...

I'm pretty big on history but that one has slipped me by! Anyway I'm now even more excited over hearing this album than even before as I've seen that you given it just 1.5. I'm not going to read your review until I'm actually listening to the album:finger:

I had a feeling you were, for some unknown reason.

I listen to the album, read some stuff about them and decided once again to opt out of the review. If it wasn't for certain things about them that I read and again what TH brought up, I would probably would had done a review.

Jeez N! Again, why broadcast that you're not going to do a review? I bloody hated the thing and I was still the first to review it. What is it with you that you have to let everyone know how much you don't like an album, but won't review it? I honestly don't get it... :confused:

I feel funny jumping in and out of the Prog club. And thought maybe I should express that I was somewhat interested what was going on, even if I don't produce a review. I guess it is a case of not fitting in by trying to hard to fit in.

It's not that I don't like either album, I listen to both. So far, from Seconds Out on I haven't come across an album that I absolutely hated... so far. And if Seconds out was a greatest hits instead of a live album I would rate it 7+ on a scale of 0 to 5. Funny thing that there was a Italian Prog album up for review because I was listening to live performances from Italian Prog bands on YouTube, a day or two before I saw it up for review.

Hmm. Maybe if you just comment/discuss with us but stay away from saying "I won't be reviewing this". Maybe it's just me and I know you don't mean it but it's really annoying me. Personally I wish I had opted not to review AMF but then as a Core member I don't have that luxury!

Incidentally, for those interested I am now listening to my first ever Miles Davis album (also my first ever jazz album) and really enjoying it... :thumb:

I totally opt out listening to Miles Davis, I guess because his name is bandy about just as much Bob Dylan's. Though I have seen some of his interviews. Well to say the least I am in full support in your decision to explore Jazz - most people would be starting their Jazz phase in their 30s, in a way I am proud you held out for so long. What got me into Jazz believe it or not was Prog, and I owe much what I know and like to Prog musicians.

But why are you overly influenced by what you read? I always read album reviews and just take that on-board what they've said, but I still make up my own mind in the end. Also this is not some elitist club, anybody can participate whether they feel comfortable writing reviews or not. In my opinion it takes more constructive ability to write a negative review over a positive one.

But then again you can put in a lot of humour when writing how bad a band performs and get a chuckle out it and also lulz from people who read it too. When you write a positive review no one is going to laugh at "he was a fantastic drummer."

But then again you can put in a lot of humour when writing how bad a band performs and get a chuckle out it and also lulz from people who read it too. When you write a positive review no one is going to laugh at "...he was a fantastic drummer."

You do music reviews to get laughs? I think you are doing it wrong buddy.

Yes but that's not constructive criticism though, that's a just casual slag off of the album;) What I meant was to actually stand back a bit from the album and examine why you don't like it and tackle it from that angle, I did it on my own journal with the Ozzy album and found it a lot more demanding than doing a positive review.

http://blog-imgs-37.fc2.com/e/p/i/episode666/area.jpg
Album title: Arbeit macht frei
Artiste: Area
Nationality: Italian
Year: 1973
Subgenre: Rock Progressivo Italiano, though I would say more jazz fusion (ugh)
Player(s): Demetrio Stratos (Vocals, Organ, Steel Drum), Giampaolo Tofani (Guitars, Synth), Patrick Djivas (Bass)Guilio Capiozzo (Drums), Eddie Busnello (Sax), Patrizio Faraselli (Piano)
Familiarity: None at all
Favourite track(s): The whole thing to me seemed to come off as just one long jazz influenced piece.
Why? N/A
Least favourite track(s): N/A
Any preconceptions prior to listening, whether good or bad? Trollheart had given it such a terrible review it left me intrigued to hear it, but before that I was intrigued, as I always like to indulge anyway into European bands.
Factoids you'd like to share? A noted highly socialist band....well it was trendy and cool back then.
End impression: A somewhat enjoyable experimental jazz effort with an Italian tinge to it and yes I'd listen to more material by this band.
Comments: This is one of those experimental albums that carries over elements of the 1960s experimental scene, it has a big druggy acid-psychedelic influence as well and I also hear the Canterbury scene in there too and these are all scenes that I really like and were well executed here. I wouldn't call this a classic album but I enjoyed the somewhat distinctive feel of the album and also the heavy jazz score (and I'm not really much of a jazz fan either) When he sung I thought Demetrio Stratos was actually very good and the album's experimental idiosyncrasies both in the vocals and music was quite refreshing as well, overall I'd say this was actually a very good album if the listener is keen on any of the above mentioned influences by me. To be honest I never noted the left-wing focus of the band here and maybe it's more obvious on their other material. Remember too that this was the early 1970s and violent communist revolutionary movements were very en-vogue especially in Italy with the Red Brigades and in Germany with the Baader-Meinhof Gang, so the band would've been very politically clued up as well.

Rating: 4.0 An enjoyable 30 odd minutes with an Italian identity

I think you can do a bad review well, and a good review well. For examples of the former, look at my reviews of Britney and Pixie Lott's albums, and of course for the latter, well I've done plenty of good reviews but I'm particularly proud of "Script" and also "The war of the worlds", but there are loads. The point is, you can use humour in either a good or bad review but you don't have to laugh at a bad album to review it. I took apart 19ADD's "Dead river" a year or more ago; nothing whatever good to say about it but it was actually so bad that I created a new section ("The Plague Ship") in order to allow me to review it in context. Then there's the review of "Arbeit macht frei" above. Not liking an album shouldn't stop you from reviewing it: some of the albums I've hated/been disappointed in most hav turned into some of my best reviews. Hell, I even reviewed Justin Bieber! But you shouldn't just say "this is crap" of course: you should say why you believe that, and in so doing you can give others a fresh insight maybe into the album, you, or both.

There should, if you're a good enough writer, be no such thing as a bad review. There can be a good review of a bad album or a good review of a bad album. The important point is that you approach every review, even the bad ones, the same way, doing your best to take the pros (if any) and cons and weigh them against each other, taking care not to be influenced too much by bias against the artiste. A fair, balanced, well-researched and unbiased review, whether the result is positive or negative, will always be a good review, or should be, if you have the talent and the insight.

Yes professor, but what I was really getting at, is that given the choice between doing a constructive positive review or a negative one, for most people I'd say the positive one would be easier to write. For the simple reason when people write about something that they don't like, they have a greater tendency to go for the jugular very quickly without really analysing why they really don't like it.

Well it seem to me stating how you feel whether the opinions are positive or negative to be the same. I believe the challenges come elsewhere, like how involved you would like to be in articulating your opinion. Also how much you put into it, like watching videos of interviews and reading articles on the band - I think of it as R&D for a review.

You opened you Ozzy album review by revealing how many people you know love the album. I guess writing pros/cons review you feel like you are letting them down or disappointing them. There's almost a psychological factor there. Maybe you felt an unconscious disapproval from all those who think highly of the album, and felt they might not like your review. And conversely a positive review can be just as challenging especially if you are writing to an audience who hates the album or band. I read your review and also listen to the album. Not being a big Ozzy fan I could see where you were coming from, and thought that it was a reasonable way for to look at it because what you express in the review wasn't too far from my sentiments. So I wouldn't think it that difficult, but maybe it was.

Well you've covered how I wrote it or better said how I approached it and the hard part was actually narrowing down what I thought were the actual flaws of the album. For example I didn't think the songs were bad or the music but the whole thing kind of reminded me of a scruffy guy wearing an expensive suit.

Btw you've still got time to do a review for the Area album, as I'm interested in what others think, as no album so far has had two ratings so far apart:finger:

http://blog-imgs-37.fc2.com/e/p/i/episode666/area.jpg
Album Title: Arbeit macht frei
Artiste: Area
Nationality: Italian
Year: 1973
Subgenre: Rock Progressivo Italiano with a free jazz flavor
Player(s): Demetrio Stratos (Vocals, Organ, Steel Drum), Giampaolo Tofani (Guitars, Synth), Patrick Djivas (Bass)Guilio Capiozzo (Drums), Eddie Busnello (Sax), Patrizio Faraselli (Piano)
Familiarity: A smidgen. I've heard Caution Radiation Area before.
Favourite track(s): Probably 'Consapevolezza'
Why? It has some nice keyboards here and there, plus a really nice sax solo.
Least favourite track(s): None in particular
Any preconceptions prior to listening, whether good or bad? None really. Troll didn't like it, which told me there was probably a lot of horns and some Rock In Opposition-style craziness here and there.
Factoids you'd like to share? Nothing really.
End impression: Interesting, but doesn't hold a candle to guys like Pharaoh Sanders or the big players in the Canterbury Scene as far as jazz goes.
Comments: While it is true that I do in fact love jazz in every form (particularly jazz fusion and the contemporary "smooth" stuff), a byproduct of this appreciation is that I'm also very, very VERY picky when it comes to what I revisit or add to my collection. Area are one of those early prog/jazz crossover bands that have a pretty good sound in studio, but they're nowhere near Magma, Return To Forever, Soft Machine, etc. compositionally. Still, 37 minutes is relatively brief for an album in this vein so I give it serious points for remaining pretty fun for atleast half that time. I dunno why horns and stuff give you the heebie jeebies so much Trolly ol' chum, but that dissonance is part of the charm on any "super serious" jazz release. If this album turned you off, I dunno how you'd handle anything from Sun Ra, Coltrane or their ilk. :wave:

Rating: 3.5 As I said, pretty solid stuff but not sure why its regarded as a classic of its era.

I honestly can't say why I hate overuse of horns so much. I mean, I like a sax solo as much as the next guy, and I can listen to trumpet or trombone music for a while, but when the brass goes all high and squeaky and sounds like it's screaming I just run for the door. Maybe it's like dogs, y'know, where certain sounds are outside human hearing but drive them mad? I don't hate horns per se, I just hate it when they go all wild and unfettered, it just drives me mad.

This is probably why a lot of jazz doesn't/won't appeal to me, and yet as I said a few days ago my first experience of Miles Davis was very pleasant, surprisingly so. Of course I know nothing much of jazz so he could be the exception, or an example of a subgenre or division within jazz...

Anyway, to get back to Area, yeah I don't see why it's regarded as a classic either, nor Ian Anderson's, but remember this is not official: it's just one guy's personal favourites list so maybe it's not really a classic in the truest sense of the word. It's definitely not for me, but as US points out, it's probably the most polarising album so far and has generated the most debate of any we've reviewed here.

So here's hoping for some more polarising albums from the list.

I'm pretty sure I could manage to listen to one prog album a week I think i'll tag along when the next album is announced and hope that it's not Marillion or Genesis again :)

Cool. We are honoured. As long as you're not secretly working to bring down the club from within.. You're not, are you? Working to bring down the club from within? Secretly? :pssst:

Well it's technically Monday (it is here anyway) so time to try to get this thing back on track. Selections Monday, reviews up by coming Sunday please if everyone can manage it.

And the number is 188
which gives us...

Don't bloody believe it! There IS no 188! It's blank! Oh dear: to quote the name of a recent prog band on the other list I've been listening to, Not a good sign!

Let's go again then.
This time we get 138
and that equates to
http://eu.rymimg.com/lk/s/l/b87a6981...11/1725087.jpg
Erpland by Ozric Tentacles

Could be interesting. I have heard nothing from them.
So, that's our pick then for the coming week. Anyone who still wishes to get reviews in for Area is free to but please try to make sure your reviews for this album are in by this coming Sunday, March 23.
Thanks.

My first week in and we get a band who were involved in the early rave scene :laughing:

Ozric Tentacles is really cool, but they're one of those bands whose material has such variety that you gotta choose the right album.

I was not a big fan of that one, but it's not bad. 'Strangitude' and 'Curious Corn' were cool as hell.

Hell we've got MB royalty joining us now.

Ooh boy, I love the Ozrics! I'll have some fun with this next review. :p:

Jeez! I've just seen its 73 mins.

Well we're just going from the list so we don't have that choice.

73 mins? Prog baby! That's a short prog album! :rofl:

Should definitely check out those others though if you decide to throw off the shackles of the list! :beer:

Guys, it's Thursday. Reviews are due in by Sunday. Get entangled in them tentacles!

I was just about to send a reminder as well, but you got your feelers in first.