The Prog Rock Album Club

Trollheart · 12-02-2013, 07:26 PM

I think a big hand is in order for our two new members, who despite not knowing much about or particularly liking prog have grasped the nettle and made a very decent fist of their first reviews. Sorry you didn't like WAP&OSS Ninetales but I must say I loved it, and didn't expect to. However it is more an album that appeals to lovers of prog rock rather than your casual listener (I, too, thought the forest parts were great, plus then the idyllic scene blown apart by the roar of a jet engine overhead: how's that for juxtapositioning?)

But well done both of you and hope you manage to get something that's more to your tastes this time round. Welcome aboard!

Ninetales · 12-02-2013, 08:22 PM

Oh no i did like it. More than I expected infact. Didn't love it (maybe I will in time) but the good outweighed the bad

Trollheart · 12-03-2013, 05:14 AM

Guys, I had a PM from Big Ears (maybe some of you did too, I don't know) wherein he tells me he's decided to leave the club. He's upset about a difference of opinion that seemed to arise while I was away regarding some album by Subsignal, says someone more or less laughed at what he said.

Now, I wasn't there and I'm not going to point fingers, nor do I want to know who he had the problem with --- whoever you are, you know --- but I would like to point out, if it needs saying, that everyone's opinion should be respected here. If DJ thinks Genesis are crap I'll argue like hell with him but will always be respectful and expect the same. If Ant hates Shadow Gallery I'll talk to him about it, but in the end I find it's very hard to change someone's mind when they love, or more specifically hate a band or artiste, so I normally don't personally push that.

I don't know if Big Ears is overreacting: in all the time I've been here I've never taken offence from anything said here, even if it was that people hated my choice or my review. I usually took it in good part. But the offending posts have been deleted so I can't say what went on. I would just hope that from now on we could all respect the opinion of everyone else. We're not all going to think the same on every album and that needs to be recognised. This club thrives and will survive on healthy debate, but also an innate respect for all opinions.

I am sad to see Big Ears go; I think he was a great contributor and I've told him the door is open for him to come back any time he wants, but he definitely seems to be hurting from this experience, so I respect that. I jsut hope we will see no repeats, and some day the large-eared one may make a return to our shores. In the meantime, again the watchword is respect. Nobody's going to agree with your opinion one hundred percent of the time, but they have every right to hold their own opinion and should not be laughed at or ridiculed because theirs differs from yours. At worst, I would hope such arguments could be sorted out in PM, but this does not seem to have happened in this case.

So let's try to make/keep this place a friendly club, and not lose any more members, okay?

Thanks guys.
Peace and respect, always.
TH

Anteater · 12-03-2013, 07:49 AM

Woah, you mean someone laughed at his review of Touchstones awhile back? I recall reading it and thought it was fine.

Anyway, I'll post up four album choices later today.

Trollheart · 12-03-2013, 08:11 AM

OK it seems I misunderstood Big Ears. It's not that anyone was nasty to him, he just is annoyed that his review was ignored. I'm not sure whether he's being oversensitive here: if it was me I would say something like "Read my review you bastards! I spent time on this! By god someone had better comment or I'm going on a killing spree!" with the appropriate smiley. That's how I'd handle it: a gentle, humourous hint. But I don't know BE that well and maybe he gets upset if ignored, I really don't know.

So I guess all I said in the previous post can stand, because it's good practice, but doesn't seem to explicitly apply to Big Ears. Nobody upset him, other than apparently ignoring him, and I really think you know if you want to be involved in something like this you need a thicker skin.

Anyway, that's the amendment so you can now all amuse yourselves in whatever depraved way you prefer until the next reviews...

Unknown Soldier · 12-03-2013, 11:59 AM

I guess at the time that his review was ignored, was the time when the club was going through a bad phase and had a lack of interest from its few members. It was just a case of bad timing and not indifference I'd say to his review.

Big Ears · 12-03-2013, 12:25 PM

^ Yes, it is not that someone said anything or that I have a complex about being ignored, it is that I cannot see any purpose in being the only person to review, or comment on, someone else's choice. If the thread has a new lease of life in my absence, all well and good.

Unknown Soldier · 12-03-2013, 03:40 PM

Quote:

=Big Ears;1391407 If the thread has a new lease of life in my absence, all well and good.

It has only had a new lease of life in the last week or so, largely due to the new format suggested by Trollheart, which now allows for a longer and more flexible listening period. Before that the thread was pretty much dead.

Anteater · 12-03-2013, 03:42 PM

Alrighty then my fine proggy friends, here's four delicious albums to choose from!

The Custodian - Necessary Wasted Time (2012/2013)

A spacey, immersive prog-ject from the very talented Richard Thomson (the frontman for death metal band Xeranth). For fans of Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd and Anathema, this here might be right up your dark alleyway!

Moon Safari - [Blomljud] (2008)

I've raved about this band before here on MusicBanter, but now seems like a good opportunity to re-introduce them. They have a very unique, beautiful sound somewhere between Yes and The Beach Boys: all five of the band members sing together, resulting in some impressive harmonies. They also list Bruce Springsteen as an influence, though you won't hear a whole lot of that here. I'd recommend listening through the album here on their Bandcamp page, as the lyrics are available as well-

Blomljud | Moon Safari

David Sylvian - Gone To Earth (1986)

Amazing solo album from the former bandleader and frontman of Japan, featuring Robert Fripp on guitar and electronics throughout (plus some songwriting credits!). For fans of jazzy, ambient-oriented progressive rock that doesn't sound quite like anything else out there, this is going to be a lot of fun for you!

Toto - Falling In Between (2006)

Besides being one of the tightest and most impressive live bands of all time, Toto are known for dabbling in a variety of styles from their inception in the late 70's all the way to the present day. Like early Ambrosia, they're something of a crossover act who meld pop, rock, funk, AOR and progressive rock into something hard to classify. Falling In Between was their last studio album and arguably their strongest, catchiest AND proggiest record as well, so I'd actually recommend this one to any of you.

Trollheart · 12-03-2013, 06:59 PM

OK well I liked Moon Safari so yoink!

I would strongly disagree with the inclusion of Toto however: for me they have always been an AOR band, but you know, if I have the time then maybe I'll just listen to that too and see if I'm wrong. Good selection, Ant! Be interesting to see who picks what.

Blomljud --- Moon Safari --- Trollheart

12-02-2013, 07:26 PM	#551 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	I think a big hand is in order for our two new members, who despite not knowing much about or particularly liking prog have grasped the nettle and made a very decent fist of their first reviews. Sorry you didn't like WAP&OSS Ninetales but I must say I loved it, and didn't expect to. However it is more an album that appeals to lovers of prog rock rather than your casual listener (I, too, thought the forest parts were great, plus then the idyllic scene blown apart by the roar of a jet engine overhead: how's that for juxtapositioning?) But well done both of you and hope you manage to get something that's more to your tastes this time round. Welcome aboard! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

12-03-2013, 05:14 AM	#553 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Guys, I had a PM from Big Ears (maybe some of you did too, I don't know) wherein he tells me he's decided to leave the club. He's upset about a difference of opinion that seemed to arise while I was away regarding some album by Subsignal, says someone more or less laughed at what he said. Now, I wasn't there and I'm not going to point fingers, nor do I want to know who he had the problem with --- whoever you are, you know --- but I would like to point out, if it needs saying, that everyone's opinion should be respected here. If DJ thinks Genesis are crap I'll argue like hell with him but will always be respectful and expect the same. If Ant hates Shadow Gallery I'll talk to him about it, but in the end I find it's very hard to change someone's mind when they love, or more specifically hate a band or artiste, so I normally don't personally push that. I don't know if Big Ears is overreacting: in all the time I've been here I've never taken offence from anything said here, even if it was that people hated my choice or my review. I usually took it in good part. But the offending posts have been deleted so I can't say what went on. I would just hope that from now on we could all respect the opinion of everyone else. We're not all going to think the same on every album and that needs to be recognised. This club thrives and will survive on healthy debate, but also an innate respect for all opinions. I am sad to see Big Ears go; I think he was a great contributor and I've told him the door is open for him to come back any time he wants, but he definitely seems to be hurting from this experience, so I respect that. I jsut hope we will see no repeats, and some day the large-eared one may make a return to our shores. In the meantime, again the watchword is respect. Nobody's going to agree with your opinion one hundred percent of the time, but they have every right to hold their own opinion and should not be laughed at or ridiculed because theirs differs from yours. At worst, I would hope such arguments could be sorted out in PM, but this does not seem to have happened in this case. So let's try to make/keep this place a friendly club, and not lose any more members, okay? Thanks guys. Peace and respect, always. TH __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

12-03-2013, 08:11 AM	#555 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	OK it seems I misunderstood Big Ears. It's not that anyone was nasty to him, he just is annoyed that his review was ignored. I'm not sure whether he's being oversensitive here: if it was me I would say something like "Read my review you bastards! I spent time on this! By god someone had better comment or I'm going on a killing spree!" with the appropriate smiley. That's how I'd handle it: a gentle, humourous hint. But I don't know BE that well and maybe he gets upset if ignored, I really don't know. So I guess all I said in the previous post can stand, because it's good practice, but doesn't seem to explicitly apply to Big Ears. Nobody upset him, other than apparently ignoring him, and I really think you know if you want to be involved in something like this you need a thicker skin. Anyway, that's the amendment so you can now all amuse yourselves in whatever depraved way you prefer until the next reviews... __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

12-03-2013, 12:25 PM	#557 (permalink)
Big Ears Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Hampshire, England Posts: 434	^ Yes, it is not that someone said anything or that I have a complex about being ignored, it is that I cannot see any purpose in being the only person to review, or comment on, someone else's choice. If the thread has a new lease of life in my absence, all well and good. __________________ My Journal: Rabbiting On

12-03-2013, 06:59 PM	#560 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	OK well I liked Moon Safari so yoink! I would strongly disagree with the inclusion of Toto however: for me they have always been an AOR band, but you know, if I have the time then maybe I'll just listen to that too and see if I'm wrong. Good selection, Ant! Be interesting to see who picks what. Blomljud --- Moon Safari --- Trollheart __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

12-02-2013, 08:22 PM	#552 (permalink)
Ninetales Music Addict Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: livin wild Posts: 2,179	Oh no i did like it. More than I expected infact. Didn't love it (maybe I will in time) but the good outweighed the bad