Tag: John Wenlock-Smith

Review – John Wetton – An Extraordinary Life – by John Wenlock-Smith

John Kenneth Wetton left us too soon, much too soon sadly, he never had the opportunity to grow old disgracefully or to see his grandchildren, leaving us on the 31st of January 2017 in what was a dreadful year for the passing of legends, with legendary musicians like Tom Petty, Gregg Allman and Alan Holdsworth also passing the same year. John, however, did leave us many years of his artistry and songwriting craft with many recordings to treasure and enjoy from his work with bands like Mogul Thrash, Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, U.K., Wishbone Ash, Asia, Wetton/Downes and Icon, in between which he found time to carve out his own lower key solo career, during which period he made the albums this set covers.

This new boxset gathers together all of his six solo Albums from 1979 to 2016, a sixty-four page book and two discs of unreleased tracks or hard to find demo’s. This set concentrates on John’s solo work so, whilst it has a slew of contributors, you won’t find any songs from either his Icon or Asia years. What you do get is a comprehensive trawl through John’s imaginative and artfully crafted music and his strong songwriting and playing. Further sets are a possibility, although quite what form that would take is very much a case of wait and see.

The set begins with ‘Caught In The Crossfire’ from 1980 and is followed by ‘Battle Lines’ from 1994, ‘Arkangel’ from 1997, ‘Sinister’ from 2000, ‘Rock Of Faith’ from 2003 and ‘Raised In Captivity’ from 2011! The set also has 2 discs of unreleased tracks, mainly demos or alternative mixes and takes. So, although there is a lot for your money, as always the music is very mixed in styles and approaches and not everything may be to your tastes. There are progressive parts for sure, but its focus is on John’s compositional skills and how that translates into his songs.

Many folks may feel that his best work was in conjunction with various partners who helped him hit better heights, there is certainly nothing in here that moves in the same orbit of success that Heat Of The Moment or Don’t Cry did, for example. But it definitely must be said that John definitely sprinkled his magic over the recordings he made over the years and this set clearly shows that skill here. I would imagine that most folks know a little of John’s history and hopefully of his music too, making individual reviews of the albums superfluous really, instead, I will concentrate on the more obscure unreleased music in the main. John was certainly prolific in his writing, especially when you consider that he spent a large proportion of his life merely surviving his addictions and keeping his demons at bay.

He scaled the peaks and trawled the depths of addiction but still managed to be incredibly creative in his own right, he was a true professional musician who didn’t let his drinking affect his performance. His life is documented in part in the recent autobiography published after his death, in which his exploits are recounted. I’ve not read it myself but did hear Ken Hensley talk about how important John’s compositional talents were whilst making Uriah Heep’s ‘High And Mighty’ album, lots of his fellow bandmates speak positively about John’s talent and skills.

The two bonus discs contain thirty-nine tracks in total, mostly demos or sketches of ideas that never reached fruition somehow. It’s an eclectic mix of material from the atmospheric instrumental of AD2023 to the more AOR stylings of Raven. The memorable Walking On Air with its accapella opening dissolves into a more traditional form of songwriting, mostly acoustic but with great keyboard support to  flesh out the sound convincingly. The ballad Straight From The Heart is a good song that plays to John’s strengths, especially his baritone voice that floats gracefully over the track. This could have been a good Asia song, it certainly fits the mould well enough. A fine take on Dylan’s All Along The Watchtower is a fine interpretation of a classic song, with Wetton’s clear vocal impressing greatly. Deya 1986 is, I believe, an instrumental written about his son Dylan. Again, this moody piece is good listening. Tears Of Rage would have made a good track for Icon, with its striking violin playing making a real mark.

Marianne is another power ballad that Wetton could write in his sleep, all earnest vocals and surges of restrained power chords hitting the mark. As the song builds in its intensity, its pacing is possibly too slow and would be improved with a more strident march or beat. Healer Of Shattered Hearts is another mid-tempo, atmospheric, track with a strong chorus that is most impressive. I’d Give It All For You opens with church organ (an arena that John knew well) and strong vocals, again this is very earnest and emotionally compellingly performed, making another fine track. Wings Of An Angel (Intro) leads into a track of the same name, another strong atmospheric emotional piece. All For One is another Asia style track with excellent vocals and a strong middle section. From a Distant Heart is an emotion laden tearjerker ballad of the sort that John did so many of, and did so well, giving a good vehicle for his spectacular voice. For me, Real World somehow doesn’t really work for me with its sampled voices of John Lennon and Ringo Starr. Far better is The Greatest Show On Earth with its great power chords, guitar solo and keyboard backing, this is an epic track. Adagietto is another quieter song, again very choral in tone, an atmospheric instrumental that’s very religious and the sort of thing you expect to hear in a mass. The Water Is Wide is a somewhat subdued folk type song, again this has definite religious overtones. I’m not sure if John had any religious convictions but he was a choir boy when young and grew up with a church background, so it seems something stuck there.

The second disc is also interesting, nineteen tracks on this one. It opens with Raised In Captivity which is a searching song asking questions of his growing up, it has a very 1980’s sound with a particularly effective drum beat throughout. The Other Guy (Second Best) is another unrequited love song/power ballad and would have been another good Asia track. I Will is another punchy track and, again, very 80’s sounding but a very memorable track. Bad Thing is another AOR type track with a good vocal and catchy chorus. Boys Of The Diamond City follows and is another AOR stomper with 80’s drums, a great vocal from John and a strong chorus. This would have made a great single for John or even Asia. Flesh and Blood is a further AOR number with a very 1980’s rock style production, think of John’s performances on ‘Phenomena II: Dream Runner’ for a comparison. Again, it’s good single material, maybe John should have released this after he left Asia first time around, with Geffen’s involvement he maybe could have had a higher profile solo career. It’s an absolute corker of a song, as is the next track Burn Your Name In My Heart, which would have been another contender for that imaginary unrealised Geffen album. Sex/Power/AndMoney could also be on that album, a very strong track. In fact this second disc of tracks could really be that unfulfilled album, as its all there in the first ten tracks, including a duet with an unnamed female vocalist that sounds really sweet.

So what I’m hearing here is the unrealised and unreleased John Wetton Geffen era album from the mid 1980’s which gives these songs a sense of direction and focus. After this we have several songs from the ‘Over The Top’ soundtrack that John both wrote for and sang on. The remaining tracks are in a similar vein, mid tempo AOR tracks, including Halfway To Heaven, another song for a soundtrack album. There are other gems scattered throughout the set but, for me, Disc 2 of the unreleased stuff really makes the set worthwhile and worthy of purchase.

So in all this is a really interesting set but possibly not for the casual listener, more for the fervent followers.

Released 24th November, 2023.

Order from Cherry Red here:

John Wetton: An Extraordinary Life, 8CD 12”x12” Box Set – Cherry Red Records

Review – Glorious Wolf – Mysterious Traveller – by John Wenlock-Smith

Glorious Wolf is a studio project from Dutch musician, Ruud Dielen, the name comes from his own name which, in Dutch, is derived from the Germania origin that translates as Glorious Wolf. ‘Mysterious Traveller’ is obviously a labour of love for Ruud and one that allowed him to explore his love of progressive music. After many years in various blues and cover bands Ruud decided to enlist some friends to help him realise his vision, the results being this very musical release, here Ruud gets to explore his influences and pay homage in his own style.

The album has just seven tracks, three vocally led and four instrumental tracks. If symphonic prog is your particular bag then I think you will find much to enjoy herein, Ruud was also kind enough to give an insight into the various tracks. The album has a very lush sound and is well produced with great separation between all the instruments, which gives a good overall sound and strong impressions.

The opening track Repentance begins with lush keyboards and a strong guitar riff that is repeated over the keyboards, along with some striking drums and bass. Ruud uses a wah-wah pedal to great effect here and a busy bass adds to the track’s dynamics well. That great riff gets a further airing and the bass pounds along in tandem. The song is about how the world is in repentance and needs love, which is pretty much true these days. This track has a lot of restrained power to it, you can sense it being held back, although why this is the case is not clear. Either way, it is an impressive opener and one that encourages you to keep listening to the album. The muscular sounding Slow Down is another fine track, one with strong keyboards and the organ is especially prominent on this track and to good effect. I like the great supporting bass that underpins everything and the swirling Hammond that gives body to this instrumental track. This piece has strong hints of ‘Meddle’ and ‘Obscured by Clouds’ period Pink Floyd, especially in the excellent guitar work from Ruud, who is channelling his inner Gilmour on this track before the synth comes to the fore. This is another excellent track with strong musical performances and one that oozes style. It is also one of the albums longer tracks, with that time being used to show the skill of the band, alongside their imagination. This is followed by a second vocal track, The True Story, which is a song about Mother Earth and how beautiful she is and that we should stop exhausting and depleting her resources. Again, this is a sentiment any intelligent person would agree with, I’m sure! The sympathetic support from bass, drums and keyboards really impresses. This is a slow burner of a track, one that definitely hits the mark, the great fluid guitar lines at the end are particularly impressive and give a touch of class to this track.

Howling At The Moon has a crunchy and prominent guitar riff and the pounding drums and great keyboards all give weight to this shorter instrumental track. There feels to be there a strong element of power being restrained once more and that actually makes the track all the more effective to these ears. Title track Mysterious Traveller is an instrumental about the Amazon Rainforest. This superb track has a great sound, especially in the bass department, making it another fine track and the brilliant guitar just adds to it all and making it rather impressive stuff. Battlefield is a call to stop the wars and to instead use the funds that war costs to solve world hunger. This is a highly sensible idea, except that we all know that war is a vehicle for certain industries, investors and individuals to make money, so this is an idea that will sadly go unheeded by the masses. Many a war has been used to support corrupt regimes and to enrich certain sectors of society, especially if countries involved in the arms trade have no scruples and peddle their wares to any interested parties, regardless of their record of human rights. The final track Beautifully Broken is in two parts, presented as one piece. War breaks hearts, Love heals, Greed is not what we need to feed our hearts. This song has lots of great guitar work, all of which is mostly understated, it also has lots of dynamics and contrasts, all with strong musicianship and musicality. The second half of the track is an amazing extended improvisation and runs out to the end of the album superbly.

Overall this album will not greatly tax you. It will ,however, give you a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment when you understand what it is trying to convey and the class and style it uses to these ends. There is a hell of a lot to enjoy here, I thoroughly enjoyed it and the artwork by the renowned artist Ed Unitsky is most impressive too.

Released 1st November, 2023

Order from bandcamp here:

MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER | Glorious Wolf (bandcamp.com)

Review – Fish on Friday – 8mm by John Wenlock- Smith

Often it seems to me that I review albums from the same bands on a regular basis. Whilst this may have some event of truth, it’s more because I have found the sort of prog that appeals to me the most. This is probably the reason why I have reviewed all five previous Fish On Friday studio releases, originally for DPRP, latterly TPA and now for Progradar. This can make these reviews a bit similar but then the bands sound has not changed greatly since their debut ‘Shoot The Moon’, although there have been changes, especially when Nick Beggs joined the band. ‘8mm’ is their new album, and the first since 2020’s ‘Black Rain’ album and, whilst that had a darker tone in part because of the pandemic, this one is a lot more upbeat with some great songs.

As with all previous FoF albums, there is a lot of lightness of touch in the playing and, once again, the ghost of The Alan Parsons Project is seldom very distant. This time the addition of Nick Beggs as co-producer has paid significant dividends, as do his vocals that add and weave well with those of Frank Van Bogaert. The additional voice of Lula Beggs on several tracks also adds to the overall consistency of the album.

The album begins with the track 8mm which is a song of memories or loss of a loved one. It is quite gentle and downbeat, although it does build in intensity as it continues. Collateral Damage has excellent bass/Chapman Stick from Nick that powers the song along. Again, this track is about relationships and how we can damage each other at times. Then we have cover from 1970’s band Metro’s self-titled 1977 album that impacted upon Frank and so he chose to highlight this much forgotten band on this album by covering the track Flames. This has been done in a respectful and intelligent way by not changing very much, apart from giving the songs both a platform along with a better production value. Overture To Flames has some chunky, funky riffing and a good bass-heavy part over sequencers. It is mainly instrumental apart from ethereal voices and has a picked guitar and strong bass notes. It is only a short, but very atmospheric and leads into Flames itself and a delicate vocal part.

Then we have a different style of collaboration with a Flemish musician Sofie Dykmans, who heard a piece played during lockdown and contacted the band, offering to write some lyrics for the track, with the song Jump This Wall being the result. This is a bit of an epic with lots of massed keyboard swathes and a strident step to it. Lots of good rumbling bass lines in the song help the song have pulse and pace in equal measure, A delicate flute part from Theo Travis assists in this track before yielding to a saxophone solo, again by Theo, that adds grace. Hopefully they could write together again as this track is great. This is followed by the harder, more propulsive, track Don’t Lose Your Spirit with a good descending riff, Hammond Organ and a busy bass part playing to the audience. A great fluid guitar line is played before the song switches tack and vocals commence. The song is about changes, possibly climate change, and how we wont notice fully until it is too late.

Funerals is actually rather quirky, as it deals with two people who only ever seem to see each other at funerals. It’s a song of unrequited wanting and longing for another. Lyrically it is very interesting and slightly unsettling, although the more upbeat dancing section works very well, as does the acoustic guitar instrumental that floats over it all. The song then returns to its previous tempo but overall this is a winner of a track and greatly impresses. With Fish On Friday you have to dig beneath the surface to get to the heart of the music and it’s a very rewarding listening experience when you do. Silently Raging follows, this has Lula Beggs sharing lead vocals to great effect. Instillers is a quieter, more downbeat, song and is very, initially at least, before a Chapman Stick part is played which increases the volume greatly, adding power to track which is itself a plea for us to instil positive values to our world and peace, grace and love towards each other.

The penultimate track is A New Home, which is another very atmospheric track with more superb bass accompaniment and slide guitar sounds over sweeping synthesisers and keyboards. Again, there is the call for love to be shown and cultivated in our lives. This track has a most effective and fabulous sound where Lula Beggs vocals feature once more and she does a great job. The final song, Life Is Like The Weather, acts as a wonderful conclusion to the album as it recalls past friendships and how they change, hopefully for the better. It is a beautiful and gentle end to another strong album from this extremely talented multi-national band with members from Holland, the U.K and the USA. As with previous releases the artwork, graphics and production are exemplary and add greatly to the look of the album. For me this one is definitely another Winner.

Released 27th October, 2023.

Order from Cherry Red here:

Fish On Friday: 8mm, CD – Cherry Red Records

Review – Pattern Seeking Animals – Spooky Action at a Distance – by John Wenlock-Smith

2023 has been a most excellent year for music, with many fine releases hitting the racks. They have been full of music of worth and value, not the unimaginative, tepid and vacuous drivel that dominates the airwaves, grabs the headlines and gets the promotional push and thrust of X, Snapchat or Tik Tok, the arena where things like good song craft and musical abilities are unrecognised.

This is why I like current progressive rock music as I find that it is music that contains all the elements that make music worthwhile, great song craft, strong musical performances and songs that have themes and are interesting, rather than banal and lacking these elements entirely. This all brings us to this fine new release from Californian band Pattern Seeking Animals with their new album ‘Spooky Action at a Distance’. This ten song album, has all of the elements that satisfy me, good songs and strong musical ideas and performances.

Pattern Seeking Animals are the vehicle that song writer John Boegehold uses for his music, he is accompanied by most of the current line up of Spock’s Beard, all except keyboardist Ryo Okumoto, that role being covered by John himself. On this album there is also a string section that adds significant orchestral elements to the music. In addition, for this album, extra attention has been focused on the vocals and that attention and focus has paid significant benefits, this means that the songs really are memorable and stay with you, long after the album has concluded. This time around PSA have changed this around a little to create something that is different to what has gone beforehand and this has been very successful.

Ì enjoyed and bought the previous Pattern Seeking Animals CD’s and I will buy this one as well, as I find their highly melodic approach and quality of music appeals greatly to me, as does the intelligence that lies at the heart of their music connects with me. The days of banal and misogynistic lyrics no longer have a place, I want the music I enjoy to actually mean something and be about interesting scenarios and this is why progressive music matters, as it has historically met that remit and continues to do so. This album also fits that bill, all this is most worthy but is it any good you may ask?

Well the answer is a resounding yes, it is a mature album and one that really grows on you the more you hear it. The album has lots of excellent moments and excellent performances and opener The Man Made Of Stone sets the stall out with a very memorable chorus and enough changes of direction to confuse anyone, through all of which there is a central melody that is recurrent and impresses greatly. The song opens with an almost military style drumbeat before a flute like synth sound is added and the sound then builds. There is a good solid bass part too that fills the sound out nicely, as does a neat little guitar fill and a synth line that mirrors it. The great synth fill really adds to the track, as does the cello part and the song really impresses. This is followed by the storming Window To The World which, again, features some unusual time signatures and rhythmic sections that work together to make something that is both different and unusual, yet also an a extremely fine listen. The lyrics are strong and the vocals are powerful and clear with the backing vocals sounding especially fine. What Awaits Me is hinged on a repeated bass run that plays to the bands musical strengths. Again, the string section add touches that enhance the song greatly. This track serves to emphasise just what a great band PSA are and what worth they have and offer, this is quality stuff, lovingly and carefully crafted with every song working to create a cohesive album.

The fourth song, He Once Was, is another fascinating track, slightly downbeat in tone as it is a song about a soldiers wartime reflections. This piece is very moving and well constructed, with great musicianship, it is also the albums’ longest song and the extended length gives room to expand and the time is used wisely and thoughtfully, with sections being recognisable, and different enough, to retain the listeners interest throughout. I really like this track as it shows the great skill that has gone into its making. Again, I am reminded of the classic sound of Kansas, who PSA have a similarity as they have a similar mix of sound and depth. This is possibly my favourite track on the album, it really is a great song from all concerned and a fine guitar solo towards the end reinforces that idea. The saxophone solo adds depth and gravitas to the track making it beautifully sublime, it’s a truly great song on all fronts. Underneath The Orphan Moon continues the album with another excellent song with a great vocal, sympathetic strings and bass that adds to the excellent dynamics of this shorter track. It is a very satisfyingly fine one at that, with excellent bass work anchoring the song wonderfully, this song oozes emotion and class. Clouds That Never Rain is a very upbeat and sprightly track with a recurring riff that leads the track well. An impassioned vocal really adds soul and the background vocals are especially strong. The song is only a shortish one but has lots contained within its five plus minutes running time. Bassist Dave Meros once again shows how integral he is to the bands overall sound, on this album he is most definitely on form and possibly MVP (most valuable player).

Bulletproof continues this excellent album and, again, the bass work is especially fine. The song name checks themselves as Pattern Seeking Animals and could be about resilience or maybe it isn’t, I don’t really know. What I do know is that it has a refrain that others would kill for! Somewhere North Of Nowhere is another fine track, seemingly about Aliens hunting people after an invasion. Again, there are lots of impressive bass work and touches, including some great keyboard embellishments. This is followed by the track Summoned From Afar, which is about a reluctant warrior victorious in her last battle. There are a lot of layers to this track, with subtle use of other instruments like the flute and mandolin to enhance the overall sound palette and spectrum, another most impressive track that will stay with you for certain. The album closes with Love Is Still The Light, a very poignant and gentle song with a really great vocal performance from Ted Leonard. This is a beautiful heartfelt track that tells us that ‘Love Is Still The Answer, Love Is Still The Light’. It has a neat and brief guitar solo that plays counterpoint to the vocals and really grabs the attention and this song closes the album gracefully.

This is an album of significant worth and value with some great performances and musicianship from all the band. The changes to recording location and production that the band have utilised has definitely reaped great rewards. If you want modern progressive rock with both style and substance then this album will hopefully meet that requirement for you. Why not give it a try and see if you agree with me.

Released 27th October, 2023.

Order the album here:

Spooky Action at a Distance (lnk.to)

Review – Swan Chorus – Achilles and the Difference Engine – by John Wenlock-Smith

I’ve heard about this album for a while but not actually heard it until i got in touch with David Knowles, the band’s keyboard player and a major part of the entire project. Everything that I had read and seen on the internet hinted that this one was a bit special, so it was with a small degree of trepidation that I sat down to listen for myself and see if there was any substance and truth to validate these claims or whether it was just hype generated in order to sell the album…

Well, I have to say that it’s is not hype at all, in a year of excellent releases from the likes of The Emerald Dawn, Ruby Dawn and Southern Empire (to name just three) this album has leapt, nay vaulted, into my list of albums of the year, it really is that fine! There are strong memorable songs, some truly exhilarating performances and vocals that are strong and clear. I think that, in John Wilkinson, they have a vocalist who can match the power of Collins era Genesis alongside which, with the intricate detailed keyboards of David Knowles, they have unearthed a very rich vein of talent and competence, it has barely left my CD player all week. I’ve listened on various systems, headphones, on my phone and even whilst in the bath!

This album is full of great songs like the stunning opening duo of The Waffle House Index and the so Genesis After Dark, that sounds like it could be a newly unearthed Genesis track from ‘Invisible Touch’ or ‘We Can’t Dance’. It’s that good and John’s vocal certainly helps with that impression. It has been a source of much joy reading the lyrics online whilst listening to this decidedly Prog/Pop crossover album, if this were on a major label like InsideOut it could get some good promotional impetus behind it and could happily meet the needs of Genesis deprived Radio 2 listeners. It really is that good and, quite frankly, the fact that this isn’t being blasted out over the airwaves is a major fault with music today. This has crossover written all over it it and warrants a far bigger audience that it will sadly receive, if Steven Wilson were to release this it would be massive. Such is the problem with prog circles, they can be a bit blinkered and short sighted in the width of vision.

So the album consists of ten songs and has a running time of sixty-seven minutes long. This comprises of three longer songs in the opener The Waffle House Index,  My Little Vampire and The Great Adventure. The other seven tracks hover around the four to five minute mark, although English Electric is just shy of six minutes. The sleeve is interesting in that, as a Liverpool based band ,the cover shows or seems to, a nighttime photo of the Liverpool skyline as it is now alongside a swan’s neck and head. Achilles refers to a band that David and Colin McKay were a part of in the 1980’s, in fact some of the albums songs were previously Achilles songs that have been revisited, refreshed and even reworked for this album. These songs being all except My Little Vampire and The Great Adventure, although English Electric itself actually dates back to an idea before the band’s name became Achilles, as they were not able to use English Electric as a band name due to legal/copyright issues.

The album is, unsurprisingly, somewhat political at certain points as they take a swipe at the fanatical following that folk like Donald Trump receive and how that blind faith is dangerous to hedonism. There is also a sense of political dissatisfaction that runs through some of the songs, I guess with them coming from Liverpool that they are more Labour oriented than Tory in their views. There is also a song about Peter Sellers (Being There) that talks of how his talent was largely under appreciated by the critics and also the fact that his talent was often overshadowed by his extravagant lifestyle, his love affairs and his hedonism. This was especially true with the tabloids (gutter press like the Murdoch media, rags like The News Of The World and the Daily Mail that so often tell lies and untruths about people). The song has a lovely piano refrain that runs through it, along with orchestrations and a simple synth line that adds weight to the track. A strong vocal introduces the song which, in itself, is rather sad but not morbid, rather it focuses on his failure to maximise on his talents to a level of success that eluded him till his death. This also notes that his passing was largely ignored by the mainstream media, there was no elongated celebration of his talent sadly, his life was worthy of much more than it received.

This is followed by a couple of shorter tracks, namely Cold Comfort and Contender, the former being about family it seems and with a busy bass riff throughout. There is also a chunky guitar fill happening alongside the symphonic keyboards of David Knowles, who really plays up a storm on this album, the song has pace and good dynamics. “The sole of your preachers” is a reference to some inferior footwear from before the days of Nike and Adidas’s training shoe cartel of today. This is followed by the muscular Contender, which is the tale of a man called Danny who is incarcerated for crimes undisclosed. Danny does a degree whilst locked up which affords him the attention of a prison visitor groupie, this is a cautionary tale.

My Little Vampire is a song about how relationships often play out very differently in privacy and how partners can be very cruel to each other. The song contrasts the illusion and imagery of a Bob Ross painting when the reality is very different. This has a piercing guitar solo in the middle and even more lush keyboard sounds and is an emotionally involved track. English Electric, despite its title, has nothing to do with Big Big Train except that originally Achilles considered the name but were unable to use it for copyright and legal reasons. The song has a strong triumphant opening salvo with a jaunty synth, strident bass line and a masterful vocal which complements the song greatly. It has a further snaking lead guitar line and the sturdy bass driving the song forward. I especially like this rather jolly song, it is a great track. Welcome Home is another shorter song with good lyrics, a driving bass and lots of guitar fills. It’s meaning is a little unclear but it is a good track with more than a whiff of the 80’s In its sounds.

The final piece, This Great Adventure, is the album’s longest at just under thirteen minutes duration. This song seems to be about stepping up, making a difference and taking on the challenges of life in a post lockdown pandemic afflicted world. There’s yet more solid bass driving it with scores of keyboards and short but effective guitar fills. The vocal are delivered with deep conviction. This song is a perfect representation of what Swan Chorus are all about and distils into one track all this band offer

This album will no doubt appear on many best of 2023 lists and will definitely be on mine. I commend it most highly indeed, it is simply sublime and enchantingly captivating. Get it now you, will not regret it one bit and the band will appreciate your interest and support.

Released 13th August, 2023.

Order from bandcamp here:

Achilles and the Difference Engine | Swan Chorus (bandcamp.com)

Review – Massimo Pieretti – A New Beginning – by John Wenlock-Smith

I was contacted on social media and invited to hear this album, released completely independently by Massimo himself as an outlet for his own music, but also seemingly as a kind of therapy for feelings and issues in his own past. This makes this rather gentle album all the more profound really as a journey into new adventures, ‘A New Beginning’ an apt title in that respect. Massimo is a music lecturer and teacher in Rome and he has played in various progressive groups in Italy, his own music is actually rather sensitive and beguiling, it certainly has excellent keyboards (unsurprisingly enough).

This short album is best heard in one continuous setting as it will take you on Massimo’s journey to contentment and completeness. It also makes political comments about Italian society along the way, in addition, it seems a lot of the songs are reflections on relationship issues that Massimo has experienced over the years. The music ranges in style from short vignettes to more pop based structures. Throughput the album there are some good keyboard tones and sounds employed to good effect. Out Of This World uses a sample taken from Charlie Chaplin’s 1940 film The Great Dictator to good effect to address the need for democracy in Italy after the era of Ille Duce (Mussolini)

In the information sheet that comes with the album Massimo gives some information that is pertinent to the album. He states “It is a largely autobiographical concept album, through which I tried to express my point of view on today’s society by taking a cue from my own personal problems and life experiences. Of the songs, the most autobiographical ones are Oh Father, Growing Old, Things To Live And To Die For and Family and Business. Other tracks like In November, Is That Girl Right? and Out of this World reflect my passion for cinema and film music. Finally the tracks A New Beginning parts A and B and I Hope You Will Always Be Here With Me are representative of my background in progressive music and my respect for others and environmental concerns. There is also an effort to present circularity in order to merge genres, my important academic studies and previous plays.”

Whether or not this succeeds on that score is possibly up to you, the listener, to decide but, in any respect, Massimo has crafted a deeply personal album with definite progressive elements and some fine keyboards in a very lush sounding recording. He has also started work on a second album that will utilise the talents of John Hackett, Nick Fletcher and Laura Piazzai, to name but three and I eagerly await that one too.

The album opens or commences with the brief but exciting synthesisers of Intro that gently swirl and create an atmosphere of warmth. Oh Father is a recollection of memories of Massimo’s father and the lessons he taught and showed about life and love. It seems the relationship was a difficult one, fraught with conflict but now, looking back with hindsight, Massimo understands his father’s interest was in shaping him. In November is a gentle song, although it has a good guitar line played throughout which sounds exquisite really, as does the the intro and opening section of Growing Old which reflects on ageing, the track is aided by a gorgeous fretless bass which definitely adds to the atmosphere created. Next is the song Is That Girl Right? which reflects on a relationship Massimo experienced, one that seemingly didn’t work out the way it was hoped or expected to.

Out Of This World is a political diatribe against inequality and division. This is followed by a jazzy Interlude with sax, piano and fretless bass that is short and segues into the next track, Things To Live And Die For, which sounds a little like an 80’s song but by whom eludes me at the moment. Family and Business has a harder edge provided by the excellent riff and Bowie-like vocal, it’s a proper rocker and one I really enjoyed. A New Beginning Parts A & B seems to be a call to treat each other with kindness, decency and dignity and also to care for our environment. I Hope You Will Always Be Here With Me is a plea for companionship on life’s journey, its better together than alone. The album proper ends with Intro Reprise which is, you guessed it, a reprise of the elegant opening tot he album and works really well to bring things to a close. The bonus tracks on this album are reworked, stripped down versions of the album tracks In November and Things To Live And Die For with a more spartan approach, This allows the beauty of the songs to shine through more clearly, although some might prefer the original, more layered, versions.

To be honest and fair whilst I have enjoyed this album, I don’t feel that it is one that I will reach for often, rather more one to listen to quietly later in the evening. For now though, there is plenty of thoughtfully considered musical performances on offer on this album. Massimo Pieretti I applaud this fine effort.

Released 1st September, 2022.

Order from bandcamp here:

A new beginning | Massimo Pieretti (bandcamp.com)

Review – John Lodge – Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn – by John Wnelock-Smith

The deaths of Ray Thomas in 2017 and Graeme Edge in 2021 were the final nail in the coffin (sorry) for the almost sixty year period of existence for the Moody Blues, an era which the band had seen many highs and lows. This period saw their early transition from humble beginnings as a R n’ B band in Birmingham, along with contemporaries like The Idle Race and the Spencer Davis Group, through to their reinvention and revitalisation with the addition of John Lodge and Justin Hayward, replacing Denny Laine and Clint Warwick. This led to a the string of successes including their debut album ‘Days Of Future Passed’ in 1967 and the legendary Nights In White Satin single that took the charts by storm, not just once but three times, in1967, 1972 and 1979! It was an album that introduced the world to a new sound, aided in part with the unveiling of brand new sounds with the Mellotron.

‘Days Of Future Passed – My Sojourn’, this new interpretation from John Lodge, will take you back to that time in 1967 when ‘Days Of Future Passed’ was initially released on the new progressive imprint of Decca Records, Deram, that was created in order to publicise the new Deramic sound from the label. This sound was actually a false stereo sound, until this time most music was released in mixed in mono, both for ease of mixing but also because the public tended to hear music from single speaker playback like the Dansette or transistor  radios. The Decca Panoramic Sound (later shortened to Deramic) was a huge step forward to the stereo sounds that emerged shortly afterwards and this album was the flagship release to unveil this new sound and ,with which, Decca hoped to sell their radiograph to the public.

It is possibly hard to conceive today just what a huge improvement in sound this system was. It was actually ground breaking and innovative and this album was able to reap the benefits of the system and, as such, was a major step in sound engineering, even now, nearly 60 years on, this is still astonishing. I often think that The Moody Blues did not receive the full respect and admiration that they were due, as without them their innovations prog as we know it would not have existed. Now, 56 years, on John has revisited this pivotal album and recreated it anew with a few tweaks and additions. To my ears, he has done an excellent reinterpretation of this seminal work.

John has utilised his 10,000 Light Years Band on this album, with particular mention to musical director Alan Hewitt who has done a wonderful job in the orchestrations the album utilises in such an enlivened manner, meaning it is not just a pale recreation, it is a really impressive piece of work. This new imagining really benefits from the time that has elapsed since the original album, as the technological advances in that time allow for a fuller sound, one in which every instrument has space to be heard clearly. I also really like that John was able to get Graeme Edge involved in the project, with his poetry on Morning Glory opening the album and, on Late Lament, drawing the album to a close.

The album is composed of seven parts across its 17 tracks, these range from very brief interludes to the longer tracks that round out the album and the album sounds really spacious. The record also has Jon Davison of Yes singing on Tuesday Afternoon and Nights In White Satin, alongside John himself. I was especially taken with the great bass sounds the album has and the excellent ensemble playing of the 10,000 Light Years Band, especially the guitar work of Alan Duffy and the keyboards of Alan Hewitt, who both shine throughout.

You tend to forget just what a huge step forward the original album was and the run of success that followed in its wake, as the run of albums that followed bridged the gap between the past and the present. The Moody Blues were at the forefront of progressive music at the time and were really pushing the envelope in terms of sound and craftsmanship.

It helps if you can hear the two versions together as you can hear the difference in sound immediately and can enjoy the journey the album takes you on. For me, the longer and rockier tracks like Tuesday Afternoon, Peak Hour and Nights In White Satin are the standouts, the guitar runs on Tuesday Afternoon are magical, light and dextrous, as are the two poetry/spoken words segments with Graeme Edge’s Brummie voice clearly present. This is the first time he had actually read his own poems on record, normally Mike Pinder had read them on the albums. This was Graeme’s last ever recording as he sadly died very soon after this, so, for this reason alone, it is good to hear him on this album,

The production is lush, crisp and clear and the album artwork is really warm and wonderfully crafted with the definite touch of Roger Dean, although this is not credited.

This is an album that will reach into your heart with its gentleness and beauty and will refresh your soul as its hidden depths are re-discovered. I urge you to hear this masterpiece as a balm for modern times, it is most highly recommended.

Released 22nd September, 2023.

Order from Burning Shed here:

John Lodge (burningshed.com)

Review – The Wood Demons – Angels Of Peckham Rye – by John Wenlock-Smith

I first came across this rather interesting and somewhat unusual sounding band very recently when they supported the Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate chaps at their album launch for the splendid ‘Light Of Ancient Mistakes’ in that there London, my first time in “The Smoke” for several years, well March 2021 to be precise. I had not heard anything by The Wood Demons anywhere and, despite seeing their name in various gig promotions, I knew nothing about them,

Well, I saw and enjoyed their brief set, several songs from which appear on this great album. These includ the album’s title track Angels Of Peckham Rye, Arithmomania and All Heaven’s Breaking Loose, to name just three, although they might have also played The Odd Particle, come to think of it.

Their sound is rather different, mixing in styles of progressive rock, psychedelia,  folk and even ambient and classical touches. Their line up consists of Rick Startin (keys, guitar, vocals), John Silver (bass), Simon Carbery (lead vocals, guitar), Ed Kontargyris (drums) and they also have a secret weapon in the lush and enticing violin of Naomi Belshaw. The album is a very satisfying listen but, for me, it’s the elegant violin parts that add the icing to a very tasty cake. In places I was reminded of Caravan as Simon Carbery has a similar vocal style to Pye Hastings and several of the tracks are in a ‘Caravan’ type sound.

Opener Arithmomania certainly made my ears prick up with stylish arpeggio guitar and clever juxtaposition of lyrics and how we can count numbers to show the scope of the world and help us define it but also not just reducing it to a series of measurements. This song reveals a sense of wonder in our world and will hook you in as it is a terrific opening track and one that shows what The Wood Demons are all about. It distils their craft into one decent length track that is blessed with that sublime violin. I’m waxing lyrically as this track has rapidly become one of the best things I’ve heard in ages, believe me when I say that, in a year full of exciting and often excellent music, this one stands out and confirms just how good a track this really is, utterly compelling. The Odd Particle is a busy instrumental that allows John Silver’s classy bass to lead us on a merry saunter whilst Naomi struts her stuff with superb pizzicato playing and plucking and Simon lays down some great guitar tones. It’s a shorter piece, very atmospheric and almost cinematic wide-screen in sound and has the whole band blending together in a glorious melding to create a really worthy piece of music.

This is in turn followed by the equally as memorable Big Game Fishing, which is simply a gorgeous song with a gentle but very sweet acoustic guitar part and earnest yet warm vocals. This is very folk like and almost like a sea shanty in parts although when the mellotron kicks in with its lush sound, you can tell this is actually a rather more intricate track. There are great harmonies in this song too and some great understated and dexterous bass playing on offer from John. Of course Naomi’s lovely violin swoops and soars throughout making it all very splendid indeed. Starstruck is a very fine song too and one that works well, it’s harder sounding with the guitars very much to the fore here, they have a real crunch and bite to them. This song is chock full of chunky, chugging riffs and excellent dynamics and it also has a somewhat discordant guitar break, which works especially well with the sax of Michael Wilkins to make a really great sounding track. This is in part powered by more fine bass work before the song enters a more gentle section with keyboard effects and chiming guitar arpeggios and fingerpicking. It’s all very pastoral and in complete contrast to how the track began, unsurprisingly the momentum gathers pace again and the whole band sound urgent as they return to the harder sound once again. This is very impressive and dynamic and a fabulous track ends on sustained guitar riffs.

Angels Of Peckham Rye is inspired by the story of poet William Blake who, aged 8, saw visions of angels in an oak tree in Peckham Rye. Blake also wrote the classic Jerusalem, as made famous by Emerson, Lake and Palmer on their ‘Brain Salad Surgery’ album and also Tyger Tyger Burning Bright, which was covered by Tangerine Dream for their ‘Tyger’ album in the 1980’s. This track is really rather good too, mixing eastern sounding violin lines into the overall sound to create some epic sounds and a riff not dissimilar to Rainbow’s Gates Of Babylon. It is all very impressive sounding and yet another excellent track. This leads into the album’s final track, All Heaven’s Breaking Loose, which is hinged on busy bass and guitar riffs, above all of which there is a soaring violin. This song is actually very energetic and there is a lot going on, with everyone seemingly doing their own thing but, somehow, it all seems to work and the track impresses greatly. There’s an excellent guitar solo from Simon, whose playing here is very effective and eloquently delivered and it ends the song, and indeed the album, in style.

At the live gig, the band also showcased a couple of new tracks that will, hopefully, appear on their next album but, for now, this will do very nicely. ‘Angels Of Peckham Rye’ is truly a splendid, interesting and engaging listen and one that you will want to return to frequently, I know I will. I do recommend this band and album to you, it’s worth it to hear that great violin!

Released 4th December, 2020.

Order from bandcamp here:

Angels Of Peckham Rye (album) | The Wood Demons (bandcamp.com)

Interview with John Lodge – by John Wenlock-Smith

Picture by Frank Piercy

JWS: Hello John, it’s John from Progradar here.

JL: Hello John.

JWS: How are you?

JL: I’m fine thanks and you?

JWS: Yes I’m fine as well, let’s talk about your new album (‘Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn’). I’ve heard it and I think it’s great, a bold reimagining off a truly classic album, reworked for the modern times.

JL: Thank you very much, I tried to stay true to the emotion of ‘Days of Future Passed’ but with a twist for 2023. Hopefully people can relate to it, especially the younger fans. Hopefully they will wonder what the original version was like.

JWS: Well, I went back to the original and compared the two versions. I really enjoyed going back and hearing it again but I also liked the new version as well. I especially liked the way your bass was more prominent.

JL: When we made the original, we recorded it with two four-track machines. Now, of course, we have far more technology available to use so we were able to get the sound we’d originally envisaged for it. We were able to give the sound for the bass more room and, indeed, all the instruments were given more space, their own space.

JWS: Well I think it’s worked well, it’s a great idea. You’ve not just taken an album, you’ve not merely replicated it, you’ve reimagined it and made it sound more modern and contemporary.

JL: Well that was what I was hoping for, I’m glad you like it.

JWS: I also like that you have Jon Davison of Yes singing Tuesday Afternoon on the new version, I think he sounds really great.

JL: John is a good guy, a great singer writer and a great guy as well. I know him from 2017 and the Royal Affair tour I did with Yes and Asia where I joined them for an encore of John Lennon’s Imagine. Jon joined me for a version of Ride My See Saw, which Jon has done on several occasions very memorably.

JWS: I also liked that you managed to get Graeme Edge involved with his poetry,

JL: Yes I asked Graeme if he be willing to be involved and he said that he’d love to as he’d never read his own poetry before. So Graeme and I went into the studio in Florida where he recorded his poetry, sadly he passed the next week, so he never got to hear the finished recording. but at least I was with him near the end.

JWS: You were big friends with Ray Thomas as well?

JL: Yes I first met Ray when I was 15 and we’ve worked together ever since. I do a song in his memory in my show, Legend of a Mind, in his honour. He was a remarkable man really, I miss him dreadfully .

JWS: It’s good that you uphold their memory in such a manner.

JL: Well I want keep these songs alive otherwise they will fade away! They don’t get played much, unless it’s in a medley, and they deserve more than that really.

JWS: Well I have both of Ray’s albums, and both of Graeme’s, on my shelf. I was listening to some of your back catalogue recently, including a set on the ‘Timeless Flight’ boxset of the ‘Blue Jays’, live from Lancaster University. You had the Trapeze boys with you on that show.

JL: Yes, Dave Holland, Terry Rowley and Mel Galley, fabulous chaps one and all! I produced their ‘Medusa’ album, they were a great band.

JWS: Listening to your albums, as I have been doing over the past few days, has given me a fresh appreciation for just how ground-breaking you were as a band. The music on those first six albums was beautifully crafted, intelligent and well thought out. I think people simply failed to recognise that beauty.

JL: I’m glad you said that because I feel that way as well. People tend to overlook that, I don’t think the media ever gave us a fair chance really but we were pushing the boundaries of where music was.

JWS: I used to love the sleeve artwork as they told the story as well, with their imagery and artwork supporting the music in a complementary manner.

JL: Well that’s what I’m so glad that vinyl is making a comeback. This new album is being released on vinyl in November, I’ve just had the masters from Germany, and it sounds great.

JWS: I think kids today miss the sheer joy of trawling through crates of vinyl, discovering stuff for themselves.

JL: That’s the issue I have with streaming, they dictate what you hear so, say Lennon’s Imagine, you only get to hear certain songs and omit songs like Jealous Guy.

JWS: Well John, my time has gone so I’d better let you go, but thank you for talking with me about things, I really enjoyed it and appreciate your tim.

JL: Well, thank you as well John, I’ve enjoyed talking with you too.

‘Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn’ was released 22nd September, 2023.

Order the album here:

John Lodge – Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn (slinky.to)

Review – Z Machine – Merging Worlds by John Wenlock-Smith

I came across Z Machine, who hail from South Wales, via Facebook when they reached out for someone to listen to their music and I was very pleased to assist them with this. ‘Merging Worlds’ is a mixture of jazz fusion with some metallic edges and it also mixes in natural sounds to create something rather unique in its own way. The Band have a great sound and the use of Rob Harrison’s sax really works in their favour, as does having a drummer, Lester Greenhalgh, who is steeped in jazz which gives a lightness of touch, the high degree of talent and flair is also excellent. There are also two excellent guitarists in Gareth Piper and Owen Rosser who add significantly to the dense textures with some great licks and fills in the songs.

My initial thoughts were of Mel Collins work with King Crimson as the sound is heavy and dense with lots of room for the sax and flute to shine. Bassist Kristian Rees holds things down very tightly, his rumbling bass being another good fit to these songs. Well I say songs but they are all instrumental tracks, the album has six full tracks and six connecting pieces that act as a bridges between the tracks. This approach works especially effectively for the group and the use of natural and industrial sounds makes this a most interesting project and a very good listen too.

The album begins with Introduction – Amphibiospaien, the sound of birds and elephants, and what sounds like sirens but probably isn’t. This leads into Bonus Eruptus with a heavy riff and strong horns and drumming that powers the track along. There is also good interplay between the guitars and sax to create a most effective wall of sound with some great guitar fills. It’s all very musical and very Crimsonesque in parts and an excellent statement of intent from the band. This leads into the sequence track Interlude – Thunder in Paradise, which features thunder and percussion embellishments in a short piece. Big Old Hen is, again, very sax heavy with interjections by the guitars as the sax of wails most impressively. There are great dynamics at play here and also some great guitar flourishes and squeals that sound really impressive. This track, although short, has a lot going on throughout its seven minutes running time including a great guitar solo from Owen Rosser in which he channels his inner Mahavishnu as Rob Harrison adds supporting sax tones, another winner.

Interlude – Saltwash is next and this has radio chatter, electronica and what sounds like computer game noises before urgent drums lead in Myrtle the Turtle, Rob’s heavy sax playing a complicated syncopated riff, along with guitar fills. Thereafter aa short bass solo from Kristian takes the track into more heavy guitar licks and riffing as, again, the syncopated riff is repeated as drums crash all around the music with the guitarists peppering the riffs with tidy little fills and flourishes to sound really strong. It’s blistering and spirited and a really excellent track. Interlude – Whalespice Subdepth has ocean sounds along with train noises and then whale song and that leads us into Spacewalk with Kristian’s walking bassline accompanied by Robs Sax. There are yet more guitar embellishments courtesy of Gareth and Owen, who are both driving this track forward with drummer Lester Greenhalgh providing solid percussive support and drive. The middle part has a less urgent section where the band lesssen off and let the sax play languidly in places before regathering the tempo and moving forwards once again. I really like the interplay that is present in this track.

Interlude – Coyote Dusk features dogs barking and other night-time noises before Joining the Q opens with more solid bass work from Kristian. This shorter track has another great sax part from and more stylish guitar lines from Gareth and Owen, who follow the Sax melody with chiming arpeggios and harmonics. A short drum break from Lester then takes centre stage, eclipsed by the great fluid and lyrical guitar lines of Owen and Gareth who bring the track to a grand finale. Interlude – Driftscene has guitar tones and synths playing over forest noises before final track Synoceratus opens with a great flute over a quick bassline and guitars that are wailing in a most agreeable manner and tone. This piece burns like a Brand X outtake, it is most agreeable and satisfying to hear this degree of enthusiasm and dynamics being presented here. This is probably my favourite track of the entire album and really impresses, it’s a very good ending to what is a really strong album.

If you like the brassy strains of King Crimson this one might very well be for you. It is brilliant and incredibly interesting jazz  fusion for the modern age, I highly recommend this wonderful album.

Released 30th September, 2023.

Order from bandcamp here:

Merging Worlds | Z Machine (bandcamp.com)