Holdin' On To Yesterday

Two editorials this week...this is the second:

Having wanted to include Larry's editorial, but also talk about my reasons for including reviews of some past releases without repeating the same paragraph at the head, I've gone with the double editorial this month (and some of maybe a rehash of stuff I said before - I apologize).

Although I have been listening to prog rock of some variety since about 1976-78, when I bought Kansas' Point of Know Return (I can't recall exactly which year it was), I have only been collecting prog releases for the last ten years or so. I don't think that should blow my cred, since my opinions are my opinions regardless. Which doesn't mean that I have not bought progressive rock disks in the intervening years, of course.

Nevertheless, what I have chosen to review this week comes not from a deficit of new stuff to review, or at the very least newer stuff, but rather because I have been listening to a comp tape I made a few years ago of tracks from the albums under review. And I couldn't help but think about why I liked the particular track and the album it was on.

But some additional background first. In November of 1991, just after the release of Marillion's Holidays In Eden, I was on a quest to find rarities, CD singles, etc. I was exploring the smaller shops that carried imports (name checks: Hot Rocks, Covina; Rhino Records, Claremont; Off The Record, San Diego, others). My greatest source was Rhino Records (which I am happy to say has increased the size of their prog section again, close to what it was long ago). Around the same time, I'd read an article in either Pulse (Tower Records' free mag) or Kerrang! or... somewhere... that listed some recommended prog rock albums - Saga - In Transit, Genesis - Foxtrot (or maybe it was Nursery Crime), Yes - Fragile, among others. Well these were my starting points. Yes I knew already knew, due to 90125 and Big Generator, which were already in my collection, plus knowing "Roundabout" "Long Distance Roundaround" ... Genesis, I knew, too, but the Collins edition.

So, anyway, these two quests lead me to Rhino, where I discovered a great deal of this thing we call progressive. Now, some of those first purchases have already been reviewed - Animation, Edgon Heath, Eris Pluvia - but this just continues that. Which means, if you see a new review of an old title it is because I've something to say about it. I don't (or try not to) assume that my reader is a long time progressive fan. I write for those like me - you know what prog is, you're familiar with the bands, some of the history, but you don't know everything yet, and you haven't heard everything yet (let's hope there's no one out there who thinks they have). Therefore, I'll include them as service to those looking at back-catalog because they they've just discovered [band/artist name here].

The first six of the 13 disks have been uploaded this week. See March Reviews [now see The Musical Box {and now, in 2011, there just "there," in the mix of CD/DVD Reviews...} - ed] for those that were added this week. The remaining seven, plus others, will be published next week.

No... I don't remember what I published in that particular block... that piece of info is... gone. I don't even know which comp tape I'd been listening to... to quote another song: "what a drag it is getting old..." or maybe more appropriate is Gabriel: "i don't remember... I don't recall... I don't remember anything... anything at all..." -SS Sep 2011

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Published on: 2000-03-11 (1917 reads)