Five tracks, all in Italian (they released two English language albums that had new lyrics by Pete Sinfield, is why I mention that…)

PFM are one of the greatest of the classic prog bands.  I had only heard their 70′s content and of that Per Un Amico is by far their best.

It’s like Rammstein, in that I can’t speak or understand German.  The same with PFM.  I don’t have the first idea of Italian but it seems to fit the music.  Blame Jon anderson for that.  Yes tracks have nonsensical lyrics but you don’t tend to listen to the lyrics alone.  Otherwise you’d go, ‘what is he on about?’   But as songs, with all instruments together, it seems to fit.  I’m used to hearing the vocal arrangement as an extra instrument.  Different to a lot of bands/songs where the music serves the singer.  Does that make any sense?  Hmm, maybe.

Per Un Amico has a heavy use of synth across the album (and I’ve always been a sucker for good synth), in what are quite folky songs.  A good combination.

(Quick note, before I forget.  PFM reformed in the late ’90s.  I’d very much like to see them live one day.  I’ll have to keep any eye out for that.)

- Alistair

A 60s/70s band from Greece with Vangelis and Greek crooner Demis Roussos among the members.  Released three albums of which I have the third and final: 666 (The Apocalypse of John, 13/18).

Let’s not kid ourselves on, this is an exercise in absolute madness.  I heard the opening tracks “The System” and “Babylon” on a Prog Rock compilation cd the year before i found it in Stereo One in Paisley.  For the life of me I don’t know what compelled me to buy it at the time.  Oh, that’s right, I bought all manner of dodgy prog at the time…

(What’s this “at the time” nonsense?  Dodgy prog is always being bought… )

Anyone with any sense of adventure, or bloody-mindedness, has to source a copy for themselves.

It’s a difficult album to describe.  There are heavy psychedelic influences all over the shop.  But don’t let that put you off.    I have this odd idea of walking to work tomorrow, weather holding out, and if I do i’ll give whole two disc suite a try.  That might just fry what’s left of my fragile mind…

- Alistair

I’m sure I was aware of the ’80 classic Owner of a Lonely Heart, I must have been, but the first time I actually chose to listen to them was finding a copy of Classic Yes on vinyl in Glenburn Library.  It was the cover that caught my eye (of course it was…) and as a young teen I was totally overwhelmed by what I heard.  The record went back to the library and nothing more was said.

It was a few years later when I was coming out of my intensive teenage heavy metal phase when I happened upon a vinyl copy of Close to the Edge.  I bought it for £1.50 and ferried it home.  It was astonishing.  The opening of the title track was like nothing I had ever heard, the steady build-up of environmental effects then the guitar kicks in…

From there it was a downhill road to ruin, or getting in to Yes…

The studio albums are all sheer class with two notable exceptions.  Tales of Topographic Oceans is to be avoided at all costs.  And then there’s Open Your Eyes, which Neil and I like to refer to as Open Your Arse (or variations thereof).  Make your own mind up how I feel about those two. 

Their mid-eighties work was a lot more rock than prog, Owner is a prime example, but special mention has to be given to Union, or ‘Onion’ as I’ve called it.  Union was released during a period when Jon Anderson was a member of yes and part of a group of ex-members called Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe.  Can you guess why?  (And look at this.  It’s from a pay-per-view gig.  This is how it starts.  I want to die inside.)  For years I never liked Union.  You had members of both groups on it, a feeling of too many cooks…  It was like you had to peel the layers away and all that happened was it made you cry…

I’ve relaxed since then.  There’s some good stuff there.  Not the best of Yes by far but a good album.

Where to start?  Hell, give Close To The Edge a start.  Nothing like jumping in at the deep end… 

- Alistair

Normally I’m none to bothered about politics.  i don’t like it, I don’t trust it so i tend to stay away from political discussions.  Most of it involves bad rhetoric, time that can be spent doing something more worthwhile, like scratching my bum.

But at work this morning the conversation veered onto the topic of the upcoming elections.  One fellow worker, scunnered for years by the bullshit system, hasn’t voted for a time and has no intention of doing so this time round.  Another opinion was that, after seeing members of the Communist Party Scottish Committee in the street handing out leaflets, one of the ladies there was rather attractive, sporting “sizable chest puppies”.  A safe vote there for the Communist Party Scottish Committee.  This fills me with confidence.

I realised that I’m still undecided.  In the past I’ve held no allegiance to any particular party, tending to mistrust them all but voting as my conscience dictated all the same.  Each time I’ve dodged two different groups.  Nationalists and niche, singe-issue parties.  A third group is on my no-fly list.  Christian Parties.  There are two in Scotland at the moment. The Scottish Christian Party and the Christian Peoples Alliance.

So, as a good Christian (There are no ‘good’ Christians, only Christians, but that’s a rant for another time), will I be voting Christian?  I certainly will not.  I’ve seen what happens when ‘good’ Christians are in positions of power over others, and that’s just over other Christians.  I’d not like to imagine what they’d be like exercising power over a largely secular nation.

Then there are the interesting policies.  All suitably vague including my personal favourite, Respect for the Human Person, which among the usual wild promises are the expected ‘no marriage for non-heterosexuals’ and ‘Your foetus has more rights then you’.  The thing with rights is that once you grant them you don’t really have the right to take them away…  (actually George Carlin had a great routine on rights.  His opinion was that either you have all the rights or no rights at all.  There’s something about that I can’t really disagree with.)

Anyway, enough of this nonsense.  Talking politics and Christianity (or political Christianity) always winds me up no end.  Calming prog beckons.

- Alistair

They’ve just released another track for free online but it’s a track that’s not going to make it onto the album.  It has a heavy, epic feel about it.  Very prog.

I can’t wait until they play Glasgow again.  we’ll have to get the idiots in capes the Prog Crusaders together again.

I’m still very excited about this album (due out in three days!)

Go and check it out here.

- Alistair

Anyway, they’ve been working on a new album for what seems like ages… and it looks like it’s finally ready for release (available early doors next year it seems).  It’s called XXV and it’s the sequel to their first, The Sentinel, which is a prog classic from 1984…

I really could rattle on for a good while about how good the band are, and how cool they are after running with the whole Prog Crusader thing with the capes at the Ferry gig, but nick over to their website and get the download of one of the album tracks, Monster.

It’s prog and it’s good.  That is all.

- Alistair

• The Railman, part two, is practically ready for arrival on Friday.  Got a little bit to tidy up with it but otherwise it’s good to go.  Not sure where the story is going.  It might only last three parts, or it might go on for ages.  I’ll just let it wander as it wants.  Probably for the best.  My last attempt to force a regular story was The Bandstand and that’s fallen into some kind of limbo.
• Catching up with the Writing Buddies.  These are a group of guys I met through the last two NaNoWriMo attempts.  A good bunch of guys with a range of skills and tastes.  Makes for an interesting group.  Always a joy to spend time with them.
• Get a new job.  You may have picked this up from my last post.  It’s becoming a matter of urgency now but I’m sure something pop up.  It usually does.
• Grey Knights.  I’ve almost finished painting them.  And in a colour I’m happy with.  I’m sure I can get them done by the end of the year.    There may even be photos of the great job I’ve done.
• Other general gaming.  I like gaming, it’s a passion but I spend very little time indulging in my hobby.  I’m going to try and rectify that.
• Other writing.  There are many unfinished stories and I have to do something with them.  If I can get one story published then I can get others.  I just have to persevere.
• Find a new church.  My faith is at a pretty low ebb and has been for a very… long… time.  It would be nice to find a place I can find some peace and where they can accept me for who I am.
• Summer’s End.  Providing that there is another Summer’s End prog festival this year, I’ll be there hopefully with Neil and Bruce.  Last year we had capes.  This year it might be full wizards robes…

That’s a list of things I have in my mind that’s not Ruth/Aurora centred.  I know it’ll change as time progresses and as free time deteriorates/becomes available.

- Alistair

The weekend was great.  Prog Neil and I drove down on Friday, listening to 7 hours of prog to get us suitably in the mood.  35 tracks in total I think.  Heh.

Met with Bruce and Sharla, enjoyed some fine beer and went to the venue to enjoy some Steve Hackett.  Wow, he was something.  As an opener for the festival he was hard to beat.  Many albums were bought. 

There were loads of great bands on the bill, and the stand outs were Godsticks, Pallas, Karnataka and Pendragon.  All the rest were good but these guys rocked the house.

But it was good to get back to the familiar comforts of home.

And the familiar disappointments…

The Spires Of Midnight has been put on hold for the time being.  Neither Ruth or myself are totally convinced that it’s a good enough concept for the Dundee Writing Comp.  That’s fair enough but it does leave me in a bind.  But where there’s imagination there’s hope…

There is something, just in concept stages, which is where the vampire story is, that i’ve been pottering about with.  It might have the spark I’m looking for that Spires doesn’t quite have.  And I’ve got 3 weeks still before the story is due.  It should be plenty of time.

And then there’s the Whiteinch thing.  I don’t even want to go there.  Not yet anyway.  I’m still too disappointed about that one.

(Not that I’m disappointed about not getting accepted, as far as I know I’m in the book although official confirmation hasn’t come through yet, but this is something else…)

- Alistair

‘This is the good shit’
- Daisy Steiner

Mastodon was recommended to me by Ruthy and, after constantly calling them Megalodon by accident, I found Crack The Skye in Fopp on Union Street for the sum of one crisp ten pound note.  After bringing it back to the Oasis Of Zin, or the study, I have to say that I’m particularly taken by it.

It’s progressive metal, have no doubt about that, but compared with other Prog Metal like Dream Theater (they being the only Prog Metal band I’ve really spent any time listening to) they have a definite 80′s metal leaning.

Certainly Crack The Skye is heavier than anything I’ve listened to in a while and it’s a welcome break to the easy world of symphonic prog that usually gets played loud around these parts.

The album is concept album territory, enough to deter all but the hardiest of music lovers, but it’s not so obvious to the unlearned.  If you like your music loud AND inventive, you’d do a lot worse than give this a try.

DoZ Rating (your handy guide to anything and everything) : 10 out of 10

- Alistair

And as I settle down to a few hours of writing it’s only fitting that Dark Side Of The Moon gets played.