Ranking Blue Rodeo albums

Me and Jim Cuddy in Edmonton at his private show

Ok, I've been meaning to do this for a while and with them playing live in Edmonton tonight, it is fitting that I share my Blue Rodeo studio album rankings!  All ratings are out of 5.00.

1.  Five Days In July (1993) - 5.00
Every single song is pure gold and the album flows beautifully.  Sarah McLaughlin's voice adds an angelic tone. Recorded at Greg's farm with people milling about during recording, the beauty of this album is it's an honest, natural effort--pure, not overproduced.  Songs with drums use brushes and no sticks to give it that unplugged feel.  I'd need a whole other blog post to talk about this album, which I might do.  Note that I've also recorded a few of the songs on my own (Five Days in May, Hasn't Hit Me Yet, and Bad Timing) which in their own right are some of the best songs ever written and recorded. And that says something.  This album is one of their few full concept albums and they often play at least half the album at every live show.  It has been voted the top Blue Rodeo album by fans year after year.

Notable tracks:  all of them
My faves:  Five Days In July, Hasn't Hit Me Yet, Bad Timing, Cynthia, What Is This Love, No Where You Go/Tell Me Your Dream

2.  The Days In Between (2000) - 4.85
A harder album with mostly electric guitars and full drums, but superb, catchy songwriting.  It sucks they don't play any of these songs live anymore for whatever reason, but this album will always be tops for me.

Notable tracks:  Somebody Waits, Sad Nights, The Days In Between
My faves:  The Seeker, Begging You To Let Me In, Somebody Waits, Andrea, This Road, Rage, Truscott

3.  Tremolo (1997) - 4.50
This album just makes me happy overall and is a lot of fun to listen to. As with many of their albums, the last part of the album gets mellow, save of course the very last track Graveyard which comes out of no where and blasts you with a punk rock feel to finish the album.  So fun!

Notable tracks:  Moon and Tree, Falling Down Blue, Me & Baz, It Could Happen To You
My faves:  Moon and Tree, Shed My Skin, No Miracle No Dazzle, Fallen from Grace, Disappear, Dragging On, Frog's Lullaby,

4.  Small Miracles (2007) - 4.45
This is probably their boldest album as it crosses so many genres and includes a song that is recorded twice in different styles (3 Hours Away, Where I Was Before). So much so that it took me a few months of listening to this album end-to-end to realize it!  There is lots of piano on here, likely because Jim learned to play a lot more of it in his writing during his solo work.  The song Together has a sexy Bossanova beat while Beautiful is probably the best song as it divides itself into a two part mellow beginning with a break into a funky modern jazz long outro. Bold and innovative I say!

Notable tracks:  It Makes Me Wonder, Summer Girls, Mystic River, C'Mon
My faves:  This Town, 3 Hours Away/Where I Was Before, Together, Beautiful

5.  Palace Of Gold (2002) - 4.35
This album reminds me sitting in the back of my dad's station wagon driving through the Rocky Mountains to and from Kelowna listening to an AM radio 70's station.  There are several songs that have that classic live studio recording feel, reverb, and grandma's church organ on super tremolo, and so it's very appropriate to call this album Gold as it's pure 1970's AM radio gold.

I remember hearing Bulletproof for the first time. We were at Red's in West Edmonton Mall for a Blue Rodeo show and Jim says, "This is a new one."  When they finished, I belted from the floor, "That was an awesome song, Jim!"  And he said, "Thanks!"  That was also the same night I bumped into him upstairs (well me just stopping him as he walked in my direction) and I said, "Jim, I'd just like to tell you that I think you're the greatest song writer of all time."  In his humble way he said, "Oh wow, thanks very much."

This album features the huge horn section from the guys from Bushwack Horns.  It's also the first album with former Wilco guitarist/dojo player Bob Eagen.  The band would move into some amazing territory after that.

Notable tracks: Palace Of Gold, Holding On, Bulletproof, Love Never Lies
My faves:  Homeward Bound Angels, Bulletproof, Stage Door, Cause For Sympathy, What A Surprise

6.  In Our Nature (2013) - 4.30
Just when you think they couldn't possibly write more amazing songs, they do it--Greg mostly. He's the real driver behind this album.  Every song on this album is strong.  Powerful lyrics and a great flow.  This album has really grown on me and is fantastic to drive down the highway to.

Notable tracks:  New Morning Sun, Wondering, Mattawa, Made Your Mind Up
My faves:  New Morning Sun, In Our Nature, In The Darkness, You Should Know

7.  Casino (1990) - 4.10
Til I Am Myself Again became one of their biggest staple songs.  Trust Yourself is absolutely one of their best songs and it's always fantastic live.  It gives me the freakin' chills how it builds.  Then there's After The Rain--which feels like an arc song with Try from years earlier.  But when you have a lyric, "And I will drink to the queen of my soul" well that just does it for me.  So heart wrenching.  This album is the bridge between their more hillbilly raw past and their more earthy/nature future.

Notable tracks:  Til I Am Myself Again, What Am I Doing Here, Montreal, Last Laugh, Trust Yourself, After The Rain, God And Country
My faves:  Trust Yourself, Montreal, After The Rain

8.  Outskirts (1987) - 3.90
The band's debut album was years in the making. After putting in their 10,000 hours of playing in New York, there were a pile of songs ready to go for an album.  There really wasn't a band like Blue Rodeo anywhere.  The song Try introduced Jim Cuddy's amazing voice to the world.  Everybody knows this song as their flagship track.  I just love the wide variety of styles on this album as you are shown why they are called Blue Rodeo--blues, country, jazz, rock, and more. I think Floating is my favourite song here--because well, it feels like I'm floating!

Notable tracks:  Try, Rose-Coloured Glasses, Rebel
My faves: Try, Rebel, Floating

9.  Are You Ready (2005) - 3.80
When I think of this album, I think of enjoying nature in solitude. Phaedra's Meadow is the defining song of this album. The trumpet on Tired Of Pretending gives such a lonely cry for a man in pain who then laments for a few minutes and then belts out his frustration through Greg's ruspy voice.

Notable tracks: Song, Are You Ready, Rena, Stuck On You, Beverley Street, Don't Get Angry
My faves:  Are You Ready, I Will, Phaedra's Meadow, Finger Lakes,

10.  The Things We Left Behind (2009) - 3.70
This is Blue Rodeo's only double-album and as a good friend of mine said, this should have been a single album, but I'm not so sure.  There's a few filler song, but still, the majority of the songs are very good.  The acoustic guitar playing is some of their best.  Million Miles is their longest epic at 9 minutes--I saw Jim and Greg play this song and more at a rare private show of just them in Edmonton where I sat on the floor right at the front and enjoyed every minute.  The song Gossip is one of Greg's best--so honest, sad, and pure.

Notable tracks:  One More Night, Never Look Back, Sheba, Gossip, Don't Let The Darkness In Your Head, Arizona Dust, Candice
My faves:  Waiting for the World, Sheba, One Light Left In Heaven, Gossip, In My Bones, You Said, Venus Rising

11.  Nowhere To Here (1995) - 2.90
This was a disappointing album after coming off the epic Five Days In July. The drawback to this album is it doesn't start strong for two songs and Girl In Green is very loud but not definitive.  It feels like you have to endure and initiate yourself through them until you get to the meat of the album which starts with Jim on What You Want with "Woke up from another dream...".  Perhaps intentional!  Sarah McLaughlin is on this album but not as strong as Five Days In July.  Blew It Again is such a great song and fun video--we still don't know what the hell he was carrying around!  Get Through To You feels like it should be at the end as it's very anthemic.

Notable tracks:  Side Of The Road, Better Off As We Are, Blew It Again, Get Through To You
My faves:  What You Want, Side Of The Road, Sky, Train

12.  Diamond Mine (1989) - 2.65
I'm not a big fan of producer Malcom whathisname. There is way too much reverb on this puppy and a lot of the organ is just over the top.  There are too many filler typical-BR songs that are easy to pass over.  That said, Diamond Mine is absolutely the strong song here and a staple at their live shows.

Notable tracks:  God And Country, How Long, Girl Of Mine, Diamond Mine, The Ballad of the Dime Store Greaser
My faves:  Diamond Mine, Nice Try

13.  Lost Together (1992) - 2.50
Rain Down On Me and Lost Together have great choruses are the band's most memorable and carry this album.  Songs like Restless and Willin' Fool are just loud and there are too many other songs that just blend into each other.

Notable tracks:  Rain Down On Me, Already Gone, Lost Together
My faves:  Rain Down On Me, Already Gone, Lost Together, Is It You

Yes albums from worst to best

This article was a long, but worthwhile journey for any Yes fan to gain insight into the history, rubricks, personnel changes, and ultimately musical descriptions throughout all of the albums, including the live ones.  Ranking Yes albums is no easy task, as I have done but with only their studio releases.

"Yes are one of the flagship acts of progressive rock. They’re also one of rock’s weirdest bands. Their best music is intense and aggressive, incorporating influences from jazz, folk, and country, but blending them with wild synthesizer explorations, crazed art-boogie guitar shredding, bass louder than most metal bands’, crushingly complex drumming, and Jon Anderson’s unique, highly recognizable upper-register vocals. At their mid-’70s peak, they were imaginative and self-indulgent enough to release a double album with one song on each side; a decade later, they partnered with producer Trevor Horn (Art Of Noise, Frankie Goes To Hollywood) and created one of the biggest hit singles of the ’80s. But they’ve had a staggering number of lineup fluctuations — the only constant presence has been bassist Chris Squire — to the point that their last two singers have been recruited from Yes cover bands. They’re some of the most talented and technically skilled musicians in rock history, but it’s a safe bet that the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame will burn to the ground before they’ll be inducted."

So in looking at just the studio albums, he has:
21. Heaven and Earth (2014) - Squire, Howe, White, Downes, Davison 
20. Open Your Eyes (1997) - Squire, Howe, White, Wakeman/Sherwood, Anderson
19. Fly From Here (2011) - Squire, Howe, White, Downes, David
18. Union (1991) - Squire, Howe/Rabin, Bruford/White, Kaye/Wakeman, Anderson
17. Tormato (1978) - Squire, Howe, White, Wakeman, Anderson
16. The Ladder (1999) - Squire, Howe, White, Koroshev, Anderson
15. Big Generator (1987) - Squire, Rabin, White, Kaye, Anderson
14. Keys to Ascension 1/2 (1996/1997) - Squire, Howe, White, Wakeman, Anderson
13. Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (1989) - Levin, Howe, Bruford, Wakeman, Anderson
12. Drama (1980) - Squire, Howe, White, Downes, Horn
11. Time And A Word (1970) - Squire, Banks, Bruford, Kaye, Anderson
10. Talk (1994) - Squire, Rabin, White, Kaye, Anderson
9. 90125 (1983) - Squire, Rabin, White, Kaye, Anderson
8. Magnification (2001) - Squire, Howe, White, no keys-orchestra, Anderson
7. Yes (1969) - Squire, Banks, Bruford, Kaye, Anderson
6. Fragile (1971) - Squire, Howe, Bruford, Wakeman, Anderson
5. Tales From Topographic Oceans (1973) - Squire, Howe, White, Wakeman, Anderson
4. Going For The One (1977) - Squire, Howe, White, Wakeman, Anderson
3. The Yes Album (1971) - Squire, Howe, Bruford, Kaye, Anderson
2. Relayer (1974) - Squire, Howe, White, Moraz, Anderson

1. Close To The Edge (1972) - Squire, Howe, White, Wakeman, Anderson

It's not too far off my rankings but I have Fly From Here much higher on that list.

The Tea Party - "The Ocean At The End" album review

Canadian proggish rock band The Tea Party released their first album in a while with "The Ocean At The End".  It could be considered a concept album with a consistent sound, flow, and theme through the record that makes you grateful that they've returned with such a strong album.  You will note that they pull from a lot of Zep influences here, so get ready.  Let's look at the songs, shall we?

1. The O.C. - If this doesn't remind you of Zep's "Achilles Last Stand" then you apparently don't know much about rock. It's a fantastic take and twist with Tea Party flavour.  6.5/10.

2. The Black Sea - Starts mean with some heavy drums and the darkness and continues.  The song labours, but the bridge has some delight "waves crash around you..."  This is a standard Tea Party song.  I like the dual guitar solo and beat pick up but the song lacks something I can't put my finger on. 5/10.

3. Cypher - The beginning again reminds me of Zep, this time "In the Evening" is beckoned for the first minute but then this wicked drum lick come in for a couple bars and repeats, then the guitar riff and Jeff singing "You hold the key" and more menacing lyrics.  Finally the bass kicks in.  For me, this song has good colour with the drums. 7.5/10.

4. The Maker - This is a fantastic cover of fellow Canadian Daniel Lanois' song--if not even better.  This song gives me chills and Jeff's vocals are perfect for it.  The high bassline lick played over and over give it a comforting drive along with a rattatattat sequencer hinting the background. The chorus sees "I'm not a stranger in the eyes of the maker" with Jeff's backing vocals thrown to the far back left of your headphones.  8.5/10.

5.  Black Roses - Again, with a Zep feel, the song also reminds of Big Wreck's latest album. A dojo shines in this one and just makes the song complete and rounded. "Let's have another glass of wine. It's in these moment's that we'll find."  I can really identify with that line.  Organ hints mimic the dojo later in the song.  Strongest song on the album so far with a nice flow into an angrier part but it remains hopeful. Some complex parts.  Then near the end, Jeff singshouts "Hey babe, what should I do..." which totally reminds me of "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" from you guessed it, Zep. Beautifully produced song though. 9/10.

6.  Brazil - A mysterious sounding song with tom toms flying in the verses and bellowing "ah ah aahs". The chorus cries "See how they want you?" followed with a gang vocal "BRAZIL!"  Then a fast beat with a two bar distorted and compressed guitar chord theme punch through until the next verse. Brdige and chorus again then the denumont hears a refs whistle reminding you that it's about Brazil, or the recent World Cup, maybe?  Song fades out with "Watching the world come to you." and some salsa sounds. Interesting song. 6/10.

7.  The 11th Hour - Song starts mystical with a hurdy gurdy monotoning through and distance electronic drums carry it forward for 50 seconds then it fully kicks into a big sound riff, again reminding me of?  But the verse just rocks with a chunky guitar hitting through.  Finally the chorus strikes higher "I saw the real breaking through, shining through, wanting you."  Then back to the heavy rock riff, chorus, solo, then the chorus broken down quiet and back to the main lick and it repeats other parts again, ending with the chorus repeated.  The beginning is hinted at briefly again.  6.5/10.

8.  Submission - We're now treated to some heavy synth reminding me of Gary Numan "Cars" but with a faster drum.  Love the bell timing.  A different, cool sound, for sure.  6.5/10.

9.  The Cass Corridor - A bluesy southern sound kicks this one off with distorted harmonica and talking, simple lyrics.  It reminds me of later, yep, Zep that I didn't care for much.  Not the greatest song.  Then I hear a Tom Sawyer resosweep sound that has no business being in there.  3/10.

10.  Water's On Fire - A beautiful, flowing beginning synth and lyrics start with drums and bass following soon after.  Chorus doesn't kick in until after second bridge which builds the anticipation into a fantastic louder anthemic chorus.  The solo rides high followed by Jeff's chorus vocals.  Drums are all over the place but carrying it forward.  7/10.

11/12.  The Ocean At The End / Into The Unknown - The title track with the word "end" in it actually ends the album, Song begins with ocean wave and seagull sounds then a synth pad with a 16th note hi-hat remind me of Turn Me Loose but then it doesn't. It's actually a slower song.  Synth chords change slightly until the verse finally kicks in at 1:30. The verses build and you can hear pain in his voice.  The multi-minute solo certainly reminds me of some Page for sure but it mimics the verses in parts and goes off strong in places.  Then a Floydish Dark Side synth sequencer takes over leading back into the song bridge and chorus.  At nearly nine minutes, this is the best original song on the album, and certainly has proggy influences.  The end has the ocean sounds again flowing into continuing dark synth of the next song, which I've coupled together here because I thought they were the same song. 8.0/10.

Album song average is 6.73 which sounds about right.  Although I'd consider this a relatively strong album, the heavy Zep influences simply make me realize just how good Zep was, and how Jeff Martin needs to perhaps discover some other artists of the past to make it more refreshing.  There's two songs that pull the album down, but overall, I like it and have listened to it many times.

YES studio album ratings

I don't think I've ever done this for the greatest prog band of all time, so here it goes:

EARLY / PETER BANKS YEARS

1969 YES! - Classic heavy organ sound. 6.75/10

1970 Time and a Word - Similalr to last album but slightly better. 7/10

STEVE HOWE YEARS

1971 The Yes Album - Goodbye Peter Banks, enter Steve Howe.  Songs getting much longer and better.  8/10

1971 Fragile -  It's a real musical journey and a true concept album. Roundabout, South Side of the Sky, Heart of the Sunrise all shine.  9.5/10. 

1972 Close To the Edge - Coined as one of the greatest prog rock albums ever.  With 3 epic songs, the title track is a masterpiece.  Side two "And You And I" and "Siberian Khatru" are up there as fan faves. 10/10

1973 Tales From Topographic Oceans - 4 sides = 4 very long songs.  A very very spiritual and complex album but it would be nice to have the odd shorter song.  9/10

1974 Relayer - There is no greater epic prog song than "Gates of Delirium" at 21:50 it's the masterpiece of masterpieces.  The other two 9min songs aren't as strong and pretty mellow but Gates makes up for anything. 9.8/10.

1977 Going For The One - Back to shorter songs except for the amazingly mellow "Awaken" at 15:31 at the end.  I like 4 of the 5 songs on here a lot. 8.75/10.

1978 Tormato - They took a dive with this one.  Kind of a hoaky album with "On the Silent Wings of Freedom" being the best track of all 8 of them.  6/10

BUGGLES

1980 Drama - Goodbye Anderson, Howe, and Wakeman.  Hello Buggles!  That said, I love this album.  Lots of hooks, fast, and fun. Lots of lead vocal harmonies with Horn and Squire.  8.5/10.

TREVOR RABIN YEARS

1983 90125 - Welcome back Anderson.  Oh, hello Trevor Rabin, you American you.  Horn now producer of Yes and Asia.  Much more poppy and catchy.  It peaked at #5 in the U.S.  "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" is on this one. 7/10

1987 Big Generator - Over written and over produced.  Rhythm of Love and Love Will Find A Way are good Trevor Rabin songs.  Anderson not primary it seems.  5/10

1991 Union - Let's get everyone who's ever been in the band and make an album... but not necessarily together.  That said, I still like this album and listen to many of the songs to this day. Rick Wakeman calls it "Onion" because there's too many layers and he hated it.  6.5/10

1994 Talk - Another Trevor Rabin dominating album but it's an improvement.  Roger Hodgson actually makes a guest co-writing stint on "Walls".  "Endless Dream" is pretty long and good.  6.5/10

STEVE HOWE RETURNS

1996/7 Keys to Ascension 1 and 2 --  I don't have them as it's mostly live songs on first side with studio songs on 2nd side.  I should probably add to the collection.  No rating but Howe returns so it's better.

1997 Open Your Eyes -- I don't mind this album.  "The Solution" at the end at 23:47 is really a 15 min song with silence and a produced rerun of all the vocal harmonies from the entire album. Dumb. I like the title track though. 5.5/10. 

1999 The Ladder -- Better than the last album and they add Bill Sherwood to the 6 man line up. 6/10

2001 Magnification - But no keyboard player so they used an orchestra.  This is a beautiful album.  8.5/10.

2011 Fly From Here - Goodbye Jon and hello Canadian Benoit David! And welcome back Trevor Horn producer and Geoff Downes on keyboard!  I love this album, a lot.  Actually the song "Fly From Here" was originally written by Horn and Downes back as a Buggles song.   Steve Howe is a magician on this album and there's a wide variety of song styles and singers.  9/10. 

In summary:

Between 1971 and 1977, YES was at their best.  You'll not find a true Yes fan who'll disagree with that.

1. Close To The Edge

2. Relayer

3. Fragile

4. Tales From Topographic Oceans

5. Fly From Here

6. Going For The One

7. Drama, Magnification

8. The Yes Album

9. Time and a Word, 90125

10. YES!

The 10 Best Prog Rock Albums of the 70's: including my review of Rush's "2112"

Amazingly, as much as I don't usually agree with Rolling Stone Mag, I pretty much agree with this reader poll of a list of prog albums, all of which I obviously own.  (My comments follow each paragraph from R.S.)

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/readers-poll-the-10-best-prog-rock-albums-of-the-seventies-20130821

10. Pink Floyd, 'Wish You Were Here'

Pink Floyd were one of the biggest bands on the planet when they cut Wish You Were Here in early 1975. The Dark Side of the Moon turned the band into a stadium rock act, but their thoughts kept going back to Syd Barrett. He started the group and wrote all their early songs. They owed their tremendous success to the guy, but nobody had seem him in years. They all agreed their next album should pay tribute to their founder. The album starts and ends with the nine-part epic "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," which looks back at a time when Barrett "shone like the sun." The title track is another tribute to a lost friend, while the album's other two songs ("Have a Cigar," "Welcome to the Machine") are biting attacks on the music industry. The album is a masterpiece, and it marked the last time that Pink Floyd truly worked together as a band. By the time they cut Animals two years later, Roger Waters had taken over. They continued to make great music for a few more years, but things were never the same. 

Hatrock:  This is one of those really trippy yet intense Floyd albums that stands on its own.  You can often tell when a band, despite their personal differences, can come together to create music magic.  This is one of those rare ones for Floyd.

9. Pink Floyd, 'The Wall' 

Relations within Pink Floyd completely broke down during the making of their 1979 double LP The Wall. Roger Waters was now writing most of the songs by himself, and he froze out the rest of the band - even booting founding keyboardist Richard Wright midway through the process. Producer Bob Ezrin somehow kept the sessions moving along, and he even convinced Waters to add a disco beat and a children's choir to Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2, helping the band score a rare hit single. The album itself is a rock opera about a Waters-like rock star named Pink who's haunted by the death of his father in World War Two. Waters has spent the last three years taking a revived version of the original Floyd stage production on tour all over the world.

Hatrock:  Despite what I just said about coming together to make magic, sometimes it takes a man with a vision and a wizard producer to keep it all together.  This is one of the greatest concept albums of all time and Water's continual tour of the album, it is known as the greatest concert production ever seen and heard.

8. Jethro Tull, 'Thick As a Brick'

Most prog albums have at least one really long song, often spanning the entire side of an album. Jethro Tull's 1972 LP Thick As a Brick brought that trend to its logical conclusion: the entire album is just one song. Side one is "Thick As a Brick, Part I" and side two is (you guessed it) "Thick As a Brick, Part II." The two-part song lasts 44 minutes. The group's 1971 album Aqualung won them many new fans, and they took them on a pretty crazy ride with the follow-up. The group wasn't completely crazy – they allowed a three-minute radio version to be cut for radio. To many Tull fans, this album is Jethro Tull at their peak. In 2012, the group's frontman released a sequel to the album called Thick As a Brick 2, which follows the life of protagonist Gerald Bostock. It's likely this move didn't sit well with the others members of Jethro Tull. The band hasn't officially broken up, but they tour in separate camps now and appear to be over. 

Hatrock:  This is the most ballsy song ever recorded.  Ever.  Ian Anderson wanted to make a prog album and he did to its fullest... all 44 minutes of dynamic whirling bends, weirdness, with a steady driving force behind it all.  I love all the organ.  When you've finished listening to it, you're amazed and you feel like you accomplished something personally.

7. Pink Floyd, 'Animals'

Roger Waters had a very negative view of mankind in the Seventies. On Floyd's 1977 LP Animals he divided humanity into three categories: pigs, sheep and dogs. The pigs are the corrupt politicians. Dogs are the aggressive, uncaring capitalists. The sheep are the masses that question nothing, going through life in a state of pure ignorance. Put another way, he had disdain for absolutely everybody. He also had little interest in recording songs like "Wish You Were Here" that would work on the radio. Instead, there's really just three songs on the album, though "Pigs on the Wing" is divided into three sections. The LP turned off some casual Floyd fans who loved songs like "Money" and "Have a Cigar," but the true believers were enthralled by the complex, epic songs. They supported the album with a huge stadium tour that only served to make Waters hate the world even more, though it did inspire him to start writing The Wall. 

Hatrock:  I consider this album as Pre-Wall.  The 70's were a dark time in Western society, but it produced the best music by far to reflect it.  Movies like Jaws were dark and scary.  The Nixon Watergate scandal had really soured everyone politically about our democracies.  Animals came out at the right time for those prog fans mired in this negative tornado wanting an outlet for their angst.  However, the true counter-culture music that was bourne was the British punk scene.

6. Rush, 'Hemispheres' 

Rush's 1978 LP Hemispheres was the group's last indisputable prog album. They went out with a bang. The success of 2112 and A Farewell to Kings gave them complete freedom to do whatever they wanted. The first side of the LP is taken up by "Cygnus X-1," a six-part song about an explorer that goes into a black hole. (That's about as proggy a storyline as you can get.) Side two wraps up with "La Villa Strangiato," a 12-chapter instrumental. The subtitle of that song is "An Exercise in Self-Indulgence," a clear sign the band knew they had taken prog rock as far as they could without seeming ridiculous. The band re-emerged two years later with shorter songs, and suddenly they were all over the radio. That wasn't anything they had to worry about with the songs on Hemispheres. 

Hatrock:  Absolutely one of my favourite albums of all time.  "La Villa" is the best rock instrumental of all time, period.  "The Trees" is one of the funnest songs to play bass/keyboards on and sad the author doesn't mention it.  He also has it wrong above. The first song is a title track "Hemispheres" with several titled parts, and yes, it is a continuation, but "Cygnus X-1" was the last song on the previous album "A Farewell To Kings".  Anyway, "Hemi" is a wonderfully complete and dynamic album.

5. Genesis, 'Selling England By the Pound'

Selling England By the Pound is the fifth Genesis album, but it's the first time the group completed an album without a single weak song. All five members of the group worked as a team, crafting prog masterpieces like "The Cinema Show," "Dancing With the Moonlight Knight" and "Firth of Fifth." The latter song features a stellar guitar solo by Steve Hackett and a brilliant piano intro by Tony Banks. Peter Gabriel ceded vocal duties to drummer Phil Collins on "More Fool Me," foreshadowing a big change coming to the band a few years in the future. "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" was their attempt at a hit single, but the group really shines on the long and truly weird songs like the 11-minute "The Battle of Epping Forest." Nobody else was making music quite like this in 1973, or really any time since.

Hatrock:  I heard this album for the first time last year... yes yes, I know.  "Dancing With the Moonlight Knight" begins a-capella Gabriel and some soft Renaissance-sounding reverb ditties for a couple minutes then at exactly 2:00 it explodes into a mellowtron suspended 2nd chord anthem--I literally get tingles everytime I hear it.  Then it fires off in a Steve Hackett-Tony Banks organ-guitar dual with Collins soft drumming flying along in the back.  You can hear some foreshadowing of parts that became the quintessential Genesis prog sound, even into the 90's.  This song though, I began to truly appreciate Hackett and Tony Banks as the top players in their field.  Being a huge fan of poppy Genesis in the 80's, it was then I knew Genesis was really the true prog force that every prog fan was raving about and missing during the 80's.

4. Genesis, 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway'

By 1974, Peter Gabriel was experiencing what Roger Waters went through just a few years later. He had a hugely ambitious idea for a rock opera, and he didn't think it could work if the band functioned as a democracy. Gabriel, however, is a little better at playing politics than Roger Waters, and he let the band write the vast majority of the music while he wrote the lyrics and plotted out the story. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tells the story of Rael, a half-Puerto Rican who gets sucked into an alternate universe. The story is very hard to follow, and the version that Gabriel typed up for the record sleeve does little to alleviate that confusion. It barely matters. The double LP is a prog masterpiece, even though songs like "Counting Out Time" and "The Carpet Crawlers" work pretty well as traditional pop songs. Most of the other songs are extremely dense, and they provide showcases for all five members of the band. We'll never know how the group would have evolved from here. Gabriel quit the band during the tour in support of the album.

Hatrock:  I just bought this a few months ago.  Shut up, okay!  I actually really like the growly sound of Mike Rutherford's bass on the title track.  Genesis would still go on to make more prog albums before their pop influence started to dominate.  It paid off huge for the remaining three members.

3. Yes, 'Close to the Edge' 

If aliens ever land on earth and demand to hear a single prog album so they can understand the genre, it would be a wise move to play them Close to the Edge. It's got everything: a song that takes up the entire side of the record (with bold time signature changes), freakishly talented musicians, songs divided up into multiple chapters, a keyboardist who liked to wear glittery capes and a song called "Siberian Khatru." Their previous album, 1971's Fragile, had a few long songs, but on Close to the Edge they dove into the deep end of the prog pool. Sadly, it was the final Yes album of the 1970s with drummer Bill Bruford - a guy so progged-out he played in Yes, Genesis and King Crimson. After this, Yes began changing their lineup more often than most people change their bed sheets. They produced some great work, but never quite recaptured the magic of Close to the Edge.

Hatrock:  Being a crazy Yes fan, this album is one of several of their string of 70's masterpieces.  I strongly feel their album "Relayer" should be on this top 10, if not ahead of this album.  I'm sorry but "Gates of Delirium" is deemed as one of the greatest prog songs of all time by many, including Geddy Lee.  Anyway, that doesn't diminish how perfect this album is.  

2. Pink Floyd, 'The Dark Side of the Moon'

Even people who absolutely hate progressive rock often love Dark Side of the Moon. It's a very hard album to hate, and songs like "Money" and "Time" are prog rock covered with enough sugar to make them go down very easy. This is the album that changed everything for Pink Floyd. They were a reasonably popular art-rock band prior to this, but every day since the release of Dark Side they've been immortal rock gods. No song on the album even goes over eight minutes, but they all flow together into a seamless whole. This is partially due to the fact that the band toured the album before they recorded it, slowly crafting each song until it was perfect. The group was pleased by the final result, but they had no idea it would become a worldwide sensation. They had incredible success over the next decade, but Dark Side of the Moon hovers above anything else in their catalog. Generation after generation of teenagers discover it, earning enough money to guarantee that David Gilmour's great-great-great grandchildren will be extremely wealthy. 

Hatrock:  Any normal adult who doesn't like this album, or isn't familiar with it, should listen to it, and if they don't like it, they should be subject to punishment of listening to 5 seconds of Nickelback repeated (oh wait, that's ALL their songs, isn't it?).  Anyway, although only two songs break the 7 minute mark ("Time", "Us And Them") this album of 9 songs flows like one big 43 minute epic, yet all the songs stand on their own. And that's what makes it great.  It feels like a story.  And what story would that be?  "The Wizard Of Oz" of course.  See for yourself how the first 43 minutes of that epic movie uncanningly fit with "Dark Side of the Moon".  Believe or not, but the first time I watched that was on YouTube in 2007... when I was living in... you guessed it... Kansas!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDz2cNL1vuM

1. Rush, '2112' 

It's the year 2112, and the world is in rough shape. The evil Priests of the Temples of Syrinx control everything, and they make Big Brother seem almost friendly by comparison. Everything is censored, and rock & roll is strictly forbidden. Things begin to change when a man discovers an old guitar. He dies before he can fulfill his musical dreams, but a new planetary war breaks out that seems to result in the Priests of the Temples of Syrinx going down. (It's a little ambiguous.) It's a fine story, but the brilliance of 2112 isn't found in the story. It's the music. Rush were in a tough spot when they started the album. They weren't scoring hits songs, and their label was on the verge of dropping them. Instead of making a commercial album, they quadrupled down on prog. It didn't lead to a hit, but the album found a huge cult audience. It's nearly 40 years later, and that audience hasn't let go at all. Rush remain the biggest cult band in the world, and every show on their last tour wrapped up with the title track from 2112. Nobody left disappointed. 

Hatrock:  I totally agree with this album being #1.  No other album or song ever recorded in the history of mankind encompasses a theme like this one.  Even the foreshadowing of nanny-state scope-creep government intervention and privacy spying that we find today in "2013" democracy can relate to "2112".  

I can't imagine being a young boy putting on the headphones to listen to this for the first time.  I wish I was there in '76, but instead for me, it was '95.  With its spacey anticipation stereophonic intro exploding into lasers introducing the bands technical prowess, I know it would feel you were taking off in a rocketship and once that ship gets going, the heavy metal power chord riff kicks in and you're on your way.  This riff is followed by Geddy's screeching voice representative of the anti-freedom, evil Priests of the Temples of Syrinx and their commie mantra mission plan for their society.  

After this intro radio-friendly subtrack, the song subdues itself into a scene of sounds of flowing water near a brook.  Our hero character is introduced and while strolling near a brook, he finds a "strange device", an old guitar from "ancient" times.  Its terribly out of tune, so he ('he' being Alex Lifeson) actually tunes the thing (something I've never heard on an album anywhere yet to this day) and then plays some wonderful simple riffs that even I can play--highlighting the innocence and beauty of the scene.  The hero (now Geddy) sings in a soft voice "I can't wait to share this new wonder".   In "The Presentation" the hero then brings the guitar to the priests for acceptance with again, soft mid-range singing by Lee followed by the band playing more loudly and Geddy screeching high, again, representative of the anger of the priests.  This conversation goes back and forth for several verses.  Rejected, eventually, the hero becomes distraught and sees no point in living in this overbearing world.  The very heavy fast music here is almost like Mozart's Don Giovanni with its tragedy and darkness.  A war ensues and we are left with a deep repeating warning "Attention all planets of the solar federation.... we have assumed control..." and explosion sounds burst with full guitar distortion chords all around, ending the epic in one glorious finale.

My view of this is that the song is a tragedy so the Priests of Syrinx have indeed assumed control over everything.

And let's not forget the other killer songs on side two... that have nothing to do with Syrinx or the theme really.

"Passage To Bangkok" - With a piercing guitar riff and its oriental sound, this solid Rush song takes you around the world in a journey and a major chord anthem chorus and an off-time solo giving Rush fans a taste of the proggy goodness we've come to know and love from the Holy Triumvirate. 

"The Twilight Zone" - A reverb band riff and groovy verse, with a jazzy bridge mellow chorus flows along while Geddy hypnotizes you, and Alex's soaring solo takes you way out there.

"Lessons"-  A personal favourite of mine with its catchy acoustic guitar chord riff and groovy bass line, Geddy sings, "Sweet memories... flashing very quickly by... reminded me, and giving me a reason why...".  Then it gets heavier and Geddy screams and a way we go into a heavy off-time power chord riff.  So tight!

"Tears" - A completely different song than the whole album, it gives it the balance it needs.  It begins with a sad guitar and a soft Ged singing and slowly builds into the next verse where a flute is introduced (what, a flute?!) and a flowing chorus with a mellowtron synthesizer pad surrounding you.  It's a beautiful song--probably the only Rush song that can actually be called "beautiful", especially on this heavy heavy album.

"Something For Nothing" - A speaking of heavy, the album finishes with a cool plucked riff and another groovy bass line with mellow Geddy singing, but then it kicks up into a much heavier sound in the next verse with Geddy waaaay up there and band cymbal shots building to the heavy chord-riffed chorus and then right into a screeeeaming solo, another chorus, another crazy high verse, bridge, and Geddy "whoooooooooooa" intro to the final chorus.  This is a guitar player's song and an arc to the ending of "2112" in a way.

Overall, "2112" is truly the best prog-heavy rock album ever and nothing has or will ever come close.

This list overall, is not exactly what I'd pick, but it's refreshing to see prog fans have and always will have, the best taste in the best music ever made!

Blue Rodeo comments on each of their albums

Here's 25 years of Blue Rodeo, Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy, commenting on all of their albums.  

I didn't know Greg was losing his hearing.  That's very sad.  The guy is a genius.

Best Albums of 2012

1.  "Albatross" - Big Wreck
The Canadian/Boston band comes back after a decade on hiatus with a purely excellent dynamic rock album with killer riffs and hooks and an Ian Thornley who doesn't hold back and as a result can be deemed the best rock singer today.  Notable songs:  Head Together, Wolves, Glass Room, Million Days, Albatross, Time.

2.  "Clockwork Angels" - Rush
This epic of a steampunk world concept album is the loudest album I've ever heard.  The lyrics throughout take you on a personal journey leaving you breathless at the end.  Notable songs:  Caravan, Clockwork Angels, The Wreckers, The Garden.

3.  "Away From The World" - Dave Matthews Band
Some think it's too mellow.  I think it's truly a great DMB album with enough variety of harder riffs, acoustic jingles, and production to come at you from all angles. Notable songs: Belly Full, Broken Things, Sweet.

4.  "Squackett" -  Chris Squire & Steve Hackett
Yes bassist and former Genesis guitarist get together to write a pile of proggy-poppish Brit rock songs which I enjoyed every one of them, especially the continual dual-vocals throughout. Hackett's guitar playing is extraordinary. Squire's song writing I've always enjoyed, not to mention his bass playing.  I look forward to another album from these two.  Notable songs:  A Life Within A Day, Tall Ships, Divided Self, Aliens, Perfect Love Song