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Focus - Moving Waves (1971)

More '70s prog... Dutch this time. I'd nearly forgotten about these guys after all these years, though lead-off track "Hocus Pocus" was an unforgettable (and unlikely) radio hit. Definitely an "Oh yeah, this song!" moment when I started playing the album on Spotify a few minutes ago.

Allmusic describes "Hocus Pocus" as follows:

Allmusic wrote:

Perhaps the most inspired bit of looniness to come out of the progressive rock era, Focus' "Hocus Pocus" was an absolutely irresistible combination of heavy guitar riffs, neo-classical organ, and Alpine yodeling ... plus a memorable break of rapid-fire, almost Muppet-sounding gibberish over a polka beat.

The full Allmusic song review: https://www.allmusic.com/song/hocus-pocus-mt0007192466

Or perhaps you should just experience it for yourself, if you've never heard it before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV0F_XiR48Q

Royal Tusk - Tusk II album.

Some of the tracks on the new album (e.g.: Die Knowing) sound a bit too much like Nickelback.

Well, JBI, you hadn't spent my cash for some time now, yet here you go again. They'll bookend nicely with my Nektar LPs/CDs.

Captain Ned wrote:

Well, JBI, you hadn't spent my cash for some time now, yet here you go again. They'll bookend nicely with my Nektar LPs/CDs.

LOL...

Hadn't heard of them, or just had forgotten about them?

just brew it! wrote:

Captain Ned wrote:

Well, JBI, you hadn't spent my cash for some time now, yet here you go again. They'll bookend nicely with my Nektar LPs/CDs.

LOL...

Hadn't heard of them, or just had forgotten about them?

New to me (Triumvirat, that is).

Gillian Welch's album Time (The Revelator). Found it via a cover performed by another artist I like. Enjoying it so far.

Captain Ned wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

Captain Ned wrote:

Well, JBI, you hadn't spent my cash for some time now, yet here you go again. They'll bookend nicely with my Nektar LPs/CDs.

LOL...

Hadn't heard of them, or just had forgotten about them?

New to me (Triumvirat, that is).

Cool. And I've been meaning to explore Nektar's back catalog ever since you mentioned them some time back; I somehow missed them first time around; I guess they just weren't that well-known here in the States? Finally doing so now.

Metal fans, check out Haiduk. Fast riffs. Melodic blackened death.

Haiduk – Blood Ripple
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1lW1MkZqkw

Haiduk – Evil Art
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a8_Vt7L_q4

Dave Mason - We Just Disagree

Mr. Big - Actual Size (2001)

'80s "hair band" style hard rock by one of the latecomers to the genre (their first album was released in 1989). They are absolute masters of the genre though, with chops to spare; Billy Sheehan is an absolute wizard on bass, and Eric Martin is an amazing vocalist. Guitarist and founding member Paul Gilbert was replaced by ex-Poison guitarist Ritchie Kotzen on this album; Kotzen is competent, but not as flashy or distinctive as Gilbert.

By the time of this album's release Mr. Big had pretty much passed into "what ever happened to..." status here in the states, but were still big in Japan. They broke up shortly thereafter, but re-formed a decade later in 2011, with Gilbert returning to fold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWZVlV7 ... XS1dkz3zpQ

Backstreet Boys - Larger Than Life

jackbomb wrote:

Backstreet Boys - Larger Than Life

BSB is one of my top 3 "channels" on Pandora.

Been bouncing between Prog, symphonic metal, and folk metal. Dream Theater just announced a new album and a corresponding tour for both the new material as well as the 20 year anniversary of Metropolis. Can't wait to see them perform live (again). There are also rumors of a new Symphony X album coming sometime next year and possibly a tour for them as well. If that wasnt enough to get me in the prog/symphonic metal mood, my fiance is taking me to Trans-Siberian Orchestra this week.

JBI - If you are looking for a new youtube blackhole to fall into, give MD-Symphonic-Celtic/Folk Metal a try. Eluveitie and Apocalypse Orchestra are the best two bands I have found so far in this niche but I'm sure you could dig up some more.

KMFDM - Juke-Joint Jezebel
Even after 20 years, still one of their top tracks!

Soccer Mommy - [Clean] - #02 - Cool

I'm listening to the soothing white noise of air blowing through some really old servers right here in my office....

Queen - Queen II

One of their best albums in my opinion; also one of their least popular. Really cool stuff - if all you've heard is their radio songs, it's worth checking out.

Santa Esmerelda - "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". Their cover off the Kill Bill Vol. 1 soundtrack. Absolutely excellent, and perfect to dance to.

cphite wrote:

Queen - Queen II

One of their best albums in my opinion; also one of their least popular. Really cool stuff - if all you've heard is their radio songs, it's worth checking out.

Agreed. This has always been one of my faves as well.

Queen II thru A Day At The Races are their best, IMO.

Fleetwood Mac - [Live CD1] - #08 - Never Going Back Again

I love this show. https://www.amazon.com/Fleetwood-Mac-Live/dp/B000002KLZ

DancinJack wrote:

Fleetwood Mac - [Live CD1] - #08 - Never Going Back Again

I love this show. https://www.amazon.com/Fleetwood-Mac-Live/dp/B000002KLZ

The version of "I'm So Afraid" from that live set blows the studio version away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRkhE9gQw6g

just brew it! wrote:

cphite wrote:

Queen - Queen II

One of their best albums in my opinion; also one of their least popular. Really cool stuff - if all you've heard is their radio songs, it's worth checking out.

Agreed. This has always been one of my faves as well.

Queen II thru A Day At The Races are their best, IMO.

I learned to enjoy Queen's later stuff, but it's only in retrospect. Maybe I'm imagining it but I feel that songs like Who Wants to Live Forever, and The Show Must Go On show Freddie was using his music to cope with his condition.

Sheer Heart Attack is probably my favorite album. Metallica's cover of Stone Cold Crazy is a good tribute, but I definitely prefer the original.

Queen is in my top 3 favorite bands and Brian May is in my top 5 favorite guitarists, easily. Maybe he's also top 3, behind Eddie Van Halen and Yngwie Malmsteen. Maybe ahead of Yngwie. It's very much in flux.

Dire Straits - Heavy Fuel

derFunkenstein wrote:

Queen is in my top 3 favorite bands and Brian May is in my top 5 favorite guitarists, easily. Maybe he's also top 3, behind Eddie Van Halen and Yngwie Malmsteen. Maybe ahead of Yngwie. It's very much in flux.

I'd put him ahead of Yngwie. But then, I consider Yngwie to be a bit of a "one trick pony" (albeit a very skillful one).

That trick is just mesmerizing.

derFunkenstein wrote:

That trick is just mesmerizing.

Yeah, I get it... different strokes, and all that. FWIW I've always been mesmerized by Holdsworth (may he RIP)... like Yngwie he can be ridiculously fast, but he also has a very unorthodox approach to melody/harmony which I guess is one of those "either you love it or you hate it" things. A lot of people also got turned off by his (numerous) SynthAxe experiments... TBH I find his SynthAxe stuff fascinating too, in its own way; but he was definitely at his best on guitar.

just brew it! wrote:

A lot of people also got turned off by his (numerous) SynthAxe experiments... TBH I find his SynthAxe stuff fascinating too, in its own way; but he was definitely at his best on guitar.

For sure. I'm one of those who wasn't as into the SynthAxe stuff. The thing he and Eddie have in common is tapping, which is really appealing to me because I'm first and foremost a woodwind and piano player. Tapping is very natural for me. I'm not as fast as either of them, not even close, but that was one of the quickest tricks for me to learn for myself.

I can play the tapping section of Eruption with either half the arpeggios or at half the tempo...maybe less, because I'm an amateur...which itself feels like a Herculean feat.

edit: for those who don't know what I'm talking about, check the 3:45 mark here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvKqxNea9iA

Eddie is a god. Not one bad word will come from this thread about EVH.

Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in E flat Minor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAq817mTb50

this comment on the video:

He looks like a character out of castlevania, is a guitar master and plays music that sounds like it should be out of some sort of alternate medieval period. This is so metal its insane.

derFunkenstein wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

A lot of people also got turned off by his (numerous) SynthAxe experiments... TBH I find his SynthAxe stuff fascinating too, in its own way; but he was definitely at his best on guitar.

For sure. I'm one of those who wasn't as into the SynthAxe stuff. The thing he and Eddie have in common is tapping, which is really appealing to me because I'm first and foremost a woodwind and piano player. Tapping is very natural for me. I'm not as fast as either of them, not even close, but that was one of the quickest tricks for me to learn for myself.

I can play the tapping section of Eruption with either half the arpeggios or at half the tempo...maybe less, because I'm an amateur...which itself feels like a Herculean feat.

Holdsworth is on record as wanting to get a more saxophone-like sound out of his guitar, so that makes sense. I've also read that he employed tapping a lot less than is commonly assumed... I didn't get to see him play live (and close-up) enough, or watched enough videos to confirm/refute, but a lot of those stupidly fast runs are purportedly picked (not tapped).