Ambrosia
Artist: Ambrosia

Although they would become better known for smooth AOR ballads like "How Much I Feel," Ambrosia first made their name with this album of progressive rock with a pop music twist. Its songs skillfully blend strong melodic hooks and smooth vocal harmonies with music of an almost symphonic density. Good examples of this crossbreeding are "Drink of... Read More

The Best of Kayak - RENAISSANCE
Artist: Kayak

This uneven compilation focuses on the band's later -- and glossier -- albums, and ignores tracks from the band's first two albums and only one ("Chance of a Lifetime") from their third release. The result is a collection of their overproduced, later tracks that don't stand up particularly well over time. ~ Gina Boldman, All Music Guide Read More

BBC Radio 1 in Concert
Artist: Be Bop Deluxe
Mark I
Artist: Empire

Recorded in 1974, this has a few fillers, and it occasionally falls into the prog habit of going six minutes when four would do, but it's still mystifying that this perfectly solid collection would go missing for so long. Empire's sound bridges the West Coast funk of Cold Blood and the jazzy guitar of early Yes, and it works surprisingly well.... Read More

Barclay James Harvest/Once Again - ONE WAY
Artist: Barclay James Harvest

One Way reissued Barclay James Harvest's first and second Harvest albums on a single disc in 2003. Both Barclay James Harvest and Once Again are similar in that they fuse rock and classical music similar to Genesis, the Moody Blues, and ELO. Once Again was especially ambitious, as it features the London Symphony Orchestra throughout. Fans should... Read More

The Best of Family
Artist: Family
Gone to Earth
Artist: Barclay James Harvest

Barclay James Harvest had streamlined their sound considerably after leaving the Harvest label, culminating (so many felt) in the mellifluous music of Gone to Earth. Their pretensions to progressive rock all but abandoned, BJH here invites comparison to contemporaries like Supertramp, REO Speedwagon, and Fleetwood Mac (some of whom were... Read More

Best of Barclay James Harvest, Vol. 1
Artist: Barclay James Harvest
Nomadness
Artist: The Strawbs

This chameleon of an album sounds more like ten different bands on a compilation than a unified Strawbs effort; fortunately, those ten bands are very good indeed. The album roars to life with spot-on imitations of Peter Gabriel in "To Be Free" and the Who in the windmilling riffs of "Little Sleepy." The bluesy torch song "Absent Friend" features... Read More

Songs From the Wood
Artist: Jethro Tull
Community Score: 9.00

Far and away the prettiest record Jethro Tull released at least since Thick as a Brick and a special treat for anyone with a fondness for the group's more folk-oriented material. Ian Anderson had moved to the countryside sometime earlier, and it showed in his choice of source material. The band's aggressive rock interplay and Anderson's... Read More