Wish You Were Here
Artist: Pink Floyd
Community Score: 8.33

Pink Floyd followed the commercial breakthrough of Dark Side of the Moon with Wish You Were Here, a loose concept album about and dedicated to their founding member Syd Barrett. The record unfolds gradually, as the jazzy textures of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" reveal its melodic motif, and in its leisurely pace, the album shows itself to be a... Read More

BBC Radio 1 in Concert
Artist: Be Bop Deluxe
Keys to Ascension
Artist: Yes
Community Score: 7.95

Yes, this time consisting of Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, and Alan White, got together for three nights in March of 1996 in San Luis Obispo, CA, to cut Keys to Ascension, the group's fourth live album in 28 years, which is rounded out with two new studio creations. Four of the seven live tracks are covers of songs that... Read More

Thrill of It All
Artist: Roxy Music

Album-rock artists like Roxy Music always make a difficult subject for comprehensive, multi-disc box sets. Frequently, their albums were designed as a cohesive whole and the idea of individual singles never really entered the picture at all. Roxy Music was slightly different than the average art/prog-rock band -- not only did they make albums,... Read More

Pre-Modern Wireless: The Peel Sessions 1971-1974
Artist: Gong

Pre-Modern Wireless: The Peel Sessions 1971-1974 consists of nine tracks taken from three BBC sessions and is an essential archive release that would provide a perfect introduction to an interested newcomer to Gong, or provide the experienced Gong fan with some fine live material from throughout the peak of Gong's career. In addition, the album... Read More

The Best of Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - POLYGRAM
Artist: Brian Auger's Oblivion Express

Keyboard player Brian Auger's various Oblivion Express lineups between 1971 and 1975 produced timely music reminiscent of such other progressive rock and jazz-rock fusion performers of the time as the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and (especially when tenor Alex Ligertwood was singing) Traffic, among others. (Sometimes, the... Read More

Complete Live Oblivion
Artist: Brian Auger's Oblivion Express

As a retrospective collection, this two-disc set provides an excellent introduction to the Oblivion Express's music of the early '70s. Brian Auger's distinctive organ and percussive electric piano attack lead the way, defining the group's sound. Guitarist Jack Mills may lean a little too heavily on the wah-wah effect popular at the time, and... Read More

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

Manzanera Collection
Artist: Phil Manzanera

Spanning two CDs, The Manzanera Collection sacrifices accessibility for the sake of comprehensiveness. Drawing from all stages of the eclectic guitarist's career, from Roxy Music through 801 to his solo career, the set works as a sampler for neophytes. As it dabbles in each phase of his career, the collection gives some sense of his eclecticism,... Read More

Greatest Hits - MERCURY 1975
Artist: 10cc
Archiva, Vol. 1
Artist: Asia

Archiva, Vol. 1 really is a very pop-oriented album. Asia was an intriguing band when it began, always based solidly in pop traditions, but also with a good deal of progressive rock leanings. This album shows little of that prog flair, except in brief moments. However, the inclusion of the Steve Howe solo "Ginger" -- a definite gem -- is one... Read More