Jet-Propelled Photographs - FUEL 2000
Artist: Soft Machine

The latest available CD version of a title which has been repackaged and retitled several times over the last 30 years. Recorded in London in April 1967 and produced by the legendary Giorgio Gomelsky, these nine demos feature the original Soft Machine lineup of Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Mike Ratledge, and Daevid Allen. Although not intended for... Read More

Devil Dub
Artist: Ben Wa
Community Score: 4.50

For all of the sinister devil's head artwork on the cover, and for all of the tracks with titles like "Beelzebub Dub," "Interlude in Limbo" and "Macro Cardio Dub Infarction," this is remarkably pleasant stuff. Yes, the electro-reggae beats are big and heavy, and yes, that's Buckethead on guitar, so you'd expect some pretty heavy atonal shredding... Read More

Genesis Archives, Vol. 1: 1967-1975
Artist: Genesis
Community Score: 10.00

Prog rock audiences have always been receptive to box sets, especially sets that include an abundance of rare material -- witness the success of the numerous King Crimson sets. When it came time to assemble their own box sets, Genesis chose to follow the path of rarities instead of merely rehashing their old hits. That means, of course, that... Read More

Songs for Oblivion Fishermen
Artist: Caravan

This is the first of two collections of material Caravan recorded for the BBC, spanning the years 1970-1974. Caravan is one of the most versatile of the Canterbury family of English psychedelic and progressive rock, capable of winsome, witty pop songs as well as complex but melodic extended workouts. Songs for Oblivion Fishermen features... Read More

Missing Period
Artist: Brand X

Recorded before the release of the Brand X debut Unorthodox Behavior, these 1975-76 recordings represent the earliest known preservations of the group's beginnings. These are quality recordings that include previously unavailable material. The shining talent and genius of this, the most important of Brit jazz-fusion groups, comes through... Read More

Sluggo!
Artist: Beer for Dolphins
Community Score: 8.00

The odd-numbered of the first half-dozen tracks here are throwaways, in my book. It is especially insidious how Keneally infects the listener with the "potato chorus" to the opening number. Lyrically quirky, the songs are still possessed with a contrived, safe pop-rock feel that I do not want from a 'stunt guitarist' that first came to my... Read More

30th Anniversary Anthology
Artist: Procol Harum

The best collection yet devoted to Procol Harum's classic early period ties together the many facets of their sound and their early history, including numerous outtakes and all of the music on four albums from 1967 through 1970. The clarity of the sound makes the first album -- which was roundly criticized, especially in England, for having been... Read More

From the Beginning: Retrospective
Artist: Greg Lake

Let's face it -- no matter how far he gets stylistically from his work with Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and he has gotten very far afield from it at times, Greg Lake's fandom is always going to be rooted in his work with the prog rock trio during the 1970s and its various incarnations since. So it's no surprise that the entire first half of this... Read More

BBC Radio 1 in Concert
Artist: Be Bop Deluxe
EPs by Robert Wyatt
Artist: Robert Wyatt

Only Robert Wyatt could put together a project like this and not have punters sneering it down as a rake for cash. Issued by Ryko/Hannibal in 1999 and stateside by Thirsty Ear, EPs contains five short discs documenting various periods in Wyatt's long solo career. There are singles, odd B-sides, live cuts, alternate versions, and remixes. While... Read More