VARIOUS ARTISTS
"THE PROG COLLECTIVE"
Various artist “super-groups” can be a
tricky thing.
More often than not, the whole is less
than the sum of its parts, with so many great artists in one assembly failing
to produce a memorable yield of material.
Sherwood's resume is solid (Yes, World
Trade, his work with Chris Squire), and he has pulled this type of thing off in
the past with his Back Against The Wall
project.
Considering the star power here, with
members of Yes, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Mahavishnu Orchestra and
Renaissance, and participation by Steve Hillage, John Wesley, Richard Page and
Colin Moulding, this one piqued my curiosity. Even though this album was a
little pricey, I thought it was worth the risk.
The Prog Collective falls somewhere
between masterpiece and dud, certainly a strong enough effort to be considered
memorable, but not
The quality of the songwriting left me pleasantly
surprised, as the tracks are melodic and free of the bombast associated with latter-day
prog.
The musicianship is top-notch, although
much of it is a Sherwood effort. Sherwood shares the guitar spotlight with Gary
Green and Steve Hillage, and would have
produced a better product had he done the same with other instruments. Fine
vocals further enhance the experience.
The album is very well done, but probably
not one I will return to frequently.
ALBUM TRAILER
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So is all the music you featured progressive rock? I really enjoy the sound of progressive artists. this Prog-Collective sounds like an amazing cd.
ReplyDeleteThey were all progressive bands (or at least releases on progressive labels), Vanessa, although the label "progressive" can mean a lot.
ReplyDeleteI still listen to lots of other music, but I find the prog music has a lot more going on that reveals itself with repeated listenings, not as likely on more traditional music.
I just looked them up - that is one odd mix of musicians. Sadly most super groups never live up to their potential. Always a shame.
ReplyDeleteA few exceptions, though Alex-the Transatlantic albums (Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Roine Stols, Pete Trewevas) are all excellent, and Flying Colours (also with Morese and Portnoy) was quite good.
ReplyDeleteA lot of Sherwoods productions have the musicians making their contributions remotely, and I think the "band in the studio" dynamic adds a lot.