Thursday, April 25, 2013

"V" IS FOR...

Various

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
 
 
 
 
FOLLOWING THE SIGNS
 
 

4 comments:

  1. 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.

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  2. They were all progressive bands (or at least releases on progressive labels), Vanessa, although the label "progressive" can mean a lot.

    I 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.

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  3. 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.

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  4. A 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.

    A lot of Sherwoods productions have the musicians making their contributions remotely, and I think the "band in the studio" dynamic adds a lot.

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