Back catalogue: Progressive Rock

Review: P'Cock are perhaps not as celebrated as you might expect given Klaus Schulze's suggestion that their catalogue contains some of "the best fusions of electronics and rock music". This double disc set offers up remastered versions of their first two albums, which were released in 1980 and 1981 respectively. On Prophet (CD1), the German band outlines their take on post-krautrock progressive rock - all synth-heavy instrumental, soaring songs, surprisingly funky workouts (see the excellent 'Silver Swallow') and proto-Balearic ('N1, 4'). Its sequel, In'Cognito, is an altogether mellower and more jazz-fusion influenced affair, with nods towards the kind of music Todd Rundgren made with his Utopia project, guitar-solo laden space rock, and intergalactic, ambient-leaning soundscapes ('My Pollution').

Review: Brighton outfit Phoria have rightfully received plenty of critical acclaim over the course of their previous two albums - and it isn't likely to abate now they drop their third. River Oblivion builds on previous works in that it blends all the electronic intricacies of their debut with the newly added orchestral manoeuvres of their second. This fresh, supersonic journey takes us through the mind of writer Trewin Howard as it was during the many different highs and lows of those dark pandemic days. A real rollercoaster that will keep you coming back for more.

Review: Now celebrating its landmark 50th anniversary, Pink Floyd's seminal The Dark Side Of The Moon remains a timeless masterpiece and is a groundbreaking fusion of progressive rock and psychedelic soundscapes. This iconic album, known for its conceptual brilliance and sonic innovation, continues to captivate with its introspective lyrics and haunting melodies half a century on and this 50th Anniversary Edition pays homage to the monumental work on some very special vinyl pressings and packaging. With its celestial tapestry of sound and thought-provoking themes, his record is often cited as one you need to hear before you die, and you really do.

Review: Legendary prog rock icons Pink Floyd performed live at the KB Hallen, Copenhagen on November 10 ,1972 and this is a digitally remastered recording of that night. It's a great bit of musical history, capturing the band across two CDs that feature many highlights, not least the epic 24-minute rendition of 'Echoes' which is about as prog as prog can get. As well as that, the album takes in the entirety of The Dark Side Of The Moon plus extra tracks 'One Of These Days' and 'Careful With That Axe Eugene,' all of which make it a superb addition to the collection of any fan.

Review: Prolific Pink Floyd record producer and engineer James Guthrie once again has his 2018 remix album for the band's 'Animals' reissued, this time on limited LP wax. A five-piece meditation on Floyd's penchant for animalism, Guthrie's reinterpretation yanks the Orwellian structure and themes of the original album and hurls them back into an electronic prog rock prayer, with many of the new versions impressively breaching 10 minutes. In true Floyd fashion, this is window-closed, record-sleeves-on-the-floor, bong-hitting stuff, but with an extra Guthriean darkness lended to it. Clock the pig oinks littering the mix too.

Review: The title of this three track time capsule from psychedelic prog-rock legends Pink Floyd is apt. As a band, the British heavyweights have always been known for their breathtaking live shows, and this is as much to do with the soaring guitar chords as the cacophonous climaxes, with many tracks given the kind of on-stage upgrade that creates a wild, juggernaut atmosphere. Concerts to lose yourself in. Recorded as the 1960s faded into a new age of rock, one that would see compositions become grander, more conceptual, and, ultimately, heavier, From Oblivion Vol.2: Live In San Diego October 17th 1971 seems to capture the spirit of that moment. A time when technological advancements, and frustration at the commercialisation of other sub genres, were feeding explorations in sound that seemed to look beyond our world and out into the great unknown.

Review: Pink Floyd: From Oblivion Vol 1: Live In San Diego October 17th 1971 captures this still iconic British prog band at the peak of their creative powers. Recorded during a seminal moment in their career, this live performance showcases their transcendental soundscapes and avant-garde experimentation in all their glory. From the eerie melodies of 'The Embryo' to the hypnotic rhythms of 'Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun,' the album immerses you in a vast sonic soundscape like no other. With flawless musicianship and mind-bending improvisations that you would expect, this album shows why Pink Floyd remain legends of progressive rock.

Review: Animals was the tenth studio album by English rock legends Pink Floyd. It arrived on 21 January 1977 and was produced entirely at their own Britannia Row Studios in London throughout the preceding year. This is the first time the album has been made available in 5.1 Surround Sound on this Deluxe Edition. The record marked a departure from the usual style and was a concept album, focusing on the social-political conditions of mid-1970s Britain. It took inspiration from George Orwell's Animal Farm and depicts people as the same classes as in the book with pigs, sheep and dogs in that order.

Review: Given that it is the fourth biggest selling artist album of all time, with some 45 million copies in circulation, you'd be forgiven for questioning the point of this 50th anniversary edition of Pink Floyd's most celebrated work. Yet, like the various Beatles albums that have been remastered and remixed in recent years, there is certainly a point to polishing the sound using modern technology. Put simply, 'Dark Side of the Moon', an album that's famously sonically detailed and was painstakingly recorded at the time, has never sounded better. With its mix of ambling progressive rock epics and memorable songs, it has always lent itself to listening on headphones; now, thanks to a sparkling and stunning 2023 mix, it's a more immersive and enveloping listening experience than ever (and that's before we get to the separately available surround sound and Dolby Atmos versions).

Review: Pink Floyd's seminal album A Momentary Lapse Of Reason was originally released in 1987 but later record an update and remix by David Gilmour and Andy Jackson for The Later Years Box Set. Some of the original keyboard parts were put back in and new drum tracks were recorded for the project and thus it is said that the band's original creative balance was restored. This version was mixed in 2019 from original master tapes and has been pressed to heavyweight 180g vinyl at half speed. A new 28-page booklet is also included to make this an absolute must for collectors.

Review: In music, they say be careful what you wish for. We think it's also important to be careful what you accomplish. Presumably Pink Floyd understand this only too well, with Dark Side of the Moon catalysing a step up for the progressive rock noblemen in terms of status, but also a shift in fan base demographics as "play the hits" ticket holders gradually replaced deep dive listeners. Conceived as a suite of music that would switch up what the band saw as a live show going a little stale, Dark Side of the Moon: A Piece for Assorted Lunatics first hit public ears in January 1972 when excerpts were incorporated into a gig at Brighton Dome. Representing not the namesake album itself, but rather a version of its contents organised in two long medley arrangements, seamlessly melding psychedelic rock into one grand overture, if anything this is how the music was actually intended to be heard.

Review: Room On Fire is releasing a couple of Pink Floyd live albums this month. Next to Another Night In Montreux from 1970 comes The Heart Of The Sun: Live At The Fillmore West also from 1970. It has previously had an unofficial release on CD but now arrives on vinyl. It is a superb mix of space and prog rock of the sort the band is so well known for. It includes a 20-minute tune 'Atom Heart Mother' (Early Version Known As 'The Amazing Pudding') as well as three other sprawling and epic pieces.

Review: Recorded at Altes Casino, Montreux, Switzerland on 22nd November, Pink Floyd's Another Night In Montreux album has become a rather well-regarded and collectible treasure. It's a great document of a band at the peak of their powers that now gets reissued by Room On Fire on nice heavyweight vinyl. The record features the Atom Heart Mother suite and a 13-minute version of 'Embryo' that very much embodies the prog rock ideal as it lavishly unfolds at an unhurried pace.

Review: A rare chance to catch the Floyd in what is effectively the second of the many phases they went through as a band, in this case exactly half way between the release of their debut album Piper At The Gates of Dawn in 1967 and their most successful, Dark Side of The Moon, in 1973. You can hear the transition they're undergoing when you compare the four tracks included on this recording of the band at San Francisco's Fillmore West, with Syd Barrett's replacement David Gilmour stepping up and becoming increasingly confident on his guitar duties. Side one's 'Embryo' and 'Green Is The Colour' are still very much embedded in traditional rock territory, with the perky rendition of the latter often sounding like their then contemporary Jimi Hendrix. Flip it over, however, and you see where they are headed - the much more experimental 'Careful With That Axe, Eugene' with its screaming effects and the meditative, minimal 'Set The Controls For The Heart of the Sun'.

Review: Hi-def mono reissue of Floyd's classic 1967 album, remastered in 2017 from the original analog tapes. Known for its rough, crunchy psych sound that predated the band's later, boundless space rock sensibilities, this is the wall-breakers at their most primordial, and their least beat-around-the-bush. This one's been given an anniversary reissue a whopping three times in a row; of course, we should endeavour not to overlook the more perfunctory, audiophiles' rarities such as this. Make sure you add it to your 'Gates Of Dawn' collection while you can.

Review: Outside of jazz-fusion circles, violinist and composer Jean-Luc Ponty is best known for two things: embracing synthesizers and electronic instruments (including electric violin) earlier than his peers, and playing a small but significant role in inspiring some of Detroit techno's earliest innovators. This double disc set rounds up three of the albums that proved most inspirational to electronic musicians. Disc one sports 1987's warm, colourful and mesmerising The Gift of Time - where, fittingly, Ponty's ability to create surprising and intense off-kilter dancefloor workouts was first noticed by adventurous DJs - and 1989's Storytelling, which kicks off with his most famous work: the awe-inspiring 'In The Fast Lane'. Over on disc two, we get 1991's Tchokola, an inspired mix of fusion, Afrobeat and Zouk flavours that has long been a favourite amongst Balearic silverbacks.

Review: Australia is a hotbed of psychedelic rock 'n' roll bands. Perhaps, in the same way the country's cinematic output often does, this is all a result of the wild wild country effect - a nation with landscapes so evocatively barren, filled with endless nowheres, the imagination runs riot in terms of what might be waiting in that untapped outback. Maybe it's just because cities like Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane have incredibly fertile native music scenes that can compete with the best from the Euro-American axis.

Let's not second guess things, and instead focus on the depth and incredible wealth of ideas in this, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets' fifth long player. An energy-packed adventure into a place that's somehow stadium sounding, and yet also the polar opposite of what anyone could call main stage rock 'n' roll music, to say this is a wonderful trip would be underselling things.

Review: Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs of Saint Etienne fame are the diggers behind this new rock assemblage which pays tribute to mid-afternoon set times at lesser-known festivals from years gone (well, the 70s) such as Deeply Vale, Bickershaw, Krumlin, Weeley, and Plumpton. They were just as important to those who attended as the more celebrated likes of Glasto' and this collection shows the sounds were just as good, too. The sounds - from big names liek Deep Purple, Hawkwind and Alan Parker & Alan Hawkshaw to lesser known acts like Jonesy, will appeal to hippies and bikers alike with big riffs, funky drumming and some psyched-out sounds.