Clearlight Symphony is a progressive rock album released in 1975 on Virgin Records in the UK. It is the first in a series of albums by a project led by pianist Cyrille Verdeaux with the participation of other musicians, including in this case three members of Gong on one side, and two other French musicians, Gilbert Artman (of Lard Free and later Urban Sax) and Christian Boulé (formerly with Verdeaux in the band Babylone, and a later Steve Hillage sideman) on the other. Primarily psychedelic, but also serving as a forerunner of new-age music, the album's musical style manages to blend seemingly contrary elements: the symphonic rock concept is flexible enough to permit extensive jamming in both rock and jazz fusion styles.

Alice is one of the first generation of groups to have done progressive rock in France, even if their sound often came close to the blues rock, they mixed in some heavy psychedelic ideas and threw in a couple pinches of prog purée in their music and achieved a very interesting album, recorded in London and released in early 70. Clearly the leader was multi-instrumentalist and singer JP Auffredo and his style on flute was reminiscent of Jethro Tull, Traffic but sometimes the Yardbirds as well.
This re-mastered version of Alice’s auspicious BYG debut provides an opportunity to reassess a band that deserves wider recognition.

This Quebecois band has three phases. First came the psych period under which they were known as Morse Code Transmission and made two psych albums in 71 & 72 sung in English. The second phase saw their names shortened and with the Quebec prog explosion under way decided to switch to French singing. The three albums that followed are real gems of progressive music oscillating between Genesis and Barclay James Harvest but the French texts (sometimes highly impressive) gave them a sound of their own. They disbanded, as the disco wave became a Tsunami in La Belle Province only to reform in 83 to make a best-forgotten English-sung album and again in 95 for a much better one again in French.

Jonesy are one of the great British Progressive Rock bands of the early 1970s who, despite recording some of the most impressive and intelligent music of the era, sadly failed to make a commercial impact. The band was formed in 1971 by guitarist John Evan-Jones, who emigrated to Australia with his brother Trevor in the 1950s. By the mid-1960s, the Jones brothers had formed the band Chaos And Co and had enjoyed success. Returning to the UK in 1969, John forged a career as a session guitarist but by 1971 had formed Jonesy with Jame Kaleth (mellotron, keyboards, vocals), David Paull (bass, vocals) and Jim Payne (drums, percussion).

Ars Nova: This female keyboard trio started in the next line-up: Keiko Kumagai (keyboards), Kyoko Kanazawa (bass) and Akiko Takahashi (drums). In '92 ARS NOVA released their promising debut-album "Fear & Anxiety", a tribute to ELP with floods of powerful Hammond organ and flashing synthesizer solos, supported by a strong and adventurous rhythm-section. After several album and changes in the line-up, ARS NOVA is still going strong and end 2003 the trio released their new CD entitled "Biogenesis Project": it's loaded with spectacular instrumental prog rock in the vein of ELP, UK and TRACE. The current ARS NOVA includes Keiko Kumagai (keyboards), Akiko Takahashi (drums, voice) and Mika (vocal and chorus)…

Mad Fellaz II is generously seasoned with the complex flavours of Canterbury styled prog and at times is lightly spiced with the drive and aggression of rock. Above all else, it is an album that displays the freedom of spirit that the inclusion of jazz influences can provide. Mad Fellaz II is an album that combines the best elements of Canterbury styled prog with the warming reassuring predictability and challenging unpredictability that an infusion of jazz and rock influences can offer. Stylistically, the album ranges from National Health-like instrumental passages to very occasional forays to a fuller quasi big band sound as beloved by bands such as Ian Carr's Nucleus. Nods to Santana, Gilgamesh and King Crimson also peep through in the band's lengthy compositions. The combination of so many contrasting styles creates music that is spaciously vibrant, always distinctive and often unique.

Mean Machine is the eighth album by Lucifer's Friend. On this album the band returns to its heavy metal roots, albeit with less of the Hammond organ found on the first album. However, by this time the band had lost its core following years ago and it was too late to recover. Lucifer's Friend lasted a year after the album's release and then finally broke up. John Lawton would join the hard rock bands Rebel and ZAR. Lucifer's Friend would reunite in 1993 and would release Sumo Grip in 1994 and would break up for the final time in 1996.

Sneak Me In is the seventh album by Lucifer's Friend, an album in which Mike Starrs, formerly of Colosseum II, replaced John Lawton on vocals for a second time. This album and the previous Good Time Warrior (1978) were an attempt at a more commercial, accessible style which met with limited success. Starrs was replaced by the returning Lawton, for 1981's Mean Machine.

Imagine a cross between Fantasy, T2, Spring and Rare Bird. Lashings of mellotron, quality harmony vocals, biting guitar work and well written and recorded songs.
Dancer were formed from remnants of Isle of Wight folk rockers Shide & Acorn and future famed film director the late Anthony Minghella. Minghella had previously appeared as keyboardist in a small jazz group known as Earthlight. The musicians were discovered by Wilf Pine, former manager of Black Sabbath and future reputed ranking member of the Gotti mafia syndicate in the United States. Pine secured the group studio time at Olympia in the Barnes suburb of London in 1972, where they recorded seven tracks over a month's period under the direction of Groundhogs guitarist Tony McPhee…

This is another bag of gold from the vaults of Mellow records and worth its weight! This is an organ player's nightmare and will please all prog fans who love the 'ol analog keyboard sound. Altough this recording has a very dated sound, it should in any way detract from your enjoyment of this recording. There are some superb prog moments on this recording and great musicanship.

Produced by George Martin, The Man in the Bowler Hat continues Stackridge's brand of satiric rock marbled with elements of folk and to some extent, even country. The lyrics are just as witty as in their first two releases, and the poetry glistens with a jovial Englishness that became the band's most identifiable trademark. With Martin's help, though, the album became one of their better releases, as the music rises to the top before the words do, sounding fresher, livelier, and noticeably sharper than both their debut and 1972's Friendliness. Stackridge's best song, "Dangerous Bacon," was released as a single, and it's in this song as well as "The Galloping Gaucho" and "The Indifferent Hedgehog" in which their sound comes alive…

A good first effort by a band very much in Yes' orbit – as when "Elliptical Seasons" shows Lutrell's uncanny mastery of Anderson's vocal style – this debut also shows the less complex electric timbre and thinner production that typified American progressive rock by such practicioners as Kansas. The album leads off with the wonderfully sprawling song that broke them on local radio in the hometown of Champaign, the ten-minute Moogs and Merlin epic, "Lady of the Lake." The closing instrumental, "Nova," also gives the band's very tight rhythm section a chance to shine, with Tassler opening the piece with a brief but effective solo. Though later releases would show the band was capable of better work, it's a decent enough debut and an interesting curio for fans of American progressive rock.