Prog n Roll radio show with The Windmill as special guests (17/2/2019). The complete playlist and more...

Hello all!
  Last night one more special Prog n Roll radio show was online, but this time with one week delay. On Sunday the 10th of February we were supposed to have the members of the Norwegian band The Windmill as our special guests and present their latest album Tribus, but everything went wrong. The day of the show we had a major problem with the radio station's server and we couldn't connect. So, we cancelled the show and we finally did it last night, with one week delay.
  So, we had the pleasure to have most of the band's members on our chatbox, together with many of our usual listeners, and members of other bands as well. 
 We had a great playlist prepared, especially for the occasion, that was including all 5 songs of the album Tribus, plus - not one - but two music quizzes!
The guys of The Windmill were kind enough to offer 2 very beautiful things to give out as prizes, and for that reason we did 2 music quizzes.
  The winner of the first quiz was Stefan from Germany who won a very beautiful T-Shirt of the band, and the second winner was Ben from UK, who won a signed CD copy of Tribus.
 I really believe that it was a very good and interesting show, and from time to time we had lots of fun on the chatbox.
I'm pretty sure that everybody enjoyed it, and the 2 hours passed really fast!
Here you take a look at the whole playlist:
Part 1: THE TEA PARTY: The River / RIVAL SONS: Tied Up / BLOOD CEREMONY: Ballad of the Weird Sisters / THE WINDMILL: Dendrophenia / PROGELAND: Dead Calm Waters.
Part 2: JUDY DYBLE: See Emily Play (Quiz) / THE WINDMILL: Play With Fire / JETHRO TULL: Nothing is Easy / THE WINDMILL: Storm.
Part 3: JOE COCKER: You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away (Quiz) / URIAH HEEP: Rainbow Demon / WEED: Sweet Morning Light / THE WINDMILL: Make Me Feel.
Part 4: STEVE HACKETT: Hungry Years / THE WINDMILL: The Tree. 
I would like to thank all those who chose to listen to our show once more, and especially the members of The Windmill for tuning in and for offering those nice stuff to give out as prizes.
Thank you all!

THE WINDMILL: Tribus (2018). My Review...

   The Windmill is a Norwegian band that I discovered recently, and to be honest I was impressed. I had no idea about them, until I saw some very good ratings and reviews about their latest album Tribus, and I decided to give it a try.

  Their music style can be characterized as Heavy Prog with a sound that reminds the bands of the 70’s, but in a more modern way.

  The album opens with the 24-minute-long The Tree, which left me speechless! If I would like to describe the feeling I had, I would say that it is as if you enter a train for a long journey, without knowing where it is going to lead you. So, you just sit back and enjoy the ride, with its infinite turns and changes of the landscape, and the peace you find yourself in. When the journey finally ends, you know that you only have to press “repeat” in order to feel it again.

It is one of the album’s “stronger” compositions, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of the songs are just “fillers”. Each of the 5 songs is wonderful in its own way, and creates different feelings for the listener.

  The Tree is followed by the 10-minute-long instrumental Storm. What I wrote about The Tree stands for Storm as well. The only difference is the length of the “journey”. Another excellent track, including flute that permeates a vintage sound, if I can use that expression.

  Dendrophenia that comes next, is a lovely track that could easily fit in any of the old albums of Uriah Heep. A very nice and more “straight forward” track.

  Make Me Feel, the album’s 4rth track, is another highlight! Again, a long – 9.30-minute-long track, is one of the album’s stronger compositions. I didn’t pay much attention to it at first, because I kept listening to the first 2 songs repeatedly; but when I finally decided to continue with the rest of the album, this was the song that stuck with me again.

  Play with Fire is another wonderful tune that concludes the album in the best way possible. A more Folky and happier tune in comparison with the previous songs. Due to the sound of the flute and the singer’s voice, it reminds me of Jethro Tull a little bit, but it cannot be characterized as a “copycat” in any way.

  The things that I loved in Tribus are; firstly the very good and strong compositions, secondly, despite their sophistication, the songs don’t tire you out. Although most of them include lots of changes, they come artlessly and effortlessly. These guys don’t try to impress the listener with their technical skills, (which are very good), but with the quality of their music and their overall performance instead.

  This is a wonderful album that you listen from the first until the last minute, without having to skip not even one song. All the songs are wonderful and they have something to offer.

Stronger tracks: The Tree, Storm, Make Me Feel.

Weaker Tracks: None.

It would be a mistake to ignore this album! Give it a try and you won't regret it.

                         My Rating: 4.5 stars. 

If you click on the following YT link you will be able to listen to the song The Tree.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXYMfuPMo60&index=1&list=PLXfyzjzsaNrr5WhxRsMRVNUaRx8yRjCIy

Greatest Rock albums of all time. Part. 12

                                     BLACK SABBATH: BLACK SABBATH (1970)

  Before I start writing this, I did a lot of thinking about how to approach this band and their albums.

  I wrote a couple of posts, and then I erased them, because when it comes to Black Sabbath it is really very difficult for me to be objective. I really tried hard to decide which records I should put in this post, and after many changes, I thought that my best option was to present only their first album. Because if I had to put a second one (as I had in mind at first), it seemed impossible for me to decide which one should be. In my opinion their first 5 albums are equally important and good. (The only exception maybe, would be the album Vol.4, because for me it is the 'weakest' in comparison to the other four).

  Black Sabbath's dark image (that would follow them forever), started here: On Friday the 13th of February 1970 with the release of their first self titled record. On the cover we see a picture of an old house which seems to be abandoned, and a pale figure dressed in black at the front. The whole cover is like a picture that was taken from a horror movie. (The house on this cover was a windmill, situated somewhere on Thames river). In the original version, the cover had a gatefold with an inverted black cross and a poem written on it.

   But let’s move on and take a closer look at the songs here:

   The album opens with the famous Black Sabbath. Rain falls, thunders strike, and the sound of the church bell ringing setting up a dark and gloomy atmosphere, before the heavy sound of guitar and bass hit you in the stomach like iron. Ozzy with his odd voice sings about 'a figure in black’ which points at him. (The lyrics of this song are based on a nightmare Geezer Butler had). One of the most “bizarre” songs ever recorded, which became a “must” in all their concerts during their long career.

 Next, comes the song N.I.B, in which the lyrics are written from the point of view of Lucifer. The song Behind the Wall of Sleep was inspired by the American writer H.P Lovecraft and his story with the same title. As for The Wizard, it was inspired from the wizard Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings books, written by J.R.R Tolkien. The songs Evil Woman and Warning are cover versions of some old Blues songs.

   According to Tonny Iommi, the band recorded the album in just one day. They went to the studio, played all the songs live, recorded them and left. The only 'luxury' they had, it was that Ozzy was singing from another booth.

  Upon its release, the reviews that Black Sabbath received, varied from bad to terrible! My opinion is that the critics and the media of the time were unable to handle such a record, because it was something they were listening to for the first time and they had no idea how to react to it.

Here’s a few examples: “It sounds like a very bad version of Cream”, or  “It is like Vanilla Fudge playing a tribute to Alister Crowley”. [Alister Crowley (1875-1947) was a very famous magician, occultist etc].

  That is exactly what I meant before, when I wrote  they didn't know how to handle this record. 

  Despite the bad critics, the album sales were not bad at all! It reached at No.8 at the U.K charts, and at No.23 at the USA charts.

   With the passing years, the critics started giving better and better reviews, until it gained its position as one of the most important and influential albums in the history of  Rock music. After all, let's not forget that Heavy Metal has its roots exactly on this record! (And the rest of  the Black Sabbath's albums that followed)...

  Nedless to say that this album is a "must have"!

Other Black Sabbath (incl. Ozzy) albums I recommend: Paranoid, Master of Reality, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Sabotage.

Top-10+1 albums of 2018. Part.3 (out of 3)

                 O A K: Giordano Bruno (Rock Opera)

  The Rock Opera Giordano Bruno by the Italian project O A K was something that caught me by surprise. I knew nothing of this band (or project if you like), until I discovered this album. It is a brilliant and very well made Rock Opera, based on the life and work of Giordano Bruno (1548 – 1600), including lots of famous musicians as guests. A few months ago, I wrote a detailed review, so in case you are interested, you can find it here:
http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.com/2018/06/oak-giordano-bruno-rock-opera-2018-my.html

           RIVERSIDE: Wasteland

  Riverside’s latest work is an album that I wasn’t expecting to like as much as I did! It is the band’s 7^th studio album, and in my opinion the best one! Or at least, it is the album I listened and enjoyed the most! Here is the review I wrote about it a few months ago: 
http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.com/2018/10/riverside-wasteland-2018-my-review.html

            THE WINDMILL: Tribus

  I discovered this wonderful album rather late, near the end of December, and for that reason it wasn’t included in the presentation for the best albums of 2018 that we did in the Prog n Roll radio show at the beginning of 2019. But with every new listen I realized that it was a really fantastic album, so I added it to my list now. Less than a month ago, I wrote a review for this album, which can be found here: 
http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.com/search?q=the+windmill

STEVEN WILSON: Home Invasion: In Concert at the Royal Albert Hall (Live)

  This is my +1 album, not because it is not as good as the previous ones, but because it is a live one. That means that it doesn't include any new material. Usually Top-10 lists do not include live albums, so this is extra. 

  A very enjoyable and well made album, that every fan of Steven Wilson should have. In case you want to learn more about it, here’s my review: 

http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.com/2018/11/steven-wilson-home-invasion-in-concert.html

Prog n Roll radio show (20/1/2019). The complete playlist...

Hello!
  Last night one more Prog n Roll radio show was on air as usual.
I dare say that it was a rather informative and enjoyable show, and judging from the people's reactions and comments, I believe that everybody enjoyed it.
  When we were creating the playlist we divided the show into 2 main parts: The vintage and the modern one. So, during the first hour (2 half-hour-parts) we played lots of classic stuff from the 60's, the 70's and the 80's, and then, during the 2nd hour, we continued with songs taken from albums that were released in 2018.
 Here you can take a look at the complete playlist:

1st Part: THE BEATLES: Happiness is a Warm Gun / THE WHO: Acid Queen / TERRY REID: Without Expression / KALEIDOSCOPE: Please / VELVET FOGG: New York Mining Disaster / QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: Just for Love Pt.1.

2nd Part: WINTERHAWK: Free to Live / URIAH HEEP: Look at Yourself / RUSH: A Farewell to Kings / JUDAS PRIEST: Dying to Meet You.

3rd Part: THE D PROJECT: The Sting / PAVLOV’S DOG: Paris / JET BLACK SEA: Home / THE WINDMILL: Make Me Feel.

4rth Part: MAXINE CILIA: Mum / GUNGFLY: Friendship / DAMANEK: Big Eastern Pt.1.

Once more, we had a good crowd gathered, with people from many countries, as usual. So, I would like to thank them all for being there once more!

Thank you all!

Prog n Roll radio show welcomes The Windmill and presents their latest album Tribus. (10/2/2019)

Hello all!
  I'm very glad to inform you that on this Sunday, we will have on Prog n Roll's chatbox the members of the Norwegian band The Windmill, as our special guests.
  From our behalf, we will present their latest - very good - album Tribus, among other things of course. But that's not all. We will also have 2 music quizes, and the winners will take as prize some very nice and kind of unique things.
 The playlist is ready, and includes many new stuff, mixed with old and classic ones. 
  In my opinion this is going to be a very informative and highly enjoyable show, so try not to miss it!
  Prog n Roll is a bilingual live broadast, which comes online on every Sunday at 20.00 UK time. 
Tune in for some good music and for the very warm and fun atmosphere on the chatbox. 
In case you are interested, here's the link of the radio station: www.justincaseradio.com
I hope to "see" you there!
Thank you! 

Prog n Roll radio show with The Windmill as guests is now available as podcast...

Hello all!
  I would like to inform you that the special Prog n Roll radio show we did on 17th of February is now available at Prog n Roll's mixcloud page.
 It was a very interesting and informative show, during which, we presented the latest album of The Windmill, Tribus. So, now you have the chance to listen to it whenever you like. It is there, waiting for you...
  If you want to find more info about it (and check the the playlist as well), just scroll down the page a little bit and you will find everything you need.
  Here's the link of Prog n Roll's page on Mixcloud: 
https://www.mixcloud.com/ProgandRoll/
If you visit our page, you will see more shows there, so you can listen to any one of them.
You can also subscribe if you want, and learn about every new upload immediately.
I hope that you will enjoy it!
Thank you