Two days ago, Google closed down G+.
It was a decision the company took for its own reasons.
I was a G+ user for a few years now, I created a couple of communities there, and followed 4-5 more.
I'm guessing that things didn't woked out as Google had planned, so they decided to close it down. Speaking for myself, I would like to say a very big 'thank you' to all those people who joined my communities, followed this blog and checked my posts. Most of G+ users has been moved to MeWe, and so did I. It is very similar to G+, but it includes a few more fun things.
So, the chapter that was named as G+ closes here. Thank you all! Goodbye G+...
Hello all!
2019 is already here, and I would like to wish to you, your families and your beloved ones a year full of love, happiness, personal success, and everything that you can possibly want.
Let's all try to be better persons and think of our fellow citizens who are facing problems and need help. Happy New Year everybody!
Hello all! I would like to wish to you, your families and your beloved ones Merry Christmas! I hope you will have a great Christmas day filled with love and happiness!
Since a few hours ago, 2018 is here... I would like to wish to you, your families and your beloved ones, a year filled with love, health, happiness and success.
Let's hope that 2018 will be a better year than 2017, which in my occasion, finished really badly... Happy New Year everybody!
This is the 1000th post!
Hello everybody!
When I begun this blog, on April 2012, never thought that it was going to reach that far.
I started mostly because I wanted something to do; I was living away from my country, without friends, relatives etc, and without many things to deal with, except for my job and a few other things.
So, I was thinking about creating something like a music site, but it was too hard for me. Then, I thought "why not a blog? It will be just for me. Who is going to read it anyway?"
Six years later, my blog had grown, and has reached at almost 77.000 views (so far). For that, I would like to say a very big THANK YOU, for visiting my blog and reading my posts.
From my part, I will always try to do my best, for as long as I can continue... Thank you all very much!
George
Hey all! There is a very heavy snowfall the last 2 days here in Athens Greece, and almost everything is covered with snow. For most Central and North European countries this is something they are used to I guess, but for us here is something vey rare. The last time I remember seeing such a heavy snowfall in Athens was 11 or 12 years ago.
As you can understand, this was a rare opportunity for us to go out and play with the snow in the center of Athens!
And that's what we did actually! hahaha
Here's some pictures to see how Athens looks like now... :-)
Now that the new year is here, I would like to wish to you, your families and your beloved ones, a year full of health, happiness, love, success. Let's be positive and hope that 2017 will make all our dreams comes true! Let's hope that 2017 is going to be better year than 2016, because let's face it, the year that just passed wasn't the best one...
I would like to send my warmest wishes to you and your beloved ones. Have a great holiday season, filled with love and happiness! Thank you for visiting my blog and supporting my radio show. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
A few days ago, my little blog reached and exceeded the milestone of 50.000 views.
Considering that this blog exists a little longer than 3.5 years, that makes an average of 13.500 -14.000 views per year.
Unfortunately, lately my everyday schedule does not allow me to deal with the blog as much as I would like to, but still, I'm trying to do the best I can.
So, the reason I'm wrting this post is because I want to say a very big THANK YOU for following and visiting my blog.I really hope that you will always be able to find some interesting things to read...
GFreedom.
Here we are, on the dawn of 2016, and I would like to wish to you, your familes and your beloved ones... HAPPY NEW YEAR! I wish you a year full of hapiness, love and heath. Let's hope that 2016 will be a better year, and all of us will see our dreams come true!
Hello all!
I'm writing this post in order to inform you that today my channel on YouTube has its 1st birthday. Exactly one year before, on the 22nd of April 2014 I uploaded the first video.
Today, after one year, here I am again writing down a few things about it. So, during this year I uploaded 297 songs in total from many different musical genres. Lately I don't upload so many videos like before, because I received 2 warnings. Which means that if I will receive 1 more, they will shut it down. So, I'm waiting for the penalty period to end, and I will start again. :-) Let's take a look at some stats now: During this 12 months my channel had 186 subscribers in total, and the number of total views is almost 200.000. The total number of 'likes' is 1216, and of 'dislikes' is 11.That means most of the people are really enjoying the songs they find in there. Also, the number of 'shares' is 2120 in total.
I have to say that I'm very pleased with these numbers, and also with the increase in the number of visits. You should know that in order to make it easier for you, I have created 5 playlists which are actually musical categories. The playlists are: Rock in General: Including 94 videos Progressive: Including 170 videos Hard & Heavy: Including 33 videos Folk Rock: Including 25 videos Other: Including 12 videos In order to be able to locate my channel on YouTube, go to "channels search", and write George Eleftheriou. Mine is the one with the 'Jester' as an avatar. Concluding this post, I would like to say a very big thanks to all those who subscribed, commented, shared and visited my channel. I hope you are enjoying the music I'm uploading.
Be sure I will continue doing so, and I will always try to improve it. Thank you all very much! :-)
Siena Root is one of the greatest Swedish bands of our times in my opinion. Almost all their albums are of high quality, and 'Pioneers' is one of the best.
Their style can be characterised as Heavy Rock, or Hard Rock, or Classic Rock of the 70's, with many Psychedelic and Prog influences. To be honest it is a mix of all those music styles. Their sound is dominated by the use of guitars and organ, and it is a totaly 70's revival. (Try to imagine a mix of Deep Purple with Mountain, and you will understand their style more or less).
In their previous albums there were also many Anatolian/Indian influences (especially with the use of Sitar), but not any more. Here what we have is an excellent album with a solid Heavy Rock sound, and great compositions.
The album includes 8 songs and has a total running time of almost 40 minutes. 'Pioneers' is the kind of album you put to listen, and you don't even skip a song before it finishes. All the songs are really great ones, but if I had to choose my most favorite ones I could say 'Between the lines' and the wonderful 'In my kitchen'. Recommended to all the fans of Rock music in general.
I'm adding here the official video from the opening song 'Between the lines' for you to listen and have a small idea.
THE D PROJECT: Making Sense
'Making Sense'was one of the pleasant surprises of 2014, and I strongly recommend this album to the fans of Progressive Rock and Neo Prog.
A few months ago I wrote a post on this blog, which was something between a review and a presentation, that's why I don't think I'll have to write everything again. If you are interested, take a look here: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2014/07/the-d-project-making-sense-2014.html
Starting this I should say I'm not a fan of Transatlantic. I like them a mildly, I respect them a lot as musicians, but that's all. When this album was released I wrote in this blog a review/presentation based on the listenings I was able to do at the time, and I gave the album 3 out of 5 stars. Now, after having listened to it a lot more, I wouldn't say that it is a masterpiece, but I would give 3.5 - 4 stars instead.
In case you want to read details for the album, here's the link: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/2014/10/transatlantic-kaleidoscope-2014.html
After 5 years IQ returned with one of their maturest and "darkest" albums they ever released, 'The road of bones'. The title and the main theme of the album refers to the tragic story behind the R504 Kolyma highway in Russia, which is also known as the Road of
Bones, as the skeletons of the forced laborers who died during its
construction were used in much of its foundations. (The Kolyma highway was constructed during the Stalinist era of the USSR. The first strech was built by the inmates of the Sevvostlag labour camp in 1932, and construction continued with the use of goulag labour until 1953. The road is treated as a memorial, as the bones of the people who died while constructing it were laid beneath or around the road. As the road is built or permafrost, interment into the fabric of the road was deemed more practical than digging new holes to bury the bodies of the dead). With
such a tragic story as a main theme, it is normal that the album is
'dark' and gloomy, starting from the cover, and continuing with the
songs in it. But the band's synthetic ability is at very high standards
once more. Almost all the songs are excellent and rather complicated
compositions, so the album needs a few listenings before it reveals all
its hidden treasures. There
are only 5 songs in the basic single-cd edition, most of them long
ones. But I will recommend the double-cd edition with 11 songs, and
almost 100 minutes of total running time. The road of bones is without a doubt one of the greatest releases of 2014 in general, and that's why I strongly recommend it to all Progressive Rock fans. I'm adding the song 'Ten million demons' here for you to listen to and get an idea.
KAIPA: Sattyg
Kaipa is a Symphonic Prog band from Sweden. They started their career in the mid 70's when Roine Stolt (later The flower kings) was a member of the band. In the early '80's they were disbanded, but almost 20 years later they returned better than ever. Their new album is named 'Sattyg' and it is one of their best - if not their best - work so far. Their work has all those elements which make a nice Prog album. Equal doses of guitars and keyboards, of melodies and rhythmic riffs, and above all, very beautiful vocals performed by 2 singers. Especially the performance of Allena Gibson is a really great one! Her vocals are adding a lot to their music, giving a unique character to the songs. The albums includes 7 songs, and it has a total running time of almost 62 minutes. And that is normal if you consider that there are 3 songs of almost 15 minutes length each one. The album opens with the 15 minute-long 'A map of your secret world', and from the first few minutes you realise that you have something really good in your hands. And when the second song enters, then you know you made a great choice! It was released on the 10th of November, but I discovered it almost 3 weeks ago, and since then I haven't stop listening to it. And every time I find something new I haven't noticed before. I highly recommend this album to all the fans of Progressive Rock. You definetely have to add this album in your collection! I'm adding a song for you to listen to. It's the album's second track 'World of the void'
KAYAK:Cleopatra the crown of Isis
Kayak is a Dutch band, which shares many similarities with 'Kaipa'. They formed in the '70's for the first time, and disbanded in the early 80's. And twenty years later they were re-formed, and they are active since then. Their discography consists of 16 studio albums, and 7 of them were released between 2000 - 2014. Their latest release is the Rock opera 'Cleopatra the crown of Isis' which as the title implies has an Ancient Egyptian theme. The albums consists of 2 cd's and has a total running time of almost 110 minutes. As you can understand in such a big project it is difficult to maintain high standards in every song, so there are some parts which are less interesting. But the overall result is excellent. For the recordings of the album 7 extra musicians were used and if we count the 7 members of the band as well we have 14 musicians in total. The impressive thing is that there are 7 singers in the album, playing the different roles, and that is something which gives a more theatrical style to the music, and I really do like it. In order to be able to fully appreciate the album you have to listen to it again and again, because there are many small details every now and then, and on every listening you will discover something new. I highly recommend the album to all the fans of Progressive rock, and to all those who are interested in Rock operas in general. I'm adding a video here for you to have an idea, but my options in YouTube were very limited, that's why I couldn't post any of the songs I really like.
SALANDER: Stendec
A few months ago I hadn't even heard the name 'Salander', and now their latest album 'Stendec' in icluded in my 2014 Top-10 list. And why is that? Well, for many reasons! One of them is that I was really touched by the story and the efforts the 2 members of Salander are doing in order to make their dreams come true. Dave Curnow and Dave Smith are two friends who share a vision, and try to accomplish it on their own. So, they recorded the songs in their home, they did the mix of the album by themselves, and they uploaded it in Bandcamp. There are no record companies or managers involved here. Everything is home-made, authentic, and that is something they should feel proud of. And especially when we talk about an album like 'Stendec'. A very "gentle" and emotional album filled with a very beautiful sound. The album includes 7 songs and has a running time of almost an hour. Some of these songs are of the highest quality, and I'm really sure that if they could afford a company studio production the result would be a stunning one! But this doesn't mean anything really. Music is not only about technical means and money, but above all it's all about talent, feelings and emotions. And Stendec delivers it all! I highly recommend 'Stendec' to all of you, especially the ones who can appreciate a melodic and romantic album. In case you are interested, you can find it here: http://salander.bandcamp.com/ I'm also adding a video of the really wonderful song 'Zeitgeist'. Enjoy it!
Hello all!
I'm really happy to announce that my channel on YouTube exceeded 100.000 views in almost 9 months. In these 9 months I uploaded almost 290 videos from different music categories, and gained 130 subscribers. As for likes & dislikes, the total number is: 716 likes / 5 dislikes so far.
If you visit my channel, you will see that I made 5 playlists in order to make it easier for you. The playlists are: 1. Rock in general: 91 songs 2. Hard & Heavy: 33 songs 3. Progressive: 164 songs 4. Folk-Rock: 25 songs 5. Other: 12 songs If you are interested to find my channel, go to YouTube's main page, click on 'Browse channels', and in the space that writes 'search channels' write George Eleftheriou. Mine is usualy the first that appears, and has the 'Jester' as avatar.
I want to thank all of you who are visiting my channel, subscribing, commenting, liking etc.
I hope you found some nine music in there. :-)
Born to Dutch father and Belgian mother on Persian ground in 1969, the life of Anton Roolaart was destined to be adventurous from his first second on Earth. After spending time in Holland and Spain he finally settled in the United States where he studied music among other things.
In 2007 he released his debut album 'Dreamer', and 7 years later the wonderful 'The Plight of Lady Oona'. The album is in general a very melodic one, "screaming" that the composer surely is or was a fan of Symphonic Prog. Anton wrote all the songs, he sings and plays a big variety of instruments as well. (Guitars, mandolin, bass, piano etc). There are many good musicians participating here, like for example Rave Tesar (Renaissance & Annie Haslam). But the greatest "star" here is no other than Annie Haslam herself, who sings in the same-titled song.
The album contains 6 songs and has a total running time of almost 45 minutes. Almost all the songs are wonderful, each one for different reasons. If I had to choose the best ones, I would say 'Gravity', 'The Plight of Lady Oona', and 'Memoirs'.
We had the honor of having Anton as a guest on our radio show Prog & Roll around 7-8 months ago, during which we made a presentation on this album, and I must say that he was a very friendly and pleasant guy. As far as it seems he enjoyed our show, and a few days later he send us a picture of the album's cover with a few words writen on it. It is the picture you see on the top. Let's not forget that Anton has his own Prog-Rock web radio as well, named ProgRock Radio. In case you are interested, here's the link: http://www.progrockradio.com/
The album is highly recommended, not only to those who are fans of Progressive Rock or Symphonic Prog, but to all those who can appreciate a beautiful album filled with very nice melodies.
I'm adding here the song 'Gravity' which I uploaded in my channel on youtube a few months ago, together with 2-3 other songs from this album.
BLUES PILLS: Blues Pills
Second in my list comes this brand new Swedish band and their excellent debut album. Blues Pills were formed in 2011, and for starters they released a couple of very promising EP's. The band's line up is a classic rock one, with guitar bass drums and a female singer with a really good voice.Their style reminds the classic rock style of the late '60's and early '70's, and it brings to mind bands like 'Mountain' for example. But above all, their sound seems influenced by their countrymen 'Siena Root'. Their compositions are powerful, with a raw sound, which "grabs" you from the start. The album includes 15 songs, and has a total running time of almost an hour. Inside the album you can also find the songs which were released as Ep's in the previous years. The album achieved a rather big sucess in Europe, climbing at No.4 in Germany's album charts, and at No.10 in Switzerland. Blues Pills were a really great surprise for me, because I discovered them in the last months of 2014. I highly recommend them to all those who are fans of Rock music in general. In the following video you can listen to the song 'No hope left for me'.
CURVED AIR: North Star
One of the great Progressive Rock bands of the '70's were without a doubt Curved Air. Driven by their former member and leader Sonja Kristina, released 6 albums between 1970 - 1976, almost all of them very good ones. They were one of the first bands (together with 'It's a beautiful day' and United States of America') to feature a violin as a main instrument in their sound. Also, their first 3 albums 'Air Conditioning', 'Second Album' and 'Phantasmagoria' climbed in UK's album charts, ranking from 8 - 20. A few years ago the band made a reunion, and North Star is actually their first official release with new material since 1976. (I'm not counting albums like 'Lovechild'). It includes 14 songs and has a total running time of almost 75 minutes. From these 14 songs 7 are new compositions, 3 are older Curved Air songs which were re-recorded, one is from the personal album Sonja Kristina released in 1980, and 3 are very interesting cover versions in songs by Police, Snow Patrol and The Beatles.
In the band's line up there are 3 members (including Sonja Kristina) from the 70's, and a few new ones. And of course the violin is present once more!
The album's style is mostly melodic and soft, and there are some very beautiful compositions included, such as 'Stay Human', 'Colder than a Rose in Snow', and 'Interplay' to name a few.
We had the honor and great pleasure of having Sonja Kristina as a guest (in the chatbox) in our radio show Prog & Roll twice so far. The first time we made a presentation on 'North Star' in an extended (almost 3-hour long) show before almost 6 months, and the second time she logged in for the last show we did in 2014. Both times she was very gentle and cool, and we spoke about many things including the band and her memories from the '70's among other subjects. Finishing this I must say that North Star is a really good album, which in my opinion all the fans of Curved Air and Progressive Rock should own.
In the following video you can listen to the song 'Stay human' which I uploaded in my channel on YouTube a few months ago...
2015 is here, and I want to wish to you, your families and your beloved ones, a year full of love, health, hapiness, sucess and... great music!
Let's hope that this new year will bring to all of us everything that 2014 forgot to bring... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
I'm writing this piece in order to inform you that our radio show 'Prog & Roll' has now its own page and group in Facebook. There you will be able to see our news about the show, the playlists, and many other interesting thing we are posting on a frequent basis. For the users of G+, I should say that we created a community as well named 'Prog & Roll', so if you want you can join us. In case you are interested, here are the links: Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProgandRoll/ Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/Progandroll Google+ Community: https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105848072613171743333?cfem=1
Thank you.
Two days ago, Google closed down G+.
