The first PROG & ROLL radio show of 2014. The full playlist...

Hello all!
Last night we had the first PROG & ROLL radio show for 2014.
As I have mentioned in a previous post, we had a special playlist planned.
During the first hour we presented our personal Top-10 albums which were released in 2013, and during the second hour we played Prog & Roll's Top-10 songs on 2013, as were graded and voted from our audience throughout the year. There was one band which was included in both categories, so we played only one song from them during the second hour. They are the Greek band 'Verbal Delirium' which they released an excellent album in 2013, and one specific song from this album was included in Prog & Roll's Top-10 songs as well...
  Well, there's no reason for further delay in writing last night's playlist, so here it is:
1st Hour: Songs from our Top-10 albums list of 2013:
We.Own.The.Sky: Alterecho / Nemrud: Sorrow by Oneself / Riverside: New Generation Slave / Steven Wilson: Drive Home / Camel: Rhayander / Ayreon: Magnetism / Moon Safari: Kids / Comedy of Errors: Fanfare for the Broken Hearted / Triddana: Gone with the River.
2nd Hour: Prog & Roll's Top-10 songs for 2013:
Queen: Death on two Legs & Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon / Journey: Of a Lifetime / The Beatles: I Want You (She's so Heavy) / It's A Beautiful Day: Hot Summer Day  / Pink Floyd: Goodbye Blue Sky / Iron Maiden: Phantom of the Opera / Eloy: The Sun-Song / Strawbs: Autumn / Verbal Delirium: Sudden Winter / David Bowie: Life on Mars? 

Thank you all for listening to last night's show, and furthermore to all of you who are always there, supporting us since day 1. We will try to continue improving our show in any way possible. Thank you folks! :) 

GFreedom's Juke Box Nο.74

Hello everybody!
As many of you know already, on every Saturday morning I'm posting here my Top-5 songs for the week. From all the songs I've listened during the week, I choose the best 5 and write them in this blog. And at the end of the post I'm adding a couple of videos as well, for you to be able to listen.
So, for this week here's my Top-5 songlist:

Uriah Heep: Wisee Man (Firefly - 1977)
Amarok: Fieldmour I (Amarok - 2002)
The Tea Party: The Bazaar (Single - 1995)
Ted Nugent: Stranglehold (Ted Nugent - 1975)
Galahad: Richelieu's Prayer (Beyond the Realms of Euphoria - 2012)

Concluding this post I will add 2 videos from my Top-5 list. First one is 'The Bazaar' by the Canadian band The Tea Party, (the official video). The second video is Galahad's 'Richelieu's Prayer'.
Enjoy the music folks, and have a great weekend! :)
Thank you for reading...

                               

1st PROG & ROLL of 2014 presents: the Top-10 lists...

Hello everybody!
This Sunday (5/1/2014) we have the first Prog & Roll radio Show of 2014, and we thought of making it kind of special one. So during the show you will be able to listen to 2 different Top-10 lists.
During the first hour we will make a small presentation of the Top-10 albums (according to our opinion of course) which were released in 2013, and we will play one song from each album.
And during the second hour we will present Prog & Roll's Top-10 songs for 2013, as were voted again and again by our audience. In this list we have 10 really great songs from the '60's 'till nowadays.
So if this Sunday afternoon/night you are in the mood for some really good music, and a friendly company, we would be delighted to have you with us.
Prog & Roll starts at 20.00CET (22.00 Greek time), lasts for two hours, and the broadcasting is in English and Greek language.
You can log in by clicking this link: Just In Case Prog Radio
 Thank you all in advance :)

Happy New Year!

I want to wish you, your familes and your beloved ones A Happy New Year, filled with Health, Love and Hapinness. 
Let's hope 2014 will bring all of us everything we hope for.
 You have my best and warmest wishes! :)

My personal Top-10 Prog- Orientated Rock albums of 2013. (Part.2)

Yesterday I wrote the first part of my Top-10 Prog-orientated Rock albums of 2013, and now it's time for Part.2. I want to remind you that there is no order in the list, it's just the10 new albums which I think were the best from all those I've listened during the year.

 STEVEN WILSON: The Raven that Refused to Sing
 Steven Wilson is one of my most favorite musicians/composers in the last decades, as a solo musician or with any of his bands (Porcupine Tree, Blackfield etc). This year he released his third album as a solo artist entitled 'The Raven that Refused to Sing'. Here Steven Wilson is surrounded by some excellent musicians, and the result is really impressive! The performance of this line-up really does miracles at some parts. The album inludes 6 songs, and has a total running time of almost 55 minutes. It is highly recommended not only to the fans of Steven Wilson or Porcupine Tree, but to all those who can enjoy a really well-structured album with a very high quality in all kinds of technical aspects.

COMEDY OF ERRORS: Fanfare & Fantasy
The story of the Scotish band 'Comedy of Errors' starts way back in 1984. Their first period was not worth mentioning with only a couple of demo's before disbanding. But they re-appear in 2011 with the very good album 'Disobey' which was actually their first official release. This year they released their second album entitled 'Fanfare & Fantasy' which is a really excellent work! Their style can be categorised as Neo-Prog, with many melodic lines, and strong influences from Marilion's first period, but also Pendragon among others which comes to mind upon listening to the album. But that doesn't make 'Fanfare & Fantasy' less enjoyable to the ears of the listener. It is a wonderful album filled with beautiful melodies. Highly recommended to the fans of Neo-Prog, but also to all those who like soft & melodic compositions, but without being cheap and cheesy! 

VERBAL DELIRIUM: From the Small Hours of Weakness
 And here's another Greek band in my Top-10, which was again a huge surprise for me. Although 'From the Small Hours...' is Verbal Delirium's second album I have to admit that I had never heard of them before. But from the first moment I understood that here we have a very serious piece of work, from a group which most probably will have even more to offer in the future. The style of the album fits its cover very well. It is dark, melancholic and romantic on many occassions.(But in some other cases it can be characterised as experimental).
 The jewel of the album is without any doubt the song "Sudden Winter" which is one of the best songs I've heard in the last years. There is enough pluralism when it comes to the organs as well, with Trumpet, Saxophones, Flutes and Mandolines being some of them. (Except of course the 'classic' guitars, drums, bass and piano).  In a few words, I believe it is an album worth buying to say the least! 

MOON SAFARI: Himlabachen Vol.1 
Re-discover the child in you! This surprisigly good album comes from the Swedish band 'Moon Safari' and it's their 4rth work since their debut album 'A Doorway to Heaven' which was released in
2005. Since then the band "grew up" musically, and this last work of them can be concidered as one of their best. They always were in close terms with another (famous) Swedish band, 'The Flower Kings', and this album was mixed and mastered by Flower King's bass player. The difficult-to-read title is the name of the hill close to the place which the members of the band grew up. The album open with the song 'kids' which most probably will make you think of your own childhood.
Their strongest aspect in my opinion is the vocals, which are rather mellow, and  match their melodic sound perfectly. Another very important aspect in their sound in the use of keyboards, and especially the unique sound of organ and 'Moog' synth.
 Moon Safari's album was another big surprise for me, and that's why I included it in my list.

TRIDDANA: Ripe for Rebellion
And my top-10 list will close with the less Prog band of all. But I was long expecting this album to be released, and when it did, it was as good as I was excpecting it to be.
There are many intersting facts about this band. Fact No.1: They are from Buenos Ayres (Argentina). Fact No.2: They sound like Braveheart, assuming that he was a Heavy Metal musician and not a Scottish hero. Fact No.3: It might sound like blasphemy, but the singer's voice is the closest voice I could ever imagine to the great Ronnie James Dio.
 So, what we have here is an Argentinian band which is playing a very heroic and powerful Heavy Metal, filled with the sound of  bagpipes, and a really great singer who knows how to use his voice.
 So if you are into heroic tales, or intriqued by legendary battles, then this band might be perfect for you! :)

My personal Top-10 Prog- Orientated Rock albums of 2013. (Part.1)

Hello all!
2013 is reaching to its end, and I thought it could be a good idea to present here my top-10 Prog-Orientated albums of this year. Don't forget that this is a personal list, therefore some of you may disagree with it. Also, the bands and their albums are randomly written, and not in any specific order.
2013 was a very productive year for Progressive Rock and its subcategories, with over 100 new releases. As you can understand, it was impossible to listen to all those albums, but I listened to enough of them to form my opinion.
This post is the first part. Part.2 will follow in the next two days.

CAMEL: The Snow Goose (Re-recording)
Yes, its true. Camel decided to re-record their legendary album which was released for the first time in 1976. This new recording is quite similar to the old one, but with significant changes to the production and the mixing. But that's not all. There are many changes to the compositions and the organs which are used. If you listen to it you will find many small changes all over the album.
I think it deserves a spot in my top-10 list, because it's a real masterpiece!

RIVERSIDE: Shrine of New Generation Slaves. 
Another excellent album from the Polish Prog-Metal band Riverside. This is their 5th album, and
certainly their most mature one. During these last 10 years Riverside changed a lot, and the changes can be seing in every new release of them. In this album their sound is heavier than their previous ones, the compositions are more complexed, and they seem to have left behind their "Tool-like" period for good. This album is a 'must' for all the fans of Prog-Meal & Heavy Metal, but it is highly recommended to all those who would enjoy an album with excellent production, and some really strong compositions and guitar riffs.

WE.OWN.THE.SKY: The Glass/Nails (EP)
This 5-piece band was one of the surprises of 2013 for me! They are a Greek band and they released one of the best Post-Rock albums I ever listened. A couple of years ago they released their first demo, and now it was time for their first official release which is an EP. It includes 6 songs, and has a running time of almost 33 minutes. It was released in a limited number of 100 copies only, therefore it will be very hard to find. If you want more info on the band and their songs, please visit:
 http://weownthesky.bandcamp.com/music You might be surprised!

AYREON: The Theory of Everything
 Ayreon is the personal project of the Dutch multi-instrumentalist/composer Arjen Lucarssen, and his only purpose is to release Rock Operas every now and then. 'The Theory of Everything' is his 8th Rock-Opera, and surely one of the best. It includes some really great musicians and some of them are the following: Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), Marco Hietala (Nightwish), Rick Wakeman (Yes), Keith Emerson (Emerson Lake & Palmer), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Steve Hackett (Genesis), Troy Donokley (Nightwish), John Wetton (Asia & King Crimson) etc... This double album consists of 4 main long tracks, which include many small parts in them. You can find many different kinds of music in this album, from Heavy Metal to Folk-Rock, and it surrely is a very interesting record to say the least!

NEMRUD: Ritual
This is the second album by the surprisingly good band Nemrud from Turkey. The album includes only 4 tracks, and it's a concept one. (Exactly like their first album 'Journey of the Shaman'). Nemrud have a more Psychedelic approach and their music reminds that of Eloy in some cases. They have a rather Space and Hypnotising tempo into their music, with very interesting turns. I really recommend this album to those who enjoy long tracks with many turns and not so many lyrics. (For those who might wonder, I should mention that the lyrics are in English).

Here ends the first part of my Top-10 albums of 2013. I hope you found it interesting and informative.
Part.2 will follow in a couple of days.
Thanks for reading! :)

GFreedom's Juke Box Nο.73

As many of you know already, every Saturday I'm choosing the best 5 songs from all the songs I've
listened during the week.
This week I've listened to lots of music again, so once more it wasn't very easy to pick only 5 songs.
But after some thought, I decided that my best 5 songs are the following:

Peter Hammill: Autumn (Over - 1977)
The Kinks: Death of a Clown (Something Else - 1967)
Aphrodite's Child: The Four Horsemen (666 - 1970)
Genesis: Anyway (The Lamb lies Down on Broadway - 1974)
Mystery: Behind the Veil of Winter's Face (Behind the Veil of Winter's Face - 2007)

I will conclude this post by adding a couple of video of songs which are in my top-5 list.
On the first video you can listen to 'Death of a Clown' by The Kinks, and on the second one the song 'Anyway' by Genesis.
Enjoy the music folks, and have a great weekend all!
Thanks for reading! :)

                                             

                                     

JUST IN CASE PROG RADIO Presents: A Music Marathon!

Hey everybody!
I'm writing this post in order to inform you that tomorrow 27/12/2013 Just in Case Prog Radio is preparing a special event, in order to close the year with the best way possible! A Music Marathon!
 Which means that almost all the producers will gather up, and present you a veeery long program, with many great songs, and a few surprises as well... ;)
 You will listen to new releases, classic songs, many old and forgotten ones, etc. We are planning to cover almost all the categories of rock music, from the '60's 'till nowadays.
 GFreedom Team will of course participate in the event, and we are already planning our playlists... :)
The Marathon will begin at about 14.30 CET (16.30 Greek time), and will last for as long as we are are able to continue...
 So, tomorrow tune in for some great songs, and some fun company.
Thank you all in advance! :)
You can listen by clicking this link: www.justincaseradio.com

Seasons Greetings...

  Since we reached the day before Christmas, I think now it's a good time for some season greetings and wishes.
  I'm wishing you some beautiful warm and peaceful holidays with your beloved ones.  
I hope Santa will bring you everything you hope for... ;)
 (Assuming you were good kids of course) :P

               MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Prog & Roll's 50th radio show on 22/12/2013. The Full playlist...

Last night we had the 50th Prog & Roll radio show, which was also the last one for 2013.
 We had some good songs in the playlist, but furthermore (as we had announced), we played whole parts from Saturday's DJ Set which we recorded, for our audience to listen.
  This was the last show of this year, because on next Sunday (29/12) we will not have a radio show. Instead, we will participate in the Music Marathon that Just In Case Prog Radio is preparing on Saturday the 28th of December, together with (almost) all the producers of the radio station.
  Here you can see the whole playlist from last night's show. (In the parts from the DJ Set, I will write into brakets the songs which were included)

Prog & Roll's 1st Half-Hour: THE BEATLES: Tomorrow Never Knows / CAMEL: Never Let Go / ELOY: Inside / LOVE SCULPTURE : In the Land of the Few  
2nd Half-Hour: [DJ SET (From 10.30 - 10.45) (The start of the program):(ELOY: Intro from 'Live'+ PINK FLOYD: Shine on you Crazy Diamond (together with) ELOY: Intro from 'Atlantis Agony', + THE MOODY BLUES: The Word (together with) MARILLION: Lavender]
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX: Rise up & Fight / DREAM THEATER: Burning my Soul.
3rd Half Hour: DJ SET (From 23.45 - 24.00) [MONTY PYTHON: Sit on my Face / SOUTHPARK: Blame Canada / RIVERSIDE: Out of Myself / GALAHAD: Empires Never Last / RUSH: Tom Sawyer]. DJ SET (From 00.15 - 00.30) [THE TEA PARTY: The River / HAWKWIND: Hassan I Shahba / APHRODITE'S CHILD: The 4 Horsemen]
 4rth Half-Hour: PAVLOV'S DOG: Fast Gun / DJ SET (From 2.10 - 2.30): [THE MOODY BLUES: In the Beginning (Together with) AYREON: The Theory of Everything / BLIND GUARDIAN: Nightfall / KANSAS: On the Other Side] WISHBONE ASH: Phoenix.

 Thank you all for listening and participating on the 50th Prog & Roll. We will be with you again on the 5th of January 2014.
 Merry Christmas everybody!