Technical problems...

For anyone who's been waiting for the next review or entry then I apologise. I've been having technical problems of late and am working on a solution.

Sorry folks. Watch this space.

QoQuaq Music reviews on Wikipedia

Just a little bit of blog news, QoQuaq Music reviews will now be featured on Wikipedia articles concerning albums reviewed here. They will use the same -/5 scoring method as used on the blog. Hopefully the Wikipedia nazi's wont remove them.

Also, if any readers would like to write their own album reviews please leave the review in the comment box, along with your name and email address. (Doesn't have to be your real name.)

The next album review is coming soon and will be a Pink Floyd album.

Metallic Spheres

Metallic Spheres is the product of a "ambient-techno" duo The Orb and David Gilmour, guitarist of Pink Floyd.
The album is a nice mix of Gilmour's gracious guitar work and The Orb's ambient sounds. If this were an effort by The Orb alone I wouldn't have listened to it, and would probably think it to be poor, but Gilmour's input as both a musician and writer really show through and make this album a highly enjoyable listen.

As well as the regular 1CD version, there is a 2CD version of the album, the second disc containing a version mixed in "3D60", a new technology allowing listeners to use stereo earphones to hear the album in 3D sound. The album is also available on limited edition vinyl with alternative artwork (pictured right).

 Trackisting:

1. Metallic Side (28:42)
1. Metallic Spheres
2. Hymns to the Sun
3. Black Graham
4. Hiding in Plain View
5. Classified
2. Spheres Side (20:12)
1. Es Verda
2. Hymns to the Sun (Reprise)
3. Olympic
4. Chicago Dub
5. Bold Knife Trophy

QoQuaq Recommends:
"Metallic Side"

Rating:

4/5

Title: Metallic Spheres
Label: Columbia Records
Genre: Ambient / Progressive rock
Release Date: 12th October 2010

This album is available from Amazon and iTunes.

Olias of Sunhillow

My first review will be the album Olias of Sunhillow, primarily because it's where the name "QoQuaq" comes from.

Olias of Sunhillow is by Yes vocalist Jon Anderson, and was his debut solo album. Released in 1976 it was the most commercially successful of all the Yes solo records released that year, beating Chris Squire's Fish Out of Water.

The album was inspired by the Roger Dean designed, fantastical album cover for Yes' 1971 album Fragile, which depicts a glider escaping a dying planet, pictured to the right.

The album tells a story in which there are three central characters; Olias - the architect given the task of building a glider called the Moorglade Mover; Ranyart - tasked with piloting the Moorglade and Qoquaq - the leader of the people of Sunhillow.




Tracklisting

1. Ocean Song (3:05)
2. Meeting (Garden of Geda) / Sound Out the Galleon (3:34)
3. Dance of Ranyart / Olias (To Build the Moorglade) (4:19)
4. Qoquaq Ën Transic / Naon / Transic Tö (7:08)
5. Flight of the Moorglade (3:24)
6. Solid Space (5:21)
7. Moon Ra / Chords / Song of Search (12:48)
8. To The Runner (4:29)

I see no reason why some of the tracks have been condensed into single tracks on the CD version, where as they were seperate on the vinyl. Also, the new CD version has a poor reproduction of the artwork, which is fantastic in the original vinyl version, which includes a story to acompany the music.
This is the only album which sees Jon Anderson play (nearly) all the instruments which include guitars, synths, drums and even harp. Lyrically it is very clever and well worth a listen for any prog fan, especially fans of Yes.

QoQuaq Recommends:

"Sound Out the Galleon", "Flight of the Moorglade" and "Solid Space".

Rating:

5/5

Title: Olias of Sunhillow
Label: Atlantic Records
Genre: Progressive rock / new age music
Release Date: 24th July, 1976

This album is available at Amazon and iTunes.

Welcome

Welcome to QoQuaq Music. Some readers may recognise the name "QoQuaq" from Jon Anderson's album Olias of Sunhillow, where it's spelled "Qoquaq".
People often confuse the last letter for a "g" but it's a "q", and it's pronounced "Ko Quake".

Right enough of that. Welcome to my blog. It is dedicated to the world of prog-rock, all the stuff from the '60s to now, which includes bands such as Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Muse & ELP. Though it is not limited to this genre and may include some ramblings too.

There is a handy YouTube gizmo to the right which will be displaying some randomly selected prog related videos, enjoy.

If you would like to submit a review of a prog album yourself, then please leave it as a comment, it will then be read and published here as a blog entry. Please write reviews from a non-bias perspective and include some recommended tracks from the album.

My first review will follow shortly.