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    • Supernatural Fairy Tales: The Progressive Rock Era

    08/20/1996

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    All Music Guide Review

    Right down to the Roger Dean-designed sleeve, this five-CD box set overview of 1967-1976 progressive rock is as grandiose as the music itself, which is not necessarily an unconditional recommendation. But give the compilation points for diversity and thoughtful selection. The expected superstars (Yes, Genesis, ELP, Procol Harum) are usually represented by unexpected cuts that haven't been played to death on FM radio. A lot of ground is covered, from Krautrock (Can, Amon Düül II) and symphonic keyboards (Rare Bird, Argent, the Nice's "America") to the Canterbury sound (Caravan, Hatfield & the North) and pop hits with prog overtones (Traffic's "Paper Sun," Golden Earring's "Radar Love," Roxy Music's "Virginia Plain"). A lot of the Continental bands -- like Le Orme, Lard Free, Wigwam, Ange, and Samla Mammas Manna -- will be fuzzy or unfamiliar names even to progressive rock fans, making cult faves like Van Der Graaf Generator, Curved Air, the Pretty Things, Savage Rose, and Gong (all here as well) famous by comparison. Will the music cause those who dislike prog rock to re-evaluate their feelings? Absolutely not; the more accessible and poppy cuts are balanced by flashy instrumental workouts that -- as even the musicians themselves may admit -- do not exhibit a trace of humor. And no box that fails to include selections by Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Soft Machine, Kraftwerk, Mike Oldfield, early Brian Eno, and Kevin Ayers (in at least some cases for licensing reasons) can claim to be comprehensive. It is an interesting, carefully assembled, and extremely wide-ranging and catholic survey of the much-maligned genre. It's just a bit too much to take in all at once, and its very eclecticism ensures that many listeners (even dedicated prog fans) will feel the urge to skip around to concentrate on the subgenres they find most appealing. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

    Track Listing

  • Track#
  • Title
  • Artist
  • time
  • 1
  • America
  • Nice [1]

  • 2
  • Paper Sun

  • 3
  • Repent Walpurgis
  • Procol Harum

  • 4
  • Private Sorrow/Balloon Burning
  • Pretty Things

  • 5
  • Legend of a Mind
  • Moody Blues

  • 6
  • Kings and Queens
  • Renaissance

  • 7
  • Sympathy
  • Rare Bird

  • 8
  • Under the Sky
  • Sinfield, Peter

  • 9
  • Searching
  • Schulze, Klaus [1]

  • 10
  • Sunrise
  • Kingdom Come [1]

  • 11 (2)
  • The System/Babylon
  • Aphrodite's Child

  • 12 (2)
  • Death Walks Behind You
  • Atomic Rooster

  • 13 (2)
  • De Vierte Kuss
  • Ash Ra Tempel

  • 14 (2)
  • Killer
  • Van Der Graaf Generator

  • 15 (2)
  • Oh Yeah
  • Can

  • 16 (2)
  • Knife Edge
  • Emerson, Lake & Palmer

  • 17 (2)
  • In the Land of Grey and Pink
  • Caravan [1]

  • 18 (2)
  • It Happened Today
  • Curved Air

  • 19 (2)
  • Hocus Pocus
  • Focus [1]

  • 20 (2)
  • Prophet/Marvelry Skimmer
  • Wigwam [1]

  • 21 (3)
  • Perpetual Change
  • Yes [1]

  • 22 (3)
  • Lothlorien
  • Argent

  • 23 (3)
  • Ladytron
  • Roxy Music

  • 24 (3)
  • Radio
  • Supersister

  • 25 (3)
  • Dear Little Mother
  • Savage Rose

  • 26 (3)
  • The Musical Box
  • Genesis [1]

  • 27 (3)
  • Roll Over Beethoven
  • Electric Light Orchestra

  • 28 (3)
  • New World
  • Strawbs

  • 29 (3)
  • Celebration
  • Premiata Forneria Marconi

  • 30 (3)
  • Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression, Pt. 1 & 2
  • Emerson, Lake & Palmer

  • 31 (4)
  • Dancing With the Moonlit Knight
  • Genesis [1]

  • 32 (4)
  • Siberian Khatru
  • Yes [1]

  • 33 (4)
  • Virginia Plain
  • Roxy Music

  • 34 (4)
  • Warrior
  • Wishbone Ash

  • 35 (4)
  • Warinobaril
  • Lard Free

  • 36 (4)
  • Mozambique
  • Amon Duul II

  • 37 (4)
  • Round and Round
  • Strawbs

  • 38 (4)
  • Questions and Answers
  • Nektar

  • 39 (4)
  • Fils de Lumiere
  • Ange

  • 40 (4)
  • Ritorno Al Nulla
  • Le Orme

  • 41 (4)
  • Without Words
  • Clearlight [nuage]

  • 42 (5)
  • Star Palace of the Sombre Warrior
  • Seventh Wave

  • 43 (5)
  • Perfect Mystery
  • Gong [1]

  • 44 (5)
  • Free Hand
  • Gentle Giant

  • 45 (5)
  • War

  • 46 (5)
  • Andra Satsen
  • Sammla Mammas Manna

  • 47 (5)
  • Let's Eat (Real Soon)
  • Hatfield & the North

  • 48 (5)
  • Traccia II
  • Banco del Mutuo Soccorso

  • 49 (5)
  • Tröller Tanz (Ghost Dance)
  • Magma

  • 50 (5)
  • It's a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl
  • Faust [1]

  • 51 (5)
  • Mummy Was an Asteroid, Daddy Was a Small Non-Stick Kitchen Utensil
  • Quiet Sun

  • 52 (5)
  • Radar Love
  • Golden Earring

  • 53 (5)
  • Inca Roads
  • Zappa, Frank & the Mothers of Invention

    • Credits

    • Mike Rutherford
    • Bass, Guitar (12 String), Electric Sitar, Bass Pedals, Sitar (Electric), Vocals
    • Peter Sinfield
    • Synthesizer, Vocals, Producer, Guitar (12 String), Performer
    • Rod Argent
    • Organ, Piano (Electric), Producer, Vocals
    • Roger Dean
    • Artwork, Paintings, Design, Illustrations
    • Tony Banks
    • Organ, Mellotron, Guitar (12 String), Vocals, Piano (Electric), Keyboards
    • Ken Elliott
    • Synthesizer, Percussion, Keyboards, Vocals
    • Phil Jump
    • Piano (Electric), Synthesizer Strings
    • Klaus Schulze
    • Organ, Drums, Vocals, Electronic Sounds, Electronics, Performer, Producer
    • Can
    • Producer, Performer
    • Gong
    • Producer, Performer
    • Justin Hayward
    • Bass, Guitar, Harpsichord, Vocals, Mellotron, Piano, Percussion
    • John Lodge
    • Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals, Cello, Percussion, Bass
    • Dave Mason
    • Bass, Sitar, Shakkai, Mellotron, Tamboura, Vocals, Guitar
    • PFM
    • Performer
    • Michael Pinder
    • Guitar (Acoustic), Mellotron, Piano, Harpsichord, Cello, Bass
    • Steve Winwood
    • Organ, Bass, Piano, Harpsichord, Percussion, Performer, Vocals, Guitar
    • Yes
    • Producer, Performer
    • Magma
    • Producer, Performer


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