OK folks, let's move on....
29-Mechanical Poet-Woodland Prattlers/Handmade Essence(2006)
So a bit less than a year back, Nem(obscure) and I started exchanging songs. Her library is much, much larger than mine, so I had to search for new stuff to surprise her with. This was the second best find of all those searches, an absolute magical gem. From a Russian trio, this is the hardest album for me to classify. It has prog, metal, industrial, folk, and a shit ton of other elements. It also has one of the greatest vocal performances I have ever heard, fom Max Samosvat, who left the band after this one debut album. It, and it’s companion Handmade Essence, are labeled as concept albums, but it is more of a whimsical journey around the forest, with Samosvat playing all of the creatures with deep emotion and intensity. It is that rare album that I can close my eyes and visualize the story, stage, setting, and characters perfectly.
“Needless, antiquated, feckless and outdated, I was welcomed like a king, and left as a broken dream.”
Suggested Songs:Old Merry Years Funeral, Stormchild, Handmade Essence, Natural Quaternion
For a more in depth look, you can read my full review of this album
here...28-The Who-Who’s Next(1971)
Easily their biggest release, Who’s Next I always felt was the pinnacle of what The Who was capable outside of the concept album arena, and even then, this album was the product of Pete’s initial attempts to get the Lifehouse concept down. At the heart of the album are two perennial rock and roll powerhouse songs, Baba O Riley and Won’t Get Fooled Again. These songs are fucking rock staples, period. Behind these two are many other great songs, some of which show Pete really coming into something different and special, the songs tied into the Lifehouse, The Song is Over and Pure and Easy, these to me are simply beautiful tracks. Then there is the haunting Behind Blue Eyes, a killer of a song by any standard.
“Except in one note, pure and easy, playing so free like a breath rippling by”
Suggested Songs:Baba O Riley, Behind Blue Eyes, Won’t get Fooled Again, Bargain
27-Marillion-Misplaced Childhood(1985)
Man did I fall for this one when I first heard it. First heard in my senior year of high school, I think this album can take full credit for putting the death blow to my rebellious metal head phase. I spent the next five years deeply immersed into finding all I could about prog(a hard trick when there was no internet). As I gathered up their discography, I realized I had found one of their best first. All aspects of the band were maturing brilliantly at this point, they were starting to hit on all cylinders. Fish’s lyrics jumped to a new level on this, way up from previous efforts on Fugazi and Script, his storytelling was finding it’s groove. Just an amazing album, amazing.(fun fact-this is the only album I own on vinyl, found it at a street fair for five bucks and had to get it, now hanging on my wall)
“And it was morning, and I found lots of mourning for a childhood that I thought had disappeared.”
Suggested Songs:Kayleigh, Blind Curve, Childhoods End?, Heart of Lothian