Van der Graaf Generator were one of the most original and inspiring bands of the 1970s. When Peter Hamill, Hugh Banton, Guy Evans and David Jackson announced their reformation in 2005 to perform concerts and to record a new album, it took many by surprise, but the group proved they were still making relevant and..
Jethro Tull – [A] A La Mode (The 40th Anniversary Edition) (Parlophone)
The controversial [A] gets the deluxe remix treatment… Few albums in the Jethro Tull catalogue are as controversial as 1980's A, with its slicker sound, infamous personnel shift and subsequent disgruntled alumni. Further erosion of public opinion came with the news that the intended solo album was in fact grudgingly presented as a band project..
Frost* – 13 Winters (InsideOut)
An eight-disc treasure chest that rewards the patience of starved Frost*heads... When it rains, it pours. Or maybe in Frost's case, when it snows, it… er, never mind. The fact is, until this year there hadn't been a new Frost* release in four years. Then in June came Others, a digital EP of new material..
Script For A Bassist’s Tear: Pete Trewavas on the deluxe reissue of the classic Marillion debut album
The 1983 debut album from the Mad Marillos is the latest in the ongoing deluxe reissue series of the first eight albums for EMI, and it is a cracker of a set. Have a gander at the goodies included this time around: On the first disc, a sparkling new 2020 remix of the album -..
Derek Shulman: Un-boxing The Giant
For the majority of their career, Gentle Giant was that rarest of breeds: uniquely challenging, singularly unlike any other rock band, with no hit singles or radio airplay, or anything approaching 'danceable'. Yet they garnered and cultivated a fiercely loyal, almost ravenous core of fans and admirers. These listeners weren't content to settle for standard..
Marillion – Afraid Of Sunlight deluxe edition (Warner/Parlophone)
Ask ten Marillion fans what the band's best album is, and it's possible that you'll get ten different answers. By now, I think I've heard every one of their eighteen albums proclaimed to be the height of their mammoth career (even the sometimes maligned marillion.com, once staunchly championed to me in a concert lineup by..