As the 1980s drew to a close, hair metal died away to be replaced by grunge, hip hop and rap. But underneath this was a small but determined surge of Progressive Rock. Here are a few debut albums from this period. All these bands released tapes etc., of their music prior to their first major releases. But it’s the major label releases we are trying to look out for here.
Vulgar Unicorn – Under the Umbrella (1985)
4 Stars
Vulgar Unicorn became the Somerset Sound of the Eighties. Wonderful music – very eclectic with excellent musicianship, heaps of fun, tally hoes, jolly hockey sticks, and bravado. It was the first time the public got to know Bruce ‘Adrian’ Soord. Sadly, after three delightfully eccentric albums, Soord moved on to the more mainstream Pineapple Thief. But this debut is a pure delight.
Lands End – Pacific Coast Highway (1994)
5 Stars
Predictably, Lands End never made the jump from cult band, as although the music was everything that a Progressive Rock fan demanded, dramatic guitars, keyboards and vocals with very edgy song structures, due to the geographical residence of all the different band members recording sessions had to be greedily grasped. Live work was limited to a few festival appearances, which were criminally under-rehearsed. With all that, their debut is a real diamond and well worth seeking out. Later, they recorded an epic of over fifty-three minutes of intricacy. Tiring for even the most avid listener. On this, their debut, they were more precise.
Grey Lady Down – The Crime (1994)
4 Stars
At the rock’n’roll end of Progressive Rock, Grey Lady Down sounded like Genesis would have done if they had ever really rocked out. Martin Wilson had very distinctive vocals, which can now be heard in The Room. Lead guitar and keyboards were played by Julian Hunt and Louis David. Both of whom should have been huge in their respective fields. They come across best in their epic pieces.
Porcupine Tree – On the Sunday of Life (1992)
4 Stars
The start of the story for Steve Wilson. The template for what was to come was laid out here. Massive soundscapes leaping off at tangents before switching back, whisking you off to another planet. Of course, on the way to becoming the undisputed Lord of Prog, Steve Wilson released many far more well-known and successful albums than this, selling out the Royal Albert Hall countless times. But this debut still holds a lot of charm.
Ozric Tentacles – Pungent Effulgent (1989)
5 Stars
Oh the Ozrics. Wanna trip? Take an Ozric. In full-on hippy mode, the Ozric Tentacles, led by Ed Wynne and an ever-changing line up of likeminded souls, the band tripped the light fantastic, leaving behind them many contented but bemused smiles as they zoomed from galaxy to galaxy.
Their debut album was a huge success, even reaching the lower reaches of the UK charts. The trouble is, over the years and multiple album releases, they never lost their popularity, but never seemed to gain any more to push them to the next level. Still, they seem happy enough.
Malibran – The Wood of Tales (1990)
Malibran were one of the mighty pioneers of European rock music; they just happened to play Progressive Rock. Periodically releasing their next masterpiece, the music has great grandeur, sounding as though the gods are playing to their people down below. These boys are not shy about their attributes.
Possibly singing in Italian has stopped them from being huge in the rest of the world, not only in their home country. A few tweaks years ago with perhaps an English-speaking singer, and who knows? The music does speak for itself. Never better than this their debut album.
Thoughtfully compiled by a dog on the Darkside.
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