16: GENESIS - Calling All Stations (1997)

Introduction by Rich Kamerman
(A DPRP reader and music blogger from New York City)

Some albums have trouble surviving the weight of expectations, and Genesis’ Calling All Stations is a perfect example. Following-up several multi-platinum smashes was never going to be easy, and when they returned after a six-year absence with a new, mostly unknown lead singer, they were fighting an uphill battle. Open-minded fans were rewarded with a fantastic record that is dark, dense, melodic and full of memorable songs. They range from minor hit single Congo, to ballads like Shipwrecked and Not About Us, and on to extended progressive pieces like Alien Afternoon and (my favorite) The Dividing Line. 

It wasn’t successful enough for Banks & Rutherford to carry on (or even tour the US), but it’s an under-valued gem in their catalog and it introduced the prog world to the raw, powerful vocals of Ray Wilson. Had this album been released by Arena, Pendragon, IQ, Pallas or another well-respected modern prog band, the reception might have been significantly different.

From the 1998 archives, read Ed Sander's original review and see what score he gave the album:
Read it here  

Watch Genesis play The Dividing Line live in Poland in 1998.
Watch the video here

15: CANNATA - Mysterium Magnum (2006)

Introduction by Andy Read

"This album is one of the true hidden gems in the DPRP archives. I know that, because in over 10 years of writing for DPRP, this review has generated the most positive feedback. Indeed, two people I now like to call friends, first came into contact with me thanks to this album.

American-based singer/song-writer and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Cannata is one of the few artists sitting in the small niche described as 'Progressive AOR'. Mysterium Magnum draws together the best elements of prog rock, AOR and melodic hard rock, with Jeff's sublime songwriting and vocals. Almost a decade later, this is still a regular feature on my playlist.

Despite my glowing review, both this and Jeff's equally impressive Tamorok album (released under his Arc Angel moniker) have remained criminally under-discovered. Jeff now concentrates on making music for movies and commercials. This is a gentle reminder not to miss out."

 

From the 2006 archives, read Andy's original review and see what score he gave the album:
Read it here  

Watch the official Cannata video for the track Promise You Heaven.
Watch the video here

Visit the Cannata CDBaby Store to grab your copy (and pick up Arc Angel's Tamorok somewhere too!)
Buy it here

14: OPETH - Blackwater Park (2005)

Introduction by Ben Cameron a DPRP reader and musician from London (via Australia)

"I first heard of Opeth through a friend at school. I was a typical angst-riddled teenager, listening to bands like Metallica and Pantera. I picked up Blackwater Park purely because I had heard The Drapery Falls and loved the guitar melody. My first impressions were of amazement. A band that was heavier than anything I’d listen to, could at the same time be so sweet and heartfelt. This album opened my eyes to what music can be without genre barriers, which has in turn forever changed the way I write music.

I also owe this album for introducing me to the brilliant Steven Wilson, whose music has been an obsession of mine ever since... but that’s a story for another time.

Fast forward eight years and I was backpacking through Europe and got the chance to see Opeth at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Nothing could have prepared me for that night. The best venue in the world, the last-minute seat upgrade to a grand tier box, but most of all, a spectacular, complete performance of the album that made me re-think music. Pure bliss."

From the 2005 archives, read the original review by the DPRP's Gatot Widayanto, and see what score he gave the album:
Read it here  

Watch Opeth play the title track live at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Watch the video here

The album is currently available on Grooveshark.
Listen to it here

13: NETHERWORLD - Netherworld (In The Following Half-Light) (1981/2003)

Introduction by Jerry van Kooten

It was around 1983 when I learnt about this album, and it has been an all-time favourite ever since. Twenty years later I was happy to be instrumental in getting it reissued on CD and I am glad that our objective team member Mark Hughes agreed with me on the full 10/10 score in our duo review. Another twelve years later, how are things now?

Prog in the USA around that time was rare, but the opening track, recorded in 1981 would have fitted right into the second wave of prog in Britain. Side A's closing song is weirdly modern and haunting, and between those are two true progressive songs. Side B still has two of the most beautiful, more classic prog songs I know. Then there's even the scary Sargasso and brilliant bonus track in Cumulo Nimbus. A great combination of different sub-styles of the prog genre on a single album and all done to a very high level emotional, not too technical, with amazing arrangements. Yup, this is still one of my favourite albums.


From  the DPRP review archives, read the original duo review of Netherworld.
Read it here 

Find out more from the Netherworld website here

12: YES - Going For The One (1977)

Introduction by Andrew Halley

Going for the One was the first album I ever bought. It was the summer of 1977 and I was seventeen years old. Punk was all over the charts and the music press, but this album went to No.1 in the UK album charts. I remember thinking that must have pi**ed off all the "trendies"! 

By October I attended my first ever stadium concert: Yes at Wembley. £4.25 for the ticket and the band played the whole album live. 

From the opener Parallels, through the animated ballet dancer backdrop of Turn of the Century, to the Roundabout encore, I can still hear it now. 

Back to to the LP, and that lovely sunset, gatefold image of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), with the band's individual photos, even changed the way that I dressed. Awaken I was.


From DPRP's Yes review special in 2014, read our trio review including the viewpoint of guest reviewer Theo Travis (Steven Wilson Band/Soft Machine Legacy).

Read it here 

Watch this official video of Yes' Wonderous Stories.
Watch the video here

11: RUSH - Rush in Rio (DVD) (2003)

Introduction by Andy Read

"I've only seen Rush live on two occasions. The second was the final date of their R30 tour in a large, echoing cow shed in Rotterdam. It was a rather frustrating audio experience. However, the first at Wembley Arena on the Hold Your Fire tour, was a dream come true and ranks as an all-time top 5 live experience for me.
Yet the show captured on this DVD is in a world of its own and unlike any gig that I've ever been to. Rush had never played Brazil before and the three stadium shows attracted 120,000 people. If ever an audience can make a live DVD an unmissable experience, then the 40,000-strong mass of bouncing humanity inside Rio de Janeiro's Maracanä Stadium, all deserve their names on the album credits.
This first-ever live DVD from the Canadian trio must rank as one of the best ever for any genre. Not just because of the amazing set list that clocks in at just under three hours, but for the added extras including a fascinating tour-documentary. They even managed to make the tracks from Vapour Trails sound godly!"


From the 2003 archives, read Andy's original DPRP review and see what score he gave the DVD:
Read it here 

Watch this video of Rush playing Tom Sawyer live in Rio.
Watch the video here

10: PORCUPINE TREE - Signify (1996)

Introduction by Rich Kamerman
(A DPRP reader and music blogger from New York City)

"It might be a cliché to say "you never forget your first," but it's especially true when it comes to music. This album was my first exposure to Porcupine Tree and it had an immediate impact. I had been reading about them in fanzines, mail-order catalogues and early prog-friendly websites, so when I stumbled on this CD I was excited to finally hear what the fuss was all about.
Unlike other then-current prog bands, whose influences were clearly worn on their sleeves, the sound of Porcupine Tree combined elements of numerous artists I loved, but blended them into a sound that was uniquely their own. Ed Sander's stellar review of the expanded 2-CD edition of Signify does a great job of explaining the transitional nature of the album in their discography, but I disagree when he states that it "isn't one of the first recommendations I would make to a 'newbie' wanting to check out the band."
As a newbie myself nearly two decades ago, I can say that this album continues to be one of my favourites in their catalogue. The Sleep of No Dreaming was the first song to ever truly capture my imagination. I still consider it one of their defining songs. For anyone who became a fan later and never checked out their formative years, Signify is the ideal place to start."

From the 2004 archives, read the original DPRP review and see what score Ed Sander gave the album:
Read it here 

Watch this video of Porcupine Tree playing an extended version on the title track live in Italy in 1997.
Watch the video here

You can buy the double-vinyl version of the album here.
Buy it here