Mellow Records Bandcamp. What's worth time listening to?

[Sunhillow]

Looking at the Mellow Records Bandcamp, there's a lot there to like. But it's still a lot!
https://mellowrecords.bandcamp.com/

But I'm sure many of you will know certain release. What's worth the time to listen to, or download (all downloads are pretty cheap, so I might go ahead and buy some of it)?

[mogilevs]

Lots of interesting stuff there. I think at least 50% of it is good. Mostly symphonic and neo-prog. Assuming you are familiar with Zuffanti's bands (Finisterre and Hostsonaten), I'd recommend to start with these:
MALIBRAN
YLECLIPSE
TAPROBAN
MOONGARDEN
DORACOR
FOGLIE DI VETRO
COOPERATIVA DEL LATTE
MINDFLOWER
QUASAR LUX SYMPHONIAE
MARY NEWSLETTER

[helicase]

My favourite from the ones listed is Pierpaolo Bibbò.

[MarkD]

I really like the first Groovector, Ultramarine. Lush, Camel-like symphonic rock. Ignore their second.

[rockcup]

Rejoice,still like this album very much!!!

[singring57]

La Vita Che Cade by Doracor is really really good , if you like symphonic prog you will love this.....

[Sunhillow]

Thanks all! I'm taking notes, and this sure helps.

[3RDegree_Robert]

We've been sending people here for 3RDegree's contributions to the Marillion and Yes tribute albums. Since the CDs are quite expensive, one can get one song at a time and in high quality formats (FLAC, Apple lossless, etc.) on Bandcamp. BTW, we did Marillion's "That Time Of The Night (the short straw)" and Yes' "Going For The One".

[3RDegree_Robert]

Anyone know a good place to find these now? I cannot. Mellow seems to be off of Bandcamp. I'll have to email him.

[AlanShaw]

They're still on Bandcamp but URL has changed to: https://mellowlabelproductions.bandcamp.com/

[JKL2000]

Dr Mauro Moroni once got all bent out of shape when I suggested on rec.music.progressive that on those earlier Mellow tribute albums some of the bands seemed like they were put together for the purpose of creating cover versions for the CDs. Some of just didn't seem like real bands that existed before the compilations were released, with certain members appearing in several different bands on the albums. I could have been wrong, but some of them were pretty hideous. There were of course, several legitimate pre-existing bands in there too.

[3RDegree_Robert]

Dr Mauro Moroni once got all bent out of shape when I suggested on rec.music.progressive that on those earlier Mellow tribute albums some of the bands seemed like they were put together for the purpose of creating cover versions for the CDs. Some of just didn't seem like real bands that existed before the compilations were released, with certain members appearing in several different bands on the albums. I could have been wrong, but some of them were pretty hideous. There were of course, several legitimate pre-existing bands in there too.

Well....it wouldn't be the first time! Remember that Magna Carta (?) Rush tribute that was basically a whole CD of various incarnations of the same band with different people singing certain songs? I did some research of the bands that shared the Yes and Marillion Mellow tribute CDs that we were both on and one-Samurai Of Prog-seemed like a band put together for the tribute but ends up being a band of various people-a sort of side project of Steve Unruh from Resistor. Some other might be as you described but the American bands I was familiar with (Din Within & Supernal Endgame) were legit.

[3RDegree_Robert]

They're still on Bandcamp but URL has changed to: https://mellowlabelproductions.bandcamp.com/

Thanks but the tribute albums I spoke of are not there, although a Genesis one is.

[3RDegree_Robert]

Holy crap! I found one of the two. For some reason it's not on the main page.

https://mellowlabelproductions.bandc...ng-for-the-one

[JKL2000]

Well....it wouldn't be the first time! Remember that Magna Carta (?) Rush tribute that was basically a whole CD of various incarnations of the same band with different people singing certain songs? I did some research of the bands that shared the Yes and Marillion Mellow tribute CDs that we were both on and one-Samurai Of Prog-seemed like a band put together for the tribute but ends up being a band of various people-a sort of side project of Steve Unruh from Resistor. Some other might be as you described but the American bands I was familiar with (Din Within & Supernal Endgame) were legit.

I know by the time they got to the Marillion tribute the series was well enough established - and there were enough bands that wanted to do a Marillion song for it - that all the bands were legit. I can't really remember when the Yes one came out, but if you guys were on it it's probably similar. As I said I was referring to the earlier ones - Gentle Giant, Camel. Of course you always had some legit bands, like on the VDGG one, who was the Swedish band - Landberk I think? It was the Italian bands that seemed hodge-podged together, not that they couldn't still do something good. Of course it's possible I was wrong and Moroni was right.

[Sputnik]

II was referring to the earlier ones - Gentle Giant, Camel. Of course you always had some legit bands, like on the VDGG one, who was the Swedish band - Landberk I think? It was the Italian bands that seemed hodge-podged together, not that they couldn't still do something good. Of course it's possible I was wrong and Moroni was right.

Regarding the GG tribute on Mellow, you are definitely not completely wrong. I'm on two tracks on that album, and neither "band" that I'm in existed (Sky Island or Glass Haus). It was just different collections of folks who got together to record the tracks. The Glass Haus track wasn't even supposed to be on the Mellow tribute, it was meant for the Giant Tracks tribute, which was specifically a fan-based tribute. We weren't trying to pretend we were a real band, we just had to call ourselves something for that album. We did basically the same thing for the Mellow tribute.

Other than those two, I can safely say the Chocking (sic) Smokers and Ivanhoe the Giant were not real bands. I have my suspicions about The Works, Strange New Toys, Evolution and Algebra, as I've never seen anything about these other bands, but they may have been real. But the rest of the bands (the majority) were either legit or solo efforts.

Bill

[moecurlythanu]

I have my suspicions about The Works, Strange New Toys, Evolution and Algebra, as I've never seen anything about these other bands, but they may have been real. But the rest of the bands (the majority) were either legit or solo efforts.

Bill

I don't have the album in question, but Evolution was probably the one-man project by Brit Ken Senior, who put out a slew of albums on cassette-only, and had one on CD issued by Mellow:

https://www.discogs.com/artist/3828777-Evolution-35

The Discogs list is not complete.

[moecurlythanu]

And here's Algebra:

https://www.discogs.com/artist/303834-Algebra

[Sputnik]

I don't have the album in question, but Evolution was probably the one-man project by Brit Ken Senior, who put out a slew of albums on cassette-only, and had one on CD issued by Mellow:

https://www.discogs.com/artist/3828777-Evolution-35

The Discogs list is not complete.

You are correct, Evolution is listed as being Ken Senior and Bjorn Lynne in the liner notes.

And here's Algebra:

https://www.discogs.com/artist/303834-Algebra

Interesting. Never heard of that one, I wonder if it's any good?

Bill

[moecurlythanu]

Interesting. Never heard of that one, I wonder if it's any good?

Bill

I vaguely recall seeing the name in CD catalogs at the time, but I can't recall the blurbs or any opinions rendered on them at all. If one comes up cheap on Discogs, I'll probably take the plunge.

[JKL2000]

Regarding the GG tribute on Mellow, you are definitely not completely wrong. I'm on two tracks on that album, and neither "band" that I'm in existed (Sky Island or Glass Haus). It was just different collections of folks who got together to record the tracks. The Glass Haus track wasn't even supposed to be on the Mellow tribute, it was meant for the Giant Tracks tribute, which was specifically a fan-based tribute. We weren't trying to pretend we were a real band, we just had to call ourselves something for that album. We did basically the same thing for the Mellow tribute.

Other than those two, I can safely say the Chocking (sic) Smokers and Ivanhoe the Giant were not real bands. I have my suspicions about The Works, Strange New Toys, Evolution and Algebra, as I've never seen anything about these other bands, but they may have been real. But the rest of the bands (the majority) were either legit or solo efforts.

Bill

Yeah, the Gentle Giant tributes that were done via the GG mailing list or that whole group I knew were fan efforts, and were great fun. I was only referring to the ones released by Mellow. I remember the name Chocking Smokers now - that's the kind of name that tipped me off!

[TheH]

^^

Algebra are a real band from Italy that had two very good Albums out. At least one of those featured Steve Hackett.

[interbellum]

^^

Algebra are a real band from Italy that had two very good Albums out. At least one of those featured Steve Hackett.

https://www.discogs.com/Algebra-JL/release/7618045 indeed has Steve on it, but only on one track, the opening one which doesn't reach the 3 minutes border.
The first album has a Genesis-tribute.

[arturs]

^^^^

The band may well be good, but "Algebra"??? Gotta be one of the worst band names I've heard in a long time. If they're math geeks something like "Fibonacci Sequence" is a lot better. "Game theory" even...

[Progbear]

Discus
Sithonia
Bondage: Anima Terra (very underrated and overlooked!)
Finisterre (duh)

Never cared for the Malibran I heard (first and third albums). They struck me as very much in the neo-prog/metal camp, definitely lacking in the sophistication of some of the tentative Italian prog revivalists that were their contemporaries (Nuova Era, Ezra Winston, the aforementioned Sithonia).