Pulled out Shadowlands last night, and found myself enjoying it a bit more than on first listen (back in 2004........a couple of plays then shelved.)
I realise that there's been a few more releases since then, so which ones would you recommend trying next? (I have all the other albums prior to Shadowlands).
I'm a big fan of the Jon Davison era. I would recommend starting with IF and going from there.
IF ends with a one-two punch of "If the Stars" and "If the Sun" that represent some of the finest epic symph since the Seventies, IMHO.
High Vibration Go On - R.I.P. Chris Squire
I'll second this....Originally Posted by ItalProgRules
If was the first GH record I'd heard after the OK Lex Rex and Chronometree, and I liked it so much that I reviewed it at All About Jazz. Cor Cordium is also very fine, just a tad less good, mainly because it followed on in the spirit of If without adding much new to it; and after starting to collect GH's discography, I'd discovered some significant shifting, style-wise, throughout the groups's career.
I also think their latest, The Breaking of the World, is superb...might even be my favourite of all their records. I also picked up the 3-disc reissue of The Incinsolable Secret, which I thought had originally been given short shrift when first released, and found myself liking it very much as well.
The JD trilogy is superb. The Inconsolable Secret remains their masterpiece IMO. Frankly, everything from Lex Rex on (other than 3 cheers, that never really did much for me) gets regular play chez moi.
Ok, which is IF?
The Jon Davison trilogy (If, Cor Cordium and Perilous) is so good that I actually thought Heaven & Earth was going to be a great album (it wasn't.)
Besides those, go with The Inconsolable Secret.
The new one ain't bad at all either!!!
The Prog Corner
probably not a popular choice, but my favorite is Culture of Ascent. i like Carl Groves and for some reason that album really clicks with me.
The newest album is stellar, and I've been a GH fan from the start. The Inconsolable Secret is wonderful ( I ony have the original double album). I'm a big fan of live albums, so need to recommend the Nearfest CD as well as two great live DVDs I have (Tivoli and Belmont).
Yep, that was my experience as well. After those 3 killer albums with GH, I figured H & E had to be at least pretty good. Sadly, no.
High Vibration Go On - R.I.P. Chris Squire
It's not an acronym. It's literally called "If"
I think they're all worth getting. You may just want to pick up where you left off. Inconsolable Secret is really great, epic in a sort of religious way. GH have always gone big but on this one they go HUGE. Which can only be a good thing with these guys!
Critter Jams "album of the week" blog: http://critterjams.wordpress.com
They are all pretty good, but If is like the delicious icing on a delicious cake. The new album is great, so is Inconsolable Secret and... Oh hell, just get 'em ALL!
I remember PROG Magazine slagging IF in their reviews section.
I felt like I was listening to a completely different album than their reviewer did.
High Vibration Go On - R.I.P. Chris Squire
great band. More love for the Jon Davison trilogy...especially if you are a Yes fan. Not just because Jon D is a dead ringer for Jon Anderson but the song writing is strongly in that vein but with their own element too. IF but Cor Cordium is really fine too. I haven't picked up their latest (shame on me) so can't comment.
But GH are on the wrong record label, y'see - and none of P. Mag's usual friends condone or are to be found anywhere near the album. Thus it naturally allows itself to slag and flog around those parts.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Yeah, so did I, I had the impression that I was reading a review of an Ed Wood movie, when I was watching Blade Runner. Go figure....
I know Fred's lurking (hi Fred!)...
I haven't heard everything (I know, my bad) but I do know the first 7-8 albums. Of them all the sweet spot for me was On To Evermore. For me personally it had the best combination for me of catchy songwriting (along with Echolyn the best in American prog at the time, IMO), professionalism in the performances (always one of their strengths), nuanced production work (another given), and it was respectful of the influences without being too referential (something I hate to say later GH failed at IMO.)
It just seemed like everything I listened to afterwards was being judged against it in my mind, which told me something. YMMV, of course.
I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.
Shadowlands was killer, their best so far, I felt when it came out. 'Run Lisette' is just glorious freeway driving in the sun music. I do like them all since then, but 'If' especially hits the sweet spot for me as well, with the last song, 'If The Sun' being especially good. There is a slow section in the middle that is so beautiful it hurts...
I feel very fortunate to have seen GH live twice, the Nearfest show and way back in April in Woodstock NY. A band I will definitely travel to see (though as Fred said at the show, not as far as they travelled), as their live appearances are few and far between.
Of their more recent stuff, Ode to Echo is the weakest IMHO.
Oops, duh! However, it's If, not IF, so I feel justified at some confusion.
I still have a hard time remembering who I saw at Progscape - Glass Hammer? Wyzards? What were they billed as? Fred? Ken? I know I've asked this before...
Agreed with everything said above, except I like Three Cheers For The Broken Hearted, which has some great little tunes on it.
The Inconsolable Secret is one of my favourite albums.
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"Shadowlands" is also my favorite album by them, but they are all good. As mentioned the Davison era albums are all great and very Yes like. "Inconsolable Secret" is a killer double album. Not sure why but I have not picked up the new one yet. Need to do that.
Don't know about ProgScape, but when they were at ProgDay they did a 20 minute Wyzards song that was awesome. The Wyzards album is a bit dated, but cool in an 80's kind of way.
I guess I'm in the minority, but I thought Cor Cordium was an improvement on If. It has a similar style, but sounds more focused to my ears. Both are great.
I consider The Inconsolable Secret to be one of the greatest prog albums ever. F--- Rolling Stone for not including it in their list (and for putting Kim K on the cover).
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