Perfect Recordings

Queen A Night at the Opera

A great example of a group brimming with confidence who throws caution to the wind. This recording of course includes Bohemian Rhapsody, but that's the least of it. Each song is a total surprise from the one before it. The guitarist learned to play the harp (!) for a couple of the songs. It was the culmination of the "Guitar Orchestration" effect by Brian May, where he would record multiple overdubs of the guitar, creating an orchestra effect. Rock albums don't get any better. Who else creates an operatic chorus, then makes it a hit?

Genesis The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

The pinnacle of Genesis as a serious band, before the long slow decline into mediocrity. This was Peter Gabriel's last recording with the band, leaving to pursue a sole career afterwards. The lyrics are hippy-surreal, and the story isn't very cohesive, but who cares! The lyrics serve as a backdrop to some wonderful music, pounding rock one moment, serene soundscapes the next. On this album, Genesis finally figured out how to unify their various sounds into a cohesive whole. This album represented Genesis' foray into the Concept Album, and it still remains one of the best. If they had managed to put a real story behind the music, it would be unassailable. Still, a great listen, even years later.

King Crimson The Power to Believe

In 1969, King Crimson turned rock music on its head with the release of In the Court of the Crimson King, a recording that Pete Townsend of the Who called "an uncanny masterpiece". It was one of the first in a wave of progressive rock albums that flourished in the early to mid 1970's, then faded away as the angry answer to complex rock music, disco and punk, took over the stage. I was and am a huge fan of progressive rock music, and viewed this waning as a cause for mourning. But, fortunately, progressive rock didn't die. But, lots of the bands that were popular in that era (like Yes and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer), entered into what I call a "Dinosaurs roam the earth" phase. This means that they still produced new albums, but the music was lackluster, and the recording was really just an excuse to tour and play all the good music they created in the early 70's. Then, the lost the pretense of creating new music, and just toured on their decades old material. All except one.
King Crimson has continued to release great music through all its incarnations, refusing to play the music of the previous ones. They never play 21st Century Schizoid Man. Instead, they keep pushing the boundaries of what rock music can be, and this recording is a superb example. If you want to hear progressive rock music with no apologies, recorded in 2003, this is it. Complex meters, multi-faceted songs, killer musicianship, and uncompromising vision are all here.

Arto Part Tabula Rasa

Modern "serious" music tends to break into camps, much like visual arts and books. There is nothing wrong with that -- some great works of art build on this idea (for example, the Impressionist painters, whose work at the end of the movement could never have been predicted at the beginning of the movement). Then, every once in a while, you have someone who just comes blowing in from left field, with something so original and different it takes you by surprise. That's Arbo Part, and especially this recording. Each work is incredible in its own right, building and building until the explosive Tabula Rasa to finish off the recording. This music is like no other, and doesn't sound like 20th century music to me at all (I can't place it in any time and place).

I found this composer and this piece completely by accident, thanks to the great conductor and teacher Marin Alsop. I was on a trip to Australia, and wanted to see some chamber music, and she was conducting an ensemble that included this work.I got a recording and was amazed, then I saw it live and was stunned beyond belief. Part's music is incredilby serene and like no other.

Return to Forever Romantic Warrior

Musicianship to make other musicians weep. This album marked the culmination of the Progressive Jazz experiment that Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Al DiMeola, and Lenny White worked on for several recordings. It never got any better than this in the progressive jazz world. They managed to combine the best elements of (progressive) rock, jazz, and classical music into one stunning album, where every song is better than the last.These guys weren't the only ones playing in this genre at the time (see Mahavishnu Orchestra), but they really showed its potential. For progressive rock fans, this is a must have introduction to fusion jazz.