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With Understanding Comes Appreciation “Fast and bulbous! That's right, The Mascara Snake, fast and bulbous! Also, a tin teardrop! Bulbous also tapered? That's right” —Pena, Track 15. I wanted to start with this quote, because it is a classic dialog among fans, which shows a sort of camaraderie and a “sense of belonging” when you start exchanging this apparently “nonsense," specially with another unknown fan. Knowing the latter, somehow says that you are “special” and “belong” as well to the Captain's beautiful bizarre absurdness. Trust me, in the comments of every review of Trout Mask Replica , you’ll inevitable see fans exchanging these lines. This album is memorable for me in so many ways, but specially because it opened me a new brand world musically speaking —Civilization Phase III by Frank Zappa, Disaster by Amon Düül, Unlimited Edition by Can, The Maria Dimension by The Legendary Pink Dots, Schwingungen by Ash Ra Temple, Cobra & Game Pieces by John Zorn, the whole “Island Records” Albums by Tom Waits and a bunch more of the so called “the weird” ones. In addition of reviewing this piece of art, I wanted to share my two cents since this masterpiece has been largely misunderstood, underrated, and bashed without an apparently fair reason by plenty of people, who don’t really understand or realize what is behind this gem. It's probably the weirdest thing you will ever hear. No, it has no keyboards if you are prog-rock fan. Heck, do not expect anything which could come with a label in music as you know it. It is jagged, sharp, dirty, impenetrable, questionable, disgusting, odd, and dissonant. It may sound like a bunch of idiots bashing their instruments into the wall against a growling and howling vocal by a drunken crackpot, but it really isn't. Behind all that disgusting weirdness is actual music, trust me. I'm not saying this just to "show off my tolerance" or say Captain Beefheart is making some artsy point here which "mere humans can not understand" or some crap like that. I'm talking about actual music. It just takes a little effort and an open mind. This music isn't improvised or recklessly done. It is well planned out and executed. The way the guitars, bass, drums, horns and sax interlock, can not be improvised. This sounds much weirder than anything could possibly be if it were improvised, actually.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation The first time I listened to Tom Waits, which was randomly from a radio station btw, I thought that I had missed a song or an album made by one of my fav artists of all-time; the peerless, a blues belter straight out of the school of Howlin' Wolf, a cat who breathed and bathed in the free jazz of Eric Dolphy and Ornette Coleman, a painter and sculptor by nature, a rock and roll titan as leader and frontman; the one and only Captain Beefheart… and I said, wait (half drunk, half sober), this can’t be him, I mean, I know and have all made by the Captain. Few days later (100% sober this time), I realized that I was correct; that song played by the radio station was the music of a fan, who is in fact one of the more, if not the most, influenced musicians by Don Van Vliet, Tom Waits; …and Oh boy! a new pleasant and eclectic door opened to me that day. BTW, the song played that day by the radio station was " Diamond and Gold " from his Rain Dogs album. The rest is history; I dug more, and instantly got hooked by his incredible music.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation While it is focused on rarefied, intellectualized, long-form composition in an era when abstraction and complexity really meant something in the rock milieu, these diverse pieces have a direct emotional power, linger and replay themselves in the mind long after their most recent hearing. This is a sophisticated and beautifully crafted recording. This is probably one of the most, if not the most, accessible and digestible Rock-in-Opposition album you’ll find out there, yet It is still quite challenging for the casual and even for some more experienced listeners; while odd time signatures and dissonance are plenty present here, the way it was arranged makes it more appealing to the listener than other albums of this music style, so arguably this album could be the safest point of entry to it. An absolute masterpiece, and definitely my favorite Henry Cow album, and it has to say something, because their condensed yet wonderful flawless inventory set the bar not only for the Rock-in-Opposition movement, but the whole prog-rock realm.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation Okay: You're all alone on the desert island with your ten essential prog albums. The solar-powered stereo overheats, the hut bursts into flames, and you've only got time to grab three discs before it's just you, the ashes, and "Wilson." Is this one of the three to escape the inferno? Hugh betcha! Absolutely masterful from start to finish; all meat and no filler. Prog doesn't get any better than this genre-defining recording! Marvelous, majestic, mesmerizing, mighty, momentous and moving must-have music. A masterpiece that showcases some of the most perfect songwriting of the 70's —even the production is flawless— quite a feat for the times. It shows Genesis at the peak of their musical creativity.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation Some of the words that arguably describe better this gem might be elegant, sophisticated, intimate, melancholic, spiritual, playful, desert, warm, and mysterious, which also sports majestically chamber jazz, avant-garde classical music, klezmer and modern composition. For a man who's arguably got 90% of his reputation (at this point, in 1996) through making noisy, abrasive, inaccessible, and chaotic music, this masterpiece is quite the opposite; it is relaxing, serene, calm and sublime. It's also fairly ironic to me, because I feel like it's the best piece of work he's ever done, and it has to say something, mostly when you stop and think about his absurd endless catalog. I do have them all. Yes, I’m a freak. My collection is up to 335 albums and counting —there’s no way John stops releasing new material. Yes, I do love John Zorn’s music. The whole thing; the wild, the weird, and the sublime —I’ll be pleased to share you a guide of his prolific catalog in other post, so stay tuned sharks.

With understanding comes appreciation First things first since no many people are familiarized with the Dots. The Legendary Pink Dots are an influential, staggeringly prolific group led by enigmatic frontman Edward Ka-Spel. Emerging from the early-'80s post-punk underground and sometimes categorized as industrial due to associations with bands like Skinny Puppy, the group's music is nearly impossible to pin down, drawing from Krautrock, ambient, folk, synth pop, and numerous other styles. The Dots' music is by turns melodic pop and exotic psychedelia, with classical influences, sampling, and relentlessly dark, violent, apocalyptic lyrics. Ka-Spel's rhotacistic vocals are instantly recognizable, and somewhat resemble a cross between Syd Barrett and Coil's John Balance. Aside from the group's only two constant members, Ka-Spel and keyboard player Phil Knight (also known as the Silverman), the Dots have consisted of a shifting supporting cast over the years, including Canadian dub reggae producer Ryan Moore (Twilight Circus), engineer Raymond Steeg, and guitarist Erik Drost.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation Sounds and impacts only like itself, like no-one before or after. An attempt to achieve in 80 minutes a mystery trip from light to darkness and return. Three months recording with sessions often lasting up to 16 hours a day. Telepathic improvisation leading to instant compositions. Shamanic avant-funk trance. Unrestrained ecstasy and weirdness. Beauty and violation of any sense of beauty. Fear danger chaos mystery magic lost and found. Jaki Liebezeit’s mantric drumming triggering hallucinations seals majestically this timeless masterpiece. The latter is just an introduction to this state-of-the-art piece of music.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation First off, look at this ridiculous unit: -John McLaughlin / electric guitar (One of fusion's most virtuosic guitar soloists. He placed his blazing speed in the service of a searching spiritual passion that has kept his music evolving and open to new influences) -Herbie Hancock / electric piano (He will always be one of the most revered and controversial figures in jazz, just as his employer/mentor Miles Davis was when he was alive) -Chick Corea / electric piano (A masterful and creatively wide-ranging jazz pianist. He was a celebrated performer whose influential albums found him exploring harmonically adventurous post-bop, electric fusion, Latin traditions, and classical) -Tony Williams / drums (One of the most influential drummers in jazz history. His open style implied the beat rather than rode it via the use of metric modulation and polyrhythms. Tony’s playing was articulated by his wide-ranging interests in jazz, rock, funk, and blues) -Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone (One of jazz's leading figures in the late 20th and early 21st centuries as both a composer and saxophonist) -Joe Zawinul / organ, electric piano (Joe belonged in a category unto himself -- a European from the heartland of the classical music tradition (Vienna) who learned to swing as freely as any American jazzer, and whose appetite for growth and change remained insatiable) -Dave Holland / double bass (An acclaimed, ever-evolving jazz bassist. He is a gifted improvisor and composer whose work has touched on acoustic post-bop, avant-garde jazz, and fusion) and the star of the show... -Miles Davis / trumpet (A monumental innovator, icon, and maverick trumpeter. He helped define the course of jazz as well as popular culture in the 20th century, bridging the gap between bebop, modal music, funk, and fusion) LOL! I mean, should I have even made a review of this record after putting this? Literally you should be already sold, and start listening to this gem (again)… but for those who are not that familiar with the genius or the album and ultimately, for the sake of my love to this treasure (top 10 in my all-time book), here we go…

With Understanding Comes Appreciation Gargantua & Pantagruel come to life! The entire classic era oeuvre of the British progressive rock titans Gentle Giant, founded by the three Schulman brothers in 1970, is indeed the perfect musical embodiment of the cheerful Rabelaisian spirit, colorful and picturesque as a fancy miniature from a manuscript, brought to life by the moving nature of the sound. Founded on the wreck of an unsuccessful and now totally forgotten soul-influenced pop outfit Simon Dupree & The Big Sound, Gentle Giant was a very different story for the Schulmans right from the start, and by the time of Acquiring the Taste the new band dared to move completely onto the uncharted land of its members' natural idiosyncrasies. It was the first of the six classic albums released by Gentle Giant, and while the band hadn't quite reached their peak of arranging perfection, crafting the music with still a slightly unfirm hand (rather very slightly actually), Acquiring the Taste still possesses something that makes it stand out. Maybe it's about the nocturnal atmosphere, this evening air that surrounds every song (on the edge of twilight whispering, as it says the lyrics of one of the best songs here)? Quite possibly so.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation This was the watershed album in Frank Zappa’s career in late 1973. The avant-garde, experimental rock, fusion & doo-wop musical elements he used to flavor his previous 16 albums (yes, 16 already at this point) do not predominate here, however, Zappa's music does not lose its complexity neither its virtuosic musicianship, and as a bonus (for some that may not be), his humour is even more present than previous releases. In fact, after his jazz-rock instrumental masterpieces, Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo, the master went back to the sexual and social humor formula he applied with his so called Flo & Eddie band a couple of years earlier, but this time, he wrapped the apparent callousness and stunning sexual explicitness lyrics (" Camarillo Brillo ," " Dirty Love ," and especially " Dinah-Moe Humm ”), and the absurd shaggy-dog stories (“ Montana ”), with technically accomplished heavy guitar riffs, hard rock feelings, jazzy chord changes, and funky & soul rhythms. The result? another masterpiece by the master which btw became his first gold album.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation Through the trials and tribulations that life has to offer, a vast wealth of inspiration and karmic balance surge; it was the case for the members of Amon Düül II, who were collecting the honey of triumph while having a series of setbacks. One of the most terrifying events was at the Keks Club in Cologne, Germany in 1971, when a fire not only destroyed all of their musical gear, but snuffed out four youths in attendance, and then soon thereafter their new equipment was ripped off, which lacking any insurance and not totally paid, ended up bankrupting the band as royalties for their previous two records were garnished to pay off creditors. As can be expected, such incidents create extreme tensions with members of a fledgling band, simply trying to make their way in the cult recesses of the music scene, and as a result, bassist Dave Anderson was the first to bail and immediately hooked up with Hawkwind, while founding member Chris Karrer (violin, guitars) would take off to join Embryo. Meanwhile Renate Knaup who never really left the band, only contributed when she felt like it, and pretty much sitting this one out with the exception of the one teeny weeny track “ Riding On A Cloud , ” which she clearly was and found that more interesting. Likewise Falk Rogner stuck around on a part-time basis and as a result organ playing duties are shared. So after all said and done, the line-up, musicians and their roles, who are credited on this album this time as Amon Düül II were:

With Understanding Comes Appreciation The last album I reviewed on this corner was Tanz der Lemminge by Amon Düül II , a very complex, challenging, elaborated, and definitely, an acquired-taste piece of music. This time, I'm going to review the opposite side of prog-rock music; a refined, sophisticated and delicate masterpiece, which works as an emotional transporter, bathed with plenty of sonic textures rather than experimentations. Any prog collection and beyond would not be complete without Camel's The Snow Goose . This highly inspirational and instrumental progressive gem, arguably offers Camel's most complete work. The Snow Goose reveals great soaring guitar, gorgeous keyboards, excellent percussion and bass interplay. Camel's classic period started with The Snow Goose , an instrumental concept album based on a novella by Paul Gallico. Although there are no lyrics on the album —two songs feature wordless vocals— the music follows the emotional arc of the novella's story, which is about a lonely man named Rhayader who helps nurse a wounded snow goose back to health with the help of a young girl called Fritha he recently befriended. Once the goose is healed, it is set free, but Fritha no longer visits the man because the goose is gone. Later, Rhayader is killed in battle during the evacuation of Dunkirk. The goose returned during the battle, and it is then named La Princesse Perdue, symbolizing the hopes that can still survive even during the evils of war. With such a complex fable to tell, it is no surprise that Camel keep their improvisational tendencies reined in, deciding to concentrate on surging, intricate soundscapes that telegraph the emotion of the piece without a single word. And even though The Snow Goose is an instrumental album, it is far more accessible than some of Camel's later work, since it relies on beautiful sonic textures instead of musical experimentation as I said in my opening. One of the basic factors that make this album so special is that it has a certain eeriness to it: the sound production gives the instrumentation (for both the band and the orchestra) a distant, at times dreamy feel, which actually helps it to relate to the fictional essence of the main concept. The whole repertoire comprised in " The Snow Goose " sounds like a fantasy itself, a beautiful fantasy that translates this moving tale of friendship, love, war and separation into a well structured sonic continuum. The fact is that all the individual pieces were actually rehearsed and recorded separately, and only when the production phase was over could the four musicians and two writers be aware of what the final result turned out to be; this anecdote can only speak very well about Latimer and Bardens' intelligence as composers and the foursome as an integrated ensemble. As I'm writing this review, I find that intelligence and integration are two words that can accurately designate the major assets of this album, all the way through, from the first smooth sounds of flowing water and electric piano at the beginning of " The Great Marsh " until the final same sounds at the end of the reprised " The Great Marsh ." The display of melancholy and introspectiveness is more abundant here than in other classic Camel albums, and that might lead some listeners to some sort of boredom; it is true that even in the epic climaxes or rockier passages there is not a real display of fiery energy. But in my book, I find each and every individual piece as a vignette or sketch of a person or situation in the story (and I'm not the first one to say this), so, as I stated before, this album is basically a tale "literally" translated into the language of music, and is how this gem has to be digested to its better appreciation. The lyrical " Rhayader " and the expressionist " Rhayader Goes to Town " are timeless Camel classics. Other highlights are: the majestic title track and its augmented variation " La Princesse Perdue ," the dramatic " Dunkirk " and the piano solo number " Fritha Alone ," whose sadness is almost palpable. Furthermore, while picking out individual tracks is not what this album is all about, since it was conceived as a conceptual music novella, the tune that inevitably always gets me goosebumps is " Rhayader Alone ;" just listen to it, and unless you have oil running through your veins, there's no way you feel transported into a reflexive trance mood while reminding you, that embracing to be alone and accepting you as you are is actually a great thing; the later unfortunately has been lost mostly in our times due superficial and demanding social media.