mozart61

I realize I may be almost blasphemous, but I prefer this to Third, which is too improvised for my taste. There’s always an ironic vein here, a refined use of harmony, typical of the Canterbury school. Perhaps my favorite SM. The review? Excellent, for me synthesis is a gift! Well done.

In my opinion, the last great prog product from the early period of this excellent band. After Hamburger, the subsequent Mother Focus, Ship of Memories, etc. seem to lose themselves in catchy pop. For the joy of my ears, the new lineup, that of "8," makes a strong return to the sounds of this and previous albums (in my opinion, the masterpiece remains "Moving Waves," if only for the genius of "Hocus Pocus!"). I have always been madly in love with "La cathedrale de Strasbourg," and I don’t see it as a moment of decline at all... but it's the only point I disagree with the reviewer on. Long life Thijs!

It's great to reconnect with my beloved Focus, even though they are orphaned of Akkerman (it seems that Van Leer himself didn’t want him in the band, as he could never tolerate his excessive emotionality during live performances, which sometimes led to spectacular blunders)... this "8", in my opinion, is superior to the subsequent "New Skin", which seems a bit repetitive to me. A fresh, spontaneous, inspired album. Class is not water, dear old Thijs! Excellent review!

I'm not exactly a die-hard fan of Spock's, especially after Morse's departure (who, on his own, seems a bit dull to me...). I like the "right amount," just as much as I do the Flower Kings, apart from their first work, "The Light," which is absolutely stunning... I must admit, after a good couple of complete listens, that I completely agree with the reviewer regarding the artistic superiority of this latest album compared to the previous ones without Morse. Much more prog, less metal, and really remarkable harmonic and rhythmic solutions. A solid 4 for both from my side!

one of the last great albums by the Tangerines, before slipping into a boring repetitiveness accompanied by an impressive number of prints, reprints, mixes, remixes, and absolutely faceless records. The second part of "Song of the Whale" is splendid. I find this more relevant than many of their recent products.....Great review, well done!

complete and thorough review....but I’m really going against the tide if I think this is one of the best works of Blue Oyster?? Monsters has always driven me crazy!

I would like to inform you that it seems the entire video of a concert featuring the two of them with a group of excellent musicians is even available online, probably the band from the album...

After 24 years of listening, and all the PMG albums following First Circle, I still have no doubt: this remains the best. In my personal ranking, the following Still Life and the latest, The Way Up, come close, truly colossal. But the chills that the title track gives you...

Dear Antoniodeste (probably my namesake by surname, I assume from your nickname...) ... I would like to return to serious matters, that is, evaluating your review and the album. Well, it only honors you to fight for a cause, good music, which, in the case of this latest effort by PMG, is, in my opinion, truly excellent. It goes without saying that I, too, had moments of perplexity in front of "Imaginary Day" or "We Live Here," where it seemed the band was merely retracing the ideas and structures of previous splendors, like "Still Life," just to be clear. The Way Up dispels all doubts: inspiration has returned and, above all, originality; for such an ambitious project, only a great mind is needed—his. Perhaps two, because Mays is a sculptor of harmonies as refined as few—perhaps unique. The concept of a suite, and moreover one nearly 70 minutes long, is disorienting, but the compactness and solidity of the construction here are beyond discussion: never a moment of boredom, never an excessive melodic line, never a moment of fatigue. This is true wisdom of formal structure, and it matters little if certain melodic and harmonic patterns, or the use of vocalizations remind us of moments from previous albums: Metheny is now a school of his own, he has created an independent genre, and this album powerfully reaffirms that. Well done, Antonio!

I have always considered the Steps Ahead as the third alternative to cornerstone fusion groups like Weather Report and Return to Forever... perhaps Weather Report are truly the trailblazers, but people like Erskine, Gomez, and company really mean business! Personally, I believe that the album reviewed here is outdone by the subsequent one, "Modern Times," which doesn’t feature the blonde and beautiful Eliane but instead has a simply monstrous Warren Bernhardt in her place. Therefore, based on my personal taste: 4 stars for this, and 5 for Modern Times. Congratulations to the reviewing dad!