Michael Giles
Progress

A rare gem of Progressive, forgotten twice, is this "Progress" by drummer Michael Giles. Twice because it was recorded in the distant 1978 but only released 24 years later, at a time of relative rediscovery of the genre and by the King Crimson Family, almost a tribute to the great drummer of its first formation... Then unfortunately fallen back into oblivion, at least judging by this strongly "progressive oriented" site. Therefore, it is right to honor Michael Giles, who already alongside Ian McDonald in 1970 created another work of great level, the self-titled album produced following their premature exit from Crimson, and which brings together in "Progress" a group of top-level musicians starting with his brother Peter on bass, already present in "McDonald & Giles", the versatile Geoffrey Richardson formed coincidentally in Caravan and later becoming a mainstay of the Penguin Café Orchestra, and finally the experienced Dave MacRae from Matching Mole; all this is enough to understand how the Canterbury vein still flows clear and vivid in this album.

"Progress" is the evocative title of a journey, figuratively that of the composer of all music and lyrics, undertaken on a train as one can easily deduce from the album cover and lasting an entire day as suggested by the titles of the twelve tracks that compose it and which I have translated literally to simplify the review's enjoyment. A journey that starts regularly at "Dawn" with the sun's rays slowly illuminating the horizon just like the chord of the instruments seems to characterize the first very brief track, the "Departure" immediately involves us in a strictly Crimson observant track where Michael takes the lead and recalls his musical origins, confirmed by the instrumental power of the subsequent "Rolling" (of the train) when his brother Peter wonderfully comes into play, while Michael describes the characteristics of this largely ideal solitary journey. A circumstance highlighted by the brief "Day Dream" that gives way to a track in pure Canterbury style such as the "Movement" of our means of transport towards the western sea where on a festive day children play on the beach, an evident ideal place to escape from the city.

The "Midsummer's Day" is the central moment of the work characterized by Giles's obsessive electric piano arpeggio dictating its development, rendered dreamlike still in perfect Canterbury style by Richardson's flute in the background, a sunny afternoon full of celestial images that introduces the reflective "Progress", hard to render better than by the fathers of the genre and skillfully mixed with a Canterbury vein, significantly enlivened by the brass section composed of Martin Drover on trumpet and Pete Thoms on trombone: a piece worthy of a thesis on this genre of music: so rich is it with influences and references to the mentioned genres now at sunset at the time of its production. The lyrics of "Progress" question why we are always in a rush, we hurry for everything, even to buy the yellow second-class ticket in possession of our traveler to a western station, is this the Progress we want and now requires 34 hours a day?

After the ordeal to have so much progress, finally a moment of relaxation at the "Sunset" arriving, a delightful and harmonious composition supported by a light electronic choir background still in perfect Canterbury style; then departing from the schemes and perhaps from the starting track with "Shunter" or the Shunter (of the locomotive) when Michael gives us a demonstration of his remarkable qualities playing and assembling all the instruments with solemnity and rhythm before moving to "Rocking" where who do you think enters the scene on tenor sax? One Jimmy Hastings, veteran also of the Caravan, Soft Machine, Hatfield and the North, and National Health, in short, a complete witness of the genre! Nevertheless, to me, this piece sounds perfectly Gong........

The journey is about to end, but Michael gives us another demonstration of his skill with his preferred instrument, confirming himself as an "A" series drummer in describing the "Night Dream" in prelude to the "Arrival" in this idyllic western city where everything is music, sounds, harmony, and perfection well described by Catherine Howe's voice, characteristics fully reflected in the final quality of this splendid work, which has a critical perspective on modernity, but fundamentally positive unlike the dark message released generously by the early King Crimson with whom our hero soon lost tune.

An album that releases high-quality sounds, probably also due to the 2002 technical reconstruction, but which has a fundamental flaw: the current unavailability, a child of the fact that by not seeing the light in 1978, because it was deemed a loser at that time, the production and distribution of the CD in 2002 was very limited. In short, "Progress" can be considered a true collector's item that has reached rather high quotes on the used market and would certainly be worth having in one's progressive collection.

Very pleasant is the evocative graphics of the journey, never completed by Giles who remains on the platform with all the cases of his numerous instruments. Judgment that I limit by filtering the easy enthusiasm produced by the "discovery" or rediscovery of such an album.