Mike Oldfield "The Complete" (1985)

The Complete (compilation)
release date: Oct. 1, 1985
format: 2 lp vinyl (gatefold - 302 689-503) / cd (1988 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: various
label: Virgin Records - nationality: England, UK

Compilation album by Mike Oldfield released as a double gatefold vinyl album. The album is subdivided into four sections - the A-side is labelled 'The Instrumental Side', the B-side 'The Vocal Side', the C-side 'The Complex Side', and the D-side 'The Live Side'.

Muse "Black Holes and Revelations" (2006)

Black Holes and Revelations
release date: Jul. 3, 2006
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]

Track highlights: 2. "Starlight" - 3. "Supermassive Black Hole" - 4. "Map of the Problematique"

4th studio album by Muse. A few good tracks but nothing really great, imho - progressive rock in the alt. rock category is.. just.. not.. my style. I find links back to Yes, King Crimson, Rush, and Camel, and other major bands of the 1970s, which I didn't like then, and don't like now - mostly, it just becomes to symphonic and heavy for my liking. I do find that Muse with this album adds a new interesting dimension to its style. There are moments of art pop and perhaps even post-rock in this sound that I like - especially heard on the finest track, "Map of the Problematique". There are often references to western classical music, and this is something that I find do not work. The opening track "Take a Bow" is one big mix of different sources, and I don't like it much when I suddenly hear Philip Glass so evidently. The track is incoherent to say it mildly - but that's probably just me not understanding the genre. Five singles were released from the album and looking at the singles chart makes me fully come to terms with the fact that it's not really my kind of music as the best faring single is track #3, topping at number #4, which I would hand max 3 / 5 stars. The second best faring single is track #11, "Knights of Cydonia", reaching number #10, a track I wouldn't hand more than 2 / 5 stars, whereas the two least favourable single releases, on the other hand, are the two tracks I find the best: track #2, reaching #21 and track #4, reaching #18 on the singles chart list in the UK. "Starlight" got a lot of radio airplay, and I found it good - initially, but I soon tired of it. Very much like I did with the rest of this international success. The album was nominated the Mercury Prize in 2006, alongside artists such as Richard Hawley and Thom Yorke - the prize was won by The Arctic Monkeys for its album debut. Although, many critics spoke very positively about the album, some were of contrary minds and called some of its tracks ridiculous and the album overblown. And I think, they regard it much like I do.
[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, Spin 4 / 5, NME 4,5 / 5, Q Magazine 5 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Supertramp "Crime of the Century" (1974)

Crime of the Century
release date: Nov. 1974
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,29]
producer: Ken Scott, Supertramp
label: A&M Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Bloody Well Right" - 4. "Asylum" - 5. "Dreamer" (4 / 5) (live) - 8. "Crime of the Century"

3rd studio album by Supertramp. The album is the first to be co-produced by Ken Scott. It's also known as the band's breakthrough album. Musically, it's no longer a fusion of various styles with single tracks having various inspirational sources, so one track may be inspired by this and another by something completely different. The band obviously still has taken inspiration from many sources, which gave them an undefinable sound on the two previous albums, but here, Scott and the band keeps things together and pins out a style of their own with equal parts of r&b, jazz rock and progressive rock, resulting in art rock and soft rock. The album is enlisted in many best-of-lists compiling the best pop / rock albums of all time. It's the only Supertramp album to figure in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com, Sputnikmusic 4 / 5 stars ]

Emerson, Lake & Palmer "Brain Salad Surgery" (1973)

Brain Salad Surgery
release date: Dec. 19, 1973
format: digital (1987 reissue)
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,38]
producer: Greg Lake
label: Manticore / Atlantic Records - nationality: England, UK

4th studio album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer and the first to be released on the trio's new-founded label Manticore Records (the cd issue by Atlantic). Well, since ELP is not really my cup of... anything, the only reason I came across the band in the first place was because of the front cover made by Swiss artists H.R. Geiger. Musically, this is not as good as the trio's earlier works. They seem stuck in their classical adaptational mood rather than making interesting music. Somehow, I wish I would rate this higher than I do - but frankly, I probably already rate it higher than I would if not album and band had such high status. I don't listen to this. I find it annoying but... original, and for that it hand it 2,5 stars, although, I could throw 1 star at it for taste and enjoyment, but hey, the cover is great!
Some notes on the title.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Pink Floyd "Atom Heart Mother" (1970)

Atom Heart Mother
release date: Oct. 10, 1970
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: Pink Floyd, Norman Smith
label: Harvest Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: 1. "Atom Heart Mother" - 2. "If" - 3. "Summer ´68" - 4. "Fat Old Sun" - 5. "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast"

5th studio album by Pink Floyd gave the band its first number #1 on the UK albums chart list. Musically, it's another experimental album introducing symphonic progressive with long classical sounding parts. The title track is an almost 24 min. long instrumental composition in 6 parts credited all band members and Ron Geesin. I think, the best and most memorable tracks here are "Summer '68", and "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast", but apart from that the band here demonstrates its technical skills and a focus on what is possible in a studio with quadraphonic sound recordings. The cover art is legendary, and is designed by Hipgnosis.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, The Daily Telegraph 2 / 5 stars ]