May 25 & 26 - Somewhere Way Out There

[Extended Play]

I. After entering into serious exploratory electronic work on 1977's 'Low', David Bowie headed off further into much of the same European territory with 'Heroes' ('77). Keeping the creative forces of Brian Eno (everything) and Tony Visconti (producer), David added Robert Fripp (guitar, frippertronics) and kept much of the same core band as on 'Low'.

II. In the ranks of touch-style guitarists, there are a few names that spring right to mind: Trey Gunn, Greg Howard, Tony Levin (on the low end), and Brian Kenney-Fresno. Based out of Fresno, CA, Brian's first solo album 'Implatical Leptitude v6.1' ('96), combines an hard, evil edge with enough political wit to choke a Zappa fan. Even if you don't agree with his politics, he's got some admirably skillful fingers.

III. Genesis followed up their monster-of-an-album 'Foxtrot' with the more native 'Genesis: Live' ('73). Featuring songs from the first three albums with a tighter sound, you can easily see why Genesis was such a popular live act in their heyday.

IV. Launching Virgin records and Mike Oldfield's career, 'Tubular Bells' ('73) combines a variety of sounds straddling the line between folk and rock while keeping a clear compositional identity. If anyone wants to make a case for the success of epic composition in Progressive Rock, this is the album to cite."