Friday13th: Prog - A Beginning - Discovery Rd 1

Mythodea 05.17.21	Have a nice start everyobody! When is this due? Next Monday?
Friday13th 05.17.21	Yes, next Monday, May 24.
e210013 05.17.21	You took me by surprise with this first round, Friday. You put here two great classic prog albums from the classic era. One is from one legendary and founder prog band, Procol Harum. And I agree with Diva. This is one of the greatest live albums of the 70's. The other is a prog album of my country. And this is one of my three favourite Portuguese prog albums of that era, with my beloved album of Quarteto 1111, "Onde, Quando, como, Porque, Cantamos Pessoas Vivas and Jose Cid's "10.000 Anos Depois Entre Vénus E Marte". And I even had the chance to see Tantra live, in those distant years. And I can assure to all of you that it was a great live jig, really. So, here is one surprise, a bonus. Since I had the review about the album already ready, I decided to publish it today, as a complement. Consider this is a courtesy to my friend and compatiot Zig. Nice that you chose this album as your knight, amigo. If all of you have the patience and courage to read my review, I think that it can be very useful to know more things about the band and album. The album was strongly influenced by the some of the big British prog names, at the time. Besides, the leader of the band lived in London some years before the realese of the album. So, if you want my friends, be my guest and check the review. By the way, it would be nice to has some some comments as a feedback on my review. Ok?
e210013 05.17.21	Ok, an amazing thing really, norma.
Friday13th 05.17.21	Thanks, e21. how serendipitous [2]
twlight 05.17.21	Friday the 13th part 4 is the best Friday, don't @ me
e210013 05.17.21	You're welcome Friday.
Mythodea 05.17.21	what an amazing coinsidence that is! Always e covering precious Sputnik ground! And what a beautiful word ''serendipity'' is, too.
e210013 05.17.21	"And what a beautiful word ''serendipity'' is, too." Absolutely. Lol. And thanks.
Divaman 05.17.21	Whoa, I'm up already! And it looks like I'm up against a pretty interesting LP. Best of luck, Zig.
Pangea 05.17.21	stoked!
e210013 05.17.21	At least, me, Zig and Diva are at an advantage in this round. We don't need to check both albums. Lol.
Mythodea 05.17.21	Joke's on you, we get to discover two more albums than you do
e210013 05.17.21	At least. Lol. But you don't need to check one of them too.
e210013 05.17.21	Besides, don't forget that I already reviewed "Mainstream" of Quiet Sun too. So, at least three.
wham49 05.17.21	nice, so we have till Monday's for this, so we have weekend time which will help me
Mythodea 05.17.21	tbh I remember listening to some of these, but I can't say I remember much.
e210013 05.17.21	It looks like you're going to have to work overtime without a weekend wham. Bad thing, indeed. Lol.
TheIntruder 05.17.21	Nice. Finely it begins. Let start working on it. Good luck to everyone.
porcupinetheater 05.17.21	Oof, right out the gate with the symphonic prog Not anticipating this round being a world beater, but patterns are only patterns if they can be broken Wish more bands in this style tried to capture what The Enid did
Jethro42 05.17.21	I got around Colosseum II a long time ago, and I don't remember a bit of it, apart it's jazz fusion. Like most of you, I know Procol Harum very well, but I never heard this live album. I'm not familiar with Pendragon, but I listened to Love Over Fear lately. Jordsjo is an album I've almost chosen as my entry. Like their entire discog, I know that Strawbs album very well. I also know Quiet Sun, but I need to revisit it. I wish a good tournament to you all.
Inoculaeted 05.17.21	How are you choosing the matchups? Ps. Got both these queued up on Apple Music for people who use that platform.
Friday13th 05.17.21	@Inoculaeted I try to match albums that are similar in some way, mainly based on the descriptions given.
Divaman 05.17.21	It depends on where you are in the world, but in the US, this live album was Procol's highest-selling and best known album (it was actually certified Gold, and reached #5 on Billboard), although that's not the case in the band's native UK. Wikipedia doesn't have the stat, but I imagine it did pretty well in Canada too -- the single for the live version of Conquistador reached #7 in Canada, although it only got as high as #16 in the US. And of course, the album was also recorded using a Canadian orchestra.
Divaman 05.17.21	Procol was also as much of a blues rock band as they were a prog band, porcupine -- although here, as they're performing with an orchestra, they're focused on the more symphonic and more epic part of their repertoire, which I understand might not be to your taste.
porcupinetheater 05.17.21	I just wish Robin was still with 'em for it lmao Bridge of Sighs was actually written about the band leaving him behind in the airplane boarding bridge while they jetted over to Canada for the tour. Bleak stuff.
Divaman 05.17.21	Great friggin song.
zakalwe 05.17.21	A bit of local pride contested between me and worker e210013 on this one. Procol Harum originate from the next town down the road from me where I spent many a happy a day growing up. That aside ‘Whaling Stories’ is classic. Will get stuck into tantra.
Divaman 05.17.21	That's cool, zak. They've always been one of my favorites. I've seen them live a couple of times.
Friday13th 05.17.21	Listened to Live with the Edmonton again today. I am quite familiar with the album so I feel comfortable giving my final thoughts. I remember getting into Procol Harum back in 2013. I saw the Tom Cruise movie Oblivion in theaters and instantly recognized "Whiter Shade of Pale", still one of my favorite songs ever. I jammed that and "Conquistador" all the way home from the movies. After more fully diving into their discography, I do have my issues with this live album, but I think it all boils down to setlist. The three ballads after "Conquistador" get a little boring. "Salty Dog" is one of their best songs, but it is not much different than what is heard on the studio album. The other two ballads are okay. It just seems like such a missed opportunity to not include "Whiter Shade of Pale!" If anyone has not heard their live symphonic rendition in Denmark 2006, you are in for a treat. In the end, the album is all about "Conquistador" and "In Held Twas In I." "Conquistador" rocks hard, has a soaring melody and has an awesome arrangement. Yes, far better than the studio version on their debut. "In Held Twas In I" is their most groundbreaking song, clearly influencing "Supper's Ready" and other multi-part prog classics. I can't say the live version is better than the '68 studio version (mainly for Trower's guitar solo), but it is just as good and holds up surprisingly well to the cutting edge prog of 1972. Because of these highlights, it's a must have for prog fans. Surprised it has so few ratings. However, I still believe there is some wasted potential there.
bgillesp 05.17.21	Ooh baby. Will get on these soon
someone 05.17.21	commenting to check back here when i have the time
MrSirLordGentleman 05.17.21	I've listened a lot of times to Procol Harum's live. Great album, but I think the tracklist is missing some essential stuff I think I checked Tantra once a long time ago. Will have to listen to it again, since I don't remember anything from it
Divaman 05.17.21	Well, remember that this came out in vinyl, which had some fairly hard time limits. So while I'm sure they played a longer set the night the show was recorded, unless they wanted to make it double album, they were always going to have to pick just a little over forty minutes worth of it.
Divaman 05.17.21	They basically stuck with one song from each of their first four albums, except for A Salty Dog, which got two songs.
MrSirLordGentleman 05.18.21	Oh yeah I know that, it's not like it is the band's fault or something. But I think live albums from the era needed to be double for that same reason That's one of the reasons why Made in Japan is so much more popular than Made in Europe lol
Divaman 05.18.21	I think was harder to sell a double album, though. Back then, a double album usually meant almost a double price.
Mythodea 05.18.21	Salty Dog is really moving and aside the fun Conquistador, it's the only track that has stayed with me, tbh. The big piece still needs to settle.
Pangea 05.18.21	i'm listening to procol harum and loving it. i'm a sucker for this kind of orchestral stuff
Pangea 05.18.21	i really liked tantra as well! i do prefer procol harum on first listen but i will give each album at least one more listen before voting
TwigTW 05.18.21	After my first listen, I'm leaning towards the Procol Harum. That's probably because I was already familiar with it before this contest. It has a head start. I like the Tantra too. The guitarist flirts with Steve Howe's sound (especially on the acoustic "Aventuras de um dragão num aquário"), but he's more than just a copy-cat. The album feels like a grower to me. So I'm keeping an open mind.
Inoculaeted 05.18.21	Having my morning coffee in the sun to Procol Harum. First experience. Here we go.
e210013 05.18.21	As many of you, I already knew Procol Harum's album. But, as many of you too, I didn't check this album for centuries. I was introduced to this band by an old friend who was a great fan of the band and that had several albums of them, including this one. So, after a first listening, I keep my initial opinion. This is a great album of the 70's. This is one of the first rock albums with an orchestra. Besides, I always loved live albums with an orchestra. Another band that do that in perfection is Jethro Tull and Jan Anderson. But, I need more listenings to pick up a decision. By the way, for those who don't know, Diva wrote a review of this album some years ago, and a good one. So, be his guest and check it, if you want. Maybe it can help your choice.
bgillesp 05.19.21	I have heard some procol harum but not a ton. I think this live release is perfectly satisfying, but nothing stood out to me as outstanding on it either on first listen.
Inoculaeted 05.19.21	Really enjoyed Conquistador and Whaling Stories. In Held ‘Twas I was a trip. Proto prog indeed.
Zig 05.19.21	Excited to check these two!
Jethro42 05.19.21	Tantra grows on me big time, whereas Procol Harum are all classic songs I already know for decades. Despite it, I need to relisten to both to take a decision.
e210013 05.19.21	Yeah, it seems to be a tough journey. I think tomorrow I'll take my decision.
Mythodea 05.19.21	I just put on Tantra. I feel like I've given Procol Harum enough first spins, to move to the second one. That being said, I'll probably rank them towards the end of the week
Inoculaeted 05.19.21	Drummer in Tantra was a beast.
Mythodea 05.19.21	the bassist as well. Fourth track is phenomenal
Inoculaeted 05.19.21	Yeah true. Rhythm section is killer. These two albums occupy totally different listening modes for me. This is a tough choice.
Mythodea 05.19.21	indeed. Tantra have a more traditional gritty prog rock sound, while Procol Harum have on the shorter songs the sound of... I don't know, I want to say rnb ballads of the '80s because of the rich orchestral arrangements if that makes ANY sense.
Jethro42 05.19.21	Tantra doesn't feature my kind of drummer. Too much nervous, not enough technical. His playing is feeling a tad forced to me. To each his own.
Mythodea 05.19.21	I'll pay closer attention to his playing, but to my impressionable ears he sounds really good
Inoculaeted 05.19.21	I think both albums are good and people’s votes might come down to what brand of listening they prefer (or which they happen to prefer at the time of listening). For me, Procol Harum is the feel good toe tapping party jam and Tantra is a heroic dose alone in a field. Both are fun in their own right. My decision to become a participating entity in the sput community during this pandemic has paid off right here with this tournament. Thanks Friday13th!
bgillesp 05.19.21	T/t in 2 is a glorious masterpiece of prog rock with a touch of jazz fusion in the keys and bass
bgillesp 05.19.21	I also love the drumming from tantra
bgillesp 05.20.21	I get vibes that Rush listened to Argentinian covers of Genesis and then formed Tantra as their side project
Jethro42 05.20.21	t/t in 2 was the one that touched me first and foremost.
porcupinetheater 05.20.21	Yeah Tantra got me feeling like Hawkwind-gone-Zeuhl more than sympho-anything, which automatically sets it up 20 points higher than sympho prog. Vote goes to Tantra by a mile. I’ll keep listening in case something changes but the personal taste thing got this chasm pre wide
Zig 05.20.21	Well, after a second spin after 6 or so years, Tantra still holds up for me. Conceptual prog with a jazzy feeling, which I enjoy very much. Although, I didn't like part of the last track that much, maybe for being more commercial. (4.0) As for Procol Harum, the orchestral arragements are quite good, production-wise amazing, but found the music to be too much song-y, imo. (3.5) That said, my vote goes to Tantra.
MiloRuggles 05.20.21	Oh fuck you cats move fast. Just commenting to subscribe, will catch up on chat later
e210013 05.20.21	After 4 auditions of Procol Harum, (I didn't need to re-listen to Tantra), here is what I think: Procol Harum - Live With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra: This is a great live album, very well performed, one of the best live albums of the 70's. The track selection is very good covering very well the career of the band, at that moment, where all their five studio albums released till then are represented, including their lenghty suite "In Held Twas In I", which is considered one the first prog tracks ever. The album represents one of the first and best live examples of a use of an orchestra with a rock band. And I love when rock meets orchestra. So, for all I said before, this a true historical document. Tantra - Mistérios E Maravilhas: This is one of the best bands and one of the best prog albums made in my country, Portugal. It's one of my four favourite Portuguese prog albums in the 70's with "Onde, Quando, Como, Porquê, Cantamos Pessoas Vivas" by Quarteto 1111, "10.000 Anos Depois Entre Vénus E Marte" by José Cid and "Dos Benefícios Dum Vendido No Reino Dos Bonfácios" by Banda Do Casaco. This is an album with all the ingredients that we can see in the great prog bands at the time, strongly influenced for some of the biggest British names, such as, Genesis, Yes and Camel. I didn't change my opinion about both albums. We are in presence of two bands with similar points, but, at the same time, very different. Procol Harum sounds a bit more to the end of the 60's and Tantra sounds more to the classic prog of the 70's. No problem with that. Both are great, in their own way, despite one be a live work and the other be a studio one. "Live With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra" rated with 4.5. "Mistérios E Maravilhas" rated with 4.5. But my vote goes to "Mistérios E Maravilhas". Sorry Diva, but I needed to vote on "Mistérios E Maravilhas". Tantra and particularly this album are very special for me. They made part of an amazing phase of my life, my youth. Anyway, thanks for you have give me the opportunity to check again this live album of Procol Harum. I didn't listen to this album for centuries. But, I can assure you that was with great pleasure that I could experienced it again.
Inoculaeted 05.20.21	"too much song-y" The essence of prog distilled.
Jethro42 05.20.21	The drum sound of Tantra is too high in the mix, and drummer is playing for himself, not for the music. Plus he's too risky for his talent. I've tried hard to enjoy that music. There are only sections of each songs that I've learned to tame with multiple listens, so I had not so much fun with it, contrarily for Procol Harum which is an easy, colourful and a captivating trip in the past, in the early time of classic prog. I'm not sure if it's the best song selection, but its 5 songs work well together and it's a good orchestral rendition. ''Conquistador'', ''Salty Dog'' and ''In Held Twas I'' worth the price of admission. I like its 5 songs, even the bonus one. So I'm easily voting for Procol Harum.
wham49 05.20.21	well first of all these are both in my wheelhouse, vintage prog. so I loved both of course, but I have to choose, which is the problem. Do I go with something I have known for a while or, something that is new to my ears, well Tantra the band is new but the sound is very familiar. SO the conclusion, I am going with Tantra because I feel it holds truer to the spirt of the competition
e210013 05.20.21	Yeah, this is the problem. In my perspective it's a pity that one of them must be eliminated. But, this is an usual thing with Friday's tournays.
MrSirLordGentleman 05.20.21	So far I'm leaning more towards PH's live. Tantra rules, but its sounds lacks some identity in my opinion. I still haven't decided though
Pangea 05.21.21	okay listened to both again and i'm ready to cast my vote Procol Harum - like i said before, i am a sujcker for this kind of orchestral stuff. I really like how they blend the orchestral and rock elements on this album, it compliments each other well. I also generally really love procol harum's vocalist, i think he has such a nice, warm voice. Loved this one Tantra - Great album as well. The musicanship was all on point, in particular I really enjoyed the more acoustic sectons. The composition was generally good as well, but to be honest not every moment hit me as hard i wanted it to Both great albums both my vote is for Procol Harum
someone 05.21.21	if i put up my thoughts in soundoffs, do i still have to write something here?
e210013 05.21.21	Of course. We like to know your thoughts here. Not all of us read the soundoffs, right now. We are in a tourney and we like to know the opinion of all contestants about the albums here, as is usual.
someone 05.21.21	so i don't know. Procol Harum is a catchier more interesting album (even tho it's a live), but Tantra is a truer galloping-journey type of prog that is always cool to hear. oof imma go with Procol Harum, but very reluctantly so
someone 05.21.21	i guess at the end of the day, Tantra had more moments that felt a little instrumentally jarring to me, some tonal work was disjointed, some mixing was off, some rhythm was a little unstable. so by that tiny margin, it sits a notch below Procol
e210013 05.21.21	As I expected, this will be a very though round. But, we are used with it in all Friday's tournaments. Great.
wham49 05.21.21	anybody know what the score is?
Divaman 05.21.21	I'm giving my second listens today, although no one will be surprised at which way I'm leaning. :)
bgillesp 05.21.21	Driving with my dad and I’m gonna play both for him to see which he likes better. If we need a tiebreaker vote we could use him, lol.
bgillesp 05.21.21	I think it is worth noting that the last 2 tracks on the Tantra album (if you listen on Spotify at least) are bonus tracks from a 2007 rerelease. So they were not part of the 1977 original release.
porcupinetheater 05.21.21	For all we know, Bgill, your dad could've been a player in the Procol Harum Edmonton Symphony. Looking just at number of performers, bringing in a random outsider as a tiebreaker, the odds drastically favor them having a personal connective bias to PH over Tantra, it's simply not tenable in the name of justice.
bgillesp 05.21.21	Lol okay. We usually don’t get ties anyway
Inoculaeted 05.21.21	Put my vote down for Procol Harum. Tantra was very cool and it has genius sprinkled throughout but it occasionally flies too close to the sun in its experimental wankery. Actually, that’s probably why it’ll win this round for a lot of people. Even though this Procol Harum album probably sits more firmly in a proto-prog/blues space, I gotta give it the nod for just being more fun. The vocals are killer and I love how the orchestra is arranged. It’s gotten me into the band and I’ve since jammed their s/t debut, which is fuckin great. I’m sure there will plenty more mind bending challenging listens left in the tourney, but for today I’m going party jam.
Friday13th 05.22.21	So far it’s neck and neck 4:5 Jethro Pangea someone Inoculaeted porcupine Zig e21 wham normalocto
Friday13th 05.22.21	I do like Tantra. First and third track especially do it for me. Some of the bass and guitar playing is really good. I hear what some are complaining about in the drums, and I would say moments impress me greatly while others do sound like he is off the rails ahead of the beat. The production is kinda meh, but it is to be expected from a small budget band in Portugal. I need a couple more spins of Tantra to decide.
e210013 05.22.21	As I thought, another amazing prog journey.
Jethro42 05.22.21	Tantra's third track wouldn't be out of place in Bill Bruford's Feels Good To Me, and it's a good thing.
zakalwe 05.22.21	I’m going with Procol Harum. Phenomenal live and I really do like The Whaling Song.
Friday13th 05.22.21	After listening again this morning to Tantra, I agree the decision is tough. Tantra is more archetypically “proggy” than 1 and has some wonderful instrumental passages like Yes/Mahavishnu Orchestra. It is more jazzy than expected. It may not be a grounbreaking album in the international scene, but it is a great and fun record. The detours into acoustic guitar, piano, and synth are all tasteful. The drummer can be overbearing but it comes with the territory of attempting to emulate Cobham and Bruford. Glad Zig got me to finally check this one off my list. Procol Harum’s live album on the other hand is probably more accurately described as split between symphonic rock on side A and symphonic prog on side B. No jazz at all. In the end though, I do think Procol Harum has more identity, one that is less flashy but soulful and memorable. 1 is certainly more influential and has crossover appeal. Tantra is a prog album for prog fans. The highlights of the Tantra album are great, but can’t be expected to compete with “Conquistador” and “In Held Twas In I”, verifiable masterpieces. So my vote goes to Procol Harum by a hair.
Friday13th 05.22.21	6:5 Jethro Pangea someone Inoculaeted zakalwe Friday porcupine Zig e21 wham normalocto
e210013 05.22.21	"The drummer can be overbearing but it comes with the territory of attempting to emulate Cobham and Bruford." It's curious to talk so much about Tantra's drummer. But he is even considered by many critics in Portugal as the most accomplished technically of all members of the band. Tó Zé Almeida participated in other muical projects in Portugal, in those years, and he made part of another band named Heróis Do Mar, a very inovative band in the panorama of Portuguese music, at the time.
Jethro42 05.22.21	Drummer is offering good beats, good chops but often too much elaborated and not always tight. However, he's original and creative...and talented, I've said it.
bgillesp 05.22.21	My vote is for Tantra. I really like the Procol Harum album and love the live symphony with it. It’s a really great solid album, but there are no moments that make me fall in love with it. Tantra on the other hand, has a lot of variety, some truly amazing playing from the drummer and bassist and very interesting writing. The Tantra album could end up my favorite of the tourney this year.
Friday13th 05.23.21	6:6 Jethro Pangea someone Inoculaeted zakalwe Friday porcupine Zig e21 wham normalocto bgillesp
someone 05.23.21	Tight race for a tight fight.
e210013 05.23.21	@ Jethro "However, he's original and creative...and talented, I've said it. I know that my friend. My comment has nothing to do directly with yours. As many had spoken about him here, I only intended to talk a bit about him. Anyway, I'm going to say some more things about the band and the rest of line up. As I mentioned on my first comment of the review and the review itself about the album, Tantra has two more albums that deserve to be checked, the second one and "Terra". The second one, "Holocausto" was released in the next year with almost the same line up, with the exception of the keyboardist. Gama, a classical trained pianist decided to leave the band and began a solo carrer oriented to pop. He was substituted by Pedro Luís another great musician. "Holocausto" is another great album in the same vein of "Mistérios E Maravilhas", but more jazzier with some strong influences of Mahavishnu Orchestra. "Terra" was released in 2002 with almost a complete different line up. It's a kind of a return to "Mistérios E Maravilhas". Only the founder, leader and frontman Cardoso, remains on it. I think the band exists even today, despite Cardoso be busy with another project of a new band with some members of "Terra", named Artnat. Artnat released their debut album "The Mirror Effect" this year, another symphonic prog album with a female vocalist.
Jethro42 05.23.21	My ''I've said it'' was related to ''and talented''. Thanks for your added infos. I was already interested to Terra due to its ratings, and to eventually take my way to Holocausto, given his similarities to Mahavishnu. Their live album seems to be great too. I've rated Mystérios at a 3.5, because with each listens, my feelings haven't changed about the album, but I must confess it's closer to a 4 than a 3, so I'll have to check it again. One thing is sure, I do prefer Procol Harum. Cheers!
Jethro42 05.23.21	I just realized that Artnat is the reversed word of Tantra!
e210013 05.23.21	I really never paid attention to that name. I only saw the cover of the album some weeks ago on Progarchives. But, it's true and not a coincidence. Thanks for the info.
e210013 05.23.21	"Their live album seems to be great too." I really never checked the live album. But, once it was recorded in the 70's with the line up of "Holocausto" and with tracks from both albums, I'm sure that it will be great too. But, I really need to check it. Cheers too, buddy.
MrSirLordGentleman 05.23.21	I'll go with Procol Harum Tantra's awesome, but it lacks identity. Procol Harum's live stays on my memory for a longer period of time
Friday13th 05.23.21	7:6 Jethro Pangea someone Inoculaeted zakalwe Friday Gentleman porcupine Zig e21 wham normalocto bgillesp
Mythodea 05.23.21	Procol Harum's Live Album is a beauty, gave me the chance to discover some really moving songs from their first albums. The symphonic half of ''symphonic prog'' is as accurate as it can get with the accompanying orchestra really being present in the songs, and not just adding minor flurishes to rock songs. It is an exceptional live performance, without any flaw worth-mentioning, writing history, being one of the first bands to try their luck in progressive rock. I was skeptical at first, given it was a live concert against a studio album, and I really thought of it as unfair. Mistérios e Maravilhas was another great suggestion, that while it didn't stray much from the typical '70s prog sound, was a nice breath of southern European air, that steals the light - even for a little - from the mostly british bands that reigned supreme during the decade. Musicianship wasn't an issue with me, but the labyrinthine structure of the songs loses me sometimes, seeming directionless. I always have fun with it while it is playing but I don't mind when it's not. On the contrary, Procol Harum's live album is something I would choose to put on. It's a shame that the link given for Tantra's album didn't have the two bonus tracks, that sound quite interesting to my ears, and I think the album would benefit majorly from incorporating them as proper tracks. That being said, the final verdict is in favor of Procol Harum's ''Live - in Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra'' (4) and Tantra's ''Mistérios e Maravilhas''(3.5) comes second but not that far behind as it's a great gem of '70s prog. Great first round guys, thanks to both Zig and Divaman for their neat suggestions, as well as - of course - the man, the legend, Friday13th for curating this tourney. Cheers guys
Friday13th 05.23.21	8:6 Jethro Pangea someone Inoculaeted zakalwe Friday Gentleman Mythodea porcupine Zig e21 wham normalocto bgillesp
Inoculaeted 05.23.21	Would be nice if at least all the people who submitted albums voted...
bgillesp 05.23.21	Who all is missing in the vote?
Jethro42 05.23.21	Friday allows a little more time for those who are late, I think.
bgillesp 05.23.21	TwigTW is normally good about voting, but some of the new people may not have been that serious about it when they submitted. I guess we will just see.
porcupinetheater 05.23.21	Lmao Milo get your ass back here and VOTE, Mister (as long as it’s for Tantra)
Divaman 05.24.21	I think the vote is due tomorrow. I plan on voting later tonight, after one more listen.
Divaman 05.24.21	Yeah, it says it in the first two comments in the thread. The vote is due tomorrow.
TwigTW 05.24.21	As I suspected, the Tantra grew on me. It's a great album, but... I'm voting for Procol Harum. I like the use of the orchestra, but my familiarity with the album doesn't hurt either... I do think it's funny that A Whiter Shade Of Pale isn't included, but it gives Conquistador a chance to shine. That song usually lives in AWSOP's shadow. I looked around for a bootleg of the concert, but all I found were reviews of the performance. Although additional songs are listed, AWSOP is never mentioned. I don't think it was played that night. Oh well...
Divaman 05.24.21	So, it won't surprise anyone that my vote goes to Procol Harum. It's simply a matter of the Procol LP having a whole lot more of what I like in prog music than the Tantra LP. Even in prog, hooks are important to me, which is my some of my favorite prog bands are bands like Procol, Jethro Tull, and even Yes. This album has hooks galore, even in an extended piece like In Held 'Twas in I (which is really mostly a suite of interconnected little songs). The Tantra album, on the other hand, has some hooks, but also several extended parts that feel to me like good musicians noodling around. I can't tell on which tracks, because I listened to both LPs on YouTube, but somewhere around the 20-minute mark, the Tantra album breaks into an extended drum mostly-solo (with some music box effects along for the ride), and it starts to lose me there. Also, even in prog, vocals are important to me. Not everyone loves Gary Brooker's voice, but I always have. The majority of the Tantra album doesn't have vocals (always a minus for me), and in the parts where it does, I don't really like Michael Cardoso as a vocalist much at all. This is a case where I think he'd have been better off bringing a vocal specialist into his band than trying to sing himself, which apparently he did on some of his more recent projects. Where Tantra stands out is in their musicianship. I can definitely hear the Steve Howe influences on Cardoso guitar playing. I liked the keyboards a lot too. It's not really fair, of course, to compare them for lyrical content. I've always liked Procol's epic fantasies, as penned by Keith Reid. But I don't understand Portuguese, so it takes away a possible realm of enjoyment for me here. (The album art is pretty cool -- it speaks of fantastic realms, so I'm sorry I can't understand the lyrics.) In any event, the Tantra album was always going to have an uphill battle for me here vs. Procol Harum. Procol has long been one of my favorite bands, and "In Held 'Twas in I" (along with King Crimson's first album) were really the first pieces of prog I ever heard, the ones that drew me into the genre in the first place. So again, I vote for Procol.
MiloRuggles 05.24.21	This snuck up on me, sorry team. Busyboi adult timez for the kid. Hadn't heard either of these before. Started with Tantra and loved it. Mysterious, harder to fully grasp in one go than my [REDACTED], and kinda janky in a good way. More musical talent and ambition than sense — prog in its rawest form. I'll be spinnin this like the pokies on a satdee night for years to come. Procol Harum was p cool, but not really my bag. It's a little too direct in its widescreen emotions, and the rather impressive clarity of the 2002 remaster I had to listen to (stream was blocked in my country) might've exacerbated this. There's some impressive songwriting here, but the melodramatic orchestration and front-and-centre, clean-as-all-hell vocal performance just don't resonate with this silly brain of mine. Might check the studio version for kicks. As you might imagine, my vote's for Tantra. Get in!
TheIntruder 05.24.21	Tough decision. These are two great albums. I already knew the live album of Procol Harum since Diva reviewed it, and I love it. The album of Tantra was a huge surprise for me. I am sure it will be one of the biggest surprises of the tournament. But we need to make an option. Procol Harum sounds much more to the end of the 60's and Tantra souds more to the 70's. And I prefer the 70's. Besides, Procol Harum is less exciting because is a live album without any new tracks. So, I agree with wham. I am also going with Tantra because I feel it holds truer to the spirit of the competition.
Friday13th 05.24.21	10:8 Jethro Pangea someone Inoculaeted zakalwe Friday Gentleman Mythodea Twig Divaman porcupine Zig e21 wham normalocto bgillesp Milo Intruder
Mythodea 05.24.21	I get the difference pointed out between proto-prog and '70s prog, but since we're not spliting hairs with '70s prog and neo-prog and jazz prog and '90s prog revival, helped me overcome the dilemma and choose for Procol Harum, which is an excellent entity on its own, one of the rare live albums that you actually feel the room around (and not just the sounds of cheering)
bgillesp 05.24.21	Oof. Looks like the album that could top the year for me is going down. So sad. Farmerobama and one other are missing I think, though, so we could still end up with a tie at 10-10 if they did vote. It’s probably good enough to call it now though :(
Divaman 05.24.21	I always just leave it to Friday to decide if it qualifies or doesn't qualify. Once it qualifies, I choose the album I like better, not the one I think is proggiest. Others, of course, are free to vote based on whatever they want.
e210013 05.24.21	We need to know the opinion of the other two contestants to close the first journey. These votes aren't enough to close it. So, let's go guys.
porcupinetheater 05.24.21	I just spoke with Divergent and Farmer, and they both told me that Tantra is way better than Procol Harum, and that they feel so strongly about it that those 2 votes should actually count as 3 votes to reflect their passion Let's make it happen
bgillesp 05.24.21	Lol porc. I wish
Divaman 05.24.21	I vote we disqualify porc, kill him, and throw his body in a swamp.
Divaman 05.24.21	But I'm a reasonable man, so I'm flexible about the order we do those things in.
porcupinetheater 05.24.21	As long as the late Tantra votes stay, I think that sounds like a win/win! :]
Divaman 05.24.21	I can work with that. Hand me my chainsaw.
Divaman 05.25.21	(Once the swamp has claimed him, he'll never know the real vote count anyway.)
porcupinetheater 05.25.21	What's that sound? That distant, manic slapping rumbling across the horizon? Is that porc's open palms batting desperately against the deadly still surface of some hidden bog as it swallows them whole? Or is it Tantra's drummer?
Friday13th 05.25.21	LOL...you guys
Divaman 05.25.21	Apologies, Friday. I forgot that this isn't the casual conversation list, where I'm free to murder willy nilly.
porcupinetheater 05.25.21	WHERE'S BUDGIEBUDGIEBUDGIE
Inoculaeted 05.25.21	Bog held ‘twas I - porc
porcupinetheater 05.25.21	Lmao, A Salty Bog, no less
Divaman 05.25.21	>WHERE'S BUDGIEBUDGIEBUDGIE I went back to the casual convo list to kill him. It's the only thing that seems to quell these murderous rages.
Friday13th 05.25.21	Okay, voting for this round is closed. Procol Harum wins.
Divaman 05.25.21	Good match, Zig. Going first is hard.
Zig 05.25.21	Really tight round, Diva!
Divaman 05.25.21	Yes it was. Good job. And thanks again to Friday, for creating the matchup.
Jethro42 05.25.21	Mystérios is really a grower whereas Procol Harum is a well known band. Diva had an advantage on this point of view.
Inoculaeted 05.25.21	Thanks for the rec Zig. Jamming Holocausto now for more Tantric positions.
e210013 05.25.21	Thanks for you bring here an album of our country amigo, as I did 5 years ago with Quarteto 1111.
Inoculaeted 05.26.21	The production on Holocausto is so cool. Really pops. I like this one better than Maravilhas!
e210013 05.26.21	Yeah, many prefer "Holocausto" to "Mistérios E Maravilhas". And I can agree that it has a better production. The band had a bit more experience at the time.
Zig 05.26.21	yeah, I would just avoid Tantra's Humanoid Flesh
e210013 05.26.21	I completely agree.
bgillesp 05.26.21	I will also check more from Tantra. They became one of my favorites from all years so far after I listened to this album
e210013 05.26.21	Ok, bgillesp. Check first "Holocausto" and then "Terra".