Citizen Cain ~ England / Scotland

Somewhere But Yesterday (1994)

If Marillion copied Genesis and brought them into the 80s, then Citizen Cain copied both Marillion and Genesis and brought them into the 90s. Though Citizen Cain were part of the original New Wave of British Progressive Rock movement, they didn't get going until the 90s. Which is too bad really. As I've mentioned before, the term "neo prog" became a misnomer during the 80s, and was shorthand for "corporate AOR Arena Rock". All the groups participating in that scene fell prone to the allure of mucho dollars, and most did not come close. And lost their artistic credibility because of it. When IQ reemerged with Ever, it dawned a new era of excellent neo prog that is with us today. Citizen Cain is very much in that same oeuvre. Had they released Somewhere but Yesterday in 1987, it would be hailed as a modern classic. But it just got lost in the prog shuffle and most of my running set had nothing to do with bands like Citizen Cain in the early 90s. It wasn't until almost 30 years later I heard them at all.

When you have a lead singer named Cyrus in a neo prog band then you can expect a lot of singing, and that remains true here. Yet somehow it still feels like a primarily instrumental album. Lots of negative critical forensic reviews out there discussing the nuances of his voice against Gabriel and Fish. People think too much. Personally I think he does a great job, as does the band at emulating the early Genesis sound with the upbeat 80s styled groups like IQ. There's a lot of music to digest here, but I heard it pleasantly throughout. While I have no intention of loading up on Citizen Cain, I certainly would be interested in hearing all their works at some point regardless of reputation.

Ownership: 1997 Cyclops (CD). With lyric booklet (extensive) and recording details.

6/2/22 (first listen); 2/15/25 (review)

2/17/25 (new entry)

Omega - The Prophet. 1985 England

When hearing Omega for the first time I was debating whether or not this was NWOBHM or NWOBPR. Acronym city, but it gives you a very good idea of the type of music played here. The guitars are most certainly metal, and so it's the former categorization that wins the debate. I've said it many times, but the early days of metal were the most exciting, and even though by 1985 the rules were being drawn, Omega just went about their own business. And were forgotten for many years until the reawakening occurred.

The Prophet has elements of Legend, Sacred Blade, and Manilla Road, but easy comparisons are not to be found. Neo prog is blended seamlessly with some creative riffing to generate the kind of album you want to hear over and over. The cover of The Beatles 'Day Tripper' probably could have been replaced with something better, but when you go for broke like this, you have to accept the mistakes too. It's part of the charm.

Ownership: LP: 1985 Rock Machine. Single sleeve with lyric insert. Acquired from JL before the Austin Record show (2023). Reissues exist on both LP and CD, though they've become scarce as well.

6/10/23 (new entry)

Lahost - Erotic Antiques. 1984-1985 England (archival)

Lahost are a very good example of the 1980's New Wave of British Progressive Rock scene. Tight, energetic, melodic, complex, and fun.

The above represented my scratch off notes from nearly a decade ago. And probably I need not say more, as that about covers it. But I will anyway... I first read about Lahost in the metal magazines of the middle 80s (like Kerrang for example), who dabbled with the much smaller ongoing progressive rock scene (many of the UK music writers in those days had prog backgrounds). But nothing really ever emerged from Lahost, originally known as The Host. Two cassettes were released, though neither are shown on Discogs as I write this. The 2 cassettes, plus a single, and a live recording make up Erotic Antiques.

It would be hard to find a more perfect definition of the NWOBPR movement than to play Erotic Antiques for someone. They definitely played to the commercial wing of said movement, and yet no matter how hard they tried, every track comes out very much a progressive rock composition. Only 'Just Breaking Away' comes across as one that panders to the masses. On the other side of the aisle sits 'The Drowning Pool', the only overt progressive rock track found here. They absolutely nail the ethos of the era. We're talking big puffy white shirts and poofy hair to go with it. It's Friday night in 1984, and we're headlining the Marquee club. So when I say "tight, energetic, melodic, complex, and fun", those adjectives cannot be escaped. Imagine a head-on collision between Saga's Heads or Tales and IQ's The Wake, with some early 80s Peter Gabriel solo era collateral damage, and you have found the sound of Lahost.

Lahost is the progressive rock definition of 1984 London, for better or worse. If you love the cassette culture of the era, as I do, then Erotic Antiques is an absolute must. For those where the word "commercial" makes you cringe, then you might want to give a wide berth around.

Personal collection
CD: 1992 UGUM (France)

Sadly this represents the entirety of Lahost's output, though no doubt any subsequent releases would have only become more slick and unbearable. The CD today has become quite hard to source.

Lord Flimnap - Point of View. 1989 Israel

Had someone slipped me a cassette of this album, labeled it "unknown prog band 1982 UK", I would have believed it. Well the cassette part is true, but 7 years later - and from the unlikely country of Israel. This is square-on-of-the-era amateurish New Wave of British Progressive rock. It has the thuddy production, the meandering-don't-make-sense compositions, the semi-theatrical vocals, and the Rush like guitar breaks. Lord Flimnap could very well have been the predecessor/followup to groups like Trilogy or Tamarisk.

As these albums tend to be, it starts off unconvincingly, and I was struggling to buy into the concept. Though I was most intrigued by some of the odd breaks on opener 'The Wilderness' (aptly named I might add). After the somewhat mundane 'Trapped in the Marsh', the album really draws you in on 'Prodigy'. By the 10+ minute epic 'Out of My Way' (yet another well named song), the album is firing on all cylinders. It's completely unpredictable, but filled with great ideas, and by this time the ears have adjusted to the production. I love albums like this from the 80s, when everyone was making it up as they were going along, presuming (probably) few would hear it anyway. If you're a fan of the freewheeling 1980-1983 NWOBPR cassette scene, you'll want to obtain this one.

Personal collection

CD: 2004 Earsay

The original was an obscure cassette that is not even listed on Discogs as I write this. A year later, the somewhat chintzy, but well-distributed German label World Wide Records picked it up for CD release. The Earsay issue is the first domestic release. Special thanks goes to Gal for the gift!

Solstice ~ England

Prophecy (2013)

Prophecy is the 5th album from Solstice, and in a quick turnaround (by Solstice standards that is) of three years. There are five new, and lengthy, compositions for Andy Glass to explore his emotional progressive style, as first laid out on Silent Dance - and as a shrewd move, three of those tracks from said album (Silent Dance) have been added as bonus material, having received the Steven Wilson mix, and are included here for reflection and comparison. Prophecy finds Solstice right down the middle of their various styles. A selection of the best - and worst - Solstice has to offer (in my mind anyway). As such, Prophecy is almost certainly not the album that will change minds about them. The album artwork, and overall atmosphere, call out the American West - that of the Native American. There really isn't a more appropriate topic when considering the music of Solstice. It's an interesting anecdote then, that New Life first started sending chills up my spine while driving in Northern New Mexico on my way to Santa Fe from Denver (this was back in 1994). So perhaps I was having the same musical vision that Glass himself was. Let's get to the problematic parts, and then we'll focus on the positive. 

Solstice, again for my tastes, always had a tendency to retain too much "praise to the heavens" in their music. You can just picture the female singer with her head up, eyes closed, slowly swiveling her hips, palms open and arms sweeping upwards, while howling to the moon in that annoying American Idol way. Pan the camera for a profile shot in a misty light. Not for me I'm afraid, sorry. On this album, you can definitely envision this scenario on tracks like 'Keepers of the Truth' and 'West Wind'. 

On the flip side, when Glass and company add a little muscle, and the soaring violin and electric guitar begin to lay out the sustain chords, the entire mood shifts from quasi-religious to pure emotional ecstasy. Now in this setting, the crystal clear female voice is heavenly rather than temporal. For this style, we get 'Warriors' and especially the rousing closer 'Black Water' which is absolutely Solstice at their best. The opening track 'Eyes of Fire', like the album itself, straddles both sides of the fence. In any case, I'm a huge Solstice supporter, and would recommend this highly to fans. Otherwise, you may want to start with Spirit if curious about the band.

---8/26/26

This is a tough album to evaluate. I spent the last three nights listening to it, each one offering a bit more than the last. There's some repetition in the vocals that I find irritating and I think that's the source of my frustration above. Yet when Andy Glass's guitar and Jenny Newman's "fiddle" (violin) get cooking in unison, Solstice is hard to beat. There's a lot of great music here and I enjoyed a +1 listen.

Ownership: 2013 Esoteric Antenna (CD). Booklet with lyrics and Native American artwork. Acquired in 2013.

12/19/13 (review); 8/25/26

Spirit (2010)

Spirit is the 4th release from Solstice, coming 13 years later after the somewhat disappointing Circles album. This is really all I could have hoped for from a new Solstice album. Picking up where New Life left off, but avoiding the hippy dippy tweeness of Circles, Spirit is a fine collection of beautiful songs from Andy Glass and company. All the trademarks of classic Solstice are here, including the soaring violin and the sweet female vocals. And, of course, Glass' superb guitar leads. And there's a bit of rough edge this go round, showing that Glass isn't all about peace and love after all. I'd like to see him explore his more aggressive and psychedelic side in the future. Overall, a splendid effort from one of the UK's most unappreciated progressive rock bands.

Ownership: 2010 F2 (CD + DVD). Acquired in 2013.

12/20/13 (review)

New Life (1993)

With a cleaner production than their debut from nine years earlier, New Life sees Solstice at their height. Andy Glass is in top form here, with some truly majestic guitar leads. He doesn't play fast or technical, it's all pure emotion unlike anyone else I've ever heard. 'Guardian' is one of the most gorgeous tracks I've had the pleasure of listening to. Plenty of wonderful violin and female vocals as well. A rich, beautiful album.

Ownership: CD: 1993 Progressive International. Acquired in 1994.

1994; 12/18/13 (review)

Silent Dance (1984)

Though typically lumped in with the New Wave of British Progressive Rock crowd (or the more common, but dreadful, "Neo Progressive" tag), Solstice were really the odd band out. No Genesis influences here. Perhaps some Renaissance due to the female vocals or even perhaps Yes, because of the generally positive vibes. Solstice play a very beautiful and relaxing progressive rock, with violin, female voice, and searing electric guitar. On this latter point, I could listen to band leader and guitarist Andy Glass all day. He plays in an expressive way like no one else I've ever heard. Recommended.

Ownership: 1984 Equinox (LP). Gatefold with lyrics in the centerpiece. Acquired in 2014.

First copy: 1991 Brainworks (CD). Acquired in 1993.

1993; 2010; 12/15/13 (review); 12/27/21

Previously owned: Circles

12/15/13 (new entry)

Our good friend Spyros has the following observation about Solstice, and since he had a boots-on-the-ground perspective, it's always great to get these first hand accounts: "SOLSTICE were a weird affair. Though by their sound one could easily label them as a neo-prog band, they belonged to the festival scene (being regulars to the most famous free festies of the times with bands like OZRICS, HERE & NOW, HAWKWIND etc). Sonically however, they had nothing in common with the festival bands by being a pure progressive rock combo. They had also little to share with the pomp rock neo-prog clan as they deviated towards Renaissance's folkier edge and the 60s psych prog style. Add to this the fact that in their beginnings they had a late 60s hippy image. Probably the reasons of their limited success; no scene really embraced them as their own... Great band Tom. Count me among their loyal followers."