Alan Shorter

Practically a one-man band, Elegant Simplicity is headed by composer, arranger, programmer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Steve McCabe. Their material is highly keyboard- and guitar-oriented melodic prog that will alternately remind you of Camel, Genesis, The Alan Parsons Project, Barclay James Harvest and Mike Oldfield.
The first thing one notices when studying this 2015 release is the large number of performers taking part, and the second thing is that neither of Steven's long-time collaborators, Ken Senior and Christopher Knight, have a part to play on this album (although apparently, they were involved with the original demos)…

NEKTAR is probably the most German-like of the Seventies British bands, a fame that owes a lot to the town in which this band was founded (Hamburg) and to their stylistic approach (Assimilated to Krautrock). NEKTAR was formed in 1969 by Allan FREEMAN (keyboards & vocals), Roye ALBRIGHTON (guitars & vocals), Derek MOORE (bass, Mellotron & vocals) and Ron HOWDEN (drums).

Notable modern American prog-rock band Glass Hammer have decided to mark time in-between their grander symphonic works with `Untold Tales', their second collection of rarities after the little-known `The Compilations' collection from 2006. Covering 1993 through to now, it contains several instrumental sketches, a recent live adaption, all-new exclusive pieces, contributions to various-artist sets and a couple of covers, and it makes for a lovely stop-gap release that will especially hold great appeal to long term fans of the band…

Although the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble actually formed in 1951, its first full-length concert did not take place until the 1962 Aldeburgh Festival. Moreover, the group made its first recording only in 1970. It was the first such brass ensemble to perform in the world's major concert halls and to record with the preeminent labels. Philip Jones (born 1928), the ensemble's founder, was a virtuoso trumpet player whose first important position was with the Covent Garden orchestra, where he played from 1948 to 1951.

Going for the One is perhaps the most overlooked item in the Yes catalog. It marked Rick Wakeman's return to the band after a three-year absence, and also a return to shorter song forms after the experimentalism of Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans, and Relayer…