Help 藤井风 Fujii Kaze

The Samurai of Prog return with a new album of originals inspired by Miyazaki’s films. From pastorale to epic, this is symphonic progressive rock of a cinematic scope. 75 minutes of lush orchestration (including violin, flute, saxophone, horns, trumpets and a multitude of keyboard and guitar tones), with ringing Rickenbacker bass and wide dynamic range drums providing backbone throughout. Featuring compositions and guest performances by Oliviero Lacagnina (Latte e Miele), Octavio Stampalía (Jinetes Negros), Elisa Montaldo (Il Tempio delle Clessidre), Luca Scherani (La Coscienza di Zeno), Michele Mutti (La Torre dell’Alchimista), Yuko Tomiyama, plus many more. Mixed by the Samurai’s own Kimmo Pörsti, with a lush package designed by Ed Unitsky. Quite possibly the band’s best album to date.

After the worldwide success of A Hard Day's Night, the Beatles and director Richard Lester reunited for a follow-up film, Eight Arms to Hold You. Well, that wasn't the final title; a pleading Lennon-McCartney tune provided the catchier handle: Help!..

This early-'70s time capsule brings you the 1971 and 1972 LPs by this distinctly English band, who have a ball throwing everything from gentle folk-rock to trippy space-rock to psychedelic jams to intimate piano ballads into the mix…

Help Yourself were a terrific, idiosyncratic band that straddled the line separating prog and pub rock in the era both sounds were at their peak. Unlike the vast majority of prog bands, Help Yourself were grounded in country-rock, blues, and folk (which includes British folk), not pop, classical, and jazz, and unlike most pub rockers, they had an expansive definition of rock & roll that stretched far beyond boogie…