Mad

Mad Curry was one of the first progressive bands from Belgium - along with Laurelie, Waterloo & Irish Coffee. In addition they had a quite remarkable lineup for a rock band, with saxophone, Hammond organ, bass, drums and vocals, but no guitar - just like Van Der Graaf Generator. Soon after their debut single (also included here), in 1970 their eponymous (and now very rare and expensive) LP was housed in a very original fold-out poster cover and released on local Pirate's label. That excellent record was characterized by an attractive female voice (quite similar to Julie Driscoll and Carol Grimes), repeated time signatures and jazzy, underground feeling. This CD is necessary purchase for the fans of early Colosseum, Blodwyn Pig, Julian’s Treatment and Rare Bird.

Think of the one-shot Seattle supergroup Mad Season as the grunge version of sober living. Guitarist Mike McCready, best known as the main six-string slinger in Pearl Jam, met bassist John Baker Saunders while in rehab, and the two paired with Screaming Trees' drummer Barrett Martin and Alice in Chains vocalist Layne Staley, partially in hopes of steering the singer onto the path of the straight and narrow. Ultimately, the plan didn't pan out, but for a brief while, the quartet - who adopted the name Mad Season - did have their moment of clarity, captured on the 1995 album Above. There was a single issued to modern rock radio - "River of Deceit" - but this record downplayed easy hooks and melody in favor of churning introspection and slow vamps that occasionally flirt with blues…

Mad Fellaz is an Italian progressive Rock band born in 2010, which has released 4 full-lengths. "Road to Planet Circus" is a very accessible and flowing album with many various influences nicely blended. Rather than the previous albums, which are more Prog Rock oriented, here you can hear more of jazz-rock, fusion, funk, afro and black music callbacks. A listening recommended to all lovers of the most sought after sounds of Prog, with incursions and fusion of other genres, managing to keep the level very high.