Roger Dean

John Mayall's debut album, recorded live in December 1964, is a little unjustly overlooked, as it was recorded shortly before the first of the famous guitarists schooled in the Bluesbreakers (Eric Clapton) joined the band…

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music.
A live album masterpiece. No other Yes live album comes close to this. As far as quality goes and the criticism it receives, I just don't get it.

Opening with a few bars of Stravinsky to set the adoring crowd on its feet, this once-three-LP set is Yes at their finest. This was, after all, probably the most mainstream act that had even provisional "prog rock" status, and their tunes show it. While "Heart of the Sunrise" may be one of the more modestly titled Yes songs (compare it with "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" or "The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)" or even "Total Mass Retain"), it also bears marks of the band playing at its most frenetic pace around Jon Anderson's soaring near-falsetto. Rick Wakeman's grand synthesizer flashes are more than textural, finding visual meshes aplenty with Roger Dean's cryptic cover art–most of which is shrunken or absent on this two-CD reissue…

Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection.
Steve's second solo album is a really nice record, presenting to the listener a palette of guitarist's styles in a honest and enjoyable way.

The Studio Albums 1969-1987 includes expanded and remastered versions all 12 studio albums released by the prog rock band during this period…