New (mainly) prog blog & review site

[lazland]

Top Ten Albums of 2014 added to Top Ten Albums By Year page, a damned fine year actually.

Photo of Beltain Festival added to News Page.

I am hoping to have an exciting and interesting exclusive interview posted in the forthcoming days. Details to follow.

[lazland]

New albums reviews uploaded tonight. Moon Halo (a distinct highlight of 2022 thus far) and Knight Area. Simply go to Album Reviews 2022 Page.

New video of the week on the front page of the site. The wonderful Judie Tzuke, who guests on the new Kaprekar’s Constant album, with her classic Bully from Secret Agent.

Plus a restaurant review on the Beer & News page.

[lazland]

New albums by Magnum, Winter In Eden, and Electric Mud added to Album Reviews 2022 page.

[lazland]

I was going to add top albums of 2013, but time defeated me tonight. However, before I upload that in the next couple of days, there is the Ale of the Week on the Beer & News Page. On the same page, but in the sports section, the finest try you will see in your life, quite incredible from this last weekend - this is essential viewing for those of you from across the pond who have never watched rugby. And there is a book review, Field Work by Bella Bathurst.

As if that wasn’t enough, new Video of the Week which is by Julie Fowlis.

[lazland]

Please do take a look at Red Rain Ukraine, a video I have posted on the Ukraine section of Beer & News Page on the website. It is absolutely astonishing and deserves a very wide audience. If you are on social media, please share the YouTube link far and wide.

In addition, new reviews of albums by Kaprekar’s Constant and Deaton LeMay Project on Album Reviews 2022 page.

Also, a restaurant review on the section in Beer & News Page.

[Twelfth Earl of Mar]

Hey Lazland: I was looking at your top 10 albums of 2019. I am a big IQ fan, but I totally agree with your review of Resistance. I don't really like disc 1, but I love the 2 long songs on disc 2. What I don't understand is why you made this your #10 album of the year. It seemed like a negative review. Couldn't you find any other albums more worthy of a top ten spot?

[lazland]

Hey Lazland: I was looking at your top 10 albums of 2019. I am a big IQ fan, but I totally agree with your review of Resistance. I don't really like disc 1, but I love the 2 long songs on disc 2. What I don't understand is why you made this your #10 album of the year. It seemed like a negative review. Couldn't you find any other albums more worthy of a top ten spot?

That is a really good question, and the answer is pretty complicated. Given that it was gone midnight when I saw this post, and I really want to give you a considered response, I will post tomorrow.

[lazland]

Hey Lazland: I was looking at your top 10 albums of 2019. I am a big IQ fan, but I totally agree with your review of Resistance. I don't really like disc 1, but I love the 2 long songs on disc 2. What I don't understand is why you made this your #10 album of the year. It seemed like a negative review. Couldn't you find any other albums more worthy of a top ten spot?

Okay, Sunday morning with a slight hangover after a heavyish night, but here goes.

When I set up the website, what I wanted to do was to transplant my historical reviews from Prog Archives (I consider them my intellectual property, not theirs) onto my own site, and I thought that the best way to do that was to create a Top Ten of the Year project, this despite the fact that I am not particularly a fan of such lists.

The review in question, IQ Resistance, was, I thought, one of my best reviews, and I also thought it was an important album and review which I really wanted on my website, and that is the reason why it “snuck” into the top ten. Plus, I have not, as can be seen from recent years lists, been particularly prolific in recent years reviewing, because I was not happy where I was. Yesterday afternoon, I was preparing lists for 2012 and 2011 and I was extremely productive then, and I spent a long time trying to cut the lists down to ten.

All of the historic reviews thus far are from the review I did at the time. With reviewing new music, which is the priority on the site, work, and life in general, I have very little time to review old albums I did not review at the time, although I will have to, because I recently had cds of Dave Bainbridge and Moon Halo which most certainly are very strong albums and should be on the list I created, but were not because I had not heard them.

As I said before, I am not a fan of these lists, because they can be most unfair on the artist (I think they are better than you, and vice versa) and the system I have introduced means that there are, in fact, some pretty decent historic reviews which are not included.

Therefore, thanks to your question, I am going to introduce a change to the website, probably tomorrow, by renaming Top Ten Albums by Year to Reviews By Year and getting rid of the rankings. This will enable me, eventually, to include all historic reviews for the year they pertain to, and, of course, to add new reviews to that particular page. You will have noticed, by the way, that for all reviews, I do not include the PA star rating, which I have never liked, and this is the only editing of historic reviews I undertake. This change will also enable me to transfer all 2022 reviews to this year’s historic review page when we reach 2023 and save me the unenviable task of rating albums in what has been a very strong year for music.

Phew! Sorry, that is a very long post, almost as long as a review! However, I hope it answers your query, and my grateful thanks to you for “forcing” a change to the way I run my site.

[Twelfth Earl of Mar]

^^^
That change sounds good. You also won't be limited to 10 reviews per year. I will be reading more of you reviews - maybe we will be in agreement about many others?

[lazland]

^^^
That change sounds good. You also won't be limited to 10 reviews per year. I will be reading more of you reviews - maybe we will be in agreement about many others?

Well, let us hope so! I have started the change tonight, and added a number of reviews from 2012. That was a very prolific year for me, so this is only the first part. I have basically run out of time tonight as it takes quite a bit of time to upload things. I have acknowledged your input into this on the relevant page - immortality on Lazland.org! Seriously, your post was a great help and made my indecisive mind up for me.

Also Ale of the Week added to Beer and News page, plus a new video of the week on the homepage, which I think people will love if they have not seen it before.

[lazland]

Updated with new album reviews of Ghost Toast and Pattern Seeking Animals. Simply go to Album Review 2022 Page and click on the links.

New Gigs Section added to Beer & News Page and News of Fusion Festival 2023 lineup added.

[mozo-pg]

How is the site going? I bookmarked it. Are you able to measure traffic?

[lazland]

How is the site going? I bookmarked it. Are you able to measure traffic?

It is going really well, thank you. I can view traffic from the provider and it is increasing week by week. I am not actually that obsessive by the traffic. The whole point of the site is for me to write down my thoughts and musings on various things, primarily music, and if people enjoy those, then happy days.

I have a lot of friends from here and PA and all have been very kind in their feedback. In addition, there is a wider appreciation from FB “friends” of artists who, like the reviews.

[JKL2000]

Steve, I saw you're a citizen of Malta. I think I remember you mentioning this way back on the Marillion "Freaks" mailing list. Am I right? I definitely remember something from a Marillion fan who was living on Malta many years ago.

[lazland]

Steve, I saw you're a citizen of Malta. I think I remember you mentioning this way back on the Marillion "Freaks" mailing list. Am I right? I definitely remember something from a Marillion fan who was living on Malta many years ago.

Jed, it is a bit of a long story, so I will try to explain as succinctly as I can.

My paternal grandmother was Maltese. My grandfather married her in 1936. He was from Sunderland in NE England. They met whilst he was serving in the army in Malta, which was then part of the British Empire. He was the senior NCO on the anti-aircraft artillery in Valetta during the siege of Malta by Germany and his medals and biography are still on public view in the War Museum to this day.

Dad was born in Malta in 1940. I qualified for citizenship because of him and Grandma. I have family there and am inordinately proud of my heritage, and we visit the islands regularly.

I have not posted on the Freaks mailing list. I live in Wales, and moved here from England in 1999 when promoted with work. I intend to retire to Malta when the glorious day of no longer working comes!

[JKL2000]

^ Very interesting. I'm ashamed to admit I don't even know where Malta is! But it sounds nice...

[TheH]

i agree about the Landlord at least.

[lazland]

^ Very interesting. I'm ashamed to admit I don't even know where Malta is! But it sounds nice...

It is a lump of three small rocks south of Sicily in the Mediterranean. Gozo, the second island is still very lovely. Parts of the main island remain beautiful, but it is shockingly overdeveloped.

[lazland]

i agree about the Landlord at least.

And nothing else?

[TheH]

And nothing else?

Sorry had no time yet to explore further went straight to the beer :-)

[100423]

Bookmarking and checking out now.

[lazland]

Sorry had no time yet to explore further went straight to the beer :-)

Ah, a chap after my own heart! When in doubt, always head to the bar first

Hope you enjoy the rest.

[lazland]

Bookmarking and checking out now.

Fantastic! Enjoy!

[lazland]

First part of album reviews of 2011 added to Album Reviews By Year Page. There are quite a few more to follow.

[lazland]

Review of Lighthouse Sparrows debut album, Aerials, added to Album Reviews of 2022 page.

Video of the Week updated - live Procol Harum (Salty Dog & Old English Dream)

New reviews of Frost*, Lifesigns, and Steven Wilson added to 2021 on Album Reviews by Year Page (scroll down to bottom of page).

New review of Big Big Train Empire (live DVD) added to 2020.

New review of Jon Anderson 1000 Hands added to 2019.

New reviews of Harvest & Yes added to 2014.

Ale of the Week added to Beer & News Page.