A surprising new discovery, for me at least: SOLSTICE

Just for context, I've been a prog rock nerd for going on forty years, and that's involved an inquisitive streak that has led me to artists as obscure as Towering Inferno, Abbfinoosty and Northwind (well, none of those really stuck though). So it's not impossible that I'd come across a prog band that I haven't at least heard of, but it's a rare and surprising occurrence at this point.

So the other day over on FB I see Greg Spawton (of Big Big Train) talking up a new book he's publishing through his Kingmaker Publishing side hustle, about the prog revival of the early 1980s, called A Mirror of Dreams. On the back cover of the book, the author Andrew Wild refers to a neo-prog "big six":

1. Marillion - know 'em well, love 'em

2. Twelfth Night - I've listened to Fact and Fiction a few times, need to give it more attention

3. Pendragon - love their debut The Jewel, not such a big fan of their stuff since Clive Nolan came on board

4. Pallas - their debut The Sentinel is a favorite of mine, haven't heard any of their other stuff

5. IQ - no lie, one of my top five or ten favorite bands of all time

6. Solstice - WAIT, WHO???

How at this late date is there a band known widely enough to be included in that context, in a book like that one, that I've never heard of, much less heard? I'm shocked, stunned, floored, outraged etc. etc.

So I did what I always do:

1. I looked them up - they were formed in 1980, released one album in 1984, and broke up in 1985 only to re-form in 1991 and have been recording and performing ever since.

2. I went to YouTube to hear what they sound like - well, I just had to hear that 1984 album, Silent Dance, and...

HOLY CRAP everyone, I was not prepared for how utterly fantastic that album is!

First of all, it flat-out rocks - the top of the mix has definite folk and acoustic roots, but there's a ton of muscle and punch in the rhythm section and electric instrumentation. And what a rich sonic template that is, with synths, bass guitar and pedals, electric piano, and Andy Glass's acoustic and electric guitars layered thickly but clearly. I'm listening to the 2007 "Definitive Edition" re-release, and I don't know if that's a remix/remaster thing or if the original was also that good, but the production and mixing are absolutely top-notch. It's not perfect - Sandy Leigh's Annie Haslam-meets-Jon Anderson vocal style doesn't always really work IMO, and I'm wondering whose idea it was to end the album with the two slowest songs of the set, "Cheyenne" and "Find Yourself", that really sapped the momentum at the finish. Also, the way some of the songs have codas that go somewhere new and then quickly fade out makes me think there were much longer versions of most of this music that were edited down for the album. Still, I wasn't bored for a single second of this entirely wonderful album.

But anyway, this post is all just to say that if early-'80s neo-prog is your thing and like me you haven't heard Solstice or Silent Dance yet, rectify that immediately. If you are already familiar with them, let me know, are the albums following their 1991 re-formation as good as Silent Dance? Better? Not worth my time?

And no matter how well-versed in a style of music you might think you are, it seems there are always new corners to discover, some of them not even all that hidden!