VA - Blowing Free, Underground & Progressive Sounds Of 1972 (4 x CD's)

 

PROGRESSIVE ROCK

VA - Blowing Free, Underground & Progressive Sounds Of 1972 (4 x CD's)

Cherry Red Records' extensive compilations have established a format of presenting lesser-known artists alongside some of the more popular acts of any given genre. Blowing Free: Underground and Progressive Sounds of 1972 applies this approach to prog, proto-metal, and other adventurous mutations of heavy rock, zeroing in its focus on the year 1972. With more than four hours of music and over 50 songs, Blowing Free covers a lot of ground. The set kicks off with "Hoedown," a high-spirited instrumental workout from Emerson, Lake & Palmer, one of the bigger names in the early-'70s prog scene. Other big names included on the compilation are tracks from Yes, Free, and Van Der Graaf Generator. On the more hard rock side of things, Blowing Free includes tracks from Thin Lizzy, Uriah Heep, and multiple tracks from space rock legends Hawkwind. There's also a folk contingency represented with tracks from Al Stewart, Curved Air, and the gently rocking tune "A Winter's Tale" by the more obscure Jade Warrior. Other less commercially successful acts like Atomic Rooster, Nektar, Matching Mole, and Bombadil show up over the course of the compilation's massive track listing, making for a finely curated listening experience that goes far beyond just the hits. (AllMusic review by Fred Thomas)

1972 saw a wealth of imaginative artists continue to meld seemingly disparate musical genres and influences such as Jazz, Blues, Folk, Rock and Classical music on a host of wonderful albums, all of which appealed to an audience of students and followers of the “underground’ culture. Universities and Colleges were regular venues on the burgeoning live music circuit in the UK for these artists, most of whom earned loyal followings through regular concert performances both in Britain and in Europe. It was also a year when many of these performers gained commercial success with acts such as Family, Free, Hawkwind and Thin Lizzy enjoying singles chart success while Emerson, Lake And Palmer, Procol Harum, Ten Years After, Uriah heep, Wishbone Ash and Yes would enjoy considerable album chart success in the UK, USA and Europe. (Amazon)

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Pt.1     Pt.2 

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Track lists

CD1

01 Emerson Lake & Palmer Hoedown 3:46

02 Atomic Rooster Time Take My Life 6:01

03 Edgar Broughton Band Get Out Of Bed 3:43

04 Barclay James Harvest Medicine Man 4:28

05 Curved Air Marie Antoinette 6:21

06 Skin Alley Serenade 3:44

07 Open Road Swamp Fever 3:39

08 Lindisfarne Dont Ask Me 3:31

09 Al Stewart Songs Out Of Clay 4:16

10 Mellow Candle Sheep Season 5:02

11 Rare Bird Epic Forest 9:14

12 Family My Friend The Sun 4:20

13 Nektar Do You Believe In Magic (Single Version) 3:52

14 Hawkwind Seven By Seven (Single Version) 5:23

15 Yes And You And I 10:05

CD2

01 Wishbone Ash Time Was 9:46

02 Jade Warrior A Winters Tale 5:14

03 Caravan The Love In Your Eye 12:32

04 Hawkwind Brainstorm 11:33

05 Van Der Graaf Generator Theme One 2:55

06 Help Yourself Reaffirmation 12:36

07 Family Burlesque 4:04

08 Matching Mole O Caroline 5:07

09 Procol Harum Conquistor 4:16

10 Bond And Brown Lost Tribe 3:53

11 Vinegar Joe Speed Queen Of Ventura 4:14

12 Free Wishing Well 3:39

CD3

01 Uriah Heep The Wizard 3:02

02 Renaissance Prologue 5:40

03 Edgar Broughton Band Chilly Morning Mama 4:33

04 Help Yourself American Mother 7:47

05 Pretty Things Love Is Good 6:52

06 Rare Bird Turn It All Around 4:44

07 Wishbone Ash Blowin Free 5:20

08 Man Bananas 9:27

09 Dave Cousins Blue Angels 9:51

10 Vinegar Joe See The World (Through My Eyes) 6:21

11 Jade Warrior Lady Of The Lake 3:22

12 Khan Stranded 5:55

13 Thin Lizzy Whiskey In The Jar 5:44

CD4

01 Dave Cousins Two Weeks Last Summer 3:07

02 Skin Alley Nicks Seven 5:01

03 Ten Years After Choo Choo Mama 4:00

04 Savoy Brown Hellbound Train 9:12

05 Pretty Things Peter 1:26

06 Pretty Things Rip Off Train 3:20

07 Matching Mole Instant Kitten 5:00

08 Gentle Giant The Boys In The Band 4:34

09 Sensational Alex Harvey Band Midnight Moses 4:27

10 Pink Fairies Walk Dont Run 9:13

11 Jonesy Ricochet 5:01

12 Bombadil When The City Sleeps 4:13

13 Nektar Desolation Valley 8:14

14 Curved Air Melinda More Or Less 3:26

15 Khan Hollow Stone 8:18

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