Now Hear Manic Street Preachers
During their politically-charged, punk-inspired early days, they were known as much for their incendiary live shows featuring incidents of self-mutilation, as they were for their fierce anti-establishment stance (including the bold statement that all bands should break up after one album)
They didn't heed their own advice and went on to become of the key bands of the early 90s. Massive in the UK, Europe, and Asia, M.S.P. somehow flew under the radar in the US market, never achieving the fame they did in the rest of the world.
This Record Store Day release featuring a Chemical Brothers remix is a tasty introduction to their later, more polished sound, and is a good jumping-off point to then explore their whole discography. You will hear hints of Oasis, The Verve, Coldplay, and the Arctic Monkeys.
Manic Street Preachers - Done and Dusted
Now hear a classic: The Alan Parsons Project
Having started with a storied career as a sound engineer, notably working on such masterpieces as The Beatles Abbey Road and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, Alan Parsons later partnered with songwriter Eric Woolfson to form the Alan Parsons Project.
A revolving list of well-regarded session musicians brought Parsons and Woolfson's concept to life. Lush synthesized sounds with stories inspired by Edgar Alan Poe and Isaac Asimov were something new and helped define the art and prog rock scene.
Rick Wakeman, Mike Oldfield, The Moody Blues, Genesis ... basically name any prog rock band, and you have a decent idea of the sound here. With the high production values you would expect from such a famous sound engineer, this music has held up very well over the years. Dust off your old copies and rediscover the depth of sound, or drop by your local Redrum to pick up another copy.
