I just wanna open with saying, baring the name, this album is one of the best I have heard in a while. It's nothing but good 'ole Prog at its best. The artist goes by a pseudonym, Jakko M. Jakszy, his real name though is Michael Lee Curran. I came across this album when I was looking up songs by Gustav Holst. What caught my attention was the second song off the album, it is called "Variations on a Theme by Holst". So I downloaded the album and by the third song I bought the CD off Amazon. And let me tell you it does not disappoint! So for all the you ProgHeads and ProgDog its a damn good album and one worth looking into :D
I've been meaning to buy this for AGES - and following your recommendation, Sean, I just have purchased it, so I'll blame you if I don't like it. :D
I've seen Jakko a few times - once with the 21st Century Schizoid Band and a couple of times with The Tangent. I must admit that I prefer his other pseudonym though - Grand Master Jellytot.
According to Wikipedia:
Under the pseudonym of "Grand Master Jellytot", Jakko produced the novelty hip-hop single "The Stutter Rap" (performed by "Morris Minor and the Majors", who included future comic star Tony Hawks). This record was a sizeable chart hit in 1987.
This is by far one of the most underrated albums out there. When it was initially released it quickly fell of the earth because the whole stock Jakko had made got caught up in the bankruptcy of an distribution company. Thank god it is now finally properly releases with the help of Robert Fripp's Panegyric operation. The album is quite a who-is-who of the British music scene involving Mel Collins, Robert Fripp, Mark King, Danny Thompson, Gavin Harrison, Hugh Hopper, Dave Stewart (the one from HITN / National Health), Ian MacDonald, Ian Wallace, John Giblin, Gary Barnacle, Clive Brooks, Pandit Dinesh, Caroline Lavelle and of course Mr. Jakko Jakszyk himself.
The album is a double disc affair with the first album basically Jakszyk's autobiography put to music and the second disc providing the alternate soundtrack for that biography. That second disc is a set of tunes that he thought were relevant to his musical upbringing involving tunes by Soft Machine, King Crimson, Henry Cow and a very old self-penned song. Yep, it is a disc full of 'covers' but I'd rather call them re-imaginations. KC's Pictures Of A City is now called Pictures Of An Indian City with a new set of lyrics IIRC and Jakszyk's version of the KC tune Islands is probably even better then the original.
Very interestingly: Jakko Jakszyk, Mel Collins and Robert Fripp are actually working on an album right now which also sees Gavin Harrison and Tony Levin helping out. A new Crimson being born?
//http://www.dgmlive.com/diaries.htm?entry=16634
I ordered it, I received it about a week ago, and I love it. Great album.