Originally released on 1983's Power, Corruption and Lies, this live version of Your Silent Face (from NOMC15) captures the enduring sound of New Order at Brixton Academy in 2015. On their third album, the band embraced synthesizers and romanticism wholeheartedly. They were emerging from the ashes of Joy Division and the more guitar-driven sound of their first two albums. This song is exemplary of my favorite period of New Order's music -- the threshold of synth pop and post-punk. It's amazing to hear them, nearly 35 years later, performing the song with such vitality.
Looking for cosmically lofty and conceptually dense ideas in 70s progressive rock? One only needs to spend an evening with the 1973 album, Tale from Topographic Oceans , by Yes. The experience is unique and... long. In it's time, the record was one of the most ambitious endeavors attempted. Four sides. Four songs. After their prior album, Close to the Edge, which featured their most extended compositions to date, Yes decided to go even further outside the realm of rock norms on Tales. The four, conceptually-linked songs were massive, featuring an arsenal of complex movements and repeated musical motifs. This was as sonically expansive as Yes would ever get on record. Lyrically, Jon Anderson based his ideas on Paramahansa Yoganda's Autobiography of a Yogi . At the time, Anderson told New Musical Express, "We're close to the edge of spiritual awareness within the framework of the group, making music. We have this long song, which we felt could hold ...

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