(Parallel or 90 Degrees) - "A Can Of Worms"

Review:

Being a fan of The Tangent it was a real pleasure to discover that ProgRock Records was going to release a best of 2-disc set of Parallel or 90o given the fact this was Andy Tillison’s previous band. The set entitled A Can of Worms – The Best of Po90 1996 – 2001 comes with a wonderful sampling of music from each of the band’s previous six recordings plus four previously unreleased tracks. What I wasn’t prepared for as I listened to this is just how much the music contained elements of what would come to be the music of The Tangent although there are certainly times where Parallel or 90o come off much heavier. The band went through many personnel changes over the term of their existence 1996 through to 2001 but the sound is really held together by Tillison’s keyboards and vocals.

There is a tendency on “best of” discs to try and put as many tracks as possible on, which sometimes means leaving out the longer ones. I’m happy to report that wasn’t the case here. There are many tracks between eight and ten-minutes but there are even some longer such as “Afterlifecycle Sequence” [28:00] and the previously un-released “Four Egos One War” [20:14]. Stylistically the music on A Can of Worms is as I said somewhat similar to The Tangent although there are some differences. It’s perhaps not quite as complex in a Canterbury way, nor does it seem to have as wide a range of keyboards. The sounds are there but not always arranged in the same manner. This isn’t in any way disappointing; it simply shows how the band’s sound would eventually evolve. Each of the tracks also seems to have been selected with an ear to bridging them all together. I didn’t get a sense that this track was old or this one was newer, in fact Parallel or 90o managed to maintain a pretty constant and well developed sound over their years of being together. The tracks, being longer each changed time and tempo, got louder or quieter and featured many musical solo spots and change-ups. It’s everything a progressive rock record should be.

As far as “best of” discs go, this is good one. You get a smattering of music from Parallel or 90os entire musical career as well as almost 40-minutes of un-released music. If you own the originals, it might be a good idea to pick up A Can of Worms as the tracks I’m sure will sound better and if perchance you don’t have any of the band’s music, this would without question be a great addition to the collection and provide hours of listening enjoyment

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