The Fusion Reactor #88 - Sandwiches

There, I titled the show "sandwiches." Why? Because I like sandwiches. That really doesn't have anything to do with the show though. Someone told me once that you can almost always connect two disparate things, so let's see. Sandwiches are tasty, and so are the songs I played. Weak, I know, but I'm just getting started. Sandwiches are easy to make, and so was this show. With only seven songs, I can even comment on each one without taking up my entire evening.

But the show is not like sandwiches in a lot of ways too - these don't really have the same thing at the beginning and the end, and if a sandwich takes you sixteen or more minutes to eat, that's quite a big sandwich. There's no way you could fit seven of those sandwiches in a two-hour period though.

Frank Zappa Big Swifty 17:23
Believe it or not, this was the first Frank Zappa disc I ever bought. I had no idea what to expect, but the jazz-rock sound of it blew me away. I was immediately drawn to the complex arrangements and changing time signatures. Someone requested this song a while back and I'm just now working it in.

Ajalon On The Threshold Of Eternity 16:06
What a nice song. Randy George plays with Neal Morse's band as well as with Ajalon, and so it works nicely to have Neal sing a bit on this one.

Billy Cobham Spanish Moss - A Sound Portrait 16:55
Remember when epics took up the whole side of a record? This one is transferred over from my vinyl edition of the album. Mmmm, tasty.

Salem Hill The Future Me 18:54
When on one list someone brought up this song as an example of Carl Groves being a "reluctant prophet," he responded by flatly denying it. Whether or not that's a sign of his humility or reluctance is up to you to decide, but check this song out. It's good stuff.

Miles Davis Spanish Key 17:30
From the Album That We Shall Not Name, but is one of Miles' best. If D minor is the saddest of all keys, which is the most Spanish? I pick E Phrygian. Agree or disagree?

Neal Morse The Separated Man 17:59
This has one of the best middle instrumental sections I've heard since... ever. It moves through so much territory in such a (relatively) short span, it really moves the album along effectively.

Gilgamesh You're Disguised 17:58
I sort of get the impression that this early recording from Gilgamesh was later split into different songs. I don't know if that's the case or not. Just my impression. Again, amazing jazz-rock that is the epitome of what The Fusion Reactor is all about.