Release date: Jan 7 2026
In continuation of our ongoing project at rescuing and restoring outstanding pieces from the scattered US 70s prog scene, we bring you the only album recorded by the Kentucky-based PRE (short for PROGRESSIVE ROCK EXPERIENCE) in 1973. And just as you thought you were experienced enough in the prog sonicsphere, here’s another gem to broaden your horizon and enrich your collection. Easily tagged as a one-off wonder, this album leaves little room for vague and pointless reductionisms. With PRE spinning firmly on your turntable (backed by 3 equally enticing bonus tracks), you embark on a journey of top-notch, ultra-tight symphonic bliss, regularly flirting with long psychedelic passages. From the opening 9-mins long Ascetic Eros, floating on Brian Paulson’s unique ability at transposing groovy keyboards to an etherial dimension that is further augmented by Al Collinsworth’s vocals until the 19-mins long Ballet for a Blindman that might have been included in a top-of-class UK/Italian prog consortium, marked by the exemplary backs and forths between Larry Collinsworth’s hard psychedelic guitar solos against a mesmerizing drum-beat and placid symphonic themes, you’re in for an endless stream of richly textured segments that alternate like rapid fire.