| Reviews Biography Greg Segal has been involved in progressive music since the late 70s, writing and recording his own music independently.  His first serious recording project was with the all improvisational group Paper Bag, which met with success throughout the 1980s and released a number of albums on the SST label.  Simultaneously, Segal began to record and release his own solo albums on cassette throughout the time period, up through and beyond Paper Bag's semi retirement in 1991.  This releases are  all now commercially unavailable.  In 1993 he established the improvisational duo Jugalbandi with drummer Hyam Sosnow, conceived as a Western counterpart to the tabla/sitar duo set up of Indian classical music, a project which has existed on and off into the present. Segal has recently returned to the solo arena with a pair of releases. Always Look on the Dark Side of Life is a compilation of selected tracks from his cassette only independent albums, remastered for CD, while In Search of the Fantastic is his all new studio album. - Greg Northrup [March 2002] Source: Greg Segal Official Homepage Always Look on the Dark Side of Life - Selected Recordings (1984-1993) Though it's generally not the policy of the Giant Progweed to review compiliations, the commercial inavailibility of any of these original recordings makes it neccesary in the case of Greg Segal's solo career retrospective, Always Look on the Dark Side of Life.  Representing a decade long ouvere, the compilation presents a vastly different side to Segal to those familiar with the improv duo Jugalbandi.  Indeed, much of the material is typically in the singer songwriter vein, as opposed to the textured sound collages of his other band.  Consistently despondent and melancholy, the general tone and lyrical themes are often reminiscient of Peter Hammill to my ears, and his work is nothing if not hearfelt and expressive.  Unfortunately, I don't find the material particularly strong in its own right.  The vocal preponderence calls for catchier, more compelling melodies than are offered, and the sound quality and overall performance is demo-ish at best.  Indeed, opening instrumental "As the Sky Turns to Fire" made me perk up on first listen, and upon further listens revealed itself as among the strongest cuts on the album.  The most traditionally "prog" piece present, it tears through a number of catchy organ themes quite successfully.  Unfortunately, the vocal-oriented tracks kick in and for the most part don't go away.  The vast majority of the music is played entirely Segal, by way of overdubbing various instruments atop one another.  It shouldn't sound like that though, and unfortunately it does, as many points lack cohesive grooves and sound pasted together.  The best part of this retrospective is the guitar playing, as the titillatingly short "Discharge" illustrates, with its spacey atmosphere and intriguing tape effects, along with numerous other solos and motifs that dot the recordings ("Introduction", "The Taker").  The worst part are the drums and the vocals, which often sound out of tune or hurredly applied.  On a more positive note, the songs do seem to get better as they go along.  The material from Water from the Moon, like the somber solo that closes out "I was Back in School Again" or the atmospheric outro of "Water from the Moon" shows a tangible step forward overall.  "Motifs" presents what is perhaps the most intriguing vocal melody of the whole record, along with with an overt nod to Hammill circa Silent Corner.  Overall, Always Look on the Dark Side of Life is an interesting look at one man's musical development over the course of a decade.  From a purely musical standpoint however, it honestly sounds like a collection of demos that might not have been appropriate for commercial release.  Alot of good ideas mixed in with alot of bad or ponderous ones.  And the good material cries to be fleshed out and given appropriate production, with a full band and vocalist to complement Segal's guitar work. - Greg Northrup [March 2002] Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info In Search of the Fantastic (2002) Ahh... now this is more like it.  Everything that I liked about Greg Segal's retrospective Always Look on the Dark Side of Life is expanded upon and brought to fruition on this, his latest full length offering.  In sum, In Search of the Fantastic completely parts ways with the vocally oriented, sing-songy material of his previous solo work, and concentrates on what he does best, creating atmospheric, emotionally charged soundscapes using electric guitar, minimal percussion and an army of exotic instruments and electronic effects.  The difference is striking.  There are no vocals on the entire album, save for the reading of Edgar Allan Poe's "Alone" at its opening.  Beyond this, Segal moves through a variety of themes and musical styles throughout, often sounding improvisational, but clearly placing the music within some kind of compositional framework.  Early Tangerine Dream, circa Zeit and Atem, is a convenient reference point for some of the tunes, but doesn't cover the gamut of what the album has to offer, as the groovy, distorted bass licks of "The Bad Ass Ride" indicate.  In Search of Fantastic will be a little hard to swallow for some.  Sure, it's abstract, it's dense, it's self-consciously experimental, but is it any good?  Ultimately, I think the album succeeds based on its knack for textural variance, by way of its sheer array of sounds and effects, as well as Segal's ability to place a conventional melody here and there to peek through the gloomy ambiance.  An enjoyable release that will hopefully clue us in as to the future course of Segal's musical endeavors. - Greg Northrup [March 2002] Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info