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MY ABSOLUTE UNIVERSE

I was deeply saddened to read that Transatlantic were calling it a day [Prog 136]. If it wasn’t for them I don’t think I would have ever discovered the rich vein of current prog. A few years back I taught a unit of work in my senior music class on 70s progressive rock (which included an in-depth look at both Roundabout by Yes and Watcher Of The Skies by Genesis). I genuinely believed that prog was pretty much dead apart from a couple of bands like Dream Theater. How very wrong I was.

After watching a YouTube channel call The Absolute Universe the best album of 2021, I listened and was immediately hooked. Other bands included in the list were Solstice and Big Big Train. Suddenly my eyes opened and I realised that after nearly 50 years of life I had found some more satisfying music for my soul. Transatlantic’s album The Whirlwind jumped into my top 10 favourite albums of all time. I also found myself listening to the album Troika by D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings a lot.

Reading about Transatlantic’s demise is saddening because I feel like I’ve left my run too late for the band. I was keen to see what their next step would be. I had images of going to see them on tour (even though I live in Australia). Now I guess that will never be. At least we have their albums plus the many [other] projects – The Flower Kings’ catalogue has been my current discovery.