Conflict and Dreams

Cairo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 20, 1998)
• Original Release Date: January 27, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Magna Carta
• ASIN: B000003ZBD
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,004 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars REMINISENT OF EARLY 70'S ELP, YES, GENESIS, October 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Conflict and Dreams (Audio CD)

Cairo hit the mark on this one. Their sound and compositions reminds me of ELP's Tarkus or Yes Close to the Edge. I have been a fan of progressive rock since the seventies. It is nice to hear that the genre has not gone out of style but is being re-energized by new, fresh, competent groups. Magna Carta, you have given me a reason to buy music again. Thank you, and Cairo, keep releasing quality material like Conflict and Dreams. Absolutely outstanding.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best prog cd, May 21, 2004

By 

"jazzycat10" (Montreal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conflict and Dreams (Audio CD)

Angels & Rage set the pace right from the first note. Lots of energy, this cd won't let you breathe until the very last note, with the exception of Images, a short piano/guitar duet.

Beautiful sounds, complex arrangements and great musicianship from these guys.

The best introduction to Cairo's music for me. Western Desert and Valley of the Shadows are pure gems!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Crippled by a lack of originality and overplaying, December 20, 2009

By 

Jeffrey J.Park (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Conflict and Dreams (Audio CD)

I tried very hard to enjoy this 1998 album by California based neo-prog outfit Cairo but could not get past the contrived approach. Indeed, the keyboardist seems to take an almost school-boyish delight in trying to sound just like Keith Emerson and has copied his style right down to the dirty "clicky" tone on the Hammond organ. Unfortunately, no matter how accurately his style is copied by others (be it Cairo or Triumvirat), I would much rather listen to Keith Emerson.

The tracks range in length from 1:25 to 17:08 and reflect stadium rock influences (especially Styx) along with the Emerson, Lake & Powell album (1986) and some classic progressive rock influences. While tuneful enough, the tracks are overly busy, which is exacerbated by an (admittedly) average rock drummer that overplays to the point of distraction. It seems to me that Cairo tries far too hard to sound "progressive" and the guys treat technique as an end in of itself. Unfortunately, this has resulted in the music being very forced sounding and good ideas either being buried or not being developed enough. The lead singer sounds like Dennis DeYoung (of Styx). While a good vocalist, he did strain a bit to reach the upper registers and at times got obscured by an overly zealous guitarist and keyboardist.

Credit really must be given to keyboardist Mark Robertson however; although not quite as adventurous as Keith was (I do not hear any bitonality for example), Mark can really play well. I just wish that he had channeled his talents and those of his bandmates into creating something original. Speaking of original however, there is one shining moment (albeit brief at 1:25) where the "real" Cairo shines through. The excellent instrumental "Image", which features a duet on acoustic piano and acoustic guitar, is a wonderful track and remains the real highlight of the record for me.

Overall, while I can not deny the excellent technique of the players, the tunefulness of the material, and the hard work they put into each piece, I could not get past the contrived approach and the forced over-playing. Following the release of Conflict and Dreams, the group put out Time of Legends (2001). To the best of my knowledge, Cairo has not released a new studio album since 2001.