From the immediate guitar crescendo of "Salmon Song," Steve Hillage proved that he was more than a studio wizard. Live Herald was recorded in 1977 and showed how his songs take on a new form in a live setting where he could play louder, heavier and with the confidence to improvise. Also in comparison to live rock albums in general, this one sets the bar high for sound quality and mix. All too often live recorded progressive rock sounds like the keyboards were turned up and the guitars were buried — that's because analog synthesizers' wave patterns command more presence. But here it sounds like the Moogs and Korgs were equalized so that they're upfront but not overbearing on compositions where they drive the song like "The Dervish Riff." Guitars and synths coexist best on "Castle In the Clouds/Hurdy Gurdy Man" where the old Gong tune mashes perfectly with what could be the definitive version of the classic Donovan hit (check out the flawless vocal harmonies on the chorus). He also turns George Harrison's "It's All Too Much" into a proggy masterpiece.