ENGLAND

And in 2022 the band has released a new version of the live album entitled The Concerts In Japan, it contains the 8 tracks from Kikimini - Live In Japan plus 4 bonustracks. The reunion line-up hosts two members of the original band, Robert Webb (keyboards, guitar and vocals) and Martin Henderson (vocals, bass) and additional musicians Alec Johnson (guitar and vocals), Steve Laffy (drums and pecussion) and Maggie Alexander (vocals and keyboards). They played 12 songs, taken from the albums Garden Shed (1977), The Last Jubblies (1977) and Box Of Circles (2017), and the EP Imperial Hotel (2006).

England starts the concert as if they have never stopped, what an amazing and inspired sound, from Midnight Madness (pleasant intro with the Hohner clavinet sound, the crowd love it), Three Pieces Suite (wonderful vintage keyboards like the Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond organ and lots of Mellotron eruptions) and Paraffinelea (dynamic featuring an extensive, quite fiery guitar solo) to Yellow (acoustic rhythm guitar, violin-Mellotron and subtle guitar work) and the splendid epic Poisoned Youth (intense violin-Mellotron, a compelling guitar solo with howling runs and a guitar improvisation). Then three to me unknown tracks: the up-tempo song Nanogram with sparkling Fender Rhodes piano and sensitive electric guitar, the swinging Open Up with a strongly built-up Hammond organ solo and fiery electric guitar work, and the final composition The Imperial Hotel delivering lots of shifting moods and the wonderful Fender Rhodes piano and choir-Mellotron sound, goose bumps!

About the four additional tracks which did not appear on Kikimini - Live In Japan.

Masters Of War: A jazzy electric piano and guitar, blended with the typical England vocal harmonies like Yes, then a Mellotron violins eruption, Minimoog synthesizer flights, and moving guitar solo, topped with electric piano runs and Mellotron sounds, and fuelled by a dynamic rhythm-section

Lament For Alex: This short piece contains melancholy piano work, from sparkling to intense. I asked the band for an explanation because this track is not on their albums, Robert Webb wrote to me: "I wrote Lament For Alex in 2001 when my son was killed in a car crash. I played it at his funeral (getting a real piano into the reception, especially). He was 20, and I was just beginning to get to know him again, after 7 years estrangement." What a tragedy!

All Alone: Song taken from Garden Shed as well. First an intro featuring a Grand piano sound, then pleasant, higher pitched vocals and piano.

It Couldn't Be You: Dreamy piano and vocals, emotional, reminds me of Elton John. Halfway a slow beat with a long, sensitive electric guitar solo, compelling, building to a lush, wonderful climax. Finally tender piano and vocals.

I am impressed by this extended 'reunion England' performance, what a beautiful and varied symphonic rock!

The former first side is weak to my mind. Of course, there are keyboard arpeggios that remind you of Tony Banks. But the whole thing is clumsy. Without doubt the musicians of Genesis and Yes would have made an album of a much higher level from these same compositions. The mix is unbalanced, the rhythm section is surprisingly loud.

We think more of Klaatu and Queen on certain vocal parts. We can also see some reference to Gentle Giant here and there.

We have to wait for the former side 2 of the disc to perceive the influence of Yes and Genesis. At the beginning of "Yellow", the keyboards can recall some passages of "Revealing science of god" and then it leads to an acoustic guitar clearly influenced by "And you and I", then an ethereal electric guitar in the style of Steve Howe. "Yellow" is, in my opinion, the most beautiful piece on the record. "Poisoned youth" is a good mix of Yes and Genesis, with a touch of King Crimson from the "Epitaph" period.

Because of the composition work, I'm still rounding up to 3 the 2.5 stars that I think I should give it,

The concept of Fortune And Fame and the music being rich, layered and through-composed makes this is a highly 'progressive' album in the literal sense. You have to sit down and listen closely as well as actively. Webb is clearly a huge music lover who marvels at the work of the great composers as well as classic rock. Homages to Carl Orff, Beethoven, a homage to Gershwin, a homage to McCartney, Simon & Garfunkel and so on and so on. Yes and Genesis are OFF the radar here. The 'homage' to Mitchell and Mingus's 'God Must Be A Boogie Man' without 'covering' the song itself is quite a feat and pulled off handsomely. For the rock 'trainspotters' out here, he also drops in little references to things we already know and love...there's some Floyd, King Crimson and, well, have fun, you'll find the rest!

Look, you get the message. This album is for music-lovers with a broad taste. This is the whole point: 'England' have cult status with progressive rock fans but this LP might be lost on those who merely want more 'Garden Shed'! Therein lies the poisoned chalice of popularity even on a modest level. Forget 'Garden Shed', great though it is, this is a step away from that. Equally clever and equally polished but going somewhere less easy to pigeonhole. What a shame it's lost on some. This album is imaginative, witty and if you listen and discern properly there are deep messages to absorb.

I should also mention the booklet of lyrics is beautifully done. Make sure you get the LP! Side One, track two, "Destiny" is the standout track for me. Very clever indeed. Though Timelessness is also achingly beautiful both in execution and production. Again, best appreciated while sat still listening and following the lyrics in the booklet, as is ALL of Side Two in fact.

Great album.

England was a British progressive rock band formed in 1975. England came a little late in the UK prog scene, coming at a bad time as punk rock was on the rise. So, imagine the following situation. We are in England in 1977. Punk rules. Bands like Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Stranglers, The Damned and other bands dominate the music world. Everything that was before, suddenly doesn't seem to exist anymore, or at least mercilessly kills everything else. The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis and so on, are all just considered the old dinosaurs of rock.

Just precisely in this explosive time comes a new unknown band, which calls itself cocky England, a progressive rock band that plays exactly in the musical interface between Yes and Genesis. After all, they had full page ads in some of the major music magazines of their debut studio album 'Garden Shed', which also appears on the well known and well acclaimed record label Arista. But what good is that? It's absolutely nothing. The album sinks like a stone in the water.

So, England only released one album in the 70's, 'Garden Shed', despite the major label Arista Records. But, ten years later in 1997, England released a second studio album 'The Last Of The Jubblies', which is a collection of unreleased tracks, including material from 76 and 77 and also some demo recordings. The band was reactivated around 1983/1984 and was reformed in 2005. In 2017 they released another studio album, their third studio album named 'Box Of Circles'.

The line up on 'The Last Of The Jubblies' is Frank Holland (vocals, guitars and piano), Robert Webb (vocals, keyboards and piano), Martin Henderson (vocals and bass), Geoff 'Jaffa' Peckham (vocals and bass) and Jode Leigh (vocals, drums, percussion and vibes).

Yes, this is England, the same band that released 'Garden Shed' in 1977. I think it have all the recordings the band ever made, besides 'Garden Shed'. England is known for their very Yes and Genesis influenced style. However, there are some differences. England paid more attention to the music than the lyrics. But when it comes to singing, I think England is more diverse in lead vocals as well as harmony vocals. Most of the music isn't as good as the songs on 'Garden Shed'. They've a bit more song structured tunes and less of the good bits with many things going on at once.

'The Last Of The Jubblies' has rough versions, because some things sound a bit bumpy and unfinished. Thus, one stands in sound technology in the shadow of the previous album and it's likely that the band broke apart during the recordings. While 'Garden Shed' still offered an ingenious blend of the style of Yes and Genesis, they had already broken away from these models a year later. The song material seems very spontaneous and the elements of the very complicated and sophisticated structures that characterize the classic progressive rock or artrock music are almost completely absent. Unfortunately, the unique magic of their debut has also been lost. It wasn't like many other bands.

So, 'The Last Of The Jubblies' is the second studio album of England and was released in 1997. The album has six tracks. The first track 'Creepin Instrumental' introduces the album in a fast-paced way, but basically consists only of a repetitive melody that varies only slightly. Only the middle part of this title gains some structure and has pretty nice Mellotron sounds. Nothing against spontaneity, but at such a piece one would have to file something else. The second track 'A One-Legged Day Tale' has a relatively memorable chorus that joins the song with the distinctive sounds of the clavinet. This is a brisk rock song, indeed. The third track 'Sausage Pie' actually has nothing to do with progressive rock anymore. In part you can even hear light reggae guitar chords. Thus, here it's just a very nice pop rock. The fourth track 'Tooting Bec Rape Case' annoys a bit with his high refraining vocals, but it can convince instrumentally. A guitar playing supported by a Hammond organ characterizes the instrumental passages and also the good Mellotron work comes to his deserved employment. The fifth track 'Mister Meener' sounds more like it was recorded just in 1970 and can't convince me totally. It's not bad but I can't see anything special on it. The sixth track 'Nanogram' has to be an outtake track from the recording sessions of the 'Garden Shed', since it still is, for me, a celebration of unadulterated progressive rock. Unfortunately, after just over four minutes, this fragment disappears and looks more like a fragment.

Compilation: Best known for their classic 'Garden Shed', England will forever be remembered as one of the few 'new' bands of the late 70's of the United Kingdom brave enough to make unadulterated, symphonic prog, on a major record label, at the height of punk. As I said before, 'The Last Of The Jubblies' consists of demo recordings made after the band found themselves without a label. I know that many people like to compare a lot of this album to England's original work. But let's face it. There's nothing else to compare with it. This album isn't as essential as 'Garden Shed' is. But, if you really like that album, you should get this one as well. It's not a bad album and you willn't lose your time really. 'The Last Of The Jubblies' is a worthwhile progressive rock artifact from this dark period of prog rock history.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

England was a progressive rock band that was formed in UK in 1975. It wasn't really very surprising that an English band released their first studio album in 1977. "Garden Shed" is often regarded as an obscure classic of the British progressive rock, and is easy to see why, as it's a very competent, professional, well produced, impressively performed and a complex album of the British symphonic progressive rock at its most typical. Their main influences were, with no doubt Yes, but you can also see references to Genesis and Fruupp, another excellent British prog rock band of the 70's.

England is considered by many as a gem of the progressive rock of the 70's. With their only album "Garden Shed" the band has created something like a classic, which deserves to be much more popular than just insider limited circles of prog. A second studio album was released in 1997, "The Last Of The Jubblies". The album is a collection of unreleased tracks, including material from 76 and 77 and also some demo recordings. The band was reactivated around 1983/1984 and was reformed in 2005. In 2017 they released another studio album, their third studio album named "Box Of Circles".

The line up on the album is Frank Holland (vocals, guitars, Mellotron and Leslie guitar), Robert Webb (vocals, Mini-Moog, Hammond organ, harpsichord, Mellotron, Fender Rhodes piano, Hohner clavinet and 12-string guitar), Martin Henderson (vocals, bass and acoustic guitar) and Jode Leigh (vocals, drums, vibes, percussion and bass).

So, "Garden Shed" Is the debut studio album of England and was released in 1977. The album has six tracks. The first track "Midnight Madness" is one of the best ways to start the album. It's a catchy track with lots of powerful mellotron and instrumental breaks. The synthesizer that was very common with Rick Wakeman in Yes appears here. Almost two minutes and the band remember Genesis too. The whole atmosphere on the track awakens the best that was done in the prog of the 70's, like good vocalizations, strategic stops, the great use of keyboards and perfect climates. The second track "All Alone (Introducing)" is a short piano ballad and as its name indicates is the introduction to the highlight of the album, the "Three Piece Suite". It's a bit melancholic, but very well composed, and has a nice use of the piano. I'm not sure who the main vocals are, since the vocals are credited to everyone in the band, but it has a great melodic and beautiful vocal work. The third track "Three Piece Suite" is a 14 minute piece of music. This is a great composition that more or less encapsulates everything of the British progressive rock in the 70's. The melodies and themes are great all the way through, and you'll get lots of tasty organ and Mellotron. The drummer is an impressive Bill Bruford clone, and you'll notice him all the time with all of his unexpected rhythmic twists and breaks. This is purest progressive rock of the 70's. It's really a true amazing track. The fourth track "Paraffinalea" is a short and very cheerful song that yet brings Yes to my mind. It has a very strange melody with the keyboards and an even stranger melody to the guitar. When the band starts the first point is that the vocal is very similar to Chris Squire on their solo album "Fish Out Of Water". The solos of the keyboards are different from the common place of many other bands, and that is great. The fifth track "Yellow" is a much mellower and acoustic track with some atmospheric Steve Howe like guitar work. Here, the folk face of the band appears with the guitars synchronized with the orchestral keyboards. It has a psychedelic mood with its dreamy Mellotron, acoustic guitar and vocals. It's one of those beautiful acoustic based pastoral songs so common in those days. Once again we can hear great vocals and some beautiful harmonies too. The sixth track "Poisoned Youth" is the closing track of the album. This lengthy and monumental 15 minutes track stands as the most complex and least accessible moment on the album. It has excellent vocals, but we already know that from the first song. Several are the main voices in this long epic, I think all members of the band sing, which is, in my humble opinion, excellent. The song has some great arrangements, and seems like a mini opera of dramatically shifting moods and patterns. You had to have balls to release music like this in 1977, but England did it and they did it very well too.

Conclusion: With "Garden Shed", England made really nice English progressive rock. The music is very melodic, and seems to be pretty heavily influenced by Yes and Genesis. However, England isn't a clone of those bands. This is more like Yes and Genesis had decided to release an album together. I think it couldn't be a better example of that. The compositions are usually pretty busy, especially in the rhythm section, with the multiple keyboard layers, constantly changing time signatures, and lots of polyrhythmic playing. The harmonies are very nice too. In reality, "Garden Shed" is a very satisfying and a pretty strong symphonic prog journey from the start to the end. It's not one of the biggest classics of the progressive rock history but, in my humble opinion, every genre fan should give this album a try. Some magnificent moments can be found from this album and it's a very solid package of great symphonic prog rock music.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

The opener "Midnight Madness" is a pretty good song. It has a very 'Genesis Nursery Cryme' era feel to it and the synth work throughout the song is pretty amazing with keyboardist Robert Webb playing Mellotron, Moog, and other assorted ARPs during the song. "All Alone" is an acoustic piano track where Frank Holland sings some somber lyrics over a very beautiful piano part which reminds me of Keith Emerson.

Track 3, "Three Piece Suite" is the masterpiece of the album and is by far the best song. Clocking in at almost 13 minutes, the 3 movement epic is dominated by some of the greatest chord progressions and instrumental passages in prog (which is not something I say lightly). At around the 4:00 mark, Frank Holland plays a very heartfelt guitar solo over a minor mellotron progression which is repeated about 30 seconds later with a variation in the solo. The final movement is my favorite and it brings in some impressive high-pitched vocals. Robert Webb's keyboards are extremely connected with the bass and drums making a really impressive rhythmic end to the song as well.

"Paraffinalea" was the lead single off the album. It is probably my least favorite song on the album but is by no means bad. The vocals and harmonies are a blatant Yes rip-off but, it sounds great so I'm not complaining. About 1/2 way through the song, Webb plays a spectacular mellotron riff that is unfortunately not progressed by the band. "Yellow" is a beautiful song dominated by acoustic guitar and mellotron. Very simple but does the job effectively and I just love it.

The 16-minute epic "Poisoned Youth" closes the album. It has a very doom-metal opening with a lot of minor chords from the mellotron moog. At around 6 minutes, the song has a sick mellotron progression that Is overlaid with organ and piano, then taken into a high-octane section. The song goes through many other phases before ending with a minute of ambiance. The bonus tracks on the remaster also contain some good cuts, namely "Nanagram."

This is album is a staple of prog and is a must-have for all collectors. I would give it a 4.5 but, since that isn't possible on this website I'll round it down to 4 stars. Super awesome album and definitely recommended to all mellotron lovers and Genesis/Yes fans.

During more than one and a half hours the band celebrate their song material in a very good mood and weight. And this includes their most important effort, the complete debut suite 'Garden Shed' from 1977, a highly praised item in prog circles. As expected from a live gig it all sounds consistent, rounded, although the vocals are not always perfectly to the point. The manifold keyboards, including Mellotron, are the real sensation. And yeah, you won't miss the mandatory drum solo on Open Up. For some time Masters Of War - later appearing on the 2017 album 'Book Circles' - runs like a relatively simple Boggie Woogie track. Though towards the end it will turn into a prog expression more and more. What especially appeals is the extract of the long track Imperial Hotel, a free give away issue that explicitly was produced for the Japan gigs. Or the closing Nanogram that comes with slight Supertramp and Renaissance leanings. I wholeheartedly recommend to be concerned with this awesome production.

I think that most representative song is the first one - "Midnight madness" because it presents various moods and speeds. "Paraffinalea" has a nice busy rhythm but not a great flow. "Three piece suite" is symphonic, reflective and all Yes ingredients you can imagine, proving that the band could carry on their own without being accused of plagiatorism. "Poisoned youth" is arguably the most epic piece, also pompous. Bonus tracks are worth acquiring.

This is a GREAT album of progressive music in the vein of mid-70's Genesis and Yes. Nice use of mellotron, piano and other keys throughout, interesting drumming a la Bruford, and a melodic bass that doesn't get lost in the mix. Great vocals and harmonies, occasionally sung falsetto, growled or whispered for dramatic effect. The lyrics are more in the Genesis vein of story-telling, sometimes humorous in a tongue-in-cheek manner. A couple of the vocalists remind me of Triumvirat's Helmut Kollen and Genesis' Tony Banks (that's right, Tony Banks!) from his solo albums. But I also hear passing similarities to Supertramp's Roger Hodgson and Yes' bass player Chris Squire, which I'm sure adds to the Yes-like harmony vocals heard occasionally.

This particular issue of the CD comes in a thin miniature album sleeve replica of the original album (perhaps a quarter inch higher than a normal CD jewel case). An insert includes all of the lyrics and other info in both English and Japanese or Korean or something. (Personally, it was difficult for me to follow along with the lyrics in Japanese!;-) This issue also includes a 4-minute bonus track called Nanagram (that's the way it's spelled on the insert), which is all instrumental, and a nice way to round out the CD with over 52 minutes of music. (Nanagram/Nanogram comes from another rare, short album of their recorded material called "The Last of the Jubblies".)

Despite the references to the prog masters, this group has a very unique sound of its own, and they take an original path with their lyrics and varied lead vocals. As an example, "Three Piece Suite" (with it's Yessy "A Venture" vibe in the first section) features three different lead vocalists in its three different sections. Overall, a very good and complete album, and even slightly better than two other one-off prog essentials that I love from the same era - Cherry Five and Cathedral's "Stained Glass Stories". (Dare I also mention Neuschwanstein and Yezda Urfa?) Obscure but excellent!

Believe me, I've got more music than I have time to fully listen to, and you probably do too. But this is the type of CD for which we yearn and endlessly search; and when you find it, you just have to add it to your CD library. 4-1/2 stars