BLITZ

Wow, what a change in direction! Thirsty Moon's first two studio albums are top notch hard rocking kraut affairs. This one is not. It's difficult to categorize, very uneven, and, for me, unprecedented. Difficult to categorize in that the musical styles jump all over the map. It's uneven in that one minute Thirsty Moon seems to want to sound like early '70's Harvey Mandel - sometimes rough, sometimes funky, all instrumental. The next song tries to emulate the Meters with its looping funky beats and slick percussion. Then Thirsty Moon will do there best 3 minute Kraut rumble like the opening "Lord of Light" that goes into a pre disco tune "Riding in the Rain" that could as easily have been recorded by Mandrill.

This is unprecedented to my ears in that a progressive group taking such a drastic change in sound exploration takes my breath away. It's obvious this record is influenced heavily by american R and B.

It's taken me five years to develop a taste for it's kitsch factor. I love short instrumental albums, funky beats, and truly "experimental" sound. This wasn't experimental music, it was an experimental approach that failed miserably and led to the dismantling of a true Kraut powerhouse. To me, it's an interesting album, an endearing anomoly.

In my collection it gets four stars. For the average prog listener, I'd say it merits two maybe. Therefore, three it is