...AND THEN THERE WERE THREE...

Yes, without Steve, the band was not a Prog band anymore, if not a straight-forward rock band with a keyboardist having the lead role, they edged pop stuff every now and then but also prog, however full fledged Pop Genesis was still to come.

So why did I started this review saying 'Wind & Wuthering Part 2' if I just stated that they're not a Prog band anymore? Well if you listen to both album's keyboard selections, the melodies and chords, the semi-dark atmosphere, it all fits, the only key factor that makes And Then There Were Three not seem to sound like Wind & Wuthering is that Steve Hackett is not here delivering outstanding atmospheric touches and supporting to the song-writing. Still, Mike Rutherford was able to imitate him quite well in killer stuff like Burning Rope, Ballad of Big, Down & Out and Many too Many.

I'll leave the comparison behind and talk about the album specifically now. The quality of And Then There Were Three is by every means good, you can find it a bit boring just for the fact that this has been already been done greater in Wind & Wuthering, but the material is definitely on good standards. The already mentioned Burning Rope being in the heights of Wind & Wuthering's strongest material, also The Lady Lies and Down & Out having very good compositions and great musicianship.

Then you got Many too Many and Say It's Alright Joes which to seem to fall in the likes of All in a Mouse's Night, solid keyboards and compositions, but they don't go any further in exploring instrumental passages, complex time signatures or any outstanding solos. Don't get me wrong All in a Mouse's Night is very good, but done, somehow, again and again and even in a weaker way it just isn't very interesting, still not bad.

The rest, with the exception of the decent pop song Follow You Follow Me, is in the standards of those two previous mentioned. Ocassionally good solos or melodies, but straight forward compositions with no real surprises, yet having that similarity with Wind & Wuthering due to the melodies and mood, which makes quite of a bonus.

I really wouldn't put this album alongside Invisible Touch or Abacab or the like since they really don't share anything other than having overall short songs. Usually when I listen to Wind & Wuthering, I listen to this before or after it, it just fits the mood and style. Many may not share this observation I find, but well, what can I do about it? I do, and thanks for that, I like this album and listen to it with enjoyment.

3 stars.

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