NOT OF THIS WORLD

I said, in my review for The Masquerade Overture, it would be hard to better that one. Well, in my opinion, they just about have! Some reviewers have knocked this, saying it is directionless and a re-hash of old things. Well, I beg to disagree! It is very clever, the way it is done. Yes, it is a concept album, and that is why the songs sound 'the same' in certain areas. They are supposed to! It is a very long album, but I enjoyed every minute of it! The opener, 'If I Were The Wind' is excellent, with an absolutely brilliant guitar intro, followed by the majestic entry of a Genesis-like rhythm section. The keyboards are likewise superb here. This song is only in one part, but it does appear to split into two, the second half much quieter and keyboard dominated. Then comes 'The Dance Of The Seven Veils' which is in two parts, 'Faithless', and 'All Over Now'. Both parts are excellent and balance each other nicely. More Floydian influences here, with the girly backing vocals carrying on where they left off on 'Masquerade'. Then comes maybe the best piece, the three part 'Not Of This World' The first part opens with tremendous soaring guitar work, reminiscent of Genesis, only more powerful. Excellent driving bass and drums on this. The second part, 'Give It To Me', is short and amusing, before the third part dreamily appears, 'Green Eyed Angel' with its infectious, melodic chorus. This track takes your breath away. Then follows 'Man Of Nomadic Traits', which is officially in one part, yet seems again to split into two - a catchy verse and chorus, which is followed by a blistering guitar solo, which seems to conjure rides on magic carpets for me! Then comes the chorus again, slowing down before leading into the final track, 'World's End.' This is in two parts. The first, 'The Lost Children', starts off with a reprise of the opening track's guitar intro - excellent! Quiet and melodic, it is thoughtful and ethereal, before it picks up near the end and becomes a little raunchier. The second part, 'And Finally...', brings the other parts together, and adds some nice guitar work, before fading out. The whole album, for me, brings to mind a desert landscape, as it is intended to. This is a must, one of the best prog albums of all time. The two bonus tracks, Acoustic versions of 'Paintbox' and 'King Of The Castle' are very lovely and end the album nicely. Incidentally, I didn't comment on the bonus disc with 'Masquerade'. This has edits of 'As Good As Gold', and 'Masters Of Illusion'. Both similar, but shorter to the album versions. The 3rd track, 'Schizo', is a classic Pink Floyd track! Well, I can imagine them playing it anyway! Very nice too. The last track, 'The King Of The Castle' (The Shadow part 2), is haunting, and brings to mind immediately 'Entangled' from 'A Trick Of The Tail' by Genesis. This is the track that has its acoustic version on 'Not Of This World'. Wonderful stuff!