PHANTASMAGORIA

Again another pleasant album from a pleasant band , isn't it pleasant? This is one of their better effort but it doesn't approach the master group of the times. Curved Air was always seen as second line of prog bands and this their finer album gets only three stars, so I think that everything has been said. Their "soft" prog is always pleasant (especially for the proghead wanting to get cosy with the girlfriend), will never offend ears (more likely to bore them), well made, produced by good musos, but they will never set the crowds ablaze.

Worth a spin and if you like Camel or B J H with female vocals (quite fine , really ), you should enjoy this.

An inadequate production is responsible for the flat sound thet ruins partially this record. I'ts a pity, because the stuff is excellent. Aside from the fascinating voice of Sonja Kristina you have to listen to the violin of Darryl Way ("Cheetah" is a great example of what he can do). Was not for the sound quality I would recommend this cd without esitation.

Great Britain is my favorite country. I mean, come on, they have The Police, Genesis, The Beatles (my all-time favorite), Gentle Giant, The Who, ELP, James, Bass and Double Diamond (beer), Gryphon and Camel. Can you really ask for more? Well, you certainly can add Curved Air.

Yep, THE progressive band with THE girl who sings. I know, girls are not always welcome in the prog world, but this time, it actually fits. Sonja Kristina has a mysterious voice. At least, the way she uses it makes it mysterious. She slightly changes her voice throughout the album, depending of the feel of the song. Sometimes she sings tragically (Marie Antoinette, Melinda, Over and Above) and sometimes in a bit of Brigitte Bardot's way (Phantasmagoria). Great news, by now. Plus, a skilled violin player named Darryl Way. I knew this guy from Trace's second album called BIRDS. He obviously have an impressive classical background, and he uses his violin very well in almost every song. The song Cheetah is showing what he's capable of. More good news now! And the general feel of the album is comparable to...humm, Alice in Wonderland on an 'acid lysergic 25' trip? No kidding. Hey, who would really care about Marie-Antoinette, a woman of ancient France who got her head cutten by the Revolution? The theme of Not quite the Same is obvious, and I won't comment it! There's a small number called Ultra-Vivaldi, and it's..well..Vivaldi ultra fast.

More weirdness is coming in the second half. The title song (Phantasmagoria) is catchy and could easily been played in a horror B- movie called The Monster Club (from United Kingdom actually) or in an old Castlevania video game. Man, whatever those smoked in studio has to be prohibited! (maybe the studio's rug? cokcroaches? Licking african frogs?) It's a REALLY WEIRD album. I find it more funny than weird actually.

They had tremendously good ideas. Many songs are very STRANGE but the're actually clever, futuristic (track 7. Hear it and believe it was 1972...so advanced for it's time!) and catchy. And the keyboards uses are good, excellent I should say, from start to finish. Well, this band had it all. But, there's a major problem. This is THE example of how a good band can be ruined by...bad production. This album sounds muffled and choked. Too bad, because there's lots of subtilities and talent-showing (especially in the keyboards and violin) in the music.

For example, the harpsicord in Melinda More or Less is almost unaudible. More frustrating, many cool guitar and keyboards passages in Marie-Antoinette are inexistant unless you stick your ear to your stereo speakers (no kidding). Man, this is frustrating! Because we're missing a bit the feel of the album with this problem. Remains the songs, sometimes funny (Not quite the same), floating (Melinda More or Less), entertaining (Phantasmagoria), scary (Whose Shoulder are you Looking Anyway?), talent-packed (Cheetah), dramatically spinning (Over and Above). Lots of great ideas, humor, talent by the ton, voice by Kristina (ou la la), dazzling talent of Darryl Way (more ou la la).

I'm telling you, this record has it all....if you concentrate enough to bypass the production.

Off with their heads!?

If the rest of this album was up to the standard of the first two tracks, this would be a four or five star album. Unfortunately, they are not.

"Marie Antoinette", a tribute to the French heroine, is a beautiful haunting piece, with Sonja's voice slightly echoed over a soft atmospheric backing. "Melinda (more or less)" is a highly melodic softer song, very simple in its structure, but wonderfully effective.

The remaining tracks on side one (of the LP) are pleasant, if uninspired, including another reworking of "Vivaldi" (which originally appeared on the "Air conditioning" album) entitled "Ultra-Vivaldi". This time the theme is speeded up, and played on keyboards to a frantic conclusion.

Side 2 is disappointing and rather indulgent. For example, "Whose shoulder are you looking over anyway" consists entirely of Sonja Kristina's voice electronically processed into what is quite simply a mess.

Worth picking up for the first two tracks, but disappointing thereafter.

Amazing followup to "Second Album", the final album with (more or less) the original lineup (the band had trouble keeping bassists), the difference here, of course, the band was on to their third bassist, Mike Wedgwood (later of CARAVAN, for the albums "Cunning Stunts" and "Blind Dog at St. Dunstans"). A more elaborate album than before thanks to the inclusion of strings and horns, not to mention a jazzier album.

The first two songs, "Marie Antoinnette" and "Melinda (More or Less)" are stunning ballads that's firmly in familiar CURVED AIR territory. These two songs gives more fuel in the fire that I feel Sonja Kristina was one of the best female vocalist around! "Not Quite the Same" is a rather dirty number about masturbation, while "Cheetah" is an instrumental piece dominated by Darryl Way's violin. "Ultra-Vivaldi" is Francis Monkan's time to shine, where he gives an electronic take on Vivaldi on his VCS-3 synth (of course this wasn't the first time the band explored Vivaldi, as demonstrated on "Air Conditioning", their debut).

Side two finds the band being more experimental. For example, a Monkman experiment called "Whose Shoulder Are You Locking" which involved Sonja Kristina electronically modifying her voice in to a synthesizer and computer, which ends up sounding like a vocoder (I understand this experiment also involved one of the guys who worked for Electronic Music Studios, the same company responsible for the VCS-3/Synthi "A" synthesizers), and I'm sure this gave Electronic Music Studios (EMS) an idea to develop a vocoder. "Over and Above" is a wonderful jazzy number, dominated by vibraphones, with lots of horns and strings. There are some quirky passages that brings to minds Frank ZAPPA or GENTLE GIANT. "Once a Ghost Always a Ghost" is the closing number, another quirky number, with more jazzy passages and horns. What a great album that I should have tried so long ago, it's not even funny!

My rating: 4 1/2 stars

Well, nobody here gave this wonderful album the grade that it deserves, so here I am. Despite some mistakes (Whose Shoulder...), the record is perfect: Over And Above it´s probably Curved Air´s best track, sounding a little like Gentle Giant, basically because of the vibraphone. Not Quite The Same it´s a good 6/8 time signature, but nobody gives the credit... Cheetah it´s Darril Way´s best moment ever, even better than the acclaimed Vivaldi, from the first album. Marie Antoinette it´s another classic of the band, really great.Plus, you can hear Sonja´s beautiful voice on Melinda (More Or Less) and Francis´s neurotic sinths on Ultra Vivaldi. Probably the first Curved Air album to spend your god money on. Believe-me!

The first time i listen to this record, ultra-vivaldi took my breath away, the extraordinary voice of Sonja fits very well with music, the violin in "Cheetah" fill the atmosphere of darkness, the effects on sonja´s voice is amazing, the instrumentation on "over and above" reminds me some passage of Gentle Giant by the Xylophone and Vibes, the superb arrangements of all horns on "once a ghost.." makes this one a very good album. BUY IT!! Some other female prog bands: Frumpy, Sandrose, Babe Ruth, National Health....

An underated prog album.

For technical brilliance I prefer bands like Crimson and Bruford but I have a soft spot for "Phantasmagoria".

It has very "English" , other worldy quality.

There are some lovely compositions such as "Melinda" (haunting violin solo by Darryl) and some enjoyably quirky ones such as "Not quite the same" (beautiful keyboard swells as Sonja sings "oh dear what a pity...", and what about those risque lyics).

"Over and Above" is something incredibly special, I really think its up with the best prog compositions I have heard. Very atmospheric.The bass playing is impressive and solos are first rate. The album highlights for me are: "Marie Antoinette"," Melinda", "Not quite the Same" and "Over and Above".

I am a fan of Chris Squire and John Whetton but I must say again when I do relisten to the album the bass player deserved a pat on the back. I love his work on this record.

The sound of Sonja Kristina's heavily accented vocals singing "Fire in their hands/Steel in their eyes, they rise chanting "Revolution, Vive le Nation!"" remains my abiding memory of Curved Air's outstanding album Phantasmoria. This follow-up to The Second Album, which spawned a great single Back Street Luv, contains many of Curved Air's finest compositions and most progressive moments. I heartily recommend it.

Of course, the bloodthirsty, (ahem) majestic Marie Antoinette is one of those essential art-rock songs, with rollicking piano, chants, fuzz guitar from Francis Monkman and eerie synths from Darryl Way, and Sonja Kristina presiding over it all. The beautiful folk ballad Melinda (More Or Less) is also unforgettable. With Kristina on acoustic guitar (let's not forget that this former folkie initially replaced Sandy Denny in The Strawbs!), Way's violin, Monkman's harpsichord, Mike Wedgwood's understated bas and a notable guest flute appearance from one Annie Stewart, also succeed in transporting listeners back a couple of centuries.

As great as both songs are, neither is the album-defining classic, an honour that belongs to Monkman's classic Over And Above. Oustanding moments abound in this song that resembles some of the work that Annie Haslam and Renaissance would craft in subsequent years. A swirling, multi-dimensional mini-epic, it's fuelled by astounding guest performances from vibraphonists/xylophonists Crispian Steel-Perkins, Paul Cosh and Jim Watson and also features stellar contributions from Way and Monkman, both with an otherworldly synth solo and some earthier wah-wah guitar (which is largely absent on this record) to close off the piece. With symhonic dashes, jazzy runs and even the yet-to-be-sacred tubular bells, it is arguably the most progressive song Curved Air ever recorded.

The rest of the album is not quite in the same league as this masterpiece, but is generally very strong. Not Quite The Same begins with medieval brassy sounds before evolving into a bouncy folk-jazz with a melancholic chorus, and an unusual Canterbury- influenced synth solo (both Way and Monkman play synth on this one). Cheetah is an upbeat Darryl Way instrumental sees him starring on violin, with just enough unpredictable changes to keep the piece fresh. The title track is another one of those eerie, theatrical Curved Air cuts, although I don't really like the chorus.

The one real downer is Ultra-Vivaldi, a sped up sequenced version of a song that has already been performed twice before by the group on Air Conditioning). The sequencer idea may have seemed worthwhile back in 1972, but it really stinks now. Of the three Curved Air Vivaldi pieces (Vivaldi, Vivaldi With Cannons and Ultra-Vivaldi) the original Vivaldi track is the only one I consider worth listening to. Luckily the damage is over in just 1:24! Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway? is another experiment that sounds cool but ain't entirely convincing. The track consists of Kristina vocal tracks fed through a "PDP8/L computer and a Synthi 100 Synthesizer", and it's all edited to create a ghostly atmosphere. It's not as tacky as Ultra-Vivaldi, but does go some way towards making the album feel dated.

The totally wild, unpredictable feel of the album is emphasized by the concluding track Once A Ghost, Always A Ghost, a strange brassy cabaret song that isn't a personal favourite, but does end the album on an offbeat, yet stimulating note, thanks in part to another incredible vibraphone solo. You have to give this album and its creators marks for not resting on the laurels of the previous year's hit single, and going on to craft a daring album despite the increasing friction that developed between the group's two main songwriters.

Unfortunately, the band imploded after this excellent album, losing both Way and Monkman ... and things were never the same. But should you ever need to convince anyone of Curved Air's greatness, kindly direct them here. This is something else. ... 85% on the MPV scale

I had loved this album for years, as a little masterpiece of a second line progressive rock production, but last listenings revealed to me I overrated it in my opinion. As a general sensation I think sound should have been better engeneered (not as bad as Air Conditioning, but not perfectly balanced to surface band's "shining"). In a specifical approach this album presents a beautiful beginning with "Marie Antoinette" (well sung by Sonja Kristina and played on violin and mellotron by Darryl Way) with sound's and rhthm's changes, nice "Melinda" (typical "second track" in between "strong pieces" of the album) which introduce to " Not quite the same" my favourite song in Phantasmagoria: a little gem where every instrumental and vocal passages have a precise meaning, sound is however very brilliant due to violin and trumpets, bass is nimble and all the song has a fairy atmosphere. And then, what's happened?The magic spell is broken and Curved Air get in to a more experimental attempt of music which doesn't result quite well in their capabilities: instrumental pieces in which Sonja recites in a distort voice look like a forced experiment (maybe they influenced "Linguistic Leprosy by Lady's June, some years later) so that " Cheetah", " Ultra Vivaldi" and "Whose shoulders are yoy looking over anyway" don't add anything to the album and create a middle section ("Phantasmagoria" track is nothing more than a filling) which looses fresh spirit of starting. We fortunately arrive to "Over and above" which realize a wonderful balance between sincere inspiration and musical complexity: a real orchestra is present with trumpets and trombones, and Ricotti's xylophone is quite pleasent, Curved Air play in Canterbury style and save their personal own. "Once a ghost always a ghost" close the album leaving the sensation. "good, but could have been better!"

The third work of CURVED AIR released in 1972 "Phantasmagoria". It is an initial highest personally masterpiece. A lot of guests of the jazz system are invited, and a fantastic album like the casket where various music is installed. The work that is excellent progressive music. The reason for the member named Linwood is that this used the family name after Sonja Kristina marries as those who compose though credit is done.

This band is definitely more than Art Rock - much, much more. I understand that their music is very hard to categorize - there are elements of jazz, symphonic prog, classical, folk etc. But above all, it's "powered by" a supercharged progressive engine that's usually in overdrive, if I may permit myself this metaphor.

This said - what a fantastic album, the quality of the music is so high, the compositions are so original, the execution so flawless, and the vocals are absolutely wonderful - the girl has talent and attitude - she has my vote for the best progressive female vocalist. No two songs are alike on this album, there are always surprises around the corner, and when it's over, you want to hear it again and again.

If you like classic prog, this album will not disappoint, but you have to have an open mind - this is different.

Curved Air's third album is a more than worthy effort, though nowhere as good as its follow-up, the brilliant "Air Cut", which I reviewed some time ago. The band, led by sultry, Swedish-born vocalist Sonja Kristina Linwood, are a prime example of that elusive subgenre of prog called Art Rock, compounded of diverse influences of which the symphonic component is only one. As a matter of fact, the folk component is particularly evident on this record, seen as Sonja Kristina used to be a folk singer before forming the band.

As others have already pointed out, the best tracks on the album are the first three, the long, variegated "Marie Antoinette", celebrating the exploits and the tragic end of the notorious French queen, the wistful, folky "Melinda (More or Less)", and the quirky, risqué "Not Quite the Same", a tale of masturbation with a very catchy chorus. Kristina's voice, though sweet and haunting, is neither very powerful nor very clear, and suffers even more from poor production values. She was indeed a charismatic figure for the band, but as a vocalist she is certanly not on a par with Renaissance's Annie Haslam or Pentangle's magnificent Jacqui McShee.

However, the real stars of the album are guitarist/keyboardist Francis Monkman and violinist Darryl Way - both of whom had left the band by the time they recorded "Air Cut", to be replaced by whizzkid Eddie Jobson. Way really comes into his own in the instrumental "Cheetah", while Monkman provides the backbone of the band's sound, getting his chance to show his chops in the other instrumental, "Ultra-Vivaldi", an electronic take on the Venetian composer's work.

Much less successful is the experimental "Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway", in which Sonja's voice is fed through some electronic gadgetry - mere filler, not really interesting from any point of view. Actually, the whole second half of the album is not as good as the first, with lengthy "Over and Above", which sees an impressive array of guest musicians (including an orchestra), ultimately coming across as not particularly memorable, at least to these ears. The same could be said of album closer "Once A Ghost, Always a Ghost" which has an endearing, lilting rythm but not much substance.

All in all, this is a more than pleasant listen from an interesting band, though certainly no masterpiece. Anyway, its originality should be enough capture the attention of those who want to discover the output of lesser-known British prog bands of the Seventies.

This is definitely the best recording from this band I have yet heard!

The opener "Marie Antoinette" has a good jazzy touch on it, and it's different movements make it as a very good soft progressive classic tune. The singing is done here quite carefully, and the Belgian TV performance on the short "Masters from the Vaults" DVD is more psychedelic, dynamic and yet better with visual dimension. "Melinda (More or Less)", which is also on that DVD, is a classic British folk number, and the version on this album is really good with tasty violins and quite fast tempo. "Not quite the Same" opens with brass instruments introducing a late 60's oriented exceptionally good jazz song. Instrumental "Cheetah" follows this style, having some fast violin driven jazzy rhythms. Would be very interesting to hear live recordings from these lesser played tracks, if such would be found. "Ultra-Vivaldi" is then a short electronic version of the same idea present on their first album, sounding maybe little silly. The B-side of the vinyl starts with the album's title song "Phantasmagoria", which continues the groovy jazzy style with pleasant vocal arrangements and funny lyrics. The following "Whose Shoulder are You Looking Over Anyway?" is a three minutes long electronic aural landscape, which isn't very interesting as a solitary tune, but it works more as an introduction to the following song "Over and Above", lasting over eight minutes long. It is also a very nice psychedelic piece, among the best songsI have yet heard from this group! FLORIAN PILKINGTON-MIKSA and MIKE WEDGWOOD really can get a wonderful groove going on, upon where the solo instruments can do their stuff. Sadly as there is no visual level on this audio record, I'm unable to see SONJA KRISTINA flying uninhibited to the chaotic hippie space which the band creates, as this usually happens in the filmed documents of CURVED AIR performances or in my too vivid fantasies. "Once a Ghost, Always a Ghost" quits the album pleasantly with the jazz style familiar from the previous tracks, alonf with some fun marimba solos and distant voices from Caribbean party the band had in the studio.

As a contrast to the previous 2nd album full with fadeouts, there's none of them here, which was a pleasant surprise for me. Also the jazzy rock stuff here is recorded carefully, still leaving space for impressionistic jamming. Recommended warmly for fans of jazz rock and for those who like artistic bands fronted by talented lady vocalists.

Great looking vocalist with a somewhat thin voice. This is probably Curved airs best LP the first two tacks are by far the best on the album and possible could have made a killer single release. Ultra-Vivaldi showcases Ways Violin. There is a sexuality to some of these songs that has a wee edge but as with all things Curved air is handled in a pleasant way. Live they were a competent outfit and Sonja had a real presence I suspect that helped their sales a bit. Side two has a little experimentation with vocals through a synthesizer but frankly its not a worthwhile experiment and should not have been included. I liked this Record then and I still think Melinda (More or Less) is a great song and a good arrangement. Curved Air will not tax you overmuch and they are unlikely to become your number one all time favorite band but Phantasmagoria is a worthy addition to a good prog collection.

Curved Air's 1972 album "Phantasmagoria" is definetly an interesting album by any standards. It may turn some guys off due to the airy theatrical female lead singer. But my real appreciation for this album comes from the extravagant and over the top, quirky, symphonic jazzy peice called "Over And Above" which is a very unique piece of music which is insanely complex and dramatic and doesn't closely relate to most progressive rock. It's more like listening to some kind of twisted musical showtune on acid. Which blows the doors off compositions by most early 70's progressive rock bands in terms of rich intricate detail and how it builds up into the explosive climax of a complex rhythmic approach, speed, a soaring brass section, circus-like keyboard and bass passages and not to mention the haunting vocal melodies and blazing vibraphones. which all twists and turns for about 8 minutes. It's one of the most interesting songs ever created in the history of popular music which may turn many the other way running due to the level of weirdness, complexity and immense fusion of styles which more closely resembles otherworldly circus jazz music then rock music . It's essential for anyone who is deep into fusion or obscure prog to hear this track "Over And Above" written by virtuoso keyboard player Monkman whose style is a little like Minnear from Giant. So as for the rest of the album I say it's a decent and interesting affair. But one of the weirdest and most complex fusion/prog songs ever lies within this album so thats worth the whole album.

Phantasmagoria is an excelent record, really essential, only the last one "Once a ghost, always a ghost" is weak, his tropical touch is dissapointing specially when this track was put after the excelent "Over and above" maybe the best track.

"Marie Antoinnete" or "Melinda more or less" are most popular maybe because they appear in his several live albums. "Not quite the same" and "Over and above" has a delightful trumpets, "Cheetah" and "Ultravivaldi" show us the great technique of Darryl Way and Francis Monkman. The record is a great record, all the musicians bright like interpreters and compousers.

I am personally very attached to "Melinda (More or Less)" because it brings me back to my adolescent years. This song used to be frequently played at the venues I was hanging around, without actually knowing who the artist was. What's amazing is that I only recently discovered it was CURVED AIR, the band that was not very known back then, at least in former Yugoslavia.

Personal emotions aside, "Phantasmagoria" starts exceptionally promising with "Marie Antoinette", "Melinda" and "Not Quite the Same", which all have wonderful melodies, excellent Sonja's voice and firm musicianship. "Cheetah" brings some violin extravaganza and the bass chords that somehow precede CRIMSON's David Cross-lineup the following year. Had the album continued in the same manner until the end, this could have been the true masterpiece...

But, the second half, starting already with unnecessary "Ultra Vivaldi", shows several weaknesses out of which the biggest is "Whose Shoulder..." with dull vocal experimentation. The title track and "Over and Above" bring back some energy from the album start but the momentum was already over. Too bad.

Even with these weaknesses "Phantasmagoria" is still a very good album. It captures the creative peak of the band. Their sound was still fresh and quite original in the prog scene of 1972 (female vocal and violin solo), but their composing skills were unfortunately limited. Objectively this album would qualify between 3 and 4 stars, but given their neglect and obscurity, let me be more leniant...!

PERSONAL RATING: 4,5/5

P.A. RATING: 4/5

Phantasmagoria - with cover-art of a Gnome sitting on a mushroom smoking a Hookah, who could ask for more ??. This was Curved Air's 3rd release, one I discovered whilst in High-School in the late 80's. It is a wonderful album, and I'm always taken by a female vocalist fronting a bunch of intelligent musicians concocting complex arrangements !! Curved Air is just that, studied musos with a gorgeous lead vocalist (Stewart Copeland was one lucky guy...). Anyways, vocalist Sonja Kristina really sings quite adequately on this album, her voice sounds very pretty here, but for some reason, on the Live LP she approaches the music with a degree of raw, over-zealousness, which tends to suggest she was well rehearsed for the studio recordings at least.....of course, this is my perception of her singing. I've always admired Francis Monkman, and his endeavour to push things further, regarding composition and exciting new synthesizer technology available to him at the time, EMS Synthi (VCS3) in his case. Darryl Way and his passion of turning a hitherto classical instrument into a force-to-be-reckoned-with, the violin, which was already show-cased on their debut record. The rhythm section featured here, Mike Wedgewood - Bass, along with Florian Pilkington-Miksa on Drums, were open to tackle the inspired arrangements with the willingness to experiment, especially where song-structure is concerned. I feel that a track by track explanation is pointless, as the album in its entirety, is an essential listen for every fan of Progressive music. 4 stars.

A different taste in progressive rock: Woman singing(about French Revolution, individual pleasure, ghosts, ghouls and much more!), accurate violin arrengements combined with sharp guitars, Vivaldi and Lewis Carroll influences, etc. They did what Renaissance also did but in a funny-yet virtuous-way. Marie Antoinette is wonderfully made.Maybe the best French Revolution song ever made, entirely focused on the austrian queen viewpoint. Sharp lyrics, fancy instrumental passages. Melinda is Sonja's tune, with her acoustic guitar floating by while she frames her words. A ballad pretty inspired. Not quite the Same is fun, the kind of humour I like to hear in music(that doesn't sound silly or compromise the sound), very odd and original. The two following instrumental tracks are both complex and pleasant, two prog rock gems. I like to think the rest of the tracks as a single one(because of their theme, which is similar) and I 've reasons to believe Monkman wanted them this way. However, they're all great(except the Whose Shoulder... oddity, my least favourite song, that I usually skip). Overall, a great album, and I can't find reasons to underrate it. It's different, inspired and unique. Five stars on it. Atchuuu!!!

Quite an experimental album. After the very good sophmore release the band seemed to be at odds with their musical direction. So they tried different things. The first two cuts are excellent, classic prog Curved Air tunes that are always praised by fans and critics (the violin solo on Melinda is simply gorgeous, while Marie Antoninette is their best known song). From then on things are not so nice. Not quite the same starts the experimentation with xyophones and brass, quite daring and interesting, although a bit away from the band´s style. The title track is humorous and interesing, with some good violin work by Way. Cheetah is an instrunetal work that does not really goes anywhere, a bit pointless. Ultra Vivaldi is a quite self indulgent piece of eletronic music played at high speed, a throwaway track. The same goes to Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway? Another experiment, this time with Sonja Kristina´s voice.

Over and Above brings back some coherence and also some strong brass arrangements that work well, although this song too is a bit different from what you might expect from a band like Curved Air. The last track, as the title indicates (Once A Ghost, Always A Ghost) is very whimisical and interesting, quite funny and a good closer for such off the wall (at the time) album. Too bad that the production was so poor. For a daring album like this they really needed somenone who really understood their sound. The cover is very nice and imaginative, probably their best.

Conclusion: with many ups and downs, this an album that shows the band at a turbulent time (the last studio efford with the classic line up). However, the good songs are very strong and the musicanship of all players is awesome. My rating sits somewhere between 3,5 and 4 stars.

''Curved Air'' reached their peak with this album. When you :listen to the great ''Marie Antoinette'', there is no doubt. It is a real prog gem but it overshadows the rest of the album.

There won't be another track that will come close to it. It holds a fascinating vocal melody, aerial keys and furious guitar as well; an upbeat second half which solidly rocks is highly welcome. It is one of my all-time fave from the band.

Their ''Renaissance'' oriented music shines during the sweet acoustic and folkish ballad ''Melinda'' but even more during the bombastic ''Not Quite The Same''. Classical & medieval influences combined with a brilliant vocal interpretation from Sonja (again).

The other genius of the band, Darryl Way, has full authority to show his violin skills with the instrumental ''Cheetah''. Compositions on this third album are short (except two), but the whole sounds pleasant to my ears. The upbeat title track is a marvellous patchwork of all their characteristics: crafted song writing, subtle violin, impeccable vocals and great rhythmic section. This is a very good number indeed.

There is a weird experimental track featured on this album: ''Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway'' is hardly memorable; I would even recommend to press next in order to reach the longest piece of music available: ''Over & Above''.

This song is more complex than usual, but the ''Renaissance'' feel is very much present. Don't forget though, that these bands were contemporary and that the true ''Renaissance'' sound developed from ''Prologue'' in 1972 (which is incidentally the same one from this work as well). So, which band influenced the other?

There is a long and jazzy instrumental section which nicely combines some brass, violin and above all keys. The bombastic finale is the most poignant part of the album and features a loudly guitar solo (not so frequent in ''Curved Air'' music).

If you except the dispensable ''Whose Shoulder.'', there are no weak tracks but apart from the brilliant opener, there aren't many jewels either. The closing '' Once A Ghost.'' being just a filler IMHHO. A loose jazzy jam.

You shouldn't look for intricate music here, the band mostly plays a fine symphonic prog; once you have acknowledged this you can embark the trip with no fear.

Three stars.

I enjoy this album immensely.

While it is not a heavy, or as symphonically influenced as many of it's contemporaries, this album is filled with infectuous joy and some twisted humor.

The first side of the album, or first half of the CD, is a collection of songs that should be pleasing to all but the most curmudgeonly prog ears. From a song both praising and damning "Marie Antoinette", to an acoustic ballad about "Melinda (More Or less)" which makes one wonder if they really wanted to call it "Melinda Moralless", that leads into a song about masturbation called "Not Quite The Same", the music remains delightfully intricate while the lyrics remain at the same time both pleasant and ominous.

"Cheetah" and "Ultra-Vivaldi" are true symphonic progressive pieces that provide a perfect closure to the first half.

The second half of the album is a suite of songs all dealing with the presence of ghosts among us. Again, while most of the songs sound somewhat poppish on the surface, there is enough intricacy to keep this prog addict interested.

This is my favorite Curved Air album, and the only one I own on CD.

After the highly enjoyable debut album I knew that I needed to hear more from Curved Air. What better way to follow up Air Conditioning than with an even more successful Phantasmagoria?

This album has most of the elements that made the debut release so great but that doesn't stop me from still finding it lacking. It all starts with Marie Antoinette which doesn't work that well as an album opener. There isn't any comparison with It Happened Today to even talk about. At the same time it can be assumed that the band was going in a new direction so they wanted to try something different for a change. This hypothesis fell flat once I saw Ultra-Vivaldi featured among this album's track-listing.

It's interesting that this time neither the progressive nor the rock elements actually work in the band's favor and instead it's the ballads that have taken over the lead in the feature department. Melinda (More Or Less) is one of those compositions I immediately think about when recalling this album. It's subtle, gentle and a highly enjoyable trip from beginning to the very end. A bit further ahead we are treated to another nice composition entitled Phantasmagoria. The melody here seems unusual for a straight forward pop tune and Sonja Kristina shows once again her great vocal talent.

Unfortunately nothing could forewarn of the pointless filler track ahead called Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway?. This is something that would have worked a whole lot better on a Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention record than it does here. Over And Above is of course there to pick up the blame for the previous track but it can't do much to make me forget that misstep.

Phantasmagoria might be considered the pinnacle of the band's career but I personally prefer the much more well balanced Air Conditioning.

***** star songs: Melinda (More Or Less) (3:25) Phantasmagoria (3:14)

**** star songs: Marie Antoinette (6:18) Not Quite The Same (3:44) Cheetah (3:31) Ultra-Vivaldi (1:24) Over And Above (8:34)

*** star songs: One A Ghost, Alway A Ghost (4:21)

** star songs: Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway? (3:23)

I still think that "Air Cut" was by far their best album. It's filled with mellotron and I just like the songs better.The "Second Album" was good but this the follow-up to that has left me feeling pretty indifferent. No mellotron and I don't know but there's little that I like on here at all. Apparently there was a lot of in-fighting in regards to what direction the band should take musically on this one. Mike Wedgewood (CARAVAN) is the new bass player.

"Marie Antoinette" along with "Over And Above" are my two favourite tracks.Those two standout above the rest.This opening number is a mid-paced tune with piano, vocals and bass standing out.The guitar comes in at 2 minutes followed by a change as we get a calm.Then it picks back up. "Melinda (More Or Less)" is another mid-paced track with vocals and flute leading the way.

"Not Quite The Same" is more uptempo with horns blasting. It settles back before 1 1/2 minutes with piano and reserved vocals before picking back up.Violin before 3 1/2 minutes. "Cheetah" is an instrumental with pounding drums as the violin plays over top. "Ultra- Vivaldi" is a short instrumental piece. "Phantasmagoria" is a catchy vocal track. It's okay.

"Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway?" is experimental with organ as these processed spoken words come in. "Over And Above" is pretty intense as the violin joins in. A classical vibe here with lots of violin and vibes. "Once A Ghost, Always A Ghost" has lots going on as the horns blast.Vocals too and it sounds like there's a party going on in the background.

A low 3 stars for me

Representing a clear improvement over the band's first two albums, Phantasmagoria represents the first time that the band managed to combine high-quality songs (which I felt were lacking from Second Album) with decent production values (the sound quality of most versions of Airconditioning is notoriously poor). Showing an impressive range - Melinda (More or Less) is a gorgeous slice of chanteuse pop, whilst Over and Above is a complex percussion-oriented piece with plenty of vibraphone, which at parts sounds almost like the Mothers of Invention - the album is the best of Curved Air's first three albums. It even has, in the form of "Ultra Vivaldi", a superior version of the classical adaptation "Vivaldi" from the debut. I'd say it's probably the best place to start an exploration of the band's work.

"Phantasmagoria" is one of the proggiest Curved Air's albums featuring some of their most challenging time sigs and musicianship.

The fuzz guitar from Francis Monkman, the ethereal synths of Darryl Way and Sonja Kristina as the high octave queen of prog, is an irresistible musical explosion, and it climaxed on this album. It begins with the slow and meandering 'Marie Antoinette', with the brooding vocals of Kristina; "Fire in their eyes, steel in their hand, they ride, chanting revolution, Vive le Nation!" She sings of the guillotine that is coming for the queen.

Kristina plays acoustic guitar on 'Melinda More or Less', a lovely mediaeval paean by Sonja's lilting vocals that transcend beauty. Way's violin, Monkman's harpsichord, Mike Wedgwood's pulsing bass and Annie Stewart 's flute make this a mesmirising journey back to the ancient days of kings, queens and guillotines.

'Not Quite the Same' is an oddity about impossible love and self abuse, with some amusing lyrics; "Out in the park, he was walking his doggy, he saw a young lady, who made him feel soggy." The medieval brass section that plunges it back to the dark ages continues the concept, before the jazziness of the Canterbury music takes over. Way and Monkman masterfully duel off on synthesizers in the instrumental break.

The main drawcard of the album is the first 3 songs and one song on side two. Let's deal with that now as it is really an incredible track. 'Over and Above' has one of the zaniest off beat time sigs that is irregular throughout, diverging wildy in all directions. Monkman's twisted signature keys are played with abandonment and astonishing virtuosity. Way's violin is way out of the box and he absolutely gives the bow a major workover. Sonja's theatrical vocal expertise is as amazing as ever and the opening section may be described as a jazz circus. There are some spacey sections on the track with chiming vibraphones and xylophones played by Crispian Steel-Perkins, Paul Cosh and Jim Watson. The erratic bassline, massive brass sound and wah wah guitar really adds to the power of the soundscape. The sound captured is really symphonic prog meets jazz rock fusion. This is a complex killer track and certainly the most powerful progressive song from Curved Air. A bonafide classic.

The other songs are not up to this standard of excellence and mar the album from being a masterpiece. 'Cheetah' is an instrumental that features Darryl Way masterfully blasting huge slabs of violin and there's a cheetah's growl thrown in for good measure. There is a reworking of "Air Conditioning"'s 'Ultra-Vivaldi' that is much faster and dominated by keyboards. The original more restrained version of Curved Air's 'Vivaldi' is better however. 'Ultra-Vivaldi' is speeded up using a sequencer, which is something that worked on Pink Floyd's 'On the Run' from that masterpiece, but feels rather dated on this album. It is a very short track so no major harm done.

The title track is an infectious short song with wild Hammond and Sonja's jaunty vocals on how to deal with loneliness; "don't ring for a taxi, don't call a policeman, don't send for a doctor, he'll just give you pills, don't hide in the sand man, you may not believe it." She sings of the summer of love and the lyrics cater to the flower power movement; "So if you get lonely just think of the summer, and swim in the sky blue, drift your mind away." Sound advice, Sonja! The uplifting breezy feel sounds like a happy song but it is really about coping with depression.

'Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway?' Is a weird curio with lovely Kristina sounding like a constipated Dalek. Her vocals are battered by a PDP8/L computer mixed with a Synthi 100 Synthesizer. It is meant to evoke the spiritual manifestation of the dead, but instead amounts to nothing more than a dead loss. The ethereal vocals are weird; "But I keep looking over your shoulder to see if I'm there, Oh, when I was a little Ghost, a merry time had we! Each seated on his favourite post." The electronic vocals are off putting though this is as creepy as it gets for Curved Air.

After this album, Curved Air's bubble popped with the walk out of maestros Way and Monkman, and it was too big an ask to replace the classic sound the band once generated. "Phantasmagoria" definitely contains some of the proggiest and most experimental music from Curved Air.

In technology, the Uncanny Valley is an expression used to describe something that approaches realism, be it a computer generated image, voice, or physical object.

When something trying to be "natural" is ever-so-slightly skewed away from what we perceive as "real", our brains have tremendous difficulty dealing with it, something that causes unease and adverse reactions in most people. We want to tell ourselves that the technically flawless CGI in modern films is as real as the actors, but people can spot the difference with almost no difficulty.

I was initially going to start this review with a comparison to the uncanny valley, but I'm still unsure if it's fair or not.

Going into Curved Air's Phantasmagoria, it ticks all the "right" boxes - We have a 1970s English progressive rock band, symphonic elements, psychedelic overtones, interesting song topics, and extremely tight, if not incredibly complicated, musicianship.

It's got some extremely catchy songs and themes that make it a fascinating listen, and yet the first time I listened to it, I'm fairly certain it ended without my taking much notice.

It's also got some very unconventional moments, mixing heavy synth experimentation with brass, funky time signatures, and lots and lots of violin, but even then something always made me feel that this was a heavily commercial album.

Maybe it's the production, the pop/ typographic style cover, or even Sonja Kristina's airy (but nice) vocals singing "La LaLaLa La La" on the title track, but there's elements here that make me feel like it's an elaborate ruse by a record label to cash in on this up-and-coming "progressive rock" fad.

Obviously that's not the case, but this is where we go back to the uncanny valley. Everything is there, but it just feels "off" somehow. Maybe it's just me.

Highlights for me are the incredibly good "Marie Antoinette", with Lorena McKennitt-esque lyrics and singing, leading into the calmer, and exceedingly pleasant "Melinda (More or Less)".

"Cheetah" is another highlight, with an extremely strong opening violin section and great bass. With the addition of a bit of guitar, this could fit very well into "Islands" era King Crimson.

"Who's Shoulder are You Looking Over" is an interesting improvisational piece that segues nicely into Over and Above, which might be my favourite track. There's some great vibraphone work and the song has excellent energy management. It ends in a very "Let it Be" era Beatles freakout, growling guitar solo ripping apart the chanting vocals in the background.

I'm usually paying attention by this point, unfortunately, because it leads right into my least favourite track, "Once a Ghost, Always a Ghost". Usually I love tropical influenced songs on prog albums (CAN's Bel Air especially), but this just doesn't do it for me. Believe me, it was not easy hitting play on the last track for this review.

Even considering the flaws, and my own inability to listen to it in my regular prog lineup (it usually ends up sandwiched along with the for-mentioned Beatles, Bowie, and ELO), it's got some really great moments. I think would be an album very suited as an entry to the genre; There's nothing too heavy, and it's genuinely fun.

3.5, but leaning towards a 4 for someone other than myself!

Phantasmogoria is the third studio album by the celebrated prog ensemble Curved Air which features founding members Daryl Way on electric violin and Frances Monkman on keyboards, guitar and proto electronica. Along with founding member Sonja Kristina, the band had firmly established, for better or worse, their vision of early 70's progressive rock. The groups' sound, at this stage, was firmly marked out by playing songs with odd or jazzy time signatures such as 12/8, 9/8, 5/4, and even plaintive 6/8, with Kristina trying like hell to match her vocal delivery to these tempos before she runs out of breath. As truly progressive as this approach is, its an acquired taste. Edgy and dramatic jazz rhythms can easily come off as jerky and manic when vocals are placed on top of them.

That being said, the songs that work the best are the Way composed "Marie Antoinette" which is accompanied by an excellent synth played by Way and is one of those grandiose classically tinged prog songs that somehow survives it's lyrical pretentiousness. Followed immediately by the Kristina penned ballad "Melinda (More or Less)" which is a folk like song reminiscent, both lyrically and musically, of the sentimental ballads of the Strawbs' Dave Cousins. However, the band goes quickly south after this with the brass accompanied "Not Quite The Same" kicking off into it's manic rhythms with Kristina vocally trying to play catch up and clumsily trying to paste lyrics over the song's galloping rhythms and melodies. Even in the slightly slowed down sections, she still sounds awkward, and this sets the stage for the album's remaining songs.

What makes these gallivanting song and vocal concoctions suffer even more is Frances Monkman's arrangements of horns and annoying xylophone accompaniment on the album's last two "epic" prog songs "Over And Above" and "Once A Ghost, Always A Ghost", which renders these two songs in the clichéd realms of cheesiness. The few brief electronic/synth manipulated experimental pieces from Monkman seem out of place and offer no respite to his overproduced songs.

On the upside, Kristina's vocals are much more palpable on Phastamogoria with the rough edges firmly tucked away, but that does little to aid the album. As I said, Phantasmogoria is a record of truly progressive rock music, but it's not the kind that I like. Others may differ and if they find enjoyment in this album, no one would be more pleased than I.

It seems somehow contradictory to conclude both that CURVED AIR were pioneers of violin led prog rock and that their music has not aged especially well. One of the few bands of their ilk to have a legit run at the UK charts, It's not for lack of talent or innovation that they are barely mentioned anymore. While they produced 4 notable albums in their initial run, all were packed with an excess of foam peanuts at which even a foam elephant would turn up its trunk, and too few bonafide classics to defeat most one "hit" wonders in the prog world. The Monkman-Way tandem played like virtuosi and unfortunately composed like them too, and, while the arrangements are cluttered with too many at the same volume, it's unclear how much of this is due to a mixing engineer who gave his master the wrong address and quickly flashed his learner's permit in the studio security line. Don't get me started on Sonja's would be powerful voice that sounds too hypoxic to maintain a consistent level of clarity.

In spite of, or perhaps due to all these shortcomings, "Phantasmagoria" still projects the band as an unsung hero of their day. The melodies are imaginative, particularly on the first two tracks. "Melinda More or Less" hints at what CURVED AIR might have been had they actually gone folk rock, that is to say, had the impossible happened with the personnel on hand. Instead the jazzy inflections of "Over And Above" elicit fascination even as they flit capriciously from theme to theme. The xylophone and vibraphone of Monkman, the equally improvisational violin of Way, and the hired brass section string this one up on its high heels and festively explode the petard on which it precariously balances. "Once a Ghost Always a Ghost" wraps it all up in a similar vein assuring that the album live up to its name a bit too much for its own good.

CURVED AIR arrived on the English Progressive Rock scene like a fresh sea breeze in 1970. They're a classic band from the Golden Age of Prog, long before angry young oiks came along to spoil it all in 1977 by forming "bands", and then causing Anarchy in the U.K by snorting Harpic up their nostrils and then going on to make a godawful racket on Radio Riot FM by banging bits of furniture together - which is about as exciting to listen to as tuning into the Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio 4 to find out the state of the sea at Dogger Bank. Curved Air were a REAL band featuring the striking vocals of Sonja Kristina, who was actually from the unremarkable town of Brentwood in Essex, despite her exotic-sounding name. The line-up also included violinist and keyboard player extraordinaire, Darryl Way. His maniacal violin-playing was a major part of what gave Curved Air such a unique sound, and he also co-wrote the band's only hit single "Back Street Luv", which featured on their second album in 1971. He later went on to form his own wild and untamed band, Darryl Way's Wolf in 1973. Another key member of the early line-up was Francis Monkman on guitars and keyboards, who later achieved great success with the Classical Rock Fusion band, Sky. The rhythm section of Curved Air featured a revolving door line-up of bass players with the powerhouse presence of Florian Pilkington-Miksa on drums and percussion for their first three studio albums. Curved Air's cleverly- titled first album "Airconditioning" (1970) featured "Vivaldi", one of their best-known signature songs, allowing Darryl Way to go off on an unrestrained free flight of fancy with his vivacious violin. Seemingly running out of inspiration for album titles, Curved Air's second album was simply titled "Second Album" (1971). It's their third album though, "Phantasmagoria" (1972), which is generally regarded as their finest album, and that's the album we're focusing on here for this review. The band were given a breath of fresh air with a change of line-up for their amusingly-titled "Air Cut" (1973) album. A Live album followed in 1975 and the band released two further studio albums in the mid-70's, "Midnight Wire" (1975) and "Airborne" (1976) which failed to really take off. Curved Air then took a VERY long extended break on the island of Hiatus and made a long-awaited return with Sonja Kristina still on vocals for two comeback albums in the new millennium, "Reborn" (2008) and "North Star" (2014), followed by an instrumental double album, "Curved Space & Infinity" (2016), bringing us right up to date. It's time now to find out what phantasmagorical musical delights Curved Air have managed to conjure up for their third album.

Scaramouche, Scaramouche, can you do the fandango? No, it's not THAT Queen. It's "Marie Antoinette", the first song on the album and the tragic last Queen of France before the French Revolution, who was very unfairly executed for "high treason" by guillotine. Not that being executed by guillotine can ever be considered "fair", but that's the French Revolutionaries for you, where the normal rulebook which governed law and order was thrown out the French window and trodden on. Anyway, back to the music, and what we have here is a simply stunning Symphonic Prog masterpiece in the best traditions of Annie Haslam's Renaissance. Sonja Kristina's hauntingly beautiful siren-song vocals really lift this historic song up into prog heaven and beyond on a soaring wave of passionate intensity and raw emotion. Just take a look at these flag-waving nationalistic lyrics in the dramatic fervour of the first verse:- "Marie Antoinette, Your name's a legend, In this land, Treasure for your pleasure, Bestowed on favoured gentleman, The people are in arms, Marching on the town, They rise - Changing revolution! Vive la Nation!" ..... And that's just the beginning, with five more verses to come! It's enough to make you come over all patriotic and stand up for a rousing rendition of the French national anthem, especially if you happen to be French. "Marie Antoinette" is a real masterclass in songwriting, and when the powerful lyrics are combined with surging symphonic splendour, the end result is simply sublime! It's enough to make you go all weak at the knees and leave you with a delicious warm and fuzzy feeling inside. You know the feeling. This orgiastic aural delight will take you as Close to the Edge of experiencing the Big "O" as you can possibly get without even taking your clothes off.

Having been lifted to the heights of aural ecstasy and beyond with the stunning opening number, it's time now for the melancholic haunting refrain of "Melinda (More or Less)", a gentle Folk song that's so sweet, you can almost taste the honey. The warm and tender music glides softly over the listener like a light zephyr breeze, sounding as soft and gentle as the gossamer wings of an angel. This lovely song reminds one of the Uriah Heep classic "Come Away Melinda", although Uriah Heep didn't have Sonja Kristina's sweet angelic voice to carry you up to prog heaven on a pleasure-wave of blissful sweet dreams. "Melinda (More or Less)" is truly beautiful with a disposition as gentle and unthreatening as a Golden Labrador puppy playing with a roll of Andrex toilet tissue - if you can still buy a roll of Andrex in the shops. The title of the third song on the album "Not Quite the Same" is a bit of a misnomer, because it represents a complete departure from the first two superlative songs. It's an offbeat and slightly freakish tune, arriving with a fanfare of trumpets and sounding somewhat akin to Curved Air's one and only hit song "Back Street Luv", only quirkier. The kooky song is as eccentric and unexpected as the sight of Arnold Schwarzeneggar ballet dancing to Swan Lake, in a pink tutu. Yes, this bizarre tune might sound as crazy and demented as a box of frogs at times, but if variety is the spice that makes for a great album, Curved Air have scored a hat trick with the first three unique songs on this phantasmagorical feast for the ears. Not only does each song arrive like a breath of fresh (Curved) Air, but the band have also managed to carve out their own distinctive niche of prog that's instantly recognisable to every ardent "progaholic". The fourth song on the album, "Cheetah", is a manic instrumental violin-fest, sounding as fast and nimble as Usain Bolt being chased across the Serengeti by a hungry lion, and finally, closing out Side One comes "Ultra-Vivaldi", which is exactly what it says on the label. It's a brief, ultra-ramped-up version of the original Curved Air classic, only this time it's a crazy synthesiser that's on the rampage intead of a violin, and sounding like Rick Wakeman on steroids!

And now for something completely different, as we arrive at the title track, "Phantasmagoria", another strange and quirky tune, but that's no less than what you'd expect from a song called "Phantasmagoria", an off-kilter song which conjures up spooky images of ghosts and ghoulies going through walls in a haunted mansion at midnight, during a thunderstorm. A brief sample of the creepy lyrics gives you a foretaste of what you can expect to hear:- "You run upstairs to lie there, Waiting for the floor to creak and, And something goes bumpity bumpity bump up the stairs, The time has come to wonder, Who could be the owner of that cold clammy hand that's exploring the end of the bed." ..... It's still not safe to come out from under the bed yet though with the seventh "song", "Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway?", which is not really a song at all, but a very unsettling series of scary nightmare images and sounds you might experience in a bad dream, or your worst nightmare. There's no escape from the nightmare either as Curved Air unleash Merry Hell with "Over and Above", a manic Looney Tune that sounds like it belongs in a straitjacket, although it's also rather wonderful too. The band constantly blur the lines between fantasy and reality here and enter a surreal Twilight Zone world, embarking on a wild excursion into the Outer Limits of Prog with unrestrained gay abandon. Finally, it's time to get off the Crazy Train with the funky sound of "Once a Ghost, Always a Ghost", a syncopated funky gibbon groove featuring African tribal rhythms and a vibrant vibraphone too!

Curved Air's extraordinary third album is a towering cumulonimbus thunderhead amongst classic prog albums. When you have a band with such a talented line-up as Curved Air, combined with a prog album from the golden year of 1972, you know you have an album that's just as dependable and reliable as a German automobile with a Sat Nav that always points Fritz in the direction of Poland as he's heading down the autobahn. Curved Air's "Phantasmagoria" is quite literally an album of two halves, with Side One featuring some outstanding and memorable prog classics, before going completely off the rails for Side Two, which takes you on a dark descent into madness in a terrifying world of phantasmagorical dreams and nightmares which still sounds crazy after all these years, but only in a good way. It's prog, but not as we know it. If ever an album deserved a place in the Eclectic Prog section of ProgArchives, then it's this offbeat but superb album, which takes prog to new extremes of eclecticism. Choosing not to listen to this fine album would be a bit like having Kate Winslet in your bed and choosing to sleep on the couch instead, and if you only decide to buy one Curved Air album, buying this album is as easy a choice to make as deciding between a holiday on the sunny French Riviera or the permafrost wasteland of Yakutsk in Siberia.

Oh what a brilliant album it is! Curved Air previous records were always good but not that good! It has a moments on it (particulary on the last two tracks) were they sound like Renassaince went totaly Gentle Giant which is amazing in terms of compositional skills, the adventurous sound and overall musicianship. This is their most prog album and the best one. Wish they stayed on this path a bit longer and delivered epic of some sort like it was common among prog bands those days. Nevertheles this one is a gem (still) waiting to be discovered and acknowledged by a wider prog audience. 4,5 stars.