NOSTRADAMUS

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As usual, Pendragon will record an EP, and release it at about the same time as an album ("The Window Of Life" in this case). Since their very early days, they have systematically done so.

So, what do get here ?

Nothing very original, I would say. All these numbers are just edits from the album tracks. Not a single unreleased song. This makes this EP, one of the least interesting one of the serie (together with "Red Shoes"). Two versions for "Nostrodamus (Stargazing)". In my review of the album, I mentioned that this song was the least interesting of this very good album. It clocked at 6'21".

For the first version of this EP, the song will start as soon as the poppish part starts. The beautiful and symphonic intro is gone, and only the more commercial part remains (the song is reduced by half actually). The second version will feature about a minute of the intro, but not the begining; it will start from the opera style sounds onwards. This one is not too bad, since the essence of the song is better kept than in the first edit.

The same principle will be used in "The Walls of Babylon". The long and brilliant instrumental intro (you remember, the one inspired by "Shine On You ...") has been completely cut. This version starts with the almost hard-rock riff, when the original song already clocked at 5'51". Even the "Watcher Of The Skies" part won't be featured here. Only the most radio-oriented section remains...

The last song of this EP will receive another treatment. They will work reverse and fade the end of the song, when the fantastic and emotional guitar break almost started. It will be cut by more than a minute. OK, on the original version it took almost 30 seconds of useless fading to reach the end of the song, so the harm is not excessive here.

These edits, although comprehensible for commercial reasons, are not really brilliant. They could pretty well have left the whole of "Am I Reading Losing You ?" as well as replacing the first (and shortest) edit of "Nostrodamus" by the original and long version. Anyway...

Only for curious die-hard fans. Two stars.