GARDEN SHED

I found amusing all these reviews about this obscure prog band of the late 70´s. I must say I did not find it to be a long lost prog gem of most, neither the bad copycats of others. Garden Shed was released in 1977, probably the worst time ever for a new prog outfit. This may explain why there was not a follow up (at the time). England was an interesting band, had the chops and the right influences. Unfortunatly their songwriting skills were not par to their obvious heroes. Maybe with time and experience they would develop into something more original and strong, but, alas, that was not meant to be. What we have here is one of many Yes wannabes, trying very hard to emulate Jon Anderson & co. The resulting music is a curious mix of that style, plus some early Genesis, Supertramp, Alan Parsons and small doses of Gentle Giant here and there.

Garden Shed has its moments, specially if you like Yes. The music is pleasant most of the time (Three Piece Suite is a good example), but does not always work. They still had a lot to work out. Anyway, the record holds your attention until the end and if you like average 70´s symphonic prog you should check this out. But if you don´t you won´t be losing anything very special. They were outstanding musicians, although the high pitch, Anderson-like vocals can be annoying at times, at least for me. The production is quite good. Only the timing was clearly wrong. Had this album come along some 3 or 4 years ealier they could had been a great band with a good, but not too original debut LP (like what happened to most of the great bands). But they didn´t stand a chance in 77.

Conclusion: good, but non-essential. 3 stars.