A MAJOR FANCY

One could have expected that John Lees would have take the opportunity to release an album which would be more guitar oriented to compensate the dominance of the Wholstenholme keyboards music which was to be experienced within BJH in the days of the recording of this album ('72).

But it not the case. The opening number (featuring a great Rod Argent on the keys), one feels the impressive organ work. The early version of Children Of The Universe also has the early BJH treat: it features an orchestra during the finale and sounds therefore more pompous than the featured track on their excellent Everyone Is Everybody Else album (one of their best IMHHO). It is another good song from this album, which won't hold that many to say the truth.

After a very dispensable instrumental track (Kes), the funky Untitled No 2 is far from the expectation one could have from a John Lees effort. But this is the tendency throughout the work. If ever you fancy some country-rock music, Sweet Faced Jane is the one for you. But I can't endorse such a song.

One of the very few BJH oriented song is probably the good Witburg Night. Same type of vocals and melancholy. I can understand of course that an artist while releasing a solo album is willing to differentiate from the work while playing with his band, but the artist also has to bear in mind that his prospects are first his own and existing fan database. An I was quite a BJH fan between '74 and '76. By '77 (date of release of this album), this solo work was completely drowned into another wave of music and was totally ignored (at least in Belgium).

One of my fave song (but there is little surprise), is the very much BJH oriented Please, Be With Me (which is a cover song though).

As a matter of fact, I wonder who would be interested by this album: the die-hard BJH won't recognize this music from one of the leaders of their beloved bands and the external (prog) rock fan wouldn't be impressed with these average songs (with a few exceptions already mentioned).

Two stars.