TIME AND TIDE

I had vaguely heard of Greenslade as a keyboard virtuoso in the 1970s and eventually found this album in a bargain basement bin, so figured why not? I didn't realize that this was the group's last album and that it probably wasn't a show of strength relative to their other work. But it's all I've got so here goes.

One of the striking features is that, for progressive rock, the tracks and the running length are very short. For the most part the music isn't very distinctive, sometimes sounding like just a regular bar band with a slumming good keyboard player. So it truly is David Greenslade who saves this from the tank, particularly with his work on the "Time/Tide/Catalan" trilogy that adds up to a nine minute suite if you will. Without the vocals and silly lyrics, he gets to shine, and he does it without much grandstanding unlike some I could name. In general, his playing also keeps the vocal tracks from being terrible, but that is hardly an endorsement for the album.

In retrospect, it's easy to see this album as an acknowledgement of the turning of the tide both for bands like Greenslade and keyboard oriented prog in general. I suppose it is worth a bargain basement price if you see it and are a collector, but no more.