STILL [AKA: STILLUSION]

Pete Sinfield wrote lyrics for King Crimson, ELP and the legendary Italian prog band PFM, and he produced Roxy Music their highly praised eponymous debut album in 1972 and Photos Of Ghosts (1973) and The World Became The World (1974) by PFM. Later he translated lyrics for Angelo Branduardi and produced hits for Leo Sayer and Celine Dion. But back in 1972, Pete Sinfield decided to make his own album, also because he was very involved with King Crimson (also inventor of this band name) but Robert Fripp was not very pleased with his musical skills and lyrics. This CD reissue contains a wonderful booklet, we can read that he loved The Beatles but was very much influenced by Donovan, and Celtic folk music. These elements can be traced on this first solo effort entitled Still.

Beautiful, dreamy music with flute, acoustic guitar, piano and pleasant vocals, ranging from warm and intens (like in the wonderful titletrack) to melancholical (in The Song Of The Sea Goat with fragile piano play) and sultry, like in The Night People, a captivating blend of jazz and avant-garde with bariton saxofophone and fiery trompets.

But Pete deliver also tracks with more dynamics, and variety.

The distinctive pedal steel guitar sound in the country-like Will It Be You (his voice even sounds like John Denver).

Powerful rock with swinging piano, fiery saxophone and biting guitar in the Roxy Music-like Wholefood Boogie.

The compelling track Envelopes Of Yesterday reminds me a bit of Syd Barrett solo, with organ and powerful electric guitar.

A melancholical sound like the early The Moody Blues with flute and strings like the Mellotron in Under The Sky and the bonustrack Can You Forgive A Fool?.

On this first solo album Pete got tasteful contributions from a wide range of known progrock musicians, from Greg Lake and Mel Collins to Keith Tippet and John Wetton.

The additional CD delivers two bonustracks (Hanging Fire from 1973 and Can You Forgive A Fool? from 1975) and 9 'early mixes', just a little bit different than the original tracks, nice for the fans.

Pete Sinfield was a name in those days, the legendary English music magazine Melody Maker even posted an add at the size of a full page to ask attention for this interesting and pleasant first solo album by Pete Sinfield.

My rating: 3,5 star.