UK

Well, here it is, yet another review for UK's eponymous debut album, an album that has remained a crucial bone of contention in prog circles for years - some label it as the last masterpiece of 70s prog, others point out that it doesn't quite live up to its full potential, while the rest stand in the middle leaning closer to any of these two general outlines. I am one of the former, though I admit that there may be some lack of cohesion in some specific passages. But, generally speaking, I consider "UK" a monster album, where majesty and distinction rule the masterful delivery of excellent musical ideas, one after the other. The symphonic prog and jazz trends (Jobson-Wetton and Holdsworth-Bruford, respectively) converge in a solid sonic source that captures the pompous magic of the best early 70s prog, giving it a somewhat modern approach, which is in no small degree due to the featured use of state-of-the-art Yamaha synthesizers by Jobson. Eddie Jobson proves to be UK's core: since his artistic sensibility is not foreign to the influence of jazz-rock, it allows him to become the bridge between the two pairs that conform the band's ensemble. My absolute favourite moment of this album has to be 'Alaska'/'Time to Kill', since it comprises the most essential stuff that this band is made of: effective melodies, energetic interplaying, amazing performing skills... Of course, a special mention has to go for Jobson's excellent violin solo that robustly expands itself throughout the interlude right until the final chorus. The closing track 'Mental Medication' is another gem that, IMHO, should be mentioned and praised more often: taking off from a basic Holdsworth idea, the foursome bring a jazzy mini-suite, pretty much close to the Canterbury territory - Bruford's exquisite crafty drumming is precisely complements by Wetton's bass lines, while Holdsworth delivers his arguably best leads and Jobson does a wonderful job on his keyboard orchestrations and a violin solo. 'Thirty Years' serves as a sort of compromise between these two lines of work: the interaction between Holdsworth and Jobson is notable, not as notable as in the aforementioned 'Mental Medication', but, all in all, truly impressive. There is also much interplaying Holdsworth-Jobson, wonderfully conducted during the interlude jamming of the jazz-fusion oriented 'Nevermore', but in this particular case, the amalgam of the various motifs does not feel as fulfilled as in the other tracks: it's a pity that such a beautiful theme, full of genuine romantic spirit, doesn't comprise a more articulate internal cohesion. Anyway, the initial acoustic guitar flourishes and Bruford's enthusiastic drumming are simply superb - the former introduces the song's overall spirit while the latter sustains the jam and keeps it flowing naturally. And I won't conclude this review without mentioning the monster suite that opens it: 'In the Dead of Night' is pure prototypical UK. I feel that there is a slight lack of completeness in some moments of the sequence of the three sections (in fact, I feel that the suite's multiple construction works better in the live renditions I've heard from the quartet line-up's bootlegs), but apart from that, I can only qualify 'In the Dead of Night' as prog genius. Holdsworth's guitar solo is a classic (his rockiest performance in the entire album); Jobson's sensibility for textures, harmonic bases and spacey adornments on synth and organ, as well as his melancholy violin solo for the 'Light of Day' section; Bruford's spectacular swing and distinctive touch that he adapts to each varying mood; Wetton's solid bass foundation and vocal style - all these elements meet in a combined fruition that produces spectacular results. Although it doesn't achieve a "perfect perfection" (and more than once has Bill Bruford himself admitted that this album's recording process felt like four novelists trying to write one book together), the brilliance of "UK" is evidently there, and so, a 5-star rating is the most appropriate one (4.75 stars, to be more accurate).