REFUGEE

Although it would be both incorrect and unfair to write Refugee's sole studio album off as simply being Patrick Moraz' audition tape for his short-lived spot in Yes, I do wonder whether it would have received what attention it has received if it didn't include both an early appearance of Moraz before the work he's most known to prog fans for on the one hand, and a latter-day appearance by Lee Jackson and Brian Davison of The Nice.

Of course, it would also be incorrect to regard Refugee as a continuation of The Nice by other means; despite retaining the power trio format, Moraz showboats less as a keyboardist and has mildly different classical influences. At the same time, the album is a competent and enjoyable collection of prog compositions which fail to really offer anything in the way of a unique selling point. It feels to me as though the band put the album out a shade too early - that if they had a bit more time to both refine their compositions and to actually hit on a distinctive personality and sound for the band rather than sounding as flat and generic as they do here, they might have been on to something.

As it stands, it's nice, but I can see why Charisma passed up the chance to sign them on for a second album and I can also see why Moraz left for Yes, because there were some genuinely interesting and innovative stuff happening in the Yes camp at the time whilst this album sounds like a mild throwback to previous phases of the prog revolution. Quite simply, Davison and Jackson had fallen behind the rest of the prog pack, and Moraz' talents only really had an opportunity to shine when Jon Anderson and crew gave him a chance to join them at the cutting edge.