NOVA SOLIS

This was Morgan's debut album, released in 1972. Along with Morgan Fisher (keys) were Tim Staffell (acoustic guitar/vocals, always to be remembered as the singer in Smile which was the pre-Queen outfit), bassist Bob Sapsed and drummer Maurice Bacon. Listening to this album now, for the first time on CD, it is interesting to hear just how similar this is in many ways to ELP. Morgan shows himself to be a fine keyboard player who loved to use his moog and mellotron whenever possible. While there are very complex pieces here (the closing title cut is over twenty minutes long), there is even a Greg Lake?style acoustic number "Alone", which Tim apparently performed at his audition with the band and got himself the gig. Although parts of it do sound quite dated, it is an album that I think any lover of classic ELP will also enjoy. It is different enough not to be called copyist, while at the same time still maintaining certain similarities. Anybody approaching this album for the first time will be pleasantly surprised. Although there are no bonus cuts, there is plenty of extra information and photographs, as one would expect from an Angel Air release.

Originally appeared in Feedback #60