Prog Britannia - Album Reviews

TAKE COVER!! There's a storming 8-minute "Blizzard" of pounding percussive, window-rattling Hard Rock on the way. This powerful sonic blast of apocalyptic music thunders along at an incredible pace. It's all thunderbolt and lightning, very very frightening. These guys are on FIRE! You can do the fandango and skip the light fantastic to this thunderous non- stop "Blizzard" of Rock. This is like the 1970's equivalent of Speed Metal before Speed Metal had even been invented. Armageddon are a Revelation. This music is supersonic, soaring like the Concorde up into the stratosphere at twice the speed of sound! Wow!! We need a breather after that thunderous blast from the past, and what better way than with the 8-minute- long "Silver Tightrope". It's an altogether gentler melodic song in an album that's a delicate balancing act between an all-out sonic assault on the eardrums and some pleasant melodic prog. "Silver Tightrope" features a lush melody swaying on a high-wire of gorgeous vocal harmonies and a lovely-sounding chorus of electric guitars, although in reality, it's one guitar with a chorus pedal. It's a truly beautiful song and a complete contrast to the storming opening "Blizzard". This superb album is already heading for the accolade of acclaimed five-star status after the first two sensational songs. We're taking off and going supersonic again for "Paths And Planes And Future Gains", another pile-driving powerhouse of dynamic energy and pounding percussive power. It's a thunderous atomic blast, featuring an awesome four and a half minutes of unrelenting sonic assault and battery. Play it LOUD!!

Side Two opens with the 8-minute-long "Last Stand Before", which turns out to have more of a funky syncopated groove than the two thunderous Stormbringer songs on Side One. It's still a really energetic toe-tapper though with a hypnotic hook-line and a dynamic driving rhythm, so there's no peace for the wicked (or the good). Whether you're on your feet or on your knees, you won't be able to resist tapping your feet to this catchy upbeat tune. And now, it's time for the musical tour de force and ultimate highlight of the album, "Basking in the White of the Midnight Sun", a four-piece suite with a running time of over eleven minutes. This almighty music has all the unstoppable power and dynamic energy of an icebreaker in the land of the midnight sun. This is a soaring supersonic return to the storm and thunder songs of Side One, only this time it's over eleven minutes of unremitting, high-voltage Rock & Roll energy that hits you straight between the eyes like a battering ram, so crank up the volume and stand well back.

Armageddon is not the end of the world as we know it in the final Day of Judgement. No, Armageddon is an atomic blast of high- energy Rock & Roll with enough dynamic power to light up a city! Armageddon have gone nuclear with this stunning one-off album. 

We're setting off at a marching pace with "Soldiers Three", which sounds like a traditional Folky drinking song for listening to whilst downing a pint and scoffing a ploughman's lunch down at the local tavern before we go merrily on our way. Just don't let the ploughman catch you eating his lunch. The next song "Murdoch" is nothing to do with the media mogul and newspaper tycoon. No, this song is all about Murdoch's Mountain (wherever that is), which sounds remarkably similar to the Fairport Convention classic, "Tam Lin", particularly in the descending chord sequence. Lead vocalist Celia Humphris sings in a higher register than Sandy Denny of Fairport though, sounding more like Jacquie McShee of Pentangle on this charming Folk album. Maybe this sound-alike song is part of the reason why some Fotheringport Confusion was caused amongst the jaded British music press, who unfairly labelled Trees as a poor man's Fairport Convention. "On the Shore" is so far turning out to be a jolly good Folk album in its own right. We're heading across the Irish Sea to the Emerald Isle next for "Streets of Derry". It's a traditional Folk song with a slow marching rhythm, but don't let that put you off, because there are some scintillating acid- tinged psychedelic guitar vibes in the instrumental bridge section in this seven-minute Psych-Folk excursion to the streets of Derry (also known as Londonderry). The next song "Sally Free and Easy" is a 10-minute-long cover of the classic Pentangle song and it's a real highlight of the album. The hauntingly-beautiful vocals of Celia Humphris are enough to send a shiver up the spine and bring you out in goosebumps in this ghostly spine-tingling refrain.

The opening to Side Two is all about a "Fool" by the name of Oswald the Smith, whoever he might be. It's a 5-minute-long Psych-Folk acid trip. bathed in glowing psychedelic guitar colours, where Celia's normally high-pitched vocals drop a whole octave. This is where Trees get to display their very unconventional psychedelic Folk feathers and prove they're not just another carbon copy of Fairport Convention. It'd be no fool's errand to go out and buy this album. There's a brief acoustic guitar interlude now for "Adam's Tune" which leads us nicely into "Geordie", a traditional Folk song given the very untraditional Trees treatment of jangling psychedelic guitars combined with Celia's magnificently soaring vocals. There's no happy ending for the "Geordie" of the title though, because it's a dark and sinister tale of a man being hung for a crime he didn't commit, so it's too late to launch an appeal for clemency. It's time to strike "While the Iron is Hot" for our next Trees song, which opens deceptively as a traditional Folky number, but branches out into some wild Psychedelic Rock excursions. It's all Stetsons and cowboy boots next, because it's time now for a traditional country and western sing-along with "Little Sadie", a song which conjures up an image of a lively square-dance at a country hoe-down, so take your partner by the hand, and dance to the music of the band. Yee-hah! There's a return to some more traditional Folk music for our final song: "Polly on the Shore". This is one of the more conventional Folk songs on the album which most resembles the music of Fairport Convention, although being compared with the best English Folk-Rock band of all time can never be a bad thing.

Trees have branched out and explored the colourful psychedelic realms of Acid Folk with this unconventional second album. They're often compared to Fairport Convention, which is no bad thing, but Trees have carved their own particular niche in the vast forest of Folk bands, so you may wish to dip your toes into the rippling musical waves to be heard "On the Shore" before the tide comes in. You won't be disappointed. There's a whole wood-shed full of great songs to be heard on this album.

It appears that Indian Summer are a band of confirmed atheists from the title of our first song "God is the Dog", but don't let that distract you from the great music on offer here, because this is a tremendously powerful opening number. God almighty! The Prog Gods would be graciously appeased with this demonic outburst of keyboard-driven prog. The incredible singer deserves a mention too, with soaring vocals that ascend right up into the heavens and beyond, in the true spirit of David Byron of Uriah Heep. Heavens above! This euphoric stratospheric epic is terrific! We're drifting gently back down to earth now for "Emotions of Men", although don't be fooled by the brief placid intro, because the deceptive calm is about to be shaken and stirred again by another pounding percussive wave of earth-shattering keyboard prog, designed to fire up the "Emotions of Men" with power and passion. These four relentless guys are ploughing on ahead with thunderous power and dogged determination and they're not stopping for anyone or anything, so set the phasers to stun now for "Glimpse", because this is yet another stunning organ blast from the past. This glorious "Glimpse" back in time to 1971 reminds us of just how many great long-lost album treasures are out there just waiting to be re-discovered again in the futuristic age of the Internet. Beam me up Scotty! It's time for a change of pace now for "Half Change Again". It's a two-part song, beginning as a gently-lapping wave of melodic prog, but the clue as to what lays in store is in the song title, because it's all "Half Change Again" for a dynamic explosion of supersonic keyboard wizardry to close out Side One in stunning stupendous style.

Holy Moly! There's no let-up in the incredible pace and vigour of this album, so get ready for a dynamic keyboard burst of "Black Sunshine", another wild and heavy powerhouse performance reaching into the realms of the mighty Crimson Kings. There are definite similarities to be heard here with "21st Century Schizoid Man" from King Crimson's sensational first album. Both songs are instilled with that same raw energy and power. We're off to the movies now for "From The Film Of The Same Name", a stirring Jazz-Rock instrumental, which does indeed sound like it might have featured in an action-packed early 1970's crime caper movie. There's time for some quiet reflection now with "Secret Reflects", a hauntingly atmospheric number with a stately marching rhythm. There's a slow and steady build-up in this majestic processional epic, which explodes into a sparkling crescendo of sound and energy for the spectacular grand finale - a song which also features some marvellously over- the-top Byron-esque vocals. In a classic case of saving the best song till last, the final song "Another Tree Will Grow" is another incredible powerhouse display of stunning virtuosity from four multi-talented musicians at the top of their game, featuring a wild and frenzied guitar and keyboard jamboree, not to mention the unstoppable Duracel drummer who probably needed to lie down in a darkened room after his breathless performance here. This simply sensational album highlight shines like a glowing beacon on a hill.

Bask in the glory of an Indian Summer with this dynamic outburst of Heavy Prog from 1971. There's enough latent energy stored in this brilliant album to light up a small town.

The amusingly-titled, five-piece suite "Concerto for Bedsprings" opens the album, consisting of:- 1. "I Can't Sleep"; 2. "Sack Song"; 3. "Peaceful Sleep"; 4. "You Can Keep The Good Life"; and 5. "Loner". Judging by some of the sub-titles in this 10- minute-long epic, it's dedicated to insomniacs everywhere, although you're unlikely to sleep through this lively Jazz-Rock number. Part 1 "I Can't Sleep" has obvious similarities with the electrically-charged music of Van der Graaf Generator. There's a powerhouse performance from the keyboard player and the vocals are just as erratic and over-the-top as those of Peter Hammill in VDGG. The singer announces at the end of Part 1 "I've got to get some sleep", but there's absolutely no chance of sleeping through the powerful sound of "I Can't Sleep". Part 2 "Sack Song" is a Jazzy cocktail lounge instrumental, sounding somewhat reminiscent of Hatfield & the North in some of their mellower moments, and Part 3 "Peaceful Sleep" is a slightly off-key slice of Canterbury Scene-style Jazz. Part 4 "You Can Keep the Good Life" is a return to an energetic, pounding percussive wave of Van der Graaf Generator-type Jazz-Rock, featuring a scintillating sax solo, and Part 5 "Loner" is a brief return for another bright sunburst of Jazzy cocktail lounge music with a spring in its step to conclude "Concerto for Bedsprings". The whole ten-minute piece is a constantly shifting dynamic, weaving a complex web of stirring Jazz-Rock in dazzling combination with floating mellow waves of the Canterbury Scene sound. All in all, it's a shaken and stirred aperitif of Jazz and Rock combined together into a heady cocktail of great music. Watch out, there's a spider about in the title track coming up next: "I Spider". Let's hope it's just an incy-wincy spider and not a frightening goliath bird-eating spider, or ""Theraposa Blondi" to use the Latin name. No worries, "I Spider" is a slow processional march dominated by the sound of dynamic keyboards and sonorous saxophone. The stately music is soothing and sophisticated, but be prepared because this understated tune has fangs and it creeps up on you unexpectedly (like a spider) and delivers a mighty bite with a crashing crescendo of sound emerging for the grand finale.

Opening Side Two now is "Love You", although this is no gentle sentimental ballad. No, this is a sonic explosion of high-energy Jazz-Rock, so fasten your seat belts and brace for impact. Make no mistake, this is an out-and-out raucous rocker! The bizarrely-titled "Ymphasomniac" is up next. So, what on earth is an "Ymphasomniac" you may well ask. Well, no one knows because it appears to be a uniquely made-up word for the purposes of this album. Don't let the strange song title put you off though, because this is a great song. It's a simply sensational Jazz-Rock jam session, featuring an extended dazzling display of virtuosity, with all of the musicians given the chance to display their magnificent plumage in bright musical colours. It's a real album highlight. You could *almost* believe The Web are a Canterbury Scene band because the final song "Always I Wait" is an 8-minute-long weird but wonderful excursion into the realms of experimental Jazz-Rock. The music sounds slightly discordant at times, but it's ultimately rewarding, like all of the best Canterbury Scene music.

Imagine, if you will, a delicious shaken and stirred cocktail of Van der Graaf Generator in glorious combination with Hatfield & the North and that's the kind of unique album that The Web have woven here. "I Spider" is an album full of constant surprises. Hear it for yourself on the World Wide Web.