I Talk To The Wind: Prog Blog and Reviews

Review 33, Moonmadness, Camel, 1976

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This album was my third Camel album, and like The Snow Goose, it simply failed to captivate me like Mirage did. At first, I was fairly impressed with Andy Ward's more substantial drumming contribution, and the band seemed to have cracked what they wanted to do with the vocals. However, the problems with the album soon seeped through. I didn't, and don't, like either Lunar Sea or Chord Change, the former, especially, being boring as Hell. The keyboards often sound weak to the point of being ineffectual, and Ferguson's bass isn't especially impressive. Additionally, the album as a whole is quite conservative, unlike Mirage, which was consistently interesting and daring, or The Snow Goose, which, while not my cup of tea, was pretty diverse throughout. Pieces from Mirage, especially, developed a little, while those on here remain pretty static.

Aristillus begins the album with a fairly whimsical synth-driven track with Pete Bardens' keyboards everywhere and occasional background muttering. After a minute, slightly more substantial moog-work is brought in to bring the song to a conclusion. Generally meh.

Song Within A Song is the first of the softer, vocal-inclusive offerings of the album, with a combination of rather ineffectual Bardens keyboards and Latimer flute introducing us to the song. The highlight to this opening is an interesting percussion contribution (providing some mysterious textures) from Ward with an accompanying Ferguson bass-part. Once the vocals come in, the song improves substantially, seeming more directed, with a soft, relaxing mesh of voices and the flutes and synths feeling much better placed. A good groove with a neat keyboard riff and some Latimer-Ward created textures in the background lead us on for another minute. A slightly funky (for want of a more sonically pleasing word) section doesn't really do much for me, with its synths again feeling meaningless and light, but the conclusion with clashing percussion from Ward and renewed synth or guitar (can't tell which) is much more satisfactory.

Chord Change is the first of the two mainly uptempo and rather dubious pieces on the album. We get rather weak set of guitar parts from Latimer, monotonous bass and drums and occasional irritating 'dah-dah dahdahdah-dahdah dah-dah-dadah' vocals. A brief break with a soft guitar solo accompanied by a capable rhythm section, glockenspiel and swelling background organ included. A gradual build-up with some rather strained organ-work leads up a return to blandness. This piece is rather characterised by a fairly cheerful, conservative nature, and I wish that Latimer had perhaps rocked out a little more.

Bardens' Spirit Of The Water (originally a piano solo) is dominated by piano, a watery, distant vocal and a couple of flute additions over the top of the piano. The night-time, watery feel is handled perfectly. I'm not sure whether I prefer this version or the demo solo.

Another Night is definitely the most rocking of the songs here, with a comfortable chord-based Latimer, some delightful block organ from Bardens and some sophisticated and interesting drumming from Ward. The vocals work smoothly in conjunction with the music. An interesting combination of the organ and guitar soloists and the rather blunt bass-led rhythm section gives a springboard from which the guitar-part and hollow drums can burst in again. Two enjoyable solos from Bardens and Latimer respectively lead us on to an unfortunately awkward fade. Still, I like this one.

Air Born begins with a rather pastoral flute solo (and some piano beneath it), and then takes off with a relaxed groove, very nice mellotron and some excellent guitar-playing from Latimer. A tolerable (I'm not really sure if a stronger one would have helped or damaged the song) vocal brings us through the song. Flute and acoustic weave together a light atmosphere for us, but a wallowing moog and slightly tacky sound effects could probably have been left out. Latimer's gentle vocal brings us on to the conclusion with grandiose drumming and mellotron complimenting the acoustics. Another good piece, but not approaching the masterly levels on Mirage.

A deep, shimmering set of keyboards (though overly repeated, in my opinion) gives rise to the groove of Lunar Sea, which is the second of the conservative pieces on the album. Latimer throws in an extensive guitar solo, but listening to it feels like a chore rather than a delight, and a repetitive rhythm section (especially Ferguson) does nothing to help. Bardens takes the next solo, which has its moment, though I find it difficult to get the irritating bass part out of my head and just enjoy it. Following that, Latimer and Bardens gradually become more cooperative in their soloing, with a completely bland and damaging-to-the-song groove from Ferguson, who provides the songs highest moments by not playing. Another solo from Latimer, while Bardens joins the rhythm section, leaves me rather cold, but again, I think it's the background and not the solo that's the problem. A yawn-worthy combination of the guitar, the opening keyboards and some windy effect leads us out. In short, a terribly bland piece of music.

Onto the bonus material:

The single version of Another Night is a welcome addition, as it has all the great parts and none of the un-helpful ones from the original piece. The piano solo version of Spirit Of The Water is nice, perhaps preferable to the one finally included. A live version of Song Within A Song has a better sounding opening, and is overall a rather more satisfactory and fleshed-out piece. Good inclusion. A ten minute live version of Lunar Sea has a slightly less prominent and annoying bass part and more emotional soloing (especially from Latimer), but is essentially the same song at heart. So, not masterly, but much better than the studio one. Finally, this segues into a live rendition of Preparation and Dunkirk from The Snow Goose, with a very successfully conveyed atmosphere and feel in Preparation giving way nicely to the great guitar soloing and martial drumming of Dunkirk. This inclusion provides a very nice end to the 'full' remaster, which is something I have to compliment the Camel re-release range for: despite including bonus material, the album always ends very neatly.

All in all, I'm not that big a fan of the album proper, with a couple of enjoyable highlights. I'd give the remaster complete with bonus material three stars, but the original album's material only two. Two stars it is. The remaster is a generally good album, which I enjoy listening to. Fans of Camel obviously like the sections from the original studio album, but I really don't, and think that someone who hasn't shown much interest in other albums by them could pass it over without really missing anything. Sorry for the stupid overuse of remaster meaning 'album with bonus material', but my brain is scrambled today.

Rating: Two Stars (Three for the remaster with bonus material)
Favourite Track: Another Night (or the live version of Song Within A Song)

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Well, there's another attack on a popular album. Will Moving Pictures complete the set? (insert tense music here)

@general: Many classics, indeed, and hopefully as great as I'm expecting.

Review 36, Discipline, King Crimson, 1981

I began with this album fairly early in my King Crimson collection, and, while it'd be wrong to say that I didn't like it at first, I wouldn't have called it a masterpiece. I simply didn't get the emotional appeal or interest or complexity of many of the songs. Fortunately, I revisited after a while on the progressive road, with a much better musical ear for what exactly was going on, and on that listen it blew me away. Emotion and visuals oozed from the detailed music, and I got a real sense of interest, particularly from the rhythm section. First impressions can be deceptive: a Crimson masterpiece of the highest calibre.

Elephant Talk kicks off the album very much as it will continue, with some dazzling guitar interplay from Fripp and Belew, a deceptively simple-sounding drum part from Bruford, who manages to contribute a unique feel effortlessly, and Levin's array of bass sounds. A number of grinding guitar solos (presumably from Fripp) and a brilliant elephant impression from Belew complete the sound side of the song. Lyrically (supplemented by Belew's excellent, shouting and rather confused-sounding vocal) the song is incredibly funny ('yes, it's words with a d this time') and quite appropriate. Begin

Frame By Frame, with a driving guitar duet from Fripp and Belew (as well as some top notch strectching bass from Levin) gives Bruford a little more space to play around very adeptly with his percussion, showing a very impressive control of the time and space of the song, as well as using some faster and slightly louder drums. The gorgeous vocals and rather grim, yet interesting lyrics expand perfectly. A minimalistic end again features. I can't explain quite why, but listening to this is an incredibly emotional experience for me.

Matte Kudasai is the album's not-quite-ballad, spotlighting Belew's vocals, with Fripp providing a shimmering array of guitar laments, from near-crooning to careful s. Tony Levin's bass carefully gives a rhythm to the piece, while Bill Bruford's tapped percussion is really quite an interesting change from the classic 'it's a ballad, the drummer starts playing near the end' approach.

Indiscipline is the album's loud cut, with a stabbing bass and clattering drum opening leading onto another great combination of the guitars, with a very powerful solo from Fripp featuring prominently. A maddened Belew takes the vocals again with utter success, managing to convey the lyrical insanity brilliantly. A break exhibits the band's ability to slow down or give the illusion of slowing down without breaking their energy at all. Bill Bruford continues to hammer out powerful percussion parts, at times very heavy indeed, and Fripp similarly handles his wailing soloing. Again brilliant.

Thela Hun Ginjeet (anagram) gives an interesting combination of ideas, going much more psychedelic and post-punk than the previous cuts. Tony Levin is given the opportunity to stand out with a catchy bass part with cleverly timed breaks to emphasise the others, and Bruford again shows a variety of percussion times. Fripp/Belew provide a lightning fast rhythm guitar as well as grounding wails, psychedelic screeches and nervous twitches. Over all this general madness, a tape of Belew accounting a worrying encounter with crime, and occasional chorus vocals burst in.

The Sheltering Sky is a very relaxed instrumental with some energetic effects, both from a sax-like guitar and a gorgeous mellotron-like sound (am I dreaming?), while Bruford, Levin and another guitar provide a swirling background with hollow percussion. A full, and lush soundscape, with every note contributing to a gorgeous atmosphere. Some great guitar solos on here, and a perfect end with Bruford just dropping off.

Discipline is more up-tempo, with a greater level of cooperation between the band, who seem to merge together into one dense unit with everyone changing ideas at once. Tony Levin gives us more inspired bass-work, providing a rather fluid texture, while Bruford again manages to add and subtract without me even noticing half of the time. Fripp's guitar stays entirely with the piece and yet contributes to some swelling breaks. Everyone manages to add in and stand out evenly. A perfectly level track, and a great conclusion.

The alternate version of Matte Kudasai provides an equally satisfying end, with a rather expansive guitar parts, somewhat more conventional in nature, and a healthy, relaxed feel. Retains the original's feel and expands upon it without simply being a repeat. No harm done. Good bonus material.

In short, an incredible album, and not one to give up on if at first it doesn't catch you. I'm not quite sure why I like it so much, and why parts of it are quite so emotive for me or interesting to me (I'm not a musician, so theoretically I shouldn't really care about most of the effects used, but... I do). Essential listening, though any introduction to Crimson should be done with multiple eras of the band.

Review 37, Permanent Waves, Rush, 1980

Permanent Waves is naturally paired with its successor, Moving Pictures. In my opinion, Permanent Waves is a much, much better album, with more genuine and moving atmospheres, the boring moments focused on a couple of shorter tracks rather than creating a sort of inverse magnum opus in The Camera Eye. The high points of the album definitely merit the cost, but there are weaknesses. I enjoy this one.

Noone can accuse Rush of not having a knack for openers, and The Spirit of Radio is proof of this, with great rocking guitar parts, a non-screechy, yet enjoyable and singalongable vocal from Lee (combined with a humming and very liberated bass part), Peart throws in great normal drumming, as well as shining with glockenspiel (or something similar) and tympani in the more progressive sections. Some solid enjoyable lyrics sail behind the music, including a nicely-used reference to Simon And Garfunkel's The Sound Of Silence. The combination of rather progressive sections and harder rock is handled sublimely, and we get a lively and energetic solo from Lifeson.

Freewill's opening comparatively lumbers a bit, with overdone synths and a rather awkward ambling guitar part (coupled with boring, bombastic drums). It doesn't help that the lyrics are, while original in idea and form of expression, very forced at times ('they weren't born in lotus-land'). The choruses pick up a lot musically, but Geddy's voice just doesn't quite make the impact that it sometimes does. A rather mechanically inserted instrumental break features some rather odd bass playing from Geddy, a many-many notes per second solo from Lifeson, that was a bit acquired for me, but I now enjoy it. The conclusion is really no better than the original part, and the song overall a rather bland experience.

Jacob's Ladder is a surprising gem, with a very dark, powerful atmosphere that Rush rarely attempt to build. The Lee-Peart rhythm section outdo themselves, through a rather vicious, military and driving feel. Lifeson shifts adeptly between a dark rhythm guitar and some stunning solos. Geddy Lee handles the vocals with tension and emotion, and his synths are a lighter counterpart to the powerful guitar, rather than ineffectual. In the build-up to a massive crashing section, we get a great decisiveness and a feeling of spontaneity that Rush often seems to lack. Everyone on top form, and the atmosphere is very moving.

Entre Nous is rather a let-down after this, because the vocal is simply annoying and upbeat, failing to provide a real feel (the lyrical idea is good enough, though the wording doesn't satisfy me). The guitars are top notch, using acoustics and electrics well. Peart is responsible, with a rolling style more reminiscent of his earlier stuff on 2112 or Caress Of Steel, for most of the impact of the chorus, but his work on the verses simply holds no real interest for me, getting annoying if I listen too hard. A synth solo actually works better than I'd have expected, and it does give an opportunity to a brief, but no less likable, bass solo from Lee. Not absolutely terrible, but it leaves a lot to be desired.

The gentle song of the album, Different Strings, is a very good piece, with a combination of acoustic guitar and a wonderful piano that weaves into it, an effectively uplifting bass (a rarity) part, and some decent Peart additions on drums from the second verse onwards. Alex Lifeson provides one of the slow emotional background solos we've earlier seen on Into The Darkness, as well as a rather more bulky one at the song's end. Certainly not a weakness.

The long concluding piece, the tri-partite Natural Science, doesn't disappoint, beginning with a slow, gradually appearing-and-disappearing acoustic, some watery effects, some completely odd effects and a watery vocal with the right sort of distant feel for the song. The rocking chorus 'Time after time in a spiral away...' flows right into the next section, concluding Tidal Pools.

The fast beat of Hyperspace, with its speed, mechanical, distorted vocal, a set of interesting drums from Peart and a use of a moog synthesiser as well as Lee's usual array of stuff. A mocking derision of the technological side of society gives way to a moving solo from Lifeson (rather reminiscent of Shine On You Crazy Diamond, only faster) and then a return to the chorus.

Permanent Waves gives us the album's most grandiose moment, with a positive, determined vocal, some of the classic bombastic drumming-guitar ideas that pervade Rush's discography (only, they work!). A whirling guitar solo from Lifeson appears over a static bass drum line. The gradual drive-up to the chorus's alter-ego is perfectly handled, twisting with a concision and constant mobility. The instruments are relaxed in favour of a water effect fade, which works perfectly in context. An exceptional piece of work, with constantly good playing from everyone, an atmosphere of its own and it manages to hold interest throughout. Definitely a much-loved Rush piece, for me.

In conclusion, there are two weak tracks that I don't like on this album. On the other hand, there are four gems that should be in the collection of any (progressive) music lover. Essential, but not a masterpiece. The feel of the album isn't quite rounded due to the aberrations that are Entre Nous and Free Will, but that shouldn't discourage anyone from getting it.

Rating: Four Stars

Favourite Track: Natural Science

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Sorry about the poor introduction and conclusion, but I was getting tired by then.

On the plus side:

and

Arrived today. First impressions were very good. David Cross's one was good 3/4 star material, I think, with a lot of great musicianship and ideas, but sometimes not quite following through on them. Three Friends was a wonderful surprise, with a 4/5 star feel, and likability maintained throughout.