THE WINDOW OF LIFE

In 1993 PENDRAGON performs back in France and for the first time in Portugal (Lisboa), and in November they released "The Window Of Life". The second album from what I calls the "new" PENDRAGON. I think that PENDRAGON took a big step forward with their previous album "The World". The music changed to the better just like their artwork, and their albums became a perfect unit. I have to admit that initially I wasn't a big PENDRAGON fan, but I listened a lot to them and I found that they became better and better between every listening. Now I'm a big "fan" and I can listen to their entire back catalogue and enjoy them, although I think that they became really interesting with "The World" in 1991. This album is not as good as "The World" but almost, as "The World" had slightly better songs. Here they're continuing on their high quality neo-prog in the same vein as MARILLION, GENESIS and PINK FLOYD with nice keyboards and guitar. The best tracks are "The Walls of Babylon", "The Last Man on Earth" and "Am I Really Losing You". This is not their best album, but a must have for every Pendragon fan.

This was the first Pendragon cd I bought. And, from the gorgeous Nolan/Barratt, keyboard/guitar intro to 'Walls Of Babylon', to the lovely starry guitar ending to 'Am I Really Losing You?', the album doesn't let up for one minute in quality. As I have stated, 'Walls Of Babylon' is a masterpiece. A long, beautiful intro, in the best Genesis vein, suddenly explodes into an epic, up tempo song, filled with musical passages and time signatures that change at the drop of a hat, but never allow the song to fragment. A wonderful opener. Listen to it lying down in the dark, or through headphones. For some reason, this song matches the cover of the album perfectly. The next track, 'Ghosts' is another beauty, again reminding me somewhat of Anthony Phillips, around his 'Wise After The Event' period. Very nice! Then comes this album's answer to 'The Voyager', off the last album. 'Breaking The Spell' starts off slowly, and makes one hold one's breath, wondering when the tide will break! And when it does...in comes a magical rhythm from Fudge and Peter, overlaid with superb and delicate guitar from Nick, the entire lot washed in the backdrop of Clive's subtle keyboards. An excellent guitar solo dominates this part of the song, before it ends with a fitting climax. Another classic! Next up is the epic 'The Last Man On Earth' another excellent, long, and intricate track, mixing subtlety and passion. I will say no more, listen to it and decide yourself! Nostradamus is the next song, beginning with lovely guitar work again, then turning into another up temp number. Maybe a little repetitive, but still very good. Finally comes 'Am I Really Losing You?' which rounds off the album nicely, a slow, romantic song, with that lovely guitar ending the album. Enough from me, get out there and buy it!

After the strength of their comeback album in The World after a lackluster performance on Kowtow (they actually considered changing their name to Kowtow), they returned to the studio and in 1993 released The Window of Life. Now the group still hadn't reached the cult status they achieved until 1996 when they released The Masquerade Overture, but this album acts as an... excuse the bad pun... an overture to The Masquerade Overture. The keyboards are lush and diverse, the guitars are soaring, searing, and emotional, the drums and bass are precise and dynamic. This album has it all, but it is only marred by a few miniscule things.

The 6 songs of the album all show (sometimes in a subtle manner, sometimes more outright) the influence of certain bands over Pendragon's main sound, but no song really shows that influence more than The Walls of Babylon. The introduction to this song sounds like a modern version of Shine On You Crazy Diamond, with an extensive guitar solo with varying organ chords underneath it. After about 5 minutes of soloing, though, the song really gets cooking. A strong hooking chorus and some great riffing from Barrett keep the listener in for the full 10 minutes of it. Ghosts has some great piano and keyboard work from Clive Nolan, who always seems to keep himself busy with some kind of subtle work with every project he works with. Some emotional acoustic guitar work from Barrett and some solid work from Gee and Smith round out this track. The dynamic synthesizer work towards the end works well with the wah-washed guitar of Barrett and the mellotron-esque choirs. Not the strongest track on the album, but not a bad track at all.

Breaking the Spell begins with some simple yet effective keyboard from Nolan and some swelling leads from Barrett during the first vocal section. Searing and emotional leads from Barrett are highlights of this track. The Last Man on Earth is as fellow reviewer stonebeard said, "I'll emphasize: "The Last Man on Earth" is Pendragon's "Supper's Ready". A sprawling 15 minute epic that begins quietly with a nice piano motif from Nolan and emotional vocals from Barrett. One can hear the despair and sadness in Barrett's voice as he recites the moody lyrics that are filled with melancholy. A great riff and instrumental breakdown occurs from the 8:30 mark and really takes the listener on a ride of well timed guitar chords and nice double bass from Smith, as well as some well placed harmonica (courtesy of Simon Forster). Expect very dynamic and Tony Banks-esque keyboards from Nolan, Gilmour-esque guitar from Barrett, and some solid and precision rhythm work from Gee and SmithThe showpiece of the album and one of my personal favorite Pendragon's songs.

Nostradamus (Stargazing) is a bit of a throwaway number, and one of the weaker tracks on the album. About 2:30 of guitar noodling before anything really happens, this track seems more like filler than anything else. Am I Really Losing You? has single potential written all over it. Interesting synthesizers gently add layer upon layer of soft textures underneath Barrett's gentle vocals. Again, Barrett's sadness can be heard in the vocals, which while not the best, are better than any average vocalist. A triumphant yet emotional solo rounds out this song that brings this album to a wonderful close.

In the end, Pendragon's The Window of Life is an interesting look into the group before they hit their break (at least in the neo prog scene) with the Masquerade Overture. I really enjoy this album a lot, there's a lot of variety in the songs and there's a lot of creativity in every second of every song. The thing is, though, that this album simply isn't as good as The Masquerade Overture. They are very close to each other in quality in my opinion, though. 4/5.

Window Of Life sounds very much as a logical follow up to the acclaimed The World, and justifiely so. Te production is better, the artwork is more intricated and the songs are more a unit them just a bunch of different ideas thrown together. Wheter if their quality is better than the previous one is debatable. For me both CDs are fantastic and clearly showed how much Pendragon in general and Barrett in particular have evolved.

I really don´t understand some reviews who seem to be written by people who listens to this band just to critisize it and give a bad impression. Take Gates Of Babylon for exemple. Yes, the beginning is quite similar to Floyd´s Shine On Crazy Diamond, but it is not a rip off. To me is just an influence and a good one. Show me someone totaly original and I´ll give up hearing music. But I can understand those guys. When I first heard Marillion they just seemed a Genesis copy. And this applies to Pendragon which, at first, I thought that sounded too much like Marillion! Fortunaltly, I was able to see through those misleading prejudices and found the great band they werer very quickly. Or do you think they´d have all this fame and prestige being just a copycat?

Back on the Windows Of Life: wonderful lush guitar and keyboards interplay, a very tigh and precise rhythm section (Fudge Smith really shines on this CD) and some great tunes that are in Pendragons repertoir to this day. Highlights? Hard to tell, the whole disc is a gem, but let´s point out two of the most beautiful and inspired melodies this band has ever produced: The Spell and Last Man On Earth. Both show how much Pendragon has matured over the years without losing any of their passion and freshness. A classic album that paved the way to one ofthe top progressive bands of all time. Highly recommended!

Their last album "The World" was a brilliant effort, and after a short break in terms of Pendragon (two years), they couldn't deceive their fans. And they won't.

From the very first notes of the opening number, we know that the direction they have taken in "The World" will be investigated again. We are heading towards another great album, apparently. The very long and beautiful instrumental introduction is one of the moment during which I am really thankful to the giant bands we all praised to have inspired some of their followers. This part is spacey, emotional. In one word : superb. The vocals (which won't be too many here) are a bit naive and not really on par with the beauty of the music, but it is a very impressive start.

Did I mention that the intro is reminiscent of a Floyd song and then evolves into a well known Genesis riff ? Ouuuups, I forgot this ! Well actually, I do not really care. When I listen to this type of music, it just remind me my youth (yes, I am bloody old), and I am not too much of a purist. Just a music lover. And I will be satisfied all the way through with this album. From the cover artwork to the last track.

The format of the songs (each being a long piece of music, except the closing number) tend to please me. Their poppish and boring "Kowtow" is definitely forgotten.

"Ghosts" is very much "Cinema Show" oriented at times. The song has many different tempos and lacks a bit in unity. But at least, one can not say that it is boring. Just a bit less achieved than most of the other songs. It does not have the splendor of the opener but it is much more than a filler.

"Breaking The Spell" is another beautiful moment. Very much symphonic. It is amazing to notice the different role played by Clive in Pendragon compared with the one he will have later with Arena. He has a much discreet role here, playing most of the time great backing keyboards, but scarcely having a prominent role (except during some songs, but really not a lot).

With Arena, it will be another story. Being at times even too much dominant like in their album "Immortal". The leading role in Pendragon, Nick holds it. Like he holds and plays the guitar somptuously. Just have a listen to his guitar solo in "The Spell". Great job, my friend. One of the best song of this album (but there will be more).

"The Last Man on Heart" is one of the longest Pendragon track ever. I know that there are a lot of people out there that can't stand this band and his lead singer. In my case, his guitar play and tone of voice are deeply touching me. And this from the very first time I listened to Pendragon. And the same feeling applies when playing live as well. He is funny, relaxed, and very human. Thanks, Mr. Barrett (Nick).

This song holds any aspect of the music I love in Pendragon. it even refers to ELP during one of the rockiest moment of the song, while Nick mentions "welcome to the show that never ends". But it is just a wink.

We will really get the most symphonic and emotional side of the band here. It is definitely the inspirator of their later "Paintbox" from "the Masquerade". They will justify as well their entry in the neo-prog genre during more nervous passages.

It really forms the core of this album together with "The Spell". These two numbers only, make this album a must own for prog lovers.

The least interesting song from this work is "Nostrodamus". It starts with a long and spacey instrumental introduction; but it does not reach the same level than "The Walls Of Babylon". The second part is dynamic and poppish. It sounds a bit flat when compared with some other numbers. But after all, it is not a bad song. Nice to hear when you drive or as background music. Not something to concentrate on and depict it as I am doing here !

The closing number is the shortest of the original album. Nick's vocals are very sad (but I must admit that he hardly sounds funny on a studio album), while Clive's keys are superbly filling the background. Truely poignant. The final guitar break is extremely melodic. A pure jewel of symphonic prog music. I just love it very much.

The remastered editon features four bonus tracks that can be found on their EP "Fallen Dreams And Angels". It is a worthy addition and it sells for cheap, so ...

Just be aware that there is nothing really new in their music. Yes, Pendragon sounds at times like some great bands we all know and respect, but if this feature does not hurt you too much, this album is very much recommended. Still, I preferred the consistency of "The World" and therefore rate this album with four stars.

This album has lots of good, moderately progressive music on it. If I base my rating only on the music, I think this probably warrants four stars. If I directly compare it to Yes and Genesis, then it gets three. Great keyboard arrangements, nice guitar (as always from Pendragon), and for the most part well-written songs describe The Window of Life. This is still a ways away from their best, The Masquerade Overture, but here they show definite progress from earlier work: more concise songwriting and more restrained vocals.

The Walls of Babylon. Yes, there are Genesis, Floyd, and Yes influences here, but I really don't mind that. What lowers my appreciation for the song is that it's just not as good as its influences. Great guitar and synths, but the lyrics and vocals knock this one down a peg. Still, an effective opener.

The Last Man on Earth. Pendragon's magnum opus, this is an excellent epic--just know that it takes multiple listens to appreciate this gem and not get hung up on minutae (the average vocals, for example). This is also a slow-builder--it's about halfway through the 14 minute run-time that it properly gets going, but when it does, you're in for a great ride. Special note goes to Fudge on drums for really moving this along nicely.

Everything else... There are no bad songs (or even parts of songs) on this album; however, these songs really fail to distinguish themselves as the two extended pieces do. Ghosts alternates nicely between mellow and rocking bits, Breaking the Spell contains a super-extended guitar solo (quite derivative of other guitarists), Nostradamus has a catchy chorus (though you really have to wait for it), and Am I Really Losing You? ends the album with a nice guitar run (though again very derivative).

If you haven't been exposed to Pendragon before, you should probably avoid them if you are sensitive about borrowing from other works and/or you have no tolerance for music that is often slow (and even boring). I like what Pendragon has done here, though there should be no illusion about their obvious flaws.

So I decided to do the reviewing of three essential Pendragon albums in a very short time because these three are related in my opinion. And not just in mine, many people believe that the three albums after The World were more or less like The World. I must say I can only partly agree with this. Where the general style is concerned this statement might be correct but to call this album The World part II and Masquerade Overture The World part III, added with: nothing new under the sun is really rediculous to me. I believe all three albums are different enough and I even detect a sort of development in the three albums and then I mean a development in the right direction, Pendragon getting better and better in the end culminating in Not of this World, their magnum opus to me.

But enough about the general story, time to review this album. This album has two different faces to me. There are the longer tracks that are absolutely wonderful to me and the shorter that are hardly more than average imho. The album starts with Walls of Babylon, a track that has a very heavy keyboardpassage that works really nice to me. The rest of the song is a bit slow but not really annoying in that sense. Next is Ghosts, a track I count in with the shorter tracks, it doesn't do much for me, it's more of an interlude to the next great track, my favourite of the album actually: Breaking the spell. This track shows Nick Barrett at his very very best. What an amazing guitar player this man is. I have seen him playing this song live recently: it's absolutely shivers down the spine. Neo prog at its best ! After this the only real epic of the album: Last man on earth. This my second favourite and also an absolutely fantastic effort by this band. Brillant composition with some tempo changes that make it even more interesting. The last two are less interesting to me though I have to say: Stargazing is a very popular live track (to the rest of the audience).

So it's one of those 50-50 albums but unless my final outcome with The World I am a lot more positiv about this one. If an album contains 3 great tracks I think it's fair to say it deserves at least 4 stars. (4,25)

The 80's years were really frustrating for Pendragon.The band suffered from line-up changes and struggled to find a specific style of playing,but with the excellent ''The world'' things seemed to be back on track.Now the band's leader Nick Barrett had a stable core to base his ideas on and in 1993 ''The window of life'' sees the light on Pendragon's own label Toff Records.The album has been re-issued by Toff in 2006,including the upcoming 1994 EP ''Fallen Dreams And Angels''.

While ''The world'' was the first step into a succesful career,''The Window of Life'' established Pendragon as one of the most talented and unique bands of the neo progressive style with a very personal sound.Six mainly long compositions of heaven-sent atmospheric progressive rock guarantee a fantastic listening.Barrett's guitar style draws influences by the best moments of PINK FLOYD and is very sensitive and emotional,while his vocals are more than bearable,beginning to be a major part of the band's music.To criticise Clive Nolan's keyboard work is quite sinful.His performance is a pleasant experience,from ethereal background keys to classical-inspired light piano passages,every note coming out of his keyboards is magnificent.The arrangements of the album are well-crafted,inspiring and fully complete,featuring heart-felt solos,atmospheric parts,expressive vocals and changing moods.Of course to be totally honest,there are definite MARILLION and GENESIS influences throughout the listening,but the overall style is very very personal.

I really don't know how many times I've listened to the previous and the presented Pendragon albums,but I think the ''The window of life'' is slightly more complete and progressive,featuring longer compositions and being more adventurous as a result.Highly recommended espevially to fans of neo/symphonic rock and anyone seeking for lovely melodies in an easy-listening mood.

PENDRAGON are one of my favourite Neo-Prog bands, and this album is one of their better ones. It seems like such a long time since i've listened to this band, so when I put this on last week it was like an emotional meeting with my old friends Nick Barrett, Clive Nolan, Peter Gee and Fudge Smith.

"The Walls Of Babylon" opens with powerful organ runs then Gilmour-like guitar joins in. This is very PINK FLOYD-like with those guitar melodies and the organ floating in the background. It isn't until after 4 minutes that we get a change as drums and vocals come in and the tempo picks up. A full sound before 5 minutes is the result. It settles a minute later and it sounds fantastic ! Blistering guitar 8 1/2 minutes in. "Ghosts" opens with piano and synths before it kicks into gear with vocals. I can't help but think of GENESIS 2 1/2 minutes in. A calm with piano and vocals before 4 minutes. The tempo picks up again after 6 minutes. This is the most GENESIS-like track on here. "Breaking The Spell" is mellow to start with as vocals, synths and guitar lead the way. The guitar 2 1/2 minutes in reminds me of Latimer. The soaring guitar after 4 1/2 minutes is great. A nice rhythm follows. Barrett starts to light it up after 7 minutes. Nice. Vocals are back with passion before 8 1/2 minutes to end it.

"The Last Man On Earth" is my favourite track on here. It's almost 15 minutes long and has some powerfully emotional sections. Keys and synths to open as Barrett starts to sing so beautifully. The lyrics and vocals are so moving. Gulp. The chorus is both touching and so uplifting. Guitar then comes ripping in at 2 1/2 minutes as the melody changes. Lots of atmosphere after 5 minutes. Fragile vocals 6 1/2 minutes in and the backup vocals recall FLOYD. It kicks back in after 8 minutes. Fudge shines during this section. Back to the chorus after 12 1/2 minutes. Amazing ! "Nostrodamas(Stargazing)" opens with guitar and synths that create emotion and wonder for almost 2 1/2 minutes. Then vocals and a new soundscape take over. Waves of synths 6 minutes in to end it. "Am I Really Losing You ?" again is filled with so much emotion as keys and synths float in the background of Nick's reserved vocals. The lyrics suggest he's losing his faith in God. Passionate guitar after 2 1/2 minutes as drums join in. This continues to the end.

A solid 4 star album and a must for those seeking out melodic and passionate music.

Echoes of the past and a vision of the future

Released in late 1993/early 1994, Pendragon's fourth full album "The window of life" sees the band consolidating and refining their neo-prog sound which will remain with them on subsequent albums.

The opening "The walls of Babylon" sets out very much in the vain of Pink Floyd's "Echoes" before the rhythm of Genesis "Watcher of the skies" takes over and Nick Barrett delivers the first vocals. Pendragon have never made any great attempt to disguise their influences and the Gilmour like lead guitar and Banks like keyboards here are as familiar as they are enjoyable. Interestingly, we also get a bit of Supertramp ("Hide in your shell") in the vocal melody as the 10+ minute track takes us through a delightful segue of rhythms and moods.

The 8 minute "Ghosts" which follows is introduced by an unaccompanied piano recital by Clive Nolan, the track later including what sounds like a "Dance on a volcano" (Genesis) reference. The song is lyrically intense, Barrett getting into full flow as the song builds climactically. "Breaking the spell", which runs to over 9 minutes (yes prog this album most definitely is!), sets out as a reflective, slightly downbeat song before Barrett's Floydesque guitar leads the development of a more symphonic sound. Structurally, the song is along the lines of the later "The shadow", and just as enjoyable.

The longest track on the album is the 14½ minute "The last man on earth", a two part suite which includes the album's title lyric. Once again, the symphonic structure of the piece is complex yet remarkably easy to listen to. Here there is a Moody Blues like melody in the "I'm never gonna lose your precious heart (love)" vocal line, which reflects a similar line in "Watching and waiting".

The album closes with two relatively shorter songs. "Nostradamus (stargazing)" has the now familiar Gilmour like lead guitar intro backed by orchestral keyboards leading to an upbeat, melodic anthem. "Am I really losing you" is a delicate (keyboards) orchestrated ballad offering a peaceful end to the album. The guitar work here is more along the lines of the weeping guitar of George Harrison, the simple refrain being as effective as it is straightforward.

In all, a magnificent collection of beautifully crafted songs which sit together perfectly. The richness of the sound and unagressive nature of the arrangements results in an album which is easy to listen to, yet which demands repeated listening. Recommended.

Window of the world

After two weak albums, Pendragon had finally found their musical direction with the previous The World. And why change a winning formula? The Window Of Life follows closely in the sonic footsteps of The World (and the basic formula, with minor changes, would be used again on The Masquerade Overture and Not Of This World. Even the sleeve pictures of these four consecutive albums are very similar in style). You could probably take a song from Window Of Life and put it on The World or wise versa and it would be hard to detect. That's how similar these two albums are.

The sound of Pendragon has as its essential components the distinctive vocals of Nick Barrett and his slow, sustained David Gilmour-like guitar sound as well as the ever pleasant and lush keyboard washes of the great Clive Nolan. Also quite characteristic is Barrett's particular song writing and the very high production values. As I said in my review of The World, in order to see what makes this music progressive you have to look both at the "micro" and the "macro" level. That is, both in the small details and in the larger structures. In between the finer details and the bigger picture there is really not much "progression" going on.

As I also remarked in my review of the previous album, I have always found the music of Pendragon to be too lightweight and light-hearted for my taste, somehow lacking in depth and substance and especially it lacks a much needed edge. It somehow is too tame, almost as if it is "children's Prog"! The cover art picture could just have well been the cover for a children's fantasy novel which doesn't help either (BTW, isn't it Harry Potter in the lower right corner?). However, there is no denying the talents of the musicians involved and the appeal of the sound they produce.

We find on this album several Pendragon classics that would become fan favourites and take permanent place in the band's live set. These songs include Nostradamus (Stargazing), The Last Man on Earth, Breaking the Spell and The Walls of Babylon which are also the best songs here. The other two leave very little impression on me to be honest.

Overall, this is another good Pendragon album in their typical style. But they certainly did a bit better latter on.

1993 was a fantastic year for neo-prog, with a number of top-flight bands - like IQ and Marillion - releasing absolutely amazing albums which saw them following their progressive instincts and spurn commercial considerations. It even saw eternal second-stringers Pendragon put out what was probably their most accomplished album. For Pendragon's part, The Window of Life is a refinement of the heartwarming feel-good neo-prog sound that was test driven on The World, honed to perfection thanks to superior production, more intricate songwriting, and a bigger emphasis on lengthly progressive epics.

The end result might occasionally tip its hat to prog rockers of the past, Pink Floyd in particular, though I'm inclined to say the opening to Walls of Babylon has to be a conscious and deliberate homage to Shine On You Crazy Diamond as opposed to the plagiarism unkind critics have accused it of being in the past. Pendragon might not have been playing the most technically complex neo-prog out there at this time, but with this they showed themselves masters of creating moving, emotional music.

The "Window of Life" is a gorgeous sounding yet largely soulless album with virtually no melodies or themes that sink in even after multiple listens. Each little segment of sweet electric guitar, piano or organ would be fine if connected to a greater whole, but rarely is such the case. Others have spoken of blatant rip offs of GENESIS, PINK FLOYD, and MOODY BLUES (lyrics and solo right out of "New Horizons" off "Seventh Sojourn" on "The Last Man on Earth"), and in prog we can get desensitized to such issues especially when we long for the heydays of our original heroes. The problem is that our new heroes appear to long for those days even more than we do, and stretch idolatry to levels that even the biggest fanperson would deem tasteless if it was imparted in spoken form . Rather than make any new bold statement, they seem content with retread, but, why not, because apparently so do a lot of listeners.

The uninspired classic progressive rock inspiration includes nods to arena rock like STYX, KANSAS, FOREIGNER, insipid 1980s GENESIS, and even jangly alt rock, but to fit all this into one track requires at least 8-12 minutes of pastiche. Take each 2 minute or so segment and rearrange them into a different order and it might even sound better than the original, which doesn't speak well to the group's abilities in the composing and editing department. I have wondered how neo prog groups are so prolific in their output, but I guess it is easy when absolutely nothing is held back.

The only track here that really speaks to me is "Am I Really Losing You", a lovely song with a divine sense of sadness and dramatic flair. My real disappointment here is that I believe the band to be capable of producing an album of such material if they would just take the time. In spite of my disdain for most of this production, I cannot deny the beauty of the sounds and the individual skill of the players, as well as their earnest desire to replicate that which came before using modern glimmering production. Hence I round up and duck below my window before the bricks fly.

"The Window of Life" is my second foray into Pendragon's discography. I began with "Not of this World", and was absolutely floored by the melody, the soaring atmosphere, and the profound statements. Naturally, this album will be compared to "Not of this World", though they are about 7 years removed from each other.

This album. *Sigh*. This album is gorgeous. After hearing it once, I thought it inferior to "Not of this World", but after many spins, I believe them to be perfectly aligned. Pendragon just has a way of bringing beautiful melodies, spurts of technicality, emotive and meaningful lyrics and ideas, and relaxing vocals all together to form an epic setpiece that pulls at every string in my heart. The acoustic guitarist is again spectacular, but I was even more impressed by the electric guitars and drums in this album. The drummer, Fudge Smith, really had his way here with amazing fills and awesome passages. Nick Barrett is always fantastic with his voice, and he is really leaping up the ranks of my favorite singers. Finally, I LOVED the inclusion of some rarely used instruments, such as the harmonica and the banjo (?). The harmonica sequences are soulfully delivered, and perfectly placed for maximum effect.

"The Window of Life", as best as I can make out, is a celebration of life. It's like looking through a window to see snippets of other people's lives. We see their dreams, their sorrows and pain: We see their hopes and loves, and their longings and losses. Most of all, we witness the wonder in every day life: something that many of us forget to see. It's difficult sometimes because our lives can seem so mundane. You know what? It's a wonder we are even breathing! Little things make our Creator's world wonderful, and this album is a monument to all that makes us laugh, cry, scowl, and smile. This album, with its musical brilliance and thematic vulnerability, moves me in ways that I don't often find in other music. Thank you, Pendragon, for such a stunning accomplishment.

I revisited "The Window of Life", this venerable classic, as I was somehow placed in a nostalgic mood for some outer-worldly experience that would relax my body and indulge my mind in unassuming fantasy. Pendragon needs little introduction, a fellow consolidator of the prog ideal at a lonely time in rock history, to be perfectly polite. 1993 was a revolutionary period, with very little excitement in terms of music, listening to stuff like still great Tangerine Dream, Oldfield doling out the Crises album, Saga's Heads or Tales and Solstice(prog) but precious little else, until the now-mythical "Script of A Jester's Tear" was unleashed on a totally unsuspecting public later in the year . Pendragon leaped to such higher echelons with this Pink Floyd meets Genesis album, a vehicle for Nick Barrett and Clive Nolan to make their music come hell or high water, a stand for which they were both adored and reviled. Finicky market. The fuse was lit and much to the chagrin of all the prog-rock haters (and trust me, there were many at the apparent funeral, spitting gobs of vitriolic abuse), the inevitable renaissance of prog was underway.

On the sleek "The Walls of Babylon", the lads even had the audacity to quote Supertramp's "Hide in Your Shell", a ballsy move that could have cost them a few quid had Hodgson and Davies been greedy bastards. While the sound certainly owes a lot to former icons, truth is the material was expertly played and muscularly delivered, conscious of the rock ethos needing to be preserved. Bassist Peter Gee and drummer Fudge Smith certainly pounded hard and fast when prompted, leaving Nolan's keys and Barrett's axe do all the brain damage. On the moving "Breaking the Spell", the fret-meister goes on a nice elongated foray, nothing too technical but oh so loaded with emotional discourse. A little hint of wah-wah and some spirited soloing really gets me every time, even 20 years later.

Epic monuments you ask, "The Last Man on Earth" is a nearly 15 minute colossus, with explosive vocals from Mr. Barrett (who never sounded better, before or after), mammoth Nolan symphonic bombast and mobile rhythmic agility from both Gee and Smith. This is, simply put, eternal and utterly fabulous, loaded with incredible imagery, dense space for contrast and breath, featuring glittering soloing, I mean the whole nine yards. Details, details, Watson! Slipping in some delectable harmonica, soothing backing vocal choir and some more overbearing emotions just steals the show, a true classic. The final earthshaking solo is gorgeous. In all honesty, this ought to have been the final cut (Oops!, sorry Roger), ending the album on an orgasm. "Nostradamus ?Stargazing" should have been inspiring with such archetypical prog subject matter but suffers from having to compete with the previous megalith, an unfair positioning makes this song seem weak in comparison. Guitar manipulations take their time in setting the controls to the heart of the song, but it's a fine diversion, The poppish texture should be more exciting in a live setting (in fact, Pendragon likes to do this in concert) but it's the necessary cream between the cookies. The final piece "Am I Losing You?" is delectable , a Pendragon ballad that finds itself drenched in serious bluesy affectation, a simple story that searches out all the questions we all ask ourselves, about love, life and the impossible pursuit of happiness. The Steve Howe ?like guitar motif sounds like a slip from The Gates of Delerium, these are clever lads indeed, reminding me of that classic Picasso quote "a good artist copies, a great artist steals", a little nasty perhaps but oh so true.

The upcoming Masquerade Overture remains my favorite Pendragon album, though I must admit I have lost interest after that. Maybe I should investigate, my dear Watson?

4 Panes of existence

Once PENDRAGON moved on from the train wreck that they released in the form of "Kowtow," the band developed into a neo-prog powerhouse and released some of the best albums of the genre in the 90s starting with "The World." With the stable lineup of Nick Barrett (guitars, vocals), Clive Nolan (keyboards), Peter Gee (bass) and Fudge Smith (yep, a drummer named Fudgie!), PENDRAGON continued to exhibit a compositional maturity only matched by bands like IQ and Nolan's other gig, Arena.

With THE WINDOW OF LIFE, PENDRAGON crafted six strong tracks that found the band's instrumental interplay blossoming on a whole new level. Recorded at the band's new 24 track studio, it really sounds like the musicians took their sweet time in composing the best melodic emotional displays of neo-prog prowess that they could muster up and when the album hit the market in November of 1993, the band found a surge in its popularity and has remained one of the top dogs in the neo-prog world ever since. (Reissues have four extra bonus tracks which are weak and forgettable.)

The album immediately starts out bursting with confidence as a four minute bombastic organ run augmented by a very Pink Floydian guitar solo slowly ratchets up the tension before the vocals kick in along with the walls of atmospheric synth sounds, a bleating bass and drums. The band also began to develop the modern neo-prog staple of ratcheting up the dynamics ever so gently until crescendoing in heavily distorted rock guitar bombast and cyclical looped melodic riffs that offer subtle variations complete with various guitar antics to add some spice. True a Marillion classic sound but PENDRAGON was exploring the nooks and crannies and filling the cracks with various tones and timbres.

"Ghosts" displays Clive Nolan's keyboard techniques as he adds various timbres through the piano and other keyboard sounds. The track is more of an instant emotional connection as the intro is less dynamic and the focus is on the lyrical delivery which finds Nick Barrett's vocal performances in top form. Less prominent is drummer Fudge Smith's excellent and tasteful drum fills as his role is subdued by the overpowering melodic harmonies and thematic presentations but still vital for the overall dynamism of THE WINDOW OF LIFE. While much of neo-prog could be considered nothing more than progressive ballads or sophisticated AOR a lot of the time, "Breaking The Spell" is clearly the most mellow track on board with a soft introduction and a slow ratcheting up effect that slinks over the nine minute mark but never breaks mid-tempo at best.

"The Last Man On Earth" is my personal fave. It nearly hits the 15 minute mark and has some of the best melodies, most outstanding twists and turns and maintains its emotional tug throughout its run and best of all never wears out its welcome. Roughly speaking, it changes gear every couple of minutes and offers new variation on old themes. Careful listening will reveal how clever these guys are at the subtle differences that affect the emotional center in subliminal delivers. It has one of the most unique parts of the album with guest musician Simon Forster delivering a wild harmonica performance with what sounds like a banjo accompaniment towards the end.

"Nostradamus (Stargazing)" has another Floydian intro at least as far as the sonic textures and slow spacey effects are concerned but sounds very different as far as the riffs and keyboard mixes are concerned. This one was a favorite as an opener for live shows at the time. While mostly a ballad, the album turns into a veritable rocker towards the end and reminds a lot of the Fish era Marillion rockers at their best with lots of key changes and that distinct bouncy bass groove. The album closes with "Am I Really Losing You?" which as expected is a tear jerking ballad which is soft and tinny and my least favorite track on the album as it is just too cliche for its own good but also thankfully the shortest track and forgettable.

In summary, THE WINDOW OF LIFE delivers all the neo-prog goods with an excellent band back on track and on the right course to deliver a few more excellent albums that follow. Only the last track rubs me the wrong way as it's just too sappy and predictable but the rest of the album is chock full of beautiful melodies crafted by the beautiful entwinement of instrumental harmonies that result in a beautiful display of atmospheric progressive rock in all its glory. After hearing THE WINDOW OF LIFE, it's quite obvious as to why PENDRAGON began to stand out of the neo-prog pack that was getting bigger by the day. Despite all the excellent tracks, they flow together so well and each has its own distinct personality. Personally i'm not sure if this one or the following "The Masquerade Overture" is my favorite of the PENDRAGON lot but all i can say is that for anyone who loves the progressive space pop sounds of neo-prog can't go wrong with this beautiful specimen of the genre.

One of Britain's NeoProg stalwarts release their fourth album (since 1985).

1. "The Walls of Babylon" (10:50) (17.25/20) 2. "Ghosts" (8:02) (13/15) 3. "Breaking the Spell" (9:18) (17/20) 4. "The Last Man on Earth" (14:46) (27/30) 5. "Nostradamus (Stargazing)" (8:23) two minutes of sensitive guitar soloing before the full song kicks in. Too 80s Brit Pop sounding (especially in singing style, diction). (16/20) 6. "Am I Really Losing You?" (4:47) big guitar hook is stolen from YES's Soon. (8/10)

Total Time: 54:06

Like the music that came out of the "Classical Era" (1730-1820), there are times when our ears hear just too much noodling, too many quick changes, too many bag-loads of short motifs crammed into a short span of time. The music of The Window of Life shows Pendragon reaching this point--though not nearly to the degree that they do on their next album, The Masquerade Overture. Are Nick & Co. just trying to over-impress us? Are they so desperate to prove themselves to the world?

C+/3.5 stars; a solid contribution to the prog lexicon and a nice step forward toward the Neo Prog top tier.

After developing their true sound and personality in "The World", "The Window of Life" definitely consolidated Pendragon as one of the most prominent Neo-Prog bands of the 90's.

The Walls of Babylon starts with a Pink Floydesque guitar solo, but soon the splendid Clive Nolan's keyboards and trademark's epic Barrett's melodies come to life to give use the usual goosebumps. The rest of the album manages to maintain a great level of quality.

Barrett's vocals are a take it or leave it thing and Am I really losing you? is clearly under the rest of the tracks in terms of quality, but apart from that "The Window of Life" is an almost flawless album which deserves to be remembered as one of the milestones of 90's Neo-Prog.

Best Tracks: The Walls of Babylon (a band's classic), Ghosts (marvellous melodies which begins in minute 2, they only make this album worthy to be heard),

My rating: ****

Review Nº 573

"The Window Of Life" is the fourth studio album of Pendragon and was released in 1993. With this album Pendragon continued in the same style of their previous third studio album "The World", and due to that, Pendragon established their name worldwide. I think in those days, Pendragon improved with each album. I believe they created some of the best and finest neo-prog on the planet, even today. It's a different piece, and who have little knowledge of the previous albums of Pendragon will probably enjoy it a lot. It keeps on the new path of them that ended with "Not Of This World".

The line up on "The Window Of Life" is the same of their two previous studio albums "Kowtow", released in 1988 and "The World", released in 1991, their second and third studio albums, respectively. So, the line up on "The Window Of Life" is Nick Barrett (vocals and guitars), Clive Nolan (keyboards), Peter Gee (bass guitar) and Fudge Smith (drums).

"The Window Of Life" has six tracks. All tracks were written by Nick Barrett. The first track "The Walls Of Babylon" is a song that begins with a very atmospheric musical ambience that reminds me very strongly the intro on "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" of Pink Floyd. It has also, in the beginning, a very impressive keyboard work that also reminds me Tony Banks of Genesis, especially at the times of "A Trick Of The Tail" and "Wind And Wuthering". So, it starts with a very bombastic organ sound before the very typical Barrett's guitar sound. This is a great song with great chorus and a great guitar work that opens the album with a very strong and in a good way. The second track "Ghosts" is another excellent song with a great piano opening by Nolan, with very subtle and constant changes of melody and tempo. The final result is a very good rock piece of music despite hasn't the same splendour of the previous track. This is another song that reminds me, sometimes, "A Trick Of The Tail" too. This is one of those songs that show what Pendragon make, which means, very good musical compositions with emotional vocals and a nice sing choral work. The third track "Breaking The Spell" is the ballad of the album and is also probably one of the best ballads Pendragon has ever written. This is another great track with some nice keyboard and guitar works, a very dynamic bass line and a very nice drum performance. It's a song with a great and hypnotic musical atmosphere that provides perfectly well the ideal ambience to the great solo works performed by Barrett. It represents a very beautiful musical moment, very symphonic, which shows a perfect musical communion between Barrett and Nolan, really. The fourth track "The Last Man On Earth" is divided into two musical parts "Skylight" and "Paradise Road" and represents the epic track on the album. It's a song with a very good musicianship and also very good lyrics for almost its fifteen minutes. This is really a great song and it wasn't by chance that this song is still one of the live favourite songs of the band. It's one of the lengthiest Pendragon's tracks and summarizes perfectly well all the great qualities present on this album and on the group. All instruments are in a perfect harmony, especially the great guitar and keyboard works. The fifth track "Nostradamus (Stargazing)" is another very good song with very touchy chorus, very rocky guitars and some nice keyboard work. It starts with a very nice ballad as an intro and is based on a very simple but effective guitar riff where Barrett shines with the melody line. However, and despite be a good track, this is, in my humble opinion, the weakest of all tracks on the album. The sixth and last track "Am I Really Losing You?" is another ballad on the album, a soft smooth ballad with a nice, emotional and repetitive guitar solo. It's the shortest song on the album, very emotional and poignant and where the final guitar break is extremely melodic and catchy. It represents a very nice way to close this great musical work of this great band. My "The Window Of Life" version is the remastered edition and has plus four bonus tracks. The four bonus tracks make part of their EP "Fallen Dreams And Angels", released in 1994. So, I'm not going now analyse these four songs because I usually don't review bonus tracks, as you know. However, I'm going to review all the four tracks when I review that EP.

Conclusion: With "The Window Of Life" Pendragon continues the same musical line of "The World". In spite of, "The Window Of Life" isn't the best Pendragon's album, it's an excellent and decent musical work with some highlights. It's also, in my humble opinion, probably better than "The World" is, and it represents, for me, a very logical step forward into their musical career. "The Window Of Life" is a very beautiful, soft and melodic progressive album with great guitar and keyboard works. With this album, Pendragon solidified their musical status as one of the best neo- prog bands in the world, and "The Window Of Life" stands, for me, one of their best musical works. However, and despite being better than "The World", it isn't, in my humble opinion, a true masterpiece. Thus, I'm going to rate it with the same 4 stars. To conclude, I have to mention the great musical production by Karl Groom, Nick Barrett and Gavin Greenway that makes of "The Window Of Life" even a better album. So, this is another Pendragon's album not to be missed by all prog fans.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Neo-prog, for me, is never a complex genre that defies expectations, nay 'less we talk about Marillion or IQ. Among the vast but seemingly dim stars of the 90s Neo Prog scene, with groups like Arena, Collage, Abraxas, and Pallas, one, I think stands at the most mysterious, and the most introspective of which, has to go to Pendragon. While they existed during the hay-day of Neo Prog in the 80s, they really got on their own track in the 90s, specifically with the release of 'The World'. There, they showcased their full capabilities to strip away from the more standard pop sound of The Jewel and Kowtow, and instead showcase a bit more inspiration from the past. 'The World' was what really pushed Pendragon to the window of new frontiers, and the key to that window lay in wake of their fourth album, 'The Window Of Life'.

If there is one obvious I'd like to get out of the way, it is that the sound Pendragon likes to use here on this record is very unoriginal to put it bluntly. The sound found here is definitely reminiscent of styles of Genesis, Yes, and some slight twiddling of Camel and Todd Rundgren's Utopia. Heck, in The Walls of Babylon, after the 2+ minutes of synths and guitars, has a part that sounds very much like the beginning of Watcher Of The Skies from Foxtrot. This isn't a hit on Pendragon as many Neo Prog bands have done these similar heavy inspirations of songs (Supper's Ready sixth part of Apocalypse in 9/8 comes to mind with Marillion's Grendel and IQ's Harvest of Souls taking massive inspiration from such), but it is something to disclose as for anyone interested in a more, I guess, newer sounding Prog Rock album.

Despite the album's less than new sounding elements, Pendragon showcases that they can absolutely make up for that fact by showing off very moving instrumentals in each song. Clive Nolan's keyboards, in tandem with Nick Barrett's guitars, absolutely sells this album in my humble opinion. After 3 albums of developing their sound, Pendragon absolutely masters these moody elements that sound very much like 80s Arena Rock of Journey and Boston, but put through the Progressive Rock ringer to make their more symphonic status into a newer element, and so, whilst the sound may not be "original", the primary acts the band deploys sure makes up for it, at least for me. This is why I love classic Neo Prog like IQ and Marillion; the meshing of old Symphonic Prog with more famous and popular genres like Pop, Punk, and AOR just creates for an interesting, but very rewarding possibility.

I should also talk about Fudge Smith's drumming styles, because they are good, like, really good. I'd say they could rival Phil Collins in his prime, as this expert of a musician just crafts these magical drum beats that work so well within the stratosphere of the album's magic. Really, the best part of the album is just the very magical array of beautiful instrumentals.

I will say though, that I am really not the hugest fan of Nick's singing. I know he is putting his all, but I cannot help but find him a bit monotone and a little lifeless. I think he needs MORE emotion and MORE drive in his vocals. Get more rowdy and raise your voice more, or get more cryptic when the moment shines with lower vocals. Create a varied dynamic to get the listener more pumped up. I think he should try a little more is what I say.

I also think the bass is a little nonexistent. I swear, on my first listen, I didn't even know there was a bass until I looked it up. I am sure Peter Gee's bass is very good, but I never once heard it until I kinda noticed it in some tracks by taking a keen ear. It sounds way too muted, especially in conjunction with Nick's guitars and Nolan's keyboards. It is a bit of a shame to be honest.

Even though I find that this album doesn't always have the highest points of interest in the musical department, Pendragon's 'The Window of Life' is one that is a great showcase of more Neo Prog music. Lots of beautiful workings on the guitar and keyboards, and the really tight drumming just bleeds masterfully. The album is a little imperfect as discussed before, but nevertheless it is still a fantastic showcase of one of Neo Prog's more prolific bands of the 90s through early 2000s.