SMALLCREEP'S DAY

Mike Rutherford's solo record "Smallcreep's Day" is an interesting album. It gives us music that isn't far from what Rutherford at the same time did with Genesis. And then there were three and Duke is very similar. As those records also this is released on Charisma records and I like the cover picture very much, an artistic frame with an anxious man in the middle(Hipgnosis cover). Here plays Mike Rutherford bass and guitar, Anthony Phillips(old Genesis guitarist) pleays keyboard, Simon Phillips plays drums and Morris Pert plays percussion and Noel McCalla sings.

As every lp record this has an A and a B side and that is in some ways a pitty because the first side is very good and the second isn't as interesting anymore. "Smallcreep's day" is a lovely suite with almost 25 lovely minutes. I love that track because it keeps the best of Genesis at this time, but it's perhaps more progressive. Rutherford here plays with the symphonic feeling and tells here an amazing story. I also love the vocals on this song. Noel McCalla has a bright and professional voice which I appreciate on Smallcreep's day but not so much in the other songs. "Moonshine" is also a nice song with a peciliar melody but the other songs on the B- side aren't so interesting. "Time and time again" is hardly good, "Every road" is a bit lame and "Romani" and "Overnight job" are okey songs. I see here on the Archives that the A and B sides are reversed, but I think you understand what I mean. I feel it's a pity one of the sides isn't so good as the "Smallcreep's" side. Therefore I'm not fully content.

In its best moments this record is really good prog and Mike Rutherford showed he was a true here. Almost as good as the contemporary Genesis records and much better than the later pop influenced Genesis. I also think this is a quite different prog record. The slightly inferior B-side makes this a three stars record instead of a four stars record.