GRAVE NEW WORLD

This is very much a concept album so you are expected to live with the ebb and the flow of the songs as part of the"message". As a result to modern ears it can come across as somewhat quirky and erratic. Clearly there are a multitude of influences at work from the folk and singer songwriter performers of the time to mellotron driven bands such as early King Crimson and Moodies and indeed Gabriel era Genesis. As a result it is not a harmonious a listen as contemporary but more musically focussed albums such as Genesis's Nursery Cryme .

However some great songs particularly in the first two thirds of the album push it into the 4 star category. In my opinion its not quite a masterpiece because of some lesser filler tracks and it does kind of tail off towards the end. Very fine work though overall from a great band who I had the privilege to see live with a returning Hudson and Ford a few years ago.