THE WINDOW OF LIFE

How do you begin to put into words the musical experience that is The Window Of Life? This was my first encounter with Pendragon, and right from the opening chords of The Walls of Babylon - sinister, filled with menace and foreboding - I knew this was a band I needed to hear more of.

There is an emotional power in this music which must surely touch you unless you are made of stone! There is joy, despair, hope and loss all bound up in these songs - particularly in Nick Barrett's guitar which alternately seems to be on the verge of weeping real tears, or rising to cry out in triumph eg. in Nostradamus, the most optimistic piece on the album. Barrett's vocals add to this emotional intensity. Listen to his declaration of love to last beyond time and grave in Breaking The Spell. Hear the desperation and loss in the final track, balanced by the beauty and hope in the guitar solo which plays us out. And throughout the album this is all underpinned by Clive Nolan's layers of keyboards, and the solid rhythm section of Smith and Gee.

There is everything the neo-prog fan could want in this album. Listen to the long guitar solos on The Walls of Babylon or Last Man On Earth. They seem to go on for ever, but yet never long enough. Although the tracks all begin quite slowly, the music builds and there are several passages of blistering virtuosity. Pathos balanced by power.

For me, this is Pendragon at their peak. Perhaps its just because this was the first I heard of them, but none of their other albums touched me quite so powerfully. If you haven't heard this band, start here...and enjoy!