I A MOON

Although North Sea Radio Orchestra is in the Prog Folk sub-genre to me they are an archetypal Chamber Prog band. While this album as a whole is not a 5 star (Essential) work it most certainly does contain 5 star material in certain individual songs.

5 stars Material:

"Morpheus Miracle Maker" - What a beautifully written, played and sung piece of music. To my ears this is an evergreen. A true timeless classic.

"Mitt der Welt" - Exquisitely written and arranged instrumental.

"Morpheus Drone" - A strong Celtic influenced instrumental. Minimal instrumentation but maximum realization of the songs greatness.

"Ring Moonlets" - What a lovely tune. A simple song but simplicity can often be a great thing.

Now, to the 4 stars or less Material:

"Guitar Miniature #3" is a very nice piece but it's no "Mood for a Day". 4 stars

"I a moon"....doesn't work for me. 3 stars

"Heavy Weather" is a very interesting piece that almost made the 5 stars but the melodies are not quite strong enough. 4 stars

"Berliner Luft" ....same as "Heavy Weather". 4 stars

"The Earth Beneath Our Feet".... same as "Heavy Weather". 4 stars

"When Things Fall Apart"....same as "Heavy Weather". 4 stars

All of the above is, of course, strictly In My Opinion. So, to conclude, the album gets 4 strong stars and it contains quite a bit of 5 star material.