EPIC FOREST

"Epic Forest" shows a change in label to Polydor and a complete change in musical direction for the band - a more some say up-to- date sound for 1973; slightly pop/jazz-funk but retaining their clever song writing and classic Rare Bird keyboard sounds and signatures, and the familiar Steve Gould vocals. The album also saw a change in personnel with Graham Field and Mark Ashton gone, and bringing in Fred Kelly on drums, Paul Holland and Paul Karas on bass/percussion/vocals and Ced Curtis on lead guitar. The album also shows an improvement in sound quality from the Charisma albums.

The songs are very good but there is little here to interest the hard core Prog fan, though there are some interesting moments as on the rather gloomy, atmospheric "Her Darkest Hour". My original LP came with a bonus record, a 7" EP containing the songs "Roadside Welcome", "Four Grey Walls" and "You're Lost", these tracks are still to be found on the reissued CD on Red Fox Records which also contains "Devil's High Concern", a non-LP 'B' side of "Sympathy" from 1970, "Sympathy single version" and "What You Want to Know" from the LP "As Your Mind Flies By".

The first song "Baby Listen" is a funk-style groove with a very heavy bass line, an acoustic guitar softly introducing "Hey Man" which contains a very catchy chorus, the lead guitar fitting in well with the familiar Rare Bird keyboard phrases. "House in the City" is a slower number, the title track "Epic Forest" featuring a catchy guitar riff and familiar Rare Bird signature keyboard solos and phrases. Side 2 kicks in with "Turning the Lights Out" , an excellent rocker with a strong bass line and some catchy riffs, about the ending of a relationship, "you're turning the lights out on me.." ...which brings back memories for me as I was going through a similar situation in 1973....being dumped from a very great height! The next song "Her Darkest Hour" is a beautifully gloomy ballad, laden with acoustic guitars, one of the best tracks on the album about guilt - very atmospheric, the mood continues with "Fears of the Night", a very slow moody song followed by "Turn It All Around", a slow intro builds to a very strong riff in the chorus. "Title No.1 Again (Birdman)" , a jazzy American funk-style jam. The bonus tracks may have been out-takes left over from the main group of songs included on the main album, are good but unremarkable, "Four Grey Walls" being the best of these.

Though the band had strayed from the Prog path somewhat on this album, the songs remain excellent pop/rock songs and the musicianship and sound quality of the recording is stunning, remains one of my all time favourite albums and would recommend it for those reasons, but would not really satisfy the hard core Prog fan.

Music rating 5, Prog rating 3.5.

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