CRESSIDA

There are tons of those unknown bands who released good albums in the early seventies. Usually, it is left to the Italian genre to have generated a huge amount of one album bands but this is a UK example. Not that ''Cressida'' only released only one record. They will go on for a second one, but still they will face a very short career.

When you listen to this debut, there are hardly little symphonic feel out here. Some fine psychedelia and upbeat stuff like ''Winter Is Coming Again''; but this is hardly what one can expect from the band.

Jennings is of course great on the keys and he is giving most of the good orientations to the band. I am saying so because when I am listening to the acoustic oriented ''Time For Bed'', I can't be thrilled with these jazzy moods.

Don't expect any epic here: each song is radio formatted unfortunately. It is quite strange to be mentioned. At the time of release, prog bands were rather writing epics than radio formatted music. But there were some exceptions as ''Cressida''.

This album is of course not bad at all: some fine mellotron, very much acceptable vocals and some genuine symphonic passages (''Cressida'') are to be considered. But to discover one highlight on this album is like the search of the Holy Grail. One might well seek for it, but no one will ever find it. Right?

If some reviewers believe that short numbers are fine, I belong to the ones who were (almost) born with side long epics. And I quite LOVE them. No sight of one here. Some fine moments of course are available (''Depression'') but none are grandiose IMO. Little symphony to be honest.

This is an album which aged with difficulties. It can hardly be considered as a precursory work. And since the band was very short lived, there is little question of this one being the source of great things to come.

Some good psychedelia, combined with great keys: this is what you can expect from this album. To consider this work as creative is definitely beyond my capabilities. Three stars with no problem because one is faced with pleasant and genuine music we love so much.