SURSUM CORDA

Very intresting album by this symphonic band. At the time I found Sursum Corda I thought they were from italy. I was very surprised to know they were in fact americans since their sound is so close to what was being done in Europe in terms of prog rock. I guess by the time they released their debut album they stood little chance to make it, since 1977 was probably the worst year ever to do such a thing. Small wonder they were unable to put out a follow up, even if they did try very hard on it.

Quill´s music is not very original. They were very good muscians, no doubt about it. But they sound too much like ELP on some parts, too much like Triumvirat on others, and a tad like PFM and Le Orme all the time. Given time I believe they would eventually find a sound of their own, but unfortunatly that was not to be. Anyway, Sursum Corda is far from a bad album. In fact, if you don´t mind originality I think this album is quite good and enjoyable, specially for fans of the aforementioned groups. Vocals are the weakest parts. They did need a good singer, but the instrumental parts are very well done. Keyboardsman Ken Deloria is very skillfull and talented. Production is only average, but acceptable.

Conclusion: a nice album to hear. Not very original and far from being essential in any way. But worth a listen if you like keyboard driven symphonic prog in the vein of ELP. rating: something between 2,5 and 3 stars.