FOURTH

3.5 stars really! How can you follow their previous album ? By going in the direction they started with THIRD and let the Psychadelic Caterpillar transform itself into this majestic Fusion Buterfly. But by god is this ever cold sounding.....

Side 1 is made from three tracks some very jazz sounding without the fusion element especially the Ratledge-penned opening track and therefore lack a bit of punch (energy). Elton Dean makes his mark and one can feel that Wyatt will not hang around much longer as this is a totally instrumental album. I even think that Ratledge asked him not to sing on the album because he did not like his voice (Tbc).....

But this album is Hugh Hopper's album: he composed the multi-movement suite on side 2 , some of it quite delightful in athmospheres and they get some help from the "Keith Tippet Boys" Charig and Evans and from ex-Nucleus Babbington as they add much of the punch lacking on side 1 . His Kings track on side 1 was also the better one.

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