LOVE OVER FEAR

Some four years ago, I reviewed Distant Monsters by Martigan, and alluded, in my review, to some of the (very few) releases that I considered to merit the full five stars. All the usual suspects were there, with albums by Yes, Genesis, Tull, The Enid, Big Big Train and IQ to the fore. But no mention of Pendragon - even though they remain one of my all- time favourite bands. The World, Window of Life, Masquerade, Not of this World....all great albums, but just falling short of the highest accolade. Believe, Pure, Passion, Mountains....all somewhat patchy, with the usual great musicianship, but not altogether to my taste. So I thought that was that: Pendragon would never quite scale the highest heights. Then along comes Love over Fear. What a complete show-stopper! Absolutely magnificent from start to finish. Wonderful, emotive songs; tasteful and thoughtful lyrics; superb vocals, guitar and piano by Nick; swirling keyboards from the ubiquitous genius, Clive; typically understated bass lines from the masterly Peter; and subtle work by Jan-Vincent underpinning the whole, on drums. Throw in joyous (and wholly unexpected) sax and violin, and there you have it: a five star masterpiece. I am not going to indulge myself with a track-by-track breakdown, because there is no need - other reviewers, with enviably greater descriptive powers, have done that more than adequately. I console myself with simply listening to the album. Truly wondrous. Fantastic work, Pendragon. Forty years (and counting) down the track, you have delivered a timeless classic.