DOWN AND OUT IN PARIS AND LONDON

This album is pure enjoyment from start to finish.Andy Tillison outdoes himself and has created a modern masterpiece of progressive rock. As a DJ,and having had the pleasure to interview the man himself on my show,Dec.13th,2009,I've heard a lot of music this year and think that this album will be #1 for 2009. The tracks, altough different from one another,flow well together. From the opening track's(Where are they now?) reacurring theme,the great keyboard play, the middle section comes crashing down and restarts with piano...Even though he sounds like Peter Hamill oF VDGG(which i've never been a big fan of...), I actually enjoy Tillison's vocals. The 2nd track (Paroxetine-20mg)is funky with good,catchy lyrics. The following track,(Perdu dans Paris) is my favorite of the album.Theo Travis shines on this track. It is followed by"The Company Car",which is actually an old track written by Tillison(and i think Guy Manning too) back in '89 resurfaces here,rearranged.Good mellow tune that becomes very VDGG a little bit before the middle of the song,and sounds like Tarkus at one point. "Everyman's Forgotten Monday' is a bonus track with a great refrain.The guitar is particularly good and sets the mood during this simple "feely"solo. The last track,"Ethanol Hatnail"( actually "The Canterbury Sequence part 2) is an experimental song,paying hommage to the Canterbury sound of 1971-73.There's even xylophone on this track! This album deserves to be in everybodies collection.