FREE HAND

... a new chance for getting back to that alltime progressive rock classic again, isn't it? When the album had been released in 1975 I did not have a considerable focus on the band really. The same goes for the Van Der Graaf Generator crew for example. Rather tough to get into, too tricky and angular according to my taste, at that time. But during the following decades step by step I learned to adore this stuff. And now an extra reminder, just as a side note, later I stumbled upon a somewhat special correlation. I'm referring to the involved drummer John 'Pugwash' Weathers, who in the mid 1980s was committed by a newly formed Man band incarnation, substituting Terry Williams in this case.

Next step. An eponym possibly? Hah, the album title always reminds me at the times when this (nearly) equally termed pioneering Desktop Publishing application came up with its initial releases. I was involved early on, a very innovative but also stressful phase, when looking back at my professional career. Back to the topic now. It's the band's most commercially successful album. And has experienced a few re-mastering as well as re-release attempts in the past already, enhanced with bonus tracks aso aso ... I'm especially dealing with the new Steven Wilson remix in Dolby Atmos & 5.1 surround sound. Featuring vinyl or Blu-Ray disc format this comes in four different variations, again enhanced with bonus tracks aso aso ... but this also includes a CD version solely offering the originally applied seven songs, not less, not more.

That's what I'm writing about. Sounds fresh and freehanded. A good starting point, if somebody still should be new with this band. Overboarding creativity, unpredictable flow, a lot of different instruments utilized. Vocals that are perfectly matching with the cunning instrumental behaviour, or vice versa, if you will. This helps setting new standards, definitely was ahead of time. No wonder, many bands and artists still are drawing on this. The weird On Reflection for example is concentrated on delivering experimental polyphonic vocals for the most time. I avoid reattempting to analyze track by track here. Has been tried enough times before, what often enough failed anyway. My sole advice: listen and learn, as often as possible.

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