SCRAPBOOK

Quite impressive debut by this obscure 60´s scotish band. I had never heard of them before reading a glowing review here on PA. And when I got their first album I was quite surprised to find they were just a trio. And the lead instrument is definitly the organ, not the guitar (rarely used, by the way). One thing is for sure: they were terrific players, singers and songwriters. And why they didn´t gain more atention is one of rock music´s mysteries.

When I heard the first track I thought Scrapbook would be one of those average pop albums of that period. It reminded me of Bread´s Diary in structure and arrangement, but that´s misleading. The second tune is a powerful jazz-rock-pop tune thaht will make you pay atention to them! Each track brings something different, but they still kept a very good 60´s pop flavor on most of the songs. Clouds major difference from other groups is their strong jazz background that pops up every now and then with ease (Humdrum, for exemple, is a solo drums number in a Gene Kuppa style with some interesting vocal harmonies by the second part).

Part of the lyrics seem to have that quirk british humor of bands like The Kinks. the trio is argumented on some tracks by some very good orchestrations done by a then your David Palmer (who would later be such important part of Jethro Tull´s history). Influences here, jazz and classical music aside, are The Beatles, The Moody Blues and, of course, The Kinks. The last track, Waiter, There's Something In My Soup is also their longest (7 minutes) and most extravagant with some unexpect changes and arragnements. Quite interesting and indeed progressive. Nothing groundbreaking but it showed the band had potential for greater things.

Conclusion: a surprising album,. Not a masterpiece in any way, but very good for a debut. Those guys were skillful musicians and talented songwriters. If you´re interested in those 60´s pop/rock bands that had something extra to offer, then this album is for you! Scrapbook spurred my curiosity to hear their latter works and see how they evolved.