TOWARD THE SUN

A conundrum of a band/album. And apologies for parochial UK references. I think they won a battle of the bands contest run by a top UK music paper, Melody Maker maybe, and the prize was the album deal and Bob Harris to produce. This of course got them a slot on the Old Grey Whistle Test on tv where I first saw/heard them (ok, ok am older than you!). They sort of looked and sounded the part but even for late '75/early '76 it was a part and sound that you felt had then had its day (you would have laughed your cheesecloth shirt off is someone said you could be reviewing this nearly 50 years later). Couldn't back then and can't even now put my finger on why it does/should/doesn't work. They wear their main influence on their sleeve...or they would if Roger Dean had designed the album cover...but didn't quite have the chops and voice/s to carry them off convincingly. It was a little too polite in a tongue stuck out of the mouth concentrating very hard to 'get it right' way. There is nothing wrong with a bit of gentle (dwarf?) on an album (Dawn of Evening) but again some attack and power is appreciated as a contrast. They don't do anything wrong but don't have a sound of their own either. It wasn't their fault that time was about to pass them and the genre by although they are responsible for the shoulder shrug of a follow up album that I am astonished I still give house room to. Yes, if you like Yes you will appreciate this. No, you wont find anything out of the ordinary or close(r) to edgy about it either. As solid as a 2.9 star rating can be.