BEDSIDE MANNERS ARE EXTRA

After the demise of COLOSSEUM in '71, keyboard player Dave Greenslade founded his own band GREENSLADE, featuring Tony Reeves (bass), Dave Lawson (keyboards, clarinet, flute) and Andrew McCulloch (drums), he had left KING CRIMSON. In '73 Greenslade released "Bedside Manner Are Extra", in my opinion their masterwork. It's an an excellent blend of classic, jazz, rock, blues and symphonic rock with elaborate compositions and inventive and exciting dual-keyboardplay by Greenslade and Lawson. The omnipresence of the Mellotron is very pleasant with majestic waves of the violin-Mellotron (like early KING CRIMSON) and glorious eruptions of sumptuous choir-Mellotron. In comparison with the 'progrock-dinosaurs' ELP and YES, GREENSLADE played more varied styles, the songs were shorter and it lacked the usual 'progrock self-indulgence' (like ELP and Yes), no endless soloing. Highlight is the splendid build-up track "Drum Folk" featuring halfway a short drumsolo and some Mellotron, the climax is a bluesy, very moving Hammond organ solo, goose bumps! GREENSLADE is a band to discover and they deserve more appreciation by the progrock aficionados.