RELEASED

JADE WARRIOR released its first two albums only six months apart in 1971 but managed to create two totally distinct albums that really couldn't be more different from one another at least in the overall JADE WARRIOR canon from the 1970s. The second album RELEASED is sort of the odd album out in the stream of seven albums that the band put out from 71 to 78. While the band featured eye-catching colorful Asian art on its albums which made it quite unique for the time, this second album presented a no nonsense ho hum boring plain album cover that featured a light pink background of all things with only an arrow and a generic band name and title next to it. Add to that it was the band's hardest rocking album with an emphasis on heavier guitar riffs and a greater inclusion of progressive rock while toning down the world ethnic flavors.

The bigger sound experienced on RELEASED is mostly due to the fact that on the self-titled debut it was only the mere trio of Tony Duhig on guitar, Glyn Havard on bass and vocals and Jon Feld playing percussion and flute. On RELEASED the band added Dave Conneers who performed both alto and tenor saxophone parts as well as additional flute. Allan Price was added for extra percussion and although these guys were just technically mere guest musicians, their roles gave the music a fiery jumpstart which elevated JADE WARRIOR into a bonafide rock band. While the debut ventured into a melodic, breezy mix of ethnic, ethereal and ambient sound effects with only occasional references to psychedelic rock and prog, RELEASED was sort of, well, a release of pent up energy that only a few rock performances could unleash.

While the album features heavier rockers more often than anything in the overall JADE WARRIOR canon, RELEASED follows the trend of a rather disjointed array of unrelated tracks that venture into myriad stylistic modes without any care as to how the tracks flowed together, a trait that was common in the early years of JADE WARRIOR before the band settled on the floaty head in the clouds dreamworld that would eventually become the signature sound. The album bursts into a rock frenzy with the opening "Three Horned Dragon" with a strange mix of Santana-esque Afro-Latin drumming rhythms on hyperdrive along with guitar riffs, jazzy saxophone outbursts and a vocal melody that sounds suspiciously close to The Searchers' 1964 hit "Love Potion Number Nine." Add to that a sense of funk guitar and a focus on guitar riffing and soloing and you have a very exotic mix!

The following "Eyes On You" focuses on a groovy repetitive bass line with a Jethro Tull inspired flute accompaniment with the rock guitar adding the extra touches. Another catchy tune showcasing Glyn Harvard's adaptive vocal style. And just when it seems the album is set to rock mode the dreamy folk ballad "Bride Of Summer" disrupts the flow followed by the mellow mid-tempo instrumental funky rocker "Water Curtain Cave" that drifts between jazzy upbeat motifs and slowed down ethereal cool off periods resulting in an odd mix that sounds like Focus meets Out of Focus! The highlight of the album for me is the evocative "Minnamoto's Dream" which features a distinct melodic drive and an interesting backmasking intro and a catchy guitar groove that adds a bit of Japanese ethnic touches including an effective gong. The repetitive bass groove is mesmerizing in the middle which allows the guitar soloing to go nuts! And then the saxophone follows suit. The story is pretty cool too.

The oddball of the album comes from the rock and roll inspired "(We Have) Reason To Believe" which isn't a bad thing in and of itself except for the fact it sounds suspiciously close to Chuck Berry's "Johnny B Goode." This track would have been better edited out. It wouldn't quite be a JADE WARRIOR album without some moments of jazzy ethnic fusion and that is delivered on RELEASED with the near 15-minute track "Barazinbar" which features an African percussive drive with a groovy repetitive bass, funky guitar and dreamy flute accompaniment. The length of the track creates a hypnotic effect however since the album is rock oriented it allows some guitar soloing. The overall effect is something like Santana jamming with a jazz fusion band like early Return To Forever. The album ends in the dreamy and short "Yellow Eyes" which is more in style to the path JADE WARRIOR would take on future albums except this one features vocals.

To be honest i really didn't like this album the first time as i'd come to it following the later albums like "Floating World" and "Waves" which are more stylistically consistent however i have to admit that the more i've listened to this one the more it's grown on me and the tracks are so well performed that the disjointed nature of the album seems to have dissipated as far as my enjoyment value is concerned. Add to that JADE WARRIOR was unlike any other act that emerged in the world of prog and offered a wide breadth of creative ingenuity on this album even if it stands slightly out of character with the band's overall canon. Call it a temporary experiment and one that was thankfully not followed however i've actually grown to love this one to my own surprise! What's not to love after all. An oddball mix of King Crimson inspired guitar riffs, Jethro Tull-is flute, funk, rock, jazz, prog. Clever compositions too. Yep, it's weaseled its way into my soul and worked up to a four star rating. Sneaky bugger.