SCRAPBOOK

The brilliance of this band was never really captured on record. The influence it had was profound; the credit received for that influence was minimal. But even with that said, the records still contain flashes of pure genius, in both writing and instrumental technique ' Hughes and Ritchie were among the greatest of Rock's talents, and Ellis was no slouch either. It's ironic that this record is probably the most uneven of the three Clouds albums, yet it's the most important, standing on the very edge of pop and progressive, the bridge that traverses the gulf, the unique flavour of 1-2-3 sifting through Ritchie's pop ballads and whimsical sixties ditties, the two meeting head on in Waiter there's something in my Soup, with its sometimes clumsy words and images clattering into moments of sheer beauty and sublime inspiration. An oft-unappreciated and misunderstood treasure.