THE MIDDLE EARTH ALBUM

Having found this album in a used bin, I was anxious to spin it. What came forth seemed straight out of a tavern somewhere deep in Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings Hobbit/Troll infested world. Great fun! Imagine Gryphon, or say Amazing Blondel singing songs about Middle earth and you'll get a good idea what's on the first 6 tracks. Starting with "The Man In The Wood" things begin to change. No longer are you listening to baladeers singing to some rowdy folks. Now it's basically a prog band singing medival folk using modern equipment. I especially love the voice of Susie Bogdanowica on "Mirkwood" and "As I Walk". Beautiful! In fact, track 6 to the end is more modern then the first 6, so it's a bit off-putting but a nice change of pace. Now, prog-wise, you get the feeling it's a Glass Hammer album only when listening to the massive keyboards on "Sweet Goldberry", very Yes/ELPish, otherwise its mainly a folk prog affair. So in that aspect, I give it a rousing 3-stars.