FEEL EUPHORIA

I feel sorry for all you Spock's Beard fans out there. So much great music in this bands back catalogue and its all MINE to discover!! Envy me you sad people whilst I have such treasures to discover for myself. Now, I actually possess a fair amount of SB material but I had'nt got around to listening to it. So much music and so little time - does that sound familiar? After chatting to a friend I felt compelled to listen to them and this was the album I decided to start with. After checking the reviews I thought maybe I had made a mistake - it does'nt have the high score that others have.Anyway - I don't think I made a mistake - if there are better SB albums than this then I am in for one hell of a treat.

The album opens with 'Onomatopoeia' - an uptempo, uplifting track which sets the tone very nicely. Tight drumming and a sense that you have a band enjoying themselves. It has a quieter mid-section but soon regains momentum. A very catchy song. Next up we have 'The Bottom Line' which features that which I treasure most, delicious soaring synth before settling down to become pretty anthemic and acoustic along the way. Track three is the title track - it opens with synth and drum before vocals and choppy organ take up the beat. Its a fantastic track - the chorus has a unusual though very compelling phrase leading into it. The track gets more frantic two thirds of the way through. Organ mayhem ensues and you wonder who unleashed Mr Emerson into the proceedings. Next we have 'Shining Star' which is a nice ballad, reminiscent of America/The Eagles - listen and tell me I'm wrong. Lovely guitar, nice and chilled. 'East of Eden, West of Memphis' follows - and it is such a fantastic song. Very upbeat and foot-tappy (know what I mean?). I commented on this feature of the album to a friend and he said that maybe that was why some people did'nt like it. Strange - nothing wrong with foot-tappyness. Anyway - the second half of the song is a different matter. it cranks up the bpm and features fabulous synth, guitar, drums and all round excellent musicianship. 'Ghosts of Autumn' opens with sombre piano - vocals tell us to 'Listen to the whispers of the rain....' - its a rocky ballad and an excellent track to boot.

The next 6 tracks are 'A guy named Sid part one' up to part six. The first part is an instrumental and one of my new favourites. Its pretty funky, driven and very tight. It could be the new theme for one of my fav sci-fi series Space 1999 (in-joke). Great keyboards throughout. Part two continues the tale and is a strong, rocky, prog beast. Part three is more sensitive - featuring the line 'Every story has 2 sides, but no one ever wants to hear mine'. It reminds me a little of Kevin Gilbert, who was a friend of SB's drummer. Part four continues the tale of 'A guy named Sid' and it is followed by a choral piece which seems familiar to me - cant place it though. The final part of the epic ties up things well - great playing as usual. The albums last track is 'Carry On' - again, up uplifting, positive song. Sounds like the Carry On Wayward Son brigade. Superb album. What one next I wonder?