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IN THE REGION OF THE SUMMER STARS (1984)The EnidSymphonic Prog4.25 | 253 ratings |
From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website
| JackBH like |
This record was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Punk swept in
just as this glorious swathe of prog rock appeared, even though it had been recorded a
year earlier. A concept album based on the tarot deck, it features Robert John
Godfrey's orchestral keyboards pushing against guitar work that ranges from the
sublime to the metallic. Like so many prog bands, the classics raise their heads here, in
influence if not in cribs, whether it's the Rachmaninov-style piano of "The Lovers," the
Bartók harmonies of "The Fool...the Falling Tower," or the epic "The Last Judgement,"
where a rhythm based on Ravel's "Bolero" builds into a theme from a Latin mass before
soaring to a climax. The title cut, on the other hand, is lazily pastoral and lilting,
reflective until the heavier middle section, then slowly fading away. Really, the closest
this band comes to rock as we know it is on "The Devil," where heads get down, but
never quite bang. It's well worth noting that the CD version is different from the
original vinyl, not only in tracks but even down to re-recording some tracks without
some of the original members, which offers a different perspective. Comparing the
two, it has to be admitted that the original version comes off better in its delicacy and
freshness, although the newer recordings do make better use of the available
technology.
JackBH |
5/5 |
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