QUATERMASS

Here one of the better album of progressive rock of the '70s!! Between the heroes of the classic pop period the organ Hammond occupies a place of relief. Its sound, majestic and malleable to the same time, in a position of to give back a lot the solemn atmosphere of the liturgies in cathedral how much the quick liveliness of the resonant columns of the film of action, became synonymous of the overwhelming to end of the '60s, mentally associated to such period with common immediacy to little other its symbols. As much peculiar to those years had been the bands formed alone from a bassist, a drummer and a keyboardist, you suffice to remember the gothic ATOMIC ROOSTER or the baroque EL&P.

In 1970 a trio of sessionmen between the more requests was formed actual with this type of formation putting the sound of the hammond what angular stone on that build the structure of the actual melodies. The three musicians were John Gustafson (bass guitar and vocals), Pete Robinson (keyboards) and Mick Underwood (drums); the group and their sole album took the evocative name of QUATERMASS, from the homonym series of films and science fiction made-for-tv movie producted by Hammer.

Since the short prologue "Entropy" the programmatical intention of the trio are obvious: agreement of organ expanded, almost slowed down, from the ritually monumental effect. The alternate disk songs elaborated, in a position of to introduce pleasant variations inside structures strophe-refrain from the immediate impact, to spacious mainly instrumental elucubrations where melodic elements confuse themselves inside to experimental equipment and to impromptu openings. Between the pieces with more orthodox structure, two hit since the first listening for the rhythmic structures pounding and the unanimous refrain, "Black Sheep Of The Family", that the continuous svisate of organ confer a characteristic impression of fleetingness and "Gemini", irresistible swing surrounded with unheard of manner from moments of arrhythmy stagnation worthy of a requiem in cathedral. To note also the short seventeenth-century ballad "Good Lord Knows", sole moment in which the organ leaves space to the harpsichord and to a forest of arcs, instruments that trace a precious neoclassical tapestry. "Post War Saturday Echo" sails from hospitable environments, solar chords, persuasive and padded singings, near the South savage of Gregg Allman to deviate suddenly on crazy diparture, uneven times, dispels exponential of the keyboards, lines of lower part to routes of neck. "Good Lord Knows" part curling since immediately varied pyrothechnical subjects , in which everyone of three acrobat seeks to change an original R&B line in something of absurd and ever heard, while a song forced it is superimposed to strokes, without a true back logic. Dulcis in fundo, if already in the central section of "Make Up Your Mind" astounding hastes to the Bach meet themselves with discordant series, in "Laughin' Tackle", distilled elementary trial of alchemic merger, to such factors go to add itself acid soliloquys sublimating in alterations of the structure "free" and blues reminiscences whose asymptotic expansion tacks towards the infinite, giving back this instrumental exterminator of 10:35 one of the most brilliant gems from the rich English mine of the '70s.