SEA SON

I was pretty surprised when I heard this one for the very first time, recently. Both the quality of the playing of the musicians, the tracks & the sound quality are excellent especially when you come to realise this was actually recorded in 1974. You wouldn't say. Secret Oyster plays some kind of fusion which still appeals nowadays ; doesn't sound outdated for one single minute. Sea Son seems to show the band at its peak and it's easy to understand why. The formula for their instrumental music seeps quite simple, yet not less effective. Take one appealing repetitive basic melody played on keyboards, add some moody keys to it on the background and the stage is set for lots of splendid soloing on guitar, sax or synths. This working method seems to have the best result on an excellent track like "Pajamamafia" where you can also notice some slightly folk influences. Obviously "Painforest" is the highlight of the album even though it is a strange track compared to the bunch of the other tracks. The wonderful classical intro with repetitive melodies played by violin & sax is followed by an excerpt with a laid back feel with a Gilmour like guitar line on top. A great track to set your mind at ease and definitely one of the most astonishing atmospheres I've spotted lately. "Paella" could appeal as well to those who like the music of Ozric Tentacles ; here the jazzy mood also includes eastern influences & elements from space rock. In other words this album is a must for those listeners that are looking for adventurous instrumental progressive rock music which includes a wide range of influences without disturbing the fusion style. Like some other reviewers mentioned, there're some similarities to the music of Mahavishnu Orchestra or Nuclues without getting too close to the sound of the aforementioned bands and maybe the sound of Secret Oyster is more progressive overall. Fans had to wait more than 20 years for a cd release but it's been well worth the wait. Moreover this disc contains 3 bonus tracks. "Sea son" is a calm track with a nice main theme. The beginning of the track is pure progressive while the second parts contains a good duel between an the keyboard and the guitar, still I have the feeling it never reaches the quality level of the original tracks. Same thing goes for the jazzy "Alfresco part 1" which has some memorable recurring melodies. Part 2 is nothing more than a short moody closure of a wonderful album. If you like fusion records, you should stick to "Sea son", you won't be disappointed.