PAINT A PICTURE

Whilst the top-tier prog bands had become rock aristocracy crafting baroque and finely crafted masterpieces by 1973, the somewhat more freewheeling spirit of the early prog scene - more plugged in to the counter-cultural underground and prog's psychedelic heritage, a little rougher around the edges as far as the production standards went, and a bit less hyped up about classical music - was being kept alive by Fantasy. Their debut album, Paint a Picture, reminds me at points of Pampered Menial by Pavlov's Dog with more accessible vocals (and, in particular, some fabulous group harmonies) and, at points, a greater influence from funk and other less traditional inspirations for symphonic prog.

Although I think its reputation has been artificially boosted by its long period of unavailability, it's still a charming enough album which fans of the sound of the early prog scene will find delightful. At the same time, you can see why it may have been overlooked at the time - the prog scene had already moved on from the early incarnations of the genre that Fantasy harken back to (such as The Moody Blues, Family, and Genesis's Trespass, Bowie's 1969 album). I certainly wasn't too impressed by them initially - but I find that repeated listens reveal hidden depths which can be easily overlooked amidst the charming exterior.