THIS IS ... GRACIOUS !!

Reissued on Beat Goes On BGOCD256 double-CD (with "Gracious!")

Another early Vertigo release, known as "the two exclamation marks album" (!!). If you're hearing it for the first time don't panic - there's nothing wrong with your stereo system, it's just the intro to the "Supernova" suite! In four parts - "Arrival of the Traveller" ("space" noises galore, Hawkwind and Floyd comparisons would not go amiss here, but I'm being naughty!), "Blood Red Sun", very catchy organ riff, great Purple-esque groove, "Say Goodbye to Love", a slow, strummy ballad, very nice indeed, and "Prepare to Meet Thy Maker" which brings us back into the Twilight Zone - etherial chorus and swirling other- worldly keyboards, the song develops into a slow dreamy arrangement, rounding off the suite rather nicely, though comparisons with early Genesis abound!

"C.B.S." is an almost Rooster/Purple (there i go again!) style groove, a somewhat sixties style pop song but which comes as something of a breather after the preceding suite, some nice keyboard and guitar solos, a very fine track indeed. "What's Come to Be" follows this, a slow, beautifully arranged song awash with vocal harmonies and Mellotrons, a lovely track, though comparisons with the Moodies are not unfounded! An uptempo intro to the romantic song "Blue Skies and Alibis", which contains good guitar solos, in places this track reminded me of Purple's "I'm Alone". The last track "Hold Me Down" is another melodic pop song, though not the most outstanding track on an overall great follow-up to "Gracious! (1)" , a very enjoyable listen and highly recommended as a worthy addition to any early Prog collection!!

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