MIND STROLL

A keyboard driven album, to me very reminiscent of Wakeman's early solo work. The two dominant elements to me are, on the one hand, a strong commercial soft-rock/pop edge, particularly to the fore on the ballad "Take It Slow And Easy", and the main themes of the title track, and "Concerto For Two Handed Plectrum"; on the other hand, busy keyboard solos (sometimes approaching Emerson territory, eg "A Spell of Destruction" and "Concerto"), and 'classical' flourishes (eg the main theme of 'Minuet in E", "Winter", the secondary theme of the title track). Layers of keyboards dominate the sound, with much use of the most voguish synth sounds of the day. Sneddon shares lead vocal duties with Dayle Alison, who has a lovely voice. Not a prog masterpiece, but a very interesting record, one that stands out among the minimal output of the symphonic or symphonic-influenced bands found in Australia during the 1970s