IT'LL ALL WORK OUT IN BOOMLAND

When I hear the opening crashes of In Circles, I get a thrill and it barely lets up throughout the course of this excellent album as the power prog-trio expand on the psychedelic and jazz-rock tendencies of Cream (with liberal splashes of orchestrated symphonic prog) to create that rare and beautiful object ... a masterpiece of progressive rock. The aching tone of Dunton's limited vocals work perfectly with the compositions (he is after all credited with having written all the songs!), although T2 can really mix it with the best of them. T2's remarkable gift is that their songs sound so fresh that one almost takes them for impromptu jams, and yet they are way too skillfully executed and structured to have been (although Keith Cross does actually play the odd "bum-note" or two on No More White Horses!).

In Circles in particular is an example of T2 applying the restraints on its own fury and then eventually letting Cross' abundant talent loose. His fiery playing puts in the Paul Kossoff bracket of special guitarist who shone brightest in their mid teens. The piano-led J.L.T introduces Dunton's propensity for writing unforgetabble melancholy melodies and its outstanding, orchestrated deceptively-timedoutro is one of my favourite "subtle" moments in all of prog.

And then we have the latent power of the intro of No More White Horses which really is a thing of beauty (even if it is here that Cross stumbles in his frenzied opening solo). The melody of the song itself is bewitching. When Dunton goes "someone is sitting there" it's like a release and as for the sudden silence after the chorus ... it's perfection! Cross's superbly-constructed blues solo that moves from ice to fire, and the ominous conclusion that echoes J.L.T.'s with piano, brass and strings giving it an epic feel all go towards making this one of my favourite ever songs.

But still the ultimate statement of intent has to be the 21 minute-long Morning. I can't think of a 20 plus minute prog track that flows more naturally than this one. It begins with a simple acoustic guitar strum and another melancholic Dunton melody ... "to a sky that answered not at all" ... but the boys soon take off on an astral blues-rock jam, full of twists and turns, there's a "bridge" 6 minutes in, a sound effects-laden section, a third vocal section that comes in around about the 12 minute mark that is jazzier and rockier than its predecessors, there are hints at a jazz-waltz and yet another majestic brass-heavy outro! Frequently sublime stuff.

The three bonus tracks that come with the SPM re-issue also add real value to this already amazing record. Questions And Answers is more of a slow-burning blues, but T2 have too much energy to let it be ordinary, and in fact Cross's soloing is some of his best although I prefer his regretably brief first solo to the lengthy second one ... his third isn't bad either!). CD tricks the listener with a meandering jazz- inflected intro before launching into a fiery Hendrix-like work, although the melancholy chorus is all T2, please note that somewhere between the power chords there lies a brief, excellent Baroque exchange between Cross and Jinks. The alternate version of In Circles is also power-packed, but even rawer than the studio original with some dodgy vocals from Dunton dragging it down, but an excellent jam that occupies the last third of the song that is spacier and less focused than the studio original, makes it a worthy addition.

All in all, this is one intoxicating, seamless album that is classic progressive rock at its least pretentious. ... 90% on the MPV scale

Along with Clear Blue Sky and Bachbendel, T2 has enjoyed the status of true and forgotten gems of early 70's hard progressive rock, and like the other groups mentioned, their specialty is a hard guitar dominated rock with plenty of riffs. Another similarity between the three groups is that all members were particularly young at the time of recording, particularly guitarist/composer Keith Cross just being 15 or 16. Needless to say that the vinyls (of all three groups) fetched small fortunes until the records received a Cd issue in the mid-90's.

What we have here is a power trio that was so common from the Cream/JH Experience days, where the guitar plays the main role, but Cross also handling whatever KB parts present on the album. Drummer Dunton (no slouch at his instrument either) handles also the vocals (which are nothing out of the ordinary) and bassist Jinks provides a solid base to work upon. Needless to say that with the perpetrators being so young, this disc is not perfect and sometimes-downright naïve, but the results are truly impressive for novices such as them.

Opening track is a sizzling guitar-dominated lenghty hard-driven 100MPH track with great riffs (early Frank Marino style) and wild drumming underlining the semi improvised solos. The second track JLT is actually a showcase for Cross's keyboard works, he has quite a palette of them at hand and again, the results are surprisingly good. But the real highlight is No More White Horses - a track that was covered (and completely rekindled T2's legend) by Landberk in their first album (English version) - is close to being a masterpiece of its genre and it alone being worth the price of the Cd re-issue and is ending in total chaos.

Side 2 is made of one sidelong track, Morning, starting out as an acoustic, but slowly evolving into a frenzied hard rock track somewhere between Budgie, Wishbone Ash and Cressida. There are some lengths in this epic and it is overstaying its welcome just a tad, but this is a minor remark.

If you are now in your fourties and discovered this some 10-12 years ago, you should find this a rather good album, but nothing worth yelling over the rooftops its merits. If you are younger, chances are that your natural enthusiasm will make you love this beyond what normal wisdom should allow, and if you are contemplating investigating the album, beware of its rather overdone reputation. A good solid small gem, maybe but hardly a cornerstone either.

The intersection of blues rock and prog. This album seems to have been overshadowed by many of the progressive rock titans from the early 70s, however I belive it is important acknowledge the significance of this record. Its is one of the better debuts to emerge from this fecund period, and can be appreciated by many pogressive rock fans, especially those who possess an interest in the blues rock like Cream, Wishbone Ash, and early Led Zeppelin.

However, just becasue this album has a side-long epic does not make this a progressive rock album. It is simply a guitar driven, blues rock oriented jam. The blistering solos, courtesy of Keith Cross, are fast, and precise, but it is nothing that I havent heard before. The lyrics are typical of most blues rock albums and fail to enthrall me.

Regadring production, this album has absolutely dreadful sound quality, and that was with Bose Headphones on a compact disc player. To be honest, often times the "raw" sound of an album adds to the feeling of the album and makes the music more honest and real. For example, Free by Free is an outstanding studio album becasue of the raw energy present throughout the entire record.

Overall, T2's debut is marred by unfocused jams, largely contrived subject matter, and awful production. The only appealing aspect of this record is Cross's blistering solos and the last two songs off the album. If you feel obligated to bolster your forgotten 70s prog album collections, I would advise you stay away from this album, and venture to buy High Tide, Trees, Gracious!, Spring, Holderlin something in the prog folk vein. More times than not, obscure blues albums are insipid and vapid, bearing in mind most does not mean all.

I got this CD from CD Universe for $28,and I can say that I got my money's worth. As the CD liner notes say,the songs go back and forth between acoustic passages and thunderous roars of anger,and they are right! ''Circles''(8:38) is a guitar rock song,with great vocal harmonies,while JLT(5:55) is a rock ballad.''No More White Horses(8:37)goes back and forth between acoustic rock and guitar rock,with the last 37 seconds of this song being distortion sounds.Next up is the 21 minute and 15 second song ''Morning'',which again goes back and forth between folk rock and guitar-heavy rock.Halfway into this song,there is a 90 second drum solo,with background shriek sounds.Some horn sounds come into play at 13:30 into the song for a bit(I could also hear a bit of horn work in ''No More White Horses''),and the few minutes of the song end in a bit of mellow way.''Questions & Answers''is a blues song,while ''CD" is a guitar rock song,with a blues edge to it at times.There is a ''live''version of ''Circles'',though it does not sound like a live setting.The last 3 songs,"Questions And Answers'',"CD",and "Circles'' are BBC recordings.I recommend getting this cd.It is too bad that this got overlooked,in a shuffle of '70's albums,apparently.Also,I can hear some Canterbury influences at times in the songs.The vocal harmonies in the ''Morning''song sound great.

"It'll All Work Out In Boomland" is the quintessence of the 70s. If the album gained more support and the band didn't collapse (wishful thinking, I know), T2 might have achieved the status that bands like Budgie or Atomic Rooster now boast. Unfortunetely it didn't go well at all. But this album is like a souvenir from it's times. Has everything that hard and prog rock had at the moment, plus brilliant musicianship and a little bit of vision. Now, I think it is a compulosy listening for everyone who wants to claim that he or she know everything about progressive music.

Always a firm favorite amongst fans of the early 70's. This outfit could have slipped into the rather ordinary hard rock category. Thankfully this album proves otherwise.

From the opening riff on the first track, you can instantly tell these guys are experts on their instruments. Shimmering, piercing lead guitar work against a sonic assault on the drums (who incidentally is also the vocalist). Not only that but it boasts some awesome orchestration and brass work that compliments it so well without getting too overpowering. All too often, orchestra and brass on albums from this era can end up playing more than the band themselves. Not the case here.

Compositions have a dark, sinister quality, sometimes reminding the listener of early King Crimson in places. As I recall there is a bit of mellotron in there somewhere as well. I'm sure I've just sold it to you now! We all love mellotron after all.

4.5 stars - excellent++

The lost love child of Caravan and The Stooges?

Ferocious and chomping at the bit one moment, mellow dreamy passages in the next. It is in those dreamy vocals and nimble lighter moments where I am reminded of certain Caravan tracks, but before one gets too lost in hippie vibes the guitars will blow through your wall with Stooges attitude. Then some bluesy riffs will bring Alvin Lee and Ten Years After to your mind. Boomland is a decent enough hard rock album but I think its reputation is actually a bit more impressive than the work itself. This is not so much progressive as it is bluesy hard rock and I have to borrow a sentence or three from our own Reviewer Asyte2c00 who says it very well: "just because this album has a side-long epic does not make this a progressive rock album. It is simply a guitar driven, blues rock oriented jam. The blistering solos, courtesy of Keith Cross, are fast, and precise, but is nothing that I haven't heard before."[Asyte2c00] While I also agree with his 3 star rating I do believe many hard rock fans will love this album.

"In Circles" is the blistering opener and sums up everything about T2, full of "Immigrant Song" power and immediacy. Certainly a good song although Keith Cross is no Jimmy Page in my book, he has the power but lacks the emotional character in his leads. The song drags for too long with a fairly repetitive riff. Every garage band you knew growing up in your town had their own version of a hard jam like this, it's just not as stunning as some make it out to be. "J.L.T." is the shortest track and ironically the best song on the album. Here T2 puts more effort on songwriting than on trying to impress you with their crunchy chords. Starting with acoustic guitar and some very nicely done piano the song is more laid back and plaintive. It builds slowly but effectively showing some real dramatic development, building tension, then returning to the familiar piano melody. Some horns are added to the end that remind me of Caravan again. Great song! "No More White Horses" is the second best track with two main sections. One is another balls-to-the-wall jam with a Sabbath heavy riff that drives propulsive guitar and drum explosions. The other main part has a more laid back feel with horns, acoustic guitars and vocals. The piano is used effectively again at giving the song more depth. "Morning" is a full side-long epic beginning with acoustic guitars followed by well behaved bass and then nice vocals. Soon the drums and e-guitar are pushing things to the next gear. Over the course of next 20 minutes you are essentially on a jam roller-coaster that would make Cream turn their head and say "eh, who's that playing mate?" I enjoy it to be sure although to play devil's advocate I would like to hear more questions from the material. It's certainly confident but after listening to Melos the last few days this song lacks the prog mind-blow I want when a song demands 21 minutes of my time-the playing is unquestionably good but I want more than what I can get from any good hard rock album from that decade. It's a nice try but if you compare "Morning" to another epic of the period like "Nine Feet Underground" it becomes obvious which track is a wannabe.

Really a very solid album for those who love hard rock in the acid-guitar school, fans of the mentioned groups along with Zeppelin, Cream, and Hendrix fans are not going to be disappointed with this purchase. And for people who already like this, I have another suggestion: find an album called "Midnight Sun" by a band of the same name on this website. My prediction is that album will curl the toes of T2 fans-not that it sounds like T2 necessarily but sure shares the spirit. It's a lost gem of the highest order and a better album than this.

I read in a previous review that T2 was a mix of early prog rock and the rawness of The Stooges. Let me add to that mix Black Sabbath like riffing and we have a pretty original cocktail here.

It´ll all Work Out in Boomland is a very guitar driven affair which is pretty unusual in prog rock, but T2 is not your every day prog rock band. All melodies and soloes are played by the guitarist Keith Cross. I really love his raw and unpolished style, which sometimes remind me of Toni Iommi on the first Black Sabbath album. T2 is not nearly as heavy as Black Sabbath though, even though they come close at times. Some strange things have found their way into this album, and I´ll have to mention that in both J.L.T and No More White Horses the keyboard ( which is only present shortly) plays a melody that sounds like the tune from M.A.S.H ( It´s kind of funny).

One thing that brings my excitement down though are the vocals. I think they are too unremarkable. They don´t stand out in any way.

I think everyone in this site should give this a chance as there are some really fine moments on this album, but with that said, I´ll only give this one 3 stars, as I think T2 lacks in some places. First of all a really good vocalist. But it´s an album I always enjoy listening to and frequently do.

Gosh!

As soon as you have heard the first notes from "In Circles" the gorgeous opening number of this album, there is no doubt that the "experience" will be quite interesting. This long track is a truly a wild stuff, but at the same time it has rounded edge, mostly thanks to fine vocals.

In terms of "experience", no need to add that the magical shadow of the master (Hendrix) is floating during this incredible song. It is a highlight of this album and an amazing kick off.

To be honest, "T2" is also effective while they decide to record sweet and psychedelic rock ballads. Keyboards add some prog touch indeed to "J.L.T.

Another excellent track is "No More White Horses". It opens again with a furious guitar solo, not alien to Jimi or Clapton. The psychedelic feeling remain through the peaceful vocals. The whole is a fabulous trip (I bet you) through a remarkable song: the hypnotic bass play provides an hypnotic riff during the instrumental parts and what to say about the guitar work from Keith Cross? Simply brilliant I guess. "No More White Horses" is a superb track and another highlight.

The epic "Morning" is a perfect digest of the whole album.

It starts very smoothly, almost as "J.L.T." and evolves brilliantly into hard to heavy territories on such a fantastic crescendo scheme. All this being covered with the smooth vocals from Peter Dunton who brings a sense of sensibility and tranquillity amongst these hard sounds.

OK, it might be a little long (just over twenty-one minutes), but I'm just found of this type of music (the Hendrix syndrome again). It is a vibrant return to these late mid sixties full of excesses but so important for the further development of rock music.

This song is a great combination between heavy and tranquil parts. It is really moving while Dunton sings. Some solid soloing are dispersed all along this long track and keep the interest of this song pretty high during the whole length of this fabulous number.

The CD release comes with three bonus tracks which are a great complement to the original release. Same and great Hendrix filiation during both "Questions & Answers" and the jazzier "CD".

I like the former one in particular which could have sit perfectly on the original album. The same fine atmosphere can be felt (vocals, riffs and beat). It almost starts as the Jimi version of Hey Joe but quickly leans towards a huge guitar solo again. This is one of my favourite song from this album (but almost each one is so fine).

"CD" is more of a jam "experience": no doubt that you will be captivated by these musical moments which reminds me furiously of "Voodoo Chile". And the demo version form the opening track of this great album is such a fine way to loop the loop.

This little known band produced A HUGE album which is an extremely good picture of the late sixties/early seventies hard-psychedelic music. I am emotional giving the masterpiece to this album which is not so hard to find hopefully (some 10? on Amazon's marketplace - France).

I chose this album as my first review because T2's It'll All Work Out In Boomland has a very important meaning for me. It's perhaps the first minor-classic I bought, I remember it like if it was yesterday, a sunny day with my schoolmates in Viareggio, and in a small shop I found that sleeve that I had already seen in a book... So, it's very difficult for me to be objective about this album.

Now that I think of it, I don't want to be objective at all in my reviews.

I won't indulge in technical matters, because I'm not competent enough, but instead I'll try to convey the overall feel of the album, with a longer paragraph for the most significant cut of the album I'm reviewing.

So, this was released in 1970, so it means that the band had bluesy and rock influences, but in this they tried to move a step forward towards..bla blah blah blah...pretty boring uh?

....................... General atmosphere of the album

Once you start to listen to this album, you immediately become aware of the incredible potential of the young guitarist, Keith Cross, who was 17 when the album was released. In fact, the first song, In Circles, features some stingy and aggressive guitar play, but you notice that Peter Dunton's voice wants you to relax and think, despite all the guitar madness going on. Relaxed energy. The vocals are unusually calm for this kind of music. The other kind of ambience that this album brings is lonely introspection. It appears in the strangely titled JLT (it apparently means Joy Little Tune, in spite of the introspection of the lyrics) which express an atmosphere of a summer morning in the country, with the protagonist passing his time in solitude, torturing his own brain with questions Feeling less forgotten than alone/In solitude the time/Passed in several shades of dismay/And glimpses of the truth) This is achieved with a folk instrumentation (acoustic guitar mainly) which accompanies the vocals, until a surprising mellotron section comes: and that's one of the best mellotron tracks I've heard. The two halves of the T2 sound unite for the conclusive Morning. We mentioned morning speaking of JLT, right? Well, the start of the long Morning song is very very similar... delicate folk music which express the sleepyiness of a summer...well...morning. But, later, the electric power of the band comes out and this piece evolves in a improvised freakout, but don't think of a mess... It's fantasy, not noise making. Sudden riffs, cleverly interrupted by folk passages and mellow vocals, and then, to keep your attention high, another stunning guitar solo!

...................

The most significant track of the album is NO MORE WHITE HORSES. That's a monster track.

This, apparently, as stated in a interview with Peter Dunton, wants to recreate the feeling of dispair and hopelessness felt by the population during the Polish invasion by the german troops. Now that you know it, try to find the references in the song! It opens with a guitar/bass riff which reminds of the marching german troops, who are approaching...you can feel the danger and the menace. This builds to a climax where the trumpets joins the guitar (a trumpet of war?), there is a vibe of tension, when the vocal section finally comes, you almost feel released. But, the vocals convey a sense of despair and terror, as experienced by the population (you got nowhere to hide, there's no white horse to run away). The rest of the song is conducted by the guitar solos, which gradually overwhelm the piano (the violence of war which overwhelms the piano, do you remember that film about the polish pianist during WW2, eh?) The song climaxes in multi tracked noises of triumphant feedbacked guitar, after the echoes of the defeated instruments, which fade away....

......

An excellent album, it's a sham that their second album (T2/Fantasy) it's not complete, because the result could have been even superior to this, thanks to the more frequent presence of keyboards (Mellotron), which has only a secondary role here.

Avestin has been promoting this album for a while now, and when I mentioned it to Tom Ozric he couldn't contain his enthusiasm for it saying it was a 5 star album. So I went into this hopeful but also thinking about how many times i've been disappointed by similar circumstances in the past. Well I was quickly blown away by the sheer power and inventiveness of this trio, nevermind the astonishing guitar work of this teenage prodigy named Keith Cross. The thing is i'm even more impressed by the drumming of Peter Dunston who ranks up near the top of the heap for me as far as favourite drummers go. He's absolutely incredible ! It's hard to believe this band didn't become famous until you read how "Decca Records" held back the distribution of this album purposely out of spite. They had T2's debut album produced by one of their own because they were in a dispute with the band who wanted a really raw sound like when they played live, this is not what the label wanted hence their own producer. Well the band made some compromises and so did the producer. The final result pissed off the label so much they fired their own producer, and many fans who heard T2 live could not find their album for sale anywhere. Ahhh politics. I like the story of when the band played the Marquee Club and John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix were both hanging around backstage. These guys were killer live and there was a huge buzz about them. Unfortunately it all fizzled because of poor sales.The label had won.

"In Circles" opens in a restrained way that sounds so good then it kicks into a higher gear. So impressive. Vocals after 1 1/2 minutes. Why does this remind me of early CAMEL ? The drumming is outstanding as the guitarist rips it up. What an opener ! "J.L.T." opens with strummed guitar as keys and drums join in. Reserved vocals before a minute. Mellotron after 3 1/2 minutes. Nice. "No More White Horses" is a song I knew already because I have in on my LANDBERK "Lonely Land" album. That was the first time I had heard of T2, when it said it was a cover of a T2 song. The sound builds until the guitar is screaming. It settles 2 minutes in with strummed guitar, bass and light drums and starts to build again.These contrasts continue. Check out the guitar solo 5 minutes in and then the blistering attack 7 minutes in as riffs follow. "Morning" is the side long closing track at over 21 minutes. Pure Prog right here as themes are repeated and the tempo and mood shifts throughout. Just an amazing ride that has it all.

We don't see ZowieZiggie offer up too many 5 stars but he did with this one including an opening "Gosh !" which is exactly how I feel about this album.

T2 were one of the great mysteries of the late 60s early 70s. Should have been HUGE but somehow lost out to lesser heavy prog bands. All three members of this trio were exceptional musicians and the songwriting is top-notch. The interplay between the trio is well balanced between individual virtuosity and group dynamics. Although the recording itself isn't the highest quality, the music production is solid, especially the orchestral sections of "No More White Horses."

If you like the idea of the darker sides of the Hendrix Exprerience and Cream, paired with the scope and expanse of the early days of prog rock, then this release is well worth checking out. Also, If you're famliliar with the fuzzed out, underground-feel of early Vertigo label releases and that appeals, then this release should be a priority.

I'd like to know whatever happened to guitarist Keith Cross after the demise of T2?

3.5 stars...

Peter Dunton,Bernard Jinks and Keith Cross formed T2 in 1970 with an aim to play ground- breaking rock music with lots of energy and enthusiasm.Dunton and Jinks were members of the band ''Neon Pearl'',while Jinks met later Cross,as they both played on ''Bulldog Breed''.T2 were signed by Decca Records and released the album with the imaginative title ''It'll all work out in boomland'' in 1970.

The album contains four tracks,one of the being the long epic ''Morning'',taking the whole B- side of the LP.The starter ''In circles'' is where the band seems to have given all their energy and lust for good and powerful rock.A guitar-driven track,where Keith Cross shines with his unbelievable performance,characterized by the abstract chords and powerful grooves,with a tight rhythm section covering him as well.''J.L.T.'' is a lot more than a psych ballad with a very emotional Dunton singing and somekind of horn-section with trumpets ending the track with a thrilling melody.Side A closes with ''No more white horses'' ,which continues from where ''J.L.T.'' ended,with a piano-driven opening section with smooth vocals and backing trumpets supporting,when suddenly 17-years old Cross takes over playing his frenetic guitar all the way to the end.The endless energy and complicated breaks of T2 return on side B with ''Morning'',a composition split between acoustic parts with a psych orientation and great vocal sections, and instrumental passages based on Cross' hard/bluesy guitars and Dunton's dynamic drumming. It's the track where I am reminded most of ROBERT FRIPP's guitar style in his mid-70's works with KING CRIMSON...and that says something for Cross' talent.

Unfortunately T2 were short-lived and it is really a question what this band could have created a couple of years later,when progressive rock was on the rise.Overall,a very good and powerful heavy Proto-Prog release from a band with talent and skills.Strongly recommended!

British heavy symphonic blues power trio T2's crowning gem, "It'll All Work Out In Boomland" is a truly archetypal release of the early 70's.

A perfect compilation of all of the nuances of the emerging prog sound at the turn of the decade, "Boomland" ranges from the heavy blues rock of "No More White Horses" to the hazy psychedelia of "In Circles" to the lightly orchestrated balladry of "J.L.T." to the symphonic grandeur of "Morning". Impressively enough, though, it sounds neither dated nor derivative. Instead, T2 presents a very interesting, and powerful, patchwork of all of the different musical ideas being tossed around in UK at the time.

I would rate this a masterpiece if it wasn't for the slight limitations in terms of sound that are posed by the three-man lineup; aside from "J.L.T.", which features some gorgeous brass arrangements, the guitar-bass-drums sound can get a little monotonous. As it stands, this is a solid 4 star album; an excellent addition to not just any prog collection, but any classic rock collection, too.

I'm of the opinion that progressive rock and heavy metal share a strong bond from infancy. It's true that many of the metal bands of the eighties and nineties were heavily influenced by prog bands of the seventies, but more than just that, I believe that way back in the late sixties as both progressive rock and the first generation of heavy rock artists were developing their crafts, both subgenres had emerged from the nexus of psychedelic music. Simply speaking, progressive rock would borrow a lot from jazz and classical while early heavy metal would come from a combination of acid rock or heavy psych and a revamped version of the blues. Yet thanks to the experimental psychedelic rock years, both subgenres would freely choose items from the other's bag of tricks. One needs look no further than King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man to hear how both prog and metal could be presented in a single song.

T.2. were an English band that took heavy guitar rock and blended it with a jazzy rhythm and created extended songs which sometimes featured psychedelic guitar distortion and feedback sections and other times soft, acoustic moments. In the simplest description of their music, imagine "Fire and Water" era Free with the largely unknown Necromandus. They released a single album in 1972 and a second album's worth of material was shelved until 1997. They released three albums in the nineties which seem to have been mostly overlooked.

"It'll All Work Out in Boomland" is an album of four tracks with side B being taken up by the 21-minute "Morning". The song that ends up on YouTube proto-metal and early heavy rock compilations is "No More White Horses", which opens with a simple three-chord riff played muted at first but then opens up as the music intensifies. It's a great example of early doom metal as indeed was the music of many English bands at the time. The band is joined by a trumpet (possibly two) and then the song mellows down for the verses while powering up for the choruses. It closes with lots of drum action and blazing guitar work.

The album opener, "Circles" is also a very worthy track to mention for its jazz-based drumming and bass work and some of the guitar playing as well. But there are open chords and barre chords played with crashing bursts of distortion. Near the end, the music lays back for some experimental jazz-type playing as the guitar goes from clean jazzy exploratory notes to psychedelic distortion rumbles and feedback.

The middle track on side A, "J.L.T." is a mostly acoustic track not unlike something Pink Floyd might have done on the soundtrack for "More".

Side B's "Morning" is basically in two parts, with a slow acoustic opening that leads into a mid-tempo rock song with more Free-like hard rock chords. There's a two-minute psychedelic/experimental interlude before the second part begins, which is characterized by a more up-tempo rock number that then becomes a showcase for wild guitar soloing. Note that during these lead guitar showcases, the drums are often going nuts in parts while the bass is holding down a repetitive but frantic rhythm. The bass does stand out a lot on this album and though it often repeats its lines, bass player Bernard Jinks says in the CD re-issue booklet that he intentionally restrained himself to allow for Keith Cross (guitar) and Peter Dunton (drums) to be able to show off their talents more.

The re-issue comes with three bonus tracks, all of which are BBC sessions. "Questions and Answers" and "CD" are not on the album and feature a more psychedelic guitar sound and playing style, leading me to believe that these are older recordings. "CD" must be the hardest hitting track on the whole, uh, CD. I also feel the guitar solos on these two tracks are more emotive than what we hear on the actual studio album. The final track is "Circles" again, though I feel it's less effective here with the BBC because the drums are not mixed very loudly and the heavier guitar chords are also quieted down.

T.2. were a band that took the jazzy blend of rock, intensified the guitar sound with lots of hard-hitting open chords and barre chords, and added some frantic lead guitar. They played longer tracks and like most bands of the day, they added mellow acoustic parts. There is also the presence of brass on a couple of tracks. They are not progressive like Genesis or Yes or even King Crimson but more like the psychedelic bands of the late sixties who added parts to songs that allowed for a galloping rhythm section to provide a backdrop for fast fingers on the guitar fretboard. An album recommended more to people who enjoy heavy psychedelic rock and early hard rock / heavy metal and less to people who enjoy experimental jazz or symphonic rock.

Proggers love "Top" lists for their favourite music. I own over 500 prog albums and this would make any top 10 (probably quite high in the 10) I could compile. It is imaginative, clever and well played. The songs "No More White White Horses" and "Morning" are prog classics.

I can remember buying the vinyl original on its day of release and 2 of my pals also bought it. Sadly, their record label didn't back them enough so they fragmented when they could have been big prog figures of the 70s.

As a power trio they managed to make huge prog creations with just a little use of other instruments in the studio (the brass sounds on the 2 tracks I have mentioned are superb). My only negative comment is that I prefer Keith Cross's power guitar chords to his fast solos but this is not really a criticism.

The recent boxset including 2 albums' worth of additional material includes a remaster of the classic "Boomland" album which is far superior to the previous releases on CD and I am still getting more familiar with those songs on the extra material as I keep playing the "Boomland" CD.

A criminally underrated band who, with more backing, could have been BIG! with just a guitar, bass, drums lineup. Shame on their record label of 1970!

"In Circles" kicks things off with an attention-grabbing, irregular riff. Harsh, staccato chords are contrasted with floating, jazzy arpeggi before diving into a slinking, twisting guitar solo. The drumming is deft and technical in support of Cross's masterful soloing. Dunton's vocals are subdued and smooth, and they are a strong complement to the unusual, tumbling riff that powers the verses along. Matching the lyrics of disorientation, the instrumental backing has a spiraling, twining quality. Cross flexes his technical chops again in the song's midsection. Despite the length of this instrumental detour, things remain coherent and enthralling for the entire duration. The song's finale features ugly, dissonant chords.

Following this thundering introduction is something much mellower. "J.L.T." is a quiet, pastoral piece that is primarily acoustic. Piano plinks out the main melody, and Dunton's gentle voice is a natural fit for a song like this. Chimes and subtle Mellotron make this folky little piece quite lush. The chorus swells a bit more each time it is repeated; the keys grow more enveloping, and Dunton's drumming becomes more frenzied. In this song's instrumental outro, brass instruments slowly fade in, matching the tune of the piano and chimes. This lends the song a sense of richness and importance, in contrast to its humble starting point.

Ending side one is "No More White Horses", a song Dunton had previously recorded with his band Please. A palm-muted guitar gradually fades in, building a sense of dread and doom. When the dam finally bursts, Cross's guitar solo is blistering and furious, full of tortured bends and nimble fretboard gymnastics. The opening riff of this song would feel at home on an early Black Sabbath record. In contrast, the first verse is slow and mournful. It's mostly acoustic, and Dunton's voice is again a perfect fit. The chorus is simple but memorable, and an acoustic-electric contrast is used to great effect. Cross gets another solo after the first verse, and it's different from and the perfect counterpoint to his first. This one is much slower and full of emotional weight that builds to an explosive climax. Piano shows up on this track too, and the delicate tone pierces through the thick distortion on the guitar. Brass brings a sense of majesty to the mournfulness. As the song ends, it descends into a dissolving pit of discordant distortion.

Side two consists solely of the 21-minute epic "Morning". It opens quietly, with just Dunton and acoustic guitar. The rest of the ensemble jumps into it on the first chorus, and there is an irrepressible upward momentum, like the sun peeking over the horizon. After this opening passage, the band launches into a stomping instrumental passage with lots of technical start-stop playing and more searing solos from Keith Cross. This passage in particular feels like a direct precursor to Rush.

Cascading guitar lines, vocal harmonies, and jazz-influenced drumming underpin the next section. An extended melodic instrumental passage eventually disintegrates into sharp, squealing guitar harmonics and tribal, tom-heavy drumming. This moment of experimental ambiance reemerges into a reprise of the song's opening chords.

Continuing to build momentum, the song has a light, bouncy, psychedelic melody, but it's contrasted against herky-jerky jazz-rock. T2 again smartly deploys brass in this movement, and it serves to enhance the feeling of bright majesty. The band continues bouncing around between ideas, with galloping hard rock, but this suite remains incredibly coherent. Cross could shred with any of his contemporary guitar greats, and Dunton's performance could go toe-to-toe with Keith Moon's best. The mood is chaotic and anxious, but the band always manages to skillfully connect their disparate musical dots.

Eventual CD releases of this album would contain a trio of live recordings. One is "In Circles", and one features on a later release. The third song, "Questions and Answers", is slow and somewhat bluesy. Cross again puts on one hell of a performance in this powerful and affecting song.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2024/06/24/lesser-known-gem-t2-itll-all-work-out-in-boomland/

Review Nº 837

T2 was a British prog rock band formed in London. Their career took place between 1970 and 1972, then between 1992 and 1997. The band was formed in 1970 around former musicians from Bulldog Breed, bassist Bernard Jenkins and guitarist Keith Cross and from Please, drummer and songwriter Peter Dundon. They were first called Morning. They changed their name to T2 because there was already a US formation with the same name. The success was immediate. The trio landed a contract with Decca. T2 begins an important tour which sees them notably performing at the Marquee Club. In the meantime the band recorded their debut album "It'll All Work Out In Boomland" with only four long tracks, which one of them occupies an entire side of the vinyl. It displeases Decca who decides not to take care of the promotion of the album. This decision was fatal to them. They separate before the departure for a great American tour.

T2 has a very curious, interesting and original story. In the 90's, many forgotten bands had something like a second chance. One of such bands was T2. However, it wasn't the first moment when audiences discovered T2's work. T2 could enjoy their moment of fame back in the early 70's. In fact, T2 is even to some extent a contradiction of the fate of most formations, about which we currently learn at most from deeply buried in Internet fan sites of enthusiasts. T2 didn't release their album on their own. Its circulation did not amount to several dozen of vinyls distributed to friends and families. T2 had no problems finding a record label. And even so they didn't escape. The record label lost interest in T2 almost immediately after the release of "It'll All Work Out In Boomland". The album wasn't promoted and the vinyls rarely found their way to music store displays. And so, all the circumstances were created for T2 cannot survive.

Refined is probably the best way to describe the music on "It'll All Work Out In Boomland". T2 played it with passion, expertise and a feeling, reflecting the essence of the presented music too well. In T2's music, the dominant element that basically determines the reception of the pieces are the almost improvised parts that broaden and give character to the often catchy and quite compact leitmotifs. T2 has achieved an almost perfect balance between the extensive and the virtuoso progression mixed with the psychedelic and typically hard rock music focused on great riffs and catchy licks.

T2 were one of many power trios of that era, a popular configuration for bands back then, both in terms of economics, and logistics. T2 starred the prodigious talents of guitar wrangler Keith Cross, and were led by drummer, vocalist, and composer Peter Dunton. Keith should stick to the guitar, as his mesmerising fretwork is something to behold. Dunton, who, combining the conduct of the rhythm section with singing, turned out to be an extremely competent singer. Much of this is due to Dunton's awareness of his limitations and not going beyond the range of the voice available to him.

"In Circles" opens the album, giving a good insight into the style dominating on the album with an unusual ability to combine often rough riffs with a perceptible gentleness. This is the 70's hard rock more complex than the protagonists of UK hard rock at the time. The tune's haunting vocals, pounding drums and versatile, virtuoso guitar define the T2's sound. "J.L.T." is completely different. It has a slightly different, softer tune, with Cross playing piano and a light orchestral backing as the track progresses. It's somewhat psychedelic and with the vibraphone there is even a kind of floating jazz note. "No More White Horses" is a cover of a tune originally done by Dunton and Jinks in their previous band. The original three and a half minute psychedelic rock track was transformed by T2 into an eight and a half minute progressive masterpiece. In addition to the solid rock, there are psychedelic elements and even a brass support. It closes the tune and side one of the vinyl album. Side two consists of a single track, the twenty one minute magnum opus "Morning" which gives each band member a chance to show off their chops. It's basically divided in two parts, with a slow acoustic opening that leads into a mid-tempo rock song with more free-like hard rock chords. Taken as a whole, this is really a good piece of psych/hard rock which begins gently with soft guitar and vocals before becoming a roller coaster ride of twists and turns, with some glorious playing. This is an incredible ending to an amazing album.

Conclusion: You don't have to mystically glorify all projects of the early 70's. But some deserve more attention than others. T2 is such a band with their album "It'll All Work Out In Boomland". The special mix of hard rock, psychedelic and prog made this trio so attractive. They aren't progressive like Genesis or Yes or even King Crimson but more like the psychedelic bands of the late 60's. With just over 44 minutes, it gives the impression of be much longer, mainly due to the intensity of the music it contains. The team didn't manage to repeat this level of expression and the original line up of T2 quickly went down in history, not fully using its potential. Fortunately, we have a debut to which every self respecting music lover of the 70's should return many times. I would advise the album to every classic prog rock fan.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)