LOGAN DWIGHT

Regretfully, the first two songs can tell us all of LOGAN DWIGHT, regretfully ...

LOGAN DWIGHT were another obscure Italian rock outfit in early 1970s. They had finished as a short-lived one, with releasing an eponymous album only ... everyone wonders why they had been disbanded soon, although they could release a good album blended with progressive stuffs and poppy ones. Wait, I'm afraid, through listening to this album, that this mixture itself should have let them break up, for the reason that they could not find the way they should go as a 70s rock outfit. From the third to the last track, we can find comfort for our ears ... basically easy-listening mellow pop & rock with heavy, jazzy (sometimes progressive-tinged) cultural spice here and there (I can appreciate their incorporation of various rock essence into music sense in early 70s, though - in this sense they can be called as progressive in my opinion).

However, the titled track and the following one are very fascinating. "Logan Dwight" can be suitable to be considered eclectic ... in the middle part terrific vibes can let us palpitate exactly, with high-tempo and complex jazzy-flavoured heavy & warped rock merry-go-round created by fuzz-buzz flute, deeply jazzy bass, flexible piano sounds ... a very promising song for this project, this might have been. And yep, beyond expression, "Moments Of Eternity" is! Let me emphasize this song is one of masterpieces in RPI scene (overestimated a bit?). With a very impressive, eccentric piano solo, addictive string sections, deep jazz touches, able to call this suite as a symphonic progressive rock one, that can notify us just the song should be LOGAN DWIGHT's signboard, I wanna say.

And back to my very first phrase. Believe me, this album is a good one, just as in early 70s Italian rock scene.

This album by this peculiarly named (for an Italian band) group begins well. The opening track, Logan Dwight starts off sound very similar to the title track from King Crimson's "Islands" album. By the middle it turns into a David Bowie-esque piece, the feeling helped immensely by Federico D'Andrea's vocals. The second song is every bit as good, but with a more traditional symphonic style with some Chicago-like horns.

After that, however, the band veers almost completely from the prog sound they performed so well, instead sounding like an amalgam of early seventies bands, like Jefferson Airplane and Crosby Sills & Nash. These tracks are not bad, but they are nothing special either.

But the first two tracks are dominant enough to give this album three stars.

Unfortunately, this site does not allow for fractional stars. My real rating is a 3.7 which is why I rounded up to 4 :-)

It might get better with even more listens.

These are the kind of albums I like finding.

Logan Dwight would be considered to be in the 2nd/3rd tier of italian bands of the 70's. But that is not a knock against them when you consider bands like Banco, PFM, Le Orme, Locanda Delle Fate, Museo Rosenbach, QVL, etc.. to be in the first tier.

This is quite a good album. There's not really one stand out track that's a classic but what you have here (or at least to my ears) is 30 minutes of good early 70's classic rock/meets progressive elements with even a sprinkle of saxophones to accompany some nice melodies. And you get a female singer with a nice soprano voice.

My favorite track has to be Dawn with the warm accoustic opening followed by a verse with a melody that they just don't do anymore :-) The chorus is wonderful. Chorus at times reminds me of Reale Accademia Di Musica.

For an italian album, vocals in english (and not in broken english either like so many of the english-sung albums from the 1970's italian scene).

Some of the melodies with their accoustical guitars and delicate female vocals leave me with the thoughts "They just don't make them this way anymore" (whether that's good or bad depending on your point of view) and this sits very nice with what music was like in the year 1972.

If I really had to make any type of comparisons (for your point of reference), I would say there are traces of Reale Accademia Di Musica (from their first s/t album), Aninoma Sound Machine (Red Tape Machine), Tonton Macoute (an almost essential british album to get) and throw in a very nice female voice to boot. And at points maybe even a little trace of "accoustic-delicate Delirium" in their Dolce Acqua/Lo Scemo albums. And for more originality, some saxophone here and there (but not predominent).

Running at only 30 minutes, that should not turn you off. I found about 27 minutes of this to be good listening.

No standout tracks that I can label as classic but I thought they put their heart/soul in every one of the tracks as it's solidly "good" (3.7 - like) all the way thru.

Don't expect a classic but there stuff to like on this album if you are familiar/like the references above that I mentioned.

Don't let this album slip by you without at least a listen. You might be able to find some sound samples on youtube. Check out the first 3 tracks if you can. This group had nothing to be ashamed of and they deserve a mention of the good albums from the 1970's italian scene.