THE FOSSIL RECORD (1980-1987)

"The Fossil Record" is a collection of rarities of BOTM first years. You can hear not only the beginning of their sound, but also a change in the conception of proggressive music, avoiding the influence of the sound of the 70´s and redirecting the concept of innovative music. Basically based in viibes and keyboards, its sound is very in the 80´s mood, not in the sense of Neo Prog style, but in the vein of the new keyboards and technologies. In this sense, a lot in the avantgarde. Because it is a collection of rarities, you can feel the difference of their different recordings, a bit innocent at the beginning, very ellaborate the previous years. There´s also a version of ENO´s "Sombre Reptiles" (a cover that would also apperar in their reord "Pyroclastics"). Their last song "To a random" (23:19) lacks a bit of interest, but the rest of the record is a great collection of music and helps to understand the crisis appeared in the 80´s, where bands like this had real difficulties to arrive to the audience. 4.5 stars; not a masterpiece maybe, but very interesting anyway