TREGEAGLE'S CHOICE

Following the traditional path of the concept album Napier's bone's album "Tregeagle's choice" is based on the true historical story of Jan Tregeagle. The legend tells, that he sold his soul for success in life and Napier's bone's album is focusing on the legend creating an uni-directional story-line. The dramatic content is supported by the use of different singers. While the main role is taken over by UK based singer Nathan John Tillet, mastermind Gordon Midgley gives roles to other people as well. He takes over two roles himself. Other guests join a scene at a village, recreating an authentic crowd (track 5 "Vox populi") The story-line remind on other genius-stories like the one of Robert Johnson, Niccolo Paganini. Musically Midgley and Tillet have created a progressive rock style, which is also based on tradition (matching the historical story), but adding some unusual ingredients. The music is arranged with much diversity using all well- known elements of the classic phase of british progressive rock. The mellotron is intensively used, many different guitar-sounds and layers of guitar-sounds, some fine vocal-harmonies. Everything is pointing to the big ones of progressive rock: YES, Genesis and (most apparently) early King Crimson. Some people might be sad about the stylistic change of King Crimson after their first three albums towards Jazzrock and Avantgarde and exactly this group of people could be very happy with Napier's bones, if they are longing for a secret King Crimson-album between "The wake of Poseidon" and "Lizard". But "Napier's bones" is more than just a Yes/King Crimson - recreation for two reasons: The story told in "Tregeagle's choice" is much more concrete than the usual progressive lyrics. From the very beginning the listener is catched by the story-line, which is more comparable to 18th-century romantic ballad than to hard to understand Yes-lyrics. Second Nathan John Tillet's performance on the lead vocals is breathtaking different compared to classic prog- singers. Tillet sings like a very good drama-actor with emotional expression and much variety. His voice is causing suspense. Which progressive-rock-singer has ever caused suspense? Anderson? Greg Lake? Hamill? They are all very static singers, more another voice in the arrangement, more beautiful than thrilling. The emotional deepness of Tillet's style, and the rough and sometimes raspy timbre of his voice injects an unheard flavor to this progressive album, as if Roger Daltrey had joined King Crimson back in 1970.

A very pleasing album for listeners of both, Classic Rock and Progressive Rock