ARCHIVES

Archives is a posthumous release from Shaun Guerin. Aptly titled, it is a hodge-podge of unreleased material, live recordings, covers and what can only be discribed as a "sample" from Clearlight Symphony, the flagship of Guerin's label, Clearlight Music. The quality of the recordings is high, all vocals and instruments are nicely mixed, a pleasure to the ear.

The covers: two Genesis tracks; Back in New York City and The Colony of Slipperman are well done and the songs enhance the similarities to Gabriel in Guerin's vocal style. Of course, he was a member of the Cinema Show, a Genesis tribute band, so that is not a stretch. ELP's Karn Evil #9 is enthusiastically recreated, but offers very little in adding some personal touches. In the Flesh is a Pink Floyd cover that is okay, but not worth calling your mother to tell her about it. Guerin surely was inspired by the prog masters and offers up some good interpretations. Drum Duet is just that, a short, live, slamfest performed with Scott Connor. Infinite Symphony (2nd Movement) is a Clearlight Symphony piece on which Guerin plays drums. It really only offers a small window into that band's works, interesting, but lacking any real creativity on Guerin's part.

Sci-Fi, Goodbye and Big Lizard are all availble on By the Dark of Light as bonus MP3s. These tracks feature Guerin playing all instruments. Very well, I might add.

The real core of the album consists of the remaining tracks. Mostly prog ballads. If This Is A Dream is melancholy and sweet. She Doesn't Care has that killer Phil Collins tom-tom sound, Banksian keyboard spikes and small razor-like guitar fills. Without You has wonderful harmony vocals, bittersweet and aching. Two Turns to One could have been on Duke as Genesis turned to pop. Just the titles of these tunes give you a bit of insight into a troubled mind, the turmoil of a broken relationship. Falling Forward takes you back to the more fusionesque pieces from By the Dark of Light.

A solid three stars, for classic prog fans. RIP, Shaun.