PUBLIC FOOT THE ROMAN

Slightly obscure proto-prog band from Cambridge. There's little here to distinguish them from dozens of other similarly-intentioned acts from 1974, just another rock band with somewhat proggish leanings and a prominent organ player, but they do execute the style rather well.

"Decline and fall" and "Judas returns" are the tunes of greatest interest for prog listeners. Both are extended numbers with many changes, and strong organ work from Dag Small. Vocals by Sean Byrne are typically strong and melodic, and also very English. Some of the other tunes-like "When you lay it down" and "Don't bite the hand"-have slight proggish touches and "One (On my mind)" has a nice folkish feel, but for the most part this is straight, early 70's mainstream rock.

3.5 stars really!!!

Sole album from this formation although their self-titled album bore a striking Hipgnosis artwork that could evoke Close encounter a few years before hand. This Cambridge combo derived their amusing name from road panels, much like a Canterbury band did that same year. A double guitar prog quintet where the vocals played a major role, and three member sang lead, while all of them contributed to choirs, PFTR had a fairly

Apart the atrocious radio-friendly opening track Land Owner (XXXX), , PFTR is still often sounding like those early 70?s UK proto-prog bands (not in PA?s definition or PR) and a prototype of future AOR that would overflow the airwaves later in the decade. Indeed the much superior When You Lay It Down is more in the organ driven hard prog mould (with a bit of Yes Album tinge) meeting Argus-like Wishbone Ash. While not quite as bad as the opener, King For A Day sounds like third rate Lynyrd (that country feel) meeting Wishbone, while the 6-mins Judas Return takes on a Yes turn, simply because the band takes its time to show more than basic song schemas.

The flipside is filled with more of the same (bat of course the opener) and the Yes and WA influences abound but are never overbearing either, because PFTR has its own sound as well. The organ-driven Don?t Bite The Hand is great moment of interplay, once past the fairly conventional song format. The following on My Mind might just be the catchiest track on the album, starting on acoustic arpeggios and remaining acoustic over triple vocal harmonies (Cressida?s better moments are also on my mind here). All is left is the 8-mins+ Decline And Fall, the Yesser track of the album and again plenty of time to mingle strings, keys and skins.

The band (half the band, actually) would then commit a strange suicide by getting rid of their original name and changing to a stupid one: the movies. They would go on to record a few albums under that moniker until the early 80?s, but I?ve never of the group or their albums. But getting back to PFTR, their album is certainly not anything essential or groundbreaking, but they stood in the pack of tens of dozens of valid bands that deserved more attention, but there was only so much space in the early 70?s sunlight. In other words if Wishbone ash had done Argus with keyboards and proggier and lesser D&D lyrics, it could?ve sounded like this

3.5 stars for sure

This british band with intresting and odd name in same time, must be considered one of the forgotten and unnoticed prog rock bands from first half of the '70. Nevertheless they were quite popular among students playing a lot in colleges in 71-73 when they even release their one and only album in 1973 selftitled. Well, what I heared here is pretty good from start to finish, imagine you listen to Wishbone Ash with keyboards, really good, twin guitar and melted with some fantastic keyboards passages. Aswell I like the voice of Dag Small, there were three vocalists singing in same time, but I thing Small's voice was the one who really impressed me. Pieces like When You Lay It Down or Judas return who really sounded to me like early Yes around The yes album combined with with Flash around In the can period 1972, maybe you can add Argus from Wishbone Ash aswell, really nice pieces for sure. Another goody is ending almost 9 min Decline And Fall with again yes flavour but in the end not a copy/paste band for sure. A worthy album in my opinion who didn't get the chance . 3.5 stars , I really kine it. Keyboards and guitars are working at full capacity here. Intresting as the name and odd aswell is the art work. They disbanded in 1975 and gone into oblivion but morphed a year later into The movies with a comercial pop rock sound who were aswell doomed for eternity when punk rock enterd on the scene and killed the chances of succes for countless bands from that period.