CHRIS NEAL

In some respects this album reminds me of Rick Wakeman's Six Wives. Like that album, there is the claim of an overarching narrative concept (although the concept of Winds of Isis is never spelt out at any point in liner notes, only hinted in some evocative titles). Like that album, the music doesn't often strongly evoke the claimed concept. Like that album, it seems to be more about showing off how many keyboards Chris Neal owns and how well he can play them. The compositions are very simple, often sounding like the backing tracks to unfinished pop/rock songs, often quite repetitive (the well-named "Ritual Eternal" being a case in point). There is plenty of mellotron and plenty of analog synthesizer. Neal is a very good keyboardist, but not jaw-droppingly virtuosic. The album is a pleasant listen, but rarely an exciting one.

One for the Mellotron fans!

Aussie Chris Neal's one and only claim to fame in the progressive rock field is the 1974 Mellotron-drenched instrumental offering Winds Of Isis.

The work itself is competent, though not overly complex, and Neal displays good skills on the Mellotron and the other keyboards employed, as well as the various guitars, bass, drums and other percussion he plays. He also has a penchant for the Mu-tron synthesiser, which is put to good use throughout WOI. With the exception of some bass playing and drumming on a few tracks, Chris Neal plays all the instruments, somewhat in the mould of Mike Oldfield. At times the music takes on a very Oldfield type of sound, too.

My favourite track is the side-long, seven-part epic, "The Winds Of Isis Legend", which explores many moods over its nearly 20 minute time span. "Ritual Eternal", WOI's next longest track at a bit over eight minutes is another highlight.

Throughout the album one is reminded of keyboard greats such as David Greenslade (the Pentatauch Of The Cosmogany album comes to mind, though I haven't heard this in some time), and touches of Keith Emerson or Rick Wakeman. There is even a little honky-tonk style piano here and there as would be used by messers Emerson and Wakemen from time to time.

A disappointment is that there are no liner notes to support the story of what appears to be an instrumental concept album. (To help there are what appear to be 'clues' at the end of some tracks to give a little context, for example "Into The Valley Of The Ancients" is followed by the contextual reference "a glimpse of Isis".)

An album recommended for Mellotron enthusiasts! 3.5 stars for this Australian rarity, rounded to 4.0 as decreed by the laws of mathematics!