Prog Britannia - Album Reviews

The sound of Illusion's "Out of the Blue" album is as quintessentially English as a game of cricket with a cream tea and a scone on a pleasant English summer's day. The album opens in magnificent style with "Isadora", a beautiful, yet hauntingly- atmospheric 7-minute-long song of love. Jim McCarty is on lead vocals with Jane Relf providing sweet harmonies on backing vocals. There are some lovely long classical motifs from classically-trained pianist John Hawken and the song features a nice electric guitar break in the middle section. The song concludes in fine style as the vocal harmonies and gentle piano drift away into the distance in the fade-out. The second song "Roads To Freedom" is a bright and breezy up-tempo number with the melodious honeyed voice of Jane Relf on lead vocals. There's some charming classical-style piano playing again from John Hawken on this lively and uplifting song with Jim McCarty harmonising beautifully with Jane Relf as the song plays out. The next song "Beautiful Country" is a real highlight of the album. This lovely song features these charming lyrics:- "Beautiful country, Your mountains of heaven, Your glistening rivers a twisting away, Beautiful givers of summer's white kisses, Boldly for winter we want you to stay, I well lay me down upon the soft solid ground of this land." ........ It's an enchantingly beautiful melody which leaves one feeling spellbound and captivated with delight. There are Jane Relf's marvellous vocals at the forefront with the haunting sound of the tinkling piano and the ghostly Mellotron in the background. This is gorgeous music to drift away to at night underneath the bedcovers with the lights turned down low, where you can forget your cares and worries for a brief time. In complete contrast, the next song on the album "Solo Flight" is a real fast-paced rocker featuring Jim McCarty on vocals. In fact, the contrasting styles of the album are part of what gives the album its lasting appeal. Side Two opens with "Everywhere You Go", a bright and lively up-tempo song with the adorable voice of Jane Relf on lead vocals again and featuring superb piano accompaniment and orchestration. "Face of Yesterday" opens with a classical solo piano piece in the style of J.S. Bach. The song is another stunningly beautiful melody, full of charming English splendour, as Jane Relf carries you away to a warm and pleasant place with a voice as sweet as sugar. The album concludes in suitably exuberant and lively fashion with the 7-minute-long all-out rocker, "Candles Are Burning". The song features a grand finale with a full orchestra and choir to round off this superb album in grand and spectacular style.

An essential album for fans of early-era Renaissance which has stood the test of time.

KHAN - Space Shanty

1. Space Shanty

Album Review #10:-   Khan were a short-lived Canterbury Scene band who got together to record one outstanding  album "Space Shanty"  in 1972 before breaking up shortly afterwards. The band featured guitar legend and singer Steve Hillage, who later went on to success with Gong as well as having an illustrious solo career following the release of his first album "Fish Rising" in 1975. On keyboards was Dave Stewart (not to be confused with guitarist Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics), a distinguished keyboard player who was a member of the Jazz-Rock bands,  Egg,  Hatfield and the North, National Health, and Bruford, at various times during his long career. He also played together with Steve Hillage on the Arzachel (Uriel) album in 1969. Dave Stewart later worked with Barbara Gaskin (formerly a member of Prog-Folk band  Spirogyra) and they teamed up to achieve single success in 1981 with "It's My Party {And I'll Cry If I Want To). The bass player on Khan's "Space Shanty" album was Nick Greenwood, a member of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, and on drums was Pip Pyle, a talented drummer who went on to be a member of the Canterbury Scene bands,  Gong, Hatfield and the North and National Health. The "Space Shanty" album contains six long epic pieces of diverse music  of between 5 and 10 minutes duration, consisting primarily of a heavy prog, hard-rocking  sound, interspersed with some quirky Jazz-Rock passages and  quieter melodic moments, Khan sound like a heavier version of Caravan in places, and all the better for it too. "Space Shanty" is a very gratifying album to listen to as a whole and warrants repeated listening to truly appreciate the musical delights on offer here. The 2005 CD reissue of the album contained two bonus tracks.

"Space Shanty"  opens in spectacular style with the title track, a song of awe-inspiring power and versatility, demonstrating the musical prowess of the four talented musicians to the fullest extent. This is Prog-Rock at its absolute best: heavy and loud and proud and displaying breath-taking musical virtuosity, guaranteed to leave the listener enthralled and astounded at the same time. Next is "Stranded", a beautifully melodic song which warms the heart with its lush harmonics and emotionally charged vocals. The song features an intricate, instrumental Jazz-Rock break to delight and entertain the listener. This memorable song represents another perfect demonstration of the musical virtuosity of these four amazingly talented musicians. Song No, 3 "Mixed Up Man of the Mountains" continues the album in similar epic and dramatic style, with a powerful Hard Rock sound combining well together with some complex Jazz-Rock sequences. Side Two opens with the longest song on the album "Driving To Amsterdam", a 9-minute-long song which displays its Canterbury Scene credentials to the fullest extent, with a heavy "Caravan-esque" Jazz-Rock sound and featuring some masterly guitar riffs and keyboard virtuosity from the combined talents of Steve Hillage and Dave Stewart. The penultimate song "Stargazers" is another heavy Jazz-Rock number with some interesting changes of time signature and dramatic changes of pace. "Hollow Stone" brings this memorable album to a suitably impressive close with emotionally wrought vocals and a spectacularly heavy and powerful sound, very reminiscent of some of Uriah Heep's epic songs.

The "Space Shanty" album is a classic which has stood the test of time, and still sounds as fresh and original today as it did at the time of its release way back in 1972. Thanks to ProgArchives and YouTube, this album is now receiving the acclaim and recognition it truly deserves. "Space Shanty" will delight and astound Progressive Rock lovers everywhere with its awesome power and virtuosity. It's an absolutely essential album for any discerning collector of classic early 1970's Prog-Rock.

CRESSIDA - Cressida (1970)

Album Review #9:-   Cressida are a group of five accomplished musicians who got together in London in the late 1960's to form a band. The band  initially called themselves "Charge" before changing their name to Cressida. They released their self-titled debut album in 1970 and a further album "Asylum" followed in 1971 shortly after the break-up of the band. The "Cressida" album is full to the brim with complex changes of time signature, soaring emotional vocals, impressive Hammond organ virtuosity and wild guitar solos. The album contains 12 diverse songs, ranging from short Jazzy numbers, melancholy ballads, and all-out symphonic masterpieces. The melancholic singer sounds remarkably  similar to  Justin Hayward in places and the album is guaranteed to appeal especially to fans of the Moody Blues and any collectors of classic Symphonic Prog generally.

The album opens impressively with  "To Play Your Little Game", featuring plaintive vocals and a beautiful organ solo before launching into some fast-paced Jazz-Rock played  in an unusual time signature. "Winter is Coming Again" is a pleasant sounding melody, featuring a wild psychedelic guitar and Hammond organ solo in the middle section.  "Time or Bed" opens with an acoustic guitar before transposing into another up-tempo Jazz-Rock number in an irregular time signature. The title track "Cressida" is probably the most Jazzy track on the album with an upbeat Jazzy 5/4 time signature. "Home And Where I Long To Be" is a beautifully complex song, and ranks as one of the most impressive numbers on the album with it's sudden changes of tempo, soaring vocals and virtuoso Hammond organ and guitar accompaniment. The song is very much in the style of the Moody Blues and would deserve pride of place on any of their albums. "Depression" is a very fast-paced song, very reminiscent of one of the Moody Blues rockier numbers. Side Two of the album opens in similarly impressive style with the jaunty song "One of a Group" with the sound of the Hammond organ very much at the forefront and featuring a brief fuzzy guitar solo with a few Jazzy piano motifs included for good measure. The eighth song on the album "Lights on My Mind" is an up-tempo rocker with some bright and breezy Hammond organ playing and another far-out fuzzy guitar solo. "The Only Earthman In Town" begins with a haunting refrain and launches into some dextrous and intricately fast-paced organ-playing. Track 10 "Spring '69" is a gentle melody featuring a solo acoustic guitar which blends in nicely in between the orchestral and Jazzier numbers. The penultimate song on the album "Down Down" opens with a beautiful organ solo and features the haunting sound of the Mellotron. The song has several interesting changes of pace throughout and includes a Jazzy interlude. The album concludes in full grandiose splendour with "Tomorrow is a Whole New Day", a song very much in the symphonic style of the Moody Blues classic "Night in White Satin".

This is a superb album  of musical virtuosity featuring a very talented group of musicians. The album should delight Symphonic Prog lover's everywhere,  It should also appeal to any aficionados of early Jazz-Rock with special appeal to fans of Justin Hayward and the Moody Blues symphonic sound. It's no exaggeration to say this album is a masterpiece and it deserves repeated listening to fully appreciate the beautifully complex nature of the twelve well-crafted songs. There's an abundance of melancholy melodies, fast-paced Jazz-Rock songs and grand masterpieces of symphonic virtuosity to entertain and enthral the listener in equal measure and it's an essential album for any classic Symphonic Prog collection.

FANTASY - Paint a Picture (1973)

Album Review #7:-   The five-piece English band Fantasy released their fittingly-titled debut album "Paint a Picture" in 1973. The album displays beautiful symphonic soundscapes of dramatic complexity, featuring charming organ and elaborate Mellotron melodies to make a masterpiece album of the era. The album featured seven bonus tracks in the re-mastered CD version released in 2005. "Paint a Picture" passed by virtually unnoticed at the time of its release, which is a shame, considering  it's a beautifully-produced album which deserves far more recognition than it's received. The album is so uplifting and inspirational to listen to that it could almost belong in the religious section of a record store. Fantasy followed it up with an equally good album in 1974 titled "Beyond the Beyond" which wouldn't see general release for another 18 years. Their third and final album "Vivariatum" (1994) was up to a similarly high standard of musicianship and all three albums should appeal greatly to fans of early Genesis.

The album opens in dramatic style with the title track "Paint a Picture". The song features the magnificent  distant-sounding rock organ, together  with emotionally uplifting vocals and a gently rising crescendo of sound which puts the listener in an ebullient mood and makes a perfect introduction to what is a marvellous album. The second song on the album "Circus" continues in considerable style with some echoey-sounding vocals, intricate guitar playing and powerful drumming backed by the beautiful symphonic sound of the Mellotron. Track 3 "The Award" features plaintive-sounding vocals combined with a gentle melody which gathers in intensity as the song progresses. The song is another memorable addition to a fine album. Track 4 "Politely Insane" is an upbeat and uptempo number which chugs along joyfully at an impressive pace with some strident guitar chords. In a pleasant contrast of style, the next song  "Widow" is a brief, gently melodic lament, as the song title implies, and nicely fits into the album as a whole. Track 6 "Icy River" is another memorable number with plenty to keep the listener entertained, including heavenly vocals, the ever-present sound of the powerful rock organ and some skilful and melodic guitar leads. Track 7 "Thank Christ" continues in similar fashion with a feel-good, uplifting sound and featuring some stylish vocal harmonies. Track 8 "Young Man's Fortune" is a real powerhouse of a song, featuring  a throbbing rhythm section and sonorous organ playing. The album returns to a mellower mood in the first half of the  penultimate number "Goblin Song", coming to life in marvellously-uplifting style for the finale. The final song "Silent Mine" features a religious-sounding organ combined with ethereal vocals to produce a very memorable conclusion to a superb album as a whole.  

This melodic masterpiece of an album deserves pride of place in any Prog-Rock enthusiast's music collection. It's an album of contrasting  styles which never fail's to maintain the listener's interest. A classic example of early-1970's English Symphonic Prog at its best.

The epic album opener "I'm on My Way" is the highlight of the album. It's a hauntingly atmospheric song with a deliciously slow build-up after a deceptively quiet beginning. The spacey song features a delicately-played Hammond organ, laid-back acid guitar riffs, steady drumming, haunting ethereal voices and some atmospheric sound effects. The memorable song explodes into a full bore psychedelic jam of dramatic intensity around about the 9-minute mark, which should delight fans of way-out Acid Rock. Track 2 "Poor Lady" is a pure out-and-out rocker which maintains the fast pace from the previous song. Track 3 "Walk on the Bad Side" starts quietly with a gentle melody before bursting into life with some heavy guitar riffing and fast and wild Hammond organ-playing. Track 4 "Woman of a Thousand Years" is another up-tempo number with the ever-present Hammond organ blending nicely with acid guitar riffs and powerful drumming. Track 5 "Change Me" is one of those powerful and dramatically memorable songs that could have gone on to become a classic if it had received some radio airplay. Track 6 "It Takes a Woman" is another fast-paced Hard Rock song with a change of pace at the end to keep things interesting. Finally, this brings us to the second epic song "Birth, Life & Death" to play out the album. Everything is thrown into the mix for this song, including frantic Hammond organ-playing, wild psychedelic guitar riffs and a pounding drum beat, and the song also features a dramatic change of pace midway through, before concluding with a tremendous crescendo of sound. It's a perfect ending to a classic album.

This memorable album grows on you with repeated listening and it should appeal to any fans of British Psychedelic Rock.