Psych Britannia - Strange Daze

The first track "Garden of Earthly Delights" is a very promising and impressive opening to the album and nicely sets the scene for the album as a whole. The track features a very pleasant rock organ playing in the background overlaid with electric guitar and fine vocals. The track ends with some appealingly far-out psychedelic guitar playing from Steve Hillage. Track 2 "Azathoth" has a very religious feel to it, opening with a resonant church organ and charming ethereal vocals. The middle section of the song features some powerfully heavy and freaky guitar riffs, before returning to the more sedate sound of the church organ towards the end. Track 3 "Queen St. Gang" is an instrumental and it's the stand-out track on the album for me. Again, it features the magnificent sound of the organ under-laying the music as a whole, together with some gently laid-back drumming. Track 4 "Leg" opens with an impressive organ solo before launching into heavy electric guitar riffs, twinned with powerful bass and drumming in the rhythm section. After the deceptively quiet beginning, this track turns into a real out-and-out rocking barnstormer of a song. Track 5 "Clean Innocent Fun", at over 10 minutes long, begins as a slow and heavy, full-on psychedelic jam which gathers in pace and dramatic intensity as the song progresses and should appeal to fans of Jimi Hendrix. The final track on the album "Metempsychosis" is the longest number at over 16 minutes in length. The track opens with some freaky sound effects before launching into some powerful and throbbing Space Rock which is very reminiscent of Hawkwind's early albums. This is by far the heaviest track on the album and features some wonderfully freaky psychedelic guitar licks. The song has a hauntingly reflective middle section before returning to the heavy pounding rhythm for the grand finale to the album.

It appears that Indian Summer are a band of confirmed atheists from the title of our first song "God is the Dog", but don't let that distract you from the great music on offer here, because this is a tremendously powerful opening number. God almighty! The Prog Gods would be graciously appeased with this demonic outburst of keyboard-driven prog. The incredible singer deserves a mention too, with soaring vocals that ascend right up into the heavens and beyond, in the true spirit of David Byron of Uriah Heep. Heavens above! This euphoric stratospheric epic is terrific! We're drifting gently back down to earth now for "Emotions of Men", although don't be fooled by the brief placid intro, because the deceptive calm is about to be shaken and stirred again by another pounding percussive wave of earth-shattering keyboard prog, designed to fire up the "Emotions of Men" with power and passion. These four relentless guys are ploughing on ahead with thunderous power and dogged determination and they're not stopping for anyone or anything, so set the phasers to stun now for "Glimpse", because this is yet another stunning organ blast from the past. This glorious "Glimpse" back in time to 1971 reminds us of just how many great long-lost album treasures are out there just waiting to be re-discovered again in the futuristic age of the Internet. Beam me up Scotty! It's time for a change of pace now for "Half Change Again". It's a two-part song, beginning as a gently-lapping wave of melodic prog, but the clue as to what lays in store is in the song title, because it's all "Half Change Again" for a dynamic explosion of supersonic keyboard wizardry to close out Side One in stunning stupendous style.

Holy Moly! There's no let-up in the incredible pace and vigour of this album, so get ready for a dynamic keyboard burst of "Black Sunshine", another wild and heavy powerhouse performance reaching into the realms of the mighty Crimson Kings. There are definite similarities to be heard here with "21st Century Schizoid Man" from King Crimson's sensational first album. Both songs are instilled with that same raw energy and power. We're off to the movies now for "From The Film Of The Same Name", a stirring Jazz-Rock instrumental, which does indeed sound like it might have featured in an action-packed early 1970's crime caper movie. There's time for some quiet reflection now with "Secret Reflects", a hauntingly atmospheric number with a stately marching rhythm. There's a slow and steady build-up in this majestic processional epic, which explodes into a sparkling crescendo of sound and energy for the spectacular grand finale - a song which also features some marvellously over- the-top Byron-esque vocals. In a classic case of saving the best song till last, the final song "Another Tree Will Grow" is another incredible powerhouse display of stunning virtuosity from four multi-talented musicians at the top of their game, featuring a wild and frenzied guitar and keyboard jamboree, not to mention the unstoppable Duracel drummer who probably needed to lie down in a darkened room after his breathless performance here. This simply sensational album highlight shines like a glowing beacon on a hill.

Bask in the glory of an Indian Summer with this dynamic outburst of Heavy Prog from 1971. There's enough latent energy stored in this brilliant album to light up a small town.