SONG OF THE MARCHING CHILDREN

EARTH & FIRE were a band who had a string of hit songs, but at the same time created progressive music such as the side long suite on this record.The female vocals are very good, and the liberal use of mellotron only adds to the enjoyment.

Things get started with "Carnival Of The Animals", a catchy, organ driven tune with those beautiful vocals that for some reason remind me of the sixties. "Ebbtide" is a mid-paced tune with lots of (what sounds) like flute. "Storm And Thunder" opens with church organ followed by waves of mellotron that continue as the vocals come in on this slow paced passage. At 4 minutes the soundscape intensifies with more floods of mellotron at 5 minutes. Great song ! "In The Mountains" is an instrumental with lots of synths and organ, while guitar melodies come and go.

"Song Of The Marching Children" is about reincarnation, and is divided into 7 parts.The intro is very quiet and atmospheric .The vocals and drums are the focus during the "Childhood" section as the mellotron starts to flow. On the "Affliction" section the soundscape is spacey and dreamy, while mellotron and vocals make up the "Damnation" section. The vocals remind me of the style that THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS used to use, where they seem to sing for all their worth, giving it their all. The acoustic guitar introduces us to the "Purification" section, that also features gentle vocals on this pastoral piece.The last section "The March" is dominated by marching drums. My edition of this record has a bonus song called "Memories" which I believe was their first hit. It opens dramatically with lots of mellotron and turns into an uptempo, catchy song that closes with a guitar melody.

I don't think "Song Of The Marching Children" is for everyone, but I certainly recommend this excellent album.