THE MARVEL WORLD OF ICARUS

The late 1960´s produced some of the most groovy and interesting pieces of jazz-rock. The melting and fusion of jazz and rock results in a blend of extremely delicious chops and music. Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chase, Chicago and several other bands really took the development of rock music several steps further. This was, of course, before the jazz- rock/fusion side of music turned into the severely slick fusion of the later 1970's. The slick side of things is not my cup of tea. The grittier, dirtier and harder rocking sort is more in line with my taste.

So, having established my love of jazz-rock, I now proclaim the immense impact the world of Marvel had on my childhood. Batman and the Hulk was always my favorites among the superheroes but the all filled up my imagination, back then. I guess that is why I have always had a soft spot for this, the only album, by the british jazz-rock outfit Icarus.

Jazz-rock and the superheroes of Marvel. Now that's a great way to start off the day. It must be. The cover suggests a whole lot, as does the mythical status of this album. Severely affected by Marvel wanting 50% of the sales and the record company's (Pye, that is) decision to withdraw the whole thing because of that, crippled the band and left them without an album to promote. The reviews of the time were not raving either, so in hindsight the band struggled.

The musical content, apart from the great cover and mythical mumbo jumbo surrounding the album, is, however, not all that it is cracked up to be. There are great moments and there's good ones but the album is really not that brilliant or fantastic. The musicianship is nigh on perfect but the material is in itself mostly alright. The lyrical content is entertaining and fun, which makes this listenable.

Though the songs have slightly differing styles, the overall feeling is one of more or less similar tracks. There are really no fantastic stand-outs. The ballad "Madame Masque" is really on of the more recognisable ones, due to it's mellowness. Most of the tracks are harsh jazz-rock, performed with great intensity. "Conan - The barbarian", "The Hulk" and "Black Panther" are among the best tracks of the lot.

When listening to this album I dig the music. It is groovy and great but it is not among the greater albums of the genre. It is sort of a novelty act. Fun and entertaining, not bad at all but not brilliant either. The only album Icarus made is primarily, I think, known for it's obscure nature and lyrical themes, rather than the music on the vinyl. I would not really recommend this album if approached with the oppurtunity to promote the jazz-rock record of all time. It would not even end up in the Top 10. That does not mean you shouldn't give this album a go. It is fun, entertaining, groovy and certainly an interesting piece of a time and musical landscape long gone. I cherish my CD edition and play it every once in a while. It is, like I have said often enough in this review, great fun and full of good though not outstanding music.