SECOND ALBUM

''Air Conditioning'' reached no.8 in the UK albums chart in December 70', but bassist Rob Martin decided to quit before the album was cut and published.His replacement was Ian Eyre and he actually contributed a few session plays in ''Air conditioning''.But his main contribution appeared in ''Second album'' as well as in his impessive live performances.The album was recorded at Island and Morgan Studios, originally released in 1971 in UK, USA and Germany by Warner Bros with the band and Colin Caldwell being responsible for the production.The rainbow on the cover refes to Terry Riley's album ''A rainbow in curved air'', from which the band derived its name.

First coulds within the band appear for the first time, Darryl Way composed the whole first side and Francis Monkman, who wanted Curved Air to follow the fashion of long, progressive tracks, was the writer of the flipside.The five tracks on the opening side show Curved Air slowly getting way from the Classical adaptions of the debut to create more original but always ethereal music with big psychedelic and orchestral moments, dominated by Way's dreamy violin parts and Monkman's sweet piano lines.The bulk here is characterized by nice keyboard parts on synthesizers, electric and acoustic piano and melodic singing lines by Sonja Kristina, featuring also Way's irritating violin textures and obtaining a slight RENNAISANCE feel due to the tension towards ethereal and keyboard-driven arrangements.There are still some poppy moments, but there are also some grandiose orchestral moves with piano and Mellotron in the process.The flipside is a bit more adventurous with ''Everdance'' containing very dense music with scratching violin parts and a fiery rhythm section and ''Bright summer's day '68'' sounding a bit like BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST and PROCOL HARUM with the combination of Classical keyboards, psychedelic guitars and emotional singing.Finally the will of Monkman passes in the 13-min. ''Piece Of mind'', which sounds more dramatic and atmospheric than anything the band produced so far, led by dual keyboard lines, full of harsichord, organ and acoustic piano, some complex twists with Classical vibrations and powerful orchestrations with Way's violin in the forefront.RENAISSANCE's comparisons are even more obvious in a track, which could be characterized as intense and cinematic.

A bit more consistent than Curved Air's debut.Orchestral Prog Rock with emphasis on keyboards, piano and violin, fronted by a talented female singer.In fashion with other groups of the time, recommended to lovers of British Progressive Rock and Classical Prog.