THE POWER AND THE GLORY

GG get the groove on in a fabulous stretch into funky syncopated rhythms (well at elast on side one). A wonderfully complex album to get your brain around. Preferably relaxed with a suitably complex glass or four or a bottle of your favourite tipple.

Proclamation has hints of what is to come, amongst the typically complex GG arrangements but you really know that there's a new thing happening, a flavour being tried out.

So sincere returns you to a medieval melody over a staccato disjointed backing, but even amongst this you can tell those bass fills are just straining at the leash to funk out. THis is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, and to be honest it's way too much for me.

In aspirations the gentleopening keyboard has that funky feel, but things relax and a flabby round bass sound to die for comes in. A little more jazzy in the feel: it's odd like, a bunch of gifted folk musicians had walked in on Steely Dan and combined the best of both worlds.

Playing the Game is my least favourite track. Still think that one section of bass was in the back of someone's mind when Jacko came up with Beat It.

Side two opens with a standard drab 3 chord 12 bar blues in G (yeah right fat chance!). GG blast in with a typically intense. No God's a Man slows the mood. Why do GG jsut have to better at loads of things than everyone else? Fabulous vocal arrangements. Ridiculous. Make the mainstream sound, well, pop.

I realise the musicanship is brilliant, at a different level than most bands you get the chance to listen to but this does not float my boat. It's too much at times. The funky thing happening does not add to the normal GG mix: for me it's interference. The funky side is beter integrated into the GG sound in Free Hand.

I've given 4 stars out of innate respect for GG, but this for me is more of a 3.5