ENNEA

Chase's second album was released in 1972, the title "Ennea" being the Greek word for nine, the number of members in the band. The recording of the album was not without its problems, with both the lead singer and the drummer being replaced along the way. After their trumpet dominated debut album, "Ennea" saw band leader Bill Chase attempting to dilute the emphasis on that instrument.

The brief single taken from the album "So many people" was included on the lavish CBS (Columbia) sampler "The music people". As such, it served for many people in the UK, including myself, as an introduction to Chase. The sound is of a BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS like brass filled rock song. Although it is very short, the track builds from a soft beginning to a wonderful cacophony of screaming brass, with powerful vocals (this was the only track on the album to feature Terry Richards on lead vocals) and a superb melody. An epic in under three minutes.

The album opens though with a bizarre jazz rock take on the old standard "Swanee river" with wailing trumpets and harsh rock vocal by GG Shin (the principal singer on the album). Any resemblance between this version and the downbeat original is fleeting indeed! "Night" sees the third lead vocalist in as many tracks, with trumpet player Ted Piercefield's David Clayton-Thomas excellent like voice raising the question "why did he not sing more"?

The remaining tracks on side one borrow heavily from the style of BS&T and CHICAGO, Bill Chase's trumpet never being far from centre stage. The strong melodies are enhanced by the superb musicianship on display, including some fine organ work by Phil Porter on "I can feel it".

The second side of the album is dedicated entirely to a side long suite whose theme is the Greek Gods and their associated planets. The first section "Cronus" has some fine lead guitar work by Angel South, the trumpet quartet pushing Shin's vocals to ever higher levels. Shin's vocal style is actually quite similar to that of ARTHUR BROWN, a point brought home through his excited performance on "Zeus". The gentler "Aphrodite", in two parts, offers a welcome lightening of the pace and sound, while acting as a counterpoint to the frantic closer "Hades".

"Ennea" is sadly a largely forgotten album by a largely forgotten band. Hopefully, Chase's addition to ProgArchives will help to redress that injustice, at least to some extent.

The sleeve has a picture of the nine band members lined up as a fine example of what not to do with facial hair. If that was not bad enough, we get a mirror image of the same picture on the reverse!

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