ILLUSION

Illusion´s second album was done in a kind of rush according to an interview with Jim McCarty. They were not able to finish it was they wanted probably. Still the record has some fine moments: Madonna Blue is a very strong song, one of their best, with Hawken providing great piano runs while McCarty and Jane Relf share some stunning, emotional lead vocals here. Really beautiful. The rest of the album is not that powerful, but still is good: Wings Across The Sea is a mellow number with some fine flute-like mellotron, Cruising Nowhere has a fierce melody and the closing number, The Revolutionary is another highlight (fantastic mellotron choir here!). Ironic, the producer was McCarty´s old chum from the Yardbirds, Paul Samwell-Smith (who did a good job, by the way).

It was obvious that the band had more to give than a softer version of the 70´s Renaissance we all know and love. With time they could evolve into something of their very own. Unfortunalty the times were not for this kind of music and recording labels were placing all their bets now in punk or disco (they would lose, of course). So a lot of groups were just dropped like dead fish.

If you liked Illusion´s first album, this one is will please you too. It is a little more experimental in some parts and less inspired but still was a valid and interesting prog album in a period when most prog bands were stuck in a rut (and I have to agree with the reviewer who said it is better than Renaissance´s Azzure D´or). Recommended.