SAMURAI

After Dave Lawson joined WEB and released "I Spider" the horn player let the band know he had to get a real job as he wasn't getting paid enough plus the band were tired of seeing their name spelled wrong on concert posters and in the media so they changed their name to SAMURAI a name Lawson liked as he was stationed in Japan during his stint with the military. So the same band minus the horn player, although they brought in two guests to add horns and flute for this recording. Problem was when the toured without horns the music didn't go over that well to the audience as it was written with horns in mind so they broke up after the final tour. I agree with Hugues that "I Spider" is better than this followup album. There's a naivety, innocence and hopefulness to "I Spider" that is missing here. "I Spider" took much longer for me to appreciate but for me a much more enjoyable listen.

"Saving It Up For So Long" sounds more commercial than the songs from the previous album. Melodic and some energy here. Guitar, drums and keys lead with vocals being prominent too. Horns become the focus around 2 1/2 minutes. "More Rain" is my favourite. Recalls the previous album. Somewhat triply with soft vocals and I like the flute. Just a chilled out piece. "Maudie James" kind of fits in between the first two tracks style-wise. Vocals dominate with busy drumming, horns and more. A jazzy instrumental break is good with piano leading then horns.

"Holy Padlock" opens with sax and piano then it kicks in around a minute, vocals too. Horns honk as vocals come and go. Some brief bass clarinet after 3 minutes then the organ takes over during this instrumental part. Vocals are back after 3 1/2 minutes as they continue to come and go. "Give A Little Love" has some depth to it as the vocals join in. Organ solo before 2 minutes then a sax solo after 3 minutes. "Face In The Mirror" is led by drums and organ early. A calm with horns after a minute then vocals follow with horns and drums. Vocals are back after 4 1/2 minutes. An okay tune. "As I Dried My Tears Away" is almost 8 1/2 minutes long but a little disappointing overall. Piano before percussion kicks in. Vocals before a minute with vibes and more. Best part is the organ solo before 4 minutes with bass and drums. Vocals are back before 7 minutes.

Interesting cover art of a naked Asian couple. He's just finishing rolling the joint and she's already got the match lit. A pretty good album but I'll stuck with "I Spider".