ENCORE (LIVE 1977)

This second TD live album is again a strong album by the band. Just as with ''Ricochet'', the band is releasing new material (improvisations?) during these live sets. And the result is again very good.

My favourite track is the brilliant opener. ''Cherokee Lane'' got it all again. It is a superb and melodic keyboards orgy. Pure beauty elevated to the rank of absolute harmony. Emotion all the way through with keys only. No guitar at all here, but this is fine too, even if these guitar sounds were adding another dimension to their music.

''Monolight'' is probably the most difficult track to get into. It seriously differ from what the band has released so far; at least during the first four minutes (as if the band needed to warm up). After that, the band is launching some sort of spacey-pop elements of the best texture. This melody is indeed very catchy and moving as well (this section lasts for another four minutes). What we'll get after, is more in line with a TD classic. The finale is just sumptuous, and again reminds me of the superb ASOS. Aaaaargh?

The mood of ''Coldwater Canyon'' is less spacey than usual, more dynamic. Surprising at the first listening, it needs to be experienced several times to be fully appreciated. Once this exercise has been done, the listener is again rewarded. The second half is particularly attractive.

My second fave from ''Encore'' is ''Desert Dream''. This is probably due to the fact that it is closely linked with earlier works from the band and sounds more as a conventional TD piece of music. Sidereal moments, outer space feeling, cold beauty: a complete TD phantasmagoria. As for ''Monolight'', the closing section is just wonderful.

Four stars. I can only say one thing: ''encore''.