STAINED GLASS STORIES

With so many bands replicating the classic prog sounds of the 70s in the 21st century it's easy to forget that the prog revival scene actually started right when prog was declining after its initial golden era boom. As classic bands jettisoned their prog approach for more mainstream crossover success with some bands even abandoning prog altogether in favor of slick radio friendly pop hits, there were a number of newbie bands eager to keep those classic early 70s prog sounds alive. Unfortunately many such bands pretty much formed, dropped an album or two and then called it a day but not without leaving some interesting gems that adopted the techniques and sounds of prog's bigwigs of the early 70s and spun it into something that sounds utterly unique.

CATHEDRAL was one such band that formed in 1975 right at the time when classic prog was simmering down and new musical expressions were taking hold. This band had its roots in the psychedelic band Odyssey but once that band ended, bassist Fred Callan and mellotron player Tom Doncourt decided to create an adventurous prog band that revived the lost sounds of "Close To The Edge" era Yes, early Genesis, the harder rock leanings of King Crimson and other prog band influences sprinkled in between the tracks. You could even think of CATHEDRAL as the first Wobbler since it's one and only album STAINED GLASS STORIES which emerged in 1978 sounds a lot like that Norwegian band's hybridizing effect of classic prog.

The band was formed in 1975 in Islip Terrace on New York's Long Island with the lineup of Rudy Perrone (guitar, vocals, 1975-79), Mac Caronia (drums, percussion), Paul Seal (lead vocals, percussion), Tom Doncourt (Mellotron, keyboards, glockenspiel, percussion) and Fred Callan (bass, vocals). During the first prog gold rush, the US was notable absent from the sensation. Sure the USA had generated Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Prevention and later Kansas but for the most part the first era of prog was a European party with few foreigners crashing the gates. However once the US began catching up which picked up around 1975 when the genre was starting to decline in popularity bands like Pavlov's Dog, Chango, Happy The Man and CATHEDRAL created a small but vibrant prog scene in the States. CATHEDRAL was known to play many live shows all around Long Island.

STAINED GLASS STORIES is a truly epic sounding prog release that captured all the dynamism of symphonic prog at its absolute best. Clearly primarily inspired by early 70s Yes, the album is stuffed to the gill with Chris Squire inspired bass antics, Steve Howe guitar antics and grandiose compositions including the the opening "Introspect" and closing "The Search" which navigate the prog universe through all its early arrangements and wends and winds their way past the eleven minute mark. Add to that the epic symphonic arrangements of early Genesis and a touch of avant-garde with Gentle Giant jitteriness and you have one of the best prog albums to emerge out of the USA from the 70s, well one of the best albums that WASN'T Frank Zappa that is! The complex commissions offered dynamic arrangements that transversed many soundscapes ranging from mellotron rich psychedelia to guitar driven heavier rock passages. The addition of exotic sounds from the glockenspiel and various percussion instruments crafted an irresistible synergy of tones and timbres.

The album has five tracks with the opener and closer creating the most epic soundscapes but the middle tracks are just as beautifully designed whether it be the all instrumental "Gong" and the otherworldly exotic flair of "Days & Changes" to the choral fueled "The Crossing" which exempted Paul Seal's sometimes silly vocal style that attempted to pass as British but often came off as more of a tribute to his favorite prog heroes. Overall while not perfect, the vocals don't detract from the overall enjoyment level of this one and at times even add an element of originality that keeps STAINED GLASS STORIES from sounding like too much of a clone band unlike say bands like Starcastle who went for the copycat jugular with their take on Yes sounds that were abandoned. For anyone who thinks bands like Wobbler were the first to successfully create a beautiful retro fusion album of classic prog sounds, then you should go back in time to 1978 when CATHEDRAL dropped this gem on the world. Doubtful many were listening at the time but it holds up well after many decades and highly recommended. While CATHEDRAL initially disbanded in 1979, it reformed in 2007 and even released a new album called "The Bridge."