CONTROL ME

I've always had a soft spot for this Hanover cooperative, even though I can't consider any of their outings to be exceptional in any way. Maybe it's their late to the party misfortune in the 1970s that inspires kinship, their geographical and stylistic similarities to early ELOY, or the endearing artlessness of their lyrics even when compared to ahem Eloy. No, I don't think it's any of those reasons, as twistedly compelling as they may be. Instead, I think it's where they went after their 70 minutes in the 70's sun, and their perseverance in materializing oh, say, every decade and a half since then, in a mutated yet paradoxically recognizable form to offer us a mixed platter and encouraging us to focus on the positive.

1981's "Light Fantastic" was generally lambasted from all sides but yet did reunite most of the original lineup for a credible go at modernizing their formula. Sure it was uneven as one could have predicted, but it shone often enough to illuminate a dire period for bands of this ilk. 20 years later, with shockingly small turnover in personnel, and the promotion of drummer Reinhard Schroter to lead vocalist and keyboardist, they have returned with "Control Me", which retains something of the synth pop aspects of its predecessor in exploring themes that were already dated by this time - alienation, planetary calamities, human tragedies and the like - while remaining relevant even today. Musically as well, this is a more serious Ramses, with a perhaps intentionally controlled sound propelled by repetitive rhythms, clipped keyboard and guitar solos that are more like fills, albeit tasty and technically proficient. This concision will drive some to distraction but it's actually a strength more often than not on "Control Me". The simplistic riff on "World of Dreams", the chilling "Rule the Globe" and the Lady Di tribute "Blues of a Nation" showcase the band's versatility in this format, but it's on the centerpieces, the ELOY-like "Wonderland" and the emotional "Time to Go" (with superb performance by Shroter), also the longest tracks, that the band renews its prog registration, small c crossover style. Hey we are an inclusive lot. The last few numbers are much weaker, with the exception of the sweet pop ditty "Surrender", one of the bonus tracks. But really, did we need to hear yet another version of their "classic" "War", this time in live form?

Need I say that this probably didn't even appear on their mothers' top albums of 2000, but I've also heard much worse. The music world with Ramses isn't appreciably different than the world without them, but for some reason I'm a lot happier knowing they are here.