WITHOUT INTRODUCTION

Discovered these guys only a week or two ago, and what a pleasant surprise it was. Firstly, I was shocked they were American, and secondly, I was surprised they released this back in 1971, before "Prog fever" had even fully taken hold in Europe and the US.

Tops on this album, as a few other reviews have indicated, is the keyboards. Well-played, with lots of Emerson influenced riffs on the organ and the occasional bit of synth as well. Also, much to my surprise, the vocals are decently enjoyable. Nice tone, and they're able to carry a tune well enough (something I'm much more picky about...and it's part of the reason Camel's "Snow Goose" is my favorite Camel album...no vocals!!).

Minuses for me would be the recording quality, but that's mostly only an issue when I'm listening with headphones. Playing through open speakers, it's good enough to just enjoy the music. I'm also not sure I needed the "40 Second Thing In 39 Seconds" tune (and I'm a synth nut), but I'll cut them some slack, as the MiniMoog was only released the year prior, and I'm sure they were fascinated getting to play around with it. Lastly, there are parts where the percussion from Chatty Cooper doesn't fit so well (in contrast to parts where it DOES fit really well).

In summary, if you think early 70s symphonic prog rocks your world, floats your boat, or tickles your fancy, I suspect you'll like this well enough as well. It's not perfect, and I can't give it a "5 stars" for the overall album, but I think it deserves more than the "4 stars" I'm giving it.