CHIMERA

Duncan MacKay is a British keyboardist best known with his work with Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, The Alan Parsons Project, 10cc, Camel and Kate Bush. During this time period he also released a couple of solo albums with Score and Visa, but until around 2006 I was unaware he even released an album in 1974 while living in South Africa, released only in South Africa. That album being Chimera, released on spaceship Vertigo. Being most familiar with his work on the Alan Parsons Project's I Robot, Pyramid and Eve, plus Camel's Nude, I was rather surprised to hear him playing a brand of bombastic keyboard-driven prog that was highly influenced by Keith Emerson. There is more than a passing resemblance to The Nice-era as well as Tarkus-era ELP. The album is full of Hammond organ and ARP 2600 synthesizers, plus the occasional use of electric piano and clavinet. Gordon MacKay, Duncan's brother plays some low-key violin, plus piano and Wurlitzer electric piano while Mike Gray provides drums, so obviously they were going for that prog trio format in the footsteps of The Nice and ELP. "Morpheus" is the opening track. Vocals are present, apparently sung by Duncaun himself, isn't exactly the album's highlight. They aren't bad but not exactly on Greg Lake level. But what really matters is the wonderful keyboard playing within. "12 Tone Nostalgia" is the album's sole instrument piece, following in the footsteps of the previous cut, but jazzier. "Song for Witches" takes up all of side two (if you own the LP, as I do) reall features some interesting passages, including parts that sound like almost a sped-up version of Edvard Grieg's "Hall of the Mountain King". There's plenty of the usual ELP-like passages, and some vocals again. There's also a mindblowingly intense synth and organ part that just leaves me speechless. What prevents a five-star rating is the vocals aren't the greatest (they don't bother me, and I've heard a lot worse), and sometimes the music lacks focus, but it's still a great album if you like this brand of ELP-style bombastic keyboard prog.