SAMURAI

So I've officially come to the end of my journey with the band formerly known as The Web, releasing their final album in 1971 as Samurai. With the continued de facto leadership of would-be Greenslademan Dave Lawson, it really effectively is the same band. I find it's a killer final statement.

"Saving It Up for So Long" starts off with a cool beat and an even cooler everything else. Fuzzy guitar plays alongside the horns, and I'm just loving the whole arrangement. Dave Lawson's vocals are smooth and strong here. The section in the second half is really wild. This is Prog! In a much different sort of 'cool', "More Rain" has a semblance of some of the freer, psychedelic side of Folk Rock. Once again, with a composition otherwise so simple and familiar, they do things that are unique and attention-grabbing. This track has a small ensemble of flutes, the perfect instrument for this feel. Great track; again, despite its apparent simplicity, it offers a lot of interest.

"Maudie James" continues this lax'd mode. Fuzzy guitars again delightfully interplay with the horn section, but now also with piano. Queue sax solo! Really, a killer solo this was, performed by apparent non-member Don Fay. To me, this is Jazz Rock preceding early Steely Dan, as in tracks like "Do It Again" or "Your Gold Teeth". Up next is "Holy Padlock", begun with a certain melancholy. This track has a sort of mysteriousness to it that I can't quite place. This whole album is just a vibe, if I may attempt a Gen-Z-ism haha. Here we get a really saucy organ solo from Dave. The vocals on the other hand feel less inspired than desired.

The harshness with which the uber-wah'd guitar on "Give A Little Love" was honestly unbearable to me. Luckily for the guys, it's another track with mood and spunk that wins. Where it's really (actually/definitely) winning is in yet another Hammond organ solo; something one might expect (not surprisingly) from Rod F*cking Argent. Compliments abound there; compliments withheld for nearly all else... Up next, we return to The Cool of the frontend of Samurai with "Face in the Mirror". A few Jazzy Ringo-isms win me over, too! I'm very agreeable, if not impressionable, at the end of the day, ha! The vocals come in when the instrumentation is lower in the mix. Interesting but effective choice. Here I give my compliments also to guitarist Tony Edwards for one of his best performances. A very psychedelic jam indeed; in this, "Face" will likely appeal to other fans of Proto-Prog at large.

Finally, we have "As I Dried the Tears Away", and in the very least that's a pretty apt title to close out an album of this moody nature. Nothing on this album should strike you as overtly 'happy' (and in this, in its general cohesion, this is a winning element). We ride this one out low and slow at the start, and we get some vibes from drummer Lennie Wright. So beautiful, seriously. And once again, an unworried coolness that feels unattainable by the vast majority. We've all heard a lot of music here, right? haha. This is just unbelievably chill despite being super cool. I believe I felt this before, but before and after the solo the organ sounds like something the great Dave Stewart would have played. I think I need to listen through Greenslade again and anything else Mr. Lawson has to offer. He's got a helluva lot of vision. Praise be! Great closer. Great album.