ODIN

Odin made one album that was quite good, but not really that distinctive. Despite recording this in 1972, the band's style was very much raw proto-prog with the odd jazz inflections, and mediocre vocals atop it all. While there are better proto-prog bands out there, I do enjoy sizable chuncks of this album.

The "proggier" (and consequently, better) songs here are unsurprisingly, the three lengthier ones. The opener Life Is Only promises much but doesn't really deliver, the cover of Quartermass' Gemini starts off very much in blues-rock staple mood before breaking into some Heep/Purple styled proggressive hard rock, with Jeff Beer's fantastic organ solo a dead ringer for a Jon Lord special. As for my favourite overall song on the album, the closing Clowns is a nice fat slab of proto-prog, with the guitar/organ exchanges overcoming the shortages in the vocal department.

Elsewhere, though, without making poor music, Odin is generally ordinary. Most of the shorter songs ride by on a single gimmick. Turnpike Lane has an unusual tribal vocal chant. Tribute To Frank is an all-too brief Zappa-esque instrumental (if you can believe it, I only just got the deliberate nod to Zappa as I was typing this!). Be The Man You Are is unexceptional, but could easily be a folkie's favourite Odin song. Eucalyptus is a passable stoner instrumental.

Odin's only work is far from bad, and I wouldn't pass up on it, but I would suggest sniffing out the likes of Tonton Macoute, Marsupillami, East Of Eden or indeed Quartermass first. ... 63% on the MPV scale