SKIN ALLEY

Many bands with challenging albums in late-60's remained under the shadow of the masterful King Crimson debut.One of this cases are Skin Alley,a British Proto-Prog band,formed in 1968, guided by the forces of bassist/keyboardist/singer Thomas Crimble, drummer Alvin Pope, keyboardist Krzysztof Henryk Justkiewicz and guitarist/sax player Bob James.Soon they were singed by CBS to record their self-titled debut in 1969.

Quite a daring sound for 1969,Skin Alley mixed Psychedelic Rock and Jazz Rock with some symphonic flute-led parts to present some full-edged Proto-Progressive Rock style,often with a dark sound,not dissimilar to MARSUPILAMI or CATAPILLA.With an obvious tendency towards long instrumental passages,their compositions are characterized by the psychedelic organ sounds, the driving flutes, the bluesy guitar work and the jazzy rhythm section.These elements are often blended with jamming sax parts in a free music form compared to Jazz, together with the good vocals of Crimble.Along with the organ, one can detect some really decent effort on Mellotron and harsichord in a couple of more Classical-inspired tracks as well as some jazzy-inspired piano lines with the band becoming a really versatile beast along the way.However the psychedelic influences are the most dominant throughout the listening with Skin Alley being a significant part of the early UK Psych/Prog movement.

''Skin Alley'' marks another interesting entry in the transmission of UK Rock from the psychedelic flourishes to the more progressive compositions,that dominated England in early-70's.Fans fond of this particular sound should be the first to chase for this release,which already succeeded a couple of CD re-issues.Strongly recommended overall...3.5 stars.