LIVE OUTSIDE

While Gary Chandler is of course the main man, and drummer Stephen Christey has been there for many a moon, there are many Jadis fans (myself included) that felt that Jadis without Martin Orford weren't really Jadis at all. With John Jowitt also back in the fold then the classic line-up were back together once again and while 'As Daylight Fades' was only released three years ago, it is fitting that another live album has been released featuring these guys.

Three songs feature on both, but when they are as good as "Wonderful World" or "Batstein" who cares? Jadis have one of the most instantly recognisable sounds in the prog world, due mostly to Gary's laid back vocals and guitar work. With JJ and Steve in perfect harmony, and Gary and Widge having one of the most understanding of partnerships then it is no surprise that they sound like they are having a great time.

Songs such as "Where In The World" are uplifting and powerful, while "Racing Sideways" is just clean plain fun. When Gary tells the crowd how long they are planning to play Widge also joins in. What do you want from an album: Great songs, musical ability, and harmony vocals? There is all this and much, much more. They even throw in a couple of covers for good measures ("Comfortably Numb" is awesome).

They may never have fully been appreciated in the UK, but this is one of our great prog bands.

Originally appeared in Feedback #64, Dec 01