PENDRAGON - THE MASQUERADE OVERTURE
Uploading a review I wrote a number of years ago, I pause to realise that this album in retrospect is even more important than when I wrote the words below. This is a true classic and should be cherished.
As fans of the band await the new release, Passion, with bated breath, it should not be forgotten that they have a lush and rich back catalogue of albums, and I have been revisiting many of them in anticipation of the new work. This one stands tall as perhaps their finest, and certainly most uplifting, release. It is a good thing when I say with utter certainty that Pendragon have a lot to live up too, and that I fully expect them to do so.
As with the best of their peers, Pendragon have a knack of reinventing their sound, and remaining relevant. The opener is a lush symphonic treat, which leads us into a quite magnificent, catchy, and dare I say it, commercial slice of prog heaven in As Good As Gold. Nolan's keyboards lead the way with a fantastic ensemble piece backing Barrett at his poetical best. A joy to listen to from start to finish, I defy anyone to not be cheered by this track. I will be most disappointed if it is not played live on the forthcoming tour.
Pendragon have always been a very atmospheric band, and this is perhaps best fulfilled on Paintbox, which offers a slightly more melancholic feel than much of what precedes and follows it. it is, however, quite gorgeous, with the sampled flute particularly effective in backing Barrett, who I believe is perhaps the most underrated vocalist in progressive rock music. His voice here is so full of feeling and clarity that you find yourself living his music, perhaps the finest accolade that one can give to a rock vocalist. His guitars aren't half bad either, and the solo that bursts out midway through is achingly beautiful.
It would, however, be wrong to pick out certain tracks and especially the two main protagonists of the band, when offering praise. Peter Gee & Fudge Smith offer a very tight rhythm section, and the various artists providing backing vocals offer a distinctive feel to what is, essentially, a cracking symphonic prog album. As with the best symphonic albums, the work flows from start to finish without a dull moment in between, with moments of pure passion catching the ear and lifting the listener to some marvellous heights.
The band also anticipated much of the Celtic tinged prog music of bands such as Mostly Autumn in the short, but lovely, The Pursuit Of Excellence. What follows is some 34 minutes of symphonic excellence. Guardian Of My Soul is slightly misleading in its introspective opening passage because what follows as the main track builds up is a tub-thumping track, with passages perhaps reminiscent of mid period Genesis and latter-day Camel in their pomp. The Shadow is simply a gorgeous uplifting piece of atmospheric excellence, and I doubt that Barrett has ever sounded better on this both vocally and in terms of his guitar breaks, with passages that remind me of Hackett at his best on Wind & Wuthering.
The album closes with Masters Of Illusion, the longest track on the work at just short of thirteen minutes, and Nolan simply shines in, once again, leading the band in much the same way as Banks did with Genesis, creating a massive sound that a brilliant ensemble feels confident in following and adding to. Barrett's end solo is incredible.
Pendragon are a very important band, and I think that they have matched, at times, the creativity and intensity of my favourite band, not just from that era, but of all time, Marillion. As with my favourites, they have avoided the trap of merely sticking to the same formula, constantly moving forward. For sure, there are distinctive elements of classic bands here, especially the four-piece Genesis, but not to the exclusive detriment of what stands out as a great band playing their own music very well.
I think that this is Pendragon's finest hour in a, thus far, illustrious career.
This is an early example of a series of solid releases by this great band.
It opens with a somewhat pointless 28 seconds of ping pong, before gliding into the first epic of the album, the title track itself, which is a fantastic instrumental. This has just about every classic prog influence going without ever sounding anything other than original. Retro, yes, but derivative, no. Full of incredible guitar, organ, synths, and bass solos, this one starts at a cracking pace, at times wholly symphonic, at others more avant-garde. Then, for the last couple of minutes, we get the loveliest acoustic guitar passage, when the whole tempo slows down to a chilling effect to the close.
Rhythm of the Sea follows, this one clocking in at just over six minutes long. The first minute consists of some rather aimless noodling, rather like the opener, before we get another lovely acoustic guitar passage backing a sensitive Stolt vocal. The synths introduced almost three minutes in are clearly influenced by Banks in his mid-70's period, as are, I suppose, the electric guitar passages that follow, very reminiscent of Hackett. The band seem to be able to change style and tempo almost voluntarily at will, though, and there follow more jazzy sections, followed by pure symphonic joy, followed by a beautiful end again where a delicate piano competes with bass & gentle electric guitar for our attention. A very good piece of music.
There is More to This World follows, and this is the next epic track, weighing in at just over 10 minutes long. It is dominated at the opening section by a swirling organ, and there are some solid vocal harmonies backing Stolt's lead vocals. Once the track moves into its mid-section, we get an extended instrumental section which is the first one on the album clearly influenced by the band who they are perhaps most associated with in terms of style, YES, very much around the Yes Album & Fragile era. The musicianship is never anything less than accomplished and, again, the tempo is fantastically upbeat. That is one of the main features of why I love this band, they can cheer me up in even the most downbeat mood. Witness the fantastic organ solo at five minutes in. Then at six minutes in, we get the loveliest vocal backed by another beautifully flowing acoustic guitar piece, and the closing section then takes this to a wholly symphonic level, with wall-to-wall sound that is quite incredible and wholly original to boot. Stolt is also spot on lyrically, there is, indeed, more to this world than we see. One of my all-time favourite TFK tracks, this is a fantastic track and worth the price of the album alone.
Romancing The City is a pleasant 53-second-long piano solo. Filler, yes, but pleasant filler at that.
It flows into The Melting Pot, and many passages contain a great soprano sax solo. There isn't enough sax in this world, and this is an example of what many bands are missing! This is a very jazz orientated track, certainly in terms of the clear improvisation that is taking place. I am not a keen jazz lover, but I most certainly am of intelligent improvisation and instrumentalism. This track has them in spades. More traditional symphonic prog reasserts itself towards the close of the track, and I have to say that Bodin has rarely sounded better than he does on this album. His keyboards really soar.
Silent Sorrow follows at seven & a half minutes long. The opening passage is led by vocals and keys, very upbeat and very solid in a bluesy fashion without being wholly remarkable. It is certainly, to my ears, the weakest vocal passage on the album. However, just prior to three minutes in, there follows the most incredible guitar solo, backed by heavy bass, which are, unfortunately, interspersed by more of the rather grating vocals.
The Judas Kiss (what a great title!) is another track just short of eight minutes. Stolt's vocals at the commencement, backed by powerful keys and guitars, are very strong. He's also backed by some dogs, a la Floyd! There follow some incredible bursts of classic musicianship, especially Stolt's guitar solo. One of the finest tracks they have ever recorded.
Retropolis By Night follows. At just over three minutes long, this is a more spacey contribution that I find interesting, especially in terms of the clear African influences prevalent in the vocal chanting. With the exception, maybe, of some of Gabriel's work in terms of the vocal chants, this is unlike most anything that you will come across in a symphonic prog band. No worse for that, either. Interesting, but not stand out.
Flora Majora is another instrumental piece, coming in at just short of seven minutes long. Dominated at its start by more extremely accomplished keyboard work, backed by some solid guitar work and good rhythm section work. The tempo at this stage is on the slow side, but then the relentless upbeat nature of the music on this album reasserts itself, with very clear and defined Crimson influences, before the track becomes wholly symphonic again. Enjoyable.
The album closes with The Road Back Home, nearly nine minutes long. It starts off in a rather slow and meditative mood, with thoughtful vocals backed by sensitive guitar and keyboard work. The guest soprano sax is back on this track three minutes in, and it is another lovely passage, with some more intricate guitar, backed by delicate swirling keys which lead to a more dominant keyboard solo passage, again somewhat reminiscent of Banks in his pomp glory days of the mid 70's. Stolt has rarely sounded better in both vocals and guitar as he leads the song to a lovely, grandiose, conclusion. An excellent piece of music.
Along with Stardust We Are, this is a Flower Kings album that I would recommend to all readers of this review who have yet to take the plunge into the band's incredible output but are not sure where to start. There is something here for all prog fans, especially those who really appreciate a band who can play and lift the mood, with influences, though palpable, never blinding us away from the originality on display.
Highly recommended, and an excellent addition to any prog rock collection.
This album demonstrates just what a wide body of artists and exceptional works have appeared on this label, founded, of course, by Robert Fripp, over the years.
There are a total of 23 tracks, and I won't test everyone's patience by reviewing them all, but there are certainly some highlights. The King Crimson selection is very representative, and I especially rate highly the live versions of Red (from B'BOOM) and Epitaph (from Epitaph:Live in 1969, and which remains my favourite KC track). The former moves along at a blistering rate and really must be heard to be believed.
Peter Hammill has a couple of tracks, and I enjoyed the acapella A Better Time from X My Heart, his debut on the label - this highlights just what an inventive and fine vocalist the man is.
Adrian Belew, some might be surprised to learn, is also capable of more mellow and thoughtful moments, as opposed to most of his KC work, and this is very well demonstrated by Burned by the Fire We Make, a live performance from The Acoustic Adrian Belew. It is, of course, about global warming, before the subject became anywhere remotely popular, and is exceptional.
The standout track for me, though, is The Third Star by Trey Gunn from his album of the same name. It is filled with native American sounds and vocals, and I swear that if anyone hearing this doesn't rush out to buy the whole album because of hearing this, then they must be dead - it's that good.
Listeners can marvel at the exceptional playing of the Californian Guitar Trio, both on their own and in league with Fripp, and the latter's solo Sometimes God Hides is the standout of the various pieces written and performed by him. Ambient, with lush keyboards, and thoughtful as the subject matter deserved, this is another standout track.
I cannot see that this is available still on the DGM site, but you can certainly still get it from Amazon and other retailers. I got it from a late, and very much lamented, independent record shop in Swansea, Wales, some years ago. A sequel, Sometimes God Smiles, was later released.
For those who wish to explore the world of King Crimson beyond the familiar, and listen to more ambient and eclectic prog, I would describe this as an essential LP. Superb musicianship, intelligent music, from a great range of artists. Buy it - you won't regret it.
Lazland Junior is sitting beside me at the computer and has just asked me to write a review of his favourite piece of music, Real Love. Yep, not bad taste for a nine-year-old, is it?!
This review deals with Real Love the track only. It is a piece of music originally demo'd by John Lennon, and then reworked by the (then) surviving Beatles and released as a single in 1996. It did very well too, perhaps not surprisingly.
The track itself is instantly recognisable as a Lennon composition, but I think that the reworking does do a very good job of turning it into a Beatles track, even in the absence of the great man himself. Both of us absolutely love the upbeat and cheerily happy world view portrayed in the song. After so many years, the man was clearly still deeply in love with the woman "credited" with breaking up the band (most unfairly, in my opinion), and this love shines through on this track.
About the only criticism I can offer is the poor nature of the recording. This is entirely because Martin and the boys only had a raw demo left by Lennon to work with, and they do a very good job with what they are left with.
As McCartney & Starr have said in many interviews, there was never any option of the band reforming, even before Lennon was murdered. They certainly didn't need the money, and this recording was basically a last hurrah for the singular most important band ever to exist, period. I like to think of it as a tribute to their lost friend and inspiration. as I say, they certainly didn't need the money, so cynicism can be ruled out, I think.
The final point to add is this; my son was not even born when this single was released, let alone when the band were in the forefront of the world's affections. Yet, the genius of Lennon's music crashes down through the generations, and this is what makes him, and the others, so important. That a nine-year-old can declare this as his favourite piece in an age of so much rubbish and cynical pop exploitation of the masses speaks volumes.
In advance of the new album coming out very shortly, and having purchased the new Yes album this week, I move to a review of one of my favourite Jon Anderson solo albums, Toltec. Released in 1996, this finds the great man very much in his spiritual zone, meaning, of course, virtually incomprehensible lyrics and reflections on personal and societal spirituality, this time in collaboration with one of his greatest influences, Longwalker, a native American. It also continues a theme of sounds taken from around the world, which was becoming quite strong in his music at the time.
To achieve this musical theme, he recruits a plethora of musicians, none of whom I had, or have since, heard of, except for his daughter, Deborah, who has almost as lovely voice as her father and who has had a modicum of success in her own right.
Following Longwalker's introduction to the story he and Anderson tell, that of Toltec, a group of people who are "creators of the circles of power" & etc., the album proper moves into one of the loveliest creations of his esteemed career, Talk Talk. The vocals are sublime, and the accompanying music can only be described as symphonic world music. Deborah backs him beautifully on these two tracks, the music is simple in its complexity, and Anderson returns to what he is best at: using his voice as a living, breathing, instrument in its own right.
The mid-section of the album features an eclectic mix of accordion, Longwalker musings, lovely choral effects sung in native dialects, wonderful saxophone by Paul Haney, led all along by Anderson himself directing the musical symphony.
Many people seem to have compared this to Peter Gabriel's masterpiece, Passion, itself probably the Godfather of all fusion of world and Western based rock. They are worlds apart in terms of composition and texture. Gabriel's album tells a well-known story without words, obviously because it was originally designed as a soundtrack to Scorsese's own masterpiece film, The Last Temptation of Christ.
This album is a soundscape of words, teachings, and a musical accompaniment, and it is also distinctly lighter in tone. Do not assume that if you like Passion, you will like this. However, I can say with certainty that if you like Anderson releases such as Olias of Sunhillow and Angels Embrace (passages of this album are very similar in musical texture, particularly Enter Ye The Mystery School), together with the excellent Yes release The Ladder (recorded three years later), then you will certainly enjoy this.
It does sag in parts, particularly on passages such as Leap Into The Inconceivable, where Otmaro Ruiz attempts to be something he is not, namely Rick Wakeman, and Building Bridges, which is too sparse for its own good. They are not bad, as such, just out of place with the rest of what is here. However, this is rather a minor gripe. Listen to the most exquisite vocal harmonies accompanied by harp on Song Of Home, and you instantly forget all your troubles, and are transported to another place. No bad thing, is it?
This album is not a masterpiece, by any stretch of the imagination. Only those who can bear to hear Longwalker pontificate for over two minutes accompanied by a triangle (I kid you not) could possibly describe it thus. What it is, though, is an exceptionally enjoyable album which deserves to be listened to as a whole work, one in which you lose yourself for the best part of three quarters of an hour, immersed in the wonders of the greatest voice to walk this earth.
Anderson's solo career is a mixed bag. This, however, comes highly recommended.