Founded in 1972 when Prog beasts ruled the earth, Greenslade had the pedigree to challenge their peers and it was a tragedy that the band split just 2 years after this release due to management hassles – a case of what might have been.
Their debut album released in early 1973 had received encouraging notices from the press. With a line-up consisting of ex members of Collosseum, The Web and King Crimson it was a teenage boys wet dream and its mix of jazz, rock and blues quickly gained the band a loyal following with its two keyboard approach and uniquely NO GUITARS!
This their sophomore release issued in November the same year was recorded in just 9 days. A symphonic masterpiece, the band were well rehearsed before they ventured into the studio and as a result the album was a more consistent release than its predecessor. With its two main protagonists Dave Greenslade (Organ, Mellotron) and Dave Lawson (Piano, Clarinet & Flute) gelling as an inventive partnership the nine compositions delivered a diverse collection but also a musical identity. Put simply they sounded unlike any other band with their swirling mellotrons and enigmatic vocals taking the listener to a fantasy world that was in tune with the bizarre imagery of the Roger Dean cover art.
The dreamlike ‘Bedside Manners’ is not the most obvious opener but its reflective strains beguile before bouncing into a joyous refrain that it would be hard to imagine their po-faced contemporaries attempting. This is followed by the bombastic instrumental ‘Pilgrims Progress’ which melds mellotron, organ and synths into a cohesive whole but again in a style all of their own – it’s almost jaunty passages never failing to hold the listeners attention. The schizophrenic ‘Time To Dream’ closes side one. A rocker of sorts it benefits from Lawson’s sardonic rasping vocals and the incendiary keyboard flourishes all driven by Tony Reeves’ funky bass lines which more than replace the need for any guitar heroics.
At nearly nine minutes long ‘Drum Folk’ is a tour-de-force, containing not one but two drum solo’s -Quiet at the back Jones! On paper it would I admit fill most of us with dread but this complex piece is a mellotron nuts delight – conjuring up a Tolkinesque journey into the misty mountains, before veering off on a breakneck instrumental adventure. A smorgasbord of musical landscapes are interspersed with drummer Andrew McCulloch’s rollicking solo’s before a brooding finish from Dave Greenslade brings it all to a dramatic conclusion.
Recorded live with minimal overdubs, this album was their definite high water mark. The band were on the crest of a wave in the Summer of ‘73 and a year’s touring had made them as tight as a drum, capturing a Joie de vivre and a positivity that you only get when the musicians are actually in the room together and enjoying each other’s company. It was progressive in every sense of the word and it’s great to see it reissued on vinyl, especially as we can enjoy again Roger Dean’s glorious artwork adorning a good old gatefold sleeve.
Lyndon Noon
CherryRed.co.uk
