Looking at the cover, the most famous person to jump back at me is Roger Dean, the cover artist. Clearly he had to cut his teeth somewhere before making his millions with Yes. Sadly, two of the members of the band died tragically young and the rest of the band appear to have sunk into musical anonymity. Apologies to those band members who are relaxing in their hammocks in Malibu as I type this. However, bassist Clive Griffiths’ claim to fame was a successful single for the Tiswas (a children’s TV program for anyone under 50) team back in the early 70’s.
Irrespective of where their future took them, this was a classy moment. I think the second LP from this band it is lyrically full on. Packed to the rafters with songs that do not hold back. Only on ‘Air-raid shelter’ does it feel a little forced in terms of the juxtaposition of music and lyrics. Lyrically confident, solid, excellent musicianship, a maturity that shines through, I am at a loss why these guys didn’t go on and produce more. The lead guitar on Give it all away, and the rock infused ending to Air-raid shelter showed off their undoubted ability to drive songs through and couple this with a subtlety on You, you point your finger, overall, it offers a blend that satisfies most tastes.
They may not have been famous in their day, or beyond, but this deserves a place in anyone’s collection. If you like fine musicianship, lyrically explosive songs with more than a hint of rock / jazz, then you would have to go a long way to find this blend elsewhere.
