Artist: Greenslade
Label: Warner Bros. Records
Release: 1973
Rating: 4.4/5
You could probably call Greenslade a supergroup, a band made up entirely of masters of their instruments. When they released this album (their debut), the lineup was Dave Greenslade, Tony Reeves, Dave Lawson and Andrew McCulloch. Everyone except Lawson already had an outstanding rock pedigree. Greenslade and Reeves had played in the cult, innovative outfit Colosseum, McCulloch was best known up to then for drumming on King Crimson’s Lizard, and Lawson had previously been a member of Spider.
Considering that both Greenslade and Reeves had come from Colosseum, a band with roots in bluesy jazz-rock, this album was probably a surprise for a lot of people who may have expected something similar to Colosseum. The record is mostly symphonic, with plenty of the genre’s typical elements. The music is much closer to Emerson, Lake and Palmer (minus Emerson’s obsession with “self-indulgence” on his instruments) than to Greenslade and Reeves’s previous band.
Feathered Friends already hints at how this record is going to sound. It’s packed with keyboard flourishes, plus excellent drumming and bass. The lyrics are really interesting too, and a quality singer delivers them well. An English Western is a short instrumental written by Greenslade. Again, the music is very pleasant to the ear and accessible, and again it’s full of rich keyboard sounds (mellotron, clavinet). The Drowning Man is one of the rare pieces where Dave Greenslade took on the lyrics himself. It’s a shame he didn’t pick up the pen more often, because he has a good handle on metaphor and poetic touches. I find that especially unfortunate because Lawson had a habit of writing romantic lyrics, which can quickly turn syrupy or dull. Like Feathered Friends, Temple Song is a track about raising people’s awareness of the environment (at least by my interpretation). The most interesting thing here is the clavinet, which is present throughout, along with McCulloch’s bells. There are really only a couple of melodies and one solo in this song, but it’s still one you can listen to endlessly.
The second half of the album kicks off with Melange, a group effort by Reeves, Greenslade and Lawson. Reeves has some outstanding bass lines, while Lawson and Greenslade make sure the various keyboards are put to good use. As always, McCulloch’s drumming is precise and polished. Even though What Are You Doing to Me is one of those darn songs with romantic lyrics, I like it. The lyrics are funny and tongue-in-cheek, full of double meanings and sarcastic humor. On his later romantic songs, Lawson never managed to pull off this kind of clever humor, even though he clearly tried hard. The album closes with what may be its best track. Sundance opens with a lovely piano overture reminiscent of classical music, then the rest of the instruments join in and the song comes alive. At the end, a lonely piano sings its lament once more and bids us farewell.
Maybe Greenslade don’t really play the most technically demanding progressive rock, and some people may find their compositions too simple, but to me their music is wonderful. Sure, it may not be “important,” since they don’t show us anything new, but I find their melodic approach to songwriting, and the way they blend genres close to my heart (rock, classical, jazz, and the occasional bit of blues), really endearing. It feels like these songs were written with heart and soul, not by the recipe that says every song needs at least fifteen different melodies changing at breakneck speed. And even though it’s melodic, the music is far from simple. There are plenty of twists, turns and other touches that will keep you coming back to this record. I can’t find a single weakness. The lyrics are good and varied enough (unlike on Bedside Manners Are Extra), the bass and drums are excellent, and the twin keyboards of Greenslade and Lawson are a real treat. Maybe the only weak spot is the clavinet. At times it doesn’t fit the music and sounds like a toy, but in certain moments it feels indispensable.
I also have to point out that the album cover itself is gorgeous. That’s no surprise once I tell you it was created by Roger Dean, the famed artist who also did covers for Yes, Asia, Badger, Osibisa, …
For me, one of the best symphonic rock albums, period.
Lineup
Dave Greenslade – keyboards
Dave Lawson – keyboards, vocals
Tony Reeves – bass guitar
Andrew McCulluch – drums, percussion
Production
Tony Reeves, Dave Greenslade, Stuart Taylor
Track list
1. Feather Friends 6:42
2. An english Western 3:25
3. Drowning Man 6:40
4. Temple Song 3:32
5. Mélange 7:27
6. What are you Doing to Me 4:40
7. Sundance 8:45
Album length: 41:11
