Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Pendragon
Label: Snapper Records
Released: 1991
Length: 58:59
Rating: 4/5
“The World” is one of the most important albums in the career of cult British neo-prog rockers Pendragon, a triumphant return to ambitious neo-prog standards after the rather botched flirtation with pop on “Kowtow” (1988).
Unlike most of their neo-prog peers, who usually loved digging into darker themes, Pendragon were always big positivists, tackling even serious social problems in their lyrics with a hefty dose of optimism. Alongside romantic daydreams about journeys to new, undiscovered places and classic love-song ‘mooning’, “The World” also has lyrics that touch on certain social and environmental issues in an unpretentious way. Unlike the many excellent lyricists you can find in neo-prog, though, band leader, guitarist and singer Nick Barrett has never really cut it in this department.
His distinctive voice, as always, is a matter of personal taste; you might find it perfectly pleasant, you might not mind it thanks to his excellent guitar technique, or you might just not be able to stand it. With a better singer, Pendragon might even be at the very top of the neo-prog heap today, but the stubborn guy has just as much faith in his singing as in his guitar playing. On most choruses he gets solid backup from keyboard wizard Clive Nolan, who has proven more than once, most often with his own band Shadowland, that he’s a perfectly decent singer.
The one real black mark against Pendragon, the thing that casts a shadow over “The World” and the rest of their studio output up to the album “Pure” (2008), is a considerable lack of originality in the choice of certain motifs, which they more than obviously borrow from the best prog rock bands of the seventies, led by Genesis and Pink Floyd. Barrett’s playing style was always heavily inspired by David Gilmour’s (Pink Floyd) approach, so the resemblance is all the more obvious, especially where he uses slide guitar. The kinship with the vocabulary of Fish-era Marillion is no accident either, since we’re talking about “cousins,” practically. On “The World,” Pendragon carried on with the genuine neo-prog idiom that Marillion had already “outgrown” by the early nineties.
The opening “Back in the Spotlight” shows right away that the band was full of drive and the desire to get back to the high prog standards that earned them their cult status in the eighties. The relaxing, hugely positive and uplifting atmosphere, built mainly on the excellent interplay of Nolan’s sensitive keyboard textures and Barrett’s melodic guitar phrases, is backed by playful rhythmic flourishes from drummer Fudge Smith. It’s a great opener that, production aside, smells thoroughly of the eighties, yet also shows, mostly thanks to Nolan, their new, somewhat more mature face.
The melancholic and slightly nostalgic epic “The Voyager” shows off the band’s innate knack for artfully combining melody and complexity. Despite plenty of intricate arrangements and an abundance of unexpected time shifts, they never lose the melody for a moment. The dreamy acoustic guitar intro already hints that this is a composition of high intensity. Barrett’s ‘weeping’ solos, which he picked up from Dave Gilmour, stamp the piece with a thrilling mark of melancholy while dramatic synth curtains flow in the background.
“Shane” also has a long ‘Celtic’ intro that could appeal equally to Pink Floyd and Iron Maiden fans, before flowing into a mid-tempo power ballad with plenty of slide bits and orchestral arrangements in the background. Barrett’s vocal range is admittedly pretty limited, but you can never accuse him of lacking emotional commitment. “Prayer” opens like an average ballad that doesn’t promise much, but the slow build of an epic motif over a drum march bathes the piece in a positive vibe, which is enough to thrill any fan of the band.
The melodramatic, more than 21-minute epic “Queen of Hearts,” built as a three-part suite, is a far more interesting piece, with plenty of phenomenal guitar and keyboard parts and Celtic arrangements that will have all fans of prog revivalism licking their lips. Epic motifs and witty rhythmic patterns alternate elegantly throughout, while the melodic structure and the epic sweep stay intact. The closing part “The Last Waltz,” somewhere between an anthem and a power ballad, is especially thrilling. The closing ecological wake-up call “And We’ll Go Hunting the Deer” boasts a long synth intro that even sounds slightly ‘Oldfield-esque’ in mood, then flows into an atmospheric ballad with tasteful acoustic arrangements. It’s a shame that Barrett’s vocal depth is rather poor, since he only manages to conjure the desired epic effect in the chorus with Nolan’s vocal backing.
“The World” was one of the key albums for carrying the neo-prog tradition forward in the nineties, when the genre was no longer popular. Musically, you can’t fault it for anything except Barrett’s weak vocals. It will thrill anyone who prefers the melodic, somewhat lighter side of progressive rock but also loves serious technical chops. The album is one of the clearest incarnations of prog revivalism, which can be read as both a plus and a minus, since the lack of innovation and real prog adventurousness was, until recently, almost a chronic disease for Pendragon. Still, their merit in preserving prog giants’ musical legacy and dressing it up in modern production shirts, and so gradually reviving audience interest in a practically extinct genre, was and remains undeniably huge.
Line-up
Nick Barrett – guitar, vocals
Clive Nolann – keyboards
Peter Gee – bass guitar
Fudge Smith – drums
Production
Nick Barrett
Track list
1. Back in the Spotlight (7:39)
2. The Voyager (12:15)
3. Shane (4:25)
4. Prayer (5:21)
5. Queen of Hearts (21:46)
a) Queen of Hearts
b) … a Man Could Die Out Here …
c) The Last Waltz
6. And We’ll Go Hunting Deer (7:14)
