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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vastly more musically interesting than the debut, May 6, 2006
After being together for only a few years, this excellent 1979 release was to be only the second studio album before U.K.'s last gasp (the live Night after Night - 1979) and ultimate dissolution in late 1979. Of the original U.K. lineup, only keyboardist Eddie Jobson (synthesizers, Hammond organ, piano, and violin) and ex-Family/King Crimson bassist and vocalist John Wetton remained. Joining them on drums/percussion was virtuoso drummer Terry Bozzio, who had previously played with Frank Zappa amongst others. Terry's style is much heavier than Bill Bruford's but in no way, shape, or form less technically excellent. The Danger Money album did not feature a replacement for previous guitarist Alan Holdsworth, and many of the parts that would have been played on a guitar are played by Eddie on (tons of) synthesizers, the Hammond organ, and electric violin. In fact, Danger Money might be considered an Eddie Jobson "showcase" album and he certainly shines throughout.
The six tracks on the album include a mix of shorter, alternately melodic and thunderous proggy pieces: Rendezvous 602 (4'58"); Caesar's Palace Blues (4'44"); and Nothing to Lose (3'58"); and longer pieces including Danger Money (8'11"); The Only Thing She Needs (7'54"); and the incredible prog extravaganza Carrying No Cross (12'20"). With regard to the haunting/electrifying Carrying No Cross, it is vaguely reminiscent (structurally at any rate) of the track "Starless" (King Crimson, 1974), and is quite possibly the best piece U.K. ever wrote. At the very least, it is certainly Eddie Jobson's finest recorded performance and his Hammond organ work during the earth-shaking instrumental rave-up towards the end of the composition is simply unbelievable.
My general impression of Danger Money is that it is vastly more musically interesting than the 1978 debut (U.K.) and the performances by all band members are simply incredible, even on the shorter pieces. There is much less in the way of ambient synth washes and the pieces feature excellent ensemble work, great use of counterpoint and individual virtuosity, with Carrying No Cross boasting some mind-numbingly intricate passages that would give National Health a run for their money. In fact, there are times when the complexity and instrumental virtuosity can get overwhelming, but as a progger I absolutely love it. Melodies and harmonies are also utilized quite effectively, and dynamic contrasts are more pronounced - there is a nice balance between heavier, proggier passages and quieter, melodic sections. My hunch is that because Jobson/Wetton wrote all of the material, more time was spend on writing for an ensemble, rather than individual soloists. Speculation aside, it worked very well.
All in all, this is an incredible album of prog rock and an excellent late-period album - it certainly blows all other late 1970's works by the English prog giants out of the water. Highly recommended.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Prog balanced with accessible tunes, September 27, 2005
This disc is often overlooked on the big list of cool prog albums/CDs. John Wetton, who handles bass and vox on this disc spent most of the 70's building his prog chops with the likes of King Crimson, Uriah Heap, and others. He's most well-known for his work with Asia that followed his UK stint. Eddie Jobson is quite the proficient keyboard player (as well as violin), and anybody who knows Frank Zappa, knows that Terry Bozio could cover the drum kit proficiently (and that's an understatement).
The most succinct way to sum up this UK CD is it's almost a cross between Asia, the Yes' "Drama" line up, and ELP. Definitely more commercial-leaning than the first U.K. album and definitely more prog-leaning than the Asia debut. It's a shame this line-up didn't produce another album, but given the direction popular music was pushing at the time, it's understandable that the momentum on this died pretty quickly. If you listen to Wetton's early vocal work with King Crimson, you'll see (and appreciate) that he developed quite a bit as a vocalist in the 70's. Like "Yes Drama" this is a clear lead-in to the sound that Asia would hit the airwaves with in the early 80's and have some measure of success with. I would also say the U.K. debut (with Holdworth) isn't quite as commercial, though it certainly has some stunning interplay between the parts (drums, keyboards, guitar and bass), and has only a few similarities with what's on this disc (though they're both good in their own right).
As a side note, I'm eagerly awaiting the remastering of this album as this version (that I'm reviewing) isn't exactly pristine and digitally cleansed.
As mentioned in other reviews, "Carrying No Cross" is definitely the highlight of this album.
SO... if you would like the Asia debut album crossed with a touch of Emerson-like keyboard work, and think that Yes' "Drama" was interesting (sound-wise, not necessarily as a Yes album) then you should check this CD out. As well, consider U.K.'s "Night After Night" which although live, has better recording quality than this disc.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Batteries not included, March 14, 2001
Allan Holdsworth and Bill Bruford left U.K. immediately after the band's much-praised 1978 tour, so there were quite a few people who expected U.K.'s remaining members, John Wetton and Eddie Jobson, to call it a day and to work on new projects. Surprisingly, they decided to persevere and to maintain the U.K. name, employing new drummer Terry Bozzio and rearranging some songs from earlier sessions ("The only thing..", "Carrying no cross") for Jobson's extended synthesizer flourishes. Finally, their second offering also met with some commercial success (US charts #82), although it is not so well remembered and often considered as a disappointment in relation to the extraordinary musicianship of the band's debut. And yet, in some ways, "Danger money" can be called an improvement over its predecessor: For one thing, Wetton ditched the histrionic vocal chants and integrated his vocal compositions much better into the music, particularly on the radio-friendly title track and on the album-closing "Carrying no cross". Also, the whole album hangs together pretty well; it is, both lyrically and musically, more similar to a soundtrack, with certain themes, textures, and sounds continually recurring, always mixed with various moods and unexpected instrumental workouts. U.K. are unavoidably losing some of the variation that made the band's debut so brilliant, but the compositions still have a attractive complexity -- somewhat reminiscent of Jobson's previous work in Curved Air -- while offering enough pop hooks to keep Asia fans interested as well. It begins with the 8-minute title track, possibly telling about the feelings of those involved. This song had the potential for massive radio airplay if only Jobson's solos hadn't been so lengthy, and Jobson's unquestionable virtuosity does not always make for a great listening experience throughout the album. Jobson does succeed in filling the space vacated by guitar, but too often he steps away from delicate, well-crafted soundscapes in favor of noodly solo sections and cheesy textures which appear very outdated today. Perhaps he should have listened to his own work with Curved Air ("Metamorphosis") and replaced some of his first-generation Casio keyboards with a solid piano. Although U.K. didn't consider themselves New Wave, some of this genre's concerns are covered on this album; "Rendezvous 6:02", with its thoughtful, soft vocals and romantic keyboard accompaniment resembles The Police's calmer ventures such as "Every little thing.." and "Secret journey". Things become more engaging with the fast-paced, soundtrack-like "The only thing..", actually the only song on this album which comes close to the intricate interplay of instruments on U.K.'s first record, followed up by the musically more adventurous and quite brilliant "Caesar's Palace Blues". Here, Jobson revisits the sound of Curved Air's very early songs: Vivaldi-style electric violins combined with power guitar chords and one of Wetton's most memorable refrains create a track which has, unlike most of this release, a real edge. Unfortunately, "Nothing.." is really a step back from the previous song, offering pretty standard '80s synth-pop with melodramatic vocals, which is forgettable in every sense. If a sole highlight from "Danger money" had to be picked, it would be the album-closing "Carrying no cross", ending things on a quietly dramatic note, not such a theatrical one as "In the dead of night", but a dramatic one nonetheless. It opens with an atmospheric, appealing mix of layered synths and treated piano, then slowly building on the fragile energy and adding some rather dreamy vocals before completely taking off. The second half of the track, however, doesn't fit the mood of the first few minutes and does suffer from Jobson's overdone solos. It's still a fitting conclusion to an album whose parts are often better than the whole; had all elements been as catchy as the refrain of the title track or as gripping as the intro of "Carrying..", then the whole thing would fare much better. Despite its problems, this is still a solid and listenable album, neither quintessentially U.K.-sounding nor totally experimental. Anyway, this is a must-have item since I've never met a casual U.K. fan - one is either totally devoted or totally disinterested. For anyone desperate to hear something close to U.K.'s debut in terms of dark atmospherics and jazzy melodies, I would highly recommend Allan Holdsworth's 1982 solo album "I.O.U.", though.
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