Epic Forest [Extra tracks, Import]

Rare Bird | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 26, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Import
• Label: El Records
• ASIN: B000M5KQ6Q
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,845 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Baby Listen

2. Hey Man

3. House in the City

4. Epic Forest

5. Turning the Lights Out

6. Her Darkest Hour

7. Fears of the Night

8. Turn It All Around

9. Title No. 1 Again (Birdman)

10. Roadside Welcome

11. Four Grey Walls

12. You're Lost

Editorial Reviews

2007 reissue of this Prog Rock classic including bonus tracks originally available on the seven inch single included with early copies of the original LP. Though it made little commercial impact on its release in 1972, Rare Bird’s ‘Epic Forest’ has since been widely acclaimed as a classic of the pre-Punk era: a unique album that fuses the emotional reach of Classical music with the harmonies of '60s Pop. This album is somewhere between Procol Harum, The Moody Blues and West Coast Psychedelia, and ‘Epic Forest’ is one of the masterpieces of Progressive Rock. El.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 70's Progressive Rock at its Best, October 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Epic Forest (Audio CD)

I first bought the LP release of this album in 1974 and was loath to part with it in 1987 when I sold off my entire record collection and shifted into CDs. This used to be one of my clear favourites and parting with it wasn't easy. Getting it on CD with this re-release has been a really fantastic experience. Listening to it again has reinforced my earlier, long-held conviction that this group should have made it big back then. Why they never did is inexplicable. Every number on this album is worth listening to over and over again. This collection of songs will likely never go out of style, and I'd venture to say that it is not out of place even in today's prog-rock music environment. Someone should give this album some airtime. I would not be surprised in the least if the market clamours for more of it. Give it a listen. You won't regret it.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A walk back 30+ years, May 17, 2007

By 

Jim W (Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Epic Forest (Audio CD)

I first heard Rare Bird in late 1973 and fell in love with "Hey Man". I bought the album (remember albums?), then lent it to a friend in the late 70's and never saw it again. For 25 years I've tried to find a copy and was amazed when I saw Epic Forest available on Amazon. As soon as I received and played the CD it brought me right back to the 70's. Yet the sounds of this band are timeless. I hear shades of Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Stevie Winwood, Steely Dan and Jethro Tull in the unique style of Rare Bird. The vocal harmonies, acoustics, and hard licks are in great diversity, but make the listening very easy. I realize that I had pretty good musical tastes 30+ years ago. I just wonder why the band wasn't a greater commercial success. This was a purchase that I will cherish for a long time.Epic Forest

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Rare Bird classic, June 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Epic Forest (Audio CD)

Rare Bird's third album, and first after a major lineup and record label change. This one is perhaps not as progressive as As Your Mind Flies By, but it is a tad softer and more melodic. The harmonies are exceptional, the songs well-crafted and very fluid. There simply is not a weak song in the bunch, including the three bonus tracks of the Epic Forest recording session not included on the initial U.S. release on Polydor, and the remaining three bonus tracks consisting of unreleased or alternate versions of material the original lineup recorded in 1969-70. The songs here on the Epic Forest +3 CD will amaze you if you have never heard Rare Bird before. This one is brilliantly done, soft at times, yet a good hard rocker at others. Get this one, and you won't be disappointed. There is plenty of the Rare Bird keyboard sound, but the guitars are much more prominent on this album compared to the original lineup. Why this band was not more successful is inexplicable.