Customer Reviews

Greenslade

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Don't know how else to describe this first effort by Greenslade. A former member of Collosseum, he went off on his own with this band and created a unique niche in rock. Their music was definitely not commercial and I loved this album. We saw them in a little club in Madrid, Spain just after it came out and we really liked their two keyboard approach. There was no guitar player on this album, just bass, drums, and two keyboards. They put on a great show. My only fault with this album is some of the songs are a little hard to follow. The melodies tend to wander or something. Their second album, Bedside Manners Are Extra is even worse in that regard. But that is really a very minor fault for such a great album. Recommended for fans of early English prog-rock.

Ah, the early seventies. The peak of the era we all lovingly called progressive-rock. During that time there were the releases of some classic albums, which have all stood the test of time. `Doremi Fasol Latido' by Hawkwind, 'In the Wake of Poseidon' by King Crimson, 'Tarkus' by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, 'The Debut Album' by Flash and countless others, still sounding as fresh and relevant as they did over thirty years ago.

Some, on the other hand, have rather fallen from their illustrious heights. Greenslade's debut album is a point in case. This `teenage' Dog can recall clearly nodding along sagely in an attempt to look very knowledgeable when this was first thrust upon his ears. He was taken in by a rather smashing Roger Dean Cover (the artist, who became famous for his artwork for `Yes' amongst others), the fact that here there was a band, who was a little bit unique (dual keyboards and no lead guitar), and that they indeed had a fine pedigree. Dave Greenslade (who humbly gave his name to the band) on one set of keyboards had plied his trade for the previous three years with the magnificent Colosseum. On the other keyboards was Dave Lawson, who had been in 'Samurai' (never heard of them, but they sounded impressive). Bassist Tony Reeves had been in `Curved Air'. And drummer Andrew McCulloch had been in `Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come', `Manfred Mann', and `King Crimson'. However, his presence in each band was only a short one, which perhaps should of given us some form of clue.

While we were all with great pretentiousness listening away in our Bedsits, I think actually we were all pretending to be listening to the next big thing, not wanting to seem uncool by blurting out that it was actually very ordinary and a second division 'Yes' or 'E.L.P.' Second division (just above the relegation zone) was where they stayed throughout their career.

Most of the songs are very mid-paced with very little to differentiate one from the other. Sure, the keyboards intermingle very nicely, but if truth be told they sound like a very average lounge act with an over ambitious, dominating keyboard player stuck with a bad singer. Although there can be no doubt that Dave Lawson was great foil for Dave Greenslade's keyboard playing, a singer he was not, nor could he write lyrics, his other primary job within the band. Try this little sonnet from 'What are you doing to me':

''You murdered the love that I once had for you,
When you put in the boot cos the shoe wouldn't do,
Well if that's how you feel, woman, I love you, too."

I think it would perhaps have been a good idea to not have written the lyrics on the inside sleeve of this album as there are many more just as cringe worthy moments. Worst of all is his impression of the Lord's Prayer on 'Drowning Man'. It is so awful that it wants to make you snicker. There is a time and place for everything and that was neither the time nor the place. I believe Dave Lawson is no longer in the music business. I cannot say that I am totally surprised.

Tony Reeves plays bass guitar with great enthusiasm throughout, if a little bit repetitively. However, at no point on these songs does he seem to be playing the same song as the other members of the band. His most embarrassing moment comes during 'Melange', where the bass is very dominant. That's surprising for a dual keyboard band. Reeves gets by definition a bass solo, but it actually sounds as if the rest of the band gives up playing for a minute and without realizing it, Reeves just carries on in his own sweet way.
Andrew McCulloch drums are thankfully mixed way down in the production, which I think is a kindness to the skins man, same as saying he had rudimentary skills would be a kindness. How he managed to stay in King Crimson under the critical eye of Robert Fripp for three months before being booted out, will always remain a mystery.

The staple of any Greenslade concert was always the final song on this album, and throughout their career the last song of their live set, 'Sundance'. Now this is not actually a bad piece of music and at over eight minutes (longer on stage), it represent a fair portion of the album. But I'm afraid, it is too little too late. The first thing that you notice is that the song is an instrumental, so already the song is ahead on points as there is none of Lawson's yodeling in it. And for the first time the band actually seems to gel together and play with some fire in their bellies. The interplay between Lawson and Greenslade fair sparkles at times with the great controlled violence, mingled with light and shade only a rock keyboard player can bring to his music. A bit more of this and less of the lyrics and the vocals and they might of had something.

All I can say is that if you have fond memories of Greenslade, leave them in the past. You may be very disappointed if you try and listen to your past memories today. These days Dave Greenslade writes scores for television and movies. He also released a solo album of songs inspired by the disc world based on the Terry Pratchet Books, which was rather good and plays with the reformed Colosseum. I don't know what the other three are doing and don't care, as long as Dave Lawson is not singing.
Mott the Dog
Re-mastered by Ella Crew

Really only purchased for one song. But it is a great one. Overall , no not the best for the rest of them.

But you do what you have to do...LOve progressive rock.

My Grade = C, except the one song is A

This is a great debut (1973) by Dave Greenslade (and his band Greenslade) and might very well be one of the better albums by the group - I especially appreciate the warm feeling of the album and love the Roger Dean cover art. Although this band has been unfairly criticized, this is generally a fine album of progressive rock and is very enjoyable. It certainly is more consistent than the follow-up album Bedside Manners are Extra (also 1973), which was my first exposure to the band.

The lineup at this point included Dave Greenslade (Hammond organ, piano, electric piano, mellotron) who is joined by fellow Colosseum alumnus bassist Tony Reeves (nearly all electric bass with a tiny bit of acoustic bass), superb drummer Andy McCullough (he played on King Crimson's Lizard LP, 1970), and second keyboardist and lead vocalist Dave Lawson.

Andy's playing on this album is excellent - like all of the King Crimson drummers he was positively top shelf. Tony Reeves is a very energetic player and he turns in some nice performances including a few lead lines here and there. With two keyboardists, this is a very keyboard heavy album and features a lot of sprightly Hammond organ playing and much to my delight, loads of Mellotron with the string setting (the flute setting is used sparingly). There is a lot of great ensemble work on the album too and these guys worked well together as a unit. With respect to Dave Lawson's vocals, they are not the best but they are not the least bit distracting. In fact, he seems to be a bit more relaxed on this album and does not strain unnaturally into higher registers, but works more within his range. Notwithstanding, his vocals are undeniably unique and may be an acquired taste for some. Vocals are featured on four of the seven tracks.

The seven tracks on the album range in length from 3:27 to 8:44 (Sundance) and present a nice mixture of progressive rock with a little blues rock, jazz, and smidges of psychedelic rock thrown in for good measure. There is a nice range in dynamics and in general, the tracks are pretty interesting from a composition perspective. Atmospheres are also used effectively and range from spacey/haunting to brisk and upbeat. Odd meters are used here and there along with some pretty interesting chord progressions. What is most striking about this album however is that there is great consistency from one track to another - everything flows along nicely. Even Tony's short (albeit fun) bass solo on Melange does not disrupt anything in the least. Hands down my favorite track is the instrumental track Sundance.

The version of the CD that I have was purchased used off of this page and was issued by Warner Brothers (Japan). Apart from some additional liner notes (in Japanese), this reissue does not appear much different from my copy of Bedside Manners are Extra (which was issued by Warner Brothers (Germany). The original cover is featured along with the lyrics to those tracks with vocals. The sound quality is great, although the remastering boosted the levels a bit high in a few spots and there is some distortion - not too bad overall though.

All in all, this is a fine album of progressive rock by Greenslade that should appeal to a broad spectrum of prog fans. If you liked this album, you might like the follow-up Bedside Manners Are Extra, although the tunes are a bit uneven.