Customer Reviews

IV

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This was the bands last album....being kind of a hodgepodge. The first few songs were recorded for the album and the last four were recorded with a new singer. Some good songs...no longer in the satanic vein...including Sleighride..a sort of Christmas song. Interesting.

Originally released in 1973,as this was the Leicester band's final album.Liked it about as much as I did the 'III' lp(see my review).Tunes I find myself looking forward to whenever I play this CD are "Sleighride","The Waves",the inventive "Floating" and "Pictures In My Head".Best described as decent early '70's hard rock,although the CD does have several low key moments.Might appeal to fans of Uriah Heep,Wishbone Ash,early King Crimson,possibly even Jethro Tull or maybe ELP.Do check it out.

1972 and Black Widow enter's D.T. studios in Kettering to record a new album. The record company is losing interest, and finally allows Black Widow to do what they've long desired, to produce themselves. The results prove that this would've been a much wiser course all along. Unfortunately, this disc never saw release till just a few years ago.

The band had mellowed some, but lost none of their trademark dark vibe. Sleighride starts off with a dark journey through snow covered forests that instantly made me think of the closing scene in the film The Fearless Vampire Killers where Professor Abronsius is driving a sleigh away from the vampire's castle, while unbeknownest to him Sarah is sinking her teeth into Alfred's neck. This band always creates this dream world, filled with dark images of places far away. More Than a Day is a mostly accoustic song with dark and beautiful flute provided by the very talented Clive Jones. He's the highlight of this song, and for that matter, the entire disc. Perhaps his best playing on any Widow album. He manages to create his own seperate plane of existance, a strange world of dark yet beautiful dreams and visions. You're So Wrong is more of the same. Haunting, beautiful music.

Waves is perhaps the best song of Black widow's entire catalog, certainly on this album. You find yourself sitting alone on some rocky coastline on a grey, overcast day. You can almost hear the waves pounding the rocks (like the opening sequence of the old Dark Shadows). Powerful! Kip Trevor's voice is perfect, and the backing vocals contribute to the atmosphere.

Part Of A New Day is the most upbeat of the original recordings, with bouncy flute passages reminiscent of HP Lovecraft's cover of Get Together. Heavy bass lines from Geoff Griffith gives this one a little more rock feel than the preceding numbers, embellished by some fine drumming from Romeo Challenger. Aperfect way to end what would've been BW IV, though time wise, they needed another number to fill out the album. The perfect match would be Pictures In My Head. It alone of the remaining cuts has that dark dreamy vibe so prevalent on the earlier tracks.

Alas BW finds themselves without a record company and then without a singer. They managed a fine replacement in American singer Rick E. He sounds quite similar to Trevor's style and fits well with the band. Back to the studio to start again, and the group managed a half an album before coming apart completely. The new songs are more upbeat and almost happy sounding, as Spring follows Winter.Floating is a fine prog rocker with John Culley turning in the best guitar on the disc. When Will You Know is a Donovan style song with more of the feel good flute playing from Mr Jones. I See You is perhaps the most pop sounding of any song in BW's career since their Pesky Gee days. That's not to say it isn't good, because it is. It would've made a good single for the UK and European markets.

All this wonderful music spent a few decades under Clive Jones bed. I thank him for releasing this material (and that on Return To The Sabbat). It's just too good not to be enjoyed by others, and perhaps this talented band can finally get the credit they've so long deserved. This CD is a treasure, and I hope I was able in some small way to do this music justice. Fine progressive rock worthy of your time and money.