Customer Reviews

No Way Out of Here-The Anthology

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Two discs-78,77 minutes each approximately. The sound is very good-crisp and clean,with good separation between the vocals and the various instruments. The booklet is informative,with a good overview of the band's history,with specific attention as to how David Gilmour (of PINK FLOYD fame),came to produce a number of tunes (and play,on disc 1,some guitar,peddle steel guitar,and sing harmony) for the band. There's a track-by-track listing of who plays what,and from what album it's from. In addition there are color reproductions of the group's album covers,and a photo of the group.

This band,from England,is sometimes compared to CSN,BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD,THE EAGLES,LINDISFARNE (another fine relatively unknown English group),or possibly POCO,or even a bit of THE BYRDS (12 string) rockier tunes,when listeners try to describe their sound and overall feel. While not exactly on the money,the comparisons are a starting point. The band's easy going yet tight vocals,and even tighter musicianship,are as good as the previously mentioned groups. Their use of both acoustic and electric guitars and single/harmony vocal interchange,together with a solid rhythm backing,propel this band ahead of many others with similar sounds.

This compilation (on disc 1) takes in tracks from "Blue Pine Trees","Too Many Crooks","Shed No Tear",and "One More Tomorrow". Disc 2 is primarily (15 of 20 tracks) made up of previously unreleased tracks,along with a few from the above albums. All of the tracks on these two discs have something worthwhile-whether it's vocal or instrumental-or both,which makes them worthwhile,and listeners will pick their own favorites from this generous set.

This is laid back,unassuming music,but the quality of the song writing,the musicianship,and the vocals jump out almost immediately. The band's stock-in-trade is a combination of easy going,yet gently rocking sounds,with their wonderful vocals out front. For anyone who likes the above mentioned groups,this is something you might want to check out. I remember when their album,with the giant unicorn on the cover,was released on vinyl many years ago. From appearances I immediately categorized the music as middle-of-the-road soft pop. My mistake.

With a different cover(s) and a little bit of a promotional push,this band would be more well known today as one of the new (especially English) bands playing what came to be known as country-rock,or whatever people called it back then. However,it's not to late to hear the fine music this relatively unknown band put out. This music grows on you over time,and should be heard by more people. In the end-it's just good music,and that's enough.

First of all, the other review on this page has nothing to do with Unicorn - at least not this Unicorn. As the executive producer of this release I can tell you that it was difficult to decide which of their fantastic songs would be included in this collection. I have loved Unicorn since their first American album was released in 1975, simply titled, "Unicorn" (in the States) and titled "Blue Pine Trees" in the UK. They had a previous release in the UK called "Uphill All The Way" which was a wonderful collection of covers and originals that is well worth checking out - but it wasn't the same band I came to know later with "Blue Pine Trees" with all of its original tunes by Ken Baker.

The cool part about this double disc (but there are many cool parts) is that the second disc is full of previously unreleased tracks that sound as great as the David Gilmour produced tracks on disc one. It's just amazing to me that Unicorn was not a huge success. Their music is absolutely supreme and has survived more than 30 years - still sounding perfect. Sure - they are classified as Country Rock but they aren't "so" country as to be confused with Poco or early Eagles. They have their own very identifiable sound - one that still inspires me daily!

This CD is not simply another compilation of awesome songs performed by 4 middle aged guys that live in their parents' basement. This is THE compilation of awesome songs performed by 4 middle aged guys that live in their parents' basement. No Way Out of Here: The Anthology is destined to become a classic. It began when lead vocalist and founding member Julian Grimes lost his job at Blockbuster for bootlegging adult movies and was sentenced to 90 days house arrest. With time on his hands, he began putting pen to paper. Soon, he was joined by his 3 brothers; Mikey, Jo-Jack, and Sal to form Unicorn. Like the mythical creature, Unicorn must be seen live to truly be appreciated. Last week's performance at Skatetown really brought down the house. I couldn't believe it when I discovered this CD a few days later. Do yourself a favor and buy this CD. Trust me, these guys are as awesome as they look.