Picture (Spec) [Import, Limited Edition, Special Edition]

Kino | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 7, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import, Limited Edition, Special Edition
• Label: Spv Germany
• ASIN: B0007LXHBG
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #607,383 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Losers' Day Parade

2. Letting Go

3. Leave a Light On

4. Swimming in Women

5. People

6. All You See

7. Perfect Tense

8. Room for Two

9. Holding On

10. Picture

Editorial Reviews

Impressive debut recording by keyboard player John Beck (It Bites), drummer Chris Maitland (ex-Porcupine Tree), singer and guitarist John Mitchell (Arena), and bassist Pete Trewavas (Marillion). On December 8th the quartet made their first live appearance for WDR‘s Rockpalast TV in Cologne in front of an enthusiastic audience. Their musical style can be described as melodic pop rock with progressive elements. Picture will be available in jewel case with slipcase and enhanced booklet. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Get the Picture!, March 5, 2005

By 

Russ Bellinger (Northville, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Picture (Audio CD)

This CD is a wonderful piece of work. What a great band! John Mitchell is freakin fantastic if you ask me. I have enjoyed his work with Arena, John Wetton, The Urbane, etc. Pete Trewavas has never played as good as this and it rates closer to the Transatlantic feel than Marillion. The ex-porcupine tree drummer Chis Maitland sounds better than ever as well and keyboardist John Beck from It Bites - bites down hard! Nice tunes with nice contrasts as in the shifting mood of Losers Day Parade where one minute it sounds like great Prog-metal and the next it sounds like an early Beatles or a mid sixties vocal thing. Letting Go is probably my favorite track with a very beautiful but haunting vocal by John Mitchell. Leave a Light On is great. Swimming in Women is a very interesting track. As it builds the songs motion takes on the effect of the pounding of the waves in a storm. Very, very cool and captivating. Room for Two is probably the best one for radio airplay as it repeats the upbeat chorus several times. Really every track has great strength and depth (something most of America's popular music lacks). I hope they make it through more albums than Transatlantic did. I can't wait to hear more!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's GOOD About Progressive Rock!, December 4, 2005

By 

Ryle Shermatz (Cedar Rapids, IA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Picture (Audio CD)

This release was dropped into my Amazon recommendation page and after reading the other listener reviews I thought I had to give it a shot.

Good Call! This has got to be the best new release I've heard in a rapidly-waning 2005!

My initial "sounds like" comparison upon my first listen was Marillion's "Seasons End," and inasmuch as these are (were) both efforts of hungry, toiling-in-obscurity musicians who I believe feel they have something to prove, it's probably not too much of a stretch to draw that parallel. Other reviewers have compared this to Asia, Supertramp, and (of course) Genesis. I agree and also agree with the astute observation that this would be an EXCELLENT gateway "check-this-out" recording for someone unfamiliar with progressive rock. By the way, am I the only one who feels Pete Trewavas' "side" projects (Kino, Transatlantic) are miles ahead of the recent output of his regular band (Marillion)?

There is plenty on "Picture" to rave about. As we would expect of any artists in prog, the musicianship & production is superior. What especially distinguishes Kino to my ears are the songwriting and lyrics. For me the other pinnacle of substantive and (I'll say it) profound lyrics has been and remains Peter Nichol of IQ. Kino's lyrics are at least equally trenchant--a COMPLEX stew of thoughts, emotions, and human experience that obviously were not inspired by the need to fulfill a recording contract.

I don't wish to try readers' patience with my track-by-track opinions on individual tracks except to single out #2, "Letting Go" as the brightest of the 10 gems included in this package. It really doesn't do the song justice to describe it as a mournful lament for lost love. Well, yeah, it's that, but it's so much more--the lyrics go WAY deeper, with amazing insight and economy. This is surely a great exhibit "A" of how a melodic structure and arrangement can complement already powerful words to create that magical transmutation of elements we recognize as a sublime work of art. Here the verse/bridge/chorus song structure we're all culturally hard-wired for quickly spirals up to a plateau of two lush title verses. Listening to "Letting Go" was one of those infrequent occasions when I was astonished by what I was hearing--as the track unfolded, my attention was fully engaged by the power and urgency of what was before me. As a long-time fan of prog rock, I know that some of the best efforts may not necessarily grab you at first; it's very rare indeed that something new comes along that rattles your teeth loose as "Letting Go" did for me.

Artistry of this caliber deserves as much support as grateful listeners like me can provide, so in addition to buying the CD, I'm happy to be able to recommend it to any other sympathetically minded consumers who are ready to get WOWED again. And yes, as indicated earlier, "Picture" would be an EXCELLENT place for a newcomer to progressive rock to start. Music this incredible deserves acclaim proportional to its artistic majesty!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't get enough of this album, April 16, 2005

By 

Kevin Billig "routeman" (Allentown, Pa. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Picture (Audio CD)

I'm afraid of burn out if I keep listening to it. Kino has got it all, in my opinion. Great melodies, arrangements, vocals & musicianship. I love great melodies from the brits & this is chock full of 'em. I'm sure it won't be everybody's cup of tea but there is an emphasis on hauntingly beautiful/gorgeous melodies in the chorus' of "Letting Go", "People" & others. The verses & bridges are appealing as well. But that's not all. "You want prog?" "You can't handle prog". "Losers day parade" & "Holding on" are ample supplies of prog. I'm a fan of Spock's Beard during & after Neal Morse. I love their new one "Octane" but Kino's "Picture" does something special to me. I never got on my knees when at the alter of prog because to me melody counts more than the 25 minute 6 part musicianship extravaganza such as Flower Kings, another Inside Out labelmate.
In closing Kino will open my eyes to more artists on the Inside Out imprint. It appears as though they have something special going on here.