Place in the Queue

The Tangent | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 13, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Inside Out U.S.
• ASIN: B000CNETIE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,412 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. In Earnest

2. Lost In London

3. DIY Surgery

4. GPS Culture

5. Follow Your Leaders

6. The Sun In My Eyes

7. A Place In The Queue

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps a tad too ambitious, but still plenty to love about this offering., February 7, 2006

By 

Squire Jaco (Buffalo, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Place in the Queue (Bonus CD) (Spec) (Dig) (Audio CD)

Tangent leader Andy Tillison buttered me right up before I even played a note of this cd. In his sleeve notes he starts waxing nostalgic about Yes' "Tales From Topographic Oceans", an album that had a profound influence on me as well some thirty years ago. But I fear that he also raises one's expectations about this new cd a bit too much when he implies (despite his explicit denials and sincere attempts to the contrary) that "A Place In The Queue" might eventually sit comfortably alongside the likes of "TFTO", "The Lamb Lies Down", "Pawn Hearts" and other masterpieces in the annals of prog.

With the departure of Roine Stolt, Tillison clearly steps to the forefront of the group on this cd. One gets a much more personal look at Tillison here; I do enjoy his self-deprecating humor and the insights into his musical influences that are conveyed in both the extensive sleeve notes and the lyrics of some of his songs (e.g. "Lost in London"). The tone of his distinctive British voice bears some passing similitudes with Greg Lake (who I never hear anyone complaining about!) and Hatfield/Caravan/Camel's Richard Sinclair at times. And he displays some fine keyboard chops throughout another very good Tangent album.

I view The Tangent as being in the upper echelon of current prog groups, largely because of Tillison's unique vision, his keyboard playing and his distinctive writing style; but also because they have prog's best bass player (Jonas Reingold), an excellent drummer (now Jaime Salazar) and they make interesting use of sax and flute (Theo Travis), especially in the jazzier sequences.

Yes, the guitars are good here too, but there are literally thousands of "good" guitarists out there. Let's be honest here, folks - you really can't replace Stolt's guitar (just as Yes could never adequately replace Steve Howe). Plus Roine used to carry some of the vocal duties, both lead and harmony. Sorry if you disagree, my friends, but Stolt's signature guitar phrasing and flourishes are regrettably missed on this cd, and one of the reasons that I can't give it a full 5 stars.

The other main reason is the same complaint I have with a few Flower Kings cd's: in the longer songs, they tend to get lost in some of the jamming and go off on too many tangents....oh wait, maybe that's the point....hmmmm. Anyway, I just felt that some of the epics could have been even better if they were a bit shorter and more focused (though I probably should be indulging the symphonic nature of the longer pieces!).

This cd tends to lean more towards jazz and Canterbury than the previous two Tangent cd's, with references to Van Der Graaf Generator ("DIY Surgery"), Hatfield and the North, and some Caravan (perhaps even Traffic at times?). Travis really pulls his weight on this album.

I keep seeing more and more proggers venturing into political territory since September 11th and the subsequent invasion of Iraq - TFK's "The Truth Will Set You Free" and IQ's "Harvest of Souls" come quickly to mind. This album has some of that too. Overall, I like the lyrics (the word "spreadsheet" makes it into a prog epic!), and I really like the keys and drums that drive the Yes-like "GPS Culture" and "Follow Your Leaders".

And don't take "The Sun In My Eyes" too seriously folks. Remember, "nous sommes du soleil" from Yes' TFTO means "we are of the sun". This is clearly a tongue-in-cheek song played in a style that lies in direct opposition to the type of music that we unconventional 1970's prog lovers listened to. (It even clocks in at a radio-friendly 3-1/2 minutes!)

O.K., enough meandering thoughts about this very long and complex album. Perhaps I'm just as guilty about going off on tangents as I accused this cd of being! Rest assured that this is a VERY GOOD cd with a distinctive style within the prog genre....but it's also a slight step back from their previous two albums (in my humble opinion). Not quite worthy of the "masterpiece" label just yet....but this IS The Tangent! (You should still buy it for the frequent moments of prog-induced euphoria.)

I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:
Music quality = 8.4/10; Performance = 9.5/10; Production = 9/10; CD length = 10/10.
Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 8.9 ("4-1/2 stars")

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Eh, September 21, 2006

By 

Fluffy Sausage "Homer Simpson" (Tampa) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Place in the Queue (Bonus CD) (Spec) (Dig) (Audio CD)

I can keep this relatively short for those of you who don't like to read novel-length reviews. I had VERY high expectations for this album, from listening to "The Music That Died Alone" to hearing all the rave about it on this site. So I was pretty eager to listen to it after it arrived in my mailbox. And what I discovered was GREAT music, and HORRIBLE vocals. I'm sorry- every time Andy, and the others sing I shudder. What a juxtaposition to have excellent music spoiled by horrid vocals. I typically like and can stand singers that get bashed quite a bit (like Geddy and James Labrie) but this? No. Fantastic, rock, jazz, fusion sounds are throughout, but the singing just doesn't cut it. 2 stars.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good music, bad vocals, December 3, 2006

By 

Rard13 (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Place in the Queue (Bonus CD) (Spec) (Dig) (Audio CD)

Sorry, but the singing ruined it for me. This is a problem I have with many of the current generation prog groups. The vocals just don't measure up to Jon Andersen, Greg Lake, John Wetton, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins & Colin Carter. I keep hoping though.