Customer Reviews

Window of Life (Reis)

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

 

 

How anyone can call themselves a fan of prog/art rock/thinking man's music and NOT love this album is beyond my wildest imagination! I am an older prog fan (in my 50's) who lived through the heyday of Emerson Lake & Palmer, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Yes, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Procol Harum, and Kansas; I say that Pendragon is as good as any of those bands, if not a bit more consistant in quality (I like almost every Pendragon song, while some of my other favorites have had some real duds, even EL&P). I am not even a fan of the whole english Marillion/iQ/12th Night 'neo prog' thing, Pendragon is more than neo prog and more than a Genesis rip-off like Marillion, they are as classy and real as any of the old greats. I always say that the thing that seperates great bands from simply good bands is not how many notes a minute they can play, but what's in the songwriting, Nick Barret is a great songwriter, the guy knows his music! GHOSTS, WALLS OF BABYLON, and LAST MAN ON EARTH are the standout tracks, but all the songs are worthwhile. This is an excellent CD, although not the best that Pendragon has made, that distinction goes to the new one, NOT OF THIS WORLD, If you've got the money just buy them both! Also look into the new band UNDER THE SUN on Magna Carta records. I think that Pendragon and UTS are the best of the new prog generation (the best from England and America respectively), oh', and any comparisons to U2 or N'Sync are not only wrong, but also totally bizarre! These guys are definately scholars of the Genesis, Camel, Floyd, and Yes school, with there own twist to offer on it.

First let me clarify one thing...Imitation is by no means plagiarism, but rather the highest form of FLATTERY (Rob Reed..Cyan/Magenta), with that statement let me start saying that Pendragon has his own site in Art/Neo-Prog music.
Being compared with Yes or PF is already telling you as a prog fan..."Get the CD"; I agree this may not be thier best work, and you may consider start with Masquerade Overture or the latest album Not of this World,which by the way is a little bit more dark if you know what a mean?.
The comparisson of this band with NSYNC or U2 makes me wonder if we have the same CD? And by the way calling Transatlantic Neo-Prog makes me recomend to look a little further on what the genre really is all about..I personally would not clasify strictly speaking the work of the superband Transaltantic as Neo-Prog.

Another marvellous CD, Fallen Dreams and Angels is a incredible song, the best of all times from Pendragon, alone worth the price. Am I Really Losing You? has a solo guitar that catchs me, as other wonderful songs like Dune, BAbylon, etc. Nick Barret is a monster like Steven Wilson. If you like Marillion, Fish, Alan Parsons Project, Genesis, Pink Floyd,buy this CD. If you have doubts, see my other revews and if You like them, you must buy it as well.

I love this cd. Highlights include the fantastic epics Walls of Babylon and Ghosts. The guitar rips through and reminds me of the greats like Howe and Gilmour. Docked a star for ripping-off a Yes riff. But, I have to admit I was enjoying that riff. Good buy!

Pendragon is truely one of the great fogotten bands of the 80's, which is a shame, since they did a very great work during their long career and got very little recognition after all. Window of Life is one of those CDs you just fall in love with after just a few listenings. Great guitar work, good lyrics, above the average production this time and a wonderful knack for writing great tunes. This may not be their best CD (to me Masquerade Overture is the one), but, like all their work, is full of beauty, energy and feeling. All wrapped up with magistral instrumental and vocal work. Ghosts and Breaking The Spell are my favourite tracks, but all of them are worthwhile. It's really a pity they are as well known as, say, Marillion. Specially if you consider what Marillion has become nowadays... If you like 70'prog in general and Marillion (Fish era) in particular, this is the band to look for. Long Live Pendragon!

I know prog-rock has a reputation of being old-fashioned and boring. Long songs with endless solos, the kind of music only musicians listen to etc. Some of that is true for this record: the songs are long. But never boring, never (too) complicated, the solos are never endless and I enjoy listening to Pendragon even though I don't play any instrument. I hardly know how to whistle... These songs are songs with stories. They deal with a variety of subjects, that I won't elaborate on now, but every time you listen to this record you notice something else. People with a sincere disgust for Pink Floyd and Marillion should avoid this record. Everyone else should at least give this album a listen or two. Give Pendragon the benefit of the doubt, and before you know it, you recognize something. That something is different for everyone. Find out what it is for you.

Pendragon was yet another member of the early 80's class of neo progressive rock that emerged from England near the beginning of that decade. Marillion was the most successful with IQ coming in a distant second, but Pendragon also formed their own niche of fans that continue to this day. Pendragon has always been the main project of guitarist, vocalist composer Nick Barrett and his main sidekick keyboardist Clive Nolan. Together they have crafted a bunch of albums over the years that take classic 70's progressive rock influences and blend them with a more modern edge. Progressive rock fans seem to either love them or loath them. For the most part I am a fan and have always enjoyed what they do. "Window Of Life" is prime Pendragon. There is a lot of great material here including the two longest tracks "Walls Of Babylon" and "The Last Man On Earth". My one problem with this album is that in spots they almost blatantly copy riffs and melodies from other bands. You can find almost the exact same passages on Yes, Geneis, and Moody Blues albums, and the opening sequence of "Walls Of Babylon" is very much in the style of "Wish You Were Here" Pink Floyd. I find it hard to believe that these were all conscious decisions made by the band, but some of these passages are way too close for comfort. Other than that I enjoy this album immensely and give it a solid 4 stars.

Pendragon does not seem to be very well known on this side of Atlantic. I hope this changes soon because we would not want this band to pass us by...they are carrying the torch of the great symphonic rock of the 70ties, and they are the most ambitious followers of early Genesis and Marillion who have added to the music of their idols in many ways. They were able to capture and transcend so much spirit in their songs that I wonder why they are only famous in Poland and a few other places? To me The Window Of Life is their best album. Quite a few of my favorite songs of Pendragon are on this album: Am I Really Losing You?, The Walls Of Babylon, The Last Man On Earth, Breaking The Spell...This album is fantastic and it was released in 1993, 16 years ago. If feel so sorry for so many great bands of today. They release such albums, and they follow them up with other great releases. The Masquerade Overture from 1996 has gained them most recognition and Not Of This World from 2001 is my second favorite album of this amazing band. Other people reviewing this band are listing their other albums (The World from 1991) as their favorite Pendragon albums and that is often a great sign. Please listen to the guitar on Am I Really Losing You? Please listen to it on If I Were The Wind (on Not Of This World). Well, start with this album and listen to the guitar solo of The Walls Of Babylon... Pendragon is one of the best present rock bands and I hope we can give them a little recognition so they could actually come and tour the US. Besides the songs i have listed here my other favorite songs of Pendragon are The Shadow, A Man Of Nomadic Traits, And We'll Go Haunting, and many many others. Their latest album is a bit of a change of direction for them and although personally I was not too impressed with that change, Pure is a great, a harder sounding album where we can hear the change of drummers. I can completely understand Pendragon's frustration and strategy. However, do not miss their best work...please purchase this album.

I agree with Steven Sly and I would even take his point a little further: there's also a straight quote from Supertramp (Sister moonshine) hidden somewhere. So this is a great album for a quizz with your friends: how many great bands can you spot through the window of life? A bit silly, really. Three stars for the original material, two stars substracted for the rip-offs.

I am not a fan of Pendragon, but I have to tell that I love "The World" to which I gave five stars. This one is a bit below "The World" and I think that many musical sequences are clearly from other bands.
As another reviewer mentionned, the opening track is clearly a copy of "Shine on you crazy diamond" from Pink Floyd. You have the other sequence that sounds like the ending section of "Gates of Delirium" of Yes. Another one is clearly the intro of "Dance on a Volcano" from Genesis. For this reason, it is not a five stars but it is still a good prog album with some really interesting songs.