“One Tragedy At A Time” opens like a trip down the time tunnel back to huge epic symphonic prog of old. This is a fourteen minute journey through all that inspires the band, from the majestically orchestral, through to hard driving riffs. Undoubtedly the album’s shining centre piece it shimmers and shifts through a myriad of changes. Superb drumming and luscious keys complete this extraordinarily satisfying and complex piece of prog majesty.
“I’m Not Blind” takes us back into Yes territory. When those keys come in, the ‘lost art’ is fully restored. “Easy Tomorrow” is a cleverly constructed driving rock track highlighting all the elements of the band as they spar off each other in a demonstration of musicality.
The beautifully elegant “Haze” ends the album superbly with a lush track that showcases Scott’s versatile vocals wonderfully. As you can tell I am from the era that this album draws so authentically from. Sure it’s heavy on seventies influence, in scale, scope, style, and even in part instrumentation, but it still finds space for fresh slices of contemporary as well.
A triumph of an album in every sense and one I strongly recommend, if, any of the above gets your goose bumps bumping.
More information can be found by visiting the Presto Ballet website.
Rewiring Genesis – A Tribute To The Lamb Lies On Broadway (ProgRock Records, 2008)
Okay, what is essentially a self-confessed tribute album actually ventures a little deeper. Whilst taking the whole concept of Genesis’ epic masterpiece, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway from 1974 the band, led by drumming singer Nick D’Virgilio (Spocks Beard) brush it down, clean it off, breath some life into it and give it a whole fresh lick of paint.
That said, I am still left wondering, why? Rewiring Genesis are completed by Dave Martin on bass, the keyboards of Jeff Taylor, and Don Carr’s guitars. Fortunately Nick doesn’t fall into a trap of trying to sound like Peter Gabriel (or even Phil Collins) but what he does attempt is to bring this dense almost inaccessible prog tale to a whole new generation.
Some of my initial doubts, yes I am old enough to have rushed out and bought the original, were beginning to dissipate nicely by the time “Fly On A Windshield” kicked in. The band clearly have a huge respect for the territory they are in (otherwise they presumably wouldn’t have gone there) and whilst remaining essentially loyal, set about injecting some 2008 freshness along the way.
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