SMALLCREEP'S DAY

I finally got round to buying this hidden gem. It was well worth the wait! This is, to be sure, MIKE RUTHERFORD'S best foray into prog music in his "solo" career. He claims all writing credits on this concept album. I guess by that he means lyrics and melodies. And for that he should be applauded, because both are strong. But I can't help but think, especially given the stellar line-up of musicians, that they themselves did infact add to, and improve the basic score put down by Rutherford. For example, I'm sure he didn't tell expert drummer SIMON PHILLIPS exactly what to play. The drumming is just too good for it to have been Mike's ideas. The same goes for the other players on the album. Be that as it may, it is a very strong prog/pop album - more prog than pop though. Mike's guitar and bass parts are also very good - comparable to his playing on the Genesis records of that era (1977-82). But the real stars of Mike's first solo effort are the band. In particular SIMON PHILLIPS on drums (incredible as always), NOEL MCCALLA on vox (terriffic singer, unknown heretofore, but now singing for Manfred Mann) and ANTHONY PHILLIPS on all keys (after listening to him play, you'll wonder why Genesis thought they needed Banks. Clearly, this album shows that they didn't!) Perhaps the genius of Mike Rutherford is that he allows his contributions to be added to the mix, without having to take centre stage, e.g. Genesis, SMALLCREEP'S DAY, and Mike and the Mechanics. This CD would be a fine, but not quite essential, addition to anyone's collection. It's good. It's better than good. 4 ****