CATCH THE SPIRIT - THE COMPLETE ANTHOLOGY

When I reviewed their fantastic live album "The Story So Far", I was really thankful to the band to have chosen their best numbers and released them in an excellent (five stars) album. What they are doing in this compilation, is pretty much similar.

One has to recognize that instead of just being a collection of their best songs, MA will record them in a newer, fresher, rockier version than originally. I can not remind one single great track that is not featured here. So far, MA has produced four studio albums. All of them are going to be represented here at different levels.

Their debut album is represented with five tracks :

"Nowhere to Hide", "Heroes Never Die" absolutely fabulous and even more extended (over eleven minutes and definitely one of the very highlight of this sublime compilation.

"The Night Sky" which was the closing number and which sounded a bit too melancholic there. On this release, it is punchier and very pleasant, "The Last Climb" which will both sound as Genesis during the very quiet section "How Dare I Be So Beautiful" from "Supper's Ready" and to the Floyd thanks to a great Gilmouresque guitar solo and finally "Porcupine Rain" (very much Crosby, Stills & Nash oriented).

"Spirit Of Autumn Past" their second album counts six tracks:

" Please" one of the best track of this album and a true MA tune with superb vocal parts, "The Spirit of Autumn Past" which features a great chorus, "Evergreen" with its Floydian sound and fantastic guitar break (this is really a trade mark for this band).

"This Great Blue Pearl" is another Gilmouresque influenced song (subsequently, good of course), "Winter Mountain" was the hardest song form this release. I never thought that this type of songs did fit their style and "The Gap Is Too Wide" the best track from "Spirit" : great vocals from Heather and a sublime guitar work. One of my preferred MA songs, all time.

"The Last Bright Light", their third opus is almost fully played, with no less than seven tracks (out of thirteen but several tracks were really short ones).

The original album really featured some of their best songs ever written, like "We Come And We Go"and "Half the Mountain". "Shrinking Violet" is a quiet and good number that kicks off during the second half, "The Dark Before the Dawn" a bit harder than usual but very powerful.

"Prints in the Stone" a sweet track but a bit monotonous in the context of the original album. Since it is mixed here with fantastic nubmers, one does not have the same feeling, "Never the Rainbow" which I compared to a Purple track thanks to its rather hard side and the great organ work sounding as Jon Lord and finally "Mother Nature" a long number with some great moments but also with some lows.

We'll get four songs from LOTR.

I have said in my review for this album that MA missed an opportunit to create a great album with such a good script as the one generated by Tolkien. So four tracks is OK. At least we'll get rid of some useless and pure traditonal folk numbers present of this effort.

"The Riders of Rohan" which is a pleasant folk ballad, "Goodbye Alone" another pure folkish number, "Overture" which is one of the very few tracks which I preferred in its original format and "The Return of the King" and its Floydian sound was one of the good songs from LOTR but this is the album from which the track list is more questionable.

This double CD is a fantastic companion to "The Story So Far". I wouldn't bother in purchasing their four individaul efforts which might deceive some listeners. Get this one instead, and you'll get the essence of the band. Anf with their live album, you'll get an incredible overview on how the band is sounding live. Even if almost every songs is featured here, except "Dark Before Dawn" my preferred track from "The Last Bright" (so, yes there is actually one great track not featured here) !

If you enjoy folk rock, beautiful vocal harmonies and a certain Floydian atmosphere, this album is for you.

I can only think of one rating : five stars.