ONCE UPON A TIME IN ENGLAND VOLUME 1

What interests me with this (and vol.2) release is the timing. Masqueade Overture was from 1996 and these two were released in 1999 whilst they are of course recorded in the first half of the eighties. Why is that interesting ? Because around that time (1999) I was as many Pendragon fans anxiously waiting for the next (real) album which was only going to appear in 2001. So what I suspect is that these two are a sop for the waiting fans.

In fact it's why I bought them. I wanted more after the great 1996 issue and to be "treated" with this, well.... Either Nick and his band were desperate or highly self-confident to do a thing like this. Initially it was a big disappointment and I'm sure if I would have done the review back then I would have given it 1 or 2 stars. Right now I'm looking to the whole thing in a broader perspective and realize the historical significance better. I love this band very deeply and am interested in their entire career. This was the very beginning and eventhough the quality of both recording as compositions are far below par, I'm still glad I bought it in the end.

The highlights are The Pleasure of hope (act.The Jewel), Dream of tomorrow and the great live track Stan and Ollie. It's mainly the last one that can ultimately bring me to giving it 3 stars because it's in fact somewhere between 2 and 3 for me. If I rate it one by one and make the average I come to 2,8.

It's mainly recommended for the dedicated Pendragon fans who also want to know their older work. If you are looking for fantastic songs, this is not for you.