IN THE LAND OF GREY AND PINK

Whow how many rewiws onthese one! Is perfect because these is an album that i know like the palm of my hand... the first prog-record i heard...several years ago and since then i have just been loving it. Is simply canterbury at its best , presentation of the genere and most emotionally closer in its simplicity. I think of it as concept album or more accuraltely something bigger a style defining (also conceptually) album The front sleeve of the discs is simple and concise : Is just a English village turned into tolkienesque landscape like it was its natural counterpart...The land of the grey and pink....the other side of the mirror... its like a declaration of intentions from the whole genere. Its were they wanted to send all their fellow englishmen, their version of british culture. O.K lest go to the music itself: Golf girl the start of the trip , strangely goofyn, humorous and totally perfect even if it is a little bit popy. But the lyrics just match the music perfect and they are very naive and intelligent: He is in golf field for so to say in the normal british land then he find these girl who sell cups of tea (dont need to remember what they put in the tea...... see Gong for details), in fact he orders three cups- drops and enter into a psychedelic land were the golf balls rain upon the people (the alice in wonderland inversion of the logic) but these land is naively enjoyed without anykind of darkness side in the look, goofying, dancing , laughing, emotionally closer to kids fun . In winter wine all the hidden sweet beatifullness behind the music come out, showing perfectly in these sometimes hard sometimes delightfull song. The lyrics are a bit confuse, but i guess it want to get a little more serious as he remembers these old essence the winter wine that moves him into a dream like a stream taking him to british wonderland, again the chorus make us clear that were in the oposite mood of the heavy metal music ( not so very far musically). Lifes too short to be sad.... these chorus althought is a little bit kind of gloomy is fuull of brightness as the synth breaks in with these marvellous psychedelic style. Just perfect.These lyrics are trying to show a fantastic dream thats ending ( you know psychedelia is passing) love to love you the weakest part of the disc but still funny and keep the declaration of intentions (take it to the bright side). The land of the grey and pink Superb! Fantastic! obviously perfect! One of the most perfect songs conceptually musically.......Is it a pop song? is it prog? is it psychedelia? just the land.... The changes are perfect, is full of groove, is also musicaly psychedelic ennancing, is also beatifull ( witha beatifullness of its own that only caravan had.... Gong is incredible but is not goofy and beatifull at the very same time). THe lyrics an the music are just one: He is descriving these paradise called the land were the punk weed grows and making a warning : take care because as were heading trought the seventies the gromblie grimblies (wich have something to do with the Memo baddies who smoked cigarretes....instead of punk weed of course), the grey men , the society is trying to fuck and sell and finally destroy all the psychedelic dreaming, art. Is ending the days were we are able to live like this.....again the only option is to sleep into the other side. nine feet underground with its cementery title , is a joke and also tematically relevant. The music is very good with different changes and dreamy passages.Some are hard rocking other psychedelic and lyrical. The lyrics just point to the same issues: It was a dream? Is it real what i feel in the other side? Whats going to happen with the psychedelic movement? Will the day be warm and bright, or will it snow? There are people waiting now who really have to know Can't you feel it in the air? I wonder what it's meant to be It's the thought that can't be spared, and it brings it all back to me Yes it brings it all back to me With these incertitude and these comming back of the psychedelia , like a still vivid powerfull memory it just ends perfectly, conceptually and musically. Five stars, not less.