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Capability Brown - From Scratch CD (album) cover

FROM SCRATCH

Capability Brown

 

Crossover Prog

2.62 | 23 ratings

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debrewguy
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
1 stars Having recently seen a review for CB's other album, Voice, it was rather flukey that I happened upon a rather scratched copy of this LP at my local used record shop. Giving it a listen, here's my impression ... of the songs that I went back to after the first few listens. And more than a few bits had me pulling out other albums in my collection for similar melodies. Beautiful Scarlet - Starts off a bit heavy with a nice guitar line. Reminds me of the opening song on Rocky Filj's debut, early Styx. The vocals I would describe as kind of David Byron fronting ITCOTCK Crimson, with Queen/Styx background vocals on the chorus. The chorus also sent me searching my Styx collection. While nowhere near a note for note copy, Styx' What has come between us & Lonely Child are what it brought to mind. Do you believe me - Again, back to my collection due to its' melodic familiarity. This time, I dig out Brinsley Schwarz debut - the song - Shine On. Again, no note for note rip-off, but the general melody is shared. The guitars are more Power Pop than Brinsley's CSNY sound. The mid part departs with a mediocre solo section, then back to the main melody. The Band - early 70s rock n roll , starts of with a steel or slide (?) guitar. Once more, the melody seems familiar, but I can't put my finger on it. Beatle-ish, I can almost see Big Star playing this if they were to go outside of their power pop idiom. Liar - I knew this tune. I thought, I must have heard this on the radio at some point in time. How could an album with a tune this good not have made its' way into the hands of someone at PA ??? Oh Oh ! It's the Argent tune. Good cover. No Range - Twin guitar intro, then some Tull like flute. The verse begins, early Styx comes to mind. But more in sound than lyrically or in musical arrangement. Is this what it would sound like if Ian Anderson had written a song for Styx, or vice versa. Some 10cc moments melodically. A hard early 70s type rocker. Day in Day out - start with the harmonics from beginning of Suite Madame Blue. Then the melody brings to mind a combination of the verses from In the Court of the Crimson King, and Styx' A Day. A touch of ELP's Lucky Man. Sole Survivor - Whew, finally no similar songs pop to mind ! Though that's not to mean it's very original. Average early 70s hard rock . It spends the last 2 minutes on a guitar solo that seems typical of the era - competent, heck the last minute sounds like Status Quo came in and took over. All in all, well I paid 2 bucks for the LP. And while they weren't the only group mining the same melodies at the time, it reminds me of how more willing labels were to sign up bands and let them develop over the course of a few albums. What exactly got them signed, I don't know, as Liar is really the only stand-out track, and it's a cover. If you find it cheap, and you miss the early 70s, it might be of interest to you. But don't expect more than mediocity. And have fun finding progressiveness apart from the comparison and sound-alikes from other groups of the time
debrewguy | 1/5 |

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