RARE BIRD [AKA: SYMPATHY]

With its double keyboard attack, I always linked RB to Procol Harum, and their big hit Sympathy to Whiter Shade Of Pale, finding that Gould's vocals were often close to Brooker's. Of course the groups were from a different generation and Bird was guitar-less etc?. but nevertheless, the similarities stuck and when not, they sounded ELP or The Nice to me. With an exotic bird as the front artwork and another superb painted bird illustration on the inner gatefold, this was among the first Charisma release, and does it ever sound like it, as it is probably the only Charisma label album from 69.

Opening on the semi-lengthy Iceberg and a slow Hammond intro, crescendoing and exploring some wild time sigs and good interplay, the album starts well enough. But the next few tracks are too 60-ish sounding like Procol or Nice when they were out to play acid-rock, and while some tracks are good, others are appalling: Melanie (an answer to he Nice's early psych tracks, where Gould manages to sing as bad as Lee Jackson) or Nature's Fruit or Birds On A Wing. There are some real flaws that cannot be ignored. Among the better tracks are You Went Away (though it's very perfectible) or Beautiful Scarlet and the closing God Of War

But two thirds of the way into this album, you get sick of Field's Hammond dragging along lifelessly. When speaking of Hammond-driven prog rock, I never think of RB, simply because Field is not driving, pulling, steering or pushing anything - listen to his bad saturated organ solo on Bird On A Wing to understand. His listless play is miles from Lord, Emerson, Crane, Fisher and many more. The Esoteric label just released the band's studio whole discography adding photos, history, artifacts, and here even bonus tracks: both sides of the accompanying single with the non-album track Devil's High Concern, which brings some good added value to the album (although Field's organ is again questionable. Just not striking many good cords with me