THE FUGITIVE

I realize I'm probably one of the only people to rate The Fugitive and Acting Very Strange as equal, or higher to the debut albums by Tony and Mike. However, I have my reasons. I won't go into "Acting Very Strange" because I already discussed it. But I will discuss, in depth, the Fugitive.

The Fugitive is a complete departure from any music Tony has made before. It is also completely different than any music he made after. It is like Acting Very Strange in that way. It was a "bridge" album from the original prog style to the pop style. It's amazing how similar these two guys solo careers were: first album, prog-like. Second album, weird combination of something they'd never tried before where they both sing. Everything after that, mostly pop with prog stylings through in occasionally.

That's right. Tony sings on this one. Everybody knows that. However, he aquits himself much more smoothly than Mike. Though he isn't a great singer, his voice fits the music on this album strongly. I can't imagine him singing on any other album though. It was kind of a once in a lifetime thing. Which is fine.

The album is, naturally, populated heavily by keyboards. However, unlike A Curious Feeling, the keyboards are not heavily layered. The sound is lighter and it breathes more openly. Tony allows professional guitarists, bassists and drummers to come in and arranges great group playing. The album is alive and light.

The synth tones are strange. Tony occasionally has some cheesy work here, but he often pulls very odd tones out of his synths, different than he had before. Less contemporary, a little edgier. The style is pop, but the songs are not as blatantly commercial as later albums. The songs seem to be more artistic and more creative. Tony was really pulling a minimalistic style that was unusual for him here.

This album isn't for anybody. For people who want Tony loud and symphonic, it will be boring. For those people who want Tony bopping along to pop music, it will be boring. But it's perfect for those who like albums that take a risk, however minor.