CUNNING STUNTS

The Canterbury Scene is not really a genre I listen to very often. Heck the only album I listened to from the whole genre is Fourth by Soft Machine and I only thought that album was just Ok. Nothing too special. This made me feel a little discouraged too check out any more albums from the Canterbury Scene, until I decided to listen to this album, and oh boy, I was missing out on some good, funky and great tunes.

This album starts with the beautiful and amazing 'The Show of Our Lives'. It's like the perfect opener, filled with beautiful piano arrangements, amazing guitar playing, and a slow but groovy beat. Plus the vocal delivery of Pye Hastings are so, so very good. Afterwards, Stuck in A Hole plays, a very funky and groovy song, that sorta reminds me of those road trip jams that you bob your head too. Lover and No Backstage Pass are both very beautiful tracks in the same vain as The Show Of Our Lives, however with a love song twist, and some beautiful string arrangements. Welcome To The Day is another hit on this album, but with a more direct funkadelic sound, that reminds me of jazz artists like B.B. King. After that, we have the 18 minute suite of pure amazement that is Dabsong Conshirtoe. It's like the perfect combination of all of the songs from this album, put together into a brilliant pot of glorious proportions, plus the ending being all weird and almost like the song is overlapping with itself is so weird, interesting and satisfying. The last track, The Fear and Loathing in Tollington Park, isn't something to wright home about, but it is a little nice tune, like a bow wrapping the whole album together.

All in all, this album is an amazing piece of work that I am surprised isn't as well known as any other Prog album that is regarded as the best. I absolutely love this album.