GRETCHEN GOES TO NEBRASKA

I am ashamed to admit that I bought this cassette back in 1989 because of a quote by Jon Bon Jovi in an ad for this album in which he predicted King's X would fill stadiums one day. I am not ashamed to admit that my love for the music of Bon Jovi remained stuck in 1990, but my love for this album continues to grow, placing it firmly in my top 10 of all time.

On Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, the band takes the solid blueprint formed on Out of the Silent Planet and expands upon it, creating a masterpiece of 80's prog hard rock/metal. Where the songs were streamlined and stripped down on OOTSP, tempos shift, textures are added by sitar and organ, and vocal harmonies blossom into full-blown Beatle-esque choirs. There is also a variety of mood, from the pastoral acoustic piece "The Difference," to groove rocker "Over My Head," to head bangers like "Mission," to proggy numbers like "The Burning Down" and "Out Of The Silent Planet."

Again, there is no central prog piece (that would be corrected on the next album, Faith Hope Love), but all of the elements are there in shortened form. The band effectively puts the "power" back into power trio with this release, as former powerhouse bands like Rush continued to slide into the synthesizer and new wave overload of the eighties.