ONCE UPON A TIME IN ENGLAND VOLUME 2

The second of two albums which gather together tracks which have not previously appeared on official Pendragon album releases. They are in the main taken from the period prior to their first EP in 1984 and first album in 1985. Long term keyboard player and song writing contributor Clive Nolan is therefore absent from these recordings, as is drummer Fudge Smith.

As might be expected from such a release, the material included is somewhat variable, ranging from the occasional rare diamond to the those which would have been better left unearthed. This however is slightly the better of the two collections bearing the "Once upon a time in England" name.

At times, the feel of the music is best described as immature in Pendragon terms, occasionally bordering on the amateur. There are the odd hints of the sophistication which was to come, but the listener does have to show a considerable level of commitment in order to seek them out. Most of the tracks on this second collection are private recordings by Nick Barrett, he being the sole performer on a number of the tracks. To that extent, while they are part of the history of the band, it is somewhat misleading to label them as Pendragon songs.

The standout track (by far) is the 10 minute epic "The black knight". This early crowd pleaser stands up well against much of Pendragon's later work, being a solid piece of neo-prog. The version on this album was recorded by the Barrett/Harris/Burnefield/Gee line up in 1983, for BBC radio's Friday Rock show.

Other tracks which also sound good include: "I walk the rope" (a version of which later appeared on "Kowtow"), a softer ballad with some nice sax played by someone who is named only as "Patsy ?". "Victims of life", another Friday rock show track which has echoes of post Gabriel Genesis, as does "More than just freedom" which has something of a prog structure. "Whalespeak" is a pleasant guitar and string synth piece performed by Barrett alone.

Of historical interest, "No more tricks", on which Barrett sounds like Dave Swarbrick of Fairport Convention(!), became "Higher circles" on "The jewel" album. "Son Of Sun" (another Nick solo recording from 1979) contributed to parts of "Dune" and "Sister Bluebird" from the 1994 EP "Fallen Dreams and Angels". Of little interest are tracks such as "Whispered words", "Sleep", "Oriental man" and "Valleys", consecutive tracks recorded and performed by Barrett alone in the late 70's which might have been better left undisturbed.

Once again, the informative sleeve notes include background details for each of the tracks, plus the same band biography which appears in volume 1. Nice sleeve design too.

A more worthwhile collection that volume 1, especially in view of the inclusion of "the black knight", but strictly for fans and collectors only.

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