THE DANGERS OF STRANGERS

The Dangers Of Strangers can be said to be the first album by the mature Abel Ganz. You might say that it showcased the respective virtues of the previous albums Gratuitous Flash and Gullible's Travels, while avoiding most of the vices of these albums. I also think that this was the first Abel Ganz album to feature really memorable songs. While not quite as exciting as the radically different 2008 album Shooting Albatross, The Dangers Of Strangers is clearly Abel Ganz' second best album.

This album consists of only five titles (divided into eight tracks on my version), but while the Alan Reed-led Rain Again is really a single composition in three parts, the two title tracks are really two distinct songs with the same name (subtitled part 1 and 2 respectively). Reed of Pallas fame appears here as the lead vocalist on several tracks, but not on all of them. The reason why they didn't use Reed's distinctive voice on all the tracks is beyond me. I often feel as if the tracks featuring Reed are by one band, and the other tracks by another band, it makes the album a bit incoherent. I had the same problem with Shooting Albatross which also featured Reed on some, but not all, tracks. Those parts on which Reed sings remind occasionally of Pallas in their mellower moments.

The Dangers Of Strangers deserves a wider audience than the rest of Abel Ganz' 80's and 90's output. Indeed, no fan of Neo-Prog can go wrong with this album. The recent re-released of The Dangers Of Strangers in a 20th anniversary version with some bonus material is a testament to the staying power of this minor Neo-Prog classic. However, having that said, Prog fans in general will probably not consider this an essential listen, and though clearly a good album, it is not an excellent album in its own right.

Recommended!

Share this ABEL GANZ review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to SouthSideoftheSky
• Report this review (#463596)
• Buy ABEL GANZ music online with PA partners
• Show all ABEL GANZ MP3/Stream
• Go to ABEL GANZ page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to The Dangers Of Strangers page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for ABEL GANZ related discussions