SOLUTION

A mainly fusion band with some leanings towards a symphonic sound here, a dash of Canterbury there, Solution's debut album is a confident piece of mostly-instrumental early 70s jazz-rock with Tom Barledge's saxophone and flute and Willem Ennes' keys the main soloing instruments, the interplay between the two being the main draw.

Phases is probably the most uncharacteristic song on here, starting as it does with a long spacey sequence before breaking out into a symphonic number that's reminiscent of early Yes (except in the vocals department, in which bassist van der Sande is slightly weak). The rest of the album stays more in a fusion sphere, with Circus Circumstances starting off with circus music (hence the title) and breaking out into a sprawling instrumental reminiscent at points of Zappa's material on Hot Rats if you took out the lead guitar and layered on some thick saxophone and organ. Not a perfect album, but a very strong debut indeed, and certainly worth a listen if your taste in fusion extends to the Canterbury/Zappa-influenced end of things.