PARACHUTE

3.5 stars. After the disappointing sales for their previous album "S.F. Sorrow" the drummer left to join the PINK FAIRIES and the guitarist / vocalist and founder Dick Taylor also left. The latter was a significant blow to the band but 2 years after "S.F. Sorrow" they released "Parachute" in 1970. That BEATLES flavour is still strong but thankfully there is less of a commercial flavour, and for three straight songs (8-10) they sound like nobody but themselves and that section is the highlight for me.

The songs on the first side of the album all blend into one another. "Scene One" opens with an orchestral flavour then strummed guitar takes over with drums and vocals to follow. "The Good Mr. Square" is BEATLES-like especially the harmonies then a laid back soundscape with vocals takes over and blends into "She Was Tall, She Was High". What a great title. More passion on this one. "The Square" has acoustic guitar, piano and reserved vocals while "The Letter" is relaxed as well but gets fuller late with guitar. "Rain" is just that while "Miss Fay Regrets" features bass, drums and guitar as the vocals join in in this uptempo tune.

The next three tracks impress me simply because they don't sound like any other band. Okay "Cries from The Midnight Circus" does remind me of THE DOORS at times but this is darker and there's some nice guitar after 4 minutes as they seem to jam. "Grass" sounds like "Animals" era PINK FLOYD which of course was in the future at this point. A feel good but melancholic tune. "Sickle Clowns" has a great sounding rhythm as the vocals join in. I like the guitar late to end it as well. "She's A Lover" puts the focus on the vocals to start then it turns BEATLES-like after a minute then back to that earlier sound. "What's The Use" is very BEATLES-like while "Parachute" is the closer that sounds surprisingly like THE BEATLES.

If anything I like this better than "S.F. Sorrow" but it's still not very original sounding considering it's only 1970.