THE VIEW FROM HERE

Like most people here on PA, I believe, I came to know this band through their performance on 1994´s ProgFest edition when they played most of Genesis rock opera The lamb Lies Down On Broadway. It was a very good show and I instantly became curious about their original work. And my curiosity was spurred even further by one reviewer that gave them a five star rating for their work (but did not write a review). It was not easy to find one of Giraffe´s only two albums (in this case, their second and last offering, released in 1988 through an independent label). I´m still a bit shocked.

Clearly I was expecting for something very Genesis influenced and the like and I was quite surprised with what I found here: a mix of pop/techno/funk. Ok, The first three cuts are the most progressive of the lot, if I can call them that, some parts reminding me slightly of Peter Gabriel´s work around the time of So or Us. However, as the record goes on, the tracks go deeper and deeper into the pop/funk format of many late 80´s american artists, including those typical synth sounds and even some guest horns and sax solo like we hear in All Fall Down. Not bad songs per se, but for a band invited to perform on a prog festival? It is ok that the music here is quite sophisticated, but so is Mike & The Mechanics or Level 42´s and you don´t often see them being asked to play for a prog audience, do you? Just hear the uptempo funk of Waiting For The Rain or the delicate pop ballad of Holding On With Both Hands, perfect songs for people like Toto or Peter Cetera.

All in all a strange surprise. It´s hard to figure out what Kevin Gilbert´s first major group was aiming at, other then the pop market of the time, of course. So if you were as curious as I was about Giraffe, be sure to listen to this record with attention before you buy it. And don´t be fooled by the first two or three tracks that have traces of something progressive. You might be very disappointed by the remaining tunes of the CD. I don´t like to give such a low rating for a band that I hardly know of, and I´m still puzzled by what I have in my hands, but I should warn you all. Is it the same CD another reviewer gave it five stars? I doubt it.

A bad case of mistaken identity.

I can't really understand why this album has so few stars. The Genesis performance was 5 five years after... so I can't understand the comparisons either, considering this is something more similar to a bunch of demos of a beginner - but a really talented musician yet (maybe a little bit unripe at times, but c'mon; he wasn't 25 yet, at the time)

In any case, this The View From Here it's a real fun album: the songs are all pleasant and uplifting and the performance, for someone who was still taking his first steps in the music world, it's simply terrific. while it's not strictly being "progressive rock", the entire CD has a great art rock/pop flavour in the same vein of Todd Rundgren, early Level 42 and Tears For Fears. Most of the music is well-written and composed, and Kevin Gilber's voice always adds a nice touch. I don't really think it's a masterpiece nor a really "essential" piece of work, but if you like this amazing musician (and in general if you are researching for some smooth, catchy pop rock with hints of jazz/fusion and funk) you're gonna love this. Instead, if all you need is some mighty and complex progressive rock (which, just to be clear, we all like!), well; go ahead. there's plenty of bands and artists that can satisfy your needs; but this doesn't give you the right to belittle this kind of music. like, not at all.

Highlights of the album: Home/Progress, The Way Back Home, Air Dance