MAGIC BUS

I first came across one of their songs, the dream-like 'Gods Of The Mountain' while I was on this very site. As soon as it was done, I looked up the song, the album and the band, disappointed that so few know about them! The songs on this album move silkily after one another, and for a debut, the result is simply brilliant. The band themselves have said that their music is influenced by bands from the psychedelic era, and this is seen throughout the album. Their mix of folk, psychadelia and prog works, and works very well, at that.

Through their debut album, Magic Bus certainly showed that the Canterbury Scene is alive and kicking. From smooth, velvety rockers, to calm, silent little numbers, their music is quite exquisite. If you are into more of a hard rock styled Prog (a la Jethro Tull), you might not be into their albums, and their lyrics aren't top notch (good, but not great), but this is a band that one comes to love through their simplicity.

This band is no innovator, nor can they be called revolutionary, but this does not take away the fact that is one great band. Give them a try and I assure you, you will not regret it.

Magic Bus' debut album is an absolutely delightful excursion into mildly Canterbury-flavoured hippie prog. Take Caravan at around the time of In the Land of Grey and Pink and imagine where they would have gone if, instead of taking their sound in a jazzier direction as on Waterloo Lily, they had instead looked back to their psychedelic roots and injected the fairytale tone of Grey and Pink with a bit of West Coast sunshine and maybe a slice of early Steve Hillage; the place you end up may well be along the Magic Bus's route.

This debut album is a charming excursion into a realm of warm, comfy, psychedelic Canterbury-flavoured prog whose benign nature conceals some really neat instrumental chops. It's fantastic to hear some new musicians taking up the baton of this side of prog, and I can only hope there are many more stops for the Magic Bus along its journey.

I had to track this one down after really enjoying their sophomore release "Transmission From Sogmore's Garden" and while I feel this is a step down from that one I still highly recommend this their self-titled debut. Love the cover art on this album by the way. Like the second album I thought of Canterbury with that distorted organ along with GONG and VIOLETA DE OUTONO.

"City Of Sand" opens with spacey atmosphere before a slow but catchy rhythm kicks in then the guitar starts to play over top before it kicks into a full sound with organ. Nice bass before 1 1/2 minutes then the song changes completely after 2 1/2 minutes as we get a calm with vocals and strummed guitar. It does build some with bass and drums but it's still laid back. I like his voice. Back to that catchy rhythm before 5 1/2 minutes then the vocals return.

"Magic Bus" is a song the kept getting stuck in my head this past week. We hear the sounds inside a bus before we get these CSNY-like vocals and harmonies that take over. Love the distorted organ, very Canterbury-like. What a feel good song this is when the vocals arrive along with the harmonies on the chorus. More distorted organ after 3 minutes followed by flute then guitar to the end.

"Gods Of The Mountain" is such a relaxed tune with almost spoken vocals to begin with. A slow beat, bass, keys and guitar in this slow moving start. It picks up after 2 minutes but then settles back with flute as the vocals step aside. It sounds like mellotron before 4 minutes followed by those almost spoken vocals. It picks up with flute then the guitar takes over. It becomes more passionate as well.

"Tucan Pyramid" opens with harp. Did I just say harp? Also relaxed vocals as harmonies and organ follow. It picks up 2 minutes in followed by distorted organ. It picks up even more then the guitar leads followed by organ as they continue to trade off. "Holy Road" is live and it does sound different as the sound quality isn't as good but it's fine. A folky tune with vocals and guitar leading the way.

"Milky Way" opens with nature sounds as this guitar melody arrives and rises in sound. GONG comes to mind with this song. Soon bass, flute and more join in but it's still mellow. It kicks into a fuller sound before 1 1/2 minutes. That guitar led melody from earlier is back and the vocals return as well. So good! Love the bass here too along with the flute. The tempo speeds up quite a bit surprisingly 5 1/2 minutes in but again check out the bass.

"Back To The Garden" is my favourite but the rest are all fairly consistent and well done so no top three this time. Birds can be heard in the intro as relaxed vocals and harp join in. Vocal melodies and organ follow then it kicks into gear before 2 minutes. Man this is amazing! Nice guitar 2 1/2 minutes in as the vocals step aside. Check out the bass 3 minutes in as the vocals return. Oh my! A nice instrumental section follows with organ before 4 1/2 minutes. A calm with vocals a minute later then it kicks back in again without vocals this time. Great tune!

Another solid album by these Brits and having heard they just released a new one, well I obviously need to track it down and get back on that hippy bus.

Canterbury is back! Wonderful, wonderful fare from Devon's Paul Evans and friends. Nobody but nobody has so well captured the CARAVAN 1970-72 sound so well! And yet the songs are each pure and original (with a few borrowed riffs here and there). Excellent musical composition. Wonderfully quirky, hippyish lyrics and happy-go-lucky singing with outstanding contributions from guitars and flutes. Hailing from "transition town" Totnes, Devonshire, UK, Paul has gathered around him a dedicated crew of accomplished musicians who all have one thing in common: they feel that the spirit of the late 1960s and early 1970s--especially the musical spirit of the San Francisco psychedelic rock scene and the Canterbury spirit of SOFT MACHINE and CARAVAN--is still alive and that they are merely expressing themselves in that same spirit.

The album opens with the, "City of Sand" (7:26) (/15)

2. "Magic Bus" (4:51) (8.75/10)

3. "Gods of the Mountain" (7:06) with an awesome GRATEFUL DEAD/SANTANA/STEVEN STILLS-like extended guitar solo to close out the final two minutes. (13.25/15)

4. "Tucan Pyramid" (5:17) BEATLES and CARAVAN immediately come to mind here--mandolin, vocals, Throw in a little late 60s ROD ARGENT-like blues-psychedelia ("I'm a Man" organ) and Paul Kantner guitar and you have the makings of a classic duelling instrumental jam in the second half. (8.75/10)

5. "Holy Road" (4:58) flutes and gently picked multiple acoustic guitars, swooning multi-voiced harmonized vocals, and you have another 1960s classic. Could be THE BEATLES ("Blackbird"), INCREDIBLE STRING BAND, or the STARLAND VOCAL BAND. Gorgeous. (9/10)

6. "Milky Way" (7:06) is very much a piece that ably strings together a collage of happy-go-lucky hippy folk themes from the late 1960s and early 70s. God, this makes me nostalgic! Blasts into an electric rant of JETHRO TULL's "Living in the Past" in the second minute before coming back to centre. Then it moves off into another, more rocking tangent, before returning for some hippy psych vocals. Finishes with some JC Superstar-like themes. (8.75/10)

7. "Back to the Garden" (10:53) (/20)

Yeah, Magic Bus is a more psychedelic Caravan. The singer actually sounds a lot like early Richard Sinclair which is odd as Paul Evans (Magic Bus singer) has a unique voice which you hear on the follow up albums. Anyways the music is a mix of longer tracks and shorter songs, all of which place great focus on vocal harmonies and peace/love psychedelic pop singing. When they play instrumental sections they tend to be flute lead which are quite nice. The organ is present though seldom rises above a supporting role.

I think every review is based on one's personal opinion so when I call songs throw away that is just my opinion (duh). Anyways I don't like how happy the music tends to be. A lot of the short songs sound like (generally better) Caravans songs Love To Love You (And Tonight Pigs Will Fly) which I hate. Fortunately, Magic Bus has good moments like the instrumental work does not ramble and the vocals are undeniably pretty at points.

Track 1 is a solid song that starts with guitar solo then an interlude then guitar solo then nice vocals over acoustic guitar. The song just ends after the singing is done (all songs on the album are like that).

Track 2 opens with very 60s singing that sounds cheesy to me. This is only around half of the song as it soon becomes a good instrumental workout which evens the song out to acceptable.

Track 3 is a great song that opens with relaxed guitar strums that are joined by excellent melancholy inducing singing. Soon the song becomes upbeat to reintroduce the guitar chords, this time with a floating flute lead. The vocals then return, just as good as before. From there, a guitar solo rips over a good rhythmic backing until fading out in two minutes. This track I like although it could've used a better ending (not because it's a fade out but because the song sounds like another section would have gone great).

Track 4 starts with ukulele (?) arpeggios and cheerful lyrics/singing then becomes a cool instrumental we're the bass/organ briefly are at the forefront. Guitar then takes over for shortly then is cut off by an interlude. Following is an organ solo then flute solo then guitar solo then end. This track is nice, everything gets a turn.

Track 5 opens with tender acoustic guitar and flute then voice replaces the flute. It continues in this calm vein until ending with some ethnic percussion entering quietly at some point.

Track 6 starts with an intro then guitar solo then the intro rhythm plus singing (sounds exactly like Sinclair off Caravans debut on this one). After the corals comes a guitar solo with a bit of spacey synth happenings then the song ends.

Track 7 opens with vocals and calm background support, briefly song nice ah/lah. Then more singing (louder) then some good bass and good vocals in a different style (think more 70s then 60s). Sadly these are not for long as the louder vocals come back. Afterwards organ solos then quiet singing then the organ solo again but with different lead. The song then ends for two minutes then the last seconds are the opening of the next album.

Overall this album has good moments but to many are mediocre, ergo 3/5.