TWO, TOO...

Fireballet

•

Symphonic Prog

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

2.73 | 45 ratings | 5 reviews | 11% 5 stars

Good, but non-essential

Write a review

Buy FIREBALLET Music
from Progarchives.com partners

Studio Album, released in 1976

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Great Expectations (4:30)
2. Chinatown Boulevard (6:42) :
- a) Crosstown Overture / East-West Melange
- b) Datelines, Deadlines, Parables, Headlines
3. It's About Time (6:12)
4. Desiree (2:45)
5. Flash (5:11)
6. Carrollon (6:00)
7. Montage en filigr�e (4:49)

Total Time 36:09

Bonus track on 2014 remaster:
8. In My Craft and Sullen Art (Recitation) / Mars (live 1974) (5:41)

Line-up / Musicians

- Jim Cuomo / lead vocals, drums, timpani, xylophone, vibes, glockenspiel, bell tree, gong, tubular bells, finger cymbals, triangle, clavinet, PolyMoog, narration (6)
- Ryche Chlanda / guitar, Chinese zither, mandolin, narration (6)
- Brian Hough / Hammond, pipe organ, synths, keyboards, sax, recorder, vocals
- Frank Petto / e-piano, synths, accordion, autoharp, Pettotron, backing vocals, narration (6)
- Martin Biglin / bass, bass pedals

With:
- Joan Ellington / backing vocals (6)
- Judy Ellington / backing vocals (6)
- Pat Ellington / backing vocals (6)
- Brian Cuomo / harpsichord (2,3), orchestration
- John Zangrando / woodwind (2)
- Al De Risi / trumpet
- Lou Toby / horn
- Ray Desio / trombone
- Eumir Deodato / string arrangements (7)
- Anthony Rocque / percussion (7)
- Irene Conrad / narration (6)
- Mary Ellen Durka / narration (6)

Releases information

Artwork: Tom Wilkes with Lee Marshall (photo)

LP Passport Records ‎- PPSD-98016 (1976, US)

CD Inner Knot ‎- IAK-CD-7556 (2014, US) Remaster by Larry Fast w/ a bonus Live track, new cover

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to projeKct for the last updates
Edit this entry

Buy FIREBALLET Two, too... Music

DOUG LARSON IMPORTS — Buy prog rock music and rarities (Free shipping on orders over 10 CD's)
AMAZON.COM — Best-selling prog vinyls

FIREBALLET Two, too... ratings distribution

2.73
(45 ratings)

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(11%)
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(24%)
Good, but non-essential (36%)
Collectors/fans only (24%)
Poor. Only for completionists (4%)

FIREBALLET Two, too... reviews

Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by ZowieZiggy
PROG REVIEWER

My enthusiasm for this US band was so communicative in those remote days that one of my best friend decided to buy "Two, Too" after having listened to their first album at my home. Logically, I went to his place and I discovered their second record.

What a disappointment ! None of the great moments of "Night On A Bald Mountain" are available here, unfortunately. Forget about prog music. Just the same masquerade as you can see on the cover ! Very poor indeed !

I was rather lucky to have purchased their first effort while my friend Bruno did buy this one...

The remastered version of "Bald..." also features the whole of this "Two, tooo" album. This might be the only reason for you to get in touch with these songs... Two stars.

Review by b_olariu
PROG REVIEWER

After a succesfull first album, not necesarly in sells terms but more in musical terms, the second Fireballet album entitled Two, too from 1976 is a bit of let down. They changend their symphonic prog aproach to a more mainstream , I don't know how to call it, Hollywoodian cabaret, if exist such thing, sometimes I have the impression I've listen to some Broadway story with Fred Astaire on leading role here. They almost drop that good prog elements from the first album and turned them here a more accesible way, but, there is a but, some pieces are really god, at least for me: the opening track Great expectations with a Styx feel to it , It's about time, Carrolon are good symphonic pieces, instrumental speaking, because the voice and the vocal parts are awful. A not so bad album after all, not a special one either, some moments are good with great mellotron and guitar arrangements, but the voice ruins everything. So, a 2.5 stars for this second album, but because the good moments are in more cantity than the bad ones, I will rounded up to 3. Less good than the first one, but not so bad Like many considered this album to be. My CD version is from Passport records, beside the first album from this CD, on this version remastered, the second album is all here as bonus, featuring 7 tracks, more like two in one.

Review by Tarcisio Moura
PROG REVIEWER

Well, this one�s quite different from their debut Night On A Bald Mountain. The cover is simply hideous and it certainly a not good invitation to see what�s inside the album. But the content is not that bad. There are some good parts that remind their early Yes influences, but I�m not really sure what they wanted with Two, too...most of the time their music is like a soundtrack of a Broadway musical or something like that. In some parts they seem to be emulating Styx around the time (the opener Great Expectations is a good exemple). Sometimes they go prog mix with jazz and cabaret music (Chinatown Boulevard). Other tracks have a Kansas feel on it on the instrumental parts while the vocals keep a strange jazzy twist. And so on...

While their musicanship remains as strong as ever, Two, too... is a kind of transitional album, very experimental and not altogether a successful one, even if it does have its good moments. Maybe they would eventually find an interesting very own sound if they had the chance to go on. since this one was their last, we�ll probably never know what they were aiming at (if they were aiming at something at all). The result is interesting but very far away from the music they played on their debut. Be warned. My rating: something between 2 and 2,5 stars.

Latest members reviews

4 stars First album had a lot of songs that sound like Genesis and Yes. Progressive rock fans nod happily in recognition. "Wow, Atmospheres sounds like something off Selling England By The Pound! It's not fantastic or even good really, but hey, it sounds like Genesis, and I LOVE Genesis!!". Not to mentio ... (read more)

Report this review (#295828) | Posted by teflont | Sunday, August 22, 2010 | Review Permanlink

2 stars After the very good debut album "Night on Bald Mountain", the group changed directions (for the worse). They moved away from progressive rock and steered towards a sort of Broadway musical approach. Though there are prog areas on the album, the group meanaders around with goofy singing parts ... (read more)

Report this review (#19192) | Posted by | Friday, January 21, 2005 | Review Permanlink

Post a review of FIREBALLET "Two, too..."

You must be a forum member to post a review, please register here if you are not.

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).