MOUNTAIN MUSIC

Nic Potter's name is recognized by all connoisseurs of VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR in which he played bass in the early 70's and in '77-'78, as well as on several Peter Hammill solo albums. But fewer are aware of his solo output that perhaps surprisingly falls under the category of Progressive Electronic. Although at least on ground of this album, the only one I've listened to, the term 'progressive' is frankly very questionable.

Mountain Music is Potter's debut album (some sources say it was released already in 1983). It is almost entirely played by Potter on bass, synths and piano. Huw Lloyd-Langton plays guitar on two tracks and John Ellis on one. The VdGG partner Guy Evans appears on percussion on three tracks. 'Morning Suite' is a dreamy and slightly melancholic piece centering on soft synth sounds. It reminds me of PETER DAVISON's similar-toned electronic/New Age album Winds of Space (1987). The second, guitar-featured piece 'Paradise Journey' is more upbeat with programmed percussion which is a bit too dominant, but the repeated melody is fairly nice.

'Tropical Tones' returns to the softer sounds. I'm not saying the synth sound would be similar but in a way I'm thinking of the instrumentals on A Curious Feeling (1979) by Tony Banks. 'Middle Street Dream' builds a dreamy, bright-toned synth melody on top of a clinical rhythm pattern, despite the presence of Evans. 'Night Falls Over Europe' is again more upbeat number. One could think of the synth-centred film music of GIORGIO MORODER (Midnigh Express, for example). There's an urban, nocturnal "noir" atmosphere. 'The Forest' on which John Ellis plays perhaps the album's most distinctive electric guitar participation continues in the same style. The programmed drums are on the foreground. Sadly too much so, on the album whole.

With eight tracks of regular song length, the album is also rather short (32:24). I'm afraid it's more of a curiosity -- with a certain nostalgia factor if you have lived the early eighties and listened to the synth music of the time -- than a musically enduring work of art. The melodies are often quite nice, to say the least, but the compositions do not have much of a progress. The featured co-musicians do only a little to widen the album's sonic pallette. The synth work and programmed sounds are at times similar to what Peter-John Vettese did on Jethro Tull albums The Broadsword and the Beast (1982) and Under Wraps (1984). This instrumental album remains a bit hollow, and if Nic Potter had collaborated with some vocalist -- in the Jon & Vangelis manner -- the results might have been more interesting. 2½ stars rounded down.