TECNICOLOR

Let's deal with the whimsy first - this works really well a few times, such as the irrepressible "Virginia", which sounds like some of the better material that would later come from QUEEN, and the harmonious "I'm Sorry Baby". In fact, the harmonies here are the real highlight. But for every undeniably sunny ditty there are several that probably didn't even smell fresh when they first bloomed almost 40 years ago, such as "She's my Shoo Shoo" and "Baby". As for the more jammy numbers, neither "I feel a little spaced out" nor "Sarava" really sound convincing, although the interjection of vocal exercises among the organs gives them some fleeting interest, especially in the latter.

This isn't a bad album, but overall lacks even the minimal requisite seriousness I expect from a good progressive album. While its retrograde pout is part of the charm it does have, the technical precision and a sense that it's all an act washes out some of the colours that could otherwise have cajoled me into rounding up rather than down.