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NO FEAR OF LOOKING DOWN

Jadis

Neo-Prog


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Jadis No Fear Of Looking Down album cover
3.66 | 55 ratings | 3 reviews | 13% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 2016

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Listen To Me (5:34)
2. Where Am I (5:22)
3. Just Let It Happen (7:09)
4. A Thousand Staring Eyes (4:51)
5. Change Of The Season (5:08)
6. Seeds Of Doubt (4:33)
7. Abandoned (6:07)
8. No Fear Of Looking Down (6:38)

Total time 45:22

Line-up / Musicians

- Gary Chandler / guitars, lead & backing vocals, keyboards, arrangements, production & mixing
- Martin Orford / keyboard solos, piano, flute, hurdy gurdy, backing vocals
- Andy Marlow / bass guitar
- Steve Christey / drums, percussion

Releases information

Artwork: Geoffrey Chandler

CD Jadismusic ‎- JAD 008 (2016, UK)

LP Jadismusic ‎- JAD 008LP (2017, UK)

Download - Bandcamp, CDBaby, etc.

Thanks to prog-naut for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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JADIS No Fear Of Looking Down ratings distribution


3.66
(55 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(13%)
13%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(40%)
40%
Good, but non-essential (36%)
36%
Collectors/fans only (9%)
9%
Poor. Only for completionists (2%)
2%

JADIS No Fear Of Looking Down reviews


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

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Tarcisio Moura
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Jadis first release since the excellent See Right Through You (2012). The stakes were high since that was their best album since 2000īs Understand , and we all wondered if Gary Chandler and company would come up with something as powerful and refreshing after a few not so good records before SRTY (although the band never did put out a bad record). At first I was not really convinced by No Fear Of Looking Down: it sounded different and I was not sure if I liked what I was listening. But from the second spin on it was clear that the new stuff was every bit as good as the previous one. I guess it was a good thing that they did not want to repeat themselves.

The song structures, bar the first track, Listen To Me, which could have been in See Right Through It, are indeed different, sometimes plowing fields that Jadis have never venture before, like the obvious celtic sounds of the instrumental Change Of The Season. But careful observations show that Chandlerīs trademark guitar sounds are still all around the album. He overdubs a lot of those making some fine patterns of sounds together with subtle and delicate keyboards on the background. And thatīs what really makes the record so great: he has a unique style that always set Jadis apart. Some people will say this band is not really "progressive" due the lack of more symphonic keys and things like that, but prog music was always about going further away from the run-of-the-mill music of the moment and thatīs exactly what this band does: they sound like no one else. And thatīs something a lot of other more "progressive" bands try so hard for years and years and never seems to get (Glass Hammer and The Watch come to mind, but there are many more).

The good news are that the compositions are inspired, strong and there is no filers. Great melodies and clever arrangements. And Martin Orford (of IQ fame) is back to the fold. The bad news: it seems that he just guested on this album, itīs not a permanent come back. In any case he adorns the music with his keyboards, his harmony vocals skills and sometimes with his flute. As usual, the production is very good and the performances are impeccable. I dontīthink any track really stands out that much, since the track list is very well balanced and all the songs are very good. When I listen to it, I listen it from beginning to end with the same pleasure. This is surely one of my top ten albums of 2016.

Conclusion: if youīre a fan of Jadis, go for it! It may sound a little different at first, but youīll be rewarded with repeated spins. If youīre not familiar with this great band, this is a good place to start to know one of the most interesting, unique and subtle prog bands that are around for more than 20 years. Recommended!

Review by kev rowland
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Reviewer
4 stars The last release before this one, 2012's 'See Right Through You', was seen as one of Jadis's best albums, and rightly so. But, for me there was a key element missing and at least for this album, he's back. Jadis has had some great musicians play with them over the years, but it has always been built around the voice, guitar and songs of Gary Chandler, and he has been aided and abetted for more than quarter of a century by Stephen Christey on drums. These two were joined by Andy Marlow (bass) and Arman Vardanyan (keyboards) for the last album after the departures of the IQ boys, but although Andy is still there, Arman has left to be replaced by the incomparable Martin Orford. This is Martin's third stint with Jadis, and it is wonderful to see him back again, as I know from conversations with him some years ago that he had felt the need to leave the scene and was planning never to return. But, one thing led to another, and here he is again, rekindling a relationship with Gary that is very special indeed. I was lucky enough to see Jadis play live quite a few times, both with and without Martin, and also caught some of Martin and Gary's duet gigs, which were always incredible.

Although this album was released towards the end of 2016 I have only just got my copy, and to say that it I something I have been eagerly awaiting is something of an understatement. But would it live up to expectations? Of course it would. From the first note to the last, this is solid, classic Jadis. They are a band that sound like no other, and have kept true to their roots for many years, with everything built around the vocals and guitar and then layered and built from there. The drums have a rawer sound than normal, while Andy's bass is quite a long way back in the mix, but with Gary and Martin harmonising vocally, and providing the backdrop for each other musically, this could only ever be Jadis.

I only have a few criticisms, namely that the album is only forty-five minutes long, we had to wait four years for it, and they're never likely play New Zealand so the chances are I'll never catch up with them in concert again! While this is playing, I am transported to another world, and I am just so pleased to have yet another Jadis album that I can return to time and again. Let's hope we don't have to wait quite so long for the next one, as yet again this is quite superb.

Latest members reviews

3 stars 2012's See Right Through You breathed some life into the old franchise. No Fear of Looking Down is a similar kind of reflective AOR with light proggy infuences. A typical Jadis song of today consists of some lazy verses followed by a more robust instrumentation. Their later albums have some go ... (read more)

Report this review (#1666308) | Posted by Progrussia | Friday, December 9, 2016 | Review Permanlink

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