BIG LOST RAINBOW

This is the sole release by the obscure folk rock band from Pomfret, Connecticut, that was active during the first half of the seventies. I'm listening the music from YouTube and wish to share my highly positive impressions. The basic line- up originated from jam sessions at a local school. The demo recorded in 1973 became, with some additional recordings, their privately pressed album, initially of 200 copies only. The main singer-songwriter Ridley Pearson plays guitar, piano and tenor saxophone; the other members are Otis Read (guitars, piano, harmonica, vocals), Tony Morse (flute, guitar, vibraphone, vocals), Robin Pfoutz (cello), Adam Berenson (piano), and J.P. Bailhe (bass). Two further guys appear on the album on backing vocals and pedal steel guitar, but indeed there are no drums involved.

The sound is elegantly mellow and light, highlighting the acoustic guitars, piano, flute and bass, and the cello is also fairly constantly involved. The sonic quality is surprisingly good considering the demo origins. The vocals and vocal harmonies make me think of artists such as CROSBY, STILLS & NASH and AMERICA, especially on the opening song 'Sail'. There's also a slight resemblance with the soft voice of Tom Rapp whose PA-included band PEARLS BEFORE SWINE is a good musical reference. 'I Go Alone' is a calm, slow tempo song with a beautiful introspective atmosphere. Both the flute and the cello are well heard, and the acoustic guitar and piano are played with an equally delicate touch.

Piano dominates the melancholic 'Lady Love'. The very slow 'Ocean' with plenty of flute has almost a meditative mood. 'Oh! Idaho' and 'Morning Sunshine' are more uplifting songs with CSN-style vocal harmonies and lots of flute. However, most of the songs are calm, slow and introspective. The 13-minute final piece 'Lady of Music' is the progressive highlight and undoubtedly the crucial reason for the artist inclusion in ProgArchives. It features the tenor saxophone, which is hardly played at all elsewhere on the album. The jazzy piece has a jamming nature and proceeds mostly as an instrumental, with various instruments soloing in turns. This one reminds me of the British one-timer TONTON MACOUTE (1971).

The compositions are so good it's a surprise that Ridley Pearson (b. 1953) actually became a productive novelist, writing suspense for adults and adventure books for children. Between 1992 -- 2015 he has also collaborated with other succesful writers such as Stephen King and Matt Groening in a charity band called Rock Bottom Remainders. Big Lost Rainbow reunited in the nineties, and this charming album saw a CD re-release in 1998.