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THE FLOCK / DINOSAUR SWAMPS

The Flock

Eclectic Prog


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The Flock The Flock / Dinosaur Swamps album cover
3.61 | 8 ratings | 2 reviews | 38% 5 stars

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Boxset/Compilation, released in 1972

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Introduction (4:53)
2. Clown (7:45)
3. I Am the Tall Tree (5:39)
4. Tired of Waiting (4:39)
5. Store Bought - Store Thought (7:02)
6. Truth (15:25)
7. Green Slice (2:02)
8. Big Bird (5:50)
9. Hornschmeyer's Island (7:25)
10. Lighthouse (5:20)
11. Crabfoot (8:14)
12. Mermaid (4:53)
13. Uranian Sircus (7:09)

Total Time: 86:16

Line-up / Musicians

- Jerry Goodman / guitar, violin, vocals
- Rick Canoff / saxophone (Tenor), vocals
- Fred Glickstein / guitar, vocals, guitar (12 string electric), guitar (12 string acoustic)
- Ron Karpman / drums
- Frank Posa / trumpet
- Tom Webb / flute, harmonica, saxophone (Tenor), vocals
- Jerry Lee Smith / bass, vocals

Releases information

LP CBS 67278 (1972) / CD Beat Goes On 552 (2002)

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to clarke2001 for the last updates
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Buy THE FLOCK The Flock / Dinosaur Swamps Music



THE FLOCK The Flock / Dinosaur Swamps ratings distribution


3.61
(8 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(38%)
38%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(38%)
38%
Good, but non-essential (25%)
25%
Collectors/fans only (0%)
0%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

THE FLOCK The Flock / Dinosaur Swamps reviews


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

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Gatot
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars I just got this double CD last year when I happened to visit Bandung, Indonesia. I was surprised that this rare package that contains two albums is finally available. I had been chasing these two albums so long. And, to my surprise, there is a wonderful liner notes from my favorite blues master JOHN MAYALL who was amazed watching THE FLOCK Live. Oh man ..what a treat!

Disc One: THE FLOCK

The album kicks off with "Introduction" (4:50) that basically introduces you to the sort of music they play - well, not really because it contains an exploration of violin solo and guitar fills in quiet passage. It flows to "Clown" (7:42) in exactly the same vein like CHAZE - the band whom all the members died tragically in a plane crash - or CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY. Oh man, this track is so powerful in compositions: solid bass lines, excellent improvisations, great solos and good melody that projects an image of classic rock tunes. The third track "I Am the Tall Tree "(5:37) continues with a mellow style vocal and guitar / violin at opening part and it flows with some influence of blues and jazz music. It reminds me to the music of BLOOD, SWEAT and TEARS.

"Tired of Waiting" (4:35) gives an opportunity for violin to do long solo during opening part. It flows to classic rock style with great violin and guitar solo. The fifth track "Store Bought - Store Thought" (7:00) is one of my favorite as it has stunning guitar solo - relatively long - during opening part accompanied with excellent brass section and seventies singing style.

"Truth" (15:25) concludes the album with some blues touch - nice one - that reminds us to blues-based rock bands like BLIND FAITH, CUBY + THE BLIZZARD, LIVIN' BLUES, KEEF HARTLEY band PLUS great violin and brass section. I love the singing style as well as the combination between violin, guitar solo and brass section that make up this excellent composition. The exploration of trumpet and tenor saxophone in the middle of this track is truly excellent.

Disc Two: DINOSAUR SWAMPS

The album starts off with an ambient "Green Slice" (2:03) that basically explores organ and tenor sax sounds, continued with "Big Bird" (5:50) in relatively upbeat tempo augmented with brass section work and violin; influenced by country music. The trumpet solo in alternate with violin is truly stunning. "Hornschmeyer's Island" (7:26) continues with heavy elements of jazz especially through improvisation part in the middle of the track where violin performs its solo. Brass sections, flute and guitar accentuate the song excellently.

It's unusual that the band starts "Lighthouse" (5:17) with electric solo followed with full music that brings voice line enters the scene. The bass lines are very obvious coupled with brass and guitar solo in uplifting mood. I like the interlude part where all solos are performed in compact fashion combining guitar, bass and brass section. "Crabfoot" (8:14) is an upbeat brass rock outfit, augmented with excellent violin work. The guitar solo reminds me to Chicago's Terry Kath, it's stunning. The interlude part is energetic with inventive brass section. "Mermaid" (4:54) is a track with different textures and styles compared to other tracks. The melody and rhythm are weird, they don't seem to fit but they produce unique sound. "Uranian Sircus" (7:09) is similar in style with previous track. I like the flute work and violin solo in this track - all performed in jazz nuance.. Overall, this album is less if I compare it with the band's debut album. However, it's a good album overall.

KEEP ON PROGGIN' ..!!!

Yours progressively,

GW.

Review by VianaProghead
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Review Nš 396

"The Flock/Dinosaur Swamps" is a special compilation of The Flock that was released in 1972. This is an economic package that includes their eponymouos debut studio album "The Flock" released in 1969 and their second studio album "Dinosaur Swamps" released in 1971. It's a very interesting compilation because it includes the two debut studio albums released by The Flock. These are, in general, considered the two best studio albums released by The Flock.

Lasting only three years, The Flock might have ended up as nothing more than a footnote on the creative rock scene between 1965 and 1975. But, this guitar trio with a horn section was the first sighting of violinist Jerry Goodman, who'd go on to greater fame as a member of Mahavishnu Orchestra. So, Mahavishnu Orchestra fans might be interested in this double album reissued of the group's two first studio albums solely on the strength of the violinist's involvement.

Maybe not as impressive as Chicago, who emerged around the same time, The Flock was still an impressive band. But, this may explain why The Flock never achieved the commercial success of some other horn sectioned bands of the time. The eclecticism of The Flock meant that it was hard to pin down just what they wanted to be. Between their debut and the follow-up "Dinosaur Swamps" there's a lot of territory covered, often within the confines of an only single track.

As I've already reviewed these two albums previously on Progarchives, in a more extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read those my both reviews. However, in here, I'm going to write something about them in a more short way. So, of course, I'm not going to analyze them track by track, as I made before, but I'm only going to make a global appreciation of both albums.

"The Flock": "The Flock" is a great album from 1969, the year of the "horn band" explosion. The Flock is really a big band with the violin, the horns, the rhythm section and nice lead and backup vocals. Yet, this adept music is never overcrowded and never flashy. They actually make their tracks sound less complex than they are. This stuff will grab you in a first listen, but listen more. Listen to how good these guys were, in those times. The writing, arrangements and performances are viscerally punchy and while unequivocally dated, the music is fun in a guilty kind of way. And even if Chicago is more consistent songwriting rightfully led to them notching all the chart hits and raking in all the dough, The Flock deserves some credit for having carved a more unique, if significantly less successful style which remains largely without equal. The music is one huge melting pot, varying between rock, classical, jazz, blues, and even soul, often within the same song. Lyrically, "The Flock" has a lot of counter-culture stuff. The music is well planned no matter where they go. The vocal harmonies are well constructed. The songs are not jams, but spotlights that rotate over the members of the band. This is a great album indeed and I still listen to it, even in our days. So, this is great classic stuff.

"Dinosaur Swamps": "Dinosaur Swamps" shows the band more at home with their prog and jazz sensibilities, than its predecessor debut studio album. It's perhaps even more progressive, and completely bewildering. This is a very dense sounding album. Usually, Glickstein using both guitar and keyboards and Goodman playing at the same time, frequently the horns as well, both get a larger role effect into the album. The songs are in general very good. Still, the band seems to have too many musical ideas at the same time. I confess that I like very much of "Dinosaur Swamps". It represents a good surprise to me. It's better than I thought after my first listening of it. This is an album very fun despite it sounds too much to the 60's. I'm not really a great fan of the 60's, in general. By the other hand, it also has too much influences of country music, of which I'm not a great fan either. Still, the album is full of playful music. I'm sure these guys seemed to have fun doing what they do, which is a great thing. I think "Dinosaur Swamps" ranges several styles of music, probably too much on the same album. And maybe it even sounds too much dated too. However and despite all I said before, I think the final result is a very good album, a great collection of great songwriting and performances.

Conclusion: This reissue of The Flock's first two albums shows a band searching for an identity, at times finding it, and others coming up a bit empty. "The Flock" is ultimately a more successful album than "Dinosaur Swamps" is. It suffered from ultimately too ambitious and self-indulgent for its own good. And if "The Flock" was more eclectic, "Dinosaur Swamps" was positively more schizophrenic, with tinges of bluegrass/country, psychedelic musings with electronic treatments, flat-out funk, higher octane blues/rock and hints of Zappa-esque absurdity. However and despite the writing, arrangements and performances being perhaps dated, the music is fun in a guilty kind of way. Goodman may be the drawing card, but this reissue rescued from the obscurity a group that may not have achieved the success of its contemporaries, but over the course of this two albums they produced a diverse and interesting body of work.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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