AND IT CAME TO PASS

WD is one of those rare groups that started with a double album for a debut (Chicago Transit Authority being the other example I can think of), and the least we can say is that for a double album, it is a monster debut album. Just like Chicago, WD is a brass rock band, with the particularity of not having any brass instruments (no trombone, trumpet or tuba), so they might sit better with the compatriots If, if musically WD was not way proggier than both other groups. The sextet is built around future Rutherford-collab Paul Carrack on keys, Les Walker on vocals and the twin wind section or Surguy and Soloman (seriously!! ;o)). Except for the drum stool, the group will have a stable line-up throughout its three-album career. With a rather tackily funny artwork, their debut album is quite an exploit, manageing not only a double, but also not allowing weaker material, bar the bluesier material (not inferior as such, but always a bit of a waste of time, once you know the group's potential.

Developing a psychedelic brass rock that will enthral most progheads that are not always at ease with Electric Flag or BS&T's soul & RnB adventures, WD keeps a very prog (almost proto-prog at times) providing cool pastoral hippy atmospheres that many woodwind instruments will enhance. The 11-mins Turbulance is the perfect introduction to their world with plenty of interplay between all the musos, but never getting too complex. The following 7-min+ Achromasia is a brassier thing with saxes all over the place. On the flipside of the first disc starts the mega emotive Circus with full dramatics for its 5-min+ duration, and finishes on the 10-mins+ title track, a narrative piece that goes into chaotic free jazz middle section. Both tracks are sandwiching a blues- rock track Keep On Trucking, which holds lesser interest no matter how well executed.

The second disc soothes your ears with a gentle flute, soon to become bedevilled leading into the organ-driven almost-8 mins Loosing Touch, which can drag on at half-speed like Vanilla Fudge did, but never fails to deliver on emotions. The second blues (the one For Pete that last over 7 minutes) of the album is much more impressive, because of Walker's dramatic tone, pulled by devilish sax lines underlining the complete madness of the track. A more upbeat Man Without A Straw (very funk and brassy) and a Richie Havens cover Indian Rope Man (just as funky and brassy) are giving a more Motown feel to this otherwise very progressive album. But let's face it, early 70's Motown (from J Brown to sly stone and George Clinton) has most progheads agreeing with their musical preferences, and it is certainly the case with this writer. The much proggier 14-mins Wash My Eyes has a full spectrum of ambiances and is a constantly evolving tune that reaches complete and utter madness around the 6-minute mark before returning to the organ-ic world it had left behind for a short while and a lengthy calm flute leads the band into orgasm-ic apocalypse.

Exactly how Warm Dust is so unknown to the public is a bit of a mystery, but eventually, one might see that the small Trend label might have lacked the power to push the band through. Nevertheless, WD's IACTP is a small-unearthed gem that later albums will match in terms of preciousness, all three waiting for a wider acceptance from a demanding proghead. In either case, all three albums have received a semi-legit reissue under the Red Fox label, but this writer cannot wait for fully legit releases that would include a rare '70 single as bonus tracks. Very much worth the frequent spins you'll give it in the next months following acquisition and the still numerous spins during the rest of your life. A really shamefully forgotten band along with Brainchild (one album) and Galliard (two albums).

Ambitiously starting their career with a double album, Warm Dust have a complex sound with all sorts of instruments jostling for attention - as well as standard rock instrumentation there's also flutes, organs, pianos, a healthy brass section and various interesting types of percussion thrown into the mix. The band are able to include nods to many of their influences - coming across in parts like a tribute band to early Jethro Tull, at other parts like somewhat more mellow followers of the Mothers of Invention, and so on. But the album is a bit of a muddle, with some filler in to round out the running time (like the asinine Keep On Trucking), and for some reason the band just can't bring themselves to leave vocalist "Les" Walker's voice alone, applying such heavy distortion to it that for half the album he sounds like he's singing from the bottom of a well. Interesting but unconvincing.