BLACK WIDOW

This came to me as a big surprise, i was looking forward to hearing this, because of all the big ratings and positive reviews, and of course i love heavy prog, this must be a winner!! I sat down and started listening, the sound was dated and muddy but ok, as 'In Ancient Days' progressed i was starting to worry, the song ended after 9 minutes and except for some sax fillers and sax solo that song was mainly a long verse and a long chorus done a few times, no great guitars, no great drumming and even that sax couldn't save the song from being a total disaster. That was the longest not progressive song i ever heard. After i finished listening to the album i thought "maybe i wasn't in the mood..." But after i listened to the music a couple of times more, i understood this is one of the worst albums i heard. The sound is hideous, just below average and that hurts the music a lot, although it was released in 1998, they still couldn't do much for it, i guess the recording was very bad.

The music is mainly heavy, definitely not progressive, doesn't hold any changes or good solos, there are just a collection of songs with some jazzy parts here and there, including some saxophone and some flutes too, guitar is unnoticeable, includes one solo the whole album, but mainly plays rhythm. Keys are not bad but nothing to mention, the rhythm section is straight forward, just keeping a beat going on. If i'll have to strain my self and think of a good part i would say there is a nice jazzy moment in 'sacrifice', but come on...'Come to the Sabbat' is maybe a little unconventional with it's tribal rhythm, ritualistic vocals, the flute and some kindergarden keys. Should have stayed in the sixties and never come out.

Rise high fall hard, as i was expecting this to be a masterpiece it turned out to be a real floop. sometimes i'm wondering if i have the same cd as other reviewers. Maybe best try to go for their debut which was recorded in 1970 and can contain better recording, this was recorded at 69. Nothing at all for progers who seeks interesting music.

Quite an amazing time capsule, Sacrifice brings out the 60s grooves, the Jethro Tull flute solos, and Aleister Crowley inspired Satan-themed lyrics. There was definitely a growing interest in the occult back then, with the Age of Aquarius coming to a close and groups like Coven, Black Sabbath and this group hitting the scene along with bald dudes like Anton Lavey spouting stuff. But for the bands exploring these elements, they often took wildly different routes in order to capture that freaky occult aura.

Sacrifice plays almost like a celebration of the black arts, unlike Sabbath's early material in which the message was more akin to "mess with evil and you are DOOMED". Almost every tune in Sacrifice seems to be about a quest for power through satanic rituals. In fact, the word "power" is said so often throughout this opus that it could be a drinking game. There's also the yearning for some far-out sex with a demon babe. The music itself complements the lyrics by giving everything a joyous vibe, as if it's an invitation to join the party, have a couple of bong hits, watch a sacrifice and get naked. The music is barely even rock at times, more of a breezy jazz & tribal folk hybrid with some rock thrown in that sounds much more like H.P. Lovecraft than heavy rock blues. Basically, Satan's a swingin' guy who likes to have a good time, as opposed to plodding along to Ozzy's wails or sitting around with screaming grim kids in their parents' basement.

Some highlights include the really sweet saxophone playing within the opening track, the jazzy mid-section of Seduction, and the killer chorus of Attack Of The Demon. I love that cool "na na na na" stuff backing up Kip's desperate strains. Of course, one can't talk about this album without mentioning Come To The Sabbat and its hilarious yet creepy chant. Again, what makes something like this work is how the music shuns the heavy and terrifying sludge riffs for a much lighter and sometimes progressive tone. Without the horror music, the lyrics alone become more of a focus, making Sacrifice an odd, disturbing yet weirdly appealing adventure. In the end, it's all silly stuff with keys of Solomon, ancient tomes, sacrificial daggers and cute princesses from castles of fire. Of course, silly can be fun, and in this case, it is.

Black Widow is a legendary band from the UK with notorious satanic content in lyrics, image, stage show and artwork, and even beating Black Sabbath to it according to certain sources. Well, I care as less for satanic content as I care for Christian content so let's stay with the music, which is far from anything satanic or heavy, by today's standards at least.

Sacrifice is a fine proto-prog album, sometimes hesitating between the psychedelic pop of the 60s and jazz-influenced 70s rock with progressive tendencies. The frequent use of flutes sometimes reminds of early Jethro Tull but before long, a brass section or sweeping pop melody will show this music is still anchored in 60s songwriting and arrangements.

The songs are fairly catchy but rarely outstanding. The exceptions are the bluesy opener and the rocking closing track. The opening In Ancient Days should certainly be checked by grunge and stroner fans for its heavy blues qualitites, while the sax and mellotron will warm a progger's heart. The closing Sacrifice is more upbeat with extended jams, furious flutes and tasty organ abuse. If the entire album was of comparable quality this would have been a great gem but all songs that lie inbetween are average at best.

A must-hear for heavy rock and organ rock fans, but slightly dated and not consistent enough to inspire me for a more flattering rating.

Formed from the ashes of Leicester-based psych, soul & r'n'b combo Pesky Gee, Black widow endured an incident-packed if somewhat truncated career that produced, amongst other things, four studio albums of varying quality, a large and loyal fanbase in Italy, a whole load of controversy(thanks, in part, to The Sun newspaper) and a starring role in-front of nearly 100,000 people at the inaugural Isle of Wight festival. Why Black Widow never 'made it' seems almost like a moot point; their cult status has been assured through the ages for many reasons and now, in the 21st century, almost 40 years after Pesky Gee first started out, this strange, occult-obsessed band are finally getting the restrospective kudos all good bands deserve.

Pesky Gee released their debut album, 'Exclamation Mark'(or '!', for the purists out there) in 1969 to little fanfare or commercial gain. The album did, however, showcase a fulsome and eclectic mixture of styles from a collection of obviously rather-talented individuals who were led by the enigmatic vocalist and lyricist Kip Trevor. 'Exclamation Mark' blended funky, organ-coated R'n'B with psychedelia and a smattering of jazzy hues very nicely, with the group showing off an array of muscular musical chops that eschewed the light-and-fluffy sounds of British psychedelia for a more Americanized sound that seemed to bridge the gap between Psych and Prog. The next logical move was embrace the new 'Progressive' musical scene that was storming Britain at the time and thus Black Widow were born in early 1971, when 'Sacrifice' was released following sessions with Pat Meehan Jr and future Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker. For 'Sacrifice' Kip Trevor was augmented by Jim Gannon(guitar), Zoot Taylor(organ, piano), Clive Jones(sax, flute, clarinet), Bob Bond(bass) and Clive Box(drums), which was basically the line-up of Pesky Gee with a few additions. The album featured much accomplished musicianship and a jazzy edge prevalent on their previous material, but was also much more ambitious both musically and lyrically, with main songwriters Kip Trevor and Jim Gannon basing their songs on occult teachings and black magic rituals, themes that would fall foul of the era's moral majority(remember, this is the early seventies). Both Trveor and Gannon would, on occasion, maybe take their obsession with these mysterious subjects a bit too far, leading to the band being subject of a nasty front-page 'moral panic' story from those purveyors of moral standards, 'The Sun' newspaper, thanks to a particular gig in which the band tied a naked 'virgin' to an altar and proceeded to act out a blood-bathed sacrifice(!). However, the music does always speak for itself and Black Widow's brand of fulsome progressive rock is strong enough for one to ignore the occasional literal abberation. Sacrifice is not a classic album, but it's a very good one, featuring at least four excellent examples(i.e. songs) of their style and, is possibly, their best album. STEFAN TURNER, LONDO, 2010

Sandwiched between their patchy debut and their third album, the excellent and aptly-titled 'Volume III', this self-titled effort from Leicester's sorely underappreciated Black Widow would see the group sensibly making a move away from the occult craziness that had so far defined the band's stage-show, song-writing and overall image. A promising first record otherwise, 1970's 'Sacrifice' was - rather unfortunately - positively bathed in gruesome, cod-satanic imagery, therefore overshadowing all other aspects of the group's music and rendering their jazz-tinged brand of fulsome progressive rock secondary to their dubious reputation. Thanks to an ill-judged live show that involved fake sacrifice's, devil-worshipping rituals, topless dancers and much joke-shop blood, Black Widow were seen by many as a tasteless heavy metal band. The Sun newspaper had 'exposed' these strange goings-on to the outside world with a sensationalist article(remember, this is 1971) which would give the group much nationwide publicity but would also forever taint them in the eyes of the moral majority. However, despite the group's left-field leanings(whatever they may be), it is often forgotten that Black Widow were actually a very decent prog group who were as far from heavy metal as a rock group could be. The mis-leading heavy metal tag was due in part to the constant comparisons that were - and still are - being made with Black Sabbath, a much heavier group who were emerging into the British rock scene at around the same time and would, of course, introduce the world to Ozzy Osbourne. Released in 1971, 'Black Widow' is an energetic yet rather formulaic album that found the group at a stylistic cross-road. Their previous album had featured some strong individual moments from a disparate and talented group of ambitious musicians, but, unfortunately, not all was well within the ranks. For 'Black Widow', the nucleus of the group had remained the same, with Kip Trevor(vocals) augmented by Jim Gannon(guitar), Zoot Taylor(organ, piano) and Clive Jones(sax, flute), but Jeff Griffiths(bass) and Romeo Challenger(drums) had come in to replace the outgoing Bob Bond and Clive Box who were un-satisfied with the group's overall direction. Production duties would again be undertaken by Pat Meehan, which would provide the album with a sense of continuation from 'Sacrifice', but this time around main song-writers Kip Trevor and Jim Gannon would eschew the occult themes in favour of more straight-forward song-writing. However, despite a barnstorming opening track in the form of the tightly-constructed, Yes-flecked 'Tears & Wine', the album falls well short of it's predecessor in terms of memorable tunes. Trevor's vocals seem strained throughout, and the folky, flute-led vibes give the material a lighter, less meaningful glaze. Indeed, there is a jaunty, piano-led feel to some of the songs, particularly 'The Gypsy', which places the group nearer Jethro Tull! After 'Tears & Wine' there is very little to recommend beyond the strange front-cover artwork and the excellent musicianship, and it wouldn't be until 1972 that the group would make a triumphant return with possibly their best album, the highly-enjoyable 'Volume III'. Black Widow took many hits over the years. They stirred-up Satanic controversy with The Sun, played to thousands at the Isle Of Wight festival, found themselves un-fairly bracketed as a heavy metal group and made four studio albums before being dropped by their record label. Unlike Black Sabbath, they wouldn't find lasting success and their star would burn briefly. But, despite their lack of commercial triumphs, they, like many of the great prog bands who didn't quite make it or simply disappeared after one album - the likes of Khan, Samurai, Mainhorse, Yatha Sidhra, Home, Flash, Jade Warrior - have been re-discovered in the new digital internet age of the 21st century by fans old and new alike. This self-titled effort is probably one of the group's weaker efforts - bar the superb 'Tears & Wine - but within Black Widow's small but surprising canon lies some genuinely innovative and authentic early-seventies progressive rock. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2010

First of all, I'm going to think about this album as of 1969, or trying to think in terms and facts (and music) of this era, because even this was released in 1998, it means not much to me. Because this thing is old, so old, reminds me (first tracks) Troya - Point of Eruption a lot in matter of atmosphere and sound In Ancient Days, I really expected to hear their singer singing these lyrics. Also, there are satanist lyrics ? Another normal thing to me, it can't change anything and I would be foolish if it could. It's simply their way of doing things.

So, this should be their chronologically first release, demo version ? Doesn't sound much like that, more like good release. There one funny thing, in last track (connection with their next album) Sacrifice with Jethro Tull like flute. And very organic organ. And tracks are catchy, blending melody which I expect here (after hearing so many Heavy Prog bands), few their own things (like saxophone, bass guitar and vocals work). Atmosphere is one of the things I like a lot when listening prog and I'm sure this has it. They made it using power, instead of tricks and peaceful negotiation with listener, but that's doesn't matter, I like it. Nowadays, you can have death/extreme metal and it's the way of power now, but back then, this was one of the hardest music genres that could be.

5(-), impressive "debut", if I may call it that way. Devil isn't so boring buddy, is he ?

Really fantastic and underrated album. Many compare these band with Black Sabbath, well those who do that probably did not hear these album, they compare them because they had a similar name and satanic lyrics. As soon as you play these album you will find that these two bands can't be compared. We all know what kind of music Sabbath plays heavy/doom metal, well if you are looking for that you wont find it here. This album is a fantastic peace of music. It has very dark lyrics but music is in the great contrast. fantastic tunes witch feature Hammond organ and flute make these album a must have.

I like numbers. I like rounded numbers.

While I was thinking about this 2,000th review, I thought of several releases: the triple DVD set from The Who (Tommy, Quadrophenia and a bonus live DVD), the great Floyd one (P.U.L.S.E.), a six CD box set from Purple (Listen, Learn, Read On) that features some unreleased historical live performances or the new and extended Song Remains The Same by who you know. But I finally decided a few weeks ago to get this one instead.

An unknown release of a little known band that I quite enjoy. A good old band I should say. The Sacrifice show live from Black Widow released in 2007. It comes as a dual work: one CD and one DVD. The CD for the car and the DVD for each home playing of course.

Because what you need is to SEE it!

Before I talk about the content, let's have some historical facts about this very good band which hasn't been very fortunate in their career to say the least. The liner notes that go along with this release is of important historical matter. They are written by Clive Jones (sax & flute) and the information below mostly come out of it (but not only).

It speaks about the genesis of the band which is well known from the devoted fans: the Pesky Gee story, the pre-release of Sacrifice in 69 with Kay Garret on the vocals and the split of the band.

What is less known is that the band thought of a full show about the Sacrifice album and wanted it very much to be as satanic as the lyrics. They asked the guidance of Alex Sanders (who was incidentally voted king of the witches in '65) to construct the show and make sure that it was as authentic as possible.

After a few shows, the press was quite shocked and titled don't let your kids see this show. This led to a huge publicity for the band who were playing full house concerts. Still, the confusion came to the minds of the people. Two bands with the word black in their names, both managed by the same person (Pat Meehan). It was the start of the problems for Black Widow.

The second (and probably the most important one) is that Sacrifice was released the same week as Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel). The latter one sold so much, that the record company (CBS) only pressed BOTW for three weeks to supply the demand and so was the Sacrifice album lamentably . sacrificed. It had climbed to the 32nd spot of the chart.

Their supporting US tour was cancelled because of the murdering of Sharon Tate. To have a band promoting some black magic on stage was not really to the liking of the American authorities. And guess which band replaced them? Sabbath!

As Clive writes, he remembered a live performance for a German television called the Beat Club and contacted one of their responsible to check whether they would still have the footage. And they said: yes but that it was in poor condition and that they would need some time to clean it. Clive was very anxious while he got the final product and very surprised when he discovered what he saw.

Instead of a short live track, he was confronted with the full Sacrifice concert. He had completely forgot about this show which they played in the studio without any audience, before the actual and true live performance. This show is now available to everyone, and believe me: it is widely recommendable.

The sound and picture (black & white) are not excellent, but remember that it was filmed in '70. What you get here is no less than the whole of the Sacrifice album. But no more.

The opening number In Ancient Days is completely reworked and starts with a long spoken incantation (remember this is supposed to represent a black magic performance) said by Jim Gannon (the guitar player) and there is as well an extended sax solo in the middle part which was not featured in the original version. To be honest, I am not thrilled with the sax solo (sorry Clive). This track has been extended to a mere fifteen minutes!

Come To The Sabbath is more oppressive in this version and the link with Tull even more obvious. Visually, one should have expected some weird scenes, terrible images: but nothing as such actually. It is quite a contrast to see the childish faces from Kip and Jim singing so weird lyrics. This version is wilder than the original (especially the closing section).

What is impressive of course is to look at the film. Of course, in 2008 these could be seen as pretty much standard but I guess that in '70, this must have been quite shocking. The circle on stage delimited with four lit candles (representing four demons) which Kip is using by staying either inside or walking around it, the black costumes of course (even if it is a BW rendition, one can see that the band wears black clothes), the ritual ceremony, and the crescendo of the show.

During Conjuration, Kip is miming some ritual again and seems to be very inspired during another spoken incantation by Jim. He actually invites the demon Astaroth to enter the scene and Seduction can start. This track features the entrance of a wonderful apparition in the form of what is supposed to be the demon Astaroth. A nice and blonde young lady in a white and fully transparent very thin white dress.

It is the moment for Kip to dance around the circle with her; and the spot light doesn't leave any doubt about the nudity of the dancer below her dress. Both are miming a rather erotic part. Please consider that the young lady is technically nude and that it was filmed in '70.

Attack Of The Demon is not as sweet of course. Kip is bare-chested now and the rhythm of the dancing is more frenetic: there are a lot of close-up during this sequence (I don't particularly like this effect). Both actors playing around or within the circle. There is a fine call/response from Jim as well (he is actually doing both himself: guitar + vocals). A fine performance.

The clou du spectacle or highlight if you prefer, is of course the fifteen minutes long Sacrifice. It features a great instrumental part which allow Kip and the dancer to perform another good part. Kip is finally hypnotizing her and while she falls on the ground, he takes off the little white and thin dress to show the nice body entirely naked... He then goes into a trance for over five minutes and ends up by killing her in an explosion of wild music and psychedelic light effects.

Sacrifice is over!

I was thrilled to get this DVD and I am quite satisfied with it. Such a great trip back in the early seventies... It is a rare and extraordinary (which means out of the ordinary) moment of music. Four stars.

Unlike one could have imagined, this Return To The Sabbath is not a re-working of the very good debut album of the lesser-known Black Widow. Each song featured on this album is a demo release of what would become Sacrifice which was released in 1970.

All these versions are dating from 1969 and they are being offered in a less achieved way than the ones which were recorded for the official album released in those early days of prog. Most of the songs are shorter in their pre-release formats if you would except the opening number In Ancient Days. The keyboards intro is more solemn and the sax parts longer.

There was a CD edition released in 2005 which almost group these two album versions called Ultimate Sacrifice: One (only Way To Power and Attack Of The Demon were omitted due to space constrains).

To be honest, I wouldn't say that the pre-release album sounds better; on the contrary. The best known track for instance: Come To The Sabbath is much more accomplished in its final form.

One of the tracks that is not working here is Seduction. It was not my fave from the original album, but it was miles better than this early copy. The great and heavy part ends this version while the original continued on a last vocal and harmonious part.

This album is for fans only but it is still a good one (Sacrifice is just phenomenal); I would just recommend more the official release from 1970 to any proghead willing to discover this almost anonymous band. Black Widow deserves it. Three stars.

From satanic rituals to Christmas sleigh rides

This fine double CD collection offers the curious a cost effective but comprehensive overview of the career of this respected band. After a brief introduction through a couple of tracks by the band under their former guise Pesky Gee!, we find a good selection of tracks from the band's three album released between 1970 and 1972.

The first of these, "Sacrifice", is probably the fans favourite. For this album only, Black Widow aligned themselves with the occult and all things of the dark side. This resulted in such songs as the chanted anthem "Come to the sabbat" and the lengthy title track. Musically, while the songs are imaginative, without their controversial imagery they would have simply been decent if average early prog rock. The second album saw the gimmicks being dropped both on and off stage in favour of a more serious approach to the music. Unfortunately, this simply exposed the band's weaknesses in that department, and the album failed to make an impression.

"Black Widow 3", which bore a similarly unimaginative but at least accurate title was released a year later. Tracks such as the 11 minute suite "The battle" and the 9+ minute "old man" (the latter not included here) took the band back into more progressive territories and "King of hearts" was also well put together. As a result, the band saw limited success in continental Europe, but unfortunately not in sufficient numbers to persuade CBS to maintain the band's contract. As a result, the fourth album, a number of tracks from which are included here, was stillborn not seeing the light of day until the late 1990's. Four of the five tracks recorded for this rather brief album are included in this collection (only "The waves" is missing). The songs generally have a lighter feel with strong hints of the Yes sound. The two long tracks, "Sleighride" (which includes the melody from Prokofiev's "Sleigh bell ride") and "Part of a new day" are decent prog related numbers while the shorter tracks bring out the acoustic side of the band.

The compilation is rounded off by a good selection of rare tracks. Two of these are demos from sessions recorded after completing the fourth album. By this time, lead singer Kip Trevor had left, to be replaced by the mysteriously named Rick E. "Floating" features the dark heavy rhythms which characterised "Sacrifice", but without the controversial references.

Finally, we have the remaining tracks from the first album ("Sacrifice") not included on disc 1. These versions are of special interest though as they are original recordings with Kay Garrett on vocals. The tracks serve to show how much better these recordings were, who knows what success the band would have found had she not left when she did. An alternative version of "Come to the sabbat" from 1969 is also added, this rendition being even more jaunty and pop like. The album closes with a couple of unreleased tracks from 1971 intended for a solo album by original vocalist Kay Garrett. The instrumentation on these tracks is actually by Black Widow. "The devil's lair" harks back in terms of theme to the first album, the melody being gypsy like, indeed there is a passing similarity with Cher's "Gypsies tramps and thieves".

In all, a fine compilation which offers an excellent overview of the life of this now respected band. The set comes complete with a fold out booklet containing a host of images from the period plus a detailed analysis of the band's work.