JONESY

One of British progressive rock's best kept secrets, Jonesy issued three excellent albums during the mid- seventies all in the space of two years. Sadly, however, success would elude Jonesy as the same way it did for many of their peers and they would be terminally overshadowed by he big boys of the era such as Pink Floyd, ELP and Yes. However, despite a relatively small profile, Jonesy managed to build up a small-but-loyal following attracted to the group's eclectic style with the album's 'No Alternative', 'Growing' and 'Keeping Up' each displaying a broad range of sounds and textures indicative of seriously adept musicians. Released in 1972 on the Dawn imprint(also home to the likes of Gravy Train) 'No Alternative' featured a genuine mixed bag of musical tracks, with sombre ballads ('Every Days The Same'), technically tricky rockers ('1958'), maudlin mid-tempo epics ('Pollution') and even jazz-tinged heavy-prog fusion ('Mind Of The Century') peppering an extraordinarily complex selection of tunes. Jonesy's music also featured a series of trademark affectations that would carry on into both of their following releases, with rip-roaringly stretched guitar solo's, soothing mellotron washes and incisive lyrical observations(the environement, politics etc) showcasing a highly-talented outfit who really did deserve better from both the record-buying public and the musical critcs of the day. That said, Jonesy are one of a number of relatively-unknown mid-seventies prog outfits to reform in the 21st century thanks to the rising interest in all things progressive, and as a result the group's trio of fine albums are now being discovered and re-discovered by fans old and new. Of the three, 'No Alternative' features possibly the broadest stylistic range, with the beautifully-executed 'Pollution' , the anthemic title-track and the funky mellotron-soaked corker 'Ricochet'(a track sliced down to size for single release) proving the stand-outs selections. An excellent debut that demands multiple listens, 'No Alternative' is a fine slice of strangely- undervalued prog from a finely-tuned British outfit. In a word: Groovy! STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012

Jonesy makes a Pink Floyd album.

Did not know that this had been released,but came across it on I-Tunes.After listening to the samples a few times,decided to spend the $7 .The thing with I-Tunes you don't get any info about the album,so I don't know who is left from the old days.A few years ago I bought the first 3 albums on the 2 cd package,and quite liked the mellotron drenched easy flowing music.

This album doesn't sound much like the old albums,though.Here it's like they make a tribute to Pink Floyd making all original Floyd sounding tracks with the exception of the last track.Some 'Wish you were here','Division Bell and 'Momentary lapse of reason' combo with plenty of sound effects,like waves,kids playing,birds chirping and so on.There is also some Hawkwind flawors here specially some Calvert sounding vocals here and there.

So,as there are no new Pink Floyd albums on the horizon,you may get a nice little fix with this one.For me a nice solid 3 star album.Thanks Jonesy,nice one.

With this Album ( in Vinyl) , I Grow Up , when i first saw the Reviews & the Ratings i was really disapointed , but after a while , i though that maybe other opinions may be right , in fact it was not ( with full respect to those ) These kind of releases from 1970 till 1978 kept the torsh of progressive living inside of us , and i mean it , cause after this period came the big mess . So , imagine , if yu ask me now how i feel about this album !!! In 1978 i will rate this album , as a musician , and as a prog . fan a 6 stars easily !!! Today ,,,, and i mean it ( still wondering where , Waltz for Yesterday is gonna End ) another 6 stars Hardly !!!! Jonesy , With three perfect releases , Growing // Keepin' Up & No Alternative Had Something special in My Life , and i believe i know Why , So , Do yu ????????

Jonesy´s second work was released less than an year after their first, but it represented a total shift from style. And line up too. And the most important was the inclusion of Alan Bown on trumpet and flugelhorn. Guitarrist John Evan Jones and keyboardist were the only ones left from the outfit that recorded No Alternative a few months before, now with Jones brother Trevor `Gypsy` joining back on bass and recruiting new drummer Plug Thomas. The result was so different they might as well have changed their name! Instead of the fairly common hard rock/heavy prog of No Alternative, they now have a quite eclectic colletion of songs that were much more progressive, with some interesting jazz, funk and psychodelic leanings. You have to admire their nerve to make such movement.

Although I can hardly say this album is a masterpiece or essential, it is still very good. Far from perfect, as long as songwriting is concerned, the tunes were nevertheless quite bold and inventive. Those new experiments produced some fine songs (masquerade, Questions And Answers) that mixed wah wah guitars, funky bass, mellotron waves, Miles Davies-like trumpet and complex vocal harmonies. Other tracks were less succesful, like the long (9 minute), weird (and annoying) Critique. The beautiful instrumental Preview is just too short, a real shame. Children is an interesting epic ballad with an odd middle part and has its moments of greatness. Song and Sunshine And Evening Star sound good, but a bit unfinished. Production here is much better than their debut. Even the vocals are much superior here .

Keeping Up was a good surprise and showed that this group had skillful players, the songwriting was getting better and they were on the way to create a quite unique music. I´m really curious about their third album. Rating: with all its faults, a very good (transitional) album: 3,5 stars.

2,5 stars, really. Promising debut work by this english outfit that makes a quite elaborated heavy prog. Their sound is not very original on this album, but at least they prove they are capable of bigger things in the future. The use of a mellotron to make it sound like a Hammond organ is interesting, but hardly better than the real thing. I was told they have King Crimson influences, but you wouldn´t tell that judging by No Alterntive. Ok, there are some nice mellotrons runs but so do many other bands at the time. The KC parts might lie in their latter effords.

The instrumentation is very good, although I found the songwriting here a bit too common. Vocals are only average at best, even if the lyrics seem to be quite clever. The group does not seem to know exactly where they are going to and it shows. The last track for example is a funky number that seems to be more like what Chicago was doing at the time than to anything King Crimson ever did. But the songs themselves are ok.

Since I had an old vinyl copy of the album, I can´t say anything about the CD sound, if it improved the overall quality or not. The original production was only adequate.

Conclusiom: interesting debut, but still green. It makes you want to hear their follow ups to see how much far Jonesy went.

According to the liner notes the band released "Growing" after "Keeping Up". Anyway after a string of broken promises from the management company the stress started to build amongst the band members and they broke up. Eventually the Jones brothers decided to make one last album under the name JONESY. They brought in some session musicians and decided this was going to be their creative statement. So yeah they did a concept album. This is about a guy having a mental breakdown, and they take us through the different stages he goes through. So they recorded it but the label wouldn't let them out of their contract even though the band felt they had breached the contract. They couldn't afford to fight them in court so they walked away from it all. Then to make things worse someone stole the master tapes. So what we have here is a copy from an old cassette. So needless to say the sound quality isn't the best.

"Dark Room" opens with outbursts of sound that come and go until it kicks in before a minute. An instrumental break after 2 minutes with lots of sax is good. Ripping guitar before 3 1/2 minutes then a calm. Reserved vocals join in. Emotional guitar before 5 1/2 minutes then it picks back up.

"Running" opens with drums and people yelling in the background. The music kicks in. Blistering guitar 2 minutes in followed by a sax solo. "Bad Dreams" opens with organ? it's hard to tell, then reserved vocals join in. It picks up after 2 1/2 minutes with a strong BEATLES flavour. "The Lights Have Changed" is uptempo to start before it settles and vocals join in. Contrasts continue. "Old Gentleman's Relief" is experimental to start then strummed guitar and vocals take over. Not a fan of this at all. "Anthem" features piano and vocals. Backing vocals too, and again the BEATLES come to mind.

I'm thinking if this sounded really good i'd give it 3 stars, but because of the poor sound quality 2 stars is all I can muster.

This was a pleasant surprise to say the least. I was expecting more of a Proto-Prog style, and you get that flavour with the vocals and mellotron but man these guys were adventerous and very talented. Lots of strings and mellotron while Alan Brown adds some excellent flugelhorn and trumpet. The bass is really upfront too which I like.

"Masquerade" opens with strings then we hear glass breaking as drums and guitar come charging in. Nice bass lines too as they kick into gear with strings. Vocals after 1 1/2 minutes, mellotron follows. It calms right down 3 minutes in then reserved vocals join in. Horns take the vocals place as mellotron floods in. Vocals return. It kicks back in after 4 1/2 minutes. "Sunset And Evening Star" opens with mellotron followed by drums and a fuller sound before a minute. Vocals come in as it settles. Contrasts continue. A beautiful track. "Preview" is a 2 minute tune with horns, piano, strings then vocals. "Questions And Answers" is uptempo with piano then vocals as chunky bass joins in as it gets fuller. Piano only to follow then mellotron joins in followed by vocals and a fuller sound. Check out the mellotron 3 minutes in. Percussion and horns late. I like the guitar too.

"Critique (With Exceptions)" features these almost spoken words that do get theatrical. The music comes in around 3 minutes and we get a very Miles Davis flavoured section here as trumpet, bass and other sounds come and go. Very cool. Check out the guitar before 8 minutes, he eventually starts to rip it up big time. Nice. "Duet" is less than a minute of horns and acoustic guitar. "Song" opens with piano and vocals as mellotron joins in. It gets fuller with strings and drums. Guitar after 2 1/2 minutes solos tastefully. "Children" is the 9 minute closing track. It opens with flute before kicking in before 1 1/2 minutes. Great sound with vocals, horns and mellotron standing out. Check out the strings 4 minutes in and the mellotron that follows. It kicks back in with some killer bass. Vocals and mellotron 7 minutes in.

What an album ! It's one of those gems that i find once in a while that make the search all worthwhile. A must have.

JONESY were an important piece of the early stage in UK's Progressive rock attack.The band was formed in 1971 by brothers Trevor and John Jones,while the original line-up included also Terry Cutting and Berbie Hugley.However this line-up wouldn't live on.Trevor had arguments with his brother John related to the band's musical direction and now the line-up included new members David Paul (bass/vocals), Jim Payne (drums/percussion) and Jimmy Kaleth (various keys/vocals).With this formation JONESY recorded their first album ''No alternative'' in 1972.

The eponymous opener sets you in the general mood of the album with its rockin' riffs,great breaks and intense percussion work,typical of the early-70's UK Prog bands.In ''Heaven'' things seem to soften,as this is a good ballad with nice bluesy guitars,smooth vocal lines and calm mellotron throughout.The busy musicianship returns on ''Mind of the century'',a piece in the vein of early-KING CRIMSON with fine mellotron scratching and good interplays between guitars,rhythm section and keys.''1958'' is maybe the most complex track JONESY ever composed.8 minutes of trully busy and complicated rock music with an almost jazzy guitar approach and some frenetic drumming leading the way.''Pollution'' contains also tons of mellotron, but this time its the guitars and bass which take over,delivering alternating tempos and constant battles between them,reminding GRACIOUS at their best.''No alternative'' closes with ''Ricochet'', where the funky side of JONESY is mixed up with the nostalgic sound of the mellotron in a very satiisfying way.Summing up,this is definitely a very decent release of early- 70's prog rock,with lovers of mellotron finally finding their paradise.Complicated musicianship, pretty good individual performances and a rockin' atmosphere is what you'll get purchasing this album.Recommended to dedicated fans of 70's rock/prog!

Jonesy’s first album has been referred to as reminiscent of early King Crimson, something band leader John Evans-Jones has readily acknowledged. Having ‘Islands’ engineer Andy Hendrikson fill the same role on this record probably didn’t hurt either. But the first track sounds more like early Kansas to me, only with mellotron replacing Steinhardt’s violin and Jones’ lead guitar being a bit harsher than anything I ever heard out of Livgren.

Like Kansa, the band opens with a rocker but quickly shows their progressive side with the more restrained and complex “Heaven” as the second track on the album. This one sounds more like a mellow ELP song, but again in the manner or Kansas the theme is sort of spiritual with Jones relating the tale of a man entering the pearly gates who is relieved to discover from the gatekeeper that he will be admitted. Jones offers up fairly simple but striking guitar work amid Jimmy Kaleth’s piano and mellotron. This is a subdued song but one that demonstrates the band’s range and appreciation of symphonic-leaning rock.

“Mind of the Century” shows the unevenness of the band though, as it is a fairly unexceptional rock number with little to distinguish it besides the thudding drum/bass line that persists throughout.

The King Crimson label comes from tracks like “1958” and “Pollution” with their jazz-leaning timing and complex, dissonant notes that are probably impressive to other musicians but not as approachable for the casual listener. “Pollution” wanders back into late-sixties earthy folk in the second half of the tune, an interesting transition that nonetheless dates the song somewhat.

“Ricochet” was originally recorded as a single, and Jones has stated he was disappointed that it was included on the album. I can hear why as it doesn’t fit the general mood of the other tracks. This one features heavy organ passages and vocals on the vein of the Doobie Brothers or even Blood, Sweat & Tears. Interesting note though, as a single this was supposedly the first song ever released with quadraphonic sound. Pretty advanced for a b-list band in the early seventies.

The CD reissue includes three songs from the band’s second album ‘Growing’, including the title track of that record. This one and “Hard Road” are more straightforward heavy rock with fewer keyboards and more vocals than most of the rest of the album, while “Jonesy” is a lengthy instrumental that again hearkens back to King Crimson’s more experimental side but is also likely improvised for the most part. This one also includes brass that was not present on the debut album, and I suspect the track was filler on the second record for the most part.

Like I said, Jonesy was a b-list prog band who didn’t have near the press or recognition of contemporaries like Genesis, King Crimson, Yes or ELP. But their debut is a decent record, though not great, and would probably appeal to many fans of heavy prog at least. Three stars with the caveat that while none of these tracks are poor, none of them are exactly great either.

peace

Jonesy is one of the most overlooked and underrated progressive rock bands to come out of the early 70s. Eclectic is the best word to describe this band's style. This CD features a lot of upfront Mellotron ala King Crimson, as well as clever pop passages backed by a string quartet in a Beatles style. Add to that some bluesy hippie funk that recalls Buddy Miles and Edgar Winter, as well as some Miles Davis influenced psychedelic jazz and lots of high speed rock guitar solos played without effects that recall Wishbone Ash or early Yes.

As usual the weak point with Jonsey is the vocals. They're not particularly bad, but not great which is a dissapointment because their instrumental passages rate them up there with the greats of early 70s rock. To their credit their lyrics seem to be very urgent and extremely heartfelt. Unfortunately this CD did not come with a lyric sheet, but it sounds like the lyrics deal with the pain of war or violent social unrest. One is left with the feeling that the members of this band are not speaking in an abstract sense, but instead are dealing with these issues on a very personal level.

I don't think that the members of Jonesy ever attended art school, instead they come across as unpretentious working class types who probably didn't take a fancy to some of progressive rock's more excessive displays.

The CD I own contains some very nice bonus tracks. The song Can You Get that Together starts off as a high speed jazz fusion romp with great trumpet and guitar solos and then abruptly merges into Waltz for Yesterday, a well-written Beatles style ballad with a long repeating chorus and nice string arrangements. Know Who Your Friends Are is a Wishbone Ash style rocker with an odd middle section that could have come from a 60s exotic lounge record.

I always get the impression that things were never easy for the members of Jonesy, maybe some day they will get the recognition they deserve.