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JADIS

Neo-Prog • United Kingdom


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Jadis biography
Founded in Southampton, UK in 1982

JADIS was formed by guitarist / vocalist Gary Chandler, and drummer Stephen Christey in the 1980s. They quickly achieved notoriety by opening for IQ, and then Marillion on the "Clutching at Straws" tour. Steve Rothery was impressed enough to produce some demos tapes, which became very popular. As often happens during a band's beginnings, members move on before the big break happens. Nick May became the new bass player, and Martin Orford shared some of his spare time from IQ to help out on keyboards. This lineup proved even more popular, and JADIS became headliners. Nick didn't last very long, and they went to the IQ pool again to recruit John Jowitt.

Having established themselves as a prime live act over the course of several years, they felt it was finally time to record an album. 1992's "More than Meets the Eye" became not only the band's first release, but it was also the debut for Martin Orford's new GEP label. The album was met with much acclaim, and even got some radio play. SI Magazine voted it 'Album of the Year.' Many still maintain that this is JADIS' finest work.

They spent the next year concentrating more on a follow up than live work. Striking while the iron was hot was important, but they also had a reputation to protect. While working on the new album, they also wanted to keep interest alive. So, a mini CD called "Once Upon a Time" was offered. It was originally intended to start a series of discs dedicated to new recordings of the band's early work. The second album, "Across the Water" was released in May 1994, and sold out the first pressing in ten days. Once again the critics were also on board. Classic Rock Society voted JADIS 'Best Band,' and "Across the Water" got 'Album of the Year.'

By 1995, it was time for the "unofficial" members of the band to move on. The funny thing is, they didn't leave just because of their commitment to IQ. John and Martin joined John Wetton's band for his tour. Martin did stick around long enough to appear on one track from the 1996 EP "Once or Twice," but Mike Torr was brought in as the new keyboardist. Steve Hunt came in to fill the bass slot. This lineup stayed intact for 1997's "Somersault." This album was also an opportunity for the band to go independent. They had a friendly split with GEP, and did "Somersault" on their own. It was distributed by Steve Rothery's label, Dorian Music. This is also the point where the critical accolades start...
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JADIS discography


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JADIS top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.42 | 30 ratings
Jadis
1989
3.85 | 192 ratings
More Than Meets The Eye
1992
3.55 | 118 ratings
Across The Water
1994
2.98 | 66 ratings
Somersault
1997
3.30 | 77 ratings
Understand
2000
3.26 | 113 ratings
Fanatic
2003
3.18 | 103 ratings
Photoplay
2006
3.67 | 84 ratings
See Right Through You
2012
3.66 | 55 ratings
No Fear Of Looking Down
2016

JADIS Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.88 | 30 ratings
As Daylight Fades
1998
3.54 | 15 ratings
Live Outside
2001

JADIS Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

3.27 | 20 ratings
View From Above
2003

JADIS Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.00 | 32 ratings
Medium Rare
2001
4.19 | 8 ratings
Medium Rare II
2019

JADIS Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

2.00 | 5 ratings
Baboon enquiries
1984
3.44 | 16 ratings
Once Upon A Time
1993
2.50 | 14 ratings
Once Or Twice...
1996
2.53 | 6 ratings
The Great Outside
2003

JADIS Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Jadis by JADIS album cover Studio Album, 1989
3.42 | 30 ratings

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Jadis
Jadis Neo-Prog

Review by The Crow
Prog Reviewer

3 stars Jadis has been working since 1982, fitting within the current of neo-prog bands that emerged during that time. And since then they created a series of demos that were finally embodied in this first self-titled album produced by Steve Rothery.

But if there is something that distinguishes Jadis from other groups of the time such as IQ, Marillion and Pendragon, it is a more concise and almost pop song structure, which although it sounds progressive, does give it the tracks a more conventional touch.

And that's not necessarily a negative thing, especially when we hear the overall quality of the album, which is quite high, especially thanks to exquisite guitar work, and some good keyboard bases that, although they haven't aged as well as they should , they do add a mystical and dreamy touch to the sound that in my opinion resembles them in a certain way to the polish band Collage.

I don't know if this "Jadis" is the best record to get to know the group, but I definitely recommend it for all those fans of 80's neo-prog.

Best Tracks: Follow me to Salzburg (I specially like the Keyboards in this one), Taking Your Time (wonderful guitar solo) and In the Dark (great bass line and amazing keyboard solo in the instrumental section)

 Across The Water by JADIS album cover Studio Album, 1994
3.55 | 118 ratings

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Across The Water
Jadis Neo-Prog

Review by Warthur
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Jadis followed up their breakthrough More Than Meets The Eye with this album, which once again finds band leader Gary Chandler and his loyal drummer Steve Christey backed up by then-IQ members John Jowitt and Martin Orford. This time around, the mood is a little more reflective and subdued than on More Than Meets the Eye, making Across the Water an interesting companion piece to that. I'm tempted to make the analogy that whilst More Than Meets the Eye is neo-prog for a summer's day - bright, exuberant, full of the joy of life - Across the Water is neo-prog for a summer's evening. (Hell, there's even a track called Daylight Fades.) It's good music for when the dark is drawing in outside, you're tired but happy after the day's exertions, and you're collecting your thoughts as you watch a sunset.
 Jadis by JADIS album cover Studio Album, 1989
3.42 | 30 ratings

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Jadis
Jadis Neo-Prog

Review by Warthur
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Gary Chandler's Jadis project can be seen as the first "second wave neo-prog band", or perhaps a sort of neo-neo-prog release. Whilst the original generation of neo-prog groups formed in the 1970s or very early 1980s and were influenced primarily by the prog groups of the 1970s, Jadis formed in the mid-1980s and very clearly took their neo- prog heroes as their main inspirations.

Having landed support roles on IQ's Nomzamo tour and Marillion's Clutching At Straws tour - the latter arguably being neo-prog's commercial zenith - Jadis also kept busy in the studio and made a number of demo recordings, with Marillion's own lead guitarist and friend of the band Steve Rothery handling the production side of things. They would eventually compile and release these as this self-titled album, which has languished in obscurity since then but has become more generally available recently. (In particular, it was included - with some bonus tracks - as the bonus CD on InsideOut's 2012 rerelease of More Than Meets the Eye, though irritatingly the most recent rerelease of that album has a different bonus CD that doesn't include this.)

Though produced by a largely different lineup from the Jadis we're used to in the 1990s, Gary Chandler's general compositional and stylistic approach - a sunny, upbeat, positive and optimistic take on neo-prog, rather refreshing considering the darker emotional territory the subgenre often explores - is already evident. G13, which would be updated for More Than Meets the Eye, is a particular treat.

 Medium Rare II by JADIS album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2019
4.19 | 8 ratings

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Medium Rare II
Jadis Neo-Prog

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer

4 stars I have been singing the praises of this band for well in excess of twenty-five years now, quarter of a century, where does the time go? This album is the follow-up only 18 years after the first 'Medium Rare', and as with that one includes rare live versions, remixes, and some songs which make their appearance for the first time. Although the band had been involved in the scene for quite some time before 1992's 'More Than Meets The Eye', that was the album which really every sit up and pay attention. Gary Chandler has of course been the singer and guitarist with the band since their inception some ten years earlier while drummer Stephen Christey made his debut with the band on that release and has been a constant presence ever since. Then there is the small matter of the keyboard player. Martin Orford is one of my very favourite musicians in the scene, as well as one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet ' we used to spend many hours on the phone back in the day. He was there for that album as well, although he has since left and re-joined Jadis a few times for various reasons, but he is there now and something special happens when he and Gary are left to their own devices as anyone who has ever seen any of their infamous duo shows will attest to. Mr Bass, John Jowitt, has also been in and out a few times and is no longer with the band, and bass on most of this collection is by the current incumbent Andy Marlow who has been resident for the last two studio albums.

Artwork is again by Geoff Chandler, while the booklet contains full details of where each song came from, as well as copious photos. This isn't an album to recommend to someone who has yet to come across Jadis, there are plenty of others which can do that better (I still have 'More Than Meets The Eye' on my iPhone, and my ringtone is a snippet of 'Wonderful World'), but for those who already know the music this is a delight. Christey is an incredibly powerful drummer, who ties it down while also providing plenty of fills, the bass is the platform on which the band builds, and then at the front is Gary and Martin. Martin is a great singer in his own right, remember he fronted IQ after Paul Menel left and before Peter returned, and his harmonies are a delight, while he is simply one of the best keyboard players around. Then added to that is Gary's vocals and that guitar. He once said to me that whatever equipment he uses it somehow always sounds the same, a distinct tenor so that if I heard a couple of bars of a song for the first time, I would always know who it was.

This self-released digipak is a delight for the fan, allowing them to revisit some older songs in a new light as well as hearing something a little different. That 'Your Own Special Way' sounds almost as if it could be an original is certainly no surprise to anyone who knows them. I was playing this album the other day, at the same time as I have was having a conversation on Messenger with Opher from Solstice Coil, and it was almost as if the years since I came to NZ in 2006 had all dropped away and I was back running Feedback again. Jadis. Timeless. Brilliant.

 Fanatic by JADIS album cover Studio Album, 2003
3.26 | 113 ratings

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Fanatic
Jadis Neo-Prog

Review by Tarcisio Moura
Prog Reviewer

3 stars 3,5 stars, really. I think sometimes the wrong choice of the tracks running order has the power to spoil the overall coherence of a good work, This is at least the best explanation of why I really don´t fancy this CD too much, for it has very strong cuts and no tune is really bad. Coming 3 years after the excellent Understand, Fanatic kept the ball rolling with Jadis: The Great Outside is a powerful opener, small wonder it is the first song they played on their View From above live DVD. It´s one of their best and it segues with the equally convincing Into Temptation, where once again it´s hard to believe how good those four musicians are when they get together. Gary Chandler is also at his best both as songwriter and guitarist. He developed his very own, inimitable, style. But things get to a sudden halt with Each & Everyday: although not a bad song per se, far from it, it is nevertheless quite different, too slow and drags a bit in its 6 minutes. It really spoils the CD dynamics.

Things start to pick up the pace again with I Never Notice, although this one is less inspired than the albums two first cuts. On the other hand the nice title track puts everything on track again: a nice instrumental, atmospheric piece, this tune is very unusual for Jadis, but it works extremely well. It also serves as an intro to one of Jadis best songs ever, the reflexive Yourself Alone (also featured on their live DVD). The more mundane Take This Words is saved (as most of the tracks here) by the creative arrangements, excellent musicianship of all involved and, especially, by Chandlers unique, tasteful guitar breaks and solo. The delicate and poignant What Kind Of Reason proves that a slow, simple song can be worked up to an epic when played by four talented guys who know very well what team work is all about. it is over 8 minutes long, but you´ll think it´s too short. Brilliant!

The original CD finishes with another song that seems a little out of place here. Again Who Can We Be Sure Of is not a bad song, but really it´s not up to the remaining tracks of Fanatic, even if the arrangements and Chandler´s great guitar are well done. The extra track on some editions (like mine) The Flame is Burnt out has a fitting title!, since it seems to be just like that, a bonus track: a hard rock ditty that adds nothing to the album. Not the best way to finish an otherwise very fine CD.

Maybe I´m being too harsh and Fanatic deserved a for star rating, since it has so many fine songs on it. However, it is also clear that this time the tracklist is a bit uneven (by Jadis standards, that is). A change of a couple of songs would make this one as good as their previous one. At least that´s my opinion. So my final rating would be something between 3,5 and 4 stars. Compared to many other acts it is an excellent effort, but compared to Jadis own best works Fanatic is "just" very good.

 Understand by JADIS album cover Studio Album, 2000
3.30 | 77 ratings

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Understand
Jadis Neo-Prog

Review by Tarcisio Moura
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Three years after the good, but a bit lacklustre Somersault (1996), Jadis is back with their "classic" line up when Martin Orford (keyboards, flute, harmony vocals) and Jon Jowitt (bass) return to the fold. After the band had made some changes to their sound on the previous effort, Understand puts them back to the Across the Water (1994) style. In fact, in many ways Understand does seem to me a kind of twin brother of that album, I always had trouble relating which songs are from each album. Anyway although Somersault was not a bad CD, I was quite glad to see that Gary Chandler and company returned to the more melodic and lively sound their fans love so much.

Even if this record lacks a "classic" tune like Daylight Fades or The Beginning And The End, all the tracks are very strong, inspired and full of energy. And songs like Where In The World, Alive Inside and Giraffe Chariot all have remained in the band´s live repertoire through the years. But my favourite one is definitely Counting All The Seconds, a 7 minute mini epic that is not only a fine tune but also contains one of Chandlers best guitar solos ever. And for a musician who built up a inimitable style of his very own, this is no small feat. I really don´t understand (pun intended) why the low rates several reviewers gave to it, I guess some people take a lot of Jadis do for face value, The music here may not be symphonic or avant guard, and the melodies may be simple, but never simplistic. In fact the music is quite elaborated and demands several spins before you really get all the subtle and rich details that adorn the songs. But once you get it, you´re hooked. It´s prog music indeed: varied, exciting and made with passion, done by a very unique band.

So, in the end I found this CD to be an excellent effort: It has no filler or even weaker tracks, and the performances and arrangements are as impeccable as ever. I was really glad that this line up came back, because certainly there is magic when those guys play together.

Rating: four strong stars.

 Somersault by JADIS album cover Studio Album, 1997
2.98 | 66 ratings

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Somersault
Jadis Neo-Prog

Review by Tarcisio Moura
Prog Reviewer

3 stars You know the kind of albuns where everything seems to be good and still you don´t fancy them that much? The same thing happens to me on titles like Uriah Heep´s Return To Fantasy, for example. Something´s missing and you can´t figure out what it is. For every time I put Somersault on I do like the songs. Especially if I listen carefully. But t me is one of Jadis least successful works. Ok, the line up changed but I believe it´s not the newbies fault. By the time the band have to record this CD both IQ members Martin Orford and Jon Jowitt had commitments to their main group and could not be around. Keyboardist Mike Torr took over Orford´s duties and bassist Steve Hunt replaced Jowitt. And the new duo does a fine job here.Sometimes they even excel and do have more room to show their skills then the previous ones. Gary Chandler and Steve Christey are in fine form. The production is also excellent. So I made an attempt to solve this case by carefully listening to the record exclusively for a few days.

To me Somersault´s main problem is about the songwriting: it´s their most dense and less accessible work to date. Like if they want to complicate things for the sake of it. Or so it seems. On the other hand it is also undeniable that there is no bad song here either. Upon listening carefully you discover that you like the album after all and that al the tracks have their charm. Some even deserved a little more attention by the public in general like Losing My Fear and Tomorrow Always Arrive. Certainly they are both the album´s highlights and, not coincidentally, the most melodic and the closest to their previous work. The other tracks are also good, with several strong moments on them. Chandlers guitar solos are maybe less inspired than before, but Torr´s keyboards are very creative and quete unique. Still it looks like they tried to bit more than they could chew, some parts just dragging too long affecting the CD´s flow. Long tunes don´t mean necessarily good ones.

Conclusion: I still think that Somersault´s tracks are, individually, very good, buy their running order and maybe the lack of a really powerful, memorable song makes it sound less good then it is. So in the end I can say it sounds actually better than I initially thought. So my rating would be be something between 3,5 and 4 stars. Compared to their more popular albums this is surely a less pleasant one. So I guess 3 stars is a fair grade. It is good, most of the time very good, but not as striking and captive as the bands previous work, or its follow up, 2000´s Understand. .

 Across The Water by JADIS album cover Studio Album, 1994
3.55 | 118 ratings

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Across The Water
Jadis Neo-Prog

Review by Tarcisio Moura
Prog Reviewer

4 stars What really surprises me about Jadis second album (third if you count their very rare self titled album of demos of 1989) is that although Gary Chandler and company created a whole sound of their own since the very beginning Across The Water is very different from the celebrated More Than Meets The Eye, released only two years before. In fact, Jadis, for good or for bad, would never repeat itself along its career through the years.

Across the Water won´t grab you so easily as its predecessor, it really takes more time to sink in, but once it does, you´re hooked and a great showcase for Chandlers fine songwriting skills, as well as the band´s prowess and originality. The classic line up of Chandler on guitar and vocals, Steve Christey on drums plus the IQ members Martin Orford (keyboards, flute, harmony vocals) and Jon Jowitt (bass) works as a tight unit, delivering a series of exquisite tracks like In Isolation, Touch and The World On Your Side. But their very best is the prog classic Daylight Fades, probably their best know song: an ethereal tune with a strong Pink Floyd leaning that is one of my favourite prog songs ever. The jazz piano break in the middle is both subtle and fantastic. The remaining tracks are not on that league, but they are very good anyway, especially if you like Chandlers unique guitar style: melodic, economical, very soulful and never overdone (traces of PF´s David Gilmour again). His vocal delivering may not be the greatest, but he does a good job on it, being both pleasant and emotional.

With a crystal clear production, this is the kind of prog music that may not please much those who prefer the more bombastic side of the genre, but will certainly give great pleasure for those who like fine music delivered with subtlety and finesse.

Conclusion: a terrific release from one of the greatest neo prog bands of all time.

 No Fear Of Looking Down by JADIS album cover Studio Album, 2016
3.66 | 55 ratings

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No Fear Of Looking Down
Jadis Neo-Prog

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer

4 stars The last release before this one, 2012's 'See Right Through You', was seen as one of Jadis's best albums, and rightly so. But, for me there was a key element missing and at least for this album, he's back. Jadis has had some great musicians play with them over the years, but it has always been built around the voice, guitar and songs of Gary Chandler, and he has been aided and abetted for more than quarter of a century by Stephen Christey on drums. These two were joined by Andy Marlow (bass) and Arman Vardanyan (keyboards) for the last album after the departures of the IQ boys, but although Andy is still there, Arman has left to be replaced by the incomparable Martin Orford. This is Martin's third stint with Jadis, and it is wonderful to see him back again, as I know from conversations with him some years ago that he had felt the need to leave the scene and was planning never to return. But, one thing led to another, and here he is again, rekindling a relationship with Gary that is very special indeed. I was lucky enough to see Jadis play live quite a few times, both with and without Martin, and also caught some of Martin and Gary's duet gigs, which were always incredible.

Although this album was released towards the end of 2016 I have only just got my copy, and to say that it I something I have been eagerly awaiting is something of an understatement. But would it live up to expectations? Of course it would. From the first note to the last, this is solid, classic Jadis. They are a band that sound like no other, and have kept true to their roots for many years, with everything built around the vocals and guitar and then layered and built from there. The drums have a rawer sound than normal, while Andy's bass is quite a long way back in the mix, but with Gary and Martin harmonising vocally, and providing the backdrop for each other musically, this could only ever be Jadis.

I only have a few criticisms, namely that the album is only forty-five minutes long, we had to wait four years for it, and they're never likely play New Zealand so the chances are I'll never catch up with them in concert again! While this is playing, I am transported to another world, and I am just so pleased to have yet another Jadis album that I can return to time and again. Let's hope we don't have to wait quite so long for the next one, as yet again this is quite superb.

 No Fear Of Looking Down by JADIS album cover Studio Album, 2016
3.66 | 55 ratings

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No Fear Of Looking Down
Jadis Neo-Prog

Review by Tarcisio Moura
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Jadis first release since the excellent See Right Through You (2012). The stakes were high since that was their best album since 2000´s Understand , and we all wondered if Gary Chandler and company would come up with something as powerful and refreshing after a few not so good records before SRTY (although the band never did put out a bad record). At first I was not really convinced by No Fear Of Looking Down: it sounded different and I was not sure if I liked what I was listening. But from the second spin on it was clear that the new stuff was every bit as good as the previous one. I guess it was a good thing that they did not want to repeat themselves.

The song structures, bar the first track, Listen To Me, which could have been in See Right Through It, are indeed different, sometimes plowing fields that Jadis have never venture before, like the obvious celtic sounds of the instrumental Change Of The Season. But careful observations show that Chandler´s trademark guitar sounds are still all around the album. He overdubs a lot of those making some fine patterns of sounds together with subtle and delicate keyboards on the background. And that´s what really makes the record so great: he has a unique style that always set Jadis apart. Some people will say this band is not really "progressive" due the lack of more symphonic keys and things like that, but prog music was always about going further away from the run-of-the-mill music of the moment and that´s exactly what this band does: they sound like no one else. And that´s something a lot of other more "progressive" bands try so hard for years and years and never seems to get (Glass Hammer and The Watch come to mind, but there are many more).

The good news are that the compositions are inspired, strong and there is no filers. Great melodies and clever arrangements. And Martin Orford (of IQ fame) is back to the fold. The bad news: it seems that he just guested on this album, it´s not a permanent come back. In any case he adorns the music with his keyboards, his harmony vocals skills and sometimes with his flute. As usual, the production is very good and the performances are impeccable. I dont´think any track really stands out that much, since the track list is very well balanced and all the songs are very good. When I listen to it, I listen it from beginning to end with the same pleasure. This is surely one of my top ten albums of 2016.

Conclusion: if you´re a fan of Jadis, go for it! It may sound a little different at first, but you´ll be rewarded with repeated spins. If you´re not familiar with this great band, this is a good place to start to know one of the most interesting, unique and subtle prog bands that are around for more than 20 years. Recommended!

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